Shi Lang got down the tree and after setting up a few milestones on his communicator watch he moved through the woods slowly. His pace was akin to a snail if one asked, however, he made sure not to leave any traces this time.
His first location was a swamp. It did not have any operation significance but it was necessary for him because, despite everything, he could not get rid of the out-of-the-world smell on his body. He has read the data. Shamantis have a breed of creatures similar to dogs but a hundred times more sensitive to smell. These creatures were called Inu-la. They were a part of the patrol and guard teams. Impeccable hunting animals.
Shi Lang did not want to be chased and hunted by dogs so, the first thing was to remove his smell. How to do so? Simple, dip in the stinky swamp, use the local flora as a deodorant. He could not only use the flowers or plants enzyme. The data showed that a lot of abundantly growing plants were toxic, they might not kill him, but imagine having terrible blisters on your balls when you accidentally rub a toxic flower down there.
The swamp mud will act as a layer of protective gear and prevent the plant poison from acting on him. This way his stealth will be higher and he would have a chance of getting past the patrols. On the way to the swamp, Shi Lang found that sometimes the soil beneath his feet was too soft and inevitably it will leave footprints, at some places the area would be covered with moss, which too will leave footprints.
So he climbed a tree around him and then he cut down two big leaves from inside the canopy. Then the leaves were used to cover his feet and tied up with a layer of gauze bandage. Yes, he used his medical supply for this thing. This was done to avoid footprints on the ground. While the unknown impressions will disturb the patrol.
…
Monitoring room, Dalia raised her eyebrow and said, “Do we have a marking system? I want to fail him directly.”
Carlos retorted, “What do you know? If he can conceal his presence in there and get in and out undetected, he will not need those bandages. This is called prevention to avoid curing. Let me watch in silence.”
He was really irritable when watching other people trying to survive inside the forest. Shi Lang had kept up with all his goals, he would report his status every one hour and he will do it while keeping on the move. It took him three hours to reach a swamp twenty kilometers away from his drop location.
The boy took down his weapons and bags, hid them inside a bush, and then he dived inside the swamp. Five minutes later when he came out his body was covered with stinky mud. This mud will stop stinking when it dries later. Shi Lang did not plan to wait here till the mud went dry, he picked up some plants around and squeezed them over his body, mixing their enzymes with the mud on his body.
Usually, it should have been done without his gear or clothes on his body, however, Shi Lang did not follow that method. He decided to follow his mind. After collecting his arms and supplies, the boy walked through the forest stealthily. When he reported his status, Carlos replied to him, “Cadet Shi Lang, will you care to explain why did you cover the gear with mud?”
Shi Lang replied, “Sir, the invisibility provided by the suit leaves a few outlines that can expose my whereabouts, so I came up with the idea to cover it with mud. This way I will have a better camouflage.”
Carlos nodded and said, “Carry on.”
…
Shi Lang replied and cut off the communication as he continued inside the forest. He did not hunt or neither did he set any traps. The shamantis were capable of long-distance communication as well, he did not wish for someone to notice or fall in his trap and then alert the nearby allies. Then he will become the hunted instead of the hunter.
He walked slowly and soon found himself near a place that looked like a cave. This was his second milestone. To spend the night, as the tribe where his target lived was two hundred kilometers away from his drop location. He had covered seventy-five kilometers in a day. The lousy speed was because of his slow pace, otherwise, he could have just covered double the distance.
Shi Lang found himself near a small stream of water and decided to spend the night here. He found a thick big tree and climbed out swiftly. This tree was in his data, it was known as the fragrant pine tree. The fruit that grew on this tree was similar to the pine fruit back on the earth. However, if you break the fruit before it is ripened, you can kill yourself. The smell was neurotoxic.
He carefully climbed the tree and laid down on the crown of the tree. He did not sleep completely, every slight click ground he would open his eyes. This was how things became on the battlefield. Once you let go of your guard, you will die.
He maintained a state of vigilance and survived the night with calm. He woke up with the sun and consumed a portion of his protein chocolate. After rinsing his mouth with a sip of water he got down the tree and continued his path. He did not intend to take a break and refresh.
…
Monitoring room, Yuu asked, why did he only take a sip of the water and not drink properly?”
Carlos said, “He is lowering the need to relieve himself. If he did that he will be leaving traces, the distance is very close to the patrol route, he does not want to take any risks.”
The rest of the people understood. Once he took a tinkle, it will leave a strong smell for the Inu-la to pick it up and hunt him down.
…
The boy continued through the forest holding a sword in his hand. However, he did not cut any bush or hunted any animal. His aura and breathing were converged to the level where no one might notice him until they saw him in front of them. Shi Lang was moving through the woods using shadows to cover his body.
The day was similar to the last one, however, it was not entirely boring. A few times, Shi Lang noticed the tracks of the patrols in the area and he hid in the thick canopy of the fragrant pine trees. The Shamantis did not have any problem with this tree, but the Inu-la hated it. the strong stink was poison for their noses.
Shi Lang did not stop in the night, the patrols were limited to the vicinity of the tribe settlements, as they were aware that the forest was dangerous at night. The boy moved quickly using the cover of the night. The insects made noises and acted as cover for his footsteps. What he exploited here was an unspoken law between the beasts and the Shamantis.
You will not move around in my territory at night and I will not hunt in yours. So, the beasts also did not approach the settlements of these big clans. Shi Lang found a big tree, that gave him a clear sight of the Tribe entrance and laid down there. His brain was making strategies on how to complete the task.
After a few minutes, he made the status report and asked for permission for the radio silence. The night was not entirely silent, but it was not loud enough to cover his words. The other party agreed and Shi Lang disconnected the communications. He laid in one position with his gun aimed at the door.
The data he received had taught him that the Shamantis will be switching shifts to guards at the peek of wee hours. The data was based on satellite surveillance. This period of two minutes was the most vulnerable one for them, however, they did not expect outlanders to reach the borders of their tribe settlements.
…
Charlotte and the rest were taking turns to observe the development this whole time, but as Shi Lang reached closer to the entry gates, the people all gathered to watch the final moments.
Carlos said, “This kid, actually managed to get this close. John, bring up the satellite feed of the route he has followed. The shamantis have a random patrol route, I want to see if they picked up his trace.”
John nodded and tapped a few buttons visible on the interactive table in front of them. The screen split in two. The left side showed Shi Lang’s location while the right side displayed his travel route and the patrol routes in highlight.
Carlos said, “What do you guys think?”
John replied, “Calculation. The data log he was provided contained every single detail. His communicator access log also displays that he was observing these patrol routes every fifteen minutes.”
Yuu asked, “How can he calculate this?”
Charlotte said, “Could it be that he noticed a pattern?”
Carlos said, “Highly likely, even if they are not military trained. The Shamantis are great hunters and assassins, so I will not say that they are completely random with something related to the security of their home.”
John suddenly thought of something and zoomed out on the patrol route scans. Everyone observing the screen smiled after a few minutes and Charlotte said, “Stone in the river.”