It was truly unavoidable that the other party insisted on us using this helicopter.
All we could do now was pray. In this situation, contacting for support was useless. Firstly, our main force had been kidnapped. Secondly, I felt that calling Li Fan and the others over would only give the kidnappers an excuse to deal with our people. It was better to wait until we had a clearer opportunity.
On the helicopter, we could see some of the scenery of Guangming City that we normally wouldn't have noticed. At the time, we weren't in the mood to look. Listening to the whirring of the motor, and seeing patches of forest, we didn't know how long it had been, but it was less than 20 minutes when we saw the outline of Maofeng Mountain. However, this place…
It seemed to have been modified by someone. At some point, Maofeng Mountain had been installed with countless guardrails and barbed wire, appearing to be sealed off. Strange structures dotted the mountain. Faintly, we could also see flickers of fire from some dark corners of the mountain. The entire mountain seemed to have been occupied by someone, and even town construction had appeared. What was this…
The moment the helicopter entered this area, it felt like stepping into another world. The smell of burning gasoline, pungent blood, and decay filled the air. The air here was suffocating, and the surrounding space seemed to have been distorted. The helicopter, as if automatically guided, slowly descended onto a platform at the foot of the mountain.
As we landed, many men in camouflage and carrying submachine guns suddenly approached, guns drawn.
We disembarked the helicopter, and before we could even take a deep breath, countless dark gun barrels were pointed at our heads!
"Follow us!" said a leader in camouflage.
"What do you want?"
"No nonsense, the second challenge isn't here, it's at the Maofeng Mountain Church!"
"Oh…" I didn't even know how I responded. I figured that if we didn't comply, our heads would become bullet targets.
Lu Chusheng also didn't dare to act rashly. He exchanged a glance with me, and we were escorted like prisoners by these men in camouflage towards a peculiar Christian church on Maofeng Mountain.
Still some distance away, we saw the appearance of the church on a mountain road. However, it would likely take some time to actually reach it.
After all, it was like seeing distant buildings with our eyes and thinking the distance wasn't far, but in reality, it would take at least 20 minutes once we started walking.
We were escorted and jostled for some time, finally arriving below the church. The area seemed to be covered in lush green grass. A silver-white gate was adorned with bells. The church’s architecture featured pointed roofs, and the walls were covered with silver-white crosses. In the corridor, we saw several strange figures dressed in religious attire, standing straight with their heads bowed, crosses on their chests, seemingly waiting for someone's arrival.
Perhaps noticing we had stopped, someone behind us shoved me hard. "What are you looking at? Did I tell you to look? Get in quickly!"
These people showed us no respect, and their tone was filled with contempt, making me want to curse. But this was their territory, and I couldn't act rashly. If I did, they would simply execute me with a bullet, and it would be over.
Lu Chusheng was like me, feeling as helpless as courtiers before Dong Zhuo, daring not to speak out of anger. Pushed by these men in camouflage from behind, or rather, by their dark gun barrels, we had no choice but to obediently step into the church like schoolchildren.
The church hall looked opulent. The neatly arranged windows were all open, and countless rays of light projected onto the floor. However, on some long benches sat many nuns wearing white veils. These nuns were numerous. Although they appeared gentle, a violent aura subtly emanated from their bodies. These individuals were likely disguised.
The moment they heard our footsteps, the nuns, who had been sitting quietly, all stood up and turned around, as if observing two apprehended heretics. They all glared at us with angry eyes. Then, from behind the church altar, several men in suits, one in camouflage, another in black, and a cardinal, appeared and stood before me and Lu Chusheng.
As soon as the cardinal saw us approach, he raised his hands straight up and said, "Gentlemen, welcome to the Lost Valley!"
"Lost Valley? Is this your territory?"
"Perhaps it can be considered one. Well, according to the agreement with our master, you must proceed with the second challenge. However, I can give you a hint first: your colleagues are currently in certain areas within the Lost Valley. As you overcome each difficulty, you will be able to rescue them one by one. Do you understand?"
"Yes, but why are you doing this? Can you give me a reasonable explanation?" Despite being pointed at by countless dark gun barrels, I said resolutely.
"Hmph, you are not qualified to know the reason. Just do as you are told. Oh, by the way, these games are actually related to the four of us. Let me introduce you. The first man in a suit is Jing Zijin, the head person of this valley. The first challenge is for you to go to the area he manages and then challenge this person."
As he introduced himself, the man in the white suit bowed respectfully, appearing particularly polite. After a pause, the cardinal continued, "Next is the second person, a girl in camouflage named Zheng Ni. Don't worry, considering your tastes, these people are all from Huaxia. After you pass Jing Zijin's challenge, you will naturally reach her jurisdiction."
When introducing Zheng Ni, the tall camouflage-clad woman snorted at us, her icy eyes looking up, her expression arrogant, completely disregarding us.
Then the cardinal continued his introduction, "The third is the man in black, named E Xuehai, who is the person in charge of our third area. And so on. Once you pass his test, you can reach the mountaintop and find me!"
As the cardinal spoke, I began to analyze. He had said that we had to pass the challenge of a Lost Valley administrator to reach another area. This meant that these people were in charge of this place separately, and the cardinal was likely their minor leader, located on the mountain.