Chapter 13: You, what exactly are you

Perhaps because of the singing, the roars of strange beasts were never heard in this part of the jungle. It was as if the source of the song was the master of this forbidden zone. When it appeared, all things fell silent.

Captain Lei sat there quietly, still gazing into the distance. It was pitch black, and there was nothing.

Xu Qing's expression was somewhat complex. After a moment, his gaze swept across his surroundings, eventually settling on Mang Gui's bludgeon and the fragmented pieces of his shattered shield. Like all the other bodies there, Mang Gui's corpse had turned to dust when the singing mist dispersed, as if he had never existed. Scavengers often had no relatives, so their disappearance likely went unnoticed by most. Even if someone did care, they would eventually be forgotten with the passage of time, until years later, no one would know or remember them.

Xu Qing suddenly recalled a phrase spoken by the kind old teacher in the slum, who had been decent to him, before he succumbed to illness in his twilight years. The teacher had said it to the children: "Having someone in your heart you cannot forget is a sorrow, but to be remembered by others is a blessing."

At the time, Xu Qing hadn't fully grasped the meaning of that statement, but now, as he looked at Captain Lei, he understood it a little better. He didn't disturb him, but instead walked silently to where Mang Gui's body had once been, took out his dagger, and began to dig into the ground. Although his interaction with Mang Gui had been brief — only a few days and with few words exchanged — Mang Gui had taught him valuable jungle experience. They had survived a life-or-death wolf attack together, and Xu Qing had even used Mang Gui's belongings to block the black blood. Because of this, Xu Qing felt he should do something.

Just as he had cremated all the bodies in the city before leaving it, he dug vigorously into the earth, gradually creating a pit. He then buried Mang Gui's bludgeon and the shield fragments. Throughout this process, Xu Qing was deeply focused and didn't notice that Captain Lei, who had long since stopped gazing at the jungle, was now watching him.

Captain Lei's expression held the same peculiar look he had worn when he first saw Xu Qing in the city ruins. As Xu Qing buried Mang Gui's weapons and seemed about to fashion a tombstone, Captain Lei spoke softly. "Scavengers don't need tombstones. Dust to dust, earth to earth. That is the life of a scavenger: a struggle in the world while alive, and after death... no need for rituals, just peace."

As he spoke, Captain Lei's breathing grew weaker. The severity of his injuries, the accumulation of strange energy, and his mental exhaustion were too much to bear. The world slowly blurred before him, and he closed his eyes, falling unconscious.

Xu Qing approached, pulled some seven-leaf grass from his pocket, and placed it into Captain Lei's mouth. He wasn't sure if it would help, but he reasoned that since it was a necessary ingredient for making white pills, it should at least have some effect in alleviating the strange energy. Afterward, he hoisted Captain Lei onto his back, securing him tightly with his clothes. Then, taking a deep breath, he sped through the jungle in the dark.

As he passed the spot where Captain Blood Shadow had turned to dust, Xu Qing noticed a leather pouch. He picked it up and opened it, finding no pills, only some miscellaneous items. He pocketed it and swiftly departed.

Captain Lei's consciousness flickered back to life about half an hour later. He vaguely felt himself being carried on a slender body, rising and falling with its movements. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw the young man's profile in front of him. He remained silent.

Xu Qing, sensing Captain Lei's awakening, spoke in a low voice. "Are you feeling any better? You can go back to sleep for a bit. In a few more hours, before dawn, we should be able to exit the forbidden zone."

Captain Lei said nothing. His weakened body could no longer conceal his age. He struggled to lift his head, gazing at the dark sky. His vision slowly blurred, and as his consciousness began to slip back into unconsciousness, he murmured. "Kid, do you know why I offered to take you with me twice in the ruined city?"

Xu Qing didn't pause, shaking his head.

"Then do you remember how we first met?" Captain Lei's voice was faint.

