Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1048 - 1041: Examining the Corpse to Trace Its Origin

Chapter 1048: Chapter 1041: Examining the Corpse to Trace Its Origin

Cheng Ziang shrugged and exchanged glances with Luo’er before heading toward the corpse that was crawling with Corpse Vultures.

As they approached the body, the smell of putrefaction quickly filled their nostrils. Not only were there Corpse Vultures on the corpse, but also buzzing flies and mosquitoes swarmed around it. As the two got closer, the flies suddenly took off, the bean-sized insects particularly noticeable.

Enduring the stench, they took out gas masks from their pockets and put them on their faces to fend off the swarming insects. After the last outbreak of annihilation disease, headquarters had realized the importance of disease prevention and specially provided the Advance Team with gas masks for emergencies.

Cheng Ziang waved his hand lightly, and the flies directly hit his palm, their touch disturbingly substantial. The ground was also teeming with small beetles scuttling back and forth, which was somewhat off-putting.

The two stopped about a meter from the body and looked at each other. The Corpse Vultures on the body didn’t scatter at their approach, instead acting as if they hadn’t seen the two men at all, continuing to peck at the corpse.

Some of the Corpse Vultures even boldly walked back and forth in front of them, completely ignoring their presence.

Apparently curious, Cheng Ziang reached out to touch the wing of a Corpse Vulture. After he pushed it a few times, the bird flapped its wings and squawked in displeasure, then continued on its way to the corpse.

"These creatures are really audacious, as if they would risk their lives for a meal," Cheng Ziang commented, shaking his head in wonder.

Luo’er observed the Corpse Vultures closely. They indeed resembled crows, not very large, and completely black all over, even their eyes, which reflected only the glint of their pupils.

The Corpse Vultures fought each other for the corpse, cawing in a sound somewhat like a duck’s quack but deeper in tone.

Luo’er guessed the taste of these Corpse Vultures was probably off, which was why few animals would bother with them. After all, scavengers typically had poor meat quality, very unpleasant to taste, not just to humans but other animals as well.

With the Corpse Vultures surrounding the body, the two couldn’t investigate it for the moment, so Luo’er pulled out a handgun from his pocket and fired a shot into the sky.

The loud gunshot burst forth instantaneously. The Corpse Vultures might have seemed bold, but the thunderous sound of the gunshot scared them into flight, forming a dark cloud overhead.

Seeing this, the two men took a few steps back, worried about getting splashed with corpse fluids by the birds.

Soon, the body’s true appearance was revealed, but it was no longer possible to discern its original looks. The decayed areas of the body had been pecked at by the Corpse Vultures, exposing fresher flesh underneath. The whole face looked terrifying.

It seemed that the Corpse Vultures preferred to peck at rotten flesh and rarely touched fresh meat, so the belly, where the body had decomposed first, was almost hollowed out, leaving only a few organ intestines inside.

Cheng Ziang, with furrowed brows and braving the stench, looked closely at the corpse and then stated affirmatively, "It’s a Beastman’s corpse!"

"How can you tell?" Luo’er asked.

"Look," Cheng Ziang pointed at the body, "the overall bone structure of the corpse is relatively large, and the joints on the hand are long. That means this body belonged to someone tall and burly while alive. Now look at the teeth, the upper and lower canines are distinctly pronounced, which is a characteristic of the Beastman Race. Even Old Hu, whose features resembled those of Earth’s human race, had such teeth, I’ve seen them."

He paused and then added, "Look at the shoulder-to-hip ratio; this should be a male Beastman. Considering the Beastman attack on the city we encountered yesterday, it’s safe to say this Beastman was one of the invaders, though why he ended up here and mysteriously died remains unknown."

"Can you determine the cause of death?" Luo’er asked.

"Hmm, let me see," Cheng Ziang nodded slightly, and then scrutinized the corpse carefully, quickly pinpointing something unusual.

"Look, there’s a hole in his head that’s been messed up by the Corpse Vultures to the point of being a bloody mess. I don’t believe the Corpse Vultures have the strength to crack open the hard skull and feast on brain matter, so there’s only one explanation: the hole was there before, and it’s very likely the real reason for the death of this body."

