Chapter 72
Minotaur (Minotaur).
Legend has it that this monster was born from the union of the king's wife and the bull given by the gods.
The monster is brutal by nature and has unlimited strength. It can cause a disaster at any time and likes to eat the tender flesh of children.
In order to trap this ferocious monster, the craftsman Daedalus built an extremely complex maze, which later became the famous Cretan Labyrinth.
After the Athenians were defeated in battle, they would send seven pairs of boys and girls as tribute every nine years.
King Minos locked the seven pairs of boys and girls in the labyrinth to feed his ferocious and terrible son, Minotaur.
Such disasters never ceased, and the Athenians, who had to sacrifice their own flesh and blood every nine years, were overwhelmed with grief.
Until Theseus, the illegitimate son of the King of Athens, returned from his travels and heard about this tragic incident, he was deeply saddened.
He solved the puzzle of the maze with a ball of thread, and used the sword given by the princess to kill the Minotaur, thus putting an end to the disaster.
…
When Wen Xin was a child, he watched an animated film based on this myth on TV.
But he was still young at that time and could no longer remember some of the details.
I'm not sure how similar the maze the girl is talking about is to the mythical Crete maze.
Wen Xin took a quick look at the invitation letter.
It feels smooth to the touch, like silk, but the texture is unusually tough. I don't know what special material is used.
On the surface of the red lacquer envelope, the words "Invitation Letter" were written in gold-plated fonts, with a row of small characters written next to it.
"Menotaur welcomes all distinguished guests who are destined to visit him."
Other than that, there was no time or place, and no names were mentioned.
No wonder the girl sent this invitation to herself without any hesitation.
Wen Xin had heard before that there was an arena built by a mysterious organization in the western region.
Anyone who thinks they are powerful, whether human or mutant, can sign up to participate and win a high prize.
At a time when mutants and humans are at war with each other, it is somewhat miraculous that there is such a place that allows the two sides to live in harmony.
Wen Xin accepted the invitation out of curiosity; he himself had no interest in attending the arena.
After looking at it, he returned the item to the girl: "Thank you, but I don't really need it."
Unexpectedly, the girl shook her head and said, "You may not want to watch any beast fights or bloody fights, but this invitation letter is not just a ticket, it is also a certificate of qualification that guarantees your smooth passage."
"You haven't been to the West yet, have you? Believe me, the chaos there is not just talk."
The girl smiled a sad but miserable smile: "All the mutants who still have reason have gone to the East. The West is full of monsters who hate humans and are bloodthirsty and brutal."
"Without any support, ordinary people like us can hardly move forward."
Wen Xin looked at her face, was silent for a while, and asked: "Since the western region is extremely dangerous to humans, why do you want to go there?"
The girl's answer was flawless: "Just like you now know how dangerous the West is, but you have no intention of retreating, we also have reasons to go."
Wen Xin heard this and did not pursue the matter further.
Who would want to travel in severe snowy weather unless they had to?
But he also heard the emphasis in the girl's words.
——The invitation letter is like a life-saving talisman.
Such an important thing was given to me directly, but it seemed that there were still some unfulfilled requests that I hadn't made.
The girl said bluntly: "I do have a request. I hope you can protect my brother and I during the time we are together."
The younger boy seemed to know that the girl was about to confess, and he couldn't help but tug at her sleeve: "...Sister, do you want to tell him?"
The latter patted his head, but his eyes never moved away from Wen Xin's sight, and continued eagerly: "My name is Xu Jiangqin, his name is Xu Hailin, and he is the grandson of the commander of the Southern Region, Xu Chengjun. If you can agree to this request, we will definitely report back to you when we succeed and return to the Southern Region."
After saying that, Xu Jiangqin stared at Wen Xin's face closely, cold sweat oozing from her palms, not wanting to miss even a single detail.
She knew that revealing her identity rashly would be risky. Not to mention whether there was any risk, the simple outfit they wore made it look unconvincing.
Which army commander is so shabby that he doesn't even have a gun to take his own grandchildren out, let alone a military escort?
The young man in front of them who could easily pull out a sniper rifle looked more noble than the two of them.
