Iron Bull taucht wieder auf

Kapitel 230

I leaned down and stared at the coiled-up dead snake. On its neatly dissected head, the bean-sized eyes were enclosed by an oval black circle, like those of a poorly dressed actor. Its head should have been a sharp triangular shape, a universal characteristic of all venomous snakes worldwide, without exception. The sharper the head and the more acute the angle, the more terrifying its venom and aggression.

“Your knife can cut one, ten, or a hundred, but we have reason to believe that the flying snakes ahead are probably not counted in simple ‘strips,’ but rather in ‘swarms’ or ‘piles.’ Mr. Feng, this is not a small matter, but a super big trouble that we have to face.”

Gu Qingcheng smiled bitterly. The death of one or two people would not affect the overall situation. What she feared most was that everyone would fall into the encirclement of the flying snakes, in which case the entire army would be wiped out.

I straightened up and said only one sentence: "There's always a way out."

Since entering these mountains, I've become increasingly quiet, yet the pressure on my shoulders has grown heavier. Of all the people working together, besides myself, no one truly cares about Su Lun's fate. We're all just continuing this work under the guise of "finding someone, exploring," each with our own hidden agendas. I believe that even if I ordered the entire team to break camp and turn back, to get out of the mountains within a day and a night, they would carry it out without hesitation, as long as their payment isn't withheld.

"So, how about we take most of the people into the cave tomorrow, and only send two people and a car to take a few people in a vegetative state out of the mountain? Flying Eagle and Li Kang have been poisoned by some kind of poison from the Tang Clan of Sichuan. They suddenly lost consciousness and can only breathe weakly. There is no point in keeping them here any longer."

Gu Qingcheng made a swift and decisive arrangement, knowing that it was impossible to bring the vegetative patients along; they would only be a burden.

"If only there weren't those stone pillars blocking the way, the jeeps could drive all the way into the tunnel, ensuring the supply of materials and keeping the flying snakes out."

Unfortunately, her assumption failed; the objective world doesn't change according to anyone's subjective will. Tomorrow, as we navigate the labyrinthine stone pillar formation, will the tiger be able to serve as our guide?

"Uncle Wei?" Gu Qingcheng suddenly turned her head to the southwest, her furrowed brows and deep thought immediately replaced by a serene smile. On the surface, Uncle Wei was the commander-in-chief of this group of mercenaries, but in reality, Gu Qingcheng was their true leader.

Uncle Wei coughed softly as he entered, glanced at the dead snake without making a sound, and slowly said, "Miss, one of our sentries has died. His wound was on his fingertip, only half a fang mark. The venom of this flying snake is extremely potent; I'm afraid we won't be able to stop it without a suitable antidote, and we'll inevitably suffer its effects—"

The buttons on his military cotton-padded coat were all fastened incorrectly, clearly indicating that he had gotten up in a hurry and had no time to tidy himself up.

"What about the antiviral serum? Is it completely ineffective?" Gu Qingcheng calmed down and pondered, touching her thin chin.

Uncle Wei shook his head, tightened his cotton coat, and glanced at me with a wry smile: "What brilliant idea does Mr. Feng have?"

From his deep eyes, I saw more complex meanings and suspected that this was a farce of "coupling" that he had deliberately orchestrated.

Assuming the flying snake came from inside the tunnel, it's unlikely there was only one. Besides, we've been stationed here for several days. If it were going to come out and hurt people, it wouldn't have waited until now to act. Snakes aren't human; they don't have the ability to recognize roads or identify targets. It's impossible that it injured the sentry and went straight to Gu Qingcheng's tent, especially since it happened to choose the moment when I was also present.

All these doubts combined basically lead to the conclusion that the flying snake was merely a tool of Uncle Wei, who deliberately exaggerated the facts to force me to return to the ancient village to borrow the Azure Blood Night-Shining Toad.

