Chapter 11

Tonight, I knew, was destined to be sleepless.

If sleeping in the car last night had been bad luck, then sleeping under the open sky tonight was a first in my life.

　　Whispered voices drifted from the tent—Wenlengyu and Qiulü’s soft murmurs, indistinct and muffled. Xu Zirong lay restless for ages, his breaths short and agitated. Finally, he rolled over, eyes wide and alert. Without a word, he kicked at the embers by the campfire.

“Can’t sleep?”

　　Xu Zirong frowned and shook his head, then nodded. He turned away irritably, and after a long pause, said, “I feel like I’m dragging all of you down.”

“Don’t think that way,” I said. “Even I would have gotten lost.”

Xu Zirong wiped his face, and only then did I notice he had been crying. I stayed silent, didn’t turn to look at him, and offered no words of comfort. Perhaps for him right now, comfort would only feel awkward.

I gazed into the pitch-black, dense forest.

Shadows loomed thickly in the night woods. The slightest night breeze would make the ink-black silhouettes sway and sway, adding an eerie touch to the night.

　　“Rustle—rustle—”

The sound of wind rustling through the trees again.

But Xu Zirong suddenly straightened up, his pupils dilating, his expression one of shock.

No, that’s not right!

There was no wind at all!

　　In an instant, I understood what that sound was.

It was… the bone-chilling sound of countless insects crawling in swarms across the ground, their countless limbs scraping against the earth.

“Those insects…” Xu Zirong, ignoring the burning pain, grabbed a slightly longer branch from the campfire and held it like a torch, illuminating a small patch of ground further ahead.

　　One black insect after another, like monsters lurking in the night, lay in wait nearby. They crawled in swarms, winding along the edge of the path, their shells faintly reflecting the firelight.

“Not again!”

Xu Zirong growled lowly, raising the branch to set the insects ablaze.

　　I grabbed his arm. “Are you crazy? Fire spreads like wildfire in the forest. We’d be dead in seconds!”

Trees dread fire. Even in early summer, once ignited, it becomes utterly uncontrollable. Even if we survived, we’d be charged with arson and locked up for ten or eight years.

　　Xu Zirong dropped the burning branch in frustration. “What the hell is this thing? It’s been stalking us the whole time!”

His gritted-teeth expression screamed he wanted to spray them all dead with a can of insecticide.

“Could it be the food we brought that’s attracting them?” I suggested. “These bugs are persistent ghosts, but they haven’t actually harmed us.”

　　“Damn it! Fuck!”

Just then, the tent flap flapped open. Wen Lingyu and Qiu Lu poked their heads out. Both were wide awake, their faces etched with worry.

Qiu Lu asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you swearing?”

Xu Zirong hesitated, words on the tip of his tongue.

　　Wen Lingyu remained silent, her eyes brimming with concern as she looked at me.

My heart softened. Not wanting the girls to worry any further, I said, “Nothing serious. You two rest. If there’s any danger, Xu Zirong and I will handle it.”

　　They exchanged glances and lowered the tent flap.

I kept a close watch, fearing Xu Zirong might act impulsively again and do something irreparable. Fortunately, though there were minor hiccups that night, it passed without incident.

The next day dawned clear.

　　The sky stretched high and cloudless, with scattered wisps of fluffy clouds drifting aimlessly. Sunlight poured down directly onto the earth. The dampness in the forest was baked away, leaving skin feeling sticky. Of course, it couldn’t be ruled out that this was partly because we hadn’t bathed in three days.

All four of us were disheveled and unkempt. Wen Lingyu’s bangs were practically greasy, clinging to her forehead in strands. Qiu Lu’s long hair was tangled, manageable only with a quick run of her fingers through it. Xu Zirong’s face bore traces of ash, likely from tending the campfire. And I wasn’t much better off myself—my white shirt had lost all trace of its original color.

　　The bonfire that burned all night left a patch of black scorch marks on the concrete ground. We silently gathered our belongings, preparing to set off.

But where should we go?

Qiu Lu’s face was pale and hesitant. “Are we really going to keep moving forward?”

Two days of exhausting travel had made her look noticeably thinner, all color drained from her face.

　　Xu Zirong said, “We’ve come this far, veering further and further off course. It doesn’t look like we’ll reach any town.”

Wen Lingyu hesitated: “But our car broke down. We have no idea how far we’ve wandered. We’re lost. If we keep scrambling aimlessly through these mountains…”

　　I said, “There’s still cement pavement here. At least it proves people have been here, that this road is used. If we turn back, all yesterday’s effort will be wasted.”

The three of them fell silent again.

In my view, we’d already walked this far. The sunk cost was too high. Even if we went back, we’d still be just as lost. Better to pick a path and see it through.

　　“Ugh…” Qiu Lu let out a low sigh, licking her lips that were already cracked and peeling. She pulled out her water cup, but not a single drop came out.

Seeing this, Xu Zirong quickly produced his own cup, only to find it equally empty.

