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墨書 Inktalez
The crowd raised their torches high to illuminate the area.
A few torches, fueled by the grease above, burned particularly bright, and when gathered together, they barely managed to light up the opposite bank of the river.
On the other side of the suspension bridge, one could faintly see rocky cliffs with several cave openings lined up.
Cong Fei raised his torch high, took a deep breath, and lightly stepped on the wooden planks of the suspension bridge like a Flying Swallow. The bridge swayed gently as Cong Fei had already crossed more than half of the distance.
At that moment, sharp-eyed Kato noticed a shadow suddenly move inside one of the caves across the way.
At first glance, it seemed like just an illusion caused by the flickering light of the torches.
Cong Fei looked down at his feet, testing the sturdiness of the planks. With just a few more jumps, he would reach the other side. However, as he lifted his head, he suddenly sensed something unusual ahead and abruptly stopped in his tracks.
At the same time, a loud clanking sound echoed as a massive black creature charged out from the cave entrance.
Oh no!
Cong Fei gasped in shock.
By the firelight, he recognized that this one-eyed behemoth was none other than the Bear-like Creature they had injured earlier.
It was truly a case of enemies meeting; their eyes were filled with animosity.
The Bear-like Creature was most familiar with the scent of humans and was adept at revenge. Spotting those who had harmed it right before its eyes, it immediately pounded its fists against its chest and let out an earth-shattering roar.
The sound reverberated through the vast cave, creating a strong echo that sent shivers down everyone's spines. Mei Shuang felt as if her chest had been struck by a stone; her ears buzzed from the sudden noise, and her blood surged as if she were about to burst.
Fortunately, Anriyan quickly pressed a few acupoints on her, allowing her to regain her senses.
Seeing that Cong Fei was unharmed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, deep within the tunnel, in a bright stone chamber illuminated by candlelight, a man in a Silver Mask was pouring himself a drink at a stone table.
The sound echoed through the cave. Upon hearing it, a man in black carefully listened for a moment before speaking in a flattering tone, "It seems they have already entered."
"Is that so?" The Man Under the Silver Mask naturally would not overlook this long-unheard sound. His tone was calm as he said, "It seems their speed far exceeds your estimates... I was still wondering if this sound would ever ring out again... It appears they are quite lucky and safe! Since they have arrived, why not hurry to welcome them?"
Hearing his nonchalant voice, the man in black let out a sigh of relief and then bowed and retreated.
Only then did the Silver-Masked Man put down his wine glass, his expression momentarily dazed and complex. She indeed knew about this place; he had painstakingly searched for so long, yet she managed to find it in such a short time. Was it fate? Regardless, he should be excited; this way, he wouldn't have to expend effort searching anymore, saving him a lot of trouble.
Heaven helps me!
Facing the fierce Bear-like Creature, Cong Fei dared not be careless and quickly turned to retreat.
Unexpectedly, the sudden roar of the Bear-like Creature created a strong echo in the cave, causing ripples in the Blackwater River below. The Monster Fish that had just submerged began to surface. Soon after, dozens of Monster Fish floated up to the surface.
Everyone gasped; it turned out that the black water was not as quiet as it seemed.
As Cong Fei retreated, some Monster Fish sensed the movement from the suspended bridge above and leaped into the air, aiming to bite Cong Fei.
"Be careful!" everyone exclaimed.
Cong Fei remained calm and narrowly avoided the sharp jaws of the Monster Fish after several leaps. Once on shore and looking back, she saw that the wooden planks where she had landed had been bitten to pieces by their sharp teeth.
Everyone couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. If it weren't for the roar of the Bear-like Creature stirring up the Monster Fish, who knew if they would have been devoured by the Monster Fish while crossing the bridge together?
"Damn it, the designer of this trap is truly malicious! It looks like a floating bridge, but in reality, it's a trap that leaves you as nothing but bones," they cursed vehemently.
Given the current situation, crossing the suspension bridge was impossible. The bridge had been destroyed, leaving only a few resilient ropes, resembling suspended steel wires.
Of course, the upside was that they no longer had to worry about the Bear-like Creature charging at them from the other side.
However, it seemed that this was the only path forward. Entering was easy, but exiting was difficult. They were even more concerned that the roar of the Bear-like Creature would disturb the "otters" that had already fallen asleep ahead. If they were to come rushing in, it would be a dead end with no way out.
The group remained highly vigilant, scanning their surroundings, each feeling anxious.
Mei Shuang was shaken by the earlier roar, her blood surging with adrenaline. Her hand holding the torch trembled uncontrollably, and sweat began to bead in her palm.
After a moment of silence, there seemed to be no movement behind them. The Monster Fish in the dark waters had calmed down after thrashing about for a while.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared to float up from the depths of the black water.
By the light of the torch, Anriyan frowned. "That's the wolf that was just eaten."
