There's Still One More

Zhong Lichun's question caught Mo Li off guard. He frowned, then shook his head and replied, "The education I received in the military was strictly materialistic. I don't believe in these vague, metaphysical claims."

"...But if I told you that these so-called metaphysical claims are real, would you think I'm crazy?" Zhong Lichun chuckled upon hearing Mo Li's words and asked again.

This time, Mo Li didn't answer Zhong Lichun's question. However, judging by the look in his eyes as he regarded Zhong Lichun, it was clear that Mo Li indeed felt she was acting like a lunatic.

Wei Dengke on the side shook his head with a wry smile, then raised his hand and patted Mo Li's shoulder, saying, "Honestly, when I first heard these kinds of claims, I felt the same way you do. I thought I'd run into a bunch of crazy people. But after experiencing it a few times myself, I realized I was wrong. There are simply too many things in this world that we can't comprehend. Often, just because we can't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

"What incomprehensible things are you talking about? I don't understand what you mean at all right now," Mo Li grew more confused the more he listened.

"Let me explain it this way: in our world, there are many things that ordinary people cannot understand. What the tomboy asked you just now is included among them," Wei Dengke interjected.

"...Don't tell me there are actually aliens," Mo Li's eye corners twitched involuntarily upon hearing Wei Dengke's words, and he asked with an extremely strange expression.

"Aliens? To be honest, I haven't actually seen any aliens. However, I once saw ruins left by aliens in Shennongjia, Hubei. Of course, these things won't be acknowledged officially. You should understand that many things cannot be revealed to the general public, as it might cause unrest. This is also for the protection of the people," Wei Dengke said with a mysterious expression, his voice lowered significantly.

Mo Li's eyes widened upon hearing Wei Dengke's words, his face filled with disbelief. Just as he himself had said, he was a staunch materialist. From beginning to end, he had scoffed at legends of the supernatural and bizarre, even thinking those who believed in such tales were childish.

Seeing Mo Li's still-skeptical expression as he looked at himself and Zhong Lichun, Wei Dengke shrugged and said indifferently, "Forget it. It's indeed very difficult to make you believe these things. You just need to know one thing: our department is specifically responsible for handling matters that are classified as legends in the eyes of normal people. Your recent encounter with the Yeti falls within our scope. The tomboy and I went to LS to meet a doctor who is closest to your location, so we were sent here to try and rescue those three foreign travelers."

"...I truly cannot comprehend or believe what you're saying. If I hadn't spent some time with you two, I would even suspect you both escaped from a mental institution. By the way, you mentioned earlier that the three foreigners are related to international relations? Who exactly are those three foreigners? Are they of high status?"

"I can only tell you that the girl among the three is a princess from a monarchical country. I cannot disclose which country it is. That girl is an ardent seeker of the mystical and enjoys exploring things she shouldn't know about. Her purpose for coming to Motuo was to find the legendary Yeti. Do you understand now? If that princess were to truly meet with misfortune, it could easily escalate into a diplomatic issue. Therefore, we must find a way to locate that princess no matter what," Zhong Lichun replied.

"What if... I mean, what if that princess has already been... by the Yeti? What should we do then?" Mo Li asked, making a throat-slitting gesture with his right hand.

"Even if that princess has met her demise, we must still bring back her body. Even if there's no body, just her clothes or some personal belongings, we must bring them back. That is our mission," Zhong Lichun answered without a moment's hesitation.

Hearing Zhong Lichun's words, Mo Li let out a bitter laugh. It seemed this adventure was far from over. At that moment, Mo Li truly wished Wei Dengke's speculation wasn't true. If those three foreign travelers were indeed here, the intense fire would have reduced them and everything they carried to ashes. If that were the case, the mission would be utterly impossible to complete.

As the three of them were talking, none of them noticed the lake surface beginning to fluctuate violently. It was an underground lake, after all, and its waters shouldn't theoretically have waves.

As the fluctuations on the lake surface grew larger, Mo Li and the other two, who were sitting on a protruding rock, finally noticed that something was wrong. They stopped talking and looked towards the lake. Illuminated by the firelight, a massive dark silhouette was slowly surfacing from beneath the lake. This silhouette was incredibly large, about three times the size of the Giant Frog they had encountered earlier.

As the dark silhouette gradually approached the lake's surface, the water parted, and a colossal figure emerged onto the lake. It was another Giant Frog, but its body color was much darker than the previous one, a deep, murky green. This Giant Frog was also covered in numerous fleshy protrusions.

Seeing this Giant Frog, all three of them were stunned. They instinctively held their breath, afraid to make a sound, because this frog was simply too enormous. Its body length was estimated to be tens of meters, and its head was about the size of a house. Faced with such a behemoth, how could they not be terrified?

"Could this be the mother of the Giant Frog you guys just burned to death, coming back for revenge?" Wei Dengke swallowed and muttered in a low voice.

Neither Zhong Lichun nor Mo Li answered. Instead, they turned and glared at Wei Dengke in unison, clearly annoyed that he was talking nonsense at such a dangerous moment.

Just then, a rock fell from the cave ceiling and landed directly in the lake, not far from the platform where Mo Li and the others were. The Giant Frog clearly heard the sound of the rock hitting the water and abruptly turned around. The disturbance caused by its massive body made the entire lake churn, sending water splashing several meters high, drenching the three of them.

Even so, the three of them dared not move, remaining crouched motionlessly on the rock. The Giant Frog had already turned and was scanning its surroundings with its large, waxy-yellow eyes. When the frog's gaze swept over their protruding rock, all three felt a jolt in their hearts. Wei Dengke even instinctively closed his eyes.

However, to their astonishment, although the Giant Frog's gaze passed over them, it did not linger, as if it hadn't seen them at all.

Seeing that the Giant Frog seemed to ignore them, Wei Dengke frowned. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he exclaimed in a low voice, "Damn it! How could I forget this? Frogs can only see moving objects."