Chapter 157: Eerie

Tang Long's speculation might not be entirely accurate, but there was a high probability it was true. This also indirectly explained why Leopard Print had seen completely different sights each of the two times she entered. If the Mountain-Suppressing Stele served as the starting point and branched into two different paths, naturally, the paths witnessed upon entry would vary each time.

If they had somehow bypassed the cliff during their previous visit, that would account for why the others had never encountered the sheer precipice.

However, the "bugs" that Bao Hu claimed could control human minds might not be false after all.

Because... even Tang Long had no way to prove whether Bao Hu was currently in his right mind. If he was indeed under the control of these "bugs," then the words he had spoken earlier at the edge of the cliff might very well be the absolute truth.

When Tang Long had locked eyes with Bao Hu earlier and attempted to hypnotize him, there had been no reaction whatsoever. This indicated that the man's psyche was in a state of extreme tension, or rather, abnormal hyperactivity.

Bugs?

Bugs capable of controlling human minds? Tang Long had neither heard of nor witnessed such creatures. Yet the world was vast, and nothing was truly impossible; the existence of such things was not entirely surprising.

The real question was, where were the bugs Bao Hu mentioned hiding?

Everyone remained on high alert along the way, and fortunately, no further accidents occurred as they pressed onward for a prolonged period.

"Has anyone else noticed that we've been walking downhill?" Yang Wuchan asked with a deep frown. The gradient might have been negligible at first, but the ground beneath their feet had grown increasingly steep. By now, it felt like a slope inclined at a thirty-degree angle.

If one didn't walk down on foot, rolling down might actually be much easier!

"This path might lead straight to the bottom of the cliff!" Tang Long could not say for certain, but they were unquestionably descending and had already covered a considerable depth.

"If we were inside the mountain core earlier, and now we're heading toward the base of the cliff... if we reach the very bottom, could we possibly... find Xiao Du and the others?" someone asked tentatively.

Xiao Du was the team member who had leaped off the cliff earlier. Without rhyme or reason, and without the slightest warning, he had simply thrown himself over the edge and plunged into the abyss.

Bao Hu had claimed there were bugs in the cave capable of controlling human minds. Assuming that was true, those mind-controlling bugs had actually been tailing them this entire time; it was just that no one had discovered where they were hiding.

Furthermore, the massive boulders suspended in the air could never have fallen out of nowhere. The sky simply could not bear that immense weight!

Unless there was a giant "platter" supporting them, and some "pair of hands" had upended the platter. Only through such a scenario could this phenomenon seemingly be explained.

If that was the case, this cavern must house a remarkably powerful mechanism. Once deciphered, such a feat would undoubtedly shock the world, far surpassing the mobile spaces depicted in foreign films in terms of sheer realism and awe-inspiring scale.

You had to admire it; admiration was the only appropriate response. The wisdom of the ancient ancestors was boundless and, in many instances, far beyond the imagination of modern people—take the art of mechanical engineering, for example.

If someone had deliberately hollowed out a mountain core to house large-scale mechanical devices, and then laid out esoteric formations of arcane divination within it... throughout history, the only ones capable of pulling off such a feat would likely be the legendary Mohist school of the Hundred Schools of Thought.

Rumor had it that the Mohist mechanical arts were peerless beneath heaven.

Whether they had truly existed, however, remained impossible to verify in the historical records.

Tang Long did not know whether his guesswork was precise; it might be true, or it might be mere legend. Regardless, truth or falsehood mattered little compared to the task at hand. The immediate problem that needed resolving was finding the Rejuvenation Herb within the Ancient God Temple and making it out alive.

"I have a feeling something is following us!" Leopard Print said.

Tang Long furrowed his brow. He had actually harbored the exact same sensation and had sensed it long ago, but he had yet to pinpoint the entity.

Since even Leopard Print had sensed it, it could only mean that something genuinely was out there—it was not merely a figment of Tang Long's imagination!

"Is that so?" Tang Long feigned a casual demeanor as he glanced at her and flashed a subtle signal.

Leopard Print froze for a fraction of a second before quickly recovering her composure.

Every member of this squad was an elite, and having trained together for some time, they possessed a tacit understanding. Secretly, they exchanged familiar hand gestures to communicate in code.

Suddenly, Tang Long noticed that their captain, Bao Hu, was exhibiting rather strange reactions!

He cursed inwardly: *Could my guess actually be spot on?*

"Bao Hu!"

"Hmm?"

Feigning casualness, Tang Long strolled over to Bao Hu's side and asked, "Do you remember what you said when we first arrived?"

Bao Hu shook his head. "What did I say?"

"Right, you mentioned having a son who is about to start middle school, and that once you get out of here, you want to buy a house near his school..."

Tang Long swiftly slipped behind Bao Hu and struck the back of his neck. Strangely enough, despite using the exact same force that had knocked Bao Hu unconscious the previous time, the man showed no significant reaction this time. Instead, he simply lifted his head, his eyes devoid of any focal point, staring blankly at Tang Long as if he couldn't comprehend why anyone would pat him on the back.

"Does it hurt?" Tang Long grinned at him and asked.

Bao Hu shook his head. "Doesn't seem to hurt much!"

Tang Long nodded and muttered under his breath, "Good thing it doesn't hurt. I suppose even if I chopped your head off right now, you wouldn't feel a thing!"

"Huh?"

Bao Hu looked as though he didn't understand a word Tang Long was saying, yet his face remained entirely devoid of expression—much like a corpse, his gaze completely vacant.

Usually, people would say someone had lost their mind to look like that!

By now, not only had Tang Long realized that Captain Bao Hu was compromised, but even Yang Wuchan, Leopard Print, and the rest of the team members had noticed as well.

Tang Long wouldn't go around whacking people's heads for no reason. Most importantly, not only had he struck him, but he hadn't even been able to knock the man out.

Previously, Tang Long hadn't focused his suspicions on Bao Hu, assuming some external entity was lurking nearby. But seeing this now, that was clearly not the case!

As Tang Long looked him up and down, baffled that a blow couldn't even render him unconscious... Bao Hu suddenly lashed out with a fist aimed straight at Tang Long, initiating an attack before Tang Long could react further.

Bang!

Tang Long raised a hand to block the incoming punch, staring directly into the man's eyes. They were still unfocused, yet the corners of his mouth curled into an unnatural, deeply eerie smile.

It was the expression of someone who felt immensely proud of a successful scheme!

Tang Long rolled his eyes and said, "You can even read our thoughts? Looks like you've turned into a proper monster yourself. Well, how about it? Care to talk?"

"Heh heh!"

An indescribably sinister grin stretched across Bao Hu's blank, corpse-like face as he fixed his gaze on Tang Long and replied, "All of you are going to die right here. What is there to talk about?"

Tang Long regarded Bao Hu with a casual, devil-may-care attitude, a half-smile playing on his lips as he said, "What makes you so sure we're destined to die here? The Mountain-Suppressing Stele made it crystal clear: life and death are up to fate, a fifty-fifty split. It never said we had to die!"