Chapter 273: Investigation

The night was like ink, the moonlight like silver.

Chen Che and Su Xiao moved silently through a dense forest.

According to the coordinates found by Jiang Lan and Ma Zijun, that wasteland was located in the deepest part of this dense forest.

Chen Che's eyes glowed; his Pupil Technique guided his direction until he finally stopped in a thicket of bushes.

Su Xiao crouched down behind Chen Che and poked her head out to look. Not far ahead was a Botanical Garden, but it was strictly patrolled and fortified by the military; high wire fences and periodically flashing searchlights formed layers of impassable defensive lines.

Vehicles drove in and out through the iron gate, and there was one, and only one, road connecting the dense forest to the Botanical Garden.

Chen Che glanced at the several-meter-high watchtower and moved his body gingerly, expanding the range of his Pupil Technique to take in the personnel and layout inside the Botanical Garden.

The moonlight was like a wash, illuminating the strange plants in the garden. They appeared exceptionally mysterious in the night, emitting a faint glow as if nature's spirits were whispering.

Chen Che had a guess in his heart; he turned his head to signal to Su Xiao, and then the two slowly approached the Botanical Garden.

The two were wearing specially made camouflage uniforms, and their faces had been altered using the Ghost Gate Needle. Their bodies pressed close to the ground, moving through the shadows like ghosts, skillfully avoiding the gaze of the patrolling soldiers.

Chen Che's gaze was sharp, his ears keen, able to capture the slightest sound and movement. Whenever a searchlight swept over, he would quickly find the nearest cover—be it a built-up watchtower or an abrupt rock—to temporarily hide his figure.

Their movements were light and swift, just like ghosts that had merged with the night.

As they went deeper, the spiritual energy in the Botanical Garden grew more and more concentrated, and the light emitted by the various strange plants and flowers became brighter. Against the backdrop of the moonlight, these lights formed a dreamlike scene, making one almost forget they were in a place filled with danger.

Suddenly, a strong beam of searchlight swept over the position they had just left, and immediately after, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence of the night.

Su Xiao's heart rate accelerated; she subconsciously gripped Chen Che's hand tightly, and the two immediately searched for the nearest cover.

They hid behind a huge rock; the rock's shadow was large enough to provide temporary concealment.

They held their breath, trying their best to lower their presence, but as the footsteps drew closer, Chen Che had no choice but to hold two fingers of his left hand upright in front of him, preparing to execute an Artisan Technique.

"Ta-ta-ta-ta..."

The footsteps were hurried and dense. Fully armed soldiers naturally brought a sense of oppression, not to mention that Chen Che could see clearly through his Pupil Technique that these soldiers were all holding True Qi Weapons, and several of them were even Martial Artists.

Chen Che and Su Xiao pressed tightly against the rock, almost able to feel each other's heartbeats.

Su Xiao's fingers lightly touched the surface of the rock. Under high pressure, Cold Ice True Qi was released involuntarily, forming an ice flower on the rock.

At the same time, she also felt the coldness and hardness of the rock, which made her concentrate even more, ready to deal with any situation that might arise.

"Rustle..."

Just then, a small nocturnal animal darted out from the bushes, drawing the soldiers' attention.

The soldiers turned quickly and began to track the small animal, temporarily forgetting the abnormality from just a moment ago.

Chen Che and Su Xiao took the opportunity to move quietly from behind the rock, their figures flashing as they successfully snuck into the Botanical Garden.

The two hid their figures and walked slowly through the Botanical Garden, which was overgrown with Spiritual Plants. The rich True Qi aura in the surroundings, as well as that simultaneously refreshing feeling, was exactly the same as the Fang Family Medicine Garden from before.

Chen Che and Su Xiao looked at each other and silently gazed at the ground. Was there also monstrous evil buried beneath this earth?

Chen Che slowly formed a seal, while Su Xiao took out her phone to record everything around them.

"Click, click~~"

A slight sound came from the ground, and it cracked open a meter-wide gap. Chen Che's breathing suddenly quickened, his face filled with astonishment.

Children.

Children from six to thirteen or fourteen years old.

"These animals, they are not even as good as the Fang Family!"

