Bypassing that nauseating area of decaying corpses, as the expedition team continued deeper, the surrounding scenery suddenly underwent a dramatic change.
As if to compensate for the uncomfortable visual impact from just moments ago, nature displayed its most gentle and magnificent side here.
The Sun climbed to the zenith, its brilliant, bright rays piercing through the originally gloomy canopy, spilling onto this open terrace located halfway up the mountainside.
Countless exotic flowers and grasses, whose names were unknown, grew here. Those flowers—red as Fire, White as snow, purple as sunset clouds—competed to bloom under the morning Sun, shining with dazzling brilliance.
The air was filled with a rich, cloying floral scent that made one feel intoxicated just by smelling it.
"My God, this place is practically the Garden of Eden."
Strange took off one side of his headphones, took a deep breath of the floral-scented air, and his originally furrowed brow completely relaxed.
It was truly unimaginably beautiful.
Several monkeys with long, colorful tails swung back and forth in the treetops, curiously examining this group of bipeds, emitting chattering calls.
Colorful parrots preened their feathers at the tops of the trees, singing melodious tunes.
Swarms of giant swallowtail butterflies fluttered among the flowers, the scales on their wings shimmering with a metallic luster in the sunlight.
Looking out through the gaps in the forest, beyond the vast, dense woods and amidst the boundless cliffs, a lake as calm as a mirror was embedded there.
A few egrets lazily skimmed across the surface of the Water, creating ripples, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds—it was breathtakingly beautiful.
"If I can make it back alive, I must develop this place into a World-class resort. Five thousand U.S. dollars per night, and you would have to book in advance."
The blonde-haired Hughes was also infected by this beautiful scenery; he was in a great mood, and the bow and arrow in his hand lowered.
He even had the mood to pick a wildflower and tuck it into his chest pocket.
Along the way, the scenery was picturesque, filled with the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers.
This deceptive beauty caused everyone's tense nerves to relax unconsciously; they even began chatting and laughing, quickly forgetting the serious warning Alice had given before they set off.
Alice walked at the very front. Although she was momentarily distracted by the beautiful scenery, her instincts were constantly sounding alarms.
This quietness, this peacefulness, was just too perfect.
It was so perfect that it felt like the calm before a storm.
"Caw—"
Just as everyone was intoxicated by this paradise, a piercing, extreme cry suddenly came from the sky.
The sound was like rusty iron scraping hard against glass, or like the fierce cry of an eagle soaring through the sky, instantly tearing through the air and shattering the tranquility of the mountains.
Immediately after, the originally lively forest seemed to have been pressed with a mute button.
The chattering monkeys instantly fell silent, diving into tree holes like gray lightning.
The singing parrots panicked and dove headfirst into the densest thickets.
The fluttering butterflies all folded their wings and hid under the flowers.
All the small animals made the same reaction in that instant—scattering in all directions and vanishing without a trace.
Hearing this fierce cry that seemed capable of bursting one's throat, Alice's hair stood on end in that instant, and her expression changed drastically.
She was too familiar with this sound; it was the prelude to the Carnage she had witnessed in the canopy yesterday.
She turned abruptly and roared at the group of fools who were still standing there in a daze, even looking up to find the source of the sound: "Watch out, everyone hide quickly, don't look up!"
"Ah, what happened?"
Donald asked, his face full of confusion, clutching his precious luggage bag.
"Stop talking nonsense, hide now!"
A huge Shadow had already covered the sky. Alice could not bother to explain and frantically searched for cover with her eyes.