Chapter 25 The Place of Death

Just as Elise and her team continued to move forward, Jane had already withdrawn her troops and regrouped them.

The three scouting teams responsible for exploration were completely wiped out by the joint attack of the aliens and banshees under Jane's command. Of course, Jane paid a certain price for this, as these elites were indeed not easy to deal with. Although there are no clear stats and health points like in games, where you could slit someone's throat and they could still come after you as if nothing happened, these elites from the Black Onyx Stone City still had some skills. Despite Jane catching them off guard with the help of aliens and banshees, she inevitably faced retaliation. For this, Jane even had to sacrifice two banshees to protect her alien creatures - undead beings don't really benefit from leveling up much, but if the aliens don't level up, then they can only sneak attacks from the shadows.

During the battle, Jane also noticed some issues.

According to the original movie settings, aliens must reproduce through facehuggers, as regular aliens do not have the ability to produce eggs. Only the Alien Queen has this capability. But now in the system, every alien can lay eggs, and the role of the Alien Queen is more like that of the Zerg's Overlord in StarCraft, specifically used for controlling the population.

Jane hoped that the opposing commander would disperse their formation again to search, which would make it easier for her to deal with them. Unfortunately, as it stands, Elise was no fool, so Jane had to give up the idea of continuing to lead her team in guerrilla warfare and gather all her troops to regroup. She knew very well that once Elise and her troops emerged from the tunnel, the real battle would begin.

But for Elise, there was more to consider.

In fact, the further they advanced, the heavier Elise's sense of unease became. It wasn't just about detecting some terrible magical fluctuations or sensing the presence of terrifying creatures; it was a more heart-pounding premonition. It felt as if they were on the edge of an abyss, where a single wrong step would plunge them into darkness.

However, what puzzled Elise was that they hadn't encountered any monsters or traps since then, which both worried and reassured the eager members of her team. They were worried that there might be some conspiracy behind this, but at least for now, they didn't have to fear a stone slab suddenly popping up under their feet.

After a relatively long period of time, the group finally emerged from the tunnel, but before they could get a clear view of their surroundings, a sudden cold wind blew over, extinguishing the torches they were holding high. This unexpected event almost made the soldiers scream in surprise. They drew their weapons and formed a defensive formation, vigilantly watching their surroundings, fearing something might attack them out of the blue.

Nothing happened.

Other than the blowing wind, there was only dead silence surrounding them. Elise frowned, then raised her hand, and soon, bright white orbs of light emerged from the girl's hand, dispelling the shadows and darkness around them.

"Alright, you cowards, light up your torches! Damn it, you are the elite warriors of the Black Onyx Stone City, are you really scared by a little rustling wind? Cough, cough...!!"

The serpent team captain clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with his subordinates' trembling actions, as usual, waving his long sword and issuing angry roars to order his men not to act like fools. But this time, something was different. For some reason, after roaring, the serpent team captain coughed a few times, looking as if he was sick.

"Are you alright, Captain?"

Hearing the serpent team captain's cough, Elise asked with some concern. However, the serpent team captain waved his hand dismissively.

"It's nothing, my lady, just a little discomfort, probably irritated by these fools... I'm starting to miss the comfortable and warm rooms of the Black Onyx Stone City."

"Then we should speed up our pace, figure out what happened to those merchant caravans, and then head back home."

The Taiflin leader also took the opportunity to chime in, seemingly just echoing the serpent team captain's words, but those with discernment could hear the underlying message in the Taiflin leader's words—after a series of setbacks, he had shifted his goal from "eliminating the threat" to "investigating the threat." Obviously, he was planning to pass the buck to the higher-ups.

However, no one objected to this, and even the previously furious serpent team captain surprisingly didn't say much more. If the cunning and treacherous traps encountered earlier only indicated that the enemy was sufficiently cunning and treacherous, then being able to silently wipe out their patrol teams in such a short period of time indicated that the enemy was not weak. It's imaginable that continuing to launch an offensive under such circumstances would definitely be suicidal.

The cold wind mixed with moisture howled past, forcing the group to lower their heads. Without Elise's "Eternal Flame," they would not even be able to see the road ahead in the pitch-dark environment. The empty corridor was filled only with the sound of their footsteps and the howling wind, blending together to form a unique melody.

But the further they went, the faster Elise's heart beat. With the help of the "Eternal Flame," she could clearly see the flat floor on both sides. This indicated that they were walking in a rather flat passage, which clearly shouldn't be the structure of a tomb, nor did it look like something a city would have.

Instead, it was like...

As the group ventured deeper, the wind gradually weakened, and it was only then that they let out a long breath.

"Alright, light your torches, illuminate the surroundings, and keep your eyes wide open! Take a good look around!"

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing the serpent team captain's order, the soldiers in front re-lit their torches, holding them high to illuminate the world before them. Just as a Taiflin lit his torch, suddenly, a dark and terrifying monster's head appeared in front of him, startling him.

"Woah!!"

This sudden "surprise" scared the Taiflin, causing him to jump back. Hearing his scream, the others quickly turned around to look in his direction, then collectively sighed in relief—it was not a monster, but a stone statue sculpture placed in the corner. Its ferocious posture was so lifelike, as if it was about to pounce at any moment, no wonder it scared the Taiflin.

"What are you screaming for, it's just a statue?"

Seeing his subordinate's embarrassing behavior, the Taiflin leader's face darkened, and he glared fiercely at the man.

"Shut your mouth, do you want to attract something?!"

But no one noticed that, at the sight of the statue, Elise's face turned significantly paler. She walked slowly to the ferocious statue, staring at it intently. Then she quickly turned back and made a gesture, and soon, three more orbs emitting white light appeared out of thin air, revolving slowly around the girl as they rose, illuminating the ceiling and the walls adorned with elaborate sculptures and runes.

"My lady?"

Seeing Elise's inexplicable actions, the others were puzzled, not understanding what the young lady was doing. But Elise ignored their inquiries, turning her head back and forth, carefully examining the patterns on the walls and the sculpture. Then, her expression changed drastically.

"We have to leave, now, immediately! Hurry!!"

As she spoke, Elise took out a scroll from her hand, then began to chant a spell in a whisper. Soon, the scroll in the girl's hand shattered, turning into a teleportation portal made of rainbow-colored light.

This...

Hearing Elise's sudden command, the group looked at each other in confusion. They knew Elise had a teleportation scroll to allow them to return to the Black Onyx Stone City after completing their mission. But they hadn't found anything yet, so why was the young lady in such a hurry to activate the teleportation portal and leave? What was going on?

But before they could say anything more, an unexpected event occurred.

"Whoosh!!"

Bright flames flared up, and in the blink of an eye, the previously dark corridor was filled with light. The dazzling brightness forced everyone to involuntarily close their eyes, and with a loud bang, a heavy stone door slammed down, trapping them inside. Almost simultaneously, the teleportation portal beside Elise flickered and then disappeared like a mirage.

Seeing this, Elise's face turned ashen.

"My lady, what exactly is happening?"

At this moment, the group had once again gathered around Elise, forming a defensive formation back to back. The surrounding area was filled with the rumbling sound of rolling stones, and the ground trembled slightly, all signs of an impending storm. Even the most obtuse person would have realized by now that something was wrong.

Elise bit her lower lip and shook her head helplessly.

"We miscalculated. From the moment we found those bodies, I felt something was wrong. But if I had realized it sooner... But now it's too late..."

"What is this place, my lady?!"

Hearing the serpent team captain's question, Elise fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly.

"This is a dungeon."