A burly, bald man was caught up by the men behind him. He staggered and muttered a curse in a low voice, "Are you all in a hurry to die?"
No one spoke.
Cheng Shuang was in the middle, also caught in the crossfire, but fortunately she was small and didn't take up much space.
The leader feared the unknown dangers, while the followers feared the monsters that were chasing them. So one side hesitated and struggled to move forward, while the other struggled to keep going.
Next to her were three men and one woman. The five of them were arranged in a neat row, following the widest of the several routes.
Even so, there was very limited space to stand, and people kept pushing in from behind.
The man finally lost his temper, shouting and cursing, "Hurry up, what's wrong? If you don't move, I'll come over and beat you up..."
Before the words were finished, screams of alarm came from ahead.
In the dim light, Cheng Shuang tilted her head and saw dark figures emerging from the cave not far away, their true forms obscured.
The crowd panicked, and as the fog dissipated, it became clear that the cave contained spheres the size of millstones.
The sphere's surface was covered with a wrinkled, bluish-green skin, which at first glance looked like a disgusting, large tumor.
The only saving grace was that not every abyss-like cave was ambush-filled, but each time a fleshy tumor emerged, it would suddenly split open its bloody maw and devour the person in the moment of their stunned silence.
The people in front started screaming frantically, desperately trying to run back.
Clearly, they couldn't keep up with the frequency at which the monsters appeared.
At this point, the middle section also became unsafe.
Cheng Shuang stared anxiously at the caves on either side, also trying to avoid being knocked into them by the crazy people running around. She was on high alert, even raising the teddy bear in her hand, presenting a defensive and aggressive posture.
The people in the middle section were more concentrated, most of the people in the front died, and the people in the back scattered, which actually made way for them.
A quick glance revealed that each of the enormous lumps had no eyes or nose, only a gaping maw with severed limbs between its sharp teeth. The scene was one of utter debauchery, with each chew producing white and red blood foam. The stench of decay was palpable even from a distance.
The close-quarters slaughter and devouring caused the woman near Cheng Shuang to vomit, and then the three men also vomited.
The originally fair-skinned, slightly overweight woman was vomiting and crying, looking like she had finally broken down from the ordeal.
The little girl also felt like vomiting, but her throat was extremely dry, and the burning pain suppressed the urge to vomit.
There's no escaping it; their location is deep within their territory, and running will only lead to an unexpected fall into the abyss.
At this moment, Cheng Shuang, whose face was completely pale, suddenly stood still, her small body ramrod straight, her eyes fixed on the cave on her right that was emitting sparse sounds.
Compared to the adults, the little girl was clearly too calm.
If she hadn't been trembling while hugging her teddy bear, she might have been even more convincing.
Anyway, the men and women vomiting next to her all looked at her with a strange expression.
Children are often said to be both angels and devils; sometimes their cruelty is terrifying.
This defensive action won't cause any trouble for the monster.
Cheng Shuang wasn't indifferent to life; she herself had already 'died' and understood the fragility of life better than many others. She had simply seen too much bloodshed in the experiences of the post-apocalyptic girls and during her own escape, which gave her some resistance. She could even observe the movements of the tumorous monster.
A fleshy growth slowly emerged from the cave on the right.
While its big mouth was still buried in the cave, the little girl quickly used the teddy bear as a cushion to punch the chubby head.
It had thinner skin than I imagined, and its big head instantly flattened into a dent.
A sharp, piercing roar rang out.
Without Cheng Shuang needing to launch any further attacks, the tumorous monster quickly retreated back into its cave.
“They… seem unable to climb out!” A bespectacled, refined-looking man clutched his laptop bag stained with dark blood, looked around, and quickly grasped the key point.
At this moment, only eight people remained in the area, scattered around. Three others, hiding in other corners, bypassed the large fleshy tumors and gathered around Cheng Shuang, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Cheng Shuang was stunned for a moment, not understanding why the three adults were looking at her like that... no, to be precise, they were looking at the teddy bear in her arms.
The little girl instinctively took a half step back and bumped into the seemingly fierce-looking bald man.
She tilted her head back and met the big man's eyes, which were as big as copper bells.
They looked at each other, silent and still.
In the end, the big man seemed to give in. As he looked away, he easily reached out and pulled the little girl who was leaning against his leg. He then glared fiercely at the three men who clearly had ulterior motives.
Perhaps because the big man was tall and strong, the three men immediately backed down.
"It's better to avoid them than to gather together, and be wary of new monsters appearing." At this moment, the only young woman spoke up. Her eyes were still filled with tears, but her expression was relatively clear.
Cheng Shuang quickly added, "Uncle and sister, their skin is thin and they're afraid of pain, so I didn't use any force."
What strength could a child possibly have? So the three of them unanimously guessed that it was the teddy bear the little girl was holding that had the magical effect.
They had been on the run for a long time and had never encountered a child under the age of eighteen or nineteen. It was no coincidence or luck that this little girl was able to survive the monster's pursuit unscathed.
These days, monsters defy common sense everywhere, and it's not uncommon for a teddy bear to suddenly develop special abilities.
Although the three people stopped, their faces clearly showed displeasure.
Cheng Shuang pursed her lips, took a few more steps, and quietly distanced herself from the adults.
She understood that some adults would pity a child like her, while others would take advantage of her, but when faced with a life-threatening crisis, one should not use common sense to challenge humanity.
The woman, who still couldn't stop crying, reacted faster than the others. She wiped her eyes and took off her shoes.
The heel of this shoe may have broken off while running, but the pointed toe design makes it perfectly usable as a weapon to strike a tumor.
She wiped away her tears, her sobs soft and quiet, but she still managed a friendly nod to Cheng Shuang, "Little friend, you're very brave, and... thank you for your bravery!!"
Cheng Shuang didn't speak, but showed her first smile since the incident.
The young woman was captivated by the child's innocent smile. In such a crisis-ridden atmosphere, it was extremely rare to still feel beauty and vitality. She blinked, then wiped away a few tears, quickly turning her head away to dry them in embarrassment.
It's not that her mental resilience is worse than a child's; although she feels overwhelmed, she can't help but cry because her tear ducts are too sensitive.
She certainly wasn't the one who panicked and made mistakes in a real situation, otherwise she wouldn't have subtly helped the young girl out of the awkward situation despite the unfriendly stares of three men.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