They watched as the skeleton drifted toward them on the water's surface. The stench of blood from the skeleton attracted the Monster Fish, and soon enough, it was dragged underwater and disappeared from sight.
"What the hell? I remember that falling from another entrance!" Mei Shuang exclaimed in surprise. "How did it float over here?"
Anriyan instructed Kato to look into the distance and assess what was happening.
Kato's vision in the dark was twice that of an ordinary person. Looking ahead, he saw flickering ghost lights in the distance, illuminating the edges of the cave without revealing anything amiss.
"It seems the source of this water comes from the right side, and one of the mechanisms is connected here. If we follow the flow upstream, we should be able to reach above," Anriyan suggested.
The group held torches to examine the surrounding rock walls. Although they were chiseled and cut, upon closer inspection, there were still places to find footing.
However, Shijieyu hesitated. "We don't understand these caves; it might be very dangerous. After all, this path isn't short, and Miss Lin isn't as capable as we are."
Mei Shuang lowered her gaze in thought and said, "It's fine. I suggest we tie ropes around our waists; connecting ourselves will be safer."
After securing the ropes, Cong Fei and Kato climbed up the sloping rock wall side by side. Kato, with his remarkable eyesight, led the way while Cong Fei tested the stability of the rock beneath his feet.
The Bear-like Creature across from them was furious to see several people trying to slip away right under its nose but was helplessly chained and could only roar in rage.
After climbing along the stone wall for a while, they discovered that the cave had a dome-like structure. Kato mentioned that the Dark River flowed through a cave below, which meant they could traverse along the rock wall to reach the other side.
To their surprise, there were several dark caves on the opposite side that might allow them to bypass the Bear-like Creature and find another route.
With this discovery, everyone felt invigorated. The Monster Fish also sensed movement along the rock wall and occasionally leaped out of the water in an attempt to catch its prey.
The group climbed for a while with their torches and was nearing where the Dark River flowed out; they just needed to cross over to reach the other side.
They tightened their ropes and carefully made their way over protruding rocks.
Kato and Cong Fei reached the edge of a cave. Holding their torches, they carefully examined the cave's entrance and signaled that it was safe before climbing inside.
The others continued forward, guided by the tension of the rope. They maintained a comfortable level of communication among themselves until suddenly, the rope in front slackened. A scream echoed from within the cave, sending chills down everyone's spine outside.
Then Kato stumbled out of the cave, reaching the edge of the entrance but losing his footing and nearly falling outside.
Anriyan was quick to react, rushing forward to catch Kato.
Kato's large body slumped weakly at the edge of the entrance. Anriyan supported him and asked urgently in Eastern Language, "What happened?"
With his last bit of strength, Kato managed to lift his head slightly, his face and body covered in blood, trembling as he said, "We... fell into a trap. We need to go..."
Kato's words were cut off abruptly as he slumped over, lifeless. Those outside were stunned.
The brothers who had once fought side by side were now separated by death in an instant. Anriyan reached out with trembling hands to close Kato's eyes. When he looked into the cave, it was pitch black, and Cong Fei was nowhere to be seen.
Cong Yue grew anxious and asked Anriyan, "What did he say?! Where's my brother?!"
Anriyan closed his eyes and replied solemnly, "He said we fell into a trap."
"Ah?" Cong Yue was confused, but the implication of those words was ominous. He called out for his brother several times, but there was no response from within the cave.
Clearly, Kato's gruesome death had shocked Cong Yue, who immediately tried to rush inside but was held back by Anriyan. "There must be unknown dangers inside! Please calm down!"
With red-rimmed eyes, Cong Yue showed no intention of listening to Anriyan. Just moments ago, both Cong Fei and Kato had entered; now that Kato was like this, how could his brother be safe inside?
The scene before them filled Mei Shuang with fear and regret. She inadvertently turned around and noticed that Shijieyu, who had been behind her, was now missing.
A heavy feeling settled in her heart as she looked around; there was no sign of Shijieyu.
"Where is Shijieyu?" she asked anxiously.
Anriyan and Cong Yue suddenly realized that one person was still missing. However, in such a short time, where could someone have gone?
Looking around, everything was eerily quiet, with no signs of anything amiss. Shijieyu seemed to have vanished into thin air.
In just a little while, out of six people, one was dead and two were missing, which was a significant loss.
"Quickly extinguish the torches," Mei Shuang suddenly said in a low voice.
The two did not understand what Mei Shuang had discovered, but the torches were promptly snuffed out, plunging the surroundings into darkness.
In the dark, all they could hear were faint breaths. Anriyan and Cong Yue felt sorrowful yet dared not let their guard down. They only heard Mei Shuang whisper, "I understand what Kato meant; it’s Shijieyu."
"What do you mean?"
"Shijieyu hasn’t disappeared or encountered any trouble; she has run away..." Mei Shuang said coldly.
Anriyan remained silent, while Cong Yue simply did not believe it.
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