"This..."
Zhou Xuan frowned, a subconscious feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. He could only voice his doubts.
"If the nuclear bombs don't have a significant impact on the Erosion Zone..."
"Then we might have to retreat from the Erosion Zone, otherwise we might face a battlefield like a meat grinder," Shen Heng said with a solemn expression.
They were able to establish themselves in the Erosion Zone because, on the one hand, they possessed high-level combat power equivalent to the Calamity Beast they could currently encounter; on the other hand, they had the ability to overturn the table.
The second point is particularly important, since they only possess high-level combat power, and their numbers are not on par with the Calamity Beast.
This meant that they could only hold onto one place at most.
Therefore, if the second point fails, they may face a counterattack from the Calamity Beast!
If things really come to that, if you don't want to leave the Erosion Zone, you can only hold onto one place or risk your life.
Even if we were to sacrifice lives, it wouldn't seem to make much of a difference. It would be better to withdraw from the Erosion Zone and fight a defensive battle!
Moreover, looking back now, the gradual decrease in beast tide attacks doesn't seem to be solely due to the inability to deal with them.
Furthermore, the Calamity Beast's strategy has changed, shifting its main focus to stabilizing the Erosion Zone.
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned serious; they too realized the gravity of the situation.
"So what do we do now? Go back and report like this?" Zhou Xuan asked.
Going back like this is actually possible, since they've already discovered where the crystal was used and guessed its general purpose, but...
Is there a way to further confirm, or even understand, the specific effects and timing?
Shen Heng frowned, his gaze unfocused as he stared at the distant valley.
Seeing this, the others understood Shen Heng's thoughts, and some lowered their heads or frowned in thought.
"Hey, how about this!" Zhou Xuan suddenly said.
Shen Heng looked over and saw Zhou Xuan staring at him with slightly bright eyes. He said:
"Should I ask the local earth god to teleport there and steal a crystal? Didn't you say the crystal was placed on the ground anyway?"
"They were placed on the ground, but next to each crystal, there was a Fourth Tier monster watching over them. Although none of them could burrow underground, but..."
Shen Heng paused, looked at Zhou Xuan, and continued:
"As you know, even Fourth Tier Calamity Beast that can't scout can detect anomalies within a few meters due to its mental strength."
"Do you have a way to get it before it notices, and then escape from the assembled Calamity Beast?"
"Uh... this..."
Zhou Xuan was speechless for a moment.
"So what should we do?"
Shen Heng gazed at the loitering beast shadows in the distance, pondered for a moment, and said:
"Try moving the one on the very edge..."
At the edge of the valley.
A Tier 2 Shadow Wolf was patrolling there.
Its claws sank into the black snow, making soft "plop" sounds.
Suddenly, its figure stopped in place and turned its head to look in the direction outside the valley.
The area was shrouded in darkness; apart from the clearly visible shapes of the tall trees, everything else was indistinct.
Shadow Wolf stared at that spot for a while, and after confirming that there was nothing unusual, he was about to look away when he paused again.
In the murky eyes of the beast, a few dark shadows could be vaguely seen flashing by.
Along with that came a rustling sound.
It hesitated for a moment, and after confirming that the rustling sound was still coming from there, it turned around and ran quickly in another direction.
Soon, Calamity Beast, several meters tall and over ten meters long, lay prone on the ground before it.
It was a Calamity Beast that resembled a giant lizard and had a single horn on its head.
It seemed to have been lying there for a long time, with a thick layer of black snow covering its body.
Without pausing, the Shadow Wolf quickly ran to the figure and stopped.
It grinned and shouted excitedly.
"Lord One-Horned Lizard, I think I just heard some strange noises outside!!"
As the words fell, the tall figure slowly opened its eyes, its slightly dim, golden vertical pupils staring at it.
"So what?"
"So... therefore..."
Shadow Wolf was speechless for a moment, and the excitement in his voice unconsciously disappeared.
It cautiously observed the figure before it.
"So, aren't you going to go take a look?"
The One-Horned Lizard did not get up; it looked indifferently at the weak Calamity Beast before it.
"So, you came to see me without knowing what was going on, is that right?"
The voice was low and suppressed.
Shadow Wolf's body trembled involuntarily, and he said shakily:
"I'm... sorry! I'll go check right away!"
Having said that, without waiting for a reply, it immediately turned around and ran shakily into the distance.
Watching the figure gradually disappear into the darkness, the One-Horned Lizard slowly closed its eyes.
Black snow fell, silently covering its body.
The black snow, which could Corrosion human clothing, had no effect on it whatsoever.
After an unknown amount of time, the "plop plop" sound of footsteps on snow rang in the One-Horned Lizard's ears once again.
The One-Horned Lizard didn't open its eyes and remained lying there.
The sound of footsteps on snow approached rapidly, and then the shadow Shadow Wolf's voice rang in my ears again.
"Found it, Lord One-Horned Lizard! The beast has found it!"
The One-Horned Lizard slowly opened its eyes, its gaze falling on the Shadow Wolf, which wasn't even as tall as it was when it was lying down. It said in a deep voice:
What did you discover?
"There seem to be traces of those two-legged insects over there, the ones you mentioned before!"
Upon hearing this, the One-Horned Lizard lizard's eyes, which had been barely open, suddenly snapped open.
It stood up from the ground and said:
Are you sure?
"Yes!" Shadow Wolf nodded repeatedly.
"How many people? What rank are they? Wait, how did you get back?"
With suspicion, the One-Horned Lizard lizard stared scrutinizingly at the Shadow Wolf.
"Uh... I don't know, I just saw several footprints over there, very similar to the two-legged creatures you mentioned before, very small, and all two footprints, two footprints forward!" Shadow Wolf said.
Were those two-legged insects there to scout ahead, and then they've left?... The One-Horned Lizard pondered thoughtfully, glancing down at the Shadow Wolf.
"So, you only found the footprints, and not the two-legged insects, is that right?"
"Yes, that's right!" Shadow Wolf nodded.
Upon hearing this, the One-Horned Lizard breathed a sigh of relief.
He opened his mouth and said in a deep voice:
"Lead the way, I want to go take a look!"
Shadow Wolf nodded, immediately turned around, and ran towards the place he had just discovered.
The One-Horned Lizard strolled away behind it.
The two beasts continued outwards, and before long, they came to a stop.
"Look, Lord One-Horned Lizard, this is it!" Shadow Wolf pointed to the footprints on the ground with his paw.
The One-Horned Lizard didn't reply, its eyes fixed on the footprints on the ground.
"It really is those two-legged insects. Have they already explored this area?"
It slowly raised its head, its gaze following the direction of the footprints into the distance.
"It looks like there are three!"
"Have they already left?"
"Hmm... I'd better go back and report!"
Just as the One-Horned Lizard was about to return, the Shadow Wolf said from the side:
"Lord One-Horned Lizard, aren't you going to take a look?"
Upon hearing this, the One-Horned Lizard lizard frowned, instinctively wanting to refuse, but the Shadow Wolf continued speaking.
"Looking at the footprints, they're almost completely buried in the snow. Those two-legged creatures must have gone quite far, right?"
Perhaps persuaded by this reason, the One-Horned Lizard slowly nodded.
"It wouldn't hurt to go and take a look."
The two beasts continued walking forward.
However, it wasn't very far, maybe only a hundred meters, maybe two hundred meters, maybe three hundred meters...
Suddenly, the One-Horned Lizard felt a sharp pain in its head, and its body began to tremble violently.
My vision began to rapidly fade into darkness. Just before the darkness fell, in my peripheral vision, I seemed to see several figures, one of which...
"Damn it, it's that two-legged worm again?!"