Lu Mingfei, who had read Dragon Clan before slaying the dragon

Lu Mingfei thought about it from Chu Zihang's perspective and felt that what Chu Zihang said made sense. If the painful and dying Chu Zihang was killed by someone in front of him, even if Lu Mingfei knew that what the person did was right, he still could not forgive the other person and would want to stab the other person to death. Under certain extreme conditions, people are completely dominated by emotions.

"Those guys surrounded me with greedy eyes, as if they wanted to cut me into pieces. To avenge their comrades, I looked at Sasha coldly, because Sasha was their backbone and the only one who was rational enough in my opinion." Chu Tianjiao said, "Sasha came to me and asked me in a low voice if I was too impulsive, maybe that person could still be saved. I interrupted him coldly and asked Sasha, "How can you save that person?"

"Sasha's face became even uglier. He said that if we take a closer look at the man's condition, there might be a way. We have so many people, and there is a doctor on the crew. I interrupted him again and said that if you think the common sense you understand works in this world, you should take submachine guns and grenades and conquer this place. According to common sense, you are all soldiers. Aren't fighting and conquering what you are best at?" Chu Tianjiao said, "Sasha heard the sarcasm in my words and was speechless."

"This is the first time I said such strong words to Sasha. I said I knew this team was very fragile from the beginning. I meant me and all of them. Maybe they used to be a tacit and strong team, but I am also a strong loner. I didn't need help. They followed me on their own." Chu Tianjiao said, "I gave Sasha two choices. The first is to go our separate ways right here. Whether they go to find Vincent, search for treasure, or look for a way out, I will not interfere with them. Just don't stay on the same island with me. The second is that everyone can act together, but he must restrain his men, whether by force or violence. If I find anyone doing something out of line, I will never show mercy."

From Chu Tianjiao's point of view, he has indeed done a very good job. In such an environment, the role of a group of retired special forces is not that great. If Chu Tianjiao is a little ruthless, they are at best a death squad that explores the way for him. If Chu Tianjiao is a little soft-hearted, these guys may become a burden at the critical moment.

"Sasha should have remembered how I killed someone without blinking an eye in Vincent's office. We were just casual acquaintances, and we were just on good terms, far from being life-threatening friends. If we were to fall out completely, he and the rest of the crew wouldn't be enough for me to kill," Chu Tianjiao said. "Now that we've come to this, I thought Sasha would choose the first suggestion, but he only thought for a moment and told me he'd choose the second."

"Because he knows that the chances of them getting out of these islands alive are almost zero. Following you is their only hope." Nono nodded and said, "Compared to those sailors, this Sasha is obviously much more capable of judging the situation."

"Sasha said he would restrain the other crew members, but he also made a request to me. He asked me if I knew what was hidden deep inside this island." Chu Tianjiao whispered, "At that moment, I really made a decision that violated the iron law of hybrids. I looked into Sasha's eyes and asked in a low voice, do you believe that there are creatures like dragons in this world?"

"Sasha was stunned for a moment, then asked me with a smile if I was joking. I didn't answer him, and didn't even give him a chance to look me in the eye. I just walked forward on my own. From Sasha's smile, I could tell that he believed what he said, but his subconscious made him unsure, otherwise his worldview would collapse." Chu Tianjiao said, "I don't know how Sasha explained it to the crew members, but when those guys caught up with me, they became much more restrained and silent than before."

"We continued to move deeper into the island. After walking for an unknown amount of time, someone found a hole in an area with sparse vegetation." Chu Tianjiao gestured with his arm. "It's not a rat hole, but a hole as big as the waist of an adult man. The hole is not straight and looks very deep. No one knows where it leads to. Then people found more holes one after another. The strange thing is that these holes are in very conspicuous locations, and there is nothing around them except desolate land."

"We didn't stay near these caves for too long. In front of us were tall trees. Each of those trees looked to be a hundred years old, perhaps thirty meters or more. There were very few mosses and ferns in this area, and even shrubs were rare. It became much easier for us to move around." Chu Tianjiao said, "Not long after, someone found gray-white silk on the trees."

"Silk?" Nuonuo was puzzled. "Why would silk appear on that island that looks like a primeval forest?"

