Chapter 38 There are no free caves in the world.

As night fell, a torrential downpour began.

The rain lashed against the leaves with a loud pattering sound.

Hidden among the dense broad-leaved ferns is a secluded cave, situated on higher ground. Two fan-shaped infrared beams shoot out from deep within the cave entrance, beneath which are two large-caliber machine guns, their dark muzzles pointed outwards.

Inside the cave, the light was dim, and the damp, cold air was filled with the unique smell of animal fur.

"Achoo!"

Li Nai sniffed and hugged the two panda cubs, her source of warmth, tighter in her arms. She stroked the pandas' heads and casually wiped the snot off their fur.

I should have picked some banana leaves to cover myself.

She scratched her bare back. She was only wearing underwear, panties, and shoes; the rest of her clothing lay scattered on the road.

Another sneeze rang out, and the sound of rain outside the cave grew louder.

Subtle murmurs of human voices were interspersed throughout.

They looked in the direction of the sound.

Three steps away, in a dark corner, Lin Jingru was lost in some kind of dream talk, intermittent and indistinct.

Li Nai slowly approached, holding the baby.

The dream gradually became clearer.

"...No...Sister...Please forgive us..."

Sister? Forgive me?

What mistake did I make? I'm begging Missy to forgive me.

I couldn't help but grin and chuckle to myself.

He seems like a cold person, but I never expected him to be afraid of his older sister.

After you finish playing, bring up the character panel.

[Toxin purification rate reaches 95%]

[Health Points 89%]

[The second layer of the antidote's function has been activated—repairing the body's damage.]

Hmm? Isn't the antidote only for poison?

Li Nai blinked in surprise.

A progress bar appeared before my eyes, with blue filling the space to the right at a steady pace.

He reached into Lin Jingru's back to verify the antidote's ability to repair the body's functions.

Below the fingertip, the skin wound has shortened considerably, and the flesh inside the still unhealed opening is slightly twitching.

The fingertip accidentally pierced through, and the soft, sticky substance broke off, bypassing the finger and connecting to other parts of the body.

Quickly withdraw your hand.

The sensation of touching a magical living thing is still vivid in my mind as I rub my fingertips.

If Dr. Ji were here, he would definitely love it.

In my mind, the woman's infatuated gaze, seen through the clear lens, is vividly portrayed.

Thinking about it, she felt a chill and goosebumps rose on her skin.

A cool breeze blew in from outside the cave, and raindrops began to fall.

Suddenly, Lin Jingru turned to the side, pressing her hot leg against hers, her body trembling slightly.

She muttered "sister" once, then "mom" again.

Goodness, suddenly we have a younger sister and a daughter.

The rain kept drifting in, sprinkling onto Lin Jingru's back, which was healing outside.

A soft sigh.

"Mom and sister, let's see this through to the end."

Just as she stood up, the person kneeling down grabbed her legs.

"Don't leave me! Please... I'm so cold..."

"I won't leave, I won't leave." He patted her shoulder to comfort her, then gently and slowly pulled the panda cub away from his leg, taking the opportunity to tuck it into Lin Jingru's arms. He removed his hand from her leg and wrapped his arms around the panda.

The panda cub whimpered, nuzzled Lin Jingru's neck, and went back to sleep.

She got up, groped her way across in the dark, lay down on her side, and used her body to shield herself from the cold wind and rain.

The next second, Lin Jingru rolled over while holding the panda, facing her.

She was completely bewildered.

Hey! You did that on purpose, didn't you?

My body was trembling; I felt cold and angry.

“You’re Mom, you’re my sister…”

She tried her best to convince herself not to take it to heart.

The rain outside was really cold. Unable to bear it, she turned around, her back to Lin Jingru. A panda cub was sandwiched between them, providing warmth to her back.

She pulled the other furry, warm body close to her chest and curled up into a ball.

His chin was buried in his hairy head.

Tonight, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to shield the system from the wind. After all, you wouldn't want the system to freeze to death, would you? Hehe.

"elder sister……"

Snap!

An arm was placed on his waist.

Here we go again.

