Naming Technique of the Night

Cold.

Ever since Qing Chen became a knight, it had been a long time since he felt such coldness.

The wounds on his body were not healing easily; at this moment, Qing Chen's combat ability might not even match that of an ordinary genetic warrior.

On the road, even if Qing Chen wanted to struggle not to walk, it was futile against someone like Jindai Yunhe, an A-Class.

The other could effortlessly pick him up with one hand, and if Qing Chen stopped moving, the other would tug at the hemp rope tied to Qing Chen's wrist shackle, forcibly dragging him across the ground as he walked, without much effort.

Jindai Yunhe did not take the main road.

The path they followed seemed to have been planned long ago.

They precisely cut through the wilderness, heading north.

Qing Chen saw small pathways in the mountains, some of which were on cliffs and only wide enough for two or three people to pass.

Most crucially, these were all paths that someone had traveled before; Qing Chen could even see on the road the traces where vegetation had been crushed or chopped down.

This was the route commonly taken by lumberjacks.

Qing Chen knew that the salaries at the Federal Production Base were meager. Many people who couldn't make it in the city were sent here to engage in large-scale mechanized operations such as agricultural planting, logging, harvesting, and breeding.

But there were also people who had lived in the wilderness for generations, assimilated by the Federation as agricultural producers in the production base.

These people had their own ways to make money: they would go into the mountains to pick herbs and prize plants.

The two main trading partners of Wilderness Hunters were the wilderness people and the agricultural producers.

To a certain extent, many Wilderness Hunters were not actually adept at hunting; they were more like middlemen.

The mountain path must have been made by these people.

Very secret.

"So, Jindai's spies have also infiltrated every corner of the Federation's south, disguising themselves as producers in production bases, finding secret paths between the mountains and ridges to be used in wartime," Qing Chen panted.

His clothes were not warm, and his shoes didn't fit well. The cold wind blew right in, melting the falling snow into water inside, which was extremely cold.

Jindai Yunhe calmly responded while leading the rope, "As for the ability to plant spies, Qing's Family is second to none among The Five Major Consortiums of the Federation. Your ancestors paid particular attention to intelligence capabilities, which is why the Shadow holds so much power. So, for someone from Qing's Family to criticize the Jindai Consortium for their meticulous infiltration of the south seems somewhat ridiculous... Oh, you are Time Traveler, so you may not be very familiar with Qing's Family. Perhaps you will no longer have the chance to learn about it."

Jindai Yunhe continued, "Do you know why Qing Mu was captured back then? He went by the name Chen Cang and infiltrated the Jindai Consortium for seven long years, building a large intelligence network. Most admirable is that he even managed to turn Jindai's secretary. I was in charge of the interrogation for a year back then when he hadn't become what he is now."

Qing Chen looked at his captor coldly, not expecting that the person who executed his capture had once interrogated Qing Mu.

As Jindai Yunhe mentioned Qing Mu, there was a hint of admiration in his tone.

However, the more the other did so, the more Qing Chen felt that this nation was hypocritical.

Jindai Yunhe walked on the mountain path with the rope, saying calmly, "You don't need to look at me like that. We are naturally enemies. Whatever you suffer at our hands is only to be expected."

Just then, Jindai Yunhe stepped forward and leaped over ten meters. The rope pulled Qing Chen, who suddenly fell to the ground and was dragged a long distance.

The ill-fitting shoes scattered on the ground.

Jindai Yunhe didn't give Qing Chen a chance to put on his shoes, continuing to walk ahead briskly. Qing Chen barely managed to struggle up and followed barefoot.

The snow beneath his feet was like blades, piercing his skin and bones.

Jindai Yunhe said, "Beg for mercy, and I'll let you wear shoes."

Qing Chen followed calmly, stepping on the mountain path one foot at a time.

The other wanted to break his will on this road, but Qing Chen saw it as a form of ascetic practice.

Even when his feet were frozen to purple and blue, he did not utter a word of begging for mercy.

"I need to use the bathroom," Qing Chen said.

Jindai Yunhe looked at him and surprisingly agreed in a very humane manner.

Qing Chen squatted on the ground, and after finishing his business, he wiped himself clean with decayed leaves from the snow, then immediately buried his excreta with the accumulated snow.

Seeing this, Jindai Yunhe immediately went over, scraped open the snow with a branch to check if there were any Taboo items inside.

But to his disappointment, there was nothing.

Qing Chen laughed on the side, despite the pain his wounds caused when laughing, he still laughed, "An A-Class expert from the Jindai Consortium searching through shit... I suppose that would make a joke if it gets out."

Jindai Yunhe looked at him coldly, "It seems you've hidden the Taboo items in that patch of snowy forest. No matter, once the heat dies down, I will naturally send someone to search thoroughly. Taboo items don't have legs, they can't run away."

As he spoke, his wrist flicked slightly, and the rope between him and Qing Chen lashed out like a whip, striking Qing Chen's cheek and leaving a bloody mark.

However, Jindai Yunhe paused for a moment because when Qing Chen took the lash, he didn't even blink; he just kept staring at him with a smile.

"I advise you to hurry on your way," Qing Chen said with a smile, "If you don't leave the Central Plains soon, you'll be found."