The little girl plunged into the dark forest.
Sharp branches scraped her cheeks, leaving bloody scratches, but she never noticed.
The firelight and screams behind her were swallowed by the dense vegetation, fading farther and farther away.
She had only one thought: run.
Get away from those monsters, away from that pit of blood.
Several dark figures moved like ghosts a few dozen meters behind her, their footsteps making not a sound on the fallen leaves.
Kale led the way, his body blending into the night.
Xiao Lan followed him, her steps unsteady.
Her stomach churned. The sight of that man being torn apart and the pirates' wild laughter had been branded into her mind.
Without warning, Kale stopped ahead of her and stepped aside.
Xiao Lan nearly ran into his back. Looking closely, she finally noticed a tripwire on the ground, indistinguishable in color from the vines. It ran into a clump of bushes, behind which she could just make out sharpened wooden stakes aimed at the path.
A crude but deadly trap.
"Follow my footsteps closely." Kale glanced at Xiao Lan, skirted the trap, and continued forward.
Xiao Lan dared not let her mind wander again. Her gaze stayed fixed on Kale's heels.
They bypassed three more traps in succession, each better concealed than the last.
"You nearly gave us away back at the pit."
Kale spoke without warning, his voice piercing the forest's silence.
Xiao Lan's heart clenched.
"That was thoroughly unprofessional. You almost exposed the entire team."
"I..." Xiao Lan's voice trembled. "I should have..."
"You should have intervened?" Kale stopped and turned.
Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting mottled shadows over his face.
"And then what? Let the Bloodsail Brotherhood know outsiders had landed on the island? Turn Lord Veylin's infiltration plan into a frontal