Chapter 720: Beast Face
Chapter 720: Chapter 720: Beast Face
"Mysterious tribes are feared because of the unknown—their unique cultures and beliefs. But I’ve been surviving in this apocalypse for years, and frankly, I’ve never run into anything more terrifying than an earthquake or acid rain."
After taking the photos, Evelyn also marked the location. These items held significant research value. Once they were back in the dimension, she could ask Taylor Vance. He was incredibly knowledgeable and might actually recognize these runes.
"Even if there was a mysterious tribe, there’s no way anyone is still alive. This place is nothing but rocks and yellow soil. There isn’t even a single ant, let alone any water or plants."
Evelyn winked at Ronan Kendrick. "Ronan, use that Sharp-Hearing Ear of yours. Do you hear any water around here?"
Ronan closed his eyes, concentrating for a moment. "Nothing."
Evelyn grinned. "Told you so. Come on, we’ve already wasted enough time today."
The trio weaved their way out through a cluster of clay sculptures with human bodies and animal faces. Ahead of them stretched another vast expanse of earthen castles of all shapes and sizes. The largest stood about ten meters tall, while the smallest was no bigger than the palm of a hand.
Evelyn had the horses slow their pace. She handed a phone to both Ronan Kendrick and Ryan Rowe, asking them to take photos as well for her to study later.
For some reason, Evelyn found herself deeply curious about this place.
By noon, they still hadn’t made it out of Devil’s City. The place was undeniably eerie, but they hadn’t run into any danger all morning. The three of them entered the dimension for lunch, where Wendy informed Evelyn that Flynn Hansen’s condition had improved. He had even woken up once at ten o’clock.
"The red fruit really can save lives. It’s such a shame we ate so many of them. If we’d saved them, we could have made them into medicine."
"We successfully planted the Red Tree. In another year or two, they should bloom and bear fruit. You’ll have as many as you want then."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief knowing Flynn Hansen had woken up. The medicinal value of the red fruit had instantly surpassed any specialized medicine.
Evelyn showed the photos to Taylor Vance, but unfortunately, he couldn’t tell if the markings were symbols or a written language either.
When the others heard about the strange runes in Devil’s City, their curiosity was piqued. After Evelyn showed them the photos and videos, they all started clamoring to go out and see for themselves.
Evelyn eyed them disdainfully. "Are you sure you won’t just cause trouble and be a burden? This is Devil’s City, not an amusement park."
"Evelyn, I really want to go see it too," Ethan Dawson chimed in. "The others might be a little weak, but I’m different. I definitely won’t slow you down." As soon as he finished, everyone stared at him, speechless.
"Jeez, Ethan Dawson, you’re such a schemer. Could you please not put everyone else down just to make yourself look good? This isn’t the first time. Keep up with that backhanded nonsense, and believe me, we’ll all team up and beat the crap out of you."
Ethan Dawson shrugged. "I’m just telling the truth."
"Fine, you can come." ’More people on the road meant more security.’
"Evelyn, I want to go too!"
Seeing how eager they all were, Evelyn scoffed. "Fine. Anyone who’s not afraid of dying can come. If something happens, you’re on your own."
Zoe and Annie also looked like they were itching to go, but a single glance from Evelyn silenced the two youngsters instantly.
"We should ask Leo Denton to come. He’s an incredible fighter. I heard he’s the top soldier at our base."
Evelyn glanced at Quincy. "You’ve been getting pretty close to Leo Denton lately. Be careful he doesn’t sell you out without you even realizing it."
"No way. Leo Denton’s not that kind of person. I trust his character. Besides, he never pries or asks me about anything. He knows his boundaries."
"Then ask him to come. But let me lay down some ground rules first. You can come out, but you can’t fall behind, and no shouting. The magnetic field in Devil’s City is unstable. Most importantly, do not touch anything. There could be traps or hidden mechanisms. Oh, and everyone who’s going will have to share a horse, two people per horse."
The moment Evelyn finished speaking, Quincy switched on the cabin’s loudspeaker and called for Leo Denton.
Evelyn surveyed the group that was going. Leo Denton and Ethan Dawson were acceptable. As for Miles Vaughn and Quincy... Evelyn clicked her tongue in distaste but didn’t say anything. Liam Sterling was going too; he would share a horse with Ryan Rowe.
The rest of the group stayed in the dimension, and Wendy’s task remained the same: keeping an eye on Flynn Hansen.
Everyone put on red jackets, grabbed a bottle of water, and equipped themselves with hats, masks, and goggles. Once everything was in order, Evelyn and Ronan led them out of the dimension.
"My god, this is magnificent! Nature’s handiwork is more incredible than any sculptor’s."
"This place really is kind of terrifying. The sound of the wind is like the wailing of ghosts and howling of demons."
Evelyn held up a hand for silence. "Alright, everyone mount up. We need to get going."
Aside from Evelyn and Ronan, everyone else rode two to a horse. As they set out, Ronan took the lead as usual, with the others following. They couldn’t move very quickly; the sand was too thick for the horses to pick up any speed.
At two in the afternoon, a gale swept through, and the sun vanished. Evelyn looked up to see the sky had become overcast with dark clouds. Worried about a downpour, she urged everyone to pick up the pace.
Just then, two Eagles appeared in the sky. They let out strange cries, circled once above the group’s heads, and then flew off toward a sandy slope to the right, quickly vanishing from sight.
Half an hour later, the group arrived before a large cluster of stone fortresses. These structures were all tiny, not even as tall as a person—about the size of doghouses. But each one was covered in various runes, just like the ones they had seen before, painted with a mixture of Vermillion and blood.
The blood still gave off a faint, metallic odor. Evelyn suspected it was animal blood, but Ronan believed the opposite—he thought it was human blood.
Flanking each fortress were two unique, animal-faced clay sculptures. Among them, Evelyn found two that resembled female figures, except they both had extremely long tongues. Quincy said they were the Black and White Reapers.
"Doesn’t this place feel like the court of the King of Hell?"
"How so?" Evelyn looked at Quincy, her interest piqued. His theory was certainly interesting. They had been traveling for a day, seeing all sorts of bizarre clay sculptures and runes, yet neither she nor Ronan had considered that angle.
"It’s just my intuition. Before the apocalypse, this must have been home to a mysterious tribe. Or maybe it was a single person, or a group of people, who worshipped Ghost Gods. So they built this place to look like the court of the underworld king. Outsiders who stumbled upon it were terrified by the sight and called it Devil’s City. And speaking of, the name ’Devil’s City’ really does fit the vibe."
"But there’s no trace of anyone ever living here," Liam Sterling countered.
"Don’t be dense. What about these runes? You don’t really think ghosts wrote them, do you? I still think it was people who worshipped Ghost Gods and deliberately built this place to look this way."
Ryan Rowe raised his hand. "Don’t forget how Flynn Hansen got injured."