Steam Old Days: The Extraordinary Begins with a Corpse Collector

Chapter 102: Route Deviation, Sudden Trap (Please subscribe and continue reading!)

Because the Dark Oak Forest was densely wooded and full of rugged paths, making it inaccessible to horses, the three of them had to abandon their horses and enter on foot.

Ryder took out the Ether communicator from his pocket.

He addressed the group, "This is an Ethernet communicator. From now on, we'll form groups of two and look out for each other. If anything happens, be sure to contact us immediately through this, understand?"

"Understood!" the seventeen guards said in unison.

"Now let's check our equipment; we need to prepare to enter the forest!"

After Ryder finished speaking, he turned to look at Lyndon and Cecilia.

"Gentlemen, once we enter the forest, please stay close to us and do not stray from the group. The Dark Oak Forest is a complex and dangerous place. Besides the wild beasts that roam the mountains, there are also many other species that pose a significant threat. Even the most skilled hunters can get lost or encounter misfortune. Since Viscount William has entrusted you to me, I am responsible for you."

Lyndon nodded and said, "Of course, we certainly won't cause you any trouble."

After watching Ryder leave, Lyndon immediately took a map from the bag on the saddle.

"This is a topographical map of Dark Oak Forest. Where did you get it?"

Cecilia leaned closer and asked.

"I asked Barkley for it."

As he spoke, Lyndon opened the map.

The two finally saw the full view of the Dark Oak Forest.

The terrain of Dark Oak Forest is a typical combination of mountains, hills and valleys.

The difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points is more than 300 meters.

The map shows three valleys and two mountain ridges.

There is a plateau on the eastern mountaintop, which is marked with a large symbol on the map.

That is the territory of the Dream-Clearing Moth.

"Alright, we should get going. The roads will be difficult to travel at night."

Ryder roared, and the seventeen guards immediately stood at attention.

Lyndon also put the map away.

"Walk!"

At Ryder's command, the procession marched into the Dark Oak Forest.

At first, when the group was still at the edge of the forest, the light could still barely penetrate, but as the group went deeper, the dense canopy blocked most of the sunlight, and the light gradually dimmed.

Even visibility is rapidly decreasing.

The air in the forest was filled with the scent of earth and leaves.

The fallen leaves on the ground were piled up thickly, and they felt soft and fluffy underfoot.

Ryder led the way, and he and two other guards, armed with machetes, cleared a path for the group.

Every so often, Lyndon would leave a mark on a tree and then take out a map to confirm his current location.

Initially, the team did indeed follow the route marked on the map.

But after walking for about an hour, when Lyndon took out the map again to check the directions, he noticed something was wrong.

"Cecilia, have we gone the wrong way?" Lyndon asked in a low voice, holding the map.

"Wrong way? No way!" Cecilia leaned forward and looked at the map in Lyndon's hand.

Lyndon pointed to the markings on the ground and explained to Cecilia, "Look, according to the map, we should be here now. Then we go up this gentle slope to the south, and there should be an abandoned watchtower nearby."

"But look," Lyndon looked up, pointing to their surroundings for Cecilia to see clearly, "Aside from that short uphill stretch, we're clearly going downhill now!"

Cecilia frowned upon hearing this, her slender fingers tracing patterns on the map: "If that's the case, then we're very likely heading down to—Old Mill Valley!"

She pondered for a moment and said, "This used to be a watermill, but it was abandoned because of attacks by alien species."

"That's right." Lyndon put away the map, his expression very serious. "Just to be safe, we should still confirm with Ryder."

So the two of them rushed to the front of the line and stopped Ryder, who was chopping vines.

"Mr. Ryder, we may have gone the wrong way," Cecilia said anxiously to him.

Upon hearing this, Ryder sheathed his knife, his expression indifferent: "Oh? Where did you go wrong?"

Lyndon took out a map he had prepared beforehand and pointed to it, explaining his views to Ryder.

