There Was Another One

Zhong Lichun's question caught Mo Li off guard. Mo Li frowned, then shook his head and replied, "The education I received in the army was materialistic. I don't believe in those vague supernatural theories."

"...But what if I told you that all those so-called supernatural theories really existed? Would you think I was crazy?" Zhong Lichun smiled at Mo Li's words, then asked again.

This time, Mo Li didn't answer Zhong Lichun's question. However, from the way he looked at her, it was obvious that he really did seem to think she was crazy.

Wei Dengke, standing nearby, shook his head with a bitter smile. Then he raised his hand and patted Mo Li on the shoulder. "To be honest, when I first heard claims like that, I thought the same way you do. I thought I'd run into a bunch of madmen. 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 understand. Just because we can't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

"What exactly are those things you can't understand? I don't understand what you're talking about at all." The more Mo Li listened, the more confused he became.

"Let me put it this way. There are far too many things in this world that ordinary people can't understand. What Tomboy asked you about just now is one of them," Wei Dengke interjected.

"...Don't tell me aliens are real." When Mo Li heard this, the corner of his eye twitched involuntarily. He then asked with an extremely strange expression, "Are you serious?"

"Aliens? To be honest, I've never seen one myself. But I once saw ruins left behind by aliens in Shennongjia, Hubei. Of course, the authorities would never acknowledge something like that publicly. You should understand that there are many things ordinary citizens can't be allowed to know, or it could cause unrest. This is also for their protection." Wei Dengke spoke with a mysterious expression, lowering his voice considerably.

Mo Li's eyes widened when he heard Wei Dengke's words, his face filled with disbelief. Just as he had said himself, he was a staunch materialist. From beginning to end, he had sneered at all those supernatural legends, and he even thought the people who believed in them were childish.

Seeing that Mo Li was still staring at him and Zhong Lichun suspiciously, Wei Dengke spread his hands and then said indifferently, "Forget it. It really is difficult to make you believe this. You only need to know one thing: our department specializes in dealing with matters that normal people classify as legends. Your attack by the Yeti falls within our jurisdiction. Tomboy and I went to LS earlier to meet a doctor. Since this place was closest to you, our superiors sent us here to find a way to rescue those three foreign travelers."

"...I really can't understand or believe what you're saying. If I hadn't spent some time with you, I'd even suspect that you two were lunatics who escaped from a mental hospital. By the way, you said earlier that those three foreigners were connected to an international relations issue. Who exactly are they? Do they have very high status?"

"I can only tell you that the girl among the three is a princess of a monarchy. I can't reveal which country she's from. That girl is a fanatic who studies the supernatural and likes exploring things she shouldn't know about. She came to Motuo this time to find the legendary Yeti. You should understand now, right? If anything really happened to that princess, it could very likely develop into a diplomatic incident. So no matter what, we have to find her," Zhong Lichun replied.

"But what if... I mean, if that princess has already been killed by the Yeti... what do we do then?" As he spoke, Mo Li raised his right hand and made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Even if that princess has really been killed, we still have to bring back her body. Even if there's no body left and only her clothes or some personal belongings remain, we have to bring those back. That's our mission." Zhong Lichun answered without the slightest hesitation.

Hearing Zhong Lichun's words, Mo Li gave a bitter laugh. It seemed this adventure wasn't over yet. At that moment, Mo Li truly hoped Wei Dengke's guess wasn't correct. If those three foreign travelers really were here, such a huge fire would have been enough to turn them and everything they carried into ash. If that were the case, the mission would be utterly impossible to complete.

As the three of them talked, none of them noticed that the surface of the lake had begun to churn violently. This was an Underground Lake, after all. In theory, waves shouldn't have appeared on it.

As the disturbance on the lake grew stronger, Mo Li Trio, who were sitting on the raised rock, finally noticed that something was wrong. They stopped talking and looked toward the lake. Illuminated by the firelight, a massive Black Shadow was slowly rising beneath the surface. It was unbelievably huge—roughly three times the size of the Giant Frog from earlier.

As the Black Shadow drew closer to the surface, the Lake Water parted. Then a massive figure emerged above the lake. It was another enormous frog, but its body was much darker than the previous one, a deep ink-green color. Its body was likewise covered with numerous fleshy lumps.

When they saw this Giant Frog, Mo Li Trio were stunned. They even instinctively held their breath, afraid to make the slightest sound. The frog was simply too enormous. Its body appeared to be dozens of meters long, and its huge head was about the size of a house. How could they not be terrified by such a monstrous creature appearing right in front of them?

"Could this be the mother of the Giant Frog you burned to death earlier, coming out for revenge?" Wei Dengke swallowed, then muttered in a low voice.

Zhong Lichun and Mo Li didn't answer. Instead, they turned around in perfect unison and glared at Wei Dengke, clearly blaming him for spouting nonsense at such a dangerous moment.

Just then, a rock somehow fell from the roof of the cavern and crashed into the Lake Water not far from the platform where Mo Li Trio were. The Giant Frog had obviously heard the sound of the rock hitting the water. It suddenly spun around, and the turbulence caused by its enormous body made the entire lake boil. Water splashed several meters into the air, pelting Mo Li Trio directly.

Even so, the three of them still didn't dare move. They remained crouched motionless on the rock. The Giant Frog had now turned around and was scanning everything around it with its waxen-yellow eyes. When its gaze swept across the raised rock, the hearts of Mo Li Trio trembled. Wei Dengke even instinctively closed his eyes.

To their surprise, however, although the Giant Frog's gaze passed over them, it didn't linger. It was as if it hadn't seen them at all.

Seeing the Giant Frog ignore them completely, Wei Dengke frowned. Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he whispered in shock, "Damn! How could I forget? Frogs can only see moving objects."