It only took them three meters when the wolves launched at them.
With their daggers on their left and right hand, they fought with their might. They could hear the wolves howling around them and their comrades’ voices in pain, but they could only remain focused on their own fight and had no time to care for others.
Each of them engaged in simultaneous combat with at least three wolves; they were not each assaulted by a single wolf.
Their fight indeed attracted other animals, and mastiffs soon joined the fight when the wolves were almost down to two dozen.
"Don’t let your guard down!"
"Dammit!" someone shouted.
"The wolves should fight the mastiff. Try pushing them towards each other." Another yelled.
"No, these dogs want human blood, which is what they smelled."
It was a fierce battle all night for the group. Wild beasts attacked them one after the other, each wave more vicious than the last.
It was almost daybreak when everything cooled down, and the attacks finally ceased around them.
"Oh, I see sunlight!" Chatty weakly said that he had been injured in his legs and arm.
"Yes, wow. The place is honestly beautiful but full of beasts," another soldier said with a chuckle. This soldier was the most injured. Both his legs might not make it and need an amputation.
"We have three severely injured, while most are wounded." Someone stated, his voice filled with anxiety.
Fatty’s eyes gleamed with a mix of excitement and hunger as he pointed ahead. "Shhh. Look." His finger trembled slightly, not from fear but from the raw anticipation of the hunt. In the clearing ahead, a wild pig grazed, oblivious to the predators lying in wait. The air was thick with tension, each member of the group silently echoing the same thought:
"FOOD!" ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novelꜰire.net
The rapid release of bowstrings shattered the stillness of the moment.
Swoosh...swoosh... The arrows sliced through the air, each archer confident in their aim.
Simultaneously, Four Eyes and the men beside him shifted their focus to the sky, targeting the unsuspecting birds perched on nearby branches. The hunters who had aimed for the pig were left dumbfounded, watching as not the pig, but birds, plummeted to the ground, impaled by their arrows.
Four Eyes and his companions erupted in laughter, the sound carrying through the forest. They basked in their cleverness, having outwitted the others.
"Alright, let’s gather our food!" One of the men shouted, his voice tinged with triumph and urgency.
A more cautious voice from the group, a Class A hunter, cut through the camaraderie. "Don’t let your guard down!" He warned, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger.
The forest, rich with its bounty, also held countless threats. And so, the soldiers moved with both haste and vigilance, collecting their surprising haul while remaining alert to the unpredictable nature of the wilderness.
"Ah! Cobra! Dammit! Retreat!
One of the men yelled, his voice shaking as he clutched his leg. Panic rippled through the group. "I was bitten! Ah!"
But one of their comrades, a sturdy man with a calm demeanor, ignored the retreating steps of his friends. With a swift, practiced motion, he advanced toward the slithering threat. In one decisive swoop, his blade found its mark, and the cobra lay lifeless at his feet.
"I grew up with many snakes lurking in our house," he said, his voice steady. He knelt beside the bitten man, carefully examining the wound. "You can leave the snakes to me. You guys retrieve our food while I tend to his snake bite."
The rest of the group moved cautiously, their eyes darting around for any more surprises. They systematically collected the fallen birds and retrieved their arrows. Simultaneously, they scanned the forest floor for medicinal herbs, recalling the survival skills taught by their Class A comrades during training.
A voice broke through the quiet hustle, firm but tinged with urgency. "Let’s go back, don’t be too greedy!" One of the men shouted as he noticed a companion venturing too far.
The lure of the hunt was strong, but so was the peril that shadowed their every step. With their bounty secured and their injured comrades attended to, the group began their cautious retreat, their minds already on the safety of their camp and the meal that awaited them.
"There’s a lake over here!" The other guy called, excitement evident in his voice.
Upon hearing the word "lake," Four Eyes felt a chill run down his spine. Ling Li’s words echoed in his mind, a dire warning: ’Don’t be deceived by the lake.’
"Come back! Don’t go near the lake! We don’t know what’s in there!" Four Eyes shouted, desperation lacing his voice as he tried to keep his fear in check.
"The water’s very clear. I can actually see the bottom!" The other guy responded, his tone casual, oblivious to the impending danger.
"Come back first! We will check it later!" Four Eyes shouted again, his urgency growing as he began to run, albeit with a limp, towards his comrade.
"I’ll just try to wash!" The man insisted, already bending down towards the water.
"No! Come back! Come back!" Four Eyes’s voice cracked with desperation as he saw his friend dip his hands into the invitingly clear water. But it was too late. The lake, with all its deceptive tranquility, had already claimed its unwitting victim.
Splash... The comrade had jumped into the lake. Blob..blob..blob..blob...
They never saw him come up from the water again, and a wave of dread washed over them. The realization struck hard: they could never afford to let their guard down.
Silence blanketed the group as they processed the loss, their faces etched with grim determination. Each person instinctively resumed their tasks, moving with a newfound sense of purpose and a silent, unspoken agreement to survive.
When Shi Min returned to the camp and saw his mother, her solemn expression made his heart skip a beat. "Mom," he called softly, kissing her forehead. "How are they
doing? I can see from your eyes you didn’t sleep all night."
"We lost one. Three were severely injured. The rest are surviving," Ling Li replied, her voice tinged with sorrow.
The group had no idea that Ling Li, from her vantage point, could see everything happening within the training ground. Every corner was monitored, allowing her to observe the character and actions of each trainee.