Caught Off Guard

"The cliff in the deepest part of Cold Wind Pine Forest is the Ice Apes' home. If the mutated Alpha Ape wants a place to hide and recover, it will most likely go there. At the very least, the Alpha Apes wounded by our Guard Squad in previous years always did so. Although this year's Alpha Ape has undergone an extremely bizarre change, I believe its instincts will still lead it there."

Lloyd led Ye Chen through the rugged Pine Forest, carefully watching the surroundings as he supplemented Ye Chen's intelligence on their enemy.

"Alpha Apes have always been quite intelligent. They will not easily let outsiders learn the location of their home. When pursued by enemies, they deliberately take long detours and leave chaotic footprints to make people lose their way in Cold Wind Pine Forest. So, choosing not to pursue it directly was a wise decision."

Ye Chen nodded in response. He had always treated his prey with caution and respect. From that brief exchange earlier alone, he had vaguely sensed that the Alpha Ape possessed considerable intelligence, which was why he had not acted rashly.

"That beast cruelly slaughtered most of my companions. If we do not get rid of it, Cold Wind Village will suffer disaster before long as well. I will make it pay for its blood debt. I will."

Lloyd muttered in a low voice, as though constantly reaffirming his resolve.

Ye Chen did not reply. He merely focused all his attention on guarding against the blind spots among the surrounding trees. In this sort of deep mountain forest, an attack at any moment would not be surprising.

The two then traveled in silence, winding through the twisting earthen slopes of Cold Wind Pine Forest. Along the way lay the rotting remains of wild boars, yaks, brown bears, and all kinds of creatures—clearly all unlucky victims targeted by the Alpha Ape.

Surrounded by countless bloody scents, Ye Chen and Lloyd finally reached the entrance to the cliff.

Here, the mangled corpses of hundreds upon thousands of Ice Apes had been casually discarded across the snow, silently recounting the Alpha Ape's terror and madness.

Ye Chen lowered his head to look at the pocket watch in his hand. Fifteen minutes had passed since he had created the previous Blood Bullet. This brief rest was enough to leave the youth with sufficient strength to make a second powerful blood-made round.

Ye Chen skillfully flicked out the revolver's cylinder and squeezed drops of blood from his arm into its chambers. Under Lloyd's stunned gaze, a brand-new blood-made bullet quickly condensed into shape.

Although the ten-minute limit had already passed, Ye Chen still felt faintly dizzy once the Blood Bullet was made. However, it was still within the range he could endure through gritted teeth and would not greatly affect the battle ahead.

He tucked the revolver into his clothes, then picked up a longbow and quiver. These were weapons Ye Chen had taken from one of Lloyd's fallen companions.

Ye Chen quickly checked the bowstring's durability and whether his blood on the arrowheads was functioning properly.

The blood-red color on the sharp surfaces had completely covered the dark green poison that had originally been applied, flickering continuously with a faint glow.

On the way to the cliff, Ye Chen had blooded both his own arrows and Lloyd's.

He did not explain the principles in detail to Lloyd. He merely told him to use the weapons without concern.

And in such circumstances, Lloyd had no mood to ask why. He simply followed Ye Chen's instructions.

"All right, Lloyd. I can handle the rest alone. Wait for me here. If the Alpha Ape is not on the cliff, I will have to come back and ask for your help, so do not rush back yet."

After checking that all his equipment was in order, Ye Chen gave Lloyd these instructions. Then, after turning his head to think for a moment, he added a reminder:

"Of course, if I do not return within ten minutes, go back to the village yourself. Do not worry about me."

"Huh?"

Lloyd froze. He had originally thought Ye Chen was inviting him to fight together, but it turned out Ye Chen had only wanted him to act as a guide.

"It is dangerous for you to go alone. Let me come too. At least I can contribute some fighting strength!"

After hesitating for a moment, Lloyd clenched his fists and made the suggestion to Ye Chen.

He had already resolved to fight the Alpha Ape to the death along the way. At this point, being made to stand by as a local while Ye Chen, an outsider, risked his life alone against the Alpha Ape naturally made Lloyd feel extremely guilty.

However, Ye Chen decisively shook his head in refusal.

"No. The risk is too great. You cannot come with me."

Ye Chen's firm refusal immediately left Lloyd speechless. He could only give up and follow Ye Chen's instructions.

"All right, then be careful. I will wait here."

Ye Chen nodded. He had just raised his bow and arrows and started toward the cliff.

However, before he had taken ten steps, a casual glance made Ye Chen suddenly notice that tiny black shadows, like insects, seemed to be secretly wriggling within several Ice Ape skeletons scattered across the surrounding snow!

The youth's gaze instantly turned wary.

When he focused his eyes on the nearest ape corpse, Ye Chen immediately realized that these tiny black shadows were exactly the same as the black sludge that had previously clung to the Alpha Ape.

They were the entity known as Abyss Matter!

At that moment, although he had no evidence, a terrifying thought pierced Ye Chen's mind:

The Abyss Matter on the Alpha Ape's body could perhaps be peeled off and used as surveillance tools to report information back to it.

And under the watch of this black mud, the Alpha Ape might already know Ye Chen's current location.

If Ye Chen and the Alpha Ape had traded places, then Ye Chen would certainly turn defense into offense now. Before being ambushed, he would ambush the other side first, catch it off guard, and settle the matter in one blow, ending the situation unfavorable to himself!

The moment Ye Chen realized this, a broken giant tree immediately shot through the distant sky like a javelin, crossing dozens of meters in the air and crashing precisely toward Ye Chen's location.

Boom!

The massive broken trunk plunged straight into the ground, utterly shattering the silence of the Pine Forest.

In an instant, snow and dust exploded into the air, and the earth trembled.

Lloyd, behind him, was horrified by the sight and could not stop himself from trembling all over.

"W-what happened!?"

Staring at the sudden upheaval before him, Lloyd clutched his bow and arrows in terror.

Yet the snow mist filling the air blocked most of his view, leaving Lloyd completely unable to see the enemy's figure. He was utterly at a loss.

However, a figure soon came sprinting out of the snowy haze.

It was Ye Chen, who had dodged the giant tree's attack in time. The instant he appeared, he shouted at Lloyd.

"Fall back!"

Lloyd was stunned. Before he could react, the shadow beneath his feet began to rapidly expand and deepen.

"It is above you!"

At Ye Chen's second shout, Lloyd looked up and saw a massive, blood-red ape maw lined with sharp fangs descending from above, smashing ferociously toward his head.

Hiss.

Lloyd stared blankly at that enormous mouth, whose hunger knew no bounds.

Within the darkness at the depths of its throat, that strange power which had once ravaged the minds of so many of Lloyd's companions once again took the form of Ponsen's mournful ghost, directly stunning Lloyd's consciousness.

In that instant, Lloyd forgot to move. He forgot to breathe. He merely stood there, pale-faced and motionless, quietly waiting for the Abyss to come and devour his life.