As Lao Shi's footsteps faded, Ling Jiang instinctively took a step forward.
Lao Gao, worried she'd do something reckless, quickly pulled her back.
"Sister Ling." Lao Gao's voice was solemn.
Ling Jiang gently pried his hand off her arm and kept her eyes fixed on Lao Shi's retreating figure. Her feet, however, stayed rooted in place.
"What are you worried about? That I'd go with him? No. I'm not alone. I still have Grandma."
Besides, Lao Shi wasn't worth such a choice. He was just an ex-boyfriend, a childhood friend she'd grown up with. Ending like this was a pity, nothing more.
The group stayed quiet, waiting for Ling Jiang until she had looked her fill. Only then did they quicken their pace, hurrying down the mountain path.
As they descended, Huang Jinghe finally voiced a question that had been nagging at him.
"The mutated creatures inside the dense forest might've been humans once. But what about those outside? How did they change? And those outside creatures with human faces who can freely enter and leave the forest—why does the barrier not affect them?"
They'd seen the barrier themselves. It separated the forest's creatures and plants from the outside world. So why could some animals slip through?
He was referring to that human-faced cat. They'd spotted it outside before, and again inside.
Why didn't the barrier work on it?
Could it be that the barrier wasn't there at first, but added later?
Lan Jin suddenly remembered the green light they'd seen earlier.
"Could that green light be the signal that activates the barrier? Maybe when it weakens, it reactivates itself to keep the forest's creatures from escaping."
No one could answer Lan Jin's theory.
The group moved on in silence, picking up speed. Exhaustion clawed at them, but finally, Captain Zhang's spiritual sense detected they were close to the foot of the mountain.
The sight waiting for them wasn't pleasant.
"The boat's full of people," Captain Zhang said grimly. "Those people lied."
But the closer they got, the worse Captain Zhang's expression turned.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Zhi asked, frowning.
"I think the rescued teammates on board were injured by mutated plants. They're… losing control. Their madness is spreading to the ones guarding the boat."
Captain Zhang's words were still measured.
Lao Gao wasn't. "You mean everyone's gone crazy? What now? Do we check it out or not?"
Captain Zhang slowed his pace. "I trust my ability. Given everything we've seen, it's safer not to go there for now."
They'd escaped the forest, but the boat was unreachable. Wolves ahead, tigers behind, mountains and rivers all around—danger closed in on every side.
Zhou Zhi's voice dropped. "Are the crazed ones inside the boat or out?"
The crease between Captain Zhang's brows deepened. The answer was obvious. If the infected were outside, approaching was suicide. And they had sharp hearing. They needed to stay hidden.
Everyone froze in place, calming their breathing.
"We've been running for a while," Captain Zhang murmured. "Let's rest here, eat a little."
They sat down quietly. Water and food weren't a problem. But how long would they have to wait? No one could say.
"When we went mad," Captain Zhang said, "it took days before we calmed down. We don't know when those people lost control. If it just started, we might be stuck here for days."
Even if they waited, how many would survive? How many would awaken abilities?
Death would likely claim most of them.
And could they even last several days in the mountains like this?
Huang Jinghe's voice broke the heavy silence. "Why are the creatures so different inside and outside the forest? If the ones inside mutated because of the green light, what about the ones outside?"
Xi Yu finally spoke up. "Remember the poisonous fog when the apocalypse first began? The one that forced us to stay inside for months? They said it only targeted humans, that animals weren't affected, that they could walk and breathe freely. But that wasn't true. The fog didn't hurt them at first, but later they all mutated."
He paused.
"But saying it was all because of the fog isn't right either. There's a heavy human hand in this. Whatever the original plan was, it's spiraled out of control. Whoever started this probably never expected things to get this bad. Chasing the full truth might be pointless now."
After choking down compressed biscuits, Captain Zhang arranged shifts for everyone to rest.
But their break didn't last long. The maddened teammates had wandered closer, roaming near their hiding spot.
Those infected relied on sound to hunt. As long as Captain Zhang's group stayed still, they'd be safe.
Yet waking the sleeping members couldn't wait.
As they carefully shook their comrades awake, disaster struck. Pei Xin stirred, twisting in her sleep, and kicked over her water flask. The loud clatter drew every pair of wild, bloodshot eyes.
The crazed man lunged at Pei Xin in an instant, ripping her insulated suit and clawing her back. His hand yanked her arm, dragging her close, and his teeth sank into her neck.
The others hadn't reacted yet—it happened too fast.
Lan Jin snapped to her senses, but her own ability would only agitate the attacker further. She didn't dare strike. Helpless, she watched as Pei Xin—