He changed Tiwat

Han Fulai blinked innocently. He didn't know how it was such a coincidence that he was able to discover the clues left by Corporal Nikolai...

From the moment Han Fulai uttered the words, "In this abyss of rock, there is no one I, Han Fulai, cannot find," only a little over an hour has passed. To discover Nikolai's whereabouts so quickly, Han Fulai can practically boast, "His words are law."

Yelan carefully flipped through the manual. Although the paper and binding of the Fools' military log were quite good, it had been corroded by the black mud, and the book might fall apart if she moved it too much.

She continued reading, "...Was this how our ancestors fought against the catastrophe five hundred years ago? The captain said that the hardships we've endured are nothing compared to those of our ancestors..."

"...We can't stay here any longer. Those guys can see through the black, muddy substance and track my movements... We need to continue in the opposite direction and lure them away from the main force of the squad again..."

“It seems that Corporal Nikolai encountered the ‘Dark Shells’. These black muds are traces of the battle… He may already be…” Jiang Xue recalled the scene after they killed those “shells” and the “shells” turned into black mud and disappeared.

Given the fighting prowess of the "Dark Shells"—those "Black Serpent Knights" whose sanity has been completely consumed by the power of the abyss—Corporal Nikolai would likely find it difficult to escape unscathed.

Han Fulai noticed that Corporal Nikolai mentioned the Captain. It's highly likely that the Captain and Corporal Nikolai fought together against the monsters that emerged from the black mud. Corporal Nikolai was able to leave clues because the Captain protected him. However, even if the two of them joined forces, they couldn't hold out against the monsters for long, so they moved their position.

His guess was undoubtedly correct, because Yelan turned to the last page of the manual, which contained Corporal Nikolai's action plan.

"...There's a cave entrance next to the fortress ruins in the southeast; perhaps we can take that path..."

Wish me luck, who else but me!

The recording ends here, and the path has been shown.

After leaving clues, the captain and Corporal Nikolai entered the cave entrance to the southeast. According to Corporal Nikolai, there was a fortress left by an ancient civilization there, which had the advantage of terrain to be easily defended.

He also mentioned a cave entrance next to the fortress ruins, which might be a way to escape the monsters. In other words, the captain and Corporal Nikolai still have a chance of survival!

This discovery is undoubtedly exciting. Saving lives is certainly a good thing, but more importantly, the captain knows a lot of information, and he also has the "Mokosh Device" with him. The solution to the anomalies in the Layered Rock Abyss is now within reach.

Without any hesitation, Ye Lan packed her backpack and took the lead into the cave entrance to the southeast, with Han Fulai and Jiang Xue following closely behind.

The three ran at full speed; the faster they arrived, the more likely they were to find the remaining Fools soldiers.

There were no more forks in the road; it led straight to the ruins of the fortress that Corporal Nikolai had mentioned, and the three of them soon arrived at the ruins.

It was a small medieval-style castle. The upper part of the castle should have had watchtowers and arrow towers, but they had fallen into disrepair over the years. The castle gate was made of sturdy iron bars, which had fallen down. Each iron bar was as thick as a child's arm, and it looked very safe. If Corporal Nikolai and his men had taken refuge in this castle, they might indeed have been able to stop the monsters from pursuing them.

Han Fulai immediately began calling out Corporal Nikolai's name, but there was no response.

Just as the three were trying to find a way to enter the fortress ruins through the fence, heavy footsteps suddenly came from another direction of the fortress—before them appeared a giant mechanical soldier, a common monster in the ruins, a remnant weapon of the ancient kingdom of Kanria, commonly known as the "One-Eyed Treasure" "Ruins Guardian".

Chapter 233 A Lost Traveler in a Foreign Land (Part Six)

For the three of them, the "Ruins Guardian" wasn't a particularly terrifying monster.

Not to mention Jiang Xue and Ye Lan, even Han Fulai himself destroyed one of them in the cave of Minghai Qixia Zhenjun when he first obtained immortal power.

In terms of threat level, this thing is not much different from the Hilichurls to them... But the question is, how can there be "Ruin Guardians" in the Deep Rock Abyss?

In a more relaxed setting, Han Fulai might have complained on the spot: "The composition of monsters in your Abyss of Rocks is far too mixed!"

From a gamer's perspective, Han Fulai has already encountered several monsters belonging to different factions during his trip to the Layered Rock Abyss.