"I don't know. No one can figure it out. Those strips of silk are hanging high on the branches. If you want to see them clearly, you have to take them down. The crew just looked up curiously and continued to move forward." Chu Tianjiao said, "Further ahead, we found silk scattered on the ground. Some crew members said it was the legendary golden jade burial suit, which can be sold for a high price. Some crew members said it was the web of the Amazon bird spider, just a lot of it tangled together and looked like a silk veil."

"So what exactly is that thing?" Nuonuo was also very curious.

"Due to the previous crew member's experience, no one approached those things. I borrowed a crew member's knife and picked up the thing from the ground." Chu Tianjiao said, "The thing was bigger than I imagined. It was in the shape of a strip, several dozen meters long, and thicker than an adult's waist. The texture was a bit sticky and tough, and it was difficult to cut with a knife."

Everyone's expression was a little strange, because no one could think of what it was. Is there really something in this world that is as thin as a veil, but so tough that even a knife can't cut it? And it's so huge.

Only Chu Zihang lowered his head in thought... The diameter is thicker than the waist circumference of an adult. Chu Tianjiao has used this adjective twice. The last time it was a bottomless cave, and this time it was a long and huge veil. What is the connection between the two?

"It wasn't until I found scale-like patterns on a veil that I seemed to realize something. I pulled down a piece of clothing and touched the thing through it. It was colder than I thought." Chu Tianjiao said, "My face changed drastically, and I instantly realized what it was... It's a snake slough!"

Everyone's face changed. They still remembered Chu Tianjiao's description just now. This thing was thicker than an adult's waist and was dozens of meters long... What kind of snake could grow to this size?

Even the legendary prehistoric creature Titanoboa was only over 20 meters long, and the largest anaconda ever recorded in the world could not exceed this number...but there are more than one here!

This is Nibelung, the world of dragons, where any kind of creature can appear.

"A more dangerous idea exploded in my mind. There was still some wet mucus on the snake skin in my hand. This snake had just shed its skin and it was still nearby!" Chu Tianjiao said, "I remembered the hole we found before. It turned out to be a snake hole. We saw at least twenty holes along the way, all of which were huge. The actual number is definitely more than this. In other words, there are at least twenty such huge snakes on this island!"

"I quickly shared this news with Sasha and the crew. Their first reaction was that I was scaring them, but when they really saw the snake's skin, everyone's face turned pale. They had harpoons, knives and axes, and modern thermal weapons, but no one knew whether these things would work against a monster that was dozens of meters long." Chu Tianjiao said, "Just when we decided to take a detour, there was a huge movement in the center of the island. The trees were shaking violently, and countless slender black shadows rushed towards us from the trunks."

"I have to correct my wording. In fact, they are not thin. It's just that those things are too long. In comparison, their diameters seem slender." Chu Tianjiao said, "They are a group of snakes. Huge snakes!"

Chapter 1085 Giant Tree

"Those snakes were grayish white all over, and their pupils were golden. Each one was as big as a human fist. Those vertical pupils were like dragon eyes, cold and vicious, except not as bright." Chu Tianjiao described the scene at that time, "But it was still very creepy. The crew had never seen such a huge snake, and of course I hadn't seen one either."

"The snakes' eyes emit golden light, and they frequently spit out tongues from their mouths. They leave thick marks on the road where they pass. We didn't notice them before because the marks were too thick and dense. Countless marks overlapped each other like the natural unevenness of the ground." Chu Tianjiao paused, "But this time we saw it with our own eyes. I believe no one has ever seen such a terrifying scene. A group of huge snakes with a length of dozens of meters approach you at a rapid speed. The scene looks like a group of dragons returning to their nest!"

The people in the room imagined the scene and it was indeed quite creepy, especially the girls, who all got goose bumps.

For many people, snakes are disgusting enough. If the snake were magnified hundreds of times, people with weak psychological endurance would probably be scared to death on the spot.

"At that time, several crew members couldn't help cursing out loud. They were relatively brave. Some crew members who were not so psychologically strong were completely frightened and almost fainted on the spot. Sasha and several crew members in the front couldn't help but point their guns at the giant snakes." Chu Tianjiao said, "I noticed the abnormality of the snakes, and I shouted at them loudly not to shoot at them. Sasha calmed down, but several crew members still shot at the snakes out of fear. The bullets hit the gray-white scales of the giant snakes, and there was a sound of metal plates colliding. The scales of those snakes were as hard as iron. The giant snakes made a piercing hissing when they were shot. Can you believe that snakes can make roars other than spitting out their tongues!"

