Chapter 17

Everyone’s gaze quickly turned to him, leaving Wu Heng momentarily stunned.

Only then did he realize that they were addressing him.

Looking at the miner who behaved just like a zombie, Wu Heng was somewhat speechless.

Despite being a Necromancer, his skills were limited to conjuring spells.

He wasn’t an actual scholar; how could he possibly comprehend this predicament?

Nevertheless, having been spoken to, he felt compelled to step forward and assess the situation of the miner.

The miner was wild-eyed, frothing at mouth.

He was like a madman wishing to attack those standing nearby.

His pupils remained focused, and his skin didn’t reveal the typical zombie conditions.

Wu Heng took off his gloves and touched the skin around the miner’s neck.

He could feel the warmth of a human body; there was no trace of necromancy.

Compared to a zombie, the person seemed more like a patient afflicted with rabies.

Violent, insane, like a wild beast.

The only difference from a zombie was that the human life signs were still present in his body.

“It’s not necromancy, but more like madness,” Wu Heng said, quickly adding, “we can’t, however, rule out other forms of necromancy.”

Even though he has not encountered many undead creatures, he could confirm that this miner wasn’t transformed by necromancy.

Soon after, Curly Hair the Investigator also came forward about his conclusions.

His findings were similar.

With a nod, Pulamon casually tossed the crazed miner aside, instructing, “Tie up all those who are still alive; don’t let them hinder our investigation.”

“Yes Sir!” responded the guards. They retrieved the ropes and rags from the village and started to tie up the miners.

About half of the more than twenty insane miners had died during the initial engagement, and remaining miners were all wounded.

With such severe injuries, and their manic struggles, it was clear that even if they woke up later, they would be left disabled.

Well, at least it was better than being killed directly by the guards.

Soon, the miners were tightly bound, and thrown into a wooden hut.

After ensuring there were no other immediate dangers, the investigation team continued to venture into the heart of the village.

The village was utterly deserted.

Dilapidated and desolate.

Along the path, they could see barrels and mining drafts placed randomly, clothes hung out to dry.

The guards marched in formation, chatting quietly amongst themselves.

The professional team trailed behind.

Cavina began to whisper, “This is no simple case of missing villagers.”

The information they received from Black Stone Town, known as well as from the mine owner, indicated that the villagers had disappeared.

Gone without a trace.

But what they encountered was a completely different situation.

Crazy miners had rushed out, contrasting the missing villagers’ reports.

“Two possibilities: either the situation has changed over time, the missing villagers have returned to the village, and some factors have driven them mad. Or, the person providing the information has concealed the truth,” Wu Heng analyzed.

“No kidding!” Cavina scoffed.

“What I mean is, if it is the latter, then our situation might be in peril.”

His voice was soft, but eerily quiet surroundings.

Upon hearing this, everyone turned pale and exchanged glances.

If it is the latter, then the investigation itself might be a trap, and their team likely walked right into the enemy’s ploy.

Considering the previous missing investigation team, it was even more worrisome.

These two possibilities are straightforward to understand after some discussion.

Once the team grasped the situation, they became somewhat uneasy.

After a brief silence, Curly Hair, the investigator, countered, “The mine owner has no reason to lie. The mine is his main source of income. He should be more anxious than anyone else when trouble arises here. There’s no reason for him to deceive us. Besides, misleading an investigation could have severe consequences.”

That made sense.

Indeed that made sense.

Wu Heng nodded in agreement.

Blindly speculating at this point would only complicate matters.

…

The team continued along the path.

The village was larger than they had expected. The houses were scattered and intertwined, forming a complex network of paths.

There was an increasing amount of debris scattered along the way.

Mining carts, mining drafts and stones piled up like small hills of junk.

Several thick trees, hung with hemp ropes and pieces of cloth, swayed back and forth in the breeze, like hanging curtains.

The wind stirred them gently, creating a tranquil yet eerie atmosphere.

Soon, the team crossed the village and spotted a large mountain.

The Mining Village was built around this mountain.

Years of mining had resulted in numerous cavities in the mountain.

“There are people over there,” a guard mentioned.

Looking ahead, among a pile of rubble and junk, they could see three bodies.

The squad hastily approached, their faces grim.

Based on their clothing, they were members of the missing investigation team.

Indeed, someone dared to lay hands on the investigation team.

This situation was probably much worse than they had initially anticipated.

Curly hair started examining the bodies and found a notebook in one of the deceased’s pockets. He opened it to inspect.

Wu Heng and the others gathered around to read its contents by dusk’s dim light.

[The village is vacant but still contains traces of daily life…] revealed the notebook.

The initial entries recorded the state of the deserted village.

Unlike Wu Heng’s team, the previous investigation team hadn’t encountered any crazed villagers at the village entrance. Their findings matched the information from Black Stone Town: the village was empty and its inhabitants were missing.

However, they had more time on their hands, enabling them to inspect the interior of the houses only to find nothing helpful.

Curly hair then turned to the second page.

[In the dead of night, the village lit up. There was a hubbub. We followed the light to the village center, where we saw that the open space was filled with the missing villagers. They congregated as if they were at a dance party.]

[Some burst into song, blood flowing from their mouths. Some were dancing, their feet bloody and mangled. They behaved like they were insane.]

[We waited until dawn, the crazed villagers started heading towards the mine. We followed to see where they were hiding and why they became this way.]

The notebook entries ended there.

The latter entries provide useful clues.

At night, crazy villagers would show up to sing and dance. At that time, their mental states were already problematic.

When they arrived at the site, the villagers’ conditions worsened, becoming uncontrollable.

By dawn, they would start walking towards the mine.

And this investigation team, every one of them ended up dead at the foot of the mountain.

Were they discovered?

That shouldn’t be the case, they managed to track them up until the hill. How were they discovered right at the end?

Wu Heng analyzed the situation, about to speak,

He realized everyone’s gaze was fixed on him.

“What on earth are you staring at?”

Wu Heng instinctively took a step forward, everyone simultaneously took a step back, casting wary eyes at something behind him.

Damn it!

In an instant, Wu Heng felt a chill run down his spine, causing his hair to stand on end.