Yama Reborn-Chapter 608 - 605: [Forest]

Entering the jungle and moving deeper, it's been about an hour.

The progress wasn't fast, although the old man opened the way, but soon the Son of the Sun was replaced.

The one who replaced the old man was Nolan.

In Nolan's words: "You're setting fires all the way, making too much noise. Besides, in this damned place, if a big fire breaks out, are we all here going to become barbecue?"

Nolan took over the job of pathfinder from the Son of the Sun.

And the other two Body Technique Department's strong Special Ability Users were also at the front with Nolan, one on the left and the other on the right, opening the way with him.

These two didn't have Nolan's ability to release Wind Blades or Mentality Cutting with bare hands.

However, after a month in Africa, everyone was habitually carrying jungle essentials, like machetes and such.

The two burly and robust Body Technique Special Ability Users held machetes, clearing the way on Nolan's sides, and when encountering particularly large obstacles, Nolan would use Mentality Cutting.

Meanwhile, the Wizard continued to act as the team's scout, with dozens of Spiritual Force Tentacles distributed around the team, always on guard for unknown dangers.

This move was very effective.

Because along the way, they indeed encountered no less than ten attacks.

There were the vines they'd seen before...though the ones in the forest weren't as robust as those on the large tree on the hillside earlier.

In addition, they certainly saw this feature retained in the Underground World: Cannibal Flowers.

Originally, they looked like ordinary broadleaf plants, but as soon as someone approached, they would suddenly spring up rapidly, with two leaves acting like serrated blades trying to wrap around the person.

Fortunately, the Wizard's Spiritual Force Tentacles served as an early warning.

When a Special Ability User on the right side of the team was attacked by a Cannibal Flower, the Wizard's Spiritual Force Tentacles blocked the flower first, slowing its speed and giving the attacked person time to react.

The attacked Special Ability User reacted quickly, throwing back a burst of explosive Wind Blade.

The Cannibal Flower's stem was directly cut by the Wind Blade, falling to the ground, with the red-green liquid still oozing out.

However... Chen Nuo sharply noticed... the red color was a bit deeper.

Upon inspection, they found that the leaves of the Cannibal Flower, acting as serrated blades...

were surprisingly sturdy!

"Not as good as metal, but comparable to ordinary hard plastic."

The Wizard checked and shook his head: "The plants here are too strange."

Nolan added: "The ecosystem is relatively complete, the luminous rock areas above us provide lighting, and the central lake in the jungle must have an underground water source.

In that case, photosynthesis can be guaranteed.

But did you notice, the oxygen content here must be much higher than outside."

Chen Nuo glanced at Nolan, who quickly said: "Therefore, the plants here are all broad-leaved trees due to the high temperature and sufficient light. The height of the plants here and the insects we see are larger than those outside, which indicates the higher oxygen content."

Saying this, Nolan looked up and pointed skyward.

Because of the lush canopy in the forest, when people on the ground looked up, they could hardly see the dome, which showed how tall the trees were, with dense foliage and extremely vigorous Life Force.

The slightly shorter plants on the ground were also strange and peculiar, making people hesitant to approach.

·

The team's progress wasn't slow, as there wasn't a single ordinary person among them.

The Son of the Sun opening the path was majestic.

The Special Ability Users were also in their element, all pulling out their weapons, and went all the way without encountering any dangerous situations.

After walking for a while, the Son of the Sun in front suddenly called out lightly, quickly raising a hand in a warning gesture, and the team immediately stopped!

Everyone tensed up right away, some raising their weapons cautiously, while others, Special Ability Users, proactively manned the flanks alertly.

Chen Nuo pulled Lu Xixi through the team to the front, then looked at the situation ahead of the Son of the Sun, and couldn't help a change in expression!

·

In front of them in the jungle was a mess of wreckage!

As if some fierce battle had taken place, looking over, an area about the size of a basketball court, the original forest, those huge trees that took several people to hug around, were broken and toppled, with broken parts clearly the result of massive force collision.

On the ground, in many places, the surface soil was completely turned over, and countless unknown low shrubs and vegetation were swept away, after being repeatedly crushed by the enormous force, almost mixed with the soil.

The ground was filled with an earthy smell, but also carried the strong scent of plant juices resulting from plant compression.

Additionally, there was a strong stench—like the rankness from some creature, but with a strong metallic smell mixed in.

Within the team, including Chen Nuo, there wasn't one who was innocent, the complex scents permeating the air, after a bit of thought turning, everyone's faces gradually grew more solemn.

The stench seemed like the body odor of some wild beast—all beasts living in the wild have this strong rank smell.

And that metallic smell...was even more recognizable.

The smell of blood!

Plus this area seemed like a scene of intense slaughter and battle.

Chen Nuo and Nolan Wizard came over, the three quickly inspecting the area.

"The trees were broken by impact," the Wizard loudly declared from afar.

"There are bloodstains here, and… some keratin scratched off the tree trunk."

"There's a trail in the bushes over there, seems like some large-sized creature passed through… damn, this thing's like a steamroller."

Several Controllers quickly captured the information.

However, Chen Nuo had already arrived beside a relatively intact large tree, frowning as he looked upward to observe.

The bark in several places on the tree was already fallen, and many branches and leaves were broken and dropped.

Chen Nuo suddenly lightly jumped and, agile as a monkey, climbed up the large tree.

Not long after, he reached a point over ten meters above the ground, onto a large extending branch, looking closely.

Chen Nuo raised an eyebrow.

Then, he leapt down.

Before anyone could ask, Chen Nuo was already crouched on the ground searching.

"Chen Nuo, what are you…" The Son of the Sun started to ask when Kamisou Ichiro waved his hand, smiling: "Let Mr. Chen concentrate on his work, he's definitely found something."

