Chapter 081: The Beast Attacks
In the dead of night, Luo Chong sprang from the ground, his eyes fixed on the northern edge of the forest where a massive, dark red shadow darted among the branches. The beast was breaking through the foliage at an alarming speed, heading straight toward the Han tribe's encampment. The terror in the air was palpable, with Meatball and Grey Mountain, the tribe's two terror elephants, roaring in defiance, while the twenty oxen bellowed in terror, unable to break free from their restraints.
"Grab your weapons! Hurry!" Luo Chong shouted as he scrambled for his own spear, his voice thick with urgency but his legs trembling with fear. The tribesmen, already gripping their bronze spears, huddled together, their legs barely able to hold them upright.
"What is that? Is that a person?" Stone stammered, unable to comprehend the creature they were facing.
No one answered; they were too busy swallowing their fear, saliva flooding their mouths as they stared at the approaching threat. Emerging from the shadows was a colossal primate with shimmering golden-red fur, standing over three meters tall with muscles bulging as if they were about to burst. This was no ordinary beast but a giant ape, an embodiment of primal dread.
"Form a circle! Stand your ground! It's not one of us—it's a monster! We must fight!" Luo Chong commanded, rallying his men into a defensive formation, though his own voice cracked with fear.
As the giant ape charged, Meatball and Grey Mountain, unyieldingly brave, lunged toward the intruder. With a tremendous crash that seemed to shake the earth itself, the ape knocked Grey Mountain aside as if it were nothing more than a rag doll.
Luo Chong couldn't believe his eyes. The two-meter-plus terror elephant was tossed aside effortlessly by the ape. It was a sight so shocking that it seemed surreal.
The oxen strained against their ropes, their nostrils bleeding from the effort as they tried to escape the chaos. With a thunderous roar that reverberated through the camp, the giant ape bore down on the Han tribesmen, its massive jaws open, revealing long, sharp fangs dripping with saliva.
The tribesmen's heads throbbed painfully under the weight of the ape's roar; their hands shook so violently that they could barely hold their weapons.
"Spears ready! Attack!" Luo Chong, rallying his last reserves of courage, led the charge by thrusting his golden spear at the ape's chest. His attack, however, was futile. The ape, with a swipe of its arm, caught the spears and flung Luo Chong and another strong tribesman through the air, their bodies crashing against trees before slumping to the ground.
In an instant, the ape grabbed a young tribesman from the Black Rat tribe by the head, using it as a club to smash through the Han's defensive line, causing chaos and despair among the warriors.
"Run! Scatter! Use your javelins and bows from a distance!" Luo Chong cried out as he staggered to his feet, bloodied and bruised, knowing that a frontal assault was suicide against such a formidable foe.
As the ape turned its furious gaze on the rest of the tribe, Grey Mountain, not yet defeated, charged from behind, slamming into the beast with all the force of a raging storm. The impact sent the ape sprawling, offering a momentary glimmer of hope.
Seizing the opportunity, the tribe launched a barrage of spears and arrows, each warrior fueled by a desperate hope to survive and protect their kin. The giant ape, injured and enraged, fought back with ferocious strength, but the tide had turned. The Han tribesmen, driven by fear and the will to survive, continued their relentless assault.
With Luo Chong's leadership and the tribe's collective effort, the beast's roars gradually weakened. As dawn approached, the giant ape, overwhelmed by numerous wounds and the relentless courage of the Han tribe, finally collapsed, bringing an eerie silence to the forest.
Panting and exhausted, Luo Chong stood amidst his battered and bruised tribesmen, their eyes wide with a mix of fear, relief, and triumph. The night's terror had passed, but the memory of the giant ape's ferocity would haunt their tales for generations. In the heart of the dark forest, under the first light of dawn, the Han tribe had not only survived but had grown stronger in the face of unimaginable fear.