Li Nai couldn't help but roll her eyes. He didn't even have a high fever, so why was he so delirious and talking in his sleep?

He brushed the hand off his waist with his backhand.

Snap!

My arm came up again.

"...Sister, please don't ignore me."

I'm just ignoring you!

Li Nai gritted her teeth and tried to pull away the hand on her waist again, but it was grabbed instead.

"Please forgive me. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have let that crazy woman see Auntie. It's my fault! It's all my fault!..."

Pinching the bone with your fingers causes a headache.

Li Nai turned to glance at the person behind her; there was no sign of her waking up, but she was talking fluently in her sleep.

With a quick glance, a quick thought also came to mind.

Here comes the opportunity to get to know the characters.

He deliberately pulled his hand away, his tone becoming more forceful: "What did you and that crazy woman do to Auntie?"

The silence behind me subsided, and the grip on my fingers remained firm, gradually tightening as the silence continued.

Li Nai frowned slightly, worried that her fingers would be squeezed so tightly that she would suffocate.

Just when everyone thought Lin Jingru had really fallen asleep, a stuttering, trembling voice rang out.

"Fire, fire everywhere. I really went to save her, but I couldn't find her, I couldn't see anything..." Her breathing was rapid, as if she were crying: "Forgive me, please forgive me, my aunt was so good to me, I killed her..."

Crazy woman? Auntie? Who is she? What is her relationship with Missy, and what is her relationship with Lin Jingru?

She instinctively reached for her chin, but couldn't pull her hand away. The person behind her pulled her back in fear, and she resisted.

"don't want!"

In the darkness, a person pounced on her and pressed heavily on top of her.

She froze for a second, without pushing him away.

The person on top of her seemed pleasantly surprised, embracing her with a sense of relief, and muttering something under their breath.

Listening closely, it was all nonsense from a woman, like a sister, who was dreaming.

Silly sister, of course you're dreaming.

The panda cub, squeezed between the human bodies, whimpered and moaned, sounding aggrieved and distressed.

She was the only one in the entire cave who wasn't sleepy. She pulled out her cub and placed it in front of her to shield her from the wind and rain.

Lin Jingru was heavy on her, forcing her to take a deep breath.

I scratched a few itchy bumps on my arm.

The identities of the aunt and the crazy woman were swirling in my mind.

The aunt might be Missy's mother, and could the crazy woman be...?

I glanced at Lin Jingru.

Is it her mother?

That's too easy to guess. With this, you're already talking about a conquest target?

Scratching your thighs quickly with your fingernails will cause a few more small pimples to appear.

He paused, as if thinking of something.

Side effects vary from person to person and may include amnesia, visual hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, increased fear, and the ability to answer questions while asleep.

⊙⊙!

This small bottle of antidote has so many functions.

It's practically an essential item for spies and assassins when they go out.

Use your other hand to touch your chin.

Next time I see Qi Shuihan, after I've given her her freedom, I'll give her a bottle of this stuff as a gift. That way, it'll be easier to talk to her if we meet again, and maybe she can even help me out.

The sound of rain subsided.

The aunt and the crazy woman circled around and swirled in my mind.

Before the antidote wears off, ask Lin Jingru about the identities of these two women.

He opened his mouth, but before he could utter a sound.

Crack!

At the entrance of the cave, the machine gun suddenly turned—

"Put-put-put, put-put!"

"Da da da da da!"

Gunfire instantly illuminated the cave, and the close-range gunfire was deafening.

"What's going on? Is there a wild animal?!"

She covered her ears and rolled over, then looked up and saw Lin Jingru, who was awake.

The other person narrowed his eyes, his face cold, staring at the heavy machine gun at the cave entrance, seemingly unaware of the situation.

His eyelashes drooped, and his dark eyes half-opened as he looked at her.

The two machine guns stopped, and the cave returned to darkness and silence, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder, and a wave of heat baking the entire cave.

Lin Jingru's face disappeared into the darkness. Li Nai breathed a sigh of relief, but a burning sensation came from his back.

A fluffy tuft brushed against the soles of my feet, and the panda cub whimpered as it darted around.

