Salin had actually died after all. Taking such a huge risk to save someone, only to end up empty-handed in the end.
Lynch couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated. Still, he gripped the round fan to steady his nerves, took Judy—who had reverted to her vacant state—by the hand, and walked out of their barracks.
At some point, a fog had rolled in. A thick mist blanketed the valley, blurring his vision beyond five meters, and even the sun appeared as nothing more than a hazy outline.
It was just past seven o'clock, and the courtyard was already packed with people. The workers had all come out, and the other four members of the archaeological team were also gathered in the yard. The large crowd was in utter chaos.
A worker who had gotten up early to prepare for the day's labor had discovered Salin's corpse while fetching water by the lake. When he returned to wake his fellow workers, they discovered that all six people in one of the barracks had completely vanished. The resulting commotion had woken everyone up, including the other four members of the archaeological team.
The four of them displayed just the right amount of surprise, acting as if nothing had happened last night.
However, Lynch had already figured it out. During those few seconds of lightning-fast exchanges last night, everyone in the archaeological team had participated, either directly or indirectly.
According to his guess, the light represented Rooney, guiding the others to discover Salin. Judy had been the first to notice and played her card, Lynch. The mouse represented Jack Adams, tailing them in secret to spy, only to have his tail cut off to survive after being caught by Glaaki. The vine represented Karl Jones, who had launched a sneak attack that almost succeeded.
On the surface, the only one who hadn't participated was Dr. Jenna. However, Lynch was already well aware of some basic rules of the occult world, one of which was that any anomaly had a deeper underlying cause.
When the other six people were acting abnormally, the only one who seemed normal was actually the abnormal one, and there had to be a reason for it.
The rare and terrifying Glaaki appearing in the lake for no apparent reason, the details of the unknown ritual, and Dr. Jenna, the archaeologist at the core of the team... In an instant, all the clues connected.
There might be something seriously wrong with this woman. Perhaps she was Prince William's undercover agent. Even if she hadn't summoned Glaaki herself, its appearance was surely related to her. Although he couldn't be certain, he had to keep a close eye on her.
“Doctor, there's definitely something wrong with this place. A group of people died here a few years ago, and now things are going wrong the moment we arrive, not to mention six people have gone missing. Let's retreat to the village outside the mountains first.”
“Yeah, Mr. Jones, this place is too terrifying. Let's retreat first.”
Several of the lead workers wrung their hands anxiously, surrounding Dr. Jenna and talking over one another in a deafening clamor.
“With such a heavy fog, are you trying to leave the mountains or just looking to die?” Karl Jones's clothes were disheveled, and a lipstick mark from the doctor was still visible on his face, but his expression was relatively calm. “Do your own jobs first, and remember not to leave the camp. Wait until the fog clears to assess the situation before making a decision. Otherwise, you'll all fall to your deaths on the mountain paths.”
Hearing that they weren't being outright forbidden from leaving, and realizing that his words indeed made sense, the workers' panic was gradually brought under control. Following Karl Jones's orders, they began organizing their tools. Only then did the six members of the archaeological team have the opportunity to gather in secret.
“It actually started fogging up, and it's so thick,” Karl said solemnly as he returned to the group. “Last night, we said we'd find out where the entrance is today. Could this fog be what that meant?”
“I have the same information you do, little Karl,” Dr. Jenna said without even lifting her head, busy fiddling with several sextant-like instruments. “But with such a bizarre occurrence happening so suddenly, it would be stranger if it were unrelated, so there's nothing to be surprised about. What actually concerns me is that Salin is dead. Did any of you notice him acting strangely over the past few days?”
“No.”
The others looked at one another, shaking their heads with bewildered expressions.
“We were companions, after all. Even if it isn't for the smooth completion of the ritual, we still need to find out the cause of his death.” Dr. Jenna put down her instruments and sighed softly. “Let's go check on his condition first, then we can worry about the tomb entrance when we get back.”
Hiss, do you really not know what's going on in the lake?
Lynch's heart tensed. But seeing the others nodding in silent agreement, he maintained his mysterious smile without committing to a stance. In any case, if Glaaki emerged, it wouldn't target him alone. Since none of them were worried, he had nothing to fear.
The swirling fog made it difficult to see the small lake clearly. The group cautiously approached the shore. Only when they were very close did they notice a dark mass lying by the water's edge, which had to be Salin's corpse.