But there was no way. Their grandfather had recently learned the tragic news that their father had failed to eliminate the mutants and had gone missing on the battlefield. He was so heartbroken that he suddenly fell seriously ill in bed.
In the name of acting as the commander, my uncle and my aunt took control of the entire corps and locked them up in the house all day, not allowing them to go in or out, and not allowing the servants to have any communication with them.
They went through a lot of trouble to sneak out.
We have done our best to find the existing equipment and manpower and get the invitation letter.
If they can't find their father successfully this time, then they may...
Xu Jiangqin clenched her fingers, feeling guilty for writing a blank check to Wen Xin, but she had no other choice.
Looking up, my eyes met those of the young man.
Those eyes were extremely calm, without any ripples at all because of what she had just said, and were as clear as a mirror.
Under such a gaze, it seems that all the dark thoughts hidden in the heart will have nowhere to hide.
Xu Jiangqin immediately held her breath nervously.
But the next second Wen Xin looked away, as if the gaze that saw through her was just an illusion.
Wen Xin shook the gold-stamped invitation in his hand and said, "If I don't agree to your commission, will you still give me this invitation?"
Xu Jiangqin was stunned for a moment and replied, "Of course, you saved Xiaolin and the others' lives."
As soon as she finished speaking, she wanted to slap herself in the face.
They only had three invitations like this, so why did they promise to send them out so readily?
Unexpectedly, Wen Xin smiled when he heard this. "In that case, I will accept this commission."
He put the invitation letter into his pocket and took another look at the injured person lying on the ground.
"I still have half a bottle of hemostatic spray left. Let me give it to you first."
Wen Xin knew that wealth should not be exposed to others, but in order to deal with the crisis just now, he had exposed the fact that he had a gun.
It is a shock, but also a temptation.
In order to prevent the shock from turning into temptation, he was reluctant to reveal how rich his resources were.
Xu Jiangqin shook her head when she heard this: "Don't worry, we have a medical kit, and we have some extra hemostatic spray and bandages."
She glanced at the gasping injured man and said, "But we really need to find a place to settle Lao Li as soon as possible."
Wen Xin nodded and looked out of the car.
Seeing that nothing unusual was happening nearby, he started to get off the bus.
Before leaving, Xu Jiangqin called him, "I haven't asked for your name yet."
Wen Xinweiton: "My last name is Wen."
Perhaps it was because Wen Xin's name was too famous, Wen Xin answered very frankly, and the brother and sister did not connect the two together for a while.
They never imagined that the legendary figure would appear in such a barren place.
After getting off the car, Wen Xin did not return to the SUV, but joined the group of people moving trees.
With his participation, everyone's morale was obviously boosted, and the slogans were three times louder than before.
Behind him, the young Xu Hailin looked at the busy figure of the young man and couldn't help but sighed: "Sister, they are right. Wen Ge is a kind person."
Before they could even say a few words, they had already called Wen Ge.
Xu Jiangqin subconsciously wanted to reprimand the boy as she had done before, telling him to look at the problem and not just the surface.
But somehow, thinking of Wen Xin's clear and bright eyes just now, she swallowed back the rebuke that was about to come out of her mouth.
"Maybe it's true..."
It took half an hour to finally move the tree trunk.
Everyone shouted in victory excitedly and prepared to set off again.
Wen Xin got in the car.
The two boys saw what had just happened, climbed onto the back of the car and asked him, "Wen Xin, are we going to go with them?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to walk together from now on."
Wen Xin took out the map, pointed to the marked point on it and said, "To go to Rose City, you will definitely pass by the Menotaur Colosseum. The girl named Xu Jiangqin seems to know a lot of inside information about it. She is a good guide."
The little panda nodded, not quite understanding.
The Scaled Tree Viper stared at the young man's face suspiciously: "Did you really not see that it was difficult for the two human cubs to travel, so you wanted to help take care of them?"
Wen Xin calmly started the car and handed the invitation in his pocket to them to play with: "How could it be? I still got something good. This invitation is it."
The scale viper snorted twice, and believed him for the time being.
Suddenly, it seemed to smell something and took the invitation.
The little panda came closer, then quickly jumped to the side, slapping its nose with its paws, its furry face scrunched up: "What's that smell? It's so awful!"
