Open A Clinic To Cultivate Myself Chapter 244 Bloodshed At The Chasm

The temperature had dropped drastically on the mountaintop. In some places, there was even frozen ice. The odor of Tang Zixian and her archaeological colleagues had weakened, but he could still determine the direction in which they had left. She and the other archaeologists were heading for the chasm at the foot of the mountain.

Ning Tao stared in the direction of the deep chasm, furrowing his brows. His heart was wondering. “I have stayed in Shan City these few days and these fellows must have located the deep chasm by following the river. If they knew what horrors they would encounter at the bottom, would they be as enthusiastic as they were before?”

After descending the mountain, he arrived at the belt of the forest midway up the mountain. The odor of Tang Zixian and her archaeological team had become stronger. On the ground, too, were their clearly discernible tracks. There were footprints and even signs of someone stumbling.

There were odor and footprints. Ning Tao quickened his pace. In the forest, he executed ladder steps under his feet. His figure resembled a hero from sword fighting movies, racing on gra.s.s and soaring over rocks.

Soon, Ning Tao came to the edge of the deep chasm. The odor of Tang Zixian and the archaeological team extended down from where his feet were. He found himself in the situation he had most feared. If they followed the chasm and continued exploring, they would encounter the site of Shennongjia primitives, if all went well. Then they would discover the Feminine-moon City at the bottom. That would surely not be an earth-shattering archaeological find, but the start of a nightmare.

After descending the chasm, Ning Tao continued following their tracks.

The odor and tracks of Tang Zixian and her archaeological team were even more evident now. They extended toward the Shennongjia primitives' site.

Coming to mire, Ning Tao halted his steps. He shone his flashlight down and saw frantic marks beside the mire. His heart shaken, he instantly summoned the sight and smelling abilities of his eyes and nose. He did not detect the innate auras of any living being, only the rotting stench of a corpse in the mire.

Someone had fallen in the mire and died there.

The person who had died in the mire was an elderly woman, Dong Qing, a mineralogist in the team. It was easy for Ning Tao to establish that since her odor had ceased at this point and had not extended elsewhere. The person whose odor ended here would be the one who would sleep forever in this mire.

It was an accident, but it was no accident that Dong Qing was the one dead. Her const.i.tution must be the weakest of all the team members. She had weak eyes too.

Ning Tao continued to follow the tracks.

If he had been here, Dong Qing would not have died. He was fully capable of saving her. Other than Ma Tongtong, the rest of the archaeological team had objected to his partic.i.p.ation. This did not mean that all of them except for Ma Tongtong deserved death, merely that such an outcome was most regretful.

A heavy fog lingered at the bottom of the chasm. He could see no one, only the odor in the air and the footprints on the ground. The archaeological team had continued their exploration forward. Ning Tao continued to pursue them. He was as swift as a hunting leopard and seemed to be soaring past the mires.

But the further Ning Tao went, the heavier his heart was. It was for no other reason than that the dwellings of the Shennongjia primitives were ahead.

A blood stench suddenly wafted over from the front. Ning Tao's pulse quickened and he hastened his footsteps.

The blood stench was from a “sentry post” of the Shennongjia primitives. Blood was splashed all over a pile of stones and on the ground. There was the smell of gunfire in the air and there were also scattered bullet sh.e.l.ls on the ground.

“A gun?” Ning Tao was very surprised. From what he could remember, the archaeological team was not armed with ammunition. Tang Zixian and Tu Wenjin who had joined them later weren't armed either. So why were there bullet sh.e.l.ls here?

He casually picked up one of the sh.e.l.ls. It was around four to five centimeters long. With the bullet head, it would be slightly over five centimeters. Bullet sh.e.l.ls of such length should come from an a.s.sault rifle.

After refining the Mauser pistol, he had gone on the Internet to read about guns and ammunition. It would be quite easy to determine the firing mechanism from which these bullet sh.e.l.ls had been fired, although not with a 100% certainty.

“A rifle?” Ning Tao's brows started to furrow again. His heart was saying quietly, “Gun control in our country is extremely stringent. It's difficult to even own a hand pistol, let alone a rifle. Tu Wenjin is the billionaire owner of a listed company. He is in this expedition entirely because of Tang Zixian. But he won't be so stupid as to own a rifle illegally! If discovered, he will be jailed for a few years. But if the rifle isn't from Tang Zixian or Tu Wenjin, whose can it be?”

He reached out and touched the blood. The blood had not coagulated and was not that of humans. It was the blood of a Shennongjia primitive.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

From the heavy fog ahead came sudden, dull gunshots.

Ning Tao raced in the direction where these gunshots had emanated. As he ran, he put his flashlight back into his medicine chest. Then he pulled out the Unbreakable Fan and Mauser pistol, grasping the fan in his left hand and the pistol in his right. The ident.i.ty of the person with the gun could not be determined. He must be prepared for combat.

The blood stench in the thick fog became stronger and stronger. Corpses appeared on the ground. Some were Shennongjia primitives who had been shot dead, while others were archaeological team members bashed dead on the head. There were even armed men in bulletproof vests.