“Brilliant idea? I have none. Tomorrow morning, assign some men to be stationed locally, and the rest of you should travel light and search deep into the tunnel. With Tiger as our guide, we will not stop until we achieve our goal.”

I met Uncle Wei's gaze calmly, deliberately putting on an air of righteous indignation and willingness to sacrifice myself.

A virtuous person is always at ease, while a petty person is always anxious. I don't want to set traps to fool others, nor will I unknowingly fall into someone else's trap.

Uncle Wei raised his hand to smooth his graying hair, his bitter smile deepening: "Mr. Feng, the dead cannot be brought back to life. This group of people can't withstand many more upheavals—"

Gu Qingcheng coldly interrupted him: "Uncle Wei, obey Mr. Feng's words. From now on, his words are the same as mine, and everyone must carry them out unconditionally."

An awkward atmosphere filled the tent. Uncle Wei's hand froze in mid-air, and after a dozen seconds he hesitated before nodding: "Yes, yes, I know, I will pass it on."

He staggered out, and Gu Qingcheng sneered with slight dissatisfaction: "Uncle Wei is old. Old people are always a bit afraid of death and are not suitable for adventure." Her slender fingers were clasped together, and her expression was completely calm, as if the sudden crisis brought about by the appearance of the flying snake had no effect on her at all.

When dealing with certain emergencies, Gu Qingcheng's abilities seem to surpass those of Su Lun, and the composure she displays in an instant is quite like that of a great general.

"Mr. Feng, should we discuss the issue of whether to keep or leave these people in a vegetative state? I think it's the best course of action to send them out of the mountains as soon as possible to the nearest big city hospital for treatment. Leaving them here might delay their treatment and harm their health. What do you think?"

Gu Qingcheng's words were undoubtedly well-intentioned, but I felt that Schiller, Flying Eagle, and Li Kang might be of great help to the upcoming expedition. When I cannot ascertain the truth, I can only trust my intuition. They lost their souls in these mountains; if they are not destined to die, they should be able to regain their souls by chance and awaken anew.

"Leaving them stationed in the camp serves as both a rear guard for defense and a support for the vanguard. From a military strategy perspective, this is a 'three burrows' tactic. We can't let other forces cut off our rear and trap everyone in the tunnel. Miss Gu, I should go back to sleep now. See you early tomorrow morning."

I didn't want to dwell on this issue any longer, so I politely took my leave and returned to my tent.

The tiger was already drunk, lying across the mattress with a bottle in his hand, snoring loudly.

The little red devil, with earphones in his ears, was busy typing away at the computer, his fingers flying across the screen, a dizzying display of densely packed characters.

"Two heartless people, one can drink and sleep, the other can eat and play." I shook my head and smiled bitterly. Everyone was like scattered sand, each doing their own thing. I hoped that I was the one who could gather sand into a tower, bring all the strength together, and eventually generate the huge kinetic energy to split mountains and shatter rocks.

I was the last to wake up in the early morning. The first thing I heard was the rapid clatter of Hong Xiaogui's fingers on the keyboard. He had been busy all night, but his typing speed was still as fast as ever.

Tiger sat cross-legged by the doorway, the rising sun casting its light on his head, turning his black hair golden and radiating an almost divine glow. He was calm, yet also dejected; without the protection of alcohol, he had revealed his true inner self.

"Hey, you're awake? This time, we've taken down the Americans' 'Texas Imaginary Barrier' again. If this trend continues, the Americans will definitely lose big in the Christmas hacker war between the two countries, hahaha..." Red Devil laughed, a shiny coin spinning between his left fingers.

"Would you like to come with us into the cave today to see the flying snakes?" I didn't want to get distracted, so I got straight to the point.

“Go! Why wouldn’t I go? I came here just to see what’s going on.” He readily agreed, turned off the computer, put his hands behind his head, lay back, shifted his body a few times, and then fell asleep.

Manually programming attacks are a physically and mentally demanding task. He worked for more than five hours and was naturally exhausted, so he could fall asleep at any moment.

