Chapter 108: The Fool Who Built Houses with a Gold Mine

An hour later, Thomas grew uneasy. He turned off the car stereo, frowned, and looked toward the forest.

The white figure had not appeared.

Two hours later, he got out of the car, paced in place, and occasionally gazed into the forest with a thoughtful expression.

It was already noon, and she still had not come out.

Thomas began to doubt: Could he have truly misunderstood her? Was she not playing some self-harm trick to make him revoke his decision to drive her away?

Then what was she doing in the forest?

Thomas recalled her first appearance, when her skin was torn and flesh exposed, almost gutted by a black panther; at that moment, he immediately took out his phone to call emergency services, and while telling the dispatch center the location, he suddenly noticed her fatal wound healing visibly before his eyes.

He was startled, immediately changed his tone, and told the emergency center it was a misunderstanding, that no one was injured.

He hung up the phone and carefully observed her wound; the granulation tissue on it was growing rapidly, and although the wound, which could have exposed her internal organs, was still bloody, it was no longer fatal.

This girl was an Awakened.

Realizing this, he guessed the reason she had appeared here: being pursued? Human experimentation? Fleeing?...

His nature would not allow him to stand by while someone died, so he carried the girl home, asked a private doctor he knew well to bandage her, and instructed the doctor not to reveal the incident.

Regarding the girl's "amnesia" after she woke up, he did not pursue the matter either.

Once she recovered, he would drive her away to avoid attracting trouble. That was his decision.

Thomas's reaction this morning made him instantly alert—although the girl looked very weak and her temperament was very peaceful, Thomas's reaction could not be faked; there must be great danger within her, and bringing her back so rashly was undoubtedly extremely dangerous.

So he drove her away.

The girl accepted his decision calmly and showed no anger toward his harsh attitude—knowing that, apart from close friends, almost no one could endure his sharpness. Her attitude toward Miranda was very attached and grateful; if it was not deliberately acted, she was probably not someone harboring evil intentions.

Getting out of the car was his final test; if the girl had spoken frankly, he might have helped her.

But she simply walked into the forest.

Before the arrival of Dark Matter, the forest, aside from some harmless wild animals, was not considered to have any crisis. But after the arrival of Dark Matter, that was uncertain; although no one had been heard to meet misfortune in the forest, people had already consciously avoided going deep inside. He had only taken Thomas for a walk on the edge of the forest.

The June sun was intense; Thomas casually took off his jacket and threw it onto the car.

That slender figure still had not come out.

After a while, Thomas kicked the grass hard, locked the car, put his phone in his pocket, and walked into the forest.

After walking a few steps, he seemed somewhat hesitant, then returned and pulled a gun from the glove compartment of the dashboard, stuffing it into his pants pocket.

With a cold face, he followed the tracks trampled in the grass. After finding her, he would scold her severely, then give her a sum of money, send her to the city, and turn to leave, completely discarding this matter and returning to his own peaceful life.

The deeper into the forest, the cooler it became; the tree shade blocked the sky, and the noon sun fell through the branches and leaves, casting a few beams of light onto the grass.

He stopped to check his phone; it was 1:13 PM, and he had walked for a full hour. The forest was too dense, with not a breath of wind, and his shirt stuck to his back, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

The trampled tracks in the grass extended deeper, and gradually his steps became a bit hesitant.

Is this girl stupid? Does she not know the danger? She was almost killed by a black panther, yet she dares to go so deep?

"Freesia!" he shouted loudly. This was the name Miranda had given that girl; until now, he still did not know her real name.

The hollow voice traveled into the depths and gradually dissipated. Except for bird calls and insect chirps, there was no answer.

"Oh—God, why must You punish me like this!!" he cursed bitterly, yet still lifted his feet to pursue.

%%

Yang Yi stopped her steps and listened with her ear tilted.

It sounded as if someone was shouting something?

However, it seemed to be an illusion again, so she continued to move forward.

Just as she entered the forest, Yang Yi was stirred by an impassioned emotion, determined to find the black panther and kill it no matter what.

However, as she walked and walked, a worry surfaced in her heart—not regret or retreat, but rather, how could she find it? The forest was so vast!

She walked for a very long time, going deeper and deeper; at first there were still traces of humans, but now, all around was a primitive, dense jungle of grass, shrubs, and thorns, with damp leaves slapping her face and fuzzy insects burrowing into her clothes.

After walking continuously for two or three hours, she was solely focused on searching for the black panther's tracks, and in this concentration, she actually fell into a state resembling deep meditation.

The forest was so dense that no wind could pass; occasionally birds chirped, unknown crickets called, and deeper within, the barking of wild beasts could be heard.

At first, she kept breaking out in cold sweats, her clothes sticking to her body, and every step was a struggle against herself; golden stars flashed before her eyes, but after persisting for a long time, she actually felt relieved.

This phenomenon made her thoughtful.

She began to consciously experience the sensations of her body; gradually, she immersed herself in a mysterious state. Her breathing became smoother and more rhythmic; there was a faint wind in the air, carrying the scent of decaying vegetation, fresh plant aromas, the earthy smell clinging to various insects, and the odor of feces left by various animals.

She had a vague intuition that if she wanted to find that black panther, she would definitely find it, because—when it fled, it had her bloodstains on its body.

Before, she had always used telekinesis to solve everything, never thinking to use her own body, to feel all things through touch, hearing, smell, and sensation; she had ignored her body for too long. But while she was unaware, her body had been transformed by Dark Matter, by the Source of Life, and even partially altered by the Reproductive Race.

She was like a fool guarding a gold mine who only knew how to build houses with the gold; the value was so great, yet she treated it as building material.

She tried to control her skin; after trying dozens of times, her skin became incredibly tough; she broke a dry branch and thrust it at her arm, leaving only a shallow mark.

She used her hand to pull up the sharp thorns on the ground—they still pierced her, but the penetration was not deep, and there was no bleeding.

This level certainly could not withstand the black panther's sharp claws; should she wait until she had fully mastered her body before seeking the black panther?

She fell into deep thought.

No! That was simply ridiculous! What was her original decision? To prove she was not cowardly; if she hesitated, if she waited until she was fully prepared, if she waited until she was certain she could kill the black panther before killing it, that would still prove her cowardice!

Moreover, when she made this decision, she discovered physical changes she had not noticed before; was this not a reward for her courage?

Suddenly, she stood still, closed her eyes, used her nose to sniff the faint scents in the air, used her ears to distinguish a slight difference in the mixed sounds, and used the touch of her arms to feel the changes in the airflow.

Immediately after, she suddenly quickened her pace and ran toward one direction.