Chapter 69 Researcher An

After a brief tidying up, Yao Yumen stated that we had to leave immediately because the group led by the Short-Braid might catch up at any moment. She mentioned that the timing was not right yet and it was unwise to confront them head-on.

I asked her what she was waiting for and why the others were not showing themselves.

Yao Yumen shook her head and said mysteriously, "You will know when the time comes. Anyway, everyone should be careful. This is not a game; people die here."

I was eager to know the leader's plan, but since this woman refused to speak, I felt too embarrassed to press further. For now, I followed her, watching to see where she would lead us for shelter.

Two rhesus macaques cleared the way ahead, occasionally turning back to yelp at Yao Yumen, though their meaning was unclear.

"Can you understand what they are saying?" I asked.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm a human, not a monkey. How could I understand what these beasts are saying?" Yao Yumen stared straight ahead and said in a low voice, "Listen carefully to their cries: three long and one short means the path ahead is safe, while three long and two short indicates trouble up ahead. The descendants of the Qi-Liu family taught me this."

I was amazed, thinking that primates, after special training, could still serve such a purpose.

Looking into the darkness ahead, I asked, "Sister Yu, you must have been here for quite a while. Where does this path lead?"

"Hard to say. The underground terrain structure here is very complex. Without a map, I don't wander around aimlessly when I have nothing to do."

Suddenly, the two macaques leading the way began to squeak and shriek frantically.

Listening closely, their cries sounded like three long and two short...

Yao Yumen waved her hand. "Be careful. They are giving a warning. There might be danger ahead. This is an interlayer, and no one has found this place before."

"Should we take a detour and go somewhere else?" Researcher An looked into the darkness ahead, looking rather scared.

Sister Hong frowned and said with dissatisfaction, "They are just the cries of two beasts; there might be nothing there at all. The number one taboo when entering a tomb is scaring yourself." She turned her head and gazed coldly at Researcher An. "If you dare talk nonsense again, don't follow us."

"I... I," Researcher An stammered, lowering her head and not daring to meet Sister Hong's eyes.

The group walked a bit further.

"Squeak! Squeak, squeak!" At this moment, the macaque wearing a straw hat cried out frantically, running back and forth while constantly pointing at the ground with its paw.

Yao Yumen shone her flashlight downward, and we spotted something.

It was a shed skin, similar to that of a snake-like creature.

"This... isn't this a skink? How can creatures like this shed their skin? Isn't this a bit too large..." I knelt down and touched it.

A portion of the snake skin was exposed on the surface, while the majority remained buried under the mud. When I touched it, I felt that the skin was somewhat weathered, meaning it must have been left here for quite some time.

Normally, these creatures only grow to a few dozen centimeters, and anything exceeding half a meter would be considered an anomaly. However, judging by the skin before us, its length far exceeded that dimension. Since most of the skin was buried in the mud, its actual size remained unknown.

Yao Yumen scanned the surroundings with her flashlight and said, "Judging by the environment, skinks are not native to Shunde. The reason such creatures exist in the underground caves beneath Moth Mountain is likely related to the original tomb owner. It might be a specialized subspecies of skink."

"These creatures are cold-blooded animals. Cold-blooded animals lack highly developed brains and self-awareness. Furthermore, because their senses are highly specialized and useful only for hunting, they cannot even recognize static targets, let alone identify individuals. They cannot be controlled by humans."

"That's right, I agree," I chimed in. "Sister Yu, we saw that enclosed back garden earlier. Perhaps this Marquis Jie had a fondness for rare animals and plants, harboring a unique collecting habit."

"Wrong! Be careful! There is movement underground!" Sister Hong suddenly shouted.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!" The two macaques grabbed protruding rocks and scrambled up to a higher vantage point, staring frantically at a specific spot on the ground.

"Fall back, stay close together." Yao Yumen's expression turned grave as she drew a dagger from her bosom and gripped it tightly in her hand.

"On the left!" By the beam of the flashlight, I suddenly noticed an unusual bulge beneath the mud.

Immediately afterward, a skink over two meters long, with yellowish-brown skin all over its body, burrowed out from beneath the mud!

It lay flat on the ground, maintaining a distance of less than ten meters from us, flicking its long forked tongue with a hissing sound.

Everyone was too terrified to move.

Was this a skink or a giant lizard? This thing could probably bite a person's head off in a single bite!

"Don't make any sudden moves. These creatures cannot recognize static objects," Yao Yumen said, remaining the calmest among us.

The beast hissed, flicking its tongue, and twisted its body from side to side as it crawled toward us with clumsy movements.

Suddenly! Without any warning, Researcher An turned on her heel and started running backward!

"Don't run!" Sister Hong shouted, but it was too late.

The beast landed on all fours and instantly darted forward at high speed, chasing in the direction Researcher An had fled! Its speed was astonishing, far faster than a normal human running!

Researcher An glanced back, her face turning pale with fright. Her foot slipped, and she tumbled directly into a muddy puddle.

The skink clamped its jaws onto Researcher An's calf and began dragging her along as it moved!

"Help! Help! Save me!" She flailed her arms wildly, wearing an expression of pure agony.

"Bang!"

"Bang, bang, bang!" Four gunshots rang out in rapid succession.

Yao Yumen's face was frosty. Both hands raised, she held a pistol and continued firing.

The beast immediately released its grip. Researcher An, crying and screaming, crawled back toward us, covered entirely in mud with fresh blood streaming down her calf.

I hurriedly rushed forward and hauled her over.

Meanwhile, after crawling clumsily for five or six meters, the beast stopped moving altogether.

Mustering up the courage to walk over and take a look, I discovered that the creature was already dead. The four shots Yao Yumen had fired had all hit their targets directly in the head...

Yao Yumen looked composed, seemingly unaffected by the sudden turn of events.

"We must leave immediately. I hadn't planned on using my gun, but the moment the shots rang out, that group definitely heard it. Our position has been exposed..."

"What about her? Can she still walk?" I pointed at Researcher An, who was currently sitting on the ground with her trouser leg bitten to shreds and the wound a bloody mess, looking extremely severe.

Sister Hong said angrily, "It's all this woman's fault! Otherwise, our position wouldn't have been exposed so early. That gang from the Changchun Society must be rushing over here right now!"

"Let's move!" Sister Hong grabbed my arm and pulled me forward. Yao Yumen said nothing.

We left Researcher An behind all by herself...

I looked back from time to time and saw her sitting on the ground clutching her calf, covered in mud, and wiping away tears incessantly, looking pitiful.

She wiped her tears and looked up, gazing directly at me with a look that seemed to say, "Save me."

Feeling a pang of sympathy, I pleaded with Sister Hong, "Why don't we take her with us, Sister Hong? Look how pitiful she is. We can't just stand by and let her die."

Sister Hong gritted her teeth, opening her mouth as if to say something.

"Bang!"

A single gunshot echoed.

Researcher An fell straight backward...

Yao Yumen wiped the barrel of her gun and casually uttered two words.

"Let's go."