The village they passed through was naturally the one where Ye Yunxiu had settled some time ago.

Now, with the support of the Star Alliance's advanced technology, how could the Abnormality Department not know about these "explorers" sneaking around the main road?

Allowing these people to come, of course, was something they tacitly permitted.

There's a saying: it's better to guide than to block.

Instead of letting those curious folk find other ways to enter the immortal mountain,

it's better to give them a path, allowing them to gather on their own and act right under their noses, which is safer.

Besides, the Star Alliance's upcoming plan also requires some witnesses to ensure that the events are spread in a relatively natural manner.

Of course, aside from this small village, people have also come from other directions towards the immortal mountain.

Those areas lack villages, are all wilderness, and with the vast area, even the Abnormality Department cannot oversee everything.

So, they can only increase the "publicity" here in secret, to attract more people to pass through this village.

And the wild animals around the mountain have basically been cleaned out.

Almost all the carnivorous animals have been captured and sent to the Third Research Institute, only leaving behind some gentle herbivores, which pose no danger.

At this moment, the off-road vehicle had reached the edge of the mountain.

It was already very evident that there was no road here; going further would gradually lead to an uphill slope. If they wanted to continue, they would have to get out of the car and proceed on foot.

"Brothers, look, we can't go any further. Why don't we try another direction?"

Old Chen pointed to the slope ahead.

His plan was the same as before: under the guise of adjusting direction, take these guys around in circles here for an afternoon, then finish and head back, safe and sound.

However, the young men had finally made it this far and were not willing to give up.

Initially, they sat dumbly in the car waiting for Old Chen to find another direction, but eventually, they grew restless.

Wang Zinan was the first to speak:

"Master Chen, going on like this is not a solution. This mountain doesn't seem to have any path. Why don't you open the door, and let the three of us walk over and take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Old Chen quickly shook his head and said:

"Young man, it's not that I don't want to let you go down, but it's really too dangerous here. We must find a better place, otherwise, what if you run into wild animals? Who will be able to save you then?"

But the three weren't willing to give up easily at this point.

Immediately, they started arguing with him, insisting on getting out of the car to check up the mountain.

Gradually, both sides grew more heated and excited.

Old Chen slammed the steering wheel and angrily said:

"I said no, and that's final! I'm the driver, and I'm responsible for you. We agreed beforehand, to stay in the car and not wander off. Why change your mind now? I can't agree to this!"

Cheng Youquan also slammed the seat hard and angrily said:

"You don't agree? On what grounds? We're passengers, not your prisoners. What right do you have to keep us in the car? This is illegal detention, I'm telling you!"

Seeing the argument getting more intense, Wang Zinan quickly stepped in to mediate:

"Alright, alright, give me some face, everyone, let's stop arguing!"

"Master Chen, I understand your concerns. Aren't you just worried we might encounter danger? I promise you, we'll just get out to have a look around nearby, and we definitely won't run far, nor leave your line of sight!"

"Moreover, we've been here for so long and haven't seen a single animal. Maybe there are no wild beasts here at all."

"Here's the deal, we now guarantee you that if anything happens, it's our own choice, and it definitely won't be your fault. What do you say?"

Old Chen rolled his eyes and sneered:

"You say it has nothing to do with me, and so it won't? If something really happens, how can I escape responsibility? Naive!"

"Hey! How can you be like this? Are you restricting our personal freedom? I now demand you let us off immediately, otherwise, don't blame me for calling the police to have you arrested!"

"..."

And so, the two sides bickered for a while longer, finally ending with Old Chen's compromise.

After all, if three robust young men were determined to leave, he naturally couldn't stop them.

In the end, Old Chen recorded a video of them.

The video content stated that they insisted on getting off, despite the driver's objections, even threatening physical conflict.

Forced by safety considerations, he had no choice but to open the door and let them out.

And they also promised that if anything happened afterwards, it would have nothing to do with Old Chen.

The three youths were still angry.

Even if just for the sake of pride, they had to get out and take a look, so they directly confirmed this video recording.

With this video statement, Old Chen finally felt somewhat relieved.

Watching them disappear into the forest, he also had a bit of a cold sneer inside.

"These idiots, never seen anyone so eager to court death, living good lives yet seeking thrills in places like this. Let's see how you all die later."

He felt quite frustrated too.

The previous two groups of customers were quite reasonable; a word or two of persuasion was enough to make them understand the stakes.

Unlike these stubborn ones, obstinate like a cow, refusing to listen no matter what.

"These guys, do they think they can slide tackle their way out of a wild animal encounter? Tsk tsk..."

Not far off, Cheng Youquan and the others had already stepped into the forest.

Their earlier anger, alongside their steps further into the woods, gradually faded from their minds.

Had they not seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't believe a place like this could exist in the world.

Completely unlike any forest they'd seen before, the average height of the trees here was at least twenty to thirty meters.

Each tree stood like giant pillars, making them feel like they had entered a prehistoric world inhabited by dinosaurs.

"Could there... really be dinosaurs here...?"

Liu Hai couldn't help voicing this thought.

"What are you thinking? Dinosaurs have been extinct for ages! The air and environment on Water Blue Star now wouldn't allow them to survive..."

Cheng Youquan was also feeling a bit uneasy himself.

He rambled on about dinosaur sizes, the environments they lived in, and their current environmental needs.

But before he could finish, a "gurgling" sound suddenly came from the woods beside them.

The sound was ethereal, unlike any current creature could make.

At least with their knowledge, they couldn't fathom what could make a sound like that.

"Gurgle gurgle~"

The sound drew nearer.

It seemed like it was approaching them and seemed to be very close already.

"Wh-what's that...?"

Liu Hai nervously stepped back a few paces, feeling his calves begin to tremble.

"I-I don't know... maybe some kind of animal...?"

Wang Zinan swallowed hard, his face dripping with beads of sweat.

Although they insisted on coming over, it was mostly because the allure of the immortal mountain was too great.

They couldn't resist the temptation, hence insisting on getting out of the car.

But this doesn't mean they were foolish.

The sound, just from its volume alone, suggested that the creature making it wouldn't be small.

"Rustle, rustle~"

With the swaying of trees, a pure white figure appeared before them.

"Woo woo woo~"

The figure leapt several meters high, landing before the trio, staring at them with wide eyes.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.