Antswamp Village (35)

The already weakened Nan Yue paused.

Then a chill ran down her spine.

Zhu Xi Ning, who was on her shoulder, pressed a sleeve blade against her.

"Don't even think about eating me."

"Zhu Xi Ning!"

Gu Xiang Kai understood this might be the dual souls Wen Xiang Yuan had mentioned, but he never expected Zhu Xi Ning to actually pull a knife on Nan Yue.

Nan Yue struggled to free a hand to wipe her face, forcing a smile. "Actually, I quite like this side of you."

Zhu Xi Ning fell silent.

The group stumbled to the stalled jeep, and Nan Yue looked at Huo Fuyu.

Huo Fuyu looked half-dead. "Looking at me again!"

Nan Yue pointed behind them. "Those things are coming."

"It's just an engine. You should be able to control it, right?"

Huo Fuyu rolled his eyes while trembling, his fingers shaking as he began weaving white threads.

The car, which had been stuck quietly in the mud, roared to life and lurched forward. The others scrambled to open the doors and get inside.

Huo Fuyu slumped against Gu Xiang Kai, barely holding himself up. However, Nan Yue's complexion next to him was even worse, looking like a ghost returning seven days after death.

He was so startled that he didn't even dare to complain.

"Aren't we out of the village already!"

Although Gu Xiang Kai had used his ability, it was still within his limits. His face was covered in sticky sweat as he gripped the steering wheel, wondering if the air itself had solidified, making the car move so slowly.

The car got snagged on a withered branch, one wheel lifting high and spinning uselessly in the air.

"Ants! The swarm is catching up!"

Shang Xi, supporting a blood-soaked Zhu Xi Ning, was frantic with anxiety.

"There's nothing I can do! I can control the engine, but unless I can touch the branch, I can't control it out of thin air!"

Huo Fuyu lost all his poise, leaning limply against Gu Xiang Kai and cursing.

His ability was somewhat similar to He Jiang's. To turn a person into a puppet, he needed a verbal promise, something like informed consent.

This was why he was friendly with everyone and had a good reputation.

He had only failed a few times when others sensed something was wrong and refused to even engage with his friendly overtures.

Like Nan Yue.

If it was an inorganic object, he at least needed to be able to touch it.

The ant swarm rolled forward like balls of fire, resembling evil ghosts climbing out of hell, closing the distance at high speed.

Nan Yue spoke weakly. "How can you touch the branch? Are you going down?"

Huo Fuyu coughed violently. "In your dreams! Anyone else can go, but not me. If I die, none of you are getting away."

Nan Yue was silent for a moment, then said helplessly, "I meant if you're the only one who can go, I'll help you hold back the swarm..."

Huo Fuyu didn't feel the least bit guilty. "I'm not going."

He could tell that while Nan Yue said that, she would likely have to embrace a death wish to use her ability again.

Even if he was selfish, if they were going to die, they would all die together. He wasn't the type to sacrifice himself for the sake of others.

The massive Ant God made of human flesh had been mostly consumed by acid rain and fire. Only the ant swarm remained in pursuit.

But that didn't provide any relief.

Nan Yue's body trembled as she gritted her teeth, trying to push herself up. Before she could even sit upright, she heard a thud—Wen Xiang Yuan had jumped out of the car.

"I've got the branch!"

Wen Xiang Yuan shouted. "Hurry!"

Huo Fuyu paused for a split second before immediately using his silver threads to control the branch, flinging it far away.

"Wen Xiang Yuan!"

Gu Xiang Kai leaned halfway out of the car, trying to see Wen Xiang Yuan, who was now on the ground.

The swarm had arrived.

"Ah!"

When Wen Xiang Yuan's panicked scream rang out, Gu Xiang Kai nearly ground his teeth to dust. His position was wrong; he couldn't reach her.

Only Zhu Xi Ning and Shang Xi were on that side, but Zhu Xi Ning was leaning on Shang Xi, preventing Shang Xi from using any strength, and Zhu Xi Ning herself was practically incapacitated.

Wen Xiang Yuan's body was being devoured by ants at an incredible speed. She hadn't even passed her pain tolerance course. The agony made her wail and sob.

"Uwah... it hurts... Boss... help me."

Wen Xiang Yuan wanted to tell Nan Yue and the others to leave. That had been her plan.

She wouldn't truly die, making her the best candidate.

If she died here, she would simply wake up in the city state.

She could treat it like a hallucination and even get to be a hero for once.

She always died halfway through every mission, never finishing one, which was always a source of regret for her.

Following Nan Yue this time, she was just one step away from completing the mission. If she could be the one to let the others escape, how cool would that be!

Wen Xiang Yuan knew she wasn't much help in missions. Nan Yue had only brought her along because she liked her back at Blooming Media Company, and because of her unique nature, it was like bringing along a child.

They had always looked after her, even in such dangerous missions.

So she wanted to do something.

Wen Xiang Yuan wasn't a canary. She was a woman who wanted to be an eagle!

But as she was being gnawed by the swarm, she realized it was too painful.

It hurt so much she wanted to cry, to scream. It hurt so much she regretted it.

She didn't know how Nan Yue could endure being corroded by acid rain without flinching, or how she could still try to sit up and protect them even when she was so weak.

She didn't know why Zhu Xi Ning could cut off her own hand like she was chopping vegetables, or why she could grit her teeth and stay silent while the ants devoured her arm.

How much more agonizing training had they endured during their twenty years of scavenger courses to reach this point?

Nan Yue and the others were the elite among scavengers, but what about the rest?

Born to be trained like machines, tortured, thrown into missions, and then die.

Many thoughts flashed through Wen Xiang Yuan's mind, eventually buried by the most primal instinct for survival.

"Save me... sob... it hurts so much..."

Nan Yue's face was covered in tears. She had already crawled to the car window. She didn't get out, because she knew why Wen Xiang Yuan had done this.

She also knew that if she got out now, she wouldn't be able to come back.

Wen Xiang Yuan wanted to save them. She knew that, and she would remember this debt of gratitude for the rest of her life.

But she truly wanted to save her—this beautiful girl, this fragile girl. Even if she wouldn't really die, even if the pain would vanish once she left the mission world.

She still wanted to save her.

Nan Yue grabbed Wen Xiang Yuan's hand.

She held on tight as the car started moving, with Wen Xiang Yuan being dragged behind.

Wen Xiang Yuan felt it was strange. Her body was in agony, but the moment Nan Yue gripped her hand, she suddenly wasn't afraid anymore.

She had been afraid of death, afraid of them leaving her to be devoured by the swarm all alone.

Now, suddenly, she wasn't afraid.

"Boss, let go."

With her being dragged along, the car couldn't go fast.

Wen Xiang Yuan's face was a mess of mud and tears. She squeezed out a smile. "Let go."

Her lips moved without a sound, but Nan Yue could tell what she was saying: "I'll see you on the outside."