"I remember." Xu Qing moved, leaping onto a large tree. He raised his right hand and snatched a mutated lizard that had been hidden nearby and was charging rapidly, then instinctively flung it forward onto the ground. With a thud, as the lizard fell, numerous vines on the ground twisted and shot out, ensnaring it. Amidst the lizard's struggles, the vines pierced its hide and began to devour its flesh. Xu Qing used this opportunity to leap, evading the danger and continuing his journey.

From behind him, Captain Lei's weak murmur reached his ears. His voice was so frail that it would have been impossible to hear if Xu Qing hadn't been so close. "I saw you cremating the corpses. Standing by the flames, you were illuminated by the fire, seeming to merge with it. It was as if I saw... a sliver of warmth in this cruel world."

Xu Qing's footsteps faltered, and he fell silent. Behind him, Captain Lei had once again slipped into unconsciousness. After a few breaths, Xu Qing silently resumed his stride, speeding through the jungle, weaving between trees and rapidly moving onward.

Time passed, and an hour swiftly went by. Xu Qing navigated around dangers, his figure drawing ever closer to the jungle's edge. The sky was at its darkest. The biting cold from the forbidden zone permeated the night air. Fortunately, Xu Qing maintained a rapid pace, and the natural heat generated by his body offered some resistance to the chill.

However... as he pressed on, the cold intensified. After about fifteen minutes, Xu Qing abruptly stopped, his face grim as he stared straight ahead. Ahead of him, a dense fog had appeared within the jungle. This fog was incredibly thick, spreading out from the distance. Unlike the singing blood mist Xu Qing had encountered earlier, it didn't seem to possess a strong sense of oppression. However, everywhere his eyes landed, the areas shrouded in mist were completely blurred, making it impossible to discern anything in his surroundings. Compounded by the darkness of night, the fog's concealment was even more profound. Xu Qing tried to avoid it, but no matter how long he ran, he still saw the mist closing in.

He knew what this was. When he first entered the forbidden zone, Cross and Luan Ya had spoken of the 'Mist of Disorientation' as one of its dangers. If enveloped by this mist, people would lose their bearings and ultimately become lost. Once formed, this mist often took a long time to dissipate naturally. Xu Qing believed he could endure until the mist dispersed, and the strange energy within him wouldn't surge. But the weakened Captain Lei couldn't; if trapped, he would surely mutate and die within a short time.

This forced Xu Qing to backtrack, attempting to circumvent the mist by taking a wider route. But... the mist was too vast. Even at his speed, he found himself surrounded by fog on all sides, with nowhere to hide, and was ultimately enveloped.

However, the patch of mist that had engulfed Xu Qing quickly began to thin, eventually revealing Xu Qing's bewildered form. He lowered his head, looking at his feet. There was no shadow in the dark, but Xu Qing could feel the surrounding mist rapidly surging into the soles of his feet. It was as if an unseen shadow had formed a vortex, devouring its surroundings. The absorption wasn't fast, and it soon seemed satiated, ceasing to draw in more. The mist then re-engulfed Xu Qing's figure.

But... as the shadow's absorption ceased, a surge of feedback flowed into Xu Qing's body, focusing in his eyes. As far as his gaze could reach, the dense mist seemed to become transparent. Or perhaps, it wasn't sight, but a heightened sense of perception! The mist was clearly still present, incredibly thick, yet in his perception, it was only slightly blurred, nowhere near enough to obstruct his view or cause him to get lost.

This caused Xu Qing's breathing to quicken slightly as he looked down at the unseen shadow beneath his feet. "What exactly are you...?" Xu Qing murmured.

After a moment, he looked up and sensed his surroundings. After a brief silence, he immediately moved, maintaining his speed, rushing through the dense mist like a phantom. It wasn't long before Xu Qing, still moving rapidly through the thick mist, encountered living people. They were two scavengers. Xu Qing vaguely recalled seeing them at the camp. These two were now holding hands, navigating the dense mist slowly, like blind men groping their way forward. However, Xu Qing's enhanced perception showed him that they were actually moving in circles. They had clearly realized this themselves, as evidenced by the sweat on their brows and their heavy, ragged breaths, which revealed their tension and despair for the future.

