Xin Ye had been too focused on saving Leng Xianye to notice anyone else, but that last gunshot was far too distinct to ignore. He shifted a fraction of his attention to locate the source of the fire.
His gaze met Lian Muyun’s just as the latter was about to reload.
Xin Ye: "..."
Lian Muyun: "..."
The two of them, having arrived to save the day at the exact same time, looked away in a silent, mutual understanding. Xin Ye stopped worrying about the water snakes, and Lian Muyun stopped aiming his scope at the mutated wolves once the one lunging at Tang Qiuqiu was dead.
With reinforcements, Tang Qiuqiu finally had some breathing room. Together, the three of them quickly finished off the remaining mutants.
It took Lian Muyun a few moments to make his way over from the ruined building. Tang Qiuqiu rushed to Xin Ye’s side, his voice thick with worry. "How is Leng Xianye?"
Xin Ye performed a basic checkup. After confirming there was no immediate danger, he handed the unconscious boy over to his Mirror Image. "He overexerted his ability and likely took a bit of a mental shock just now. He’s fainted, but his life isn't in danger. Most of his injuries are superficial."
"Don't just worry about others; let me look at you." Xin Ye pulled Tang Qiuqiu around for a quick inspection. "Not bad. Your cat transformation enhanced your physical stats. However, you’ve both been affected by a bit of water snake toxin. I’ll give you some medicine for it later."
"Even though we’ve cleared this area for now, the scent of blood might attract other mutants. We need to leave immediately."
Setting aside the fact that the yet-to-appear butterflies were known to crave blood, the territorial instincts of nearby mutants meant they would likely swarm the area shortly. Their current position was far from safe.
When Lian Muyun finally caught up, he heard Xin Ye talking about leaving, yet the boy remained standing by the water’s edge, lost in thought.
Lian Muyun had left his rifle back on the building's platform. Now looking like a harmless "good guy" with no weapons in sight, he casually patted Xin Ye on the shoulder. "Hey, what’s on your mind? Aren't we going?"
Xin Ye rubbed his chin and turned to ask seriously, "Do you eat snake meat?"
"Huh?"
The young master’s smile froze on his face.
***
When Leng Xianye woke up, he saw Lian Muyun grabbing Xin Ye by the collar, looking like he was having a breakdown.
"I don't care how good it smells! I am absolutely not touching a single bite! Not. One. Bite—"
Xin Ye glanced at a small bottle sitting nearby. "But I brought spices."
Lian Muyun: "I won't!"
Xin Ye: "Removing the toxins and gutting them was exhausting. It took me forever."
The Mirror Image, who had actually performed the bulk of the labor, fell into a deep silence.
Lian Muyun: "I won't!"
Xin Ye: "You’re going to starve."
Lian Muyun choked for a second. "I... I don't want to starve to death yet."
Xin Ye patted him on the head. "Just try a bite. I didn't bring many biscuits, so we have to ration them. If you don't like this, we’ll look for other tasty species later."
"Fine." Lian Muyun’s eyes lost their luster as he stared into the fire.
"We’ve... already left that place," Leng Xianye croaked, his voice painfully hoarse. "Thank you. Otherwise, Qiuqiu and I probably would have been eliminated..."
"We’re teammates; there’s no need for thanks." Seeing that Leng Xianye was awake, Xin Ye sat closer to him to talk, flipping a skewer of roasted snake meat as he did. "Sit closer to the fire. Your clothes are still damp."
Leng Xianye fell silent, leaving Xin Ye to ramble on. "I’ve treated your wounds. You should be fine for basic exploration this afternoon, but if we run into mutants, let me and Lian Muyun handle them first, okay?"
"Qiuqiu told me everything. Since the Battlefield Ruins is the only starting point with firearms, your area had the highest elimination rate. You probably couldn't even sleep peacefully at night. But you’re back with the team now, so it’s fine."
"I want to explore the central valley this afternoon. No other team should have reached it yet, so we can snag the first clear. What do you think?"
The temporary camp Xin Ye had chosen was a command tent within the battlefield terrain. It was hidden and sheltered. With the fire crackling, the previously tense atmosphere began to thaw. Lian Muyun’s shoulders slumped in relaxation, while Tang Qiuqiu had turned into a cat and was staring intently at his own butterfly.
Only the newly awakened Leng Xianye remained tense.
Seeing him not responding, Xin Ye chuckled. "You have three things on your mind."
Leng Xianye froze. Even Xun Yin, who was busy typing away, paused.
The system was more curious than the person involved: [Which three?]
Xin Ye forced a skewer of roasted snake into Lian Muyun’s hand. "First, you feel useless because Lian Muyun and I had to save you. Second, you’re worried about Xing Yue since we haven't heard from her. And third..."
"Is it the competition between the two of us?"
Xun Yin’s hand slipped as he wrote out Leng Xianye’s psychological profile: [Spot on.]
Lian Muyun forced himself to take a bite of the snake meat with a grimace, only to find the taste surprisingly decent. He tore off a small piece to feed the Qiuqiu-cat. "What competition?"
Xin Ye shot him a glance. "Do you want to be the captain?"
Lian Muyun, who had carefully cultivated a persona of an easygoing slacker, immediately scooted his seat further away.
Leng Xianye bit his lip. "I just feel like my current abilities aren't enough..."
"You eliminated three people in the ruins; I haven't eliminated anyone," Xin Ye said, refusing to let Leng Xianye wallow in self-doubt. "The match isn't over, and the evaluation criteria haven't been standardized yet. What’s the rush?"