Ryder could only snort coldly. He took the map from Lyndon's hand, fiddled with it for a few moments, and said, "You actually brought a map."

Lyndon said, "Prevention is better than cure."

Ryder tossed the map into Lyndon's arms and said, "We didn't go the wrong way; I just chose a relatively faster shortcut."

"But according to the map, we'll only go further—"

"Mr. Philip!"

Before Lyndon could finish speaking, Ryder interrupted him sharply.

After taking a deep breath, Ryder calmly explained to the two, "Maps are drawn by people, after all, and it's hard to guarantee that they won't make mistakes. Moreover, the terrain has changed in all sorts of ways over the years. Who else would dare to come in besides the hunters? That's why Viscount William chose me to be the guide. Please trust my professionalism."

After hearing Ryder's explanation, Lyndon and Cecilia exchanged a troubled glance.

Ryder's words made sense, since neither of them had ever been inside Dark Oak Forest.

"Okay, maybe we were too hasty."

Lyndon put the map away.

"It's alright. It's normal to feel nervous on your first time here," Ryder smiled slightly. "Actually, we all want to complete the mission, don't we? After all, Viscount William has high hopes for us."

After the minor setback, the group continued its journey.

This time, Lyndon rarely took out his map.

He and Cecilia obediently followed behind Ryder, but he had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

Perhaps it was because the forest was so vast and the light so dim.

He vaguely felt that something was watching him from the shadows around him.

This feeling sent chills down Lyndon's spine.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Ryder suddenly shouted to the group, "We can't see the path in the woods anymore! Let's walk a little further and find a place to camp and rest!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the group.

"Great, I can finally rest!"

"I'm starving!"

"How about we go hunt some game and roast it over a fire?"

"I think it's a good idea!"

The group found a relatively flat spot and decided to start a fire and cook there.

Soon, the people in the team got busy.

Some went to find firewood, some went to find water, and others began to set up tents.

Lyndon was helping Cecilia set up her tent.

"Put some extra force on that side and tighten the rope! Otherwise, the tent might collapse!"

As Lyndon spoke, he hammered the nail into the ground.

"Thank you, Philip," Cecilia said to Lyndon with a smile.

"It's nothing," Lyndon said modestly, wiping his sweat.

Just as he was about to set up another tent, a pitiful wail suddenly came from afar.

Upon hearing the scream, the relaxed crowd looked up and around.

"That's a sound coming from over there!" someone suddenly shouted.

So everyone ran in that direction.

"You wait here, I'll go check it out," Lyndon told Cecilia, and then ran off in that direction.

When they arrived at the destination, Lyndon finally learned what had happened.

One of the guards was caught in a trap, its serrated teeth digging into flesh and biting into bone.

"Damn it, why are there clips here?! It hurts so much!!!"

The guard hugged his knees and grumbled.

At that moment, Ryder heard the commotion and rushed over. Upon seeing the trap on the ground, his face turned pale.

Ryder muttered, "Impossible, how could there be—"

'

Linden naturally noticed his words and expression.

With everyone's combined efforts, they finally managed to pry the animal trap off the guard's leg.

The guard's ankle was almost bitten off, and blood was gushing out of the wound.

"Damn it, I never thought I'd get caught in a trap." The guard, supported by his companion, jumped toward the camp.

But Lyndon remained where he was, crouching down to examine the animal trap that had injured the guard.

"Such a new bear trap; it looks like it was just set recently."

Lyndon pondered.

But the forest had clearly been sealed off by Viscount William long ago, so who could have set up these traps?

His fingertips brushed across the surface of the animal trap, and suddenly, as if sensing something, Lyndon turned around sharply.

A light disappeared from behind a tree in the distance at an extremely fast speed.

Lyndon's heart sank. Instead of immediately searching for the source of the light, he hurried back to the camp and found Cecilia.

Seeing Lyndon's flustered state, Cecilia asked him what had happened.

But Lyndon only told her that for the rest of the journey, the two of them could only stay in the middle of the group and could not go anywhere!