CH 11

Xiao Zhenyun was startled, and his body instinctively leaned backward, his grip loosening for a moment. In the next second, he heard a crisp cracking sound as the slender tree branch couldn’t bear his weight. The sense of weightlessness hit him immediately. Xiao Zhenyun couldn’t find anything to grab onto in time, and the continuous sound of breaking branches echoed. Soon after came a loud, muffled thud.

His entire back and the back of his head slammed onto the ground.

Though the rainforest’s muddy ground wasn’t too hard and was covered with fallen leaves, falling straight down from four or five meters high, even with two branches cushioning the impact, Xiao Zhenyun’s fragile body still suffered. The piercing pain spread from his back to the limbs he could still feel, especially when his head hit the ground; he nearly blacked out.

The forest birds scattered, and he lay on the ground, struggling to breathe.

In a daze, as if he had fallen asleep for a while, Xiao Zhenyun regained some strength. His palms were scraped and sore to touch, his face also feeling pain, probably from scraping it unintentionally. His back was the worst hit; even if it didn’t bleed, it would surely be covered in bruises. He strenuously moved himself to lean against a tree root and summoned his only companion, the stag.

The deer circled anxiously around Xiao Zhenyun, unsure of what to do.

“You…” Suddenly, Xiao Zhenyun remembered he hadn’t given a name to his spirit body yet. Si Chu’s dog was called Xiao Mu, Ye Feiran’s peacock was named Ye Zi, both names followed their owners’ names. As for Si Di’s wolf, it was named Tai Ji, reflecting the spirit body’s characteristics.

What about his deer?

Well, surviving should be the priority before thinking about this question.

Xiao Zhenyun tried to climb onto the deer’s back, but his current body simply didn’t have the strength for it. Struggling a few times only exhausted him further. He could only settle for a compromise and said, panting, “Help me find some water.”

He picked up a few relatively clean leaves and stacked them into a rough container, asking the deer to carry it. “Not too much, hurry back.”

The stag bowed its head and swiftly disappeared into the forest.

Xiao Zhenyun dared not close his eyes, fearing some poisonous snake or insect might emerge. But he was also exhausted, half-closing his eyes, lying weakly on the ground. There seemed to be no water source nearby, and the stag hadn’t returned for quite a while. Instead, the scattered spots of light through the layers of leaves were gradually drying him out. He painstakingly moved himself to a shadier spot, trying to avoid being roasted under the scorching sun.

His originally relatively clean clothes were now soaked with sweat and mud, crumpled into a mess, sticking to his body. His soft long hair was a tangled mess, with bits of twigs and leaves stuck in it. Xiao Zhenyun knew that his appearance must be utterly pitiful at this point, but luckily, he was still alive, and there was a world administrator behind him. After the spacecraft’s crash, even if others couldn’t do anything, Xiao Nian would surely find a way to locate him.

He didn’t know how long had passed, but Xiao Zhenyun faintly heard footsteps approaching him. His first reaction was that the deer had finally returned with water. But the footsteps didn’t quite sound like that; they were more like human footsteps, cautious and observant, occasionally pausing to inspect the surroundings for a long time.

The tracks seemed highly suspicious. Could it be that he had guessed wrong, and this wasn’t some uninhabited island in the middle of the vast ocean? Who could be coming?

Regular travelers, hunters, or residents would be fine; he wasn’t even afraid of them demanding a hefty ransom on the spot. But what if it was a fugitive, someone wanted for murder and smuggling? They might draw their knife and kill him on sight. Even more extreme, it could be a tribe with a different language and backward civilization, still practicing cannibalism…

In that moment, Xiao Zhenyun didn’t know whether he should make a sound to attract the other person’s attention.

Hesitating, the figure gradually and leisurely approached the direction where Xiao Zhenyun was. Xiao Zhenyun tensed up, waiting anxiously until the last obstruction of branches was split open with a knife. Then, a pair of wide palms pushed away the fallen leaves, revealing dusty silver-white short hair emerging from behind the foliage. Unexpectedly, they both stared in astonishment.

