Chapter 192: Chapter 192 Anyone Here?
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Back in the forest, Ling Xuan led the group of soldiers forward through the darkened terrain, her steps steady and her expression calm while the men behind her moved in a cautious formation with their weapons ready.
Their eyes constantly scanned the trees and shadows for any sign of movement. Whenever they came across a small group of monsters, they dealt with them immediately, gunshots echoing through the forest for brief moments before silence returned again. And after the monsters fell, the soldiers would move in quickly to harvest the cores from their chests before continuing onward.
They advanced deeper until they passed the area where the platform had been, and the moment Ling Xuan saw the broken structure ahead, her steps came to a stop so suddenly that the soldiers behind her halted as well.
Her eyes settled on the shattered wood and the damaged entrance, and without a word, she moved closer before squatting down. Her gaze fell on a black drop of blood staining the ground. She reached out and touched it lightly with her fingers, then brought her hand back and looked at it, her brows furrowing as she noticed it was no longer fresh.
Gabriel stepped up beside her, gripping his gun tightly as his gaze also swept over the damaged area. "What happened here?" he muttered, though it was more to himself than to anyone else.
Ling Xuan did not say a word. She slowly stood up and walked toward the entrance of the underground passage, her eyes narrowing as she took in the marks around it. The wood was torn with deep claw marks, and there were clear bite marks along the broken edges, enough to show that beasts had attacked this place viciously.
Gabriel’s expression darkened. "Do you think they smelled them?" he asked, his voice lower now. "Jack, and Ida... Do you think the monsters sensed them in there and thought they were humans hiding inside?"
Ling Xuan’s heart gave a faint thud in her chest. "Even at that, they wouldn’t attack this viciously because no matter how long they had stayed underground, their scent would already be faint by now."
More accurately, she did not like how likely it felt.
Her gaze remained fixed on the entrance.
Gabriel noticed the shift in her expression and tightened his grip on his gun. "Commander?"
Ling Xuan finally spoke. "Wait here."
Gabriel blinked. "You are going in alone?"
"Yes."
"That is too risky," one of the soldiers behind them said immediately. "Commander, let us go with you."
Ling Xuan turned her head slightly, her expression calm but leaving no room for argument. "If there are monsters inside, too many of us entering at once will only make them hard to handle."
Gabriel frowned. "Then I’ll go with you."
Ling Xuan looked at him for a brief moment. "No. Stay here and hold the position."
Gabriel’s jaw tightened slightly, but he did not argue further.
Ling Xuan turned back toward the entrance, her hand moving to the hilt of her sword as she stepped closer, then without hesitation, she lowered herself and entered the underground passage.
The air inside was colder than outside, and the darkness swallowed her almost immediately, but her steps remained soundless as she moved deeper in, her eyes scanning every corner of the narrow space. The smell of wood, dirt, and blood lingered faintly in the air, and the farther she went, the more evident the signs of struggle became.
She looked around carefully, her eyes moving across the broken structure and the ground as she tried to pick out any sign of movement or presence. But there was nothing there to meet her gaze, no sign of monsters lurking nearby, no sign of people, and not even a single sound to break the silence that hung heavily in the air.
After standing there for a moment and finding nothing, she slowly turned to leave.
Just as she took a step, something caught her attention.
An arrow carved into the wall.
Ling Xuan stopped immediately and turned fully toward it, her brows slowly knitting together as she focused on the mark. Her gaze followed the direction it pointed, which led straight to the wooden door ahead that had now been broken in two.
She frowned slightly as she stared at it. "Was someone here..." she muttered under her breath, her voice low and thoughtful, "...or was it always like this?"
She stepped forward slowly and reached out, running her fingers over the carved mark, and as her fingers traced along the edges, she could tell that the cuts were still sharp and clean, showing no sign of wear.
"It’s new..." she murmured. "It must have been carved a few hours ago."
Her gaze drifted toward the broken door again, and for a brief moment, her thoughts drifted to Tina, making her expression tighten slightly before she forced herself to push the thought away, reminding herself that Tina was with Stefan. And Stefan would not allow anything to happen to her so easily.
Even so, something did not feel right.
Ling Xuan straightened slowly and looked at the door again, her eyes lingering on it as the light around her continued to dim, reminding her that evening had already set in and that they needed to return to the trucks before night fully fell.
She remained standing there for a moment longer, her gaze fixed on the broken door as a quiet hesitation settled in her chest. Because a part of her wanted to step forward, to go inside and see what was beyond it, and to find out who had carved the arrow.
But in the end, she stepped forward. She passed the broken door, drawing out her sword.
"Anyone here?" She called out.
The passageway was dark, making it difficult for her to see clearly.
"If you can hear me, come out now. You are safe." She said, with assurance.
But still there was no response.
Then the sound of footsteps coming towards her direction echoed faintly in the air.
