Night Without End-Chapter 16 - 10: The Invisible Zone

The rows of fields were neatly arranged; crops from roots to leaves to the ears of grain all shimmered brilliantly, resembling golden ornaments, standing out vividly in the pitch-black mountains, draped with a mystic hue.

Everyone present was captivated by Feng Yi'an's words. Could there really be such wonders in the heavily fogged mountains during the night?

"Who is cultivating?" Xu Yueping asked.

Feng Yi'an shook his head, the Mountain Patrol that had gotten lost initially discovered the place and dared not approach.

They immediately reported it, and higher-ups went there, but no matter what, it couldn't be found again.

Old Man Liu, who was over seventy years old, sighed: "The night is boundless, and between the deep mountains and great marshes, there are too many unknown things. The vast, uninhabited area is extremely dangerous; even if the City Lord himself comes, it would be difficult to go deep."

"Uncle Liu, have you also encountered some strange incidents?" Qin Ming asked.

Old Man Liu nodded, showing a reminiscent expression, and said: "Don't mention the wilderness, even near where we live, there are oddities."

At that time, he was still a young man, flying kites with his friends at the village entrance. When reeling in the kite, he found it sticky with blood.

"At our village entrance?" Yang Yongqing was startled and couldn't help but look out into the night sky through the window.

After some hesitation, Qin Ming said, "Could it be that a bird was injured and then hit the kite?"

"Perhaps, when my grandfather saw the bloodied kite, his expression changed immediately and he told me to keep this matter to myself. Decades have passed in a blink of an eye," Old Man Liu said.

Such occurrences at one's doorstep always make one feel uneasy.

Xu Yueping said: "Let Brother Feng talk about things in the mountains."

"Have you ever heard of mountain beasts weeping over graves?" Feng Yi'an mentioned it cautiously and with reverence, his expression complex.

"Weeping over what kind of graves?" someone asked; they had traveled through these mountains for many years and had never encountered such a thing.

Feng Yi'an said: "Graves of beasts."

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"Do wild beasts also practice burial?" Xu Yueping was astonished.

Feng Yi'an nodded and said: "The uninhabited area covered in night fog is awe-inspiring; any bizarre thing could happen."

That day, the former leader of the Patrol Team sensed something unusual in the mountains, worried that a mysterious creature might further transform and cause chaos, and quietly approached.

"The old leader wanted firsthand information to see which 'Strange Insect' or 'famous beast' was enhancing itself, to prepare us for preventive and precise countermeasures."

Because, repeatedly mutated creatures each have distinct abilities, and handling them requires different preparations and means.

On the way, the old leader suddenly realized the abnormal noise was actually sobbing, but he did not stop and soon saw an old White Haired Beast sobbing in the night by a grave, which was extremely eerie.

Feng Yi'an said: "That dilapidated earth grave has existed for at least a thousand years, as the ancient cypress that sprouted from the grave is at least a millennium old."

The old leader saw the White Haired Mountain Beast bowing like humans by the grave; nearby, there was a rain of light falling, illuminating the dark forest.

Then, Raptors descended from the night sky, and monsters from the swamp came ashore, all following in worship.

At this point, Feng Yi'an paused.

"Then what happened?" someone urged.

Feng Yi'an said: "The old leader ventured closer, wanting to see the true face of the White Haired Mountain Beast, prepared to go back and check the local records for targeted precautions."

The White Haired Old Beast bowed, shed tears, and then mysteriously began to mutate; weeping over the grave appeared to be a mysterious ritual that elevated its level of being.

The old leader quietly retreated but began coughing blood on the way and felt itch all over his body. Although he survived to report what he saw, he died from severe flesh decay.

"The higher-ups deployed a large force, who battled in the mountains. It is said that, fortunately, they were timely informed, or else if the White Haired Old Beast had fully transformed, it would have led to a great calamity."

Everyone felt heavy-hearted, the mountains outside seemed peaceful, but invisible complexities existed; some were silently guarding and fighting in the mountains.

Old Man Liu, with white hair and a wrinkled face, sighed: "There are not just one or two cases like the old leader; a close friend from my youth often stayed in the mountains, blocking dangerous Alien Species, and in his old age, I don't know if he died in the mountains, never to be seen again."

Feng Yi'an nodded and said: "Many members of our Patrol Team have been seriously injured, and some have struggled to find a peaceful end, with even their bones left unaccounted for."

He referred to the old leader's teacher, saying: "Back then, the old senior was extremely skilled and highly esteemed. He had retired in honor after losing an arm, but hearing of a dangerous Mountain Monster appearing, fearing that the juniors could not stop it, he prevented others from going to their death and went himself, dragging his crippled body."

In the battle, although the old leader's teacher severely wounded the Mountain Monster, he himself died tragically, leaving nothing but a large patch of blood and only half of his broken sword.

"The old senior's biggest wish in life was to be buried outside the mountains and be laid to rest with his deceased wife and child, but his wish went unfulfilled, his soul unable to rest, fallen in the pitch-black mountains," Feng Yi'an shook his head and sighed.

The old man's wife and children had died prematurely due to the Monster's rampage, and he never remarried.

The Patrol Team brought back his blood-stained broken sword and buried it beside his wife and child's grave.

Hearing this, Qin Ming felt even his spicy old wine lost its taste, and he remained silent.

Feng Yi'an, with a low spirit, said: "In the end, the Mountain Patrol members, apart from the injured and dead, some went mad left in the mountains, eating raw meat like wild beasts, turning into total monsters. Alas, who knows how our generation will end up, perhaps the mountains are our final resting place."