The forest had grown deathly quiet.
With Damien's subtle guidance and the strategic deployment of his undead beasts, the squad had smoothly reached 6000 A-ranked kills. The latter 3000 had been a haze of bloody battles with too many close shaves than they liked.
After a particularly tough battle against strange giant squirrels, they reached a clearing.
Yet, rather than feeling relief, a deep unease settled over them.
Captain Lin Zhong glanced around warily, gripping Titan Mourn's controls tightly. "Something feels wrong. It's too quiet."
Lieutenant Chen Liru floated silently, scanning the skies. Her brows furrowed. "No birds. Not even insects. It's like everything suddenly vanished."
Damien's senses screamed warnings, his instincts honed by countless battles now flaring with anxiety. This silence wasn't natural. It was oppressive. Dangerous.