"Snakes don't even have vocal cords, let alone throats. They don't make any sound except for the friction between their limbs and external organs." Chu Zihang said, "The roars of those giant snakes you heard were probably because the sound of their tongues was too loud, and you mistook that sound for a roar because of fear?"

"No, that's a real roar, like the roar of a wild beast out of anger or fear. I can hear the emotions from their voices." Chu Tianjiao shook his head and said, "The dark golden eyes of those giant snakes are very bright, which looks very abrupt in the gray-white forest."

"Perhaps it's because the dragon blood changed their original body structure, causing those giant snakes to evolve into a body structure similar to that of mammals." Chu Zihang whispered, "But what happened to those giant snakes? Such a huge species that is not afraid of even bullets was actually frightened and fled in panic, making terrified cries. What is in the center of this island?"

"We finally saw what scared those monsters, but that's another story." Chu Tianjiao said, "When those soldiers opened fire, I pulled Sasha aside and pinned him down behind a tree. Soon, screams of fear and roars of pain rang out from all around us. They were all from the crew members who opened fire. When the giant snakes passed by them, some opened their bloody mouths and bit off half of the crew members' bodies, and some strangled people to death with their huge bodies. They killed the crew members who opened fire at the fastest speed. Blood and flesh flew in front of Sasha and I."

"Did those giant snakes only kill the sailors who fired the guns?" Caesar asked.

"Yes, there were also crew members fleeing in the direction we came from. I guess it was because their nest happened to be in that direction. I saw some crew members trying to climb up a tree to avoid the giant snake's attack. I cursed them for being stupid because snakes can definitely climb trees, and didn't we see snake remains on the tree when we came here?" Chu Tianjiao shook his head and said, "But the result was completely beyond my expectations. Those crew members who fled to the trees were also safe and sound, and the giant snake didn't attack them at all."

"These giant snakes seem to be running away?" Chu Zihang looked at Chu Tianjiao.

"Yes, I only realized this later. I originally thought they would attack all moving creatures, but in the end they only fought back against those who attacked them, and also attacked those who fled towards their nests." Chu Tianjiao said softly, "Whether it was the people who climbed up the tree or the people who stayed still, everyone escaped this disaster, except for a few unlucky people who were affected by the giant snake's huge body when it moved."

"The snakes quickly disappeared into the forest behind us, leaving behind a mess." Chu Tianjiao said, "In addition to the roads they crushed, there was also blood and corpses all over the ground. They appeared very suddenly and left in a hurry. They didn't even have time to take away the 'trophies' - I mean the remains of the crew members. It seemed that they were just in a hurry to get away from here."

"Snakes are not social animals, and it is very rare to see a group of snakes moving together." Chu Zihang said, "Snakes will deliberately lower their voices when they move, but these snakes actually made such a loud noise when they moved. It's very abnormal. And the snakes spitting out their tongues means they are either preparing to hunt or they are afraid. These snakes contaminated by dragon blood sound smarter than ordinary snakes, but they also have obvious reptilian characteristics. They are obviously scared by something."

"About half of the crew members are still alive, and many of them are injured, but fortunately they only have minor scratches." Chu Tianjiao paused, "No one is seriously injured. Those who were attacked by the snakes all suffered serious and fatal injuries. All the crew members looked at the horrific scene, all of them are still in shock. Sasha was also completely stunned. He looked at the direction where the snakes disappeared, and kept muttering, 'Oh my God, are these things really snakes?', 'Oh my God, there are such big snakes in this world!'"

"Snakes are reptiles. Their body structures are fundamentally different from mammals. Their cells divide every once in a while, and their bodies grow larger. That's why snakes need to shed their skin, because the cells will break through the original epidermis, and snakes tend to grow a lot bigger after shedding their skin." Chu Zihang explained, "This cell division is uncontrolled and has no end until they die. In other words, if they have enough prey, rich nutrition, and a long enough lifespan, snakes can grow indefinitely."

"That's how the legendary Midgard Serpent Jörmungandr came about, right?" Lu Mingfei couldn't help but interject, then suddenly realized his comment was inappropriate and quickly changed the subject, "Besides, these snakes have been genetically modified with dragon blood, so it's not uncommon for dragon subspecies to grow larger than anacondas."

