Su Yu didn't know what to say, patted him on the shoulder, then stroked his own hair, and said, "I believe there's always a way. We'll be okay. Everyone's sacrifice won't be in vain. We'll find food and a rescue team. Remember, your girlfriend is still waiting for you at school."
Upon hearing Su Yu mention his girlfriend, Qin Jiagui seemed to regain some spirit from his despondent state. He said, "Yes, Ni Ping and I promised to return safely to the school. I will be alright."
Hearing the word promise, Su Yu inadvertently thought of a similar promise he had with Su Yun. Thinking of her, he showed a smiling hint at the corner of his mouth, then murmured to Qin Jiagui, "Yes, we will get back. We cannot break the promise we made to our girls, otherwise… she will scold me…"
Suddenly, there was a scream in the distance.
Everyone looked astonished and turned to the direction from where the scream was coming. It was the direction where the injured students had previously left with their teacher.
Then, there were several more screams, and everyone could not help but stand up. After the screams, it became quiet again.
Everyone looked at each other.
After a pause, Hu Ge, a third-year-student, said, "It's over, those four fellows must have been killed by some monster on the way." His voice was a mix of schadenfreude and an inexplicable fear.
Su Yu glanced at him, then slowly sat back down, but his heart became even heavier.
Everyone kept silent, knowing that Hu Ge's guess was probably correct. The four who had left the group to return to their school must have encountered danger and fallen victim to it.
No one suggested returning to the scene. There had been too many deaths already, and everyone's nerves had become somewhat numb to it.
Even Qin Jiagui didn't suggest going back to handle those bodies. Time was running short, they had no more time to waste, and there was no way back.
Seemingly all on the same page, everyone silently picked up their bags and weapons.
It was time to move on.
Without uttering a word, they spontaneously went on in the previously decided direction. Hu Ge and Zhang Runsheng, both third-year students and members of the school's football team, led the group. Being quite robust and having already killed a couple of Goblin Beasts between yesterday and today, they might not have been as extraordinarily good as Su Yu, but they certainly weren't less skilled.
With clubs in their hands, Hu Ge and Zhang Runsheng kept pulling the weeds and branches around them along the way. Lin Shi and Li Dong, who were walking behind, looked back from time to time as if worried a monster would sneak up on them.
In this terrifying forest, they were extremely cautious, treading one step at a time.
Half an hour later, they encountered a group of Goblin Beasts again.
There were around fifteen to sixteen of these Goblin Beasts, and they spotted them about a hundred meters ahead, blissfully unaware of their presence.
But without a word, Hu Ge, Zhang Runsheng, Qin Jiagui, Zhao Shichang, and others rushed towards them.
They could have quietly sidestepped the Goblin Beasts, but Hu Ge and the others thought differently.
Hu Ge, Zhang Runsheng, Zhao Shichang, and others had all killed two Goblin Beasts each, and their special power had already surpassed that of the Goblin Beasts. They knew killing these beasts would make them stronger, just like Su Yu.
Given this opportunity, everyone was excited instead of being scared. They all wanted to kill more Goblin Beasts to become stronger.
In this forest, only by becoming stronger could they have a better chance of survival.
Su Yu noticed everyone rushing forward without speaking a word and figured out their intentions. As he followed them, with the special power in his left hand ready, he was eager to test how powerful his Black-Scaled Palm was.
Zhang Zhongmou was the only one who gave a bitter smile among them. His special power was located on his face, resulting in inadequate attack power during combat, so upon seeing the Goblin Beasts, he felt a chill running down his spine.
As for Ning Yan, her eyes sparkled with disgust. She had never taken the initiative to attack the Goblin Beasts. Although she was part of the team, her facial expression suggested she remained detached from it all.
The forward group of Goblin Beasts quickly noticed them and charged towards them.
"Hah!" Zhao Shichang yelled out and waved his club forcefully. With a muffled groan, he knocked off the club in the hands of an incoming Goblin Beast and then forcefully smashed his club onto its chest.
On the other side, Hu Ge wasn't falling behind either. With several thumps in a row, he sent a Goblin Beast staggering backwards as if drunk. His final hit, landing on its shoulder, splashed a greenish liquid and sent it screaming in pain.
Su Yu stoically inched forward and appeared behind them. His figure darted ahead and surpassed them. His whole palm scaled in black, turned into a bizarre lizard-shaped structure with five sharp talons.
Because he was leading, two Goblin Beasts targeted him.
After glancing at his Black-Scaled Palm, Su Yu stayed eerily calm. Everything, including the speed of the RPGs and the Goblin Beasts' moves, appeared slow in his eyes.
With a graceful sidestep, he avoided the attacks while stretching out his Black-Scaled Palm and was surprised to find the palm sharper than he had anticipated. With just a casual jab, it penetrated the chest of a Goblin Beast.
With his special power surging, Su Yu swung his left arm, and a large amount of green liquid sprayed out. The Goblin Beast he stabbed gave out a scream as his body was cut diagonally in half, starting from his chest. His upper body fell to the ground.
Su Yu was dumbstruck. He hadn't expected his lizard-shaped hand, equipped with the five sharp claws, to cause such a lethal wound, cutting the Goblin Beast in half with just a casual swing.
Not just Su Yu, but everyone else following him, including Qin Jiagui and Ma Ziye, were startled by what they had just witnessed.
Was this the new power that Su Yu had acquired after killing a large Goblin Beast? It was alarmingly terrifying.
Su Yu quickly regained his composure. He knew after evolving to a "Black Iron Warrior" and being in the First-Level Realm, killing the Goblin Beasts would barely increase his special power. Looking at the distressed Zhang Zhongmou, he had a thought.