Man-Made Disaster
After they entered the passage, it was only wide enough for two people to walk side by side, but at least they no longer had to worry about Monster Beasts surging in from all directions at once. They only needed to hold the front and rear.
The passage was even darker than the hall. The lantern's dim red flame could not illuminate even a tiny inch here. Lin Taichu advanced entirely by feeling along the rock wall with his right hand.
More crawling sounds came from behind them. The Monster Beasts had chased into the passage.
The guard in the second-to-last position suddenly stopped. Lin Taichu sensed Zhao Feng's footsteps behind him stop as well, followed by the sound of a saber being drawn and the guard's shout.
"They're here, behind us—several of them."
"Don't look back. Keep moving forward. Zhao Feng, take the men forward. I'll cover the rear."
Lin Taichu released his hand from the rock wall and turned to walk toward the back of the group. Zhao Feng froze for a moment and tried to stop him, but in the darkness he could not see anything. He could only hear Lin Taichu's footsteps moving from the front to the rear.
Lin Taichu reached the very back of the group and drew the dagger from his waist. A longbow was unusable in such a narrow passage, and arrows could not be aimed in the darkness. He could only use the dagger to fight at close quarters.
The panting of a monster beast came from the darkness, less than five steps ahead. Lin Taichu crouched down, held the dagger horizontally before him, and caught the direction of the breathing with his ears.
The monster beast pounced.
Lin Taichu did not dodge. His body turned slightly to the