"Snakes are very adaptable animals. I think they must have lived on the 'Isle of Death' for a long time, so their bodies are the same grayish-white color as the trees. It can be understood as some kind of evolution." Chu Zihang looked at Chu Tianjiao and said, "You didn't let the crew move. Besides being able to tell what the snakes were avoiding, you should know that snakes have poor eyesight, right?"

"Yes, the static vision of pythons is almost equivalent to that of blind people. They use infrared thermal sensing to identify living things. Snakes rarely attack stationary people, but if you move quickly, it is easy to arouse the snake's desire to attack." Chu Tianjiao nodded and said, "I looked at the direction where the snakes disappeared, and then looked at the center of the island. I can judge that those snakes escaped from the center of the island, and they did not live in the center of the island from the beginning. Remember, we passed those snake caves, they are on the outer edge of this island."

"Generally speaking, the closer a forest is to the center, the richer its resources are. These snakes live on the outskirts of the island, which means there are more powerful creatures in the center of the island." Chu Zihang murmured in a low voice, "What creatures are more powerful than these huge snakes and can scare them away in panic... Is there a dragon king living there?"

"I urged Sasha and the others to leave quickly, but the crew seemed to have lost their fighting spirit. They didn't dare to retreat because they didn't know if they would encounter the giant snakes again. They also didn't dare to go deeper into the island because they didn't know if there was something more terrifying than the snakes." Chu Tianjiao said, "Sasha also looked unhappy and suggested to me whether we could rest here for a while, because some crew members were injured and their wounds needed urgent treatment. There were also more dead crew members. Even if we didn't have time to deal with their bodies, we at least wanted to take away some of their belongings."

"This is human nature, and I also need time to think about what is hidden deeper in the island, so I accepted Sasha's suggestion." Chu Tianjiao said, "But an accident still happened. When a crew member was picking up the remains of his dead comrade, he suddenly screamed. Everyone rushed over to see that the crew member's finger had been corroded in half."

"What is that?" Caesar frowned slightly, "Is it the venom left by the snake?"

"No." Chu Zihang shook his head. "Logically speaking, the bigger the snake, the less toxin it contains. This is the law of nature. Pythons and anacondas are almost all non-toxic or contain only mild, non-lethal toxins. Moreover, the venom of venomous snakes is neurotoxin. No snake venom has such a strong corrosive effect."

"It's not poison, it's blood." Chu Tianjiao explained, "When the crew member was picking up things, he accidentally touched the blood of his comrade's body. He thought the blood was from his comrade, but some of it was left by a snake."

"Snake blood?" Caesar's brows frowned even deeper.

"Yes, it was then that I realized that the blood on the ground was not all from the dead crew members. There was also a small amount of blood left by the snakes. In the distance, red bloodstains could be vaguely seen on the road where the snakes passed. They were injured." Chu Tianjiao nodded and said, "This once again confirmed my guess. Something in the depths of the forest injured the snakes, so they were so terrified and fled there so hastily. Because these snakes are all dragon subspecies, and like Deadpool, their blood is corrosive."

Everyone's expression was a little solemn. The "Isle of Death" really lived up to its reputation. Even the blood left by an ant or a snake could be fatal. Even an experienced retired special forces soldier could lose his life here if he was not careful.

“We can’t continue collecting our comrades’ belongings now, because the snake blood and human blood are mixed together and we can’t tell them apart. We don’t know which blood will corrode the skin.” Chu Tianjiao said, “After bandaging the crew member’s finger, we moved deeper into the island. We took every step carefully and with difficulty, because we didn’t know if a more terrifying creature would appear from somewhere. After all, we all know that there are things more terrifying than snakes here.”

"But fortunately, nothing as terrible as the snake attack happened afterwards, and we didn't even see any animals on the road." Chu Tianjiao said, "The closer we got to the center of the island, the more lush the large plants became. Not to mention mosses and ferns, even shrubs and bushes were gone. Every tree was extremely tall, blocking out the sun, and it looked like they had grown for hundreds of years. Moreover, many of the tree species were difficult to identify. They were lush and their trunks were straight but not thick. It was like we had entered a prehistoric civilization."

