Chapter Sixteen: Saving a Life

The aroma of stewed meat grew richer and more intense. When the lid was lifted, the broth inside had already turned a milky white. The young man straightened his back and sat before the pot, rummaging through his pack to find some dried vegetables of unknown origin, which he scattered into the bubbling stew. Instantly, the fragrance blossomed, filling the air.

He was just about to pick up a piece of fatty meat and indulge himself when a deep voice abruptly interrupted him:

“Don’t eat that! Your companion put poison in it.”

“Who’s there? Who are you?”

Startled, the young man jerked upright, tossed aside the fatty morsel, and grabbed his short knife, ready to lash out.

“Stay still! He’s still watching you!” the voice commanded again, chastising the panicked youth.

The young man hesitated, unsure whether to obey. The voice, now lowered even further, continued, “I could have minded my own business, but I don’t want to watch you walk into your death!”

Perhaps there had been long-standing grievances between the two men, for after only a few seconds’ hesitation, the young man chose to believe the speaker. He dropped the knife and pretended nothing had happened.

“Who are you, and why are you here?”

Feigning nonchalance, the young man picked up another piece of fatty meat, all the while straining to catch the source of the voice, hoping to spot the speaker’s hiding place.

“Don’t bother looking. I’m here to save you, not to harm you.”

“I’m in the open, you’re hidden. Why should I trust you?”

“If you don’t believe me, go ahead—try a bite of the meat, or call your companion over to catch me. Since I’ve spoken up, I’m prepared for anything.”

The young man managed to judge the general direction of the voice, but the speaker was so well concealed that his search was fruitless. Moreover, on closer inspection, the man’s words seemed genuine. Glancing toward the tall, thin man in the distance, he noticed the man’s watchful eyes, always landing on him when he least expected it.

By comparison, the hidden voice seemed the more trustworthy of the two. But he was no fool to accept everything at face value, so he tested the stranger: “You’re saving me out of the goodness of your heart?”

“I have some questions for you. If you promise to answer honestly, I’ll help you deal with him.”

Clearly, the tall, thin man had a gun and held the upper hand; it would be difficult for one person alone to prevail—unless the two of them joined forces.

The speaker had seized on this fact, emboldening him to recruit the young man.

The young man understood the situation perfectly and replied without hesitation, “Ask away.”

“The first question: Are you members of Eden?”

The words stunned the young man. His organization had remained hidden for decades, never surfacing—how could an outsider possibly know of it?

Unless—unless someone from within had betrayed them.

“Who are you, really?” The young man, now alert to the danger, stealthily reached for his short knife.

But from the young man’s reaction, the speaker—whose name was Jiang Jiuxi—had already gotten his answer. He pressed on: “Second question: Have you ever seen the sun?”

The sun?

The young man’s pupils contracted sharply, disbelief flooding his face at the question. His hand, clutching the knife, began to tremble as if he were wrestling with some fierce internal struggle.

Seeing this, Jiang Jiuxi’s palms began to sweat, worried the young man might do something rash and ruin his plans.

Suddenly, the young man’s grip slackened, and he collapsed to the ground in agony, convulsing as though suffocating. In a matter of moments, he fell still.

Jiang Jiuxi was taken aback. He hadn’t eaten the poisoned meat—so how…?

“I have,” came the faint reply.

Astonished, Jiang Jiuxi realized the young man had answered his question, his voice betraying no sign of being poisoned.

So that tortured display had all been an act?

Only now did Jiang Jiuxi realize his fatal mistake: he’d forgotten that in this survival-of-the-fittest apocalypse, no one with a naïve heart could have lived this long.

He had intended to set the two men against each other, letting them fight while he remained in the shadows, controlling the situation. But the young man refused to play along.

By feigning death, the youth could not only confirm whether the tall, thin man had actually poisoned the food, but also place himself in the shadows, leaving only the seemingly clever tall man exposed.

