A change of approach

After retreating from the invisible boundary of the trial area, Lu Heng's rapid breathing remained unsteady for a long time. His chest still felt heavy and dull, and the dull pain from the tiger's tail sweep was deeply rooted in his bones, tingling slightly along his blood vessels. His forearm was stiff and numb where he had been slapped, and even when he exerted force with his fingertips, there was a slight feeling of resistance.

The brand-new Tusked Wild Boar hide armor firmly protected his body, without cracking or breaking, and completely withstood the heavy blow. But even with the heavy armor cushioning the impact, the terrifying force of the Black Iron Tier tiger still penetrated the skin, causing his blood and qi to surge and his muscles and bones to feel a throbbing pain as if they were about to fall apart.

At that moment, he felt nothing but endless fear.

Fortunately, the trial had a fixed combat area, and fortunately, the ferocious beasts wouldn't chase him across zones. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had a second chance to dodge that feint and tail-whipping tiger pounce attack.

After a brief moment of calm to suppress his shock, Lu Heng began to focus on finding a way to break the deadlock.

A head-on close-quarters fight would be certain death. The usual tactics of kiting and finding openings at close range are completely ineffective against this cunning and swift Forest Rock Tiger. Even more fatal is that the tried-and-true tactic of climbing trees to save lives is utterly useless today. Tigers are adept at climbing, and ordinary trees are no obstacle for them; the advantage of the high ground is completely gone.

The only thing you can gamble on is tactics.

Lu Heng reached into his Storage Slot and pulled out the dried beast meat. Enduring the lingering soreness in his arm, he took out the Cold Stiff Poison Gland and the Spider Poison Gland. He gently squeezed them with his fingertips, and thick, cold venom slowly seeped out, carrying a unique, fishy, and chilling scent.

He patiently applied and soaked the entire piece of meat with venom, ensuring that the meat was thoroughly saturated with the poison. He planned to use the poisoned meat as bait, so that he wouldn't have to fight it head-on, but simply lure the enemy into eating it. He could then slowly wear down the tiger's fighting strength by continuously consuming the poison, creating an opportunity for himself to turn the tables.

Having made all the preparations, he held his breath, raised his arm slightly, and threw the heavy piece of poisoned flesh into the trial area, where it landed steadily on the snow a few meters away from the Forest Rock Tiger.

The pure white snow made the dark, ghastly meat stand out strikingly.

Lu Heng immediately lowered his body and hid behind the snow barrier in the distance, his eyes fixed on the arena, secretly anticipating what was to come.

In the middle of the snow, the tiger that had been lying still and resting finally slowly raised its head.

The enormous head turned slightly, its dark, deep beastly eyes sweeping lightly over the suddenly appearing piece of beast meat. Then, its nose twitched slightly, and it brought it close to sniff for a few seconds.

Lu Heng's heart tightened instantly, and his breathing subconsciously stopped.

The expected scene did not occur.

After sniffing the meat, the tiger didn't approach to eat it, nor did it even bother to look at it again. It lazily moved its head, adjusted its limbs, and settled back into a more comfortable position, completely ignoring the poisonous flesh beside it.

In the deathly silence of the snowstorm, Lu Heng's heart sank.

The problem became clear instantly.

This top predator of the mountains and forests is arrogant and extremely picky.

It only hunts live, struggling, and running creatures, and has no appetite for still, dead meat.

The first shortcut is completely blocked.

A wave of awkwardness and anxiety welled up inside Lu Heng.

The physical pain still lingered, but all fighting techniques were rendered useless. Close combat was ineffective, ambushes were predicted, traps were unusable, and poison bait was ignored. All available methods had become ineffective overnight.

The immense pressure weighed heavily on his chest, and for a moment he couldn't think of any feasible solution.

Left with no other option, he reached out and opened the Regional Chat Channel, hoping to see how other survivors were progressing and if he could learn from their strategies.

The moment the screen refreshed, it was filled with nothing but wails and despair, the screen refreshed extremely quickly.

"Who passed the third day's trial? Can a human even fight that Forest Rock Tiger?"

"His speed is insane! His reactions are insanely fast, his feints are deadly, I barely got close and he sent me flying with a single tail lash!"

"Don't even think about getting close. Even when I hide in a tree, it climbs up and chases me. There's absolutely no way to stop it!"

"Yesterday, the Wolf Pack at least managed to use mechanics to kite and hold their own, but today this tiger is incredibly intelligent, ignoring traps, bait, and playing by its own rules!"

"I tried the poisoned meat, but it's completely useless. It won't even touch static objects; it's ridiculously picky about what it eats!"

