Moving through the dark woods, my eyes had long since adjusted to the gloom.
My phone was still on the call screen, but no sound ever came through.
"Boss, aren't we going to 1120?" Xu Junyue, not understanding, followed behind Tong Yang.
"We'll talk back at the place."
"Okay."
They sped back to the villa like the wind. The pitch-black room showed no movement whatsoever, and no figures could be seen.
"Be careful," Tong Yang warned.
"I know."
"Tang Li? Can you guys hear me?"
The phone call was still connected. Tong Yang didn't rashly enter the villa, asking tentatively.
A faint hiss of static came from the receiver. Listening closely, a barely-there, elusive laugh sounded.
"Wait."
Tong Yang's expression turned severe, stopping Xu Junyue who was about to walk forward.
"Tong Yang..." A man's somewhat hoarse voice sounded, low in timbre, its meaning unclear.
In the quiet environment, his voice seemed veiled in a thin mist, indistinct and hard to define.
"Figured it out?" the man asked with a laugh.
Tong Yang pressed her lips together, countering with a question instead of answering. "Where are they?"
"You already know, don't you? I can't lay a hand on them."
The checks and balances from being forcibly brought into the parallel world still existed.
"What about Ye Huai?"
"Ye Huai... isn't he the one you're on the phone with right now?"
The man's tone was casual, as if they were just having an ordinary chat.
Tong Yang's voice grew heavier. "You know what I'm asking."
The man's voice carried a smile. "I thought you'd at least show a bit of surprise."
"Sorry to disappoint. I've seen too many of your kind of tricks."
"What a pity. I've always wanted to meet you."
"Haven't we met? You played the part well."
"As long as you liked it." The man's voice held a sigh. "You're more ordinary than I imagined. Truly disappointing."
The corner of Tong Yang's mouth lifted. "And aren't you the same? I thought you, from the parallel world, Ye Huai's shadow, would be as clever as him."
The voice on the phone suddenly halted, an eerie silence.
"Whose... shadow?" The man's voice turned sinister, filled with danger.
"Ye Huai's shadow, isn't it?" Tong Yang replied leisurely, as if stating an undeniable truth. "The thing trampled underfoot in the sunlight, isn't that a shadow?"
Hearing their conversation, Xu Junyue silently gave Tong Yang a thumbs-up.
No wonder she was considered arrogant. Daring to provoke them like this, right in the parallel world's territory.
What she said was enough to make anyone lose their temper.
The man chuckled lowly a couple of times, seemingly not provoked by her words.
"Miss Tong, your sharp tongue is quite amusing."
"Please watch your wording. Our relationship shouldn't involve such ambiguous talk."
"Ambiguous? Your hand felt very comfortable to hold. The way you defended me was cute."
Xu Junyue shuddered. This guy's words were truly disgusting.
"What? You want to date me?"
Xu Junyue looked at her in shock. Were they... flirting?
"If you don't mind, I'd be delighted."
Tong Yang scoffed. "Have your master come talk to me. Maybe there's hope then."
The man's voice paused again. After a long moment, he chuckled. "You really know how to piss people off."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"A shame it's not convenient. You probably won't get to see him."
As soon as the words fell, a transparent pill case dropped at their feet.
Xu Junyue bent down to pick it up. It contained many pills of various shapes and sizes.
Tong Yang looked up towards the villa's first floor. A figure was leaning against the window, waving.
"He's not stupid either. Managed to escape by luck. A pity his heart condition relapsed. Without these pills, how long can he last?"
Tong Yang's expression remained indifferent, her tone calm. "If he can't live, then he dies."
Tong Yang hung up the phone. Xu Junyue raised her hand and gave the international friendly gesture to the villa's first floor.
The man laughed lightly, tossed the phone to Xu Junyue, and wiped at a golden mark on the back of his hand. Unlike the mark on Tong Yang's hand, his was easily wiped off.
