Dawn had barely broken.
The door of the medical bay opened, and Doctor Jian walked out holding a clipboard.
Tong Shuxue was already waiting outside, seated in a wheelchair with a thin blanket covering her knees.
“How is the condition?” she asked.
“The surgical outcome was better than expected.“ Doctor Jian replied. “The Prince’s cellular activity is very high, and the R5 drug has been absorbed well. He has now entered the recovery phase. He will need two electrical stimulation sessions daily, combined with drug permeation therapy.”
Tong Shuxue nodded. “Pain control?”
“The local anesthesia has already worn off, so this is normal post-operative pain. I administered a sustained-release analgesic patch; it can last twelve hours. However, what is most surprising is his neural response. Around 3 a.m. today, the monitoring equipment detected autonomous nerve signals in his right index finger. It was very weak, but it was definitely present.”
This information made Tong Shuxue raise an eyebrow.
She was aware of the effects of the R5 drug, but Zhao Jingyuan’s recovery speed still exceeded expectations.
Perhaps it was because this ancient man’s physical constitution was inherently superior to modern humans, or perhaps his strong will to survive had activated his latent potential.
“Continue monitoring. I will go check the situation outside.”
After speaking, Tong Shuxue turned her wheelchair and headed toward the outer hall of the cave.
In the mountain passage, Ling Er was already waiting at the entrance. When he saw Tong Shuxue come out, he unzipped his jacket, revealing a display screen on his chest.
“Major General, at 4:20 a.m., the vibration sensors triggered an alarm. Eleven targets entered the surveillance range, approaching from the western valley direction. Their movement speed is slow. They are currently about three kilometers from the cave entrance.”
The screen displayed a simulated real-time map, with eleven yellow points moving slowly.
“Can their identities be confirmed?” Tong Shuxue asked.
Ling Er adjusted the display. The infrared scan enlarged the image. Eleven figures were moving through the forest, carrying bows and spears, wearing coarse cloth clothing.
“Based on equipment and movement patterns, they are local hunters. They likely entered the mountain after the rain to look for traces of wild animals washed out by the water. According to their current route, if not interfered with, they will pass the cliff-top area above the cave in about one hour.”
Tong Shuxue frowned.
Although the cliff top was covered in miasma, the slope where the cave entrance was located could still be climbed. If the hunters reached that area, even if they failed to notice the cave hidden under vines, they might still observe the situation in the valley below. From a high vantage point, any activity in the valley would be clearly visible.
“They cannot be allowed to approach.” She made her decision. “Ling Er, take two people and handle it. Remember, avoid killing them if possible. Just scare them away.”
Ling Er nodded. “Understood. What equipment should we use?”
Tong Shuxue thought for a moment. “Use the beast roar audio device and dispersal powder. Lead them toward the west. Isn’t there a wild boar territory over there? Let the boars deal with them.”
Ling Er nodded again. “Yes, I will arrange it immediately.”
On the western side of the valley, deep in the forest.
Old hunter Wang Laosan walked at the front. He was fifty-two years old and had hunted in these mountains for over thirty years. He knew every plant and path in Wuzang Mountain.
Behind him was his son, Wang Tiezhu, a man in his early twenties with eager eyes.
“Father, do you think we’ll get something today?”
Wang Laosan turned and glared at him. “There are more animals in the mountains after rain, but you must be careful. Don’t act recklessly. We are already close to the edge of the Miasma Forest. If you get lost here, even gods won’t save you.”
The other hunters nodded in agreement. They were villagers from Wangjia Village at the foot of the mountain, families who had survived by hunting for generations.
A few days of heavy rain had kept them homebound. Now that the weather had cleared, they had come into the mountains to try their luck.
Suddenly, a young hunter crouched down and pointed at the ground. “Uncle San, look at these footprints. They are fresh—wild boar, and a big one!”
Wang Laosan leaned in to examine them carefully, his brows tightening.
They were indeed wild boar tracks, and more than one set.
But based on the depth and spacing, these boars were unusually large—larger than anything he had ever seen in decades of hunting.
He muttered: “Strange… there were never boars this big in this area before.”
Before he could finish speaking, a deafening beast roar suddenly erupted in the distance.
The sound was deep and heavy, like a bear and a tiger combined, yet not quite either.
Even stranger, the roar came from multiple directions—east, west, and north—encircling the hunters.
“What… what is that thing?”
Wang Tiezhu’s face turned pale, and his bow nearly slipped from his hands.
Wang Laosan’s expression also changed. He had heard countless animal calls in his life, but he could not identify any of the sounds he just heard.
What was worse, there was something unsettling and unnatural in those roars that made one’s skin crawl.
Another hunter trembled. “Uncle San… do we keep going forward?”
Before Wang Laosan could answer, another roar sounded—this time closer, as if it were only a hundred paces away.
“This is not right! Something is wrong here. Retreat! Quickly retreat!”
The hunters were already terrified out of their minds. Upon hearing Wang Laosan’s order, they immediately turned and fled.
They scrambled and ran back in panic, not even stopping to pick up the dropped game bags.
None of them noticed that dozens of steps behind them, deep in the bushes, Ling Er had just lowered the loudspeaker in his hand while holding a dispersal spray device in the other.
“The targets have changed direction and are retreating west. They are expected to enter the wild boar territory in about twenty minutes. I have also scattered dispersal powder along their route. They should not return.”
Inside the cave, Tong Shuxue watched the fleeing hunters through Ling Er’s live feed, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
“Well done. What about the wild boars?”
“Ling Liu has already set things up in advance.“ Ling Er replied. “Food attractants were placed at the edge of the boar territory. When the hunters pass through, it will draw the boars’ attention. But there will be no lethal danger—at most, it will just scare them.”
Tong Shuxue nodded in satisfaction.
She was not a bloodthirsty person, but these hunters were indeed troublesome. Killing them would have been simple, but missing hunters would draw attention from the villagers below the mountain, and might even bring official investigation. That would expose the abnormalities in this place—far too risky.
This method was better: scare them away and make them believe there were ferocious beasts in the mountain so they would never return.
Even if they told others in the village, at most people would think there were strange occurrences deep in Wuzang Mountain, not that someone was hiding here.
“Withdraw. Make sure to clean up any traces when you return.”
Tong Shuxue turned her wheelchair, preparing to return to the medical bay to check on Zhao Jingyuan’s condition. Just as she rounded a corner, she saw Mo Shen walking out from deeper inside the cave hall carrying a clay bowl.
Mo Shen’s eyes lit up when he saw her. “Miss Tong, the master has woken up. He just woke up.”
Tong Shuxue raised her eyebrows. “How is his condition?”
Mo Shen was so excited that his hands were trembling. “Much better. Just now, when Nurse An performed the electrical stimulation therapy, the master said he could feel his fingers. He really felt it.”