Chapter 2, The Game Monster

Nie Mo stood up suddenly, knowing that this was not caused by the wind. He drew the short knife from his waist and slowly approached the source of the sound. The branches and leaves of the trees were still swaying. Nie Mo swallowed hard, wondering if there was a fierce beast; if there was, it would not be surprising. He took a few more steps forward when suddenly, an animal of moderate size sprang out.

"Why is there another hole again?" Nie Mo stood at the entrance of the hole, feeling somewhat hesitant. Cursing inwardly, he noticed that although the entrance appeared spacious, it became increasingly narrow once he stepped inside. Eventually, he had to move sideways to pass through, so he placed the knife in front of his chest and lifted the canvas bag containing steamed buns and water above his head, slowly making his way through like a crab.

At this moment, the monster seemed to have gone mad, its shrill cries echoing incessantly. The frequency of the flashes in the dark cave had also increased significantly. It was trying to find Nie Mo to take his life. The pain in his body made him break out in a cold sweat, and he thought to himself that this monster appeared to be enraged. He had to hold on and deliver a fatal blow; otherwise, he would truly be doomed to eternal rest in this cave. However, one of his hands was incapacitated, and relying on just one hand meant he could not exert his full strength. Unfortunately, he did not know the monster's weakness and could not clearly see what it looked like.

Ah, Nie Motong let out a cry as he fell to the ground. The fierce blow from the monster, after being struck by his knife, caused his left arm to gradually go numb with pain. It is estimated that even if it is not broken, it has certainly injured the bone.

After walking for an hour, the sun had already risen slowly. Observing the daylight, he knew it would be very hot today, so he needed to hurry into the mountains, where it would be much cooler. Two hours later, he had already distanced himself from the foot of the mountain, confidently stepping into the midst of these majestic peaks. Surrounded by the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers, he admired the tall trees, lush with branches and leaves, creating a canopy that blocked out the sun, allowing only scattered rays of light to filter through the gaps.

Nie Mo immediately took out his flashlight and shone it around the cave. He swallowed hard; a strange sound echoed in the cave, sending chills down his spine. Could there be a wild beast? It seemed unlikely, as the cave was not very large and was quite clear. He had not noticed anything unusual upon entering, but what was making that sound? He felt he could not move recklessly at this moment, so he slowly edged toward the nearest stone wall, relying on his memory, adopting a defensive stance, with the flashlight continuously illuminating the front. Another strange cry rang out.

Hmm, Nie Mo let out a muffled grunt, feeling as if he had been struck by something resembling a wing, rolling several meters away and landing heavily on the ground. The creature, which flickered between light and dark, approached him again. A strong gust of wind swept through, leaving him no time to think. He quickly rolled in another direction.

Although everything appears to be quite ordinary, with a beautiful natural landscape, Nie Mo cannot afford to be careless. Although he does not believe in ghosts or deities, this mountain is indeed peculiar. He still remembers an incident from his childhood when, out of curiosity, he wanted to explore the mountain. Not far into his journey, he discovered several human bones, and quite a few at that. At that time, being young and timid, he did not venture further. Now, reflecting on it, the memory remains vivid.

Thinking of the bones of the dead, Nie Mo was unsure whether they belonged to the villagers who had hidden from the Japanese back in the day or to those who had come up the mountain later. He looked up at the sun obscured by the large tree and thought it must be nearing noon. He found a tree to lean against and was just about to take out a steamed bun when he heard rustling sounds coming from the leaves nearby, which were constantly swaying.

Nie Mo tried to take a few steps forward, and with each step, his heart trembled, for every step he took was upon the corpses of others. He instinctively drew out the short knife and continued to advance step by step in a single direction. Suddenly, he stood still, for at that moment he felt as if a hand had grasped his ankle. Was it possible that someone was still alive, or had they turned into a ghost?

Nie Mo Sa took off running, and upon seeing this lively prey, the brown bear was even more invigorated, chasing while swinging its sharp claws forward in an attempt to strike the prey dead with a single blow. He ran at a remarkable speed, knowing he could play dead, as bears do not eat dead animals, but he could not take the risk; who could guarantee it was one hundred percent certain? Ultimately, the key was his confidence, believing in his speed and stamina. He ran at a remarkable speed, knowing he could play dead, as bears do not eat dead animals, but he could not take the risk; who could guarantee it was one hundred percent certain? Ultimately, the key was his confidence, believing in his speed and stamina

"Do not be afraid, I have also survived from the grave," Nie Mo repeated the same words. Gripping the knife tightly in his hand, he moved forward. This was another cave, and he felt relieved that there were no corpses here; instead, there were some animal bones, though he could not tell what kind of animals they belonged to. Compared to the previous cave, this one was somewhat smaller. He searched with his flashlight and short knife, hoping to find an exit, but still found nothing, only another cave entrance.

Nie Mo Yi looked and realized it was a small wild boar, and he began to laugh. The wild boar seemed somewhat afraid of the person in front of it, letting out a couple of grunts before running off in another direction. He watched the wild boar run away and muttered to himself: "You run pretty fast; otherwise, I would have slaughtered you for a meal." As he spoke, he sheathed his knife back at his waist.

