“Don’t scare me like that, big brother.” Fatso Seeing David’s sharp gaze, couldn’t help but shiver. David didn’t say anything but just smiled and glanced at the arrow that could erase people.
“Captain, what should we do next?” At this moment, Charles walked up to David and asked.
David pointed towards the forest in the park and said softly, “Let’s go there. Perhaps there might be some surprises.”
Seeing that David wanted to go into the forest, Fatso hesitated for a moment. A barely noticeable trace of nervousness flickered across his face, but he quickly regained his composure.
“Big brother, it’s pitch-dark in there, and it’s not good to get lost. You guys go, I don’t have any abilities, so I’ll keep watch here.” Fatso said, preparing to find a concealed spot to hide. At the same time, he glanced at the silent forest, and his right eyelid twitched suddenly.
“Scared? I thought you were fearless, a tough guy who fears nothing. I didn’t expect a small forest to scare you. Well, forget it, you stay here and take it easy. Your courage can’t match Little Black’s.” David squatted down and patted Little Black’s head, and the latter happily wagged its tail.
Upon hearing David’s words, Fatso couldn’t sit still anymore. Him, scared? No way! He had survived the apocalypse alone, relying on his extraordinary courage. So he stopped in his tracks, put his hands on his hips, and said, “Who’s scared? Whoever backs down is a coward! I’ve traveled all over, through thick and thin. When have I ever been scared? Not to mention this small forest, even if it were the Gates of Hell or the Mountain of Knives, I wouldn’t even bat an eye! Let’s go, I’ll personally lead the way!”
Saying that, Fatso drew a large machete from his waist and leaped over the railing, heading towards the park.
Seeing this, David smiled faintly and gestured for everyone to follow. The park was quite simple in structure, with a small pond in the middle, a fitness equipment area to the east, a small square to the west, and a garden to the south. The north side was the small forest, but due to neglect, the fitness equipment had already turned into a pile of scrap metal, and the water in the pond emitted a foul smell. Fatso crossed the garden that had long lost its flowers and gradually approached the small forest.
David and his team followed closely behind. As they were about to reach the small forest, Fatso couldn’t help but tighten his grip on the machete. Only now did he realize that David had used reverse psychology to goad him, and unexpectedly, he fell for it.
” I’m no coward! I’ve traveled far and wide, braving danger at every turn!” Fatso wiped the sweat from his palms and encouraged himself.
With that, Fatso led the remaining members of the Ember Squad into the small forest. As soon as they entered, an extremely foul smell permeated the air. Unlike the smell of decaying zombies they were accustomed to, this odor seemed to emanate from some kind of insects.
David also noticed the smell at this time, constantly scanning the surrounding environment. Besides weeds and trees, there was nothing else around. Not even a single insect could be seen. Normally, such a damp forest would be a paradise for all kinds of insects, so why didn’t they see any here?
David frowned in confusion, and Fatso tightly held his machete, continuing to move forward. After walking for about five minutes, his back was already soaked in sweat. He now deeply regretted following David; otherwise, he wouldn’t be in this situation.
Fatso hesitated for a moment, stopped, and said to David, “This smell is terrible. How about we retreat? What if it’s poisonous gas or something? If any of us die here, it’ll be on your hands.” As he spoke, he kept glancing in the direction of the exit.
“What are you afraid of? Just keep going forward. If there’s any danger, I’ll protect you.” David directly dismissed Fatso’s idea of leaving and gestured for him to continue forward.
This made Fatso wear a bitter smile. Helplessly, he could only grit his teeth and continue forward. After walking for another ten minutes or so, they reached the middle of the small forest. Here, the trees were denser, and various weeds became more abundant, making the foul smell in the air even stronger.
“I can’t go on, can’t walk anymore.” Fatso sat down on the ground. His visibly overweight body was sweating profusely, and the hot and humid environment of the small forest had drained all his energy.
David was about to say something when suddenly Sally, who was standing beside him, grabbed his hand tightly and shouted loudly, “Bugs!”
David quickly turned around and saw a group of insects scurrying around Sally’s feet. They were the same golden hard-shelled insects that had flown out of the corpses of the singing zombies earlier. Now, these insects were gathered together, seemingly discussing something. 𝒃𝙚𝙙𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝒍．𝒆𝒕
Duke immediately stomped on them, causing the insects to explode, releasing an even more unpleasant smell that spread around the group.
Seeing this scene, fear immediately surfaced on Fatso’s face. He quickly stood up from the ground and shouted loudly to the others, “Run!” Without hesitation, he dashed away, completely ignoring David and the rest.
“What’s there to fear about squashing a bunch of bugs?” Arnold sneered, looking in the direction where Fatso ran.
However, the next moment, an inexplicable vibration suddenly came from deep within the forest. It sounded like something was vibrating its wings. David took a step back and stared intently in the direction of the vibrating sound. The noise grew closer, and the frequency of the vibrations increased.
Suddenly, the trees in front of David broke without any warning, and a huge golden hard-shelled insect, as big as a rhinoceros, appeared before him! Its whole body emitted a golden glow, and its wings were constantly vibrating on both sides of its body. It had a pair of bulging eyes on its head and two long fangs below its eyes, giving it an incredibly eerie appearance. It rotated its eyes, curiously inspecting the group.
“Oh my gosh! Such a huge insect!” Arnold exclaimed in astonishment. He now understood why Fatso had panicked and fled earlier. Anyone who saw this creature would be scared stiff. Feeling the terrifying aura emanating from the giant insect, Arnold knew that it was something to be feared.
David didn’t hesitate and repeated the words Fatso had just said: “Run!”