Solflare: The Painter's Secret-Chapter 120: Chaos City (3) Devilish Goat

"We’ve got to at least clear every creature in this sector before the extraction signal appears." Bao Xiong stated, locking his gaze on the smoke-filled building on their left side.

"And what will happen if we fail to clear all the creatures?" Leon asked, tilting his gaze toward Bao Xiong.

Bao Xiong smiled faintly, stopped walking, then tilted his head toward Leon. "If you don’t want money and also want to be promoted to a different rank in the force, fail."

’So... I’ll get money?’ The word looped in Leon’s head, while a faint smile shimmered in his brown eyes.

On their left, a loud explosion echoed from within the twelve-sectioned building having the look of the Granum Tower.

"Be ready. Other skitters have spotted us." Bao Xiong shifted into a combat stance.

He shifted his glance from Wu Ze, An Lang, and Liu Yan, then laughed when his gaze stopped on Leon. "Are you hoping to commit suicide?"

"Oh, why didn’t you at least grab one of the weapons in the vault?!" Dissatisfaction filled Bao Xiong’s voice as he brushed his left arm across his face.

’This is stronger than what An Lang is holding. Why is he behaving as if I’m holding a broomstick?’

Leon squeezed his eyes shut as he shifted his gaze from the jagged metal in his hands to Bao Xiong’s unhappy face.

"Leon, take this one," Liu Yan said, extending a black metal dagger to Leon. "What you’re holding is just scrap. It won’t be able to cut the hair of the skitters."

She laughed for a short while, then spread her arms wide.

"Thank you." Leon said, fixing his gaze on the black dagger after raising it to eye level. ’The texture of this is like that of the Koh-i-Noor from the ancient world books.’

The blade of the dagger shimmered as Leon turned it at a ninety-degree angle.

"What is he doing?" Wu Ze screamed, her face reddening. "Stop that, or you will be the only one the creatures will come after."

Leon quickly lowered the dagger. ’Aww, sorry for that.’ He curled his mouth inward, staring at the now-angry face of Wu Ze, seeming to calm.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

A loud roaring sound, followed by metal crashing, echoed from the buildings on their left. Metal, cement, and shards of glass rained from the building.

The ground began to quake when one twelve-foot Skitter jumped from the twelfth floor and landed on the ground like a meteorite.

BAM!

Around Leon, An Lang’s arms moved swiftly at his side, pulling a silver sword from his waist, smiling. "Leave this to me." He stated, a grim grin filling his face.

"Wait—" Wu Ze tried stopping him, but An Lang was already closer to the creature, and just a little distraction would mean death for him.

Staring at the creature, the panel appeared in Leon’s head.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

Presence Detected.

Scanning...

Name: Glass Skitter

Rank: D

Hostility: Positive

A faint laugh escaped Leon’s mouth, drawing the attention of Wu Ze, Bao Xiong, and Liu Yan.

"What are you laughing about?" Wu Ze and Bao Xiong asked in unison, their voices echoing in a bone-cracking tone.

"Oh, it’s nothing." Leon said, shaking his head. ’Do they also see this, or am I the only one who sees this?’

Although the laugh was gone, his face still shimmered with joy when he shifted his gaze away from them.

After ten minutes, An Lang returned, ichor coated him like a second skin. "Let’s continue," he said, exhaling sharply.

He swung his sword. The ichor on it splashed from the blade and turned into beads as it flew onto the ground.

They left the creature lying there without limbs and ventured into the north part of Sector 5.

There, acidic air welcomed them, flowing into their lungs and making them gag. At fifty meters away from them, green gas formed a glob around a black object that seemed to pulse.

"Are we going in the right direction?" An Lang asked, slowing his steps.

"Yes, we are on the right track." Bao Xiong said, laughter growing within his tone. "Better still, you can check the map you always carry along."

He held his stomach and laughed in an eerie tone. "Hahaha...!"

"Guys, this is not part of the Sector 5 we were assigned to." An Lang’s face turned extremely pale after pulling out a mini tattered sheet from his pocket. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Silly. How sure are you that your map is current?" Bao Xiong stated, his tone increasingly turning devilish.

"Bao Xiong!" Wu Ze screamed, her tone surpassing the laughter. "An Lang is telling the truth. This is not part of Sector 5 as I remember it."

"Have you also been infested with his empty mind?" Bao Xiong said, his tone shifting as he turned a sharp gaze on Wu Ze.

"Why do you always take serious matters as a joke?"

"Why should I trust a D-rank?" Bao Xiong squinted a sharp gaze at An Lang.

"Look at him." He turned and looked at Wu Ze. "I’m even shocked to see you backing his false information."

Liu Yan stepped closer to An Lang, who stood there, fully feeling downgraded after sharing the truth. ’I should have joined the Son of the Blue-Flamed Dragon’s group when they told me to choose.’

"Let me compare it with mine and check something." Liu Yan pulled out a clean, shimmering device from her pocket.

She placed both her device and An Lang’s sheet on the ground, then knelt beside them.

"Uhm..." she squeezed her lips to the left, tracing her middle finger along the lines on the sheet and those on the screen.

"This looks current." She murmured more to herself and less to anyone, including An Lang and Leon, who stood beside her.

"BAO XIONG!" She rose abruptly, her face now pale as death. "We are totally lost."

She moved forward hastily, then handed her device to Bao Xiong.

"If yours says the same, then you’re all dumb ass niggas." He boasted, fixing his gaze on the lit screen of the device.

"What is this?" He turned the device sideways.

"That’s a Rugged RTK GNSS tablet." Liu Yan answered, shifting glances.

’Rugged RTK GNSS tablet? That’s a device only people from extremely wealthy families can buy?’ Leon thought, gazing deep at Liu Yan.

Liu Yan scratched her chin when she saw Bao Xiong’s confused expression. "This is a device with real-time kinematic positioning for centimeter-level map accuracy and professional GIS mapping too."

She paused, brushing her fingers together. "It’s used for surveying, tactical planning, and is very useful for field operations like this one."

’Rugged RTK GNSS tablet? That’s a device only people from extremely wealthy families can buy?’ Leon thought, then tilted his gaze toward Liu Yan.

There, Bao Xiong took two steps backward. "Guys," he said, then stuttered, "guys, we are... in the Sector 7 border."

His fingers turned numb, causing him to drop the device on the ground.

As the metallic body of the device hit the ground, sending a sharp clicking sound into the atmosphere, a loud roar echoed.

Inside Leon’s skull, the notification chime and the panel resurfaced, flashing red warning signs.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

Presence Detected.

Scanning...

Name: Devilish Goat

Rank: B

Hostility: Positive

Existential Weight: Mystical

Warning! Location locked. No escape.