For the next half-day, Gu Liang rested quietly in the hollow.
Emma remained nearby, gathering roots, herbs, and berries she recognized from her Earth knowledge for their anti-inflammatory or restorative properties. She crushed the herbs and gestured for Gu Liang to apply them to his wounds, while the berries served as nourishment.
Gu Liang accepted silently. The torment of high fever had forced him to face reality: any unnecessary stubbornness could prove fatal. He applied the medicine as instructed, chewing the tart yet potent berries, feeling his strength slowly, gradually return.
Their exchanges remained sparse, yet the tense, probing atmosphere had dissipated. In its place was a pragmatic calm.Emma would outline their next steps—which direction to head in the afternoon, aiming to find a more suitable spot for a short-term camp. Gu Liang would offer his observations—whether edible fungi grew nearby (he'd joined a wilderness survival club in college and possessed some basic knowledge)—or analyses of the terrain's contours.
This equal exchange based on their respective skills gradually restored some sense of control to Gu Liang. He was no longer a passive burden.
By afternoon, the sun grew scorching. Gu Liang felt much better—still weak, but at least able to walk without difficulty.
"We should move on," Emma decided after assessing his condition. "This spot is too close to water sources—it's not safe enough."
Gu Liang nodded, stood up, and voluntarily shouldered the pack containing most of their supplies. Emma, carrying her own massive backpack filled with core tools and weapons, led the way with her bow in hand.
They continued ascending with the terrain, where vegetation began shifting. Towering trees gradually gave way to more stunted shrubs and exposed rock. This signaled they were likely approaching a mountainous region—a place with wider vistas, but potentially fewer resources and greater exposure to danger.
As they walked, Gu Liang noticed Emma occasionally stopping to carve small arrowhead marks into inconspicuous tree trunks with her hunting knife, pointing back toward the path they had come.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Landmarks," Emma explained without turning her head. "To prevent getting lost, and to make it easier... if we ever need to retrace our steps."
Gu Liang instantly grasped the implication of "just in case"—if pursued by formidable enemies, a familiar path could be their only lifeline. Her caution permeated every detail.
As they traversed a rocky slope, Emma, leading the way, suddenly raised her fist again, signaling a halt. Her body instantly tensed into alertness, her gaze sharpening as she scanned a dense thicket of thorns ahead.
Gu Liang crouched instantly, using a rock for cover as his heartbeat quickened involuntarily. He sensed that familiar aura of impending danger again.
Emma listened intently for a moment before whispering, "There's movement up ahead. Not large animals... sounds like people talking. More than one."
Gu Liang held his breath, straining to listen, but heard only the whistling wind through the crevices. Her hearing, too, seemed far beyond ordinary. Was it a result of her "bestowed" constitution?
Emma motioned for him to stay put. Like a ghost, she used the cover of rocks and bushes to creep silently forward a distance before crouching behind a boulder to observe carefully.
After a moment, she crawled back, her expression grave.
"It's that bandit who escaped earlier," she whispered. "He's brought two accomplices back. They're searching near that thicket of thorns. Looks like they're looking for us."
Gu Liang's heart sank. Trouble had indeed found them.
"They're still some distance away, but they're blocking our path," Emma assessed the situation quickly. "Forcing our way through is too risky. If we try to detour, there's a steep slope on the other side. With your current stamina, it'd be hard to ensure safety."
She looked at Gu Liang, her gaze no longer purely protective but seeking his input. "What do you think?"
Gu Liang froze. She was asking his opinion? At a moment like this?
He forced himself to calm down, his mind racing. Three bandits, armed, familiar with the terrain. They were only two—Emma had a bow and hunting knife, while he was practically unarmed and wounded...
"We can't force our way through," Gu Liang assessed quickly, his voice tight with tension yet logically clear. "My condition will slow you down. Taking the steep slope is too risky, and if they spot us and pursue from behind, it'll be even more dangerous."
"What do you mean?" Emma looked at him, waiting for more.
Gu Liang's gaze swept over the rocky terrain. A bold plan began to take shape in his mind. "We might be able to… use this terrain to our advantage. They're looking for us, right? Then let them find what 'we' want them to find."
A flicker of surprise crossed Emma's eyes before turning to keen interest. "Go on."
Gu Liang pointed to a crevice nearby—easily observable yet relatively exposed. "We could deliberately leave a trace there, like a torn piece of cloth or footprints. Then—" His gaze shifted to several unstable-looking boulders above the scree slope. "We need a vantage point—somewhere high enough to observe their reaction and create... chaos."
