N-A-A Chapter 5 Forerunner
Chapter 5 Forerunner
Step over the collapsed outer wall of the tavern.
A whiff of air mixed with the smells of mildew, dust, and a faint, indescribable fishy odor wafted towards me.
Yu Jing frowned as he stared at the dial on the Torch Watch, which could detect monsters from other realms.
The pointer remaining at the bottom means there are no monsters hiding.
This relieved him, and he began to observe the situation inside the tavern lobby.
Undoubtedly, this tavern, like the road outside, has been abandoned for a long time, with mottled traces of time's erosion visible everywhere.
Tables and chairs were piled up in the corner, and the wooden cabinet frame was broken and dilapidated.
Wild grass sprouted from the cracks in the floor, overturning the wooden planks that restricted its growth, and competing with the mushrooms for territory.
Yu Jing weighed the smoke bomb in his hand, his eyes darting around.
As if he had discovered something, he quickly took a few steps to the left and bent down to pick up a bandage covered in dark red bloodstains from between the wooden planks. Before he could get up, he caught a glimpse of a faint light in the pile of weeds on his right.
When he leaned over and saw the glittering object clearly, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.
A short knife lay among the weeds.
Its shape is somewhat like the tactical straight knife carried by special forces in movies I've seen in my previous life, with a black hilt and a bright white blade about 20 centimeters long that shines under the moonlight.
"Hey, the shipment's here! I knew it! Exotic adventures need searching, fighting, and retreating; otherwise, it's not the right experience!"
He threw away the wooden stick and brandished the tactical straight knife in his hand.
Even someone as military illiterate as Yu Jing could tell from its appearance that this short sword was of extraordinary quality.
Putting everything else aside, the fact that it has remained untouched by any rust after being buried in such a desolate place for so long speaks volumes about its craftsmanship.
"Unused smoke grenades, tactical fixed knife... Infinite Terror: Am I a Special Forces Soldier?"
Looking at the object in his hand, Yu Jing muttered a few words with a rather surprised expression, then turned his head to glance at the bandage he had just thrown away, and then looked at the half-closed door on the side of the tavern lobby.
The signboard hanging on the door, decorated with syringe and water droplet patterns, was particularly eye-catching.
To verify his suspicions, Yu Jing turned around and leaned closer to take a look.
As soon as they reached the door, they saw a series of dark red, dried bloodstains on the floor, extending all the way into the room.
Yes, the injured person from the real world is very likely hiding in this room!
The blood-stained bandages proved that the other party was injured, and the injury was not serious. They needed to be treated immediately, otherwise they would not have been unable to take care of the smoke grenades and tactical knives that had fallen on the way.
Although Yu Jing wasn't a forensic expert, he could roughly guess what had happened to the other party.
Having entered this alien space, you encounter monsters while wandering through the dark forest. After killing or repelling them, you are seriously injured and have no choice but to hide in a room inside a tavern that resembles a clinic in order to survive.
They might even be thinking of finding some medical supplies that weren't taken from the room.
Upon arriving at the door, Yu Jing first coughed twice, then raised his hand to knock.
After a brief silence, there was still no sound coming from inside.
The person has already left?
Or did he... die from his injuries?
Judging from the state of the bandage and the bloodstains on the floor, the other party definitely did not arrive here recently.
However, Yu Jing remained cautious, gripping the short knife tightly in his right hand and pushing open the door with his left to check the situation inside.
A hazy yellow moonlight shone through the holes in the dilapidated roof, barely illuminating the scene inside.
"It really is a clinic?"
The first thing that catches the eye is three long tables resembling operating tables placed on the side of the room door. Not only do they have height-adjustable mechanical structures at the bottom for support, but there are also IV stands like those commonly found in hospitals next to them.
Two IV drip bottles were hanging from the top of one of the shelves. The bottles were covered in grime and contained some dark red medicine residue.
Before he could think about why the clinic was located inside the tavern, Yu Jing turned his gaze to the cabinets that covered the walls of the clinic, with drawers and bottles scattered on the floor, undoubtedly the result of someone ransacking the place.
Follow the bloodstains and avoid the debris.
Yu Jing quickly found a figure slumped on the floor, leaning against a cabinet, in the corner of the clinic.
Even from several meters away, you could smell a nauseating stench of decay.
Without rushing over, Yu Jing swallowed hard, suppressing his discomfort, and carefully examined the person.
To be honest, his attire didn't look like that of a modern person. He wore a wide-brimmed black leather hat covered in dust, and most of his face was covered by a thick linen mask wrapped around his neck. He wasn't wearing the special forces combat uniform one would expect, but a dark brown leather-blend coat, which looked quite expensive based on its fabric and texture.
However, the horrific wound that stretched from the right shoulder all the way to the chest, deep enough to expose the bone, completely ruined the garment.
This was the key factor that caused him to lose his fighting ability and ultimately lose his life here.
Judging from the state of the wound, the person had been dead for at least three to five days, but compared to the things outside, he was still considered "fresh".
He reached out and used his dagger to lift the black leather hat, revealing a head of sparse, withered gray hair. Looking down, he could see that the man's facial features were somewhat Western European, and there was a dark red, bloody crater on his left temple...
Wait, he committed suicide?
Yu Jing was truly bewildered.
The person in front of me went through a lot of trouble to escape here, so his will to survive is quite strong.
Why did he choose to shoot himself after reaching a safe area?
Could it be that he encountered a situation that forced him to end his own life?
After a brief moment of thought, Yu Jing decisively chose to give up thinking.
He's not a private detective investigating a case, so why should he care why this guy committed suicide?
If you were to fall into this alien space and encounter a monster, there's nothing anyone could do.
If you don't want to follow in their footsteps, the most important thing now is to search for something that you can use.
Now that we've come all this way, there's no reason for us to go back empty-handed, is there?
Having barely gotten used to the stench, Yu Jing crouched down and moved to the corpse.
Since the person committed suicide with a gun, the gun must be nearby. As long as there are still bullets, it is a life-saving weapon!
Sure enough, as soon as Yu Jing reached out and lifted the corpse's coat, he saw the revolver that had been hidden by the hem of the coat and two used syringes.
He hurriedly reached out and picked up the revolver.
The brownish-red walnut wood grip felt cool to the touch, while the bright silver stainless steel gun barrel, engraved with exquisite patterns, captivated Yu Jing at first glance, making him unable to look away and feeling a surge of heat in his heart.
No man can resist a powerful revolver!
Although I've never handled firearms in real life, I've at least seen them before.
Moreover, revolvers are not particularly complicated firearms. Yu Jing quickly found the cylindrical latch behind the cylinder, pulled it back to open the loaded cylinder, and checked the number of bullets remaining inside.
The results were disappointing.
It appears that this person used their last bullet to commit suicide; the entire magazine was empty.
Yu Jing could only look at his waist, hoping to find a few spare bullets, but found that the man's belt was also specially made, with many items hanging on it, including a holster and a knife sheath.
The flame of hope that had just been extinguished was immediately rekindled!