Chapter 155: Data vs Reality (2/10, Autumn Subscription)

Speaking of this, Divine Doctor An sighed softly.

Clearly, though he didn't much like Luo Xin's personality, he still held a grudging respect for someone bold enough to shoulder responsibility and face the strange without regard for life.

If this world weren't so cruel, people like him would likely be called heroes.

Too bad… this isn't a fairy tale world; if you don't focus on surviving, you won't last long.

Perhaps because Gu Yue Cun has terrifying figures like Lord Han, it has given its people an easy life and fostered some childish thinking.

If it were Mo Cun's people, no one would ever entertain the idea of staying behind to cover others' retreat—it's absolute suicide, utterly meaningless, let alone sacrificing one's life for others.

Around them, most faces showed sorrow; some even secretly wiped away tears—Luo Xin had always been well-liked in the village, second only to the Captain, and arguably the top among Deputy Captains; had Fang Yue not appeared out of nowhere, he would have been the next Captain, so the villagers deeply respected him.

"Deputy Captain Luo, he…"

"Sigh, he shouldn't have taken only a few men to hold the rear—if only I'd been firmer and gone with him then…"

"Me too… I hesitated back then, and I regret it so much! It's all my fault!"

Many members of the escort team wore expressions of guilt and remorse.

Now Fang Yue had caught up, yet Luo Xin still hadn't appeared—everyone could guess what had become of him.

Fang Yue spoke a few words to soothe them, and their emotions calmed slightly.

At this point, Divine Doctor An continued.

"After the False Apparition killed the brothers holding the rear, it caught up to us again; in our panic, we abandoned some supplies and even sacrificed one horse to draw its attention, but it had little effect."

"In the end, we resorted to the old method—splitting up. I suggested breaking the group into small units to maximize dispersion and reduce the chance of being targeted, but Blood Hunter convinced me to propose first sending a group to lure the False Apparition away as a test."

"Then Deputy Captain Men led a band of death-seekers to draw the False Apparition's attention before splitting off from our main force; to ensure they could still regroup with us if they survived, and so you'd find us when you arrived, and to help disperse the strange and ensure safety, Blood Hunter had his 【Giant-Headed Blood Hound】 leave markings."

"We ran a stretch of distance, confirmed we weren't being pursued, then Blood Hunter ordered traps set up to cover our retreat—but we'd barely finished a few when you caught up."

Speaking of this, Divine Doctor An's gaze passed over Fang Yue and fixed on Niu Niu behind him, his eyes turning dangerously sharp—in a certain sense, this crisis was brought by Niu Niu!

Niu Niu shuddered, scrambling behind Fang Yue in terror; those around him also looked at Niu Niu with hostility, clearly having learned at least part of what had happened before.

After a pause, Fang Yue said: "He's still useful."

"What use?"

"Next time we need bait, we can use him."

Divine Doctor An looked past Fang Yue: "I think we don't need…"

Snap.

Fang Yue gently grasped his hand, meeting Divine Doctor An's gaze and shaking his head slightly.

"More people mean more strength—we've lost too many already. The dirty, exhausting work ahead will give him plenty of chances to atone."

Divine Doctor An stared into Fang Yue's eyes, fell silent for a moment, then sighed.

"Fine, I'll follow you. But he's still my test subject, and his life belongs to me. In the escort team, if you need him, I'll lend him to you. But if he survives to reach Mo Cun, he's entirely mine—he won't return to Gu Yue Cun with you, he'll be Mo Cun's, and you won't need to care for him anymore. I'll… take good care of him!"

As Divine Doctor An spoke the last words, his tone grew cold and terrifying; Niu Niu, listening from behind, felt a chill crawl up his spine, his skin prickling with goosebumps.

"Y-Ye Ge, this old bastard won't try to kill me once we reach Mo Cun, will he?"

"…He wants to kill you right now."

"No! Ye Ge, think of a way to save me!"

In his panic, Niu Niu instinctively grabbed Fang Yue's arm.

Everyone around turned to look, puzzled.

Fang Yue's expression darkened; he shook off Niu Niu's grip and walked forward, sending a message at the same time.

"Someone!"

What?!

Again?!

Is our friendship boat capsizing already?

Niu Niu felt a surge of frustration; seeing Divine Doctor An's icy gaze sweep over him, he immediately feigned stupidity, drooling.

"Aba aba!"

Divine Doctor An finally withdrew his gaze and walked forward with Fang Yue and Blood Hunter, leading the group onward.

Niu Niu instantly relaxed.

Being a fool is so great!

My past self: I'm a fool… (ashamed)

My present self: I'm a fool! (proud)

Seeing Niu Niu still acting like a clueless idiot, others lost interest and shook their heads, ignoring him.

Only a few blamed Niu Niu for Luo Xin's death, casting him hostile glances—but they said nothing more; Fang Yue had already defended him, and no one would dare disobey his order.

With Luo Xin gone, Fang Yue grew busier—while traveling, he had to learn the team's condition entirely on his own, asking everyone individually.

The other three Deputy Captains helped, but none could match Luo Xin's comprehensiveness; whenever Fang Yue asked, they had to send people down to inquire, then those below had to investigate further and report back up.

This chain of command wasted time and caused delays in information.

Fang Yue's head ached, but he still tried his best to remember.

"Count it up: about thirty-plus dead, two Deputy Captains, scattered supplies, two horses."

On paper, the numbers didn't look devastating.

But everyone knew what those numbers meant.

It had been less than a day since leaving the village, and already such heavy losses—due to the strange's influence, they might not even reach Man Shui Cun by nightfall.

What should we do?

At night, whether traveling or camping, is extremely dangerous.

"What do you think?"

Fang Yue looked at the Blood Hunter and An Shenyi.

"Keep moving!" An Shenyi answered without thinking.

"Make camp." The Blood Hunter shook his head slightly.

"What does Luo Xin think…"

Fang Yue began to speak instinctively, then suddenly stopped—Luo Xin was already gone.

He was silent for a moment, then said, "Everyone give your reasons."

Ever since Lin Ling had assigned Luo Xin to assist him two days ago, Fang Yue had basically been a hands-off boss; whenever the team had disagreements, Luo Xin could draw on his seasoned wilderness experience and offer sound advice.

Now without his swindling strategist, Fang Yue truly felt how troublesome it was to lead a team in the wild.

An Shenyi was the first to voice his opinion, opening his mouth with what could even be called a hint of annoyance.

(End of chapter)