46
"The tongue is really gone!" someone shouted.
When the travelers following the group leader and Li Xiang heard this, there was a commotion, and everyone turned on the cold light bottles almost at the same time and raised them up together.
During normal patrols, we could only vaguely see the edge of the bay, but it suddenly became much clearer.
The thick black fog that was already approaching them stunned everyone.
They were now standing at the tip of the tongue, a safe distance when approaching the tongue bay. Generally, there would only be a few aborigines there, and most of them rarely approached the edge of the thick fog.
The safe distance that once existed no longer exists with the disappearance of the Tongue Bay sign.
"Check along the edge of the fog." said the team leader.
"Be alert." Li Xiang turned and looked at the travelers behind him, "The team should not gather too close, just make sure they can take care of each other."
The team began to check for abnormalities in the same direction. The team leader glanced at Li Xiang and said, "You go take care of them. I'll go check the basement."
"Let's go together," Li Xiang said, "the team has strong defense following them."
"There won't be any problem here. The fog is so thick now, the old ghost must have discovered it," the leader said, "He should have asked his friends to push him over here. If he's here..."
"We still have to ensure safety," Li Xiang insisted. "Old Ghost's ideas are even more determined than Lin Fan's. It's good that the ghost town doesn't change. Once it starts, it will be hard to ensure that people's hearts will not change."
"I thought I was the only one who was suspicious," the captain did not refuse and walked into the thick fog, "Since when did you become so suspicious?"
"Ever since the indigenous people were infected by the experimental subject sent from the main city..." Li Xiang said, "We really have no allies."
"Blame me," said the captain.
"No one can judge right or wrong," Li Xiang said, "No one can judge what is better. There are no ifs and no assumptions. You can't turn back. You will know the answer only when you reach the end, right?"
This is what the team leader said when he decided to start cooperating with the main city.
Although the relationship with the main city has obviously begun to break down, this sentence still applies to Li Xiang.
Nothing unusual could be heard in the wind, and the feeling of the black fog was no different from usual.
It’s just because the relative position of the basement has moved a few hundred meters inward, so the time required to stay in the thickest fog will be much longer than usual.
After walking for a short distance, the leader stopped.
"Feel it?" he asked.
"Vibration? I felt it." Li Xiang also stopped.
This kind of faint vibration.
"And more." said the captain.
Li Xiang didn't say anything. He stayed there for a while, then slowly squatted down and put his hands on the ground.
"It's warm." Li Xiang frowned.
The ghost town is cold. Although the travelers have adapted to it, the icy ground in the cold wind is still the most intuitive feeling of the cold for everyone. In order to be able to sit on the ground at any time, many travelers will add an extra layer of thick material on their buttocks.
But now, the temperature of the ground has changed.
It was no longer freezing cold, and while it wasn't exactly warm, it was at least warmer than the wind chill.
"I didn't have this feeling when I was outside," said the team leader.
"Yes," Li Xiang stood up and followed him inside. "Some major changes must have taken place in Tongue Bay. Should we find the old ghost first?"
"Well," the captain nodded, "see if we can call him out from the basement. If not..."
"If it doesn't work, bring people back." Li Xiang said.
The leader looked back at him and said, "Are you scared?"
"The exit has not yet appeared, but the destruction may have already begun," Li Xiang said. "Everything must be done with caution at this time."
"Maybe Lin Fan is right," the team leader smiled and continued to walk towards the basement, "There is no exit at all."
"There's no turning back," Li Xiang said, "and I haven't thought about turning back."
The main entrance of the basement appeared before their eyes. From this distance, the advancing thick fog was indeed not an illusion, which could be confirmed again from the geographical location.
The two men surrounded the basement door and checked it. There was nothing wrong with the door or the surroundings.
Except the temperature.
The temperature of the ground here is the same, no longer cold black iron.
But soon they discovered the second unusual thing: there was nothing unusual around them.
Wind, dark fog, cold.
Nothing.
Not a single sound from the natives was heard.
There is no roar coming from their throats, no mumbling to communicate with their companions as they wander around...
There wasn't a single indigenous person around.
This is the biggest anomaly.
The leader raised the cold light bottle, put his fingers to his mouth, and blew a loud whistle.
The whistle sounded clear and could be heard from far away even in such a strong wind.
After the whistle disappeared, the monotonous sound of the wind remained in their ears.
The captain blew the second note.
Li Xiang slowly turned his head and paid attention to the movements around him.
When the regiment commander blew the third whistle, the sound of iron chains dragging across the ground was carried in the wind deep in Tongue Bay.
This familiar voice made both of them breathe a sigh of relief.
No matter what, no matter what the captain did to Lao Gui, they still felt relieved that Lao Gui was alive.
But two seconds later, they all discovered that the sound of the chain was different from usual.
There is no voice of the indigenous people around.
There was no more sound of the children helping to push the black iron stakes to move with the old ghost.