Tiger was undoubtedly the most important figure in today's expedition, but his extremely pale face kept me worried.

I stepped out of the tent and sat down next to him.

The early risers were having breakfast, their combat uniforms already neatly strapped on, ready to be dispatched at a moment's notice, carrying their submachine guns.

I didn't see Uncle Wei and Gu Qingcheng, and I don't know where they went.

"Feng, this matter is probably not so simple. You need to think it through. Perhaps with our strength, we simply cannot contend with them—" Tiger glanced at his teammates who were engrossed in their food, his face full of worry. Overnight, the stubble on his cheeks had grown another half centimeter, but the wound was still bloody and showed no signs of scabbing over.

"In any battle, the outcome is never predictable. Tiger, you've never seemed this timid before?" I rubbed my swollen eyes, my mind quickly clearing, followed by a barrage of questions.

Over there, in the other five tents, lie three people in a vegetative state: Flying Eagle, Li Kang, and Liang Wei. If they lost their minds due to Tang Xiaogu's sabotage, could it be understood that Schiller was also injured by Tang Xiaogu?

"Why don't you go and see Liang Wei? He's your old friend. Perhaps you should get used to his alias, just like I have."

Without the help of these three, the team's combat effectiveness would immediately decline significantly. While sharpshooter Kaku's killing of Tang Xiaogu, preventing the murderer from escaping, boosted the team's morale to some extent, it also severed all investigative leads, resulting in a loss greater than a gain.

Tiger frowned and shook his head vigorously: "No need, he's already in a vegetative state, what's the point of looking at him anymore? Let's think of a way to get deeper into the 'Sky Ladder' and uncover the secrets of that mysterious person. Can you imagine? After being sealed in that transparent space, time stopped too. There was no hunger or fatigue, no loss of strength. If we had scientific instruments, we might be able to measure that my physiological functions had completely stopped, making me practically a living dead person..."

He looked down at his palm and continued in an even more confused tone, “In other words, I’ve lost a month of my life. Look at the wound on my face—” He tried to touch the wound with his little fingernail, wincing in pain.

"Look, before I accompanied Xiaoxin into the tunnel, my wound was still healing. Actually, I carried many elixirs with me to treat sword wounds. The Japanese hidden weapons are really powerful; the wound healed quite slowly. The only fortunate thing is that the wound did not continue to worsen, and the poison on the hidden weapon was effectively controlled so it wouldn't endanger my brain nerves. Under normal circumstances, the wound would scab over within a week, and the scab would fall off within three weeks, leaving only a scar on my face. Now you see, it hasn't changed at all, but it hasn't worsened either; it's as if the passage of time has no effect on it."

Part 5: The Blade of Distance

— Chapter 2 — The Mysterious Retractable Stone Array, the Five-Pointed Star Maze —

The tiger kept poking at its wound until it started bleeding again, staining half of its face red with stubble.

"After all that, Feng, did you understand?" He shut up dejectedly, replacing any argument or appeal with a silent, bitter laugh. In all these bizarre events, no one but the person directly involved could truly understand the feeling of panic.

"I understand. In the Egyptian desert, I and many others lost a day at the same time. Then, in Hokkaido, Japan, I was also trapped in a space with no sky above and no ground below, until I inexplicably escaped, much like your experience. Tiger, there's no use talking from outside the tunnel. The only thing we should do is to fight our way in and uncover all the mysteries. This time, you're the guide, and the fate of the entire team rests on your shoulders. I hope you won't let everyone down—disappointment means death, and none of us will come back alive, understand?"

I don't want to waste any more time. Next time I encounter that person wearing the golden mask, I will definitely not hold back.

A cloud of dust rose from the direction of the tunnel, and a jeep sped back, its engine roaring and echoing through the valley.

"It's your people, Feng. It's that girl and that old man. Judging from their excitement, it seems like they have some good news." Tiger's expression was indifferent. Apart from Tang Xin, probably nothing else could make him happy.

