Vast and desolate.
Only after all her companions had left did Chloe realize how quiet this place was.
There wasn't even the sound of birdsong here.
If Chloe's memory served her correctly, before her friends had departed, this place certainly wasn't this eerily silent.
What had gone wrong?
Chloe keenly sensed that something was amiss, compounded by the fact that in a group of five, someone was bound to be left alone.
She had allowed herself to be that person, without even a companion to bolster her courage.
Fortunately, Chloe wasn't one to be trifled with. She acted decisively, immediately dialing Ren Yunying's communication device.
The other end seemed preoccupied with other matters and hadn't paid much attention to Chloe.
It wasn't until Chloe called out Ren Yunying's name that the instructor finally reacted, looking at the somewhat anxious Chloe on the screen.
"Has something happened?" Ren Yunying asked.
She narrowed her eyes, observing the girl on the screen.
It was Chloe who had initiated the call, but after connecting, she hadn't immediately spoken. Instead, she was surveying her surroundings with a vigilant gaze.
Those dark red eyes emitted a faint light.
Ren Yunying waited for a moment, but Chloe still showed no intention of speaking to her, so she had to ask proactively, "Did you call because something's wrong?"
"If not, I'll hang up."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Chloe hurriedly replied, "Don't hang up, don't hang up! I think there's a situation here."
Hearing this, Ren Yunying immediately became serious: "What kind of situation?"
Chloe: "I'm all alone here, and I'm a bit scared. I sincerely invite Instructor Ren to join me in facing this predicament and keep me company through this lonely, desolate day."
Ren Yunying: "..."
She must have been possessed to think that anything good could come out of Chloe's mouth.
Seeing her expression, Chloe knew her dear instructor was irritated again, so she quickly explained, "I really think something's off here. I sent the others out in pairs to investigate and mark locations, of course I had to stay behind to watch if any of the Viper Group returned."
After all, this camp didn't look like it had been vacated in an orderly fashion. Rather, it seemed as if something had frightened them, forcing a hasty retreat and leaving many things behind.
Fortunately, Ren Yunying didn't insist on ending the call.
Chloe occasionally glanced at the terminal screen, always seeing that serious, focused face.
This gave her a sense of security.
With this in mind, Chloe spread out her perception, enveloping the entire camp, ensuring that if anyone intruded, she would detect them in advance.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Though it felt long, the truth was undeniable.
Chloe easily discovered the secret not far away.
— Someone was trying to sneak through the bushes, aiming to attack Chloe from behind.
Chloe could even sense the crude, straight wooden stick the person was carrying.
It was quite thick; if it hit someone's forehead directly, it would probably bash their brains out.
Such a brutal method wasn't a good habit.
So Chloe moved her fingers slightly, using her perception to lift the sneaky attacker and slam them hard onto the ground in front of her!
Accompanied by a painful howl, a disheveled man appeared before Chloe, wearing a black robe with a prominent Viper emblem on his chest.
He looked very small and thin, and the wooden stick in his hand had already fallen to the ground due to his nervousness and Chloe's perception.
Chloe picked up the stick, weighed it in her hand, finding it acceptable, and then used it to lift the man's chin, asking flippantly:
"Tell me, what were your people planning to do here?"
The man looked at her with terrified eyes, which quickly filled with hatred, seemingly frustrated that his scheme had failed.
This venomous expression made Chloe's heart skip a beat, and she quickly realized something was wrong.
Sure enough, in the next moment, crimson blood trickled from the corner of the man's mouth.
A shadow flashed across Chloe's eyes as she watched the man before her roll his eyes and fall to the ground.
In an instant, he stopped breathing.
Chloe pried open his mouth for a look and saw that he had hidden poison between his teeth, choosing to end his life after the plan's failure.
He had guts, though she wondered what kind of brainwashing the Viper Group had done to make them so fiercely loyal.
With a complex look in her eyes, Chloe reached out and removed the Viper emblem from the man's chest.
Ren Yunying's voice came from the terminal screen: "Is he dead?"
"Mm," Chloe replied nonchalantly, "What, do you want me to bury him? You'll have to pay me extra for that."
Ren Yunying: "...Get lost."
With one person arriving, those coming to the camp later would only increase in number.
Chloe wasn't sure if she could handle it alone, but five people would certainly be more manageable than one.
So she immediately sent a message to her four companions in the group chat.
[Number One Handsome]: Situation here, come quickly.
After sending the message, about four minutes passed with no reply.
Chloe's brow furrowed.
Something was off. No reply after four minutes wasn't like them.
Had they encountered trouble?
Chloe suddenly stood up, about to leave in some direction when her terminal started ringing incessantly.
It was an urgent sound, with multiple incoming calls.
Chloe checked them one by one and found they were from Qin Huaibei and the others.
Fortunately, the current terminals were powerful enough for her to answer all the calls at once.
Everyone: "Something's happened!"
The voices were almost indistinguishable from each other.
Chloe frowned deeply: "What happened?"
On the screen, the camera moved from her companions' faces to an open area not far away.
In that instant, Chloe's pupils constricted.
There was a group of bizarrely shaped creatures, resembling humans but not quite.
They had irregularly shaped heads, with uneven protrusions that seemed to be their facial features. Their limbs were long and thin, with sharp claws and fangs. Their entire bodies were covered in pale, thin skin, almost transparent, clearly showing the bones and organs underneath.
And flowing blue blood.
They could walk upright, but their spines were slightly hunched, with a thick tail dragging on the ground behind them, making a hoarse, prolonged scraping sound as they moved.
The moment she saw these horrifying monsters, Chloe felt a chill run through her entire body.
"What are these creatures?"
Qin Huaibei's voice came through: "...We don't know, but we can be sure they've spotted us."
As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp cry came from the other side of the screen, and those pale, transparent monsters lunged straight towards Qin Huaibei and the others!
Without fully understanding what these things were, Chloe commanded:
"Run, run back here! Regroup at this location!"
The camera on the screen began to shake violently, and everything in the Forest of Life started to tremble.
