Survival in the Mist: From a Dilapidated Wooden Hut to a Heavenly Palace in the Clouds

"My lord, that's how it was. The fog was too eerie, so I came back to report to you first."

Hawkes knelt on one knee and addressed the black minotaur on the throne before him.

His tone was humble and exceptionally respectful.

Luo Pei, standing to the side, remained quiet and did not cause any further trouble.

The imposing minotaur before them could send two people to meet their maker with a mere gesture; he was none other than Asya, the leader of the Asya tribe, the black minotaur Asya.

Asya stared blankly at the two people in front of her, feeling a bit of a headache.

The loss of the Azure Flame Crimson Fruit enraged the boss. You must know that the fruit only ripens once every few decades, and it was only with great difficulty that 60 fruits were collected in the ancestral land.

The tribes cooperated closely, with each link connected to the next, and the great experiment was about to be implemented. However, unexpectedly, their own link failed them.

If this matter isn't given a reasonable explanation, those opportunistic bastards will definitely keep nagging at the boss, and I'll be in serious trouble, if not dead.

Asya was filled with regret. How could he have been so greedy and drunk that he sent those two idiots, Tony and Motor, to deliver fruit to Romani?

"Surrounded by clouds and mist? And giant vines?" Asya squinted, seemingly analyzing the connection between all of this and the loss of the Azure Flame Vermilion Fruit.

Just then, a yellow minotaur rushed in, knelt on one knee, and shouted, "Reporting, boss! Tracking dogs have found buried bloodstains near the Great Lake, belonging to our minotaur race!"

Upon hearing this, Asya immediately stood up from his seat, his eyes wide with anger, and roared, "Roar!"

It's outrageous that someone would dare to ambush and kill members of the Asya tribe.

The powerful aura that erupted caused the people below to immediately lower their heads, not daring to look directly into Asya's terrifying eyes.

Having vented his anger, Asya sat back on his throne, seemingly having calmed down. He looked at his three subordinates kneeling on one knee and slowly asked, "Who do you think... could have done this?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the expressions on everyone's faces tensed up instantly, and the atmosphere fell silent.

"It's alright, speak freely and say whatever comes to mind."

Asya's tone was flat, and no emotional inclination could be discerned from it.

This is a difficult question to answer.

Sometimes when your boss lets you speak freely, it doesn't necessarily mean they really want you to say whatever you want. In fact, your boss already has a pretty good idea of ​​what to say.

If you can say what your boss wants you to say, then a promotion and a raise are just around the corner.

However, if you say the answer your boss least wants to hear, you could very well be fired the next day for stepping into the office with your left foot first.

The group looked at each other, clearly none of them wanting to be the first to stick their necks out.

"Are you all mute?" This simple question sent chills down their spines. Boss Asya was angry!

At this critical moment, it was Luo Pei who stepped forward first. "Boss, people think it's very likely that it was those wild monkeys from the Bista tribe who did it. They've always been at odds with our tribe."

Maybe they sent people to ambush and kill Tony and Motorcycle, just to embarrass you in front of the boss.

Hearing Lope's words, Asya's expression softened a bit. Seeing this, Hawkes quickly chimed in, "Boss, I think Lope makes sense. It's just jealous of your status in front of the boss and can't stand that we're more favored than them."

Asya nodded, then looked at the yellow minotaur Kenda beside him.

Kenda's gaze met Asya's for a brief moment, but he quickly lowered his head. "Boss, I think..."

Before he finished speaking, another yellow minotaur ran in, knelt on one knee, and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"Reporting to the boss, our technicians used atomized pollen to find some more footprints near the site where the bloodstains were found. Preliminary estimates suggest they were left by four different creatures."

Asya frowned. "Damn, four kinds?"

Is it really that confusing?

"Get up and explain in more detail!"

"Yes!"

The yellow minotaur immediately stood up, not daring to hesitate in the slightest in response to Asya's words.

"After the tracking dog discovered the bloodstains, we first had Kenda come over to report to you, and then we had our technicians investigate the scene."

We used atomized pollen to cover that area, and sure enough, we found several shallow footprints not far away.

The footprints are divided into two groups.

One group leads to the forest and has a shape unique to primates, with five toes.

The other group of footprints led directly towards the lake, and there were three different types of footprints.

Both types of prints are bear paw prints, and they are relatively small, suggesting that the bear was no more than 1 meter tall.

The third type is... hoof prints very similar to ours, but they look like they were made by a four-legged animal, probably a bison or similar beast.

After listening to his subordinate's report, Asya fell silent, but the anger in his eyes intensified.

“Boda, I ask you, were there any footprints where the bloodstains were found?”

"Yes! It's that primate footprint."

Are you sure you haven't missed anything?

"The pollen mist can only reveal footprints that have been blown by the wind and are lightly covered by dust, but there are traces of being buried deeper around the bloodstains, so it cannot be ruled out that some footprints were buried."

However, one thing is noteworthy: the primate footprints leading into the depths of the forest were only in one row, and relatively few in number. They didn't seem to have been buried.

"Hawks, what are your thoughts on that mysterious, cloud-shrouded place you discovered?"

"Boss, could it be that some survivors are lurking there and using items to cause this?" Hawkes suddenly had a brilliant idea.

“Fog? Boss, we’ve discovered a lot of fog around the Great Lake. Could it be the same place Hawkes mentioned?”

Hawkes had barely finished speaking when Boda suddenly interrupted.

Asya slowly stood up, then smashed the stone platform next to him with a punch, and said in an icy tone, "Regardless of whether those wild monkeys did this or not, since their footprints were found at the scene, this matter is destined to be related to them."

Hawkes, let the wind blow for another two days. After the fog clears up, you and Lopez will take the seventh and eighth squads to investigate the mysterious place you discovered.

"That's just superstition. I suspect there are actually survivors lurking there. If you find them, bring them back immediately."

Hawkes' expression darkened when he heard that he was going to be with Lope again, but he still accepted the task without hesitation.

"Yes, boss!"

Luo Pei, standing to the side, gave Hawkes a meaningful look, "Hehehe, yes, sir..."

Hawkes roared inwardly, "You sissy..."

"Boda, Kenda, when the time comes, you will take the fifth and sixth squads and the technicians to follow the trail near the lake and see where the footprints end."

Whether or not I find the Azure Flame Crimson Fruit in the end, this time, I will make those wild monkeys pay the price! Hmph!

"Yes, boss!"

"Yes, my lord!"