The journey home
Two shallow ditches were dug out along the way back.
Lu Heng dragged the two mangled corpses of the Black-Eyed Bear back, his left hand gripping the forepaws and wrists of the bears, his right hand clutching the flesh of their napes, his knuckles white from the prolonged exertion. The bears' chests had collapsed after being brutally struck by the Kiss of Nightmare, rib fragments piercing the flesh and hanging out, the blood long since dried, congealing into a dark red crust clinging to their fur. Occasionally, they would trip over exposed tree roots, bits of flesh trembling from their wounds, thudding onto fallen leaves with a dull thud.
Behind him, the Bone Demon dragged two more complete bear carcasses, following Lu Heng straight ahead. The two Black-Eyed Bear were held in the crook of its arm, its bony fingers digging into the flesh, swaying with every step. The Bone Demon was much stronger than Lu Heng; the two bear carcasses, weighing over a thousand pounds together, were carried in its hands as if they were heavy objects. Its steps were very steady, and it didn't even breathe.
The forest was quiet. The insects were silent, and the birds were still. The smell of blood was so strong that it carried far on the wind, causing everything along the way to shrank back. Occasionally, something would wriggle beneath the layer of decaying leaves; it was probably an insect burrowing deeper, too afraid to climb up after smelling the blood.
There was no path from the riverbank to the Shelter. It was all the trail Lu Heng had cleared with his knife, the cuts in the bushes on either side still oozing fresh sap. Now, two mutilated corpses were dragged along, the cuts of the bushes covered with bits of flesh and blood, the sap from the cuts mixed with blood, turning black in color.
When they passed through the Wolf Pack's territory, Lu Heng smelled a foul odor.
It wasn't the smell of blood, it was wolf urine. Strong and pungent, it wafted from the depths of the dense forest on the left.
He didn't stop, but merely glanced over.
Behind the bushes, a dozen pairs of green eyes were pressed against the ground, motionless. The Wolf Pack lay in the shadows, the Alpha Wolf at the front, its two front paws pressed against a piece of broken wood, its back taut, but its four legs showed no sign of rising.
It was waiting for Lu Heng to walk over.
Lu Heng dragged the bear carcass across the edge of its territory, leaving a trail of blood across the entire thicket. The weight of the bear's body snapped the branches at the broken ends, making a crisp sound. The Wolf Pack remained motionless; their green eyes flickered in the shadows before disappearing again.
After leaving the Wolf Pack's territory, the forest was so quiet that only the scraping sound of the Bone Demon dragging the corpse could be heard.
Lu Heng knew that nothing would bother the Shelter from the forest for the foreseeable future.
The outline of the Fortress Shelter peeked through the gaps in the tree canopy.
Lu Heng tossed the two mutilated corpses to the outside, Blood-Devouring Vine stirred.
The vines sprouted from the cracks in the rocks, thicker than they had been a few days ago, their tips piercing directly into the bear carcass's chest cavity. The sound of grinding meat was muffled, like someone chewing bones, and lasted for about half a minute. The vines were eating voraciously, their skin turning from dark red to purplish-black. Several new vines emerged from the main stem, climbing up the rock wall, their tips probing into the cracks and then remaining still.
Lu Heng stood to the side and watched for a while.
The Blood-Devouring Vine's defensive range expanded again, with newly grown vines spreading along the fence, filling in the previously unprotected corners. Veins bulged on the main stem, pulsating like blood vessels, indicating that it was digesting the damage. It seemed that the previous losses would be recovered in no time.
He nodded.
There are three boxes at the door.
One Black Iron and two Bronze boxes were stacked together. The lock on the top Bronze box was crooked, probably from when the wolf brought it over.
Lu Heng bent down and collected all three coins, storing them in his spatial storage. On this journey home, Lu Heng felt like a fisherman who had caught a big fish, full of pride.
However, it is indeed something to boast about.
Four Black-Eyed Bear, two mutilated corpses were fed to the Blood-Devouring Vine, and the two intact ones were left to decompose. The Wolf Pack's offering consisted of three treasure chests, one Black Iron and two Bronze. Coupled with the Wolf Pack' submissive attitude on the way—from this day forward, the top of the food chain in this forest has a new name.
The two bear carcasses dragged back by the Bone Demon were placed in the center of the cave.
Lu Heng stood between the two corpses, pointed to the one on the left, and then pointed to the Bone Demon.
Without hesitation, the Bone Demon picked up a skeleton and began to gnaw on it. It ate quietly, starting from the chest cavity, its bony fingers inserting to tear open the ribs and putting them into its mouth piece by piece. It chewed the bones and meat together without making a sound, except for the slight clicking sound of its jaw opening and closing.
Lu Heng walked to the body on the right and activated the Wristband.
A pale blue light swept across the bear carcass, and in less than ten seconds, the entire body automatically disintegrated into skin, flesh, bones, and internal organs, which were then laid out separately on the ground.
Lu Heng squatted down and flipped through the items, then paused for a moment.
The two cores lay side by side in the middle of the decomposed material.
One is dark red, about the size of a fist, with fine lines on its surface and feels warm to the touch— the Energy Core. The other is dark purple, slightly smaller, with blood-red lines on its surface, and you can feel a slight pulsation when you hold it in your hand— the Flesh Core.
This time, the Flesh Core actually fell out.
Lu Heng raised an eyebrow. This thing wasn't common, but it wasn't unheard of either. He picked up the Flesh Core and threw it directly into his Wristband Space for later use. Then he picked up the Energy Core, turned around, walked to the Energy Slot, and casually tossed it in.
The energy bar jumped from 30% to full, and the illuminating stone on the cave wall lit up briefly.
The bear meat was moved into the Cellar in batches. The Cellar was cold, and the air smelled of frozen earth. Lu Heng arranged the meat pieces on the stone shelves, placing the foreleg and tenderloin on the top layer, and the ribs and hind leg on the bottom layer for easy access. The bloody smell was barely detectable due to the low temperature.
After placing the meat, I looked at how neatly the Puppet had arranged it, and then at my own arrangement. Oh well, I'll let the Furniture Puppet do it itself...
After tidying up, Lu Heng went into the bedroom.
She quickly washed off the bloodstains in the bathroom and changed her clothes. She then went to the bedside.
Take out the Kiss of Nightmare.
Lu Heng picked it up and looked at it, recalling the exhilarating feeling of shooting people with a gun just now.
Recalling the scene of the battle, the number of bears was within the expected range, the critical hit damage of Kiss of Nightmare exceeded expectations, and the Bone Demon's control was flawless.
My plans for tomorrow are to go to the Base Area and plant Water-Covering Vine.
Security at the base can't be delayed. We need to start planting as soon as possible, just in case.
After the Water-Covering Vine is planted, an additional layer of sensory network will be added to the entire surrounding area. Lu Heng will be able to detect any living creature approaching immediately.
Lu Heng Lu Heng for a long time, then returned to the Astrology Room. He lay on the Nightmare Bed and began practicing Starlight Meditation Method. He planned to meditate for a while before going to sleep; it had become a daily routine, replacing sleep with Meditation Method.
Outside the cave, the Blood-Devouring Vine writhed against the stone wall, their newly grown tendrils groping their way in the darkness, like a slowly outstretched arm.