“I’m out of water too,” Wen Lingyu said dejectedly.

　　My canteen ran dry last night, and now my throat is parched.

Qiu Lu couldn’t even cry tears anymore. “What are we supposed to do…”

With water sources cut off, death was drawing near.

Lost in the mountains, disoriented, without water or food… This place felt like a grave fate had prepared for us.

　　None of them had the courage to keep going. My mind buzzed chaotically, filled with confusion.

Water… Where could we find water…

Perhaps driven by an intense will to survive, a sudden flash of insight struck me!

“I know where there’s water!”

They all looked at me with surprise and hope.

　　“There must be some in the woods nearby! At least a small pond!”

“How do you know?!” Xu Zirong asked.

I said, “Did you hear the frogs last night?”

Wen Lingyu froze, then quickly looked enlightened.

I said, “Last night I heard frogs calling from the woods. Goethe said: ‘Not every place with water has frogs, but wherever there are frogs, water can always be found!’”

Xu Zirong and Qiu Lu looked utterly bewildered, their eyes wide open—they actually bore a striking resemblance to each other.

“Is that even possible?!” Xu Zirong snapped, his neck stiff.

　　“I’ll go find water with you. The girls can watch the luggage here,” I suggested.

Qiu Lu immediately protested, “There’s not a soul around. What luggage do we need to watch?”

Wen Lingyu nodded in agreement. “I’ll come with you. If we run into trouble, we can look out for each other. There’s no cell signal here—how would we contact anyone if we got separated?”

　　With both girls insisting, I relented. “Alright, we’ll go together. But the forest isn’t like concrete—the paths are rough. You must be careful.”

Wen Lingyu and Qiu Lu nodded repeatedly. We shouldered our backpacks, leaving the bulky tents behind, and set off into the woods together.

　　The forest floor was slightly damp, overgrown with knee-high wild grasses. The ground was completely obscured from view, only yielding softly beneath our feet. Accustomed to the hard concrete and asphalt of the city, we’d never walked on paths so unformed they could scarcely be called “paths.”

But as Lu Xun once said: “There are no paths in the world; they are made by walking.”

　　I led the way, with Xu Zirong bringing up the rear, while the two girls followed closely behind us.

The deeper we ventured into the woods, the denser the trees grew, the dimmer the light became, and the thicker the undergrowth spread. Fortunately, the tall trees and low grass made progress manageable.

　　I parted the thickets ahead, tapping along with a stick I’d picked up to ward off snakes, insects, or rodents lurking in unseen spots.

Truly, luck was on my side. Several times my stick seemed to brush against some creature—perhaps a snake—yet it never attacked. It vanished without a trace, slipping away before I could even catch a glimpse.

　　After walking nervously for a while, I suddenly heard the crisp, babbling sound of water, like celestial music to my ears.

“Water!” I exclaimed in delight, encouraging those behind me. Immediately, my vision brightened—

A small opening appeared in the canopy of trees, revealing a patch of sky!

　　A stream two meters wide flowed gently from an unknown source. The sun hung high overhead, casting a dazzling reflection upon the water. The crystal-clear stream mirrored the lush trees lining its banks, as if another forest world existed beneath the water. The shore was covered in dark brown mud and pebbles, yielding softly beneath each step.

　　“Perfect! A stream!” Qiu Lu’s eyes lit up as she rushed forward eagerly. She bent down, filled her cup to the brim, and without hesitation, took a big gulp despite the sediment at the bottom. The water instantly quenched her parched thirst.

　　My throat had been parched to the point of burning, so I quickly scooped up a mouthful of the clear stream water. The forest stream tasted icy cold at first, yet carried a sweetness that slid down my throat, refreshing my spirit.

　　“Lu Lu! Bring it back to boil before drinking!” Wen Lingyu’s lips were parched and cracked, yet she persisted, “Raw water from outside can easily carry parasites. It’s unsafe to drink.”

Qiu Lu splashed some water on her face and laughed, “I’m dying of thirst! I’d rather be eaten alive by worms in my stomach than die of thirst!”

　　“Don’t talk about dying!” Wen Lingyu said in a soft voice.

“Oh…” Qiu Lu responded, bending down. Suddenly, catching Wen Lingyu off guard, she splashed a handful of water onto her face. “We’re besties—we die together!”

Wen Lingyu feigned anger and immediately launched a counterattack.

Their laughter quickly swept away the gloom that had settled over the group. Discovering this little creek turned out to be the first stroke of luck we’d had in days.

I found a large rock and sat down to rest my feet, letting my eyes wander over the dense forest around us. The lush green was almost soothing after days of trudging through the wilderness.

Then, all of a sudden, something odd caught my eye—a strange-looking rock on the other side of the creek.

I frowned and squinted to get a better look.

“What is it?” Xu Zirong came over.

He was a sports major, blessed with perfect eyesight. I pointed across the stream. “Look over there… is that a stone tablet?”