Chapter 21: Then Light Another Fire

"Pack up, we're heading in to take a look," Jiang Li said firmly.

Staying here was not an option. Without finding that small city, they lacked the strength to survive in this wilderness on their own. As for taking a detour, Jiang Li had no intention of doing so unless absolutely forced. The area where they had landed alone contained a tribe of indigenous people; heaven only knew what might be lurking elsewhere. If not for using Qin Lang to distract those tribesmen, it was uncertain whether they could have even escaped that region.

"It’s a pity that we’re out of people; otherwise, we could have sent a few scapegoats to scout the path," Jiang Li remarked with a tinge of regret. He didn't know if Zhao Hua and his two companions were alive or dead, and the same went for Qin Lang, who had been pursued by the tribesmen; otherwise, he wouldn't have to risk his own life.

Once the group was prepared, they stepped into the dense forest. Chu Chunqiu led the way with a long blade, Jiang Li followed in the middle with a wooden spear, and Su Yang brought up the rear. As for Su Yan and Qiu Yue, it was simply too inconvenient to bring them along, so they had to take the risk and leave the girls to hide outside.

"Young Master, there doesn't seem to be anything here," Chu Chunqiu said carelessly.

Jiang Li scanned his surroundings. The forest, which had been filled with roars the previous night, was now unnervingly quiet. This silence made Jiang Li feel a sense of dread. Not a bird chirped, nor did a single insect buzz; it was clearly abnormal.

Soon, the three reached the spot where they had rested the night before. Jiang Li walked quickly toward the place where he had killed the monster. As he drew near, his pupils contracted. The monster that had been lying on the ground was gone, replaced by a scene of utter carnage. Scattered bones and flesh were everywhere, and even the severed head had vanished. There were drag marks on the ground, indicating that some beast had hauled the corpse away.

"Let’s go, we’ll follow the trail," Jiang Li whispered.

Following the drag marks, the three moved forward. A moment later, Jiang Li hesitated as he stood before a mountain cave; the trail ended here. The creature had dragged the corpse inside. Should they go in or not? Jiang Li was conflicted; entering might yield clues, but the danger would increase exponentially.

"Young Master, wait outside. I’ll go in alone," Su Yang said decisively.

Jiang Li sighed. "Forget it. Let’s go in together so we can look out for one another."

As he spoke, Jiang Li stepped into the cave first. The interior was cavernous, as if the entire mountain were hollow. The ground sloped downward, and one had to be extremely careful not to slip and tumble into the depths.

Not long after entering, a stench of rot, blood, and various foul odors began to permeate the air.

"It couldn't be a bat cave, could it?" Jiang Li frowned. If it really were a bat cave, they might end up stepping into a river of excrement at any moment. Thinking of this, he picked up a stone the size of a fist and threw it hard into the darkness.

*Bang!*
*Clatter, clatter!*
In the silent cave, the sound of the stone falling was piercing.

"Roar!"
"Roar! Roar, roar, roar!"

A deafening chorus of roars instantly filled the cave. Jiang Li felt his scalp tingle as pairs of red eyes became visible in the dark; even in the depths of the shadows, that blood-red hue was unmistakable.

"Run!" Jiang Li bellowed, turning and sprinting. Behind them, the sound of countless chaotic footsteps erupted. They didn't dare stop until they had run for two miles. Only then did Jiang Li pause to look back.

"They didn't follow us?"

"Young Master, I looked back just now. They didn't seem to leave the cave," Su Yang said, gasping for air.

Jiang Li exhaled in relief. "Is that so? They won't leave the cave? Interesting. Let's go back and have another look."

When the three crept back to the cave entrance, they heard countless roars before they even got close. Jiang Li suppressed the urge to bolt and looked inside. He immediately stepped back two paces. The entrance was packed with the same monsters they had seen the night before: walking on all fours, skin snow-white, with only those terrifying, crimson eyes.

"Young Master, it's Zhao Hua! I see Zhao Hua!" Su Yang pointed to a figure deep within the cave.

Jiang Li followed his gaze and felt a wave of nausea. Zhao Hua, who had been normal just last night, had now morphed into this ghoulish creature.

"It seems the root of the problem lies in this cave," Jiang Li mused, staring into the pitch-black depths.

Entering the cave now was impossible; there were dozens of these transformed humans at the entrance, not to mention a number of similarly afflicted beasts.

"It seems that apart from Zhao Hua and his two friends, the others were indigenous people who lived here," Jiang Li analyzed.

"Young Master, what now? They fear light. Should we leave?" Su Yang suggested.

Jiang Li shook his head. "That won't work. The place where we camped yesterday was at least a few miles away from this cave. The scent of our food reached them, and these monsters were able to find us. This proves their hunting range is quite large. We have too many supplies to travel far in one night. If we don't clear this area, we'll be finished."

"So, for the sake of caution, this cave must be dealt with."

Chu Chunqiu scratched his head. "But Young Master, there are so many of them. We might not be able to win."

Jiang Li silently pulled a fire-starter from his coat. "Quickly, find more dead branches and leaves." As he spoke, he drew his machete and began hacking at the surrounding trees.

Before long, the three of them worked together to drag a large tree and shove it into the cave entrance.

"Roar!"
The monsters struck by the tree roared in fury, but Jiang Li remained unfazed. The fact that they hadn't dared to come out for so long proved they feared the light so much that stepping out would likely kill them.

What was there to be afraid of?

The three spent two hours working until the sun began to dip below the horizon. The monsters were no longer visible at the cave entrance; the branches and logs they had shoved inside had effectively barricaded them, with only angry roars emanating from within.

"Damn it, keep roaring!" Jiang Li cursed, crouching down to light the pile of dry leaves he had prepared.

Soon, a faint flame flickered to life. The three didn't bother with the wood deep inside, but the entrance was piled high with dry, flammable timber. As Jiang Li set it ablaze, a raging fire roared to life. Thick smoke billowed out, and Jiang Li put away his fire-starter, turning to run.

"Young Master, is that enough?" Chu Chunqiu asked.

Jiang Li scoffed coldly. "I don't care what caused these monsters to turn this way. As long as they are carbon-based lifeforms, there isn't a problem a big fire can't solve."

"And if there is, we’ll come back tomorrow and light another one!"