43. Black Mine Town
On the fourth day after leaving the hunting lodge, the terrain began to become more rugged. The pure white snowfields gradually gave way to bare, black rocks covered in a thin layer of ice. The dead trees twisted and became even more hideous, and the faint, decayed, sweet smell of the Guichen Sect in the air seemed to grow even stronger.
Lei Qing walked in front, his steps steady, yet each one carried a suppressed, poised power. His hunting knife held loosely in his hand, his senses heightened to the limit, capturing every ounce of movement. Most of his attention was focused on Ling Ye, who lagged behind him by a half-step. His cold, scrutinizing gaze barely left his gaze, like a vigilant alpha wolf monitoring a newcomer to the pack, yet still possessing a savage nature.
Ling Ye seemed accustomed to this. He walked in silence, his worn gray coat wrapped tightly around him to shield him from the chill. His gaze was mostly fixed forward, as if lost in thought, or calculating the distance. Only occasionally, when Lei Qing's gaze became too sharp, would he tilt his head slightly, revealing a look of helplessness and fatigue, almost a sign of weakness. He was aware of his situation and understood that earning trust would take time and effort.
Mu Lin and Xing Chen followed a little further back, maintaining a distance that allowed them to respond at any moment while remaining safe from any sudden clashes ahead. Mu Lin's complexion improved slightly, but the worry lingered. He not only had to be vigilant against external dangers but also constantly monitor Xing Chen's condition and the delicate and fragile "cooperation" ahead.
The most obvious change was in Xingchen. It was as if the boy had shed the last trace of his childishness overnight, his obsidian eyes as sharp as two freshly sharpened daggers. He no longer needed Mu Lin's constant reminders; he could keenly detect the subtle odors on the wind, the unfamiliar footprints almost hidden in the snow, and even any unnatural protrusions on the distant mountain outline. He was like a dry sponge, frantically absorbing all knowledge about tracking, lurking, and killing, and integrating it into his instincts. His silence was no longer due to fear or dependence, but from a restrained, goal-focused ferocity. His hand was always on the dagger at his waist, and his posture was like that of a seasoned hunter.
"We're almost there." Ling Ye suddenly stopped and lowered his voice, pointing to a cluster of low, cluttered buildings looming between two black mountains in the distance. "That's Black Mine Town."
Everyone looked in the direction he pointed.
It was a lifeless settlement. Crooked wooden and stone houses, like festering sores, dotted the dark hillside. Most of the buildings were dilapidated, their roofs collapsed and their windows empty. A thick, rusted metal chimney stood alone in the center of the town, like the dead skeleton of some great beast. The entire town was surrounded by a crudely reinforced wall of wooden stakes, barbed wire, and broken metal sheets, with a few watchtowers dotted at strategic points like vulture nests. Even from this distance, gray-robed figures could be vaguely seen moving along the wall and at the town entrance.
An oppressive and dangerous atmosphere, like an invisible miasma, permeated from the building complex.
"The security is very tight." Mu Lin whispered, his brows furrowed. "A frontal breakthrough is almost impossible."
"Who said we're going to break through head-on?" Ling Ye pointed to a narrow, almost invisible valley half-covered by snow on the side of Black Mine Town. "There's an abandoned mine tunnel there that leads directly to the old mining area below the town. That's where their defenses are relatively weak, and it's also the best route for us to infiltrate."
Lei Qing looked in the direction Ling Ye pointed. The valley was deep and dark, with steep black rock walls on both sides. It really looked like a forgotten passage. He didn't express his opinion immediately, but instead looked at Ling Ye with a sharp gaze. "Are you sure this passage is safe? Are there no traps? Or...ambushes?"
Ling Ye met his gaze calmly. "I'm not 100% certain. I discovered this passage during my last reconnaissance. It wasn't guarded then, but so much time has passed, and the situation may have changed. However, compared to a frontal assault, the risks here are still manageable. At least, I know where the entrance is and roughly how to get out once I'm inside."
It was a gamble. The team's safety depended in part on the intelligence from this former Blackrock cleanup team member.
Xingchen walked over to Lei Qing, looking up at him with a firm gaze. "Brother Lei Qing, I'll go ahead and scout the way." He wasn't making a request, but rather stating a decision. With his small stature and nimble movements, he was indeed the most suitable candidate for reconnaissance.
