Chapter Thirteen: Circumstances

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Although I felt they were probably not like that, Brother Wen and these people clearly operated as a proper team. No one seemed to use any formal titles, yet from the way Freckle Face, Old Ge, and the girl in the skirt-pants faced Brother Wen, it was obvious that they each had strictly defined roles and that the group was well organized.

A team like this could not have been formed in a short time. Compared with Brother Wen’s people, Peng Qian’s group was nothing more than a disorderly mob—or, to put it bluntly, an amateur outfit that could fall apart at any moment.

These people had not only fashioned themselves iron-tipped spears; many of them were also carrying food. Judging from the way they had dealt with us, as well as their reactions and awareness, they were clearly not people who had only just met with disaster. My mind was filled with deep questions, but for a moment I did not know where to begin.

“Us? No, no. I’ve probably been here for more than three months. I’m too lazy to count the exact number of days anymore.” Unexpectedly, Brother Wen gave a self-mocking smile before looking at me. “The situation was more or less the same. I originally meant to go over there, but I accidentally fell into the water here. There were more than ten of us in all, and only eight survived.”

“Eight? The people we saw?” My heart tightened.

“How could it be just these people? I gradually found them here. There were nearly thirty of us at first. By the end of the first month, only seventeen remained. A little over ten days ago, there were fifteen left. Now that Luo Wei is gone, only nine remain.” Brother Wen shook his head, his expression darkening.

More than three months? They still had not escaped this place? Had no rescue party come looking for them?

Hearing Brother Wen’s words, my heart tightened again. I even looked at him with a trace of fear.

Perhaps he understood how I felt, or perhaps he knew what I had realized. After a moment of silence, Brother Wen’s eyes held a faint look of resignation. “Once you get here, you’ve probably already noticed that there’s no signal at all, and no rescue team has ever appeared. As for getting out of here, I’m afraid that may be a matter of fate…”

“This is so damn fucked…”

I had always entertained the thought of waiting until the time was right, then building a fire in the rainforest and using the smoke to call for help. It was a desperate measure, but even if our trip had violated certain rules, when our lives were at stake, being rescued was certainly better than dying.

But Brother Wen said they had been here for more than three months. If that method had worked, they would never have simply waited for death. Besides, with so many people together, it was impossible that every single one had lost their phone and yet no one could use one. They had clearly fallen into a genuine dead end.

Looking at Brother Wen’s expression, I sighed inwardly.

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Was I really going to be trapped here?

Still, when I saw Qu Xiang and Lan Fang beside me despite the fear on their faces, I felt somewhat comforted. I did not dare think about anything else at that moment, but if this was the only path left to me, then I could only face it properly.

“You’ve asked your questions. Now it’s my turn.” Brother Wen’s voice turned cold, and when he looked at me, there was even a hint of menace in his eyes.

He was alone. Although he appeared stronger than me and his gaze was sharp, I was on guard without being overly frightened. Holding the water they had given me, I raised the bottle to my lips and took a drink. As the liquid flowed down my throat, it felt almost like life itself.

“Of course. Go ahead…”

“Are the three of you truly the only ones together now?” Brother Wen stared intently at me, as though trying to determine whether I was lying.

I was genuinely conflicted, and I hesitated. After all, I thought of Peng Qian’s group. My heart suddenly began pounding, and I wondered whether it might have been Peng Qian’s people who had attacked Luo Wei, whom we had just seen.

The moment Peng Qian abandoned Lan Fang, it became clear that he was extremely selfish. A man who could abandon his own colleague—and even his employer—was capable of anything. And Jia Lue, who was with them, seemed just as dangerous.

I vaguely remembered that they had a multifunctional knife. Luo Wei had clearly had his throat cut with a sharp weapon. I did not know whether he had died immediately, but he had obviously lost too much blood because of it. Although I had no fondness for Peng Qian, I knew that if Brother Wen learned the truth, he would certainly lead his people against them.

There was no real bond among those people, but most of them were ordinary survivors. If Brother Wen truly became angry and decided to deal with them, they would probably all suffer. That was why, although I could not exactly call it concealment, I thought that since we had already separated from them, the least I could do was say that no one else remained with us.

But before I could speak, Qu Xiang answered in a panic, “No, no one else. There are only three of us together!”

“Hmm?” Brother Wen hesitated slightly as he gazed at the river. “That’s strange. It’s very possible that there are other survivors who were with you—survivors you don’t even know about…”

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Suddenly, he looked at me and said quietly, “You’ve seen it yourself. These people are ruthless. Be careful.”

He seemed about to leave, but his eyes suddenly fixed on a certain spot.

“Although I can’t say for certain whether they’re truly vicious criminals, when people are driven to despair, they’re capable of anything.”

“You… you people…”

Hearing his muttered warning, I suddenly felt my blood surge. I wanted to tell him what I was thinking.

But Brother Wen seemed to know what I intended to say. He turned away and continued, “I don’t think the people in my team will be willing to accept anyone else for the time being.”

He walked a few steps forward, then glanced at Qu Xiang and Lan Fang.

“I hope you can leave soon. From here, go about half a mile ahead and to the left. That’s where the great waterfall is.”

“We’ve been there, but we don’t know how to get up.” I sighed inwardly. There was nothing I could do, but after hearing Brother Wen say that, I could not help speaking.

“This entire area is, strictly speaking, our territory. How you get up the waterfall is your own concern.” Brother Wen had no intention of saying more. He did not even look again at the nervous Qu Xiang and Lan Fang. “You were lucky this time. If you’d run into anyone else around here, you probably wouldn’t have been so fortunate.”

“Thank you for the warning, Brother Wen.”

Although I had known the man only a short while, I felt that he possessed a remarkable charisma, both in the way he handled matters and in the way he treated others. Even though he was unwilling to take us in, I sincerely thanked him for showing us that much kindness.

I watched his figure disappear into the foliage in the direction the others had taken, and suddenly I felt a faint sense of loss.

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