Chapter 62: Don’t Look Back
"When the two of them disappeared, did you notice anything unusual?"
The team members who had been beside the two who disappeared silently shook their heads.
"I heard someone call me from behind just now. I was about to turn my head when I heard you speak."
"Me too."
"Someone called me too!"
Lu Jingyu sighed. Clearly, everyone had just experienced the same thing.
The ones still here were simply luckier. As for the two who disappeared, they must have turned their heads.
Recalling the rules, it seemed the two were as good as dead.
His heart was heavy, but the two were already gone. There was no point in lingering.
The most important thing now was to clear this area quickly. Perhaps they could still save one or two of them.
After comforting everyone with a few words, Lu Jingyu returned to Xu Qingsui’s side.
He suddenly remembered the flames had spread from the very front of the formation and guessed Xu Qingsui might have seen something.
"Did you notice how the fire started just now?"
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Lu Jingyu, but some things were simply too bizarre to explain. Feeling guilty, Xu Qingsui could only shake her head.
"I didn’t notice how it started, either. The fire just suddenly ignited and dispersed the dense fog."
She saw Lu Jingyu frown, still pondering the matter.
Afraid he would think too much and connect it to her, Xu Qingsui quickly offered a forced explanation, "Maybe because someone had already gone missing, the Mutant that created the fog was satisfied and left."
Xu Qingsui regretted her words as soon as they were out.
She had been so focused on diverting Lu Jingyu’s attention that she’d spoken recklessly.
As soon as she said it, she saw the look of guilt return to Lu Jingyu’s face.
She offered a few words of comfort, but it didn’t seem to help his mood.
Giving up, Xu Qingsui said no more. After a brief rest, she let Lu Jingyu lead the way as they set out again.
With two more members gone, the atmosphere grew even more oppressive.
At the back of the group, Xu Ruming looked like she wanted to say something more, but Shen Ling’an cut her off.
Seeing the dark look on Shen Ling’an’s face, she shut her mouth.
But the words were right on the tip of her tongue, and she couldn’t hold them back. She muttered under her breath, "So this is the path she chose. We’ve barely gotten anywhere and we’ve already lost two people. At this rate, the whole team will be gone before we find the exit."
"This is not the time. You should keep your mouth shut. Don’t bring trouble on yourself, or they might actually kick you off the team."
Xu Ruming pouted but kept her mouth shut.
They walked on for a long time, but Lu Jingyu remained silent.
Xu Qingsui, a step behind him, watched his back and could feel the heavy mood emanating from him.
After a long hesitation, she decided to say something.
But before she could speak, a massive shadow suddenly fell from the sky, enveloping them all.
Everyone instinctively stopped and looked up.
A colossal body was hovering above the maze walls.
The body was so immense that they couldn’t see all of it at once, making it impossible to identify what kind of creature it was.
All they could see was the Mutant’s underbelly, which was pocked with one crater-like hole after another.
A Mutant appearing at a time like this was clearly a bad omen.
Fortunately, the Mutant was too massive. Trapped as they were within the maze, the creature probably couldn’t reach them.
But just when everyone thought they were safe for the time being, one of the crater-like holes on the Mutant’s belly suddenly expanded.
A foul gust of wind rushed down, followed by an immense suction force from above.
The team member standing right below paled, his body beginning to fly upward uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Lu Jingyu suddenly understood what had happened before.
It seemed this Mutant was responsible for the earlier fog, the sudden attacks, and even the abduction of his team members.
The thought of how many team members it had taken filled Lu Jingyu with rage. He leaped into the air, landing on the rising man’s shoulder.
Using the man as a foothold to push him back to the ground, Lu Jingyu somersaulted upward, charging straight for the Mutant.
As if sensing its target was gone, the Mutant immediately spewed another foul gust, this time aimed at Lu Jingyu.
Lu Jingyu’s eyes were locked on the crater-like opening. As the Mutant spewed its foul wind and the hole expanded, he caught a glimpse of its exposed internal organs.
Sensing an opening, Lu Jingyu reached for his handgun, only for his hand to find empty air. He then remembered he had given it to Xu Qingsui for her protection.
He immediately drew a dagger and charged upward, pushing against the foul wind.
As he neared the Mutant, he aimed the tip of his dagger at the opening.
Perhaps sensing the danger, the Mutant began to spew the foul wind more frequently, trying to halt Lu Jingyu’s advance.
But this only gave Lu Jingyu an opportunity. Locking onto his target, he flung the dagger from his hand.
He had timed it perfectly. The dagger reached the opening just before it could close, plunging smoothly inside.
AOOOW!
A piercing shriek erupted from the Mutant.
Immediately after, the Mutant began to thrash violently, as if in immense pain.
Its massive body slammed into the maze walls, making them shake.
Watching this, everyone’s eyes widened in horror, afraid the walls would collapse.
In the narrow confines of the maze, there would be nowhere to run; they would be crushed beneath the falling walls.
Fortunately, the teetering walls only shook for a moment before slowly growing still.
But the Mutant seemed to have been enraged. It shifted its massive body, trying to break through the walls and squeeze into the maze for revenge.
The walls were solid. After a few attempts, it seemed to give up.
But just as it was growing calm, the crater-like holes on its underbelly began to tremble.
Seeing this, Lu Jingyu’s expression tensed. "Everyone huddle together, lower your center of gravity, and hold hands! It’s going to attack again!"
The Mutant didn’t give them much time. Lu Jingyu had just finished speaking, and the group had barely huddled together when all the holes suddenly pulsed open.
An even stronger suction force erupted, pulling at every member of the group, trying to suck them all into the sky at once.
With nothing around to brace against, even huddled together, they began to lose their footing after a while.
Finally, Xu Ruming was the first to be lifted off her feet. Shen Ling’an’s brow furrowed. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached out to grab her.
But the moment he grasped her hand, Shen Ling’an was also lifted into the air.
Taking several people next to him along, they were all left dangling in mid-air.
One pulled another, until only Xu Qingsui and Lu Jingyu remained on the ground.
Xu Qingsui was being pulled by the chain of people in front of her, her face contorted in a pained expression.
Seeing the pained look on her face, Lu Jingyu’s heart clenched with anxiety. On impulse, he shouted, "Let go!"
Xu Qingsui didn’t move. She knew that if she let go now, all of them would fall into the Mutant’s maws.