Chen Family Fortress

With extreme caution towards Chen Family Fortress, Lin Yu followed the group slowly into Double Saw Mountain.

The reason it is named Double Saw Mountain is naturally because of its shape—after entering it, Lin Yu quickly saw two bare ridges that stood like saw blades.

"This reminds me of Stegosaurus, but it's a pity there are no Stegosaurus in this world, otherwise it would probably be called Stegosaurus Mountain."

Li Nian said with emotion.

Lin Yu shook his head. "Mountains and rivers are usually named very early. Dinosaur fossils were discovered and officially named as dinosaurs in 1822, while Stegosaurus fossils were discovered and their forms were reconstructed in 1877. By then, the mountains within the range of human activity, especially those close to settlements, already had widely known and accepted names."

Li Nian looked at Lin Yu: "Sister Zhu Ming, you're amazing! No wonder you're a 'veterinarian,' you really know a lot about animals."

"I don't think knowledge about dinosaurs has much to do with my Profession as a veterinarian. No veterinarian needs to learn about dinosaurs," Lin Yu said helplessly. "Although dinosaurs are indeed animals, paleontology is closer to archaeology in terms of academic application than veterinary medicine."

Li Nian nodded. "I see..."

The two of them, being the least affected by the heat in the group, were still able to chat relatively easily.

However, the others in the caravan were not so relaxed and carefree—after entering the mountains, several more caravan members fainted due to their injuries and the sweltering heat.

On the contrary, "Fei Dao," who seemed to be on the verge of death from the beginning, is still hanging there half-dead, without any change.

Bad news: The employer's health bar is very low; he's already near death from the heat.

Good news: It seems the employer's near-death state can last a long time.

Fortunately, Yue Zhenqiao chose this route because it wasn't very long.

In just a short while, they spotted a group of buildings hidden on the Yin Side of Double Saw Mountain.

A towering stone wall stretches from the foot of the mountain all the way to the mountainside, enclosing the cliffs of Double Saw Mountain and encompassing a large area of relatively gentle terrain in the middle of the mountain range.

Behind the stone wall, one can vaguely see the thick earthen and stone structure of the buildings, with most of the windows being very small. The buildings on the ground are not very tall, and the main parts are probably underground and inside the mountain.

This architectural style was clearly designed to "resist high temperatures and scorching heat."

"No wonder Chen Family Fortress."

Lin Yu sighed.

After all, these buildings really do resemble earthen and stone fortresses.

Yue Zhenqiao led the group closer, walking along the dirt road paved with gravel in the mountains towards the gate of Chen Family Fortress.

As Lin Yu got closer, he saw more details of the building.

Whether it's the walls or the individual earthen forts, upon closer inspection, their surfaces appear somewhat... old and dilapidated.

The broken corners, cracked surfaces, and even a few collapsed sections—it seems this place hasn't been repaired in a long time.

No, it's not a question of "whether or not to repair"...

The closer they got to Lin Yu, the more they felt that Chen Family Fortress was practically "abandoned".

It seems no one has lived here for a very long time.

The dark red stones and deep yellow mud bricks are intertwined, making it look almost like an ancient ruin.

It's just that the earthen and stone structure, combined with the heavy bunker shape, makes Chen Family Fortress appear relatively "intact" because it's not easily collapsed.

"If this is an 'abandoned' complex of buildings, then Yue Zhenqiao and the other bodyguards' predicament makes sense..."

After all, a complex of buildings that has been uninhabited for a long time can easily become infiltrated by Yaomo, or other unclean things.

The only place better than sleeping in the open is one with a roof and some furniture.

Thinking of this, Lin Yu silently released his Mental Power once again.

A cursory scan revealed no signs of life.

"It seems to have truly been completely abandoned... There's not a single intellectual activity. But that's a good thing, because even though there are no people, there are no Yaomo either."

Lin Yu told Old Zheng the results of his scan analysis.

Old Zheng roused himself and assessed the situation, then began his critique of Lin Yu's use of Mental Power: "The overall analysis is correct, but there are still a few scattered points of Mental Power... but they are all hidden deep underground and are quite weak."

Old Zheng spoke, Lin Yu was surprised. "Really? Then I really didn't notice."

"It's not your fault. It was indeed very well hidden and very faint. I didn't even know what species it was. I could only confirm that there were a few sources of Mental Power..."

Old Zheng said.

The caravan had just arrived at the main gate of Chen Family Fortress, which consisted of two large doors made of thick, iron-like wood.

Then, Yue Zhenqiao carefully stepped forward and knocked on the door before speaking loudly.

"The Jinfu Escort Agency Team is passing through this area and requests lodging in Chen Family Fortress for one day to spend the day at Noon!"

"I have prepared the payment, along with my own water and medicine for cooling off. I hope your esteemed fortress will allow us lodging."

As soon as Yue Zhenqiao did this, Old Zheng and Lin Yu became alert at the same time.

"This... isn't something like this?"

Lin Yu murmured.

Yue Zhenqiao's actions clearly indicate that he was treating Chen Family Fortress as a "base" that was still functioning normally and was inhabited by people.

Is it because I haven't been to Chen Family Fortress in so long that I didn't know it was abandoned?

Although Chen Family Fortress appears to have been abandoned for several years, considering that the various human strongholds in the Prison Mountain Realm are relatively independent, even caravans that frequently travel between different strongholds may not be able to understand the situation of all the strongholds.

But... Lin Yu quickly overturned his own conclusion.

Judging from Yue Zhenqiao's fluent and natural speech, although he may not have been to Chen Family Fortress for a long time, he doesn't seem to be completely unfamiliar with the place.

Moreover, if Chen Family Fortress was "abandoned" but Yue Zhenqiao was unaware of its abandonment and assumed it was still functioning normally, then the "dilemma" mentioned earlier would be inexplicable.

Therefore, only one explanation remains.

Lin Yu looked at Li Nian beside him, whose expression was also somewhat solemn.

"Be careful, the strangeness of this fortress may be about to become apparent."

Li Nian nodded silently.

Shortly after Yue Zhenqiao finished knocking, there was a rustling sound coming from inside, and then the door opened.

A kind old man, his entire body wrapped in a light-blocking robe, revealing only his dark face, stood by the door. Two burly, shirtless men turned the wooden mechanism behind the door and opened the heavy door.

The old man smiled and said, "So you're a guest of Jinfu Escort Agency. It's been a long time! Please come in!"

"Noon is approaching, everyone hurry up and get into the fort."

His demeanor was warm and his tone enthusiastic; although he was quite old, he possessed a vibrant Life Force.

Only...

"Sister Zhu Ming, judging from my abilities, this thing... is an 'Dead Thing'."

Li Nian spoke in a low voice.

Lin Yu nodded calmly.

"I know."