Chapter 223

223. Chapter 221: Upon hearing of the demon, one's complexion changes; report to the capital.

The other members of the research team were still worried about the woman's safety, trying to contact the outside world, but Song Ze stopped them.

"No need to fight."

Looking closely, his face turned pale, his body trembling violently; someone accidentally touched Song Ze's hand and felt like a block of ice, cold radiating from inside to outside.

The others hurriedly asked, "Professor, what's wrong with you? Is the mountain temperature too low?"

Song Ze took a deep breath to calm himself, lowered his voice and said, "Don't you find it strange? How could a human possibly sit among demons peacefully, without even arguing or making noise?"

"This woman is definitely abnormal!"

After hearing him say that, the others also noticed the abnormality; from the demons' attitudes, they hadn't harmed this woman—in fact, their demeanor showed an indescribable respect.

Would ordinary humans earn respect from a group of demons?

The answer is obvious.

Song Ze stared at the graceful figure inside the wooden hut, fear flashing in his aged eyes; he swallowed and spoke word by word:

"I suspect this woman might be a demon that has taken human form!"

Since these demons can speak human language, stand upright like humans, and even plow fields, water crops, fish, cook, etc., they display extraordinary intelligence.

Then taking human form is not so surprising.

Upon hearing this, everyone sucked in a breath of cold air.

"A demon in human form!"

A deathly silence spread among them, and everyone couldn't help but shiver.

"A great demon?! Professor, you must be joking."

Song Ze's face also turned pale: "Do I look like I'm joking?"

We thought these things only existed in myths and supernatural tales, yet they actually exist in reality—this is utterly terrifying!

It completely overturned their imagination.

Just as everyone was at a loss, the next second they suddenly widened their eyes, feeling an invisible pressure pressing down on their heads, making it hard to breathe.

An inexplicable chill rose from their feet, quickly spreading throughout their bodies; soon they became rigid as if their blood had turned to ice.

They felt as if they were in a frozen hell, their breathing becoming labored, like fish out of water with no chance to fight back.

"What, what is going on?"

"I feel like I can't breathe properly."

The research team members' faces turned bluish-white; unknown when, the surrounding light grew dimmer, yin winds blowing everywhere, making them barely able to keep their eyes open.

The surrounding trees rustled eerily, like ghosts wailing and wolves howling, making it seem as if evil spirits filled the air.

The unfathomable forest seemed like a fissure in an abyss, from which countless bone-chilling winds blew; the research team members appeared to be under a paralysis spell, stiff and unmoving.

Unimaginable fear surged into everyone's hearts.

They stared at each other, and due to extreme fear, the reflections in their eyes were all their teammates' distorted faces; they blinked in shock, like frightened quail trembling nonstop.

Song Ze felt an intense stare, as if a powerful being had fixed its gaze on him, sending a bone‑deep chill through him; his knees buckled and he almost collapsed to the ground.

He looked at the telescope's image and finally understood what was causing all of this.

The fierce tiger that had been facing away from everyone, clutching a black pot, had at some point turned around and now faced directly toward them!

Its stature was like a small hill, its deep beast eyes flashing with countless gleams, exuding a primordial and savage aura, like a vast wilderness mountain, it came charging straight at them; the sharpness on its tusks could easily bite through their throats.

Seeing the scene clearly, Song Ze's eyes almost burst; his legs trembled, he clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms, and blood soon appeared.

Although there was a certain distance between them and the tiger's wooden hut, Song Ze already saw the shadow of the Grim Reaper wielding a scythe.

The pain shooting through his body broke the paralysis of fear, and Song Ze finally came to his senses under the pressure, barely squeezing out a single word from his mouth.

「Go! 」

Song Ze's voice was hoarse, he lowly roared, as if using all his strength.

「Quick, go! 」

「Go on! 」

Song Ze's hoarse, blood‑tinged howl made the other research team members react as well, and they all shuddered.

Gazing at the distant scene, the fear in their eyes almost took on a tangible form.

Could it really be a demon?!

Just like the spirit monsters described in those weird tales, possessing tremendous Divine Ability!

All that they now faced caused the research team members' worldview, already on the verge of collapse, to finally crumble completely.

They summoned their utmost speed, almost using hands and feet alike, and ran deep into the jungle; the dense forest, like a colossal beast lurking in the darkness, quickly swallowed their silhouettes.

By contrast, the distant wooden hut seemed like a utopia, but the research team knew it was an illusion; inside lived a fearsome Great Demon!

Compared to the research team's chaos, the interior of the hut was peaceful and tranquil.

The woman in white seemed to sense something, turning her head to look toward the direction Song Ze and the others were fleeing; if the research team had not left at this moment, they would surely be stunned by her beauty.

Her skin is like autumn water, her bones like divine jade; her face like lotus, her brows like willows—hard to imagine that such a woman exists in this world; she hardly seems a mortal of the red dust.

Only occasionally, amidst a dazed moment, one could almost see the woman's White Bone aspect.

"Someone just came by."

The woman's voice was ethereal and clear, drifting within the wooden hut.

