In front of him, fog emerged from the jungle.
The fog was extremely thick and had spread out into the distance. However, it wasn’t the same as the blood fog Xu Qing had seen before. The sense of oppression didn’t seem too intense.
It was just that, as far as the eyes could see, everything within the area that was shrouded by the fog was blurry. It was impossible for Xu Qing to see anything in the surroundings clearly.
Especially since it was currently dark, it made the cover of the fog even more intense. Xu Qing wanted to avoid it, but after running for a long time, he saw that the fog was still approaching.
He knew what this was.
Cross and Luan Tooth had mentioned this when they just entered the forbidden zone. This was one of the dangers within; it was a type of fog known as the labyrinth fog.
When engulfed by this fog, a person would lose their sense of direction and ultimately lose their way.
And once the fog formed, it would usually take a long time for it to disperse on its own.
Xu Qing felt that he might be able to endure until the fog dissipated, and the amount of anomalous substances in his body wouldn’t skyrocket. However, the weak Captain Lei wouldn’t be able to. If he was trapped in it, it wouldn’t be long before he died from mutation.
This gave Xu Qing no choice but to retreat, attempting to circle around the fog by going further out of its range.
But… the fog was too heavy. No matter how quick he was, he was still caught in the situation where the fog surrounded them in all directions. There was nowhere to hide as they were drowned by the fog.
However, very soon, the fog that drowned the area around Xu Qing thinned out gradually until it ultimately revealed a bewildered Xu Qing once again.
He lowered his head and looked under his feet.
There were no shadows at night, but Xu Qing could feel the fog around him. It was rushing rapidly into the space beneath his feet at that moment.
It was like the shadow that couldn’t be seen had formed a vortex and devoured its surrounding fog.
The speed of this devouring wasn’t quick. It also seemed to have had its fill after a while and stopped absorbing. This allowed the fog to drown the silhouette of Xu Qing yet again.
However, after the shadow was done swallowing, a force seemed to pour into Xu Qing’s body, converging at his eyes. The thick fog as far as the eyes could see became transparent in his vision.
Or perhaps it couldn’t be described with sight but perception!
The fog was clearly there and was incomparably thick. However, with his perception, it was only slightly fuzzy, far from the stage where it would obstruct sight and make someone lose their way.
This caused Xu Qing’s breath to hurry. He lowered his head and looked at the missing shadow.
“You, what exactly are you…” Xu Qing muttered.
After a while, he lifted his head and sensed his surroundings. Following a moment of silence, his body started moving immediately without reducing speed. Within the fog, he was like a ghost speeding past.
Not long later, as Xu Qing was speeding through the thick fog, he saw living people.
It was two scavengers.
Xu Qing could vaguely remember seeing them at the campsite. These two people were currently holding each other’s hands. Within the thick fog, they were like blind people as they slowly probed and moved forward.
However, with Xu Qing’s perception, he could see that they were going in circles as they moved forward. It was evident that they had each realized it as well. The perspiration on their forehead and the heavy breaths revealed their anxiety and despair about their future.
After taking a glance at the two persons, Xu Qing retracted his gaze and wanted to turn and depart.
He didn’t have an overflowing amount of sympathy. Living in this cruel world, he had seen too many examples of people saving others without motive, in exchange for backlash against themselves.
However, for those whose vision had been obscured, their sense of hearing would be extremely sharp. As such, Xu Qing’s footsteps as he was leaving were still detected by them.
The two looked nervous immediately. They couldn’t distinguish the sounds of a human from a beast. So, one of them bellowed to express savageness, as though wanting to intimidate a beast.
The other shouted for help. To show their sincerity, they even took out the white pills and spirit coins from their leather bag, verbally promising to give them out for a chance of survival.
Xu Qing paused for a moment, turning back to look at the white pills in the person’s hand as he considered Captain Lei’s poor health.
After some thought, he rummaged through the leather bag and found a candle to light. It illuminated the surrounding with a glow. However, the fire was weak, and with the suppression of the fog, it was slowly becoming dimmer.
Under the cover of the light from the candle, Xu Qing retreated some distance away and looked at the two people in the near distance. Then, he spoke slowly.
“Go right and walk straight for seven steps, then ten steps to the left…”
As Xu Qing’s voice came through, the two scavengers trembled. Their faces donned a look of ecstasy and with hastened breaths, they followed Xu Qing’s instructions.
Very soon, they circled left and right under Xu Qing’s successive instructions and avoided the spots where there was danger. The fog in front of them thinned as they got nearer to the lit candle.
It lasted until they walked into the range of the candle that was about to be extinguished. The path around here was illuminated by the flames. Like a blind man who had regained sight, they fell beside the candle in an instant. They were agitated, their emotions intensely boiling over.
As for Xu Qing, he was hiding at the edge of somewhere dark. Even with the illumination of the fire, his figure was still blurry. Watching the agitation of the two persons with a poker face, he spoke flatly.
“Give me white pills.”
One of them trembled. After surviving the calamity, he didn’t have the slightest hesitation. He threw the leather bag containing the spirit coins and white pills to Xu Qing immediately and thanked him repeatedly.
The other person was just about to take out his pills, but as his gaze swept across Xu Qing’s silhouette, his excitement vanished.
At the dark spot where Xu Qing was standing, the fog lingered thinly. Hence, in that person’s eyes, although they couldn’t make out Xu Qing’s face, they could see his petite body and that he was carrying an unconscious person on his back.
As such, there was a gleam in his eyes. However, he wore a smile on his face and displayed a sincere demeanor when he spoke.
“Little brother, I have eaten all the white pills that were on me, but don’t worry, when the fog has cleared or if you have a way to escort me out, I will doubly repay you.”
With that, there was a glint in his eyes as he looked toward where Xu Qing was, with an eagerness to try an idea out.
The companion next to him grew a little annoyed at the moment, feeling as though he had given his pouch too quickly.
Xu Qing then stared deeply at the scavenger who had yet to give the white pills, but he didn’t speak.
With a wave of his right hand, a gust of wind blew and extinguished the candle’s light in that instant. The surrounding plunged into pitch-black darkness and labyrinth fog once more.
As a result, a cry of surprise came from one of the two scavengers. Xu Qing then approached them in a flash and plucked the leather bag from them. Following that, a serene voice echoed all around.
“There’s no need anymore. You can stay here.”
“Wait, wait. I was wrong, I was really wrong. I’ll give you the white pills, I…”
The man was suddenly in a hurry, seemingly wanting to grab onto something. However, his body tripped over a tree that was in the way, and he fell.
When he got up, his calls were even more anxious, and the deep regret he felt filled his body and mind.
“Little brother, listen to my explanation, I…”
Xu Qing didn’t bother about the man’s shouts and approached the other scavenger who had given him the white pills.
His expression was one of horror. Getting caught in the labyrinth fog once again filled him with panic. Without detecting it in the slightest, Xu Qing had passed by him and spoke quietly.
“Follow the sound of my footsteps.”
With that, Xu Qing didn’t turn back and continued walking. As for the person, when he heard Xu Qing’s words, his breaths grew hurried and he immediately listened for the footsteps and followed. At that moment, in the depths of his heart, he was exceptionally grateful for the speed of his repayment earlier.
It was especially so after he heard the anxious wailing behind him turning quickly into a frenzied cursing after failing to call for help. The despair in that tone made his heart tremble. Toward the owner of the footsteps ahead of him, he held them in greater awe.