"How do we get rid of them?" Zhou You asked, ignoring the hand that Shao Qi kept on his waist. Shao Qi could have shouted a warning for him to dodge, making such protection seem unnecessary.

"Either start a fire or spray insecticide." Both lighters and insecticides were essentials in the wild. Shao Qi motioned for Zhou You to wait on a branch, sliding down using a vine. He then sprinkled a powder, killing a majority of the insects below. After swinging back and forth twice, most of the bugs were eradicated.

After traversing the insect-infested area, he shouted up to Zhou You, "Come on down, but avoid stepping there. Some might still be alive."

Zhou You gracefully descended, taking note of the insects' appearance: black carapaces, slender antennae with fuzzy tips. Apart from the menacing noise they made, they looked rather cute.

"Let's go. I noticed a cave over there, likely housing hibernating wild animals," Shao Qi led him deeper into the woods. They had left Jiangnan Base five days ago, traveling intermittently, covering only half the distance. They would spend the night nearby.

The two ventured out hunting. In reality, anyone in their group could handle this task, but Shao Qi found the others to be a hindrance. He looked for opportunities to be alone with Zhou You.

Was he not making his intentions clear enough? Everyone in the group seemed to understand, except Zhou You. Or did Zhou You truly not grasp his meaning? Why else would he accompany Shao Qi when he could have traveled alone?

"Stay here and keep watch. I'll check inside." At the cave entrance, Shao Qi donned a helmet and entered with a flashlight.

Zhou You surveyed the surroundings, noting the small trees and minor threats from wildlife. He noticed some fruit on a nearby tree branch and collected some.

With the landscape long covered by heavy snow, it was a marvel that the fruit had not rotted, though he was uncertain if it was edible.

From inside the cave, a humming noise of flapping wings grew louder. Zhou You turned to see Shao Qi frantically exiting, being chased by a swarm of black bats, their sheer number causing one's skin to crawl.

"Why is it a bat nest?" Zhou You rushed over to help, but Shao Qi yelled, "Stay back! There's a nest of white bats inside! Quickly, deal with them!"

Zhou You swiftly detoured into a cave. Although the entrance appeared small, the inside was unexpectedly spacious. It was pitch black without a trace of light. However, Zhou You had excellent hearing and could detect faint wing flutters and breathing sounds. He had to turn on his flashlight, or he wouldn't even know where the white bats were.

As soon as the light shone, a mass of bats immediately flew towards Zhou You. He quickly crouched and hurried deeper into the cave. He mistakenly thought the cave was small and forgot to ask Shao Qi where the nest of white bats was located. Just as the thought crossed his mind, the flashlight illuminated the ceiling, revealing the distinctively white bats. Unlike the other bats which scattered upon human entry, these remained calmly hanging upside down.

There weren't many, perhaps around a hundred. Zhou You took off his jacket, leaped, and managed to gather all the white bats into it. He then bundled them up and rushed out of the cave.

Shao Qi had already killed numerous bats. Seeing Zhou You emerge with another swarm, he turned and fled, not wanting to deal with these dirty creatures anymore. These mutated bats were not only larger but had lumpy growths on their backs, making them look particularly repulsive.

However, the bats that flew out became enraged upon seeing the corpses of their kin. They abandoned Zhou You and pursued Shao Qi.

Zhou You chuckled, leaving behind the words "I'm heading off first" before turning in a different direction to take a detour. From afar, he could still hear Shao Qi's complaint: "You're so unfair! Why did you leave on your own?"

Zhou You laughed, "Likewise! Don't worry, I'll share half of the spoils with you."

Back at the campsite, dinner was ready. Everyone saw Zhou You returning alone and assumed that Shao Qi had done something unethical and was abandoned by Zhou You. Cheng Yuran asked gleefully, "Why did only you come back? Where's Mr. Shao?"

Zhou You simply responded, "Behind me." He then asked Miao Miao to bring over a net bag and shook the white bats into it, proudly displaying, "See? Today's spoils."

The little white tiger strolled over, sniffed, and with a disgusted face, walked away. It lay down beside Zhou You, appearing listless ever since it lost sight of the mountains after leaving Jiangnan Base. It seemed to lack energy in everything it did.

Zhou You suspected it missed its home, the Yunlan Mountains where it was born. But when he tried to take it back, it showed no intention of leaving his side, so he brought it along.

Cheng Yuran and Long Qian nearly ran away in fright upon first seeing the white tiger. Its reputation alone was intimidating, let alone being this close to them.

After hearing Zhou You's explanation and learning that it had been living just beyond a wall from them, their expressions were priceless. They were ultimately won over by the tiger's majestic appearance and adorable demeanor, choosing to serve this little master.

"White bats, and so many of them. They'll fetch a good price," said Long Qian, who frequently hunted and was familiar with the market rates for mutated beasts. He glanced at the white tiger, seeing a priceless treasure in his eyes.

"Are they edible?" Cheng Yuran, finding the white bats cute, reached out to play with them but was pulled back by Long Qian. "Are you asking for trouble? Their saliva is poisonous. It can be used medicinally but can also be made into deadly toxins."

Cheng Yuran quickly wiped her hand on her clothes, stepped back, and commented, "The world is so hostile to humans. Every day we encounter either poisonous creatures or mutated beasts wanting to eat us. How are we supposed to live?"