Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 40: Thorough Search

The night passed quickly. At the camp, inside the three-story stone building. “What did you say?” Song Dachui could no longer sit still. “Old Shang is missing, and even Gouzi and He Jin have vanished. Three people gone in a single night—have you searched the surrounding area?” Erhu shook his head. “We’ve searched everywhere and asked around. Someone saw Cao Shang leave after dark, heading out of the camp. It looked like he went down into the mine shaft, and we haven’t heard from him since.” “What do you mean, ‘no word’? Three living, breathing people—did they just fly off into the sky or something? Are you all just sitting around doing nothing? Get down into the mine, every last one of you! You must give me a result before dark! If they’re alive, bring them back; if they’re dead, bring back their bodies!” Song Dachui was now completely on edge—more anxious than ever. Three people had vanished in an instant, and how many people were there in the entire Supervision Team anyway? Several men answered in unison and turned to head out, just as another man rushed back in. “Boss, we’ve got news about those three!” “Speak up!” “Zhong Da found me and reported that when everyone woke up, someone discovered the massive iron gate sealing off the Shadow Zone had been opened. No one knows who tampered with it, and the people in the Heavy Industry Zone are on edge, worried it was the work of a demon beast. But then Zhong Da led a team inside to investigate and found human footprints—very fresh ones. He didn’t dare go too far in, but it’s clear someone has ventured deep inside…” “What? Did Cao Shang and those other two head into the Shadow Zone? Where did they go in there, and what were they doing?” “I don’t know. Should we report this to the Inner Gate personnel responsible for maintaining the mine’s security? It might not necessarily be Brother Shang and his two companions, but this massive iron gate was definitely opened last night.” “That’s definitely it! I’ll round up a few people right now and go in to look for them!” Erhu was an impatient sort. “Hold on! What if there are demon beasts in there? Go notify the Inner Sect people—we’ll go with them!” In the heavy machinery section, a crowd had gathered around the iron gate. Su Mu deliberately stoked the tension; no one was working today. They’d wait until the Supervision Team arrived to confirm it was safe before doing anything else. Indeed, no one was in the mood to work—it wasn’t the first or second time that demon beasts had killed people in this mine shaft. “Mu Ge, the Supervision Team is here.” Chen Li nodded toward them. Su Mu glanced past the Inner Sect disciples—their attire was completely different from everyone else’s, making them easy to spot—and focused his attention on the members of the Supervision Team following behind them. Leading the way was Song Dachui—a portly man with a large head and ears, as burly as a bear, and widely recognized as the strongest among the outer-door disciples transferred to this location. Sun Datou was also easy to spot—he had a huge head, beady eyes, a flat nose, and was quite ugly. He really couldn’t figure out how this ugly guy had managed to hook up with Song Dachui’s lover—he must have some real skills. Song Dachui fixed his gaze on Su Mu at once; their eyes locked, and neither looked away. “You’re the one calling the shots in the Heavy Industry Zone now, right?” Song Dachui said as he strode up to him. “That’s right, I am.” “This iron gate is meant to ensure the safety of everyone in the Heavy Industry Zone. Someone opened it and went inside, and you had absolutely no idea—isn’t that a dereliction of duty on your part?” “I don’t see it that way. Although I manage this place, I can’t stand guard here around the clock. If someone is determined not to be caught and sneaks through this iron gate, who could possibly prevent it? Senior Brother Song, if you want to assign blame, you should go after the person who opened it without authorization, not me.” Erhu snapped, “If Boss Song says you’re wrong, then you’re wrong. Don’t try to shirk responsibility!” “This huge iron gate was secretly opened while we were resting at night. Whoever went in clearly chose that time on purpose. If you still think I’m derelict in my duty after that, then let’s ask everyone here to weigh in and see what the general consensus is.” Song Dachui snorted. “Enough of that. Three members of the Supervision Team have suddenly gone missing. Do you know anything about this?” “I just heard about it. Who are these three?” “Su Mu, don’t play dumb with me. If I find out you’re involved in this—if you’ve harmed members of the Supervision Team—do you know what the consequences will be?” “That’s quite a serious accusation—don’t just pin it on me. This is truly baffling. Do you really think I have