The Northeast Tiger and the black wolf nodded, "Yeah, when I was cooking earlier, they knocked on the door, saying they were here to do research, then they let out a yell and ran off—really impolite."

Saying this, the Northeast Tiger grew a bit annoyed, "If it weren't for them, my soup wouldn't have burned!"

This is also why, after sensing the research team's gaze, the Northeast Tiger released a bit of pressure to intimidate them, wanting to give them a taste of its power—considered a minor punishment to serve as a warning.

If the Northeast Tiger truly meant to strike, these people would have no chance of survival.

The fox beside them glanced at the pitch‑black pot, its face full of lingering fear, and patted its chest, saying, "Good thing your soup burned; otherwise we'd have to drink this stuff."

The Northeast Tiger glared with its tiger eyes, shook its whiskers, and said, "What do you mean by that? Not being able to taste my cooking is your lack of fortune."

The fox disagreed, "Whether one wants this fortune is up to them; I don't want it. Speaking of which, do you even have cooking skills? Others stir-fry with their feet and still do better than you; you just feel good about yourself."

The Northeast Tiger instantly flared up, "You stinking fox, you want to fight again, don't you?"

Seeing the two monsters start arguing again, the other monsters took it as usual.

The black bear spoke up, asking, "Then how should we handle this squad?"

The woman pondered for a moment, "This is the Demon Ancestor's dwelling; outsiders must not disturb it. I just don't know why the demon race withdrew the formation before closing off..."

Besides, they're not bad people; they were probably just startled earlier and have already come down the mountain, so let's just go with them.

When Ye Qin was in seclusion, he had once warned them not to kill innocents indiscriminately, lest they incur karma; the monsters have always kept this in mind.

If they were bad people, it would be fine, but if they accidentally killed good people, during their tribulation the heavenly thunder would intensify and settle every account, which would be detrimental to them.

Moreover, the pressure released by the Northeast Tiger just now is hard for ordinary people to endure; although their bodies suffer little harm, they will surely have nightmares for several nights, which can be considered punishment for offending them.

……

The forest was gloomy and deep, ancient trees encircling it; the research team members staggered through, panic-stricken, fear almost spilling from their faces.

Because they panicked and didn't watch the road, their bodies and faces were covered with many tiny cuts, all accidentally scraped by roadside branches, yet they seemed to feel no pain, running for their lives.

Fortunately, when they first entered the mountain forest, seeing the complex terrain and many trees, they made markers along the way to avoid getting lost.

Even though they had already left that utopian place, nobody dared to stop, fearing the Great Demon inside would chase them.

Just a single gaze was enough to terrify them so; if its true form descended, what kind of appearance would it have? They simply couldn't imagine.

They didn't know how long they had run, but finally burst out of the forest; seeing the small path they had taken up the mountain, they were so excited they almost cried out.

Stepping on the brown earth, they felt as if they had finally come back to life; without the towering trees blocking the view, their vision opened up, and even their breathing felt no longer constricted.

It was already evening; the sun set behind the mountains, the sunset's afterglow draped over the peaks, casting a deep shadow, making the distant mountains' outlines blur and turn into towering colossi standing on this land.

They couldn't help but shiver; at that moment they felt surreal, having actually run out of there.

They were just a hair's breadth away from becoming the monsters' meal.

Everyone's face was deathly pale, drenched in sweat; after running that distance, they all looked as if they'd been fished out of water, exhausted to the extreme.

Professor—

A team member opened his mouth as if wanting to say something.

Song Ze waved his hand, panting heavily, and said, "Although we've run out, the sun has set; this place is still unsafe—what if those monsters also run out?"

Everyone's face turned pale again; the mountain wind blew over, and the sweat-soaked clothes clung to their bodies, giving a clammy, sticky feeling, as if someone kept blowing cool air on the back of their necks.

The research team members dared not linger; they hurried down the mountain, not even stopping to catch their breath, and after getting into the vehicle they stomped the accelerator and left the great mountain.

On the highway, the sky had completely darkened; the bright headlights illuminated both sides of the road, and the endless green mountains in the distance turned into a tiny black dot, vanishing entirely from everyone's sight.

Only when they could no longer see any trace of Longyuan Mountain did the research team, whose nerves had been stretched taut, finally relax enough to pull over and rest.

"It was truly terrifying; I can't even imagine that we managed to come out alive."

"That's right—who would have thought there were monsters there, and even a Great Demon capable of taking human form?"

"I never expected that we, as researchers, would encounter something so fantastical; even now I still find it hard to believe."

After a long, exhausting journey with no rest, compounded by a tremendous fright, everyone's faces showed signs of fatigue.

Recalling their experience in the mountains, they still feel lingering fear; scenes like tigers cooking, turtles fishing, monkeys seeing doctors, and so on will likely become unforgettable images and memories for them.

……

Compared to the research team, exhausted from rushing about in the mountains, the personnel of the 749 Bureau were also busy like spinning tops, hardly having time to drink water.

The documents piled on Wang Xuehao's desk could form a small hill, and the dark circles under his eyes showed he had stayed up several nights in a row.

