The entire city was divided into four gates: East, West, North, and South.
The area where Ye Cangtian and his group were located was merely the residential district near the South Gate square.
Beyond the residential area lay what was once the most prosperous part of the city.
This area was filled with countless shops, restaurants, and even blacksmiths, forming the city's commercial street.
Although many years had passed and most things had turned to dust, there were still many opportunities to be found in these places for many people.
For instance, in some multi-story buildings, people had surprisingly discovered a few crystals; in blacksmith shops, some had found weapons that remained uncorroded even after countless years.
Of course, the commercial street did offer more resources than the outer residential areas, but it also presented greater dangers.
...
The group stealthily approached the edge of the commercial street. Seizing the moment when a patrol of stone figures had just passed, they quickly darted into one of the shops.
This shop resembled a general store and had two floors.
The interior was a mess, with many discarded compressed biscuit wrappers and various garbage littering the floor, indicating that others had sheltered here before them.
"There are quite a few stone figures here. When do we make our move?" Xu Shi'an asked excitedly as soon as he entered.
This fellow's injuries had not fully healed, and he was still unsteady when walking. His eagerness stemmed from his envy of the group's previous gains.
He also wished to acquire some crystals, hoping to gain favor with his grandfather upon returning to the capital.
Ye Cangtian did not answer immediately but turned to the others, "Has anyone noticed anything peculiar?"
The group fell into thought.
Zhang Liang was the first to speak, "The stone figure patrol teams seem to have increased, and their patrols are more frequent. Although the number of stone figures remains sixteen, one of them is different from the others!"
Shangguan Yun nodded in agreement, "Captain Zhang is correct. I feel that the leading stone figure is like a squad leader within the patrol team. They don't appear as mechanical as the ordinary stone figures!"
Ordinary stone figures were devoid of sentience, their movements akin to machines; to put it bluntly, they possessed zero intelligence.
However, the squad leader was different. Every gesture and movement exuded an aura of sentience.
"Therefore, this area is definitely not as simple as the outer perimeter. I suggest we observe for a while before acting!" Ye Cangtian said after a moment's consideration.
The squad leader within the patrol team was certainly not ordinary.
Moreover, Ye Cangtian had clearly sensed earlier that when they were observing from the shadows, the stone figure squad leader seemed to have detected their presence, repeatedly glancing in their direction.
If that figure truly possessed sentience, it would be much harder for them to quietly hunt down stone figures as they had in the outer areas!
Having everyone rest in place, Ye Cangtian then led Shangguan Yun and Zhang Liang up to the second floor.
Through the second-floor window, their line of sight extended much further.
In the distance, various shops and multi-story buildings stood in rows, clearly indicating that this had once been a bustling and prosperous area.
"Look, the Pandora mercenary group has also arrived!" Shangguan Yun pointed in the direction they had come from.
A large group of people was stealthily infiltrating this commercial street, led by Zhao Ziyang and the Pandora members. They, too, had taken advantage of the passing patrol team to slip into an opposite building.
In fact, it wasn't just them who had managed to sneak in; many people from the residential area of the square had also crept over.
It was evident that no one was willing to wait idly. As long as an opportunity arose, they would naturally gravitate towards the inner city.
It was only at this moment that Ye Cangtian realized how many hidden forces had been lurking in the stone houses in the residential area earlier.
Only now were those individuals gradually shifting their positions.
"Someone seems to be targeting the private patrol teams. Are they trying to imitate us?" Shangguan Yun said with a hint of exasperation.
In a house not far away, several daring mercenaries, while a patrol team was passing by, began to follow cautiously behind.
They seemed to be planning to attack the stone figure at the very back.
Just as the group got close to the stone figure, preparing to strike, the entire stone figure patrol team suddenly halted.
The mercenaries, caught off guard, nearly crashed into them.
At that moment, the leading stone figure squad leader at the forefront abruptly turned its head, and the other stone figures also turned mechanically.
In that instant, the air seemed to freeze.
The few mercenaries stared blankly at the over a dozen stone figures, puzzled as to why these figures had suddenly turned around.
Afterward, they reacted, quickly shouting to flee.
They intended to escape into the adjacent shop, as they had done before, believing the stone figures would not pursue them inside.
However, to everyone's surprise, the leading stone figure squad leader, wielding a stone saber, made a gesture forward. The other stone figures, as if receiving an order, charged directly into the shop.
"Ah!"
"Why did they come inside?"
"Boom..."
A burst of screams and sounds of combat followed. The fight lasted only a few breaths before concluding.
The group of stone figure patrol members soon emerged from the shop mechanically. Their long spears were still dripping with blood, after which they resumed their patrol along the streets.
From the second-floor window of the shop opposite,
Ye Cangtian and the other two silently withdrew their heads and exchanged glances.
What on earth were they going to do?
Zhang Liang swallowed, saying helplessly, "I didn't expect these stone figures to react so quickly, and they can actually enter shops."
"That's not right. Why was it different in the residential area before..."
Shangguan Yun chuckled dryly, "Perhaps the residential area was private property, while this is a commercial street. As patrol teams, they might have the right to enter shops."
"..." Ye Cangtian was speechless.
While it sounded absurd, it was a possibility! Of course, there was also the chance that the stone figure squad leader possessed specific authority.
The stone figures themselves were one thing, but each patrol team having an additional stone figure squad leader with sentience was quite troublesome!
Shangguan Yun let out a light sigh, "Fortunately, we didn't make a move earlier. If these stone figures had charged in, we would have been finished."
Although they were a considerable group and might not necessarily be defeated by these stone figures, they had to remember that there were many patrol teams in the vicinity.
If they attracted all of them, they would truly be doomed!
"Let's continue to observe for now! This might not be a bad thing for us," Ye Cangtian said without urgency.
Since the stone figure patrol teams here were so difficult to deal with, he believed they were not the only ones troubled.
Other major powers were almost all in this commercial street now, including the powerful individuals from the Guangming Hall and the members of the Dark Association hidden in the shadows.
With these groups taking the lead, their Dragon Group had a much safer position.
There had been nearly ten thousand people who had entered the ruins!
Even after suffering attacks from wild beasts and other organizations in the wilderness, and then encountering the stone figure patrol teams upon entering the city, there should still be three to four thousand people by now.
Conservatively speaking, there should be two to three thousand.
Ye Cangtian refused to believe that so many people would be trapped in this commercial street!