"How about we tell ghost stories? The loser has to drink. Wait here, I'll go get some hard liquor."
Exusiai acted as soon as she said it, her execution flawless. She ran to the front desk and asked Ivan whether they sold alcohol.
Unfortunately, the shop had not restocked any alcoholic drinks. To buy some, they would have to go to a town one or two kilometers away from the hot springs. And at this hour, the liquor stores had already closed.
Exusiai had wanted to make the trip on her motorcycle, but after learning the winery was closed, she could only give up. They would be staying at this place for several days anyway. If necessary, they could buy some during the day.
She was the kind of person who could never sit still. She asked Ivan for a deck of cards and returned to the room to play with everyone. Shi Lei was broke, so when he heard they would be gambling with money, he politely declined.
Exusiai later changed the rules, replacing money with three forehead flicks from the winner.
Because of the Jade Shield, Shi Lei was barred from playing. He sat beside them and watched Texas and the other two play cards.
Though he was not playing himself, happiness was contagious. Exusiai paid a painful price for the rules she had proposed. Whether it was Texas or Croissant, both flicked her until she howled.
The blizzard outside grew fiercer, its wind howling mournfully. This was a freezing ice field, and the temperature outside was far lower than in Lungmen.
At around eleven thirty, everyone suddenly heard a violent impact from beyond the fence. But it sounded only once before the howling wind and snow quickly drowned it out.
"Hey, did you hear that just now?"
With Croissant's reminder, Shi Lei realized that he really had heard something. He was the only one not playing cards, so he voluntarily took on the task of going out to check, joking:
"You guys keep playing. I'll go take a look. Maybe it's some wild game that delivered itself right to our door."
Shi Lei put a Jade Shield around himself and headed toward the source of the sound.
A tall fence stood outside. A Rock Spine rose beneath his feet, lifting him easily over it and into the open air.
A young girl lay collapsed in the snow. She looked to be in her early teens, and her clothes were filthy.
She wore no shoes, or perhaps she had lost them while running. Her bare feet had been frozen red. There was no telling how she had made it here. She looked pitiful.
Moreover, two diamond-shaped black Originium crystals were attached to the skin of her left arm.
She was an Infected.
If Shi Lei had not encountered her, that would have been one thing. But since he had, he could not simply ignore her. With a thought, he formed several Rock Spears to support her body and carried her through the air into the courtyard.
Back inside, Shi Lei also placed a Jade Shield around the girl to ward off the cold. But she had already fallen unconscious and needed to be warmed up first.
"Texas, take her to soak in the hot springs first. It would be best to feed her something too."
"Okay."
The girl's clothes were dirty, but Texas did not care. One hand supported the girl's neck while the other slid beneath her thighs, and she quickly carried her away. Exusiai and Croissant stopped playing cards as well and followed to help.
Shi Lei's identity made it inappropriate for him to enter the women's bath, so he stayed in the room. Before long, though, he heard an argument in the hallway outside.
"Sir, put away your kindness! This is a disaster! She'll bring misfortune upon you!"
"Oh, that's not true. Don't get so worked up. She's a living person, after all. We can't just stand by and watch her die, can we?"
Shi Lei followed the voices out of the room, only to see Ivan pull out a crossbow from beneath the counter. Ivan roared with a grim expression:
"If anyone finds out there's an Infected here, all the money invested in this shop will have been wasted! She's an ominous disaster! Throw her out immediately! Now!"
With a Jade Shield protecting her body, Exusiai's confidence grew stronger and stronger.
"Put down the crossbow and calm down. There aren't any other guests in the shop right now. As long as you don't say anything and we don't say anything, who else would know? Relax, I guarantee it won't affect your hot spring business."
They had thought that a proper discussion with Ivan could lead to a solution that benefited everyone. Unexpectedly, his attitude was extraordinarily firm, and he even began driving out his guests.
"Damn it, you're not welcome here! Pack your things and leave immediately! We're not doing business with you anymore! Take her and get out of here right now!"
Croissant's expression turned strange. She felt this man was simply being unreasonable.
"We were invited guests. What kind of attitude is this? I've traveled so many times, but this is the first time I've ever seen a business drive away its customers. It's so late. Where exactly do you expect us to go?"
Shi Lei also felt that the shopkeeper's actions were inappropriate. They had never stated beforehand that they refused to receive Infected guests. Now, not only had Ivan added a rule at the last minute, he was also demanding to terminate the agreement unilaterally. It seriously violated the spirit of their contract.
