Translator: Cinder Translations
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A few days later, after she received news about the previous event, the person had already died.
She had seen the body—squeezed into a cabinet so small that even a child couldn't fit, with wide-open eyes and a body that had already withered away.
The doctor said it was a heart attack that caused the sudden death.
But she knew clearly that this was all caused by Chen Ran.
Because in the cabinet where her teammate had died, she found dense, chaotic carvings. Each word was twisted and seemed to be filled with boundless resentment and fear.
Chen Ran's disciple.
A disciple, huh.
Liang Long's body involuntarily shuddered.
Did they get involved too?
"Click—"
A faint sound startled Liang Long, who was lost in memories. She froze for a moment, then immediately stepped back, hiding her body in the shadows.
She crouched down, hiding behind a broken stone pillar, warily scanning the surroundings.
Liang Long's first instinct was that the people from Blackstone Town had sneaked in, because the sound she heard came from the direction of the door.
Although she had closed the main door, they could still climb in through the window.
While the space here was large, due to the stone pillars and countless shattered stone sculptures, it wouldn't be easy to spot a person.
Of course, the premise was that those who entered were truly human, and not some bizarre supernatural entities.
She held her breath, her eyes gleaming slightly as she scanned the area.
Using the light from the nearby fire, she inadvertently realized that the terrain around her was far more complicated than she had expected, covered with stone pillars and various sculptures.
She blinked in confusion but couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
This spot was carefully chosen, located to the right center of the building, with a relatively open view, which would help her spot her teammates or anyone else approaching.
Wait...
When did so many obstacles appear around here?
She suddenly realized this.
Or were they sculptures?
Her gaze slowly moved over the sculptures, and a very strange thought surfaced in her mind. These sculptures varied in size—some were three to four meters tall, while others were about two meters.
The only thing they had in common was that they all looked terrifying.
They took on various forms—some looked like sharks with wings, while others resembled a combination of toads and lizards. In short, they all looked like monsters that only existed in mythology.
The person who carved these things must be pretty strange.
Maybe an abstract artist or a madman, Liang Long thought.
Just as she was about to focus her attention back on finding the "intruders," a glance caught her attention.
Something beside her seemed to have moved.
She turned her head, and the tension in her body instantly eased.
"Whoo—" She let out a long breath.
It was a stone sculpture.
Less than two meters, it was an unremarkable small one among the many.
The sculpture was dilapidated, covered with fine cracks, seemingly ready to break apart at the slightest touch.
However, what made Liang Long uncomfortable was that the sculpture was tilted, with its huge, fly-like eyes staring directly at her position.
"It's just a sculpture," she comforted herself in her mind, forcing herself to look away and continue searching the areas she hadn't yet checked.
Starting from near the fire, she cautiously peeked toward the window.
But as soon as she adopted this posture, it felt as though something guided her, and her body suddenly froze.
"Why am I peeking?"
She had been able to see the window clearly when crouching here just moments ago. Why couldn't she see it now?
Following her line of sight, she discovered the reason.
A strange stone sculpture, lying on the ground, blocked part of her view.
Realization dawned on her. Her teeth started to chatter uncontrollably. She twisted her stiff neck, and soon, she saw something she would never forget.
Near the fire, all the sculptures within her line of sight were tilting their heads at her in a strange manner.
Staring at her.
Beside a dying fire, a large person stood. His shadow was cast on the ground, swaying with the occasional breeze.
The reason he was described as large and not muscular was because he was just overweight.
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"Do you think Liang Long got scared and went back on her own?" the Fatty swallowed nervously.
Jiang Cheng, crouching on the ground as though inspecting something, stood up after a moment, scanning the surroundings, and said, "She couldn't have gone back in the dark, right?"
Jiang Cheng pointed to an inconspicuous corner on the ground, where a burnt stick was discarded.
This was their makeshift torch.
The end was wrapped in something like cloth found inside a lighthouse basket, then coated in grease, allowing it to burn for a long time.
When they came down, each of them had one.
Although there were dead branches collected around, these clearly weren't as convenient as the torches.
Jiang Cheng took a few more steps, aided by his nose, detecting a very peculiar smell. He found a small puddle of liquid less than two meters from the fire.
There wasn't much, but the smell... was indeed unusual.
The Fatty hurried over, making sure he stayed at least three meters away from the doctor.
"This... is this something Liang Long left behind?"
The tone wasn't a question; the Fatty simply thought Liang Long was very cautious.
If it were him, he wouldn't stray far from the fire either.
In nightmares, few things can bring comfort, and the warmth and light from the flames are definitely what everyone longs for.
"She must have encountered something, or someone, and was forced to leave," the Fatty scratched his nose, saying, "She wouldn't just leave for no reason."
"Or maybe she died right next to the fire," Chen Ran looked around and said, "That's possible too."
At this moment, the Fatty, standing by the fire to warm up, suddenly felt that something was off.
He avoided Chen Ran and went to the doctor, whispering, "Doctor, could it be that those guys from Blackstone Town took Liang Long?"
"No," Jiang Cheng replied without thinking.
The Fatty blinked. "Why?"
"I don't understand what their purpose would be," Jiang Cheng responded, "Are they trying to interrogate for information? We practically walked into their hands, so it would be pointless for them to come after Liang Long."
"Or do you think they believe Liang Long is more valuable than the three of us?"
The Fatty thought for a while and nodded.
"Mr. Hao," Chen Ran's voice came from behind, "Look what I found?"
A metal sports watch appeared in Chen Ran's hand.
He pointed to the ground, indicating where he had found it. "Seems like Miss Liang's luck wasn't always that good," Chen Ran shrugged and said.
(End of the Chapter)
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Translated 4 Series, 1.65K+ Chapters and 2.01M+ Words.