“I heard the fog had already rolled in by early morning. The workers came to the lakeside several times without noticing Salin's corpse. They only found it on their last trip when someone accidentally stepped on it,” Dr. Jenna sighed, saying regretfully, “I didn't let them move the body. I wanted everyone to see it for themselves.”
“Let me take a look. Keep an eye on our surroundings, especially the lake. Don't let anything hide in this thick fog.”
Karl Jones gripped his rapier and cautiously drew near. After a moment's thought, Lynch followed him. Karl didn't object, crouching down beside the corpse, donning gloves, and beginning a practiced examination of the body.
The deceased was indeed Salin, lying face down on the lakeside rocks. His clothes were dry, only slightly damp from the mist.
His skin was deathly pale and bloodless, and the fatal wound was right in his chest. A circular hole pierced the position of his heart, but strangely, there were no bloodstains on his clothes, as if no blood had ever flowed from the wound.
Other than that, there were only a few grazes on his limbs. The grazes were fresh and hadn't even been treated.
After reporting his findings, Karl Jones made a gesturing motion, then stepped aside, keeping his hand on his hilt to help guard the area.
Lynch didn't lean down, merely waving his round fan.
【Authority: Death, Ability: Death Omen】
The ability activated, and his vision shifted.
This time, the process went quite smoothly. There was no fog in his black-and-white vision, and everything was crystal clear. Lynch saw a figure stumbling toward the lakeside.
The black-and-white silhouette, the faltering steps, the dazed expression, and the muttering lips made the bizarre process feel to Lynch like watching Sadako crawl out of a well.
The figure stopped by the lakeside and fell to his knees with a thud, facing the water rigidly. Then, a spike shot out from the lake, piercing straight into Salin's heart, and the shaft of the spike began to squirm and contract continuously.
Yet, after a few seconds, the dazed Salin seemed to suddenly snap awake. He raised a dagger high, hesitated for a moment, and then slashed down at the spike without further delay.
In the next instant, a massive body emerged from the center of the lake, filling his entire black-and-white field of vision.
Thump.
Dressed in women's clothing, Lynch took two steps back, clutching his forehead and frowning slightly as his expression grew grim.
If you all want to put on a play, I'm not going to play along with you.
“There's something in the lake,” Lynch said, his voice calm yet carrying a trace of dissatisfaction. “It's Glaaki.”
Hiss—
The others took two steps back in unison, looking thoroughly shocked. Karl Jones's expression changed dramatically as he whispered, “It indeed looks like the wound left by Glaaki's spike. But how could this be? If he was attacked by Glaaki, why is he dead?”
“No, if the flesh spike is severed before the transformation into a servant is complete, the process will be interrupted, resulting in immediate death.”
The refined Rooney also wore a tense expression, but his words sounded as though he had witnessed it with his own eyes.
“How could Glaaki possibly appear here? Jenna, Karl, didn't Howard mention anything like this to you?”
The bearded Jack Adams's face flushed red as he roared, “Damn it, they never told me I'd have to face a mysterious creature like this!”
“Never.”
For a moment, chaos reigned by the lakeside. Lynch couldn't tell which of their words were genuine and which were part of their acting, finding his mind in utter disarray. But just then, Judy, who had been following behind him holding her books, suddenly spoke up softly: “The fog.”
“Huh? You're awake?” The others were quite surprised, especially Jack, who subconsciously halted his performance.
“The fog is rising from the center of the lake.”
“Damn, it really is.” Jack took a couple of steps back to look. “Hell, I suspect the disappearance of those six workers and Salin's death were sacrifices to open the gate. That's why Glaaki appeared and the fog rose. The gate must be in the lake water.”
Rooney immediately countered, “No, how do you explain the cliff on the other side? Those six yesterday died right in front of the cliff.”
Right, the cliff. Let's go check it out first. We won't have to enter the lake and face Glaaki that way.
Snapping out of it at his words, the group of six immediately left the lakeside and rushed toward the cliff.
Before long, the six of them passed through the woods, and the cliff loomed before them.
The cliff was still the same one from yesterday, but the smooth rock face had already parted to both sides, revealing a massive cave behind it. Billowing clouds of thick fog rolled out from the cave entrance, making their vision even more hazy.
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