Xu Qing glanced at them, then averted his gaze, about to move away. He possessed no boundless compassion. In this harsh world, he had seen too many instances in the slum where attempts to save others without a clear purpose resulted in being betrayed or harmed himself. However, for those whose vision is obscured, hearing becomes exceptionally acute. Thus, Xu Qing's footsteps as he departed were still detected.

The two scavengers immediately grew tense. Unable to discern whether the sound belonged to a human or a beast, one of them let out a low, ferocious growl, as if to intimidate. The other, however, cried out for help. To show his sincerity, he even pulled out white pills and spirit coins from his leather pouch, promising to give them away, all for a sliver of hope.

Xu Qing paused, looking back at the white pills in the man's hand. Then he registered Captain Lei's weakened state behind him. After a moment of thought, he rummaged through his leather pouch, found a candle, and lit it, bringing a faint glow to his position. But the light was weak, and the mist was slowly suppressing it, causing it to dim. While the flame still held, Xu Qing retreated a short distance, looked at the two individuals nearby, and spoke slowly. "Seven steps straight to your right, then ten steps to your left..."

As Xu Qing's voice reached them, both scavengers trembled with wild joy. Their breaths quickened as they immediately began to follow his instructions. Soon, under Xu Qing's continuous guidance, they weaved left and right, avoiding dangerous areas. The mist before them also gradually thinned as they drew closer to the candle's location. When they finally stepped into the range of the flickering candlelight, illuminated as if by a sudden return of sight, they instantly collapsed beside the candle, their emotions stirred and intensely vibrant.

As for Xu Qing, he remained hidden in the shadowy periphery. Even with the faint illumination from the candle, his figure was still blurred. He watched the two men's excited reactions with an impassive face and spoke calmly. "Give me the white pills."

One of them trembled, and in the aftermath of their harrowing escape, he didn't hesitate. He immediately tossed Xu Qing the leather pouch containing spirit coins and white pills, offering profuse thanks. The other man was about to retrieve his own pills, but after his gaze swept over Xu Qing's blurred figure, his excitement somewhat receded. Because Xu Qing was in the shadows, veiled by thin, swirling mist, the man couldn't discern Xu Qing's face. He could only make out a slender figure and what appeared to be an unconscious person slumped on his back. A sinister glint flickered in his eyes, but he plastered on a sincere smile and began to speak. "Little brother, I've already consumed all my white pills. But rest assured, once the mist disperses, or if you can find a way to lead me out, I promise to repay you twofold."

As he finished, his eyes flickered faintly, looking toward Xu Qing's position with a hint of challenge. His companion, standing beside him, also felt a pang of regret, thinking he had handed over his payment too quickly.

Xu Qing gave the scavenger who hadn't offered his pills a long, silent look. With a simple wave of his right hand, a gust of wind swept through, extinguishing the candle flame in an instant. Darkness and mist once again enveloped their surroundings. As a startled cry escaped the man's lips, Xu Qing swiftly moved closer, snatched the leather pouch from his person, and then his calm voice echoed around them. "No need. You can stay in here."

"Wait, I was wrong, I truly was wrong! I'll give you the white pills, I..." The man immediately panicked, trying to grasp at something, but his feet caught on tree roots, sending him stumbling to the ground. As he scrambled to his feet, his pleas became more frantic, and a powerful sense of regret pervaded his being. "Little brother, please listen to my explanation, I..."

Xu Qing ignored the man's desperate pleas and walked towards the other scavenger, the one who had given him the white pills. The man's face was now etched with terror, plunged back into the mist and gripped by panic. Without him even noticing, Xu Qing passed by his side and spoke calmly. "Follow the sound of my footsteps."

With that, Xu Qing didn't look back, continuing forward. Upon hearing Xu Qing's words, the man's breathing quickened, and he immediately followed the sound, feeling an unprecedented wave of relief for how swiftly he had paid up earlier. Especially when he heard the frantic wails behind him quickly turn into the desperate curses of a man whose pleas for help went unanswered, the sheer despair in that tone made his heart tremble, and he felt an even stronger sense of awe toward the person whose footsteps he now followed.