Having light did not mean all their problems were solved. The swamp's wretched conditions still hampered them.
Muddy, waterlogged soil lay everywhere before them. The ground was soft and yielding, and every step brought water and mud welling up, severely hindering both their progress and their search.
Chen Chuan would have found it much easier to move alone, but he was using the Investigation Group's credentials now, so he could hardly leave these people behind.
Besides, he needed them to find certain key clues, such as coded signs Scarlson might have left behind, which he could not recognize himself.
So he chose to walk at the front. With every step he took, the wet mud beneath him rapidly dried out and hardened, sending wisps of steam drifting upward. Illuminated by the light overhead, the vapor became a misty haze. Together with the algae-oil lamps in their hands, it briefly made the others feel as though they had stepped into a tale of spirits and strange creatures.
This allowed all the members to follow without hesitation or worry, though inwardly they were filled with amazement. They had gone on plenty of missions with Scarlson and other members of the Investigation Group, but never had they felt so safe or found things so convenient.
They pressed deeper into the swamp, following its streams and some obvious signs of human passage. Along the way, they were fortunate enough to find more stone cairns left by Scarlson. Guided by these, they walked for another two hours or so before finally reaching the location shown on the map.
The place was easy to recognize thanks to a silvery-white dead tree, which was why the map called it "White Tree Beach."
Everyone surveyed their surroundings. Like the other places they had passed on the way, it