Stung

A deafening buzzing sound pressed down from behind, dense and layered, as if the sound of the wind in the entire forest had been drowned out by the delicate yet violent flapping of wings.

Lu Heng desperately rushed down the sloping rocky slope, loose pebbles rolling backward and crashing down the steep slope to the bottom of the valley. The psychological pressure from the cliff top completely enveloped his body. At this moment, he didn't care about his ugly posture. A very embarrassing thought even popped into his mind: if he could get away faster, he wouldn't care if he just rolled down the slope.

After sprinting for dozens of meters, his movements suddenly stopped.

Rapid breaths caught in his chest, the intense momentum of running caused his body to lean slightly forward, and his feet barely managed to steady him. In the instant that a panicked sense of escape filled his mind, a sudden question arose.

He was no longer a weak and helpless novice who had just entered the wilderness.

After several life-or-death battles and physical enhancements, his strength had already firmly reached the Black Iron Tier. Ordinary mountain beasts, poisonous insects, and monsters were no match for him.

They were just a swarm of wild bees.

Why flee in such a panic, like a stray dog?

In the instant his thoughts surged, his tense nerves relaxed slightly, and most of the panic in his heart subsided. Lu Heng raised his Wristband on his wrist, his gaze locking onto the overwhelming, rapidly approaching swarm of bees in the sky. He lightly tapped the panel with his fingertips, instantly triggering the Appraisal.

The floating pale blue light screen flickered rapidly, and lines of clear data entries immediately popped up. The cold system font instantly extinguished all the hope in his heart.

[Species: Black Tiger Poison Bees]

[Characteristics: Poisonous, Berserk, Group Hunting]

[Description: Carries a potent neurotoxin; a single sting can cause severe swelling, pain, and muscle paralysis; when in a group, it can quickly kill all life forms of Bronze Tier and below, possesses extremely high resistance, and has a very wide tracking range.]

Just a few lines of text sent a cold sweat running down Lu Heng's back.

His idea just now was too arrogant.

A body of Black Iron Tier strength can withstand the bites of ferocious beasts and the impact of rocks, but it cannot withstand the covering stings of dozens or even hundreds of highly venomous bees. The toxins invade the body and seep into the bloodstream, leaving no way to resist. Once surrounded by a swarm of bees, the entire body will be covered in stings. No matter how strong the body is, in the end, it will only end up being paralyzed by poisoning and dying from exhaustion.

Without the slightest hesitation, he resumed his steps after just stopping. This time, he completely abandoned all contempt, leaving only extreme caution and panic as he ran frantically down the mountain with all his might.

The downhill mountain path was rugged and treacherous, with loose rocks and low bushes on both sides. The road surface was extremely steep, and there was nowhere to put his footing. If it were flat open ground, with his current physical fitness, a long-distance run would not be a problem at all. But on this steep slope, sprinting at full speed was tantamount to gambling with his life.

If a person slips and loses their balance, they will tumble and fall off the cliff, crashing into the hard rocks. Fractures and serious injuries are the least of their worries.

Lu Heng could only slow down, exerting great force with his legs, each step firmly planted on the hard soil and rocks, as he tried to escape downwards with restraint and urgency.

As he fled, he clearly sensed the changes in his body.

The old leg injuries from previous grueling fights, along with the lingering stiffness and soreness, have completely disappeared. His legs move with crisp, clean power, his muscles exploding with full force, without any hindrance. The lingering effects of past injuries have been completely healed, and his body has returned to peak condition.

Despite his excellent physical condition, he still couldn't overcome the constraints imposed by the terrain.

The short downhill stretch of four or five hundred meters, coupled with the intense, controlled run, had greatly depleted his physical strength. His chest heaved violently, his breathing was heavy and hot, his throat was dry and tight, and the strength in his limbs was visibly draining away rapidly, with fatigue piling up layer upon layer.

The buzzing behind him never ceased, and the swarm of bees drew ever closer. The oppressive feeling of countless tiny insects flapping their wings pressed tightly against his back.

Lu Heng gritted his teeth and steadied himself, freeing one hand to open the storage panel and take out a bottle of Concentrated Stamina Replenishment that had been sealed away for a long time.

