The next morning, everyone gathered in the living room.
Wang Long and Li Shan were not in good shape, with dark circles hanging under their eyes. It was clear they didn't sleep well last night. Besides being afraid of the monsters outside, they also had to be wary of each other. It would be a miracle if they looked okay.
Additionally, they didn't have much food, especially Wang Long, whose stomach was growling continuously, and his lips were pale and dry.
After a brief thought, Chu Xiu gave them some mushrooms to replenish their energy and hydration.
He didn't want these two to drop the ball at a critical moment.
He also ate a bit himself.
After eating, he pushed open the door. A thick cloud of dust rushed towards him, causing Chu Xiu to frown. There were many footprints running back and forth on the ground, and a faint smell of blood lingered in the air.
"At least four unfortunates yesterday. No one would be dumb enough to explore at night, but they still got caught," Wang Long muttered uneasily.
Chu Xiu didn't speak, merely looking thoughtfully at the footprints on the ground.
If those monsters roamed randomly, the footprints going up and down the stairs should be mixed together.
But now, a large number of descending footprints were covering those going up.
"It's as if at a certain point in time, these monsters all ran downstairs collectively. Is it because of the sun? Do a large number of monsters hide after the sun comes out? Do they hate sunlight? Is that why there are fewer monsters during the day?"
Chu Xiu speculated silently in his heart.
Shaking his head, he didn't think more about it and proceeded as planned with the group.
With Yun Lu's nose, they smoothly moved from the eighth floor to the eleventh floor and found a suitable ambush location.
Chu Xiu left Wang Long and Li Shan to set up, while he and Yun Lu continued exploring.
He was tempted by the bodies of those trial takers who died last night.
It had to be said that Yun Lu's nose was truly useful. No wonder it was a B-level talent. It quickly helped Chu Xiu collect all four bodies.
Their deaths were tragic, and their divine souls had almost completely dissipated, but they still provided him with considerable enhancement progress, allowing the bone armor to successfully upgrade to +3.
The newly enhanced bone armor weighed a total of 17 kg, with bone fragments like pure white jade, its hardness no less than ordinary iron armor.
This gave him much more confidence.
Chu Xiu's professional experience also increased by nine points.
During this time, he spotted figures of other trial takers in the corridor. However, that person didn't want to meet Chu Xiu, and when they noticed each other from a distance, they went their separate ways.
When he returned to the eleventh floor, it was almost ten o'clock.
"Why were you so slow?" Wang Long complained.
But upon seeing Chu Xiu's transformed armor, his eyes lit up, and he chuckled, "Brother Chu, my talent and profession are more suitable for combat. Why don't you give me your equipment? I'll return it after the fight."
Li Shan also quickly added, "Yes, Chu Xiu, I'll be the bait. The monsters will definitely attack me first, so give me that armor!"
Chu Xiu glanced at them speechlessly, not bothering to respond.
Wang Long snorted unhappily, patting the metal bat in his hand. Li Shan looked embarrassed but didn't dare say more.
In his eyes, there was some doubt, as if he was puzzled by the change in Chu Xiu's personality.
In his original impression, Chu Xiu was a good-natured guy. Even if he didn't lend it, he wouldn't be so blunt as to not bother with pleasantries.
These mutterings in his heart were, of course, unknown to Chu Xiu as he entered the room to inspect the terrain.
Wang Long and Li Shan set up the ambush spot in the living room, which had a square structure. Li Shan placed a two-meter-long wooden sofa across a wall corner, forming a small nook that could accommodate only one person.
The heavy sofa served as a wooden barricade. After entering, he used a few large wooden boards to cover the top, thus forming a decent shelter.
It had to be said that Li Shan was somewhat clever. Chu Xiu also recalled that his academic performance was decent, ranking in the top ten of the class.
Li Shan chose a corner facing the main door. When the door opened, the monsters would immediately rush in. Wang Long and Chu Xiu would each be lying in ambush in the blind spots of the two adjacent corners.
Yun Lu would hide in the neighboring room and close the door once the monsters were entirely focused on Li Shan.
Reviewing the entire plan in his mind and confirming no omissions, he nodded at Li Shan.
[Begin.]
He himself gripped the bone spear tightly, crouching in the corner.