“Si Di?”

“Xiao Zhenyun?”

Si Di didn’t look great either, with disheveled clothes and mud smeared on his face. His left arm seemed broken, and he had tied a piece of cloth torn from his sleeve around his chest.

After the surprise, alarm bells rang in Xiao Zhenyun’s mind. He instinctively backed away; he would never forget this person, the enemy who had pointed a gun at him during a banquet in his own home, not far from the powerful figures of the entire Union guild. This person had stared at him with the most ruthless eyes, vowing to take revenge. He was a madman.

Moreover, on this remote island with no witnesses and nowhere to escape, Si Di could easily kill him and bury him without anyone ever knowing.

Si Di seemed to realize this too. His wide eyes, originally filled with surprise, narrowed in an instant, replaced by darkness and hatred. He concealed the slightly dull knife he used to clear the path and swiftly took another sharp knife in a reverse grip, perfect for slitting throats.

Kill him, kill this despicable scum, now was the best opportunity!

“Si Di…” Xiao Zhenyun anxiously looked in the direction the stag had left. His spiritual body had traveled too far; he couldn’t recall it instantly, and even if he tried the method to bring it back directly to the spiritual domain, he didn’t have enough mental power to summon it again.

In this situation with no direct evidence to prove his identity, he couldn’t simply say, “I’m your dream lover.” Otherwise, it might have the opposite effect, and Si Di could think he was about to die and was desperately impersonating his savior, which would enrage him further, leading him to change the way of killing from a swift death to a lingering torture.

Si Di took two steps forward, looking down on Xiao Zhenyun from a higher viewpoint.

He saw Xiao Zhenyun’s weak, trembling legs that could no longer stand, his ugly, withered appearance resembling a dried yellow branch. He saw him lying helplessly on the ground, struggling with nowhere to escape. He saw how the sleek black hair Xiao Zhenyun used to manage, now looked like a clump of weeds. He looked into his eyes, like frosted sapphires reflecting fear and something he couldn’t understand.

This trash shouldn’t have such clean eyes. Si Di’s anger surged.

He remembered his fallen comrade from the Storm Team, who also had blue eyes, but they were genuine sapphires, dazzling and bright, shimmering brightly when he smiled. That comrade was the youngest sentry in the team, frugal and unwilling to drink even when eating barbecue, saving money to treat his guide.

Seven comrades, five sentries, two guides, all were his brothers who had been with him since graduation, going through life and death together, calling him leader, elder brother, or little wolf… They all died that night.

Died at the hands of a bunch of scum.

Xiao Zhenyun heard the sound of Si Di’s breath becoming rapid. Standing about two meters away from him, Si Di tightly gripped the handle with his right hand, veins bulging.

It was heartbreaking for Xiao Zhenyun, feeling utterly miserable. The MP Institute wanted him dead, and so did Si Di. He was caught in the middle of it all, though he wasn’t responsible for any of it. He was just a pitiful traveler, burdened with unspoken sorrows.

He couldn’t just sit and wait to be killed. Xiao Zhenyun knew he had to do something, anything, but his mental exhaustion combined with the suppressive effect of the fusion state inhibitor left him powerless. He couldn’t even summon his deer horns and ears.

All he could do was hold his breath and meet Si Di’s gaze.

In Si Di’s eyes, Xiao Zhenyun saw pain and struggle.

He was taken aback, momentarily forgetting his fear, and only puzzled as to why Si Di would reveal such a look.

Trembling, as a knife-wielding executioner facing the indirect murderer of his several dear friends, Si Di hesitated and trembled.

Si Di didn’t move, and neither did Xiao Zhenyun. The two stood there in a stalemate for quite some time, until suddenly, the silver-haired sentinel’s grip loosened slightly, like a sheathed blade. The sharp edge that nearly cut into Xiao Zhenyun faded away. Si Di seemed exhausted all of a sudden. He sheathed his knife, turned around, and left without a word, not even looking back.