It started with the "Treasure-Hunting Gang" from Liyue, then the "Beast Hounds" from the "Dark Sea," followed by the "Hilichurls" and "Black Serpent Riders" who were descendants of the Kanria, then the "Abyssal Apostles" belonging to the "Abyssal Order," then the "Fat Man Vanguard" from Winter's End, and now the "Ruin Guardians," which are autonomous mechanical weapons, have appeared...

Beneath this giant abyss of rock lies a complete hodgepodge! It contains all sorts of things!

You Liyue Seven Stars sealed the Laminaria for two years, and now the bottom of the Laminaria has become a vegetable market! All sorts of forces and monsters are coming and going here!

Han Fulai tilted his head to look at Jiang Xue, while Yao Guangxing shook his head innocently, indicating that he knew nothing about it.

Ye Lan, on the other hand, was not surprised at all by the sudden appearance of the "Ruins Guardian," or perhaps in her eyes, it was not surprising that any kind of monster appeared at the bottom of the Rock Abyss... She directly summoned the Ruoshui Bow, drew the bow and nocked an arrow, and the blue water arrow "whooshed" through the air and shot towards the "Ruins Guardian's" one eye—that is, the "Ruins Guardian's" core power furnace.

This is the advantage of having archers. If it were only Han Fulai, he would have had to first put on the jade shield and then do a lot of fuss. Since his "Imperial Gift Black Tassel Spear" had been cut in half, if he wanted to cosplay Zhongli and fight with spear techniques, he would have to make his own marble spear or something...

The "Relic Guardian" theory is also quite destructive. With all kinds of missiles launched, it's estimated that the fortress will be completely destroyed, and any clues left behind by the Fools will be ruined.

Yelan's fighting style was quite suitable for the current needs. Her arrow destroyed the "Ruin Guardian's" power core, rendering the "Ruin Guardian" unable to use any more weapons. It immediately lost its ability to move and collapsed with a thud.

However, this paralysis will not last long. The Kanria black technology has an automatic repair function. If left unattended, the core of the "Ruin Guardian" will automatically recover and stand up again in a few minutes at most.

Ye Lan naturally wouldn't give the "Ruins Guardian" a chance to repair its power. Taking the initiative with this arrow, Ye Lan immediately stepped forward, raised her right hand, and presented a huge blue die, which was the "Abyss Map Exquisite Dice".

With a snap of her fingers, Ye Lan sent streams of water, like sharp arrows, enveloping the "Ruins Guardian's" body and drilling transparent holes in its joints, eliminating any possibility of struggle or resistance.

Ye Lan stepped forward and stomped on the "Ruins Guardian's" head, her Ruoshui Bow pointing at the still-smoking power core.

The bow was drawn to its fullest extent, and the arrow flew like a shooting star, piercing straight through the "Ruins Guardian's" power core.

The "Yuan Tu Ling Long Dice" rolled in mid-air and rolled a "six".

Six water arrows appeared out of thin air and shot towards the same gap as if by shadow. The seven arrows struck in unison, completely shattering the power furnace of the "Ruins Guardian".

"The show is over, that's it."

Ye Lan easily retrieved the Ruoshui Bow and the "Yuantu Linglong Dice," and the "Ruins Guardian" would never move again.

Judging from Ye Lan's expression, the battle just now was at most a "warm-up".

Of course, while Ye Lan was dealing with the "one-eyed little treasure," Han Fulai and Jiang Xue were also busy.

Jiang Xue drew her bladeless sword, unleashing a foot-long blade of light that sliced ​​through the fortress's iron fence, creating a gap large enough for two people to pass side by side.

The interior of the fortress was not large, roughly estimated to be only a hundred square meters. Three sides of the fortress were high brick and stone walls, and the mechanism to control the gates was also inside, still in the "closed gate" state. The remaining side was a rock wall, and the "exit" recorded by Corporal Nicholas was nowhere to be seen.

The soldiers' barracks and other facilities in the fortress ruins have all collapsed, leaving only ruins and no human presence.

—But Corporal Nikolai and the Captain should have entered the fortress, otherwise who would have pulled down the gate and fence? And there are no other exits inside the fortress, so where did Corporal Nikolai and the Captain go? We need to find them alive or dead!

With this question in mind, Han Fulai and Jiang Xue searched around and finally found traces left by the Fools' soldiers in a corner.

There was a bloodstained badge of the Fools' officers, and beneath it lay several bloodstained pieces of paper.

