But on the other hand, whether it was their running or their use of strength, their techniques were all quite rough, and there was no sign of secret arts cultivation. Even if their physical fitness was comparable, an elite imperial guard could easily take down all three of them.

Whether it was Harold Gray, Edgar Gray, or Alice Clark, none of them seemed to have undergone formal and systematic training; instead, they were more like wild hunters who had grown up in the forest.

While he was deep in thought, Harold Gray suddenly rushed over, grabbed Eleanor Clark by the collar, lifted him up, shook him hard, and shouted, “If you’re a man, leave on your own! Don’t make her carry you. If you don’t go, I’ll kill you right now!”

Eleanor Clark’s gaze was icy, a barely perceptible murderous intent flickering deep in his pupils. He truly had no strength left and couldn’t keep up with the other three, but that didn’t mean he would let himself be humiliated.

Harold Gray dared to get this close; killing him would only take an instant, and it wouldn’t require much effort.

At that moment, Edgar Gray hugged Harold Gray from behind, while Alice Clark knocked Harold Gray’s hand away and supported Eleanor Clark, angrily saying, “Are you crazy?!”

Edgar Gray dragged Harold Gray away and said, “He’s been out here too long. We need to hurry back, or he might really lose control.”

“All right, let’s go then,” Alice Clark said decisively.

“Can you manage?”

Alice Clark flicked her sweat-soaked hair and said, “Of course I can!”

A flash of worry appeared in Edgar Gray’s eyes. “Let me carry him.”

The girl hesitated a little, and Edgar Gray added, “We need to get back to camp quickly!”

Alice Clark finally nodded.

Just then, the wind suddenly picked up.

The wind howled between the giant trees, swaying the tall grass and sending many small animals hiding in the undergrowth fleeing in panic. Besides the stench of decaying earth, there was also an indescribable sense of impending doom in the wind.

All three faces changed. Edgar Gray shouted to Alice Clark, “Run!”

Panic flashed across the girl’s face, but she stubbornly shook her head.

It was already too late to run. A massive black shadow leapt from one ancient tree to another, charging at them with astonishing speed. With a final leap of dozens of meters, it landed before them like a small mountain, shaking the very ground.

“Demon ape!” Edgar Gray cried out in despair.

Harold Gray turned and roared, “It’s all because of that bastard that the demon ape was drawn here!”

Alice Clark stubbornly said, “At worst, we’ll die together!”

Standing before them was a giant beast, three meters tall, resembling a massive ape, but with a wolf-like protruding snout and bared, menacing fangs. A ring of crimson fur around its neck was especially striking.

Its huge eyes stared at the three of them, and in an instant, they were bloodshot. Suddenly, it let out a roar and swung its massive palm down!

At this moment, the three displayed superhuman agility, each dodging aside. Alice Clark even dragged Eleanor Clark out of the way. Harold Gray and Edgar Gray each let out a furious roar and lunged at the giant ape from left and right, but their hunting knives only sank in halfway—barely scratching the beast.

The giant ape, enraged by the pain, swung its arms, and with two loud bangs, sent Harold Gray and Edgar Gray flying, slamming them hard into the trees before they collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

The giant ape seemed more interested in Alice Clark, pouncing through the air with its bloody maw wide open, sharp fangs dripping with saliva.

Despair flashed across the girl’s face. She gripped her dagger tightly, refusing to give up resistance even though she knew it was useless.

Just then, she was suddenly pushed, her whole body becoming weightless as she floated away, and at the same time, her hands lightened as both hunting knives were taken from her.

She managed to look back and saw Eleanor Clark leaping up, colliding with the giant ape in midair!

Although Eleanor Clark was tall, he looked as frail as a paper figure before the giant ape. The charging beast seemed not to notice his presence at all, landing with a tremor that completely crushed Eleanor Clark beneath it.

The shock of the impact made Alice Clark, who was barely standing, fall to the ground. When she got up, she was only a few meters from the giant ape.

At this distance, she could feel the stinking, hot breath from the beast’s nostrils. That enormous creature only needed to reach out to grab her in its palm.

For a moment, the girl’s mind went blank, and she sat there, not daring to move.

But the giant ape didn’t move either, only panting heavily as it slowly closed its eyes.

It wasn’t until a large pool of blood spread out from beneath the beast that the girl snapped out of it. Trembling, she crawled to her feet, stood dazed for a moment, then cautiously approached the giant ape and waved her hand in front of it.

The giant ape opened its eyes slightly and snorted. The girl’s taut nerves twitched, and just as she was about to turn and run, the beast’s eyelids drooped and, as if overwhelmed, closed completely.

Only then did Edgar Gray and Harold Gray struggle to their feet. They gripped their weapons and circled the giant ape, not daring to act rashly.

After a moment, Edgar Gray drew a feathered arrow and poked the giant ape with it. Seeing that the beast didn’t react at all, he was finally sure it was dead.

The three exchanged glances, all feeling as if they had narrowly escaped death. For a moment, their bodies went weak, and they could barely stand.

Suddenly, Alice Clark remembered something and cried out, “That person is still underneath!”

She tried to move the giant ape, but was too weak to do so. Only with the help of Edgar Gray and Harold Gray did they manage to roll the beast over.