Chapter 32: Violations

Seeing the blood on Huang Jianfen, even her jeans were completely soaked red. In the dim light, the sight was shocking.

"Don't be nervous. Use some clothes to cover the front and back wounds, then use the sleeves to wrap and secure them temporarily!" Although she was curvaceous, I had no mind to look; even after a fleeting glance, I kept my eyes nervously fixed on the bank.

Besides, who could say if Huang Jianfen might breathe her last at any moment? Despite my aesthetic appreciation, I felt a pang of pity. Seeing the holes in Huang Jianfen’s clothes, a thought suddenly struck me.

I signaled to Qu Xiang to submerge the garment she had removed into the water. By holding it at the perforated point, she could tear it underwater. This would prevent any noise and allow the fabric to be ripped apart smoothly.

Qu Xiang pressed the smaller piece against the front and back of the wound, then used the remaining strips of cloth to bind the area tightly. As she worked, her body trembled—perhaps from the chill of standing in the water, or perhaps from the sheer terror of the situation.

As for Huang Jianfen, I didn't know if it was due to blood loss, but her eyes had grown unfocused. I felt a subtle sense of sorrow; though we hadn't been close, we were at least acquaintances.

Seeing her body shivering uncontrollably, I wondered if her consciousness was beginning to slip away. I couldn't fathom what she was thinking, but her expression was utterly vacant.

"A-Fen, you must be strong. It’s alright, you’ll get better..." Whether out of sentimentality or pure kindness, Qu Xiang continued to comfort her.

"I don't want to die, Xiang... Xiang... I... don't want... to die..." In her delirium, Huang Jianfen suddenly gripped Qu Xiang’s arm, tears streaming down her face in the gloom.

"Don't talk nonsense. It's okay, we'll be fine!" Qu Xiang’s voice trembled. Perhaps trying to suppress her own fear, she mixed her comfort with a tone of reprimand: "We... we have to go back with Sister Lan Fang. We’ll go back together..."

"Keep your voice down..." I thought of that shadowy figure following us. Gripping my walking stick and the makeshift spike, I leaned toward the edge of the thatch, listening intently to the bank. Only when I was sure there was no movement did I feel a slight sense of relief.

Looking at Huang Jianfen again, I saw that she was staring at me. She still held Qu Xiang’s arm tightly, her eyes half-closed in a daze. "A-Jing... A-Jing... I... I don't want... to die..."

"Relax, it's fine. You won't die. Stay strong. Once we get through this danger, we’ll... we’ll take you with us..." In such a sorrowful situation, I didn't want to agitate her.

To tell the truth, I didn't even know if I was lying to her. After all, when she left with Peng Qian and his group, I had already categorized her in my mind. She wasn't exactly a person of principle; in the face of danger, she thought only of herself.

Perhaps I am stubborn, but that is my nature. Seeing Huang Jianfen's miserable state, my feelings were complex. It felt surreal to hear myself offering such empty comfort.

Qu Xiang and Lan Fang, having heard my words over the past two days, clearly seemed puzzled. They said nothing, but they watched their companion—who was now swaying in the water—with undisguised pity. If it had been Luo Wei, they might have remained indifferent, but Huang Jianfen was an acquaintance, and the impact on them was profound.

I kept my eyes on the shore. Partly because I was highly alert, and partly because I recalled that every time I met Huang Jianfen, it was in the company of Qu Xiang. In the beginning, she had even assumed Qu Xiang was my girlfriend.

Even our later interactions were brief—she would stand by and collect money when someone bought stones for me to cut. I admit I am not handsome, but I am certainly not ugly, and Huang Jianfen’s occasional glances had once led to a few narcissistic guesses on my part.

Now, driven by hunger and peril, our paths had crossed again, but my feelings were entirely different.

Moreover, given Qu Xiang’s reliance and trust in me, and Lan Fang’s injury, I understood that they had implicitly placed the weight of their survival on my shoulders. I knew the responsibility I bore.

*Snap!*

The sound of something tearing through the air was followed by a flash of cold light. A projectile sheared through several stalks of thatch and embedded itself in the blue stone beside us. The chill that washed over me made my hair stand on end. "Xiang, the three of you, don't move! I’m going to see what’s going on!"

I realized then that some things we simply could not escape.

A cold, sinister laugh echoed from the bank.

Though I couldn't see the figure yet, I quickly crossed past Qu Xiang, moving swiftly toward the side of the thatch nearest the water. I wanted to react with the greatest possible speed.

I couldn't be sure if this person had spotted us or was targeting our exact location. I needed to confront them from a different angle. When Qu Xiang had wanted to cross the rainforest earlier, I had refused.

I knew we couldn't make it out of this jungle. We wouldn't even cover half the distance before dying. I had heard that primeval tropical rainforests are man-eaters.

They look calm on the surface, but they are filled with hidden dangers at every step. One careless move, and you become fertilizer. Never underestimate these forests; once deep inside, you might not even survive the mosquitoes, let alone the miasma or mysterious viruses.

I knew that despair or giving up was useless. If we wanted to live, we had to be strong. Entering the jungle recklessly would be suicide. Of course, I also realized that waiting for rescue was impractical, so we had to find a way to save ourselves.

Now that the danger was upon us, I understood that if I didn't act, the next person floating in the river might be me—or all of us.