These are all materials concerning anomalous events from various places.

In addition, the 749 Bureau has gathered earlier strange matters about Longyuan Mountain and compiled them all together.

Xu Tiancheng then brought over a stack of files, saying, "Captain, these are case files I transferred from the Wu Du Police Station; they concern murders that occurred on Longyuan Mountain, and to this day no culprit has been found, so they remain unsolved."

Some of these files are even classified.

Wang Xuehao skimmed through the documents at a glance, and his gaze grew increasingly solemn.

These matters appear unrelated at first glance, but they all point to the "Mountain God" of Longyuan Mountain; moreover, the villagers at the mountain's base firmly believe in it, and upon closer examination, some things indeed defy ordinary explanation.

When they previously went to investigate, although some strange occurrences happened, they never saw the true form of the so‑called Mountain God.

I don't know whether this research team will uncover any useful new clues, but hopefully they won't encounter any danger.

"Beep‑beep‑beep—"

Just as Wang Xuehao was pondering, the video phone suddenly rang—it was the research team calling.

"Professor Song, how is the situation on your end?"

As soon as Wang Xuehao answered, he eagerly asked, only then realizing that in the video, Song Ze and the others looked pallid and disheveled, as if they had just fled from danger.

Fortunately, they bore no obvious injuries.

Song Ze's eyes were somewhat deep, a heavy gloom hanging beneath them, making his gaze appear murky; he took a deep breath and said.

"Captain Wang, what I am about to say is what our entire research team witnessed with our own eyes—there is absolutely no falsehood."

"What we saw and experienced on Longyuan Mountain is utterly beyond ordinary imagination; it could even be said to overturn the world."

"You could never guess what we have gone through, and what we have seen will bring tremendous change to this world!"

Hearing Song Ze's words, Wang Xuehao's breath caught, and his expression grew grave.

What exactly did the research team discover on Longyuan Mountain?!

To the extent that Song Ze would actually say such things.

For a moment, his curiosity peaked.

Not only Wang Xuehao, but other members of the 749 Bureau were also drawn in—including Yao Ruotong and Xu Tiancheng—who temporarily set aside their work.

What discovery could possibly change the world? Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?

Everyone had curious and confused looks, watching Song Ze in the video.

Song Ze didn't beat around the bush, went straight to the point: "We saw monsters."

???

For a moment, the people of the 749 Bureau felt it was absurd to the extreme; this sounded nothing like something a rigorous, professional professor would say.

Yet even stranger things were still to come, as Song Ze began recounting the research team's experience on Longyuan Mountain.

"We found a place like a utopia deep in Longyuan Mountain, expecting humans to live there, but instead all the inhabitants were monsters: tigers that could cook, black bears that farmed, and turtles that fished, and they could speak human language."

Hearing Song Ze's description, Wang Xuehao and the others' expressions grew more complex; those who didn't know thought they were listening to a wild fantasy, and he couldn't help but interrupt Song Ze.

"Professor Song, are you saying you found a group of monsters deep in the mountains, and among them there is a great demon capable of taking human form?"

Song Ze nodded firmly: "That's right."

Wang Xuehao in the video was clearly silent, and not just him—even the other 749 Bureau personnel momentarily didn't know what to say.

If it weren't for the identical face in the video, they would almost have suspected Song Ze had been replaced, or that he had suffered some great shock.

Wang Xuehao couldn't help but say: "Professor, are you just too exhausted, not rested well, or under too much pressure?"

Although he put it gently, Song Ze still understood the implication behind his words.

Had it been my former self, I would have found it hard to believe without personal experience, and might even have thought this person was crazy.

"Captain Wang, these are what our team personally witnessed; we have no need to deceive you—there really are monsters deep in Longyuan Mountain! This is our discovery, seen by all those eyes."

The other research team members quickly nodded as well: "We can all testify, it's definitely not a hallucination or a trick of the sight."

Back then everyone was too frightened to record what they saw; otherwise it would have been far more convincing.

But asking the research team to go back to Longyuan Mountain to film again, they no longer have that courage—they probably would never set foot in that place for the rest of their lives.

"In short, this mountain is extremely dangerous, not something ordinary people can easily approach; we were lucky this time to save our lives, the government's idea of a blockade is absolutely correct, and even you cannot get close, or the consequences would be unpredictable."

Looking at Song Ze's confident and composed demeanor, speaking with order and clarity, even the other research team members felt the same; combined with the clues the 749 Bureau had previously uncovered, Wang Xuehao and the others had actually long suspected that this world hides some unknown secrets.

Therefore, although they haven't seen it with their own eyes now, and the research team's account sounds far-fetched, the idea has actually already begun to sway in their minds.

Perhaps…… this is real?!

"Alright, I won't keep you any longer; we still need to rush back to the capital to report to the chief. This call is just to share information with you, hoping to draw your attention. The rest of the actions will be discussed after I return to the capital."

After hanging up the video call, the faces of the 749 Bureau personnel showed various expressions, and they fell into a prolonged silence. (End of chapter)