They had been right there, within reach, yet she had still died so easily.
But that wasn't their focus now. Pei Xin's death was already a settled matter. What mattered was that they themselves were still on the razor's edge of danger and had yet to escape.
At that moment, all that mattered was running. They had to get as far away from those crazed people as possible.
However, once these people fell into madness, they became tireless. All it took was a sound, and they'd give chase without stopping. The group ran for their lives, pursued by the crazed ones, until a plant-ability user lashed out, vines whipping forward to bind one of the madmen to a tree. That brief reprieve finally allowed them to break away from danger.
Even then, the bound man didn't quiet down. He kept roaring and thrashing, his voice drawing the attention of more frenzied teammates from afar.
Danger pressed closer step by step. Lan Jin and the others had no choice but to keep running, fleeing that cursed place.
The group ran and hid, weaving through the barren forest. Only after a long while, when they were certain there was no one following, did they finally stop to catch their breath.
When they stopped, Xi Yu couldn't hold back anymore. "Sister Lan, why didn't you use your ability to help Xin Xin just now? If you had…"
Lan Jin interrupted calmly. "There's no 'if.' Back when Captain Zhang went mad, I tried using electricity on him to calm him down. But the more I shocked him, the more excited he became. You should know how strong the security was below the top floor. Yet with one strike, he tore the bars apart. We can't use electricity. It only riles them up further. That's why I didn't act."
Xi Yu's face changed. He hadn't known that. He was glad he'd asked, or he would have held a grudge against Lan Jin for nothing.
"Sorry, I was being petty," Xi Yu admitted.
"It's fine. Talking it out clears things up," Lan Jin said with a slight shake of her head.
The air between them eased, but that left a more pressing question: what about the others?
Captain Zhang glanced at the nine remaining members of his squad, feeling truly at a loss. The mountaintop was full of trees, but they were all bare and brittle. Forget hiding; they could barely stand there without feeling exposed.
And they weren't just facing their maddened comrades. Mutant creatures prowled the mountains too.
Captain Zhang's expression darkened. "Should we head back to the ship? I'll check how many people went mad on board. If we can clear them out, maybe we can take a ship for ourselves. Otherwise, there's nowhere to hide out here. And we don't have enough food to last for days."
"I think that's a good idea," Lao Gao said immediately, nodding. The heat-protective suits helped, but they were nothing compared to the ship's air conditioning. And with supplies on board, why would anyone choose to rough it on a barren mountain if they had another choice?
No one raised objections. Captain Zhang expanded his mental power ability, intending to scan the surroundings and get his bearings. But after their desperate flight earlier, he realized he couldn't even sense where the ships were.
"I'll have to get closer. By the way, is there really no way for my ability to rank up? Mental power is useful, but the range is pathetic."
That mention of mental power sparked an idea in Zhou Zhi. "Could your ability be suppressed by a barrier?"
Captain Zhang frowned. "I don't think so. When we entered the dense forest, I couldn't use it at first. But at the crossroads inside the forest, I managed to recover it. I used it while we were still inside the barrier, so I doubt that's the cause. But… I guess it's possible? I honestly don't know."
His ability had returned at that point. Some of his teammates had recovered theirs even earlier. The truth was unclear. Maybe the suppression applied to everyone, but Lan Jin's team had glitched somehow, allowing some abilities to return.
Lan Jin spoke up, her tone thoughtful. "Back on basement five, those things were operating that display panel. What were they controlling?"
"No clue. Maybe it was just surveillance," Lao Gao said. He wasn't one for overthinking things, and research didn't interest him.
Huang Jinghe disagreed. "No. That panel was definitely a control station. I think… maybe it was for controlling the forest itself?"
"Controlling the forest?" Lan Jin raised a brow. "What would that even mean? It's already rooted in the ground. What could they control, make it move?"
"Not move. Just…" Huang Jinghe started, but Lao Gao cut him off.
"You're overcomplicating it. That control station was probably just for stuff inside the villa. No way it could control mutant plants or animals. Those creatures mutated after humans came into contact with the green light, remember? It's not like they'd choose to mutate themselves into monsters."
"Actually, that's possible," Shen Zhiyan said quietly.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Why?" someone asked.
"Maybe they didn't mean to," Shen Zhiyan said. "Maybe it was an accident. But once they turned into monsters, do you think they were willing to live like that? I bet they wanted everyone else to join them. Misery loves company. They wanted all of us to change, to suffer like they do."
His theory was grim, but no one could deny it made sense. Human nature was fragile when tested. On sublevel five, those humanoid mutants had tried to lure them into releasing something from the elevator, even if it meant mutual destruction. It wasn't impossible that they wanted revenge on all humans.
"But who made that green light in the first place? Or… was it really just the light itself that caused the mutations?" Shen Zhiyan continued. "If so, then is that vaccine really something that will restore us to normal?"
As they quietly dissected the events, they only sank deeper into uncertainty.
There was no answer. But while their thoughts turned darker, they continued to avoid the crazed survivors scattered across the mountains, slipping closer to the ships.
At last, Captain Zhang stopped and scanned the boat nearest to them. "There are two people in the cockpit. The door's locked, so they're safe for now. I won't bother talking about the bridge crew, but below deck… there are about twenty people per ship."
Those people had probably fled the forest wounded and gone to the cabins to rest. Then they'd lost control.
The cabins were below deck, behind two reinforced doors and a staircase. Escaping from there wouldn't be easy.
Their mission was clear: evacuate the bridge crew quietly, then deal with the twenty-odd maddened survivors below deck. Only then could they take the ship for themselves.
===
Pei Xin's death is somehow expected and unexpected. It was true that she is very annoying like almost all the time. But I personally think, in here her death was meaningless. It would be great if she have kind of redemption arc, especially after they walk into the villa she is not that annoying.
But still, if it was deliberate, I also understand why they did that. Nobody want have uncontrollable factor like her.