any control over where the Supervision Team goes or what they do? Chief Foreman Song, when you say ‘murder,’ do you think something has happened to those three?” “It’s highly likely. Come inside with us. Zhong Da, you come too!” The Inner Gate guards led the way in, and they immediately followed. The inner area was quite spacious. The Inner Gate guards were experts in detection techniques; if there were any signs of living beings, they could sense the fluctuations, and their detection range was vast. Those three had long since been dead, so the detection technique naturally couldn’t pick them up. Su Mu simply followed along, saying nothing, as he watched the group search several other locations, moving farther and farther away from the demon beast’s lair. It wasn’t until more than half an hour later that they finally circled back, now very close to that spot. One of the Inner Sect disciples leading the way called out, “There’s a blood energy fluctuation—everyone, be careful!” No sooner had the words left his mouth than the five Inner Sect disciples immediately picked up their pace, locating the entrance to the demon beast’s lair with remarkable precision. “There are clear signs of digging here. Let’s go in first, but keep your distance!” Song Dachui nodded repeatedly. Tension began to mount among them; the vital energy fluctuations inside were very strong and clearly out of the ordinary. They waited outside for the time being, and Erhu couldn’t help but exclaim, “This place is already so far off. If they really went in there, what could their purpose be?” “Who knows? Come to think of it, Gouzi and Lao Jin are both Shang Ge’s right-hand men. Could it be that there’s some kind of treasure in here?” Sun Datou ventured. Song Dachui remained silent. He hoped to find the three men, yet feared that if he did find them inside—with such intense vital energy fluctuations—wouldn’t that mean… Just then, the Inner Sect member who had gone in first shouted, “Hurry in! We’ve found someone—check if it’s one of the members of the Supervision Team. He’s already dead.” Song Dachui hurried through the entrance, with Su Mu close behind; he couldn’t wait to get a good look at these people’s expressions. Soon they reached the location of the first corpse. That spider-like demon beast hadn’t made it over here after all, so the body was still relatively well-preserved. “It’s Gouzi!” Erhu exclaimed indignantly. “Who killed him?!” One of the Inner Sect disciples pulled out a brown stone. “There were two top-grade Source Stones next to his body. There must be a top-grade Source Stone vein in this area. Barring any surprises, he came here to mine them.” Su Mu realized with a start, “Oh, so he was sneaking around like this—he must have wanted to keep them all for himself, right?” “What did you say?” Erhu snapped angrily. “What do you mean? Was this task authorized by Chief Foreman Song? Of course, the Supervision Team is also allowed to mine, but did any of you know he had come to this location?” This was a rhetorical question. Song Dachui’s expression darkened. If Er Gou had been blinded by greed and discovered a high-grade Source Stone vein without reporting it, that would indeed be a dereliction of duty on his part—his intent to hoard the stones was glaringly obvious. “There are still blood energy fluctuations inside—there’s likely a corpse there. You all wait here; we’ll go investigate first.” “Senior Brother, these three are all my close brothers. I can’t wait another moment—let’s head over there right away!” Song Dachui pleaded. “Alright, let’s go together then. Everyone, be careful—there might be demon beasts in this area.” The group soon reached the depths of the demon beast’s lair. Scattered digging tools and broken spider webs littered the ground, and another corpse was discovered. But this one was particularly gruesome—it had been gnawed beyond recognition. Song Dachui spotted a ring on one of the fingers and recognized the man as Cao Shang; his heart sank. The Inner Sect disciples had gone out of their own accord to hunt down the demon beast, determined to slay it. Erhu, Sun Datou, and the others were also shouting loudly, vowing to avenge their fallen brother. “Look up there!” The group looked up and saw a corpse entangled in a massive spiderweb, wrapped in silk like a silkworm cocoon. Su Mu was slightly startled. This demon beast didn’t seem to have much of an appetite; after devouring Cao Shang, it lost its hunger. It had wrapped the body in silk to prevent it from decomposing. A member of the Inner Sect swung his sword three times in rapid succession toward the ceiling; the spiderweb instantly split open, and the human silkworm pupa fell straight to the ground. Another person leaped forward, a whip in hand; with a swift wrap and tug, he effortlessly brought it down to the ground. Song Dachui immediately rushed forward, grabbed