Chapter 1 The Ambush

The mountain path was damp. Their shoes sank into the mud with each step. The dark-faced man with the machete led the way, clearing a path for everyone.

The forest was dense, the canopy high and wide, allowing only a sliver of sky to peek through. It was eerily silent.

It felt as if they were the only living creatures in the woods.

Even before reaching the tunnel, they sensed an unsettling presence lurking nearby.

A restless energy permeated the air, hinting at imminent trouble.

"Doctor," the fatty said, his large pack weighing him down. "There's no path here at all. You don't actually believe what Luo He said, do you? I don't trust him."

He worried about being tricked by Luo He. After all, they had been lured here under false pretenses, and there could be a conspiracy afoot.

"I don't know about conspiracies, but the path should be fine," Huai Yi said, panting. A large flashlight hung from his waist, swaying as he walked. "I checked the map on my phone before we came. If we get over this mountain and keep going, we should reach the mine."

Originally, there were two easier paths to the mine, but according to Luo He, they had been blocked off.

Chen Qiang wore a dark expression and remained silent the whole way. During the introductions, he had noticed that Jiang Cheng was using his real name instead of a pseudonym.

The discovery sent a chill down his spine.

Based on his understanding of Jiang Cheng, the man had no intention of letting anyone besides his own people leave alive.

Luo He, Fu Fu, and Zhao Xingguo were all likely to die here.

Chen Qiang harbored no objections. On the contrary, it strengthened his resolve to follow Jiang Cheng.

The only sounds were the squelch of their boots in the mud and the occasional hushed conversation.

Until they crested the mountain and descended to a relatively flat area halfway down, where the people at the front of the group suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Huai Yi asked, approaching Linghu Yong, who was crouching on the ground.

Although Linghu Yong was crouched down, his eyes darted around warily. "Someone was here recently."

"How do you know?" Huai Yi scanned the area, seeing nothing but mud and fallen leaves.

"My father was a hunter. He taught me how to track and cover my tracks in the forest," Linghu Yong explained.

The forest was deathly still, unlikely to attract hunters. More importantly, whoever had passed through had carefully concealed their presence.

Which was very telling.

"Can you tell how many people there were?" Jiang Cheng asked, stepping forward. He didn't notice anything unusual himself, but if Linghu Yong said something, there must be something to it.

The Greystone Town May train station incident had been upgraded to a B-level paranormal event. Anyone willing to wade into this mess wouldn't be an ordinary person.

"It's hard to say exactly, but definitely a lot," Linghu Yong said, walking forward a few steps and pushing aside some weeds. "Look here, the grass has been trampled down, but the last person in the group tried to lift it back up."

"They deliberately avoided open areas, so as not to leave footprints."

"At least a dozen people," Linghu Yong concluded, studying the ground.

"Could it be the people who went missing last time?" the fatty asked, blinking.

"No," Linghu Yong said, touching the grass. "The tracks are fresh, like they just passed through here."

Anyone entering the mountains at this time, avoiding the main roads and choosing deserted paths, could only have one purpose.

They were headed for the mine, just like them.

Another group had entered the mountains, and they were numerous.

"Let's pick up the pace."

But before they could move, Linghu Yong called for them to stop. He seemed to have found something and was slowly approaching a small mound of earth.

The mound was about 20 meters away, behind a large tree, covered in moss.

The next second, he froze, then suddenly fell. A net hidden beneath the ground sprung up, trapping him.

"Ambush!"

Several fierce-looking men emerged from behind the mound, and others rushed towards them from the side and from behind.

In less than 20 seconds, they were completely surrounded.

To their surprise, their attackers were none other than the residents of Greystone Town. They recognized several faces among those who had come from behind.

There were about 20 of them, mostly older people, along with seven or eight burly men.

But these old folks shouldn't be underestimated. Their bare arms were covered in weathered muscle, and they wielded a variety of weapons, their eyes glinting with malice.

Steel pitchforks, cleavers, even advanced machetes and mountaineering axes.

The townspeople were also strangely equipped. The ones hiding behind the mound wore professional camouflage gear, which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be a low-lying tent draped in camouflage netting.

A layer of fallen leaves provided further cover.

"Looks like we've stumbled into a black market," the dark-faced man said, lifting his machete, but showing no fear.

Although they were outnumbered, as long as their opponents didn't have guns, the outcome was uncertain.

"What is this?" the fatty exclaimed. "Is the whole town a black market? Are they afraid we'll discover their secret gold mining operation and want to silence us?"

The gear worn by the townspeople obviously wasn't theirs. It had probably been scavenged from previous hikers or campers.

Living people wouldn't willingly give up their equipment, but corpses were another matter entirely.

The tension was palpable.

"Who are you people?" a man in his early forties asked, stepping forward, a black machete glinting in his hand. "What are you doing in the back mountains?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I said we were here for sightseeing. I heard there's a gold mine in the back mountains, so I came to try my luck," Jiang Cheng said, narrowing his eyes, unfazed.

The man's expression suggested that he wasn't surprised. "Put down your weapons. I'll take you down the mountain. This isn't a place for you."

"Hey, who are you trying to fool?" the fatty shouted, waving his hiking stick angrily. "You think we're stupid enough to believe that you'll let us go if we put down our weapons? You'll probably just kill us all and bury us in the mountains."

"That won't happen. As long as you go down the mountain and explain your purpose here to the police, we won't harm you," the man said.

"Where did you get that badge on your shoulder?" Luo He suddenly asked, breaking his silence.

The leader was wearing a camouflage jacket with a black patch visible on the shoulder, like an ID of some sort.

The man pulled out the badge, and the dark-faced man, Huai Yi, and the others immediately turned pale.

The badge was small but substantial, solid black with a striking gold symbol.

"Nighthawk?" Huai Yi said, shocked.