INSIDER Chapter 71

The skeletal army all had a uniformly bizarre and frightening appearance.

The skeleton at the front, which had arms growing out from both sides of its body like a centipede, used all its arms to grip the trunk of the giant tree. It crawled up first, looking like a disgusting giant insect, while the other skeletons of various shapes surged up behind it, eager to follow.

Song Gui muttered in shock, “No way…”

Ruo Qi couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him.

Seeing the disturbance below, Seven immediately picked up Lu Chu with one arm, lifted him upward, and said, “Climb up.”

The four people above heard this, put on their backpacks, and started climbing up again using both their hands and feet.

Lu Chu understood Seven’s intention, and while climbing, he reached up and grabbed the next branch.

“Hurry up, you guys!” Yuan Kejie shouted as she glanced down. “They’re climbing up really fast!”

Lu Chu looked down at Seven and said, “My leg is fine. You don’t need to worry about me. Climb up first.”

Seven said nothing, steadfastly standing on the branch and helping Lu Chu up.

Taking advantage of a climbing break, Yuan Kejie glanced down again and shouted, “Wow! Lu Chu, Qi Li, hurry up! That multi-legged creature is almost at your level!”

After shouting, she climbed even faster.

By this time, Ruo Qi, who was as nimble as a monkey, had already climbed past several branches.

Lu Chu’s leg still throbbed with pain, but he endured it. He knew Seven would always be there to protect him, so he climbed as quickly as he could to avoid being a burden. Seven closely followed him, carefully guarding him and occasionally glancing down to monitor the situation with the skeletal army below.

Lu Chu climbed skillfully, with Seven following his pace.

After climbing past three branches, Lu Chu stopped and looked down. The centipede-like skeleton had reached the first branch. Using its countless arms, it grabbed the branch and snapped it effortlessly. The falling branch shattered several skeletons behind it.

This branch, though thinner than others, had supported the weight of two adult men without issue. Now it was easily broken by the skeleton, making Lu Chu reassess their enemy’s strength.

Without lingering, they continued to climb.

After a while, Yuan Kejie was panting heavily. She shouted down, “What do we do now? This tree will end at some point, and we need to consider whether the branches up there can support our weight!”

Song Gui was also breathing heavily. “We can’t just keep climbing indefinitely.” Lu Chu knew that continuing to climb would lead to a dead end.

One thing they needed to figure out was whether the skeletal army was targeting them specifically or if there was some other reason they were converging on this giant tree. The way they climbed the tree trunk, swarming and moving together, made the tree look like it was covered in a mass of white insects.

The giant tree towered into the sky, with no other trees of similar height around. Its trunk was thick, with green branches spreading out. The branches closest to the treetop were tender and seemed flexible, looking like they could support an adult man’s weight.

Lu Chu pointed to the nearest tree and said, “Look for an opportunity and use the treetops to swing over to that tree!”

The others looked at the many treetops of the giant tree. Yuan Kejie said, “Are these treetops strong enough to support our weight? They seem very unstable…”

“They should be,” Qian Zhen said, looking at the nearby tree while climbing. “I’m the heaviest and strongest among us. I’ll go first. If I make it, then it should be fine for the rest of you.”

Lu Chu said, “Okay, thank you. After you jump over, Ruo Qi and Yuan Kejie follow, then Song Gui. Qi Li and I will go last.”

No one objected.

They climbed non-stop, with the skeletal army relentlessly pursuing them. They knew that if they climbed much higher, the height difference between them and the adjacent tree would become too great, making it very dangerous to swing over.

Qian Zhen knew he had to act quickly.

Carefully observing the distance between the giant tree and the adjacent tree, he selected the optimal moment, then ran along a branch. Nearing the end, he crouched down, grabbed the overhead branch, and swung over. He dangled there, swinging back and forth. The branch was strong and elastic, showing no signs of giving way. After a few more swings, he jumped to the other tree at the highest point.

Standing firmly, Qian Zhen gave an “OK” gesture to the others.

Seeing this, Ruo Qi didn’t hesitate and swung over using a suitable branch. Yuan Kejie followed closely and also made it to the other tree.

Song Gui, who had noticed earlier that Lu Chu’s leg was injured, was worried about his mobility and glanced at Lu Chu. He was surprised to see Seven closely guarding Lu Chu, and the two seemed accustomed to this arrangement. Song Gui was momentarily stunned but quickly came to his senses and followed Yuan Kejie to the other tree.

As everyone swung to the adjacent tree, the skeletal army gradually adapted to climbing.

Even the large, seemingly slow-moving skeleton covered in arms stabilized its bulky body and climbed the tree step by step. Because of its large size, it soon fell behind the others.

Seeing itself falling behind, it became visibly enraged, using half its arms to grip the tree and the other half to attack nearby skeletons. There were no cries, only the sound of bones shattering and colliding.

Its movements were so violent that even the sturdy giant tree began to shake. Branches and leaves fell along with the shattered skeletons.

“Careful!” Yuan Kejie called out nervously from the other tree. “Hurry up!”

Lu Chu, enduring the pain in his leg, sped up. As he reached the treetop, the skeletal army below intensified their battle. The centipede-like skeleton also became agitated, shaking the tree violently. The giant tree swayed wildly, causing many skeletons to fall.

Seven, who had been monitoring the skeletal army, climbed to Lu Chu’s side, tightly holding him with one arm and gripping the tree with the other.

The violent shaking made it difficult for Lu Chu to hold onto the tree. He nearly lost his grip several times, but Seven’s firm hold kept him safe.

When the shaking subsided a bit, Seven’s calm voice whispered in Lu Chu’s ear, “Now.”

Their proximity made Seven’s warm breath tickle Lu Chu’s neck, causing him to shift uncomfortably.

Seven asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Lu Chu smiled. “Let’s move quickly, or it’ll be too late.”

Seven nodded. “Go.”

“Okay.” Lu Chu moved to a branch, heading forward. The night concealed the warmth on his ears.

Grabbing the branch, he imitated the others, kicking his legs to build momentum.

Due to the skeletal army’s intense battle below, his swinging was less stable. The shaking made it hard to stay on course, but he couldn’t afford to waste time. Seven was still on the tree, waiting for him to cross.

His hesitation cost Seven precious survival time.

Lu Chu no longer hesitated. When he reached the highest point of his swing, he let go and jumped.

On the other side, Song Gui and Qian Zhen caught him, pulling him onto the branch.

Once he was secure, Lu Chu immediately turned and waved to Seven.

Despite the darkness, Seven couldn’t clearly see Lu Chu’s face from such a distance, but he could imagine the worry on Lu Chu’s face. He smiled slightly. As the skeletal army drew closer, Seven looked down, then agilely swung to the other tree.

This tree was much smaller than the giant tree, and several of them ended up on the same branch. Yuan Kejie and Ruo Qi climbed up two more branches after crossing over, while Song Gui and Qian Zhen helped Lu Chu. Qian Zhen climbed another branch, leaving Lu Chu and Song Gui to assist Seven.

With three men on the branch, the tree creaked as if it might not hold their weight.

Seeing this, Song Gui climbed to the branch above with Qian Zhen.

After all the intense movement, everyone was exhausted. The area was covered in white as far as the eye could see, as if the skeletal army was endless. They were all swarming towards the giant tree, making it look like it was covered in a mass of white termites from above.

The giant tree’s thick trunk was crowded with skeletons, all climbing towards the top.

None of the skeletons noticed that Lu Chu and his companions had left.

It seemed the skeletons’ target wasn’t them, or at least not yet.

Watching the skeletons climb higher, Lu Chu wondered aloud, “What do you think they’re trying to do up there?”