Wen Xin turned around when he heard the sound and saw the little panda's reaction. He asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
The scale viper was carefully distinguishing the smell on the invitation letter. Halfway through, it uttered a word: "Spider..."
Wen Xin: "Spider?"
The Scaled Viper wanted to explain, but then he remembered that Wen Xin didn't know about the base, so he had to hold his words back.
"Ahem, I just suddenly remembered that our boss once encountered a spider mutant that had the potential to evolve from A-class to S-class."
"But later it was persecuted by certain humans, and its evolution was interrupted. As a result, it hates humans very much and tortures them to death cruelly."
The green ball held up the invitation with its tail: "This invitation is made of spider silk, and that's what I thought of."
Wen Xin paused.
He seemed to have suddenly learned some extraordinary news.
The green group was completely unaware.
Even if the young man showed his cunningness in several difficult situations, it would still be defenseless in front of the young man and subconsciously think that the other party would believe in it.
Sometimes the scale viper would react and think Wen Xin was stupid.
I also feel that if I am so casual, sooner or later I will be exposed.
Can't tell who is dumber.
Wen Xin is still in shock that "the mysterious organization that built the arena is actually mutants, and the equal treatment of humans and mutants is also suspected to be an illusion."
Then he heard the Scaled Viper ask him from behind.
"Wen Xin, if one day in the future, humans want to destroy us, will you protect us?"
The voice seemed to reveal an imperceptible caution, and the question was asked in an inadvertent way.
Wen Xin's heart seemed to be deeply touched.
He turned around suddenly and met the green ball's sparkling eyes.
Snakes' pupils are usually imperceptible.
It's as if the hunting instinct is engraved in their genes. If you stare at them for too long, you might even feel like you're being spied on by a demon.
Wen Xin looked at it, but could see the trembling tenderness in the green ball's eyes, like ripples on a lake.
There was no hesitation in his reply.
Wen Xin flicked the green group's forehead with his finger and said in a displeased tone, "You little heartless ones, am I not being good enough to you to make you doubt the answer to this question?"
As a result, Tuanzi didn't feel any pain, but the recoil force hurt him.
The green group didn't care to be surprised. They saw that the young man's fingertips were red from the shock, and hurried to check. They hummed and said, "I'm just asking casually..."
But suddenly the young man's extremely calm voice was heard.
"Then I will do my best to protect your safety, even at the cost of my own life."
The scale viper was very close to him.
When the young man spoke, a cloud of white mist sprayed out from his lips, and the tip of its tail trembled as if its heart was melted by the heat in the mist.
Wen Xin heard the urging of others and gestured: "Right away!"
The green group was awakened by the shouting.
It saw the others shining their flashlights at it, and before the light shone on itself, it pulled the panda back into the back seat.
Immediately, Green Ball raised his head slightly and stared at the back of the young man in the driver's seat.
That's enough, the scale viper thought contentedly.
Even though Wen Xin didn't know who wanted to destroy them, he didn't know how powerful the First Foundation was, and how loud the calls for it were among the human community.
It thinks that is enough.
.
The people who attacked them are still hiding in the dark, and their purpose is unclear.
Therefore, everyone was extremely cautious on the road ahead.
Wen Xin knew that the attacker's obstruction would not be limited to that time, but he did not expect it to come so soon.
All I saw was a road covered in snow and strewn with fallen tree trunks.
The man in the sprint suit and others had their hair almost turned white with worry.
"Can we use gasoline and a flamethrower to burn down these trees blocking the road?"
"Then you probably want to build an outdoor skating rink," said the companion coldly, "and where would we get so much gasoline?"
The tree trunks are covered with snow. How can they be burned without adding some gasoline?
"We can't get through here. The gap is too small. Can we cut down the trees next to it?"
"Then you have to dig out the tree roots as well, otherwise the chassis of the minibus will definitely be scratched. By the way, we don't have an electric saw."
"Grass."
If there is no way to go around, you can only go through the dense forest path and see if there is any other way to go.
The crowd followed the path beside the road, looking towards the snow-covered mountains not far away.
In this situation of continuous blockage, a road suddenly appeared.
