Chapter 10: The Returner on a Snowy Night (4)
Tang Cuo, a man repeatedly teetering on the edge of death, tenaciously survived another day.
Qian Wei, Zhao Ping, and An Ning scrambled up from the ground, staring dumbfounded as the other black bear fled for its life. Turning their heads to look at the surrounding scene, they saw bits of flesh and blood scattered across the pristine white snow. From afar, it looked like plum blossoms; up close, it resembled pork belly. Half a bear paw lay by their feet—bring a grill, and they could open for business immediately.
As far as the eye could see, there was nowhere clean to step.
“Mother of god.” After his exclamation, Qian Wei noticed Tang Cuo lying motionless on the ground. He hurriedly ran over, a trembling hand reaching out to check for breathing.
Tang Cuo opened his eyes and stared at him coldly.
Qian Wei laughed awkwardly. “My hand slipped, my hand slipped.”
Eventually, Qian Wei and Zhao Ping worked together to help Tang Cuo up. Since Tang Cuo had no potions, he popped a few chocolate beans into his mouth, barely managing to keep himself from passing out. It wasn’t that the others didn’t want to offer potions; seeing how formidable he was, they assumed the chocolate beans were medicine, completely unaware that he was actually broke.
“I’ve already signaled Peng-peng. It’s too dangerous here; shouldn’t we head back?” Qian Wei suggested.
“I agree.” Zhao Ping quickly echoed.
An Ning didn’t object this time either. That black bear was too powerful; who knew if more were hiding in the woods? Besides, they had made such a huge commotion without seeing a trace of Qu Li. She was likely either not here or already dead.
Tang Cuo offered no opinion, as his gaze had been drawn to the corner of a book peeking out from the snow nearby. Releasing his hold on Qian Wei, he walked over and picked it up—
It was the Survival Assessment Report, perfectly intact.
Seeing this, An Ning blinked, asking with bold curiosity, “What is that?”
Qian Wei answered, “Obviously, it’s a Survival Assessment Report. It’s the book every one of us has, recording our life story.”
Zhao Ping: “…”
Is it really that thick?!
Tang Cuo had anticipated this exact reaction. Expressionless, he tucked it away, then, still expressionless, picked up a black bear tooth from the ground. He weighed it in his hand before stuffing it into his pocket.
An Ning, Qian Wei, and Zhao Ping: “…”
Never mind, it’s probably better not to ask.
The four of them headed back the way they came.
After walking for about ten minutes, Tang Cuo stopped again.
An ominous premonition suddenly arose in Zhao Ping. “What’s wrong?”
Tang Cuo said calmly, “The direction is wrong.”
Hearing this, An Ning hurriedly pulled out her compass; the needle clearly pointed in the direction they had come from. She frowned slightly. Her intuition told her Tang Cuo wouldn’t speak without reason, but what was going on with the compass?
“The chainsaw,” Tang Cuo added.
Only then did the other three realize. When the black bear suddenly attacked, the chainsaw was left behind where they were chopping trees. But they had been walking back for ten minutes now—where was the chainsaw?
Not just the chainsaw; where was the tree they had chopped?
“A-A ghost wall?” Qian Wei felt his heart grow colder than his hands and feet.
“It’s possible.” An Ning nodded, looking around. “The trees here mostly look identical, and the sun is blocked, making it hard for us to distinguish direction in the first place. After that commotion with the black bear, running in a random direction only made it worse.”
Zhao Ping asked, “Then what do we do now?”
Tang Cuo glanced at him but said nothing.
Zhao Ping was freezing to death. Seeing Tang Cuo looking like a terminally ill patient on the verge of death yet remaining so calm made him want to spawn a thousand little people to grab Tang Cuo and shake him violently. Big bro, say something! You were so fierce just now!
Tang Cuo couldn’t be fierce anymore. What was there to be fierce about when he was about to kick the bucket? He opted not to speak if he didn’t have to, entering complete energy-saving mode.
An Ning’s eyes lit up slightly. She suddenly grabbed Qian Wei and asked, “When you signaled that Peng-peng, could you send a location? Can they find us?”
Qian Wei’s face also lit up with joy. “They can! You’re right. We can’t get out, but they can come in. It’s been about forty minutes from when we set out to when we were chopping the tree, so waiting another half hour should be enough!”
Energy-saving mode: Closed.
“When you send a signal, can you inform them of the specific situation?” Tang Cuo asked.
“Ah, that won’t work.” Qian Wei scratched his head.
Tang Cuo smiled.
Seeing it made Qian Wei’s hair stand on end.
An Ning realized the problem and smacked him on the shoulder. “That’s no good! If they come in without knowing the situation and haven’t prepared anything, they’ll just end up trapped here with us.”
“Why did you hit me?!” Qian Wei rubbed his shoulder, grimacing in pain.
Following that, Qian Wei sent three consecutive signals to Peng Mingfan. This was their pre-arranged code: if the situation changed and it wasn’t advisable to proceed, he would send three signals.
