As the four of them gradually ventured deeper, the density of trees around them began to increase—the outer area allowed them to see nearly a hundred ters ahead, but here, their vision could extend only thirty ters before being blocked by layers of trunks.
The footprints in the forest also beca hard to distinguish; fortunately, the Fisherman was quite skilled in the study of tracks and tracking, allowing the four to follow the route taken by the two previous groups of Hunters.
"By the way... have any of you felt a strange sense of annoyance?" The Fisherman suddenly stopped and asked as he walked in the lead.
"No," Sun Hang replied imdiately.
"My ability allows to keep my emotions stable," the female Hunter said, "so I haven't felt the kind of annoyance you're describing."
"Hold on a sec." Shino stepped forward and placed his palm on the Fisherman's forehead, "Don't move."
A few seconds later, Shino lowered his hand, frowning, "I can indeed sense sothing odd about your emotions, but it's subtle... how should I put it..."
He seed sowhat hesitant.
"What do you an?" The Fisherman asked impatiently, "Please, stop beating around the bush, will you?"
"This emotional anomaly may not necessarily co from external interference; it could also be due to internal causes." Shino said, glancing at the female Hunter, "For example, won often experience abnormal irritation or depression during their nstrual cycle or when pregnant, similar to what you're experiencing now."
"Huh? Are you saying... I'm on my period or that I'm pregnant?" The Fisherman paused, "I'm a real man! I could prove it by taking off my pants!"
"No, that's not what I ant." Shino said awkwardly, "Your emotional fluctuations are likely due to hormonal secretion within... such conditions can generally be controlled by dication, but I don't have that kind of dication with ..."
"Can your ability help him calm down?" Sun Hang asked the female Hunter.
"I... can try." The female Hunter took a deep breath and focused her gaze on the Fisherman.
After a while, the Fisherman exhaled slowly, saying, "I can indeed feel much calr, but I can still clearly sense the suppressed restlessness... it's a strange destructive urge; if I had an axe in my hand right now, I might chop down every tree in sight."
"...This forest indeed has issues," Shino suddenly said, "I didn't feel anything while walking, but now that we've stopped, I find my emotions are sowhat abnormal too."
"Do you also want to chop down this forest?" Sun Hang asked, "How about we just set it on fire then? It would be much more efficient than cutting down one tree at a ti... the forestry bureau probably doesn't manage this island, right?"
"No... My abnormal emotions are different from the Fisherman's," Shino showed a contemplative look, "It's fear, a fear that makes want to run away imdiately from this forest... If it weren't for being with you all, I'd probably have started running by now."
"One is irritable, the other is fearful..." Sun Hang pondered, "Does this forest amplify your inherent negative emotions?"
As for why he wasn't affected... could it be because he had no negative emotions?
"It's possible." Shino nodded, "The denser the forest, the stronger the influence."
"Give Shino a calming buff too." Sun Hang said to the female Hunter, "Increase our pace; let's get out of this forest before her ability effect wears off!"
The other three silently nodded and quickened their pace.
...
After walking about three hundred ters forward, the corpse lying face down on the ground suddenly ca into view of the four.
"Holy crap!" The Fisherman imdiately hunched over, holding up his spear, ready to throw.
"This guy... was one of those Indian Hunters with the group of Angsa people!" Shino said.
The exposed skin of the deceased was dark wheat-colored; among the Hunters on the island, only the group of Indian Hunters matched this trait.
"Why did he die here?" The Fisherman wondered.
Sun Hang stepped forward and turned the corpse over with the tip of his foot.
The deceased's eyes were blank, his expression distorted, with many scratch marks on his face and chest. Besides flesh debris and congealed blood, there was also so wood-like material under his nails.
What concerned the four most was the deceased's pants, which had fallen to his knees and his severely damaged lower body.
"Hiss..." The Fisherman glanced at the Indian Hunter's "injuries" and instinctively tightened his legs, feeling a chill in his crotch.
Sun Hang shifted his attention to the tree next to the corpse.
The trunk had many bloodstained scratches; at waist level, there was a shallow, irregular, hollowed spot on the edge, which was stained with flesh and blood...
"This... this guy..." The Fisherman also noticed the marks on the tree, "Isn't this guy committing tree abuse? Did he die from abusing the tree?"
"It appears to be a case of cardiac arrest," Shino squatted down, using a small stick to open the deceased's mouth and nose, checking briefly.
"I must say, this guy's behavior truly matches the stereotype of 'three brothers' I've heard of," the Fisherman said with a complicated expression, "I've heard... in their view, even female lizards are considered beautiful..."
A female lizard? Sun Hang was slightly startled, and a face that could be deed beautiful uncontrollably appeared in his mind.
"Cough cough cough..." Sun Hang shook his head, trying to get rid of so strange thoughts, "I think I know how this guy died?"
"Did he really die from tree abuse?"
"It's lust." Sun Hang pointed at his head with his finger, "Your amplified emotion is irritation; Shino's amplified emotion is fear; for this guy, it's lust... but unable to find a suitable outlet, he could only abuse the tree."
"Didn't his companions try to stop him? Just let him do that here?" the female Hunter whispered.
"That's the way Angsa people are; at that ti, they were probably affected by this forest and in a hurry to get out, how could they waste ti on him?" the Fisherman said, "Damn, this group of bastards knew there was sothing wrong with this forest and they still fired the green signal flare, isn't this clearly a trap?!"
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