Arrows
Lu Heng sat calmly on the back of the Star Wolf, his body as steady as a rock, his gaze fixed on the three figures in the low-lying bushes ahead.
The three of them completely let their guard down, collapsing against the thick tree trunk, their bodies covered in dust and grass clippings. The exhaustion from their frantic escape had completely overwhelmed them. They chuckled and comforted each other in hushed tones, their words devoid of any remorse, only filled with the relief of surviving a disaster, and even tinged with a despicable smugness.
They naturally assumed that by leaving their pursuers to strangers and trading someone else's life for their own, they were living the smartest and most worthwhile way.
Lu Heng's eyes remained completely unmoved.
He did not choose to show himself immediately, nor did he take direct action to settle scores.
His mental energy slowly and silently spread outwards, his subtle perception penetrating through layers of branches, leaves, and damp soil, sweeping across the surrounding forest area for hundreds of meters. Soon, an aura completely different from that of ordinary Green Demon soldiers steadily locked into his perception.
They are not low-level monsters that roam freely and without any order.
It is a well-equipped, disciplined, and uniformly disciplined elite squad of Bronze Tier Elite Green Demon Squad.
There are six in total.
They move at a steady pace, advancing and retreating with measured steps, their patrol routes are regular and stable, they cooperate and block each other in a simple manner, they are extremely vigilant, and their muscle explosiveness and offensive and defensive toughness far exceed those of the ordinary Green Demon that was just instantly killed. In this outer forest area, they are already a highly threatening roaming fighting force.
Lu Heng's thoughts stirred slightly.
Beneath the skin and flesh, extremely fine Mycelium quietly grow.
There was no light, no fluctuation, and no unusual phenomena. These nearly transparent Mycelium spread along the gaps in the air, crawling along the tree roots, avoiding all Withered Branch and leaves, completely silent, and gently covered the bodies of the six Elite Green Demon from a distance of tens of meters.
Instantly, the restraint took effect.
The Elite Green Demon, who had been patrolling steadily and remaining vigilant at all times, suddenly stiffened slightly.
Their innate, savage, and bloodthirsty instincts were instantly suppressed, and their autonomous will was temporarily locked. They could neither roar nor stir; they could only passively follow the faint pull of the Mycelium and silently change direction.
Lu Heng maintained steady control of the situation remotely.
They kept their bodies low to the ground, concealed their presence, and moved with utmost lightness, completely abandoning their original patrol routes and slowly maneuvering around the blind spots of the dense forest on the left and right sides.
Step by step, they silently closed in.
The three survivors in the low-lying area were completely unaware of this, still basking in their sense of relief at having survived.
"That was really close, I almost died."
"Luckily, that idiot guy standing by the roadside blocked our way."
That's how the apocalypse is; nobody cares about anyone else. Just surviving is a skill in itself.
The three of them chatted amongst themselves, their tone frivolous and indifferent, completely forgetting their despicable acts of launching a sneak attack and deliberately framing the culprit.
A moment later.
Six elite Bronze Elite Green Demon silently took their positions.
They completely sealed off all escape routes through the low-lying bushes, forming an impenetrable encirclement.
Lu Heng put his mind at ease.
All the outward-extending Mycelium instantly retreated and dissolved within the body.
The last shackles binding his ferocity shattered with a deafening roar.
"Roar--!!"
Six deep, hoarse, and bloodthirsty roars shattered the deathly silence of the forest!
The dark green figure burst forward simultaneously, its elite-level speed completely overwhelming that of ordinary monsters. Its figure left almost a blur in the shadows of the trees as it pounced towards the three people below!
The relaxation, relief, and smugness on the faces of the three people under the tree instantly froze and shattered at that moment.
The extreme, death-defying, chilling fear instantly gripped their hearts.
His pupils constricted sharply, and his blood instantly turned ice-cold.
Before they could even get up properly, the shadow of death loomed over them.
The short-haired man on the outermost side reacted the fastest. Just as he braced himself to sit up, an Elite Green Demon pounced in front of him. Its sharp, black claws gleamed coldly, instantly tearing through his tattered clothes and digging deep into his back!
"Ah--!!"
A bloodcurdling scream suddenly erupted.
Scalding blood gushed out instantly, flowing wildly down his back and soaking his clothes. A sharp pain shot through his entire body, causing the man to convulse violently. His body instinctively struggled forward, tearing a large chunk of flesh from his back by sharp claws, leaving it a bloody mess.
Death was imminent.
Utter fear instantly shattered all reason in the three of them; the so-called camaraderie and solidarity became utterly worthless in the face of life and death.
The remaining two were completely blank-minded, their eyes filled only with a frantic will to survive.
Faced with the oncoming shadowy figures of demons, they offered no resistance, no dodge, no mutual assistance; all that remained was the ugliest instinct of the apocalypse—pushing others to die in their place.
"Stop it! You stop it now!!"
The slender man, his eyes bloodshot, roared and used all his strength to push his companion's back against his own.
The middle-aged man was already in shock and unsteady on his feet. This sudden shove sent him staggering and flying backward, crashing straight into two Elite Green Demon charging at him!
Pfft--
Two sharp claws struck the man's chest simultaneously.
