Platoon 1 and 2 of the field operations company continued to chase after Qing Chen. After bypassing the minefield they had set up themselves, they once again caught up with the boy thanks to the superior stamina of level F genetic soldiers.
The soldiers knew that Chief Cao Wei's judgement was correct — this young man was indeed an ordinary person.
He had already started panting as he ran, and his steps were no longer as precise, his body beginning to shake due to the uneven ground.
But even in the face of such an ordinary teenager, these soldiers were still fearful.
Because with the amount of rules he knew, it was as if the entire Forbidden Land was helping him in this fight.
Everyone made up their minds; they must carefully observe the boy's every action. Whatever he did, they would follow him to do without the slightest deviation.
Otherwise, the previous shrubbery massacre might very well happen once again.
Just as the height of their wariness about the rules was at its peak, the boy running in front of them suddenly sang as he passed by a certain area: "Under the bridge, in front of the gate, a flock of ducks are swimming by…"1Chinese nursery rhyme. If you want to hear what it sounds like, you can youtube 数鸭歌
The two platoons of soldiers who were tailing behind him looked at one another. They hesitated for a moment before starting to sing along, "Under the bridge, in front of the gate, a flock of ducks are swimming by. Hurry, hurry, come and count, two four six seven eight…"
The originally tense atmosphere of the chase turned absurd in an instant.
However, the area they were currently crossing was the border between the hinterland and the outskirts of the Forbidden Land.
Everything happened in a flash of a second.
From the hinterland, a huge willow tree appeared in a flash and extended its tenacious branches and vines to drag all the soldiers who had just sung over the border.
Layer by layer, the blood-red vines wrapped around the soldiers' bodies and abruptly tightened up.
The skin around their waists began to bleed and rupture inch by inch, until those vines eventually split their abdomens in halves, letting their blood and viscera pour on the roots of the willow tree, moistening the entire land.
Countless red ants drilled out of the ground.
This was the last gift Qing Chen gave them; a gift called the rules.
When another person is singing, you mustn't sing along.
He first used the unique rule of ‘no excretion on the ground' to kill them.
Then he used the terrifying power of the mimosa to ruthlessly harvest their lives.
From the very start, he had been controlling their rhythm with a foresight akin to a god's.
Despite the fact that he was very weak compared to them, he had utilized the rules to their utmost potential with his every move.
His teacher once asked him why he had to provoke them with the gesture of cutting his throat.
At that time, Qing Chen replied, ‘I'm worried they'll run away.'
But he actually had another purpose in mind, and that was to create a confident and mysterious image.
He wanted to convince his opponents that there was nothing he didn't know, that he had mastered every single rule of Forbidden Land No. 002.
Once this image had been deeply ingrained in their minds, he could make all those who were observing him subconsciously imitate his actions!
He could control their instinctive reactions!
His hidden trap had now been unveiled.
Cao Wei could command the army to hunt him down like a pack of wolves chasing its prey.
But Qing Chen could also set up traps and pitfalls to ensnare them.
As if playing a game, they were constantly switching between the roles of the hunter and the prey. But the only thing awaiting the loser would be death.
In this carnage, only two soldiers were able to narrowly escape death. They were so terrified by the scene in front of their eyes that they immediately turned tails and scampered out of the hinterland.
On the communication channel, before Cao Wei could even set off, he heard a mix of the soldiers' howls, wailing screams, and a nursery rhyme ringing in his ear.
He stood frozen in a daze. Because their distance was too far, Cao Wei and Qing Huai couldn't even figure out what exactly was the rule the boy used to kill those soldiers!
This was the first time Qing Huai had ever felt such an emotion occupying his mind.
His opponent was obviously just an ordinary person, but he acted like a monster that had lived in this Forbidden Land for a long time.
On the other hand, Cao Wei still managed to keep his calm. He asked through the communication channel, "Is anyone still alive? Can anybody tell me what's going on?!"
A soldier answered in fear, "Sir, this is Zhang Jing. We also have no clue about what just happened. That boy suddenly started singing, and we suspected that he was going to use the rules to start killing again, so we all sang along. Sir, everyone is dead, except for me and Liu Shun, everyone else has died."
"Change your connection to the alternative channel and meet us at area A39," Cao Wei ordered.
Not long after, two soldiers who were still in shock came to report to them.
Qing Huai coldly asked, "What song did he make you sing? Sing it for me!"
The soldier was close to crying, "Sir, I don't dare to, everyone who sang it is now dead!"
"Aren't you two and that kid all right?" Qing Huai took out his dagger and pressed it against one of the soldier's neck, "Sing it for me! If you die, I'll compensate your family!"
The soldiers cried and sang, "Under the bridge, in front of the gate, a flock of ducks are swimming by…"
The two soldiers were indeed singing, but none of the sound that came out of their mouths was in tune. They sucked so badly that it didn't even sound like a song anymore.
Cao Wei was hit with a shocking realization — these two only survived because they sang out of tune!
Qing Huai also came to a similar conclusion. He and Cao Wei looked at each other, but neither of them could speak for a long time.
Who would have thought that one day, some people would be able to save their lives by singing out of tune!
Having made a decision, Cao Wei dumped out all the useless gadgets in his bag to the ground and then said to the communication channel, "Platoon 7, go back to A39 to converge with Sir Qing Huai. Protect him well."
Once he finished his instruction, he spoke to Qing Huai, "Sir, the Fight for the Shadow is more important than anything else. I know that if I let you return empty-handed this time, there will also be no more chance for me to make a comeback. You've never treated me badly before, so I'll go and kill him in your place. I hope that the promise you gave me before still stands."
Qing Huai cordially shook both of Cao Wei's hands, "Then I'll leave it to you, Brother Cao Wei. My promise will always stand."
"Alright," Cao Wei immediately turned around and strode into the woods.
Behind him, Qing Huai's expression gradually turned cold. He knew why Cao Wei hadn't taken any action until now.
Previously, this army veteran had been unhurriedly moving at the rear of the troop. Even when he led the soldiers to force Qing Chen into the minefield, he had always stayed behind and gave out his commands from the back.
This was because Cao Wei was aware that the boy knew more rules than they did, so he wanted to use the soldiers as cannon fodders to exhaust the various rules, and only then would he finally make his move.
This way, it would be safer for him when he started taking action.
Certainly, it had to be said that Cao Wei was able to survive 17 rounds of siege in the wilderness not due to mere luck or coincidence, but because of his caution and ability.
He was a smart guy, but perhaps, just a little too smart.
At this moment, Qing Chen was panting as he stared at the big willow tree.
Bloodthirsty, merciless, and powerful.
These were the words Qing Chen had in mind for the willow tree.
But for some reason, even when he watched such a bloody scene unfold, he didn't feel any shred of fear in his heart.
Moreover, he didn't seem to be afraid of this tree at all. On the contrary, he slowly walked to the tree and picked up an earpiece from a spot not far away from it. He tried to listen, but there was no more sound coming from the gadget.
It looked like they had cautiously changed the communication channel.
Qing Chen threw the earpiece and crushed it with his foot. He then rummaged through the area to find other equipment that he could use.
Just as he was about to re-enter the darkness of the Forbidden Land.
A willow branch gently patted his shoulder.