Even though there are many tire marks left on this road, it still doesn't make people feel at ease.
"What should I do?"
Many people looked at the injured Lao Li, who was lying on the floor of the carriage with only air exhaling but no air inhaling, and unknowingly, there was a different and complex meaning in their eyes.
It seems like a blame, and also seems like a burden.
But there are still many people who remember their old friendship and do not want to give up on each other.
These people, led by Xu Jiangqin, were all waiting for her instructions.
Xu Jiangqin closed her eyes heavily.
Wen Xin knew that the girl had no choice.
Even if they chose to give up trying to save Lao Li and just clear the tree trunks in their way, it would take at least a day and a half without the tools.
By that time, Blizzard had already covered the road and it was still impossible to move forward.
They can choose to go home.
But doing so would be no different from staying where you are because the roads are blocked by heavy snow.
It can be said that at this moment, all roads are blocked.
The only way forward is through a trap that the attackers have already set.
After a long while, Xu Jiangqin exhaled deeply and said calmly, "Let's go up the mountain."
The others frowned in disapproval: "Miss!"
Xu Jiangqin scolded coldly: "What can we do? Stay here and wait for death? Who of you can guarantee that the snow will stop tonight?"
"There are no gas stations along the way, and the gas is almost gone. The temperature is dozens of degrees below zero, and we can't light a fire in the car. The moment the gas runs out, everyone will die. Do you still need me to teach you this?"
A few questions silenced them all.
I think Xu Jiangqin is a person who sticks to her word. Even though she is young, she can calm people down.
Wen Xin is getting ready to get in the car.
However, Xu Jiangqin looked at him at this moment and moved her lips, as if she wanted to ask for something.
But in the end, for some unknown reason, she didn't say a word and pressed Xu Hailin's head back to the minibus.
It was not suitable to rush at night, so the group waited until dawn.
Early in the morning, just as Xu Jiangqin had said, the heavy snow showed no sign of stopping.
On the contrary, because it kept snowing, most of the wheels were submerged in the snow, and we had to shovel the snow to get out.
Now, those who had originally expressed their dissent have nothing to say.
They kept regretting not bringing a few more barrels of oil with them.
This is pure nonsense.
Even if we brought enough gas to fill up the entire minibus, it might not be enough to last through this heavy snow.
Wen Xin joined the ranks of shoveling snow.
Beside him, several people were rubbing their red, frozen hands and feet, muttering and complaining.
"How unlucky I am." "Why did you choose to go out these days?" "I can't check the weather forecast now, what else can I do? I have to encounter a blizzard like this..."
People's hearts began to waver.
The car went up the wooden ramp smoothly onto the snow, with the tires only sinking a little into the soft snow.
You can hit the road.
Wen Xin drove the off-road vehicle and followed them into the depths of the dense forest.
When they reached the foot of a high mountain not far away, they discovered that there was more than one way to go.
There are two roads at the fork in the road, one goes up the mountain and the other goes down the mountain.
The mountain was covered with heavy snow, and a wooden house could be vaguely seen halfway up the mountain.
As for the foot of the mountain, there was unexpectedly a construction site.
Several excavators were parked on an empty dam, with split trees piled up next to them in a pyramid shape.
The view from here was blocked by a large number of trees just now, so people couldn't see the construction site below. I was instantly overjoyed to see the scene.
Since there is a construction site, there are tools for logging and loading, so there is no need to worry about not being able to clear the tree trunks blocking the road!
Thinking of this, the driver stepped on the accelerator and drove down the mountain without waiting for Xu Jiangqin's instructions.
His thoughts are simple.
There is only one narrow road leading up the mountain, and three cars were going all the way up. If something happened, there would be no way to retreat.
But you can keep running down the mountain, after all, there is a large open space in front!
Wen Xin subconsciously wanted to follow.
But he remembered something and hesitated.
Construction site, construction site...
Aren’t those zombies wandering around blocking the road wearing the white vests that are distributed uniformly at the construction site?
Due to the delay, Wen Xin was unable to catch up with the other minibus.
Then I heard a few angry roars from a young girl coming from the minibus in front.
"Don't drive... I told you... stop!"
Wen Xin's heart skipped a beat.