After traversing the thick fog, the panorama before his eyes instantly expanded. Ning Tao could see the dwellings of the Shennongjia primitives. In that very instant, he heard another round of earth-shattering gunfire. A Shennongjia primitive was lying in a pool of blood.

Shennongjia primitives were exceedingly strong. But they were still of flesh and blood. They might be able to take a couple of gunshots but if they were hit by rounds from several a.s.sault rifles, their bodies might receive as many as 100 bullets. And there might be special bullets among these rounds. Even a man made out of steel would be dead, let alone a mortal of flesh and blood.

At their tribal dwellings, the corpses of Shennongjia primitives were strewn everywhere. There were also dead bodies of armed men and archaeological team members.

Ning Tao discovered Tang Zixian, Tu Wenjin and three other archaeological team members who had managed to survive—Ji Wengui, Ma Tongtong and Yang Chen. These five were isolated in a hot spring region. The body of a Shennongjia primitive was floating on the hot spring pool. Its fresh blood had dyed the hot spring red, the bright crimson color making one's blood curdle.

The team of armed men was all masked in black. From their physiques and skin color, one could tell they were mostly whites or blacks. There were only two Asians. One was carrying a Personnel Network Radio and a satellite phone. The other was holding a sniper rifle.

Ning Tao suddenly recalled a man, Nicholas Conway, the mysterious owner of Black Fire Company. There was no country in this world that dared to send troops over to Hua Country. But as an underground mercenary company, Black Fire Company would not have such qualms. In fact, if these armed men were really mercenaries from the Black Fire Company, it would have been their third military operation.

The first was an attack on the botanical garden of Blueprint Biotechnology Company. That military unit had been completely routed. The other was to instigate Liang Keming's defection. They employed technological magic tools and succeeded. Liang Keming abducted Lin Qinghua along with him.

The present operation would be their third. They had the whole situation under control and their operation was about to end. A dozen or so armed men were attacking the caves in where the Shennongjia people used to dwell. It was pitch dark inside, but they were all equipped with night thermographic cameras which could detect hotspots. The darkness would not affect them much. Yet they merely gathered at the entrance, firing into the cave and did not dare enter.

Fury began to blaze in Ning Tao's heart. His malicious side came to the fore. He was doing his best to protect the Shennongjia primitives, trying to preserve their last dwelling grounds. He had not brought his small team to plunder their spiritual materials. Yet these armed men were blatantly ma.s.sacring them here. They were not only killing Shennongjia primitives, but also the archaeological team members!

Ning Tao raised the muzzle of his Mauser pistol and aimed at the dozen or so armed men at the cave entrance. His right index finger was upon the trigger and was about to pull.

Suddenly, a brawny white man growled in English, “Stop firing!”

The dozen or so armed men madly firing into the cave stopped shooting.

Ning Tao also released his finger on the trigger. Rage was burning inside him just now and he had wanted to kill all the armed men here. But it was clearly not a sane decision. If he had fired, he might kill a few armed men but he himself would come face to face with a dozen a.s.sault rifles, or even grenade launchers, sniper rifles, and hand grenades. Even though he knew Ladder under Feet and had the Unbreakable Fan, he could not be faster than a bullet. His Unbreakable Fan could not ward off these showering bullets. And finally, he might have to face another horrendous predicament: Ma Tongtong, Ji Wengui, and Yang Chen were all hostages under these mercenaries. If he fired his pistol and killed someone, they might kill them as well.

“The Boss has spoken. Capture these two alive. Don't kill them.” The brawny white continued, “Use tear gas to force them out. Then fire the tranquilizer gun at them. Capture those two alive and kill the rest.”

Bang, bang, bang!

In an instant, the armed men had fired a few tear gas using their grenade launchers. Soon, eye-stinging smoke appeared at the cave entrance. The armed men gathering at the entrance retreated. They were biding their time, preparing to shoot dead the Shennongjia primitives coming out.

Ning Tao's sight fell on the body of an armed man, his brains bashed out. A thought arose in his mind. He grabbed the dead body and dragged it into the fog. Then he stripped it of its combat suit and bulletproof vest and put them on himself. He also took the dead man's equipment pack. He fitted his little medicine chest in and drew out his Blade of the Solar Eclipse. He sheathed the blade in the canvas sheath on his thigh. Finally, he masked himself with the black scarf drenched in blood and lifted the a.s.sault rifle. He sneaked in the direction of Ma Tongtong and the other hostages.

Before Ning Tao could get near Ma Tongtong and the other hostages, an armed man had discovered him. He said in English, “Go and take a look in the forest. What's wrong with those guys? Why aren't they back yet?”

The armed men here were not the entire unit?

Ning Tao's heart began to sink. He nodded and left for the forest. The place was dusky and his face was caked in blood. Only someone who knew the dead man well would notice his subterfuge. While walking, he observed the cave entrance from the corners of his eyes. Well, at least no Shennongjia primitive had run out of the cave. Perhaps the cave was very big and there were other tunnels inside. Or perhaps the Shennongjia primitives were not afraid of tear gas. The tear gas fired by the armed men had done nothing to them.

Finally, Ning Tao's gaze s.h.i.+fted to Tang Zixian, observing her from the corners of his eyes.

Tang Zixian was very calm.