Chapter 23: Separation

Chapter 23: Separation

As they entered the "temporary safe zone," they saw a lush, green landscape.

The air was humid, the trees dense. Sunlight filtered through the continuous canopy of leaves, casting irregular patches of light on the ground.

Walking in such an environment, the cosmic radiation seemed to diminish considerably.

Jiang Yi and Ke Lin let their guard down, looking for supply packs as they went.

When they entered the training ground, the instructor hadn't mentioned the "temporary safe zone." They didn't know if supplies would be airdropped here like at the supply stations.

Moving forward, the two saw a hill less than a hundred meters tall. It was similarly covered in lush vegetation, but there was a large mine entrance, with abandoned railway tracks and loose rubble on the ground.

There were several more mine shafts of varying sizes ahead.

This area was once a mining site. After being abandoned, it had been reclaimed by nature, growing into its current state.

As dusk fell and with mutants prowling outside, Jiang Yi decided to spend the night in the "temporary safe zone."

Even without supplies or a medical scanner, having a place to sleep was good enough. Ke Lin needed rest in his current condition.

The two entered the mine. The further they went, the darker it became. Jiang Yi took out a flashlight from his bag, walking slowly at the front.

"Ke Lin, watch your step," Jiang Yi reminded.

There were many loose rocks in the mine, and the rusty, damp tracks were slippery.

"Yeah," Ke Lin nodded. His hand rested against the stone wall, and he noticed many vines growing on it.

Focused on the path ahead, neither of them noticed that the vines on the wall were silently extending and spreading with their steps, as if setting a trap ready to capture any prey that came near.

The surroundings were eerily quiet; even the chirping of insects gradually faded away.

Jiang Yi began to wonder if there was anywhere inside they could rest.

The so-called "temporary safe zone" might only be "temporarily safe" for a short while and not intended for overnight stays.

"Ke Lin, let's go back," Jiang Yi decided to turn back. He'd rather find a shady spot under a tree outside than stay in this pitch-black place.

"Okay," Ke Lin agreed immediately. He had a bad feeling for some reason. This mine was strange; it was better to stay away.

Just as they turned around.

The vines clinging to the mine walls suddenly peeled away as if alive, forming a dense net that swept toward them.

The change happened too fast; they had no time to grab their weapons.

In that split second, Ke Lin shoved Jiang Yi out with all his strength.

"Ke Lin!"

Jiang Yi stumbled forward a couple of steps, trying to turn back and grab Ke Lin's hand, but Ke Lin had already withdrawn his hand even faster.

The surrounding vines rapidly tightened, binding Ke Lin tightly.

Ke Lin extended his long wolf claws, clawing desperately at the vines, not caring if he scratched himself.

His primary belief was to protect his master's safety even at the cost of his own life, but at the same time, he didn't want to be separated from his master.

But the vines were impossibly tough. Ke Lin could only tear at the surface layer, unable to break them completely. Moreover, more vines kept wrapping around him, leaving him less and less room to move.

"Ke Lin!" Jiang Yi's eyes blazed with fury as he rushed forward, trying to sever the vines with his Laser Blade, but to little avail.

Layer upon layer of vines coiled around Ke Lin, forming a dark green sphere and leaving him immobilized. He could only barely make out his master's anxious face through the gaps in the vines.

He wanted to say:

Master, get away.

Master, don't be sad.

Master...

Don't forget me...

The vines tightened, and the pain wracking his body made it hard to breathe. In the end, his lips moved soundlessly.

"Ke Lin! Don't—don't speak. Save your strength. I will definitely get you out."

Jiang Yi's voice trembled, his arms shaking uncontrollably. He had tried every weapon on him, but none could sever the vines.

He had already pressed the termination button earlier, but there was no response. His call to the teacher also went unanswered.

In this strange place, the communicator wasn't working!

After the vine sphere formed, the thickest vine at the top suddenly yanked, dragging Ke Lin rapidly toward the depths of the mine.

Jiang Yi unleashed all his supernatural abilities, trying to pull Ke Lin back. But the disparity in power was overwhelming. The vines only slowed slightly before abruptly accelerating, leaving several afterimages in their wake before vanishing.

Doubled over, hands on his knees, Jiang Yi gasped for breath. Despite using all his strength, he couldn't stop what had just happened.

His eyes reddened as he stared in the direction Ke Lin had vanished, a sudden tightness in his chest.

Calamity always strikes without warning. One moment, you're laughing and chatting; the next, you might be separated forever.

He didn't know if he could ever find Ke Lin again.

The pitch-black mine yawned like an endless abyss, and a wave of despair engulfed Jiang Yi entirely.

Outside the restricted zone.

Upon discovering that Jiang Yi and Ke Lin had fled toward the restricted zone, Jia Zheyu immediately sent them a message, but it went unanswered, sinking like a stone into the sea.

He decided to go look for them, and Lei Li volunteered to join him.

