Chapter 133: Terrifying Monster

A horse's sense of smell and hearing are dozens of times sharper than a human's; not only can it identify poisonous plants, but it can also easily discern any carnivorous animals within several kilometers.

Seeing the horse go berserk for no apparent reason indicated something was amiss, so Lu Cheng cautiously looked around.

He had been an Educated Youth in Beidahuang in his previous life, so he knew that old forests like this often harbored ferocious beasts.

Especially during snowfall, when heavy snow blocks the mountains, large animals can't find food and injuries from them descending the mountain are common.

The most vivid memory is of wild boars, especially boar males, whose mouths bear long, sharp tusks; once one entered a village and would charge at people and snap at dogs.

Having experienced it in his past life, Lu Cheng was merely vigilant now, not overly panicked, because he had anticipated various dangers and had applied for a gun in advance.

With a gun in hand, he could even tangle with any demon or monster.

Although he scanned the surroundings and saw only the pitch‑black forest without any imagined beasts, Lu Cheng still dared not be careless.

"Da Kui, bring the gun!"

Seated, Niu Da Kui quickly bent over, fished out his rifle, and was about to hand it over when, before Lu Cheng could reach for it, the horse suddenly bolted in another direction.

When they arrived, the Sub-bureau Comrade had drawn a simple map; to reach Spring City they had to pass through this Mountain Ridge, otherwise they'd have to detour, which would cost an extra half‑day.

Now the route might not be reachable in time, let alone a detour.

But judging by the horse's behavior, it clearly sensed some terrifying monster hidden in the forest and, unwilling to approach, it flung its hooves and ran the other way.

What kind of monster could scare a horse like this?

Lu Cheng had no time for further observation; as the horse went wild, he thrust the Snow Plow and was thrown outward.

Lu Cheng shouted in alarm, "You two, hold on!"

After shouting, Lu Cheng cried out "Huff…" while straining to pull the reins, hoping to control the horse.

But human strength could not match a raging beast; Lu Cheng simply couldn't hold the horse.

"Da Kui, climb forward!"

Da Kui possessed a burst of brute strength, and with him, Lu Cheng felt the two could definitely control the horse.

Hearing the shout, Niu Da Kui tried to climb forward, but as his grip on the Snow Plow slipped, he wobbled like a seat losing balance, and when the horse accelerated, he was flung out.

"Da Kui, Da Kui!" Tian Shukuan tried to pull him but failed.

"Group Leader Lu, Da Kui fell, stop quickly!"

Lu Cheng naturally wanted to stop, but the horse was uncontrollable: "It's fine, steady yourself and stay seated."

It's snowy ground, so falling isn't fatal; the priority now is to control the horse, then they can retrieve Da Kui later.

"Huff, huff!"

The command that had worked before now fell on deaf ears.

The harder Lu Cheng tugged the reins, the faster the horse ran.

At that moment, Lu Cheng saw the path ahead; not far away lay a deep ditch, and his heart leapt in alarm as the horse charged straight toward it.

If it fell in, they'd be a disaster—man and horse both overturned.

Worried, Lu Cheng pulled the reins again, this time standing up and using all his strength.

Fortunately a slight effect appeared; as the horse neighed, just before reaching within five meters of the ditch, it finally turned and ran the other way.

But because it was so close, the centrifugal force dragged the Snow Plow, making it trace a half‑circle in place, snow flurrying, and the whole Snow Plow was suspended and flung toward the ditch.

Tian Shukuan let out a startled scream, "Group Leader Lu, Group Leader Lu, we're going to fall!"

"Stop shouting, hold tight!"

It wasn't too bad; because the horse changed direction in time, the Snow Plow fell into the ditch but, tethered by the rope, remained suspended against the edge while the horse stayed above.

As long as they held tightly onto the Snow Plow, they wouldn't fall.

However, the horse didn't stop; it kept pulling the Snow Plow sideways as it ran, the plow repeatedly striking the ditch edge, splashing packed snow and frozen mud.

Lu Cheng strained to control the horse, hoping it wouldn't be dragged down by the Snow Plow, or they'd all plunge into the ditch.

Just now Lu Cheng glanced at the bottom of the ditch and saw it dark, littered with protruding boulders.

If they rolled down, they'd be gravely injured at least.

Lu Cheng certainly didn't want to die now; he hadn't entered the department yet, hadn't made the Lu family a renowned clan, and didn't have enough good sisters to date.

If he died now, what a loss—not just to the country but to the Lu family; many wandering sisters would lose a good brother.

Perhaps his silent prayer was heard, or perhaps the ordeal exhausted him; after five minutes of stalemate, the horse finally stopped.

But a new problem arose: as the horse lost strength and stopped charging, the Snow Plow's own weight began to slowly slide downward.

"Group Leader Lu, we're really going to fall, what should we do!"

Originally the Snow Plow was hanging diagonally on the ditch edge, allowing the two to hold on, but now it was slowly descending, soon to be at a ninety‑degree angle.

Lu Cheng could still rely on his arm strength to hold, but Tian Shukuan was a weakling; he probably wouldn't last two minutes before falling.

They absolutely could not let the Snow Plow keep descending; seeing the horse also reluctant to fall, it strained its front body forward.

But the Snow Plow was heavy, and the snowy ground was slippery; despite the four hooves pushing forward vigorously, it still slipped backward slowly.

Lu Cheng grabbed his whip and snapped it at the horse's rear; the animal winced, neighed, and quickly forced a few steps forward.

But the Snow Plow was caught on a stone, making it impossible for the horse to climb back up.

While Lu Cheng searched for a spot to jump onto to relieve the horse's pressure, Niu Da Kui finally ran over.

"Leader, here's the gun!"

"What gun? First pull the horse!"

True to his brute strength, Niu Da Kui rushed over, embraced the horse's body, his feet sinking into the snow, and with his whole body straining and jaws clenched, he finally managed to drag the Snow Plow up a little.

After the ordeal, the three of them lay sitting in the snow, panting heavily.

It was extremely dangerous; they almost fell into the ditch and died.

I say, Comrade Tian Shukuan, how could your data be so important that it outweighs the lives of the three of us?

Tian Shukuan, aware he had almost cost others' lives, lowered his head and whispered, "It's very important. Compared with other countries, our nation's steel production is low; we can't afford a day's delay. We're racing against time—if steel lags, the country's infrastructure will fall behind..."

Tian Shuankuan said, pausing: "Yes, sorry."

Lu Cheng stood up and waved his hand: "Forget it, you're bringing up the country, what else can I say? Otherwise I'd seem lacking in awareness. Since we're in a hurry, let's go quickly."

Tian Shuankuan also stood up, patting the snow off his butt: "Group Leader Lu, the horse was fine just now, why did it suddenly lose control?"

Facing Tian Shuankuan's question, Lu Cheng also wanted to know the answer.

Looking ahead at the mountain forest, according to the mark on the map, the forest's depth is nearly several tens of kilometers.

It's hard to say now, but the reason the horse lost control is definitely that some terrifying monster is hiding in the mountain forest!

There's no time to detour; whether ahead is a tiger or a wolf, we have to go through.

And just as Lu Cheng and his three companions were preparing to pack up, on a distant mountain peak, a pair of green eyes was gazing down at the horse and three people below.