"Of course, this cabbage is homegrown, not distributed by Lord Zhen. It's been watered with water from the Yinshan Swamp, so it's naturally plump and fresh."
The old man said with great pride.
"What's different about the water from the Yinshan Swamp?" Duan Chen asked, not understanding.
"Hmph, our Yinshan is a sacred mountain blessed by the Mountain Spirit. Do you think there's no difference, you brat?"
The old man gave a rather proud hmph.
"By the way, Old Man, didn't you hear any gunshots just now?"
Duan Chen's pupils flashed, activating his mind-reading ability.
However, this old man seemed to have no mind, only a patch of murky impurities could be seen.
"Heard them, what a nuisance! Isn't it normal? Invaders will die!"
The old man waved his hand indifferently, "Those stinking monsters never learn their lesson, always coveting our Yinshan Spirit. Damn it, we'll beat them back every time they come, those sons of bitches. Our defense force is the best—"
The old man made a shining thumbs-up gesture, giving a salute.
Duan Chen smiled and nodded slightly. The villagers here seemed very simple and honest, with not much ulterior motive.
The Mountain Spirit, something like a mountain god?
That made sense. To live in this terrifying swamp, they relied entirely on Yinshan's protection, so it was natural for them to have a belief.
"Hey, wait a minute! Don't you want this cabbage anymore?"
The old man saw Duan Chen about to leave and quickly called out, "Here, take it, take it. It's not easy for the defense force, and this is just my small contribution."
The old man stuffed a cabbage into Duan Chen's arms.
Stomp, stomp, stomp.
Just then, a group of people with peculiar appearances walked towards them from the depths of the village. The man at the forefront wore armor and held a long spear, possessing the bearing of an ancient military general.
"The defense force is here! The defense force is here!" The old man's face lit up with joy and pride.
Duan Chen narrowed his eyes, his black gun already chambered.
The troop stopped in front of Duan Chen. The man looked at him with a strange gaze and let out a hoarse, heavy voice:
"Buying cabbage? Isn't the supply sent by Lord Zhen enough to eat?"
"I gave it! It's homegrown, and it's very delicious. You guys should have some too!" The old man excitedly stuffed a cabbage into each of them and then clapped his hands with satisfaction.
The man, holding a spear in one hand and a large cabbage in the other, looked somewhat comical. But without a smile, he looked at Duan Chen:
"What are you standing around for? Join the team."
Duan Chen's gaze shifted down, and he saw a metal tag on the man's waist, also bearing the character "瓦" (Wa).
So, the tall, thin man he had just killed was likely a member of their team.
But what was going on with him? He didn't even recognize his own team member?
"Alright."
Duan Chen responded and moved to the end of the man's line.
"You...?" The short man in front suddenly turned to look at him.
Duan Chen thought to himself, "Have they noticed something's off?"
The short man snorted, "Look at your pathetic face. You were standing in front of me, you idiot."
After saying that, the short man automatically moved behind Duan Chen to fall into line.
"..."
Duan Chen, whose hand had gone to his gun, slowly lowered it.
This was too bizarre.
The troop, carrying cabbages, continued to move.
They walked over to the three people Duan Chen had just killed, collected their bodies, and threw them into the swamp. No one questioned it throughout the entire process.
As they disposed of the bodies, they let out crazy, eerie laughter.
"Invader, die..."
"Invader, die..."
After dealing with the bodies, the man at the front instructed everyone, "Tomorrow is the sacrifice ceremony, and Lord Zhen Youdu will personally attend. Be sharp."
"Yes!!"
Duan Chen realized that these people were practically living dead. They identified each other by their metal tags, so no one discovered that he was the true "invader."
They didn't look at faces, didn't look at people, only at tags. They were incredibly rigid.
The patrol team walked around the swamp for a while, then ventured deeper into Yinshan.
Traces of mining and excavation were everywhere.
No wonder the village was so desolate; people were all working in the mountains.
Men, women, and children, the youngest around 10 years old, were carrying stones taller than themselves, struggling to climb the mountain.
They didn't even cry out in exhaustion; everyone seemed numb.
"What are they digging for?" Duan Chen asked the man behind him in a low voice.
"The Mountain Spirit."
The man said softly, his face expressionless, as if afraid of disturbing someone.
However, when Duan Chen later asked about anything else related to the Mountain Spirit, the man fell silent, like a crashed game NPC.
Duan Chen stood on the peak of Yinshan, looking out at the boundless swamp. Two other villages could be seen in the distance.
He tried to find Wu Suowei and Bai Ye among them but realized it was impossible.
The next day.
Duan Chen followed the troop to the altar. All the villagers came to see them off, giving the impression of a 'warrior setting off for battle.'
It was truly strange.
The man took a headcount and then led a squad of 10 people deeper into Yinshan.
This was a secret passage, guarded by two headless bronze statues at the entrance. The breaks were rough, as if they had experienced some act of violence.
The troop traveled for about 2 hours and saw from afar a giant bronze mirror standing in the valley, surrounded by a blazing red firelight.
Withered trees and vines coiled around, mist swirled, and eerie blue luminous grass covered the valley, illuminating the interior.
As the troop got closer, Duan Chen suddenly frowned.
Because he realized that the burning red was not flames.
Instead, it was clusters and clusters of densely blooming,
Small red flowers.
They were strikingly similar to the patch of red flowers outside the Red Sun Kindergarten.
"What kind of flower is this?" Duan Chen whispered to the short man behind him.
"Sunflowers."
"..."
Don't treat me like an idiot. Sunflowers are sunflowers, and they have nothing to do with these small red flowers.
The troop soon stopped at the exit of the secret passage. Sounds of other teams could be heard from two other directions.
A troop of cavalry riding alien mounts came from the depths of the clear spring;
A group of 'madmen' dressed like primitives, with feathers in their hair, descended along the withered vines.
The three groups converged, wading into the mud filled with red flowers, smearing the protective mud and water on their bodies, and then all moved towards the bronze mirror enveloped by the red flowers.
Duan Chen narrowed his eyes. This scene was too much like a cult ritual.
The leaders of the three groups came to a strange bronze statue beside the altar and placed their waist tags on it.
"西" (Xi) "土" (Tu) "瓦" (Wa).
The three fragments combined to form the character "甄" (Zhen).
A strange evil energy began to churn, and deathly energy stirred beneath the earth. The entire Yinshan mountain trembled slightly, emitting a mournful hum.
It was as if tens of thousands of living beings were crying out in unison, a truly chilling sound.
Simultaneously, ripples spread across the mirror's surface.
"Great, all-powerful, Evil God, please descend and bestow upon us believers the most wondrous magic!!"
Weapons struck the ground, alien mounts stirred, primitives shrieked wildly...
All the believers danced wildly to an intense drumbeat, their movements remarkably synchronized.
Amidst the grand and solemn ceremony, a man emerged from the bronze mirror.