Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached, and Song Jie and Mu Lei immediately heightened their vigilance.
Although they knew it was human footsteps, who could be wandering through such a desolate wilderness? Could it be companions of the people they had encountered before?
The two exchanged glances, already prepared for a fight.
In the next moment, a figure darted out from the bushes, glancing around to determine her direction.
Song Jie frowned and soon recognized the face clearly.
"Jiang Shaoxu?"
Hearing her name, Jiang Shaoxu looked around.
"Who?"
"Song Jie," he said.
Song Jie jumped down from the tree, and Mu Lei followed him.
"Jiang Shaoxu, why are you here?" Mu Lei asked, curiosity in his voice. Their territory wasn't supposed to include this area.
"Now is not the time to explain. Call your people and leave here quickly!" Jiang Shaoxu said urgently.
"What's wrong?"
"Have you encountered Bloodthirsty Ants? Those monsters that devour flesh and blood!" Jiang Shaoxu explained.
Song Jie and Mu Lei's eyes widened in surprise, and they both nodded in understanding.
"Hurry, I'll explain once we're safe." Jiang Shaoxu grabbed Song Jie's hand, and Mu Lei had no choice but to chase after them.
Her Hancheng Academy team had encountered Bloodthirsty Ants while exploring, forcing them to scatter. Jiang Shaoxu had been pushed into the area Song Jie's group was responsible for—a fortunate coincidence.
Compared to others, she trusted Song Jie's strength and had long hoped to meet him. And now, luck had finally brought them together.
The campfire group stood quickly as they saw Song Jie return, their expressions grave.
It wasn't yet time for a shift change, so his return clearly signaled trouble.
"This is Jiang Shaoxu, a member of Hancheng Academy," Song Jie introduced her.
Ding Yumian and Huo Yumeng knew her already, but seeing her holding Song Jie's hand made their expressions flicker with surprise.
Jiang Shaoxu quickly explained, "On my way here, I saw swarms of Bloodthirsty Ants heading this way."
"What!" The others couldn't help but panic.
"Let's leave immediately and find a place to rest for the night!" Song Jie instructed.
They didn't hesitate, following Song Jie quickly out of the area.
Moving at night was unsettling, but eventually, they discovered a cave where they could take shelter.
Outside the cave was a dense forest, which allowed them to gather dead trees and leaves to make a fire inside.
Bai Liang and Dongfang Ming guarded the cave entrance, ensuring no movement outside went unnoticed.
The far end of the cave opened to the sky, so lighting a fire inside was safe. As the bonfire illuminated the space, everyone finally felt a sense of security.
"Jiang Shaoxu, how did you get here? Where's the rest of your Hancheng Academy group?" Mu Lei asked.
Everyone looked at her, waiting for her response.
Reluctantly, Jiang Shaoxu recounted what had happened earlier. Listening, everyone broke out in a cold sweat. To survive such a perilous situation was terrifying, even to imagine.
What they didn't know was that Jiang Shaoxu had almost exhausted all her tricks to escape the Bloodthirsty Ants.
Her survival depended on her knowledge of these creatures; otherwise, she would have long been reduced to bones.
"Jiang Shaoxu, you said the monsters were Bloodthirsty Ants. Do you recognize them?" Mu Lei asked.
"Once, when my older cousin and I went on an expedition, I was fortunate enough to see these monsters," Jiang Shaoxu explained.
"There weren't as many back then. This place has clearly been overrun by Bloodthirsty Ants."
Her older cousin had led a team to locate the queen ant of the Bloodthirsty Ants, eliminate it, and clear the infestation.
"Your cousin is impressive!" Mu Lei said with genuine praise.
"Do you know how to deal with them?" Xu Mingliang pressed.
Jiang Shaoxu looked embarrassed but explained, "They're very sensitive to blood. We used the flesh and blood of monsters to lure them away at that time."
"Monster flesh and blood?" Mu Lei muttered. He had heard a little about this. If he had killed a monster before, he would have saved its flesh and blood just for such a situation.
"Now, besides the Bloodthirsty Ants, it would probably be difficult to find other monsters here," Ding Yumian said, cooling down the conversation.
Everyone fell silent, acknowledging her point.
"It smells so good. Did you spray perfume?" Jiang Shaoxu asked Ding Yumian and Huo Yumeng.
Huo Yumeng shook her head. "No, we didn't. How could we think of that in this situation?"
But she noticed the scent of the silver-white flower above them. They had picked it several days ago, and it had not withered.
"Maybe it's some kind of treasure," Mu Lei teased.
"If it really is a treasure, this trip will have been worth it! We'll split it evenly when we return!" Huo Yumeng added.
For now, though, everyone was focused on survival. Huo Yumeng wrapped the flower in her backpack instead of wearing it.
"They're here!" Dongfang Ming suddenly whispered.
Song Jie, Ding Yumian, and the others moved cautiously to the cave entrance.
Outside, in the darkness, countless blood-red eyes moved. A vast, shadowy mass loomed, terrifying in its magnitude.
No one dared make a sound, just quietly observing the horrific scene.
A minute passed, though it felt like an eternity.
Mu Lei whispered, "Ding Yumian, have these Bloodthirsty Ants gone ahead of us?"
At those words, everyone tensed. If the ants were ahead, they could not go back the same way.
Ding Yumian didn't answer immediately. After confirming the direction, she took a deep breath and nodded.
Everyone frowned. They would need to plan a new route.
"Damn it! We hadn't seen these monsters before! How did they suddenly all swarm here?" Zhuge Ru cursed loudly.
Calling for help was impossible. Their only choice was to survive and get out alive.
Song Jie thought deeply. They hadn't encountered Bloodthirsty Ants initially, but as they moved deeper, the ants appeared in force, forcing the group into a dangerous situation.
"Ding Yumian, plan a new route for us. Tomorrow we'll move according to that," Song Jie said.
With such a large number of Bloodthirsty Ants, their group was far too small to fight them directly.
"Jiang Shaoxu, tell us more about the Bloodthirsty Ants," Mu Lei urged.
...
Author's Note:
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