At the junction where a "米"-shaped canyon branched in every direction, a wild boar lay quietly in the grass. He had rolled himself in fresh river mud again, doing his utmost to mask his scent.
There was no danger nearby, yet his face was full of worry.
He had found the largest Earth Vein Node in the area and could detonate it at any time. He had even found an escape route: there was a hidden cave beside the node, and he could duck inside as soon as he set off the explosion.
Now there was only one problem—where were the zombies supposed to come from?
This Earth Vein Node was as hot as molten lava. The zombies wouldn't go anywhere near it!
Blowing up the node was pointless. He needed to blow up the zombies!
Should he stab himself and see if that would draw them in?
Zhu Jiusi couldn't bring himself to do something suicidal.
Perhaps he needed to team up with other Path Seekers. He could contact a few who excelled at speed and have them lure in as many zombies as possible, then he'd blow them all up.
Afterward, they could divide the Life Stones and Soul Jades.
Zhu Jiusi knew his limits. He couldn't bake a cake this big by himself, let alone eat it all. He'd have to get outsiders to lend a hand.
The sky was gradually brightening—the only place in Journey Survival where one could see normal sunrises and sunsets.
After finding a sheltered, inconspicuous spot, Zhu Jiusi lay on his side beneath a tree stump and drifted between waking and sleep.
The Secret Realm would remain open for quite some time, and he hadn't had a proper rest in ages. To accomplish great things, he first had to keep his body in good shape.
He didn't sleep peacefully that day, but Zhu Jiusi had grown used to it. He hadn't had a truly deep sleep in three years.
Zhu Jiusi was roused by a faint, intermittent smell of blood.
A pig's snout was sharper than a dog's nose. A faint scent of blood drifted in on the wind from every direction.
Zhu Jiusi jolted awake and looked toward the top of the canyon.
Pigs had a hard time raising their heads, so all he could see was the cliff face ahead. He stood upright and clung to a tree, looking straight up—but there was nothing to see!
Only a hazy gray expanse met his eyes.
The sun set early at the bottom of the canyon. It had disappeared from view, leaving only the scattered glow of its afterlight.
The animals that were active at dawn and dusk had already begun to stir. A few creatures with keen senses, like Zhu Jiusi, showed signs of unease.
In Journey Survival, anything out of the ordinary called for extreme caution.
Blood stank from every direction for no apparent reason. Something had definitely gone wrong somewhere.
And the scent was faint, without any foul impurities. It had the clean, subtle smell unique to human blood.
Someone had deliberately injured people in every direction at once, spreading the smell of blood through the area!
Had someone else discovered this Earth Vein Node and come to the same conclusion as him?
They were no good!
Amid the smell of blood, Zhu Jiusi caught a trace of milk. Someone had slit the veins of an unweaned infant, releasing the scent of blood.
Damn it!
Zhu Jiusi sprang up and charged out.
A faint scream came from above the cliffs, followed by the rumble of something rolling down.
Someone had been thrown straight off the cliff!
More than one person!
Thud, thud, thump!
A human head smashed to pieces right in front of Zhu Jiusi.
A wooden board fell alongside it. It had shattered into splinters, but the blood-stained writing on it was still legible.
"Master of Cloud Stack Cave? Surprised? Didn't see that coming?—An apology from Bright Moon Illuminating People and Mountains and Seas Affection."
Zhu Jiusi's eyes narrowed.
It wasn't that someone had reached the same conclusion as him. This group had tracked him down and wanted to lure the zombies over to kill him!
As the smell of blood spread, the howls of zombies rose from outside.
"Argh!"
At the left entrance to the canyon, a Green-Haired Zombie charged in at the head of the pack.
It tapped the ground with both feet and leaped high like a kangaroo, covering two or three meters with each bound.
The several White-Haired Zombies behind him were much slower and could only hop along one step at a time.
But without exception, every zombie's eyes glowed red, their bloodlust completely awakened by the smell of blood.
They had followed the scent, but there were no living people in sight—only a wild boar standing dazed at the bottom of the canyon.
A living creature!
A living creature brimming with vitality!
The zombies immediately changed direction and roared toward Zhu Jiusi.
Several people on the cliff scrambled for a homemade telescope.
