Chapter 295 Constant Temperature Barbecue
The folks from across the river came back to Cox Town and were floored by the bloody mess in front of them.
The villagers were heartbroken, having lost so many loved ones to Charles.
The special forces were just as down.
Shane's veins were popping, and he was this close to losing it and turning into a giant ape to tear everything apart.
Almost all their people were dead, and they hadn't even laid a finger on Steven. Talk about a slap in the face!
Charles and his crew walked up to Lily, their eyes icy cold.
"Ms. Evans, mind handing over your phone for a sec?" Charles asked.
The tension skyrocketed.
Everyone knew Charles was basically accusing Lily of tipping off Steven.
Lily frowned. "Captain Reed, you think it's me?"
She was a bit nervous inside, but her soldier's discipline kept her cool on the outside.
Luckily, she hadn't used her usual phone to contact Steven.
Charles said, "So many of our people are dead. How did he have the guts to hit us from behind? Someone must've tipped him off!"
Lily smirked, pulling her phone from her pocket and handing it over. "Go ahead, check it all you want!"
After giving up the phone, she stood aside with a sneer, holding her broadsword, not saying a word.
She looked too proud to even bother talking.
This attitude made Charles and his men even more suspicious.
Could they have been wrong?
But then Shane looked around and suddenly asked, "Where's Earl?"
Earl had some supernatural abilities and was supposed to join their special forces soon. Once this was over, he was headed to West Mountain Base.
So, Earl was in regular contact with them.
They'd been back for a while and hadn't seen Earl, which made Shane ask.
As soon as he spoke, Charles felt something was off. "Earl? Where is he?"
Someone quickly called Gavin over.
"Gavin, where's Earl?" Charles asked, staring him down.
Gavin was filled with grief.
When they got back, they saw many villagers dead, and it was a gruesome sight.
The bodies were so mangled they couldn't even be identified.
They thought it was an outside attack, but after talking to the villagers, they found out it was all Charles's doing!
Gavin didn't answer Charles but looked him in the eye. "Captain Reed, haven't we been good to you? Why did you kill our relatives?"
Charles looked shocked. "I didn't kill them! Steven did. Gavin, you're usually smart; how can you be so confused now? No, you need to be reasonable! If Steven hadn't come and killed my friends, and if your Cox family had reported it, would I have been so mad? So blame Steven for this. Work with me, and I'll take care of Steven and get you justice!" Charles spoke with righteous anger, his face showing a sense of justice.
He wasn't just making excuses; he genuinely believed he was right.
Gavin's lips trembled with anger. How do you reason with someone like this?
He remembered Earl's warning—trusting these West Mountain Base folks too much could bring danger to Cox Town.
'Are they really a righteous group?' Gavin was starting to regret his choice, but it was too late now.
The wolves were in the sheep village, and they wouldn't leave until they'd devoured every sheep.
"Don't just stand there! Tell me, where did Earl go?" Charles demanded.
Gavin was scared. "I don't know! Wasn't Earl recruited by you? He doesn't usually come around; how would I know where he went?"
Charles took a deep breath. "Everyone, find him!"
If someone vanished after Steven's attack, they were probably the mole!
And if that person was a psychic, it was even more likely.
Soon, they found a clue.
A girl named Julia reported Earl. She admitted she knew Earl was planning to leave Cox Town but didn't know where he went after.
By now, it was clear.
The person who tipped off Steven was Earl!
Charles took a deep breath and angrily punched a snow house, smashing it. "That damn traitor! I must kill him!"
Lily secretly sighed in relief.
Earl must have left with Steven, making him her scapegoat.
Lily's suspicion was cleared.
But she still stood coldly to the side, looking disdainful.
Charles grabbed Gavin, looking puzzled. "Didn't you say your village hated Steven's guts? So why would there be a traitor working with him?"
Gavin knew the real story. The truce with Steven was Earl's doing, but Gavin had taken the credit, making everyone think he was the one who brokered it. Now, he couldn't spill the beans, or Charles would definitely kill him!
He had to play it cool. "Earl's just a cowardly loser! It's no shock he'd pull something like this. Captain Reed, this has nothing to do with the rest of us! We despise Steven; there's no way we'd help him against you."
Charles was pretty much convinced Earl was the traitor, but catching him was another story—they were short on manpower.
Plus, they had other fish to fry.
Charles told Gavin, "If you're not in cahoots with Steven, prove it with your actions!"
Gavin had no clue what Charles wanted him to do.
Charles gathered all the villagers in the town square.
A thousand people were herded like sheep by a dozen men, all too scared to resist.
Charles picked a hundred people at random from the crowd.
"You are coming with me for something important. If it goes well, I'll remember your help! The rest of you, carry on with your lives," Charles announced.
With dwindling numbers and the constant threat of Steven's attacks, Charles knew he had to act fast. He decided to take all the remaining special forces with him.
He had a crucial role for these hundred people. As for the rest, he wasn't worried about them running off.
In this freezing world, without proper prep, running away was a death sentence.
Cox Town was now a natural prison for its villagers.
Charles thought for a moment and walked over to the still-annoyed Lily, explaining, "I know you're pissed, but with so many of our comrades dead, I have to check out anyone suspicious! It's not just you; it's everyone."
Too many special forces members had died, and the ones left were super valuable. Especially elite fighters like Lily, who Charles definitely wanted on his side.
Lily said coldly, "I get it."
Charles nodded. "Alright, let's go together! If we're lucky, we might find a weak spot in that shelter!"
The group left Cox Town, following the tracks left by the snowmobile.
Steven had taken a big detour, about 2.5 miles.
But Steven had a snowmobile, while Charles and his crew didn't have as many rides.
The special forces rode sleds, while the villagers had to hoof it.
Two and a half hours later, they finally reached the back mountain and stopped in front of a big tombstone.
"So this is the spot!" Charles judged the tombstone's position and the distance to the shelter. It had to be here.
He immediately had the villagers come over and open the tombstone.
The villagers, exhausted and starving, didn't dare complain and just got to work.
With everyone's effort, they quickly pushed open the door disguised as a tombstone, revealing a deep, narrow passage below.
Charles then said to the villagers, "Go down and check it out!"
He'd been tricked by Steven too many times and was now pretty paranoid.
The villagers cursed under their breath but didn't dare resist and obediently entered the passage.
A special forces member handed them a communication device to take inside, so they could keep tabs on the situation from outside.
One hundred villagers entered the underground passage one by one.
They found it beautifully constructed, with lights turning on as they entered. The walls were made of a special silver-gray metal, looking super sturdy.
The only downside was that it was pretty narrow.
The villagers walked cautiously forward, like a herd of sheep being driven.
Outside the passage, Charles and the others monitored everything with their instruments.
At first, it was very quiet. The villagers walked slowly inside, with nothing happening.
But when they reached the middle of the passage, there was a sudden loud noise.
Two metal walls dropped from above, cutting off their front and rear.
The villagers panicked and started shouting.
The next moment, Charles and the others saw through the camera that torrents of flames spewed from the walls like long, writhing snakes.
The screams sounded like they came from hell, and the video feed abruptly cut off.
"Steven, you ruthless bastard! You really left traps here!" Charles said through gritted teeth.
If he hadn't been smart enough to use the villagers to scout the way, he would've lost a few more special forces members.
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