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墨書 Inktalez
"Uh, what's going on?" someone voiced their dissent.
Suddenly, an additional voice chimed in, "Don't talk. Something is coming, it's nearby."
In that moment, they indeed sensed something was off. It was because they had not encountered those terrifying Straw Worms of the Same Kind again. Everyone lay low in the grass, itching uncontrollably; in fact, this could easily lead to a skin infection.
As time passed, there was still no sign of any reaction, but a feeling of being watched began to creep in.
Most of the team shared this thought, but given that unsettling sensation had yet to fade, speaking up would only expose their positions further. Who knew how keen the hearing of those worms might be?
After a while, still no shadow of the Straw Worms appeared. When the wind blew, the dew from the grass trickled down their necks, feeling quite chilly as dusk approached.
At some point, an unbearable stench wafted through the air.
It was the kind of odor that was hard to tolerate, reminiscent of a gas leak; this place shouldn’t have any such presence! Freyr thought to himself as he glanced around. When he caught sight of Xiong Tai, he noticed Xiong Tai's face turning red as he looked back at him and waved his hand as if to apologize.
"Who was it? Who farted? It stinks!" someone finally couldn't hold back and jumped out from the grass.
The worst kind was actually the silent ones; the quieter they were, the worse they smelled.
"I'm dead. I think I might have messed up," Xiong Tai stammered, looking up at the sky with a slight tremor in his voice.
"What’s going on? I want you dead," Ross said as he grabbed Xiong Tai by the neck and retaliated with a chokehold.
Yet he felt Xiong Tai's body shaking; logically, this shouldn't provoke such a reaction from him. He quickly followed Xiong Tai's gaze upwards and felt a chill run down his spine.
Ross frowned and said, "What is that?"
The sound was strange, "What’s going on? What happened?" Freyr mumbled as he turned to look back.
Behind them was a dense mass of white light and shadow, a large cluster of white cocoons. The eyes of the Straw Worm were covered with thick, deep green membranes, which should be the so-called compound eyes.
Those membranes emitted a green glow at night. Now, looking up at the sky, although it hadn’t completely darkened, visibility had become quite chaotic, making that green light stand out even more.
"No wonder we waited for so long without any response; they’ve been nesting above us without us noticing. So the illusion that they’ve been watching us wasn’t just our imagination. Why would they do this? Why not strike when our backs are turned?" Xiong Tai replied curiously.
Ross slapped Xiong Tai on the shoulder and exclaimed loudly, "Are you stupid? The Straw Worm is a nocturnal creature; it occasionally moves around at night. This season is humid due to the Yellow Plum rain, so it’s common for it to rain frequently. They come out to stretch their legs and ended up encountering us. They’re probably waiting for nightfall. Once it gets dark, they’ll surround us, and there will be no way to break through. We need to move now while we still have a chance to survive."
"Uh, yeah, we shouldn’t stay here too long," Xiong Tai stammered in response.
At that moment, the cocoons above seemed to stir, and all the green eyes lit up simultaneously.
It turned out there were so many pairs of eyes surrounding them; they had been watched by all those eyes for quite some time.
The insects swarmed down like a blanket. Freyr was surprised to find that these insects were surprisingly lively. Normally, they weren’t the kind of creatures that would recklessly attack other beings; what had caused such a sudden change? Had their survival instincts been triggered? Perhaps. Soon after, everyone rushed forward; for Xiong Tai, those insects were no more than stones being thrown at him.
In reality, there weren’t that many stones on the ground for him to pick up. They hadn’t run far when they felt the swarm of insects above forming into an attacking formation.
They were about to pounce down; if that happened, their bodies would instantly turn into honeycomb coal.
However, under Freyr's fierce fighting, they finally broke through a path wide enough to pass through. They ran wildly while the swarm of insects followed closely behind them. They used the shorter bushes as cover while sprinting; this tactic was quite intuitive. Without those cover points for escape, they would undoubtedly pay a heavy price.
They quickly hid in a cave and blocked the entrance with a large rock. The cave was only big enough for a few people; once inside, their faces were almost pressed together, and even the hot breath they exhaled hit each other's faces.
The awkwardness of the situation was palpable, but when faced with life and death issues, all those intricate details were set aside.
"Wow, I can't take it anymore. If you're going to die, just do it quickly," Xiong Tai exclaimed as he suddenly stood up and desperately began to move the stones blocking the cave entrance.
"Are you crazy? Sit down! Do you want to die? I won't let you die so easily. What's wrong? Are you that afraid to act with me?" Ross's voice rang clearly in the dim light.
"I can't stand someone's stinky feet; it smells terrible!" Xiong Tai cried out.
"Still complaining about foot odor? It's not your feet that got us into this mess," came an annoyed voice, presumably Ross again.
"Alright, everyone quiet down. I'll start a fire," Freyr said, calming the team's emotions. The space was indeed cramped, but letting in some air shouldn't be a problem. Outside the cave, loud rumbling sounds echoed frequently, likely from the Straw Worms attacking the cave. In reality, the rock of the cave was quite solid and wouldn't suffer from landslides or structural breaks during an attack. Those creatures probably lacked intelligence and were just trying to break through the cave by smashing it.
While this idea seemed good, it was labor-intensive and time-consuming. By the time they managed to do it, it could take a long while.
They had brought enough emergency rations for over a month for this mission. Usually, they stayed at inns along the way, so these supplies were meant for emergencies. There was also plenty of water available. They could wait until the worms wore themselves out before attempting to break free. Therefore, conserving energy during this period was crucial for preparing their escape. Freyr had been a soldier and knew the way back. Although there were many of these worms, their short-term physical strength was formidable.
However, if they continued to expend energy over time, they would eventually feel fatigued; after all, no creature can go without rest.
These worms replenished their energy by inserting tubes into tree trunks to extract nutrients, unlike other primate species that used their hands to pick fruits and eat them directly. Their feeding methods were different, which presented an opportunity for escape.
Freyr had spent many years studying and researching; this knowledge was accumulated steadily over time and was now useful in this critical moment.
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