Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 953 - 946: Waiting for a Rabbit by a Stump

Chapter 953: Chapter 946: Waiting for a Rabbit by a Stump

"Could the others have died from the same cause?" After a long contemplation, Luo’er continued to ask.

"Not quite sure, but I suggest it’s best to check." Cheng Ziang spread his hands and said.

"Then..." Luo’er spoke and turned to glance at Aunt Axia, then said, "How about this, Aunt Axia, you and Momo go and study the tombs, and we’ll examine the condition of these corpses in the campsite, looking for their cause of death."

"It’s up to you, since you’re willing to seek the truth, I won’t say much more." Axia said, clearly relieved as she left the tent.

"All that bravado just now, and she’s actually scared." Cheng Ziang shook his head with a wry smile.

"I am not scared!" A stubborn voice came from the tent.

"Keep it down, focus on the check." Luo’er said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.

Then, it took the two of them a little over three hours to examine all the bodies in the campsite. To their surprise, the campsite looked quite normal on the surface, just a bit too quiet. In reality, all the tents contained the twisted dead, many of whom had even been killed in their sleep, their bodies bearing the same traces.

"Forty-two bodies in total, thirty-nine of them died from Magic Power Erosion, three from gunshot suicides," Cheng Ziang said to Luo’er after the check, cleaning his hands with alcohol.

"It seems that something terrible happened two nights ago," Luo’er said while pouring alcohol for him, voicing his own suspicions, "but what I’m curious about is why these people didn’t run. Why did most of them die inside their tents?"

"Perhaps there was something terrible wandering outside that night, so they didn’t dare leave their tents?" Cheng Ziang said calmly, suggesting a frightening scenario.

"Don’t scare me, you don’t actually believe in so-called ’ghosts,’ do you?" Luo’er’s face changed, then he added with a bitter smile.

"Having been in this world for a few years, you should know that there are indeed many strange things in this world," Cheng Ziang stated matter-of-factly.

"If it’s something like Fula, I wouldn’t be so afraid. Of course, one can’t describe it as a ghost, after all, Fula should be considered a demigod," Luo’er shrugged and said.

"Luo’er," Cheng Ziang suddenly thought of something, and looked at Luo’er with a smile, saying, "Since neither of us fears ghosts, why don’t we spend the night at this campsite tonight, see if we can encounter this so-called ghost..."

"This..." Luo’er stared at him, his facial expression freezing.

"You’re not scared, are you?" Cheng Ziang asked.

"Of course not," Luo’er shook his head but with a worried look, "so many corpses around here..."

"Ah, what’s there to be afraid of with corpses? The people are already dead, they can’t jump out and mess with us, right?" Cheng Ziang shrugged, saying fearlessly.

"But if this ghost can kill people with magic, wouldn’t that be dangerous for us?" Luo’er still had reservations.

"It’s alright, we could bring Fula with us, so if we encounter danger she could cast a shield to absorb the magic and protect us," Cheng Ziang suggested.

"But Fula might not be very willing to watch over this with us..." Luo’er hesitated.

"It’s you who are scared, isn’t it, Luo’er?" Cheng Ziang looked at him, squinting, "You claim to be an atheist, you’re not going to wimp out because of these corpses, right?"

"Of course I’m not backing down, but aren’t you scared?" Luo’er quickly deflected, turning the focus back on Cheng Ziang.

"With you around, I’m not scared," Cheng Ziang replied without hesitation.

"What’s this got to do with me..." Hearing his words, Luo’er asked with a wry smile.

"Having you, an atheist, backing me up does make me feel a lot more at ease," Cheng Ziang spoke honestly.

"Fine, let’s clear out a tent and stay the night, it will be good mental preparation before going down to the tomb," Luo’er said, looking towards Aunt Axia and Tangmo who were studying the entrance of the tomb a short distance away. He shook his head, then added, "If we can’t handle this so-called ghost, I feel like going down into the tomb is just courting death. After a close call last time, we need to be more cautious this time around; we don’t get opportunities like this every day."

Afterward, Luo’er discussed their plan with Tangmo, who showed concern for both of them, along with dissatisfaction with Cheng Ziang’s bold actions.

However, since Luo’er had approved the matter, Tangmo’s criticism was futile, and she could only let them proceed with their reckless efforts. The anxious Tangmo had Feng stay behind to protect them along with Fulajie’er, forming both physical and magic layers of protection.

With preparations complete, Luo’er and Cheng Ziang emptied a tent and then summoned various items to pile up around the tent, to be used as cover. Although these makeshift barricades seemed useless, they could psychologically provide a defensive boost.

As for the corpses, Luo’er had to admit that he wasn’t without fear—but he wasn’t overly scared either. Even as an atheist, he was willing to believe in karma; he felt that since he had not killed these people himself, they shouldn’t come looking for trouble with him as vengeful ghosts.

As the saying goes, "A clear conscience fears no midnight knocking"—this kind of thought generally serves as psychological self-comfort and is not superstitious.

As evening arrived, after a brief exchange with Luo’er and the others, they watched them leave. Luo’er, Cheng Ziang, and Feng stayed inside the tent, quietly waiting for night to fall.

"Luo’er, are you really going to stay here?" Fulajie’er asked with wide eyes, her voice tinged with panic.

"Of course, if you’re scared, I can go give the pendant to Momo," Luo’er nodded as he spoke.

"I’m not scared. Don’t give the pendant to that bad woman. I want to stay and protect you," Fulajie’er shook her head as she spoke.

"Thank you," Luo’er said gratefully.

"I’m scared of this feeling, but I’m more scared of losing you, Luo’er. You promised to stay with me forever—you must never lie to me," Fulajie’er said with emotion.

"Uh..." Luo’er blushed, scratching his head awkwardly.

"Hey, can you two not treat me like a third wheel? At least pretend I’m not here or something, it’s really quite cheesy," Cheng Ziang couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh.

"It’s not cheesy, it’s an outpouring of true feelings. What do you rough men know!" Fulajie’er retorted unhappily.

"Alright, alright, true feelings. On another note, it is really cold in here. Now, I’m starting to wonder if these people were frozen to death rather than succumbing to Magic Power Erosion," Cheng Ziang said, shivering as he huddled his neck.

Because they had to lie low, they had no chance to light a bonfire for warmth, but thankfully their clothes were inscribed with runes that provided heat. Moreover, with Cheng Ziang’s Snow Elf lineage, he wasn’t as cold as he made it sound.

Cheng Ziang looked over at Feng who was seated on a blanket, meditating with her eyes closed, looking serene.

Feng had magic power stored within her body; she could circulate this power through her veins to generate heat, so she was even less bothered by the cold compared to the others.

"Feng, do you sense anything?" Cheng Ziang couldn’t help but ask.

At his question, Feng abruptly opened her eyes, then shook her head vigorously.

"Scared?" Cheng Ziang inquired.

"Scared!" Although Feng said that, she firmly shook her head.

"So, are you scared or not? You have a quite a unique way of expressing yourself," Cheng Ziang said with a wry smile.

Noticing their conversation, Luo’er looked over at Feng and said to her, "Feng, come sit a bit closer, don’t be so formal."

"Oh!" Feng obediently followed Luo’er’s request. Upon hearing his words, she stood up from the blanket, picked it up, and seated herself next to Luo’er again.

"How come she’s so willing to listen to you?" Cheng Ziang shook his head, speaking helplessly.

"I am the captain, so isn’t it normal for her to listen to me?" Luo’er stated as a matter of course.