"This is a normal phenomenon. Like I said just now, the closer you are to the center of the forest, the more abundant the resources. Large plants will block the sunlight and absorb more nutrients. It is difficult for low plants to survive under them." Chu Zihang paused and said, "No, mosses and ferns are not restricted by this condition. You should be able to see more or less moss under your feet."

"There is no moss, only huge trees. They are all truly towering trees." Chu Tianjiao shook his head and said, "Until we really reached the center of the island, we saw the largest tree we had seen in the painting of 'Isle of Death'. It was terrifyingly tall, at least two hundred meters, no, maybe three hundred meters."

"So far, the tallest tree in the world is the 368-meter Devil's Tower," Chu Zihang said. "But it's not certain whether it is a tree. Some say it is a stone mountain, while others say it is the roots left after the World Tree collapsed. If such a tree really existed in history, it would be at least several thousand meters tall, truly towering above the earth. The second tallest tree in the world is a Hyperion tree in Redwood National Park in California, USA, which is nearly 116 meters tall."

"Just like there are no giant snakes in nature, we have never seen such a giant tree in nature. What's different from other trees is that the trunk of that tree is very thick. I can't even estimate its diameter with the naked eye, and its leaves are more green than gray." Chu Tianjiao said, "This is the first time we have seen a color other than gray on a creature on this island."

Chapter 1086 The Real Monster

"It sounds like all the nutrients of the island are taken up by this one tree," Caesar whispered.

"Every one of us who saw the tree was shocked. The tree was so lush that it completely blocked out the sun. If there was sun in the sky, I'm afraid it would be difficult for the sun to penetrate the shade of the tree and reach the ground." Chu Tianjiao said, "The leaves were shaking slightly, making rustling sounds. Since entering the Nibelungen... no, since entering the Arctic Circle, this is the first time we have heard the sound of plants. It is very beautiful and healing, as if everyone's soul has been cleansed."

When Chu Tianjiao said these words, some people in the room breathed a sigh of relief, but some people felt a sense of disharmony. Lu Mingfei and Nuo Nuo looked at each other, and they always felt that there was something wrong with this content, but they couldn’t tell exactly where it was... On such a dangerous island, is there only a big tree in the center that can make people relax?

Wait a minute, Lu Mingfei suddenly remembered that Chu Tianjiao said that those giant snakes were bleeding when they fled back from the center of the island to their nests... Where is the thing that made those giant snakes flee in panic with wounds and bleeding?

"There should be no wind in this Nibelungen, right?" Chu Zihang, who had been silent all the time, suddenly asked Chu Tianjiao this question.

Nuo Nuo suddenly raised her head, and then Lu Mingfei also widened his eyes. They thought that because of Chu Zihang's words, they finally realized where the strong sense of disobedience they had felt came from.

When Chu Tianjiao first entered Nibelungen, he once mentioned that the water here was as calm as a smooth mirror. When he described the other islands here, they also gave people a gray and pale feeling.

So is there wind here?

If there is no wind, why do the leaves of the tree sway and even make sounds?

"No, there is no wind in this Nibelungen. The feeling I had when I first entered here was silence, as quiet as a dead place." Chu Tianjiao shook his head and said softly, "There is no wind or clouds here, let alone the sun or stars, but the sky here is always bright, and time seems to stand still and not flow. Because of tension and fear, everyone who enters here ignores this point. We only know that this place feels very weird, but apart from what we can see with the naked eye, none of us can tell where the weirdness is."

"In an open space, it is impossible for the air to not circulate." Chu Zihang said, "The human skin is actually very sensitive to airflow. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, if the space in this world is fixed, then its time is also correspondingly static."

“But no one realized this at the time, or maybe there were too many weird things in that world, so we didn’t even think about it.” Chu Tianjiao said, “I was the first one to discover that the leaves moved without wind. When I looked at that tree, it was like looking at a huge monster.”

"Do you know about the anglerfish?" Chu Tianjiao suddenly said, "This fish lives in the deep sea. It has a glowing dot on its head. When it senses prey, it uses a little bit of bright and warm light to attract the prey and let the prey down. Because the dark seabed is too cold and dark, when those small fish approach for that little bit of warm light, they don't know that hidden in the darkness is a huge bloody mouth that has already grown."

"Is that tree a trap?" Caesar asked.

