Chapter 66: Deep Mountain Strange Traces·First Glimpse of Clues

Leaving the area of Jiao Tu Zhen, the eastward road was quickly swallowed by the wilderness.

The official road had long been submerged in war and weeds; Chen Wen led an eleven‑person squad.

They could only rely on the rough direction provided by Qian Gui and the experience of squad members who were hunters by birth.

They trudged hard through the endless hills and the gradually steepening mountain foothills.

The early‑spring mountains looked full of life, but actually hid dangers.

The mud from unfinished snowmelt, tangled roots and vines, and possible cliffs and gullies at any moment greatly slowed their march.

For ordinary soldiers, staying alert and moving quickly in such terrain consumes enormous stamina and spirit.

On the afternoon of the second day after entering the mountains, the squad took a brief rest in a sheltered mountain hollow.

The scouting vanguard returned, their faces weary:

"Leader, the road ahead is getting harder and harder; at this speed,

we'll probably need another three or four days to get close to the rumored destroyed Zhang Jia Ao."

Chen Wen looked at the panting squad members, sweat soaking their backs.

Knowing that regular marching was too inefficient and would prematurely drain their combat strength,

he rose to his feet, swept his gaze over everyone, and said in a low voice:

"This won't do.

Everyone, perk up, from now on!

I'll use some methods to help you speed up and sharpen your senses.

Remember, follow my steps closely and stay alert!"

Hearing this, the squad members' spirits lifted; they all knew the leader had "inscrutable" tricks, and they looked forward eagerly.

Chen Wen focused his mind, concentrating his thoughts on the system interface in his mind.

Ability Granting — Broad Mode, double effect, emphasizing physical endurance and sensory acuity!

An invisible ripple spread from him, gently covering the ten squad members.

In an instant, a wondrous change occurred.

The squad members felt a warm current surge through their bodies; their previously sore legs seemed infused with new strength, and the heaviness greatly lessened.

Even more astonishing, their hearing and vision became extraordinarily clear.

The flutter of distant birds' wings, the subtle differences of wind through various leaves,

even the damp earth scent in the air and a faint floral fragrance became distinctly clear.

The surrounding environment seemed to shift from a blurry backdrop to a high‑def 3D map, every detail vividly known.

"This… I feel full of vigor!"

"I can see much farther than before! I can even see the scars on those trees over there!"

The squad members were both startled and delighted, whispering about their sensations.

"Conserve strength, stay quiet!"

Chen Wen gave a low shout, took the first step, "Follow me!"

With doubled stamina and senses, the squad's marching speed surged.

Chen Wen, like a seasoned hunter, always found the most effortless and safest path.

The squad members followed closely, steps light, movements agile, easily leaping over rocks that once required hard climbing, precisely avoiding slippery moss and hidden pits.

The whole squad moved like a silent stream, swiftly and silently seeping deep into the mountains.

The boost in efficiency was immediate.

What was originally planned to take half a day was completed before sunset.

At dusk, the squad reached a slightly elevated ridge.

According to the map and refugees' descriptions, the area below the ridge should be the first target—Zhang Jia Ao.

However, when the squad members used their enhanced vision to look down, everyone's heart sank.

The imagined village's cooking smoke never appeared; instead, there was a silent ruin.

Crumbling walls and broken beams in the twilight looked like feral skeletons, charred timber scattered everywhere.

The whole village had no lights, not a sound of people.

Not even a dog's bark or a rooster's crow could be heard; only the wind whistling through broken window lattices made a mournful noise.

"On guard, approach slowly."

Chen Wen's face grew grave as he issued the order.

He first took down the strong crossbow on his back; the squad members followed suit, forming a battle formation and carefully moving down the ridge.

The nearer they got to the village, the more apparent the faint, chilling aura in the air became.

This was not the natural chill of a mountain night, but a bone‑deep cold tinged with a faint fishy smell, making people feel oppressed and irritable involuntarily.

Several squad members with especially keen perception had already furrowed their brows, instinctively gripping their weapons tighter.

Chen Wen was all too familiar with this aura—killing intent!

Although it was much fainter than in the mine, its nature was the same.

But here the killing intent seemed more… mixed, blended with an indescribable sense of destruction.

Upon entering the village gate, the grim sight was even more shocking.

Houses were either burned down or violently torn apart, with broken furniture and farming tools scattered on the ground.

Some dark brown stains stubbornly seeped into the soil and walls, silently telling of past bloodshed.

"Search the whole village, stay safe, work in pairs, look for any valuable clues."

Chen Wen gave the order, then he himself walked toward a relatively open clearing in the village center.

On the open ground, the scene was even more eerie.

This place seems to have undergone a concentrated massacre or ritual, with the stains on the ground unusually dense.

Chen Wen crouched down and examined carefully.

Beside a patch of charred marks, he keenly discovered several pieces of black feathers.

The feathers were hard in texture, shedding an ominous metallic sheen, utterly unlike ordinary crow feathers.

He picked up a feather; a faint icy sting prickled his fingertips—residual killing aura.

It's the Iron Crow Army! Chen Wen concluded in his heart.

Just then, a team member responsible for searching the peripheral houses called out softly: "Chief! Come quick!"

Chen Wen immediately rushed over.

He saw that team member carefully pry out a small half-section of a wooden box buried in the soil from beneath a pile of collapsed beams.

The wooden box was already damaged, and inside lay scattered several irregular small stones.

Most were ordinary stones, but one or two of them faintly glowed with an extremely weak blue light in the twilight.

Chen Wen's pupils contracted as he picked up those few glowing stones.

They were icy to the touch, seemingly containing some strange energy within.

They shared the same source as the huge Nether Energy Crystal Ore he had seen in the mine earlier, only differing vastly in size and energy intensity.

"Fragments of Nether Energy Crystal Ore..."

Chen Wen murmured. The Iron Crow Army didn't just slaughter the village; they were also searching for this stuff?

Were these fragments originally belonging to the villagers, or were they dropped by the Iron Crow Army?

The clues were fragmented yet shocking.

Village slaughter, crow feathers, killing aura, Nether Energy Crystal Ore fragments...

All this pointed to the Iron Crow Army, yet their purpose seemed all the more bewildering.

To brutally destroy an ordinary mountain village...

Could it be merely for the possibly existing, insignificant crystal ore fragments?

Night fell completely, the ruin-like Zhang Jia Ao shrouded in darkness.

Only the torches in the team members' hands cast a flickering light, illuminating their solemn and angry faces.

With their first step eastward, they stepped into the cruel scene left by the enemy, catching a glimpse of the ferocity lurking beneath the tip of the iceberg.

Chen Wen gripped the crystal ore fragments and crow feather in his hand, his gaze like a torch, piercing the darkness as he looked deeper into the mountains.

He knew that a more dangerous and bizarre truth awaited them ahead.