Chapter Four: Speculation

Seeing Lan Fang’s silent expression, I suddenly felt uneasy. Clearly, she and I were not close, and Qu Xiang’s words only heightened her anxiety.

Although her life would surely be in danger by then, we truly had no choice. After all, what we had done was, strictly speaking, a private boundary breach. I knew that help might not come, but trouble could arise at any moment.

Of course, at this moment, I would rather someone come. Though the outcome was uncertain, at least Lan Fang would be safe! But this unease was only one kind; another was hunger.

In such circumstances, it was hard not to feel hungry. And since Lan Fang was injured, enduring hunger was even more unbearable for her.

Is it that when a person’s heart lacks something or fears something, they worry even more?

I thought it must be so. Although I tried not to hide anything, I felt my expression and eyes had completely betrayed me. “Sister Fang, are you hungry?”

Though I never cared about others’ opinions, facing this boundless rainforest, I truly didn’t know what to do! Where were we exactly? How far had the water in the little river swept us away?

But Lan Fang seemed not to hear, her gaze drifting elsewhere, apparently ignoring Qu Xiang’s earlier words.

“Well, it’s not my stomach that’s hungry. Why am I so tense?” She smiled wryly, her voice low but clear enough for anyone nearby to hear: “Eat if you want, don’t if you don’t!”

I thought self-deception was possible, but I did not indulge in it. After all, she was usually the cold beauty at the company. I never imagined she would face this situation, and given her temperament, surviving seemed impossible. No wonder Peng Qian decisively wanted to abandon her.

Though I had only been with her a few days, since I had stayed behind, I naturally couldn’t show weakness toward her. If I couldn’t change her nature, we might really be stuck here.

Since I hadn’t found other food for the time being, I dug up some earthworms, then followed the little river and surprisingly found some small fish, though without tools, catching them was nearly impossible.

For the next two days, we ate fewer than twenty earthworms. After some wandering, we found a few wild banana plants. Using stones, we cut open the stalks and drank the water inside.

Lan Fang’s fever flared repeatedly. Qu Xiang and I searched upstream and downstream along the river and finally found a bag. Inside were two sausages and a few chocolates that had long melted. The most touching find was a roll of compressed biscuits and, to my surprise and delight, a small trekking pole.

This trekking pole thrilled me because I had one just like it. But my heart pounded anxiously as I unscrewed each extendable section—just as I suspected, each segment hid a secret.

I kept this to myself; Lan Fang naturally didn’t notice, nor did Qu Xiang. Moving from eating earthworms to having biscuits was progress. Given the uncertain situation, I rationed the biscuits to two pieces each for them daily, eating only one myself.

“No matter what, I’ll find a way!” After a helpless wait, as I rested, I saw Lan Fang trying to get up and instinctively reached to support her.

Unexpectedly, Qu Xiang beat me to her side: “Sister Fang, you’re not moving easily right now. Your injury is severe, and with your fever, don’t move around!”

Though her words were firm, I felt no assurance. I’d searched within a few hundred meters and found nothing. To be honest, I even hoped to see a snake—at least we could have a little meal.

I tried walking upstream along the river and unexpectedly came across a waterfall more than ten meters wide, with a steep drop over ten meters ahead. I attempted to dive into the pool beneath the waterfall to see if I could find fish to quell our hunger. But once in the water, I realized its icy coldness was unbearable—I couldn’t stay submerged even for a few seconds.

If I hadn’t been clever enough to grab a long vine about the thickness of a finger before entering the water, I might have frozen to death in that pool.

Qu Xiang dropped onto a rock by the water’s edge, her expression calm as she looked at me and said, “Sister Fang needs anti-inflammatory and antibiotic medicine. Otherwise, her wounds will fester and we’ll really die here!”

Thanks to the herbal remedies I prepared, Lan Fang stabilized somewhat after each dose. But the wound on her leg was clearly festering. I glanced at Qu Xiang with a strange feeling and asked, “Do you know where we might find those supplies?”

“We searched around here, but haven’t checked the waterfall above or the farther downstream area.” Perhaps sensing my sharp tone, Qu Xiang bit her lip and said, “Someone was carrying outdoor backpacks back then. Usually, those packs have emergency medicine. And I remember...”

“Remember what?” I asked anxiously. We were nearing three days here. My phone was the only thing left, but even in the sun, it had no signal. I was growing increasingly worried.

If we stayed here another night, the danger would be immense. This was a tropical rainforest, full of all manner of threats. We had no weapons or means to defend ourselves from beasts, insects, or any other dangers.

“Falling from such a height means the waterfall has a huge drop. Some stream above might have caught our luggage! Or the strong current swept it downstream like us,” Qu Xiang said thoughtfully, her expression resolute.

“We came here with over ten people, but a few are missing now. Does that mean they were less lucky than us?” I looked at Qu Xiang and then at Lan Fang, who faced away, her expression hidden.

“I tried upstream, but climbing the waterfall’s rock face is too difficult, so I gave up,” Qu Xiang coughed and said somewhat embarrassed, “If we can’t find anything downstream, the rock face is about two to three miles ahead—but we probably can’t go there now.”

“If we don’t go, who will? Why can’t we go now?” I asked impatiently. If we found no supplies downstream, I’d have no choice but to scale that towering rock wall and check the river’s upper reaches.

“Xiang Xiang, are you sure the luggage is up there?” Lan Fang suddenly turned around. Though pale, her gaze toward Qu Xiang was serious, carrying a weight we all felt.