Chapter 116: Blood Moon
The storm outside had quieted, but the weight inside the room hadn’t lifted.
They gathered together, sharing what they have learned and what they need to do moving forward now.
"We’ll start in the southwest first. Lets see if we can find another path. If they saw you two, then they would surely guard that." Chen Rong said, his voice low but certain. "That’s where the trail leads. If there’s a hidden path to the catacombs, that’s where it’ll be."
Lin Feng nodded once, silent as always, but focused. "There’s a ruined shrine at the edge of the fire-damaged district. Locals avoid it. Could be superstition, or something they know and won’t say."
Feng Jiao Xue leaned back slightly, one arm resting across her chest, the other hand gently drumming her fingers along the wood. "We need to go in quiet. No large footsteps, no reckless attacks. Whatever’s taking people doesn’t want attention... and it doesn’t leave survivors."
Mo Tianze tilted his head. "I can scout ahead once we get close. My senses are sharper than most. If there’s something hiding in the dark, I’ll hear it before them hears us."
"And what if they hears you anyway?" Xia Lian asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She sat with her knees pulled up on the chair, arms wrapped tightly around them. "If they’re already watching us... what then?"
Feng Jiao Xue glanced at her, her gaze softening just a bit. "Then we fight."
"But only when we have to," Chen Rong added. "We don’t know what’s down there. Charging in is the fastest way to lose another person."
Xia Lian pressed her lips together and nodded.
Mo Tianze leaned forward and pointed at the sketched map. "I think we split into pairs once we enter. One group circles the outer ruins, checks for markings, tracks, anything unnatural. The other searches for a way into the lower levels. That shrine might be more than just a ruin."