Survival of the Nation: My luck was a tiny bit worse.

Soon, Nanbei returned.

The little thing was very excited and rushed up to bite Ou Yun's trouser leg, but it was pulling him forward.

Seeing its reaction, Leng Ruolan put away her gun. "Looks like we came to the right place."

The two resumed their journey.

But when Ou Yun turned his head, he didn't see the white-fuzzy dumpling that was always around him.

"Little one? Where did you go?"

The white fox crept about furtively, one paw parting the grass, and its hind paw had already stepped inside—

When Ou Yun shouted that, their movements were frozen in place, as if put on hold.

"..."

Oh dear.

Ou Yun and Leng Ruolan exchanged a glance and laughed.

Is something fishy going on?

Leng Ruolan went up to her and whispered to herself, "Why are you running? Let's go together."

"..."

The white fox dared not move, dared not move at all.

Leng Ruolan's shadow was pressing down on it, making it hard to breathe.

But Leng Ruolan had already caught the tail first.

"I've always thought you were a suspicious guy."

Leng Ruolan picked it up with one hand and stared at it.

"You know so much? Why are you running away now? This isn't like you at all."

"Awooo, awooo!"

The white fox hung upside down on Leng Ruolan's hand, tragically going from pupa to pupa.

Nanbei was delighted and used the white fox as a cat toy, getting up and pawing at it with its paws.

Ou Yun watched from the sidelines for a while, and when the group still showed no signs of making a move, he finally spoke.

"Stop messing around, you guys, let's go over there."

Leng Ruolan smiled and then put the white fox on the ground.

I'm not worried it will run away.

As soon as the white fox landed, Nanbei crowded around and attacked it face-to-face.

I'm keeping an eye on you!

Don't try any tricks!

"..."

What else could be said? The white fox was at a loss.

Its ears snapped open, its tail curled up, and it led the way dejectedly.

However, for some reason...

The road on the right is much more difficult to walk than the road on the left.

The mountain road was rugged and covered with loose stones.

When you encounter a high place, you have to use both your hands and feet to climb up.

Leng Ruolan leaped up with a left-hand kick and pulled Ou Yun along.

"Did this guy lead us the wrong way?"

She remained wary of the enigmatic white fox.

Ou Yun climbed up, chuckled twice, and said, "It's okay, if it's wrong, we'll just stew it."

The white fox leading the way straightened its tail upon hearing this—

"Haha, just kidding."

Ou Yun dusted himself off.

"After all, how could you possibly lead us astray!"

"...Aww, aww!"

Is this person getting more and more cunning? Or is it just my imagination?

*

A fox and a cat led the way, with Ou Yun and Leng Ruolan following behind, and they didn't walk too slowly.

After walking for about two hours, the surroundings began to change.

The forests gradually thinned out, and the rolling hills of varying sizes became more prominent.

More and more dead trees and withered grass were hanging on rocks of all sizes, creating a scene of desolation.

"Looks like we made the right choice coming here."

Leng Ruolan looked around, "Have we ended up in another section?"

"It shouldn't be."

Ou Yun pointed to a lush green expanse in the distance, "Look, isn't there a forest over there? We haven't reached the point where we need to change maps yet."

At the edge of the field of vision, a strangely shaped mountain appeared.

The mountain is like a giant spire, rising abruptly from the hills.

The mountain was very high, almost piercing the clouds.

The mountain's surface appeared to be covered with a very new type of rock, riddled with cracks through which a deep purple light shone, making the mountain seem as if it were immersed in this deep purple light.

"It looks a bit like the Abyss Bone Demon."

Leng Ruolan offered a sharp comment: "As expected of Abyss Crystals, the materials are all from the same series."

Ou Yun said it was good, "It saves us from looking for the wrong one."

Nanbei naturally has a fondness for things that emit light, and since it led the way correctly, it was naturally very happy, wagging its tail and circling around Ou Yun and Leng Ruolan's feet.

The white fox, however, seemed restless and shifty ever since it arrived, as if something might jump out and devour it at any moment.

Ou Yun and Leng Ruolan naturally noticed it. They exchanged a glance, chuckled a few times, and remained silent.

The Storm Core was vibrating and flashing in his backpack. When Ou Yun took it out, he noticed that the lightning flashes were much faster, as if echoing the distant mountain.

Leng Ruolan took one look and thought, "What else is there to say? Let's just go for it."

"Alright, let's—"

But before she could finish speaking, Leng Ruolan suddenly sensed that something was wrong with her surroundings.

The footsteps were scattered and fragmented, like those of something.

Leng Ruolan cocked the gun with a click and held it in her hand.

Nanbei was covered in bristling hair, his breath steaming in the air.

Ou Yun's expression also hardened, and he shielded Leng Dui in front of him.

I also glanced at the white fox—

This guy was actually hiding behind Nanbei?!

Looking around furtively.

Nanbei was so shocked that he immediately slapped it with his claw.

The white fox caught Nanbei's claws with its two paws as if catching a blade with its bare hands, its face showing a longing look.

Brother, please, let me hide for a while. I'll repay you handsomely afterward!

People from both the north and south got goosebumps and reacted even more intensely.

"Meow meow meow meow! Meow meow meow meow! Awooooo!"

"Meow meow! ****! **!!"

Leng Ruolan didn't turn around, but when she heard the clanging and banging behind her, she asked Ou Yun what was going on.

Ou Yun said it was fine, "They were doing backflips during the race."

Upon hearing this, Leng Ruolan really wanted to turn back and reconsider—

But the next second, a row of figures gradually appeared on the hill in front.

They spread out in a fan shape and slowly surrounded us from three directions.

Gray fur, sturdy forelimbs, and a short, thick snout.

"baboon?"

Ou Yun narrowed his eyes. "No, it's—"

"hyena."

Leng Ruolan's voice turned cold.

It's not an ordinary hyena.

Each one was at least two sizes larger than a regular hyena, with a row of stiff mane standing upright on its neck and a scarlet gleam in its eyes.

Their pace was neither hurried nor slow, and their numbers were increasing.

However, they did not rush to attack, but stood still, looking down at them from their high vantage point.

The wind has picked up again.

The wind blew the hyenas' fur askew, making them look rather dashing.

Ou Yun whispered to Leng Ruolan, "What are they doing?"

After a moment's thought, Leng Ruolan thought, "They can't be waiting for the boss to make his appearance, can they?"

Sure enough, a commotion arose from behind the hyena pack.

The hyenas quickly moved aside to make room.

Soon, a female hyena, three times larger than the other hyenas, slowly walked out from the middle.

Its fur is dark gray, and it wears a necklace made of some kind of bone around its neck.

They walked slowly, but with great strength and composure.

The hyena squinted, surveying the creatures below with a hint of danger in its eyes.

It stopped in its tracks. It didn't look at Ou Yun, nor at Leng Ruolan.

Instead, he looked at the white fox.