It was not Xu Jiangqin who ordered them to drive down the mountain; it was the driver who acted on his own initiative!
Once this happened, something big happened.
Wen Xin looked upwards and saw several pairs of pitch-black, vicious mouthparts suddenly extending from the mountain wall next to him.
They inserted their mouthparts into the cracks in the rock and pried lightly. A noticeable crack suddenly exploded along the small opening, turning into countless pieces of rubble that fell down!
Crackling——
The driver heard the noise, turned around and saw a lot of rubble falling on his head, and his face immediately turned pale.
Ignoring the girl's heartbreaking shouts to stop him, he drove forward recklessly.
Just when the vehicle was halfway down.
Boom!
There was a loud noise from underground as if the ground was unable to bear the heavy weight, and the ground collapsed!
The minibus carrying Xu Jiangqin and her brother fell headfirst into a deep pit.
The minibus behind was too close, and when the falling rocks appeared, the driver in the car also accelerated. When he encountered the collapse, he was unable to stop the car and rushed in like a dumpling.
The only one who didn't show any joy or relief was Wen Xin, who realized that something was wrong and Jin'er had survived.
He clenched his fists, and almost at the same time grabbed the sniper rifle from the passenger seat, placed it against the window, and fired at the mutant ants on the mountain wall.
The bullet was like a gust of wind, piercing through the ant's compound eyes and exploding into a dark blood flower.
The ants cried out in pain and retreated one after another.
Wen Xin was about to raise his gun and aim again, but a sudden blizzard blocked his view of the pursuit.
In less than two seconds, the mutant ants disappeared from the cliff.
Unable to find a target to aim at, the corners of Wen Xin's mouth gradually tightened into a cold straight line.
He put the sniper rifle back to its original place, clenched his fist, and couldn't help but smash it hard on the car window.
The snowstorm is getting stronger.
.
There were clouds of flying snow in the air, but no echo could be heard in the deep pit, so I wondered how deep it was.
Wen Xin found a lot of broken branches beside the pit. Looking at the cross-section of the hole, he saw that a lot of it was cement that had just been pasted on.
He rubbed his aching forehead.
Judging from the old and new marks of cement paste on the cross section, it is obvious that many passers-by were lured by the attacker in this way and then fell into the pothole.
"Warm and sweet..."
There were two anxious voices coming from behind.
Wen Xin seemed to know what they wanted to say. He picked up the dumplings one by one, put them back into the SUV, and wrapped them tightly with a thick blanket.
He looked into their eyes and said, "It was me who promised to protect them, not you, so you don't need to feel guilty for not being able to do anything."
The relationship between mutants and humans is like an unsolvable tangled mess.
During the time that Wen Xin and Green Tuanzi were together, he could clearly feel Tuanzi's disgust and hatred towards humans.
This kind of disgust did not disappear even when he faced his best friend Tang Qi.
Wen Xin is not that upright. When it comes to the safety of Xu Jiangqin and his gang over that of Tuanzi, he will choose Tuanzi without hesitation.
But he also had to keep his promise.
Wen Xin stretched out her jade-white fingers and moved the chins of the two dumplings.
After coaxing them into feeling comfortable, Wen Xin lowered his head again and gently kissed the dumplings on their foreheads.
"Wait till I come back. It won't be long."
Then he packed some food and tools from the trunk, put them in a large-capacity military backpack, and carried it on his back.
He took out a climbing rope, fixed one end to the rock, tied the other end around his waist, and fastened the buckle neatly.
Wen Xin wrapped the excess rope in the middle around his arms and palms, pulled it hard, made sure it was tied securely, and prepared to go down.
Unexpectedly, before he could jump down, two balls in the car came flying towards him like monkeys.
"Warm and sweet!"
Seeing the flying solid, Wen Xin's body reflexively tried to dodge, but he succumbed to the habit of catching the dumplings.
As a result, when he stretched out his hand, Tuanzi didn't let him get into his arms at all, and hit him in the face with a bang.
"hiss..."
He covered his nose which was almost bleeding from the collision, and lifted the back of the necks of the dumplings, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "What are you doing?"
"With you."
Green Dumpling grabbed him and said dryly, "We don't want to be separated anymore."
