Fetching Water

Except for the period of my childhood when I was too young to remember, Chen Xiyao could guarantee this was the first time she had [redacted] anywhere, and what made it even more despairing was that such days might continue for an unknown duration.

The sound of water trickled through the woods. Chen Xiyao wasn't a "super hearing" holder, but at this moment, in the woods so quiet it felt unsettling, she could clearly hear Feng Xue's breathing not far away.

After quickly taking care of her personal needs, Chen Xiyao looked at the leaves beside her, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to use them. She could only take out a pack of tissues from her pocket, carefully extract one, and even consider tearing it in half to use.

This was the first time in Chen Xiyao's life that she had the thought of saving toilet paper, but the mere idea of having to use leaves or even twigs after it ran out sent shivers down her spine.

"Are you done?" Feng Xue's voice came from outside the woods. Chen Xiyao quickly tidied her clothes and then let out a confirming hum, as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

However, the wilderness of Infinite City was so quiet that even such a soft response was clearly heard by Feng Xue. He waited a moment, and as Chen Xiyao's figure came into view, he whispered, "Did you notice the issue with the sound?"

"Mm," Chen Xiyao nodded. "I've read in novels that if it's too quiet in the woods, it means there's an ambush..."

"Generally, yes, but Infinite City is different." Feng Xue shook his head, pulled out his phone, planned a route to the riverbank, and then explained, "In Infinite City, only two things make noise: one is Humans and their tools, and the other is Omens, which you can think of as monsters. The wilderness belongs to those monsters. In other words, if you hear strange sounds later, no matter what they are, you need to be vigilant. Hide if you can. If you absolutely can't find a place to hide, run towards a wall immediately."

"I'll remember," Chen Xiyao nodded forcefully, immediately pushing aside her previous shyness.

Survival isn't shameful!

The two walked for about three minutes when Feng Xue's ears twitched slightly. The extraordinary perception granted by the Agility Element allowed him to immediately detect the subtle changes in the air. Seeing him suddenly stop, Chen Xiyao also stopped immediately, held her breath, and quietly waited for Feng Xue's next move.

At that very moment, her gaze followed the direction Feng Xue was looking, and a small stream appeared at the end of her vision.

It was at this moment that Chen Xiyao understood why Feng Xue said that only Humans and monsters could make sounds in this world. Because although there was water flowing in the stream before her, it was as silent as a painting.

This silent standoff lasted for about a minute. Chen Xiyao, unable to hold back any longer, carefully opened her mouth and exhaled.

Her movements were extremely slow, as if she were afraid that even the slightest sound would bring about a deadly threat.

I wonder if he'll suddenly kiss me to catch his breath like in the novels? For some reason, an extremely bizarre yet classic scene popped into Chen Xiyao's mind. But Feng Xue clearly had no such intention. He merely shifted slightly and pointed forward. Seeing this, Chen Xiyao could only follow his gaze. The outline, which hadn't been very clear before, finally became visible to her with his guidance.

It was something that looked like the worst parts of a turtle, a frog, and a snake combined. It lay quietly by the river, its head mostly retracted into its shell. Its moss-covered carapace looked like a reef if not examined closely.

When Chen Xiyao noticed it, her first thought was of an alligator lying in wait for prey to approach. But compared to an alligator, this thing was clearly more ferocious and terrifying.

"What is that?" Chen Xiyao asked softly, looking at the monster whose appearance alone could give a timid person nightmares for days. Feng Xue merely shook his head. In fact, without the Element Observation from his Golden Finger, he would have thought the sensation from his Agility was just an illusion.

However, in his vision, the constantly expanding and contracting Mosaic above the monster's head was so conspicuous that even from dozens of meters away, he saw it at a glance.

Within that Mosaic, several faintly fluctuating Elements flickered in and out of existence. Even with Feng Xue's eyesight, it was difficult to see clearly in the dead of night.

Having learned his lesson, Feng Xue did not close the Golden Finger panel. Although the constant Garbled Code in his vision affected his sight, it was better than being ambushed by an Omen lurking nearby.

He shook his head at Chen Xiyao, pointed to the ground, then pointed to her. Chen Xiyao roughly understood Feng Xue's meaning, nodded lightly, and obediently leaned against a large tree, looking as if she wouldn't wander off.

Seeing her like this, Feng Xue breathed a sigh of relief. While feeling fortunate that he hadn't encountered an idiot, he reached up and adjusted his hood, carefully sneaking downstream.

Chen Xiyao watched Feng Xue's retreating figure silently from behind the tree, but soon, she realized she had lost sight of him!

Even though her gaze had been fixed on the white robe, in the blink of an eye, she could no longer find any trace of him.

Was I abandoned? Did he give up on me? A thought suddenly flashed through Chen Xiyao's mind, only to be immediately dismissed. She gripped the tree trunk tightly with both hands, forcibly suppressing her panicked heart. At only seventeen years old, having lived her short life within the confines of school and home, she finally realized how ridiculous her previous idea of running away from home had been!

"What are you spacing out for? Let's go!" Suddenly, a voice rang out in Chen Xiyao's ear as she was lost in remorse. The sudden noise almost made her cry out. Fortunately, as a "master player" who had never been caught reading novels during evening study sessions, her usual composure, which allowed her to remain unfazed even when the headteacher appeared beside her, finally enabled her to suppress the urge to scream.

"Are you done?" Chen Xiyao asked, looking at Feng Xue, who had appeared beside her at some unknown time. She patted her chest forcefully. Even with two "shock absorbers," her chest still made a thumping sound, as if only by doing so could she alleviate the fear in her heart.

"Mm, it should be enough for you to drink for a while. After all, there are no bacteria or viruses in Infinite City, so the water won't go bad if left for a long time."

Feng Xue said it casually, but Chen Xiyao keenly detected a faint smell of blood on him.

Although the smell was fading at an extremely rapid pace, it seemed to indicate just how strong the scent must have been that Feng Xue had acquired during his absence.

Could it be... Chen Xiyao suddenly turned her head towards the stream. Where the monster had been lying before, there was now nothing.