The atmosphere was quiet and oppressive, everyone was lying on the ground, breathing rapidly.
It was a long time before a middle-aged man with a horse face broke the silent atmosphere and asked, "Should we kill the giant first, or the tribe, or split up and go?"
"Kill the giant. It's the biggest threat, and it's currently asleep. As long as we're careful, there's no risk. If we kill the barbarians, it might alert the giant, which would be more dangerous," said a short young man.
"I agree."
"I agree too!"
...
Everyone chimed in with agreement.
As for splitting up, no one mentioned it.
Combining forces can boost courage, and with three auditors present, it's naturally much safer. But splitting up would exponentially increase the risk for any group.
The terrain was open at the slope, everything in view, coupled with daylight, making any strategic maneuvers impractical.
Fortunately, the weeds here grew thickly, nearly half a meter high, enough to cover the figures.
A group of people crouched, using the weeds as cover, slowly approaching the direction of the giant.
No one spoke throughout the way, only heavy breathing could be heard.
Occasionally, small animals would dart quickly from the grass, startling everyone.
Everything in this alien world made one extra cautious, even a bizarrely colored beetle was enough to be avoided.
The three auditors walked at the rear, having not uttered a word since entering the passage.
Eighteen people participated in this combat test, three women and fifteen men.
Their ages were generally in the twenties and thirties, the oldest approaching forty, the youngest was Chen Shouyi, only seventeen.
But in terms of experience and composure, Chen Shouyi was the most seasoned.
At least, more than twenty barbarians had died by his hand.
After walking slowly for about ten minutes, the giant's snores became clearer, as if vibrations faintly echoed through the eardrums, while a stench of rotting corpses mixed with feces grew increasingly pungent.
At this moment, a woman suddenly gasped, immediately covering her mouth, turning her head away, avoiding any further gaze.
The team, like startled birds, halted quickly by her gasp.
It was a head crushed by a heavy object, the inside already void of brain matter, with a large portion of the face showing rotted skin. Two cloudy, festering eyes had several fat maggots squirming in and out.
Despite the head being heavily decayed, Chen Shouyi immediately identified it as a human head.
Aside from the face shape, the person's exposed teeth clearly showed signs of dental work.
"Everyone, no matter what you see, keep your mouth shut. If you can't, stay here and don't put us in danger," someone said, breathing heavily, with a low, grim voice.
"Correct, if you lack this mental resilience, don't partake in the martial artist combat test!" someone immediately agreed quietly.
The woman's gasp earlier had frightened many.
The woman, looking embarrassed, changed color, opening her mouth as if wanting to say something but eventually remained silent.
After a brief pause, the team continued forward, encountering more and more bones, some of which were bodies not entirely decayed.
Most were human.
During that "meal," clearly there was too much "food" for the giant and it killed too quickly, leaving leftovers to rot.
Besides the skeletal remains, excrement was scattered everywhere here.
Every pile was over half a meter tall, attracting countless insect-like flies.
The crowd hid in the grass, being constantly bumped by these bugs, covering their heads and faces.
Despite his tense state, Chen Shouyi couldn't help but be shocked by the giant's squalor and laziness, living among heaps of excrement and decaying food scraps.
But soon, he had no time to dwell on these thoughts.
The thunderous snores permeated the air with a faint oppressive aura, making it difficult to breathe.
One person dared to stand up, taking a quick glance, then squatted back down, whispering:
"Everyone, let's discuss, we're only sixty to seventy meters away, should we attack now?"
"Too far, no certainty. Advance a bit more, at least within fifty meters," for the first time since entering the alien world, Chen Shouyi spoke up.
Everyone looked at Chen Shouyi, then at the giant bow in his hand. It was a six-hundred-pound war bow, the heaviest bow besides the director's.
Though Chen Shouyi was the youngest in the group, strength brought the greatest authority.
"This young brother is right, advance a bit more, aim for a fatal blow."
"It should be fine, the giant is still asleep."
After a brief discussion, everyone agreed.
The group cautiously walked a bit further and finally stopped.
Everyone slowly stood up.
In the distance, the Giant lay sprawled on the grass, its massive figure creating a strong visual impact.
Six to seven meters might not sound like much, but if this Giant stood up, its head could reach the third-floor ceiling, and it could easily touch the fourth floor by stretching out its hand.
