Was it the sound of the wind?
At first, I thought it was my imagination, but then we all heard it.
It came from the grass, a distinct rustling sound of countless things crawling!
That slimy sound made one's skin crawl.
"Everyone, attention! There's danger in the grass!"
Xivir's face grew solemn as she shouted, instantly cocking her firearm.
The moment she raised her gun, the creatures burst from the grass.
They were enormous, corpulent worms.
I nearly vomited from disgust!
Each worm was as thick as a human thigh, with no limbs. Atop their heads was a circular maw filled with sharp teeth. From this maw extended tendrils, likely their sensory organs, constantly probing.
They left trails of viscous white fluid wherever they crawled.
As I observed them closely, a shock ran through me.
I suddenly remembered a book I had read before.
It mentioned the legend of the Death Sandworms.
It was said that in the Mongolian Gobi Desert, there existed legless, mouth-agape worms, identical to these monsters before me.
Seeing that they were still some distance away, I tentatively picked up a stone from the ground and threw it. The stone hit the worms' constantly writhing tendrils, and the tendrils recoiled as if stung.
It was obvious these tendrils served as a substitute for eyes, allowing the worms to perceive their surroundings and evolving as organs for survival in this subterranean world.
I had to admit, these creatures were utterly repulsive.
As I tested them, the worms seemed to have located us, and they began to wriggle towards us.
Their gaping maws dripped with anticipation.
My scalp tingled, and I couldn't fathom what it would be like to be bitten by those mouths.
"Shoot! Shoot! Don't let them get any closer!"
With Xivir's command, we all drew our guns and fired headshots, one after another.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Bullets struck the worms, erupting in masses of white, thick mucus.
It was strange; these things didn't seem like natural evolutions.
They were more akin to alien lifeforms.
As I focused intently on shooting, I suddenly felt a nudge from Qu Xiangyun behind me.
While reloading, I glanced back and saw Qu Xiangyun make a gesture. It was a signal we had agreed upon earlier, meaning I should look for an opportunity to escape.
Without changing my expression, I turned my head back, my mind no longer on the worms before me but instead observing the surroundings for an opening.
To my left was a bottomless cliff face, and to my right was a turbulent underground river.
Needless to say, jumping off the cliff would be suicide.
My only option now was to slip into the underground river amidst the chaos.
According to Qu Xiangyun, her father had entered the underground palace by following this river. If I followed the current downstream, I was sure to escape this godforsaken place.
Earlier, when we discovered the underground river, I had touched the water.
Strangely, even though it was beneath the ice, the water wasn't particularly cold.
While I couldn't stay submerged for long, swimming a short distance was manageable.
I made up my mind, planning to feign a slip and fall into the underground river to escape when Xivir was distracted.
But then something unexpected happened!
Just as I was about to act, Xivir suddenly shouted and lunged, tackling the nearby Hailey.
The path we were walking on was already extremely narrow.
Her push nearly sent Hailey tumbling into the abyss.
I knew Xivir wouldn't act impulsively without reason. She must have detected something, prompting her to push Hailey down in a moment of panic.
I immediately became alert, scanning the surroundings for any movement.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, a whistling sound cut through the air. A sharp, short arrow was embedded precisely where Hailey had been standing moments before, its fletching quivering.
It plunged deep into the ground!
Damn it, there was someone else lurking in the shadows!
At this point, the only one who could be ambushing us from hiding was likely the short, savage man who had fled earlier.
I quickly grabbed Qu Xiangyun and ducked behind a large rock.
This savage man was in hiding, while we were exposed. If he only intended to snipe without revealing himself, we would be powerless against him for the time being.
Moreover, I had seen a faint green glow on the arrow, clearly indicating it was poisoned!
I had to admit, he lived up to his reputation as the leader of the Savage Pilgrims.
His patience and tactics were first-class.
What was even more unsettling was that I hadn't detected any movement from the shadows, yet Xivir had sensed the short savage man's attack a moment before it happened.
That perception was extraordinarily keen!
At this moment, a fragile equilibrium seemed to have been reached. The short savage man remained hidden in the shadows, hesitant to act rashly, while we, though exposed, had the advantage of numbers.
However, our situation remained disadvantageous.
Worms were still wriggling towards us, capable of attacking at any moment.
At this critical juncture, Qu Xiangyun, who had been silent, suddenly tugged on my hand and mouthed words to me.