Lei Qing looked at the unquestionable determination in Xingchen's eyes, was silent for a moment, and nodded: "Be careful. If there is any abnormality, retreat immediately. Do not act without authorization."
"I understand." Stardust answered briefly, and then, like a nimble mountain cat, he slid silently down the snow slope where they were hiding, and with the cover of rocks and dead trees, he quickly moved towards the narrow valley.
The wait felt incredibly long. A cold wind whistled across the rocks, making a whimpering sound. Lei Qing and Mu Lin held their breath, staring intently at the direction where Xingchen had disappeared. Ling Ye also suppressed all expression, intently sensing the movements around him.
About half an hour later, Xingchen reappeared, even faster than before, returning to their side in a few takesoffs and landings. His breathing was slightly rapid, and his face was flushed from the exercise, but his eyes remained calm.
"The entrance to the passage is very hidden, mostly blocked by snow and rubble. I checked carefully, and there are no signs of large creatures or people passing through recently." Stardust spoke quickly, reporting what he had discovered. "I walked a little further in, and it was very dark inside, with accumulated water and ice. The smell... wasn't good, but I didn't find any obvious guards or traps. The passage is very deep, and there's no end in sight."
The situation seems to be better than expected.
Lei Qing no longer hesitated and made a quick decision: "Let's go through the mine tunnel. Ling Ye, you lead the way. Xing Chen, you stay behind. Mu Lin, follow me closely."
The four of them slid down the snow slope quickly and silently like four shadows, and dived into the narrow and deep valley.
The mine entrance was indeed, as Stardust had said, extremely well hidden. Pushing aside the snow and dead branches used as camouflage, a pitch-black hole, barely wide enough for a person to pass through by bending over, emerged. From within emanated a cold air mixed with the odors of mold, rust, and some indescribable fishy smell.
Ling Ye went in first, followed closely by Lei Qing, Mu Lin and Xing Chen.
The mine tunnel was pitch black, pitch dark. The air was damp and chilly, and the path beneath my feet was uneven, requiring me to wade through ankle-deep, icy water. All around me were crudely hewn rock walls, covered in thick, slippery moss and some dark fungus. The only source of light was a small, soft, aquamarine ball of light condensed by Mu Lin and suspended in his palm, barely illuminating the few steps ahead.
Ling Ye seemed genuinely familiar with this place. He barely hesitated at forks in the road, always choosing the path that continued forward. But he took each step carefully, often pausing to listen or touch the rock face to check for any unnatural signs.
Lei Qing followed behind him, like the most silent observer, his hunting knife always ready to swing. Most of his attention was focused on Ling Ye. Only occasionally, when the light ball in Mu Lin's hand passed over some deep marks on the rock wall, as if scratched by a giant claw, or some twisted, inhuman bones on the ground, would his eyes flicker slightly, revealing a deeper sense of vigilance.
This mine tunnel is not absolutely safe.
After passing through a particularly low area where one had to crawl forward, a faint sound of dripping water and... some subtle rustling sounds, as if countless arthropods were crawling, were faintly heard in front of them.
"Stop." Ling Ye suddenly lowered his voice and made a gesture.
Everyone stopped instantly, even breathing more lightly.
Mu Lin lowered the brightness of the light ball in his hand to its lowest setting. In the dim light, he could see the mine tunnel ahead widening, forming a small cavern. The cavern floor was covered in a thick layer of something resembling black silt, which was still slightly wriggling. The rustling sound was emanating from this "silt."
"It's the 'Bone-Eating Worm Swarm,'" Ling Ye said solemnly. "A type of corpse worm that has mutated under the influence of polluted energy. They move in groups and carry neurotoxins. Getting entangled with them can be very troublesome. They usually dormant, but are very sensitive to light and vibrations."
Take a detour? There seems to be no other way. Force your way through? Too risky.
Just as Lei Qing was pondering a countermeasure, Xingchen quietly squeezed forward. He stared at the wriggling swarm of insects with a calm expression. Then, he fumbled in his small bag and pulled out… a small, shrunken piece of meat wrapped in oil paper. It was the mutant rabbit meat they had hunted earlier, which he had been reluctant to eat.
"Xingchen, you..." Mu Lin wanted to stop him.