Li Shan took out an iron pot and lightly tapped it on the ground. The metallic clashing sound resonated far and wide.
"Clang—"
The noise quickly quieted down, and the apartment building returned to its usual silence.
Li Shan applied a bit more force and knocked again.
"Clang—"
Chu Xiu felt his palms sweating, and his heartbeat began to accelerate. Although he had remained calm all along, now that it was really time to take action, he couldn't help but feel nervous.
The Abyss isn't a game; mistakes result in only one outcome—death!
"Clang—"
Li Shan knocked again, and this time, after waiting for about ten seconds, there came a soft "click, click" from the doorway.
Chu Xiu immediately tensed up.
From this angle, he couldn't see what was at the door, and his helmet also somewhat restricted his view, allowing him only to hear the heavy footsteps approaching from afar.
As they came closer, he began to hear a hoarse wheezing, like the dying struggle of a person with a slit throat, yet the sound and breath were much louder, mixed with the stench of blood and body odor flooding into his nostrils.
It had arrived.
Chu Xiu could almost sense that the monster still had remnants of flesh torn from its prey's body in its mouth.
Even without seeing the figure, Chu Xiu knew a massive, ferocious beast had entered!
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Chu Xiu caught sight of a shadow swiftly passing by!
The figure was too fast; before he knew it, a broad, black-furred back appeared in his line of sight!
It was a two-meter-tall humanoid creature with particularly wide lats, indicating its adeptness at swinging. Its chest and back were covered with coarse, hard black fur that provided effective defense, the limbs, however, were not covered by fur, appearing long and slender. Upon closer inspection, one would find highly taut, almost fatless muscles with skin exhibiting a terrifying bluish-black hue.
With Li Shan's terrified scream, the creature's entire back muscles bulged, lifting its right hand and smashing down heavily!
"Boom!"
With a thunderous crash, wooden splinters flew as the sturdy wooden sofa was forcibly smashed by the terrifying monster strength, breaking the top wooden panel into several pieces!
From beneath came Li Shan's shrill scream of fear, "Chu Xiu! Wang Long! You guys better get moving!"
Chu Xiu's heart pounded fiercely, and the monster's shrill cries made him instinctively want to retreat! He was facing a beast much more powerful and larger than himself, stirring a deep-seated genetic fear!
But reason overrode instinctual fear as he bit hard and thrust the Bone Spear forward!
As if sensing the wind, the monster suddenly turned its head, revealing a face horribly decayed like a Ghoul!
Chu Xiu's heart quivered, but he immediately suppressed the fear and forcefully drove the Bone Spear forward!
"Rip!"
Just then, as the monster turned, the sharp spearhead pierced into its flank; at the first contact, Chu Xiu felt enormous resistance from the tip, as though he was not hitting flesh but tightly woven layers of cotton.
After the spearhead penetrated seven or eight centimeters, Chu Xiu encountered great resistance preventing further progress; looking down, he saw a bluish-black large hand tightly grasping the spear's tip!
Chu Xiu's heart skipped a beat, then filled with horror! The monster had stopped his full strength with just one hand!
Before he could snap back from his fear, he felt immense power coming from the spear, lifting him from the ground as the beast used the spear as a lever, hoisting Chu Xiu into the air!
"Bang!"
With a loud crash, Chu Xiu was lifted high and slammed into the ceiling, causing a shower of wall fragments and dust. His brain felt as though it had been struck by a Heavy Hammer, and his Five Viscera seemed displaced by the massive impact!
"Boom!"
Another loud crash followed, and he fell from a height of three meters. The seventeen-kilogram Bone Armor offered little protection, instead adding weight to his fall, causing intense pain throughout his body.
His ears buzzed, but he vaguely heard Yun Lu's terrified scream.
He struggled to prop himself up, seeing a pair of bloodthirsty red pupils staring at him.
Something was wrong... Chu Xiu's mind fogged from the impact, yet he felt something amiss. This monster was undeniably powerful, but it should be their trapped prey instead.
At this moment, Li Shan's frantic shout reminded him, "Wang Long, get a move on!"
Chu Xiu glanced over from the corner of his eye; Wang Long, who should have launched the attack with him, was standing rooted in place, legs trembling, and hands gripping the bat shaking uncontrollably.
He was paralyzed with fear.