A few minutes later, Chen Nuo stood up and walked over.

"Have you discovered anything?"

The speaker was the Wizard.

Chen Nuo thought for a moment and slowly extended his hand.

In his hand, two fingers held a piece about the size of a bowl.

Its thickness was roughly that of a magazine, hard, grayish-black in color, yet seemed to have some kind of pattern on it.

The Wizard took it, pinching it, and frowned: "It's a scale."

After sniffing it close to his nose, the Wizard's expression slightly changed: "It's a snake, very strong fishy smell."

Everyone's expression instinctively changed.

Actually... a snake may not necessarily be frightening.

Everyone present were Special Ability Users. If it came to a fight... no one would fear a snake.

Moreover, several Controllers were present... if it were merely natural creatures.

Not to mention a snake, even facing a Tyrannosaurus rex...

For Controllers, there would be no fear either.

The only consideration might be whether the T-rex meat would taste better grilled with coriander or with chili...

But human nature, turning pale at the mention of snakes, isn't because of combat power considerations but an inherent biological aversion.

The Wizard inhaled: "A bowl-sized scale... calculating from this, the snake must be at least three or four meters thick."

Chen Nuo nodded and softly said: "So I was feeling quite strange just now...

If there were a fierce battle between large wild animals here... but I had checked the ground just now, finding no beast footprints.

This area is humid, the forest ground is relatively soft, if there were large animals, footprints should be left behind.

I even thought maybe my observation wasn't thorough, but after climbing up the tree, looking down, I'm certain there's indeed no footprints."

Son of the Sun frowned: "No footprints... so... were both sides of the fight snakes? Two giant snakes fighting?"

Chen Nuo said: "I thought so too initially, but then I found this thing."

Chen Nuo slowly extended his other hand.

This time he was holding something keratinous, similar to some kind of tough skin tissue.

Generally, lizards or crocodiles have such tough and firm appearances on their exteriors, resilient and sturdy, thick.

"Some kind of reptile?" The Wizard took it, looking it over, then sniffed it.

"No." Chen Nuo pointed at the big tree he had climbed earlier: "I found some marks on the branches.

They were left by something hard scraping the branch.

I observed the position and ratios roughly; it should be some kind of flying creature leaving claw marks while perched on the branch."

Pausing a bit, Chen Nuo continued: "Moreover, this flying entity should be much smaller than the snake... but there are many of them!"

Later, Chen Nuo frowned: "From the scene's traces, the large snake was besieged by a group of flying creatures.

But from the distant forest's traces, after battling here, the big snake must have fled injured, leaving a path looking like it was run over by a steamroller; plants and trees were crushed in its wake...

What's puzzling to me is, such intense battle, I saw many bloodstains on the ground that seeped into the soil.

However, I haven't seen any corpses... those that besieged the big snake seem to fly and act in swarms.

In theory, for such fierce battle, not a single individual among the attackers, which are relatively small, suffered casualties?"

"Maybe they were eaten by the snake?" Son of the Sun smirked.

"The big snake should have fled wounded in battle, not having time to stop and dine." The Wizard looked irritably at the old man.

Son of the Sun continued asking: "Could they have been dragged away by some scavenger creature in the forest for dinner?"

Chen Nuo didn't speak, just frowned looking at the shattered area, pondering, slowly shaking his head: "On this ground is the residue from many broken plants and bloodstains left here.

In theory, we've seen situations like this attract insects to the place.

Yet I haven't seen any insects here.

So... I suspect that snake was very fierce, its scent repelling nearby creatures from approaching.

Thus, the intense fishy smell it left in the air deters surrounding creatures, and even those bizarre bugs usually attracted by blood and plant juice, haven't dared approach here.

Therefore, it wasn't any scavenger creature that dragged away the corpses."

Son of the Sun sarcastically smiled: "Could it be... the flying creatures besieging the big snake... they clean up the battlefield, dragging away their companions' bodies?"

"Why wouldn't they?" The Wizard coolly said: "It's not something inscrutable, there are rare examples of certain special creatures in the natural world that would collect their companion's bodies after a fight."

After speaking, the Wizard asked Chen Nuo: "What do you think attacked that big snake? Flying creatures? Specifically, what do you think it is?"

Chen Nuo earnestly said: "First, I can confirm, they aren't birds!"

Pausing, Chen Nuo's expression became very serious: "Because here, we haven't seen a single feather!

Even if they carried off their deceased kin's bodies, surely, they couldn't be smart enough to clean up all scattered feathers from the battlefield!"

Son of the Sun continued asking: "No feathers? Didn't you say they were flying creatures?"

Chen Nuo looked at this old fellow: "If you spent less time sleeping with women, drinking, and read more, even watching shows like National Geographic on TV, you'd know flying animals aren't only the kind with feathers."

The old man, fortunately, was not entirely stupid, his eyes turned, and he said: "I've thought of something...

Bats!"

Nolan interjected: "Could be, or might not be... Chen Nuo brought back this keratin layer, looks like it could be some lizard-like thing.

Some lizards in nature can also fly, or rather, their limbs have membranes allowing short-distance gliding."

Lu Xixi, listening to their conversation all along, suddenly laughed and said: "I've thought of something.

Something like a lizard, but with wings that can fly.

However... possibly not so small in size.

Hmm, I'm referring to a dragon.

The kind in Western myth legends."

Chen Nuo laughed, shook his head: "What you said is interesting, however... judging by the claw scrape marks I saw on the branches, these creatures attacking the big snake shouldn't be too large, so... it's certainly not dragons.

Moreover... dragons in Western mythology aren't group dwellers, right."