Stardust shook his head at him, then carefully threw the piece of dried meat towards the darkness at the other end of the cave.
The piece of meat fell to the ground in the distance, making a slight sound.
Instantly, the black "sludge" seemed to boil! Countless fingernail-sized bone-eating insects with dark shells and ferocious mouthparts swarmed towards the fallen piece of meat like a tide, making a dense, rustling sound that made one's scalp tingle!
In the middle of the cave, a narrow passage without insects was instantly cleared out!
"Hurry up!" Stardust shouted, and he was the first to rush forward like an arrow! His movements were light and swift, his toes brushing past the few scattered bone-eating insects that remained, barely stopping.
Lei Qing's eyes flashed, and he followed without hesitation. Mu Lin and Ling Ye also reacted immediately and rushed through the passage at top speed.
Just as the four of them passed through, the swarm of insects behind them seemed to realize they had been tricked, and some of them began to change direction, but it was too late.
It was a close call.
Lei Qing looked at Xingchen with a barely perceptible glint of approval. The young man's quick wit and sense of timing were becoming increasingly impressive.
Stardust just calmly withdrew his gaze and returned to his rearguard position, as if he had just done something insignificant.
Continuing forward, the mine tunnel began to slope upward, and the air seemed to circulate a little, but the odor of Black Mine Town, mixed with the unique smell of decay and blood that the gray-robed men carried, became increasingly distinct.
Finally, after turning a corner, a faint light appeared ahead. It wasn't Mu Lin's water light, but natural skylight filtering through the cracks above. At the same time, the faint sounds of voices and metal clashing could be heard.
Ling Ye paused and gestured for everyone to hide in the shadows of the rocks. He pointed to a narrow, fenced-off ventilation vent overhead and said in a low voice, "Up there is an abandoned warehouse in the old mining area. It's relatively remote, but not far from the town center. We need to find a way to open this fence."
Lei Qing stepped forward to inspect it. The fence was made of thick, welded rusted iron bars and looked very sturdy. Trying to break it would make too much noise.
As everyone pondered a countermeasure, Stardust stepped forward again. He didn't look at the sturdy fence, but instead pressed his ear against the cold rock wall, listening carefully to the sounds above. After a moment, he looked up, his eyes sharp. "There are people up there, two, approaching. Sounds like... they're on patrol, and they're pretty lax."
Chance!
Lei Qing and Ling Ye looked at each other and instantly understood each other's thoughts.
Like predators working in tacit understanding, the two men moved silently to the sides below the vent, holding their breath.
The sounds of footsteps and conversation above were getting closer.
"...Damn, this damn place is so cold, when will the shift change?" "Just bear with it, I heard that the Skeleton Priest brought back an important 'sacrifice', so the security has been tight these past two days..." "What kind of sacrifice is so precious? It made me..."
Before he finished speaking!
"Click!" A slight mechanical sound came from the vent. It seemed that someone outside was checking the lock of the fence?
Now is the time!
Lei Qing and Ling Ye leaped up almost simultaneously! Lei Qing concentrated his strength on one point, slamming it upwards against the fence! Ling Ye, on the other hand, produced a thin, long wire from somewhere and, like lightning, thrust it through the crack in the fence, hooking and pulling it with pinpoint precision!
“Crash!”
The fence wasn't violently destroyed; instead, the entire lock was cleverly opened from the outside! The heavy iron fence lifted upward, revealing a hole leading to the top!
Above the cave entrance, two guards wearing simple leather coats and holding simple weapons were looking down in astonishment at the suddenly opened vent, as well as Lei Qing and Ling Ye who jumped out from below the cave entrance like demons!
They couldn't even utter a cry of surprise.
Lei Qing's hunting knife hilt struck one man's forehead with tremendous force, and he collapsed to the ground without a single grunt. Ling Ye's movements were equally swift and ruthless, a precise slash of his hand slicing through the other man's carotid artery, instantly knocking him unconscious.
The whole process happened in a flash, cleanly and neatly, without any loud noise.
Xingchen and Mulin followed closely behind and jumped out of the ventilation duct.
They finally entered the Black Mine Town.
They were in a musty, dark warehouse filled with abandoned minecarts and broken wooden crates. Outside the warehouse lay a dark town controlled by the Return to Dust Cult, a place filled with danger and uncertainty.
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