"Then... shall we go to the valley together this afternoon?" Leng Xianye’s tone carried a hint of cautious hope.
Xin Ye breathed a private sigh of relief. "Deal."
After a quick lunch, the four of them set off for the central valley. Since he was now surrounded by teammates and the Mirror Image had been busy for a long time, Xin Ye let the summon return to the fragment to rest.
Once they regrouped, Xin Ye noticed that their exploration progress had been merged on the multi-function watch's map. He also saw that Xing Yue’s location marker remained motionless in the Flooded City.
Along the way, Lian Muyun checked the dot representing Xing Yue’s path several times. His trust began to waver after such a long period of silence. "Other teams should have entered the barrier by now. If we run into anyone who started in the Flooded City, let’s grab them and ask."
News of more eliminations kept popping up, mostly caused by mutants. It seemed the people outside were starting to use their lives to test ways to break through the barrier. It was only a matter of time before they arrived.
Leng Xianye nodded. "We’ll ask first. If something’s wrong, we’ll turn around and head for the Flooded City immediately."
Near the valley, the group encountered two more waves of mutants, roughly C-rank in strength. They were handled with ease.
This time, the early warning came from Tang Qiuqiu.
He rubbed his ear sheepishly. "Before, I felt like the surroundings were totally safe, and my scouting ability seemed to have dropped. But I’m fine now! My sense for nearby mutants is back."
Hearing this, Xin Ye’s mood didn't improve; instead, he felt a growing sense of unease.
Based on the team’s current findings, the density of mutants increased the closer they got to the two central mountains. However, once they actually approached the valley, the number of mutants plummeted. This discrepancy was deeply suspicious.
The local ecology wasn't as harsh as the outskirts. In fact, it was quite suitable for life—lush grass, clear water, and green hills. The scenery was as beautiful as an oil painting one might hang in a living room. But in a world teeming with mutants, such beauty was an anomaly.
Before entering the valley, Xin Ye remembered his "golden finger" and dragged it out for use. "What’s inside?"
[There is no immediate danger within your current line of sight,] Xun Yin reported dutifully. [The real danger lies within the mountains on either side of the valley. You remember what the center of this competition is, right?]
[It’s the butterflies.]
Xun Yin didn't need to say more; Xin Ye could guess the rest.
The mountains were likely the butterflies' nest.
Logically, butterflies didn't have fixed nests. They usually chose sheltered spots like the underside of leaves, tall grass, or rock crevices to lay eggs. But in the face of mutated species, the laws of normal biology were nothing more than scrap paper.
In the middle of the valley lay a small, exceptionally clear body of water. There wasn't a single fish in sight. Having been ambushed by water snakes earlier, Tang Qiuqiu immediately pulled his teammates away from the water’s edge.
Lian Muyun used his ability to create weapons for everyone, but after walking for a while, he realized their vigilance seemed entirely redundant.
"Great. Not even the shadow of a mutant to be seen," Lian Muyun said, squinting as he let out a yawn. "The organizers aren't setting a trap for us, are they? This feeling of not knowing if I’ve walked into a snare is truly enchanting."
Knowing exactly where the mutants were, Xin Ye’s sarcasm flared. "The last two people who let their guard down because they didn't see any mutants were pincered by water snakes and wolves."
Leng Xianye: "..."
Tang Qiuqiu: "Meow?"
Xun Yin laughed: [What is with that mouth of yours? I didn't give you a 'poisonous tongue' attribute.]
"I just said what I felt like saying," Xin Ye replied in his mind. "Before... I never dared to joke with them like this."
"Let my guard down? Impossible," Lian Muyun said, turning back to wag a finger at Xin Ye. "We professionally trained espers have an absolute nose for danger and a heart full of reverence... Holy crap!"
Before he could finish, Lian Muyun tripped over something and tumbled into the grass. The sound of something being crushed echoed beside him.
Xun Yin paused as he wrote: [This feels so familiar.]
Xin Ye also felt a sense of déjà vu. He said expressionlessly, "It’s a good thing there wasn't a hole in the ground."
Tang Qiuqiu didn't have Leng Xianye’s self-control; he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Can we not blame the person when the road is uneven!" Lian Muyun grumbled as he scrambled up, but he froze when he saw what had tripped him.
He beckoned them over. "Come look at this."
Leng Xianye was the first to reach him. He was equally startled by what lay in the grass. "This is..."
"The skeleton of a mutant?"
The bones were easily identifiable as those of a bull. The mutated part was the horns on its head. Lian Muyun had crushed a small section of the leg, but the rest was perfectly preserved. The surface of the bones was incredibly smooth. It was hard to imagine what could turn a combat-capable mutant into this in a place that was supposed to be uninhabited.
Tang Qiuqiu seemed to have a realization. His face went pale, and he turned to speak to Xin Ye, who was closest to him.
But before he could open his mouth, the answer grew wings and flew right in front of them.
Xin Ye caught the sound of something beating the air. He looked up and witnessed a staggering sight.
From a cave opening on the side of the mountain ahead, countless butterflies swarmed together. They were clutching a segment of bone many times their size as they flew out.
The butterflies dropped the bone onto the grass by the water. It hit the ground with a dull thud.
A chaotic mass of vivid colors crowded together, a sight that made Xin Ye feel slightly nauseous.
He remembered his dream again—butterflies covering the sky, their numbers so vast they made one’s head spin.
***
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