Chapter 620 - 617: The Sound of War

Chapter 620: Chapter 617: The Sound of War

It was impossible to tell anymore if the dripping sound in the cave was water or blood...

Just as planned, influenced by the ear flies’ mimicked bird calls, the Feeding Birds of Prey began attacking their own kind without distinction. The narrow cave passage was instantly transformed into an arena of slaughter.

The Feeding Birds of Prey thought of nothing but killing their own. They tore apart any that fell behind, devouring the mangled flesh and limbs of their former flockmates.

"To the death!"

The bird call echoed within the cave. One wave of Feeding Birds of Prey died in the passage, only for a new wave to pour in from the entrance. The corpses of the dead were then completely devoured by the newcomers.

The scent of blood drove the Feeding Birds of Prey into an even greater frenzy. They crushed and attacked one another; some birds, even after their heads had been torn off, continued to lash out with their bodies.

Its talons, driven by pure reflex, slashed across the body of a companion below. Blood gushed forth. The victim shrieked, its own savagery fully unleashed. In its death throes, it managed to take the lives of several nearby companions.

The slaughter among these Feeding Birds of Prey was like a chain reaction, with one death triggering the next in a never-ending cycle...

The ear flies had imagined the battle, but they never expected it to be this brutal.

Blood flowed into the puddles on the cave floor, joined by unrecognizable scraps of flesh and bone. As the ear flies listened to the carnage, their fear continued to mount.

Despite the favorable turn of events, the ear flies couldn’t stop trembling.

The ear flies no longer needed to mimic the bird calls. Any new Feeding Birds of Prey that poured into the cave would spontaneously join the fray. They streamed endlessly into the narrow passage, feeding the frenzied meat grinder and becoming just another pile of shredded meat on the cave floor.

The sounds of battle echoed through the caves. Mo Ling listened to the distant noise, feeling no joy of victory, but instead growing more and more agitated.

’Is there no end to them?’

Outside the cave, the drone of innumerable flapping wings never ceased. The number of Feeding Birds of Prey seemed not to have diminished in the slightest.

"This is just the beginning," the Survivor said grimly. "The battlefield is too small. No matter how fiercely they fight, it won’t put a dent in their numbers."

The plan was progressing too smoothly. The Feeding Birds of Prey hadn’t even made it deep into the cave system, the melee having erupted right at the narrow entrance.

Though the fighting looked brutal, the battlefield was too small to thin their ranks quickly. Most of them were just circling in the crowded sky outside, waiting for a chance to get in.

"If this continues, soon, those circling Feeding Birds of Prey will start looking for other entrances. They might find the ones we concealed and enter the cave system from other places..."

"Didn’t we already seal those entrances?"

"That won’t stop them," the Survivor stated flatly.

"We must prepare. Have everyone disperse," the Great Clan Leader said to a nearby Guard.

Upon receiving the order, the ear flies immediately dispersed throughout the cave system. Mo Ling followed the Survivor, taking up a position behind a hidden entrance.

"We’ll hide here."

Mo Ling and the Survivor slipped with practiced ease into a concealed side tunnel. They had rehearsed this position many times; it offered a quick escape route deeper into the caves, and their sounds would carry far.

They had barely arrived when a commotion started at the sealed cave entrance.

The dirt and rocks sealing the entrance began to shift and crumble, accompanied by the sound of pecking from the outside.

Soon, a sharp talon punched through the loose soil.

"Here they come!"

This hidden entrance wasn’t large, only big enough for three or four Feeding Birds of Prey to pass through at a time. But even that small number could be devastating to the ear fly clan.

Mo Ling and the Survivor both waited patiently for the entrance to be breached.

The instant a Feeding Bird of Prey stepped into the cave, a bird call rang out from the side tunnel. After several echoes, the sound found its target.

It faltered for only a second before whirling around and attacking the companion at its back. Blood sprayed across the loose soil, staining it a dark, wet black.

The Feeding Birds of Prey behind it swarmed in, and another fierce melee broke out...

"It worked."

"Very effective."

Once a melee broke out, it would be a fight to the death, continuing until only one victor remained. And with new Feeding Birds of Prey constantly pouring in through the entrance, the battle would never end.

At the same time, Mo Ling could hear from the echoes in the cave that melees had also broken out at the other hidden entrances. The sounds of slaughter began to reverberate throughout the entire cave system.

"The battlefield has expanded. Their numbers will start to drop faster now," the Survivor assessed.

"So we just wait here then?"

"No." The Survivor remained as tense as ever. "If all the entrances are blocked, they’ll look for another way in..."

Mo Ling was stunned. "Other ways? You think they can just smash through the rock walls and burrow into the cave?"

"Who’s to say?" the Survivor said, his voice tense. "The Feeding Birds of Prey aren’t that easy to deal with. They’re the most terrifying Hunters. They’ll do anything for food, things you’d never expect."

The sound of flapping wings outside the cave continued, growing more frantic. It seemed the Feeding Birds of Prey in the air were growing impatient.

The cacophony of slaughter, shrieking, and gnawing from every cave entrance was becoming more than the circling Feeding Birds of Prey could bear.

Mo Ling could vaguely hear that some of the Feeding Birds of Prey had landed and were digging at the ground. Others had flown around to the seaside, seemingly looking for hidden entrances there.

No matter how savage and crazed the Feeding Birds of Prey were, they were still living creatures. They had an instinct for self-preservation, for finding the easiest path to food while avoiding danger.

Listening to the flight paths of the Feeding Birds of Prey, the Survivor had a bad feeling.

"I’ll keep watch here. You go and inform the Great Clan Leader. Have him send some ear flies to guard the underwater entrances. The Feeding Birds of Prey might find them."

"Underwater entrances? Can Feeding Birds of Prey swim?" Mo Ling asked, confused.

This wasn’t something they had considered in their original plan.

In all their migration from the depths of Heaven’s End Mountain, the ear flies had never encountered any large lakes or seas. They had no idea if the Feeding Birds of Prey could swim, so when they made their plan, they never considered the cave entrances hidden deep beneath the sea.

The cave system was a sprawling network. Above, it connected to the coast, other caves, and rock fissures; below, it opened to the seabed. If the Feeding Birds of Prey could truly dive into the ocean and find those entrances, they would get right behind the ear flies’ lines...