Su Xiao also saw the situation beneath the yellow soil; she was trembling with anger, and her phone nearly slipped from her hand.

"Sure enough, it is not just the Fang Family that is being ordered to plant raw materials for Pills."

Chen Che clenched his fists, his entire body radiating anger.

"Now this is a mess. The land belongs to the Gu Family, the people running it are from the Ding Family, and the guards are from the Ouyang Family. This involves three great families at once; it is already a major matter sufficient to shock Beijing."

Su Xiao finished recording, put away her phone, and said in a low voice.

"We are now—"

Before Su Xiao could finish her sentence, a sharp whistle pierced the night sky. Several searchlight beams shone over, and the figures of Chen Che and Su Xiao were exposed in the night.

"How bold, to actually dare to trespass here! You don't want to live anymore!"

The one shouting was a sturdy military officer, and also the Branch Manager here, Ouyang Long.

The alarm sounded throughout the Botanical Garden, like the call of the Grim Reaper. Under the moonlight, the once-tranquil Botanical Garden instantly became tense. The soldiers' footsteps, shouts, and the sound of metal clashing intertwined, together breaking the silence of the night.

In less than three seconds, Chen Che and Su Xiao were already surrounded. Countless gun barrels were aimed at them, waiting only for Ouyang Long's order.

Without any interval, as the personnel and gun barrels were in position, Ouyang Long gave the order directly.

"Fire!"

Countless gun barrels roared, and a dense barrage of True Qi Bullets poured toward the two like a torrential rain.

Su Xiao let out an angry shout, and an Ice Wall rose from the ground. The bullets hit the ice wall, and ice shards splattered everywhere with a crackling sound.

"Lihuo? Swallow!"

Chen Che's roar rang out, and scorching flames swept through the Botanical Garden, turning it into a sea of fire in an instant.

"Go!"

Chen Che quickly grabbed Su Xiao's hand, rushing through the sea of fire to escape the Botanical Garden.

"No! No!"

Watching the Botanical Garden being engulfed by the raging fire, Ouyang Long let out a hysterical, beast-like cry and flew into a rage: "Pursue them! Absolutely do not let them leave alive!"

"Quick, this way!"

Chen Che executed his Pupil Technique again, pulling Su Xiao as they sprinted and dashed through the dense forest, his voice carrying a trace of anxiety.

Su Xiao sensed the panic in Chen Che's tone, and she was also very clear that the pursuers behind them were different from other enemies.

The military's True Qi Weapons would be no worse than those of the Inspection Bureau, and considering the number of people, it was at least the size of a platoon.

With such a scale, there was no guarantee they wouldn't have heavy weapons or even larger-scale weapons of mass destruction.

No matter how strong a Martial Artist is, they are still human; unless they transcend the Heavenly Master realm and reach that legendary state, they are still like mayflies trying to topple a tree when facing this scale of armament.

"Over here, hurry and pursue!"

The roar of engines mixed with the shouts and curses of soldiers grew closer and closer behind them.

Several Martial Artist soldiers were even less than twenty meters away from them.

Su Xiao clearly felt the palm of Chen Che's hand, which was holding hers, tighten, and she also became more nervous.

The two quickened their pace, but were hindered by the dense forest and could not fully unleash their speed; the branches and leaves rustled as they moved rapidly, as if cheering them on or perhaps mocking them with ridicule.

"Whoosh!"

A Martial Artist soldier ten meters behind them launched an attack, and a beam of True Qi flew through between the two, forcing them to let go of each other's hands and dodge in opposite directions.

"Xun Wood? Chaos!"

Chen Che formed seals with both hands and unleashed an Artisan Technique, causing a tree branch as thick as an adult's forearm to lash out horizontally.

The Martial Artist soldier about to catch up was caught off guard, and with a *snap*, he collided with the branch, instantly sent tumbling and flying backward.

The Artisan Technique was still in effect, and the towering, lush trees nearby twisted their trunks to form a wooden wall, blocking the path behind Chen Che and Su Xiao.

"Boom!"

Before the two could even rejoice, a deafening explosion came from behind them.

The wooden wall was blasted open, and a small, agile armored vehicle sped toward them.

………