While others seek survival, I engage in flirtation Chapter 60: The Hidden Place

"These nameplates say 'Red Nightingales,'" Moon said, squinting at the fragmented info. "This one's a bear, and this one's a wolf."

The info on the nameplates was pretty sparse, but we managed to piece together a few details.

These charred bodies were probably test subjects of the Red Nightingales. We just couldn't tell if any of them were human.

My heart sank as I looked at the pile of bodies. Too many people around us had already disappeared.

"Squirrels too!" Moon suddenly exclaimed, her eyes locking onto the pile. She quickly pulled out a bone.

"Squirrel?" I said, staring at the bone she held. It didn't look like any squirrel I'd ever seen.

"How could such a big bone be from a squirrel?" I asked. The bone in her hand was at least the size of two palms, and it did resemble a squirrel's skeleton.

"This is a Ratufa bicolor," she said after thinking for a moment, gesturing a size with her hand. "This type of squirrel isn't rare, but it's probably not found on this island."

A creature not found on this island? Where did these bodies come from? Did someone bring these animals here?

But the real mystery was still ahead.

This burning site wasn't just thrown together with stone slabs. Stones surrounded the area, half-buried in the ground.

We'd made simple water reservoirs at the camp, which was way harder than laying stone slabs. The way they set up this burning site meant they'd burned bodies here more than once, and in large numbers.

But there were no more clues to find here, so we had to leave. Staying with these burned bodies wouldn't do us any good.

There were still signs of human activity near the burning site. Most of the footprints and marks were chaotic, except for one set that led deep into the forest.

We didn't stick around and followed the footprints into another part of the forest.

It was a place we hadn't been before. It looked similar to other areas, but the vegetation was taller and lusher, with more plant species.

As soon as we entered, we knew something was off. It was too quiet, not at all like a forest should be.

We moved quietly along the edge of the forest. After a few steps, Lilian suddenly stopped and signaled for us to be silent.

We didn't know what was ahead, so we followed her lead and stopped.

Then, I heard a rustling from the bushes. I went to check and found a body.

The body seemed to have been dragged there. The shoes were worn out, and the lower limbs were bloody and mangled from being dragged.

The body looked familiar.

We turned it over, and its shape was bizarre.

Judging by the marks on the body, it looked like it had been bitten to death, then torn and dragged by some wild animals. But whether these marks were made by actual wild animals was still up in the air.

If it was those strange people, they might have caused these wounds too.

"Oh my God," Lilian muttered, covering her mouth when she saw the body.

We searched the body but found nothing useful. I used a short knife and my hands to dig a shallow pit, just big enough to fit the body.

I tossed the body into the pit and quickly buried it. Then, we moved on. The environment ahead was more complex, with the whole forest shrouded in a faint mist.

The footprints beside the body became visible, leading into the mist.

It seemed like these footprints belonged to the same group as the previous ones.

Lilian and I immediately followed the footprints, and Matt was quickly dragged along by Moon.

The footprints were clear, indicating someone had just passed by. These likely belonged to those strange people.

We followed the footprints for about a mile and a quarter, and the distance between them gradually shortened, finally stopping about 100 feet outside a cave.

Another cave? Why did these strange people always live in caves?

Despite our doubts, we had to check out this cave. After all, our goal was to find the lair of those strange people.

We made a few simple torches with the materials we had and then entered the cave.

It was more like a passageway than a cave, with smooth, flat walls showing obvious signs of human modification.

It seemed this passageway was frequently used. There was almost no dust, and the ground was well-trodden.

We walked about 200 feet along the passageway and saw an exit on the other side.

The other side of the passageway led to the edge of the forest. It was more hidden than I had imagined, with the exit covered by weeds and branches, probably to keep animals out.

After clearing the branches and dry grass at the entrance, we crawled out and were stunned by the scene before us.

Outside the cave, there was no imminent danger as we had imagined. Instead, it was surprisingly quiet.

There was a large cleared area, and a low building had been constructed there.

"Unbelievable," Dennis exclaimed, looking at the scene.

The building had three floors. Except for some differences on the top floor, the other two floors looked identical.

The sudden appearance of such a building in the forest could only be the work of the "Red Nightingales."

After all, I couldn't think of anyone else who could build such a modern structure on an uninhabited island.

Although it was surprising, I quickly accepted the reality before me.

I had always thought that the mysterious research group "Red Nightingales" wouldn't just live underground.

"A building?" Matt's shock was written all over his face. It seemed he still couldn't wrap his head around why there was a building here.

But it was no wonder. He was the type to solve problems with brute force, so he couldn't possibly figure it out.

"If there are more strange people, they're probably here," Lilian said, tightening her grip on her fruit knife. She and Moon quickly understood the situation and went into combat mode.