Afterward, they conducted several direction tests, finding that no matter which way they walked, the compass stubbornly pointed toward their “return” path. The three looked at each other, inevitably turning their gazes back to Tang Cuo.
Tang Cuo caught his breath, popped two more chocolate beans into his mouth, and stood up. “Let’s go.”
The exploration squad continued forward. This time, they walked for a full half hour, still wandering in circles within the woods. The cold gradually sapped their stamina. Even players like Qian Wei and Zhao Ping, who had survived several game missions, found it hard to endure, let alone Tang Cuo, whose HP was lingering at a mere 5%.
After walking that stretch, his 5% became 4%.
Fortunately, heaven never seals off all exits. As the four walked, they unexpectedly spotted a house in the distance. Overjoyed, Qian Wei took large strides to investigate. After a quick look around, he turned back in astonishment. “Isn’t this the hostel we’re staying at?!”
Tang Cuo took a closer look: the green roof, the cedar tree logo, and the familiar storage shed in the backyard. It was indeed that youth hostel.
They had left through the front door and returned through the back door.
Wait.
“Something’s happening inside.” Tang Cuo vaguely glimpsed figures fighting near the window. He dashed out from the woods, not even bothering to open the wooden picket gate, opting to vault smoothly over it instead—fast and steady.
But before he could rush into the house, a figure burst out through the door. Shattered door planks flew toward Tang Cuo’s face; he dodged sideways and looked up—
The person who had been knocked out was Zhang Zhiqiu.
He crashed heavily into the snow. As he scrambled up, a dark, cold gleam flashed through his eyes. But noticing Tang Cuo and the three arriving behind him, he raised a hand to wipe his face and shouted, “The boss went berserk; help quickly!”
Instead of rushing forward, Tang Cuo took a step back, his expression indifferent.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Zhang Zhiqiu frowned.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Peng Mingfan was nearing his limit. Panting heavily, he held a gun but his aim was abysmal—a true master of outlining human silhouettes. Yet, every time Li Yingjun’s cleaver was about to strike him, it would inexplicably pause for a moment. It was this eerie pause that allowed him to dodge swiftly.
As Peng Mingfan darted left and right, his speed visibly slowing down, Qian Wei quickly arrived to assist.
Zhang Zhiqiu also rejoined the fray.
Tang Cuo observed clearly: Qian Wei used a sword and was relatively agile, but his swordsmanship was poor. Zhang Zhiqiu was highly proficient with his gun; the long barrel fired bullets that could blast a gaping hole through a chair. It didn’t look like a commercially available model—perhaps it was a Yong Ye City exclusive.
“To the yard!” Peng Mingfan shouted, leading the retreat.
At this point, Zhao Ping and An Ning also intervened. Joining forces, they finally managed to lure the terrifying axe-wielding Li Yingjun into the backyard.
Where was Cheng Jin?
Cheng Jin was on the roof.
Tang Cuo looked up and found him just as he leaped from the roof onto the storage shed. The moment he landed, he drew his bow, nocked an arrow, aimed, and fired in one fluid motion.
“Whoosh!” The pure metal long arrow struck like lightning, accurately pinning Li Yingjun’s foot to the ground, rooting him in place.
“Whoosh!” Another arrow pierced his palm, disarming him.
“Ah!!” Dropping the axe, Li Yingjun cried out in pain and fell to his knees. Seeing this, An Ning raised her hand and tossed a red net over him.
With a sudden burst of red light, the net shrank rapidly, tightly binding Li Yingjun and preventing any escape.
Mission accomplished.
An Ning clapped her hands, a smile on her face.
The others slumped to the ground, breathing sighs of relief. Zhang Zhiqiu, however, looked gravely at Jin Cheng as he jumped down from the storage shed, questioning, “Why didn’t you just kill him?”
A single sentence pulled everyone’s nerves taut once more. They all turned to look at Jin Cheng, only to see him draw his bow again, the arrowhead pointing directly at Zhang Zhiqiu’s head. Smiling, he asked, “Do you have a problem with me?”
A drop of cold sweat slid down Zhang Zhiqiu’s temple. Others might not realize it, but after the battle just now, he was acutely aware of the strength of the man before him.
It was like a cat playing with mice. They were the mice scrambling on the ground, while he was the aristocratic cat, only extending a paw to swat when he felt amused.
He shouldn’t have been impulsive.
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Zhiqiu took a step back and raised his hands. “I was merely making a suggestion, no ill intent. Please don’t be impulsive.”
“Oh.” Jin Cheng stared at him meaningfully, the long arrow still pointed steadily at him without the slightest intention of lowering it. Watching this, Qian Wei instinctively wanted to intervene but was held back by Peng Mingfan.
The longer the standoff lasted, the uglier Zhang Zhiqiu’s expression became. He opened his mouth several times, and just as he was about to lose control, Jin Cheng deftly lowered his bow.
He turned to look at Tang Cuo, asking in feigned bewilderment, “Are you about to die again?”
