Chen Hui’s complexion was awful. She bit her lower lip, glaring at Slade with revulsion, and after a long moment answered: “He… just now… licked…”

She found it too disgusting to continue, and only lifted her arm instead, pointing it out to Bai Youwei. “He licked here.”

Licked her arm?

What kind of behavior was that?

Bai Youwei’s brow furrowed as she looked again at the three men — Mark, Dylan, and Slade.

“That bastard has a death wish!” Leonid flew into a rage, feeling the other man had been outright indecent. He pulled back his foot and kicked!

The result was that these people were unbelievably fragile — not only did Slade get knocked over, but Mark and Dylan, who had been supporting Slade, were also sent flying several meters away by the single kick!

Crack —

The sound of a bone breaking rang out, unusually clear in the stone chamber.

Leonid immediately froze. The second kick he had been about to deliver was forcibly held back.

He had only meant to teach the other man a lesson — he hadn’t anticipated that the other man would be as fragile as a cracker. One kick, and a bone fracture?

Then again, thinking about it, it made sense. These men had nothing left on them but bones, not even a few ounces of flesh to be seen. That thin, long without exercise, combined with malnutrition and everything else… breaking a bone from a kick wasn’t particularly surprising.

“It really was a misunderstanding…” Mark, clutching his injury, was still struggling to explain. “Slade has been in the dark for too long. Lately he can’t distinguish between dreams and reality at all — otherwise, how would he dare…”

To put it bluntly, although Chen Hui was just a young girl, compared to the skeletal Slade, she could be considered “sturdy.”

“Since it was a misunderstanding, then let’s leave it at that. Everyone get some rest early.” Bai Youwei said calmly, without changing her expression. “Leonid, help set up a tent for Chen Hui — so she can sleep without worry for the rest of the night.”

Leonid, without a word of complaint, immediately went to get the tent from the luggage.

Bai Youwei looked at the man called Slade.

His gaze was still fixed on Chen Hui.

More precisely — fixed on that section of Chen Hui’s arm that he had licked. At the corner of his mouth there was something suspicious… a faint, seeping trace of… saliva.

“What are you looking at?” Shen Mo suddenly spoke, his tone very cold.

Bai Youwei came back to herself and only then noticed that while she had been observing Slade, the other one — Dylan — had also been staring at her the entire time.

Which was why Shen Mo had suddenly spoken up.

Shen Mo’s bearing was enough to intimidate most people, but Dylan’s mental state was evidently also problematic. He stared blankly for a long moment without responding. In the end it was Mark again who came to his rescue, explaining to Shen Mo:

“He… he also woke up confused! We’ve been in the maze too long, he didn’t mean it…” Mark tugged hard at Dylan. “Dylan! Dylan! Snap out of it! Wake up!”

Dylan finally came around, but he seemed unaware of what he had done that was so unacceptable. He gave Shen Mo and Bai Youwei a blank look, then withdrew his gaze and retreated with his head down into the corner.

Leonid swore under his breath, feeling all three of these men were out of their minds. Not wanting to make more trouble for them, he went off on his own to set up the tent frame.

Bai Youwei stood in place for a moment, then reached out and took Shen Mo’s hand, bending down to re-enter the tent.

“Just now — was he looking at me?” Bai Youwei asked Shen Mo.

“Mm. At first he was looking at Chen Hui, then at you.” Shen Mo frowned, distinctly displeased. “Not just those two — even that Mark who does the most talking, his eyes have been drifting toward you and Chen Hui constantly… inexplicable.”

Bai Youwei, meanwhile, was thinking about something else entirely…

“Why is it us — me and Chen Hui?” Bai Youwei mused slowly. “What do Chen Hui and I have in common?”

“You’re both female.” Shen Mo answered. “Both young. Beautiful.”

Chen Hui was fifteen or sixteen — girls of that age were like flowers, virtually without exception lovely to look at.

And Bai Youwei had always had delicate features, looking younger than her years — she appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen at most.

Bai Youwei said: “I was in the tent, and you were there with me. But Chen Hui was alone. Leonid was on watch — not beside her.”

She looked at Shen Mo and asked: “If someone was genuinely sleeping in a daze, or mentally unhinged, would they so accurately… find the right target?”

—