"The energy terminal is real. It's on this island."
"Looking forward to your performance. Don't let us make this trip for nothing."
Tong Yang asked, "You're not going to kill me?"
"Kill you?" The man bent down, propping his chin on his hand. "What would be the point?"
Tong Yang's gaze lowered, her face calm. "Right. No point."
Tong Yang had no intention of lingering. Tang Li and the other two, along with Ye Huai, were no longer in the villa.
Tang Li was a seasoned veteran. He Jingjing and the other had been injected with the gene serum. Their safety wasn't a concern.
But Ye Huai...
Tong Yang took the pill case and put it in her backpack. Searching for his trail here was clearly unlikely. Unless he showed himself willingly, whether he lived or died was entirely up to him.
"Let's go."
"Where to?"
"1120."
The two left the villa, pulling up the hoods of their sweatshirts, hiding their faces in the darkness.
In the silent, still villa, the sound of steady, unhurried footsteps began.
"Tap—"
"Tap—"
Heels stepped in puddles on the floor, approaching until they stopped behind the man.
"Was it okay to tell her about the energy terminal?"
Walking to the window, moonlight fell on her face.
A standard Asian face, yet possessing a pair of jade-green pupils.
"What does it matter?" The man lowered his gaze, watching the two figures growing distant under the moonlight. "Aren't you looking forward to it? The collapse."
The girl's eyes darkened. "Does she know?"
The man smiled. "What do you think? No matter which world she's from, she loves to stir up trouble. Didn't she specifically send someone to warn Tong Yang?"
"The humans currently existing aren't from just two worlds."
"What exactly are you all trying to do?"
"Tong Yang's thoughts... who can guess them?"
Arriving at 1120, the large standalone villa was extremely quiet.
This was Mr. Maynard's private residence. Apart from service staff, no guests were present.
The two didn't enter the villa directly from the front door, but circled to the back wall and climbed over.
Compared to the lively bustle outside, everything here was as usual.
Through a half-open window, the two climbed into the villa, searching for clues.
Treading lightly, the villa was utterly silent.
"He Jingjing hasn't replied either," Xu Junyue whispered.
"Maybe they were sent back to the real world?" Tong Yang said.
Information was blocked on Harker Island, but after entering the parallel world, they could use satellite signals to contact the outside.
The parallel world Ye Huai's attitude was strange, as if intentionally guiding them to find the energy terminal. His goal didn't seem to be taking their lives, otherwise there was no need to bring them all into the parallel world—killing them in the real world would be simpler.
As for the game between players and NPCs, it seemed more like a smokescreen, the real purpose being to get them close to the energy terminal.
Even though she knew they were being led, Tong Yang still intended to find the energy terminal to investigate. Even if Ye Huai wasn't there and she couldn't complete the editing, she could still gather some information, and then find a way to leave the parallel world.
"Boss, what did that parallel world CEO Ye mean by that? 'Killing you has no point'?"
Tong Yang said, "It probably has something to do with the time loop. When too many people know a secret, it can't be considered a secret anymore."
After all, everyone who died during her time loops would regain their memories, making exposure unavoidable.
However, just as exposure couldn't be avoided, neither could the loops in the parallel worlds.
So, as long as they didn't know about the temporal dislocation and the existence of the gossip group, no major problems would arise.
"Did someone betray you? Did they tell the secret to the parallel world?" Xu Junyue said indignantly. "Who was it? You even saved their lives! Shameless scoundrel!"
Tong Yang remained quite calm. "When the first person besides me found out, I guessed this day would come eventually. But it doesn't matter. If I really didn't want it known, I could have killed you all back then."
"Ugh! He's just a traitor!"
"We're all ordinary people. If someone from the parallel world held a knife to your throat and asked you, would you talk or not?"
Xu Junyue declared righteously, "No, I'd die before I talked."
Tong Yang patted her shoulder. "The wise adapt to circumstances. If you ever really find yourself in that situation, no matter what they ask, my advice is to tell them whatever you know."
