Tracking
While he slept peacefully through the night, an unknown behemoth had already quietly appeared around his Shelter.
The forest remained calm despite the snowstorm, but a deadly threat lurking beneath the snow and deep within the dense forest was already silently approaching.
In the Frost Forest at dawn, the snowfall had completely stopped.
A layer of fresh, even snow covered the world, soft and fluffy, covering all the subtle sounds of the night and erasing most of the traces of life. The cold wind had shed its biting chill of the night, leaving only a cool breeze brushing against the treetops. The entire snowfield was deathly silent, with only the occasional faint, crisp sound of ice cracking deep in the snow echoing dully through the forest.
Lu Heng stood beside the broken remains of the snowman, his eyes lowered, carefully scanning the snow beneath his feet.
The traces left by the giant creature last night were already incomplete. The large, heavy paw prints were mostly buried by the fresh snow, and the edges were blurred and murky by the wind and snow. Only uneven pits and depressions were scattered on the snow surface. There was no complete track, no clear claw marks. With the naked eye alone, it was impossible to determine what kind of monster had approached the Shelter last night.
The only rough judgment can be made from the depth of the sunken snow layer and the extent of the collapsed snow – the other party was huge, had a terrifying weight, and its impact force far exceeded that of ordinary forest wild animals.
Without any hesitation, Lu Heng immediately lowered his center of gravity and began to track.
A biting chill crept into his collar, his cheeks stiffening slightly from the cold wind. He consciously controlled his breathing, trying to conceal his exhaled breath. His feet landed precisely on the soft, thick snow, avoiding the thin layer of ice on the surface. The ice was brittle and hard, cracking with the slightest pressure, a jarring sound in the deathly silence of the forest. His back arched slightly, his center of gravity low, he moved forward slowly, close to the shadows of the tree trunks, each step light and steady, landing silently.
In contrast, the path taken by the unknown ferocious beast was rough and unrestrained, showing no awareness of avoidance or concealment. Each step was heavy and powerful, and its gait was unbridled, befitting the primal overlord of this snowfield.
One still, one dynamic; one cautious, one reckless—the extreme contrasts stand quietly opposite each other in the silent snowfield.
During the pursuit, Lu Heng did not simply focus on getting there.
He kept three-tenths of his gaze on the road ahead, while spending the majority of his time watching his surroundings, his eyes scanning the gaps in the dense forest, the blind spots in the snow gullies, and the shadows of the bushes. Having experienced the danger of being infested by Snow-Hiding Worm, he felt a greater sense of vigilance. The seemingly tranquil snowfield was full of unknown dangers, and he had to be constantly on guard against ambushes lurking along the way, avoiding any unexpected events that might occur at any time.
After venturing several hundred meters into the woods, the long silence ahead was broken by two sounds.
The heavy, muffled thud of footsteps on the snow, mixed with the wet, chewing sounds of flesh tearing and tendons snapping, drifted intermittently through the gaps in the trees. A thick, pungent smell of blood mingled with the chilling aura of ice and snow.
Lu Heng immediately stopped, his breathing becoming extremely shallow, his chest rising and falling slowly, and even the slightest movements of his hands ceased. He leaned against the thick trunk of the old tree, using the intertwined branches to conceal his figure, and peered out slightly into the open clearing in the forest.
The creatures in the open space looked like things he had never seen before.
Its body resembled that of a giant bear, covered in thick, coarse white fur with fine ice crystals clinging to the gaps between its hairs, its color almost blending into the white snow. Its muscular limbs were deeply embedded in the snow, and its shoulder and back muscles bulged high, its massive body exuding a tyrannical and oppressive aura.
A Tusked Wild Boar, recently killed, lay crushed in front of the monster. The boar's neck was torn apart, its spine snapped by brute force, and warm blood soaked into the surrounding snow, quickly freezing into a thin, dark red ice. The carcass was still warm, and the stench of blood was strong, indicating that the prey had been hunted and killed recently.
Lu Heng watched from a distance, his expression calm.
A vague sense of apprehension arose in his heart. Whether during the trial or from the stories circulating in the survivors' public channel, he had never seen such a strange creature of the snowfield. He knew nothing about its appearance, habits, or attack methods. Judging from the naked eye, he could only tell that the creature's physical strength was extremely strong, and once he got into close combat, his chances of winning were slim.
