Chapter Sixty-Nine: Nurtured in Silence

Looking at it this way, they most likely collapsed the cave either to escape from a lord-class aberration or for some other unknown reason... Then, they plunged headfirst into that dangerous area and found themselves in a desperate situation. Yes, the regional channel hasn’t shown any trace of them since... Colin pieced together the story in his mind.

Most of these people didn’t possess any mystical items. At best, they carried swords or other basic weapons, perhaps with some minor effects. With such limited fighting power, venturing into that place was a joke. That’s not even considering the monsters they might encounter—the pervasive, unknown mental influences alone would be enough to break them.

They arrived this morning, when advancement was still negligible, so Colin concluded their chances of survival were slim. Of course, there might be one exception—the instigator himself. Colin had sensed he was lying but couldn’t guess why. Now, seeing the collapsed cave, he felt certain those who’d been lured here were fated for misfortune.

Li Hang, who had followed Colin inside, was reminded of many things and couldn’t help but sigh, “That was close. I was tempted, but didn’t act. If I had, I’d have ended up stuck here…”

“But you still ended up stuck,” another survivor interrupted mercilessly.

“Ahem, well, black powder’s different. A few mushrooms can’t compare to black powder. Anyone can see its power at this stage…”

“Besides, following Colin isn’t getting stuck—it’s just the beginning of a partnership…”

“So that’s your excuse for being a sycophant?”

Colin ignored their quiet banter. After observing the site with the help of his system prompts, he turned and asked, “Does anyone here know about explosives? For example... how to blast this into an open-air mine?”

Colin had noticed, thanks to the prompts, that there were still plenty of Luminous Stones behind the riverbed. If they could blast through, the yield might be significant. Of course, he didn’t plan to go too deep or enter that dangerous area from here. He was simply interested in the stored “Luminous Stones” and “Sun Mushrooms”.

After all, Luminous Stones could be fused with axes and other weapons to grant light-attribute damage—one of the options he’d considered when facing the “Wraith”. Fortunately, he hadn’t chosen that route; judging by the “hundred pounds not to be underestimated”, the likely outcome would have been an early grave.

There was another reason too. The system had hinted that if the power within Luminous Stones were refined in a certain way, it could grant him extraordinary abilities. That was why Colin never stopped thinking about them.

“Mr. Colin, I know a bit about this. I know how to handle it...” The survivor who’d been arguing with Li Hang spoke up. He’d followed Li Hang out of curiosity about the mining area. Hearing Colin’s question, he immediately stepped forward.

His expression bore a faint resemblance to the proctology survivor from earlier, but his thoughts diverged slightly. He recalled a fortune-teller his parents had hired when he was a child, who’d said he’d always remain true to his original intentions. Back then, he’d been playing with stones; later, he grew up, used an excavator to dig up stones, crossed over into this world... and still, he was playing with “stones”. Truly, he’d never forgotten his beginnings.

After a brief conversation, Colin put him in charge of the task and arranged for someone to supply explosives.

At that moment, Number One stepped forward, signaling he had something to say. Seeing Colin’s nod, he respectfully reported, “Lord, there’s just over half an hour until nightfall...” As he spoke, he displayed the watch bestowed by the lord, making sure his team members—especially the three level-three subordinates—could see it.

“Right, that’s enough for today. Let’s head back. Everyone’s hungry, and after dinner we’ll hold a meeting, then rest.” Colin was tired himself. He hadn’t forgotten the time, but with the armored vehicle, he didn’t need to worry much.

Since there was nothing urgent left, it was indeed time to return and recuperate.

Soon, everyone boarded the vehicle. After another ten minutes’ ride, they returned to Colin’s level-three territory. The vehicle offered rest, but nothing compared to sleeping in a real bed.

Yet, as soon as he arrived, Colin gazed at the crowd within his territory, his face briefly confused—so many people?

Did I take the wrong road?

No... I didn’t...

After a moment’s daze, Colin suddenly remembered he’d taken in over six hundred additional slaves. He’d been at the front lines at the time, so others had managed the population transfer. Distracted by other matters, he’d forgotten about it, and now, upon returning, he was astonished.

When Colin returned, Huang Weiyang and the others who had been guarding the territory hurried over to hand him the “control rights” over the slaves. Despite the expanded numbers, the limited supply of lanterns meant Colin couldn’t lead this large group out of the territory. They could only serve as the defensive force, protecting the land, and as fresh recruits for the lamp-bearers, training within the camp and waiting for vacancies to arise.

Colin was about to say something when, suddenly, everyone—including himself—felt a heavy pressure, as if something from above weighed down upon them.

The next moment, darkness swept across the sky.

The world’s bizarre reversal of day and night had returned! Beyond the thick fog, everything was black; the visible distance shrank to its absolute limit, and even a glance sent a chill through the heart.

Then, a voice shattered the silence.

Colin spoke in a deep, commanding tone: “Don’t look at the gray mist. Don’t make me teach you this lesson a second time. Now, set up the pots and eat! Then return to the barracks and vehicles in an orderly fashion for rest.”

“Yes, my lord!” Number One replied loudly, somewhat ashamed.

At Colin’s order, pots were set up one after another, and the hungry masses savored the scant moments of safety in what little peace remained.

After eating, holding their meeting, and finalizing plans, three hours had passed. Colin arranged for Shana to stay in an adjacent room, then returned to his own, laid down, closed his eyes, and fell asleep within ten seconds.

This day... too much had happened.

But all the busyness served a single purpose: survival.

Yet, no one noticed...

In certain areas, in some territories, people vanished quietly during this night.

The horror was not waiting for the countdown to reach six days; it was already brewing.

...

Before “morning” arrived the next day, Colin was awakened by noise.