"It feels like this third day of the trial is deliberately designed to trap people, leaving no way for ordinary survivors to survive!"

"I gave up immediately. I'd rather wait for the temperature to drop than go up there and risk my life."

No one on the entire channel managed to complete the game.

Everyone's predicament is exactly the same as his.

After reading through the screen full of complaints, Lu Heng completely understood the situation.

It wasn't that he lacked strength; rather, the overall combat power of this Forest Rock Tiger had completely exceeded the limits of what the survivors could currently handle.

Turning off the channel, Lu Heng looked up at the surrounding forest.

The relentless snowstorm blanketed the entire mountain forest, completely covering it with a thick layer of snow. The ground, grass, shrubs, and tree hollows were all buried under the white snow. The view was a pure white expanse, obscuring all terrain details, making it virtually impossible to find materials, trap locations, or natural advantages.

All tactics are useless, the terrain offers no solution, and a formidable enemy looms ahead.

Anxiety was slowly eroding his mindset.

But he had no way out.

If the Seven-Day Trial were to come to an end, the subsequent plunge in temperature would be enough to bury him completely.

In the midst of desperation, a thought suddenly flashed into my mind.

Tigers only eat live prey.

Since dead bait is ineffective, let's try live bait.

As long as you find live creatures in the forest, using fresh animals as bait will definitely trigger the predatory instincts of this beast king.

Having made up his mind, Lu Heng no longer hesitated. Suppressing his discomfort, he turned and stepped into the deep forest, slowly searching through the vast snowstorm.

Finding living creatures is far more difficult than imagined.

Heavy snow has sealed off the mountains, and all living things are in hibernation. Most wild animals and small rodents hide deep in the snow-covered caves and rarely show themselves. The forest is deathly silent, and apart from the sound of the wind and falling snow, there is not a sound of insects or animals.

He walked slowly along the familiar forest path, his eyes carefully scanning every snowdrift and every clump of bushes, not daring to miss the slightest movement. The wind and snow hit his mask, chilling him to the bone, and his hands and feet gradually stiffened in the low temperature. After searching for half an hour, he still found nothing.

As he grew increasingly impatient, he unknowingly wandered back to the spot where he had first discovered the radish.

This area is low-lying, with thicker snow than other places, and the surroundings are completely quiet, as if the life of the entire mountain forest has been sealed by the white snow.

Lu Heng was about to turn around and find another place when he suddenly caught a very subtle movement out of the corner of his eye.

The smooth snow surface not far in front of me, which had no wind blowing and no snow falling, bulged very slightly.

The difference is so small that it can be completely overlooked if you're not paying attention.

He stopped abruptly, holding his breath, his eyes fixed on the patch of snow.

A few seconds later, the surface of the snow rippled slightly again, cracking open with a hair-thin fissure. A faint wisp of heat escaped from the crack, only to be instantly dispersed by the cold wind.

Immediately afterwards, a small, grayish-brown head cautiously peeked out from a crevice in the snow.

It's a rabbit.

It only showed half of its head, its bright black eyes quickly scanning its surroundings. After confirming there was no danger, it slightly opened its nose to breathe, not daring to linger for even a second. A moment later, it immediately tucked its head in and sank down, disappearing back under the thick snow. The snow surface returned to its smooth state, as if no living creature had ever appeared.

Lu Heng stood there, suddenly realizing the truth.

The continuous heavy snowfall has resulted in such a thick snow accumulation that it has completely sealed off the underground caves.

These little rabbits, lurking under the snow, are trapped in tunnels at the bottom of the snow. The oxygen is thin, and they can only sneak a little bit of snow every now and then to make a vent for air.

That slight thumping motion was the Snow Rabbit taking a breath.

In a desperate situation, life suddenly appeared.

The anxiety that had been building up in Lu Heng's heart instantly dissipated by more than half.

Isn't this the perfect, ready-made live bait?

Fresh, moving, and full of life, perfectly matching the hunting habits of a tiger.

Without delay, he immediately slowed his movements, lightly touching the snow with his toes to avoid making any crunching sound. He lowered his body, stabilized his center of gravity, and moved very slowly, inching closer to the area of snow that was acting strangely.

The snow layer is deep, and the underground passages are intricate. Rabbits are extremely alert and can escape at a very fast speed, making it extremely difficult to accurately block and capture them.

But this is his only hope for breaking the deadlock right now.

The wind and snow continued to howl. He held his breath and proceeded cautiously, quietly beginning his search in the vast expanse of white snow.