"I refuse."
"If you talk, there's still room for things to change; if you don't, your death becomes a foregone conclusion," Tong Yang said earnestly. "People need to know how to be flexible."
Xu Junyue shrugged. "Don't worry about me. I only do what I believe is right."
Tong Yang shot her a glance. "Suit yourself..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a cold gust of wind suddenly blew from behind them.
Both reacted almost simultaneously, dodging to opposite sides as a scythe flew past and embedded itself in the floorboards with a sharp thwack.
"Who's there?"
"I thought there were rule restrictions? Why are they attacking us?"
Tong Yang shook her head, her gaze wary as she watched the corridor behind them.
Creak—
The wind from outside the window made the door sway back and forth, emitting a grating sound.
Pale moonlight spilled onto the polished floor, now marred by the scythe's impact, scattering wood fragments.
A figure suddenly appeared behind the door. Her disheveled long hair cascaded over her shoulders, her ghastly pale hands gripping the doorframe. She cautiously peeked out half her face, her crimson eyes wide open, fixed on Tong Yang and Xu Junyue.
"Mr. Maynard's villa is not within the game's scope. Please leave."
Tong Yang and Xu Junyue exchanged a glance.
"And if we don't leave?"
"You will be punished."
"What's the punishment?"
"Death."
Maynard's house wasn't within the game's boundaries?
If that was the case, the energy terminal was most likely somewhere in this very villa.
In that case, leaving was even more out of the question for them.
"Please leave," the woman said.
"What if we still refuse to leave?"
"Not leaving..."
The woman hunched her shoulders and stepped out of the room, clutching a gleaming silver knife in her hand.
Xu Junyue sighed. "Why don't people from the parallel world ever use firearms?"
Tong Yang replied, "Didn't Wu Pingxue say that in this place, only those from the upper echelons of society are permitted to use firearms."
"Fine then, guess we have to fight."
Before the words fully left her mouth, the woman had already flashed in front of her.
The silvery-white blade descended with lethal sharpness, tearing through the air and grazing Xu Junyue's cheek, leaving a thin line of blood.
"Damn..."
Xu Junyue stumbled back several steps, her fingers lightly touching her cheek, a look of shock on her face. "This thing is so fast?"
Seeing this, Tong Yang's expression turned grave.
Even though she was mentally prepared, she still couldn't fully track the woman's movements; her speed was simply too great.
"Be careful," Tong Yang warned.
"Come on! I wasn't paying attention just now. Again!"
The woman's eyes bulged as she lunged at the two once more.
Xu Junyue struck first, slashing with her knife. The woman's movements weren't bound by conventional technique; she easily dodged the blade. Her body was supple as a snake, arching into a bow-like shape. Pivoting on the balls of her feet, she spun and delivered a kick squarely to Xu Junyue's chest.
Xu Junyue was sent flying several meters, her body slamming heavily against the wall, knocking a painting askew before crashing to the floor with a loud clatter.
Tong Yang's eyes darkened. So this was a "Forerunner"? Xu Junyue was utterly helpless against her.
"Shit." Xu Junyue pushed herself up using the wall, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her expression turning much more serious. "What did you eat to grow so strong? You hit like an ox."
Tong Yang drew a weapon from her backpack, silently trying to circle behind the woman. However, before she could reach a blind spot, the woman leaned backward, her torso almost perpendicular to the ground, looking up at Tong Yang upside-down. With a twist of her wrist, she swung the knife towards Tong Yang's waist.
Her speed was indeed terrifying; her movements were practically a blur.
Tong Yang swiftly slid forward, dropping to the ground and delivering a powerful kick to the woman's ankle. Whatever her bones were made of, they felt like steel rebar. Not only did the kick fail to budge her, but the impact sent a numbing shock up Tong Yang's calf.
"Watch out!"