Emma instantly grasped his plan—lure the enemy, observe, strike when the moment arises. This wasn't a head-on battle, but a battle of wits and terrain.
"A diversionary tactic?" she confirmed.
"Creating an opportunity," Gu Liang corrected, his eyes flashing with the cool calculation of an engineer. "If they spread out to search or get distracted by the 'accident,' we can take them out one by one or slip right through."
Emma stared at him for several seconds, her gaze as if seeing him for the first time. She'd always known he was extraordinary—not just resilient, but capable of clear thinking in dire straits. But now, he displayed tactical acumen.
"Good." Emma agreed without hesitation. "You set the bait—make it look natural. I'll scout for observation and sniping positions above." She handed him the relatively lighter stone axe they'd captured. "Take this for protection."
The division of labor was clear, and the action swift.
Gu Liang hesitated for a moment when the stone axe was offered, then took it with firm resolve. The rough wooden handle felt solid and weighty in his hand. He took a deep breath, suppressing his physical weakness, and began carefully setting up the trap.He tore off a small, bloodstained piece of dirty cloth from his previous wound dressing and deliberately half-concealed it in a crevice. Nearby, he hastily stamped several footprints with his feet, pointing toward the depths of the rock fissure.
Meanwhile, Emma, agile as a monkey, silently scaled the rocky slope and concealed herself in the shadows cast by several boulders. Her bow was already strung, her sharp gaze fixed like a hawk's, locked onto the direction of the thorn bushes below.
Time ticked by, the air seemingly frozen.
Gu Liang crouched behind another boulder, forming a diagonal angle with Emma. His hands gripped the stone axe so tightly his palms were drenched in sweat. He could hear his own heart pounding like a drum. This was his first time actively planning and executing an ambush against armed enemies.
Finally, rustling sounds and hushed whispers emerged from the thicket. Three figures cautiously emerged—the escaped bandit and his two accomplices. Armed with bone spears and crude stone knives, they scanned their surroundings with eyes both wary and greedy.
Soon, they discovered the "clue" Gu Liang had left behind.
The escaped bandit excitedly pointed at the cloth strip in the crevice, muttering something to his companions. The trio immediately fanned out, cautiously closing in on the rock fissure, their attention completely absorbed.
Now!
Emma's eyes narrowed sharply from above. She didn't aim at any of the bandits. Instead, she tilted the arrowhead slightly upward, targeting the edge of a weathered, precariously balanced rock above the crevice.
Whoosh!
The arrow left the bowstring, striking the fragile joint of the rock with pinpoint accuracy!
"Crash! Clatter—!"
The sound of falling debris echoed through the air. Though not a massive landslide, it created a startling commotion and a cloud of dust!
The three bandits about to crawl into the crevice were utterly terrified by this sudden "collapse," convinced they'd triggered an ambush or trap. Panic seized them, shattering their formation. Some tried to charge forward, others fled backward, colliding with each other.
"Go!" Emma signaled to Gu Liang from above, then swiftly emerged from behind a boulder. She nocked a second arrow, aimed at the feet of the most panicked bandit trying to flee toward them, and fired again!
Thud! The arrow plunged deep into the mud, causing the bandit to yelp in terror and scramble back, rolling and crawling in retreat.
Taking advantage of the chaos and lingering dust below, Gu Liang burst from his hiding spot and dashed along the pre-scouted route toward their planned direction. His heart pounded in his throat, yet his stride was unnervingly steady.
After firing her second arrow, Emma swiftly slid down the opposite slope without hesitation, joining Gu Liang.
Without looking back, they raced through the rocky terrain at top speed, plunging into a denser forest and leaving the chaos and curses far behind.
Only after confirming they were completely safe did they pause behind a large tree, leaning against its trunk and gasping for breath.
Gu Liang's face was even paler from the sprint and tension, yet his eyes burned with an unprecedented intensity. He looked at Emma, his voice still ragged: "We... we did it?"
Emma steadied her breathing and nodded, her gaze holding undisguised approval. "Very successful. Your plan was excellent." She paused before adding, "You adapted to the rules here faster than I imagined."
Gu Liang gripped the stone axe in his hand, feeling its rough texture. This time, he wasn't the one being saved, nor was he merely a follower. He was part of the plan, a member who helped resolve the crisis together.
He lifted his head to gaze at the sky peeking through the sparse trees. For the first time, the sky of this savage world no longer felt suffocating.
The edge had quietly revealed itself in the darkness. And the trust forged through fighting side by side grew stronger after this successful collaboration.
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