Ralph, barely able to move and covered in blood, suddenly cried out, his voice cracking. "Mr. Lloyd! You're here! Please, help me—I don't wanna die!" He screamed with desperate joy and tried to crawl toward Andrew. Andrew cursed under his breath, "Shut up, you idiot! Don't make a sound!" However, it was too late. The Dire Tiger, though momentarily distracted, let out a thunderous roar and snapped its head around. In an instant, it lunged and clamped its massive jaws down on Ralph's skull. A loud crunch echoed, and the survival expert Chantelle had paid a fortune to bring along was killed on the spot, his eyes wide in disbelief, even in death. Rage surged through Andrew like an explosion. With a roar, his muscles tensed, and his left arm gripped the rooftop edge so hard that it bulged as his strength erupted to its absolute limit. In the shocked and disbelieving gazes of the others, Andrew leaped high into the air. In mid-air, his grip on the knife shifted from one hand t
It did not take long—just about ten seconds—before Andrew spotted Chantelle. He also saw a massive black Dire Tiger, and the beast currently had someone clamped in its enormous jaws—it was Ralph. Ralph was still gripping his curved blade, which had carved two gashes across the black tiger's head, causing blood to stream down. However, it had no effect whatsoever. If anything, the attack had only enraged it more. The giant jaws crushed down harder on Ralph's shoulder, and in two powerful leaps, the Dire Tiger landed on the rooftop of a nearby stone building. At such close range, and now in broad daylight, Andrew could see just how incredibly massive this beast truly was. From an ecological standpoint, it made no sense. There was no way a beast of this size could naturally exist in these mountain forests as it would need to devour a whole ridge's worth of prey just to survive. However, this was not the time to question how a place like Gallow's End could produce such a monster.
Andrew and Natasha moved forward cautiously, staying close and alert as they explored the area. Eventually, they reached the far end of the ancient village, only to be met with a towering cliff wall rising right above them. Yet, there was nothing ahead. "Looks like this direction was a dead end," he said, turning back. "Come on, let's head back and regroup with Logan and the others." However, the moment he turned around, he was suddenly met with the soft warmth of Natasha crashing into his chest. She clung tightly to his waist, her voice trembling. "Darling, I'm really scared of ghosts... like, really scared. I don't even have the strength to keep walking right now. Can you hold me? Please, just hug me." Hearing the quiver in her voice, Andrew's heart softened. He wrapped his arms tightly around the beautiful widow and said, "You're safe. As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you." Natasha's face had gone pale, and her body continued to tremble uncontrollably. She mu
Andrew had not told anyone about Magnus, partly because he still could not figure out what the old man was trying to do by sneaking into the ruins alone. And partly because, truth be told, he did not really care whether Magnus lived or died. Since the old man had chosen to go solo, Andrew couldn’t be bothered to waste energy worrying about him. More importantly, he did not want to disrupt the group's focus. After all, everyone was already worn down by fear and tension on this journey. The treasure of the Fallen Crimson Dynasty, just like the map said, truly was a hell for the living. Although calling it hell was somewhat exaggerated, there were definitely plenty of strange and dangerous threats, "This place is a damn wreck," Logan muttered. The group moved slowly, scanning their surroundings. Aside from a few collapsed wooden huts, most of the structures were made of stone. The early settlers of Gallow's End were certainly industrious. The stone houses were surprisingly ta
Mohave scratched his head, seeming a bit confused himself. "Last night, when everyone was eating, it was very dark, so no one noticed Mr. Veyne. But I've always had sharp eyesight since I was a kid. Even in the dark, I can still see pretty well. "Mr. Veyne didn't actually stop to relieve himself behind that boulder. He just pretended to. He kept sneaking glances back toward your group like he was checking if anyone was watching. Once he was sure no one saw him, he slipped away, heading straight into the forbidden area." Andrew's heart skipped a beat as he pressed further, "Mohave, are you certain that he voluntarily snuck into the forbidden zone?" Mohave nodded confidently, "Mr. Lloyd, you have to believe me. Mr. Veyne definitely ran into the forbidden area on his own. He looked panicked—tripped a few times on the way in, but didn't care. He just kept running like crazy and kept looking over his shoulder like he was terrified someone might catch him." Andrew took a deep breath
On the other side of the camp, Chantelle suddenly exclaimed, "Everyone, pull yourself together! Look, it's sunrise!" The sun rose from the east, casting a golden blaze across the valley and washing away the last traces of darkness. Bathed in daylight, the valley cradled between the mountains finally revealed its true face. Andrew climbed to a platform with a good view and looked down. The Gallow's End heritage hamlet ruins were completely dilapidated. Now fully exposed under the sun, he could easily see that this place, which Buzz and his people feared so much, was actually just a small area of stone buildings. Building houses with stone in ancient times made perfect sense since they were durable and weatherproof. In the center of these mountains, there was nothing but plenty of stone. Still, stone houses were hardly comfortable. They were freezing in winter, stifling in summer, and terrible at keeping out moisture. From this, one could tell that although the Gallow's En