The sound of gunfire signified a battle.
As for the location of the battle, it happened to be a place he had scouted earlier.
Lu Xing had eliminated hundreds of Honkai Beasts along his journey, and the number of humans he had killed was not insignificant either—the former were mostly initiated by Lu Xing, while the latter were generally acts of self-defense.
Honkai Beasts below Lv.20 could no longer provide Lu Xing with experience, and the Honkai energy they supplied was a mere drop in the bucket. Lu Xing would typically ignore such encounters; those he killed were usually somewhat powerful, larger specimens.
The same applied to humans.
Civilians without firearms offered no mission experience. Even fully armed soldiers, if they lacked anything special, were just a waste of energy to kill.
However, there was no shortage of such individuals. They moved in squads of 2-4 off-road vehicles, swarming across the desert like buzzing flies. Lu Xing couldn't ascertain the identity of these humans. To prevent himself from being exposed, regardless of whether they were scouts or not, Lu Xing would always eliminate them preemptively.
This troublesome situation.
Was only greatly alleviated after obtaining the [Ravenwing].
The direction from which the gunshots now echoed was a "refugee camp"—Lu Xing had observed this settlement of less than a hundred humans. Because they were incredibly weak (some even suffering from Honkai Sickness), Lu Xing had taken one look and then paid them no further mind.
These humans weren't even qualified to contribute to his mission progress.
"Internal conflict?"
"No, has someone else intruded..."
The gunshots carried further, but the cries and shouts mixed within required intense concentration to discern.
More indicative than these.
Was the fire, large enough to engulf the entire refugee camp, which formed the basis of Lu Xing's judgment.
Internal conflict wouldn't result in burning down their own homes; the flames were clearly the result of an external force's intervention.
Lu Xing still had no intention of investigating.
This was the third such refugee camp he had encountered. The light had long since vanished from the eyes of the humans living in such places. The only way Lu Xing could think of to "save" them was... to kill them all.
Even the few among them infected with Honkai Sickness.
Their final destination was inevitably death—they didn't even qualify to become Deadmen.
"A human?"
Lu Xing had no intention of getting involved.
Yet, the event actively drew him in.
Just as Lu Xing was preparing to get up and leave, a human suddenly entered his warning perimeter and was continuously approaching him. The newcomer definitely hadn't spotted Lu Xing; choosing this direction was most likely because of the campfire, lit with a sense of ceremony, behind him.
Lu Xing normally wouldn't bother.
But this time was slightly different.
The individual was indeed human according to his senses, but the Honkai energy concentration within her body had already surpassed the upper limit explainable by Honkai Sickness.
Although not on par with his "old friend," the Loli Demon God, it was still more potent than a human transformed into an Elite Guardian Deadman.
In other words.
This human was a "potential stock," capable of transforming into a relatively powerful Deadman.
For Lu Xing, who had just failed his experiment on the Sand Scorpions, this was clearly a very attractive substitute.
He could even stage an amusing "hero saves the beauty" drama.
The distance between them was less than 300 meters. Lu Xing had already identified the newcomer as female, and also spotted two large jeeps leaping over the sand dune behind her—the unusually wide bodies indicated they were "Desert Humvee" models, a far cry from the small human squads Lu Xing had dealt with previously.
"Screech!"
The Humvee executed a wide turn on the sand. After a stylish drift, two fully armed squads leaped out of the vehicles.
"Save..."
"Save me!"
The "hunted" woman, chasing the light, rushed to the side of the bonfire—of course, it might also have been the allure of Honkai energy. The will to survive had made her burst forth with unprecedented speed. In a single dash, she rushed behind Lu Xing, her arms tightly hugging his.
"..."
Simply too foolish.
That was Lu Xing's first reaction upon seeing her actions. Although he didn't expect a fugitive clutching at straws to be particularly elegant, seeking help so carelessly... whether it could save her was debatable, but it was highly likely to drag an innocent bystander into hell along with her.
However.
Lu Xing quickly forgave her.
Someone whose brain could still function normally in a panic was definitely not an ordinary person; and for an ordinary person to make such a "reasonable" move and still be forgiven, it was naturally because of the sensation transmitted from her arm—the feel of "abundant connective tissue covered by a thick layer of fat."
After all, big breasts, no brains, right?
As for the pursuing squad, judging by their actions, they clearly had brains. Before Ange hugged Lu Xing's arm, none of the squad members had seen Lu Xing's figure blending into the night... even though the unextinguished bonfire was right beside him.
As ordinary humans.
Such a bizarre scene naturally made them dare not act rashly.
Hansen was in charge of this operation.
Supplies intact, no survivors left—everything went exactly according to plan. But after checking the list obtained from the Truckers' Association, he couldn't help but frown.
All 14 corpses lay on the ground, their appearances matching the photos perfectly.
But...
According to his subordinate's report.
A target, suspected to be female, had escaped from Bell's truck.
Although her escape was very clumsy, her speed far surpassed that of an ordinary person—running on soft sand, even Hansen's own team members couldn't perform at such a level.
The individual was not a mission target.
He didn't have many men on this operation. Having already achieved the set objectives, blindly pursuing her wasn't a wise move. But if a survivor he let go during his operation caused any trouble in the future...
"Pursue!"
Time rewound to the present.
While chasing the individual, Hansen's gaze softened slightly—her escape was utterly disorganized; she was likely just an ordinary person with excellent physical fitness.
It seemed the operation wouldn't encounter any more snags.
Hansen only thought about the mission, but his soldiers had quite a few crooked ideas. The unit they were stationed with was a place with almost no entertainment besides "dropping the soap." Finally out on a mission, all they encountered were skin-and-bones individuals who couldn't arouse any interest... even less attractive than their teammates' firm glutes.
Suddenly discovering a "lamb," almost none of them could control themselves... No, perhaps it was two lambs—although Lu Xing's body was entirely enveloped by the [Ravenwing], these wolves, their eyes red with pent-up frustration, could still discern a gender from the faint curves.
Unfortunately.
These men's gazes made Lu Xing feel extremely uncomfortable—from both a Honkai Beast's and a human's perspective.
"Hiss..."
Cold air rushed into his mouth.
His left hand slowly reached up to his forehead and pulled back the hood. Accompanied by the "crack" of shattering crystal, a straight blade, suffused with a halo of light, was slowly drawn from the rift on his right side—
"Shing!"