2 hours ago.
Andrea's cabin.
"Sister Wu Tian, the plan might have changed."
Wu Tian, who was memorizing the detailed map of the manor, frowned. Andrea's tone was anxious for the first time, making her feel uneasy.
"What's wrong?"
"The church's base in Iwomonna has been attacked, and now all church forces in the White Eagle Federation are rushing this way." Andrea felt that her plan was being disrupted and turned to Wu Tian, "Sister Wu Tian, get ready, we might have to act tomorrow."
With only one night for preparation, the time was quite tight.
"Okay," Wu Tian agreed enthusiastically. Acting sooner was definitely better. Although she could see Lin Junhui's situation at all times through the giant eyeball monitor Andrea had created.
But the sooner she rescued Lin Junhui, the sooner she could feel at ease.
"Well, I'll get you the secret weapon, specially made to deal with the Cult of Eternal Life."
"Huh??"
There was a secret weapon?
I like it!
...
On the other side, Lin Yuan had already come out with three survivors. He had no idea about Andrea and Wu Tian's plan. After sending the distress signal, he was heading towards the manor.
"Do you three know of any places nearby where you can hide? What I'm about to do is extremely dangerous. Your chances of survival if you continue following me are zero.
Now that there's still time, I can escort you for a short distance."
After asking, they all fell silent. It was the least active girl who raised her hand and said, "I know of a cave near the sea to the southwest where we can live for a while."
When they left, Lin Yuan not only asked them to bring weapons and ammunition but also to carry enough food.
Lin Yuan mentally reviewed the distance between the manor and the cave. The route deviation wasn't significant, and the distance was only a dozen kilometers. If they considered this as a base, it would add some reassurance.
"Okay, I'll send you there. Make sure you have your food."
To prevent being tracked, Lin Yuan had two of them carry the food on stretchers, while he and the youngest girl carried other supplies separately.
For instance, all the guns and ammunition were on Lin Yuan, who only held two bags of food in his hands.
The little girl was carrying spare clothes and food on her back.
The four of them walked and stopped, reaching the cave in an hour.
This place was backed by the sea, with no signs of human habitation.
The cave extended a bit further inside, enough space for three people to live for a while.
"You live here for a while. If I survive, I'll come back for you and send you to the New Federation settlement. If I don't come, then you'll have to rely on yourselves.
Understand?"
The three girls nodded, remaining silent.
"Let's go."
As he walked out of the cave, Lin Yuan vaguely heard prayers from inside.
"Lord, please bless the benefactor who has left us. I pray with my spirit and understanding. Please let him return safely..."
"Sounds pretty good."
Lin Yuan muttered and sped away from the vicinity of the cave.
The heavy snow was still falling, drifting down. The wind sometimes suddenly became strong, bringing a brief blizzard.
But none of these mattered in Lin Yuan's eyes.
That patch of slightly bloody dark cloud was gradually approaching.
He could already smell the scent of decay in the air.
He crawled onto a hilltop about a kilometer from the manor's main gate, planning to observe the situation first.
However, the scene in the telescope wasn't as heavily guarded and bustling as he expected.
Instead, it was peaceful and brightly lit, showing no signs of large-scale troop movement.
"What does that mean? Is that Saint Mother so confident? Not afraid of her lair being raided?"
Though surprised, he wasn't foolish enough to rush straight through the main gate.
Instead, he looked for hidden entrances and exits around the manor.
"What is that."
There were some buildings on the mountain to the left of the manor, looking like temporary structures. They seemed to have been there for some time, with only one light hanging there, its purpose unknown.
Adjusting the focus, Lin Yuan looked closely in the lamplight. These buildings were built on the mountainside, very simple, and the cleared ground had some stones covered with grass.
Moreover, there seemed to be a path behind this place, and perhaps they could sneak into the manor from here.
This operation couldn't be like an Assassin's Creed infiltration. If they startled the monsters inside even slightly, he might be surrounded and killed directly.
He had to be cautious.
Glancing at the manor not far away, Lin Yuan cursed and detoured to this place that looked like a mine.
He encountered nothing along the way, not even animals, only a snow-covered country road.
Climbing to the mountainside in the dark, Lin Yuan discovered that this was indeed a mine. The square outside was filled with yellowish-brown iron ore.
It had been abandoned for a long time, and everything here was rusty, including the railway leading into the mountain.
There were no lights inside the mine, and strange noises could be heard from time to time.
It made one have no desire to explore at all, only to leave the place quickly.
As for the other path leading down the mountain, its destination was unknown, but it could indeed lead around to the back of the manor.
Without daring to explore the mine, Lin Yuan only observed from the spot for a few minutes before continuing down.
The path down the mountain was also unlit. The entire mountain only had one light on top of the mine, and the streetlights along the road were not lit.
Perhaps it was to save electricity.
There might be secrets hidden in the mine, but Lin Yuan's goal was not exploration, but rescue.
The further down the mountain he went, the worse the road became, until there was no road at all. Lin Yuan had no choice but to enter the mountain and go around through the forest.
He also took the opportunity to get a full view of the place.
He didn't know where Lin Junhui was being held, so he had to search one place after another. Therefore, familiarizing himself with the terrain was very important.
"Damn, this place is so big." The manor covered a vast area, at least 5 football fields in size including the mountain. 60% of the area was greenery, and the rest were buildings distributed within.
In the distance, there was a building similar to the church in Iwomonna, and it was large, at least 3 times the size of that town's church. This was a place that deserved special attention!
Based on his experience in Iwomonna, Lin Junhui was likely in this church.
"It seems..."
Lin Yuan's self-talk came to an abrupt halt. His right foot hovered in mid-air, never landing, because just now, he had felt a chill.
This feeling of death descended again, making Lin Yuan dare not make any moves.
He retracted his foot, stood in place, took out his flashlight, and adjusted the brightness to the lowest setting, carefully scanning all the surroundings.
What is this?
Several reflective black objects exposed in the snow caught Lin Yuan's attention.
Without rushing to touch them, he slowly retreated along his footprints to a tree.
He picked up a stone at his feet and gently threw it over.
"Crack!"
"Bang!"