Why Me

Wei Dengke's inexplicable remark actually made Mo Li feel a trace of nervousness. He was highly sensitive to certain things, and from Wei Dengke's expression, he judged that this matter was definitely not simple.

Hearing Mo Li's question, Wei Dengke hesitantly looked at Zhong Lichun, clearly seeking her opinion on whether they should tell Mo Li the truth.

Compared to Wei Dengke's indecision, the straightforward Zhong Lichun had far fewer concerns. She tossed the military knife and branch in her hands onto the ground, then got straight to the point. "Don't overthink it. We only injected you with a drug that's still in the experimental stage."

"What? What did you say? You injected me with an experimental drug? Are you insane?" Mo Li might not have had much education, but he still possessed basic common sense. Drug development required a long process. Experimental drugs could have extremely severe side effects and might even endanger lives. These two had actually injected him with a drug still in testing. That was far too irresponsible.

"Hey, hey! Don't lump me in with her! It was this tomboy who injected you with SY7113. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen at all." Hearing Mo Li's words, Wei Dengke hurriedly explained. This was no trivial matter. If their superiors held them accountable, he had no intention of sharing responsibility with Zhong Lichun.

But Mo Li could no longer take in anything Wei Dengke said. After standing there blankly for a while, he turned to Zhong Lichun and asked, "What does this experimental drug you injected into me do?"

"It was a cell-restructuring drug developed by one of our country's top biologists. It has an extremely powerful restorative effect on damage to any type of limb or organ. Even damaged nerves can regenerate. Your spinal injury could have left you permanently disabled, and the target of this search is of great importance. We simply had no time to waste, so I decided to inject the drug into your body," Zhong Lichun explained.

"...Why did it have to be me? There are plenty of guides in Motuo." Mo Li fell silent for a long time once again before asking with a serious expression.

"First, you've worked here for ten years and are extremely familiar with the environment. Second, you've encountered a Yeti before, so you should have some experience with this legendary creature. Besides, many things cannot be known by ordinary people, or they would cause panic and unnecessary trouble. Therefore, the fewer people who know about this matter, the better. In the end, I decided to have you serve as our guide," Zhong Lichun explained again.

"..." Mo Li fell completely silent this time. No one knew what he was thinking. Neither Zhong Lichun nor Wei Dengke spoke again. They merely watched Mo Li. Of course, they were prepared for him to withdraw from this search-and-rescue mission, and they would not stop him. After all, they had dragged him into this.

Mo Li remained silent for about two full minutes before suddenly laughing. "I'm already on your boat. Even if I wanted to quit now, it wouldn't be easy. I just hope the drug you injected into me isn't dangerous."

Hearing Mo Li's answer, both Zhong Lichun and Wei Dengke sighed in relief. Wei Dengke even walked over, patted Mo Li on the shoulder, and said, "Don't worry. Once this mission is complete, I'll report your merits. I definitely won't let you work for nothing."

"Cut that out. Let's talk if we make it back alive!" Mo Li shook Wei Dengke's hand off irritably, then gave a bitter smile. He felt as though he had boarded a pirate ship.

Zhong Lichun said nothing more. She sat back down and began preparing the wild rabbits. After skinning them and briefly cleaning them with the water Wei Dengke had brought back, she skewered the rabbits on branches and began roasting them over the campfire.

Before long, the aroma of roast meat drifted out. Fat sizzled under Huoyan's heat, and Wei Dengke took out some simple seasonings and sprinkled them over the roasted rabbit meat.

After putting his clothes back on, Mo Li sat by the campfire. Only when he caught the scent of roast meat did he remember to ask, "Right! What exactly does your Special Incident Processing Department do? How come I've never heard of your department?"

"It's only natural that you haven't heard of us. We're a special department. Even our files are stored separately. Ordinary people can't possibly know we exist. We—" Zhong Lichun was blunt by nature, and hearing Mo Li's question, she actually began answering without thinking.

"Cough, cough! Tomboy, don't forget the confidentiality regulations. Do you want to end up in military court?" Before Zhong Lichun could finish, Wei Dengke gave a heavy cough and warned her not to continue.

Hearing Wei Dengke's warning, Zhong Lichun immediately stopped herself. Though she looked somewhat dissatisfied, she did not argue with Wei Dengke as she had before.

Seeing that neither of them was speaking, Mo Li did not ask any further questions. He knew clearly that some things were not meant for him to know. Since that was the case, not asking was the best choice.

Because they were short on time, the three set off once again after eating a little roast rabbit meat. Before leaving, Wei Dengke poured all the remaining water onto the campfire. Only after confirming that it had been completely extinguished, without even a spark left, did he leave with peace of mind. This was a forest, after all. If improper handling caused a wildfire, the losses would be enormous.

Night had now fully fallen. The dense tree crowns completely blocked out the sky, and it was cloudy that night, with the stars and moon hidden behind the clouds. This made the forest even darker.

Zhong Lichun walked at the front, holding a high-powered flashlight as she continued forward. They were now not far from Nanga Parbat, and the steadily increasing altitude made all three of them breathe somewhat heavily.

Just as the three were about to pass through the forest and reach the foot of the mountain, a shrill roar suddenly came from the distance. The sound was strangely familiar.

"Is that Bengal Tiger? Why does it sound like it's suffering so badly?" Hearing the miserable cry, Mo Li stopped and turned to Wei Dengke and Zhong Lichun.

"Something must have happened! Let's go take a look." Wei Dengke was the first to react, immediately sprinting toward the source of the sound.

Seeing Wei Dengke run off, Mo Li and Zhong Lichun could only quickly follow. As they raced onward, their breathing grew even rougher and more hurried, and the forest finally came to an end beneath their frantic sprint.

The moment the three ran out of the forest, they were utterly stunned by the sight before them. Less than two hundred meters ahead, a huge brown-gray figure covered in long hair crouched beside the Bengal Tiger's corpse. The hairy monster held an enormous stone in its hands, and blood was dripping from the stone.