When Jiang Yao saw the fat cat being quickly pulled inside by a dark hand, it was too late to turn around and leave. A dark shadow quickly pressed down on her from behind.

Before she could make a sound, the dark figure quickly stepped forward and covered Jiang Yao's mouth and nose, whispering hoarsely in her ear, "Don't make a sound, that thing is still nearby."

That voice belongs to Xiao Mu.

What could that thing be that makes the two of them so cautious?

Jiang Yao cautiously looked back and saw that Shen Zhijie had already picked up the fat cat and was comforting it. She wondered what had happened between the two of them yesterday. Shen Zhijie was all black, as if he had been soaked in ink.

Standing in the darkness, it was truly impossible to spot him. Looking at Xiao Mu, although there was something like ink behind him, it was still relatively clear that Jiang Yao could at least tell who the person in front of her was.

But since the two of them are here, where have the homeless people from last night gone?

In the quiet, dark environment, Jiang Yao did indeed hear a rustling sound, like something crawling on the ground.

Could it be the crawling monster from before? No, I haven't seen any blood-like marks on the ground along the way. What could be making that sound?

The sound was quickly interrupted by footsteps in the distance, and looking outside, one could see the refugees returning.

Jiang Yao felt something was off. Didn't the refugees leave with Zhu Hezheng?

Why are you back again?

The refugees seemed to have encountered some terrifying creature. Jiang Yao heard the terrified screams from afar, and then the sounds gradually subsided.

Then came another rustling sound.

Xiao Mu pressed Jiang Yao's body closer together. Jiang Yao could clearly feel Xiao Mu's heavy heartbeat, but she wondered what could be making them both so afraid.

Upon seeing Xiao Mu's actions, Shen Zhijie curled his lip, but his inner thought was, "Why haven't you ever protected me like this before?"

Perhaps it was because Shen Zhijie's gaze was too blatant that Xiao Mu's eyes held a warning tone when she looked at Shen Zhijie.

Ah, my fat cat is still the best.

As if sensing something, the fat cat began to struggle to get out, but Shen Zhijie held it down firmly and wouldn't let go.

After the sound subsided, Xiao Mu stood up and looked at Jiang Yao, asking, "How did you get in?"

"Where are Zhu Hezheng and the others?!"

Jiang Yao told Xiao Mu about what she had discussed with Zhu Hezheng that morning, and Xiao Mu breathed a sigh of relief after hearing it, saying, "It's a good thing that they set off first."

Several cries for help from refugees came from afar. Jiang Yao looked at Xiao Mu and Shen Zhijie in confusion and asked, "What are you hiding from?"

Shen Zhijie emerged from the darkness, looked out of the ruins, and slowly said, "It's a giant snake."

Then why are you all covered in this black, ink-like stuff?

Xiao Mu glanced at the ink stains on his body and gave Shen Zhijie, this idiot, a cold look.

Shen Zhijie awkwardly stroked his hair with his left hand, chuckled twice, and said, "Well, Xiao Mu slipped and fell into a mud pit. I got into this state while trying to save him."

Xiao Mu's body temperature dropped instantly, and he looked at Jiang Yao with a slight smirk, "Do you think this is believable?"

Jiang Yao glanced at Shen Zhijie, crossed her arms, and lightly touched her lips with one hand. "To be honest, I don't really believe that Xiao Mu has fallen into a trap."

“If it were you, I would think it’s normal, after all, you have a criminal record.”

Shen Zhijie felt that Jiang Yao had seen through him. Was he really that unreliable?

After they finished speaking, the group walked outside. The smell of blood in the distance attracted ravens in the sky to come down and feed.

As Jiang Yao and her companions passed by, the raven stopped eating and cautiously watched them.

Back on the main road, one of the RVs that had left in the morning returned. Jiang Yao recognized Shen Yu from the last RV. He had smiled at her as he left, so Jiang Yao remembered him.

Shen Zhijie didn't give him a friendly look when he saw him, but Xiao Mu ignored him and turned to leave.

As if she had expected this, Shen Yu was waiting for them here. When they returned, Nuoyi walked up to them.