I Am a Rune Engraver, Carrying a Knife Makes Perfect Sense-Chapter 31 - Landing? What Landing?

—

Yuan City Xinhuo Guard Hall.

This hall served as a resting area for the Xinhuo Guards during their downtime. It was massive, even larger than the Xinhuo Pavilion, and stood like a towering white spire on the edge of the city. Its sleek and imposing design made it a landmark of Yuan City.

Upon closer inspection, one could see intricate runes carved all over its surface.

“Hey there, handsome! Is this your first time here?”

At the front desk sat a young woman in her twenties with a pleasant appearance. She noticed Xu Shen swaggering in with his hands behind his back, looking like he was inspecting the place as if he were a leader. She blinked in surprise before smiling warmly.

“How’d you know?” Yang Dian asked curiously.

“A group of Awakening Realm cultivators carrying backpacks this big? Only rookies do that,” she explained with a chuckle.

Indeed, Xu Shen and his group stood out like sore thumbs with their oversized backpacks. However, since it was still early morning, the hall wasn’t too crowded.

“Do you have any missions suitable for us?” Wang Qingqing asked, peeking out from behind Xu Shen.

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“Qingqing? So these are the teammates you found?” The receptionist, clearly familiar with Wang Qingqing, stood up in surprise. Her gaze carried a hint of curiosity.

“Yes, Sister Ya. Could you help us find one?” Wang Qingqing nodded politely.

“Really now? You turned down those other people, but you chose them…” Ya Jie sighed helplessly before turning her attention to a tablet on the desk.

“What’s this about other people asking you to join them?” Xu Shen asked, intrigued.

“Murong Xin and a few others invited me, but I didn’t go,” Wang Qingqing replied curtly, clearly not wanting to elaborate.

“No big deal. Your big bro here will carry you,” Xu Shen said confidently, thumping his chest.

His tone and demeanor made Ya Jie glance up at him again with mild amusement.

“Found one. There’s a mission to assist the Xinhuo Guards stationed at Changbai Mountain in defending their frontlines. Duration: half a month. Reward: 1,000 spirit stones,” Ya Jie announced.

“This is the most suitable mission for rookies like you.”

“After all, you’re still high school students. Missions requiring solo team operations aren’t appropriate for you yet.”

“This one will do. Thanks, beautiful,” Xu Shen said with a grin.

“You’ll need a team name if you’re registering together. Got any ideas?” Ya Jie asked as she continued typing on her tablet.

“You said we’re rookies, right? Let’s go with ‘Rookie Squad,’” Xu Shen suggested casually.

Ya Jie’s face froze for a moment before she gave him an odd look. Seeing that no one objected, she nodded and proceeded with the registration.

She then pulled out a scanner and scanned each of their faces. Their names and profiles immediately appeared on her tablet.

After reviewing the information, Ya Jie’s expression grew even more strange. She didn’t comment further and continued her work silently.

A moment later, she looked up. “All set. Head outside to the dark green bus—it’ll depart in half an hour.”

“Thanks, gorgeous!” Xu Shen said cheerfully before leading the group out.

As they left, Ya Jie sighed softly to herself. “What a shame… Captain Wang’s daughter may have a Ghost Attribute talent, but her teammates don’t even come close to her level…”

“Especially this Xu Shen… He’s so handsome, yet he has a forbidden body. Isn’t he just asking for trouble?”

“I hope they don’t get seriously injured…”

Shaking her head, she returned to her seat. Though she found it hard to understand their choices, professional ethics prevented her from interfering. All she could do was silently root for this Rookie Squad…

—

On the Bus

The five of them sat in the last row, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness as they prepared for their first mission outside the city.

“Brother Shen, something feels off…” Xu Guang whispered as he glanced at the empty seats ahead of them.

“Maybe… everyone else is still asleep?” Xu Shen scratched his head, equally puzzled. He checked the time—it was already 8:30 AM, yet no one else had boarded the bus.

Surely they weren’t the only ones on this mission?

“The others must’ve already left. We’re probably the last batch,” Wang Qingqing said irritably, increasingly convinced that Xu Shen hadn’t been paying attention during their lessons.

“What? They left by 8:30? Don’t they sleep?” Xu Shen exclaimed in disbelief.

“You think this is some nine-to-five job? Most people head out at midnight or even earlier,” Wang Qingqing explained with a sigh. “For many Xinhuo Guards, time doesn’t matter.”

“Even independent cultivators who aren’t part of the Guard line up here at dawn to grab missions as soon as they refresh.”

The four others nodded in unison—so that’s how it worked!

“So… does that mean this mission was left over after everyone else picked theirs?” Xu Shen asked, realization dawning on him.

“Of course! It’s Changbai Mountain—on the frontlines—and it’s half a month long for only 1,000 spirit stones,” Wang Qingqing said grimly. “Sure, 1,000 sounds like a lot, but split between five people? That’s just 200 each—not much at all.”

