Dragon's Origin

Wang Sheng was unaware of Tang Ao's subsequent happiness; he had already crossed the cliff, descended the mountain, and was about to pass through the jungle at the bottom of a valley.

This jungle was peculiar. The vegetation appeared slightly different from what he had seen on the road before, but it was generally consistent. However, one thing was unique: a faint white mist enveloped the area from the mountainside down, making the entire jungle appear indistinct and unclear.

Wang Sheng adjusted his helmet, readjusting the hemp cloth hood that shielded his head and neck, resembling a large bamboo hat. Then, he checked the activated carbon filter layer of his mouth and nose guard, put it on, and strode into the jungle.

As soon as he arrived, his combat awareness warned him subtly. This was different from when he encountered the six-star Earth-Splitting Bear, where the warning grew stronger as he got closer. It was also different from the man-eating ants, where there was frantic warning even when standing still. This time, although there was a warning even when standing still, the level of warning was significantly different.

There was danger, but not very strong, presumably. The combat awareness couldn't explain it clearly, nor could it communicate verbally; Wang Sheng had to understand it himself.

In this situation, all Wang Sheng could do was to be careful and avoid making foolish mistakes. The minor danger wasn't likely to be fatal, and once he passed through this jungle, he should be able to rest easy.

Instinctively, Wang Sheng took out his infrared telescope and looked at the mountaintop behind him. This was a habit. Although he knew that the pursuers might not be able to catch up in time, Wang Sheng still cautiously checked to avoid missing anything he shouldn't overlook.

This look left Wang Sheng speechless. Four red figures appeared on the cliff top at this moment. Undoubtedly, it was those pursuing guys. One was missing because the one who fell hadn't kept up. These guys were truly persistent, leaving Wang Sheng somewhat helpless.

Using a sniper rifle in the jungle was troublesome. With so many trees in the way, he might not be able to hit the enemy accurately. Besides, the gunfire would attract some powerful demon beasts, which wouldn't be worth it.

It seemed he could only let those guys follow, clinging to him like maggots on a bone. Annoying!

Suddenly, Wang Sheng looked thoughtfully at the faint white mist in the jungle. In the Perpetual Killing Zone, the dangerous things weren't necessarily powerful demon beasts, but also many undetectable dangers, such as tiny insects that could kill without bloodshed, or perhaps poisonous miasma.

This was a valley with poor ventilation. Years of accumulated fallen leaves and dead plants and animals made it the perfect environment for producing miasma, similar to the valley filled with methane.

Why would the combat awareness be warning him? Besides the ubiquitous poisonous miasma, Wang Sheng couldn't think of any other possibility.

Looking at the infrared images of the four people behind him, Wang Sheng felt somewhat helpless. The infrared telescope's battery was almost half depleted. Although he only used it for a short while each time, the number of uses added up. He estimated that by the time he left the Perpetual Killing Zone, the battery would be completely exhausted, and he would only be able to use it as an ordinary optical telescope.

Tang Ao and the others were in a hurry to catch up. The happy time on the cliff top was only brief; it would be for nothing if they couldn't catch Wang Sheng. They had already seen from the mountaintop that there was fog below. If they didn't hurry up and catch up, Wang Sheng would probably disappear into the misty forest.

Song Ming's death was truly not worth it. If he had known there was such a narrow gap on the opposite cliff, he wouldn't have rushed so fast. It would only have delayed him a little, but Song Ming was too anxious, leading to failure; he didn't catch Wang Sheng and fell instead.

Everyone understood that Song Ming's misjudgment was due to excessive pressure, but after all, they were partners, so some words were left unsaid. The only fortunate thing was that Wang Sheng's pistol wasn't as loud as a sniper rifle, so it didn't attract powerful demon beasts.

Descending the mountain rapidly, the four followed the traces left by Wang Sheng. This place was rarely visited, a deep mountain forest of unknown centuries. As long as there were traces of someone moving forward, it was undoubtedly left by Wang Sheng.

On this point, Wang Sheng was helpless. The reason he couldn't shake off these guys in the Perpetual Killing Zone was because of this. If these guys were farther away, Wang Sheng would have ample time to deal with the traces he left behind, but they were only a few hundred meters behind him, and each of them had amazing eyesight and hearing, making it impossible to get rid of them.

Wang Sheng wasn't arrogant enough to think that he was the only one who had enhanced his eyesight. There had been many times when he was caught up because of various tracking methods. On this point, Wang Sheng never underestimated his opponents; it was his instinct as a sniper to lie in ambush and disguise himself.

The further they went, the thicker the white fog became, and the visibility dropped to only a few dozen meters. This would be extremely serious smog on Earth, and even more dangerous in the jungle here.

Anxious, Tang Ao and the others followed Wang Sheng quickly. Unknowingly, their breathing became rapid, and their physical strength was greatly depleted.

This was a normal phenomenon. They had been like this almost all the way, so who would calculate whether the speed of rapid breathing and physical exertion was too fast?

Wang Sheng's attire also remained unchanged. From outside the Perpetual Killing Zone to inside, he wore the same flashy camouflage suit that almost made him invisible as soon as he entered the jungle, and the helmet on his head. The only addition after entering was the hemp cloth hood that covered his head and neck.

This was also normal. Tang Ao and the others only realized what the hood was for after being annoyed by those tiny mosquitoes. They followed suit, but they weren't as well-prepared as Wang Sheng. They used some clothes to wrap their heads and faces, only exposing their eyes, and constantly used their spiritual energy for protection, finally avoiding the suffering of mosquito bites.

As for the flashy paint on Wang Sheng's face, everyone, dead or alive, thought it was the totem of Wang Sheng's tribe. They would never think of it as tactical camouflage or that it could repel mosquitoes.

Of course, the hard mask with the same military green camouflage covering his mouth and nose was also regarded as the same totem. Barbarians were dressed like this. Some people had a lot of tattoos on their faces and bodies, with all sorts of weird patterns. Wang Sheng was considered good; he only painted it on, presumably a semi-civilized barbarian.

Based on this understanding, the activated carbon filter layer in the mask was even less likely to be discovered. Tang Ao and the four others had not yet realized that they had already stepped halfway into the edge of death.

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