However, looking farther out, it’s still a chaos of interwoven gray and white.

Compared to the outside world, the view remains severely restricted.

This shows the unusual nature of the mist.

Fang Cheng resumed his pace, his gaze sweeping across the two companions beside him.

Hou Peng seemed to be hiding some kind of trump card as well.

He narrowed his eyes halfway, his wind-catching ears twitching constantly.

Relying solely on the subtle echo of sound waves and the sense of airflow, he walked as if on flat ground through the pothole-ridden forest.

The only one suffering was Ma Donghe.

This man, as robust as a bear, was now a complete "blind bear."

He was randomly swinging a flashlight, its beam drawing erratic circles in the air, while his other hand clung tightly to the sleeve of Fang Cheng’s training suit, taking small and hurried steps.

"Ah Cheng, slower, slower. Is there a pit ahead? My shoes are slipping..."

His massive figure was pressed tightly against Fang Cheng’s side, swaying as he walked.

This timid demeanor was a stark contrast to the boastful stance he had earlier when he claimed he would catch a bear in the mountains to roast and eat.

"Wait, something is coming!"

While they were walking, Fang Cheng suddenly uttered two words, suddenly stopping in his tracks.

Upon hearing this, Ma Donghe immediately braked, obediently standing still.

Hou Peng turned his head in confusion, following Fang Cheng’s line of sight to look toward the misty front.

One second, two seconds... five seconds.

The two nervously waited for a long time.

Just as Ma Donghe swallowed, preparing to ask if it was another false alarm.

The wind suddenly shifted.

A pungent scent of decay, as if tangible, tore through the thick mist ahead and came rushing in.

"Boom shhh!"

The undergrowth ahead was violently snapped.

A shadow more massive than an off-road vehicle burst out, stomping violently, making the ground tremble.

It was a terrifyingly large mutant boar.

Steel-like coarse black fur stood erect all over its body, two spear-like tusks hung with foul-smelling mucus, and its blood-red eyes showed a frenzy of bloodthirsty insanity.

Ma Donghe’s mind went blank, his legs felt like they’d turned to lead, leaving him standing still.

Hou Peng cried out "watch out," retreating with a dagger, almost tripping over a tree root.

At the moment when the boar’s massive body was about to crush over.

Fang Cheng moved.

He stepped forward half a step, his military boot grinding a stone below into powder.

At the same time, he took a deep breath, the muscles of his back and waist instantly tightening like steel cables, his spine suddenly snapping in recoil.

No extra moves.

His right arm, accompanied by the sinister shriek of tearing air, smashed down heavily on the boar’s charging head.

Bang!!!

A tremendously dull boom exploded in the woods, airwaves flipping dried leaves in a circle.

The terrifying kinetic energy burst forth instantly.

The several-ton charge of the boar came to an abrupt halt.

Then, at a speed faster than its approach, it flew backward.

Back where it came from.

The massive body knocked down three bowl-thick pine trees in succession, before heavily thrashing into the dirt.

Looking over again

One saw that the huge boar’s head had been completely blasted like a watermelon hit by a cannon, red and white pulp splattering all over the ground.

"So gruesome——"

Ma Donghe and Hou Peng opened their mouths wide, the same thought spontaneously popping into their minds.

Fang Cheng calmly withdrew his right hand.

His entire fist along with his forearm, was now glowing red like a branding iron.

The filthy blood and meat remnants on his skin evaporated instantly from the scary heat, wisps of white smoke rising.

In the blink of an eye, that hand reverted to being clean and slender.

"Ah, Ah Cheng... did you have a micro bomb in your fist?"

Ma Donghe stammered, his eyes almost popping out.

Hou Peng raised his thumb, his voice trembling:

"Brother Fang, you’re a pure humanoid T-Rex! I’ve seen it all today!"

Fang Cheng smiled slightly, casually flicking his wrist:

"I used to train a lot in boxing, this brute only knows how to charge blindly, just happened to hit its vital spot."

Ma Donghe apparently didn’t take this humble remark to heart.

