Wild Wolf gave a rueful smile and shook his head.
"It's not that I didn't look... I couldn't."
"What do you mean?"
"The rainforest belt. The insectoid swarm is active around there. The moment an outsider goes in, they're targeted. But the insects also
won't leave the rainforest belt, so
no one can get through. I tried once... but I only reached the edge before tens of thousands of insects blocked me
from going any farther."
*Strange... Nothing stopped me when I came out. There weren't even any living creatures moving around nearby. So how did he run into
those insects?*
"Hmm... I see. What happened to you was different from what happened to me. How about this... Didn't you say there might
be a meeting in the next few days? Go back and wait for
word. Come find me after the meeting... We'll go without anyone else, so my identity doesn't get out. Just the two of us can take a
trip to the rainforest belt and look for my body."
Wild Wolf glanced at me, lowered his head in thought for a moment, then nodded.
"All right..."
Then he looked up at me.
"Mo Buyu... I'll call you that for now, at least. It's easier."
"Yeah? What is it?"
"Doesn't being reduced to this leave you feeling even the slightest bit... unwilling to accept it?"
Wild Wolf might once have worked under me, but loyalty didn't seem to be all he felt. The fact that he'd risked
fighting Mo Feibai alone
made that clear. It seemed he had other feelings for me.
I did think my death hadn't been worth it, but as for refusing to accept it... I had nothing to say. Once I'd
made that choice, what use was regret?
What use was dwelling on it?