Xu Junyue shouted, leaping from the corridor and grabbing the woman's shoulders, trying to force her down.
Seeing this, Tong Yang immediately rolled aside to avoid being pinned. At the same moment, the woman's body slammed heavily onto the floor.
Xu Junyue pressed down on her shoulders, raising her weapon to strike. Seeing the woman about to struggle up, Tong Yang quickly pinned her other arm.
The woman's eyes flew open. Suddenly, she threw her knife at the ceiling. With a loud crash, a heavy crystal chandelier plummeted downward.
Tong Yang and Xu Junyue had no choice but to release her and dive for cover. However, the moment their grip loosened, the woman seized their arms and yanked them towards her. The chandelier landed with a heavy thud on their backs. Shards of glass pierced their skin, causing excruciating pain.
Gritting her teeth, Tong Yang drove her knife into the woman's shoulder. Taking advantage of the momentary slack in her grip, Tong Yang quickly scrambled to her feet.
But the creature was tenacious. She wrapped her legs around Tong Yang's waist and, using the strength of her core, slammed Tong Yang backward. Tong Yang bent her arms, repeatedly driving her elbows into the woman's thighs.
The woman's legs were like iron bands, unmoving. Tong Yang crashed to the floor with a thump. The glass shards embedded in her back instantly drove deeper into her flesh, forcing a sharp gasp from her lips.
"You okay?" Xu Junyue asked, panting heavily.
Tong Yang's forehead veins bulged. "What do you think?!"
"Fall back a bit!"
Tong Yang kicked the woman away, her hand pressing against the floor and feeling sticky blood. She quickly retreated.
Xu Junyue engaged the woman in close combat. The thing possessed immense strength and agile movements. Xu Junyue was forced to give ground step by step, yet she showed no signs of fatigue. On the contrary, she seemed to grow more determined and even somewhat exhilarated.
"Not bad. Much more interesting than the others from the parallel world."
Xu Junyue had sustained several injuries, and the floor was littered with glass shards. The woman hadn't escaped unscathed either.
Tong Yang leaned against the wall, picking glass fragments from her body while observing the woman's condition.
The wounds on the woman's body showed no signs of healing. She hadn't been injected with gene serum.
Damn, she's this tough without gene serum? Is she really a Forerunner?
Thud!
Xu Junyue staggered, her head smashed against the wall by the woman, blood flowing freely.
"You bastard!" Xu Junyue gritted her teeth and grabbed a handful of the woman's hair in retaliation.
"Catch!" Tong Yang threw a fruit knife. Though dizzy and seeing stars from being smashed, Xu Junyue still caught it steadily.
"Damn pervert!" Xu Junyue grabbed the woman's hair and yanked it down hard, raising the dagger to stab at her throat.
The woman seized her hand with a brutal grip. Xu Junyue's knife-wielding hand couldn't budge an inch.
Tong Yang struggled to her feet, took down a wall painting, and limped behind the woman. She smashed it onto her back, then kicked the back of her knees, forcing the woman to buckle and kneel on the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, Xu Junyue punched the woman in the face. Covered in bloodstains, the woman was like an unkillable cockroach, tenaciously clinging to life and continuing to grapple with Xu Junyue.
Tong Yang had too many wounds on her back. Blood loss was rapid, her body temperature dropping, leaving her little help to offer.
Fortunately, the woman hadn't been injected with genetic serum and had sustained many injuries herself. Her movements gradually slowed, while Xu Junyue pressed the advantage fiercely, her actions growing more and more ruthless.
"Her leg's about to break."
Xu Junyue was knocked down once more. Tong Yang voiced the reminder.
If the woman was strong in an inhuman way, Xu Junyue simply didn't treat herself as human, feeling neither fatigue nor pain.
Hearing Tong Yang's words, without a moment's thought, she immediately scrambled up, slammed the woman to the ground, and stomped repeatedly on her knee.
