Crisis

Wu Ya's body trembled, her legs spasming as she desperately tried to retreat.

The giant bee, its sharp stinger glinting with a cold luster, its tip a smear of crimson, grew larger and larger in Wu Ya's eyes. The increasingly potent stench choked her, making her want to vomit, her stomach churning.

So uncomfortable, so uncomfortable!

So nauseous, so nauseous!

Go away, go away, don't come closer!

Wu Ya cried tears of fear, but her limbs were weak, like a fish thrown onto the shore, only able to struggle powerlessly.

Was she going to die?

The string, pulled taut to its limit, finally snapped with a "zing~".

Wu Ya's vision went black, and she fainted.

"Bang~" At the critical moment, Xiao Xiao, who had just arrived, didn't have time to think. He hurled the book in his hand fiercely. He hadn't expected much, just hoping to slightly impede the monster's movements, but he never thought he'd send the entire thing flying.

Xiao Xiao was stunned for a moment.

He then quickly rushed to Wu Ya's side, crouched down, and checked her. Fortunately, she had only fainted.

"Screeeech~" A sharp, piercing sound, like fingernails scraping against glass, suddenly rang out. Xiao Xiao's hair stood on end. His vision blurred, and it felt as if a knife was violently twisting in his head, causing him splitting pain.

Xiao Xiao barely managed to steady himself, but his vision remained blurry.

Although it looked like a giant bee from the outside, its cry was not the low hum of a normal bee, but this sharp, piercing shriek. It was as if an endless, thick darkness was spreading before his eyes, seeping out wisps of ominous crimson.

Xiao Xiao endured the discomfort in his body, slowly stood up, and looked up.

Perhaps the previous blow made the monster hesitant, as it didn't immediately attack again.

This gave Xiao Xiao some time to recover.

After all, he didn't understand what had happened in that previous attack, and now he didn't have a book in his hand.

Xiao Xiao forced himself to remain calm, his hands by his sides stiff, even spasming, veins bulging, fingertips white and bloodless.

"Thump-thump-thump-" His heart pounded erratically, the sound loud enough to make him panic.

Xiao Xiao clenched his fists, the slight sting of his fingernails digging into his flesh allowing him to force himself to stare into the "bee's" eyes, observing its every move.

Its crimson eyes flickered with a cold, sinister glow in the darkness.

Its massive form stood atop a high branch, the crescent moon casting a pale, ghostly light, outlining a heavy shadow.

An unbearable stench continuously drilled into Xiao Xiao's nostrils.

It smelled rotten, like the bones of corpses settled in a swamp, mixed with a hint of slippery, sweetish fishy smell, cold and viscous, making Xiao Xiao almost vomit.

Xiao Xiao hadn't expected things to turn out this way. If he had wanted to visit the Small Forest, he would have chosen to go during the day.

Unexpectedly, plans changed.

That night, the Eldest Brother, using the excuse of being startled, generously treated the entire dorm to a meal out.

Upon their return, they happened to see several girls pacing nervously outside the Small Forest from a distance.

The Eldest Brother and the others, feeling chivalrous, approached them.

Upon asking, they learned that one of their companions had gone into the Small Forest and was missing, and the girls themselves were too afraid to go in.

After all, the Small Forest was now considered a forbidden area on campus. The police blockade had only been lifted that afternoon. If it weren't for Wu Ya, they wouldn't have come here.

And Wu Ya had been acting strangely earlier, making them worried and scared.

While they were debating whether to ask for help from the boys in their class or the security guards patrolling the campus, they encountered Xiao Xiao and his friends. They immediately clung to them like drowning people grasping at straws, begging them to go in and help find their companion.

"Uh~" Zhang Bo glanced hesitantly at the eerie and sinister Small Forest, but seeing the tearful faces of the girls, he immediately patted his chest and said it was up to them.

Zhuge Yun and Zhao Luzheng thumped their chests even louder.

"Third Brother, what are you spacing out for?"

"Scared?"

"Don't be afraid, Brother will protect you, haha."

Xiao Xiao didn't react, just stared fixedly at the Small Forest.

He didn't see that, at this moment, a faint golden light flashed and vanished in his eyes.

In his field of vision, a faint black mist wafted above the Small Forest, writhing like claws and teeth, exuding an unsettling aura of death.

What is this...

"Hey, Third Brother, why so serious?"

"What's wrong? Is something amiss?"

"You're not actually scared, are you?"

"It's fine." Xiao Xiao retracted his gaze. "After we go in, let's split up and search. That'll be faster."

"Okay."

Originally, Xiao Xiao had wanted to stop Eldest Brother and the others from going in. After all, the Small Forest gave him a very bad feeling right now.

However, he couldn't find a good reason, and he was also worried that if they delayed too long, the girl would be in danger.

He still had a clear memory of the morning's photos.

Besides, he had noticed earlier that the distribution of the black energy wasn't uniform. He had a hunch that the place where the black energy was most concentrated was exactly where the girl was.

Since that was the case, he just needed to make sure Eldest Brother and the others avoided that direction.

As for what he would encounter alone, to be honest, he hadn't thought that much about it.

Of course, he wasn't someone who would sacrifice himself for others, especially not for someone he didn't know. If it were Eldest Brother and the others, it would be a different story. If it weren't for the strange changes in his body, he absolutely wouldn't have made this choice.

It was just that, looking at the situation, among the people present, he was the most suitable person to go there.

Finally, after Xiao Xiao instructed the girls to find a security guard, he followed Eldest Brother and the others into the Small Forest.

Once inside, Xiao Xiao rejected the suggestion of splitting into pairs. He chose the direction where the black energy was most concentrated and went alone.

He no longer had the confidence to protect anyone.

He had no intention of revealing his own secrets to anyone.

Xiao Xiao didn't know if the current situation was better or worse than he had anticipated.

At least it was good that the monster was somewhat wary of him being able to hit it with a book.

He should really thank the classmate who entrusted him with taking the book back, otherwise, he wouldn't know how to stop that monster from attacking the girl.

But what should he do now?

Although the monster was hesitant to act against him, it showed no signs of retreating.

Its sinister eyes never left him.

The thick malice made him feel suffocated.

Xiao Xiao was now in a predicament, unable to dismount.

He had no means to deal with the monster.

And now, he had no useful weapons on him.

What to do? What to do?

Drops of sweat trickled down Xiao Xiao's cheeks.

"Hoo~" The monster seemed impatient, pacing back and forth on the branches, its gaze still fixed on Xiao Xiao's vicinity.

In the silent night, the monster's owl-like cry was extremely chilling.

Its scarlet eyes were so thick they looked like they were about to spill fresh blood.

A faint phosphorescent glow flickered, enhancing the pale moonlight and adding to the sense of dread.

Xiao Xiao's mind raced, even experiencing throbbing pain from the overload.

Damn it!

Still no solution!

All he could do now was to delay for as long as possible.

Heh, it was bizarre to be playing the hero saving the damsel to this extent.

Indeed, being a hero wasn't that easy.