I'm so sorry everyone, I was late quite a bit. The hospital was crowded today for my follow-up appointment, but my number was relatively early, so I squeezed in a haircut. I couldn't resist and ended up getting a perm – it took me over four hours to get my short hair done! I didn't finish eating until around 3 PM. Please forgive me!
I don't have the perfect attendance bonus, and my grades weren't great to begin with, so thank goodness everyone is still subscribing! Love you all!
The tall, thin monster, just over two meters tall, was covered in sparse red fur. Its long hind legs stood upright and bent, appearing exceptionally powerful. Its forelegs, like those of a mantis, were covered in blood-red spikes. Eight pairs of red compound eyes, almost crammed onto its entire face, were on an unusually small head, devoid of any emotion. The remaining space was occupied by a sharp, bird-like beak, through which glimpses of blood-red flesh could be seen.
It looks like a complex hybrid of a bird, a mantis, and a kangaroo. The whole species has a twisted and eerie feel, lacking any sense of agility. It is more indifferent and unaware than a predatory beast.
Wild beasts kill out of the instinct of hunger, and they do it only to kill.
This guy has a strange little head, which proves that his IQ is really not high.
The monster, having missed its target, had such powerful hind leg springs that it leaped over Cheng Shuang, jumping quite far, and pounced directly at the figure that had maliciously knocked Cheng Shuang away.
The man clearly hadn't expected the monster behind Cheng Shuang to go the long way around. He thought that if he could leave one person behind to hold off the beast chasing him, he could escape safely, but the result was often unexpected.
When he came to his senses, a sharp bird beak pierced his eye socket. When it was pulled out, it made a popping sound, and the entire eyeball was caught in the beak, tossed and turned, and swallowed.
The man clutched his head in agony and screamed in agony. Cheng Shuang's face was paler than a corpse. As she got up, she shouted in panic, "Uncle, run! Run!"
However, the monster gave the man no chance, tearing open his chest with its beak and ripping out a still-beating heart...
Another living life died before my eyes.
The little girl shuddered, and before she could even process the fear, she quickened her pace.
She dared not choose the direction from which the man had come, and instead plunged headlong into a spot where there were relatively few screams. For the first time, a chillingly indifferent thought crossed her mind... She hoped that if there was food, the monster would stop chasing her.
She really couldn't run anymore; it felt like a fire was burning in her chest, spreading to her legs, making it heavy and unbearable.
The pursuit behind her indeed stopped, and the shouts around her gradually weakened. The little girl staggered, but her mind was taut to the extreme. Instinctively, she pricked up her ears and used all five senses to observe this gray, foggy world as always.
The previous screams were almost long, filled with indescribable pain and despair, but now... they were short and powerless.
Cheng Shuang's throat was terribly dry, as if it were on fire. She swallowed with great difficulty, feeling unbearably thirsty. Her body had reached its limit. Although her heart was slowly calming down, she felt completely exhausted, and her two thin legs felt as soft as cotton.
The fog in front of her began to sway again, from gentle to violent. Cheng Shuang instinctively stepped back on guard, and just as she was about to turn and run, a woman's delicate sobbing voice came from behind her.
It's a human!
She didn't relax; after all, she was human now, but who knew what might come next!
Cheng Shuang paused, her small face serious and calm, as she listened intently.
Tap tap tap tap!
It wasn't the sound of hurried running; the unsteady, weak rhythm carried a hint of panic, but not the desperate urgency of someone rushing headlong into danger.
In other words, the direction from which the person came might be temporarily safe.
As she turned around, she saw a figure stumbling out of the mist.
The delicate woman was crying with snot and tears streaming down her face. Before she could even get a clear look at Cheng Shuang, she screamed in fright and turned to run in another direction.
As if a blur had appeared before her eyes, accompanied by a short scream, the timid young lady vanished from her spot.
Cheng Shuang stared wide-eyed in disbelief, and it took her a long time to come to her senses. Feeling cold all over, she slowly walked over with the teddy bear in her arms.
It turns out that at some point, several dark holes appeared on the ground in this area. The holes were about twice the width of an adult's shoulder, straight and with smooth, bottomless walls.
Visibility in the fog was at least two meters and at most four meters. Within those few meters of her field of vision, three or four such holes were hidden by wisps of fog. If someone was only focused on avoiding the monster and ignored their footing, they would surely fall in and be reduced to ashes.
No wonder the cries of many people were different from before...
This also explains why the monsters chasing us disappeared without a trace once we entered this area.
They should be more aware of the dangers of caves; seeking advantage and avoiding harm is an animal's instinct.
Gazing at the dense, shadowy cave formations looming in and out of the thick fog, the little girl broke out in a cold sweat. If she had recklessly run ahead without a care in the world, the outcome would have been obvious.
Three lives lost in a short period of time!
Thinking of all the despair and struggles that Miss Cheng Shuang had gone through, the girl touched her forehead and forced back her fragile tears.
At least... at least she still has her father, mother, and sister. These things don't matter; their being alive is the greatest comfort to her.
Moreover, reality is cruel, leaving no time for anyone to be sentimental. Not far ahead, a faint light slowly appeared, accompanied by what seemed like loud music. Perhaps it was the sudden appearance of light that caused the fog in this area to gradually shift, becoming noticeably thinner than elsewhere in a short time, enough to see the scene within a radius of about half a kilometer. Countless dense caves lurked on the ground, like man-eating monsters opening their blood-red maws.
The rest of the space remained shrouded in thick fog, with faint screams and music emanating from afar, blending together to make the eeriness of the place all the more pronounced.
Even though she knew that the light and music might be a trap, the little girl's human tendency to be drawn to light still filled her heart with a glimmer of hope.
Moreover, in this situation, there is no other way out.
She wiped the blood and flesh that had accidentally gotten on her feet to prevent slipping, and walked carefully, as if she were walking a tightrope.
Not daring to get too close to the black hole, they cautiously moved forward on the narrow, winding path, which was half a meter wide at times.
Before long, several people gathered from all directions. Upon meeting, they glanced at the overly young child in the fleeing group, then indifferently lowered their heads and focused on the road beneath their feet. In no time, more than twenty people had gathered here, either drawn by the lights or seeking temporary safety.
There was no joy on anyone's face at meeting someone like them; they were numb and indifferent, dragging their weary legs, their eyes revealing a sense of bewilderment and fear of the unknown.
Cheng Shuang was among them, deliberately squeezed into the middle by the adults.
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