Gao Wu: After holding back for eighteen years, my words are divine.

In the dark, twisted jungle, a beam of light flickered erratically.

That was the escape team led by Yang Wei.

They trudged through the rotting leaves, their feet sinking deep into the earth. The surroundings were utterly silent, save for the sounds of their breathing and the snapping of their feet against the dead branches.

Yang Wei walked at the front, clutching tightly the powerful flashlight he had picked up from beside Master Wang's body.

With his other hand gripping the window breaker, he was on edge.

"Old Yang..."

A deliberately lowered voice came from beside me.

The speaker was Guo Shuai, a guard on the school basketball team and Yang Wei's best friend.

He glanced warily back at the direction of the bus, then leaned close to Yang Wei's ear.

"Actually...you saw it too, didn't you?"

"Although that 'white lotus' woman is gossipy, she did say one thing that was right..."

"That crow's death was too eerie, and besides, Jiangnan's gesture..."

Yang Wei's hand holding the flashlight trembled violently, and the beam of light cast an afterimage on the tree trunk.

He was silent for two seconds, then gritted his teeth and nodded.

"I saw it."

Yang Wei's voice was somber.

That's why I'm taking you with me.

"Guo Shuai, think about it. If that's a superpower or a system... why is he the only one who has it?"

Fear was evident in Yang Wei's eyes.

"There were no server-wide announcements, no phone notifications; we're all just ordinary people!"

"Why does Jiangnan suddenly feel entitled to look at us like we're already dead? And even kill us from afar?"

"And did you notice his expression?"

Yang Wei recalled Jiang Nan's indifference when he used Li Xin as a human shield, and the look in his eyes when he pointed a gun at his forehead.

That's not the look a human being should have.

There was no anger, no hesitation, not even a ripple of emotion.

It's like watching a bunch of walking chunks of meat.

"That expression... I've only ever seen it on one other thing."

Yang Wei swallowed hard. "Remember that horror game we played all night at the internet cafe a few days ago?"

Guo Shuai was stunned for a moment, then his pupils shrank sharply, as if he had thought of something extremely terrifying.

"You mean... a fake person?!"

"That's right."

Yang Wei squinted.

"I have reason to doubt the true nature of Jiangnan..."

"He was already dead the moment he traveled through time, or even earlier."

"What's occupying that body now is something that was replaced by the monsters of this world!"

Guo Shuai felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, a chilling thought that filled him with dread.

"Yeah...why is he the only one with special abilities, and why is he keeping it a secret and not saying anything..."

"If it's some kind of transmigration perk or a revival of spiritual energy, there's no reason why he should be the only one to awaken! Unless..."

"Unless that's not awakening at all."

Yang Wei sneered, "That's a monster's instinct."

"And think about it, why did he absolutely refuse to get off the bus?"

"Why must we stay in that place filled with corpses and the stench of blood?"

"Perhaps... that's his lair, or some rule prevents him from leaving the vehicle!"

This line of reasoning, though logically flawed, appears unusually "reasonable" under extreme fear.

Guo Shuai wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with lingering fear.

"Holy crap... Old Yang, you're really quick-witted!"

"If that's the case, then Teacher Chen Tong and that Liu Yuqing and Wang Meng... are probably doomed too."

"By hanging out with these fakes, they'll eventually be exploited and even assimilated!"

Yang Wei patted Guo Shuai on the shoulder: "Don't think about it. We're brothers, how could I not save you?"

"Let's get out of here quickly, as far away from that monster as possible!"

The two reached a consensus, and their pace quickened.

The group marched in silence for another hour.

By this time, it was completely dark, and the blood moon hung high in the sky.

"Look! Up ahead!"

Suddenly, the white lotus in the middle exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone looked in the direction of the beam of light.

Two hundred meters ahead, the twisted purple forest abruptly ended.

Instead, there was a vast expanse of wheat fields, undulating in the night wind!

There are no trees!

It's a really open area!

"Great! We're finally out of this hellish forest!"

"Yang Wei is right! Without trees, there wouldn't be those crows!"

The crowd, who had been holding back their emotions all the way, suddenly erupted in cheers of relief.

Bai Lianhua quickly walked to Yang Wei's side and obsequiously handed him an unopened bottle of mineral water.

"Brother Yang Wei, you've worked hard, have some water!"

"You're the one with foresight, unlike that mute guy who just sits there waiting to die in his broken-down car."

Yang Wei didn't stand on ceremony. He took the water bottle, tilted his head back, and gulped down a large mouthful. The thrill of escaping death made him feel somewhat lightheaded.

