Chapter 123: Stop 24: The Child

Chapter 123: Stop 24: The Child

Mobis' peculiar demeanor soon caught the attention of Steve and his girlfriend.

They exchanged glances, held hands tightly, and subtly tried to discern the source of Mobis' odd behavior, which in turn made them wary of those around them.

This unspoken tension spread quickly among everyone present.

In their haste, as they climbed over a fence, Mobis' cumbersome and lengthy rifle proved too much for him on the first attempt, forcing him to be the last one to scale it.

Vasina, who had landed first, observed him standing outside the fence with his pale eyes filled with concern. He stretched out his hand, saying:

"Mobius, let me hold the rifle for you first, lest you trip over it with this posture."

Mobis remained silent, his gray irises rotating to engage the youth in a stern gaze interlaced with suspicion. The intensity of this scrutiny sent an unbidden chill down Vasina's spine, causing the hand that had tentatively reached out to retract slowly.

He said:

"No need."

Yi Lan could naturally sense the tense atmosphere between the two. She had a favorable impression of this young man who had fought alongside her, so she promptly placed her arm around his shoulder and led him away from the door, giving Mobis a look filled with both warning and reproach.

Mobis cared little for anyone's gaze. After everyone had safely passed, he sprinted forward and nimbly climbed over the fence, causing it to creak briefly in a hurried rhythm.

With one arm, he hoisted his rifle onto his back; this time, the strap didn't get caught on the fence's spikes. Mobis landed smoothly on the ground.

Vasina had already been at a loss when faced with the sudden hostility of the adult men. Now, being taken away by Yi Lan, he couldn't help but clasp the blue sapphire necklace at his chest and whisper his gratitude to her.

Yi Lan patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"He's been a bit off-kilter from the start. Ignore him, just focus on ourselves."

Isabella wasn't fond of Mobis's attitude either. Looking at the arrogant man, she said,

"Mobis, don't be hostile towards everyone. We're not your enemies."

"At a time like this, we should be going through it together, not suspiciously competing against each other. I really have no idea what's gotten into you since just now."

"I'm not sure myself."

Mobis looked straight at her, remembering that Isabella had chosen cookies.

This slightly improved his attitude, but only served to tone down the hostility in his words, without any significant change elsewhere:

"Perhaps I'm just more sensitive than others? Or maybe certain individuals have indeed done something misleading. But in this damn world, being cautious benefits us all. What do you think, Cepheus?"

Cepheus didn't want to engage with this paranoid man, as he sensed a hint of psychosis in him.

But he also knew that if he revealed the truth at this delicate moment, it wouldn't just be Mobis who went mad; extreme suspicion could drive everyone insane.

If they all collectively lost their minds, it would only make things more complicated.

He reluctantly hummed in vague agreement with Mobis and then deliberately turned to Hu Gaoming, asking:

"Hu, are you sure our current route is safe?"

"I'm not certain."

Hu Gaoming, carrying his large blade, gazed at the towering electric fences on either side with a grave expression:

"Be cautious on this path, there might be traps. Try to follow the routes previously taken by others as much as possible."

He marched ahead, single-handedly forging a path, while Eddie followed closely behind, ever vigilant of their surroundings.

The youth's body was slender to the point of fragility, a sight that Steve could not bear to witness any longer. In a few brisk strides, he approached the young man and drew alongside him, simultaneously relieving him of the heavy greatsword he clutched in his hand.

"Let me take care of that, you focus on leading the way."

They gently pushed open the rusted iron door, which was unlocked.

In the pitch darkness, Hu Gaoming surprisingly took out a glow stick from his embrace, snapped it to light, and threw it into the distance. Then, he pulled out another one and held it in his hand.

The faint light provided a illusory sense of security to the group.

The glowing stick in the distance illuminated a section of the metal, which stood upright in the darkness, indistinct and barely recognizable.

Hu Gaoming crouched down, endeavoring to keep the light close to the ground, attempting to discern what lay ahead. Just as he began to make out the jagged outline, Fincher suddenly let out an ear-splitting scream:

"Aaaah! My foot's been bitten! Aaaah!"

Mobis's voice was as cold as it came from the depths of an icy hell:

"Shut up, you idiot! You'll attract those two sadists!"

Perhaps due to the pain, Fincher didn't hear Mobis and continued to cry out. Eddie, his brother, wanted to check on him but was stopped by Hu Gaoming:

"Don't move, this place is littered with traps!"

Eddie froze in his spot, not having time to hesitate before the sound of a chambering bullet echoed.

Mobis declared,

"One more sound, and I'll put this gun through your head."

Fincher froze, staring at him in disbelief. Through the faint glow from Hu Gaoming's light, he could vaguely see the dark barrel of the gun aimed directly at him.

