Scent

Lu Heng calmed himself down and carefully gathered up the last piece of Falling Star Sand mixed with snow at the bottom of the pit.

The fine, silvery sand particles were all collected into the Wristband Space, and the permafrost in the center of the entire crater was exposed again.

After clearing all the resources, he bent down and looked at the Star Chest lying quietly at his feet.

The starlight pattern on the surface of the box subtly shimmers under the cool sunlight, giving it a unique texture that is completely different from the treasure chests commonly found in the wilderness.

Lu Heng raised his hand, preparing to touch the latch to open the treasure chest.

A sudden, ear-piercing, chaotic roar erupted.

The sound came from the edge of the crater, sharp and harsh, continuous, echoing layer by layer in the empty crater.

Lu Heng paused, then instantly looked up in the direction of the sound.

Between the withered roots and remnants of snow along the edge of the pit, short, agile black shadows were swooping down rapidly, heading straight for the bottom of the pit.

The system name is too far away to see clearly.

Judging by appearance alone, Lu Heng immediately recognized the image from his memory.

These wild beasts were short and stocky, with high shoulders and low hips, thick necks, extremely developed jaw muscles, and extremely long strides when running, exuding a fierce and wild nature.

It looked almost exactly like the African hyenas he had seen in documentaries from his previous life.

Without any hesitation, Lu Heng reacted immediately.

Leaving the treasure chest exposed is too conspicuous and makes it extremely easy for it to be damaged in the chaos of battle.

With a slight movement of his fingertips, he swiftly stored the Star Chest into the Wristband Space, sealing it securely.

After completing this step, he drew the Bronze Hunting Blade from his waist.

The blade was slightly cool, and dried bloodstains from the previous hunt of wild animals still clung to its surface.

Lu Heng's gaze sharpened, and he instantly understood the reason.

It's highly likely that he had been hunting wild animals for days, and the bloodstains from his knives had spread with the wind, attracting the attention of these social animals with their keen sense of smell, who then tracked him here.

His gaze swept quickly over the approaching herd of beasts.

A rough count revealed that there were more than twenty of them.

They sprinted in a tight formation, their speed downhill was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye they had closed most of the distance. Without the slightest hesitation or fear, their purpose was very clear: to hunt.

The enemy outnumbered us, and our opponents were social predators.

Engaging in close combat head-on is too disadvantageous.

Lu Heng immediately switched weapons, putting away the Bronze Hunting Blade and taking out the Giant-Feather Crossbow from his back.

For long-range combat, bows and crossbows are the best choice.

He stood firmly on the frozen ground, maintaining his balance.

The wind in the open field slightly obstructed visibility; the distance was considerable, and the trajectory required minor adjustments.

Lu Heng slightly raised the angle of the crossbow, locking onto the most densely packed area of the beast horde.

The beasts were clustered together, with almost no gaps, making them perfect for penetrating attacks.

Pull the trigger.

With a soft hum, the crossbow bolt flew from the bowstring.

The arrow pierced the air at an extremely high speed.

It pierced through the body of the first beast in front of it in an instant, and with the remaining force, it plunged into the body of the second beast that followed closely behind.

Both wild animals were attacked at the same time.

Blood instantly soaked their fur, and the excruciating pain caused them to collapse on the spot, rolling and roaring wildly, their limbs convulsing violently, completely losing their ability to charge.

But the remaining hyena pack showed no panic or retreat.

The deaths and injuries of their companions did not deter them in the slightest.

The remaining twenty or so individuals, still stepping over the shadows of their kind, charged at full speed toward Lu Heng at the bottom of the pit, their attack fierce and obsessive.

A cold glint flashed in Lu Heng's eyes.

A fleeting thought crossed my mind.

These ordinary individuals should be of extremely low level, with very few being Black Iron Tier experts.

They relied entirely on their numerical advantage, were fearless and reckless, and attempted to overwhelm their opponents with sheer numbers.

In order to accurately assess the enemy situation and locate the core of the beast horde, Lu Heng raised his hand and activated his smart Wristband.

A pale blue light screen lit up, and the beam of light scanned the onrushing horde of beasts.

A few seconds later, the system entry officially popped up.

[Spotted Hyena | Common Wild Animal]

Description: A social predatory beast, greedy and violent in nature, with extremely high endurance and a terrifying bite force. Its attack methods are cunning and ruthless, adept at ambushing the lower body and blind spots behind it, specifically targeting weak and vital points for tearing and biting. Its hunting style is extremely despicable.

This completely clarifies the distinction.

What he visually perceived and remembered was an African hyena.

The official name of this world, as defined by the system, is Spotted Hyena.

After reading the entry, Lu Heng instantly became alert.

They excel at attacking from the lower body and targeting blind spots.

This is an extremely difficult fighting style.

When a wild beast attacks head-on, there are usually clues to follow.

