Inside the room, Huo Xiuxiu was studying an old map spread out on the floor. The map was covered with complex symbols and winding routes, seemingly hiding some kind of secret. It appeared to be hand-drawn by her. Upon seeing the three enter, before Zhang Shi and the others could speak, she spoke with slight displeasure.

"What exactly is targeting you? I've been in this cabin for so long without any problems, but you've only been here for a day and your hideout has already been raided."

Zhao Feng was surprised that Huo Xiuxiu would accuse him first, and immediately retorted.

"You know fear, yet you deliberately let that three-headed monster escape, just when you thought you could pry some useful information out of it."

Huo Xiuxiu glanced at him and explained slowly.

"The dangers of the night in this misty world far exceed your imagination. Even I dare not say I can escape unscathed. If the manipulator behind that three-headed monster doesn't want to lose this pawn, they will inevitably have to make some moves. As for me, I've already left some marks on it..."

Upon hearing Huo Xiuxiu's words, Zhao Feng understood the implications and immediately changed his expression, smiling obsequiously.

"I knew it! With Miss Huo's skills, how could she possibly fail? It turns out she had this planned all along. Brilliant, truly brilliant!"

Huo Xiuxiu ignored Zhao Feng's flattery, simply smiling slightly as she continued to focus on the map. Zhang Shi and Ge Dalong stood to the side, silently observing the mysterious map, trying to find some clues within it.

"What do the symbols on this map mean?" Ge Dalong finally couldn't help but ask.

Huo Xiuxiu looked up at him and explained, "These symbols represent different areas and danger levels in the misty world. Red areas represent extreme danger, yellow represents danger, and blue represents relative safety. We are currently located on the edge of this blue area."

Zhang Shi looked at the map carefully and found that it did indeed mark many of the places they had been before. He couldn't help but admire Huo Xiuxiu's mapmaking skills.

"So, what should we do next?" Zhao Feng leaned closer to the map and asked eagerly.

Huo Xiuxiu pointed to a yellow area on the map and said, "This is where we'll be passing through today. I plan to cross this dangerous area and reach the red core zone. I've been there before and have some impression of it. Most importantly, that three-headed monster is right here."

Huo Xiuxiu paused for a moment before continuing.

"Given that monster's abilities, it would be impossible for it to survive in the red zone. But since it escaped, it has had a clear goal: to run straight towards the red zone. There must be some secrets there."

Upon hearing Huo Xiuxiu's words, all three of them wore solemn expressions. The yellow zone had already caused them considerable trouble, let alone the red core area.

“But the danger level there…” Ge Dalong said with some concern.

Huo Xiuxiu interrupted him, saying, "I know it's dangerous there, but it's our only way out. If we stay in this misty world, something unexpected will happen someday."

Looking into Huo Xiuxiu's determined eyes, Zhang Shi knew that what she said made sense, but he was unsure whether he should believe this mysterious woman in front of him.

After a moment, Zhang Shi decided to take a gamble. The longer it dragged on, the worse it would be for them. It would be better to fight while their morale and physical condition were at their peak.

“Okay, we’ll listen to you,” Zhang Shi said firmly.

Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong nodded in agreement.

So, the four of them began preparing their gear for the challenges of tomorrow. Huo Xiuxiu also took out some strangely shaped magical artifacts for the first time, covering them with a white cloth to ensure their safety. Zhang Shi checked his black armor and weapons to make sure they would be effective in a critical moment. Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong were responsible for preparing food, water, and other necessary survival tools.

After everything was ready, the four lay silently on the ground, each lost in their own thoughts.

...

Early the next morning, the group left the cabin and embarked on their journey to the core of the Red Army. They knew this would be a dangerous and challenging road, so they moved with extra caution. The fog further slowed their progress, and it took them all morning to return to the site of the previous day's battle.

Huo Xiuxiu gently shook the bell, dispersing some of the thick fog ahead. Before everyone could react, a rusty iron spear suddenly emerged from the fog, its target pointing directly at Huo Xiuxiu.

With a casual wave of her hand, Huo Xiuxiu conjured a blue flame in mid-air, blocking the iron spear. The flame was strange; it spread through the air, forcing the spear's owner to retreat and temporarily halt his attack. At this moment, everyone realized that the attacker was none other than the winged monster that Huo Xiuxiu had driven away yesterday.

The winged monster had obvious burn marks on its body, but overall it seemed to be unharmed. Its eagle eyes were filled with resentment as it stared intently at Huo Xiuxiu. It seemed to be holding a grudge about what happened yesterday and had deliberately ambushed her on this path today, but it actually ran into her.

A moment later, the flames went out.

"Aww!"

The winged monster let out a strange cry, flapped its wings, and charged at Huo Xiuxiu again.

Huo Xiuxiu clapped her hands, and a row of ghostly hands appeared on the ground, grabbing the winged monster's claws and immobilizing it.

Huo Xiuxiu pointed a finger from a distance, and a stream of air shot towards the winged monster. The monster quickly turned its head to dodge, and the air only left a tiny wound on its face.

The winged monster was enraged. It swept its spear horizontally, instantly shattering all the ghostly hands beneath its feet. Then, it flapped its wings and flew into the sky, disappearing into the thick fog to conceal itself.

Huo Xiuxiu frowned slightly. The other party clearly had the means to see through the thick fog, which put them at a disadvantage.

Zhang Shi and the others looked up at the sky, and every now and then they could hear the sound of flapping wings. They knew that the monster was probably watching them from high above, and might attack at any moment.

"Whoosh!"

Before anyone could see anything, a sharp whooshing sound pierced the air.

Ge Dalong hurriedly released a water wall above his head, which perfectly blocked the monster's iron spear. Zhang Shi followed closely behind, flashing behind the monster to make his move.

Unexpectedly, the winged monster was extremely agile. It stomped hard on the water wall and launched itself out, causing Zhang Shi to miss his target.

"Damn it, are they treating us like pushovers?"

Zhao Feng stared angrily at the sky, gripping his battle axe tightly, wishing he could tear that birdman to pieces.

Huo Xiuxiu took out two bells and began to shake them vigorously and continuously.

As the bell rang, the thick fog began to dissipate, revealing the entire battlefield clearly. The winged monster hovering low in the sky was now exposed. Huo Xiuxiu struck again, this time unleashing five streams of air that pierced the monster's wings in an instant, sending it plummeting uncontrollably from the sky.