Sure enough, upon seeing the youth collapse, the tall, thin man raced back gleefully, shouting, “That bastard! The drug really packs a punch! I’ve had it out for you for ages. If it weren’t for Lord Yan of Yanshan, I would’ve chopped you to pieces long ago!”

Like a wild dog, the tall man dashed to the youth’s side, rubbing his hands together greedily like a fly. “Such tender flesh—surely tastier than any wild monkey!”

With that, he used his knife to slit open the youth’s jacket, preparing to gut him as he had done with the ghost-faced monkeys.

“Huh?”

The tall man’s eyes widened in shock, as if he’d stumbled upon something extraordinary.

Seizing the moment, the youth swiftly grabbed the short knife lying beside his hand. A flash of cold steel, and the blade pierced cleanly through the tall man’s throat.

Clutching his neck in disbelief, the tall man stared at the youth. “You… you!”

A harsh slash, and the youth drove the knife into his neck again, mercilessly. The tall man collapsed, blood bubbling from his mouth and nose until all that remained was a corpse.

Jiang Jiuxi barely had time to process what had happened before the youth spun around, seized the tall man’s rifle, and leveled it at him, roaring, “Come out—now!”

What ruthless skill, Jiang Jiuxi thought to himself, his view of the youth completely changed.

Even so, he could still make his escape. The labyrinth of tunnels beneath his feet offered a sure exit; once inside, the youth would never dare pursue recklessly.

Still, Jiang Jiuxi chose to crawl from his hiding place, exposing himself to the rifle’s muzzle—for he still held one final card.

“Now do you believe me?”

He emerged and approached, stopping seven or eight meters away from the youth.

“Huh?”

As the distance between them closed, Jiang Jiuxi suddenly understood the look that had crossed the tall man’s face before he died.

The youth’s jacket, already cut open by the tall man’s knife, revealed a secret hidden beneath…

“You! You’re—a woman?” Jiang Jiuxi’s face flushed red as he hurriedly averted his gaze.

“So what if I am? Killing you would be just as easy!”

Crack!

A sharp sound rang out, and Jiang Jiuxi’s left shoulder was seized by a searing pain. Blood welled up, soaking through his sleeve.

“Hey! Is this how you repay someone who saved your life?”

The youth—or rather, the woman—spoke with icy coldness. “It’s only because you saved me that I didn’t put a bullet through your head.”

Jiang Jiuxi, grimacing in pain and clutching his injured shoulder, suddenly noticed a peculiar sensation coursing through his body, his face flickering with unease.

With one hand, the woman steadied the rifle, while the other hastily pulled her jacket closed. Her tone brooked no argument as she demanded, “Now I ask, and you answer. First: how do you know about Eden?”

Jiang Jiuxi pointed weakly at the cave entrance. “I found someone in there—he told me.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s dead.”

“You killed him?”

“Don’t blame me—I’m not in the habit of shooting people at random. When I found him, he was barely alive…”

Crack!

Before he could finish, a flash of anger crossed the woman’s eyes and she fired again without hesitation.

A cold wind brushed Jiang Jiuxi’s brow as the bullet zipped past, shattering the stone behind him. Such power…

“Say another useless word and I’ll blow your head off,” the woman warned venomously, then pressed on, “What did he tell you?”

“He said… he said he’d hidden a blue stone in the cave and wanted me to pass the message to the people of Eden. I asked where Eden was, and he told me, ‘Where the sun rises.’ Then… then he died.”

“That’s all?”

Jiang Jiuxi nodded innocently. “That’s all.”

The woman relaxed her guard somewhat and asked a second question: “Who are you?”

Jiang Jiuxi sighed and pointed toward the city in the distance. “I used to be the governor of that city. After my subordinates betrayed me, I had no choice but to end up here.”

The woman studied him anew. After all, he had saved her life. Finally, she lowered her rifle and said, “Take me to the blue stone. I’ll take you somewhere safe to live. What do you say?”