Chapter 591: Chapter 404: Deep into the Forest_2 Chapter 591: Chapter 404: Deep into the Forest_2 Along the way, everyone’s eyes were fixed on her, fearing that the guards in the watchtower might suddenly open fire and kill her.
“She doesn’t even put down her gun. Does she really have no fear of death?”
The explosive-haired young man, Stiller, said in surprise.
Next to him, the short-statured boy, Anel, shook his head, took out a piece of candy, stuffed it into his mouth, and spoke while eating,
“Isn’t it obvious? The lady boss of the Seagull Travel Agency must know the people here, otherwise, how could she bring people in…”
Just as Anel had said, everyone saw Lutina safely walk up to the watchtower’s window, exchange a few words with the person inside, and hand over several Gold Pounds.
Then, she turned around, looked at the group, and waved her hand, indicating that everyone could come over.
While a few students were still hesitant, the couple took the lead, holding hands and taking steps forward. Three men in duckbill caps followed closely behind, and Chen Lun also calmly led Noah and Anton to catch up.
Finally, the five students looked at each other, mustered up the courage, and jogged forward.
“The usual rule—I will turn a blind eye to your presence… but whatever you see or encounter inside, even if you die there, it has nothing to do with me.”
As the group approached the watchtower, they saw a middle-aged man in a military uniform, with half-white hair, step out the door.
He said indifferently while taking out a key and leading Lutina and the others around the back of the watchtower to a hidden side door underneath the wire netting and unlocked it.
The iron gate squeaked as the middle-aged guard pushed it open, then he stepped aside and casually lit a cigarette.
“Don’t just stand there. Follow me in.”
Lutina thanked the guard and then led the way through the narrow iron gate.
The group glanced at the middle-aged guard and entered one by one.
Once everyone was inside the wire netting, another klang sounded behind them as the iron gate was locked.
“Don’t worry, he will open the gate for us when we come back… of course, assuming you didn’t die inside,”
However, her last remark made the five students somewhat nervous.
“Haha… Look how scared you are! You dare to venture into Kellettville Forest with such faint hearts? If you want to hunt for treasure and get rich, you need enough courage!”
The five students’ expressions changed slightly; they hadn’t expected their secret to be known by her.
“Don’t think that’s some rare treasure map; I’ve seen more than one or two of those…”
She pointed at the parchment in the bespectacled short-haired girl, Messia’s, hands and spoke lightly.
Seeing the students’ expressions change again, Lutina laughed heartily, as if she had successfully teased them.
“Giggle… you guys are so funny!”
The girl, Gray, frowned slightly.
The few boys looked disgruntled, while the bespectacled girl, Messia, asked,
“Have you seen other people coming to the forest with treasure maps?”
Lutina shrugged her shoulders, pulled out a curved knife, and started clearing a path through the underbrush ahead.
“Things like ‘Golden Trees’, ‘Gem Lake’, and ‘Life Fruit’… in short, many such things that you would only find in fairy tales were recorded on so-called treasure maps and circulated.”
“So are you implying that there are actually no such treasures in Kellettville Forest?”
Lutina chopped off a twig, rubbed her arm wearily, shook her golden twin ponytails, turned back, and rolled her eyes at Anel.
“I didn’t say that… Kellettville Forest is vast, and even after living here for so long, I can’t get to the bottom of how many secrets it holds. Who knows, maybe those things do exist?”
“It seems that those treasure hunters you led before didn’t find the treasure either… otherwise, you wouldn’t say that.”
Messia said somewhat disappointedly.
The other four students caught on to this and sighed.
The three men in duckbill caps exchanged glances, communicating with their eyes and subtly gestured to each other, seemingly plotting something.
The group followed Lutina’s lead, delving deeper into Kellettville Forest.
In the beginning, everything seemed normal, just a typical forest.
But as they walked on, they began to sense something was off.
First, the sounds of birds and insects ceased, leaving dead silence. Next, the trees gradually became taller, so much so that they couldn’t see the sky when they looked up. Under their feet lay thick layers of fallen leaves and soft mud, leaving everyone unsure if the next step might encounter a poisonous snake.
This environment was incredibly oppressive and for a long time no one wanted to speak.
Chen Lun, however, felt more and more that the forest resembled Wonderland Nature Forest.
After walking for more than an hour, everyone felt tired.
The view ahead opened up, and they saw a small wooden hut.
“Let’s rest here for a bit; this hunter’s cabin is mine. We’ll eat something and then I’ll take you to the first ‘point of interest.’
Lutina took the lead into the cabin, then handed out some wooden bowls to everyone.
She picked up some dry branches and leaves from the ground and lit a fire in the campfire outside the hut to boil a pot of water.
“You can walk around, but don’t go too far, lest you get lost,”
Lutina said, sitting on a stone, adding wood to the fire, and speaking to the group.
Upon hearing this, the five students were eager to move because their treasure map indicated that the target location was not far from here.