151: Death Worm, Stone Platform Island

Wang Dalong's laughter came to an abrupt halt, as if an invisible hand had seized his throat.

"Brother Feng... Brother Feng, don't scare me... This joke isn't funny at all."

The muscles on his face twitched; he tried to smile, but it looked worse than crying.

Lin Feng ignored him.

He slowly stood up straight, staring intently at the "fake grassland" beneath his feet.

The wind howled, and the withered grass rustled.

But this sound was no longer nature's whisper; it sounded like countless venomous snakes flicking their tongues beneath the grass.

A chill more piercing than being hunted by a giant bear surged from Wang Dalong's tailbone to the crown of his head. He shuddered violently and looked around nervously.

This place was too empty.

So empty it was unsettling.

Surrounded by a dark green sea of trees, with withered yellow flat ground beneath their feet and the sky above being swallowed by the night. Between heaven and earth, it felt as if only the two of them remained, imprisoned on this eerie "scar."

Time passed minute by minute.

That giant bear was still pacing at the edge of the forest, letting out unwilling low growls, yet it never dared to take a single step onto the grass.

Wang Dalong's nerves were taut, his heart pounding wildly.

"Brother Feng, how about... we go back?" His voice trembled. "Even facing that bear is better than staying in this ghostly place! I keep feeling like... a pair of eyes is staring at us from underground!"

Just as he finished speaking—

A slight vibration came from beneath their feet.

It didn't feel like an earthquake, but more like a massive creature turning over deep underground.

"It... it moved!" Wang Dalong cried out in terror.

Lin Feng's pupils constricted suddenly. He snapped his head down, locking his gaze onto a patch of grass a hundred meters ahead!

He saw the withered grass being pushed up, slowly forming a long, mound-like bulge!

The mound didn't move fast, but its direction was clear.

It was heading for them!

"What... what on earth is that?!" Wang Dalong was scared out of his wits, pointing at the approaching moving mound.

The thing moving underground was at least ten meters long!

At that moment, Lin Feng's mind was almost a blank.

Mongolia... Altay... Grassless Forbidden Zone... A term that existed only in legends exploded in his mind like a thunderclap!

Death Worm!

"Run!!"

Lin Feng roared, grabbing the dazed Wang Dalong and sprinting toward the center of the flat ground with all his might!

Wang Dalong stumbled as he was pulled, but his survival instinct finally overrode his fear. He mechanically moved his legs, running for his life.

But how could a human outrun a monster underground!

The vibrations behind them grew stronger and stronger!

The bulging mound was like a yellow wave, advancing rapidly across the grass, getting closer and closer to them!

"Brother Feng! I can't do it! The backpack is too heavy!" Wang Dalong was out of breath; the thirty-kilogram load felt like a mountain now.

A flash of determination crossed Lin Feng's eyes!

"Throw it away!!" he roared.

"What?"

"I said throw the bag away!!"

Without looking back, Lin Feng unbuckled his straps first and hurled the backpack containing all their supplies away!

Wang Dalong's heart twinged; that was everything they owned!

In the moment he hesitated, the grass behind him suddenly exploded!

"Pfft—!"

Dirt and grass debris shot into the sky!

A "flesh worm" as thick as a thigh and dark red all over emerged halfway from the ground!

It had no eyes or nose; its head was a circular mouth filled with sharp teeth that constantly opened and closed. Its body was covered in folds, secreting a yellow-green mucus!

"Holy shit!!"

Wang Dalong's sanity snapped. He screamed and threw off his backpack, scrambling forward on all fours.

The monster seemed more interested in the backpack. Its mouth opened, and a stream of yellow-green liquid sprayed out, accurately hitting Lin Feng's backpack.

"Sizzle—"

A tooth-aching corrosive sound rang out. The high-strength nylon backpack was like it had been splashed with concentrated sulfuric acid, quickly emitting black smoke and melting into a pile of charred remains!

This scene scared Wang Dalong to the core!

If that were sprayed on a person... he didn't dare think about it and could only run with all his might.

After dealing with the backpack, the monster seemed to be provoked! Most of its massive body suddenly burst out from underground and straightened!

Whoosh—!

Its ten-plus-meter body actually defied the laws of physics, shooting forward like a blood-colored giant arrow right above the ground!

The wind whistled!

The breath of death was right on their backs!

Wang Dalong could even smell the foul stench of the monster, a mix of sour rot and blood!

It's over!

This time it's really over!

Just as Wang Dalong's legs went weak and he was about to give up, Lin Feng, who had been running in front, suddenly let out a roar of wild joy:

"We're here! Quick!"

Wang Dalong looked up with all his remaining strength.

He saw a small area of a different color appearing right in the center of the withered yellow grass not far ahead!

It was a patch of ground paved with blue-black rocks, about the size of a basketball court!

Against the backdrop of the grass, it looked like an island in a desert! A final sanctuary!

The desire to live overrode everything!

Both of them scrambled onto that cold, hard stone platform, collapsing heavily onto the ground and gasping for air.

The "Death Worm" chased them to the edge of the stone platform and, just like the giant bear before, suddenly stopped!

Its dark red body screeched to a halt less than a meter from the stone platform. Its terrifying mouth "faced" them, opening and closing in frustration and rage.

It also seemed to be deeply wary of this stone platform!

They reached a stalemate for a moment.

The Death Worm finally seemed to give up; its massive body slowly retreated and dove headfirst into the earth.

On the ground, only a bottomless pit remained.

The vibrations and sounds in the surroundings vanished completely.

Silence returned to the world once more.

"We... we survived..."

Wang Dalong sprawled on the stone platform, muttering to himself. But the feeling of relief lasted only three seconds before being replaced by deeper despair.

He struggled to sit up and looked around.

They were now right in the center of a forbidden zone of death.

Their only means of transport was dozens of kilometers away.

Food, water, tents, medicine, communication equipment... all gone.

They had nothing on them except for the thin windbreakers they were wearing.

Their only foothold was this cold stone platform of unknown origin.

"Brother Feng..." Wang Dalong's lips trembled, and he began to sob.

"What... what do we do now?"

Lin Feng didn't answer.

He slowly climbed up and walked to the center of the stone platform.

He lowered his head and, using the last trace of light from the horizon, brushed away the thin dust on the stone surface with his hand.

A line of text carved in the ancient Old Uyghur-style Mongolian script was clearly displayed before his eyes.

He recognized that script.

It was a script that only Genghis Khan's Golden Family was permitted to use.

Only four simple words were carved there—

"eternal blue sky, witness."