"Let's go in and take a look. Maybe there are still some survivors," Yogan said, his voice tinged with a sense of disappointment as he looked at the dilapidated building.
After much effort, he had finally found a human camp, but he hadn't expected it to be overrun by mutant beasts. Now, finding useful information or rare items had become nearly impossible.
"Oh, I just remembered something," He Qing said suddenly, her face lighting up with a glimmer of hope. "There are dark rooms in the camp. Brother Yang and his friends might have hidden there to avoid the beasts."
He Qing clasped her hands together in a prayer-like gesture, hoping that someone had managed to survive by chance.
Yogan sighed and nodded, then began walking down the stairs. The walls were stained with blood, and the ground was smeared red. As the light grew dimmer, a half-covered steel door came into view.
They approached and pushed it open, and a strong, pungent smell of blood instantly assaulted their senses. Inside, the simple facilities were scattered about, and blood nearly covered the entire floor. Yet, there were no human corpses to be seen.
Yogan's brow furrowed slightly. A faint glow appeared in his eyes as he quickly scanned the underground camp.
"In which direction is the dark room?" Yogan asked, his voice low.
He Qing pointed toward a small, deep, and dark door.
Yogan was about to move toward it when suddenly, a faint sound of footsteps echoed through the underground camp. Both of them froze, surprised. The small door to the dark room creaked open from the inside, and a tall figure stepped out silently.
With the remaining light, Yogan could make out the person's features. The man had a straight face, a broad back, and a strong build. He wore black tights that made him appear particularly tough and neat.
"Yang... Brother Yang!" He Qing exclaimed in a low cry, her voice filled with excitement.
Yogan immediately sensed something was wrong. Before he could caution He Qing to stay quiet and out of sight, she had already dashed forward.
"Yang... Brother Yang! Are you... are you okay?" He Qing called out as she ran toward the man.
The tall figure tensed for a moment at the sound of her voice, but when he saw the familiar face, he relaxed.
The two of them spoke briefly at the entrance to the dark room, then their eyes shifted toward Yogan's hiding place.
"F**k! This woman!" Yogan muttered under his breath, a surge of frustration rising in his chest. He had never felt this angry before. Compared to Jiang Qiuran, He Qing, this woman from another world, seemed to have placed all her intelligence in her chest. In such a critical situation, she had easily exposed their position—just like a teammate who unintentionally sabotaged the mission.
"Friend, thank you for saving Xiaoqing. I can take you to another human camp," the deep voice of the tall man echoed through the basement.
Yogan's expression grew colder. He quietly shifted his position, slowly retreating toward the high steel door. The subtle fluctuations emanating from the tall man indicated a power beyond Yogan's current abilities.
"Xiaoqing, your friend doesn't seem to want to come out to see me," the man—Yang Yi—said with a faint smile, his eyes focused on the darkness.
"Ah? Then I'll go find him," He Qing said, turning to take a step forward.
Before she could move any further, a strong hand grabbed her arm, pulling her back.
"Let's go together. I just want to get to know him," Yogan said coldly.
"F**k!" Yogan cursed silently, watching as the two approached him. Irritation bubbled up inside him. If he had remained hidden and launched a surprise attack, he might have stood a chance. But now that his position was compromised and the enemy was aware of him, he had no choice but to confront them directly.
There was a clear disparity in strength between him and Yang Yi. A head-on fight could have catastrophic consequences.
"Hey, are you still there? Brother Yang is a good man. Come out," He Qing's voice called out softly.
"He knows another human camp. We can go there together. Don't worry, he won't hurt you..."
"Can you shut up?!" Yogan interrupted, his voice sharp and cold.
He stood up suddenly, glaring at Yang Yi as he demanded, "Everyone in the camp is dead, but you're unharmed. Why?"
He Qing quickly tried to explain. "Brother Yang was practicing in the dark room before. When he came out, he saw the destruction. He's really upset about it."
"I told you to shut up!" Yogan snapped, his frustration evident. "Can't anyone else enter the dark room? Why are you the only one left alive?"
Yang Yi sighed, his voice tinged with sadness as he explained, "They knew I was practicing in the dark room. They wouldn't open the door even if they were dying."
He Qing, still trying to make sense of it, turned to Yogan. "I believe Brother Yang," she said softly, her voice filled with uncertainty.
"How about this?" Yang Yi said, his deep voice calm. "I'll let Xiaoqing come over and explain everything to you. I won't move. Since you saved Xiaoqing, I'm willing to trust you for now."
He Qing glanced at Yogan, unsure, but Yang Yi's words seemed genuine. The tall man relaxed his grip on her arm and stepped back slightly, giving her space.
Yogan stood still, his mind racing. The situation was delicate, and he wasn't sure if he could trust this man. He felt the weight of the moment pressing on him. Yang Yi had survived alone, but there was something off about his story.
The blood-stained walls, the eerie silence, and the strange circumstances all pointed to something far darker than the surface showed. Yogan's instincts told him that the truth wasn't as simple as it appeared.
He turned his gaze back to He Qing, who seemed to be caught in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. She wanted to trust Yang Yi, but something about the situation made her hesitant.
"Xiaoqing," Yang Yi said, his voice warm yet tinged with an unsettling edge, "I'll leave it to you to explain to your friend. Let him see for himself."
Yogan remained silent, his eyes narrowed as he observed the tall figure carefully. Yang Yi had just offered an explanation that seemed too convenient, and Yogan wasn't about to take it at face value. There was more to this than met the eye, and he intended to uncover it, no matter the cost.
As the tension in the room thickened, Yogan's thoughts raced. He knew he had to make a decision—whether to trust this man and move on or confront him and uncover the truth behind the camp's fall. The answer wasn't clear, but one thing was certain: whatever happened next would change everything.
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