A silence that made one's ears ring.

The deserted island, devoid of any sound, resembled a skeleton, eerie and terrifying.

"You have a strong ability to learn," Yang Qinglan said softly from behind.

He was not strong; he was terrified when he first saw the humanoid black mist.

Then, in the middle of the night, I saw it standing by my bed, and I was so frightened that I jumped up in fright.

After a week, everyone's ability to adapt is strong.

"It's just the brother showing off in front of his sister." Li Changzhou pushed aside the branches blocking his way.

Judging from the traces left along the way, animals used to live on this island. Where have they gone? The world is truly amazing.

He thought of something and, while keeping an eye on his surroundings, asked, "Can't we tell outsiders about this value game?"

“Okay.” Yang Qinglan’s focused gaze also wandered around.

"Then why didn't you tell me in advance? It would have given me time to prepare." Li Changzhou was even more puzzled.

"The known intelligence is of no help to the mission; it only increases unease and anxiety."

Li Changzhou nodded.

He couldn't say he trusted Yang Qinglan, but since even his sister hadn't told him, it certainly wouldn't be of much help.

"Brother, are you scared?" Li Qianxia's voice came from behind.

"My back is so weak, don't you think?"

"Your back? Could it be due to excessive indulgence?"

"...Can we move on from this topic?" the older brother asked helplessly.

“But you just went to see a doctor today. Your kidney deficiency is at its worst right now,” Li Qianxia said logically.

"Reject blind obedience, break free from authority, and do not blindly trust doctors," Li Changzhou sternly criticized.

After the conversation, Li Changzhou's tense emotions and body relaxed somewhat.

After another period of silent progress, he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Yang Qinglan, who was staring at the left, turned around and asked.

"Let's change direction," Li Changzhou said.

Yang Qinglan looked ahead and saw trees, bushes, and a narrow path under her feet, all baked by the scorching sun overhead—the scene was exactly the same as before.

Li Qianxia, ​​who was wary of what was happening behind her, also looked over: "Brother?"

"I didn't find anything, but my intuition tells me to change direction." After a pause, Li Changzhou added, "You can also take this as me being scared."

After a moment or two of silence, Yang Qinglan said, "It doesn't matter where I go."

The three of them changed direction, leaving the existing path and wading into a river overgrown with weeds.

Li Changzhou suddenly changed direction because the humanoid black mist walking in front of him suddenly stopped.

Over the past week, the black fog had experienced similar "disconnections," but in this environment, Li Changzhou couldn't afford to ignore them.

After they changed direction, like people returning to the computer after going to the toilet, the character Black Mist started moving again, indistinguishable as if walking or floating, following the three.

The quiet path, now silent again, subtly evokes an atmosphere of contemplation.

Immediately afterwards, with a rustling sound, blades of grass, like treadmill tracks, broke free from the soil, the bushes, and the tree trunks.

The blades of grass were covered with sharp, arrow-like thorns.

Grass blades danced in the air, their sharp thorns reflecting the sunlight and releasing a chilling gleam. The path was a chaotic mess, resembling the gaping maw of a shark covered in serrated teeth.

Soon, the blades of grass, like snakes, climbed towards hidden spots in all directions along the path, and the forest returned to silence.

Leaving the path, Li Changzhou slowed his pace, wanting to wait for the black mist to come ahead, but that fool kept following behind the three of them, floating around like a ghost.

"Do you want to take a break?" Li Qianxia asked the two of them, wiping her sweat.

There were many trees around, and they walked in the shade, but it wasn't cool at all; it felt like a steam room.

Yang Qinglan glanced at Li Changzhou, who was walking at the front. Compared to the two of them, he was under more pressure and had a greater physical burden.

“Go there.” She pointed to a ditch ten meters away, which looked like it used to have water flowing through it.

Li Changzhou breathed a sigh of relief and started walking.

He joked, "Rather than living in constant fear, it's better to let the enemy show up sooner and just..."

"Bang!"

Gunshot!

The bullet grazed Li Changzhou's shoulder.

"Grass!"

"run!"

Without time for words, the three of them pushed off the ground and rushed forward.

"Bang!" Another gunshot rang out, deafeningly loud.

The bullet struck a tree trunk behind Li Qianxia, ​​causing the bark to burst and scatter in all directions.

Li Changzhou had never run so fast before. The wind, the tension, and the gunshots felt like knives tearing at him, making his face numb.

With a whoosh, he was the first to slide into the trench.

After catching his breath, Yang Qinglan and Li Qianxia also came in and stood beside him.

"Qianxia!" Li Changzhou made a straining motion to swallow, but nothing came down. "Are you alright?"

Li Qianxia simply shook her head, too nervous to speak, her face pale and her breathing rapid.

"Two shots... sniper rifle... in that direction." Yang Qinglan spoke haltingly, pointing weakly in a direction.

Li Changzhou glanced over there from an angle where he didn't show his face.

Even so, the other side raised their hand and fired another shot, sending mud flying from the trench.

The bullet, fresh from the barrel, emitted white smoke in the soft soil, filling the air with the pungent smell of gunpowder.

“The opponent’s marksmanship is poor; they must have just redeemed it in the last game.” Yang Qinglan recovered and, like Li Changzhou, went from leaning against the trench to lying prone on the trench’s embankment.

"Why don't you change your guns?" Li Changzhou asked her.

"The items and privileges you can redeem are different each time a mission ends," Yang Qinglan explained quickly.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!