Unlike his leisurely approach earlier, Si Di’s departure was resolute and rapid. The sound of his footsteps vanished in just a few seconds. Xiao Zhenyun didn’t understand his intentions. Perhaps Si Di thought sparing him from death was punishment enough, or maybe he believed leaving a paralyzed, mentally drained cripple alone on this deserted island would be a death sentence without him getting his hands dirty.

In any case, Si Di seemed to want Xiao Zhenyun to fend for himself.

Xiao Zhenyun was somewhat surprised; if roles were reversed, he would never spare the other person a chance to live.

But regardless, he had reclaimed his life once again. Xiao Zhenyun relaxed and lay down, too tired to move even a finger. He closed his eyes to rest and quietly waited for the return of the stag.

Before a minute had passed, the sound of human footsteps approached again, coming from the same direction as Si Di’s earlier appearance. Xiao Zhenyun couldn’t believe it. What the hell? Again? Who is it?

Before his eyes stood the tall, silver-haired sentinel, with anger still evident on his face. This time, his anger wasn’t suppressed or icy; it blazed hotly, plainly displayed.

Xiao Zhenyun hurriedly tried to speak, “Listen to me—”

But before the words could leave his mouth, Si Di half-crouched and clenched his fist, the size of a sandbag, and without any hesitation, he pounded Xiao Zhenyun’s abdomen. There was no trace of mercy. Xiao Zhenyun felt like all his internal organs were pummeled together by that single blow, and his head, just recovering from the previous impact, hit the rough, hard tree trunk again, causing his brain to spin.

What the f*** is wrong with you?!

With this unsaid rage, Xiao Zhenyun promptly lost consciousness.

Last time, when he fainted, Xiao Zhenyun remained unconscious for over twenty hours, not remembering how he ended up stranded on this deserted island. This time, it was somewhat better, as he regained consciousness within a quarter of an hour.

Upon waking up, his first thought was, “Have I been waking up multiple times today, back and forth?” His second reaction came swiftly, “I actually managed to wake up again after falling into Si Di’s hands?!”

The sensation beneath him was peculiar— firm yet somewhat elastic, continuously jolting and occasionally knocking against his abdomen, causing a painful soreness. Xiao Zhenyun let out a low moan as he slowly opened his eyes.

He was on Si Di’s back.

Si Di had tied them together with a climbing rope, folding Xiao Zhenyun’s left leg to avoid contact with the ground, and then held his right leg with one hand as he walked through the dense rainforest, stepping deep and shallow.

Xiao Zhenyun wasn’t sure of the situation, so he refrained from speaking. However, Si Di sensed his awakening through changes in his breathing.

“Don’t move recklessly or say anything unnecessary. Don’t try anything funny; I’ll regret not throwing you down at any moment,” Si Di’s tone was harsh, but he kept a firm grip on him. “This is a deserted island at the center of the Sada Ocean, with no signal whatsoever. Currently, there are only the two of us on this island. If I die, you won’t live either, so put away your schemes.”

Xiao Zhenyun listened in surprise, unable to resist reaching for his head. It felt slightly itchy, but nothing came out, and there was no trace of the stag around. The foolish deer was probably still focused on finding water…

Si Di had no idea that Xiao Zhenyun was the owner of the deer, yet he still saved him.

…Si Di actually saved him?!

“I told you not to move!” Si Di’s tone grew even more fierce, but Xiao Zhenyun, at this moment, couldn’t muster any fear. His voice carried genuine and straightforward doubt, “Why did you save me? I’ve provided the MP Research Institute with substantial funds and weapons. I… I coveted your brother, I’m thoroughly evil, and in the book, I actually killed you…”

Suddenly, he felt something hard pressing against his buttocks. Turning his head, he found it was Si Di’s enormous wolf tail extending from his coccyx.

Without a word, the owner of the wolf tail lifted him upward and continued walking forward in silence.

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