More than half an hour later, Luo had fully recovered his energy.
But he hadn't recovered the Fat Reservoir Phantom's energy, since that type worked differently; this kind of Phantom stored energy inside itself, but the storage process was slow, needing time to recharge before every use.
Activating the Phantom also consumed a quarter of its stored energy reserve.
And even though Luo had only used up roughly half his reserve, he decided to rely on the energy he could recover easily instead of using the Fat Reservoir Phantom.
It was a tough call to make in a moment like this.
But in the end...
caution was the path to safety.
Luo stood up, then began activating his Phantoms one after another.
He was getting ready to use his own Pattern.
"Human Cannonball."
Energy gathered around his body as he prepared to leap over the giant crystal.
And before he started, he muttered:
"I hope nothing happens to you... Shun De's the one with the Wound Salve Phantom, so you won't be able to heal yourself, Cha Ji."
He clenched his fist.
"Damn it... if I were just a little stronger, this wouldn't have happened—"
"AAAAAAH! Help!"
Shun De's scream erupted from a distance.
It wasn't an ordinary cry for help.
It carried real terror.
Luo froze in place.
As for Shen Zuo, standing elsewhere, he froze too.
His eyes were locked on the scene in front of him, his heart jolting for a moment.
"Oh, no..."
His eyes widened.
"No, no, no... this wasn't part of the plan!"
Panic showed clearly on his face.
"Damn it... damn it!"
He didn't hesitate.
He activated the Bull Charge Phantom and shot off at full speed toward where Shun De was.
Shun De was in a pitiful state.
Had Shen Zuo been even a few moments later, he would have lost his life.
A giant rat covered in glossy armored plating was tearing into his body, looking as though it was about to finish him off completely.
Shen Zuo hadn't expected this to happen.
True, the biggest obstacle in his plan had been Shun De's intelligence and caution, which was exactly why he'd had to design plans to separate them.
But he certainly hadn't wanted them dead.
It had only been a few months since he'd first stepped out into the world.
And these three had been the first humans he'd met since leaving.
He'd learned a great deal from them.
Shun De especially.
Shen Zuo wasn't entirely sure of the nature of his feelings toward them, but he was certain of one thing.
He wouldn't let them die because of him, just as his grandfather Zhou Ji had told him to avoid killing humans except in cases of self-defense.
"If I manage to save you, I want you to show me what it means to pay a debt back!"
Shen Zuo shouted, watching Shun De on the verge of losing his life.
One of his hands suddenly turned to stone, taking on a sharpened shape.
Then he drove it straight toward the giant rat.
The strike tore through its belly with force.
The beast thrashed violently, then opened its jaw and tried to bite down on Shen Zuo's petrified hand.
But...
CRACK!
Its teeth shattered instead of crushing Shen Zuo's hand.
"Hmph."
Shen Zuo shoved the beast aside, then lunged toward Shun De.
He crouched beside him, trying to check his condition.
His breathing was dangerously weak.
"Are you..."
Shen Zuo stopped.
Then quickly pulled out one of the medicine pills grandpa Zhou Ji had given him.
He stared at it, irritated.
"You're one weak bastard."
Then he added, placing the pill in Shun De's mouth:
"Take it. This is one of the medicine pills grandpa Zhou Ji gave me."
Shun De swallowed the pill.
It dissolved instantly, its energy spreading through his body.
Moments later...
his breathing gradually returned to normal.
Shen Zuo let out a breath of relief.
Then looked at the remaining pill in his hand.
"Tsk... I've only got two left now."
He carried Shun De, then headed toward the hideout.
He needed to set him somewhere safe first.
As for the plan...
it had already started veering off course.
If Shun De stayed here, everything could be lost.
Just a minute later, Luo reached the spot, but found no sign of Shun De. All he found was the giant rat, dead, and the ground where Shun De had been lying covered in blood.
Luo froze for a moment, unable to process what he was seeing, then let out a violent scream and lunged at the rat's corpse, driving a punch into it with every ounce of strength left in his body, grinding the corpse to pulp beneath his fist, shattering the ground underneath it.
"Damn it! Damn it! What the hell is happening? Are they both dead? Am I alone now? AAAAAAAH!"
Luo spiraled into panic. All that blood, which he was certain belonged to Shun De, left no room in his mind for any possibility that he was still alive. In that moment, his mind stopped working logically; he hadn't been ready to lose either of them, let alone both at once. And the worst part was, he didn't even know if they were dead or alive.
He stood in the middle of the wreckage, unable to make a decision, then muttered:
"Two of them..."
He paused for a moment, as though realizing something.
"Wait, am I really going to stand here and bawl my eyes out over Shun De and Cha Ji while doing absolutely nothing?"
He clenched his fist and shook his head violently.
"No... I won't lose everyone at once."
He wasn't ready to accept the idea of giving up the search for Shun De, but in his current state, he wasn't capable of thinking clearly. Even so, there was one thing he could do.
"I need to make sure Cha Ji's safe."
The decision was agonizing, but he couldn't stay where he was any longer. If Shun De was alive, he'd come back to search for him later, but right now, he needed to confirm the fate of his other companion first.
Luo turned toward the other side of the giant crystal, then began moving at the fastest pace he could manage.
He still refused to accept the possibility of Shun De's death, but he wouldn't let himself dwell on it.
All he wanted right now was to find Cha Ji alive.
Luo activated his own Pattern and shot like a projectile toward the other side of the cave, clearing the giant crystal that had blocked his path before.
When he reached the other side, he landed with tremendous force, cracking the ground beneath his feet until the rocks around him split apart, then deactivated the Pattern without wasting a moment.
He started running like a madman.
He searched everywhere, among the rocks, the tunnels, the debris, calling out loudly:
"Cha Ji!"
He didn't stop.
He checked every corner in front of him, and every time he caught sight of something moving, he lunged toward it without a second thought.
"Cha Ji! Where are you?!"
He had no idea what awaited him at the end of this search, but he couldn't stop.
After believing Shun De was dead, he wasn't ready to lose his other companion too.
Luo headed toward the spot he remembered last seeing Cha Ji, moving at an unbelievable speed despite his body, weighed down by exhaustion.
When he reached the spot, he suddenly stopped.
He didn't find Cha Ji.
All he found was a severed hand, lying among the rocks.
Luo stared at it, unable to move.
"..."
He scanned the area quickly with his eyes, flipping over rocks, looking behind the debris, but he found no other trace.
No Cha Ji.
No sound.
Not even a sign pointing to where he'd gone.
Luo's eyes gradually widened.
"No..."
The word escaped his mouth in a faint whisper.
Then his heart began pounding violently.
He'd lost track of Shun De, and now all he'd found of Cha Ji was this hand.
"No... no, it's impossible."
He began searching even more frantically, as though refusing to accept what lay in front of him as the truth.
"Cha Ji!"
But the cave gave him no answer.
And while Luo was lost in that frenzy, a fireball shot out from behind him at tremendous speed.