Chapter 25: Speculating on the Situation

We were moving quite slowly at this point, and I dared not let Qu Xiang keep the small flashlight on constantly. I had realized that this high-intensity flashlight was simply too bright; without exaggeration, its beam could radiate thirty degrees to both the left and the right. If those people hadn't gone far, they might return to cause us trouble just to get their hands on the light.

Therefore, I had Qu Xiang turn it on for short bursts. Once we caught a glimpse of the surroundings within a few dozen meters, we would rely on our memory and slowly move forward for a while. Now that we had lost our supplies, we felt a bit more relaxed, yet there was also a lingering sense of resentment.

I felt a pang of regret. The food and water were secondary; what really bothered me was the machete tucked into the back panel of my backpack. Because it was embedded within the padding, someone who wasn't looking carefully would never have known the trick to it. However, in this environment, given the need to distribute supplies, I suspected they might even rip the backpacks apart. At that point, even a scrap of fabric would reveal the blade. Thinking of this, I still felt a deep sense of loss.

Of course, having the lighter gave me much more confidence, even if we faced trouble in this rainforest! The greatest milestone in the transition from savages to primitive humans was the mastery of fire.

We soon arrived at our destination: a massive banyan tree, the sight of which was truly breathtaking. But at that moment, we were in no mood to appreciate it. After all, this short distance had taken us nearly half an hour to cover.

I took a look at the hollow formed by the aerial roots; it really resembled a tiny treehouse. Although the gaps between the roots were not perfectly sealed—likely having formed over many years as the roots drooped and took hold—it was clear it would be drafty, and the space was no more than about ten square meters. Still, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the entrance to the hollow was raised more than two feet off the ground, with interwoven roots forming a natural threshold.

I had Qu Xiang take Lan Fang inside, then I found a patch of tall thatch grass nearby and used the blade from my trekking pole to cut a large bundle. Adding some small branches and leaves from the banyan tree, I piled it all into the little treehouse. It instantly made the space much more comfortable to sit in. Lan Fang, perhaps due to the medication and the newfound sense of security, soon drifted into a hazy, sleepy state.

I didn't let Qu Xiang come out just yet. Having tested the lighter and found that the flint was still striking sparks, I went off to gather plenty of fine leaves, dry grass, and, of course, some deadwood.

Because of the climate in the rainforest, the deadwood wasn't completely dry, but after a while, fueled by the dry grass and fine leaves, the fire began to catch. After a burst of rolling blue smoke, the flames finally took hold in front of the tree hollow. Once a real fire was burning, even adding the damp branches caused them to gradually ignite. As the saying goes, wet wood makes for a fierce fire.

I even fashioned a rack out of tree branches beside the fire. In truth, I was indulging in a daydream, thinking how wonderful it would be if I had a lamb to roast over the flames. I knew this was just a fantasy, but it helped me hold onto a sense of hope. To Qu Xiang, however, it must have looked as if I were simply sitting before the fire, lost in thought.

"A-Jing, tell me, that person we found in the river earlier... do you think their throat was slit by a blade?" Perhaps seeing that Lan Fang was asleep, Qu Xiang shifted slightly and asked me this suddenly. She and Lan Fang had been at a distance earlier, but now her voice trembled, carrying a note of deep contemplation: "They had knives earlier... do you think... could it have been them?"

"Actually, you observed very closely. You noticed that too?" I looked up to see her cautious expression and scanned our surroundings. It was completely dark all around, and I had no doubt that something could emerge from any direction at any moment. It wasn't just the possibility of people lurking; the wild beasts were also eyeing us as prey.

"The iron spikes Peng Qian and the others were using... I saw they were the same weapons that Brother Wen and his group had!" Qu Xiang seemed to take a deep breath, and then, driven by a sudden, fearful realization, her face turned even paler, even though she clearly didn't want to believe it. Sitting in the tree hollow, she pulled her knees to her chest, her eyes wide with terror as she looked at me: "A-Jing, do you think they... stole those weapons from someone? Has everyone really become so desperate for survival that they can just kill without a second thought?"

"Perhaps, in some people's minds, doing something like that is as simple as slaughtering a chicken or a pig." In truth, I held life and death in great reverence, but witnessing such things firsthand had inevitably changed me.

"Maybe... once they've done it and seen blood, they just get used to it," I said. I knew Qu Xiang was simple-hearted; she clearly didn't see through things as clearly as Lan Fang. But I couldn't provoke her further; the reality was too harsh, and even I struggled to face it directly.

After all, she was just a girl, and being too blunt with her would be unfair. I wasn't trying to act brave, but there were some things in life that one simply had to confront.

"In that case, I'm glad we didn't go with them," Qu Xiang said, her voice small but filled with a sense of relief.

"Staying with them meant more people, which could have been useful for many things, but now we don't even know where we are," I sighed slightly and looked at Qu Xiang. "If no rescue comes, and if what Brother Wen said is true, how long do you think we can hold out?"

"Staying with them would have been a death trap. If they really were the ones who did that, I believe they won't even last three days before they are swallowed up by others!" Qu Xiang suddenly became agitated, her voice trembling as she realized the danger surrounding Brother Wen and his group.

Sure enough, she looked at me with horror: "For starters, Brother Wen and his people won't let them off!"

"Don't think about it so much. Besides, they have nothing to do with us anymore, right?" I didn't want Qu Xiang to carry too much of a burden, so I steered the conversation away: "Our priority now is to find a way out of here, and just make sure we don't starve to death!"

"A-Jing, I suddenly realized that if there is a chance to get out of here, it must be along this little river!" Qu Xiang wasn't stupid; perhaps the shock of the day had been too intense, but after my words, she managed to calm down again.

"Before help arrives, I fear we will either starve or die of thirst here. So, the most important thing right now is to stay alive!" I had no doubt that if we went two days without food, we would become someone else's rations.

Surrounded by the smoke of the fire, the darkness seemed to grow even deeper.