Li's plan was extremely dangerous and insane, but there was truly no better way.

In times like these, someone has to make a sacrifice.

Li Qing shook his head and said, "How about I go? There are too many of these giant insects, it's too dangerous."

Li said, both amused and exasperated, "Are you doubting my abilities, Mai Zi?"

"No, that's not what I meant," Li Qing quickly said. "I just finally got to see you again, and I don't want you to risk your life again. I don't want to see any more people in the tribe get hurt because of this. The tribe is now..."

"Forget it, I'll go. I'm not the same Mai Zi I used to be. I'm strong now." Li Qing shook his head and said softly.

"How about I go?" Atuna said. "You saved my and Lieyan's lives, and we've never had a chance to repay you. Why don't I help you this time?"

Li ignored Atuna and smiled wryly, saying, "Maizi, you've forgotten. You're growing up, and so am I. I'm not the same Li I used to be. Now, I'm a Level 3 Warrior."

"A level three warrior, in such a short time?"

“Yes, otherwise do you think I got my status in the Red Flower Tribe back then?” Li walked up to Li Qing, patted Li Qing on the shoulder and said, “You have just awakened into a totem warrior, but your strength is definitely not as good as mine. Whether it is combat experience or other aspects, my strength is definitely stronger than yours.”

"but……"

“Alright, that’s enough,” Li urged. “Hand over your three torches to me. I plan to use four torches to attract the attention of these giant insects. That way, the flames will burn brighter, and we should be able to attract more giant insects.”

Li Qing really didn't want Li to take any risks, but since Li had already said so much, he couldn't say anything. After a long silence, he handed his torch to Li and said, "Then you must be careful."

Li was amused by Li Qing's words, "Don't worry, I will take good care of my safety. See you at the cypress grove then."

Li Qing nodded, then turned to Lie Yan and the other man and said, "Give your torches to Li as well."

The two men, Lieyan and Li Yan, looked at each other, both feeling guilty. Given their relationship with the Red Flower Tribe, it was truly undeserved that the Red Flower Tribe had gone to such lengths for them. After a slight hesitation, they handed the torch to Li.

Li held four torches in his hands. He took a few steps forward, then, remembering something, turned back and warned seriously, "Take care of yourselves first. I'm going."

Li Qing responded and pulled Lie Yan and the other two towards a darker corner.

After walking a short distance, just before reaching the flat ground, Li lit the three torches that had just gone out, and instantly the surroundings were bright again.

“You all need to be careful later,” Li said, bowing his head. “It’s very dark where the Queen Insect is, with almost no light. When you’re in the dark, be careful not to make too much noise.”

“Yes, I understand,” Li Qing said.

Despite the plan's seemingly dangerous nature, Li's role is the most perilous, as are the other three. The open area near the Queen Insect King is almost completely obscured, so the three must memorize its location now. Once the plan begins, they will rush to the Queen Insect King based on their memory, cut a wound in the darkness, and then escape along the same route. Fortunately, whether due to the soil or other reasons, they have been able to see some natural light filtering through the soil, preventing them from running out of torches and having to fumble their way back to the cypress forest in complete darkness.

Li muttered to himself, "These insects may look about the same size as humans, but they are actually quite clumsy. Once I create some distance between myself and them, it will be difficult for these beasts to catch up with me."

After giving himself a quiet pep talk, Li left the three of them with a "cool" back view, then leaped towards the open space: "I'm going!"

He cursed inwardly. Even though Li had told him to wait where he was and not to go and watch out of curiosity until Li ran far away, this was Li, one of the first two people Li Qing had met since he came into this world. How could he not care about Li's life or death after their long separation? Seeing the two balls of flame in Li's left and right hands disappear from his sight, Li Qing hurriedly ran to the place where Li had been standing. From this place, he could easily overlook the situation below.

As Li descended onto the flat ground carrying four balls of flame, he immediately attracted the attention of the giant insects guarding the area. Outnumbered and powerful, they were no longer led by the nose by the flames like the eight giant insects, but instead actively surrounded Li.

Li was an experienced warrior. He always knew how to maximize efficiency and reduce the pressure on the three of them. In an instant, instead of running away, he boldly ran around the area in the Queen Insect's nest where there were giant insects, one by one, until he was sure that most of the giant insects had been attracted. Only then did he randomly choose a path and run in that direction.

The giant insects had no brains. These giant insects, attracted by Li, followed him without a shred of suspicion, relentlessly. Gradually, the number of giant insects here decreased by nearly three-quarters compared to the beginning. The remaining few giant insects even began to slowly crawl in that direction. Clearly, they had been enraged by Li's actions—in front of the Queen Insect, their responsibility required them to drive away this outsider!

Moreover, Li's current behavior is not the "harmless" act that the four of them pretended to have. His appearance makes the giant insects easily regard him as an enemy or intruder. Under such circumstances, they will definitely go berserk.

Li's predictions were always accurate. These giant insects were quite large, but their movement speed was only about half that of Li, which allowed Li to quickly create a gap between himself and the giant insects—a gap that Li deliberately maintained.

Li knew very well what he had to do. He tried his best to attract the attention of more giant insects, not only for the three of them, but also for himself. The terrain here was narrow, and when many giant insects chased Li, they would easily crowd together, which would waste a lot of time.

"As expected of Li, he's got some skills."

Seeing Li's back, Li Qing felt much more at ease. Now, the only thing to worry about was whether Li would run out of energy before the giant insects in this environment. After all, this was the giant insects' territory, and they lived in this environment year-round, so their energy expenditure was definitely not as great as Li's.

"We need to hurry up on our own side too, we can't let Li's efforts go to waste!"