The situation of the official exploration team members was truly not good.
Several people were seriously injured, six were in deep comas, and the remaining thirty-odd people who still had temporary mobility spontaneously divided themselves into three groups.
One group patrolled to scout for enemy movements, another went out to hunt for food, and the last group protected the wounded and the specimen materials they had painstakingly collected over many days.
Lyu Dongfang's face had originally been quite clean and handsome. Now, having stayed in this dark, sunless secret realm for more than half a month, his face was covered in dark stubble. Having not had a good rest for many days, his eyes were bloodshot. He looked like a wild man, and of course, he didn't look very good.
The one who had fired the shot just now was a young soldier who looked like he had only just reached adulthood. Knowing he had made a mistake, he kept his head down and didn't dare to make a sound, like a child who had done something wrong.
“Ma Guniang, please forgive this young comrade. He has never experienced anything like this, and his nerves were stretched to the limit. When he suddenly saw someone floating in the air, he thought he had fallen under a demon beast's illusion, which is why he—”
Liu Ruhe's heart was heavy, but she still remembered to explain to Nan Zhi on behalf of the young soldier:
“Some time ago, we encountered a type of demon beast that looked like a rabbit. This thing could mimic human speech and would even pretend to be our deceased comrades to call for help. His squad leader was fooled by one of those rabbits, ran into a karst cave to save them, and ended up being eaten alive by a swarm of spiders. Sigh.”
She let out a heavy sigh. The young soldier who had fired the shot was already sobbing. He bowed deeply to Nan Zhi and said with a crying voice:
“Sorry, I made a mistake and fired at one of our own. Ma Guniang, you can execute me, but I beg you, please take Professor Liu and the collected samples out of here. They are educated people, and their contribution to Great Xia is much greater than mine. Also, Section Head Qin's injuries have worsened. It really can't be delayed any longer... If this continues, she will die.”
Nan Zhi: “...”
She wasn't that bloodthirsty. She wouldn't kill someone over such a small matter, would she?
Qin Yue was injured too?
“That's right! Didn't we blow up the passage? Ma Guniang, how did you get in?!!”
Standing to the side, Lyu Dongfang's eyes suddenly lit up with a glimmer of hope. He held his breath and asked cautiously:
“Ma, Ma Guniang, do you have a way to get out of this godforsaken place?”
Nan Zhi did not answer, only raising an eyebrow. “Where is Qin Yue?”
“Section Head Qin was injured and is still unconscious.”
Lyu Dongfang's expression was complex, and he seemed to find it hard to speak. After a long pause, he said in a hoarse, dejected voice:
“Liu Guansheng... was also badly hurt while saving me and my sister...”
“Lead the way.”
Nan Zhi couldn't help but interrupt, gesturing with her chin. Realizing what she meant, Lyu Dongfang beamed with joy and quickly led the way:
“This way. We've been stationed under this stone platform during this time. Although this place is strange, it's not a complete dead end. The closer we get to the stone platform, the fewer of those strange demon beasts there are. Fortunately, we aren't short of food and water for now, otherwise we really wouldn't have survived until the day we met you...”
Lyu Dongfang was covered in stubble, and the others were in no better state.
In the camp, the young soldiers, both male and female, were mostly in their late twenties. They were injured to varying degrees, with gauze wrapped around their arms. The yellowed gauze was fraying at the edges, with faint red blood seeping through—
Their temporary camp was located right behind the altar, under a tall lotus stone lamp that was missing a corner. This spot was sheltered from the wind, and by simply widening the gap inward, it became a natural, hidden shelter.
The wounded were resting on a piece of animal hide of unknown origin, while most of the others looked exhausted, clutching their firearms tightly and staring blankly.
Occasionally, one or two who were awake would immediately raise their guns in a knee-jerk reaction upon hearing footsteps, glaring fiercely at the newcomers with bloodshot eyes.
Their nerves were stretched to the absolute limit, as if the slightest disturbance would cause their sanity to completely snap.
The young soldier who had just shot at Nan Zhi had also made a mistaken judgment out of extreme fear and panic.
“It's one of ours, it's Ma Guniang! Put them down, put them down!”
“...We also encountered survivors from the first six batches of the exploration team here one after another. Now, only a third of the total number of people are left in the camp.”
Lyu Dongfang quickly stood in front of Nan Zhi to calm the others. Once they lowered their guard, he approached the wounded lying innermost. Liu Ruhe let out a soft sigh:
“Section Head Qin did this to protect the experimental materials—back when we were collecting samples, we happened to run into a giant spider. We didn't bring enough ammunition, so Section Head Qin told us to leave first with the collected samples while she killed the spider by herself. By the time we rushed back with reinforcements, she had already fallen into a deep coma. Today is already the seventh day.”
Qin Yue was lying on a heavy blanket, her eyes tightly shut, her lips pale blue, and her face shrouded in an ominous dark color.
She looked like she was suffering immense torment, her forehead drenched in sweat. Large beads of sweat rolled down her neck, and her entire body looked as if she had just been fished out of water.
As for the blanket she was lying on—on closer inspection, it was actually a thick, furry spider skin.
“She has been poisoned by a Dan Spider. Fortunately, you weren't completely stupid and knew to wrap her in the beast's skin, which saved her life.”
Nan Zhi's face was calm as she took a bottle of Blood Supplementing Pills from her belt and tossed it casually to Lyu Dongfang:
“Feed one to her.”
She had seen the type of spider that injured people in the 《Ten Years of Gu Records》, but one of this size was indeed rare.
Lyu Dongfang immediately did as he was told. About three breaths after the pill entered her mouth, Qin Yue's expression eased significantly. The blue-black color on her face dissipated, and her lips slowly returned to a normal color.
However, she still did not wake up.
The rest of the people stared eagerly at Nan Zhi, seemingly treating her as their only hope.
“The residual poison in her body has not been fully cleared, and her qi and blood are depleted. Just feed her more spirit-rich meat to replenish her lost essence blood.”
Leaving these words behind, Nan Zhi turned and walked outside:
“When she wakes up, have her come to the stone platform to see me. I need someone who can speak on their behalf.”
After she walked a dozen meters, muffled but secret cheers of joy came from behind her.
Some were laughing, some were crying, and some were hugging each other, trembling as they wailed softly, as if to vent the helplessness and despair in their hearts.
—Ma Guniang's arrival was like a shot of adrenaline for this small team that was on the verge of collapse.
The reason human civilization could endure was because they never gave up on any sliver of hope.
Even in a desperate situation, they would try every means to find a path to survival.
Nan Zhi stopped and listened quietly for a moment. Sure enough, she saw Lyu Dongfang peeking from a corner, seemingly hesitating whether to step forward.
After a moment, he walked up awkwardly and bowed solemnly to Nan Zhi:
“Ma Guniang, I... I know I shouldn't have come to find you. I offended you before, and I apologize!
I also know that I don't have much ability. In your eyes, I might be completely useless. But I still have this worthless life of mine that I want to sell to you. I just want to beg you, could you... could you...”
He rubbed his face, seemingly afraid of hearing a refusal, and said with a trembling voice:
“Once Section Head Qin wakes up, could you give my sister and Liu Guansheng one of those life-saving pills from that bottle?”
Rate on N.U.