With the danger cleared, his foodie nature immediately took the high ground.

He trotted over to the headless wild boar corpse, kicked its thick hind leg with his toe, and his eyes lit up:

"Wow, this is top-notch ingredient! The mutated wild boars have been running in the mountains for years, and their meat is firm. Ah Cheng, look at this thigh meat, it’s perfect for slicing and grilling with carbon, sizzling with oil; if we could find a pot to stew those ribs, the broth would be so tasty it would knock your eyebrows off!"

Fang Cheng listened and nodded to himself.

Great minds think alike.

Although Ma Donghe loves to brag, he and I share a lot of common ground when it comes to Cooking Skill.

"Brother Ma, are you crazy?"

Hou Peng cautiously approached, his face full of disdain:

"This is a mutated creature that’s been contaminated. Who knows if it carries a deadly virus? One bite and you’re done for!"

Ma Donghe sneered and shrugged:

"What are you afraid of? No matter how deadly the virus, once it’s roasted to crispy perfection on fire, it can’t do anything!"

"You don’t know."

Hou Peng shook his head, explaining:

"Some viruses from outer space are extremely heat-resistant, and grilling temperatures won’t solve them."

The two stood by the pool of blood, arguing with each other.

Fang Cheng ignored them, his eyes fixed on the wild boar, with a faint golden glow flickering in his pupils.

He could clearly sense that there seemed to be a rampaging yet abundant Life Energy contained in this beast’s meat.

"Donghe, cut off its thigh meat, we’re taking it."

Fang Cheng suddenly spoke.

"Got it!"

Seeing his opinion adopted, Ma Donghe immediately beamed with joy.

He drew his military Dagger, relying on his strength, and within moments, dismantled the two thighs.

He selected the biggest one for himself, carrying it on his shoulder, then casually tossed the slightly smaller foreleg to Hou Peng.

"Hold it carefully, if you’re afraid of poisoning, don’t eat it after it’s roasted."

Hou Peng held the fifty-pound pig leg, still dripping blood, and his skinny frame shook, feeling helpless.

He nearly voiced his thoughts aloud, what sin have I committed, carrying a twenty-kilogram marching bag, and now this pig leg too...

Ma Donghe hummed with satisfaction.

While the two were fooling around, Fang Cheng’s brow furrowed slightly.

He noticed something extremely unusual.

The surroundings were too quiet.

Even though they deliberately walked last, just ten minutes ago, faint sounds of the other candidates’ footsteps and shouts could still be heard ahead.

But as time passed, those sounds became increasingly faint.

Until now, it seemed as if they vanished into another world, with nothing to be heard.

This eerie dense fog not only obscured vision, but also seemed to block sound transmission.

"Tie the meat to the marching bag, we need to catch up with the main group."

Fang Cheng reminded.

Ma Donghe quickly tied the pig leg with nylon rope.

He looked around, his face suddenly changed, and he exclaimed in shock:

"Ah Cheng, where are the road signs? Why are the reflective markers on the trees gone?"

Fang Cheng didn’t panic, closed his eyes, and focused on sensing the changes in the surrounding air currents and all the subtle noises.

"At nine o’clock direction!"

Hou Peng’s ears twitched rapidly, and he was the first to speak:

"I heard the bell ringing, let’s follow the sound."

Obviously, he had just used some Special Ability.

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng nodded slightly, regaining his composure.

The three immediately changed direction, continuing to explore within the dense fog, advancing several hundred meters.

Finally, on the branches of a towering tree, they saw the copper bell that swayed with the wind.

But beneath the pile of fallen leaves under the bell lay a corpse, clad in camouflage, covered in blood.

Ma Donghe was startled, instinctively tightening his grip on the Dagger:

"Did we encounter mutated beasts again?"

Fang Cheng stepped forward, half-squatting beside the corpse.

He didn’t touch the body but glanced at the exposed neck.

Then he stood up and said solemnly:

"It’s not beasts, it’s an ambush by someone."