"Her movements are slowing. Find an opening for a killing blow. We can't drag this out any longer."
The two continued their fierce struggle. Tong Yang watched the fight closely, trying to find a flaw in the woman's defenses.
"Now! The neck!"
Xu Junyue's eyes were bloodshot from fighting, her mind blank. Hearing Tong Yang, she acted without hesitation, leaping up from the ground, wrapping her arms around the woman's neck, and wrenching it backward with all her might. A sickening crack echoed—the sound of cervical vertebrae snapping.
Xu Junyue released her grip. The woman's neck was bent at a grotesque 180-degree angle. Her body pitched forward, eyes fixed unseeingly on Xu Junyue.
"What the hell..." Xu Junyue, covered in wounds, stumbled over to Tong Yang. She slid down to sit with her back against the wall, chest heaving with ragged breaths. "Finally dead."
"What do people in the parallel world even eat to grow up like that?"
Tong Yang pressed her pale lips together and asked, "Are you okay?"
Xu Junyue shook her head. "Looks worse than it is. Just superficial wounds."
"You?"
Tong Yang took a sharp breath. "Some glass shards are too deep. I can't get them out myself."
Xu Junyue glanced at her back—a bloody mess met her eyes.
"You're not going to die, are you?" Xu Junyue frowned.
"I won't die for a while. Find a place, and you can help me get the glass out."
Xu Junyue looked around. "Should be safe now..."
Before the words fully left her mouth, the quiet hallway once again echoed with the sound of doors creaking back and forth.
They looked up. Dozens of doors along the corridor slowly opened. Heads peeked out from the doorways, eyes unblinking, fixed on them.
Tong Yang's breath hitched. How could there be more people?
"You've got to be kidding..." Xu Junyue muttered.
"Mr. Maynard's villa is not within the game's scope. Please leave."
"Please leave!"
"Please leave!"
Xu Junyue and Tong Yang exchanged a look. Both were seriously injured. Dealing with one woman had been difficult enough, let alone several dozen more from the rooms.
"Weren't there only supposed to be five 'Forerunners'?" Xu Junyue asked, confused.
Tong Yang closed her eyes briefly. "Then there's only one possibility. They aren't 'Forerunners' at all."
"If they're not 'Forerunners' and they're this hard to deal with? Then we..."
Perhaps seeing their hesitation to leave, the people in the rooms took a step forward.
Tong Yang patted Xu Junyue's shoulder. "Run! Now!"
As the saying goes, discretion is the better part of valor. Tong Yang had no intention of dying for nothing.
The two, bearing their wounds, fled the same way they had come.
"This is way over the top, right? The people in Maynard's villa could wipe out the entire Hark Island! What can the two of us do? We're not even enough to fill the gaps between their teeth."
Once outside the villa, Xu Junyue kept muttering.
Tong Yang leaned on her shoulder, and they made their way back along the woods beside the path, intending to find a place to hole up first.
"That just proves the energy terminal is inside Maynard's villa."
"So what? Ouch!"
Accidentally pulling a wound, Xu Junyue hissed in pain.
"Never mind all those freaks in the villa. Even if we could avoid them and find the energy terminal, the real Forerunners are probably guarding it. The parallel world's CEO Ye is too ruthless, wanting us to find the energy terminal under these circumstances. It's practically a suicide mission."
Tong Yang shook her head. The two sat down in a hidden spot within the woods to rest. "If he wanted us dead, there'd be no need for such an elaborate setup."
"Besides, to stand on equal footing with the parallel world, we must at least grasp information about magnetic field energy. Otherwise, it's all futile."
The woman in the villa wasn't even a "Forerunner" and hadn't taken genetic serum, yet she had given them so much trouble. Wu Pingxue was right; Tong Yang still needed to grow. Overcoming the parallel world through sheer force might be difficult. Perhaps mastering magnetic field energy could prevent large-scale casualties.