"It's not about getting stuck, it's the danger itself!" Chu Tianjiao whispered, "When I realized this, I wanted to pull Sasha and retreat quietly. The other crew members were too close to the tree. I couldn't save everyone, and I had no obligation to put myself in danger for them. Just as I grabbed Sasha and moved away from that area, a huge noise came from all directions."

"Are those snakes back again?" asked Shude Aki.

"No, it's trees." Chu Tianjiao's expression was a little complicated. "Behind us, there are thousands of trees, and the dense gray-white leaves on their branches are all shaking, as if a hurricane suddenly blew up out of nowhere, but there was no wind at all. All the trees are swaying, swaying without wind. Although this statement is strange, it feels like a dead mummy suddenly comes alive!"

"Those trees are alive!" After blurting out this sentence, Aki Shude suddenly realized that there was something wrong with what he said, and quickly changed his words, "Those trees, they can move!"

"Yes, actually I should have discovered it earlier. Remember, I said before that when I first entered these islands, I always felt something strange on my body, like there were bugs crawling on me." Chu Tianjiao said, "At that moment I suddenly realized what it was, and I reached into my pocket and grabbed a few vines from the bushes."

"I remember you said you picked them up when the crew were clearing the way ahead." Chu Zihang nodded and said, "You said the colors of the plants here are very unique, and they are species you have never seen before, so you just brought some specimens with you."

"Yes, those broken vines that should have died long ago actually twisted wildly in my palms when I took them out of my pocket!" Chu Tianjiao said, "Can you imagine holding a few twisting branches and gray-white vines in your hands? It's like a nest of crazy white silkworms!"

The girls in the room all showed disgusted expressions at the same time.

"I threw those things—I'm not sure if I can still call them plants—on the ground, and they really burrowed into the soil like silkworms. I looked at Sasha, and he was looking at the plants dancing all over the sky, his face full of an expression that said, 'Is this world crazy, or am I crazy?'" Chu Tianjiao said, "I pulled Sasha and tried to leave the center of the island, but the trees around us were too densely packed. They were like a group of well-trained soldiers, surrounding me from all sides. The huge tree in the center of the island was their leader, the king of this island. Its branches and leaves blocked out the sun. If it really attacked, no one would leave here alive."

"What does this tree want to do?" Caesar asked Chu Tianjiao, "To turn you into nutrients for this island?"

"That's what I thought at first, so I released Time Zero. I don't know what the tree's ability is, and I don't know how to kill such a huge thing. Does it have a head? Does it have a heart? I don't even know what its weakness is!" Chu Tianjiao said, "The tree's weaknesses may be insects and fire, but there are absolutely no insects in the world that can bore through this tree, and there is no fire that can burn it to ashes. Even those giant snakes are extremely afraid of this king of the forest. If the guy who can hurt those giant snakes really gets serious, maybe I can only take care of one person to escape, and I can't even save Sasha."

"Then I saw a scene that almost made me despair. A crew member was so scared that he dropped his gun and ran away. At the same time, a leaf fell from the largest tree above his head." Chu Tianjiao paused, "No, it would be more accurate to say 'shoot' a leaf. I have never seen a leaf fall so fast. It was like a sniper bullet. The leaf went straight through the back of the crew member's head and shot out from between his eyebrows. It became bent and soft when it fell to the ground. Can you imagine that something so thin and soft can kill a person as easily as a flying knife?"

Everyone in the room's faces changed. If a single leaf could cause such a big threat, what about more leaves... They still remembered that when Chu Tianjiao described the huge tree, he specifically emphasized that its branches and leaves were extremely lush. If all these leaves could be used as weapons, wouldn't it be equivalent to the indiscriminate shooting of hundreds of machine guns?

No wonder those giant snakes fled so miserably. In front of such a terrifying monster, those snakes looked as cute as loaches rolling in the fields.

"All the crew members were afraid to move because they saw the tragic death of their comrades. They didn't even dare to think of revenge for their comrades. The enemy was such a terrifying monster. Fear overwhelmed everyone's emotions." Chu Tianjiao said, "I gritted my teeth and struggled in my heart whether to give up Sasha and leave alone. In fact, Sasha was not that important to me. Although this makes me look very cold-blooded, I am telling the truth."

