Ling Tian narrowed his eyes. He quickly denied it.
"Don't play around. If they were dead, there's no way you'd still stay here."
He Dong only sighed. There was doubt in his eyes. Something bothering him, but it was difficult to express.
That was what Isaac saw on the man's face.
"Don't tell me you ran for your life when others were fighting."
Isaac provoked him on purpose. It was enough to make the limping man go anger for the second time. He Dong slammed the table.
"Who do you think I am!? I'm He Dong, I've never run away from battle in my life. If you don't know anything, you'd better shut your mouth."
A long sigh escaped Ling Tian's mouth. He hissed, trying to hold his temper as Isaac continued to pissing He Dong.
On the other hand, Isaac did not care about the opinions of the two people around him. He only cared about what happened to the party members. He was quite curious about the monster that left them in such a chaotic state.
"Of course, I'm sure someone like you wouldn't abandon his partner. You don't need to be angry," comforted Ling Tian.
He Dong finally leaned back. He let out a long sigh. His emotions subsided.
Although Isaac did not see it that way.
Then, He Dong began to tell him everything.
After their group entered the 3rd Floor, they quickly explored it without wasting any time. Lawrence guided them well. Thanks to the old man, they discovered many Power Crystal mines and dry path routes. So they rarely fought in the swamp.
Everything went smoothly for the first three days. Until they finally arrived at a mangrove forest.
There were no big trees like the areas they had visited before. Only mangrove plants as high as three meters and salt water. According to Lawrance, the mangrove forest was the location of the lab.
Wang Mei, the Nine Sky Guild Leader, suggested not to enter immediately, because the difference in environmental conditions. She said, if there was an area with a special environment, there were usually powerful monsters inhabiting it.
However, Cheng Ho rejected her opinion.
As long as they explored Floor 3, they didn't had much trouble. Cheng Ho fully trusted the old man homunculus. Moreover, they got a lot of Power Crystals after bringing Lawrance along with them.
Just like on Floor 2, there was a brief debate between Wang Mei and Cheng Ho. As Lawrance proved to be beneficial in helping the party, Wang Mei once again lost the debate. The woman could only obey.
"Then what about you, He Dong? Didn't you do anything?"
Ling Tian interrupted in the middle of the story. He Dong had a sour look on his face.
"Honestly, I agree more with that bitch. It's hard to believe in monsters, but Cheng Ho seems to rely on him a lot. Besides, the other members also agree with Cheng Ho."
Ling Tian nodded, understanding the situation. Isaac, on the other hand, didn't seem to. He only agreed with He Dong on the part of not trusting dungeon monsters. Trusting them was tantamount to suicide.
The possibility of monsters betrayed their masters was zero. The hunters needed special skills to make the monsters side with them. For example, like Isaac's 'Seed of Mind' skill or some kind of taming skill.
"That man's decision led us all to hell"
He Dong continued his story.
They finally entered the mangrove forest. At first nothing happened. Everything went smoothly. They could still deal with monsters; such as frogman, giant eels, crab monsters, and other pisces-type monsters. Of the many monsters they faced, only the triton was quite troublesome for them.
Tritons were the only pisces-type monsters that were close to human form. They had a similar body structure; they had arms and legs. Walk and act like humans. However, their bodies had fish parts; like scales and fins on their head. Tritons had lungs and gills, allowing them to live in two realms.
However, tritons were quite weak when living on land. Their combat power would be drastically reduced. On the other hand, in the water or ocean, they were like ogres living in the sea.
Throughout the exploration of the mangrove forest, they were completely confident. Especially Cheng Ho. That man felt he had the upper hand. He kept instructing his men to attack aggressively. The group of members also felt invincible.
Of course, it did not last long. Their self-confidence led to disaster.
Lawrance led them to a strait that separated two mangrove forests. At first glance, the strait looked like a river. The old homunculus said that this route was the fastest way into the Lab, but he also warned that he lacked information about the place. He advised Cheng Ho to consider if he wanted to cross it.
However, having gone through dozens of battles before, there was no monster that they couldn't defeat. Cheng Ho was confident enough to be able to face the obstacles on the strait. He decided to cross it.
