As for the rest, it's even more intense.
Ren Zhong thought that although the dragonfly's lethality was not weak, since it was an insect, it might have high attack and low defense characteristics. As long as he operated well, giving it some initial damage might work out.
Twenty minutes later, Ren Zhong poked half his head out from under a small hillock.
Ahead, the dragonfly lay motionless on a large rock.
Ren Zhong took a deep breath and popped his entire head out.
At that moment, the dragonfly's compound eyes rotated, seemingly spotting him, and suddenly soared into the air, diving straight at him.
Ren Zhong turned and sprinted two steps to the side without hesitation, then leaped and lay flat, sliding quickly down a smooth meadow growing there.
This route was planned meticulously from his memory.
So far, he executed it smoothly, with errors precise to less than a second, and the sliding direction was completely in line with the plan.
At the bottom of the meadow, Ren Zhong planted his feet and rolled forward twice to cushion the impact.
Not being a professional stunt actor, he failed to control his body during the roll and tilted slightly to the side, hitting his head on a protruding stone, causing a bleeding head wound and making him see stars.
Ren Zhong had just sat up again and wiped the blood from his eyes when the dragonfly's scissor-like mandibles, gleaming coldly, came right at him.
Familiar meadow slope, familiar slide marks.
He added a bit more force with his right foot, then changed direction slightly while rolling forward, successfully avoiding the stone and positioning himself just like a sprinter before starting.
Pushing off hard with his right foot, charge!
Ren Zhong gave his all, sprinting like never before, and crossed a large tree, one hundred meters from the start point, in 14 seconds.
The 14-second 100-meter run was not impressive, but it was the peak of his life as a cancer patient.
Just as he passed the large tree, the dragonfly caught up from behind, its eight long legs forming eagle claws, reaching towards Ren Zhong's back.
The distance between them was only ten meters.
When the dragonfly crossed the large tree, its left wing, about 1.5 meters long, sliced through the tree trunk like a craft knife cutting A4 paper.
In theory, a tree needing seven people to embrace it wouldn't be harmed by cutting just a one-meter length of the trunk.
But since Ren Zhong chose this tree as his escape reliance, he had his reasons.
The tree trunk was already mostly decayed at the base, and being cut again by the dragonfly's wing, the cracking sound of splintering wood was heard, and the tree fell eastward, in the direction its branches spread.
That east direction was also Ren Zhong's chosen escape route.
He took several steps forward, leaped forward before the shadow behind covered him, and just barely avoided being hit by the treetop.
Ren Zhong only made a small arc, then ran in the dragonfly's direction again, continuing to flee away from the dense forest.
While running, he glanced at the large tree.
Under the thick fallen leaves, several sharp bird calls and the dragonfly's intensified wing vibrations echoed.
The tree began shaking violently, occasionally revealing one or two iron-feathered blue birds, each with a wingspan of about a meter, breaking through the foliage and diving back under the tree like missiles.
The wooden tree trunk alone couldn't possibly trap the dragonfly, which could slice through iron effortlessly with every part of its body.
Ren Zhong's real target was the nest of blue birds on the treetop.
During previous deaths, Ren Zhong already knew that the iron-feathered blue birds were different from the dragonfly. While they also had significant attack power, they weren't interested in attacking a human like him.
Ren Zhong was gambling that the blue birds would bear a grudge against the "culprit" who destroyed their home, igniting a fight between the two.
A small plan to pit tigers against wolves.
Collisions echoed under the treetop, sometimes causing branches to break from collateral damage.
The dragonfly and the blue birds finally showed themselves.
Seven iron-feathered blue birds, varying in size, screeched and attacked the dragonfly.
In the furious flurry, the blue bird family flew up and down, their beaks and talons raining down, striking the dragonfly and sending sparks flying with metallic clashes.
The dragonfly had no interest in entangling with the blue birds; its head was focused dead on Ren Zhong's direction, continuously flapping its wings, trying to escape the encirclement but being firmly suppressed by the blue birds from all sides.
Three minutes later, Ren Zhong successfully passed the giant rock where the dragonfly had been lurking before.
He had officially arrived at a location he had never reached before, more than ten kilometers away from the Frozen Storage!
It was then he noticed that the ground beneath the giant rock was piled with metal debris.
There was a broken, hollow mechanical arm, which seemed to be wearable.
And more damaged, unrecognizable mechanical structures piled haphazardly.
This place looked like a small junkyard.
Ren Zhong bent down and rummaged through it for a while, but found nothing intact or usable.
The screeches from the other side of the mound hadn't stopped yet; the dragonfly and the blue birds hadn't settled their fight.
Without daring to delay further, he started running again.
Every step from now on was a new step, treading into unknown territory.
Though not yet truly escaped, a weight had lifted from his heart.
A confident smile spread across his face.
Seeing Arabic numerals on the Flying Device, seeing mechanical arm armor surely meant for humans in the dragonfly's nest, along with so many gears, metal wires, and alloy debris.
These were definitely man-made! There must be people in this world!
Then, with every additional step he charged forward, the chance of meeting humans increased.
As long as he could meet people, there was a chance to continue living!
Tormented in despair over a hundred times, Ren Zhong, full of hope for the future, stepped under the evening glow, heading southward.
Died as hastily and carelessly as always.
This happened just over three hundred meters out of the dragonfly's territory.
He had just crossed another small earthen ridge; ahead lay a vast Indigo Prairie riddled with gullies, where groups of deer-like or horse-like organic creatures roamed leisurely in tens.
They occasionally lowered their heads to pull grass roots from the ground, chewing on them.
Some creatures kept their heads high, watching alertly.
Based on their behavior, they seemed to be herbivores.
The air was filled with a peaceful and serene atmosphere; Ren Zhong thought he was briefly safe.
Unexpectedly, just as he passed a three-person-high mound, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from its depths.
Looking aside, a thick dark beast broke through the shrubs atop the mound, pouncing furiously.
The beast was about three meters tall, entirely black, with a big head, thick waist, thick arms, and strong legs.
In its Blood Bowl mouth, white tusks stood starkly.
The tips of its paws, clawed with gray-black sharpness, gleamed coldly.
Ren Zhong wanted to escape but couldn't, it was too fast.
He didn't even have time to take the Alloy Stick from his back to use as a weapon, standing dumbfounded in place, only to have the giant beast's paw slap directly onto his forehead.
Though the manner of his death was tragic, he felt slightly relieved, recognizing an animal at last.
This thing was definitely a bear, just bigger than Earth's bears, faster, and harsher... that's all.
In the after-death viewpoint, Ren Zhong saw the dragonfly rise from behind the small earthen ridge.
Sticky blue blood coated the dragonfly like paint, its body slightly damaged, its flight slowed somewhat,
The large bug had taken out the nest of iron-feathered blue birds and wasn't planning to spare me either.