58: Exploring a mysterious camp deep in the mountains and forests, where the cultivation of infants hides deadly dangers.

Chapter Sixty: Exploring the Eerie Camp in the Deep Forest, Killing Intent Hidden in Larvae Cultivation

The deep mountains to the northwest of Qingyang County appeared even more profound and secluded than imagined.

Towering ancient trees blotted out the sun, allowing only sparse glimmers of light to filter through the gaps in the foliage and cast dappled spots on the ground. A thick layer of decaying leaves covered the earth, emitting a soft "crunch" when stepped upon; one could easily sink into the mud if not careful. Chen Hao led five scouts, all clad in lightweight stealth combat suits and carrying compressed rations and sonic detectors, having been lurking in the mountains for three days.

They avoided all obvious paths, choosing instead to traverse steep slopes overgrown with thorns, even deliberately lightening their breathing. Lin Zhou's orders were clear: concealment first, reconnaissance second, and under no circumstances reveal their tracks.

"Captain, three hundred meters ahead, there are fluctuations from an energy barrier." A scout lowered his voice, pointing toward the valley ahead. "The detector shows a weak crystal core energy reaction within the barrier's range, as well as... dense biological heartbeats."

Chen Hao nodded and signaled everyone to stop. He lay prone behind a protruding rock, raised his high-powered night-vision binoculars, and looked toward the valley.

The entrance to the valley was concealed by a dense thicket of shrubs; without the detector's warning, no abnormality would be visible at all. But upon closer inspection, a faint blue light curtain could be seen flickering behind the bushes—the edge of an energy barrier. Deep within the barrier, several silver-white buildings were faintly visible, built against the mountain and looking completely out of place with the surrounding forest. At the top of the buildings stood several signal towers, continuously emitting weak electromagnetic waves.

"This is it." Chen Hao's voice was extremely low. "The Serpent Skeleton Research Institute's base should be hidden in the valley."

He signaled the scout to take out a sonic jammer and tune it to the same frequency as the Men in Black's aircraft from before. As the jammer started, the faint blue energy barrier showed a slight ripple, like a pebble being thrown into a body of water.

"Move, pass through the weak point of the barrier."

The six of them crouched low, using the bushes for cover as they cautiously approached the energy barrier. Under the influence of the jammer, the fluctuations in the barrier grew larger, eventually revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass. They entered one by one, making almost no sound upon landing.

As soon as they entered the barrier's range, a pungent smell of disinfectant hit them, mixed with a faint scent of blood. Chen Hao's perception spread out to its full extent, and his brow furrowed instantly.

The buildings in the valley were much larger than they had appeared through the binoculars. Besides several silver-white main buildings, there were over a dozen semi-underground cultivation tanks. The tanks were made of transparent tempered glass and filled with a dark green liquid. Those dense biological heartbeats were coming from these cultivation tanks.

Chen Hao quietly approached the nearest cultivation tank and looked through the glass; his stomach churned violently.

Dozens of Mutant larvae of various forms were submerged in the cultivation tank. Some had dense tentacles, some were covered in bone spikes, and others had already grown tattered fleshy wings—showing a striking resemblance to the form of that Scale-Winged Commander in Qingyang County. These larvae were still very weak, curled up in the dark green liquid, twitching occasionally and letting out faint hisses.

What made one's skin crawl even more was a label stuck to the inner wall of the cultivation tank, with a line of cold text: Experimental Subject 4-17, Scale-Wing Species, evolution progress 35%.

"Captain..." a scout's voice trembled. "Are these all... Mutant larvae?"

Chen Hao did not speak, his gaze sweeping over the other cultivation tanks. Every tank had a similar label: Sharp-Claw Species, Frenzied Fur Species, Bone Spike Species... a wide variety, with evolution progress ranging from 10% to 40%. At the end of the cultivation tanks, on a massive silver-white building, hung a striking emblem—a giant serpent entwined around withered bones, the very logo of the Serpent Skeleton Research Institute.

"They are mass-producing Mutants." Chen Hao's voice was icy. "The Scale-Winged Commander in Qingyang County was just one of the experimental subjects they released."

Just then, a set of footsteps approached from a distance. Chen Hao immediately signaled everyone to hide in the nearby shadows and hold their breath.

Two Researchers in white lab coats pushed a cart filled with nutrient solution out of the main building. As they walked, they conversed in low voices; though quiet, their words reached Chen Hao's ears clearly.

"The evolution speed of this batch of larvae is quite good, especially the Scale-Wing Species. After absorbing the crystal core energy from Subject 3, their evolution progress increased by 5%."

"Hmph, if it weren't for those people from Dawn City, we could have extracted even more energy from Subject 3's crystal core. But it doesn't matter. Once this batch of larvae matures, we'll release them around Dawn City. It'll be the perfect chance to test the combat data between biological weapons and the red alert system."

"By the way, the Doctor said there will be a large-scale release next week, the target is..."

The two lowered their voices for the subsequent words, and Chen Hao couldn't hear them clearly. But those few sentences alone were enough to make his whole body turn cold.

The goal of the Serpent Skeleton Research Institute was clearly not just Qingyang County. They wanted to turn the entire region into their experimental field!

"Captain, should we strike?" A scout gripped the dagger at his waist, a flash of killing intent in his eyes.

Chen Hao shook his head, his expression grave. "No, our mission is reconnaissance, not a head-on confrontation. The defenses here are bound to be tight; acting now would only expose us."

He signaled for everyone to retreat while taking out a miniature camera to quickly snap several photos of the cultivation tanks and the main building.

Just as they were about to turn and leave, a Scale-Wing Species larva in a cultivation tank suddenly opened its eyes. Those crimson pupils stared fixedly at where Chen Hao was hiding, and a sharp screech erupted from its throat.

"Not good!"

Chen Hao was startled. Just as he was about to lead the retreat, a piercing alarm suddenly rang out, echoing through the entire valley.

The doors of the silver-white main building were thrown open, and dozens of guards in black combat gear rushed out, wielding energy rifles. The red glow from the muzzles was exceptionally piercing in the dim valley.

"Invasion!"

"Seal all exits!"

"Activate Level 2 Defense!"

The chaotic shouts intertwined with the screeches of the Mutant larvae, shattering the tranquility of the valley.

Chen Hao gritted his teeth and barked at the scouts, "Split up! I'll draw them away. You take the photos and data and return to Dawn City immediately to inform the Commander!"

"Captain!"

"Don't talk back! Go!"

Chen Hao shoved the scout beside him, activated his sonic jammer, and turned the power to maximum. Intense sound waves instantly radiated out; the guards' headsets emitted a piercing noise, causing them to clutch their ears, their faces turning pale.

He took the opportunity to run toward the other side of the valley, throwing smoke grenades behind him as he ran. White smoke quickly filled the air, obscuring the guards' vision.

"Over there! Chase him!"

The guards recovered and roared as they chased after Chen Hao. Dense gunfire rang out in the valley.

Chen Hao's figure soon disappeared into the smoke and dense forest. Meanwhile, the five scouts took advantage of the chaos to quickly pass through the gap in the energy barrier and sprint toward Dawn City.

The alarm in the valley continued to blare. At the top of the silver-white building, the electromagnetic wave emission frequency of the signal tower became faster and faster.

A new crisis was rapidly approaching Dawn City.