Becoming The Strongest Using My Would-You-Rather System!-Chapter 48 - Discovered!

Theo glanced at the others and gave a small nod, his expression serious.

"Let’s go after him," he said quietly.

Iris nodded, her eyes narrow. "Of course."

They slowly moved forward together, using as many trees as cover to circle around the lake while heading for the hill.

As they got closer, Theo’s heart started pounding faster and faster.

’If we can catch this guy,’ he thought. ’We might be able to solve the mindless aggressiveness.’

Hundreds of hunters and soldiers had already died thanks to this crazy disease. Preventing more was the top priority.

Just as they were about to pass the pile of corpses, Owen froze.

"...What the hell?" he said, his face twisting as a quiet gag echoed out his throat.

Theo frowned slightly and stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he looked over the pile.

That’s when he noticed it too.

Between the many monster corpses, a single human arm stuck out.

"...Wait," he muttered quietly.

Emma and Iris turned towards him as he reached out with his spear, pushing part of the pile aside.

More of the arm came into view at first, followed by a part of a torso... and then a human face staring lifelessly out from between the bodies.

Owen couldn’t hold back anymore, throwing up the contents of his stomach right then and there.

But that wasn’t even the worst of it.

As Theo continued pushing monster corpses away, more and more human corpses appeared one after another.

All the corpses had one thing in common.

The skin around their chest and skull had been cut open and peeled back with extreme precision, almost as if they were operated on.

Iris stepped closer, her expression turning cold.

"I recognize some of them," she said quietly. "They are all soldiers and hunters, part of a group that went missing two weeks ago."

Theo’s grip tightened around his spear as his gaze lingered on the bodies.

"It looks like they were experimented on," he said through gritted teeth. "And then thrown away."

The rest remained silent, each lost in their own thoughts while fighting the nauseating feeling.

Finally, Theo exhaled slowly and pulled his spear back.

"We need to move."

His gaze shifted to the hill where the man had just disappeared to.

"Stay together," he continued. "It’s clear that man has some strength or tricks up his sleeve."

The others nodded, still breathing heavily.

They moved past the pile of corpses, following the exact trail of blood the man had left behind just a few minutes before.

Only a few dozen yards later, they spotted a large open hole in the side of the hill.

"That must be it," Iris muttered quietly. "Be on guard."

Theo nodded once, his eyes fixed on the opening.

"We go for a surprise attack," Theo said quietly. "But if anything feels off, we leave immediately."

After everything they had seen, he knew better than to hesitate. Trying to capture someone like that would only get them killed.

’In the end, it’s kill or be killed,’ he thought. ’People like that don’t deserve to live anyway.’

Theo stepped forward first, stopping just before the entrance.

He leaned slightly to the side, squinting his eyes as he glanced into the darkness without fully exposing himself.

"Nothing," he whispered.

With that, he stepped inside, careful not to make a single sound.

The tunnel was wide, easily allowing eight people to enter side by side.

Behind him, the others stepped inside side by side, making sure Emma remained protected at the center as the only person who couldn’t fight well at close range.

As Theo continued further into the tunnel, a thick stench of blood and rotting corpses entered his nose.

’Fuck,’ he thought, hesitating for a moment. ’I have to prepare myself for what’s behind this.’

He forced himself forward, pushing past the hesitation as they continued deeper into the tunnel.

The smell only grew stronger the deeper he went.

After a few more steps, the cave bent to the left.

That’s where it opened up into a massive cavern, its ceiling high enough to fit a two-story building.

"What in the world..."

Theo’s eyes went wide, his hair standing on end.

The man was nowhere in sight.

Instead, the space was filled with crude wooden tables. Tools and broken glass were scattered across them, along with a few half-filled vials of dark liquid.

To the right stood three tables with several creatures on them, all cut open in the same clean way as the bodies outside.

Along the walls, several humans were bound in place, their bodies hanging limply, completely unresponsive.

"Ugh," Owen let out, his face turning pale as he threw up the last contents of his stomach.

"This is sick," Iris said, clenching her fist so tightly blood dripped down.

Emma quickly scanned the room, and once she confirmed no one was there, she moved straight to the books and notes on the table.

"What are you doing?" Iris called out, frowning.

"If we take these, someone can figure out what he’s doing," she responded quickly, already at a table. "We can stop the disease!"

Iris didn’t say anything, dashing off towards the human bodies instead.

Theo and Owen remained standing at the entrance for a moment, one lost in thought while the other was still bent over against the wall.

’I have a bad feeling about this,’ Theo thought, feeling his heart pound in his ears. ’Something isn’t right here.’

He glanced at Owen briefly.

"Are you good now?"

Owen wiped his mouth, forcing himself to straighten before nodding.

Theo didn’t linger any longer.

He followed after Iris, heading straight for the human bodies on the walls.

"Are any of them breathing?"

Iris pulled back her finger from a female corpse, shaking her head.

"All three are dead," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Probably for more than a few days too."

Theo’s eyes lingered on the corpse for a moment longer.

"...More than a few days?" he repeated, frowning.

Both of them were quiet for a moment.

Then, Theo let out a soft breath and turned to look at Emma.

She was still flipping through the notes, completely focused, as if memorizing as much as possible.

Just as he was about to move over to her, Owen’s voice rang out behind him.

"G-Guys?" he stuttered.

Theo spun around immediately, finding his friend slowly stumbling back.

He was staring at something, his face white as a sheet, but it wasn’t from the dead bodies.

Following his gaze, Theo noticed a large metal cage around the corner, just barely hidden in the shadows.

A large Blue Mane Wolf quietly lay inside.

Its body was nearly twice the size of any he had seen before, yet it was covered in cuts and burns. Several thick tubes were embedded deep into its flesh, pumping dark liquid into it.

Theo’s eyes widened.

"...A D-rank?"

Its size and mana made it obvious instantly.

Even Emma had stopped flipping through the notes, her eyes wide.

"Someone captured it?" she muttered. "For experiments?"

The wolf’s body twitched slightly, a low, strained growl escaping its throat as the dark liquid continued to flow into it.

Theo’s heart pounded so loud he couldn’t hear anything around him anymore as the bad feeling in his chest exploded.

"We need to leave," he said immediately, not taking his eyes off it. "Now!"

Just as he turned, a chuckle echoed out from the entrance.

"Leave?"

A high-pitched, almost amused voice said.

"But you only just got here."