"Everyone, give it your all! Once we get through this grove, we'll rest by the wheat field tonight!"

Yang Wei wiped the water from his mouth and encouraged loudly.

The boys high-fived each other in celebration, and the girls showed smiles they hadn't seen in a long time.

It was as if all danger would vanish once they reached that wheat field.

however.

They were less than fifty meters from the edge of the wheat field when...

"Gah!!!"

A roar suddenly exploded above everyone's heads!

That was the trumpet of death.

Before anyone could react, countless scarlet eyes suddenly lit up from within the dark canopy.

Those were the crows that had scattered and fled after being suppressed by Jiangnan's firepower!

They had already been lying in ambush here!

Or rather, Yang Wei and his group just happened to run right into the arms of this group of hungry predators!

"ah!!!"

Two screams rang out almost simultaneously.

The two girls walking on the outside of the group didn't even cry for help!

He was grabbed by the shoulders and hair by four or five huge mutated crows at the same time.

"Help me! Help me!!"

One of the girls desperately reached out, trying to grab something.

But the next second, even more crows swarmed in.

They are like butchers working in perfect unison.

Some grabbed the head, some grabbed the feet, and some grabbed the hands.

"Gah!!"

With a synchronized flapping of wings, the two girls were abruptly hoisted into the air!

"Rip!"

The sound of flesh being torn apart echoed through the night sky.

Divide into five equal parts.

Under the immense pulling force, the two girls instantly turned into a rain of blood in mid-air.

Internal organs and severed limbs splattered and hit everyone's faces.

"vomit!"

"Run! Run for your life!!"

The boys who were just high-fiving each other suddenly broke down.

"Ah! My leg! My third leg!"

Two more boys behind were tackled to the ground and instantly engulfed by black wings.

Only a few short screams were heard before silence fell.

In the blink of an eye, four people were dead!

"To the wheat field! Hurry to the wheat field!"

Yang Wei was terrified and, holding a flashlight, rushed frantically toward the wheat field.

The team was completely thrown into chaos.

Everyone just regrets that their parents didn't give them two more legs.

Yu Shishi was running at the very back.

She stumbled across the ground covered with tree roots, wearing ill-fitting little leather shoes.

"Wait for me! Wait for me!"

She cried out and looked ahead.

The three boys who usually swore to be her protectors ran faster than rabbits at that moment.

No one even glanced back at her.

"Help...you scheming woman! Help me out!"

Yu Shishi saw her best friend not far away.

However, Bai Lianhua glanced back at the flock of crows that were relentlessly pursuing her, a malice flashing in her eyes.

Instead of reaching out, she deliberately pushed a dead tree in the direction Yu Shishi was running!

"Don't come any closer! Don't lead them over!"

White Lotus screamed and, taking advantage of the opening, sped towards the group of boys in front.

"Snapped!"

Yu Shishi tripped over a dead tree and fell heavily to the ground.

despair.

At that moment, the look in Liu Yuqing's eyes as she closed the window flashed into her mind.

I was wrong…

I was really wrong...

"Gah!"

A crow swooped down, its sharp claws about to tear her back.

Driven by her will to survive, Yu Shishi unleashed astonishing strength as she scrambled forward!

Barely avoiding the fatal blow, ignoring the pain, he charged towards the golden wheat field with both hands and feet.

That was the only way to survive!

The twelve people, like a pack of frightened wild dogs, rushed out of the woods and plunged headlong into the golden wheat field!

I ran for several dozen meters until my lungs felt like they were on fire.

"Stop...stop!"

Guo Shuai suddenly grabbed Yang Wei, who was still running wildly, and pointed behind him with a trembling voice.

"They...they didn't chase after us!"

Everyone stopped in their tracks, still shaken, and looked back.

Then, that terrifying scene unfolded.

Hundreds and thousands of mutated crows stood in neat rows on the boundary between the woods and the wheat field.

They were circling, roaring, and devouring the four corpses.

But not a single crow dared to cross that line!

Even if it's just a meter apart.

"Ha...haha...I survived..."

Yang Wei slumped to the ground, looking at the flock of crows that dared not cross the line, and laughed.

"See? I told you so!"

"Without trees...they won't dare come near! We're safe!"

The remaining surviving students collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, thankful that they had chosen the right path.

Only Yu Shishi, who was the last to climb in, clutched her bleeding knee and huddled in a corner, trembling.

She looked at the flock of crows lingering on the "borderline" in the distance.

In their scarlet eyes, it seemed there was more than just greed.

There is also a... deep-seated fear.

It seems that something a hundred times more terrifying than the golden wheat fields lurks within their seemingly peaceful and serene landscape...