Chapter 55: 55, Temporary alliance

From beginning to end, Xu Xianchu never spoke of what their mission truly was, and Liu Bu and Luo Xinyu, as crew members, clearly had no idea either, or they wouldn't have asked Xu Xianchu such questions.

Ren Xiaosu was puzzled: Was there any connection between their mission objectives and the changes in Jinye Mountain?

Xu Xianchu suddenly said, "We didn't expect such drastic changes here, or we wouldn't have sent only twelve people. All I can tell you is that we know nothing about what's happening here."

"Now it's uncertain whether we'll all make it out alive—why not share your secrets with us?" Liu Bu, on the brink of collapse, clenched his teeth and growled at Xu Xianchu, desperate to understand his own plight. He refused to let any clue slip away. "We're all on the same rope, ants tied together. If you don't speak, this secret might be buried with us in the grave!"

As Liu Bu's face nearly pressed against Xu Xianchu's, saliva flew wildly.

Xu Xianchu shoved Liu Bu away: "Are you blaming us for dragging you here? I heard you've been wanting to go to other strongholds. Even without this mission, would you have stayed?" He sneered, "Now you're abandoning us like rats fleeing a sinking ship, as if we led you here to die!"

Ren Xiaosu, watching the scene, was about to offer a peanut when Yang Xiaojin suddenly said, "I'm hungry."

The words stunned Ren Xiaosu. "What does your hunger have to do with me?"

Yang Xiaojin replied, "Dagger."

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Ren Xiaosu quickly nodded. "Sit tight—I'll get you something to eat. Any dietary restrictions?"

"No," Yang Xiaojin said, sitting on the ground. Luo Xinyu, already seated, had even laid out a piece of cloth beneath her, showing no concern for propriety.

Yet Ren Xiaosu felt a pang of melancholy. He had lost the mouse he was carrying earlier—he had to hold the driver with one hand and the dagger with the other, leaving no way to grasp the mouse. Now, finding food was a challenge.

The dense forest before them was too eerie to navigate in the dark; he would have to wait until daylight to venture in.

At that moment, Yang Xiaojin noticed his hesitation and said, "I threw the mouse in the trunk."

Ren Xiaosu froze. He vaguely remembered her clutching something in the chaos, but it had been too hasty to notice. It turned out she had carried that large mouse all along.

It must be said, Yang Xiaojin's preparation saved Ren Xiaosu considerable trouble. In the past, he had roamed the wilderness alone, never seeking allies, facing all dangers and hardships by himself.

Some in the settlement had once asked him to join their hunts, but Ren Xiaosu had refused. Not because they lacked skill, but because he didn't trust them. In the wilderness, fatigue was inevitable, and companionship was no better than solitude with beasts.

He had once considered training Yan Liuyuan to share his burdens, but abandoned the idea. Ren Xiaosu didn't want Yan Liuyuan to face peril.

Now, for the first time, he felt the presence of a helper.

But he quickly dismissed the thought. They were now bound by a transactional alliance—trust in each other's abilities or resources had forged a temporary pact, a silent agreement. Yet neither truly trusted the other; they merely took what they needed.

Ren Xiaosu fetched the large mouse from the car. The others, now starving, felt queasy at the sight of it.

While the others debated frantically, Yang Xiaojin had already gathered firewood and was preparing to start a fire. Ren Xiaosu whispered, "When leaving the forest, face it as you retreat."

Yang Xiaojin raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because large felines' predatory instincts will be triggered. I fear they might not even control themselves—it's their nature," Ren Xiaosu explained. "There are many wild cats in the wilderness. Mr. Zhang from the academy said they might be descendants of domestic cats before the catastrophe, left to roam freely without owners, growing wilder. Their size has increased dramatically, and their killing power is terrifying."

"Is it dangerous?" Yang Xiaojin asked.

"Yes, very dangerous. But facing them doesn't guarantee an attack. Never turn your back on the forest—who knows what lurks within?" Ren Xiaosu said.

Perhaps to maintain this fragile alliance and boost his survival odds, he elaborated further.

With his dagger, Ren Xiaosu carved the mouse's meat. Honestly, he had intended to use the mouse meat to catch centipedes. Compared to raw meat, he found roasted centipedes more palatable.

But now, there was no choice. After the human-faced worm incident, he feared catching something even more bizarre.

He swiftly sliced off the mouse's thick hind legs and handed them to Yang Xiaojin to roast over the fire. Within ten seconds, the aroma drifted over ten meters away.

Liu Bu and the others, mid-discussion, suddenly swallowed their saliva in unison, their previous topics forgotten.

They watched silently as Ren Xiaosu flung the remaining meat into the forest. Now, he felt invincible—those scraps vanished in the blink of an eye.

Liu Bu panicked. "Why did you throw it away?"

"You don't eat it, do you? Leaving it here would attract beasts. Go fetch it yourself if you want," Ren Xiaosu snapped, glancing at them.

Liu Bu paused, then sneered, "I wouldn't eat something so disgusting."

Ren Xiaosu replied calmly, "That's because you haven't tasted anything worse yet..."

Wait, these people had already eaten far worse. In his view, those from the strongholds even consumed bird's nests—what was mouse meat compared to that?

Earlier, Mr. Zhang from the academy had mentioned that many high-ranking officials in the strongholds enjoyed bird's nests. Where did the swallows get so much phlegm? Perhaps they suffered from tuberculosis? No wonder there's an idiom about "malaria-swallow flies in disorder"—it must refer to this.

He didn't elaborate further. The plump, skinned mouse meat quickly charred on the fire, while Liu Bu and the others abandoned their discussions, standing by with mouths agape.

They had labored all night, but fear had dulled their appetites. Now, after a night of fleeing, their strength was nearly spent, and hunger gnawed at their bellies.

Some wanted to retrieve the discarded meat from the forest, but the problem was Ren Xiaosu had thrown it too far away!