Chapter 240: Shortened Stride
Chapter 240: Shortened Stride
The red marker on the map gradually drew closer.
After a quarter of an hour, the target appeared.
The heavy snowfall made it difficult for Lindsey to discern their features, but three vague shadows emerged under the scrutiny of the Puzzle Game's reconnaissance.
"..."
Lindsey's gaze locked onto this direction.
Amidst the chaotic and raging wind and snow, faint sounds were identified as clues and isolated for Lindsey's ears.
"Crawling... Snow... Death..."
"Deep... Lord... Victory... Attack..."
"Human... Still here..."
Fragments of conversation reached his ears.
Although the voices were faint and blurry, with the help of his skills, Lindsey could still discern the corresponding syllables.
The reason for the intermittent dialogue was the language itself.
The language these people used was similar to Beast Language, but only a portion of the syllables matched, while the rest was completely incomprehensible.
Based on Lindsey's understanding of language usage, this felt like an evolved language, having undergone significant changes, with only a few remaining similar syllables and nouns, still hinting at their connection.
"The evolution of Beast Language..."
"Dan didn't teach me this in class."
Lindsey furrowed his brows, and the Sapphire Glasses were now perched on his nose bridge.
The direction these humans were heading didn't fully align with Lindsey's path, and in a matter of minutes, they would be moving away from his position.
Lindsey wasn't about to give up such a rare opportunity.
He rose from the shallow snow pit, braving the howling wind, and stealthily approached the humans.
The trio was completely unaware of Lindsey's arrival.
They dared to move in the midst of the storm, relying on their respective abilities, but compared to Lindsey, who had a stack of equipment and skills, their perception and reconnaissance capabilities were still lacking.
Creak—Creak—
In the midst of the blizzard, only the faint sound of footsteps could be heard, almost entirely masked by the background noise.
Lindsey continued eavesdropping on the trio's conversation.
Unfortunately, deciphering an unfamiliar language proved too challenging.
The only thing he could confirm was that these three guys were grumbling, perhaps about the storm brought by the Dragon Beast.
Should he approach and greet them?
Using Beast Language or a common human language should allow for communication, right?
After three or four minutes, Lindsey still had no results, and he began contemplating whether to negotiate with these three individuals.
Suddenly, Lindsey noticed something.
The Puzzle Game not only highlighted the silhouettes of the three, but even their footprints were now being marked in the snowy ground.
"Why is this?"
Lindsey was perplexed. The Analysis Game wouldn't present irrelevant clues.
Although he lacked subsequent skills to analyze these clues, he was certain this was a crucial reminder.
With this thought, Lindsey's gaze shifted to the surroundings, carefully scrutinizing the distinct footprints.
He noticed a change—their stride had shortened.
The trio had maintained a relatively steady pace until this minute, but now they slowed down, subconsciously reducing the distance with each step.
Why suddenly slow down in such a heavy snowfall?
Lindsey focused his gaze forward and noticed the three figures starting to disperse, forming a triangular arrowhead formation.
The conversation that had been echoing moments ago also faded into silence without a trace.
"..."
Lindsey immediately understood what this change signified. Somehow, these three individuals had discovered his presence and were subtly arranging themselves in an encirclement formation!
The red hostility marker, the unknown language, and their mysterious appearance...
"I must strike first!"
This thought flashed through Lindsey's mind, and the arrow in his hand was released like a drawn bowstring.
The armor-piercing arrow sped through the wind and snow, making no sound as it shattered the snowstorm ahead. In the next instant, it reached the figure standing before him.
"Ah!"
The surprise attack was effective.
The arrowhead pierced the bone marrow, penetrating the torso.
Numerous Essence effects activated simultaneously, immediately depriving the figure of his ability to move.
The figure knelt in the snow, clutching his left shoulder and howling in pain.
His two companions on either side didn't hesitate and charged towards Lindsey.
Swish—
Amidst the heavy snowfall, two dark gray lights appeared, one wielding a knife and the other a gun, both weapons shrouded in ominous mist, moving as swiftly as hunting snow leopards.
The battle was about to begin.
The first thing Lindsey noticed was their Essence techniques.
He was all too familiar with this kind of power, having sparred daily with Hong, whose techniques produced similar effects.
The grayish-black mist, a symbol of decay and slaughter!
Without a moment's hesitation, a thick earthen wall, over a meter tall, materialized beside Lindsey.
At the same time, the one with the gun threw his long spear.
The once-precise and swift attack now slammed straight into the earthen wall, causing dirt to splatter everywhere.
For a moment, the fierce wind and snow couldn't suppress the exploding dirt.
The thrown spear was powerful, instantly shattering even a meter of dirt into fragments.
But unfortunately, Lindsey was too familiar with this technique.
He countered their attack with a preemptive move.
Suddenly, the magic pattern on Lindsey's back changed, transforming the snowflake pattern into a shape resembling mountains and rocks.
Lindsey took a step to the left.
He buried himself in the snow, disappearing without a trace.
"Hmm?"
"Where did he go?"
Both of these men were battle-hardened warriors.
Lindsey's disappearance only caused them a moment's hesitation. In the next second, they rushed towards each other, backs touching, forming a mutually protective stance.
"That arrow seemed like something a forest dweller would use."
"But he disappeared into the snow, so he might be an Elemental Discipline user?"
Boom! In an instant, a violent explosion erupted beneath their feet, and scorching flames engulfed the area.
A flame bomb had been sent from underground.
The snow had completely masked this small change.
Under the impact of the explosion and the scorching heat, their hair and clothes turned charred.
But they moved swiftly, suppressing their pain with incredible willpower. In the blink of an eye, they too rushed out, shouting their assessments:
"Flames! This guy is indeed an Elemental Discipline user!"
"He's underground, find him quickly and kill him!"
The two men braced themselves, attempting to locate Lindsey beneath the ground.
Although their judgment was slightly off.
The facts aligned perfectly with their assessment.
The 7-second Earth Escape duration was indeed not long enough, and Lindsey could no longer hide underground, forcing him to emerge.
However, Lindsey did not continue attacking them as they had anticipated.
The position Lindsey chose to surface was right in front of the figure who had been struck by the arrow and was now unable to move.
"Although this might be a bit dishonorable..."
Lindsey kicked him down and pressed his weapon against the man's head: "But gentlemen, considering the safety of your companion, I advise you to put down your weapons immediately."
(End of Chapter)
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