"There are no villages nearby, and the surroundings are desolate. Who could have killed him?" Luo’er asked curiously.

Cheng Ziang looked around and then said, "Look, there are signs of a fight nearby, with lots of broken branches and fallen leaves on the ground, which suggests this might be the primary crime scene. Obviously, this Beastman encountered an enemy equal in strength, or perhaps even stronger than himself, and was ultimately killed, his brain shattered, left to lie in the wasteland."

"Indeed," Luo’er nodded but quickly became puzzled, "Could this Beastman be one of those who fled here after their defeat in yesterday’s attack?"

"It shouldn’t be," Cheng Ziang shook his head as he pointed at the corpse and said, "From the degree of decay on this body and the climate in this area, it can be inferred that he has been dead for more than two days. Have you noticed that Corpse Vultures like to eat rotten flesh and are not keen on pecking at fresh meat? From what remains of this body, I believe my judgment is mostly correct."

"So, you’re saying that this Beastman was already dead here before the Beastmen invasion?" Luo’er asked.

"It seems that can be the only explanation." The two exchanged glances before rising to their feet together.

"Who could have killed them, then?" Luo’er looked toward Cheng Ziang for answers.

"Do you still have to ask?" Cheng Ziang shrugged, without spelling it out.

"It seems that this so-called ’Beastial man’s’ individual fighting strength is almost comparable to that of a Beastman," Luo’er nodded as he spoke.

"Looks like we need to be extra careful," Cheng Ziang said.

No sooner had the two stood up than the Corpse Vultures circling in the sky again tentatively landed on the ground and resumed pecking at the corpse. Luo’er, seeing this, turned to Cheng Ziang and asked, "Should we dispose of this body?"

"Hey," Cheng Ziang stopped him with a hand gesture, staring at the Corpse Vulture and said, "Dust to dust, earth to earth, that’s the law of nature. Why interfere unnecessarily?"

"Is that really okay?" Luo’er asked hesitantly.

"What’s not okay about it? The Snow Elves even offer their own remains to the wild beasts. This is the Otherworld, don’t measure it with Earth’s morals. If there’s no law or rule being broken, let it be," Cheng Ziang replied.

"Fine, let’s go. If we don’t leave soon, we’ll start to smell," Luo’er said, motioning for them to leave.

As the two left the body, the Corpse Vultures swarmed down once again to continue with their feast. They returned to the middle of the group, and Baiyue evidently smelled the stench of decay on them, causing her to slightly frown and ask, "What happened?"

"It’s the corpse of a Beastman. It looks like it was killed by a Beastial man on the day it came to the village," Luo’er said as he removed his mask.

"So that means..."

"Yes, these Beastial men seem to be a bit more formidable than the Beastmen. Looks like the Beastmen ran into trouble," Luo’er shrugged as he spoke.

"Luo’er, brother Luo’er," Taran looked at Luo’er with some unease and asked, "Are we still going to continue moving forward?"

"Certainly," Luo’er nodded and reassured with a smile, "Don’t be scared, we have guns, and if all else fails, I still have my secret weapon."

"The secret weapon... is it that thing called Fula?" Taran’s eyes widened, her body shaking involuntarily.

"Why are you so afraid?" Luo’er asked with a smile.

"You, you’ve always talked about it, but, but I can’t see it..." Taran said somewhat stutteringly.

"Don’t be afraid," Luo’er comforted, "Fula is a very gentle and kind little girl. She’s just shy, so you can’t see her. Don’t worry, she’ll protect us silently and won’t harm us."

What Luo’er said was essentially the truth, since Fulajie’er was indeed very shy in front of others; she was not only unwilling to show herself but even reluctant to allow others into her domain. Axia had followed the Advance Team for almost over two months, but the number of times she actually saw and interacted with Fulajie’er were few and far between.

Luo’er remembered Fulajie’er used to be quite outgoing, but for some reason, she seemed to have become more introverted since joining the Advance Team, almost like a shy little bride.

"Really?" Hearing Luo’er’s comforting words, Taran asked with widened eyes, feeling a bit more at ease as well.

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