To ascertain the situation and avoid rash actions that could lead to risks, Lu Heng raised his hand and summoned his Wristband. A pale blue light screen quietly lit up, scanning and identifying the distant behemoth.
A moment later, the system text slowly appeared.
[Blizzard Monster]
Grade: Black Iron Tier
Habitat: Exclusive monsters of the Frost Snowfield
Physical constitution: Possesses immense physical strength, thick and tough skin and fur, and an extremely high resistance to impact.
Temperament: Naturally irritable and easily angered, it will enter a berserk state after being attacked, charging into close combat without regard for anything, making close combat extremely dangerous.
After reviewing the monster's information, Lu Heng quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.
The Blizzard Monster relies on brute force for close-quarters combat. It is thick-skinned and durable, and once enraged, it charges wildly. In the open snow, there is no cover, and you have no room to dodge or maneuver. You must not engage in close combat; you can only rely on ranged weapons to wear it down and maneuver.
His fingertips traced the cold wooden frame on his back as he gripped the Giant-Feather Crossbow.
The Blizzard Monster had just finished hunting and was full of energy. Although it was eating with its head down, its ears twitched slightly from time to time, remaining alert to its surroundings. If it were to fire an arrow hastily now, and the first shot failed to seriously injure the beast, it would enrage the ferocious creature and put itself at a disadvantage.
Lu Heng temporarily suppressed his murderous intent and continued to lie in wait and observe.
After Blizzard Monster on the wild boar meat for a while and filling its stomach, the Yeti stopped eating. Its large claws gripped the boar carcass, and its heavy body slowly rose to its feet. With steady steps, it leisurely made its way into the depths of the dense forest, seemingly preparing to return to its lair.
Lu Heng kept a low profile and followed at a distance, maintaining a safe distance of about 100 meters, not daring to get too close and reveal his whereabouts.
As he followed, a sense of surprise gradually arose in his heart.
The Blizzard Monster knew its route very well, slowly circling the mountainside surrounding its Stone Cave Shelter, getting unsettlingly close to its carefully disguised stronghold.
Lu Heng paused slightly, a lingering fear crossing his heart. When he chose the cave as his home, he only considered its Geothermal, shelter from the wind, and seclusion, neglecting the fact that this cliffside cave was a favorite habitat for ferocious beasts. During the Seven-Day Trial, the entire forest was sealed off by a barrier, forcibly restricting the activity range of high-level ferocious beasts. After the trial ended and the seal dissipated, the snowfield returned to its original ecological environment, and all the native beasts that originally inhabited this place returned to their former territories.
It wasn't Blizzard Monster that intruded into its habitat.
Instead, the stone cave where he had settled happened to fall within the territory of this ferocious beast.
Continue following the Blizzard Monster through two snow-covered ravines, and ahead appears a cliff cave nestled against the mountainside.
The cave is sheltered from the wind and in a secluded location. Its mountain structure Shelter, making it a natural hiding place in this snowfield. This is the lair of the Blizzard Monster.
A moment later, soft footsteps echoed from the dim cave entrance. A small, slender juvenile Blizzard Monster slowly emerged, its fur soft and fluffy, lacking the ferocity of an adult. It walked to the boar carcass and began to devour the remaining flesh without any suspicion.
Two Blizzard Monster, one large and one small, have settled and made their home here.
At this moment, Lu Heng fully understood that this was not a wild beast that happened to pass by, but a group that had been living next door to his residence for a long time. Last night, it was only a test, as it was lured by the aroma of hot pot and destroyed the snowman's warning trap. From now on, with day and night next to each other, there was no guarantee that one night the ferocious beast would follow the scent and come to him on its own. The hidden danger was lurking just a stone's throw away, and a battle was inevitable sooner or later.
Instead of passively waiting for the other party to come to you, it's better to take the initiative and eliminate the threat.
Lu Heng pressed himself tightly against the tree trunk, avoiding the cave entrance's view. His right hand steadily supported the crossbow, while his left hand slowly pulled back the bowstring, locking the bolt with a click. He slowly exhaled the stale air from his lungs, trying to steady his rapid heartbeat. If this arrow failed to severely injure the adult Blizzard Monster, the two ferocious beasts, one large and one small, would counterattack simultaneously, making it difficult for him to escape.
His breathing calmed, and he slowly aimed his crosshair at the adult Blizzard Monster at the cave entrance.
The entire snowfield was eerily quiet, without a sound of wind or a trace of human presence; the hunt was already poised to begin.