Nan Yue sneered inwardly. He Jiang was truly a master at manipulating people. Since he had someone to act as a stand-in for him, he was willing to take risks to both gather information and win over the group.
However, she also needed to know if the straw raincoats were effective, so she was more than happy to watch this play out.
He Jiang returned quickly, clearly afraid of any accidents, but everything went smoothly. Most of the Ant-red Flowers he brought back were dry. He distributed them to the others and soaked a few in water for Jiang Mingfu to drink.
"Old Chen, you didn't really get caught in the rain, and we don't have enough flowers to go around, so you should skip the drink."
He Jiang acted as if he were looking out for everyone's best interests. Since he was the one who retrieved the flowers, Chen Bin couldn't say much and could only agree sheepishly.
Nan Yue, however, saw right through him. He Jiang was conducting a control experiment.
He also doubted whether these flowers actually worked.
He was a cunning old fox.
The rain soon tapered off and stopped completely after about half an hour. Once it ceased, the villagers emerged from their stone houses and began clearing away the remnants of the ritual.
Ga Ya noticed that the basket of Ant-red Flowers was gone. Her gaze shifted to the cup Jiang Mingfu was holding.
She stared at the cup filled with Ant-red Flower water for a moment before suddenly breaking into a smile.
A dark crevice opened on her bark-like face, revealing uneven yellow teeth and a bright red tongue.
Nan Yue felt as though it wasn't a mouth at all, but a tree hollow containing blood-red internal organs.
Ga Ya's smile terrified Jiang Mingfu. He gripped his cup tightly and swallowed hard. "Why... why is she smiling at me?"
No one knew, but Xie Roufen had also drunk the Ant-red Flower water, which slightly eased Jiang Mingfu's soaring anxiety.
The air after the rain became even more humid and hot. The weather was so stifling it was hard to breathe, and everyone felt sticky and gross.
"How about we go to the river for a bath?"
Luo Liu wiped the sweat from his body, looking frustrated. "I'll mention it to Suo Da. We should go wash up. This is unbearable."
Although the scavengers knew that bathing during a mission carried significant risks, the weather was truly making everyone uncomfortable. Almost as soon as Luo Liu made the suggestion, everyone agreed.
When Suo Qisi heard they wanted to bathe in the river, he had no objections.
Luo Liu and a few other men went to the jeep to retrieve the backpacks they had prepared. Nan Yue took hers and looked inside; there wasn't much of use.
There were only a few changes of clothes and some common medications for things like colds and diarrhea.
They really were just inexperienced college students, coming to such a remote place with only these things in their bags.
Luo Liu led them toward the river. "We'll use the Stone Bridge as a boundary to separate the men and women. We won't be able to see each other, but just shout if anything happens."
Luo Liu scratched his head. "The river water is used by the villagers for daily life, so don't use body wash or anything like that. Just rinse off with plain water."
Those were the conditions, and no one disagreed.
Jiang Mingfu didn't really want to go. Perhaps it was psychological, but he felt unwell after being in the rain. His nose was stuffy, as if he were coming down with a cold.
Even though the weather was stiflingly hot, it was easy to catch a chill in these conditions.
Suo Sheng felt his forehead and frowned. "You're a bit warm."
Nan Yue took out her medicine and handed it over. "This came with the mission items. See if it helps."
Jiang Mingfu thanked her in a muffled voice. He just felt a bit dizzy, but otherwise okay.
Besides, weren't the Ant-red Flowers supposed to be a medicinal cure-all?
Initially, He Jiang wanted Chen Bin to stay behind as well since he had also been in the rain, but Chen Bin hadn't drunk the flower water and felt uneasy, preferring to stay with the crowd.
The group walked toward the river in a large procession. When they split up, Luo Liu specifically warned them that the middle of the river was deep and not to wander too far.
A quick rinse would suffice.
Then, he led the others away.
Xie Roufen was still a bit worried. Although the men were far away, they were only a few steps from the bridge, and she felt uneasy around men she barely knew.
Nan Yue told Xie Roufen to bathe in peace, saying she would stay on the outer edge, so anyone approaching would see her first.
"Human bodies are all pretty much the same. What's there to be afraid of?"
As she spoke, Nan Yue boldly stripped off her sweat-soaked clothes and jumped into the river. The cool water washed away the stickiness, making her let out a sigh of relief.
"Besides, if anyone dares to look, I'll gouge their eyes out."
The others laughed because they could tell she wasn't joking.
When one person is uninhibited, the others follow suit. Soon, the other girls undressed and entered the water, enjoying a rare moment of comfort since the start of the mission.
Wen Xiang Yuan, however, was a bit shy. Nan Yue knew she was a special case and didn't push her. She walked a few steps further away and waved Wen Xiang Yuan over.
"This spot is further from the others. You should still wash up, otherwise you'll be uncomfortable."
She turned her back and bent over to wash her hair. "I'm not looking."
Wen Xiang Yuan stared at the skin Nan Yue had exposed above the water for a moment before obediently undressing and jumping in.
"The water is so cool and comfortable. I thought it would be warm and sticky too."
Nan Yue looked back. Wen Xiang Yuan had submerged herself in the river, her face flushed from the heat.
"Yeah, the weather is getting more and more humid."
Only after Nan Yue mentioned it did Wen Xiang Yuan notice. "...It seems like the air humidity has spiked."
Nan Yue wrung out her hair. "Yeah, and the humidity feels... sticky."
Nan Yue thought back to the vision she had seen above the ant nest—that viscous, squelching sound, and the translucent, stringy mucus...
Wen Xiang Yuan's face grew even redder, prompting Nan Yue to reach out and touch her cheek.
"Are you that hot?"
Wen Xiang Yuan looked away. "No... just a little."
"Leader, don't you think very few people have died in this mission?"
Hearing Wen Xiang Yuan's words, Nan Yue turned serious.
"Yes. Usually, when that happens, there's a large-scale death event waiting at the end."
This mission wasn't like the Zhengmiao Childcare School; there was no strict time limit. Despite being halfway through the five days, only two people had died.
This didn't mean the mission wasn't dangerous. On the contrary, it was the most bizarre mission Nan Yue had ever encountered.
There was no direct horror, no gore or constant death. Instead, everything was shrouded in strangeness, eeriness... and stickiness.
"It's going to get very dangerous later. Stay close to us."
Nan Yue wasn't particularly worried about Wen Xiang Yuan. She was like a gamer who, although facing fear directly, would eventually overcome her demons as long as she didn't die.
"Okay!"
The men's side was much rowdier. They stripped off and jumped into the river like dumplings into a pot, shouting loudly at the chill of the water.
Gu Xiang Kai stood at the outermost position, quickly washing himself.
Dong Sheng, however, kept glancing toward the girls' side, though they were far enough away that he could only see blurry figures.
Rate on N.U.