Feeling a lightness on his body, the dark figure silently retreated.

In the darkness, amidst the shadows, a panda suddenly let out a sharp cry, as if it had been forcibly taken away.

The two cubs struggled and whimpered.

After a while, Lin Jingru somehow managed to make the cave quiet again.

This stillness, condensing into wisps of chill, teased and clung to her smooth skin.

Achoo! Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!

Several sneezes in a row.

I'm really afraid her brain will pop out of her nostrils.

He hugged his knees, curled up, and relied on his own body heat to keep warm.

His eyes were filled with sorrow, staring aimlessly into the darkness ahead.

Host, host, come quick! Your system is freezing to death!

The two remained silent.

Li Nai brushed away the itch on her back and decided to break the awkward silence.

"Um, cough!" Clearing his throat, "Don't misunderstand, you're the one who came up to me."

No reply.

She hesitated, wondering if she had said something wrong.

Something was wriggling under my buttocks.

Grab a handful; it's slippery, and your fingers will be covered in a layer of sticky fluid.

The hairs on my back stood on end instantly.

Leeches?!

Startled, he jumped up and hopped around on his feet.

At my feet, I heard a rustling sound of insects fleeing.

"Mommy!"

My mind is filled with images of dark, damp places, teeming with insects and rats.

Unknowingly, he jumped to Lin Jingru's position and tripped over it.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

She quickly apologized as she got up.

A hand grabbed her ankle.

In the darkness, several calls of "Sister" were heard.

The movement paused!

I'm dreaming again.

He sat down again and squeezed Lin Jingru even harder.

"Sister's here, sister's here!"

He snatched a panda cub and hugged it.

The place they were in was dry and cool, sheltered from the wind and rain. Holding a panda-themed hand warmer in her arms, and accompanied by the murmurs of sleep beside her, Li Nai drifted off to sleep.

Where are you?

In the thick, inky chaos, a faint call squeezed out from between the rolling black clouds and took the form of a person.

A person walked unsteadily through the shadowy jungle, parting the dark, broad leaves surrounding them, their toes pointing towards her, floating and sinking as they approached.

"We've come to rescue you—"

The sound teleported to my ear and then suddenly disappeared.

Li Nai opened her eyes.

Looking out of the cave, the wind rustled the leaves, and in the distance, under the dappled moonlight, a hazy figure swayed.

He left the snoring panda cub behind, got up, rushed to the cave entrance, and peered out.

There are people. There are definitely people!

His eyes and brows couldn't help but reveal joy.

Running away? Forget about it! Forget about everything!

She didn't want to freeze to death, be bitten to death by wild animals, or drown in a rainstorm!

The joyful atmosphere vanished abruptly.

The man turned around and left.

"Here! We're here!"

She shouted desperately, but to no avail.

He ducked down, toppled a machine gun that was in his way, and turned away from the infrared range of another machine gun.

They were almost out of sight.

Ignoring the fact that she was only wearing underwear, she strode after him.

"Hey! -- It's here!"

So focused on calling for help, I didn't hear a thing behind me; a heavy object fell to the ground.

Moonlight, cut into tiny threads, patted her face against the cool, rain-soaked leaves.

—The base only contains robots…

A 'shooting star' struck her forehead.

My steps faltered in place.

For a moment, he looked up and saw that the "person" chasing him was also standing still, his overly broad and tall figure not turning around for a long time.

wrong!

Step back with your front foot.

*Splash!* I stepped into a puddle.

The burly figure turned.

My heart clenched.

run!

Swish! Swish! The leaves lashed out wildly, stinging my face and arms.

No wonder we found such a wonderful cave.

Dry twigs, dry grass, shed hair, a coconut shell half-filled with water in the corner, and a strong animal stench.

Every detail of the cave came flooding into my mind.

It used to be a bear's den!

"roar!--"

Behind them, the bear roared angrily, its heavy footsteps thundering.

Run faster, run even faster!

Crack.

Ahead, branches and bushes snapped, and a dark figure rushed toward her.

My ears were ringing, my temples were throbbing, and my leg tendons were twitching.

And, and bears too...