Seven Cubs, Seven Fathers, Zero Days Off

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Poisonous

The space was pitch-black, cold, and narrow. Even with her flashlight, she could only see about a meter in front of her.

Light couldn’t seem to penetrate anywhere else.

It was as if down here in the abyss, light itself was an anomaly—something that didn’t belong.

She kept the light trained on the Lizardman’s face as she carefully backed away.

Her heart was lodged in her throat.

The foul, muddy stench emanating from the Lizardman filled her nostrils.

The environment was cold, damp, and so quiet that the sound of a single drop of water was infinitely amplified, making her feel as if she were in hell.

Shen Yue’s heart pounded like a drum as she continued to retreat with extreme caution.

’Since a fall from a bottomless abyss couldn’t kill me, Shen Yue, there’s no way I’m going to die in the jaws of these beasts.’

With that thought, she silently counted to three.

Then, she spun around and bolted down the long, narrow, pitch-black passage behind her.

The moment the bright light was gone, the Lizardmen behind her swarmed forward, letting out low, guttural roars.

A chill shot down Shen Yue’s spine. She didn’t dare look back.

She could only run for her life.

In the otherwise silent darkness, the only sounds were her frantic footsteps and the heavy breathing and roars of the Lizardmen behind her.

Without stopping, she scrambled over a narrow passage piled with rubble and plunged into a mire.

Shen Yue sprinted through the ankle-deep sludge.

The Lizardmen behind her got bottlenecked in the narrow passage, shrieking at her in frustration.

But a few managed to squeeze through and charged after her.

She ran with all her might, just about to escape the bog.

But then—

—hidden beneath the sludge was a loose rock her flashlight beam hadn’t caught.

She tripped and fell hard to the ground.

Panicked, she had just scrambled to her feet...

...when...

...a Lizardman lunged, its massive body about to crush her.

Its massive, fang-filled maw snapped at her neck.

Shen Yue’s pupils constricted.

’This is life or death. I just want to live.’

In the nick of time, she whipped out her dagger and plunged it viciously into the lunging Lizardman’s abdomen.

Warm blood flowed from her dagger-wielding hand down her arm.

But the Lizardman didn’t die from the single stab.

It let out a bloodcurdling shriek, a sound made all the more piercing and horrific as it echoed through the abyss.

The deafening echoes reverberated all around.

Its eyes filled with viciousness as it slammed its sharp claws into Shen Yue’s shoulder.

Tearing through her flesh.

Blood gushed out, and Shen Yue trembled in pain.

But desperate to live, she grabbed a nearby rock and began to viciously smash it against the creature’s head.

Once, twice, three times.

Each blow was harder than the last.

’She never imagined that in a moment of crisis, she could muster the strength to fight a beast to the death just to survive.’

The flashlight had rolled to the side, casting the scene in dim, flickering light.

All she could see was that she had caved in the head of the Lizardman on top of her. Its blood dripped onto her face.

Staining her vision red.

The thick, coppery smell of blood filled her nostrils and seemed to drive the Lizardmen who had reached the mire into a frenzy.

Seeing the swarm of beasts lunging for her, she yanked her dagger free and shoved the dead Lizardman off her body.

She snatched her flashlight, scrambled out of the mire, and started climbing a pile of rocks leading up the other wall of the chasm.

She had spotted a cave up there.

’It was her only chance of survival.’

By the time the Lizardmen gave chase, she was already halfway up.

To Shen Yue’s surprise, most of the Lizardmen didn’t immediately pursue her. Instead, they fell upon the dead one, ravenously tearing it to pieces.

She watched as the Lizardman was cannibalized by its own kind. In just a few bites, they had torn out its innards and ripped off its limbs. The sound of them crunching on bone reached her ears with sickening clarity.

Her stomach churned. ’Cold-blooded creatures that eat their own... Is this the dark side of the Beast World?’

Shen Yue didn’t have time for other thoughts.

