At this moment, I gripped the shotgun in my hand even tighter. I was certain that this cunning fellow was still hiding in some secluded corner, secretly watching what was happening here.
Top, of course, had no idea what the falling trees had to do with the sand monster. Seeing my furrowed brow, it seemed quite puzzled. "It's just a dead tree, what's so strange about it?"
Now it's in the shadows, and I'm in the open. It always strikes first, which is very disadvantageous for both Top and me.
If its plan fails this time, I don't know what other strange methods it will come up with to deal with me.
I don't like this feeling of uncertainty and being controlled by others.
Since you want to play dirty tricks to scam me, then let me show you the wisdom of humankind and see who is the true pioneer of dirty tricks!
I decided to stop being passively controlled by them; at that moment, I already had a plan in mind. I drew my machete and said to the person still standing to the side...
"Top, let's get to work! We're going to slaughter that beast for a meal!"
...
A few hundred meters away from Tang Yi and his group, in a slightly higher thicket, a giant beast with an arrow wound on its hind leg and a brownish-yellow body was lurking, its copper bell-like eyes fixed on the dead trees in front of it.
The location here is perfect for overlooking the spot where the dead tree is, and the lush vegetation blends the giant beast into the environment. From the outside, there is no sign of anything unusual about this place.
An hour ago, the sand monster that had been following Tang Yi planned to launch a surprise attack on Tang Yi and his companions near the two densely vegetated mountains, but the only one it miscalculated was the monkey with its exceptionally keen hearing.
Just as the Sand Beast was about to enter the ambush point on Tang Yi's inevitable path, the slightest movement it made was keenly noticed by Top.
However, this sand beast was already very close to the ambush position. With a running start and a jump, it could pounce on Tang Yi and eliminate him instantly.
However, it once again misjudged Tang Yi's alertness. Instead of moving forward, Tang Yi fired a whistling arrow that could create a huge commotion.
Arrows with holes in their tips produce a piercing popping sound when they fly at high speeds due to friction with the air, similar to how a whistle makes a sound by vibrating the airflow in a confined space.
Even the cunning Sand Beast had never heard such a sharp sound before. It was indeed frightened at the time, thinking that something powerful was attacking it.
Its body moved again, deviating further from the ambush point. This time, knowing that its location had been exposed, the Sand Beast realized that its plan had failed.
So it simply hid quietly until Tang Yi and the others had gone far away before finding another way to get in front of them. Those dead trees were the work of this sand monster half an hour earlier.
It had clearly seen these dead trees crush some animals to death, so it wanted to use the same method against Tang Yi, who was equipped with ranged weapons.
At this moment, the sand beast lay motionless on the ground, looking at the withered forest, like a patient hunter waiting for its prey to fall into the trap it had set.
In the distance, the sound of large trees falling to the ground could be heard again, accompanied by the sharp, urgent cries of monkeys.
At that moment, the large python-skin patterned monkey next to the monkey, which was the most dangerous and feared by the sand beast, also let out a scream.
This sound is all too familiar to the Sand Beast; some animals also make this howl when they are hit by dead trees but do not die on the spot.
They find those unfortunate creatures and eat them based on the source of the sound. This method is very efficient and reliable, and it is clear that this is not the first time they have done it.
The screams continued unabated, and the monkeys nearby cried out in panic. This convinced the Sand Beast that the large monkey was now trapped under the dead tree and unable to move.
In the past, it would have already run out and caught its prey, but being naturally suspicious, it did not act immediately this time, but remained in place waiting.
It knew that any prey it crushed was doomed, but the arrow wound it had sustained earlier made this cunning beast very wary of Tang Yi.
After all, it was the first time it had experienced being attacked from a distance by another animal. If that arrow had been a little off, it might not have been able to get up.
It's not in a hurry now; it wants to wait until the big monkey's cries have completely disappeared before going over, as that would be safer.
After a while, the cries of the large, hairless, python-patterned monkey became much weaker, and gradually the sound became almost inaudible, with only the monkey still calling out.
The monkey-like beast didn't seem to care; whether it was dealt with or not didn't matter to it and wouldn't affect it much.
The sand beast, with its somewhat limping hind legs, began to make its way towards the place where Tang Yi and the others were.
Along the way, it would stop every two or three steps, look around for a long time, and only continue walking forward after finding no potential danger.
When it arrived at the dead tree from which the sound had come, it could see from afar a large monkey with python skin patterns lying motionless beneath the dead tree.
Beside it was a monkey struggling to climb out, but it seemed to be trapped as well, and no matter how much it dug at the soil, it couldn't get out from under the tree.
Seeing this all-too-familiar scene, the Sand Beast was naturally overjoyed.
Its fierce gaze was fixed on Tang Yi, who lay motionless on the ground, and it stuck out its tongue to lick its still-bleeding wound.
This action resembled that of someone who had finally gotten their revenge and was feeling incredibly satisfied.
What it didn't see was that Top wasn't trapped under the tree, but rather that Tang had dug a hole just big enough to fit Top inside.
With Top's hind legs tied and fixed to the tree trunk, it looked from a distance as if he was trapped and unable to climb out.
...
"Da...da da..."
Because of its slight limp, the Sand Beast walked with an unnatural rhythm.
My shotgun was already loaded and pointed directly in front of me. As soon as that sand monster showed itself, this round of gold particles would surely keep it within two meters.
But as I walked, this thing suddenly stopped again when it was less than five meters away from me.
All I wanted to do at that moment was curse. Seriously, is anyone else this cautious? I secretly vowed that I would take this sand monster back, chop it into mincemeat, and make dumplings to vent my anger.
The Sand Beast took a few more steps forward, seemingly uncertain. My heart pounded wildly. This was the first time I had ever gotten so close, using myself as bait to ambush such a large beast as the Sand Beast.
But the next second, something unexpected happened. Top somehow broke free of the ropes binding it and climbed out of the pit.
Upon seeing this, the sand beast seemed to understand, and turned and ran away without even glancing at me.
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