"What did you find?" Ye Lan also entered the fortress at this time.

Han Fulai showed the sergeant's insignia to Ye Lan.

"Hmm... this is the insignia of the Fools' vanguard. Judging from the rank, it belongs to Corporal Nikolai. Given the Fools' nature, they won't discard an insignia symbolizing military honor unless they're facing death..."

Yelan took the badge, examined it carefully, rubbed the bloodstains on the badge with her fingers, and then sniffed it lightly.

"The blood has dried and clotted, and its color has turned reddish-brown. Judging from the smell... at least two or three days have passed."

“But I didn’t see any bloodstains anywhere else.” Han Fulai pointed to the ground around him; there were no traces of blood on the ground inside the fortress.

Both he and Yelan knew this was abnormal. If Corporal Nikolai had died here, where was his body? Where was the blood? There wasn't even a trace of a battle.

Jiang Xue had already finished translating the message on the piece of paper.

"This is Corporal Nikolai's log, which records his experiences during those days... and his last words."

Jiang Xue began to read aloud the contents of the slip of paper: "Successfully entered the fortress. The enormous mechanical monster is still roaming outside, seemingly patiently waiting for me to escape, like a predator, treacherous and extremely vicious..."

"My left leg was badly injured. It was hastily bandaged, and it's very painful and swollen. There might be an infection."

"There's another exit, but we're not sure where it leads. The exit structure is very fragile; without support, it could easily collapse under strong external forces..."

“I’ve been spotted. Someone’s coming. The visitor is… a swordsman dressed entirely in black? He, no, it…? It seems even the sturdy metal fence can’t stop it. I knew it just by looking at it.”

Nikolai's last words were for Katarina—

“…I’m sorry, Katya.”

Chapter 234 A Lost Traveler in a Foreign Land (Part 7)

Katarina lay on the haystack where she was staying and took out a letter from her bosom.

That was a letter Kolya had sent her before the troops were redeployed, which she had always treasured.

For her, this was the last proof that her brother was still alive... She had already decided that she would keep this letter with her until the day she died.

She unfolded the letter again, and before her eyes was her brother's familiar, slightly messy handwriting.

To my dearest sister Katya:

The captain told me you're being transferred here to join our unit soon. The thought of us finally being able to reunite fills me with such joy!

I still carry the balalaika you gave me before I left with me. I've fixed it up and replaced the bridge that we accidentally broke before, and now the sound is much smoother.

But let me make this clear: I'm keeping this violin safe, and I'm not giving it back to you. Sis, you're so clumsy; if you break this old friend again, I won't have the heart to fix it again!

Oh, and I've learned two new songs. When you arrive, I'll show them off by the fire. Just like long ago, we'll play music and sing around the fireplace, tell jokes, and look forward to Her Majesty the Queen bestowing new gifts upon the brothers and sisters of "The Hearth" in the new year…

This time, however, we are no longer carefree children; we bear greater responsibilities and deeper concerns.

The captain granted us a half-day off for this get-together, so please bring some wine and desserts, sister, and let's catch up to our hearts' content. I have so many stories to tell you; I'm sure many interesting things must have happened where you're stationed!

By the way, if you find out I've gained weight when we meet, please don't tease me! And I'll also be keeping an eye on whether you've gained weight!

We eagerly anticipate this reunion.

Nikola Shchernetsevich

Katarina quietly ran her fingers over each line of ink on the letter, and Nikolai's round face, still bearing a hint of youthful awkwardness, appeared before her eyes once more.

“If you escape… as Her Majesty the Queen’s Fools, I will hunt down your head, no matter where you run or how long you hide.”

“If you have already sacrificed yourself… as your sister, I will also face the fate that every Fool must face, and I will be proud of you.”

"The so-called 'if not me, then who?'...that's what it means."

She pressed the letter to her chest and gently stroked the rough back of it. "Kolya, I really want to... really want to see you again."

After reading the last sentence, Jiang Xue fell silent.

It appears that in the end, both the captain and Nikolai died at the hands of a "Black Serpent Knight".

Ye Lan stroked her chin, her brows furrowed in deep thought.

The deaths of the captain and Nikolai were not particularly surprising to her. The fact that the "ruins guards" patrolling outside the fortress had not been destroyed indicated that the captain and Nikolai had lost their fighting ability after escaping here. Moreover, judging from Nikolai's message, they were probably both seriously injured, and the bloodstains on the Fool's Army officer's insignia were a testament to Nikolai's injuries.

