The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

There wasn't even anyone injured.

Behind the defensive line, some people breathed a sigh of relief, some started laughing, and some peeked out from behind cover, glanced into the depths of the dense forest, then ducked back in, patting their chests. "It's not a big deal after all."

"The military's claims are so alarming, like the monsters get stronger at night, but it's all just talk."

"Exactly, it's even worse than during the day. At least there are giants during the day, but at night these goblin zombies are practically freebies."

Whispers came from all directions, the tone shifting from initial tension to relaxation, and from relaxation to smugness.

Some were counting their kills, some were calculating how much experience they had gained that day, and some were showing off their new gear. A guild leader stood by a campfire, holding a short sword that glowed green, shining it in the firelight, and a smile played on his lips.

"This knife is green, it just dropped today, it can sell for a lot of money."

Another person chimed in, their tone smug, as if to say, "You only got one." "I got three green items today, even though they were all white, but the quantity was overwhelming."

"You were just lucky. I fought my way through today."

"Come on, if I hadn't blocked it for you, you would have been scratched by that level six cat demon."

The group jostled and laughed. Chen Jun sat by the fire, sorting the food and water, stacking compressed biscuits and lining up mineral water bottles. He heard their chatter, glanced up, then lowered his head to continue organizing the supplies.

His face was expressionless, but only he knew what he was thinking.

Lin Xiaohe sat on the other side of the fire, a short knife resting across her knees, sharpening the blade with a whetstone. The sound of the whetstone rubbing against the blade was particularly clear amidst the crackling of the fire.

She didn't look at those people, nor at Su Mu; she just kept her head down, sharpening the knife, stroke after stroke. Her eyes were as calm as a stagnant pool. Sharpening the knife wasn't about making it sharper, but about keeping herself occupied; stopping would make her think, and thinking would cause her pain. When sharpening the knife, her mind was blank.

Lin Yuwei sat on the edge of the fire, holding a silver-spotted leopard cub. The firelight softened her features, but her expression remained a faint, indescribable complexity.

The silver-spotted leopard cub nestled in her arms. The wounds on its body had scabbed over thanks to the healing potion, and new pink skin had grown from the deepest wound on its left hind leg.

It lay there obediently, occasionally nuzzling Lin Yuwei's hand with its head and letting out a soft purr like a kitten. Lin Yuwei's fingers gently stroked its back, the silvery-white fur slipping between her fingers, as soft as silk.

Su Mu leaned against the trunk of a large tree, his eyes closed. His hands were folded over his abdomen, and his spear rested against the trunk, tip pointing downwards, embedded in the fallen leaves.

His breathing was steady and long, as if he were asleep. But his ears were not asleep. His ears caught every sound around him... the chirping of insects in the distance, the crackling of the nearby fire, the breathing of the people around him, the rustling of the wind through the treetops. And those sounds that shouldn't exist.

It was too quiet. Not the kind of quiet where there was no sound, but the kind of quiet where something was missing. The roars of monsters were missing, the clashes of battle were missing, the oppressive feeling of someone lurking in the darkness, ready to pounce at any moment was missing.

The monsters weren't repelled; they "didn't come." First wave, second wave, third wave, and then nothing. Like a river where water was still flowing upstream, but suddenly dried up downstream. Not that the water disappeared, but that something had blocked it.

Su Mu opened his eyes, his gaze passing over the fire and landing on the slender figure at the edge of the defensive line. Bai Liuxi stood there, her hands behind her back, her long hair tied in a ponytail swaying slightly in the night breeze.

She stood in a relaxed posture, but that relaxation was like a cheetah's relaxation before a hunt, with muscles taut, ready to spring out at any moment.

Her gaze fell into the depths of the dense forest, in that direction, where the hazy light had disappeared... not really disappeared, but dimmed, so dim that the beam of a flashlight could not be seen at all, but the oppressive feeling was still there, even stronger than during the day.

It's like a huge rock pressing on your chest; it doesn't hurt, but it makes it hard to breathe.

Su Mu followed Bai Liuxi's gaze. He could see nothing but darkness. The tree trunks were black, the canopies were black, the ground was black, even the air seemed black. But the feeling of danger grew stronger and stronger.

It's like someone is staring intently at you in the dark. You can't see them, but you feel uncomfortable all over.

The ground trembled. It wasn't a violent shaking like an earthquake, but a more subtle tremor, more like something turning over underground. Su Mu tapped his fingers lightly on the tree trunk.

His golden blood flowed through his body, and he could sense something moving underground. It wasn't moving fast, but it was enormous. Not just one or two, but many, like a swarm of giant snakes slithering underground. They passed beneath the defensive line, beneath the camp, and beneath Su Mu's feet. But they didn't come up; they remained below, as if waiting for something.

Su Mu tapped his finger again.

Bai Liuxi seemed to sense something. She turned her head, her gaze sweeping across the darkness before settling on Su Mu. Su Mu shook his head. Bai Liuxi frowned slightly, then turned back, continuing to look into the depths of the dense forest.

A night wind blew in from the depths of the dense forest, carrying a strong, pungent smell, as if something was rotting. Su Mu's nose twitched. The smell wasn't the stench he had smelled before, but a more specific one, like the smell of some kind of animal carcass that had been soaking in water for a long time before being pulled out.

The scent stirred something within his golden bloodline. Not desire, but alertness. Something was there, deep within the dense forest, in the deepest darkness, in corners where flashlight beams couldn't reach.

The clouds above the camp had parted a little at some point, and moonlight filtered through the gaps in the tree canopy, casting a few pale patches of light on the ground. Those patches of light fell on the fallen leaves, like a few carelessly discarded white chess pieces.

An owl flew over the treetops, its wings casting a dark shadow in the moonlight, before disappearing into the depths of the forest.