Chapter 697: The Whispwood
Chapter 697: Chapter 697: The Whispwood
"Of course, several of the northern provinces have snow-capped mountains—it’s just a matter of how many there are, and how big they are. The Twenty-Four Peaks, which we’re about to cross, were dubbed Morgrul Peak by the ancients thousands of years ago. It earned the name because a large, red bird lives in the peaks. It lets out a bloodcurdling cry, and legend has it that anyone who hears the Red Bird’s cry is doomed to die."
Ryan Rowe tutted. "Serena really is something else. I’m starting to get it now—the more unassuming a place is, the more dangerous and mysterious it turns out to be. Serena doesn’t just have Devil’s City; it’s also got Demon’s Ridge and Morgrul Peak. It’s a full house of monsters and ghouls."
"How long will it take to get through The Twenty-Four Peaks?" This was Evelyn Ford’s primary concern.
"The mountain roads over there have endless twists and turns. It might take four or five hours."
"This patch of desert isn’t exactly small. It’ll probably take us three or four hours to cross it. The weather’s decent today, so let’s make a push and get out of The Whispwood in one go."
After speaking, Evelyn Ford put down her bowl and walked over to a poplar tree. She lifted her foot and kicked the trunk. With a CREAK, it snapped on impact. Evelyn picked up a section of the trunk, examining how dry and weathered it was. ’These trees probably died during the heatwaves of the apocalypse’s third year.’
Evelyn Ford kicked a few more trees. The trunks were incredibly brittle. A light squeeze or a gust of wind was enough to snap the branches.
"Ever since we entered Serena, apart from some weeds at the border, the deeper we go, the fewer living plants we see. Have you noticed? It’s barely rained these past two days."
"The environment here is just brutal. I wonder if there are any survivors left in Serena."
"There might still be survivors in the south, but the northern and central regions are no longer habitable."
After packing up their tents and backpacks, the four of them set out again. The sandy soil in The Whispwood was especially soft, making it difficult for the horses to run. Shortly after they entered the woods, Evelyn Ford spotted a few dead sea buckthorn trees. A sudden gust of wind swept yellow sand toward the group. Evelyn quickly yanked her reins, turning her horse around. The fierce wind died down ten minutes later. Her horse paced restlessly while Evelyn shook the sand from her body.
"Ptui, ptui, ptui... My mouth is full of sand. That wind came swirling around—my horse and I were nearly knocked over." Ryan Rowe made a face, spitting out sand and complaining about The Whispwood’s freakish gales.
"Scared me to death! I thought a sandstorm was coming," Flynn Hansen said. The moment the words were out, Ryan Rowe quickly cut him off.
"Don’t jinx it! You can’t just say things like that out in the wild. They have a way of coming true."
Flynn Hansen stared at Ryan Rowe in disbelief. "Mr. Rowe, I can’t believe you’re so superstitious."
Ryan Rowe held up his right index finger and wagged it. "Not at all. The end of science is metaphysics. Just because you don’t believe in something doesn’t mean it isn’t real."
"When that wind hit, it really did feel like a sandstorm. This is a desert, so it wouldn’t be strange for one to appear. It looks like we need to pick up the pace."
Evelyn Ford brushed the sand from her clothes and took a tissue out of her pocket, handing it to Ronan Kendrick.
"Look over there." Ronan Kendrick took the tissue, then suddenly pointed to their right. Evelyn Ford stared and saw something black sticking out of the sand. The two rode closer, but when they were less than three meters from the object, Ronan called out to her.
"It’s a body."
Evelyn Ford had also sensed something was wrong. They quickly dismounted and walked over to the corpse. Just then, Ryan Rowe and Flynn Hansen rode up behind them.
"What happened?"
Evelyn Ford pulled on a pair of gloves. "We found a body. I’m going to dig it out for a closer look."
The other two quickly dismounted and came over to help. However, once the first body was unearthed, they realized the situation was not as simple as it seemed.
"How is it mummified? Can a body turn into a mummy just by being buried in the sand with no preservation measures?" Ryan Rowe dragged the corpse aside to examine it closely.
"There are more bodies in here," Evelyn Ford said. She dug into the left side of the sandpit and uncovered a pair of blackened, shriveled hands. A discolored cord was tied around one wrist.
Half an hour later, they had unearthed all eight bodies—three males and five females. By examining their teeth, Evelyn Ford estimated that none of them were over twenty years old.
Nearby lay several backpacks. Ryan Rowe and Flynn Hansen went through their contents and found ID cards, student IDs, clothes, cell phones, wallets, and more.
"These kids were all students from Serena University. Could they have been murdered and dumped here while trying to escape?" Flynn Hansen’s theory was plausible. Evelyn Ford had found a rusty fruit knife nearby, and the clothes on all eight mummies were torn. She pulled back their clothing to investigate and found two stab wounds on the abdomen of a female corpse. Though the body was mummified, it was still pliable, and the wounds were clearly visible.
The other bodies also had numerous knife wounds. To kill eight people, the murderer was either incredibly strong or had accomplices.
"The blade of this fruit knife is bent."
Evelyn Ford took the fruit knife, her brow furrowed. "None of the knife wounds on the bodies look fatal, but there are a lot of them. I suspect these people bled to death."
"So they mummified because all their blood drained out?"
Evelyn Ford nodded. "That’s a possibility. Judging by how desiccated the bodies are, they likely died over ten years ago. Let’s dig another pit and rebury them."
Ryan Rowe stroked his chin. "The killer didn’t take their luggage, either. If this was a robbery, they would’ve stripped the clothes off the bodies, too. Could it have been someone they knew? Maybe the killer did it to vent their anger, not for supplies?"
"Why vent their anger?" Flynn Hansen asked, confused.
Ryan Rowe shrugged. "I’m not a cop, how would I know the killer’s motive? I’m just spitballing. All right, let’s get digging. Let them rest in peace."
Once the pit was dug, the four of them placed the bodies and their luggage inside. As for the fruit knife that killed them, Evelyn Ford destroyed it.
Once the burial mound was finished, Evelyn Ford scattered some heat-resistant plant seeds around it. ’Hopefully, after it rains, a little hope can sprout here.’
"Come on, we should get moving," Evelyn Ford said, pulling Ronan Kendrick along.
Flynn Hansen had only taken a couple of steps when he stopped to take off his shoe. "Wait up!" he shouted. "My shoe is full of sand. I have to dump it out."
"That last gust blew sand all down my clothes. I think the back of my neck is full of it."
Ryan Rowe tugged at his collar, trying to shake out the trapped sand. The ground was so soft that when Evelyn Ford took a step, her leg sank deep into the sand. Ronan Kendrick pulled her out like he was plucking a radish from the ground.
"Yo, yo, check it, you’re the wind and I’m the sand, we’ll cling together to the e-ends of the land..." Evelyn Ford suddenly rapped. Ronan Kendrick stared at her, dumbfounded.
"Are you singing?"
Evelyn Ford nodded. "Were you blown away by my beautiful singing voice?"
Ronan Kendrick shook his head. "Not really, no."
Evelyn Ford... Hmph.