But we were so panicked when we came out that we ran in the wrong direction. We had no choice but to follow the direction of sunset and head in the opposite direction.

On the way back, we unexpectedly found the plantain we had been longing for, and there was a lot of it.

Bai Wei and the others were still shaken from the earlier fright, and Wang Ping had no choice but to put on a brave face. He then gathered a lot of plantain and some wild vegetables nearby before returning to the camp with us.

On their way back, Chen Jian and his men were like ants on a hot plate, constantly pacing back and forth below the camp.

They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw us return.

"So, has Brother Sihai been found yet?"

I patted Chen Jian on the shoulder and gently comforted him: "The medicine has been found. Go and take it to Xiao Qiang quickly, and see what method she should use to make the decoction. There's still a chance for a miracle. How are you now?"

When Chen Jian heard me say that, his eyes suddenly reddened.

"She's not well. She has a high fever and has even started developing rashes all over her body. I don't know what's wrong, but seeing her in so much pain, I wish I could take her place..."

I've never been a father, but I'm about to become one, so I can empathize with Chen Jian's feelings.

I patted him on the shoulder: "It's okay, everyone's here, we'll make sure nothing happens to Miracle. Go get this medicine for Miracle, maybe he'll be fine by tomorrow."

Chen Jian nodded quickly, hurriedly took the plantain leaves, and turned to find Xiao Qiang.

We packed up our equipment and counted our number of people at the bottom of the camp before heading up the mountain.

Back in this place, the air was cold again. Now that I think about it, for a moment I wondered if the bright sunshine and spring-like scene we saw before was actually fake, just a figment of our imagination.

But if it's just a figment of my imagination, then surely not everyone can see it?

There was hot soup simmering in the pot. It had been chilly on the way back, so everyone ate something and warmed up a bit now.

But Yang Rui has not returned, and no one knows where he has gone.

After Chen Jian had Xiao Qiang prepare the herbal medicine, he came to the small warehouse where we were eating, looking dejected. He sat on a stone stool, looked at Wang Ping and me, and couldn't help but sigh.

“I never imagined my daughter’s life would be so difficult. It’s bad enough that she was born in this godforsaken place, but she’s so young and has to suffer like this. I just can’t bear it.”

Wang Ping sighed, "Everyone is like this, but at least we've found it. As long as Little Miracle is alright, then our efforts this time won't have been in vain."

Seeing that his daughter had taken the medicine, Chen Jian felt much more relaxed. We told Chen Jian about the strange things we had encountered on the road, and Chen Jian also found them very strange.

"You guys aren't lying, are you? How could there be lava in a cave? And a centipede that's over a meter long? I think you and Brother Sihai are just trying to tease me and make me laugh. The snow here is so thick, but it's still sunny behind the woods. You two shouldn't be making this up."

I know Chen Jian won't believe it; after all, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it either.

Chen Jian finally realized that Yang Rui was not in the crowd, and frowned as he looked around.

"Hey, why didn't he come? Could he have been eaten by that centipede that's over a meter long?"

When I saw Chen Jian's nonchalant attitude, I realized he still didn't quite believe what I had just told him, so I sighed.

"Yang Rui ran away back then, but Wang Ping and the others said they didn't see him anywhere. So he just disappeared into the woods. Now that I think about it, I don't know if it was a blessing or a curse."

Wang Ping picked up where I left off, but shook his head: "I don't think his disappearance is a disaster. After all, he never belonged to us. He's gone, so be it. Life and death are predestined, and wealth and honor are determined by fate!"

We chatted as we waited until we finished dinner, and our stomachs finally felt a little better.

Yang Rui still hadn't returned. Wang Ping said there was no need to wait any longer. If Yang Rui were still alive, he would definitely try to find us again, or he might have used this opportunity to reunite with Xiao He and the others. What we needed to do next was either hold this camp and wait for the shift in the polarity to turn back to us, so that we could still live under the bright sun.

Otherwise, we'll have to migrate there.

But now I've completely given up on that idea.

After all, that kind of forest was really too strange. Just thinking about that huge Wugong still makes my scalp tingle.

After Chen Jian's daughter miraculously finished the medicine brewed by Xiao Qiang, her condition improved considerably. Liu Jiaojiao and Chen Jian were extremely grateful to Xiao Qiang and the others.

Three more days passed, and everyone thought Yang Rui wouldn't show up again, but unexpectedly, he returned that afternoon.

Yang Rui was in a rather disheveled state, but fortunately he was still alive. After returning to the camp, he first drank a lot of water, and then drank all the leftover soup in the pot. Only then did he touch his mouth and look at me mysteriously, saying that he had discovered a big secret.

I wasn't planning to pay any attention to him, but Yang Rui wouldn't let it go, grabbing my arm and insisting that I listen to the whole thing.

I sat down impatiently on a stone stool and looked at him: "Just say what you have to say. You've been gone for the past few days, so you must be tired by now. Don't waste time."

After listening to what I said, Yang Rui looked at me and said very seriously, "Do you know what kind of place that mountain with such strange insects we encountered the other day is?"

I shook my head: "What kind of place could this be? There are many strange things on this deserted island. I even saw a super, super big black shadow one rainy night. All sorts of strange things can happen here. But I think even if it's strange, you can only find out the truth if you survive. Just rest and take good care of yourself. Also, next time something happens, don't turn around and run away. It's really disgusting to betray your teammates like that!"

Yang Rui's face immediately turned pale after I teased him.

I couldn't be bothered to talk to him and got up to leave, but Yang Rui suddenly called me back.

“Zhao Sihai, I know you are hostile towards me. Although I don’t understand the reason for your hostility, I want to tell you that I am really with you. And the things in that cave are indeed strange. It’s because they ate that magma and mutated. Also, I have a cowhide map here. It clearly records many things on this deserted island. Aren’t you interested at all?”