...The bullet holes had no dust, indicating they hadn't been there long, likely left by Xiao Hua and Hei Yanjing who had walked ahead.
But here, there was only tranquility, as beautiful as Platonic ideals in dreams. Why would firearms be needed?
This discovery instantly extinguished Wu Tianzhen's interest in admiring the scenery. He carefully examined the wall from top to bottom, discovering more bullet holes. Strangely, most of them were concentrated near the base of the wall, as if the attackers had been aiming at the ground.
The ground was covered in thick, dry grass, lying quietly like a soft carpet.
The scene was truly bizarre. Wu Tianzhen recalled the mysterious disappearing roadblock from earlier and secretly became more vigilant.
"Fatty, we should leave quickly," Wu Tianzhen said, patting Fatty, who was standing aside, lost in thought. His expression was grave. "I have a bad feeling about this place. It's better to run for it, just in case."
He patted him twice with force, but Fatty showed no reaction. Fatty's eyes were fixed on the crystal before him, as if he had been mesmerized by the brilliant treasure.
"Fatty, Fatty?! Forget the gold and silver for now, you can't carry it anyway. Let's go!"
Wu Tianzhen was speechless at Fatty's inexplicable greed. He tried to get in front of Fatty to deliver a friendly wake-up punch, but at that moment, a rustling, eerie sound erupted all around them!
The sound seemed to come from the grass at their feet, growing louder and more frequent, like countless insects rushing forward to check in.
Wu Tianzhen's skin crawled. He suddenly looked down and saw that the turf was bulging with patterns, as if a giant spider was hidden beneath, ready to erupt from the soil.
"No, we can't just wait to die." Seeing that they were surrounded by whatever was in the grass, Wu Tianzhen gritted his teeth and instantly drew his gun.
...Since Xiao Hua and Hei Yanjing had left so many bullet holes, it meant these things could be injured by bullets!
With this thought, he hesitated no longer and fired.
Just as the bullets were about to pierce the grass, the things inside finally emerged!
The densely packed blades of grass were tightly bound together, like bandages, firmly encasing a humanoid object. The creature was about two decimeters tall, slender like a snake, but clearly possessing limbs and a head constructed from grass blades, resembling the little grass figures children make.
...But children's grass figures wouldn't cry out in pain when shot.
Wu Tianzhen had fired many bullets. Although some missed, most hit the grass figures.
The grass figures' chests spewed grey smoke, and they soon fell with a wail, their voices hoarse and piercing like crows.
The fallen grass figures remained still for a moment, then slowly sank into the grass layer beneath them, as if being consumed by the ordinary dry grass.
"What the hell is this?!" Wu Tianzhen's skin crawled. He felt as if he had just witnessed a bizarre fairy tale, not terrifying, but chilling nonetheless.
He felt a psychological shadow cast by these small humanoid figures, but clearly, the Forbidden Land was no philanthropist offering time for therapy.
The grass rustled again with a fine, dense sound. Countless identical grass figures emerged from the soil, their heads popping out like spring bamboo shoots. Then, they opened their mouths, stretching across their entire heads, revealing black tongues almost as long as their bodies.
Wu Tianzhen keenly noticed a small opening at the tip of each black tongue, looking remarkably similar to the mouth of a leech.
The situation was clear: these grass creatures were bloodsuckers.
Wu Tianzhen: ...Things were getting more and more absurd.
With no other options, Wu Tianzhen gripped his gun tightly, preparing to fight to the death.
But at that moment, his arm was grabbed, and he was yanked upwards!
It seemed that Fatty, who had been staring at the crystal for a long time, had finally regained his senses. With his large hands, he grabbed Wu Tianzhen like a chick, charging through the grass figures like a heavy tank.
Wu Tianzhen was tossed around violently. Just as he was about to warn about the danger of these grass figures, he noticed with surprise that they seemed to cower and retreat a step under Fatty's reckless charge, obediently clearing a small path.
Wu Tianzhen: ???
...Are these grass figures all bark and no bite? Then why did Xiao Hua and the others leave so many bullet holes? Could it be that Fatty's sheer aura had intimidated them all?!
Under this confusion, he even momentarily overlooked Fatty's suddenly immense strength, capable of lifting him and his saber while flying.
They charged forward together, quickly escaping the thick grass and entering a dim, clean corner devoid of any grass.
Wu Tianzhen breathed a sigh of relief when he was finally put down.
While both could carry people, Zhang Qiling and Fatty gave completely different impressions.
If Zhang Qiling offered a strong sense of security, Fatty inspired intense fear.
Honestly, on the way being carried by Fatty, Wu Tianzhen had been repeatedly worried by Fatty's fearless route, fearing that Fatty might lose control and send them both to the gates of hell.
Now that he was back on solid ground, Wu Tianzhen calmed his pounding heart and patted Fatty's shoulder, exclaiming, "I never knew, Fatty. People's potential is truly limitless. Didn't you see those grass things just now? They were as scared as monsters seeing Ultraman."
Despite the two pats, Fatty remained unresponsive.
Wu Tianzhen felt a growing unease. He tried to get a clear look at Fatty's face, but the dimness prevented him from seeing clearly, so he leaned closer.
As he leaned in, a hint of doubt flashed through his mind—
Did Fatty's shoulder have a fur collar before? Why did he feel a thick layer of fur when he patted it just now?
A thread in his mind seemed to tighten, pulling at Wu Tianzhen's consciousness. His movements froze.
But the moment he stopped—
A pale face was pressed right against his nose!
Fatty's exceptionally pale face was expressionless, his eyes wide open and unblinking. He seemed to be smiling, but the stark white teeth and exposed red gums only evoked a sense of the uncanny.
Wu Tianzhen swallowed. He finally saw the layers of black fur surrounding Fatty's face.
...It looked exactly like the old female black ape from before.
A realization, like a spark in the darkness, ignited—
What they had guessed earlier was not a black ape seeking recognition!
It was possession!