"But what made it even more difficult for me to decide was that I wasn't sure if I could lift Time Zero out from under that huge tree even if I released it to the maximum extent, because its pressure was too strong, and there were monsters all over the island." Chu Tianjiao said, "All the plants on this island are alive. I'm not sure if they will eat people, but it's clear that they will kill people. What's more, I hadn't yet fully cultivated Time Zero at that time."

"All the trees in the forest were dancing wildly, as if they were enraged, but I didn't know what enraged them. All the crew members stood still and didn't dare to move. For a moment, I was in a dilemma." Chu Tianjiao said, "This state lasted for dozens of seconds, and suddenly I saw a person move. He ran past me towards the giant tree. I turned my head and saw that it was Sasha. Oh my God, this guy is crazy. I cursed him madly in my heart, but Sasha really ran towards the giant tree like a demon, and kept shouting."

"What did he say?" Chu Zihang asked.

"'Captain!', 'Vincent!', 'I saw the captain, he is over there, behind the tree!'... Sasha kept repeating these three sentences, pointing one hand in the direction behind the tree while running there. He insisted that he saw Vincent's shadow behind the tree." Chu Tianjiao said, "I told Sasha loudly that he must have seen it wrong. I yelled at him, but I couldn't wake him up at all. That guy seemed to be possessed, as if Vincent had taken his soul away. At this moment, I noticed that another leaf fell from the giant tree, right above Sasha's head."

Everyone in the room couldn't help but feel nervous.

"I watched the leaf falling faster and faster, until it landed like a whirlwind. When it was less than ten meters away from Sasha, I finally made up my mind. I cursed inwardly, thinking that I really owed this guy something. This time I would consider it as a favor to him, since he followed me into the Nibelungen." Chu Tianjiao said, "I pounced on Sasha and released Time Zero at the same time. Sasha fell to the ground. The leaf passed over my left shoulder and cut the skin on my shoulder. Damn, that thing was as sharp as a flying knife. I doubted it could cut through Jean's bones."

"I grabbed Sasha by the collar and asked him if he was crazy. Do you think a guy like Vincent can survive on an island like this? You are willing to sacrifice your life for that old guy. Do you want to go to hell with him?" Chu Tianjiao said, "But Sasha was still stubborn. He insisted that he really saw Vincent's shadow, just behind the giant tree, and it flashed by. Although it was only a glance, he would never make a mistake. He followed the captain for ten years and he was the person he trusted the most. He knew how much the old guy weighed even if he turned into ashes and put them in a box."

"I subconsciously looked in the direction of Sasha's finger, but I didn't see any figure at all. I think I must be crazy to believe that Sasha Vincent could really appear here alive. Not to mention the plants here, even the giant snakes and ants on the outermost edge of this island can easily kill him." Chu Tianjiao said, "When I looked away, I really caught a glimpse of a shadow behind the giant tree, but it was not Vincent, but the shape did look a bit like a person."

"What is it?" Nuonuo asked subconsciously.

"I don't know. It was a human-shaped shadow. It looked big, but it was tiny compared to the size of the giant tree. I realized that there was something behind the tree. Even if it wasn't Vincent, the secret of the island might be hidden there." Chu Tianjiao said, "To be honest, I can definitely leave the island by myself, but Sasha and the crew members will definitely die. Most importantly, if I leave like this, I may never be able to come back again in my life, and I will miss the secrets of this island and the Nibelung for the rest of my life."

“More importantly, even if I leave this island, I don’t know how to escape from Nibelung. Maybe there is a rope bridge on this island leading to the next island, but the monsters on this island are already so scary. Are other islands really safer?” Chu Tianjiao said, “I still remember the white human figure on the central island in the painting of ‘Isle of Death’. Although I don’t know what that thing is, I am sure that it is more terrifying than this tree. Even if I have the courage to face that thing, I may not be able to get to it.”

"I asked Sasha a question in a low voice. Do you think the crew members are more important, or the captain?" Chu Tianjiao said. "Sasha was stunned and didn't seem to understand what I meant. I looked at the frightened crew members and a cruel idea flashed through my mind."

Chapter 1087 The man wearing the mask

"Do you want to sacrifice those crew members?" Chu Zihang looked at Chu Tianjiao and asked.