“And do you even know what Changbai Mountain represents?”

Her tone grew serious as she posed the question.

“What?” Four curious faces leaned closer.

“Since the resurgence of spiritual energy, Earth’s size has been expanding. Land and ocean areas have grown significantly,” Wang Qingqing began explaining. “The Changbai Mountain range is now at least ten times its original size. Its cold regions are breeding grounds for ghouls—making it incredibly dangerous.”

“And according to legend… deep within its depths lies a terrifying Jiang Emperor!”

—

“A Jiang Emperor? Seriously? That’s equivalent to a Yinshen Realm ghoul!” Zhang Zhuangshi exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock.

“I didn’t know that either,” Yang Dian admitted with a nod.

Xu Shen remained calm as he scoffed at them. “I told you to read more books and study harder—now look at you.”

“Wait… Brother Shen, does that mean you already knew about this?” Xu Guang asked in awe.

“I didn’t!” Xu Shen replied bluntly.

“…”

—

“Haha! This little girl knows quite a bit,” came a hoarse voice from the front of the bus.

The group looked up to see a thin middle-aged man wearing a hat sitting in the driver’s seat. None of them had noticed when he got there.

“Hey, old man! Is it just us? No one else is coming?” Xu Shen asked as he saw the man start the engine.

“Hehe… This mission has one of the highest casualty rates. If there were other missions available, who’d willingly go to Changbai Mountain?” The driver chuckled heartily, his tone surprisingly cheerful.

Yang Dian and Zhang Zhuangshi turned pale instantly.

“Sir… please don’t scare us… This is our first mission…” Yang Dian stammered nervously.

“I’m not scaring you,” the driver replied casually. “If I remember correctly…”

“The environment at Changbai Mountain’s frontlines is so harsh that people die all the time—especially rookies like you in the Awakening Realm…”

His voice trailed off ominously.

“Uh… Boss, can we still get off and switch missions?” Zhang Zhuangshi asked miserably.

Xu Shen’s face darkened as he wondered if they’d been set up by that receptionist earlier.

“Hehe! Rookies! Once you’re on my bus, there’s no turning back!” The driver suddenly burst out laughing as ghostly energy erupted from him. The entire bus shook violently before lifting off into the air!

It was flying!

“What the hell?! What’s going on?!” Xu Shen shouted as his face turned pale.

The bus soared straight into the sky with a deafening roar. The sudden acceleration made everyone feel weightless as they were pressed back into their seats.

In no time at all, Yuan City shrank into a tiny speck below them…

“Slow down! Please slow down!!” Xu Shen yelled desperately as the driver maneuvered the flying bus recklessly through the air.

The bus swerved wildly as it sped forward. Xu Shen felt like he was about to throw up as he watched bird-like ghouls splatter against the windshield—turning it pitch black with gore.

“Brother Shen! This driver isn’t normal!!” Yang Dian clung to Xu Shen’s sleeve with a pale face, looking like he was about to pass out.

Even Wang Qingqing, though outwardly composed, was visibly uncomfortable. She had heard about these strategic buses powered by spirit stones—only Core Solidification cultivators or higher could pilot them—but experiencing it firsthand was another matter entirely…

It didn’t help that this particular driver seemed… unhinged.

Hearing Xu Shen’s complaints, the driver grinned proudly. “Slow down? Ha! I’m Wang Chui Feng—I don’t know what ‘slow’ means!”

“I’m not bragging when I say I used to be Northeast District’s top strategic bus driver.”

“I’ve killed countless ghouls mid-air just by ramming into them! Even Tongyou Realm experts praise my skills!”

“If you’re on my bus, there’s no such thing as being late—you should consider yourselves lucky!”

Wang Chui Feng laughed heartily, his face brimming with excitement as he turned to address them while still driving recklessly.

“If you were so great back then,” Xu Guang asked weakly while gripping his seat for dear life, “why aren’t you anymore?”

“Huh? Oh… because I lost a leg,” Wang Chui Feng admitted sheepishly.

In that instant, five faces turned ghostly white in unison.

Xu Shen staggered to his feet despite the turbulence and peeked over at Wang Chui Feng’s legs—sure enough, one of them was missing below the knee. The other leg moved so fast it seemed like sparks might fly from how hard he was operating the controls.

“Uh… Brother… How do you land this thing?” Xu Shen asked with a forced smile as dread crept into his voice.

Wang Chui Feng paused before giving him an odd look. “Land? What landing?”

“I don’t land—I crash straight into the ground!”

“Don’t worry—this bus is sturdy enough to handle it. Once I get about twenty meters off the ground, I’ll dive straight down—you’ll all be fine!”

“If we’re lucky, we might even crush some ghouls on impact!”

Xu Shen stumbled back to his seat and collapsed into it. Looking around at his pale-faced companions, he forced a weak smile and said:

“Let’s just trust him this once…”

“I’m sure we’ll survive.”