Wizard: My magic facility can be upgraded!

Chapter 99 The Skinless Monster and the Missing Second Squad

At this moment, the nauseating sensation, no longer blocked by the rock walls, surged out from the depths of the cave like a burst dam, becoming exceptionally clear and intense, carrying a heavy stench and a putrid smell.

Commander Negan, his expression grave, immediately reported the progress to the tower via his badge. After receiving a reply to continue investigating the truth, Negan took a deep breath and decisively gave the order:

"Everyone, maintain formation, stay alert, turn on the lights, we're going in."

The group split into six pairs, surrounding the central support team consisting of Negan and the three captains, and maintained their formation as they entered the cave.

The temperature inside the cave was much lower than outside, and all light had disappeared, leaving only the cold white beam of light from the magic lamp for illumination.

The road descended steeply, and the stench in the air and the distorted discomfort almost solidified, pressing on everyone's nerves.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from all the dark corners.

"Enemy attack! Prepare for battle!" Negan shouted sternly.

Before the words were finished, dozens of dark red shadows pounced out from the cave ceiling and rock crevices like ghosts. These monsters had no skin, their dark red muscles and yellow fat exposed. Their eye sockets were hollow, and they made hoarse howls. They were incredibly fast.

"Each of us engage in combat," the squad leaders ordered simultaneously.

The battle erupted instantly. These skinless monsters were exceptionally agile and incredibly resilient. It often took two attacks from an ordinary novice wizard to completely kill one of them.

In an instant, magical light flashed wildly inside the cave, and wind blades, fireballs, lightning, ice spikes, monster roars, and the sounds of claws clashing mingled together.

Li Ang's gaze was calm as he tapped his wand repeatedly. The [Wind Blade] spell, like the Grim Reaper's scythe, precisely and efficiently reaped the monsters that pounced on him.

For a moment, his speed in reaping monsters was not much slower than that of Commander Negan's [Frost Scatter], which could instantly freeze several monsters with a wave of his hand.

During a lull in the fighting, Negan caught a glimpse of Li Ang's performance, and his eyes flashed with surprise again. He made a lasting impression on the young team member.

With everyone's combined efforts, the attack was quickly quelled.

After the battle, no one on the law enforcement team was killed, only a few members sustained minor injuries.

At Commander Negan's signal, several team members began examining the remains of these horrific monsters.

Soon, a chilling discovery plunged everyone's hearts into despair: these monsters were humans who had been skinned alive.

"Could these be the missing villagers?" someone in the enforcement team muttered. These words were like a bucket of cold water poured on everyone's hearts, sending a chill down their spines.

The villagers' whereabouts have been found, but an even greater mystery has enveloped everyone: who used such cruel methods to turn them into this state? And what was their purpose?

Commander Negan's face turned extremely grim. He seemed to have made a connection to something, and immediately re-established communication with the tower, his tone more serious than ever before:

"Report: Villagers suspected of being transformed into monsters have been discovered deep within the mine. The methods used were extremely cruel, and it is suspected to be some kind of sacrificial ritual."

After a few seconds of silence on the other end of the communicator, a reply came:

"Roger that. Continue the investigation. Your mission is to locate the Twelfth Squad, disrupt any ongoing rituals, and capture those involved in the sacrifice."

Commander Negan took a deep breath, suppressing his unease, and ended the call after indicating that he had received the message.

He looked at his teammates, whose faces were filled with fear and anger, and gave the order in a deep voice:

"Everyone stay put and remain alert. Injured personnel should focus on recovery. We will continue our exploration in ten minutes."

After the order was given, the team temporarily stopped, and the injured team members took out healing medicine and waited for their injuries to heal.

Li Ang and Elisa stood back to back on guard. He could feel Elisa's slight trembling, but he couldn't easily utter words of comfort.

The evil aura deep within the cave grew stronger, and Li Ang realized that this aura was likely of the same origin as the pure malice he felt when the ring was bound to him.

However, the evil aura here is not as strong as I felt back then.

But if this aura truly points to something capable of destroying Riley City, then any words of comfort would be meaningless at this moment.

Li Ang was planning in his mind that if they encountered an insurmountable danger on this trip, he would call for an airship and try his best to escape with the members of the Eighth Squad.

As for the other team members... well, they're on their own. After all, even he himself wasn't entirely confident he could save himself.

The ten-minute rest passed quickly, and the wounded soldiers' injuries had basically recovered under the effect of the medicine, but the gloom in everyone's hearts grew heavier.

At Commander Negan's order, the team set off again, continuing their exploration along the only downward path deep within the cave.

The deeper you go, the more obvious the traces of human excavation become, and some rough and strange statues and murals begin to appear on the rock walls on both sides of the passage.

These sculptures are distorted and primitive in style, with the main figures constantly changing, sometimes depicting a man with a blurred face and outstretched arms as if in prayer.

Sometimes it transforms into a woman embracing emptiness with vacant eyes, sometimes into a hunched old woman, and sometimes into a curled-up infant whose face is obscured.

Interspersed among them are some completely blank murals, as if the sculptor gave up halfway through, or... deliberately left blank.

"What are these statues trying to express? Who are they dedicated to?"

Captain Eric lowered his voice, his brow furrowed, his gaze sweeping over the various stone carvings, his unease growing like vines in his heart.

Commander Negan continued walking, responding in a low voice:

"Judging from this situation, it may not be a sacrifice to a specific being, but rather... it points to a group, or some kind of... concept."

"But that doesn't explain the blank murals," Captain Martin of the Fourth Squad interjected, rubbing his chin.

"Do you think it's possible that this place isn't finished yet? Or that some kind of ceremony is only halfway through?"

This conjecture seemed to chill the air even further. An unfinished ritual often means that danger is still lingering.

As everyone was pondering their surroundings, a series of slightly disordered yet clear footsteps suddenly came from around the corner of the passage ahead.

"Be on guard!" Negan shouted immediately, and all team members instantly went into battle mode, their wands pointing in unison at the source of the sound.

Several figures staggered out of the shadows around the corner, revealing familiar wizard robes and the badge of crossed swords on their chests under the illumination of the magic lamp.

It was none other than the missing Twelfth Squad. There were five of them in total, three men and two women. The captain, Ronald, had a weathered face that was now filled with surprise.

"Ronald? You're still alive!" Captain Martin, who was on very good terms with Captain Ronald, was excited to see this and was about to step forward.