Chapter 51: Tom and Jerry (Part 2)
"It doesn't matter what it is. If we can get to Mozi's residence, we should have clues to everything." Jiang Xian took out a marker and drew on the ground: "I can't see how wide the bridge is. But it shouldn't be narrow. We can go directly to the terrace from the fourth-floor passage and climb the bridge from the terrace. But..."
He took a deep breath and looked at everyone: "Wait."
"I don't believe it will stay there forever. As soon as it leaves, we'll get on the bridge immediately!"
Everyone nodded and waited quietly behind the guardrail.
One hour... one and a half hours... two hours, the giant crane didn't move at all! It was as if the green light had a fatal attraction to it. Except for occasionally turning around to drink some water and catching a few zombie fish as snacks, the giant crane didn't leave Mozi's residence.
It’s ten o’clock... Jiang Xian looked at the watch anxiously. What is it waiting for?
Just when everyone was getting a little annoyed, the giant ape crane finally moved.
It slowly raised its head, and two streams of white air blew out of its huge nostrils. It suddenly stood up straight, pounded its chest hard, and let out an earth-shattering roar, "Wow--!!"
At a distance of a thousand meters, the sound was barely audible when it reached the other side of the river. However, everyone's eyes lit up and they quietly poked their heads out.
Boom! The huge body, as big as a mountain, turned around and pointed in the direction they came from. With heavy steps, it slowly walked back the way it came.
"Finally gone..." Hong Si Niang breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could be happy, Jiang Xian raised his finger solemnly, made a gesture of silence, and pointed in the direction of the waterfall.
Hong Si Niang looked in the direction of his finger. As soon as she saw it, she felt her hair stand on end! Dozens of white figures crawled out from nowhere and were walking towards the giant ape crane!
"This is..." His eyes twitched a little, and he said hoarsely: "Those monkeys and cranes... are back?"
"We miscalculated." Jiang Xian frowned and gritted his teeth, "The activity center of the monkeys and cranes is that natural cave. But... the road leading there has collapsed. They can't find the way back, so they will naturally return early!"
If the atmosphere just now was one of quiet waiting, now everyone's heart was suddenly lifted.
This means... they will spend a night with the monkeys and cranes in this underground palace!
Like a taut steel wire, all eyes turned to Jiang Xian. Jiang Xian gritted his teeth and said through his teeth: "Now, I want to go over."
His voice was breathless, but firm. Ling Xiaozi suddenly raised his head with an expression of disbelief on his face: "Too dangerous..."
"But this is the only chance!" Jiang Xian stared at the opposite side, with a deep green light flickering slightly: "That thing may change. Before it changes, this monster may never leave! When the monkeys and cranes return to their nests, this place will be extremely dangerous. I can't let this opportunity go!"
Hong Si Niang and the Eight-Armed Arhat did not speak.
After a few seconds of silence, Hong Si Niang sighed and said, "Master Jiang, I'm sorry."
They're not going!
Ling Xiaozi looked up at the other person, but said nothing.
Once you successfully pass through, you will be only a wall away from the giant ape and crane! It is really like hanging your life on your belt.
If he fails, he will most likely be hunted down by all the monkeys and cranes. It is no exaggeration to say that he will be in danger of death!
The other party was only here to help, not to die. It was already precious that he could help all the way. There was no reason for the other party to take such a risk.
Jiang Xian smiled and suddenly said, "I don't want anything."
The Eight-Armed Arhat shook his head: "Mr. Jiang, this is not a question of remuneration. We came here without any intention of getting any remuneration."
"But we don't want to die." Hong Si Niang lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of blue smoke: "My child is still in junior high school. If something happens to us, what will happen to the child?"
Jiang Xian smiled and clasped his hands together, then stopped smiling: "Then please make sure you find a way out. Wait for me at the bridge head on your side."
"Don't worry." The Eight-Armed Arhat said solemnly, "We have come this far, and we are all on the same boat. Without you, we may not be able to get out. As long as we don't have to give up, we will try our best to save you."
Jiang Xian nodded deeply, said nothing more, and took the lead to walk towards the terrace.
Due to the departure of the giant ape crane, they moved much faster. In just two or three minutes, they had already reached the edge of the terrace. There were still endless winding stone houses here, but the workmanship was obviously much more refined.
At this moment, Jiang Xian suddenly raised his hand. The team immediately stopped. He looked around vigilantly and whispered, "Do you smell it?"
Ling Xiaozi sniffed hard, then fanned his nose with his teeth bared: "Is this... the smell of decay?"
No one moved forward. The terrace was in front of them, about several hundred meters in size, with sculptures on it, but they were not very clear. The stone house against the wall was also much more exquisite - this should be the residence of the leadership at that time. The smell of decay also came from inside.
Several eyes exchanged glances, Jiang Xian took a deep breath, and ran over first.
The others followed immediately. Getting closer and closer... becoming clearer and clearer, just when they were about 20 meters away from the terrace. Hong Si Niang's eyes flashed, and she whispered, "Enter the fourth stone house on the terrace, what is that?"
Swish, swish, swish, three pairs of eyes immediately looked over there, and then they saw clearly... there was actually a person there!
A person lying on the ground!
The upper body was wearing grey clothes and the lower body was hidden inside the door. Although the face could not be seen clearly, it was certain that it was a person!
How could there be anyone in a place like this?!
This thought flashed through the minds of several people instantly, and everyone quickened their pace again. In just one minute, four figures stood in front of the stone door at the same time, looking at the people on the ground in surprise.