“Yes, I plan to use them as bait to distract the firepower of the tree.” Chu Tianjiao said, “I know this will make me look cruel and evil, but when we go deeper into this island, it’s like we’re stepping into hell. It’s impossible for everyone to get out alive. Someone has to sacrifice, and I certainly don’t want that person to be me.”

Caesar frowned slightly, with an expression on his face that seemed to want to say something but was hesitant. He was a man with a strong sense of justice. If he was in Chu Tianjiao's situation, he would never sacrifice others even if it meant his death... However, Caesar was not so chauvinistic as to demand others to follow his own values. Chu Tianjiao's ideas were neither just nor bright, but as an ordinary person who was self-centered, his actions were understandable.

"Do you feel guilty for doing this?" Chu Zihang suddenly asked Chu Tianjiao.

“To be honest, I definitely feel guilty. I am also a flesh-and-blood person, not a real devil. Sacrificing others will definitely make me feel tormented and condemned.” Chu Tianjiao whispered, “But that was the best option I could think of at the moment. Moreover, under the circumstances at the time, I actually didn’t have time to feel guilty. I was more calculating the probability of my plan succeeding. Then I realized that even if I did such a cruel thing, the probability of success was not high. If that tree could really make all the leaves fall at the same time, both the crew members and I would be dead for sure.”

"This is a real gamble, not comparable to Vincent's bet. Once we lose, it's all over." Chu Tianjiao said, "I cast an apologetic look at Sasha. I don't know if he understood what I meant. Then I raised my head and shouted to all the crew members, 'Vincent is behind the tree. Concentrate your firepower to break out and fight back. It's useless even if we stay here. The tree will not let us go. We can't leave this island.'"

Everyone in the room had complicated expressions. They could already foresee what would happen next... The survival of these crew members had been cut off. They had no way to retreat and were sentenced to death in advance. In the end, the center of the island would most likely become a river of blood.

"Those crew members are all retired special forces. They react quickly and obey orders subconsciously. The crew members heard what I said, so after just a moment of hesitation, they set up all their hot weapons - submachine guns, automatic rifles and pistols, and even grenades - and of course cold weapons like knives and axes." Chu Tianjiao said, "I saw Sasha's expression change drastically. He asked me what I was doing, and then screamed at the crew members and his comrades. Sasha told them not to act rashly, and that fighting back against the monsters here would be courting death, but I was the only one who heard his voice, and then there were roars and gunfire, and Sasha's voice was completely drowned out."

“Although I know that doing this is very unfair to Sasha and even more unfair to the crew members, I have no choice.” Chu Tianjiao said, “While the crew members were attacking the huge tree, I released the field of ‘Time Zero’. I grabbed Sasha’s collar and dragged him to run behind the tree. It was actually quite strenuous to maintain the Word Spirit while moving a person. I also pushed my limit at that time.”

"While running, I saw a lot of leaves falling from the branches of the huge tree. They flew towards the crew members below like deadly knives." Chu Tianjiao said, "I also saw the expressions of those crew members. Every crew member's face was filled with madness and fearlessness. It seemed that they really intended to fight for their lives with the huge monster in front of them. Dazzling flames came out of the muzzles of their guns, but those bullets seemed too small and insignificant in front of the tree. They had no chance even if they risked their lives. Humans are so weak and humble in front of dragon creations."

"I hardened my heart and passed through the crew members who were doomed to die. Of course, there were leaves flying towards Sasha and me, but the number was limited. More leaves attacked the crew members. At that moment, I knew that my bet was right." Chu Tianjiao said in a deep voice, "The creatures on this island have basically similar behavior patterns. Just like the giant snakes we encountered at the beginning, they mostly attack those who pose a threat to them... To be more precise, humans who are hostile to them. As for those who escape, they just deal with them at will."

"The same goes for this huge tree. Its attacks were mostly directed at the crew members who shot at it. Sasha and I were limited in the threat. With my 'Time Zero', we avoided the leaves and arrived at the edge of the tree roots safely." Chu Tianjiao said, "As I walked around the trunk, I saw an incredible scene."

"I heard a gasp from Sasha next to me." Chu Tianjiao said, "'Time Zero' was not targeting him, so he was not affected. Sasha's face was full of fear because he saw the same thing as me."

Everyone became serious and curious about what they saw behind the tree that made Chu Tianjiao so uneasy.