Beast Tide Assault!

The morning of the fourth day came earlier than the previous ones.

Before the sky had fully brightened and the mist in the woods had dispersed, Qian Yaoting had already packed his things.

He stood at the edge of the camp and looked east. A gray-white light was slowly spreading along the horizon, but the depths of the forest remained dark.

"We're heading deeper today," Qian Yaoting said. "You were right yesterday. There's only so much we can find on the outskirts. We'll go deeper for one more day. If we still find nothing, we'll turn back."

Li Long slung his cloth bag over his shoulder and followed behind him.

The two advanced deeper into the forest along an animal trail that was barely visible on the map. It was more primitive than the terrain they had crossed the previous day. The ground beneath their feet was not soil, but a soft layer of humus, ankle-deep in places.

The trees around them were taller and thicker. The largest trunks required two people wrapping their arms around them to encircle them, while the canopy intertwined overhead into a ceiling that barely let any light through.

After walking for about an hour, Qian Yaoting suddenly slowed.

He said nothing, merely tilted his head and listened carefully for a moment before his brow furrowed slightly.

"Do you hear that?"

Li Long stopped as well and focused his senses.

At first, he heard only the wind and distant birdsong. But after a few breaths, he caught something wrong. The ground was trembling ever so slightly. It was not the trembling of an earthquake or volcanic activity, but a rhythmic vibration caused by something moving on a massive scale. It came from deep within the forest, drawing closer, as though something was moving in their