Along the way, the huge hyena and some natives led the way, while the women, children, and some elderly people were protected in the middle of the group.

Behind them were a large number of people holding glow sticks and long spears, vigilantly observing their surroundings.

This time, I also quietly came to the back of the group. I'm not one of those women who can't fight. Besides, I have a shotgun on me, which can be of some help in an emergency.

The leader was not one to mince words when he saw me arrive.

He saw me smash a tree with my shotgun during the day. Now it's late at night and we all have a long way to go, so it's definitely safer to have me behind us for protection.

The indigenous chief nodded gratefully to me, and I smiled and waved back to show him that it was nothing.

The rainforest was not peaceful that night. In the less than twenty minutes we had walked, at least seven or eight different kinds of footsteps, varying in depth, echoed around us.

I don't know if those were predators in the jungle, but creatures that follow us around all night probably aren't exactly friendly.

Fortunately, the giant hyena Luo, who was leading the way, had enough intimidation to keep the area in check.

The rustling sounds only dared to linger around us and did not reveal themselves directly. Luo's occasional low growls frightened the wild beasts that tried to approach us, causing them to keep their distance.

At this moment, the four- or five-year-old children were clearly frightened by the oppressive environment. They buried their heads deep in their mothers' arms, their little hands wrapped around their mothers' necks.

The women, walking along the dark mountain path, also seemed quite nervous, listening to the constant rustling sounds around them.

Motherhood compelled them to hold their children tightly in their arms, watch their surroundings vigilantly, and quicken their pace along with everyone else.

And then everything just didn't go as planned; what we feared most was exactly what happened.

Although we were a little scared along the way, we kept our distance from the wild animals and everyone was safe.

But just as we arrived at a narrow valley, an unexpected event occurred.

The path I'm going to take this time is a narrow passage through a valley. Because the path is blocked by the rock walls on both sides, only two people can pass side by side at most.

This stretched the distance between the front and rear of our original formation quite far. In addition, the road was several kilometers long, and it was obviously difficult for our front and rear to quickly coordinate and support each other in this kind of terrain.

The indigenous chieftain appeared very nervous, repeatedly urging those leading the way to be extremely careful.

Even the group in the middle looked terrified; this terrain was perfect for wild animals to ambush them.

But there was no other way; this was the only way to the place the high priest had mentioned. Compared to the risk of sleeping in the open and facing all the predators in the jungle, this risk was worth taking.

The initial stretch of the narrow passage was fine; we proceeded without incident. Everyone was moving quickly, eager to escape this treacherous terrain as soon as possible.

But just as we reached the middle of this narrow valley, the originally steep cliffs on both sides began to slope.

Although it's not very gentle, both people and animals can move freely on this slope of nearly thirty degrees.

I was now on high alert. Top, who was next to me, seemed to sense that something was amiss. His ears were perked up and he kept turning his head to listen to the sounds around him.

I know that this kind of terrain is the best place for an ambush, but it is extremely disadvantageous for us.

Predators coming down a slope can easily reach great speeds, but escaping or climbing back up becomes more strenuous and difficult.

Suddenly, Top started squeaking towards the steep slope on his right.

At the same time, the giant hyena Luo, who had been clearing the way ahead, also sensed the dangerous aura in the air—the aura of a large, ferocious beast!

Luo's innate protective instincts made him turn around and run towards the steep slope on his right immediately.

Although we were far apart, we could still see a huge figure running towards the opposite slope. The indigenous chieftain's expression changed drastically upon seeing this; he knew something was about to happen.

They quickly gave a shout, and those behind and those in front climbed up the steep slope. They stood on either side of the slope, each holding a long spear, like soldier ants protecting the elderly, weak, women and children in the middle.

Everyone stared warily at the steep slope to their right, and the atmosphere became extremely tense.

Some women had already drawn their bamboo knives and held them to their chests to protect themselves and their children. These women were not as frail as modern people.

On the contrary, they are also warriors who teeter on the brink of life and death every day. During the day, they also need to gather root vegetables and seasonal fruits nearby to supplement the tribe's food supply, so that everyone can have a balanced intake of nutrients.

These women, who had seen much of the world, were also afraid of the unknown threats in the darkness. However, their long experience fighting wild beasts kept them calm, and they maintained their defensive formation.

They knew that only by following everyone's arrangements and gathering together could their strength be maximized and their chances of survival be increased.

At this moment, Luo let out a low and rapid roar, which was followed by an even deeper roar that intertwined with Luo's.

The continuous clicking of teeth and the dull slapping of claws were like a splash of cold water in hot oil, and now the irreconcilable conflict was about to erupt.

Seeing that Luo was already engaged in battle with the unknown large beast, the tribal chief looked anxious. He shouted a command, and a large number of people stayed behind to protect the safety of their people.

Five strong men emerged from the group, each wielding a spear, and charged toward the tribal chief. Among them was the young tribal man with whom I had been chatting amiably the whole way.

In addition to his spear, he also had a blowgun, a weapon he had concocted himself.

It's nighttime now, and Pat can't use much of its power, so I handed Pat and Top over to the tribe to look after.

I gripped my triangular spear and climbed up the dark, steep slope with the native men.

I gestured to the young native next to me, asking if we should kill the beast that was threatening us.

As the native ran, he gestured to me, indicating that this was now the territory of those wild beasts, and they wouldn't let us go easily; the only way to get past us was to kill them.

I felt much relieved to receive this result; it seems I was overthinking things.

These natives weren't the kind of saints overflowing with pure compassion; they had only let those wild beasts go when their own lives weren't threatened.

Everyone's already risking their lives, who the hell cares about all that? Let's just do it!