These hyenas specialize in attacking blind spots, and if you're not careful, you'll be ambushed. Once their lower body or hind legs are injured, their mobility is limited, and they're doomed in group battles.

A slight chill rose up my back.

Lu Heng immediately adjusted his posture slightly.

Stand with your feet staggered, lower your center of gravity, and tighten your waist.

He deliberately tightened his lower body, kept a close eye on the approaching horde of beasts, and kept his peripheral vision constantly on the blind spots to the sides and behind him, eliminating any opportunity for a sneak attack.

His gaze pierced through the charging beast horde, quickly comparing the size of each Spotted Hyena.

Common hyenas are similar in size, slender and compact.

Only one animal stood out from the back of the herd.

It is a size larger than other hyenas, with a broader neck and shoulders, a more ferocious jaw, and a domineering aura that suppresses its own kind when it runs.

Without a doubt, this is the tribal leader.

The only high-level threat.

Once the leader is eliminated, the herd will inevitably scatter.

Once the decision was made, the battlefield situation had already shifted.

The Spotted Hyena was incredibly fast; in just a few seconds, it had already rushed up to them.

As the distance closed to within inches, the Giant-Feather Crossbow completely lost its combat advantage.

In close-quarters combat, bows and crossbows are cumbersome and easily destroyed in close combat.

Lu Heng decisively sheathed the crossbow and gripped the cold Bronze Hunting Blade tightly in his palm once more.

His five fingers gripped the knife handle tightly, and the muscles in his arm tensed instantly.

His left arm was slightly extended forward, with his arm armor fully deployed, ready to block any collisions, bites, or pounces.

Inside his pocket, Geothermal Talisman lay dormant.

This was his last resort.

But right now there are only about twenty ordinary Spotted Hyena, far from the point where we need to use our trump cards.

Lu Heng's eyes turned completely cold.

A firm thought formed in my mind.

These mere beasts, relying on their sheer numbers, run rampant.

Do you really think you can defeat us with just a bunch of ragtag soldiers?

The first two Spotted Hyena pounced in front of him, their mouths full of sharp teeth opening wide, a foul stench assaulting his senses. They pushed off the ground with their limbs, aiming straight for Lu Heng's waist and abdomen, their fighting style cunning and vicious.

Lu Heng's steps were firm on the frozen ground, neither flinching nor panicking. He lowered his waist, gripped his knife, and waited for the close-quarters combat to begin.

The first two Spotted Hyena pounced in front of him, their mouths full of sharp teeth opening wide, a foul stench assaulting his senses. They pushed off the ground with their limbs, aiming straight for Lu Heng's waist and abdomen, their fighting style cunning and vicious.

Lu Heng stood firmly on the frozen ground, neither flinching nor panicking. He lowered his waist, gripped his knife, and swung it horizontally at the first Spotted Hyena that pounced on him.

The Bronze Hunting Blade sliced open the fur on the opponent's shoulder and neck, and warm blood gushed out along the blade.

Taking advantage of the hyena's momentary lapse in pain, Lu Heng raised his heavy right leg and delivered a solid kick to the open mouth of another hyena.

The dull thud of bones colliding exploded instantly. The Spotted Hyena's jaw was dislocated and deformed by the kick, its massive momentum broken off. Its entire body rolled and crashed heavily onto the frozen ground beside it, its limbs twitching a few times before it could no longer get up.

Lu Heng glanced at the fallen hyena out of the corner of his eye, a genuine feeling flashing through his mind.

Through repeated tempering and physical enhancement, the power of his kick is now vastly different from when he first arrived in this wilderness. This physical strength should not be underestimated.

Without pausing, he twisted his wrist, retracted the Hunting Blade, and slashed diagonally at the Spotted Hyena that was circling around him from the other side.

The Spotted Hyena hurriedly raised its front paws to block, its rough hide barely managing to block most of the blade's force, but it was still cut by the edge, leaving a deep gash. It recoiled in pain, taking half a step back.

Just as Lu Heng used this brief moment to adjust his center of gravity, a low, dark figure suddenly darted out from his blind spot.

Lu Heng glanced at the scene quickly out of the corner of his eye, and his heart tightened suddenly.

A lone Spotted Hyena abandoned its head-on confrontation, crouched low, circled around to its side and rear, opened its mouth wide, and lunged straight for its own thigh—a classic sneak attack tactic favored by hyenas.

Once bitten, it's extremely dangerous; the situation could spiral out of control instantly.

Lu Heng didn't have time to sheathe his sword and turn around. He immediately tensed his legs and swiftly shifted half a step to the side, barely dodging the fatal bite.

Using the momentum of his sideways movement, he leaped slightly, raising his left leg in mid-air and forcefully kicking the hyena's slender neck.

A dull thud rang out as the Spotted Hyena that had launched the attack was struck hard on the neck. Its entire body flew several meters sideways, crashing heavily into the frozen soil and rocks at the bottom of the pit. After struggling for a moment, it collapsed to the ground, unable to move.