Tang Cuo wanted to roll his eyes, but he lacked the energy even for that. Wrapping his military coat tightly around himself, he headed straight inside the house. He wasn’t normally afraid of the cold, but it was accelerating his HP drain. Thus, he made a beeline for the kitchen, where a clay stove could be used for a fire.
The moment he opened the door, Tang Cuo came face-to-face with a panicked Li Shuangshuang.
Li Shuangshuang couldn’t help but shrink back. “I-I was just…”
Tang Cuo: “Move.”
Li Shuangshuang froze.
Tang Cuo finally raised a hand and pushed her aside. Striding over, he sat on the small stool behind the stove. He scraped the ashes, added firewood, and lit the fire—silent and efficient.
“Water.” A sudden flash of realization hit Li Shuangshuang. Wiping her eyes, she turned and opened the water vat. She scooped ladle after ladle until the entire pot was full, then asked cautiously, “Is this enough?”
Leaning against the wall, Tang Cuo closed his eyes and remained silent, playing dead peacefully amidst the warm glow of the fire.
“Are you okay?” Li Shuangshuang asked again.
Tang Cuo frowned slightly. His nearly frozen hands and feet were gradually recovering under the enveloping warmth, but the process was agonizingly slow. He was tired, didn’t want to talk, and didn’t want to be disturbed.
Perhaps God had finally heard his plea; Li Shuangshuang actually stopped talking. The kitchen door was closed, shutting out the noisy commotion of Qian Wei and the others filing into the house.
Tang Cuo let out a long sigh of relief in his heart.
Right at that moment, Tang Cuo suddenly heard a faint noise, so close it felt right beside his ear. His instincts kicked in; he reached out like lightning, grabbed, and looked up—
Locking eyes with Jin Cheng.
“What are you doing?” Tang Cuo asked. As the words left his mouth, he also noticed the situation in the kitchen. Li Shuangshuang was gone; only the two of them remained inside the closed room.
“What do you think?” Jin Cheng moved his restrained wrist, showing him the potion in his hand.
Tang Cuo released his grip, unusually speechless.
Jin Cheng tossed the potion to him anyway. Then, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, he said, “I was thinking, your skills aren’t bad, and Qian Wei and those three made it back in one piece. So how is it that you’re in such a pathetic state, practically on death’s door? What kind of restriction did Yong Ye City place on you?”
Tang Cuo: “…”
Jin Cheng: “If you don’t speak, I’ll take that as a yes.”
Tang Cuo figured he might as well let him take it as a yes. He opened the potion bottle, drank half, and stuffed the other half into his pocket. Jin Cheng raised an eyebrow, roughly guessing the nature of the restriction.
He asked again, “What did you guys encounter outside?”
Having recovered slightly, Tang Cuo asked back, “Have you ever watched Boonie Bears?”
Jin Cheng: “???”
Tang Cuo was surprised by how narrow his scope of knowledge was. Or perhaps this big bro had died too early and missed out on this monumental masterpiece. Jin Cheng noticed his expression and narrowed his eyes. “Are you roasting me in your head?”
Tang Cuo: “No.”
Jin Cheng: “You are.”
“Tsk.” So annoying. Tang Cuo, with a dark expression, added two pieces of firewood to the stove and said, “Boonie Bears is about—”
Jin Cheng interrupted: “I know.”
Tang Cuo: “Oh.”
Jin Cheng: “Is this how you treat your savior?”
What else do you want? I even explained ‘Boonie Bears’ to you.
Tang Cuo was half-tempted to return the remaining half of the potion, but on second thought, why be so melodramatic? So, he briefly summarized what happened in the woods and then asked, “What happened on your end?”
Jin Cheng: “Zhang Zhiqiu incited Li Shuangshuang to poison Yingjun. Peng Mingfan tried to stop it, but the waitress suggested Li Shuangshuang help her prepare lunch in the kitchen, so Li Shuangshuang poisoned him anyway. Half an hour later, the poison took effect, Li Yingjun went berserk, and that’s the scene you saw. His axe is very powerful, with extremely high armor penetration. His own defense is also very strong, and he possesses boundless strength.”
Tang Cuo recalled everything he had just seen and asked, “Did the poison work on him?”
“Can’t say for sure.” Jin Cheng shook his head. “At the very least, no obvious symptoms appeared.”
“What about the waitress?”
“Before Li Yingjun went berserk, she claimed she wasn’t feeling well and returned to her room to rest. I checked specifically; I even sprinkled invisible powder at her door and windowsill. There were no footprints on the powder, which proves that—at the very least—she stayed obediently in her room during that time.”
Invisible powder? That’s a handy item.
While thinking, Tang Cuo continued to add firewood to the stove. The wood was precisely the batch Li Yingjun had brought back earlier. Looking at it, Tang Cuo couldn’t help but remember the lost chainsaw.
What a pity.
“Can you call Li Shuangshuang back in for me?” Tang Cuo asked. “I have questions for her.”
