Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 1006: Chapter 705: Mountain Guardian

"Alright, let’s move!" The Mountain Guardian grinned, revealing a mouthful of teeth stained yellow and black from his tobacco pipe.

But just as they hadn’t walked far from the tin house, they saw someone chasing from behind. It was Boss Sun with Xi Huijun.

"What’s going on?" Yu Kai frowned slightly, looking displeased. He didn’t want to bring along two burdens. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Boss Sun licked his lips and forced a smile, "Well... I’ve thought it over and I still want to join you. On the road... on the road, it’s good to have each other’s backs."

"What can you do to back us up?" Qu Hong raised the hunting rifle in her hand and smiled, giving no face to Boss Sun.

"Alright, since you’re here, just follow us and listen to all directives." Yang Xiao had vaguely become the actual leader of the team; both core members Yu Kai and Qu Hong were quite polite to him.

After a brief sort-out, the group followed the Mountain Guardian along an overgrown path into the depths of the mountain. Through their conversations on the way, they learned that the Mountain Guardian’s surname was Xu, and everyone called him Dan.

Half an hour later, seeing no signs of human activity nearby, Qu Hong suggested testing the old gun with a shot.

"Don’t do it, disturbing Grandpa Mountain God would be terrible." The Mountain Guardian, Dan Brother, nipped the idea in the bud and told everyone many strange and shadowy legends and rules about entering the mountain.

Under the Mountain Guardian’s guidance, Yang Xiao’s group took shortcuts and arrived at the foot of the so-called Cuixi Mountain in just over an hour. The area had numerous peaks, of which Cuixi Mountain was just one unremarkable hill.

Qu Hong seemed to have experience in outdoor adventures; even with the Mountain Guardian leading, he still left marks along the way to prevent getting lost.

Before long, they found a dark cave halfway up the mountain. Outside the entrance stood a rusty iron sign that had long been weather-beaten but still vaguely showed the words "Danger, No Entry" painted in red.

The Mountain Guardian walked up, circled behind the sign, then nodded affirmatively, "This is it."

Yang Xiao and the others curiously followed, seeing three digits sprayed in red behind the iron sign: 013.

"This is the main mine shaft we marked out originally. The four-digit code you mentioned is one of the branching veins," explained the Mountain Guardian.

Without further ado, the group took out their lighting equipment and prepared their weapons. Qu Hong had Dou Jie and Xi Huijun follow closely behind the pathfinding Mountain Guardian, while she stayed in the middle, with Knife-wielding Yang Xiao behind her. Then came Boss Sun, and Yu Kai, also armed with a knife, bringing up the rear.

The advantage of this arrangement was that if they encountered enemies in the tunnel, the first three people, including the Mountain Guardian, would act as tanks to buy time. Excluding the Mountain Guardian, Qu Hong was the only one armed with a gun in the middle of the team, serving as their trump card.

The tunnel wound downward, cold and damp. Even Boss Sun’s layer of fat couldn’t keep the chill from biting, prompting him to wrap himself tighter. Not long after entering, they encountered the first fork, blocked by large rocks, also festooned with a "Danger, No Entry" sign.

Keeping to his task-oriented mindset, the Mountain Guardian turned the sign around to reveal the red code 0131.

"Not this one, keep moving," Yang Xiao judged the true test site lay ahead, as these rocks hadn’t been moved for a long time.

The Mountain Guardian, adhering staunchly to the job, continued leading them without unnecessary words.

Yang Xiao felt a breeze blowing through the mine, suggesting another exit somewhere.

In a short time, they passed through forks 0132 and 0133 until they stopped at 0134. Here, although another sign stood, large rocks had been cleared from the entrance, creating an opening large enough for two people to walk through side-by-side. Peeking into the gap revealed pitch darkness.

"This is the place," the Mountain Guardian reminded everyone to watch their steps on the slippery stones, then led the way forward, hunting rifle in hand.

Yang Xiao and the others followed closely, weapons drawn and ready for combat. Boss Sun, sensing something was off, started to ask a question, but Yang Xiao’s sharp glance silenced him. Yu Kai, bringing up the rear, flicked his knife, producing a crisp clang with a clear warning. Boss Sun turned pale, not daring to speak another word.

Only now did he realize that Yang Xiao and his group were far from ordinary; thinking about it, no regular person would dare take on such a mission.

Soon after, Yang Xiao found the metal plate on the left rock wall that had appeared in the video, labeled Zidian 013. This was it!

Based on the time in the video, the experimental site was just ahead, so Yang Xiao raised his hand, signaling everyone to be ready.

The Mountain Guardian continued leading the way, while those behind changed formation. Yang Xiao and Yu Kai moved to the front, guarding Qu Hong, while Boss Sun was pushed to the back, since his large frame was cumbersome.

Yang Xiao and the others, silently pulling away from the front trio, watched as the Mountain Guardian’s flashlight illuminated a broader space, making Xi Huijun, closely following behind, let out a short, sharp scream.