Wen Xin's expression changed, but he still smiled helplessly, sighed, and lost to it.
"Then remember to hold on to me."
The kids nodded in haste, one holding onto his shoulders.
Wen Xin pulled the rope, took a look at the dark and bottomless pit, took a breath, and jumped down without hesitation.
With the protection of the tactical gloves, the pulling force of the rope did not cause much damage to Wen Xin's palms.
He kicked the wall of the cave with his feet and slid down carefully like a praying mantis jumping on the ground.
Moving in this way will be a bit slow, but it can ensure safety.
It can also ensure that when the rope above is cut, Wen Xin will not fall uncontrollably due to the sudden loss of his climbing point.
I don't know how much time passed.
He dropped the stone and finally heard an echo from below.
Wen Xin did not land so easily.
After waiting cautiously for a moment, he let go of the rope and stepped down.
The texture is bouncy when it hits the ground.
Wen Xin turned on the flashlight and, as expected, saw layers of cushions stacked up in the pitch-black underground.
Both minibuses fell onto the bumper pad and parts of their bodies were damaged.
The people inside have disappeared.
Wen Xin stepped on the cushion and examined it carefully, and saw dense footprints that looked like ink dots.
Where the footprints extend is a cave that is also dark, and the edge of the cave entrance has traces of being opened by the mouthparts.
He asked the two dumplings: "Can you sense what's going on inside?"
The panda's sensing ability is not that accurate.
It only knows that there are a lot of delicious food inside.
Wen Xin: “…”
The dumplings followed him and ate human meals three times a day, which almost made him forget that the mutant recipe did include mutants of lower levels than himself.
Wen Xin turned to Green Dumpling, who also nodded.
"There's a big one hiding in a deeper place. It smells pretty good."
The scaled tree viper has always been straightforward, and at this time it did not hide its dislike for the mutant ant.
"Others are like rotten food, but if it's this, it's still okay to eat as a snack."
Wen Xin: “…………”
He was unnecessarily worried that the two kids would be scared.
Wen Xin turned off the flashlight that could easily expose himself, put on night vision goggles, and groped his way into the cave.
There are many branching roads in the cave, and there are caves of various sizes like sieves, and each one looks no different.
Fortunately, the green ball was there to sniff the scent that was still in the air and help him find the way.
The little panda secretly released a little of his breath.
The pressure from the A-class mutant can disperse nearby mutant ants without alarming their leader.
Wen Xin and his team moved forward without encountering any obstacles.
After twists and turns, the view in front of me became wider and wider.
When Wen Xin couldn't help wondering why he hadn't suffered from oxygen deprivation yet, a bright man-made mine suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Many ores were exposed outside the stone wall, emitting a dim green light under the reflection of the fire.
Judging from the scale of this mine, it must have taken at least five years to dig.
Wen Xin suppressed his shock and walked to the entrance of the cave.
When he looked down, he saw Xu Jiangqin and his group had just been carried onto a minecart by mutant ants and were about to be sent to other cave entrances.
Wen Xin moved his fingers and touched the pistol at his waist, his eyes inadvertently turning to the side.
As he took a closer look, he discovered something that made him frown.
There is more than just Xu Jiangqin's mining truck parked here.
There are also many mine carts parked outside the crisscrossing tunnels.
On each of them lay unconscious humans, men and women, old and young.
Several tunnels are like assembly lines in a factory, sending these people into the farthest bottomless caves.
Wen Xin's heart sank involuntarily.
The snowy mountain where they were located was not the only place where hijackings occurred.
How many people were killed in this cave?
Wen Xin took a breath silently.
He knew in his heart that the more critical the situation, the more he should not panic.
Just as Wen Xin was looking around, looking for a breakthrough point.
He suddenly caught sight of a very familiar face among the unconscious victims.
Wen Xin's breathing was stagnated for a moment and his pupils dilated.
Tang Qi?
Why is he here?
【Author's words】
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2023-05-19 23:57:02~2023-05-20 21:51:51~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Qianxiao Anran 18 bottles; Youbing 10 bottles; Hantian 9 bottles; Pangbai 6 bottles; Bao Yinque Siting 5 bottles;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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