It is indeed a person.
But, it was a dead person.
Most of his body was made of bones. Only some tough flesh was left on his chest and abdomen. His clothes were torn to pieces. It was vaguely recognizable that he was wearing a short coat... The Eight-Armed Arhat raised his eyes and looked inside the door, only to find that... the other person's lower body had completely disappeared.
"This was eaten by a monkey and a crane." Jiang Xian looked at the clear imprint on the bone, narrowed his eyes, and stood up solemnly: "Did the monkey and the crane eat each other here?"
Why?
Animals that live in groups usually live around their leader, and the cave where the leader lives is 500 meters away from them. How can a group of monkeys and cranes live here? But the door here is too small for them to enter.
In a trance, he seemed to have thought of something. But when he thought about it carefully, it was like a mirage, and he couldn't figure it out. It was just that his subconscious mind reminded him: This is very important, he must remember it!
"This... is that Er Ganzi, right?" Everyone was familiar with the corpse. Ling Xiaozi took a closer look and said, "The clothes are very similar to those of the local farmers, and the time of death is estimated to be about the same..."
He craned his neck and looked inside the door. "He was obviously dragged in. Is this the canteen of the Monkey Crane? But how…"
Before he finished his words, a snow-white figure suddenly rushed out from the side of the wall, with a mouth that was a full foot wide, and suddenly bit towards Ling Xiaozi's head!
The incident happened too suddenly, and Ling Xiaozi's scalp went numb for a moment. His neck instinctively shrank, and with a clang, two rows of bloody teeth bit together fiercely just a few centimeters in front of him!
His heart almost stopped beating, but in this situation, Ling Xiaozi still didn't scream. He rolled his body backwards like a lazy donkey. Almost at the same time, Jiang Xian pulled out the Dragon Slash from behind and rushed forward in one step.
Right in front of them, a primate creature about 134 meters in size was peeking out from the door. It looked exactly like a monkey crane, except that its hair was light golden and it had no fangs yet. The moment it crawled out, the Dragon Slaying Sword was already pointed at its heart.
Jiang Xian rushed forward with his sword like a gust of wind. At this moment, the sharp blade made Xiao Yuanhe instinctively feel the danger! It... opened its mouth wide.
It's going to cry!
At this moment, Jiang Xianfu came to his senses. He stopped abruptly, and at the same time...he stretched out his left hand forward and moved his sword hand backward.
The sword light disappeared in an instant, and it was all just a matter of seconds. The little monkey crane widened his eyes, and instinctively felt the danger and chose to call out to his companions, but the danger suddenly disappeared, causing his call to slow down a beat.
At this moment, something was suddenly stuffed into its mouth.
The little monkey crane's eyes flashed, and then he immediately bit down hard!
Meat... This is meat!
The meat I just ate not long ago!
There is also a salty liquid that I really need!
As it bit down, blood splattered in an instant! What was stuffed into its mouth was none other than Jiang Xian's left hand!
Blood flowed down the camouflage uniform - the monkey crane's teeth were like two sharp blades, and even for a small monkey crane, its bite force should not be underestimated. At the same time, the little monkey crane suddenly trembled all over, and its teeth that had been clenched tightly loosened without any warning, and its eyes began to dull.
Right on his chest, Jiang Xian, holding the Dragon Slayer in his right hand, had already stabbed it through the heart.
"Um... ah..." A series of vague cries came out of the little monkey crane's mouth, but it couldn't shout out anything. Gradually, its body stopped twitching, and its big mouth opened completely. It fell to the ground with a snap, like a broken puppet.
It all happened so quickly, in just three or four seconds. When everyone realized what was happening, they immediately rushed over.
"Are you okay?" Ling Xiaozi held him up. Jiang Xian's teeth were almost broken, his forehead was covered with cold sweat, and he covered his hands tremblingly. Hong Si Niang and Babi Luohan immediately took out the gauze from their medical kits and bandaged him up.
The wound was so deep that the flesh and blood could be clearly seen. Ling Xiaozi said angrily: "Are you a pig? Don't want to die! Is it necessary to fight so hard?!"
Jiang Xian didn't say anything, and the others continued to bandage him, but he kept his eyes tightly closed. After a long while, he said, "It's necessary..."
"If it barks... I don't know what the consequences will be."
"Remember... the golden hair we found in the stone house before? These are the hairs of the little monkey cranes. This... is their nursery..."
"Wow wow..." "Wow wow..." Before anyone else could say anything, the next second, a series of sporadic wow sounds reached everyone's ears.
It sounded like a bell from hell. Everyone was stunned for a moment, then slowly looked left and right and upward.
Around them, five or six little monkeys and cranes appeared quietly. They poked their heads out of the room, put their hands on the door, looked at the uninvited guests in horror, looked at the corpses of their own kind on the ground, and then... opened their mouths at the same time.
At this moment, everyone's heart was in their throat.
“Wow wow——!!!!”
Immediately afterwards, a shrill scream instantly resounded throughout the area!
Everyone's five senses seemed to have left their bodies. Jiang Xian pushed Ling Xiaozi away, took out a telescope tremblingly, and looked into the distance.
More than 200 meters away, on the other side of the river, the giant ape-crane that was walking slowly suddenly stopped. Then, it slowly turned its huge head.
The blood-red eyes happened to meet Jiang Xian's gaze!
And farther away, all the monkeys and cranes moved their ears, suddenly raised their heads, and stared at where they were!
