673. Be Mentally Prepared for Anything

After walking for a while longer, the mercenary group leading the way discovered quite a few corpses. However, in a place like the Tianshan, this wasn't really surprising.

These people must have either died in the earlier impact of the Mudstone Flow, or been dealt with by some Demon Beast, and were brought here by the Mudstone Flow before they could be eaten.

In the eyes of mercenaries, corpses are no longer anything frightening. Which road to treasure is without corpses? Often, corpses can indicate the surrounding conditions. If a corpse is torn to pieces, it means there are ferocious Demon Beast or beasts. If a corpse is reduced to bones, it means there may be a group of famine predators. If a corpse is intact and unharmed, it is likely poisoned or there are other factors at play. These can all serve as warning signals for those who come after.

When Tang Miao and the others arrived, Ling Ling immediately put on gloves and a mask and went to examine the bodies.

"I said, aren't you disgusting?!" Apas said with obvious disgust when she saw Ling Ling examining a dead body.

"What do you know? Places like Tianshan are not only dangerous to humans because of Demon Beast and natural disasters!" Ling Ling retorted.

"Did you find anything?" Nan Jue asked curiously as she walked over.

Judging from everything that had happened before, Nan Jue had also realized how capable this little girl was. So when he saw her coming to examine the body, he immediately came over.

"That's a bit strange..." Ling Ling said, pointing to Nan Jue clothes. "Judging from their clothes, they've reached the meadow layer. The moss and shady grass that only grows in the meadow layer are still clinging to their clothes."

"Since they left the desert and reached a higher altitude canyon, why did they run back here and die?" Nan Jue asked, equally puzzled.

"What was the cause of their deaths?" Mo Fan asked.

Because Ling Ling stopped to examine the body, and Apas, who was responsible for protecting her, also stopped, as did Nan Jue, the others also returned.

"The cause of death was suffocation, but I can't find what caused the suffocation," Ling Ling said.

"Is it poisoning?" Mo Fan asked again.

"I thought so at first too, but if it's poison, they should be staying in the meadow layer. Anyone with common sense should know that if someone is poisoned, they should look for an antidote nearby," Ling Ling immediately rejected Mo Fan's idea.

Mo Fan, a first-class official... that seems to be true indeed.

If they were poisoned, they would naturally be looking for an antidote nearby, so why would they run here?

"Could it be that they were poisoned in the meadow layer and then washed down by the Mudstone Flow?" Zhao Manyan asked a very stupid question.

"There are no signs of being hit by the Mudstone Flow on their bodies. I'll keep a sample and continue onward. We might need to consider the environmental factors later to find the correct cause of their death." Sure enough, Ling Ling said with a look of disgust.

Zhao Manyan felt helpless after being looked down upon by the little girl...

But what can he do with his high IQ? He's helpless too!

"Is it because they are relatively weak?" Jiang Yu asked.

"There were no signs of combat on their bodies, which means their deaths were unrelated to their strength..." Nan Jue replied.

"The group is already ahead, let's catch up. Even if something happens, the Mailong Mercenary Group can hold them off," Ai Jiangtu said.

"Old Ai, you're something else, are you using them as cannon fodder?" Zhao Manyan immediately understood what he meant.

"You talk too much!"

The Tianshan Mountains are divided into four layers from the highest point downwards: glacial deposits, alpine zero-temperature layers, meadow layers, and desert layers.

The Tianshan Great Rift Valley winds its way upwards, so leaving the desert layer means they have reached the meadow layer, which is closer to the glacial deposits and the location of the Sky Scar.

Following the warm trail of the Mudstone Flow, the members of the Mailong Mercenary Group successfully emerged from the desert layer and began to enter the meadow layer with moss and cold grass.

The Great Rift Valley in the meadow layer initially only has some vegetation that is obviously growing in the low-lying areas underfoot. But as you continue to walk deeper, you will find that even the cliffs above and on both sides are covered with plants. Some of the large-leaved climbing grasses are so dense that they are like a wall. If you don't get close, you might think you have entered a dead end.

The Demon Beast that block the way in the desert layer are naturally not just a group of Desert Bone-Eating Spider, but this group is not very strong, although they are quite good at scheming.

As for the other Demon Beast races, although their numbers were not small, the combat power of the Mailong Mercenary Group was able to withstand such overt dangers without suffering any damage.

After walking for a while, they saw a man who appeared to be sick, abandoned and ignored by everyone.

After seeing this, Mu Ningxue wanted to go over.

But Tang Miao stopped him.

She turned around, somewhat puzzled, clearly not understanding what Tang Miao meant.

"It might be a bit cold-blooded, but it's best not to meddle in things that don't concern you. This is the Tianshan, a dangerous place. Since the mercenary group's own people aren't taking care of it, why should you?"

This place is inherently dangerous, even though they are all quite capable. Bringing along an unfamiliar burden would obviously cause significant delays.

Therefore, Tang Miao stopped Mu Ningxue from going to help.

Mu Ningxue said, "Perhaps he's alright, just sick..."

"Do you even believe it yourself?" Tang Miao asked again.

"Boss Tang... are we really just going to sit idly by and do nothing?" Mo Fan asked.

"Look ahead, he's not the only one abandoned. If they could be treated, would the mercenary group's vice-captain be so heartless?" Tang Miao pointed ahead, then added, "Besides, haven't you noticed? They all seem to have the same symptoms. Almost every team has someone like that. Right now, we're fine, but if we add them in, things could get really bad. It's not easy being a good person these days, because your pity for a stranger could very well lead to the misfortune of our entire team."

He himself was fine, after all, his constitution was already very good, and with the protection of the demon bloodline, there was absolutely no problem.

But Ling Ling, being such a weakling, is a different story.

Before they could say anything, Tang Miao continued, "Furthermore, anyone who comes here to search for treasure should be prepared to face anything, including death!"