The mass of figures got closer and closer, and the number was so vast that it was immeasurable for a moment. Roars echoed through the underground palace, and a sinister and mysterious atmosphere permeated the air.
"What the hell, what is that?"
The fat guy looked ahead and asked with a puzzled expression.
"Whatever it is, it doesn't seem friendly. Let's go, let's get out of here first."
Abandoning the idea of entering the underground palace, I decisively led the others to retreat.
As we retreated step by step, I walked at the back, occasionally looking at the dark figures ahead. At that moment, the urgent growls sounded from all around. Two figures dashed from both sides. I quickly shone my flashlight, only to see a pair of pitch-black eyes and a white body. Those two guys charging towards us were actually white-faced monsters, like wild wolves ready to attack. I drew out my triangular dagger and ran backwards, cursing in my mind. How could there be so many white-faced monsters all of a sudden? Where the hell did they come from? As I ran, the two white-faced monsters in the front had already caught up to me and the fat guy, their eerie howls echoing in our ears.
"Here they come, watch out, fat guy!"
One of the white-faced monsters suddenly jumped and pounced on the fat guy's back, then opened its mouth and bit. In panic, the fat guy shook his body violently, trying to throw the white-faced monster off, but this monster was incredibly strong, gripping the fat guy's neck and not letting go.
"I'll help you!"
I shouted as I ran towards them with the dagger in hand, but before I could reach the white-faced monster, another one charged at me like a wild bull, slamming into my chest and causing excruciating pain. I let out a groan and fell to the ground.
"Aow!"
The white-faced monster roared angrily, completely depriving me of the opportunity to fight back. As I lay on the ground, the monster rushed towards me, one hand pressing down on the hand holding the dagger, and the other clamping my neck. Its arms felt like terrifying iron clamps, rendering me completely immobilized.
"Damn..."
I struggled to speak, but a strong desire to survive surged within me, and I suddenly raised the flashlight, smashing it against the white-faced monster's head. Our flashlights were made of metal back then, heavy enough to be used as weapons. This solid blow landed squarely on the monster's forehead, tearing open a gash and causing fresh blood to flow down its half-faced figure, staining it crimson.
"Woohoo..."
The injured white-faced monster covered its head and stepped back, whimpering. The blow had clearly taken a toll, leaving it feeling disoriented and dazed.
"I'll kill you, monster!"
I wouldn't miss this golden opportunity, so I raised the dagger and thrust it straight into the white-faced monster's chest, piercing its heart and creating a cross-shaped wound on its chest, from which blood gushed out. The injured monster howled continuously, clutching the bloody hole and staggering, but still attempting to lunge at me.
This guy probably wouldn't survive that blow, and I wasn't about to engage in a futile struggle with a dying monster. I quickly stood up, intending to help the fat guy. As I looked up, I saw that with Loyo's help, the fat guy had already pinned the white-faced monster to the ground. I saw the fat guy pressing down on the monster's hand, while Loyo bellowed and repeatedly stabbed the monster's head with the dagger. In a matter of moments, the monster's head was turned into a bloody mess. However, this creature had a strong will to live, with its head in such a state, it kept roaring and trying to break free from the fat guy's grip.
"Fat guy, run, the monsters behind are coming, retreat to the outside of the stone coffin, seal the secret passage, it's too unsafe down here!"
I yelled loudly, and the fat guy nodded quickly, pulling Luoqiong, whose whole body was shaking, and ran outside. Meanwhile, Shen Mengtian had already rushed to the outside of the iron gate, covering her head in fear and not daring to speak.
As I ran and looked back, even without counting carefully, there were at least a dozen dark shadows outside. If we were surrounded by so many pale-faced monsters, we would undoubtedly die. It seemed that the underground palace was too dangerous and not something the three of us apprentices could handle.
Retreating outside the iron gate, the few of us didn't dare to stop and continued to walk towards the end of the Bone Road. But after running about ten meters, Luoqiong suddenly stopped and shouted, "There are footsteps ahead!"
Luoqiong, who was born a hunter, was very alert. It seemed like he sensed something and was listening to the sounds outside. After a moment, he said more confidently, "Someone is definitely coming in front of us. Let's be cautious and move back."
However, behind us was the iron gate, and the pale-faced monsters had not yet come out, but time was running out. It was very likely that they would catch up soon.
"What do we do?" the fat guy asked me in a rush. I frowned. This was a situation with dangers on all sides. There was no way back, and going forward could also be a dead end.
"Damn, this is really serious," I cursed, my mind was confused at this critical moment, like a pot of porridge. I looked around and noticed the large gaps between the surrounding bones. If we could remove a few bones, maybe we could squeeze in. Although it was not a good idea, at least it could serve as a temporary measure!
"What do we do?" They kept asking me while time was running out. I pointed to the bones around us and said, "Take down these bones and use them as cover, quickly!"
As I shouted, the fat guy and Luoqiong immediately went to work. Meanwhile, Shen Mengtian stood there dumbfounded, looking unsure of what to do.
"What is this for?" she asked. After all, she was just an elementary school teacher, and encountering such a situation made her mind all muddled up.
"Never mind, hurry up!" I pried the edges of the bones with a triangular spike and kept shouting, while the fat guy and Luoqiong worked swiftly. But these bones had been embedded in the wall for a long time and didn't budge despite our efforts.
"Damn, these things won't come off!" the fat guy cursed while prying. The footsteps in front were getting closer, and I could feel the approaching pale-faced monsters. As the line of death drew near, I felt more and more anxious, as if I was standing on the verge of the terrifying realm of death.
"Click..." The fat guy finally managed to remove one bone. Then he grabbed Shen Mengtian and said, "You go in first, quickly."
Shen Mengtian was a bit panicky, but as a girl, she managed to squeeze into the recess and immediately crouched down, not daring to make a sound. The fat guy held up the bone he had taken out, placed it in front of Shen Mengtian, and whispered, "Hold on, no matter what happens, don't make a sound. We men will protect you."
In fact, the fat guy was better at being tough than me, especially when facing pretty girls, he could often show a heroic side. Therefore, in the future, there would always be girls throwing themselves at him, and he would enjoy some romantic fortune.
The three of us moved quickly. By the time the footsteps from the front approached, we had already hidden in the recess covered by bones. But the fat guy, being too burly, could only squeeze in sideways and had to suck in his stomach, turning his face purple with the effort.
However, the first to arrive in front of us were the pale-faced monsters who had come out from behind the iron gate. They were relatively close to us, and for some reason, they hadn't caught up with us earlier, but now they passed through the iron gate and entered the bone-paved path. Six of them came, all looking strong. In particular, the last pale-faced monster had two bones protruding at the elbow, making his arms almost as thick as my thighs, giving him a terrifying appearance like a boss in the underworld.
"Fat guy, stop wheezing so loud, you'll be discovered."
I whispered to the fat guy, who was closest to me, reminding him. But he couldn't help it; with such a big belly, breathing was extremely difficult for him, and he was on the verge of internal injuries.
The six white-faced monsters slowly approached us, and the surroundings were dark, but the white skin on their bodies seemed to glow slightly, so we could still see them clearly. I crouched in the recess, holding the white bones in front of me, unsure if I had been discovered. At that moment, a low voice slowly entered my ears. It sounded like some monster was growling softly.
The voice was very close to me, as if a huge monster was getting close to my face...