He closed his mouth in humiliation, bearing the pain with gritted teeth.

Hu Gaoming didn't criticize Mobis's actions; he merely gave a fleeting glance and calmly said:

"Many animal traps have been set up around here."

He directed the beam of light toward the jagged metal object beside him. As everyone adjusted to the darkness, they realized it was an open trap, resembling a devilish maw waiting for its prey to fall in and be devoured.

"Help him," Eddie pleaded softly.

"Please save him, Hu," he added.

Hu Gaoming glanced at him and replied, "I will."

He didn't proceed forward but instead continued shining the light around Fincher's area. The trap had already deformed his calf, revealing the viciousness of the embedded spring.

Looking at the nearest person, Hu Gaoming was certain that Mobis wouldn't offer assistance to anyone present. He then shifted his gaze to the young Latin American face, "Pandela, come towards me. There's no trap in front of you."

Pandela moved forward cautiously, and soon, two emerald-green eyes were revealed under the glow, shimmering like those of a feline.

Hu Gaoming said,

"Each of us on one side, press down the jaws as hard as you can. Fincher, we won't have enough strength, so you'll have to pull your leg out yourself, understand?"

Fincher nodded, gritting his teeth.

The two youths strained to pry open the trap's jaws, and Fincher endured the searing pain, embracing his injured limb and forcibly extracting it from the snare.

Hu Gaoming and Pandela released their grip simultaneously, counting softly. The trap snapped shut with a "snap," standing upright once more.

However, spine-chillingly, as if sensing that it hadn't caught anything, the trap slowly reopened its teeth, reverting back to its trapping position.

The initial idea of triggering the trap externally to create a path was quietly abandoned.

Steve observed the situation and suggested,

"The best approach now is for us to form a line, closely following Tiger's footsteps, and bypass all the traps."

Silence reigned, but their tacit consent was evident.

Without hesitation, Mobis positioned himself behind Hu Gaoming, demonstrating not only his strong agreement but also his disdain for having received false information.

Indeed, the further back one was in the single-file line, the higher the chance of veering off course and stepping into a trap.

Perhaps, as Dolly had mused, they were under the protection of Lady Luck, for no one else fell victim to the animal traps until they emerged from the entire dark expanse.

Pushing open the door before him, Hu Gaoming was momentarily blinded by the blinding white light.

With half-closed eyes, he peered inside and discovered a long, corrugated metal corridor. Its surface was painted white, and harsh fluorescent lights illuminated the entire passage, leaving nothing concealed.

It was an utterly bare corridor, with only walls and no doors or windows, its rusted metal exuding an eerie aura.

It resembled a serene artwork, yet the more tranquil it appeared, the more sinister it seemed to hide.

Hu Gaoming stepped into the corridor.

The presence of light offered some relief from their tense nerves. However, people began to regard the armed Mobis with caution, their once-friendly gazes now filled with the wariness of potential adversaries.

Mobis's attitude towards others rebounded onto himself, but he seemed indifferent to it.

A crackling, bizarre communication noise emerged from somewhere ahead.

Hu Gaoming cautiously moved forward and discovered a rudimentary pager attached to the wall.

The crackling sound grew from a whisper to a roar, eventually causing a prolonged, earsplitting buzz that echoed throughout the area!

Almost everyone covered their ears from the noise. Then, with a "beep," a new voice emerged from the pager:

"....Between you two... static... there is a child... static, beep-beep-beep..."

This cryptic message left everyone baffled.

Both Mobis and Kabius' expressions changed.

Kabius instinctively glanced at Mobis's reaction, while Mobis, his focus already on the pager, rushed to it, attempting to dial back, only to hear the continuous beeping of a busy signal!

Gazing at the now disconnected pager, Mobis also had his own conjectures.

He said,

"Yan is dead."

Hu Gaoming abruptly lifted his gaze to look at him, his expression strangely muted, as if he wanted to say something but held back. Even the scar between his brows twitched, but in the end, he said nothing and silently merged into the crowd to observe.

Izabella, unable to contain herself, exclaimed,

"Mobis, we've tolerated your crazy antics for far too long! What are you talking about? What do you all know? Can't you just come out and say it?!"

Mobis turned around, his face stern.

"Haven't you understood yet? The message from the walkie-talkie just now – that's the rule."

Upon hearing the word "rule," everyone fell silent.

Mobis' grim and rough voice echoed through the hallway, akin to his menacing gray eyes:

"We received a similar call in the 'Teaching Zone' next door. That time, two rules appeared."

"The first rule: the killer is among us."

"The second rule: it has a predilection for sweets."

"And now, the third rule emerges."

With an intensely horrifying gaze, he scanned the adolescents shielded within the crowd:

"The killer among us, is a child."