After two days of rest at the outpost, sustained by scarce local food and a steady (albeit rusty-tasting) water source, Gu Xun had regained most of his strength. Though his complexion remained paler than usual and his abilities were far from peak, he could now move without significant hindrance. Lu Zhao's overtaxed psychic energy had also replenished.
At dawn, they filled their military canteens with water, gathered every edible root and wild fruit they could find, and set off once more toward the "Hope" base. Leaving the relative safety of the outpost and stepping back into the unknown wilderness, both men were on high alert.
Following their plan, they traversed the edges of the hills, using the undulating terrain and dense vegetation to conceal their presence. Gu Xun handled navigation and route planning, while Lu Zhao functioned like the most sensitive probe, stretching his wind-elemental perception to its limits to detect any anomalies within a hundred meters.
The hilly terrain proved far more treacherous than the wasteland, offering no paths—only a grueling crawl through boulders and thickets. Sunlight was sliced into fragmented beams by the dense canopy, casting mottled shadows across the forest glades. The air thickened with the pungent scent of earth and decaying matter.
"Left, fifty meters. Something moving in the bushes. Small in size," Lu Zhao whispered, giving a discreet signal. Gu Xun halted instantly. Both held their breath, straining their senses. Moments later, a small, gray-brown creature resembling a badger cautiously emerged from the undergrowth. It glanced around warily before darting back into the thicket.
False alarm. Both men breathed sighs of relief and pressed onward.
Around noon, they paused to rest in a relatively open forest clearing. Just as Lu Zhao pulled out his canteen, his wind perception suddenly registered an intense sense of danger! It wasn't coming from the ground, but... above!
"Above!" Lu Zhao snapped his head up, simultaneously tackling Gu Xun, who was sitting beside him, to the ground!
"Screech—!"
A shrill, piercing cry rent the sky! A massive shadow swept overhead with a violent gust of wind, its sharp talons grazing Lu Zhao's former position by inches and snatching up clumps of turf!
It was an abnormally massive mutant vulture! Its wingspan approached four meters. Its sparse feathers revealed unhealthy, bluish-gray skin, while its head and neck were covered in disgusting flesh tumors. Its eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty glint. It clearly regarded them as prey.
Missing its first strike, the mutant vulture circled in midair before diving down again at a terrifying speed!
"Duck behind the tree!" Gu Xun barked, simultaneously gathering a faint glow in his palm to try and disrupt its vision.
Lu Zhao scrambled and crawled alongside Gu Xun toward the nearest large tree. The mutant vulture's sharp talons tore into the trunk, leaving deep gashes as wood chips flew everywhere.
Enraged, it no longer rushed to attack but began circling the tree where they hid, emitting an irritating screech as it sought its next opportunity.
"We can't let it keep circling us!" Lu Zhao gasped, his back pressed against the rough bark. Out in the open, they'd be sitting ducks.
Gu Xun's expression was grave. His light-element ability proved limited against such a fast-moving aerial target.
Lu Zhao took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He closed his eyes, straining to sense every shift in the surrounding air currents. The wind told him the angle and speed of each flap of the vulture's wings, each turn it made.
Now!
The moment the mutated vulture adjusted its course to dive, Lu Zhao snapped his eyes open and swept his hands forward with lightning speed! This time, he didn't fire scattered wind blades. Instead, he compressed and spun all his power into an invisible, highly concentrated air shockwave. Like a cannonball leaving the barrel, it precisely anticipated the vulture's flight path and slammed into the base of its wing!
"Boom!"
A dull thud echoed, accompanied by the faint crackling of shattered bones. The mutated vulture let out a piercing wail. Its massive frame lost balance midair, tumbling awkwardly downward before crashing heavily onto the open ground over ten meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust. It struggled, one wing twisted at an unnatural angle, unable to fly anymore.
Lu Zhao leaned exhausted against a tree, his face drained of color. That single strike had nearly depleted half his spiritual energy.
Gu Xun stepped forward, glancing at the mutated vulture thrashing on the ground. A sliver of white light flickered from his fingertip, ending its agony.
"Well done," Gu Xun said, turning to Lu Zhao with a hint of approval in his voice. "Your timing and power control have both improved significantly since last time."
Lu Zhao gasped for breath, saying nothing, but Gu Xun's acknowledgment sent a faint, almost imperceptible warmth through him. He walked over to the mutated vulture's corpse, examined it closely, and finally shook his head. This thing looked inedible.
This minor incident heightened their vigilance. The hilly terrain was fraught with danger, threats lurking not only on the ground.
After a brief rest, they pressed on. Only as night fell did they find a narrow mountain hollow to camp in. It offered shelter from the wind and relative concealment.
They lit a small campfire with carefully gathered dry branches. The dancing flames dispelled some of the darkness and chill. Huddled around the fire, they shared what little food remained.
"Based on the map and our progress these past two days, we might have covered about a third of the journey," Gu Xun said, roughly sketching their route on the ground with a stick.
Lu watched the dancing flames and suddenly asked, "That 'Hope' base... what if it's not as good as we imagine?"
Gu Xun paused his stirring of the embers, the orange-red glow reflecting off his calm profile.
"Then we'll find a relatively safe place nearby and survive." He lifted his eyes to meet Lu Zhao's, the firelight dancing in his deep gaze. "As long as we keep moving and stay together, there will always be a way."
His voice was not loud, yet it carried a strange, reassuring strength.
Lu Zhao watched his face in the firelight, feeling for the first time no awkwardness or distance. Only a steadfast certainty that they would walk side by side.
"Mm," Lu Zhao murmured softly, adding another log to the fire.
The crackling campfire illuminated two figures leaning on each other in the apocalypse. The road ahead remained unknown and perilous, but in this small mountain hollow, warmth quietly spread.