More importantly, as time passed, the flow rate difference of the time displacement was growing larger. Originally, under a constant rate of change, 2028 was when they would catch up to the "onlooker group." But now it seemed the time displacement might vanish even sooner.
When that happened, if she died, it would be for real.
Department 749 wanted to inject her with high-quality genetic serum, but Tong Yang didn't want that.
When the time came, how to balance the needs of the entire real world with her own will... she didn't know.
It's just that Tong Yang never had the idea of sacrificing herself for others.
So, this trip to Hark Island was a perfect opportunity.
"Perhaps finding Ye Huai could allow us to enter the villa safely," Tong Yang said gravely.
Ye Huai becoming Maynard was related to Ye Tianlin.
No one knew what Maynard looked like, but he possessed Maynard's ID card.
Xu Junyue wiped the blood from her face. "We don't even know where CEO Ye is. And the parallel world's CEO Ye said he barely escaped, had a heart attack, and had his medicine stolen. How could he possibly survive?"
Tong Yang's lips tightened into a line. "If Ye Huai wants to live, he'll find a way. Tang Li and He Jingjing will also try to regroup with us."
"Wait a minute," Xu Junyue's eyes lit up. "Even if they were sent back to the real world, Chu Shiyu could bring them back here."
"Mm." Tong Yang closed her eyes, her breathing somewhat faint.
Xu Junyue said, "Let me get that glass out of you first."
"Okay."
Most of the glass fragments from her wounds had already been removed. It was just the ones in awkward positions, too deep for Tong Yang to reach herself.
She set her backpack aside and took off her jacket.
Xu Junyue picked the glass shards out of her wounds. The process was agonizing; Tong Yang was drenched in cold sweat from the pain.
"There's iodine and gauze in my bag."
"Oh."
After disinfecting and bandaging the wound, Tong Yang finally felt a bit better. She turned to tend to Xu Junyue's injuries.
Surprisingly, Xu Junyue's constitution was quite sturdy; only the wound on her forehead was serious.
Once disinfected and bandaged, the two leaned against each other, panting heavily.
"So tired," Xu Junyue sighed.
"Yeah," Tong Yang also felt utterly exhausted.
"What do we do now?"
"Where's the phone?"
"Right here."
Tong Yang said, "Going out looking like this is too easy to spot. Let's send a message to He Jingjing, explain the situation. They'll get it once they enter the parallel world."
"Okay."
Xu Junyue sent the message to He Jingjing, while Tong Yang also pulled out her phone to check the chat with Ye Huai—still no reply.
"Done."
"Let's rest."
Xu Junyue rubbed her hands. "Lucky it's not cold on this island, or we'd freeze to death for sure."
Since cooperating with Wu Pingxue, Tong Yang had found herself in increasingly awkward situations.
It also meant she was getting closer and closer to the center of the parallel world.
"Tell me about it," Tong Yang sighed.
Beside her, Xu Junyue fell silent, her breathing becoming even—she had already fallen asleep.
Though her injuries didn't seem severe, she actually had many wounds; an ordinary person would have collapsed long ago.
Perhaps feeling a bit cold even in sleep, Xu Junyue unconsciously moved closer to the heat source, pressing against Tong Yang's arm and resting her head on her shoulder.
Tong Yang had lost quite a bit of blood from her wound, her damp, blood-soaked clothes clinging to her body as her body temperature steadily dropped. She also leaned against Xu Junyue, her eyes already struggling to stay open.
No one should find us here, right...
In no time, Tong Yang fell asleep.
Even in the parallel world, day and night changed with the passage of time.
In the early morning, lazy sunlight spilled over them.
The drop in nighttime temperature had caused the two to press shoulder to shoulder, huddling together for warmth.
"Crunch—"
In the woods, dried leaves shattered under someone's foot.
The faint sound of footsteps instantly jolted Tong Yang awake from her slumber.
Her eyes snapped open, and she quickly covered Xu Junyue's mouth and nose, listening intently for the direction of the sound.
