Chapter 184: Raven (Cultivation)

It looks like some kind of bird.

Its size is slightly larger than a crow, its feathers a dirty gray‑black, yet under the mineral lamp's light the plumage faintly reflects an ominous blue‑purple metallic sheen.

Their eyes are the source of those red dots—crimson, cruel, brimming with hunger.

At this moment, these Ravens perch on a rocky protrusion, pecking at something with their heads down.

The faint glow of the mineral lamp illuminates the "food" beneath their feet.

They are several shattered remains, the wreckage of Mutation bats, with fur and tiny bones scattered on the ground.

Mutation Ravens?

Shen Zexi watched the scene before him in disbelief.

Ravens do have scavenging habits, that's true, but how could they be in a cavern this deep underground?

There is no normal food source for them here, nor is it near their usual habitat.

Could the lifestyle of Mutation Ravens have changed due to the effects of Mutation?

While Shen Zexi was pondering those Ravens, several of them had already noticed the light from the mineral lamp in his hand.

Unlike bats that fear light, Ravens love anything that shines.

A bat corpse itself offers only a little flesh; once something more enticing appears, this "meager" food becomes discardable trash.

They all turned their heads in unison, dozens of crimson eyes simultaneously locking onto the few people above.

"Gua—!!!"

A harsh, raspy screech rang out; one Raven spread its wings into an attacking stance, and the others immediately began to move.

Shen Zexi didn't hesitate and spoke at once:

"They're few in number; deal with them quickly, and watch out—their beaks and claws may be poisonous!"

A few mutated Ravens instantly transformed into black arrows, charging from different angles at astonishing speed.

Ying Duo had been ready to fire; if Qi Hengyu hadn't just pinned him down, he would have drawn his gun and unleashed a volley of bullets.

They'll have to fight sooner or later, but the plot insists on following a procedure.

"Bang bang!"

"Sss—!"

Ying Duo's bullets and Shen Zexi's Lightning Chains struck the two Ravens almost simultaneously.

The hit Ravens shrieked as they fell to the ground, instantly turning into a puff of black smoke that vanished.

The few had no time to attend to that, simply ending the battle as quickly as possible.

These mutated Ravens were unusually ferocious, yet against those who had already fought together several times, they caused little trouble.

A faint charred smell lingered in the air, and the ground was littered with the shattered bat corpses, but the Ravens they had eliminated left no trace.

Is this normal?

The few wore grim expressions, moving forward to examine the bat corpses, trying to glean any clues.

But no matter how they looked, they could only reach one conclusion: the Ravens had emerged from nowhere and carried out a one‑sided slaughter of the bats.

Ying Duo crouched down; after killing the Ravens, he received no experience notification.

But how could a meaningless storyline exist in a game? Not to mention several NPCs kept emphasizing that this defied logic.

Special, huh? That just means there might be an unexpected discovery.

【Scout】 skill activated; all noteworthy clues were highlighted.

"There are footprints here."

Ying Duo's voice suddenly rang out, and Shen Zexi rushed over, using the mineral lamp to illuminate the area Ying Duo pointed to.

Indeed, they were human footprints, and they appeared to have been made recently.

But how could they appear in this underground cavern? Could they belong to the missing miners?

No, the miners vanished in the upper tunnels, and that was long ago; unless that rampaging, bizarre Aberrant Species carried them, they couldn't have reached here.

But there's no doubt that others are here, possibly plotting some unknown conspiracy.

A worse thought flashed through Shen Zexi's mind: could these mutated Ravens have been deliberately lured or bred here?

——————————————————

Deeper within this abandoned mine shaft lies another, even more labyrinthine natural tunnel.

The man leading the way held a steady‑light mineral lamp, its beam illuminating the area around him completely.

He wore a finely tailored black long coat; at this moment he lifted the hem slightly to avoid brushing dust off the rock wall.

His steps were cautious yet light, standing out against the surrounding dirty, antiquated surroundings.

If Ying Duo were here, he could certainly recognize, through those curved ram's horns, that the refined man he hadn't seen in a while was Bai Mu Yun.

Suddenly, Bai Mu Yun halted his steps, turning back impatiently to glance at the person who had just stopped behind him.

"What nonsense are you spouting now?"

Bai Mu Yun had to mutter, "The Dome truly has no normal people."

The Field Operations Department did send someone, that's true; they were only busy hunting the missing internal assassin, and the higher‑ups could only reassign someone, sending this fool over.

"Can't you be a bit gentler with me?"

The man trailing Bai Mu Yun scratched his hair; his short black hair showed a blue‑purple gradient at the tips in the light, and he couldn't help but complain.

Lu Mu had his hands in his pockets, his posture looking far more relaxed than Bai Mu Yun's, his dark‑brown eyes slightly narrowed.

"It's not that I'm looking for trouble; those gluttonous little cuties of mine seem to have been taken out by someone."

His voice sounded casual, but his demeanor didn't seem indifferent.

"Little cuties?"

Bai Mu Yun instinctively frowned, instantly realizing he was referring to the Ravens that Lu Mu discarded along his path.

But how could anyone else appear in a cave this deep?

"Is it someone from the Supervision Bureau?"

He immediately thought of those search teams belonging to the Supervision Bureau that have been operating near the Black Stone Mountain Range recently.

Aren't they all that scoundrel Shayu Feng? He seems to have hidden the smuggled "goods" in the Black Stone Mountain Range for transshipment, which provoked the Supervision Bureau's carpet‑search.

Given how troublesome those guys are, it's not surprising to discover and deal with a few mutated Ravens, but if they have truly penetrated this place, it could affect their plans.

Lu Mu still wore that nonchalant expression.

"Who knows? Those little guys are fragile to begin with; a single encounter would wipe them out. If we had to say there was any clue…"

Lu Mu deliberately elongated his voice, and seeing a trace of impatience in Bai Mu Yun's eyes, he promptly continued.

"... Does a hint of green count?"

The image transmitted back was far too brief; only the opponent's energy color could be discerned.

But…

"Besides green, also a hint of yellow?"

Lu Mu pondered again carefully, and spoke uncertainly.

Can't help it; that streak of green is just too striking, and the other colors can only serve as its backdrop.

Bai Mu Yun merely rolled his eyes at the remark, and seeing Lu Mu's uncertain expression, he knew the fool hadn't obtained any useful information.

Lu Mu himself clearly felt a bit guilty, and hurriedly changed the subject.

"Regardless of who comes, we must seize the time, Little Bai Bai."