Chapter 108: Another Strange Occurrence

Yang Fan’s sudden demand for them to leave caught Wang Cheng, Fu Gaobin, Li Qiang, and the others completely off guard. Just as they were about to ask why, they saw Yang Fan already pulling Wang Cheng and Fu Gaobin toward the train cars.

Li Qiang and his men did not hesitate. They followed Yang Fan immediately; although they did not know why he was in such a panic, they knew that ignoring his warning could cost them their lives.

The cars were only about a hundred meters away, and they reached them quickly. Originally, the plan had been to crawl in through the windows to avoid making noise or releasing heat that might attract the mutated beasts. However, after hesitating for a moment in front of the carriage, Yang Fan simply opened the door and ducked inside. As the door swung open, the howling wind and snow rushed in with a loud, metallic clatter.

Li Qiang and his group looked visibly shaken for a moment, but upon remembering that the mutated beasts were already dead, they relaxed. Realizing that Yang Fan had only opened the door because the coast was clear, they hurried inside after him.

"What happened, boss?" Fu Gaobin asked first. He found the situation deeply troubling; Yang Fan was usually composed, so this sudden change in demeanor was bizarre.

Yang Fan did not answer. He took a deep breath, sat down, and fell into thought. After a few minutes, he pointed toward the outside without saying a word. The others followed his gaze, but because of the pitch-black sky and the swirling blizzard, they could see nothing at first.

Yet, because Yang Fan had pointed it out, they watched with intense focus. Suddenly, they caught a glimpse of something eerie: shadows—or rather, a countless multitude of them—overlapping in an endless, shifting mass.

"Quick, get me the binoculars," Li Qiang commanded. A soldier hurriedly brought several military-grade binoculars. Thanks to Yang Fan’s influence, Fu Gaobin and Wang Cheng each received one, and soon Li Qiang, his subordinates, and his companions were all peering through the lenses, adjusting the focus and clarity.

When they finally discerned what lay in the distance, they gasped. If the Icefield Snow Wolves, Frost Giants, Razor-Clawed Dinosaurs, and Frozen Tigers they had faced earlier were dangerous, these were bosses.

Hundreds of mutated beasts, whose species they could not identify, were gathered together. They were repeatedly slamming their heads against a stone, letting their blood pool upon it. They did this over and over without pause. It was chilling and utterly inexplicable. Why were they doing this?

What was hidden within that dark stone?

Earlier, Yang Fan had used his "True Eagle Eye" to see this new wave of beasts, which were not only more numerous but at least several times stronger than the previous ones—these were Tier 2, Level 1 mutated beasts.

The divide between tiers is a massive chasm. The higher the tier, the wider the gap. This hierarchy is very pronounced in humans, while less so in the Zerg; for instance, Yang Fan could just barely handle a Tier 2 Blade Mantis. But if he were to face a Zerg "Zack," he would be doomed unless he unleashed his ultimate trump card, the "Might of the Gods," combined with hundreds of blast talismans—and even then, killing it would be nearly impossible.

The ranking is clear: a Tier 2 Zerg can handle three to five Tier 1 peak Zergs, while a Tier 2 mutated beast can easily dispatch ten Tier 1 peak mutated beasts. A Tier 2 zombie can easily defeat a hundred Tier 1 peak zombies. As for humans, a Tier 2 warrior can kill dozens of Tier 1 peak humans in an instant, and in a short burst, could potentially take down five hundred to a thousand. Yang Fan had witnessed such power once before.

"Perhaps the chaotic system simplifies after Tier 2, or perhaps something even more unusual emerges at Tier 3 or 4," Yang Fan mused. He finally spoke: "Let’s rest. There is nothing for us to do for now. Commander Li Qiang, have your men keep a constant watch. If anything abnormal happens, notify us immediately."

After giving these instructions, Yang Fan took Wang Cheng and Fu Gaobin to rest. Li Qiang nodded with a grave, authoritative air and kept his eyes fixed on the outside. Half an hour later, a member of his personal guard leaned in and whispered, "Sir, if we actually spot something, should we report it?" The guard glanced toward where Yang Fan was resting, keeping his voice as low as possible. Li Qiang remained silent, but a strange look flickered in his eyes, and he gave a subtle, almost imperceptible nod.

The guard understood and returned his attention to the distance.

Inside his room, Yang Fan had not heard the guard, but his "True Eagle Eye"—which he had upgraded to Level 3 after spending nearly 10,000 Doomsday Coins—had seen everything.

The "True Eagle Eye" had evolved into a form of clairvoyance, functioning like a satellite that could see clearly within a five-hundred-meter radius. He had been monitoring the outside, but he had also been watching Li Qiang.

The "True Eagle Eye" could not pick up sound, but the way Li Qiang had tilted his neck was enough for the sharp-witted Yang Fan to guess what was happening. He sighed, feeling a sense of bewilderment. Why, at a time like this, was there still a need for backstabbing?

Why couldn't they just work together?

Yang Fan pushed the thought aside, finding his own idealism laughable. In this world, human hearts were even more treacherous than monsters. The only thing that mattered now was figuring out what that dark stone really was.