Suddenly, the strange cry arose again, and it was not far from him, likely in his vicinity. There was an unusual light nearby, appearing and disappearing intermittently. What could it be? He slowly crouched down, like a hunter, watching the object that was getting closer, flickering in brightness. He felt gusts of wind occasionally striking his face, coinciding with the intermittent light; whenever there was light, there was wind. It was truly very strange

"What is going on?" Nie Mo murmured. Since he descended and walked all the way here, the terrain had been sloping downward, and the temperature should have been getting colder. According to his estimation, this place was at least several dozen meters above the ground. Yet, the stones here were surprisingly warm, and if there was water, where could it have come from? Just as he was pondering this, the cave suddenly plunged into complete darkness, rendering him unable to see his own hand.

The stench here was unbearable for him; with so many corpses beneath his feet, even his courage could not shield him from the chilling terror. He truly did not know how he could escape; he only felt that this cave was vast, and the area illuminated by his flashlight was limited. He understood that he could not simply stand still; he had to move around.

"Damn it," Nie Mo silently cursed, enduring the waves of pain in his body as he readied himself to counterattack. The light appeared, and he focused on the direction, waiting for the right moment. Another gust of wind came, and he knew it was time. He leaped up like a fierce beast pouncing on its prey, striking forcefully into the darkness with a knife. Accompanied by the monster's anguished cries, he was heavily struck on his left arm by the creature's wings.

In that very instant, a colossal creature appeared before Nie Mo; it was a brown bear. Before he could regain his composure, the brown bear charged at him with a roar, clearly intent on tearing Nie Mo to shreds

After walking nearly 100 meters, the surroundings finally opened up again. It is worth noting that there is a bit of light here, albeit very weak, just enough to barely see the scene ahead. However, this light is somewhat peculiar, as it seems to emanate from a single direction, only managing to illuminate a small area, while the rest remains shrouded in darkness.

The more Nie Mo Yue thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He swung his short knife and struck down at his feet, unsure if he had actually hit anything, and he didn't even consider whether he might cut his own foot. He took off running forward, and after a while, he seemed to see another opening ahead. He stopped at that entrance. Remembering the lingering fear from earlier, he didn't even dare to shine his flashlight in that direction. He was afraid of truly seeing something, and he never expected that there would be things he could be afraid of. Normally so bold, he found himself feeling fear at that moment.

Nie Mo understood that in order to strike that monster, he could only let it approach him actively to have a chance. With this thought in mind, just as he was about to move his body, he felt a stone beneath him. He gently set down the knife in his hand, picked up the stone with his right hand, and threw it a short distance to his left. The sound of the stone hitting the stone wall was clearly audible, and the monster quickly pounced in that direction, flickering between light and dark. He picked up the knife and rushed towards the monster, preparing to strike with all his might based on his instincts. However, at that moment, a gust of wind blew, and he thought to himself that it was not good. He let out a scream as he was sent flying, landing on the ground, feeling as if his body was about to fall apart.

With a loud "bang," he realized that the wings of the creature had struck the spot where he had just fallen. It was a winged monster, and he had come to that conclusion. While he was still contemplating how to respond, a sharp pain coursed through his body, as if he had been struck by a large stone. Where did that stone come from? Could it throw stones as well? Yet, it felt different from being hit by a thrown stone. What was it? What was it? Nie Mo was truly perplexed. Suddenly, he thought of the sharp dagger, which was still tightly gripped in his hand. He knew he could not just sit and wait for his fate.

After a while, Nie Mo also turned off the flashlight. At this moment, the faint light was of no use; instead, it would expose his position. For a long time, nothing happened, except for the sound of water dripping not far from him and his own slight breathing. He did not hear any other sounds. He was a very patient person, and he believed that there might be something in this strange cave watching him

At that moment, the sound of rustling suddenly returned, loud and clear. The area where the wild boar had emerged earlier became agitated once more. The trees swayed even more vigorously, and it felt as if the ground was trembling slightly. Could it be that the wild boar has come again, Nie Mo thought

Nie Mo tightly gripped the short knife in his hand, aware that there was certainly something unknown and unseen lurking in this pitch-black cave. He did not have the mental energy to ponder the reasons behind it all; what he needed to do was to remain highly vigilant

Nie Mo realized that the nameless entity might be right in front of him. He suddenly turned on his flashlight to illuminate the direction ahead. To his dismay, upon looking, he felt a chill run through his limbs. Although he could not see exactly what it was, he was certain it was indeed a monster, with a very peculiar appearance and a large stature

Nie Mo's gaze fell upon a stone wall, seemingly emanating light from that direction, and he was about to walk towards the source of the light. Suddenly, he heard the sound of water, so he approached an exceptionally protruding stone wall in the cave, discovering that water was dripping from it, drop by drop, onto the ground. He crouched down to touch the spot where the water was falling, and to his surprise, the damp ground had a temperature. He then touched the protruding stone wall, which also felt warm.

"What is going on?" Nie Mo struggled to stand up. A strange, indescribable odor made him feel nauseous. "Where have I fallen?" He took out his flashlight and turned it on, his heart sinking in shock. A chill shot from his feet straight to his head. It was a massive pit, and beneath his feet lay countless corpses. They seemed to have died many years ago, not having turned to bones, but rather desiccated bodies that still retained some elasticity, likely due to being underground. Were these the villagers? Nie Mo did not want to think any further.

However, he did not expect that this bear, though appearing clumsy, was very patient and relentlessly pursued him. At this moment, he had already burrowed into a thicket of lush leaves, as this would provide more obstacles for the bear, naturally slowing its speed. Just as he was about to leap over a fallen tree, he felt as if he had suddenly dropped from the sky, realizing it was not good, but thinking it was too late. With a thud, he landed heavily on something soft, leaving him somewhat dizzy and disoriented.