Apart from the caravans, warriors, and espers, the outside world was filled with desolate and barren sand.
People bravely walked on the broken roads, and when the wind blew, their figures would be drowned in the sand.
After the new era, the outside of the city became a restricted area for ordinary people.
Therefore, those who could leave the city were either martial artists or espers.
In addition to the beast tide that would occur every year, the army would schedule times to clear the monsters around the city walls.
There was nothing within 10 kilometers of Quicksand Town other than a desert. It looked like the wasteland of doomsday.
It felt like two different worlds inside and outside the city.
Ding Peng, Chen Zhiqi, and the others had no change in emotion. They looked at the surrounding environment calmly. It was obvious that they had long known the situation outside the city.
The moment the seniors of Year Two stepped out of the city, their auras changed. They became fierce and steady, like veterans who had been on the battlefield many times.
They subconsciously tightened their grip on their guns and weapons, looking around vigilantly.
Outside the city, the habit of maintaining vigilance was engraved in everyone's bones.
Chu Lingjun heard from Ding Peng that his brother's class had 50 students in Year One, but after he was promoted to Year Two, there were only 40 students left.
The 10 people who left either turned into liberal arts students or died in an accident.
Danger was everywhere in the wild, lurking in the shadows.
"How do you feel?" Ding Peng, who had a simple and honest face, walked beside Chu Lingjun and asked casually.
Ding Peng wanted to take care of his partner who would stand on the same level as him in the future.
"It's alright." Chu Lingjun nodded.
Shan Qiuru looked at the map and shouted in a low voice, "Everyone, advance forward! Let's try to reach the Iron Peak Mountain within an hour. We'll rest when we get there!"
"Yes, miss!"
Shan Qiuru's voice was not loud, but it was clearly transmitted into everyone's ears.
After Shan Qiuru finished speaking, she turned around and looked at Chu Lingjun, Lin Yin, Qu Xia, and Sun Ji. She said slowly, "The four of you are espers, so you might be physically weaker. The twenty-kilometer run may be difficult for you to complete, but I still hope that you can try your best to keep up with the team and persevere until the finish line, understand?"
The beautiful teacher, who was usually gentle and graceful in class, was now harsh and bold.
"Yes... Miss!" Lin Yin and Qu Xia hesitated for a moment and said with pale faces.
Lin Yin had wood powers, while Qu Xia had an infrared vision. Their powers had little effect on their physical attributes.
Their vitality was within the nine to ten range.
"Chu Lingjun, what about you?"
Shan Qiuru was most worried about Chu Lingjun. This kid broke the record in the vitality test a week ago. He had the lowest points in the entire grade.
"I will definitely work hard to keep up!" Chu Lingjun replied loudly.
"Alright, I look forward to your performance." Shan Qiuru's lips curled into a smile. She liked Chu Lingjun's attitude.
"Alright then, keep up!"
…
The road out of the city was quite lively at first.
There were hunting squads like Chu Lingjun and the others who were out of the city. There were commercial convoys that were conducting cross-city transactions. There were soldiers patrolling to maintain order. There were drones that whistled past in the sky. There were many lives around.
The group slowly advanced forward in the wilderness, shuttling through the merchant carriages.
However, after about ten kilometers, the originally sandy area finally showed a little green.
Vegetation began to appear in the surrounding soil, and even further away, shrubs and trees appeared. This place was filled with greenery.
Upon arriving, Chu Lingjun looked around at the scenery. He could clearly sense that the atmosphere in the group had become even more solemn.
Shan Qiuru, who was at the front, and the seniors behind her all looked around even more focused. It was as if some kind of danger would rush out in the next second.
After advancing for a few more kilometers, Chu Lingjun still hadn't seen the exotic beast that he was looking forward to. Lin Yin and Qu Xia, who were following beside him, were the first to stumble.
The two of them were pale and panting heavily from the distance.
Chu Lingjun glanced at the two of them and pretended to be out of breath, as if he was also very tired.
After another one or two kilometers, Lin Yin could not hold on any longer and fell to the ground.
Seeing Lin Yin fall, Qu Xia could not hold on any longer.
"Liu Dongqin, Meng Shuli, you guys have to work hard." Shan Qiuru said.
"Yes, miss."
The two seniors ran up and carried Lin Yin and Qu Xia on their backs.
At this moment, Shan Qiuru's beautiful eyes looked at Chu Lingjun suspiciously. Why hadn't this brat fallen yet…
After persisting for a while, Chu Lingjun gradually became exhausted.
"Ding Ying, assist him." Shan Qiuru looked at Chu Lingjun with admiration. She didn't expect this kid to be able to persist until now.
Ding Ying was Ding Peng's older brother. He was even taller than Ding Peng and had a burly build. He was nearly two meters tall and looked like a little giant.
"There are still four kilometers left."
"Yes, miss!"
After a brief interlude, everyone finally arrived at their destination.
The terrain in front of him slowly rose, forming a tall mountain with layers of emerald green and flowing springs.
A sparkling river flowed at the foot of the mountain.
Beast cries came from the mountains, making people shudder.
In front of him was the White Cloud Mountain and Lanjiang River.
"Everyone, we will take a fifteen minute rest. Don't go near the river!" Shan Qiuru said seriously.
"Yes, miss!"
"Why can't we go near the river?" Chu Lingjun asked Ding Ying curiously.
"Last year, a student in our class was dragged into the river because he wanted to drink a mouthful of river water." Ding Ying said with a lingering fear on his face.
At that time, he was thirsty and was ready to take a sip when a beast swallowed him whole.
"Is the river that scary?" Hearing Ding Ying's words, Ding Peng, Zhuo Chang, and Chen Zhiqi all looked over curiously.
"Our school, the army, and some hunting teams will clean up the mutated beasts on the mountain from time to time… But the Lianjiang River is vast and deep… How will we be able to fully clear everything inside?" Ding Ying smiled bitterly.
"Why not bomb them with missiles?" Zhuo Chang asked curiously.
Ding Ying shook his head. "If we accidentally blow up the river, wouldn't it be even more troublesome to deal with it in the future? Mutated beasts will be able to hide in the crevices."
Everyone nodded, that made sense.
"Therefore, the most fundamental method is to set up a water gate array at the mouth of the sea and intercept it with a torpedo-like electric net.
"However, the undercurrents in the underwater world are turbulent, and there are countless underground caves and rivers. Many exotic beasts can still swim in through these secret passages if they are strong enough to fight the currents.
"What we can guarantee is that these secret passageways aren't too big, so the exotic beasts that swim in aren't too high-leveled. They're usually between Level One to Level Three.
"In addition, the water from the Lianjiang River that flows into Quicksand Town has a special gate that prevents them from entering, so they can't enter the city that easily.
"The mutated beasts in the water outside the city are limited by the environment. As long as we don't get close to them easily, there won't be any trouble."
Chu Lingjun pouted. When the cost of cleaning up the Lianjiang River was too high and the benefits were very low, maintaining the status quo was a last resort.
"Did you guys watch the news?" Ding Ying suddenly said in amusement, "Last week, a merchant ship of the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce sank in the river. A large number of Sun Fruits sank to the bottom of the river, causing a loss of nearly tens of millions of dollars! If we include the ships, guards, and compensation for the families, the losses almost reached a billion. This is big news!"