"!!!" Gian's eyes widened.

"I meant cutting the shoe upper, not the foot..." Xia Xiang chuckled, finding his expression truly hilarious.

Gian: "...Thanks!"

"Do you want some? I got this bread from the cafeteria," Xia Xiang asked, holding up a loaf of bread almost the size of her face. "The auntie there thought I was cute, so she gave me a lot extra."

Ji An glanced at the small bag on Xia Xiang's back and shook his head. "No need."

"Don't worry, there's plenty," Xia Xiang said, handing him half a portion. "Enough for us to eat for half a year."

After hearing this, Ji'an started eating bread with the half-bottle of water.

The two rested on the branch for a while, replenishing their water and food, before continuing to think of a solution.

——

"How long have you been in here?" Xia Xiang asked, wearing her mask and then adding a face covering.

“I came in when you went back,” Ji’an said, straightening his tattered clothes.

"Senior Brother Ji'an, why are you so stubborn?" Xia Xiang took out another large shawl from her small cloth bag and threw it to Ji'an so he could wrap himself in it.

Ji An honestly wrapped himself up; he was genuinely a bit cold. "Bai Yu said that this forest isn't actually that big, and what we're looking for is in the center. Normally, it should be done in a day."

Seeing that Xia Xiang didn't speak, he decided to chat with her, which was a rare occasion. "How much stuff did you pack in that little cloth bag? It looks like you're here camping."

"It's nothing special. I brought a few sets of clothes, some ingredients and food, a charcoal stove, and a few cases of drinking water." Xia Xiang waved her hand, saying that this was just standard procedure.

The cold-faced Ji An couldn't help but give Xia Xiang a thumbs up, "You really know how to act!"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Xia Xiang said, narrowing her eyes, her fake smile hidden behind her mask.

"Okay, stop chatting and get to the point."

G-Sec: Don't you like chatting idly in such a tense atmosphere?!

"I spotted those monsters reaching out from under the mud as soon as I came in, so I jumped up into those trees. The trees on the outer edge aren't as dense as here, so I've been coming up from the trees the whole time." Gian resumed his usual expressionless demeanor.

"Not long after, I felt dizzy and fell into that mud pit over there." Gian pointed to the mud pit not far away.

"I was almost dragged into the mud by a lot of black tentacles. In desperation, I released all my power to repel them. Then I used the Demon-Slaying Slash to hook onto a tree branch and climbed up the trunk step by step. I was dizzy for a while, and then I saw you."

"Thank you for saving me." Xia Xiang was touched and looked at Ji An with teary eyes. She hadn't brought this teammate for nothing.

Gian: "What are you thinking about?"

"Thinking about how to get out," Xia Xiang replied instantly, regaining her composure.

"So, the trees should be safe. The danger lies in the mud pit and the black tentacles beneath it, as well as the surrounding white mist?"

Tech-safe nodded in agreement.

"That makes things easier," Xia Xiang said, pulling a medicine bottle from her small bag.

"This is an antidote. It was taken from the lab. It's supposedly a universal antidote pill that can cure any poison you can name."

"How do you have so many strange things?" Gian asked.

"And this, energy water, to restore your strength," Xia Xiang handed Ji An a small black bottle, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"The uncles and aunties in the lab are all my good friends."

"Didn't you spend five years at the Frosty Cliff of Ten Thousand Feathers? How come you still have time to befriend those annoying guys?" Ji'an asked.

"Ji'an, we've known each other for so long, and this is the first time you've ever spoken ill of someone to me," Xia Xiang said with delight. "Does that mean we're friends?"

"I'm stating the facts," Ji An said, shifting his gaze, somewhat uncomfortable.

The people in the lab always develop strange things and act mysteriously, making his quarterly physical exams very uncomfortable.

Seeing his unpleasant expression, Xia Xiang suppressed her gossipy impulses and said, "Alright, hurry up and get out of here. I'll treat you to dinner later to repay your life-saving grace."

"No need, we're even now." But in reality, Xia Xiang helped him more, so it was impossible to even things out.

After some time...

"This medicine works." Xia Xiang opened her eyes. Her superpower had recovered to its usual 12,000 points, and her physical strength had also been restored.

Ji'an's complexion had improved considerably. "Let's go, let's get out of the tree."

After the two stood up, they suddenly felt a violent shaking.

Gian An: "Earthquake?"

"Hold on!" Xia Xiang shouted.

The tree they were standing on, along with several other trees around them, was slowly rising, and the mud on the ground was flowing outwards.

At that moment, black tentacles surged towards them from all directions. The two frantically dodged, using their Demon-Slaying Slash to cut at the endless stream of tentacles.

"Ji'an, break through from behind." Xia Xiang unleashed a powerful attack, clearing away a large number of dense black tentacles and opening up a narrow passage.

Xia Xiang followed Ji An and quickly left the encirclement, jumping onto a low tree ten meters away.

"What is this thing?!" Gian exclaimed in surprise.

A gigantic monster was slowly moving, the branches they had been crouching on above its head resembling its hair. Below, black tentacles continued to writhe wildly, lunging at them.

White mist was billowing out from the "suspected" monster's rear end, making the surrounding white mist thicker.

Xia Xiang, Technical Security: "......"

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