Uncle Wei was driving, and Gu Qingcheng was sitting in the passenger seat. Before the car had even come to a complete stop, she jumped out and rushed to me in a few steps: "Feng, the stone pillars in the tunnel have disappeared again, it's true. I've already spoken with Uncle Wei, and to improve work efficiency, we'll split into four jeeps and head straight into the tunnel."

Her face was covered in sweat, especially her long eyelashes, where large beads of sweat clung to her eyelashes, dangling precariously.

"Well? Give me some advice." She wiped away her sweat with her sleeve, looking slightly disheveled, but her eyes still shone with endless wit.

Jeeps replacing walking and providing shelter from venomous snakes are exactly what we wanted. Our only worry is that those retractable stone pillars might rise again at any moment and destroy the vehicles once more.

I thought for a few seconds, then immediately turned around and shouted into the tent, "Tiger, come out quickly, something's wrong—" In this critical moment, all formalities were unnecessary.

The tiger appeared by the door and, before I could repeat Gu Qingcheng's words, raised his right hand: "I agree with Miss Gu's point of view. We should quickly pass through the stone pillars. You should know that there are five of those five-pointed star formations with their points connected, extending over a distance of more than fifteen kilometers. If we rely solely on walking, we will miss the opportunity to fight, and everyone will be too passive."

Gu Qingcheng took a deep breath: "What will we encounter next after passing through the pentagram passage?"

The tiger replied with a melancholy expression, "It's a narrow crevice, just wide enough for two people to walk side by side. After winding along for about ten kilometers, you'll reach the legendary Heavenly Ladder. The round stone house is built on the opposite side of a cliff, and the two banks are connected by a bridge made of iron chains. If I'm not mistaken, the masked monster lives in the stone house."

Gu Qingcheng looked at me again, her eyes full of expectation. Actually, she could have given orders to the team members on her own; she didn't need to go through the trouble of asking for my opinion.

"Take elite troops and heavy weapons on the road, leave the weaker troops to guard the camp, and maintain contact between the two sides. The troops left behind, led by Feiyue, shall guard the tunnel entrance and strictly prohibit any other troops from approaching. They shall be ready to fire at any time to repel the enemy." I began to give orders.

Even in my dreams, this matter kept lingering in my mind. Only Feiyue would wholeheartedly protect Feiying and the others' safety and strictly obey my orders.

Gu Qingcheng raised her hand to greet Uncle Wei, who immediately gave a loud order. The team members dropped their bowls and chopsticks and quickly lined up in three rows, ready to be deployed.

"We're in the first vehicle. Please send over heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, and sniper Kaku. All vehicles must maintain at least three communication methods. During the advance, the distance between two vehicles must not exceed ten meters. Check the automatic winches on all vehicles; we may need to use them frequently."

It's hard to say whether Gu Qingcheng or I held the upper hand. At times like these, it's simply a matter of who listens to whom, and everything is left to the wise.

It was a bright, sunny day. All preparations were completed within half an hour, and everyone changed into their combat uniforms with tightly fitted cuffs and trouser legs. The sun rose, its sunlight bringing life to the desolate valley, but our team was about to enter the dark, sunless tunnel at the bottom of the mountain, entrusting everyone's fate to a mysterious and perilous future.

The first vehicle carried me, Gu Qingcheng, Tiger, Red Little Devil, Uncle Wei, Kaku, and two other sturdy team members. It took less than ten minutes to get from the camp to the tunnel entrance. My hands were casually tucked into my pockets, my palms covered in cold, damp sweat.

Only the little red devil remained relaxed, swaying his head and humming popular folk tunes from Xi'an all the way. Ignorance is bliss—this phrase perfectly describes him at that moment.

The car stopped ten steps away from the entrance. Uncle Wei, in the passenger seat, reached out to touch the headlight switch. His fingers trembled, and he slipped past the switch three times.