"He broke the chain." The team leader and Li Xiang leaned against each other almost at the same time.
Li Xiang raised his hands to defend himself.
The iron chain was specially made, the work of Lin Fan, and was originally used to control the indigenous people. No one would have thought that one day it would be used on Lao Gui, and no one would have thought that one day Lao Gui would break the iron chain.
A friend of life and death.
In addition to life and death, they also understand each other better. The old ghost who possesses all the abilities of the indigenous people may not be their opponent even if they are combined once they are freed.
A tall black shadow slowly walked out of the thick fog. The light from the cold light bottle shone on him, casting an even larger shadow in the thick fog behind him.
"Looking for me?" The old ghost stopped and his hoarse voice floated over in the wind.
"What happened?" the leader said, "The ground temperature is wrong."
"That's all," the old ghost panted twice, "no more."
"Where are your children?" Li Xiang asked, "Have they all gone to seek refuge?"
The old ghost laughed and said, "How could that be? The kids are waiting for you."
As soon as these words were spoken, the regiment commander and Li Xiang were certain that the old ghost's appearance was not just due to the whistle.
The captain raised his arm and pressed it down. The air wave that rolled up from under his feet rolled up in all directions, the black fog was lifted, and the old ghost was pushed out more than ten meters with this powerful air wave.
As Li Xiang's defense was activated, he stood in front of the old ghost.
"This is your last chance." The old ghost slowly squatted down and touched the ground with his hands. "Does this sound familiar, Captain?"
"It will not benefit anyone to have a conflict at this time," said the team leader.
"Conflict is never good," the old ghost said slowly with a hoarse voice, "but conflict is always there..."
"What opportunity?" Li Xiang asked.
"Seal up the basement," said the old ghost. "This is the last chance."
"The things in the basement have not been used yet." said the team leader.
"I've seen Ning Gu," the old ghost breathed, "he has grown up."
Li Xiang suddenly frowned.
"I wanted to catch him, but..." The old ghost smiled, slowly stood up, and looked down at the ground, "There was a hyena following him... If it weren't for that hyena, I would have definitely caught him... You protected him too well, too naive, too righteous..."
"You'll never catch him," the captain said. "I won't let you touch him."
"Really?" The old ghost raised his head suddenly and stared at the head of the group. "He will come here by himself in a while."
The captain didn't say anything, but just pressed his arm hard again.
This time, what rolled up from under his feet was no longer an air wave, but the black iron ground shattered by the air wave. Countless sharp fragments rose up and flew towards the old ghost.
While defending, Li Xiang also launched an attack. The fragments suddenly accelerated in the air, cutting through the wind, and hitting the old ghost with a sharp whistle.
The old ghost slowly raised his leg towards the debris and took a step forward.
Most of the fragments that hit his body turned into powder in an instant, raising black smoke and dissipating in the wind, while his second step directly broke through Li Xiang's defense.
The vibration under my feet suddenly came again, which was different from before and much stronger.
"The time is just right," the old ghost's hoarse voice sounded, "Come on, my friend of life and death."
When the huge explosion was heard, Ning Gu was sleeping on the ground near the door.
He was not sleeping very soundly, and when he heard the sound, he suddenly opened his eyes.
But there was Lian Chuan in the room after all, and he didn't need time to react. Before he could get up, Lian Chuan stepped on his back, opened the door and rushed out.
You still have to choose a suitable place to sleep, you can't sleep by the door...
Ning Gu quickly jumped up and rushed out the door: "What is..."
The sound died down before he finished speaking.
In the direction of Tongue Bay in the distance, the black fog seemed to be avoided by something, and flashes of lightning continued to appear from bottom to top in the crack.
"That's Shewan Bay," Ning Gu's voice trembled as he spoke, "The commander, Li Xiang, and the patrol team are still in Shewan Bay."
"Where is my uniform?" Lian Chuan asked.
"It's locked in the box." Ning Gu reacted immediately and turned around and ran into the house. Lian Chuan's uniform was packed in a box by the regiment commander and given to him for safekeeping. Only his fingerprint could open it.
As long as Lian Chuan put on the uniform, they would all know that it was the box that Ning Gu opened.
Ning Gu took out a uniform and threw it to Lian Chuan: "Are you going to take advantage of the situation or help them?"
Lian Chuan quickly changed into his uniform. After the blue light on his uniform flashed, he glanced at Ning Gu and asked, "Why are you asking now?"
"Yes," Ning Gu said, "Are you going to tell me that I misjudged you?"
"No." Lian Chuan pressed the button on the side of his trouser leg, and a small cover popped open on the side of his uniform leg. He took out a small thing with a blue light from it.
There were four circles connected together, each with sharp corners. He put it on his left hand.
"You still have this thing?" Ning Gu was a little surprised. "If something really happens, will this thing be useful?"