the outer silk cocoon with both hands, and gave it a forceful tug, tearing it open to reveal two legs. Erhu and Sun Datou joined in, tearing at it, and soon they had it open. Inside was He Jin. His face was bitten, and there was a gash on his neck where something sharp had pierced him. “He still has a pulse and a heartbeat!” one of the Inner Sect disciples exclaimed in surprise after a quick examination. Su Mu’s heart skipped a beat. No way… This was a classic case of “one slip in a hundred precautions.” No matter how much they’d planned, they never expected that after the demon beast devoured a person, it would lose its appetite—and actually fail to kill its prey, leaving him clinging to life. Perhaps it was to keep the food fresh? This was truly a life-threatening situation. If he were taken back and, after receiving medical treatment, regained consciousness, then Su Mu and the others’ actions would be exposed! By then, the plot to harm the members of the Supervision Team—and the resulting deaths of two people—would be a capital offense! Su Mu turned away and quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He’d have to see if there was any chance to make amends before it was too late. Zhong Da was also terrified; as his gaze met Su Mu’s, murderous intent flashed in both their eyes. “The demon beast is hiding here!” shouted one of the Inner Sect disciples, striking out with a palm strike that sent a shower of rocks tumbling from the rock ceiling in the corner. The spider-like demon beast sensed the group’s presence and, foreboding danger, hid itself—but it was no match for the Inner Sect disciple’s keen eyes. It was struck by a palm strike and fell directly from the rock ceiling. As soon as it hit the ground, it spat out a pool of liquid, from which numerous baby spiders crawled out. For Su Mu and the others who had not yet become Yuan Tu, these baby spiders would be a nuisance, but in the eyes of the Inner Sect disciples, they were nothing to worry about. One of them pulled out a Source Talisman and struck the ground with a palm strike. The palm print he unleashed contained fire-attribute Source Power, instantly reducing the swarm of baby spiders that had just crawled out to ashes. One Inner Sect disciple remained on guard here, while the other four charged forward. After a few exchanges, several of the spider-like demon beast’s legs were severed. Surrounded by the four of them, it was forced into a steady retreat, desperately trying to escape. Erhu slapped He Jin’s face hard. “Wake up!” Su Mu stood nearby, extremely anxious. Fortunately, no matter how hard he slapped him, He Jin showed absolutely no reaction—he looked practically dead. “He might have been poisoned by the demon beast’s paralyzing venom. He can’t wake up; he’ll need proper medical treatment and a period of rest,” said one of the Inner Sect disciples. Song Dachui turned to Erhu and said, “You guys stay here and watch over him. I’m going over to join the fight.” Zhong Da hurriedly interjected, “Several of your good brothers were killed by that demon beast. We should dismember it to vent our anger—this is an opportunity not to be missed! Old Shang and I were on good terms personally; it’s truly heartbreaking to see him meet such an end. Thank heaven Old Jin is still alive. Let me look after him; you guys go ahead and eliminate the demon beast.” Erhu wanted to fight; he didn’t want to just stand there watching. He was seething with anger and had no outlet for it. “There are already four people over there; only one of you is allowed to go. This is a Level 2 demon beast—a cornered beast is capable of killing any one of you. Don’t go over there and make things worse.” Zhong Da had been seizing the opportunity and was about to succeed, but little did he know that this Inner Sect disciple’s single remark would ruin everything. Song Dachui charged forward, brandishing a large broadsword. Su Mu wasn’t paying much attention to the battle over there; he’d been looking for an opportunity to strike, but under the watchful eyes of these men, it was simply too difficult to find an opening. Before long, the demon beast was slain, its corpse hacked countless times by Song Dachui. After dispatching the demon beast, the Inner Sect members surveyed the area and discovered high-grade Source Stones embedded in the rock strata. The quantity wasn’t large—they were confined to a single section of the wall—but this site was to be prioritized for mining. High-grade Source Stones were extremely valuable, so the mining task was assigned to the Heavy Industry District. It wouldn’t require many people—four or five would suffice—and a Supervision Team would be present to supervise the entire process. The mystery of the missing personnel was finally solved; the exact truth would be revealed once He Jin woke up and was questioned. Everyone withdrew from the Shadow Zone.