Red Devil leaned forward, rested on the driver's shoulder, and with a "snap," turned on the switch, sending two beams of light silently into the cave.

I heard the driver swallow loudly: "No...no more...the stone pillar is gone."

The three cars behind us lined up to our left, their headlights blazing brightly, shining down into the cave. As far as the eye could see, there wasn't a single pillar, only a flat slope gliding into endless darkness.

Uncle Wei turned around and looked at me uneasily.

"Forward." I didn't want to say more, just uttered two words. Incessant preaching and seductive speeches are inappropriate here; everyone should save their energy for dealing with future dangers.

The driver released the handbrake, slowly entered the cave entrance, carefully drove up the slope, and coasted down in low gear. The beams of light seemed to appear near and far, and apart from the suppressed engine noise, all I could hear was the driver's uncontrollable, tense breathing.

"Hey everyone, how about some blues jazz to relax?" In the boundless silence, Red Devil's laughter sounded abrupt and strange.

Uncle Wei and Tiger stared at him as if he were a monster from another time and space, their faces solemn, the muscles in their cheeks twisting and twitching from excessive tension.

"What? Did I say something wrong? Everyone's tense. What if something goes wrong and bullets fly everywhere? Who's going to be held responsible? Smile, everyone smile, OK?"

He reached out to pat Uncle Wei's shoulder, but Uncle Wei's shoulder swayed, and with a flick of his right middle finger, a gust of wind shot out, causing the little devil to abruptly withdraw his hand and cry out, "Ouch, my hand—Grandpa, I was just joking, why did you hurt me?"

With the little red devil present, a touch of liveliness was added to the extremely uneasy atmosphere, preventing the air from becoming a heavy, stagnant mass.

Gu Qingcheng sat next to me, turned on a flashlight, and leaned out of the window to shine it on the ground.

Regardless, now that we're in, we have no other choice but to keep moving forward, even if those eerie stone pillars reappear, we can't care about anything else.

"Wind, this is the first pentagram formation. After reaching the center point, you need to move towards the second point on the right until you enter the next pentagram."

The tiger's melancholy voice rang out, but the last note was instantly absorbed by the darkness.

"How did you know?" the little red devil asked mischievously, probably to retaliate for the fierce glare he had received earlier.

Tiger shifted his body slightly, took out a pistol from his pocket, and skillfully removed the magazine to inspect it.

"Hey, Tiger, you Danmachatai family people all like to be mysterious and keep secrets, don't you? Fine, if you're willing to keep the secret, I won't interfere. But when I get back to camp, I'll expose all your family's old scandals on the internet, including the fact that someone supplied a large amount of weapons to the Javanese rebels..."

Red Devil shouted loudly, his words witty and his gestures animated. For a super hacker, he didn't care what consequences this data might cause; whoever angered him, only heaven knew the outcome.

"Enough, enough, little guy. I'll tell you, the map of this pentagram array is attached to the 'Azure Heaven and Yellow Springs Scripture.' I carefully read through that scripture before deciding to bring me here."

Tiger suddenly let out a long sigh and slammed his fist on the driver's seat with a dull thud, making the driver jump up with a "whoosh." The car lurched and suddenly accelerated, but fortunately Uncle Wei grabbed the steering wheel to prevent the car from going out of control.

Red Devil let out another strange laugh, but I coughed lightly in time to stop him from speaking again: "Everyone, stop fooling around. Danger is everywhere, so it's best to be careful."

Upon hearing the name "The Scripture of the Netherworld," I noticed a very strange phenomenon out of the corner of my eye: apart from Kaku and the driver, the other passengers in the car couldn't help but shudder. Only those who had long heard of and yearned for that scripture would react this way.

"Feng, there's something I really apologize for. I took Xiaoxin and Song Jiu to the Egyptian desert for the sake of the scriptures, which is our only goal. Xiaoxin is determined to get the scriptures, so I had no choice but to accompany her. If any of the steps made things difficult for you, it was not my intention."