Chapter 148: Minced Meat

The strange smell of sulfur was immediately recognized by Liu Chang as something foreign to this forest, carrying a distinct and heavy artificial trace. From this scent alone, Liu Chang could judge that it was undoubtedly left behind by human activity.

"Who could it be?" Liu Chang frowned deeply. Who could snatch a person away right under his nose without being detected? Although this was a monochromatic forest, his senses were still far sharper than those of an ordinary person.

Being able to quietly take something away right under his nose was no easy feat, let alone abducting a living, breathing person who could speak and move.

"And why would they take Xiaojing?" This was the second question that arose in Liu Chang's mind. Judging from the traces at the scene, Xiaojing showed no signs of injury or bleeding; not even the slightest trace of blood lingered in the air. This indicated that the perpetrator's goal in taking Xiaojing was absolutely not directed at her physical person. Unlike predatory beasts, they were after her ability.

Within the entire city of Zhengzhou, the individuals capable of snatching someone right under Liu Chang's nose without detection, while also potentially knowing about Xiaojing's abilities, could be counted on one hand. Aside from the deceased Li Qingshui, there was only that mysterious and powerful amphibian—Liu. Several days ago, when the giant willow tree attacked Zhengzhou from south to north, no one could have fled in any other direction. Even for the amphibian Liu, not daring to run away in the face of the willow tree was completely expected. Traveling along the same route, and perhaps even moving faster than Liu Chang, was entirely normal.

"Damn it." Figuring out the connection, Liu Chang spat heavily onto the ground. He remembered that Li Qingshui had handed Number Seventeen over to Liu. These two most powerful beings lacked neither intelligence nor physical strength; the only thing they lacked was someone like Xiaojing, whose powerful brain-domain reconnaissance abilities could serve as their assistant.

"Their ambitions are not small." After roughly piecing together the situation, Liu Chang felt a wave of anger, yet simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. If Xiaojing had been taken by the amphibians, while she had lost her freedom, it also meant she would not be in mortal danger—at least for the time being.

Because neither the amphibians nor clone Number Seventeen would harm Xiaojing just yet. After all, what they needed was her ability, not her life. Moreover, Liu Chang believed that even the amphibian Liu could not easily walk out of this forest. Although the other party was much stronger than him, when it came to sensory awareness, Liu might even be inferior to himself. In this blinding forest, even with a compass, it was extremely difficult to maintain the correct direction. A compass could only point to a general heading; with a needle so small, a tiny error at the start would lead to thousands of miles of deviation. Without precise reference points, getting lost was completely normal even with a compass. In fact, many people who got lost in deserts and forests carried compasses with them.

"Is it the amphibians?" Once he knew his target, Liu Chang found his direction and immediately began searching a wide area for signs of the amphibians. Searching with a specific goal in mind was no longer like fumbling in the dark. A moment later, Liu Chang indeed caught the faint, lingering scent of fish on a tree trunk.

The smell of fish did not belong in this forest; he knew he had found his lead.

Following the trace of the fishy odor, Liu Chang tracked it like a hound right from the spot. Although the sweet fragrance of the forest significantly dulled his tracking abilities, by combining it with the trampled marks on the ground and in the bushes, the dual tracking method kept him heading in the right direction.

Rushing forward at top speed toward his target, Liu Chang did not dare to pause for even a second. The absolute speed of the enemy was much faster than his own; if the target moved straight without getting lost, he would have no chance of catching up. Failing to catch up meant he had no idea what kind of treatment Xiaojing would face.

After all, Li Qingshui's clone was not Li Qingshui himself. As could be seen from Numbers One, Two, and Three, they held not a shred of affection for Liu Chang and the others. They possessed their own emotions and values—their worldview had nothing to do with Li Qingshui.

Liu Chang had no doubt that in a couple of years, clone Number Seventeen would dissect Xiaojing to study the exact structure of her brain, ultimately inventing a genuine instrument to explore life itself.

At this thought, Liu Chang's briefly calmed emotions churned into panic once more. Without stopping his stride, he sprinted all the way deep into the forest. Along the way, he unzipped his backpack, pulled out a large gun case, and assembled a firearm of immense destructive power. This gun had been given to him by Li Qingshui, specifically presented after Liu Chang encountered Liu. Li Qingshui had remarked that Liu Chang's lethality against giant creatures was still too weak and had custom-built it for him. The weapon resembled a sniper rifle due to its long barrel and thick stock, but it differed in one major way: it lacked the defining feature of a sniper rifle—a scope.

This was a firearm designed solely for precision within a hundred meters. In the world of red mist, scopes were useless. Therefore, Li Qingshui had removed the precision aiming mechanism, thickened the barrel, and traded accuracy for maximum ballistic power and muzzle energy. Within a hundred meters, this gun's lethality was ten times greater than that of a sniper rifle. Its materials were forged from a combination of evolutionary creature bones and alloys, ensuring no fear that the overwhelming muzzle energy would destroy the weapon itself—this was Liu Chang's greatest reliance in daring to pursue Liu.

After receiving the gun, Liu Chang had bestowed upon it a very bloody name: "Flesh-Grinder." When he first received the weapon, he had tested it on a monster. After a single shot, nothing was left behind except a ground full of minced meat.

Wielding the Flesh-Grinder and pushing through the forest for a short while, he noticed that the enemy's aura had become somewhat chaotic. The scent seemed to circle around in place, tracing a massive elliptical route. Seeing this, Liu Chang realized the enemy was lost. A surge of joy made him quicken his pace, and soon he felt the target drawing closer and closer as the faint fishy odor on the ground grew fresher by the moment.

Sensing that the target was near, Liu Chang halted and went into concealment on the spot. He plucked several massive banana-leaf-sized fronds, wrapped himself entirely in red foliage, and squeezed out some pale, sweet-smelling plant sap on the spot. He soaked his clothes in the juice, blending completely into the surrounding environment.

"Since this is a labyrinth forest, let me play a proper game of hide-and-seek with you!" Liu Chang pressed his lips into a thin line and smeared the bright red plant sap across his face.

Having completed all these disguises, he resumed his rapid advance northward, trailing his target like a phantom.

The red forest, the red fog, a red figure—and a heart dripping with blood.