Chapter 102: Found Clues

Lü Shang returned with the map, the most detailed one he had gathered. Liu Zong studied it carefully, piece by piece, and found that, as he had suspected, the entire battlefield map had once been a vast, unbroken forest.

Even after the Adara zerglings arrived, the forest remained largely unchanged for some time. Only when the fierce battle erupted between the Adara zerglings and the Kalya demons did everything begin to shift. The alterations were minimal at first, but as the two races grew stronger and more aggressive, the map gradually split into two.

Yet Liu Zong observed something striking: no matter how the terrain evolved, a section of forest in the very center of the map always stayed untouched.

The revelation brightened Liu Zong’s eyes. He took out the school-issued map and laid several versions side by side, finally circling a blank stretch of the one provided by the school. That unmarked spot represented the place on the battlefield that had remained closed and the region of the entire continent that had never changed.

Watching Liu Zong’s movements, Lü Shang asked, “Are we heading there?”

“I don’t know.” Liu Zong kept his eyes on the papers without raising his head. “From the map it looks like a sacred or ancestral site of the Kulast dwarves, but I can’t be sure whether the ambers are sealed there too.”

Lü Shang had already weighed this possibility while gathering the maps. After hearing Liu Zong’s words he gave a firm nod. “The only unchanging area contains these few spots, yet these others appeared as strange mutations after the great war, when the continent was divided. I checked the historical records—those three places saw actual fighting and may have been altered by the battle. Only this one changed in a way that left no records.”

While speaking, Lü Shang pointed to a particular spot and pulled out the remaining maps for comparison.

As Liu Zong and Lü Shang talked, Xu Ying and the others gathered around and stood listening. They wanted to know the next destination so they would not be left too far behind.

Liu Zong then marked the uncertain locations on the maps and added notes—some drawn from inquiries, others from calculations.

At last he set the maps aside. “This should be our target. We have three months to walk every inch of it and look for any trace of the amber.”

Xu Ying and the others were not especially surprised. The mission they faced was at least a five-year commitment; finding the true site in three months would already be considered fast progress. They believed that once the school saw proof of the key location, it would reduce their other tasks and free up time for this critical one. Everything, however, rested on finding the correct clue and producing evidence convincing enough to satisfy the school; otherwise they would have to borrow rest periods to finish the work.

Liu Zong’s decision now determined whether their journey over the next five years would be self-funded or publicly funded.

He placed all the maps to one side and pointed to a location. “We go here.”

The group followed his gesture and saw a forested mountain range close to the Adara zergling border, still distant from the spot they had chosen.

Seeing their puzzled faces, Liu Zong smiled helplessly. “All the sites we selected lie inside the neutral zone. Before the fortress is built, we cannot enter it, so our immediate task is not to check whether these regions match what we want but to find a way inside.

I think the clue we found this time exists precisely for that purpose.”

The moment he finished speaking, Liu Zong felt a shift on the task panel. The long-unaltered “Amber Light” mission now carried an extra line of text.

“Smuggling Channel: Locate a route that runs back and forth between the neutral lands and the forbidden zone, sneak past the guards, infiltrate the forbidden land, and open a teleportation point to enter.”

“Task Reward: Smuggler’s business card—call one Lv1 smuggler (5/5) on any map for trading. The smuggler will supply several special items unique to this map.”

Every participant received the same message. They exchanged glances, recognizing that Liu Zong’s reasoning had been correct and that the game system had already accepted it. Now they simply had to discover how to reach the forbidden land.

A thread of unease also ran through their thoughts. The target was labeled forbidden land, not neutral territory, meaning even the residents of the neutral zone regarded it as off-limits. Entering would be risky. With luck they might find what they sought; without it they would face enemies or forbidden-land guardians and the hostility of the entire map and battlefield.

Liu Zong glanced at the others and saw the shock in their eyes. They had all reached the same conclusion. “As you’ve seen,” he said, “this time the danger is serious. It could bring enmity to the whole map. If you wish to withdraw, I will not object. But if you stay, you cannot regret facing the possibility of death.”

Xu Ying spoke first. “Life and death are to me like sleep. Do not overthink my answer.”

Yuan Ying said with quiet certainty, “I have ways to protect myself. If I truly fall, I will not blame you.”

Lü Shang chuckled. “My level is not high, and even on the battlefield the odds of death are great. Besides, even if I die three times and am sent back to the real world, I can still run my intelligence business. It will not affect me much.”

Liu Zong’s gaze turned to Lena. Unexpectedly, she stepped back at once. “I already gave you my socks. Don’t ask for anything else.”

For such sudden mood swings Liu Zong could only rub his forehead. “I didn’t mean that. I was asking whether you are ready to face death.”

“Are you suggesting we share life and death?” Lena’s face flushed. Then she realized the words had come out wrong and patted her chest. “Don’t worry. When danger appears, I will protect you.”

Liu Zong, however, had not heard the sentence at all. His thoughts were completely absorbed in the gentle rise and fall of Lena’s chest.