Wu Renfan frowned. "Why open the backpack?"
Just as he finished speaking, a rustling sound came from outside, and light pierced through the dense fog, accompanied by faint shouts.
"Students, where are you?"
Wu Renfan was about to respond when Ethan pressed the muzzle of his rifle against his temple and slowly shook his head. For the next few moments, the three of them didn't dare to breathe too loudly, only hearing the rustling sounds around the tree hollow as if a real rescue team was circling them. After a while, the lights and voices faded into the fog.
"What if it really was a rescue team outside?" Wu Renfan finally said.
Ethan replied emotionlessly, "If the fog clears, we'll go back and be saved just the same."
The subtext was clear: he didn't want to take any risks.
Ethan pointed the rifle at Wu Renfan. "Open the backpack."
He was done talking. Wu Renfan shrugged, took off his backpack, and opened it. Ethan then instructed Cedricl, "Dump everything out."
Cedricl complied, and the contents of the backpack spilled out—magazines, elixirs, and freshly collected herbs. Nothing suspicious. Ethan turned to Cedricl, who understood and emptied his backpack as well. The contents were similar to Wu Renfan's.
"See, Captain, aren't you being a bit too paranoid?" Wu Renfan said. "You don't seriously suspect us of attracting that Behemoth, do you? Why would we do such a thing to ourselves?"
Ethan glanced at him, then suddenly remembered Wu Renfan entering his tent the previous night. He had checked the tent afterward, including the backpack, and found nothing unusual. Wait. Ethan suddenly had a thought. He had missed checking some places. He immediately tossed his backpack to the ground, knelt down, and without a word, drew his military knife and ripped open the backpack.
Wu Renfan jumped in shock, his eyes darting around, and he began to inch toward the exit. That's when Ethan saw it. As the knife sliced open the backpack, a hidden compartment was revealed, and something fell out—a plant. It was a green shrub that resembled a phoenix tail.
Wu Renfan and Cedricl both gasped, "Phoenix Tail Fern?"
Ethan looked at Wu Renfan, whose face changed color as he made a dash for the tree hollow's exit. Whoosh! The knife flashed, and Ethan's blade plunged into Wu Renfan's thigh. Wu Renfan fell, about to scream, but Ethan quickly covered his mouth.
Cedricl was baffled, unsure of what had transpired between them. He heard Ethan's cold voice, "Last night, you entered my tent to plant the 'Phoenix Tail Fern' in my backpack?"
"No, no, no," Wu Renfan hurriedly said. "Captain, listen to me. I didn't know there was a 'Phoenix Tail Fern' in there. It was Ren Zhong—he gave me this backpack and told me to switch it with yours. But I swear I didn't know he put a 'Phoenix Tail Fern' inside. He offered me some benefits, but I wouldn't risk my life for that. If I had known there was a 'Phoenix Tail Fern' in there, I would have never agreed to it."
Ren Zhong was the delicate-looking young man always with Bryce. Without a doubt, this was Bryce's doing. The man was devious, plotting to kill Ethan before the death duel!
After listening, Ethan remained silent, but Cedricl was already enraged, "Wu Renfan, you're both stupid and evil!"
Ethan, however, cut to the chase, addressing Cedricl, "Follow me." He pulled out the knife, and Wu Renfan's thigh sprayed blood like a fountain, the pain causing him to roll on the ground. Ethan stepped out of the tree hollow, Cedricl following after a last glance at Wu Renfan.
The fog and illusions were ineffective against Ethan's 'Barrier Breaking Eye.' He could safely lead Cedricl back to camp. But Wu Renfan was different. In the fog, he was as good as blind, and now he was injured. Seeing Ethan and Cedricl leaving, he panicked, fearing the giant cat-like Behemoth would find him.
Wu Renfan called out from the tree hollow, "Captain, this really isn't my fault. I'm a victim too. As long as you don't leave me behind, I'll follow your lead from now on. Bryce clearly wants to kill me too. He's heartless, so I'll be ruthless. There's nothing to say. If you want to deal with Bryce, I'll help you."
However, Ethan and Cedricl's footsteps didn't stop; they quickly faded away.
"Don't leave me," Wu Renfan pleaded. "Don't leave me!"
In a panic, he clutched his thigh and stumbled out of the tree hollow into the fog.
In the fog, Cedricl could barely see Ethan's silhouette and had to follow the sound of his footsteps. But suddenly, Ethan's footsteps stopped. Cedricl was about to ask when he heard Ethan's voice ahead, "We've got trouble."
As his words fell, a strange sound filled the quiet woods within the dense fog.
Hissing...
Similar sounds emerged from all around, echoing continuously.
Cedricl whispered, "What's that?"
"Golden-winged lice," Ethan replied calmly. "They're parasites from Huan's body. It was here a moment ago, and although it's gone, it's left behind many parasites."
In Ethan's vision, the shapes of insect-like gray auras dotted the forest. He recalled the description of 'golden-winged lice'—insectoid creatures unique to Huan, with wings as hard and sharp as metal, communicating through rhythmic rubbing of their hind legs and golden wings. Although they could fly, they only did so at low altitudes and moderate speeds. Besides bloodsucking, they also spread various diseases, including 'Crimson Poison.'
As Ethan reviewed his knowledge, he searched for a way out. Unfortunately, golden-winged lice surrounded them, leaving no gaps to exploit. Then, from the bushes to Ethan's left, a mass of gray light flew toward them—a golden-winged louse!
Ethan rolled to the side and raised his rifle, locking on and firing.
Ratatat.
The rifle spat flames, and a burst of bullets tore the parasite, the size of a small dog, to shreds. But the gunfire drew the attention of other golden-winged lice.
Hissing...
They communicated through sound and converged on Ethan and Cedricl's location. Ethan scanned the surroundings and spotted a location—a pile of chaotic rocks. The largest one, about seven or eight meters high, had a crack in the middle—214 centimeters high, 107 centimeters wide, and over five meters deep. It seemed just wide enough for one person to pass through.
"Follow me," Ethan directed, moving towards the rocks. He intended to use the limited space around the large rock to restrict the number of golden-winged lice.
Cedricl followed immediately.
In the distance, Wu Renfan was still groping through the fog. The dense mist obscured his vision, and he began to shout in desperation, "Ethan, Cedricl, where are you?"
Then, he heard a buzzing sound above him, and something landed on his head. A sharp pain followed, and Wu Renfan heard a gurgling sound—like drinking a beverage through a straw. But at this moment, it was a golden-winged louse sucking his blood and brain matter!
In the fog, Cedricl heard Wu Renfan's agonized and desperate howls behind them.