Since acquiring this potion, it has been quietly stored in my Storage Slot, never having had the chance to be used. In every crisis in the past, it was either a close-quarters battle with no time to replenish supplies, or a serious injury on the verge of death with the potion useless. Never before have I been in such a desperate situation of simply being overwhelmed by physical exhaustion and on the verge of collapse.

Looking at the translucent pale green potion in his palm, Lu Heng felt nothing but helplessness.

Without any hesitation, he pulled off the seal, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

The slightly cool liquid slid down his throat into his stomach, instantly dissolving, and a faint warmth quickly spread throughout his body. His depleted energy was slightly replenished, and his sore muscles regained some strength, but he was far from being at his peak, barely able to keep going.

Taking advantage of the brief boost from the medicine, Lu Heng gritted his teeth, accelerated again, and fled down the steep slope with all his might.

After rushing for a while, the view of the messy mountain forest ahead suddenly opened up.

A winding river flows through the mountains and forests, its clear waters gently following the terrain, reflecting dappled sunlight on its surface, calm and serene.

Upon seeing the river, Lu Heng's heart, which had been taut to the extreme, suddenly relaxed considerably.

In the wilderness, flowing water is the greatest nemesis of mosquitoes and poisonous insects, and it is also his only way to survive at present.

But the crisis never subsided.

Amidst the whistling wind, the piercing buzzing was already close at hand. Several incredibly fast vanguard bees had already broken through the distance and caught up to him, almost touching his clothes.

Before he could rush to the riverbank, several sharp, piercing pains suddenly shot through the back of his neck.

It felt like several red-hot needles piercing the skin, the burning pain exploding instantly and spreading along the muscle fibers. The numbness, itching, and excruciating pain intertwined, making one's scalp tingle.

I got stung!

A sharp, piercing pain instantly pierced his nerves. Ignoring the lingering pain in his neck, Lu Heng used the momentum of his forward lunge to leap into the river without holding back.

Thump!

His body slammed heavily into the water, the icy river water instantly enveloping his entire body.

The moment he entered the water, Lu Heng's heart sank. He immediately realized that he had been too hasty and had been careless.

The riverbed wasn't very deep; it was only about a meter deep, far too shallow to completely conceal one's presence.

He plunged headfirst into the water at incredible speed. Even though the gentle current absorbed most of the impact of the fall, the momentum was still fierce. Through the clear river water, he could clearly see the hard, scattered rocks on the riverbed.

His head was only a few centimeters away from the sharp stone.

He was just a hair's breadth away from hitting his head on a rock and suffering a severe injury that left him unconscious.

The extreme danger made his heart tremble violently, completely disrupting his diving posture. He suddenly gasped for breath, and his mouth and nose opened uncontrollably, causing several mouthfuls of river water to rush into his airway.

The icy river water blocked my trachea and nasal cavity, and the excruciating pain of suffocation instantly overshadowed the stinging pain in my neck.

Lu Heng forced himself to suppress his panic, his limbs flailing wildly as he desperately tried to regain his balance, flipping over in the water. A moment later, half of his body was above the surface, gasping for breath and coughing violently to expel all the river water that had entered his nose and throat.

My nasal cavity felt sore and swollen, my chest felt burning and stuffy, and I felt extremely disheveled.

The brief respite lasted less than two seconds before the familiar stinging pain returned to the top of my head.

The remaining vanguard wasps still hovered above the water, locking onto his position, and swooped down to sting him again when he surfaced to breathe.

The excruciating pain returned, and Lu Heng dared not linger for even a moment. He tightly protected his head with both hands, bent over sharply, and sank into the river again.

The underwater view swayed slightly, and sunlight refracted through the water, creating dappled and blurred light and shadow.

Lu Heng raised his hand to touch the wounds on his neck and head. The skin and flesh his fingertips touched were burning hot and swollen, and waves of numbness continued to spread, as the toxins were slowly invading his body.

He looked up at the sky through the shimmering water.

Most of the Black Tiger Poison Bees, having lost their target and being too far away, had scattered and hovered in the air above the riverbank, their numbers drastically reduced to only a few dozen. They stubbornly remained above the river, patrolling back and forth, unwilling to leave.

Although the threat has been greatly reduced, danger still exists.

The water's surface is the poisonous wasps' hunting ground; if they dare to peek out, they will be attacked immediately.

Lu Heng steadied himself underwater, held his breath, and, using the river water as cover, slowly moved his body, silently following the direction of the current, moving away from this dangerous body of water.