He walked over and placed a Jade Shield around Croissant. That way, Ivan would not be able to launch a surprise attack if he decided to fight dirty.
Shi Lei had spent a month reading in the library, so he knew that Infected people were not very welcome in other countries.
Since there were no records or documents describing it, he had little concept of such discrimination. It felt like the instinctive contempt people held toward Black people. He had not expected Ursus's attitude toward the Infected to be so hardline.
At that moment, Texas emerged from the women's bath carrying the little girl. The girl had regained consciousness, but she still looked extremely weak. Her pale little face was buried in her hood, and even her lips were cracked.
When Ivan saw the guests carry out the Infected girl, he trembled with rage. That lunatic actually pulled the trigger, intending to shoot the girl dead on the spot!
Texas reacted quickly, twisting aside to dodge the crossbow bolt. Before she could counterattack, Croissant and Exusiai rushed forward, subdued Ivan, and disarmed him.
"What are you doing? She's just a child!"
Ivan did not think he had done anything wrong. Instead, he blamed the guests for being childish and ignorant.
"But she's an Infected."
"So what if she's Infected? Don't they only become contagious after dying and exploding? What are you afraid of?"
Ivan stared fixedly at the little girl, his vicious gaze seeming as though he wanted to devour her. Exusiai helplessly knocked him out, tied him up, and placed him behind the counter.
She took some snacks from the front desk and fed them to the girl in Texas's arms. After eating a little, the girl finally had the strength to speak, immediately chattering away.
Everyone looked at one another, unable to understand what the girl was saying. Shi Lei was the only one who understood, seemingly thanks to the Embarrassing System's built-in translation.
"She says she wants us to save her Tribe Members."
The girl discovered that she could only communicate with him. She stared at Shi Lei while continuously gesturing with her fingers.
"She says they're a small Rhodes Island unit migrating toward Sargon. The snowstorm was too severe today, so they were forced to shelter in a mine. Then local villagers discovered them and used Originium bombs to collapse the mine."
After hearing him perfectly relay her meaning, the girl anxiously struggled free, wanting to kneel and beg for help. Fortunately, Texas stopped her in time.
Shi Lei had not interacted much with Infected people, so he was more rational when considering the matter.
"What do you think? Should we go save them now, or pretend we heard nothing? If we save them, there's a high chance we'll clash with the locals, and we can forget about having fun for the next few days. If we don't, given Ursus's hardline attitude toward the Infected, I feel those people will almost certainly die tonight."
Exusiai's thinking was simple, and she made her stance clear.
"Of course we have to save them. We can't just watch them die, can we?"
When Shi Lei looked at her, Texas answered:
"I don't mind. I'll listen to you."
Croissant felt the same, though she leaned more toward rationality.
"Anyway, we're your spear, and you're our shield. Whether we save them or not, I'll listen to you too."
The votes stood at one for saving them and two for not caring either way. The deciding vote had to be cast by Shi Lei.
Saving one life was worth more than building a seven-story pagoda.
He felt there was no need to ask the owner or Isu. He made the decision immediately. "All right, then let's go. We'll end this quickly. But we can save them for a while, not forever. Once we leave the ice field and return to Lungmen, where they go from there will be none of our concern."
"Oh, why are you thinking so much? Saving them now gives them another chance to live. As for the road ahead, that's for them to consider. What does it have to do with us?"
Seeing these kind strangers agree, the little girl was moved to tears and babbled a long string of words.
Shi Lei omitted part of it and translated:
"She says she's very grateful to us. We must save her Tribe Members, and they'll repay us afterward."
The messengers of Penguin Logistics had gotten involved in this muddy affair entirely on a whim. Neither Shi Lei nor the other three had ever expected repayment from the Infected.
After a brief round of preparations, they decided Croissant would stay behind to watch Ivan. At the very least, he could not be allowed to send word to anyone.
Exusiai rode her motorcycle and used its headlights to lead the way, while Texas drove behind her with the others in the car.
Since the little girl insisted on leading the way, they had no choice but to take her along instead of leaving her at the hot springs.
The four set off, following her directions north for one or two kilometers, and they really did find a small town.
It was the middle of the night, and the biting wind lashed against their faces. Only a few scattered lights remained in the town, like lonely lamps adrift upon a vast ocean, casting a dim yellow glow.