At that moment, Wang Mei told He Dong that she had a bad feeling.
"I ignored her word. During the whole trip, her opinions were always wrong. I thought she was just paranoid or trying to justify me. I didn't take her seriously. But I regret it."
He Dong looked gloomy. The shadow of a nightmare could be seen on his face.
The man then resumed his story.
The more they walked to the center of the strait, the depth of the water increased. Only a quarter of the way, the water level was approaching their navel. Wang Mei suggested turning back, but Cheng Ho disagreed. They had already entered the strait.
They continued crossing. By the middle of the strait, the water level reached the neck of an adult. The party members began to worried. They were no longer walking in shallow water.
"Then, everything just happened."
Suddenly, one of the Phoenix Armada members screamed. Then one by one, their members drowned. The other party members quickly panicked. They couldn't see anything because of the murky brown water.
Until finally, a red color surfaced. Instantly Cheng Ho exclaimed, ordering his men to retreat.
Unfortunately, his decision came too late.
A five-meter-tall giant crocodile monster stood in their midst. It stood on two legs like a human. Then other crocodiles with similar forms also came to the surface. Only their bodies were smaller, about the size of an adult man.
Within seconds the murky water was stained with the color of blood. Screams and ripples echoed through the air. Pieces of hands, feet and human body parts began to float.
The party was slaughtered by the crocodile monsters with ease.
"The depth of the water made it difficult for us to retreat. We couldn't even move. Everything became chaotic. People were trying to save themselves. No one cared about anyone else. We were completely fucked up."
He Dong lowered his face. The arrogant look he had been showing turned somber.
Ling Tian also showed a similar expression. He felt the grief of the man. There was nothing more terrifying than being helpless in the face of death.
On the other hand, Isaac was just silent. His face remained flat.
"Cheng Ho gave orders to save ourselves," He Dong added. "He told those of us who survived to return to the camp immediately."
Now Ling Tian understood why the arrogance in the man disappeared. Then, he tried to ease He Dong's feelings.
"You did your job well. At least you managed to save the remaining members who managed to survive."
He Dong snorted. "I hate to say this, but thank you."
Ling Tian smiled. He turned to Isaac. "What do you think, Isaac?"
Isaac, however, wasn't like Ling Tian. He saw things differently. And the answer he gave was different too.
"Coward."
That single word made the two men inside this tent open their eyes wide. Especially He Dong, that man really looked furious.
"Asshole!"
With an angry look on his face, He Dong got up, not caring about the pain in his abdomen. He grabbed Isaac's collar.
Ling Tian rushed to separate the two of them.
"Hey! Calm down!"
"Calm down!? You think I can calm down after this guy's mouth says what he wants? You bastard!"
Isaac wasn't angry. Instead, he had a smirk on his face. It was made He Dong burn with anger.
"You think you can trick me? Your story sounds like bullshit. I believe you that you were attacked by a crocodile monster, but not in the 'self-rescue order' part."
"Keugh!"
He Dong ground his teeth.
"I don't know Cheng Ho, but I can judge him from your short story."
Based on the stories Isaac heard from Guo Chen and He Dong, he concluded that Cheng Ho was a stubborn man. He had high self-esteem and tended to make decisions based on his ego. Cheng Ho was a typical person who decided things based on what he believed.
Even if his decision plunged his members into death, the man would still stand by his decision.
"You're just making excuses to escape the battle. One Man Army? What a nonsense."
He Dong was absolutely furious. Until unknowingly, flames appeared around him.
Ling Tian had a look of disbelief on his face after listening Isaac's explanation. Moreover, when he saw He Dong's overreaction.
"You ran away?" asked Ling Tian in a snide tone.
He Dong looked at Ling Tian with a shocked look on his face. "You believe this bastard's bullshit?"
"You don't need to be angry if you saying the thruth."
He Dong hissed. His face was red, between embarrassment and anger. His lie was exposed. If it spread out, the reputation he had built up over the years would be completely ruined.
His mind was in turmoil, then a huge fire began to flare up from his body. The man ready to finish off the two men in front of him.
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