Its head alone was as large as a basket.
Disheveled and filthy, its body was so dirty that its original color was no longer visible. Its toenails were curled on its large feet, indicating it never considered clipping them.
The surroundings were very quiet, causing many to swallow nervously and sweat to stream down their foreheads.
Chen Shouyi felt his heart racing as he quickly pulled out an arrow, nocked it, and aimed at the Giant's head. Noticing the clumsy movements of those nearby from the corner of his eye, he turned and whispered, "This won't do, who will command us?"
"Let me do it!" The middle-aged man with a horse face from earlier stepped forward.
"Watch my hand signals, this is three, this is two, this is one, this is attack—unify the rhythm then."
His gestures were common and clear, understood by everyone at a glance. He set down his bow and stepped aside.
Chen Shouyi took a deep breath, nocked another arrow, and aimed at the side of the Giant's temple, drawing the 600-pound heavy bow with all his might.
"3"
"2"
"1"
In the interim, no one attacked prematurely due to nervousness; after all, as prospective Martial Artists, their basic psychological quality far surpassed ordinary people.
At the wave of the commander's hand, Chen Shouyi instantly released the bowstring.
The arrow shot out swiftly with a sharp whistle.
Thirty to forty meters was an instantaneous leap for the supersonic arrow from the heavy bow.
Unfortunately, his aim was slightly off, striking only the Giant's cheekbone.
Archery is a fundamental skill for every Martial Artist Apprentice, and although many were nervous, none missed their shot.
In an instant, the Giant's head was bristling with arrows.
However, these arrows penetrated too shallowly, mostly only embedding into the surface flesh of the Giant's face. A few archers with precise aim hit the temple, but the arrows lodged mere inches as if getting stuck.
Chen Shouyi began feeling uneasy.
The next moment, the Giant let out a terrifying howl and suddenly stood up. At that moment, faint yellow glimmers rose from the surface of its body.
Enraged, the Giant's face twisted into a snarl, revealing sharp, yellowed fangs like intersecting daggers. A giant hand brushed its face, knocking away most of the arrows embedded there.
It plucked out the remaining arrows one by one, and the bleeding from the wounds stopped quickly.
Several more arrows flew towards its head or chest, but either they were easily deflected by its large hand, or the light surrounding it blocked them.
A powerful fear seized their hearts, and some began slowly retreating. If not for the three dignified officials backing them up, many people might have already turned and fled in terror.
The Giant was far stronger than imagined; the mystical yellow light on its body indicated it was a supernatural being.
"Foolish mortals, daring to offend the mighty Giant. As a price, I shall eat you," its angry voice rumbled like distant thunder.
As the words fell, an arrow, long aimed, swiftly pierced through its waving hand, slicing through the faint glowing light on the surface, but after penetrating the light, its momentum faltered, embedding shallowly into the Giant's cheek.
Chen Shouyi's mind was alert as he began slowly retreating, rapidly drawing another arrow.
The Giant, after yanking out the arrow from its face, looked abruptly towards Chen Shouyi with eyes burning with something like fire. Stooping to pick up a massive log at its feet, it started charging towards Chen Shouyi, the ground trembling lightly with each step.
The speed of the Giant was indescribable, like a forty-five-meter truck barreling towards him at high speed, with the rushing wind already upon them before the Giant arrived.
Some turned pale with fright, immediately turning to flee.
Others froze, utterly stiff, seeming mentally overawed.
Chen Shouyi barely managed to fire one arrow before dropping the war bow and swiftly drawing his Long Sword.
Watching the rapidly approaching Giant, his heart pounded like a drum, making his scalp tingle!
Damn, why are you coming after me?
I'm not the only one who shot at you.
He could clearly tell the Giant was targeting him.
At this point, it was too late to run; even if he sprinted with all his might, he couldn't outrun this terrifying Giant.
As he was about to give it his all, a sharp arrow flashed like lightning, instantly piercing the air and embedding deeply in the Giant's eye socket.
The next moment, the Giant shuddered, staggered a few more steps, and fell heavily to the ground, causing a slight tremor upon impact.
Chen Shouyi turned his head to see Director Fang not far away, holding a Giant Bow in a shooting stance, the bowstring still vigorously vibrating.
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