They did not enter the town, nor did they stop. Based on the girl's rough memories, they took a detour toward the mine.
Meanwhile, roughly five kilometers from the town.
Under the pitch-black night sky, shadowy figures moved through the snowy forest. Their steps were light, making soft crunching sounds as they trod on the snow.
Gentle moonlight streamed through the gaps between the trees, illuminating a flag marked with the emblem of Rhodes Island.
"Have you made contact?"
Someone murmured quietly in the darkness. The voice was hoarse, like an old bellows full of holes.
"No. We've already lost contact with three squads. They're probably doomed tonight. And Ursus's people are still pursuing us from behind. We need to retreat quickly, before their main force catches us."
"You go first. I'll wait here."
"No, Deputy Captain Mudrock. If you choose to stay, the brothers won't leave either."
Moonlit Stroll (Two-in-One)
"You go first. I'll wait here."
A Sarkaz holding a hammer and wearing heavy armor volunteered to stay behind as the rearguard. Her black-and-white clothing concealed her entire face tightly, leaving not an inch of skin exposed. Judging by appearance alone, it was impossible to determine the person inside's age or gender.
"No, Deputy Captain Mudrock. If you choose to stay, the brothers won't leave either."
Many Infected gathered around Mudrock in the forest, as if they regarded her as the leader of their group.
At that moment, an Infected caster wearing a hooded robe came before the group and asked with some resentment:
"Why are you dragging your feet? Moving so slowly—are you planning to betray the organization?"
Before Mudrock could explain, the Sarkaz swordsman beside her took over and snapped back without restraint:
"Damn it, why do you have to talk so nastily? We just don't want to abandon our companions who lost contact, so we want to stay and meet up with them. Don't you have any family? Do you enjoy casually branding people traitors?"
The Infected caster twitched his mouth, badly wanting to explode on the spot. But these Infected all respected Mudrock, and he was outnumbered, so he forcibly swallowed his anger.
"If you want to stay and wait for them, then stay. But I won't risk everyone's lives to follow you to your deaths. Before we find a safe place to settle, any act of stopping will harm our Infected comrades!"
"If you want to leave, then leave. Why are you spouting so much nonsense? Since the deputy captain wants to hold the rear, we'll support her with everything we have, even if it means climbing mountains of blades and crossing seas of fire."
Seeing that everyone followed Mudrock's lead while he, the captain, had no authority at all, the Infected caster knew he could not win over these Sarkaz mercenaries. He left behind a harsh warning.
"Fine. Just don't regret it later!"
Before Rhodes Island rose to prominence, Infected people everywhere were like scattered sand. Even when they suffered unfair treatment, they could only swallow their anger.
This group of Rhodes Island members was not a legitimate Rhodes Island force. They had yet to join Talulah or Patriot and were an Infected organization that had gathered on its own. It was perfectly normal for them to have their own internal factions.
Mudrock and her subordinates had once been Sarkaz mercenaries. After Theresia's death, they refused to recognize Theresis as the "new king." They left Kazdel and joined this Rhodes Island group they had encountered halfway through their journey. They wandered from place to place, searching for somewhere suitable to live.
The caster's suggestion was not without reason. Perhaps hurrying onward was the safest option. But Mudrock placed great importance on the lives of her Sarkaz Tribe Members and would not abandon them lightly. There was nothing wrong with her wanting to stay behind as the rearguard.
"Captain Mudrock, ignore that **(expletive). We joined Rhodes Island because we believed in you. If you leave, we're done too!"
"I'm grateful for your trust and support, but we truly cannot split up any further. Follow the main group and leave first. I'll choose a narrow pass and stay behind as the rearguard."
As she spoke, Mudrock suddenly stiffened. She turned her heavy armor and looked toward the pitch-black sky.
Impossible. Absolutely impossible! How could anyone in this world still command that kind of power over the earth?
Now, turn the clock back ten minutes.
Led by the little girl, Shi Lei arrived at a mine near the town. There were no miners in sight, only three kerosene lamps burning alone.
"Wah... wah..."
When she tugged at his sleeve and pointed toward the collapsed mine, Shi Lei understood everything.
He walked to the Cave Entrance and examined the stone wall piled from broken rocks and coal slag. He created a Rock Spear with his bare hand, thrust it into the cracks in the rock, and stirred it back and forth.
Unfortunately, it had little effect.
Before you continue