Half an hour later, inside the temporary shelter originally belonging to the refugees.
Lei Jie had already treated the wounds of the man cloaked in a cape and tied his hands and feet with dragging straps.
Considering his strength and speed far exceeded those of ordinary humans, Lei Jie used all the straps from the team of four and even brought several pieces of broken concrete to press on him just in case.
The man, as if buried alive, glanced at the concrete on him and said with a bitter smile:
"Are you afraid I'm cold? Do you want to shovel some more dirt to compact it?"
Just as he finished speaking, Chen Jian immediately sensed something different about him.
The refugees could speak, there was no doubt about that.
But all their language was stiff, mechanical, even simplistic.
And this man?
Whether in wording, tone, or the faint sense of humor, he was worlds apart from the refugee squads they had encountered before.
This was definitely not a difference between a "Holy Blood" and an ordinary person, but between a normal and an abnormal person.
Thinking of this, Chen Jian asked:
"You're different from those people we've met before."
Hearing this, the man shook his head with a smile and retorted:
"You're not still considering those followers as humans, are you? Truly naive and adorable."
"No wonder you were fooled into the subway by them----so I'm curious, who exactly are you, and how did you escape?"
The man's mouth again mentioned a religious term, but Chen Jian immediately understood what he meant.
Converts...
Which meant that refugee squad was actually surviving by clinging to a mother entity.
This might also explain why they said, "As long as the mother is there, they can't leave."
Of course, it also explained their attack on the squad and the loud noise before the praying mantis monster's attack.
Originally, Chen Jian had assumed it was a warning; in hindsight, it indeed was a warning, but not to them, to the monster.....
Chen Jian exhaled lightly, looked towards the man, and said:
"You shouldn't be asking questions; in this situation, I should be the one questioning you."
"Of course, of course."
The man shrugged and said:
"Before you ask, perhaps I should first explain my situation."
"My name is Xu Lie, from Jinling."
"As you can see, I'm a Holy Blood and also a Hunter."
"I was commissioned by a big shot in Jinling City to come to Chuansha with my team to hunt this Level 4 Monster."
"My original intention was reconnaissance, but as soon as I entered the city area, I discovered the traces of your battle and subsequently found you guys."
"I noticed your equipment and thought you were another team of Hunters from the Mechanical God Sect, so I planned to stay back and first understand your purpose."
"But I didn't expect you to mix with those followers and get tricked into the monster's nest."
"I had assumed you were doomed, but then....."
"You all know what happened afterward; I don't need to go over it again, right?"
"Right."
Chen Jian nodded slowly, not rushing to question further.
This man named Xu Lie had packed a huge amount of information into his short explanation, which Chen Jian couldn't fully digest at once.
Jinling City, a big shot, Hunter, Level 4 Monster...
These details suggested not only the existence of a sizable human settlement on this land but also that this settlement developed a complex functionality!
Moreover, it was evident that the struggle between humans and monsters had developed to a very mature and specialized level, or else something like "monster classification" wouldn't exist!
This was completely different from the information provided by those "followers."
So, from the beginning, were they already prepared to deceive us?
Chen Jian felt a chill down his spine, looked at Xu Lie with suspicion, and continued to ask:
"So, you've been following us since last night?"
"If you knew about the followers' problem, why didn't you warn us sooner?"
"Is there competition between Hunters or a conflict between you Holy Bloods and the Mechanical God Sect?"
"None of them."
Xu Lie shook his head, answering:
"The problem lies with you."
"Don't you realize how odd you are? Your weapons and equipment resemble those of the Mechanical God Sect, guns, grenades, heavy armor, radio...."
"But clearly, the stuff you're using is more powerful than any weapon I've ever seen."
"And you possess many items I've never seen or even heard of."
"That mechanical flying bird, the weird thing on your head that looks like a telescope but isn't, the glowing goggles...."
"Overall, there have never been humans like you on this land."
"At least not in my memory, they never existed."
"So, do you think I should approach you actively? Look at what happened when you approached the followers."
Chen Jian nodded slowly, not refuting.
At this moment, his mind was quickly sorting through the information Xu Lie provided, and from it, he discovered a rather strange but somewhat logically consistent scenario.
This person knows about guns but not about bulletproof vests; knows about the radio but doesn't recognize night vision goggles.
Obviously, some of the technologies humans once had, even the words describing these technologies and the concepts they embodied, have vanished in the long river of time.
Whereas other, more effective and durable items have been passed down generation after generation.
This is very realistic and makes Chen Jian certain that, at least in this aspect, Xu Lie was not lying.
So, he grasped the crux of Xu Lie's words and continued to ask:
"Where is Jinling City? How many people are there?"
"You don't even know Jinling City?"
Xu Lie exclaimed in surprise:
"You truly are peculiar...You're not Holy Blood yet are strong enough to take down a Level 4 Monster with just the strength of four people."
"You're completely oblivious about here, yet seemed to navigate the terrain with familiarity during combat."
"Wait, how precisely did you escape from underground? I mean, no matter how strong your weapons are, it's impossible.... I get it."
Xu Lie took a long breath and said:
"The thing on your head is some kind of device that allows you to see in the dark, right?"
Chen Jian nodded, not hiding it.
"Indeed, you're right, it's called a night vision device."
"Night vision device..... very fitting name."
"Then that explains it; as long as you can see and have powerful weapons, the damage you inflict on monsters underground is even greater than on the surface."
"That's why it was so weak... truly impressive."
Xu Lie exclaimed with a sigh, then said:
"Let's go back to your previous question."
"Jinling is the largest city in the entire south, home to at least ten thousand people."
"It's the frontier of the north-south divide and one of the most dangerous places in the world."
"Merchants, Hunters, Holy Bloods, the Church, thieves, monsters...everything exists there."
"No matter where you're from, you should go to Jinling if you wish to quickly understand this world."
As he finished this, Xu Lie paused, seemingly struck by a thought:
"No, it's not should."
"You must go to Jinling."
"Why?"
Chen Jian frowned and asked.
Xu Lie shrugged, replying:
"You killed the monster and claimed the bounty."
"If you don't go there... who do you plan to give your reward to for free?"