Clothes were torn apart, flesh was turned inside out, and blood splattered everywhere.
The middle-aged man was instantly overwhelmed by fear. A broken, hoarse scream escaped his throat, and his legs buckled, causing him to kneel on the ground. He flailed his arms wildly forward, futilely trying to stop the monster's bites and tearing.
He desperately turned his head to look at his companions behind him, his eyes filled with disbelief, despair, and resentment.
"You... pushed me...!!"
There was no response.
The skinny man who had just pushed someone took advantage of the moment his companion was being attacked and killed, turned around and darted to the side like a madman.
But the encirclement was already completely sealed off.
The remaining two Elite Green Demon sidestepped and pounced, knocking him heavily to the ground!
The heavy body pressed down on him, instantly making his chest feel tight and his breathing difficult. The cold fangs bit directly into his shoulder, the sound of tearing flesh was extremely piercing, the pain made him lose his voice for a moment, and then he burst into an even more frantic howl.
The situation has completely collapsed.
All three were trapped in a deadly situation, yet none of them resigned themselves to their fate.
Their extreme madness led them to completely abandon their principles, and they began to drag each other down, pull each other apart, and betray each other.
The middle-aged man, pinned to the ground, knew he was doomed, yet he struggled frantically, grabbing the thin man's trouser leg tightly, his fingernails digging into the dirt, desperately dragging the other man toward him.
"Don't run!! We'll die together!!"
"Give me a hand! Don't run away!!"
The skinny man staggered as he was dragged, terrified out of his wits. He kicked the other man's hand wildly, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace.
"Let go! Get out of here!! You deserve it!!"
The short-haired man who was injured first had a bloody mess on his back and was trembling with pain, but he still used his last bit of strength to rush over, trying to hide behind the other two and use his companion's body to shield them from the monster's next attack.
Pushing, kicking, dragging, and fighting for a living.
In just a few seconds, the three completely tore off their disguises.
Just moments ago, these "comrades" were huddled together, celebrating and talking to each other. Now, they've become each other's shields for survival. Everyone wants to push the other into the monster's jaws, and everyone wants to buy themselves even a second of respite through their comrade's death.
The stench of blood quickly filled the entire low-lying woodland.
The sounds of flesh tearing, bones cracking slightly, piercing cries, frantic curses, and desperate sobs mingled together in a chaotic, jarring, and distorted cacophony.
The three, covered in blood and tears, rolled haphazardly in the pool of decaying leaves. With each struggle, the monster tore open more wounds, their bodies grew weaker, their cries became hoarseer, and their eyes grew increasingly crazed.
This is their own law of survival.
They habitually sacrifice the innocent, habitually betray others, and habitually treat others as pawns for survival.
Now that this has happened to them, all they'll do is kill and betray each other.
The shadows of trees in the darkness.
Star Wolf stood silently, motionless.
Lu Heng sat upright on the wolf's back, silently watching the entire process.
There was no emotion, no sympathy, no reluctance in his eyes, only a cold, calm stillness.
He witnessed firsthand how these three people fully displayed their despicable nature. Those who harm others ultimately harm each other, and there is no injustice in that.
The battle continued, and the three were rapidly exhausting their strength. Their wounds kept reopening, and they could only hold on for a few dozen seconds. Their certain death was already assured.
But just as this reckoning of cause and effect was about to be completely settled...
Lu Heng's mind suddenly sharpened.
The air in the dense forest suddenly became heavy.
A strange, refined, extremely calm and powerful aura rapidly approached from the depths of the distant dense forest. The aura was clean, sharp, and highly disciplined, unlike that of a rogue cultivator seeking survival, carrying an extremely strong sense of order and oppressive combat power.
Before he could investigate further.
Whoosh--whoosh--whoosh--!!
Several extremely sharp whistling sounds suddenly rang out!
The jet-black, standard-issue long arrow pierced through layers of trees with incredible speed, its trajectory straight and precise, without the slightest deviation!
Each arrow precisely targeted the head, throat, and heart of a Bronze Elite Green Demon.
The dull thuds of arrows piercing bodies rang out one after another.
The six Elite Green Demon, which were frantically attacking, all trembled violently, their frenzied movements instantly frozen.
The bloodthirsty roar abruptly ceased.
The heavy bodies fell one after another, crashing onto the decaying leaves and mud, and then fell into complete silence.
In an instant.
Lu Heng's carefully laid plan, a perfectly timed punishment, was abruptly and ruthlessly disrupted by an outsider.
Amidst the corpses of monsters scattered on the ground, three survivors, covered in blood and riddled with wounds, collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, their chests heaving wildly, their bodies filled with exhaustion and relief at surviving the ordeal.
Just moments ago they were fighting and betraying each other; now, those who survived are left only with the dazed feeling of having escaped death.
Lu Heng, hidden in the shadows, felt a surge of intense and straightforward disgust.
Framed for no reason and dragged into a bloody battle, just when the consequences were finally inflicted, a stranger forcibly intervened and ruined the situation.
He raised his eyes, his gaze cold and fixed, staring straight at the edge of the deep, dense forest from which the arrows had been shot.
That powerful, unfamiliar aura was steadily advancing, gradually approaching the woodland.