The Heaven-Cursed Costs Life, But I Have Infinite Life-Chapter 55: The Beast’s Food, Cosmic Mouse Returns

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: The Beast’s Food, Cosmic Mouse Returns

Allen and the others moved closer, curiously examining the two dead adventurers.

Both had died in the exact same way. Blood gushed from their necks, cut open by a monster, and deep claw marks scarred their bodies. It was clear a fight had taken place.

"Is there a monster in the jungle?" the mercenary captain asked, looking at the bodies with confusion.

The guard shook his head, his tone flat. "I didn’t see anything. I only found the two corpses."

"This place is weird. Should we just keep moving?" one adventurer said, shivering as he looked at the dead men.

The old man shook his head firmly. "No. The horses won’t make it. We’ll take turns standing watch. If anything goes wrong, sound the alarm. With so many of us, surely no monster dares to attack."

The group didn’t like it, but they nodded. After all, this old man was their employer.

"Please bury these two. The bounty won’t be low; we’ll give it to their families," the old man said, his face full of sorrow as he looked at the victims.

"Thank you, sir!" the group’s eyes lit up, and they thanked him gratefully.

Allen watched with a cold expression. He felt sure this old man was somehow involved in all this.

Without waiting for an invitation, Allen spoke up. "Several of us can stand guard tonight. Lilia and I will take the first shift."

"Fine. I’ll swap with you in two watches," the mercenary captain said, nodding at Allen in a friendly way.

Allen didn’t say another word. He and Lilia moved to the outer edge of the campfire circle to take their watch.

The night was quiet, save for the occasional roar of monsters echoing from the dense woods.

Bored, Lilia spoke up. "Allen, should we go into the forest and check?"

She was curious about what monster had attacked the adventurers. Plus, she still wanted to catch that cosmic mouse.

Allen shook his head. "Not yet. Just trust me. That cosmic mouse is going to show up again."

"Why?" Lilia asked, confused by his confidence.

"Intuition," Allen replied with a small smile, saying no more.

"Whatever," Lilia rolled her eyes, clearly not believing him.

"I’m tired," she muttered, then snuggled right into Allen’s arms, finding a comfortable spot to lie down.

Allen gave a bitter smile and sat quietly in place.

He glanced over at the massive iron cage on the carriage. Four guards sat cross-legged around it, standing watch without resting.

This caravan was too weird. They were transporting an unknown giant beast, a cosmic mouse kept appearing at night to provoke them—it was all too abnormal.

Allen suspected the cosmic mouse’s appearance was tied to these people in the caravan.

Plus, the bounty on this mission was incredibly high, yet only newbies were accepted.

Powerful Killer groups and elite mercenary guilds definitely knew the caravan’s secrets, which is why they dared not take the job.

The campfire danced, warming Allen until he felt drowsy.

"Hey!Bro."

Just then, the mercenary captain yawned as he walked over. "I’ll take the second half of the night. You and the girl go rest."

"Sure. Thanks, Eric," Allen replied, nodding. After a day of traveling together, he had a basic understanding of the group.

The captain’s name was Eric, a Stage 4 cultivator. He was a decent guy, and the people under him respected him deeply.

Allen and Lilia picked out a tent provided by the caravan. They kept their storage pouches hidden, so no one knew about them.

"Allen, I’m sleeping first," Lilia said.

She yawned, quickly crawled into her sleeping bag, and within moments, her breathing evened out into a steady rhythm.

"Already asleep?"

Allen frowned. Suddenly, he sensed something wrong. A faint, sweet scent hung in the air. His head began to feel heavy and dizzy.

"Poison!"

He jumped to his feet, channeling the Art of Immortality to force the toxins out of his body.

Could it be the Black Widow again?

Allen immediately thought of that woman who specialized in poisons.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. This didn’t seem like a lethal poison, just enough to knock someone out.

Was it the mercenary captain, Eric? 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Allen narrowed his eyes. He quietly sliced a small hole in the tent fabric, just big enough to peek out at Eric, who was standing guard.

Outside, the campfire burned brightly. The two of them leaned against each other, fast asleep—one of them being Eric.

So it wasn’t him.

Allen grew even more puzzled, hesitating on whether to step out and investigate.

Just then, a faint rustling sound of digging came from nearby. Soon, a figure dragged two corpses toward the iron cage on the carriage.

Allen’s eyes widened in shock. Those were the bodies of the two adventurers who had just died.

The caravan members had used the sedative to drag the bodies out. Their goal was to feed those corpses to the giant beast locked in the cage.

These guys were definitely up to something shady.

Allen hid behind the tent, holding his breath, and watched in silence.

Huff... huff...

Heavy breathing filled the air, followed by the gruesome, chilling sound of chewing.

"Alexander, will this food last us until we reach the destination?" one man asked in a low voice.

The man he called Alexander was that old man.

"Don’t worry, it’s more than enough. Two people a day, no problem reaching the end," Alexander replied, his voice cold.