But the question is, where is the body?

After killing people, are monsters responsible for collecting the corpses? And since the metal fence wasn't damaged, how did the monster get through it?

In addition, the fact that there were no signs of fighting at the scene also concerned her.

Just then, Han Fulai suddenly punched the rock wall in front of him.

A muffled thud came from the rock face.

"This is it. There's a passage in here, and I bet Corporal Nikolai is inside. Senior Jiang Xue, it's all up to you."

Jiang Xue paused for a moment, then quickly understood Han Fulai's meaning. He put away Nikolai's message and took out his Thousand Rock Ancient Sword.

Han Fulai then stepped back a few steps to make way.

Jiang Xue gripped her sword with both hands, uttered a soft "Break!", and swung her sword at the rock wall.

As the sound of the Thousand Rocks Ancient Sword colliding with the rock wall rang out, the seemingly solid rock wall instantly crumbled, revealing a secret passage behind the rubble!

The secret passage was filled with a dim yellow light, which came from a miner's lamp that had become very dim. Next to the lamp lay a young Fool's soldier with gray hair and a round face. His face was pale from blood loss, and he looked like Corporal Nikolai.

Beside him lay a musket, and he wore the uniform of a Fool's guerrilla, torn and scorched in many places, clearly the result of a fierce battle. His left trouser leg was ripped, his thigh was wrapped in bandages stained with blood, and his calf was swollen, with dark blue veins showing through the skin, a truly gruesome sight.

With injuries like that, he couldn't even walk, let alone fight.

Even the sound of Jiang Xue cutting through the rubble at the entrance to the secret passage did not elicit any reaction from Nikolai; his eyes remained tightly closed.

Han Fulai and Jiang Xue carried Corporal Nikolai out of the secret passage. Fortunately, he was still breathing faintly, but had fallen into a coma.

"Miss Ye Lan, could you please help treat her?" Han Fulai remembered that Ye Lan always carried medicine with her. She would often get injured while on missions, so she should have a lot of experience in treating injuries.

Ye Lan didn't say much. She directly took out a set of first aid tools and two bottles of medicine from her divine eye and skillfully began to use them.

She cut the bandage, released the blood clots, cleaned the wound, stitched it up, applied medicine, re-wrapped the wound, and then pried open Nikolai's jaw to force-feed him the specially made anti-infective drug from Bubulu... Ye Lan's entire set of actions was smooth and seamless. If they didn't know her identity, Han Fulai and Jiang Xue would almost think she was a doctor who had been practicing medicine for many years.

—In fact, Ye Lan's surgical skills are comparable to those of a real military doctor. If necessary, she can even perform amputations skillfully.

The so-called "one person, a thousand faces" is not just limited to changing clothes and putting on makeup. No matter what profession Ye Lan disguises herself as, she has professional knowledge of the relevant profession, and in some aspects she is even more proficient than real professionals.

Besides treatment, her surgical knowledge could be applied to other areas—where to hit someone to incapacitate them, where to kick someone to cause excruciating pain… She also used this knowledge in combat and interrogation.

In addition, her research on human pain is perhaps comparable to that of the scholars of the Sumeru school of thought, and she even knows what kind of pain will produce pleasure in the human body—this is a little hobby that she does not want to tell outsiders.

After Yelan finished her treatment, Nikolai's breathing became much more stable, indicating that his injuries had stabilized.

As an elite member of the Fools, Nikolai's physical condition was far superior to that of ordinary people, which allowed him to hold on until the moment of his salvation.

Jiang Xue took this opportunity to ask the question that had been on her mind: "How did you know there was a secret passage behind the rock wall, and how did you think Corporal Nikolai would be inside?"

Chapter 235 A Lost Traveler in a Foreign Land (The End)

Hearing Jiang Xue's question, Han Fulai smiled slightly and was about to answer when Ye Lan spoke first.

“He found it in Corporal Nikolai’s note,” Ye Lan said calmly as she packed up her tools. “Corporal Nikolai wrote in his notes that there was another exit here, but we didn’t find it, which means that exit is likely hidden by something. And considering he said that the exit’s structure was very fragile and could easily collapse under a strong impact…”

Ye Lan pointed to the pile of rubble at the exit of the secret passage, "So it's only natural to think that the exit is hidden by the collapsed rubble."