"Mmph..."
Suffocation woke Xu Junyue.
Seeing the situation, she didn't struggle but poked Tong Yang's side—unfortunately right on the wound. Tong Yang looked down and glared at her.
The footsteps were light and unhurried, as if taking a leisurely stroll.
Xu Junyue nodded at her, signaling she understood the situation.
Tong Yang released her hand, motioning for her to stay still, then rummaged in her backpack for a weapon. She cautiously leaned out to look towards the source of the footsteps.
Among the lush green trees, a figure walked through them.
"Who is it..."
"Shh."
Verdant grass and leaves obstructed the view; Tong Yang could only make out that it was a woman.
She was humming a tuneless song, seeming quite cheerful.
A phone rang, and the woman answered.
"Hello."
"I know. Last night they broke into Maynard's villa, killed a trainee soldier, but probably got pretty hurt themselves. The scene was a mess."
"Me? I followed the blood trail into the woods, but it disappeared once in the forest."
"You can only see the surveillance footage at Maynard's villa."
"I went in, but well, those trainee soldiers are all from the Maynard family. Only a Maynard can enter, so I got 'politely' shown out again."
"Break in? It's not as simple as you say. There are too many trainee soldiers; they're a real pain. Besides, if I killed them all, wouldn't I just be clearing obstacles for the time anchor point?"
"Alright, I know. Ye Huai can't get in; he's long had no ties to the Maynard family."
"As for that Maynard, he escaped. Don't know where, might already be dead."
After hearing something from the other end of the line, the woman paused her steps.
"How to deal with Xu Jingya?" The woman sneered. "What does she have to do with me?"
"Xu Zeming wants to see me?"
"Fine. After leaving here, I'll go see him."
"A family like that? I don't need it."
"Yeah, that's it."
Hanging up, the woman continued forward, leaving the woods.
Confirming she was gone, Tong Yang let out a sigh of relief.
If discovered in their current state, Tong Yang alone would definitely be in deep trouble.
Even if direct action was impossible due to rule constraints, there were plenty of other ways to deal with them.
Relaxing her tense body, Tong Yang finally felt the stinging pain from her wounds.
Xu Junyue pointed in the direction the woman had disappeared. "That... looked like my sister."
"Not 'looked like.' It was your sister."
"She really is here!"
"Figured as much."
"She really betrayed the real world!"
"What else?"
"What did she mean by what she just said?" Xu Junyue asked.
Tong Yang looked at her. "Seems like she's not too bright either, just like you."
"How so?"
"Didn't check the surroundings, brazenly chatting with her accomplice on the phone." Tong Yang unzipped her backpack and took out her phone. "What she meant was, she won't care whether Xu Jingya lives or dies. After this is over, she'll personally go find your 'Old Xu' to silence him."
Tong Yang said gravely, "Add you to the list, and congratulations, your Xu family is about to be wiped out. Exterminated, root and branch."
"She's that ruthless?" Xu Junyue looked shocked, then gleeful. "Serves them right! Working for the parallel world is unforgivable!"
Tong Yang shot her a sidelong glance. "Not planning to save them?"
"Save them my foot. I don't even know if I can get out of here alive." Xu Junyue rolled her eyes. "But, anyway, I can also kill Xu Siyuan. Who told her she wants to kill me? As for Auntie and Old Xu, let them await the judgment of the law!"
Tong Yang nodded. "Not bad. True to your roots."
"Hahaha..."
Tong Yang unlocked her phone. The screen showed several missed calls, including one from Tong Le, but no messages from Ye Huai or the others.
"Did He Jingjing reply?"
"Nope. You think they might all be dead? Killed after being sent back to the real world?"
After sending a reply to Tong Le, Tong Yang said nonchalantly, "Who knows."
"So what do we do?"
Tong Yang made a call to Ye Huai.
"Either die in the parallel world, or die in the real world."
