'Hehehehe… What's this, Yuan Tianzhu? I thought you were better than that. Heheheheh…'
Mo Xie Zhe laughed mockingly.
As expected of a coward and hypocrite like Yuan Tianzhu.
That foul little brat might seem amiable, charming, someone you could approach. But don't let that appearance fool you. He was the last person you should ever trust.
That hypocrite held himself in high esteem. But that wasn't what made him dangerous. No, it was the way he displayed and hid his emotions — the way he spoke… and yet said nothing.
Everything that came out of that brat's mouth couldn't be trusted, for it was lies dressed as truth, and truths masked in lies.
Mo Xie Zhe sat on a macabre throne made of white bones, polished like jade. Around him stretched an endless sea of blood. In it, he could see his reflection clearly, as if staring into a crimson mirror crafted from coagulated blood.
He stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and narrowed the corners of his eyes significantly.
'Don't believe what that brat says. Just watch his actions. Since he arrived in this sinister Black Forest, has he ever asked a question without a motive? No. From the moment he got here, his only goal was survival — no matter how, no matter what he had to do — his goal remained unchanged.
And I can clearly say that all those insignificant worms will die by his hand, whether they want to or not. Heheheh… Wonderful, simply wonderful. I hope you don't disappoint me, Yuan Tianzhu.'
Mo Xie Zhe laughed brazenly as he gazed at a blood-filled horizon.
'Things were about to get more interesting. Hahahahahaha!'
…
Yuan Tianzhu came upon the most absurdly terrifying scene he had ever witnessed in his life. Following the trail of fresh blood on the ground, he saw the ragged old man and the young woman trapped in red quicksand.
The ragged old man had lost his remaining arm, blood still spurting from his shoulder. The young woman, however, seemed unharmed — if not for the grotesque wound in her right eye. Only the upper halves of their bodies were visible. Their faces were pale as paper, beads of sweat pouring down them.
Seeing that scene, Yuan Tianzhu almost felt like laughing, but nothing came out of his mouth. He simply opened and closed it several times. Something was wrong. He didn't know what it was, but a visceral feeling disturbed him as he looked at that scene.
Even so, he decided to heed that alarming intuition.
Still… how had they not noticed something off about the ground? How could they be so careless? Yuan Tianzhu couldn't understand. Weren't they supposed to be experienced with the imminent dangers of the Black Forest? How could they just walk around without a care?
Not to mention, the clues were as obvious as the Black Forest's sky and noticeable even to a newborn. So how had they ended up like this? Was their stupidity truly limitless?
Yuan Tianzhu shook his head cynically.
The same could not be said of Tie Xin, who looked at his companions with desperation written all over his face.
"A-Are you alright?" he asked, his rough and trembling voice full of emotion.
"Are you blind or what? Isn't our situation obvious enough for you?" the ragged old man roared in fury, unleashing a wave of insults. Had the terror melted his brain?! Couldn't he see he had lost his remaining arm and was now a cripple?!
The ragged old man nearly coughed up blood from sheer rage.
Yuan Tianzhu also gave Tie Xin a strange look before turning back to the ragged old man and the young woman, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
"Eh… sorry. Hang on, I'll come help you."
Tie Xin's face turned red with shame after the scolding.
The young woman remained silent, her head bowed, as if she had accepted her fate — death.
Before Tie Xin could advance to help, Yuan Tianzhu stopped him:
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
His eyes shifted from ocean blue to a clear, transparent shade.
"What do you mean by that? Of course we should save them — they're our companions!"
Tie Xin shrugged off Yuan Tianzhu's hand from his shoulder.
"Our…"
Yuan Tianzhu's eyes narrowed briefly, then returned to normal.
"Go ahead then," Yuan Tianzhu nodded imposingly, his eyes returning to their previous color.
Tie Xin took a few steps, then paused. He turned back to Yuan Tianzhu, a bit embarrassed this time.
"Um… eh… could you help me make a rope?"
Yuan Tianzhu facepalmed, incredulous.
Even so, he helped, carefully walking over the unstable ground of the Black Forest, gathering blackened, dried branches and leaves from various trees to try and make a rope. After several failed attempts, they finally managed to make a makeshift rope sturdy enough for Tie Xin to attempt rescuing the ragged old man and the young woman.
"I'm going in," said Tie Xin, tying one end of the rope around his waist and the other to a tree for support.
Yuan Tianzhu merely observed, offering no help. He had no obligation to assist, and at the same time, the situation seemed far too strange and bizarre. Sure, he could've told Tie Xin that, but he didn't see the need. After all, he had a perfect scapegoat to test the waters. Why would he change that? It would be foolish — and go against his nature.
So he contented himself with watching.
Luckily, Tie Xin didn't push him for help, thinking Yuan's grudge against the old man explained his decision.
Carefully, Tie Xin approached the ragged old man and the young woman. Suddenly, he felt his feet dampen, as something thick and sticky clung to his legs like resin, making his hairs stand on end. He paused for a moment to adjust to the odd sensation before continuing forward.
The suffocating metallic stench became almost tangible — so dense, Tie Xin had the impression of seeing a scarlet mist floating above him.
He continued slowly, his body sinking into the quicksand. With every step, he sank deeper. By the time he was halfway there, everything below his waist had been swallowed.
Tie Xin felt streams of cold sweat running down his pale, colorless face.
He looked up with difficulty and saw that the ragged old man was farther than expected — as if he had moved.
Yuan Tianzhu's face darkened considerably.
Tie Xin might not have noticed, but from afar, he had seen it clearly: the ragged old man was slowly drifting — a few centimeters every 50 seconds. It didn't seem like much, but in a situation like this, it was massive.
Only by watching closely could you notice the difference.
'Strange… things probably won't end well.'
Yuan Tianzhu felt confident that not helping had been the wisest decision. Not that he had much choice — otherwise, who would pull that idiot out if he also got stuck? The situation was too strange, so he preferred to be a spectator rather than a participant.
'Hm… he's getting closer.'
Snapping out of his thoughts, he saw Tie Xin reaching the young woman. Tie Xin raised his arm with effort to grab her — half of his chest had already been consumed by the demonic quicksand.
"Grab my hand!"
Tie Xin shouted.
But the young woman didn't respond. Her head still bowed, unmoving, like a puppet.
"Grab my fucking hand! I don't have time for this!"
This time, Tie Xin couldn't help cursing while still trying to grab her.
'This isn't good…'
Yuan Tianzhu's eyes grew sharp.
He opened his mouth — then closed it again.
Right at that moment, the young woman raised her head.
Her expression was unreadable, dark shadows hiding her features.
As Tie Xin tried to speak, he froze — for the woman's jaw snapped open horrifically and bit down with demonic force.