Chi Hao stared into Jing Minghe's eyes, genuinely wanting to see what was reflected there at that very moment—was it true concern, or merely playful teasing?
Because of the backlight, Jing Minghe couldn't clearly see Chi Hao's expression. He only felt a chilling aura emanating from Chi Hao. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard a faint cry for help from a certain direction.
"Someone?" Jing Minghe whispered, alerting Chi Hao.
Both of them held their breath and listened intently.
The faint sounds came intermittently, and Jing Minghe finally pinpointed the direction. He said to Chi Hao, "It seems to be over there. Let's go take a look."
"Okay," Chi Hao replied, bending down to pick up a piece of luminescent stone from the ground.
Jing Minghe asked curiously, "Did you drop this?"
Chi Hao opened his palm and, without answering the question directly, said, "The light from this thing won't last long."
"It doesn't matter," Jing Minghe said, glancing meaningfully at the luminescent stone in Chi Hao's palm. "It's better than nothing. Let's find the person first."
Following the faint cries for help, the two discovered that this underground cave was much larger than they had imagined. The surrounding walls were covered in unknown plants.
Neither Jing Minghe nor Chi Hao noticed that, after they passed, the plants on the walls would subtly move, as if something was hidden within, restlessly stirring.
Chi Hao, walking ahead, suddenly stopped. Jing Minghe followed suit. They exchanged glances and simultaneously looked towards the wall on their right.
"Help... me..."
Hearing the voice, Jing Minghe was about to push aside the plants to rescue the person, "It's behind here."
"Wait," Chi Hao stopped Jing Minghe's hand as it was about to touch the plants and handed him something from his body. "Use this."
Jing Minghe looked at the small iron rod, only two inches long, in his hand. One end was solid, while the other had a series of interconnected rings, with a small ball at the very center.
He vaguely guessed what it was. Jing Minghe turned the ringed end downwards and gave it a gentle flick. With a swish, the two inches extended to a meter.
"It really is an extendable baton," Jing Minghe said, using the rod to push aside the plants on the wall. He asked Chi Hao, "How do you have this?"
"It's mine."
"..." This answer seemed to have no issues, yet it was as good as no answer at all.
Jing Minghe didn't press further. There was no obligation for Chi Hao to report what he carried. He should be grateful for Chi Hao's kind offer.
He slowly parted the dense plants and saw a hand—a woman's hand, tightly entangled by the foliage. Bloodstains were visible on her wrist.
He paused for a moment, then quickened his pace to clear away the plants. Chi Hao moved the luminescent stone closer, allowing Jing Minghe to see more clearly.
The person trapped on the wall by the plants was finally revealed.
"Is that Lin Ling?"
As Jing Minghe spoke, he reached out to pull her free. Chi Hao immediately tried to stop him, but Jing Minghe's hand still touched the plants. The rapidly growing vegetation quickly ensnared one of Jing Minghe's arms.
"Minghe!"
Chi Hao dropped the luminescent stone and grabbed both ends of the plant, moving swiftly. He forcibly tore the plant wrapped around Jing Minghe's arm, severing its connection to the main body. The plant remaining on Jing Minghe's arm rapidly withered and fell off.
"My goodness," Jing Minghe said, shaking his arm and exhaling. "Is this thing that dangerous?"
Chi Hao pulled Jing Minghe back a couple of steps, away from the wall, and said coldly, "I told you not to touch it."
Jing Minghe naturally understood the intention behind Chi Hao giving him the baton. He had considered the potential unknown dangers of these plants, but in his haste to save the person, he had also taken a gamble.
Jing Minghe and Chi Hao's movements had woken the unconscious Lin Ling, and she let out another faint cry for help.
Jing Minghe looked at Lin Ling and said, "We have to find a way to save her. Lin Ling is here, and I remember Sister Youmi left with her."
"I'll do it," Chi Hao said, stepping forward.
"Don't," Jing Minghe grabbed him. "You don't move either. Let's think of another way."
The luminescent stone, discarded on the ground, was already dim. Yet, Jing Minghe still saw blood flowing from Chi Hao's palm – an injury sustained while saving him.
He wanted to rescue their other teammates, but if it meant sacrificing Chi Hao, he would rather watch them die.
"Wait a moment, let me think," Jing Minghe said, holding Chi Hao's arm. He recalled the murals he saw behind the statue before they fell, feeling there was some connection between them.
However, he had only seen less than a third of it. The mural depicted a girl placing a dead person on a pile of animal carcasses, seemingly performing a ritual. Yet, it ultimately ended in failure, with the corpse and the animal remains turning to dust.
What happened next?
"Chi Hao," Jing Minghe looked up at Chi Hao and asked, "You finished looking at that mural, right?"
"Yes," Chi Hao nodded in response.
Jing Minghe quickly said, "Tell me quickly, what happened after the ritual failed?"
Expecting a long story, Chi Hao only replied with two words: "Suicide."
Jing Minghe was taken aback and asked, "You mean, the girl committed suicide?"
"Yes."
"That's it?"
Chi Hao nodded.
Jing Minghe frowned, "That can't be right. Is that all? I remember there should be much more after that."
Chi Hao countered, "You don't believe me?"
"No, it's just..." Jing Minghe's gaze drifted to Lin Ling, still trapped on the wall. He waved his hand, "Forget it, if you say there's nothing more, then there's nothing more."
Jing Minghe continued to ponder how to save Lin Ling.
"Aowuu~"
A wolf's howl suddenly reached their ears.
Jing Minghe's eyes widened instantly. "How can there be a wolf?"
As soon as Jing Minghe finished speaking, they saw a wolf, half their height, running towards them.
"Run!"
Chi Hao said, and pulling Jing Minghe along, they fled. The wolf behind them pursued relentlessly.
They hadn't run far before they discovered there was no way forward, blocked by a wall covered in plants.
Jing Minghe gripped the baton in his hand and asked Chi Hao, "Hao Ge, do you think the two of us can defeat it?"
Chi Hao replied coldly, "Yes."
"No," Jing Minghe's mouth twitched. "If we can, why did we run just now?"
"It was too narrow back there, we couldn't maneuver."
Jing Minghe was somewhat amused and exasperated. The current location was even narrower than before, but he had no time to discuss the width of the space with Chi Hao. After all, the wolf was already charging at them.
Just as the two were preparing to fight the large wolf, it suddenly flopped onto the ground, in a posture of submission.
Jing Minghe: "!? "
What was going on now?