She forced herself to keep climbing, stepping from one rock to the next. The piercing pain in her shoulder caused beads of sweat to form on her forehead.

But she never expected...

Just as she was about to reach the top...

...a cold claw seized her ankle in a death grip.

She gasped in alarm. Looking down, she saw a Lizardman had somehow already climbed up after her.

Before she could even react, the Lizardman nearly yanked her from the rock face.

She slipped, only just managing to grab onto a rock at the cave’s entrance to keep from falling.

She struggled to steady herself, then kicked her free foot viciously at its head.

The Lizardman hissed in pain, its grip loosening slightly. Shen Yue didn’t stop, kicking it twice more, right in the skull.

The Lizardman’s vision blurred, and it tumbled backward.

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Yue scrambled upward.

But, to her dismay...

...another Lizardman suddenly appeared at the cave mouth, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her upward.

Shen Yue’s blood ran cold.

A chill went through her from head to toe.

’One above, more below. There’s no way forward, and no way back.’

If it pulled her up, she would surely die in its jaws.

But she couldn’t jump down, either.

Just as she was about to be hauled up...

...desperate to break free, Shen Yue fumbled for her flashlight with her other hand and shined it directly into the Lizardman’s eyes.

The Lizardman holding her recoiled from the bright light, squinting for a moment.

Moving with incredible speed, she took advantage of that split second to stab her dagger into its claw.

’It was do or die,’ she resolved. ’Might as well go down fighting.’

The Lizardman’s claw spasmed in pain, and its grip loosened as expected.

Shen Yue lost her balance and began to fall.

But seeing the teeming mass of Lizardmen below, she was glad she had been prepared.

She planted a foot on a rock jutting out from the cliff face and scrambled up from the side.

Her gamble had paid off.

There really was only one Lizardman up here.

Without hesitation, before the Lizardman could react, she blinded it with the flashlight and lunged, driving her knife home.

Blood sprayed. The Lizardman was already on the edge of the ledge, and Shen Yue followed up with a swift kick.

The Lizardman tumbled over the edge.

After it fell, she shined her flashlight down and saw a teeming mass of Lizardmen already scaling the rock face.

Shen Yue’s heart sank. She immediately pulled several goats and pheasants from her Spiritual Spring and tossed them down.

The Lizardmen halfway up the cliff immediately abandoned their climb, pouncing on the live animals.

This bought Shen Yue some time.

She hurriedly scrambled into the cave and ran.

’The goats and pheasants wouldn’t buy her much time; she had to find a way out, and fast.’

’After all, since these Lizardmen lived in the abyss, they would surely be able to follow her scent and catch up quickly.’

The cave was like a winding tunnel, neither large nor small, and utterly dark. It had many forks, but she had no idea where any of them led.

Shen Yue could only follow her instincts and the direction of the faint breeze, picking one path and running.

Her shoulder throbbed with increasing pain from the wound.

As she ran, she started to grow dizzy, her vision blurring at the edges.

A jolt of fear went through her.

’Oh no!’

’The Lizardman’s claws must be poisoned.’

She stumbled to a halt, leaning against the cave wall. Accessing her Spiritual Spring, she quickly took out a drop of Vitality Water and let it fall onto the wound on her shoulder.

Then she drank a mouthful herself.

But she still felt drowsy and weak.

’It seemed the poison was too potent. The Vitality Water wasn’t working immediately.’

’It would probably take some time to neutralize it completely.’

But she could already sense something pursuing her from behind. She couldn’t stop.

She forced herself to keep moving through the cave, but her head grew heavier and her steps lighter...

Her vision began to blur.

As she rounded a bend, she finally succumbed to unconsciousness...

...and pitched forward toward the ground...

...but just as she was about to hit the floor, a pair of strong arms caught her, holding her steady.

The next moment, Shen Yue collapsed into a sturdy, warm embrace.

The last thing she heard as she passed out was the strong, steady heartbeat from the man’s chest...

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