"Let me see! Let me see!"
"Bright Moon, what do you see? What's happening to the pig?"
Bright Moon Illuminating People's face was deathly pale, and his whole body trembled.
He had been bitten by a zombie and knew the despair of being hunted by one. The moment he saw them, he went straight into a state of panic.
But even so, he watched closely, unwilling to look away for even a second.
"Well? What's happening?" his companions pressed, trying to snatch the telescope from him, but Bright Moon Illuminating People swayed aside and dodged them.
Of course he had to see this for himself!
He would never miss the chance to watch zombies hunt from close range, from every angle.
He had to kill zombies in this instance too. Every extra glance gave him a better chance. How could he let anyone take the telescope?
"Don't grab it. Relax. That pig's being chased by the Green-Haired Zombie and has nowhere to run, neither above nor below!"
"Did he run toward another canyon entrance?" the others asked urgently.
This wasn't the only group of zombies they had lured over. If the pig was chased into another canyon, then he'd learn what it meant to be attacked from both front and back!
"No!" Bright Moon Illuminating People looked puzzled. "He's darting back and forth, leading the zombies around like Qin Shi Huang circling a pillar, but he hasn't run away or fought!"
What was he doing?
"How long until the other groups arrive?" Bright Moon Illuminating People asked.
"Don't know. We'll get a signal when they're here..." Before he could finish, a firework shot into the sky in the far west and burst overhead.
The western group was here!
One after another, fireworks rose from every direction and burst in the sky.
The zombies were all here!
Howl after howl rose from the canyon, as countless figures leaped and bounded below.
Bright Moon Illuminating People was giving a running commentary.
"That pig still hasn't run. He's actually taunting the zombies, charging in and then immediately retreating into the walking corpses, using them to block the White-Haired and Green-Haired Zombies."
Bright Moon Illuminating People watched closely through the telescope.
He watched the pig and the zombies.
How the White-Haired Zombies attacked, how the Green-Haired ones leaped, how the walking corpses moved.
And how the wild boar responded. This pig was acting far too strangely. Instead of fleeing, he seemed to be provoking them and gathering the zombies together. He wanted to bring them all into one place!
"That pig isn't right," he suddenly said as he watched. His companions turned to him.
Bright Moon Illuminating People furrowed his brows. "He just failed to get away in time and was clawed by a White-Haired Zombie. But its claws didn't break through the mud shell covering his body!"
"Mud?"
"The Bronze Gourd!" Mountains and Seas Affection froze, then suddenly understood.
That day in the heavy rain, the pig had said he'd opened a Bronze Gourd and found a lump of mud inside!
"Could something go wrong?"
Bright Moon Illuminating People gritted his teeth. "No! Absolutely not! There are thirteen Green-Haired Zombies, more than thirty White-Haired ones, and countless walking corpses. They'll wear him down!"
Boom!
Zhu Jiusi rolled across the ground. He crashed into the crowd of walking corpses, the mud armor on his back, fired into brick-like hardness, now cracked and crumbling away in chunks. Beneath it, patches of newly grown, hairless skin were exposed.
Without that armor, he would have died in the horde.
He was at his limit!
Fortunately, there were enough zombies, and they had no intelligence. That was the only reason he'd managed to stay alive, charging left and right.
There were so many enemies that they became obstacles to one another.
He couldn't hold on much longer!
But at least he had lured most of the zombies to the area around the node.
The Green-Haired and White-Haired ones were faster, and they were all here now.
The newly exposed skin and fresh, living flesh drew roars from the zombies.
A Green Zombie let out a guttural howl, planted its foot, and charged, its sharp claws gleaming with a dark sheen.
Zhu Jiusi did not retreat. He charged straight at it and slammed into the zombie, only to be sent flying backward by the impact.
This one was incredibly strong!
Zhu Jiusi cried out in alarm, adjusted his posture in midair, and plunged headfirst into the cave in the ground.
"Roar!"
A zombie howl rang out as the creature followed close behind.
But the instant the Green-Haired Zombie plunged into the cave, a deafening explosion sounded outside.
Boom!
A red light shot into the sky, illuminating the entire canyon.
积分+30 积分+10 积分+1 ...
Before you continue