Dusk was falling as they approached a dense poplar forest fronting the restricted zone. The evening breeze rustled the leaves, creating a serene atmosphere.

However, the mutated creatures near the restricted zone were noticeably more numerous than elsewhere. The two intermediate-level mutants they'd met earlier had emerged from this very forest.

"Should we go further?" Lei Li asked.

Intermediate-level mutants could appear here at any moment, and even if they reached the restricted zone, they lacked the ability to rescue anyone.

Jia Zheyu gritted his teeth. "Let's press on a little. Maybe they're nearby and never actually entered the restricted zone. Jiang Yi takes his studies more seriously than I do; he wouldn't recklessly trespass into a restricted area. Perhaps they're just trapped by mutated creatures, and we can help them."

The map boldly outlined the "restricted zone" in red. Any student with sense would avoid this area, steering clear of even the poplar forest ahead.

How could someone as smart as Jiang Yi knowingly enter a restricted zone?

Jia Zheyu didn't realize that on Jiang Yi and Ke Lin's maps, there was no restricted zone—only a temporary safe zone.

"Jiang Yi! Ke Lin!" Jia Zheyu shouted their names.

But after more than ten minutes, there was no response. Jia Zheyu and Lei Li carefully picked their way through the woods. They were lucky not to encounter any mutants, but they also didn't find Jiang Yi or Ke Lin.

They stood at the entrance to the restricted zone. The map showed that just ten meters ahead lay the restricted zone.

Just as Jia Zheyu, his eyes red, was about to charge in to search for them, Lei Li stopped him.

"Don't go in. Students have gone in out of curiosity before and never come out. We don't know what's inside the restricted zone. If we go in too, there will be no one left to rescue them."

Jia Zheyu stared straight ahead, panting heavily. He knew Lei Li was right—if both of them entered, four people would disappear.

But he couldn't turn a blind eye to his good brothers being in danger.

Why didn't we all run together back then?

Why didn't he react sooner and stop Jiang Yi from running in that direction?

Wait, he remembered Jiang Yi mentioning a temporary safe zone.

A startling thought formed in his mind: Could it be that on Jiang Yi's map, the location of the restricted zone was labeled as "temporary safe zone"?

Jia Zheyu immediately checked the map with Lei Li. It was indeed marked as a restricted zone. He also called a few other classmates. Everyone's maps were the same, and no one had heard of any temporary safe zone.

Jia Zheyu's face darkened, a rare sight. Someone had tampered with Jiang Yi's map!

But now wasn't the time to point fingers. The most important thing was to rescue Jiang Yi and Ke Lin.

Without hesitation, Jia Zheyu pressed the termination button to seek help from the rescue team.

Seeing this, Lei Li swallowed the words he was about to say to stop him.

After all, pressing the termination button meant the end of the training camp—Jia Zheyu's run would be over.

After obtaining the coordinates, the rescue team arrived quickly.

But upon learning that they were there for two students who might have mistakenly entered the restricted zone, and not the student who pressed the button, the rescuers hesitated.

They had never entered the restricted zone either. Who knew if they'd make it out? They were professional rescuers, yes, but they could only handle high-level mutants, not the monsters inside the restricted zone.

"Student, do you have any evidence that someone entered the restricted zone?" a rescuer asked.

"I saw them running in this direction, and then we lost contact. They must have mistakenly entered the restricted zone," Jia Zheyu said loudly.

"So you didn't actually see them go in, is that right?" the rescuer pressed.

"I didn't see them go in, but they might not have known it was a restricted zone ahead. Because Jiang Yi mentioned running toward a temporary safe zone to me. Their maps might have labeled the restricted zone as a temporary safe zone," Jia Zheyu explained anxiously.

He felt he had explained it clearly, but the rescuers weren't entirely convinced. "The maps are uniformly produced and distributed by the school's academic affairs office. There can't be any mistakes. You haven't seen their maps, right? These are just your speculations. Why don't we search other areas first?"

"They're not answering calls or messages. They've disappeared. Where else could they be if not trapped in the restricted zone?"

"It's also possible they lost their communicators during a fight..."

"Enough! If you're afraid to go in and rescue them, just say so!" Jia Zheyu finally saw through the rescue team's subtext. Furious, he dialed the lead teacher's number.

After listening, the lead teacher was also somewhat incredulous, but maintaining his professionalism, he told Jia Zheyu not to act impulsively and that he would report the matter to the school leadership.

As for how to handle it, the leaders would need to discuss it before replying.

Jia Zheyu's face darkened when he heard that, and he hung up.

He'd check on the map situation once Jiang Yi and the others were out.

Right now, the most important thing was to find them first.

After a wave of extreme anxiety, Jia Zheyu suddenly calmed down, thinking over and over in his mind: who could he call right now to get Jiang Yi and Ke Lin out?

Author's Note:

Is it possible that Jiang Yi and Ke Lin might find their own way out?