Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 209 The Visitor's Death

Two of the visitors' corpses were lying face up, their chest shells torn apart by some enormous force, revealing a complex and sophisticated hybrid structure of machinery and biology inside, sparkling with electric currents, with traces of high-temperature melting at the edges of the wounds.

The third corpse lay sprawled on the ground, with a bowl-sized penetrating wound on its back, surrounded by frozen ice crystals and crystallized flesh.

On the ground between the three corpses, there were some things scattered: several broken pieces of dark gray carapace of the same material.

A broken section of metal pipe, through which a pale blue light flowed.

There was also a small clump of grayish-white powder, resembling bone ash, mixed with a few extremely tiny dark purple crystal fragments.

Luo Lin stepped forward, squatted down, and first used the detector to scan the corpse and the scattered objects.

The corpse had completely lost its life energy and soul fluctuations, and its internal structure was severely damaged.

But those pale blue residual energies were emanating from the broken pipes and shell fragments.

The small clump of grayish-white powder and dark purple crystal fragments exuded a similar, tamed, corrupted source energy aura to the fragments of the Howling Rift, only much thinner.

"They were visitors—they were killed," Ella whispered, her eyes filled with shock.

"Who did this? The wound—it doesn't look like it was caused by conventional magic or weapons."

Lehman walked to the corpse with an ice crystal wound on its back, and pressed the edge of the wound with his still-functioning right hand, feeling a chilling sensation through his fingertips.

"A combination of low-temperature and energy erosion damage — somewhat similar to some high-level ice spells, but not quite pure."

Liana then carefully tested the grayish-white powder with her Pure Flame.

As the flames approached, the powder began to bubble slightly, emitting an even stronger aura of decay and death, but this was quickly purified by the flames.

"The powder contains a mixture of highly purified death energy and trace amounts of corrupting source energy—like the residue of a spellcasting material or summoning medium?"

Blake carefully examined the surrounding battle traces. The ground showed signs of intense energy burning and freezing, as well as marks of varying depths that appeared to have been left by heavy objects being struck or dragged.

Aside from the three visitors' bodies and scattered items, no other biological remains or obvious bloodstains were found.

"The battle happened suddenly and was very intense."

"The visitor was quickly killed without leaving any obvious trace, or—they took their companion's body with them," Blake concluded, his brow furrowed.

"The opponent is very strong, capable of killing three visitors with at least the second ring strength at the same time."

"Moreover, the power of death and corruption was used—"

Rolin's attention, however, was drawn to the broken metal pipe from which a pale blue light flowed.

He carefully picked up the tube with tweezers and examined it closely.

The pipeline break was very clean, as if it had been instantly severed by an extremely sharp blade.

The pale blue light flowing inside the tube had dimmed, but one could still sense the highly ordered energy contained within it.

More importantly, he found several extremely tiny etched symbols on the inside of the pipeline near the break.

The style of the symbols is five or six parts similar to some of the basic geometric symbols he saw in the monuments of civilization and the relics of observers, but they are more abstract and functional.

These visitors indeed have a very deep connection with the Observer civilization.

So, who killed them?

He wields the power of death and corruption, yet harbors hostility towards observer-style visitors —

A name surfaced in Rolin's mind—the Pale Hand?

But are they capable of resolving the issue of three visitors so cleanly and efficiently?

Judging from the situation in Howling Rift, the Pale Hand is more adept at utilizing the environment and undead hordes; direct attacks and quick kills are not his typical style.

Unless—they used some forbidden method at a great cost, or received help from an even more dangerous force?

Rowling carefully collected the pipe fragments and also collected samples of grayish-white powder and dark purple crystal fragments.

These all need to be brought back to base for further analysis.

"This is not a place to stay for long." Blake stood up and warily scanned his surroundings.

"The battle may have just ended, and the killer may not have gone far yet."

"After collecting the samples, we left immediately and continued our reconnaissance towards the center of the energy burst."

"But we need to be even more careful."

The group acted swiftly, collecting all valuable traces and samples from the scene, erasing any obvious signs of their arrival, and then quickly left the depression filled with death and mystery.

As they continued toward the coordinates, the turbulent energy currents in the air became increasingly apparent.

The aura of death and the fluctuations of corruption, like background radiation, are omnipresent, interfering with detection and perception.

Occasionally, a faint, cold trace of orderly energy can be detected, like a trace of a visitor's activity, but it quickly disappears into the chaotic energy background.

The terrain became increasingly rugged and difficult to traverse.

The grayish-white, barren hills resemble a maze, with deep ravines and rock crevices intersecting, severely obstructing visibility.

The team had to slow down and rely on Blake and Ella's experience to choose a relatively safe route.

After advancing for about five more miles, a huge, almost vertical, grayish-white rock fissure appeared ahead. The fissure was more than ten meters wide and bottomless, like an ugly scar on the earth.

Thick, dark gray mist poured out of the cracks, mixed with nauseating death, decay, and—a faint, pulsating sensation originating from the dark purple crystal.

The combined detector was aimed at the direction of the crack, and the readings on the screen jumped wildly!

The concentration of death energy and corruption source force reached an astonishing peak!

Deeper still, there seems to be an even larger and more ancient energy source pulsating slowly.

The source of the energy burst is likely deep within this crack.

However, at the edge of the crack and in the swirling mist below, the detector also captured numerous unstable signs of life.

Not living beings, but undead creatures filled with resentment and hunger!

The number of them far exceeds that of the Howling Rift!

On the other side of the crack, one can vaguely see some simple, man-made platforms and anchor piles, with broken ropes and tools hanging on them.

Clearly, someone had previously attempted to penetrate this crack.

"Looks like we've found the place." Ella licked her slightly chapped lips and gripped her longbow tighter.

Blake stared solemnly at the churning, ominous fog, then glanced at the man-made traces opposite him.

"Prepare rappelling equipment."

"Liana, prepare a wide-area purification aura to dispel the approaching undead."

"Lehman, be on guard in the air and on the rock face."

"Rolin, continue to monitor energy changes and the distribution of the undead."

"Ella, help me set up the landing point," Blake quickly gave the order.

"We're going down! But remember, if the situation below becomes unmanageable, retreat immediately!"