"Are these guys not afraid of death at all?" He Yueji murmured as she used her Flying Sickle to chop off the head of a Grey-Spotted Cheetah.
The latter had already been gravely injured in the previous battle, yet even with its intestines spilling onto the ground, it was still struggling to pounce at He Yueji.
Everyone had never witnessed such a bizarre scene before.
In this desert, whether hunter or prey, they all adhered to the ancient rules of survival.
Yet the group of wild beasts before them had even lost the most basic will to live, which clearly wasn't as simple as following commands.
"It seems there really is something controlling their consciousness," Boggy said gravely.
"Large-scale mind control?" He Chengyu frowned even deeper.
Based on the information previously provided by Ma Lu, there were still many formidable beasts lingering near Gate 2. The safer approach at this moment would be to wait here a while before joining up with the Golden Sword team and then entering Gate 2 together.
But if the master of those red sands truly could control the beasts, they probably wouldn't allow them to meet up easily.
Even if Hogan and his squad could defeat the juvenile Six-armed Ancient Ape, they might still encounter other obstacles along the way.
Moreover, with every minute they delayed, the enemy could gather more wild beasts, making the upcoming battle even tougher.
In the end, it was Ma Lu's words that resolute He Chengyu's decision.
"If that guy is sending so many subordinates to stop us, he's obviously very afraid we will find him. My team and I plan to go straight through, what about you, Commander He?"
Upon hearing this, He Chengyu no longer hesitated and nodded, "Then let's go together."
However, no sooner had they set off than they encountered another large group of wild beasts.
He Chengyu was not alarmed but rather delighted because this meant that Ma Lu's previous speculation was very likely correct.
If they could reach Gate 2, perhaps there was indeed a way to end this beast tide.
The four members of Twin Sunflower Hunting Group still charged at the forefront, with Ma Lu picking up a discarded motorcycle by the roadside to wield as a heavy weapon.
The colossal body of the Iron-Eating Scarab crashed to the ground, but soon two even larger figures joined the battle.
The alert from the Traveler's Bracelet kept ringing; nearly all the ingredients arriving were 3 stars or above, with quite a few at 5 or 6 stars.
These beasts, normally elusive sovereigns of their own territories, were now emerging incessantly from every direction like commuters flooding into City B's subway stations during rush hour on a workday.
Even Ma Lu felt the pressure.
All he felt was a chill at his neck, and the next moment, all he could see was darkness; he couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything.
He Yueji let out a cry of alarm.
Since she had been staying by He Chengyu's side, her battle was somewhat easier than for the others, allowing her the occasional sneaky glimpse of Ma Lu's heroic figure, only to witness his head being sent flying.
This scene caused her to lose focus momentarily, screaming out loud; if not for the quick reaction of He Chengyu beside her, repelling the wild beasts near her with metal shards, He Yueji's head might not have stayed in place either.
He Chengyu, following his sister's gaze to the direction of the Twin Sunflower Hunting Group, saw the separated head and body of Ma Lu, and his heart sank.
Ma Lu's strength was well acknowledged; being without such a powerful ally, the ensuing battle would only become more arduous.
Even with an unyielding will like his, facing the nearly endless tide of beasts around him, he couldn't help but feel his resolve waver.
Could they really reach Gate 2 and put an end to the catastrophe brought about by the Giant Curtain with just these people?
As He Chengyu pondered over any possible means to escape the seemingly inescapable death trap, he witnessed a scene he would never forget!
Ma Lu, despite having lost his head, did not fall; his headless body continued to fight relentlessly, swinging his fists and pounding two approaching Wind-walking Prairie Wolves into pulp.
Then he went head-to-head with a Single-Horned White Rhino, his punch shattering the hardest horn on its body; the beast let out a mournful cry, met with another elbow strike, which shattered its jaw.
The decapitated Ma Lu stumbled around like a drunken buffoon, but that didn't hinder his onslaught; with the beasts surrounding him, his wild punches always hit some unfortunate creature.
But what was truly beyond comprehension came next; as He Chengyu watched, Ma Lu's lost head astonishingly began to grow back. At first, it was quite small, but after about seven or eight seconds, it had returned to its original size.
Ma Lu took a moment to adjust to his newly regrown head, opened his eyes, and took in his surroundings. He quickly located his old head still floating in the air, defying gravity, with blood continuously dripping from the wound.