Although Ge Dalong immediately used all his survival skills, the explosion was multi-directional and impactful, and even the water wall and ice armor couldn't protect him. Given his fragile nature, taking a direct hit from the explosion was unlikely to end well.

As for Zhao Feng, he had already been injured multiple times before, and this explosion was the last straw that broke the camel's back for his already overworked body.

Zhang Shi tried to call out to the two men, but they did not respond. Clearly, they were seriously injured and the situation had become critical.

Zhang Shi cheered himself up, rested for a while, and ate and drank some water. Apart from feeling sore all over, his physical condition had improved, and he at least had the strength to walk.

He knew the situation was critical; his two companions were seriously injured, and as the only remaining fighting force capable of moving, he could not sit idly by and wait to die.

Zhang Shi gathered his strength and observed his surroundings. He discovered that he was in a cave with good ventilation, suggesting it was connected to the outside world. Zhang Shi then groped his way towards the vent, and surprisingly, the journey went smoothly. Within minutes, he successfully found the cave entrance and discovered a blinding light there.

"Sunlight!"

Zhang Shi suddenly became excited. Since entering the City of Fog, he had not seen a ray of sunshine for several days. The meaning of this sudden appearance of sunshine was self-evident.

Sure enough, the moment Zhang Shi stepped out of the cave, his wristwatch began to vibrate wildly. He checked the system and was pleasantly surprised to find that the watch had regained its communication function. His private chat interface was overflowing with messages, mostly from Wang Wu, Cai Qing, and Mao Tai. Even Chen Baomu had sent numerous messages inquiring about the situation. It seemed that a lot had happened during their disappearance.

Zhang Shi guessed that this cave was the dividing line of the shielding ability, so he quickly returned to the cave to bring Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong out. Unexpectedly, Zhao Feng had already woken up and was grimacing as he rubbed his arm, indicating that the explosion had also seriously injured him.

"Stone, where is this? Where is Huo Xiuxiu? What's going on?"

Zhang Shi shook his head and stated his deduction.

"We may have been tricked by Huo Xiuxiu."

In fact, Zhang Shi had been suspicious ever since Huo Xiuxiu was able to control the three-headed monster. His suspicions only grew stronger when Huo Xiuxiu was able to sense the monster's location remotely. Especially considering that the three-headed monster actually self-destructed while under control, no one would believe there wasn't something fishy going on.

Zhao Feng still had some questions after hearing this.

"Then why did she do this? Couldn't she just kill us? Why go through all this trouble? And after the explosion, she was the one who brought us here, right? What was her reason for doing this?"

Zhang Shi was unwilling to reveal his deeper deductions, so he stopped there and told Zhao Feng about the situation outside. Upon hearing that they could finally evacuate safely, Zhao Feng immediately stood up and, despite the pain, helped Ge Dalong out of the cave with Zhang Shi.

Just before leaving, Zhao Feng raised his hand and looked at Zhang Shi.

"We're just leaving like this, and Wu Qing's whereabouts are still unknown. This departure could very well mean..."

Zhang Shi pressed down on Zhao Feng's raised arm and said slowly.

"Don't worry about her, she should be doing fine."

...

With a flash of white light, the three returned to the island. They were immediately spotted by soldiers who rushed over and took the wounded to the medical room. Not long after, Lao Bai, Xiao Mei, Mao Tai, Cai Qing, and others arrived. Seeing Zhang Shi and the others looking disheveled, and noting that one person was missing from the mission, none of them dared to ask what had happened.

Zhang Shi removed his armor, and the support soldiers carefully treated his wounds. Only then did Zhang Shi completely relax, and he took the initiative to ask questions.

"Is everything alright on the island?"

Old Bai stepped forward and answered directly.

"Reporting to the lord, during the ten days you were away, Chen Baomu betrayed us, cut off the shipping lanes around the island, and sent people to roam around the island and harass it from time to time."

Upon hearing Lao Bai's words, Zhang Shi frowned immediately. He hadn't expected Chen Baomu to be unable to hide his true colors so quickly; he had only been gone a few days before Chen Baomu revealed his true nature. But Lao Bai had just said that he had been gone for ten days...

"What did you just say? I was gone for a few days?"

Old Bai hesitated for a moment, then precisely calculated the time when Zhang Shi and the others left, and answered again after confirming that it was correct.

"Reporting to the lord, you have been gone for a total of ten days, three hours, fifteen minutes, and twelve seconds. It is now thirteen seconds, fourteen seconds..."

Zhang Shi reached out to interrupt, glanced at the reactions of the others, and after confirming that everything was correct, accepted the result.

"It seems that time in the fog zone is not equal to reality. In my memory, it was only three days from departure to evacuation."

After regaining his composure, Zhang Shi was about to inquire further about the island's situation when suddenly a cannon shot came from the north shore, causing everyone present to change their expressions.

Zhang Shi looked at Lao Bai, who then began to explain.

"Because of enemy harassment, Zhang Dazhuang has been leading troops to guard the north bank. I estimate that the shelling is a sign of a major enemy attack."

Sure enough, the next second, a soldier rushed in, bringing news that Chen Baomu had led a large-scale attack. Zhang Shi immediately stood up, his face ashen.

"You've come at the perfect time. I've only been gone for a few days, and someone has already dared to act arrogantly over me. This is a good opportunity to make an example of someone and let's see who else dares to covet the island."

Zhang Shi quickly donned his armor, his eyes revealing a resolute killing intent. He turned to look at Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong, who had also awakened and heard everything. Although both were severely injured, their eyes burned with the same fighting spirit.

"Brothers, we just got back from the brink of death. We can't just swallow this insult. That scoundrel Chen Baomu stirred up trouble while I was away. Today is his death day!" Zhang Shi gripped his weapon tightly, the weapon humming in his hand, as if it could sense its master's anger.

Old Bai, also inspired by Zhang Shi's imposing manner, said, "My lord, our soldiers are all ready. We await your command to fight this traitor to the death!"

Zhang Shi forcibly put Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong down to recover from their injuries, then led the others out of the medical room. The sunlight outside was blinding, seemingly adding to the tense atmosphere of the impending battle. On the north shore of the island, smoke had already begun to rise, and the sounds of battle cries could be faintly heard. Zhang Shi led the group quickly toward the north shore, silently pondering Chen Baomu's troop deployment and possible tactics along the way.

“Since Chen Baomu dared to cut off the shipping lanes and launch an attack, he must have come prepared. But he never expected that we would return at this time,” Zhang Shi said in a low voice to the people around him.

Mao Tai nodded slightly. "Yes, we should take advantage of this and catch him off guard. However, we also need to be careful about what other tricks he might have up his sleeve."