After I and the Wei family members tied up Duan Jinyan's men, we took him along to begin searching the area.
During the search, we found several more traces of water, all of which disappeared at the edge of the forest.
I dug at the ground beneath the fluorescent forest with my knife. The soil here was like rotten wood and a sponge, full of small holes, and very hard. I had no idea what it was made of.
The Wei family members examined the soil on the ground and turned their gaze to me: "Mr. Duan, the traces we found all disappeared at the edge of the woods. Why don't we go into the woods and check them out?"
"These plants are so strange, and we've never seen them before. I'm afraid it'll be easy to go in but hard to get out!"
I looked at the eerily cold forest and waved my hand, saying, "The situation ahead is unclear. Searching along the river is the safest option and also the most likely place to meet other people. I suggest we search along the river first. If we really can't find anyone, we can make other plans later!"
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
The Wei family members were very obedient. When I gave them a solution, they grabbed Duan Jinyan's men and followed behind me.
The further we went, the worse I felt. Although the terrain appeared flat, it was actually a sloping downhill slope, and the deeper we went, the louder the sound of the flowing water became.
The Wei family members and I followed the winding river and soon arrived at a cliff.
The cliff has a drop of about 25 meters, and it's pitch black below.
The Wei family member shone his flashlight down: "If others were in the same situation as me, falling into the water and passing out, and then being swept all the way to the bottom of this waterfall, it would be almost impossible for them to come up."
"It's at least several hundred meters away from where we fell into the water. If someone had been swept here unconscious, they would probably have drowned long ago."
As I listened to the roar of the waterfall, I became a little irritated: "We haven't found a single one of our companions who made it ashore along the way, which means they were either eaten by the fish in the water or swept downstream! Of course, there is also a better outcome, which is that after they made it ashore, they entered the glowing jungle over there."
"At this point, we can only hope for the best."
The Wei family member turned his gaze from the river to the fluorescent forest behind him and said, “Mr. Duan, I have been studying under a master at the Changwei Group since I was a child. I have participated in many official archaeological expeditions and private tomb raidings. However, the scale, ingenuity, and viciousness of the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace are unprecedented. I cannot move forward on my own. If you need help, I can accompany you.”
"We are all from the same family, so it's only natural that we help and trust each other under these circumstances."
Because I was worried about Jiang Man and Monkey, I quickly made a decision: "Since there's no one on the shore, we'll just have to try our luck in the forest."
The man we captured, overhearing our conversation, struggled to speak, saying, "Kid, none of us know what's in that forest ahead, and I won't cooperate with you in anything. If you're a smart man, kill me now! Otherwise, once we're in the forest, I'll cause you all sorts of trouble, and then it'll be too late for you to regret it!"
"The more you want to die, the less I'll grant your wish!"
I looked at him with a cold smile: "Right now, I'm the butcher and you're the fish on the chopping block. How I deal with you is my prerogative, not yours to decide! Take him away!"
After hearing what I said, the Wei family members also found the man too noisy, so they tore a strip of cloth from his clothes, rolled it up, and stuffed it into his mouth.
All the light sources in our cave come from the fluorescent forest. Looking at the forest emitting a chilling light, I felt uneasy, but I still risked going in to save people.
The plants in this forest grow very densely. Although they are colorful and vibrant, the layers of vegetation make it difficult to see very far.
After I and the Wei family members escorted the burly man into the woods, we began to advance.
The plants in this jungle are quite resilient, like artificial flowers made of plastic. They bounce back quickly after being stepped on. Only when they are broken will a viscous, dark brown liquid flow out. Because I was unsure whether it was poisonous, I didn't touch it.
These unfamiliar plants and strange fish in the river made me feel terrified with every step I took, until I passed through the woods in front of me and finally saw an open space ahead.
"If other people pass by, they will probably also choose this place to rest and check if there are any traces of other people having been here."
As I spoke, I led the way in that direction, partly to search for other people's whereabouts, and partly to interrogate Duan Jinyan's men and find out exactly how much information they knew.
Although the plants in the fluorescent forest glow, the lighting effect is not very strong, so we can only vaguely see the terrain. As soon as I walked into that open area, my foot slipped and I fell backward.
The Wei family members reacted quickly, grabbing my arm and asking, "Mr. Duan, are you alright?"
"fine!"
Since I didn't know how long I would have to stay in the underground space, I didn't turn on my flashlight when there was light. After I was helped to steady myself, I turned on the flashlight and shone it on the ground in front of me.
Within the range of my flashlight beam, the ground was covered in blood.
It's as if someone has taken a giant paintbrush, dipped it in red dye, and is splashing it all over the place.
Upon seeing the situation, a member of the Wei family bent down, dipped his finger in the blood, and then sniffed it after removing his gas mask: "It's human blood!"
I saw only bloodstains on the ground, no body or body parts. I gripped the knife tightly in my hand: "Tie this guy up and search the surrounding area to see if there are any traces."
As soon as I finished speaking, the Wei family members and I split up and began searching the surrounding area.
The bloodstains on the open ground in front of us were distributed irregularly. Seeing the Wei family members walking towards the woods on the left, I went to the right instead.
I turned on my flashlight and searched the woods on the right, but I didn't find anything unusual. There wasn't even any sign that the grass had been trampled. The only suspicious thing was that there were many fallen leaves on the ground.
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