abnormal mutation

Chapter 61 Ruins
As night fell, the two crimson moons shone brightly, draping the world in a crimson veil, creating an eerie yet ambiguous atmosphere.

South of the winter hunting camp, Roland and Drake hid separately in the giant trees, observing the camp from afar through the sparse branches.

The camp was sparsely lit, with only a few patrol personnel visible, each carrying a long gun – this was the source of humanity's confidence to venture deep into the snowfield.

It's a bit deserted.

It was barely dark, and there were still several hours before curfew. Surprisingly, there was hardly anyone moving around in the camp, making the plan to lure them out unlikely to succeed.

About half an hour later, a figure hurriedly left from the south gate. Judging from his attire and build, it should be Caius. Roland's spirits lifted, and he used the telepathic link to send a message to Drake, telling him not to rush into action, but to wait until the target was far away from the camp before intercepting them.

But even as Caius passed by, the camp remained quiet, and no one followed him out.

Caius did not follow the planned route south, but instead went around to the place where the two had parted ways, looking around anxiously for Roland.

It seems the situation has changed.

Roland told Drake to hide in the shadows, and then quietly climbed down the tree and went to the original spot.

"what happened?"

Caius was startled, but breathed a sigh of relief when he turned around and saw Roland: "White Bear is not here, and his confidants have all been taken away. There are only two hired managers. I asked one of the laborers, and they said they haven't seen those people all day."

"Out hunting?" Roland guessed. "Let's wait a bit longer; it would be best if we could run into them."

"That's the only way." Caius said worriedly. The news of Leub and the others' disappearance would be exposed tomorrow, and he didn't have much time left.

"You go to the camp and wait, I'll stay outside." Roland was afraid that Caius would be eaten by a wild beast that suddenly appeared.

“Okay.” Caius nodded, then turned and ran back to the camp; he was indeed a little scared.

…………

The eastern side of the frozen canyon is dominated by towering mountains, but its interior is filled with a complex network of caves, some of which show clear signs of human excavation.

At this moment, four figures were spiraling downwards along a maze-like passage. The dim yellow light flickered gently, casting mottled and distorted shadows, creating an eerie and ghostly atmosphere.

"Boss," the last man suddenly spoke up, his voice echoing and sounding unreal, "something doesn't feel right. We've been going down for at least a hundred meters. Could this passage be a beast's den?"

The short, stout man in the middle stroked the unusually smooth wall, a sense of unease rising within him. He pulled out a scroll from his robes, unfolded it, and carefully examined it: "It should be correct. This is another passage that bypasses the main road and leads directly into the ruins."

He became more and more certain as he spoke, and all the previous details matched up.

"Keep going!" The group continued forward, moving with more caution.

A dozen minutes later, the passage suddenly opened up, revealing a huge underground space that was dark and boundless.

The man who was scouting ahead lit a torch and threw it forcefully. The torch drew an arc, reflecting the image of a huge snake's head.

The group trembled with fright and retreated into the passageway. They only returned after confirming that there was nothing amiss.

“It should be a sculpture.” The short, stout man patted the scout on the shoulder. “Fifth brother, go take a look.”

The man's scalp tightened. Holding a lantern in his left hand and a gun in his right, he timidly walked forward. After taking several dozen steps, he caught a glimpse of a white light out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head sharply and found a giant white-scaled snake looking down at him.

"Ah—" He was so frightened that he fell to the ground and retreated in a panic.

"What are you afraid of!" The short, fat man pulled out a fist-sized spherical glass lamp, and with a slightly reluctant expression, stuffed a piece of radiant crystal into it. The glass lamp immediately shone brightly, illuminating the entire space.

This is a spacious underground space, square in shape, with a giant bronze door directly opposite. At the entrance are two giant statues, resembling snakes, each with a different shape, white scales, and over ten meters long.

"Yes, this is it."

The short, stout man strode to the front door and immediately saw that the door on the right had been pushed open a crack, which made him overjoyed.

"Second brother, go in and take a look." He handed the glass lamp to another tall, thin man. The man took the lamp without a word, and slipped through the bronze door. But after several seconds, there was no response, only the increasingly bright light.

The short, stout man was getting impatient. He peeked through the crack in the door and was immediately stunned by what he saw.

It was an extremely vast space, tens of meters high, with an unknown thickness of pure ice at the top. When the lights shone on it, they reflected a dazzling rainbow of light, illuminating a corner of the city below in a kaleidoscope of colors, and the tall, broken buildings were clearly visible.

The short, stout man stood there for a moment, then squeezed his way through the bronze door with great effort. Looking at the magnificent city ruins before him, a wild and unrestrained smile spread across his face.

"Yes, yes, after ten years of hardship, we have finally found it."

The tall, thin man snapped out of his daze and stammered, "Boss, isn't this a bit too easy?"

The short, stout man paused, then calmed down and realized something was amiss. There hadn't been any traps or mechanisms along the way; it was as if someone had paved the way beforehand.

"Turn off the lights right now!"

The lights were off, but the city ruins were still faintly visible, with the ice above emitting a soft glow, like a dream.

"boom--"

A huge burst of fire suddenly erupted in the distance, and a booming sound echoed through the air, interspersed with dense gunfire.

"Damn it!" the short, fat man cursed. "Someone beat us to it. It must be the Northern Merchant Guild. We need to get there quickly."

The group took out their weapons and jogged along the street. The further they went, the taller and more magnificent the buildings became, and the more complete they were.

The massive bronze door fell silent once more. A talisman silently descended into the passageway outside, then shattered without a sound. The next moment, the two giant serpent statues abruptly opened their eyes, a red line faintly visible within their yellow pupils.

The bronze door opened and closed again, and the two giant snakes had vanished.

…………

On a giant tree outside the winter hunting camp, Roland suddenly became alert and listened intently.

"Did you hear anything?" He clearly sensed a tremor, as if it came from underground.

Drake nodded very confidently: "There was a vibration."

With a bang, Roland climbed down the tree, jumped to the ground, leaned against the giant tree, and felt the tremor again, this time even closer.

"Something's not right." He felt a vague unease. "Could some giant beast really be trying to have a buffet? This is no place to stay."

He summoned two wolves, rummaged through the snowdrifts to get a sled, harnessed the wolves, and the two men and two wolves headed straight for the frozen canyon in the southwest.

The tremors subsided, but Roland dared not gamble. He planned to first enter a secluded canyon to take refuge, so he could retreat at any time. But before he even reached the canyon, a hazy red light emanated from the ice, illuminating the cliffs on both sides and revealing a pair of strange patterns.

The two were stunned for a moment, then realized that there must be something seriously wrong with this scene.

"Is there treasure?" Drake asked excitedly.

"Let's save our lives first," Roland said irritably, turning the sled around and sending the two wolves galloping toward the hunting camp.

A deafening roar erupted behind them, and rubble and ice shards rained down. The two wolves suddenly accelerated, and Roland and Drake managed to dodge and block, narrowly escaping disaster.

Roland looked back and saw that a large hole had been blasted open in the cliff face on one side, while the ice layer bordering it was only slightly damaged. The sounds of fighting and eerie hissing could be faintly heard from inside the hole.

"Run! Run!"

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(End of this chapter)