freenovelworld Chapter 432 A desperate escape!
Chapter 432 A desperate escape!
This giant ape was enormous, ferocious, and savage. A single humanoid mantis was no match for it, being torn in two. However, these humanoid mantises, relying on their large numbers and exceptional unity, charged forward fearlessly, making the battle fierce and evenly matched. The side room reeked of a pungent, nauseating stench of blood, enough to make anyone vomit.
At this moment, Zhong Yuemin discovered that not only were the praying mantises crawling out of the coffin, but there was also a hidden cave in the corner from which they were emerging. He immediately ordered everyone to follow him and crawl into the cave.
Zhang Haiyang looked in the direction he was looking, and his face turned green:
"Yuemin, are you crazy? That's the praying mantis's lair! Aren't we just walking into a trap, delivering ourselves right to their doorstep?!"
"Stay here and wait for them to decide their fate. We'll be the next ones to die!"
Zhong Yuemin's voice carried the coldness of a battlefield commander.
"If you want to live, take a gamble with me! Come on, all of you, follow me!"
Without another word, he quickly made his way to the cave entrance, clinging to the rock wall. He shone his flashlight inside, but it was pitch black; he couldn't see anything. He handed two grenades to Ning Wei, instructing him to cover their retreat.
"If that giant ape chases after us, just use grenades."
Ning Wei nodded, his expression solemn.
Zhong Yuemin was the first to crawl into the cave, followed closely by the others.
The cave reeked of blood and was sticky. After crawling for five or six minutes, the scene changed. The cave ended, connecting to a narrow, cylindrical space that went vertically upwards.
Shining the flashlight upwards, the rock face was smooth and seemed to rise endlessly, like a deep well.
However, on the well wall, a small, spiraling stone staircase, barely wide enough for half a foot to step on, was actually carved out by human hands, winding its way into the darkness above.
"There's a way!"
Zhong Yuemin's spirits lifted; this might be the escape route. He lowered his voice and said:
"Ocean, Dragon, you two go first and scout the way up the steps. Be very careful, the rest of you follow behind!"
Zhang Haiyang and Dalong knew this might be their only way out, so they immediately began to climb the dangerous spiral staircase, using both their hands and feet.
The others followed suit, each one on edge, fearing they might slip and fall.
Just as most people began to climb upwards,
"Boom!!!"
From the depths of the cave they had just emerged from, a muffled yet extremely powerful explosion resounded, sending dust scattering from the rock walls.
A moment later, Ning Wei emerged from the cave entrance in a disheveled state. His combat uniform was torn open on the back, his flesh was exposed, and a deep, bone-revealing claw mark ran diagonally across his entire back. Blood was gushing out, staining half of his body red, making him look ferocious and terrifying!
Their faces turned several shades pale!
"Ning Wei!" Zhong Yuemin's pupils shrank sharply. "Are you alright?"
Cold sweat beaded on Ning Wei's forehead as he gritted his teeth and shook his head.
"He won't die, that beast... charged at us, the grenade... only held him off slightly..."
As if to confirm his words, the terrifying, ferocious roar came again from the depths of the cave, approaching at an alarming speed. The sounds of claws scraping against the rock walls and the massive body squeezing through the narrow passage could even be heard.
"Go upstairs quickly!"
Zhong Yuemin shouted sternly, while quickly unloading a drum magazine and switching magazines, his gun pointed intently at the deep cave entrance.
"I'll stop that beast... bang bang bang!"
They opened fire immediately. Once Ning Wei had climbed up, he threw a grenade into the cave, then quickly climbed up himself. A loud rumble followed as the cave was blocked by falling rocks. The eerie screams ceased, but before anyone could even breathe a sigh of relief…
"Boom!!!"
A more violent and brute-force impact than the grenade explosion erupted from below, scattering the rubble blocking the cave as if hit by a cannonball.
Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, the utterly crazed green-haired giant ape actually smashed through the barrier, its massive body squeezing into the vertical shaft space.
The giant ape looked even more terrifying now, its body covered in a sticky, dark green and crimson sludge of blood, whether from the mantis or itself, it was unclear. Its thick green fur was matted together with blood, dripping with a slimy substance.
Raising its terrifying, ferocious head, it unleashed a deafening roar that echoed through the well walls, causing the entire rocky well to tremble.
Yang Qing, who was above, was startled by the sudden turn of events. She lost her footing and fell straight down. "Ah!"
"Xiaoqing!"
Yang Guojun tried to grab it, but his body wouldn't obey him, and he shouted hoarsely.
Just as he was about to fall to the bottom of the well, Zhong Yuemin reacted with lightning speed. In a flash, he twisted and lunged back on the next step, almost throwing his entire body off the stone step. He maintained his balance only by hooking his ankles tightly onto the protrusions of the rock steps behind him.
With his upper body fully extended and his arms outstretched like iron clamps, he grabbed Yang Qing's ankle tightly the moment she fell!
The immense downward force caused the two to swing violently through the air like on a swing.
Hanging headfirst in mid-air, Yang Qing looked up in shock to find a terrifying ape face, covered in blood, with menacing fangs and emitting a hot, foul stench, right up close.
Those ferocious, blood-red eyes were almost touching her nose, and the pungent stench of decay and blood assaulted her senses, making her stomach churn and almost causing her to vomit on the spot.
Even more terrifying, the green-haired giant ape had obviously also spotted this easy "prey". It roared and a giant claw covered in slime and with a cold glint at its fingertips swirled down, carrying a foul stench, and viciously grabbed at Yang Qing, who was suspended in mid-air!
"Yuemin! Help me!!!" Her screams were distorted by extreme fear.
"rise!"
Veins bulged on Zhong Yuemin's forehead. He forced a roar from deep in his throat, using every ounce of strength he had, channeling all his power and weight into his waist, abdomen, and arms. Using the momentum, he suddenly lifted the woman up with all his might, pulling her tightly into his arms.
Without even taking a breath, they shouted, "Quick, climb up!"
Yang Qing, still shaken, continued climbing upwards using both hands and feet, with Zhong Yuemin close behind.
Seeing its prey escape, the giant green-haired ape below flew into a rage. Instead of blindly leaping, it stretched out its massive claws and, with a "crack," gripped the edge of the spiral staircase on the rock wall. Its enormous and agile body began to climb upwards.
This beast clearly possessed considerable intelligence, knew how to utilize the terrain, and had astonishingly strong, powerful limbs. Each movement was swift and steady, causing rocks to fall from the cliff face, and the distance between it and the group rapidly decreased.
From above came the team members' terrified shouts, their voices distorted with fear:
"Ahhh, that monster is climbing up! It...it's catching up, it's catching up..."