Taking action
The Two-Horned Lizard frowned, lost in deep thought.
It felt that its luck was sometimes good, and sometimes not so good.
"Damn it, isn't there a better solution?"
The Two-Horned Lizard cursed under its breath, but it could understand the situation.
The gap between the two sides was too great. If it weren't for the fact that the Black Rat Clan sent out a bunch of Calamity Beast to capture more Calamity Beast to replenish their losses during this period, this plan would have been completely unfeasible!
In fact, if it weren't for the human saying they could kill a few more Black Rat, it would have felt the plan had almost no chance of success.
But now...
"Hmm... what if it were that human?"
Its figure paused slightly, Two-Horned Lizard's eyes suddenly widened as it turned its head to look in the direction the human had just left.
That human so simply told me about those two paths; could there be some kind of trap hidden in them?
My thoughts were racing.
After a moment, the Two-Horned Lizard slowly dismissed the idea from its mind.
No, probably not. Whether those two paths lead out or not depends more on luck, that is, on whether the Black Rat will notice them!
If that human had the ability to influence the Black Rat ' thoughts, they wouldn't need to seek their cooperation!
If that's the case, which path would the other party choose?
The Two-Horned Lizard frowned in thought.
It felt that either option was possible, and perhaps there might even be a better way out?
After a long while, nothing came of it.
The Two-Horned Lizard slowly shook its head and raised its eyes.
In the field of vision, one after another, the Calamity Beast lay quietly asleep on the ground, and the entire plain was silent.
It paused for a moment, then stood up.
Three days is a bit tight, so just in case, let's start now...
"Hey, wake up, wake up!"
Urging voices rang in my ears.
Steel-Mane Bear frowned; its exhausted body and mind prevented it from waking up immediately.
But the sound continued to pour into my ears.
A mental struggle ensued.
A moment later, the Steel-Mane Bear suddenly opened its eyes.
All that met my eyes was still pitch blackness!
In other words, it wasn't those regulatory Black Rat who were calling for it.
Thinking of this, its anger flared up, and it looked in the direction from which the sound came.
A Tier 2 Rock-Backed Beast was lying nearby, watching them. The low growls it had been making stopped as it looked at them, and a smile appeared on its face.
"Why aren't you sleeping? What's wrong with you?!" Steel-Mane Bear roared angrily.
Since the last incident, they had seen all the other Calamity Beast that had entered with them, and the creature in front of them did not belong to any of them.
In other words, this is Calamity Beast native to this world.
In that case, why would they wake them up in the middle of the night? Are they crazy?
Beside it, the Black Jade Lion also woke up while it was scolding the other party.
Its eyes also held a hint of anger.
These past few days have been extremely tiring for them, both physically and mentally!
Seemingly surprised by their scolding, the Rock-Backed Beast paused for a moment, then the smile that hadn't fully appeared on its face faded.
"You came in with Feather Owl and the others, right? What level of Calamity Beast were you before you came in? And where were you stationed in the Erosion Zone before entering that space?"
Upon hearing this, the Steel-Mane Bear and the Black Jade Lion paused for a moment, then seemed to realize something. They exchanged a glance, their initial anger subsiding, and turned back to ask:
Who are you?
"I am the Two-Horned Lizard who serves Feather Owl. Previously, I was stationed at..."
The Two-Horned Lizard began to speak, but before it could finish, it was interrupted by the Black Jade Lion beside it.
"Lord Two-Horned Lizard? You are Lord Two-Horned Lizard?!"
The Two-Horned Lizard paused, its gaze hesitant as it looked at the Tier 3 Black Jade Lion.
Does this guy recognize me?
It opened its mouth and asked in a calm tone:
"Who are you?"
"Lord Two-Horned Lizard, I am the Thunder-Scale Beast!" the Black Jade Lion said excitedly.
"Oh, it's you? You were brought in by Feather Owl too?" The Two-Horned Lizard seemed to realize something; this was one of the Fifth Tier Calamity Beast it had previously guarded with Feather Owl at the Eye of Earth Marrow.
"Hmm, you are too... wait, I didn't see you at the time?" the Black Jade Lion asked.
So, it seems Feather Owl didn't tell them what happened back then?... The Two-Horned Lizard made a mental assessment before replying:
"No, I came in before Feather Owl and the others!"
"So that's how it is!" the Black Jade Lion exclaimed in realization.
Beside him, the Steel-Mane Bear watched the scene before him with some surprise.
The Black Jade Lion itself is also at the Fifth Tier, and it wouldn't actually need to act this way when facing the Two-Horned Lizard, but its current behavior...
Was this person's influence greater than I had anticipated?
The Steel-Mane Bear looked at the Tier 2 Rock-Backed Beast.
Just then, the other party also looked at it.
Without needing the other party to speak again, Steel-Mane Bear introduced himself:
"My lord, I was previously stationed at another Eye of Earth Marrow, originally Nether Tiger!"
Hearing its response, the Rock-Backed Beast nodded.
Then, the Steel-Mane Bear seized the opportunity to ask:
"Lord Two-Horned Lizard, may I ask you a question?"
The Two-Horned Lizard paused, then glanced over indifferently. "Hmm."
"Was it you who did that thing a while ago?"
"You mean those who went out exploring and were captured?" the voice replied calmly.
It seems that it is indeed so!... Steel-Mane Bear judged in his mind.
The ordinary Calamity Beast only thought that what happened back then was something they and the Black Jade Lion had foreseen and done in advance, without considering that they were also unaware of it.
"Yes, that's right!" Steel-Mane Bear nodded in response.
"Yes, I was the one who did what happened back then. Although I didn't want to, your actions were too clumsy, and we couldn't be sure of the situation outside at the time. So I could only watch you send them out while making other preparations to prevent any unexpected situations. Also, the news that we can't finish mining this time was actually conveyed to you by me through other Calamity Beast!" The Two-Horned Lizard nodded calmly.
"So that's how it is?!" The Black Jade Lion stared intently at Lord Two-Horned Lizard, somewhat surprised, but if it was Lord Two-Horned Lizard, then everything seemed to make sense again.
Beside him, the Steel-Mane Bear also looked at the Rock-Backed Beast with some surprise.
I was initially worried that the other party might be a fake, but now it seems there's no need to worry.
Knowing full well that they might do those two things, even if they were to lie, they shouldn't have said they were Two-Horned Lizard. Wouldn't it have been better to just say they were Lord Feather Owl or Lord Profound Crystal Griffin?
"So, you've been watching us from behind all this time?" Steel-Mane Bear asked.
"Well, your initial actions weren't problematic, but they were too crude. Plus, your subsequent actions didn't involve any serious mistakes, so I haven't come out yet!" The Two-Horned Lizard nodded.
"So that's how it is!" Black Jade Lion said excitedly from the side.
The Steel-Mane Bear glanced helplessly at the Black Jade Lion, who had practically changed since the Two-Horned Lizard appeared, before turning its gaze back to the Two-Horned Lizard:
So, what brings you out now?
Upon hearing this, the Black Jade Lion also stared intently at Lord Two-Horned Lizard.
The Two-Horned Lizard looked at them, paused, and said:
"The intelligence we've gathered so far isn't quite enough, but the current situation doesn't allow us to delay any longer."
"Although it's somewhat dangerous, I'm now..."