The creature was about three meters tall, resembling a greatly enlarged bird with two small wings tucked away on either side of its massive body.
And then Xu Jiaojiao was in trouble!
Xu Jiaojiao was being held in its sharp beak, on the verge of being swallowed whole in the next second.
Seeing me, Xu Jiaojiao cried out, "Lu Ziye! Save me, quickly, save me!"
The situation was dire. Instinctively, I chambered a round in my pistol and aimed at the giant bird's mouth, firing a shot.
"Bang!"
A deafening sound.
But something unexpected happened!
The bullet struck the giant bird's beak and was deflected, as if its beak were made of solid steel!
Instead of being harmed, the giant bird's ferocity was further ignited by my shot!
With a flick of its head, it slammed Xu Jiaojiao against a nearby tree trunk.
Xu Jiaojiao screamed, spat out a mouthful of blood, struggled briefly, and then lay still.
My expression turned grim.
I realized this bird was hundreds of times more dangerous than any creature I had encountered before!
Before I could react, the giant bird shrieked and lunged at me with incredible speed, pecking downwards.
It was absurd that despite its colossal size, the creature's cry sounded like a three-year-old child's wail.
My entire body trembled. My mind couldn't process anything; I scrambled and rolled into the cave.
I panted heavily. The giant bird exuded the aura of a predator at the apex of the food chain.
Just standing in its presence had taken immense courage.
Such a terrifying creature could only exist on this bizarre, nameless island.
Imagine a three-meter-tall bird, impervious to the cold, with a body so hard it could deflect bullets.
If such a creature existed elsewhere, it would have wiped out humanity long ago!
A whistling sound!
Wind rushed past my head, a chill surged up my spine. Instinctively, I rolled to the side. The giant bird's beak, capable of cleaving metal, grazed past me.
The wooden barricade we had hastily constructed while building the boat was utterly useless.
It disintegrated instantly, reduced to splinters.
The monster seemed relentless, its beak probing further into the cave.
Snow, earth, and stones rained down from the cave ceiling as it was shaken by the impacts.
Fortunately, our cave entrance was less than two meters high, preventing the monster from entering.
Otherwise, we would all have been devoured!
Hearing the noise at the entrance, Shangguan Yao, who had come out to investigate, was now paralyzed with fear, unable to move.
Seeing the monster's beak about to touch Shangguan Yao, I gathered all my strength and swung my alloy blade fiercely at the part of the beak that had entered.
The monster yelped in pain and retracted its beak. My action seemed to enrage it. It stood at the entrance, emitting chilling cries and repeatedly beating the mountainside with its wings, creating utter chaos outside.
The monster's aggression also ignited my own fury. A surge of anger rushed to my brain. Seeing the creature causing trouble outside the cave entrance, I raised my pistol and fired two shots at its heart.
The bullets zipped towards the monster's heart. I refused to believe its chest could be as hard as its beak!
But to my surprise, the giant bird seemed intelligent. It used its wings to shield its chest in advance. The bullets struck its wings, knocking off only a few feathers, leaving it otherwise unharmed!
Damn it!
I realized then that this monster was not easily dealt with!
I retreated step by step, my eyes fixed on the giant bird's every move. When I was back in front of Shangguan Yao, I reached out and pulled her up from the ground.
Shangguan Yao's legs were trembling, and she could only stand with my support. She choked out with a tearful voice, "Lu Ziye, what should we do? Are we all going to die!"
I dared not leave the cave entrance for a moment, fearing that if I did, the giant bird would find a way to get in.
Ignoring Shangguan Yao's distress, I patted her shoulder. "No, trust me! Go inside quickly and tell everyone that no one is to come out without my order!"
Seeing my stern expression and no room for negotiation, Shangguan Yao paused in my embrace and then limped into the cave.
The giant bird had stopped battering the cave and was moving to the side.
Could it be that the monster, unable to breach our defenses, was giving up?
Holding my knife, I cautiously approached the cave entrance. The previously dislodged barricade blocked half of the opening, and I needed to get closer to see clearly.
When I finally grasped the giant bird's actions, I was both shocked and enraged. I felt like my molars were about to shatter.
This feathered beast dared to!
It was pecking at Xu Jiaojiao's body!
As if sensing my gaze, the giant bird turned and met my eyes. Its scarlet gaze held a glint of mockery as it unhurriedly consumed Xu Jiaojiao's corpse!
I suppressed the urge to rush out and fight the bird to the death, instead slamming my fist into the wall.
Damn it!
This feeling of helplessness, watching a comrade being eaten before my eyes, was something I had never experienced since arriving on the island!
I couldn't bear to watch, yet the giant bird's presence posed a constant threat. I had no choice but to closely monitor its actions.
The giant bird looked at me with a hint of triumph, spread its wings, let out a roar at me, and then, with a few strides, disappeared into the forest.
Leaning against the wall, my heart pounded wildly.
This bird was beyond human strength. If it had decided to guard the cave entrance, we would all have been trapped and starved to death!
Shangguan Yao then quietly crept out of the cave and approached me. She whispered, "What's the situation now?"
I said exhaustedly, "That giant bird should have left."
Shangguan Yao glanced outside and spotted Xu Jiaojiao's remains. She gasped, covering her mouth, and stammered, "That... that's Xu Jiaojiao!"
I felt a pang of guilt over Xu Jiaojiao's death.
For a moment, I didn't know what to say to Shangguan Yao.
Shangguan Yao seemed lost in thought, then said with tears and sorrow, "Let's build a grave for Xu Jiaojiao."
As she spoke, she began to move towards the outside.
Shangguan Yao's thought aligned with mine, but suddenly, I realized something was amiss.
Something's wrong!
The footprints in the snow earlier had no tracks in front or behind, so why did the giant bird end up running into the forest!
This giant bird was so intelligent; why would it let us off so easily after I had provoked it so much!
With this realization, my heart tightened, and I urgently tried to call Shangguan Yao back. But by then, she was already at the cave entrance.
It was too late!
A black shadow appeared on the snow, growing darker and darker.
Shangguan Yao shrieked and fell to the ground!
The giant bird's earlier departure was indeed a ruse to lure us out of the cave!
In the blink of an eye, the giant bird landed, its sharp beak ferociously pecking towards Shangguan Yao.
Was I to watch another comrade be killed by this monstrous bird!
No!
I don't know where the strength came from, but I suddenly lunged towards Shangguan Yao like a cheetah.
I grabbed her, flung her inside, and in doing so, was forced to face the rapidly approaching beak!
Every hair on my body stood on end.
The giant bird opened its mouth, its scarlet eyes filled with triumph. It clearly intended to swallow me whole, just as it had Xu Jiaojiao!
The attack was imminent, and I had no space left to dodge!
Danger!