"Why don't you go ask the captain if there are any other weapons in the box that you sent me." Lian Chuan clenched his left hand, and four blue spots of light fell on the wall next to him.
Then he pressed his hand down, and the blue light moved downward.
Four cracks appeared on the wall in an instant.
"That's enough!" Ning Gu shouted quickly, and waved his hand in front of his eyes a few times, "It's leaking! Next time, don't show your weapons in the house, okay!"
"Don't go over there." Lian Chuan let go of his hand and walked out the door.
"What?" Ning Gu was stunned.
"That old ghost," Lian Chuan turned around and looked at him, "I can't believe it. Have you ever thought about why the captain Li Xiang and Lin Fan care about you so much?"
My ghost town facade.
"... I don't know," Ning Gu frowned, "Maybe my parents... But no one has ever mentioned my parents to me..."
"If you are important to them," Lian Chuan said, "you are equally important to Lao Gui. Don't give yourself away."
Lian Chuan walked out the door and Ning Gu followed him out.
He stopped and turned to look at Ning Gu: "I won't hurt the captain and the others."
"I know you won't," Ning Gu also looked at him, "but I can't hide here."
There was a commotion coming from the shelter, and travelers could be seen jumping and running on the roof.
Something happened in Tongue Bay. Their leader and a large number of their companions were there. Without any orders from anyone, everyone rushed out of the shelter and ran towards Tongue Bay.
“No matter what the leader and Li did to them, no matter what disagreements they had among themselves,” Ning Gu said, “they are the elders who raised me. Everything I have was given to me by them.”
Lian Chuan looked at him without saying anything.
"Unless you tie me up in the house and break my legs, I will crawl over there," Ning Gu said.
Lian Chuan's arm moved.
"You dare!" Ning Gu immediately took a step back and stared at him.
"Let's go," Lian Chuan turned around, "Traveler Ning Gu."
This time Lian Chuan didn't grab him and fly. There were many travelers running around, and Ning Gu didn't want to cause misunderstanding.
And he wanted to see what was going on, not just Tongue Bay.
"The ground cracked! Be careful to get out of the way!" Someone shouted in front when they ran to the metal cemetery.
Ning Gu’s collar tightened.
A few seconds later he saw a large metal cemetery illuminated by electric light.
A crack several meters wide passed through the metal cemetery. The constantly flashing electric light wrapped in the black fog rushed straight into the sky, as if to tear the black fog apart. It disappeared into the black fog at a height of nearly 100 meters.
A traveler approached the crack cautiously, and a flash of lightning struck his body. Before he could even make a sound, he turned into fragments in the strong wind and disappeared.
"Don't get close to these lights," Lin Fan's voice came from behind. It was the first time Ning Gu heard him shout in such a high voice. "Everyone, divide into training formations and assemble at Tongue Bay before taking action. Wait for my order."
"Received—" The travelers roared, and as they ran forward again, they began to slowly find their own group members along the way.
"Ning Gu, go back." Lin Fan walked over.
"No." Ning Gu answered simply.
"We may not be able to guarantee your safety." Lin Fan said.
"I can do it myself." Ning Gu said.
Lin Fan glanced at him and said, "From now on, there is no going back on any of your decisions."
"I won't look back." Ning Gu said.
When Lian Chuan stretched out his hand, Ning Gu grabbed his collar and waistband: "Please hold my arm."
Lian Chuan grabbed his arm, but it was obvious that he didn't use enough force. Before he could react, Lian Chuan grabbed his wrist.
This feeling...
More like flying.
Lian Chuan did not walk on the ground. There were countless broken machines and racks of unknown origin in the metal cemetery, high and low, like huge tombstones.
Lian Chuan pulled him and leaped forward on these "tombstones".
There was the whistling sound of the wind in my ears, and in front of me was a corner of the ghost town that had never been so bright. Looking down, I could see cracks that were constantly flashing with lightning.
The ghost town suddenly looked strange.
Lian Chuan kept moving forward along the crack.
The cracks were very narrow in some places, only as wide as a palm, but in other places they were several meters wide, extending all the way from the Tongue Bay, as if they were going to tear the ghost town in half.
They reached Tongue Bay ahead of all the reinforcements.
Tongue Bay has changed and is nothing like what I remember.
The cracks here became several ones, protruding from the depths of the Tongue Bay. The black fog was still there, but under the large black fog, the constantly flashing lightning seemed to be about to break through the siege at any time.
"Let's go to the basement," Ning Gu said. "The basement is full of travelers. If something happens, the leader and the others will definitely go to the basement first."
“There are no more indigenous people around here,” Lianchuan said. “Something must have changed.”
"Are you sure?" Ning Gu said.
"No," Lianchuan said, "but I can bet."
"Bet?" Ning Gu asked.
"I've already made a bet in Lost Valley once," Lian Chuan said as he rushed into Tongue Bay, "You're the best. Make sure I win every time I bet."