The scene returned to silence.
Only the monotonous sound of raindrops hitting the water surface remained, along with the heavy, suppressed breathing of several people echoing through the thick fog.
Swish~
A blue-white light cluster far larger and more condensed than the one from killing the Mirage Worm drifted out from where the Vortex Shell Crab had sunk.
In midair, it split into one large and two small streams, each entering Han Ning, Lin Qianqian, and Yu Na's bodies respectively.
[Druid Growth Progress +60] (Current Lv4, 92/600)
[Mental Power +0.1] (Mental Power: 0.85)
[Swamp Crocodile Lizard Growth Progress +15] (Current 27/200)
[Vine Manipulation (Advanced) Proficiency +8] (Current 18/500)
Han Ning slowly exhaled a turbid breath, withdrawing his Spiritual Power as the remaining vines dissipated into specks of green light.
Lin Qianqian lowered her compound bow and raised her head, her gaze crossing the gradually calming turbid water to land on Han Ning, the corners of her lips curling slightly:
"Well done."
She stepped through the puddles to Han Ning's side, extending her right hand to gently place her palm on his shoulder.
Her fair fingertips glowed with a soft, restrained white light.
Hum...
A warm and gentle Energy Stream instantly flowed through clothing and skin, surging into Han Ning's body.
His Spiritual Power, depleted from the battle, rapidly recovered.
Although the fight had been intense, combined with absorbing the Vortex Shell Crab's energy, his Spiritual Power hadn't been heavily depleted. With Lin Qianqian's assistance, it was fully restored.
"How do you feel?"
"Much better, thanks." Han Ning felt the abundant Spiritual Power within him and thanked Lin Qianqian.
Lin Qianqian withdrew her hand, the white light at her fingertips fading as she smiled. "You're welcome."
"Let's rest for a while."
With that, she turned and walked toward Yu Na.
While Lin Qianqian helped Yu Na recover her energy,
Han Ning quickly moved to Snowflake's side.
The "little one" was lying in the turbid water, crouched low as it licked the wounds inflicted by the Vortex Shell Crab, emitting low whimpers from its throat.
"Stay still." Han Ning crouched down, his palm glowing with vibrant emerald light as he covered Snowflake's gruesome wounds.
[Rejuvenation (Intermediate) Proficiency +1, Current 39/200]
As the green light seeped in, the edges of the wounds stopped bleeding visibly, and tiny flesh buds began to squirm and grow.
Snowflake narrowed its eyes in comfort, its whimpers turning into contented purrs as it nuzzled Han Ning's wrist with its cool head.
[Swamp Crocodile Lizard Growth Progress +1, Current 28/200]
By then, Lin Qianqian had finished helping Yu Na recover.
She walked to the massive corpse of the Vortex Shell Crab and drew a gleaming short knife from her waist.
She detached the pair of hard, enormous pincers from their joints.
Then, she sliced open the relatively softer abdominal connection, cutting out several large chunks of snow-white, fine-textured crab meat with distinct grain, carefully wrapping them in waterproof cloth before placing them in a sealed bag.
"Here."
Lin Qianqian handed the heavy bag to Han Ning, her tone gentle,
. The Chase Through the Mist
"You're the main combatant, so these spoils rightfully belong to you. We'll just absorb the energy."
"Alright, thanks." Han Ning didn't refuse and took the bag, stowing it in his backpack.
As for whether to share with Lin Qianqian and the others, he decided to wait until they returned.
After a brief rest, Lin Qianqian glanced at the surrounding mist and pointed deeper into the Mist Zone. "We're still in good condition. Let's keep moving, but stay alert."
The team set off again, trudging deeper into the thick fog.
The further they went, the heavier the mist seemed to become, pressing down on them like a physical weight. Visibility dropped to less than five meters.
The stagnant water underfoot grew deeper and colder, each step met with a viscous resistance.
Along the way, they encountered several more attacks from Mirage Worms.
After the Vortex Shell Crab died, these creatures emerged from nowhere, lurking within the decaying remains of other organisms. They continuously released irritating illusions.
However, with Yu Na's preemptive Mental Barrier warnings, Han Ning's precise Vine strikes, and Lin Qianqian's timely Spiritual Power replenishment, these isolated Mirage Worms were dealt with relatively easily.
[Druid Growth Progress +15] (Current: Lv4, 107/600)
[Mental Power +0.13] (Mental Power: 0.98)
[Swamp Crocodile Lizard Growth Progress +7] (Current: 35/200)
By the time they had ventured nearly 350 meters into the Mist Zone, the density of the fog reached its peak.
Light was completely swallowed up. Even with flashlights, the beams could only illuminate a small area ahead before being devoured by the thick mist.
"Stop!" Yu Na, who had been silently vigilant, suddenly hissed, her voice trembling slightly.
She halted and looked to the right, the azure glow of her Mental Barrier flickering violently around her.
"What is it?" Lin Qianqian immediately raised her compound bow, arrow aimed in the direction Yu Na indicated.
"Three o'clock—three massive lifeforms approaching. Vortex Shell Crabs!"
"Three of them?!" Lin Qianqian's face paled.
A single Vortex Shell Crab had forced them to exhaust all their resources to defeat. Three at once would be catastrophic.
"Retreat!" Han Ning reacted even faster than Lin Qianqian.
Without hesitation, the three turned and sprinted back toward the exit.
Almost the instant they left their original position—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three water cannons, each over 10 centimeters in diameter, tore through the mist and struck where they had just stood.
Turbulent waves mixed with shattered bricks and mud erupted into the air. The sheer force momentarily displaced the water in that area, revealing the cracked ground beneath.
A suffocating pressure surged toward them like a tidal wave.
"Run! Don't look back!" Lin Qianqian's voice was sharper than ever.
As they fled, Han Ning pushed his Mental Power to the limit. The "radar map" constructed by Snowflake's perception in his mind became clearer than ever.
He deftly avoided obstacles ahead, choosing the path of least resistance to maximize their speed.
The other two girls, lacking a "radar map," lagged slightly behind. Seeing this, Han Ning whipped out two Vines, wrapping them around their waists to pull them along.
Yu Na ran at full speed while straining to sense the pursuers behind them, providing Han Ning with constant warnings.
"Turn left! Avoid that beam!" Yu Na suddenly screamed.
Han Ning didn't hesitate. He pulled on the vines, dragging both girls close to him as he wrapped his arms around their shoulders and pulled them down in a crouch.
The three of them narrowly avoided a massive concrete beam half-submerged in the water.
Almost simultaneously, a thick high-pressure water jet shot past their right side, slamming into the beam with enough force to shatter it into flying debris.
Danger lurked everywhere.
In this desperate escape, the three hundred meters that had taken nearly half an hour to traverse earlier was now left behind in less than five minutes.
Only when the impenetrably thick mist around them began to thin, allowing faint gray daylight to filter through from afar, did the trio's taut nerves relax slightly.
The terrifying screeches and splashing sounds behind them gradually faded until they disappeared completely.
Splash!
Han Ning finally dragged Lin Qianqian and Yu Na out of the suffocating edge of the dense mist.
The icy downpour pounded against them again, but the familiar sound now seemed oddly comforting.
The three stood knee-deep in murky water, gasping for breath as rain mixed with sweat streamed down their faces.
Looking back, the churning white mist loomed like a slumbering beast, still silently devouring everything behind them—as if the heart-stopping chase had been nothing but an illusion.