Chapter 154 – Return Adventure
Her mechanical arm had been destroyed when she used it to deal with the Pao Xiao, but she still had one intact mechanical leg remaining.
The losses she incurred in the Threshold had been minimal.
But the gains were substantial.
So far, she had acquired 13 different abilities.
Among them were 4 combat-related abilities: [Teleportation], [Diamond Body], [Mountain Collapse and Earth Crack, and [Immense Strength].
The rest were support abilities.
During her time in the Threshold, she had experienced multiple battles, accumulated practical combat experience, and her overall physical abilities had been greatly enhanced, nearing or even surpassing the original owner.
With the added boost of her abilities, she would no longer be the weak and controlled pioneer when she returned to the Federation.
Would Xie Xu still dare to threaten her? In his dreams!
She put the various explosives back in their original places and drew out her sword to clean it.
The blade was smooth, and as she wiped it, it emitted a prolonged humming sound that resonated clearly in the quiet cave.
Pangpang finally woke up naturally and, seeing that it was already bright outside, wondered why Boss hadn’t woken it up yet. Then it caught a whiff of the aroma of grilled fish.
It turned out Boss had gone to grill fish for it.
Happy, it ran out of the cave and saw Tu Ran at the campfire, grilling the fish, with several already cooked fish stuck in the ground nearby.
It couldn’t help but gulp.
Tu Ran heard the noise and glanced up.
Pangpang’s head was tousled from sleeping, and its hair was sticking out in all directions, making its head look like an old broom. Tu Ran quickly turned away.
It was too much to look at.
“Sit down and eat quickly. After we finish, we need to hit the road.”
She continued to flip the fish on the grill.
It was now noon by Federation time, and the sky had only brightened up an hour ago.
This had been the longest night Tu Ran had experienced in the Threshold. Fortunately, she had found shelter instead of wandering outside.
She had taken a quick walk around the area earlier and saw many giant footprints on the ground, along with several huge skeletal remains, their bones still covered in fresh blood and flesh, indicating they had died recently.
Fortunately, the unknown creatures hadn’t discovered the cave where she and Pangpang were hiding; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Pangpang was sitting by the campfire, eagerly pecking at the grilled fish.
“In a few days, I might have to leave,” Tu Ran suddenly said.
Pangpang’s eating paused, and it quickly swallowed the fish in its mouth before asking, “Where is Boss going? Pangpang wants to come along.”
“I’m going back to the world of the two-legged beasts. You can’t come with me,” Tu Ran said, adding a few more dry branches to the fire without looking up.
“Why?” Pangpang’s small eyes instantly filled with tears.
“The world of two-legged beasts doesn’t welcome alien species. If you follow me, they’ll tear you to pieces.”
Pangpang’s mood sank, and the grilled fish didn’t seem as appetizing anymore. “Will Boss come back?”
Tu Ran thought for a moment. “Unless something unexpected happens, I will come back.”
This depended on the Federal Government’s stance on alien species and their decisions.
“How long will it be before Boss returns?”
“It’s hard to say, and even if I do return, I might not be able to come back to this forest.”
The transport through the Threshold gate was unpredictable. Next time, she might be sent to the other side of the world, a distance so great she couldn’t walk back.
So, these few days might be the last time she and Pangpang would be together.
Tu Ran felt an inexplicable sense of melancholy.
She didn’t show it on her face, flipping the fish to cook the other side. “This isn’t something you should worry about. It’s best if you find a suitable mountain to live on. We’ll head in that direction next.”
She needed to make sure Pangpang was settled.
“Pangpang can live anywhere,” Pangpang said glumly.
“Is that so? Then you can stay here and let the other aliens eat you. It’ll save me the trouble of cooking for you every morning,” Tu Ran said coldly.
Pangpang almost burst into tears. “Then Boss should send Pangpang back to Grandpa Turtle’s mountain. There, Grandpa Turtle will protect Pangpang, and there are all kinds of fruit.”
Tu Ran nodded; she had been thinking the same thing.
“Then eat up quickly. After you finish, we need to leave. There’s still a long way to go.”
“Okay,” Pangpang said, lowering its head to eat the grilled fish. However, knowing that Tu Ran would be leaving soon, it wasn’t as hungry as before.
Looking at the remaining three fish, Tu Ran raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you don’t want to eat these?”
“No, I’m done,” Pangpang shook its head.
“Alright,” Tu Ran said, not pushing the matter further. She put out the fire, packed up her backpack, and looked at Pangpang. “Let’s go.”
They set off on the return journey.
Compared to the treacherous path they had taken to get here, the return route was much smoother.
At least they didn’t encounter any aliens that could threaten their lives.
They did come across many small aliens.
For instance, a rabbit with three legs, resembling a small tricycle, saw Tu Ran and Pangpang and wasn’t afraid. It followed them for a while.
Because it seemed docile and showed no signs of aggression, Tu Ran allowed it to follow them.
The rabbit kept hopping along. Pangpang mentioned that these rabbits were quite foolish and lacked initiative, always following other animals. Sometimes, if their luck was bad and they ended up behind a predator, they would become the predator’s meal.
Indeed, it was quite foolish, Tu Ran thought.
The rabbit’s loud hopping could easily give away their position, so Tu Ran took advantage of its grazing time to sneak away with Pangpang.
In addition to encountering the three-legged rabbit, they also came across a nine-tailed fox.
Just a glance made Tu Ran think of the nine-tailed foxes from TV dramas.
Seeing a nine-tailed fox in real life was quite shocking, especially since this one was several times taller than her, and its fluffy tails were even longer.
At that moment, the nine-tailed fox was washing itself by the riverbank, its snowy white fur shining with a silvery glow in the sunlight, creating an extraordinarily beautiful sight.
While Tu Ran was marveling at the scene, Pangpang grabbed her hand and pulled her away.
Only after they had put a considerable distance between themselves and the riverbank did Pangpang, panting, explain, “They’re the natural enemies of our tribe! They can eat three Dang Hu birds in one meal! Pangpang wouldn’t even be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.”
“Isn’t the Pao Xiao also a natural enemy of your tribe? Your tribe seems to have quite a few enemies,” Tu Ran commented.
Pangpang: “……”
It admitted that their tribe was indeed too weak.
Otherwise, why would their tribe have to live together, while other species like the nine-tailed fox, and even the foolish rabbit, lived alone?
“It’s a miracle that you can travel through so many mountains and still be fine,” Tu Ran couldn’t help but marvel.
The duo continued their journey smoothly for three days, encountering many aliens but none with inner cores.
On the fourth day, while passing through a patch of bushes, Tu Ran spotted a shimmering light.
It was a sign of a superpower.
Her eyes widened as she reached towards the location of the light.
The light was coming from deep within the bushes by the roadside.
