For a long time, all that they saw were brushes, trees and the occasional pond or two. The land here was far more lush than the fields that Xiao Ji had grown up in and the scenery was nice for a change. It was also much cooler and Xiao Ji shivered in the absence of the heat he was so used to.
He had managed to catch up with Anya and Song by using the recoil of the rockets to propel him and settled in Song's robes hood. For a while, they ran in awkward silence, until Song started talking,
"Hey, can we stop for a moment? I gotta call my friend."
Xiao Ji sighed. Judging by the speed at which the Guardians had located and arrested him, he was sure that they didn't have much time to waste and more than likely, Song just probably had to pee. It was a surprise that even the adrenaline wasn't powerful enough to contain the urge.
"Also, haha, do you mind getting out of my robe Xiao Ji; It's kinda private."
Song had disappeared into a particularly large shrub for a while and came back looking like a 2-year burden had been lifted off his shoulders.
"Aahhhhhh… Much better haha!"
Xiao Ji and Anya stared at each other then at him suspiciously.
"Song, did you really call you friend or were-"
"Don't worry haha, they'll be on their way. For now, we just have to keep running in the same direction!"
The nature here now grew more abundant. They were in a large swamp and the sun was setting. They had all remained silent until Song surprisingly spoke in a serious tone,
"Hey you two, I promise we will go back for your parents. We're heading to a nearby town; I know a few 'friends' there. Once we meet up with them, we can go look for your parents. Just a few miles to go. We can stop and rest if you want."
Anya looked at Xiao Ji then replied,
"We should keep running. They might have search groups looking for us. Also, how did they find Xiao Ji, Song? Do you think someone reported us?"
"Haha, wait you haven't learned about the CSM have you girl?
"No, we are only on-"
"Covenant Preliminaries? Haha, I took that lesson so long ago"
"So-"
"Oh yeah, somewhere in this universe, there is a Central System Monitor who can, in theory, detect the presence of any system though of course, there are ways to get around it haha. System negator's like me can evade their snoopy little eyes and mask the system presence of others, hence why we still haven't been caught. I cultivated my system non-stop for 15 years, baby. This is nearly as powerful as the system negators of certain A-tier Guardians!"
"So why were you in that prison? It didn't seem too big?"
"Oh, I was specifically transferred here just a few days ago since your little friend apparently has a potent S-tier system if cultivated correctly haha! You're a lucky girl, once he is able to master transformations, you won't have to worry about getting mugged!"
"Hey, where's that friend of yours you called earlier?"
"Don't worry about it haha, with that memory, focus on what I will tell you now. In an hour or two, the search group's presence will likely increase a lot and by that I mean we will be sniffing their damn armpits. Stay close and do not make any noise. Anya, you and I have to get a swamp bath. My system negator can't hide everything."
Xiao Ji could tell that Anya was hesitant, but for the safety of everyone, she agreed. They arrived at the mouth of a larger body of water and Song carelessly jumped in headfirst, just as Xiao Ji hoisted himself out of the robe.
For a while, all he did was splash but eventually, he came out, victorious. He was unrecognizable now but at least his scent was gone.
Anya stood at the edge, peering over, then closed her eyes and jumped in. A few seconds later, she emerged unharmed. Xiao Ji sighed in relief and Song placed him back in the now soiled robe.
"Don't worry, we will wash off once we get to the safe zone, just hang in there, haha."
Even though he had not bathed in the swamp himself, his previously yellow hair was now a bit brown here and there. Song and Anya had begun running again.
The sun had almost completely set now and a chill ran through their bodies. It was the most difficult for Xiao Ji due to his lack of movement and he tried snuggling deeper into Song's robe.
For the entirety of the trip, Song appeared relaxed, even bored but Xiao Ji could see that Anya had begun faltering and was now taking more breaks than before. In the darkness, it was a surprise that Song could run with such certainty. Xiao Ji wondered if maybe in this new form, his vision was impaired to some degree.
"Hey crouch! Shhh!"
Song suddenly fell into the grass, Anya following suit. They were in a moderately open area now and three men with lamp lights passed in the distance, their distinct country-side chatter echoing into the night.
"The Covenant must've put out a bounty for us. Those are starving farmers, stay low. I think they have night-vision hounds haha"
They were crawling behind a hill now, trying to avoid the farmers but when they reached the other side, a steep drop gave view to a large plane dotted with tiny lights. Evidently, the fugitive reward had been high and a whole community was out searching for them now.
"Anya, we roll haha! I'm a kid again!!"
Xiao Ji wondered how Song could be so cheerful in such a nerve-wracking scenario but soon found out when they both began tumbling down the steep hill.
Song was struggling to hold in a shout of joy as the breeze rushed through his ears. Anya giggled and joined in. For a moment or two, they were all just innocent young children again, falling at an unprecedented speed through the starry night, not knowing what lay ahead of them.