Chapter 288

Vast and desolate.

Only after all her companions had left did Chloe realize how quiet this place was.

There wasn't even the sound of birdsong here.

If Chloe's memory served her correctly, before her friends had departed, this place certainly wasn't this eerily silent.

What had gone wrong?

Chloe keenly sensed that something was amiss, compounded by the fact that in a group of five, someone was bound to be left alone.

She had allowed herself to be that person, without even a companion to bolster her courage.

Fortunately, Chloe wasn't one to be trifled with. She acted decisively, immediately dialing Ren Yunying's communication device.

The other end seemed preoccupied with other matters and hadn't paid much attention to Chloe.

It wasn't until Chloe called out Ren Yunying's name that the instructor finally reacted, looking at the somewhat anxious Chloe on the screen.

"Has something happened?" Ren Yunying asked.

She narrowed her eyes, observing the girl on the screen.

It was Chloe who had initiated the call, but after connecting, she hadn't immediately spoken. Instead, she was surveying her surroundings with a vigilant gaze.

Those dark red eyes emitted a faint light.

Ren Yunying waited for a moment, but Chloe still showed no intention of speaking to her, so she had to ask proactively, "Did you call because something's wrong?"

"If not, I'll hang up."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Chloe hurriedly replied, "Don't hang up, don't hang up! I think there's a situation here."

Hearing this, Ren Yunying immediately became serious: "What kind of situation?"

Chloe: "I'm all alone here, and I'm a bit scared. I sincerely invite Instructor Ren to join me in facing this predicament and keep me company through this lonely, desolate day."

Ren Yunying: "..."

She must have been possessed to think that anything good could come out of Chloe's mouth.

Seeing her expression, Chloe knew her dear instructor was irritated again, so she quickly explained, "I really think something's off here. I sent the others out in pairs to investigate and mark locations, of course I had to stay behind to watch if any of the Viper Group returned."

After all, this camp didn't look like it had been vacated in an orderly fashion. Rather, it seemed as if something had frightened them, forcing a hasty retreat and leaving many things behind.

Fortunately, Ren Yunying didn't insist on ending the call.

Chloe occasionally glanced at the terminal screen, always seeing that serious, focused face.

This gave her a sense of security.

So she immediately sent a message to her four companions in the group chat.

[Number One Handsome]: Situation here, come quickly.

After sending the message, about four minutes passed with no reply.

Chloe's brow furrowed.

Something was off. No reply after four minutes wasn't like them.

Had they encountered trouble?

Chloe suddenly stood up, about to leave in some direction when her terminal started ringing incessantly.

It was an urgent sound, with multiple incoming calls.

Chloe checked them one by one and found they were from Qin Huaibei and the others.

Fortunately, the current terminals were powerful enough for her to answer all the calls at once.

Everyone: "Something's happened!"

The voices were almost indistinguishable from each other.

Chloe frowned deeply: "What happened?"

On the screen, the camera moved from her companions' faces to an open area not far away.

In that instant, Chloe's pupils constricted.

There was a group of bizarrely shaped creatures, resembling humans but not quite.

They had irregularly shaped heads, with uneven protrusions that seemed to be their facial features. Their limbs were long and thin, with sharp claws and fangs. Their entire bodies were covered in pale, thin skin, almost transparent, clearly showing the bones and organs underneath.

And flowing blue blood.

They could walk upright, but their spines were slightly hunched, with a thick tail dragging on the ground behind them, making a hoarse, prolonged scraping sound as they moved.

The moment she saw these horrifying monsters, Chloe felt a chill run through her entire body.

"What are these creatures?"

Qin Huaibei's voice came through: "...We don't know, but we can be sure they've spotted us."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp cry came from the other side of the screen, and those pale, transparent monsters lunged straight towards Qin Huaibei and the others!

Without fully understanding what these things were, Chloe commanded:

"Run, run back here! Regroup at this location!"

The camera on the screen began to shake violently, and everything in the Forest of Life started to tremble.