Nan Yue grit her teeth, clutching Wen Xiang Yuan's hand. Just as she was about to let go, she saw an arm reach out from the back window, its blade piercing Wen Xiang Yuan's head without a moment's hesitation.
Wen Xiang Yuan's beautiful eyes instantly lost their luster. Nan Yue's grip loosened, and the girl tumbled into the mud, quickly covered by the black swarm.
Nan Yue slumped back into her seat, wiping her face with trembling hands. "Thank you."
Zhu Xi Ning gasped as she slumped back against Shang Xi, casting an unreadable glance at Nan Yue.
"I hope you apply that ruthlessness you have for yourself to others for once."
Nan Yue buried her face in her hands and took a few deep breaths, regaining her composure.
"It won't happen again."
She had been too emotional just now. This was dangerous.
Wen Xiang Yuan's death cast a heavy pall over the car's interior. No one spoke, the only sound being the crunch of the car rolling over branches.
"How much longer do we have to drive?" Shang Xi murmured. They were nearly out of the forest, and the time limit had passed, yet they still hadn't left.
Nan Yue looked out the window. She saw the small shrines made of stones again, the ones they had passed on the way in.
Only this time, she saw clearly what was enshrined within.
It was a small ant statue. At first glance, it felt identical to the giant ant statue in the stone house where the banquet had been held.
Except it was miniaturized.
Because the original statue had been too large, they could only see its lower half and had no idea what the top looked like.
The small ant statue in the stone shrine finally allowed her to see.
It was a bulging head, like a tumor, covered in countless human faces.
Those faces were carved so vividly they were almost identical to the ant of human flesh they had seen, each with a different expression.
Emotions of resentment, despair, and agony were so potent that a single glance was enough to make them feel contagious.
"Stone shrines..." Nan Yue murmured. "Everywhere there are stone shrines... is still the village."
The others saw the small stone shrines along the road as well, their faces turning pale.
Since they had entered the mission, these stone shrines had been appearing by the roadside.
If that were the case, they had no idea how far they would have to drive to actually leave the village's boundaries.
This damn mission!
The car's speed slowed significantly, even beginning to stutter, but no one urged Huo Fuyu. They all knew he was doing his best.
Rustle.
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
The car struggled along the mountain road, but at this rate, the swarm would catch up within five minutes.
Driving on a cliffside was already slow, and Huo Fuyu could faint at any moment. If he did, the engine would cut out completely.
Despair spread quickly through the car. Gu Xiang Kai said nothing, focused on navigating the base of the mountain.
Nan Yue felt a surge of desperation. She lunged toward the steering wheel, grabbing it before anyone could react.
The front of the car veered sharply, flying off the cliff.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Screams erupted in the car as a violent sensation of weightlessness enveloped everyone.
At first, there was the suffocation of the fall, the frantic pounding of hearts, and the instinctual urge to grab onto anything.
Then, in an instant, they were back in the settlement room.
Everyone collapsed on the floor, unable to react for a long time.
"Multiplayer qualification mission, Code 384595: Antswamp Village. Mission result: Cleared."
"Performing scavenger rank evaluation based on the cleanup process, please wait..."
"Current team evaluation grade: S+"
"Current evaluation reward: 35,000 team reward points."
"Congratulations. We hope you will continue your efforts and devote your everything to the Scavenger Project."
A soft female voice made the announcement, but the three people sitting on the floor didn't have the heart to listen.
Zhu Xi Ning groaned as she clutched her head. Gu Xiang Kai and Nan Yue were still reeling from the intense sensation of weightlessness and shock.
"Hiss... we cleared it?" Zhu Xi Ning touched her heart, which was still pounding wildly. She was dazed, not knowing how they had passed.
Gu Xiang Kai glanced at her and smiled. "You've got it easy."
Zhu Xi Ning asked cautiously, "Um... did the other me really show up? How was she?"
Gu Xiang Kai thought for a moment. "Pretty fierce. And pretty crazy."
Zhu Xi Ning sucked in a breath. "Really?"
Nan Yue chimed in from the side, "Don't worry. That version of you was quite good. I liked her."
Zhu Xi Ning's nonexistent tail perked up before drooping again. She squeezed closer. "So do you like me or her?"
Nan Yue glanced at her, finding the question strange.
"Wen Xiang Yuan didn't come out."
Gu Xiang Kai stood up and searched the area, confirming that there were no extra people in the small settlement room.
Although Wen Xiang Yuan had told them beforehand that this often happened, the group couldn't help but feel anxious.
Especially since Wen Xiang Yuan's Neural Interface hadn't come online either.
Zhu Xi Ning noticed the odd expressions on Gu Xiang Kai and Nan Yue's faces and finally realized something.
"What happened after the other me came out?"
"Wenwen sacrificed herself to save us."
Zhu Xi Ning fell silent. After a moment, she asked, "Did she... suffer when she left?"
For some reason, after she asked that, both Nan Yue and Gu Xiang Kai looked at her.
Their gazes were gentle yet grandfatherly, and within that kindness was an indescribable complexity.
Zhu Xi Ning was baffled.
Nan Yue replied, "She went fairly quickly."
Zhu Xi Ning let out an "Ah." "That's good, then."
"Let's go out and rest first. Once we've recovered, we'll see if there's a way to contact Wenwen."
Zhu Xi Ning could tell that although Nan Yue and Gu Xiang Kai looked normal, their actual states were quite off.
Especially Nan Yue.
It was rare for Zhu Xi Ning to see her looking so dazed.
After the three of them left and returned to the hotel, Zhu Xi Ning suggested getting something to eat, but Nan Yue fell asleep the moment she entered her room.
This was a rare occurrence, as Nan Yue usually rested better while inside a mission.
Zhu Xi Ning tucked Nan Yue in and closed the door. When she came out, Gu Xiang Kai was in the living room, standing by the window and smoking.
Seeing Zhu Xi Ning, Gu Xiang Kai was about to extinguish his cigarette.
"It's fine," Zhu Xi Ning stopped him. She could see that Gu Xiang Kai wasn't doing well either.
"What happened?"
Gu Xiang Kai told Zhu Xi Ning about the events that followed. He smoked one cigarette after another until the ashtray was soon full.
Gu Xiang Kai extinguished the last cigarette butt, looking out at the lush greenery outside the window.
Five days. There was only a layer of dark stubble on his chin, but he somehow looked much more weathered.
Zhu Xi Ning remained silent for a long time before finally leaning back against the sofa.
"Is that so... So that's why."
Gu Xiang Kai turned around, looking at Zhu Xi Ning slumped on the sofa. "Why?"
A black ant mask appeared in Zhu Xi Ning's hand.
"I was wondering how this thing ended up in my personal items."
The tingling sensation in her hands felt like countless ants crawling over her. The intense pain seemed to have vanished, but her flesh and bones still retained the memory of it.
Wen Xiang Yuan woke up screaming.
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