"These guys are so stupid. A simple job for fifty thousand coins. Did they really think a good thing just fell from the sky?" another man sneered mockingly.

"Enough. Clean it up. Don’t leave any trace," Alexander interrupted, issuing a warning.

Hidden behind the tent, Allen heard their conversation and frowned deeply.

These bastards were treating the dead adventurers as food for that beast!

He wondered what giant beast was locked inside the cage. Should he find a chance to let it out?

Roar... roar...

Monster roars echoed from the dense forest, but the activity outside had finally died down.

Still, Allen didn’t dare let his guard down. He sat cross-legged, focusing his Art of Immortality to cultivate.

...

The next morning, Allen and Lilia were woken up by the commotion outside.

Everyone was already up, packing their things and ready to depart.

"Wait, how did we fall asleep last night?" Eric asked, looking at one of his mercenaries with a furrowed brow.

That mercenary was the one who had been on night watch with him. They had both just woken up.

Falling asleep while on duty was a major taboo for them.

Thankfully, nothing went wrong last night, and no one blamed them for falling asleep.

Still, Allen felt a bit guilty about it.

The caravan set off again, but the rough, rocky roads slowed their progress even more.

At times, the carriage got stuck in deep ruts, forcing everyone to push it out.

Allen tried to get close to the carriage a few times, but the guards watched him like hawks, giving him no chance to make any moves.

These guys were surprisingly alert.

They had now reached the deep wilderness and had already faced several monster attacks.

Fortunately, the monsters weren’t very strong, and the group handled them easily.

As night fell, the horses were panting heavily, struggling to drag the massive carriage. They were clearly at their limit.

"Let’s stop and rest," Alexander said, pointing out a flat area nearby. "We’ll resume early tomorrow morning."

Everyone agreed. They divided the work clearly: setting up tents, gathering wood, and preparing dinner.

"Allen, should we keep following them?" Lilia asked in a low voice. She had completely run out of patience.

The caravan was moving so slowly today that they covered less ground than yesterday.

"Wait two more days," Allen replied, his eyes fixed on the giant iron cage on the carriage behind them. "I need to find a chance to let that beast out. I want to see what kind of monster it is."

Lilia’s eyes lit up, though a hint of worry crossed her face. "Aren’t you afraid it will be dangerous?"

"Aren’t I lucky to have you?" Allen said, not worried at all.

"That’s true," Lilia nodded confidently. She could fly, so even if trouble arose, she could escape from the air.

Soon, the smell of roasting meat filled the air. Dinner was ready.

Allen had to admit that these experienced adventurers who lived in the wild for so long were actually quite good cooks.

"How about we two take the first watch tonight?" Allen suggested after dinner.

"That won’t do," Eric replied. "It was you two who were on watch last night. Everyone needs to take turns to keep it fair."

"Don’t worry," Allen insisted. "We’re going to be wide awake tonight anyway."

Seeing Allen was determined, Eric didn’t argue further and nodded in agreement.

After a long day of travel, everyone was exhausted and headed into their tents to rest.

Outside, only Allen, Lilia, and the four guards guarding the iron cage remained awake.

Squeak... squeak...

Suddenly, two sharp chirps echoed nearby. A small figure hopped over, bouncing playfully toward them.

"Eh? It’s here again!" Lilia’s eyes lit up. It was the cosmic mouse that had appeared the previous night.

The cosmic mouse was startled and instantly turned, darting back into the dense forest.

Lilia tried to chase after it, but Allen grabbed her arm, warning, "Don’t bother. This little one is up to something strange."

Lilia froze, then nodded in realization.

A cosmic mouse is Rare. They couldn’t possibly meet one every single night, so this must be the same creature from last time.

In other words, it had been secretly stalking the caravan this whole time.

"Aren’t you interested in catching the cosmic mouse?" Alexander approached with a smile. "You can go after it. I’ll keep watch right here, so nothing bad will happen."

Allen shook his head. "We aren’t greedy for money. Besides, the caravan’s safety comes first."

Not greedy?

Alexander scoffed inwardly. If they weren’t greedy, why had they taken this escort mission in the first place?

"Heh, my, young man really has raised my expectations," Alexander said, his smile fake and thin. Inside, he was cursing Allen to his face.

This guy must just be afraid of dying. How did someone like him even become a Killer?

Alexander frowned, his eyes darkening with suspicion.

His plan for tonight was to lure Allen and Lilia out, kill them, and feed them to the giant beast. But these two weren’t biting. He refused to believe they wouldn’t be tempted by a cosmic mouse.

"You two don’t look like you’re from poor backgrounds, and your strength is impressive. Why choose to become Killers?" Alexander didn’t leave. Instead, he sat by the campfire and tried to make small talk.

"For the money, of course," Allen replied with a simple, innocent expression. "And because being a Killer is exciting."

"Exciting? Heh..." Alexander let out a cold laugh. How did he feel like this guy was just a green, reckless rookie? How did someone so foolish survive long enough to be here now?