Xu Junyue pouted. "Can't we just live?"
"If they're all dead, our chances of survival are very slim."
"Wow, boss, you're different from before. You used to be a lone wolf."
"I have good self-awareness. For instance, I know escaping back alone shouldn't be too hard for me. They can't kill me off quickly. I could pretend to surrender, always find a way."
Xu Junyue nodded, not fully understanding. "Would I be your burden?"
Tong Yang looked up at her. "Not a burden. An asset."
"Is that so?"
Tong Yang nodded. "I just want to say, if it's just the two of us left, in a life-or-death moment, I might not be able to save you."
Xu Junyue gave her a heavy pat on the shoulder. "Then you shouldn't have saved me!"
Tong Yang covered her wound and shot her a look. "We'll see when the time comes."
"So what do we do now?"
Tong Yang dialed Ye Huai's number and put it on speakerphone.
"The number you have dialed is powered off..."
"Try calling He Jingjing and the Chu Shiyu from World A."
"Okay."
"The number you have dialed is powered off..."
"The number you have dialed is powered off..."
"They're all off."
Aside from Tang Li's phone being in their possession, the other three were all powered off.
Tong Yang said, "If their phones are off, their chances of survival are a bit higher."
"That's good! What about us now? Where do we go? Who knows what's happening outside."
"We didn't hear any broadcast sounds last night, so things outside probably haven't changed much. As for what to do now..."
Tong Yang fell into thought. They couldn't go to Menard's villa for the time being; to enter alive, they had to find Ye Huai. But the whereabouts and status of Ye Huai and the other three were still unknown. In their current physical condition, stepping outside might immediately get them recognized, and being automatically targeted would be disastrous.
Even so, they couldn't just stay here, waiting for doom. Their bodies also needed food and water by now.
Tong Yang replayed the events from last night to this morning, trying to find some breakthrough.
Of the five "Forerunners" on Harker Island, they had only seen two. Where were the remaining three?
The person who just spoke with Xu Siyuan on the phone might be another "Forerunner."
Their conversation...
So outsiders really couldn't enter Menard's villa. Even Xu Siyuan, who had been injected with the premium gene serum, couldn't get in, likely because of Menard's status? The highest position in the parallel world.
Parallel World Ye Huai... was no longer part of the Menard family. It seemed father-son relationships weren't great in either world. Was there a connection between the parallel world substance inside Ye Huai and him?
Possibly.
After much deliberation, Tong Yang concluded the breakthrough still lay with Ye Huai.
As long as he led them into Menard's villa, they could not only find the energy terminal, but the "Forerunners" also wouldn't be able to advance, being blocked by the training soldiers.
As for the remaining calls and clues...
Suddenly, Tong Yang sat bolt upright.
The blood trail!
Xu Siyuan knew they were injured and followed the blood trail into the woods, but it disappeared there.
Given last night's situation, neither Tong Yang nor Xu Junyue had the energy to clean it up. Yet now, the blood was gone!
"Who?"
"Who what?"
Tong Yang looked around; the ground showed no traces anymore.
"Someone cleaned up the blood trail for us."
"Who?"
"Who could it be?" Tong Yang frowned deeply.
Xu Jingya?
...It couldn't be her.
Tong Yang was a very light sleeper; she would definitely notice if someone approached, unless that person was professionally trained and deliberately concealed themselves, which clearly didn't fit Xu Jingya.
Of course, it couldn't be Tang Li and the others either.
But besides Tang Li's group of four and Xu Jingya, who else on the island would help them?
"We need to find this person."
Xu Junyue looked utterly confused. "How?"
"By going where people are, of course."
Xu Junyue, still bewildered, said, "Aren't you worried about exposing our identities?"
"I am," Tong Yang stated firmly. "But we have no choice."
With the fates of Tang Li's trio and Ye Huai unknown, they had to take the risk.
"Boss, you have a plan?"
"I think so."!
