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The person who walked in was none other than Xu Hang, the one everyone had been anxiously waiting for. Dusty and weary, Xu Hang opened the door to find everyone staring at him, while Deng Yinyin still held her arm up in a waving gesture.
The expressions on their faces were a mix of surprise, which dulled the joy of the moment. Chi Xiaoming merely glanced at Xu Hang with his dark eyes before casually shifting his gaze away.
Xu Hang had weathered many storms and wouldn’t let the attitudes of a few dampen his spirits. Besides, he was utterly exhausted and didn’t want to engage in any conversation or disputes.
Deng Yinyin was completely stunned, unable to regain her composure for quite some time, allowing Xu Nuan to be the first to greet Xu Hang.
“You made it! You should rest up quickly.”
Having taken the antidote, Xu Nuan felt revitalized. The lightness in her mind made it difficult for her to remain in a low mood. Even if something unpleasant occurred, her reactions were no longer extreme. Now that she had the ability, she wanted to help Gu Ze shoulder some burdens, and mending the relationship between Gu Ze and Xu Hang was crucial.
Although “mending” might be too strong a word, she didn’t want to see Gu Ze and Xu Hang interacting so coldly. The memory of Gu Ze’s intense confrontation with Fan Beibei over Xu Hang lingered in her mind; she couldn’t believe their friendship would end because of this game. Indeed, both Gu Ze and Xu Hang had changed, but some things remained unchanged, and she wanted to protect that.
With this thought in mind, she greeted Xu Hang with unusual cheerfulness, and he nodded in acknowledgment before dragging his backpack inside.
Once Xu Hang entered, everyone took a good look at him and realized that describing him as dusty was an understatement; “battle-scarred” would be more fitting.
Initially, they had only glanced at him and thought his dark Tactical Jacket looked disheveled and covered in dirt and dead leaves. But as they approached, they noticed numerous scratches on the jacket that were not immediately visible due to its wrinkles. Beneath those scratches lay wounds from which dried blood had seeped out, darkening over time—if one didn’t look closely, they would hardly notice.
Xu Nuan intended to ask him a few questions but was stopped by Gu Ze. Surprised, she quickly followed the long arm blocking her view back to Gu Ze and saw his tightly pressed lips.
People often reveal their emotions through habits that vary from person to person; however, many habits are universal. Knowing Gu Ze well, Xu Nuan could tell he wasn’t pretending—he was genuinely serious. Yet there was no anger in his seriousness, which struck her as odd.
Gu Ze’s behavior upon their reunion surprised Xu Nuan; she suddenly remembered she hadn’t asked him what he had gone through since they parted ways. Shaking her head to refocus on the present moment instead of dwelling on the past, she decided to save those questions for later.
Following Gu Ze’s lead, she remained silent and observed Xu Hang. After entering, Xu Hang’s gaze remained fixed on Chi Xiaoming without uttering a word; his dark eyes were deep like a tranquil pool, evoking a sense of unease in those who met his gaze.
Chi Xiaoming turned his head again, looking at Xu Hang. The two of them, with their expressionless faces yet turbulent eyes, locked gazes like thunder and lightning in a clear sky, creating an even more astonishing effect.
Neither of them spoke nor made any other movements, making it even harder for the others to break the silence. At this moment, Xu Nuan, who was full of energy, began to turn her head rapidly, thinking through the situation before her.
Xu Hang and Chi Xiaoming showed no emotion, but the atmosphere between them was heavy. Xu Nuan naturally believed that something unpleasant had occurred between the two. Their relationship had been good before entering this stage, so it could only mean that something had happened during their time in Love Path.
Love Path required many choices to be made, some of which slightly jeopardized one party's interests. Xu Nuan thought this way and logically concluded that a conflict must have arisen between the two as a result. Now that Xu Hang appeared so downcast and was staring intently at Chi Xiaoming, it indicated that Xu Hang had been at a disadvantage in the previous choices.
After much contemplation, Xu Nuan couldn't help but lick her dry lips. She wasn't skilled at mediating relationships between people; she was willing to adjust things between Gu Ze and Xu Hang because she valued Gu Ze. However, the situation between Xu Hang and Chi Xiaoming was beyond her reach.
This time, Xu Nuan chose not to speak up, but that didn't mean she would allow bad things to happen. She knew very well that if she could think of something, others could too. Since everyone remained silent, she decided to make someone else speak.
Xu Nuan happened to be sitting across from Deng Yinyin. Just seconds ago, Deng Yinyin had accepted the fact that Xu Hang had returned and sat aside, yet she still looked at Xu Hang with a complex expression. Xu Nuan didn’t know why Deng Yinyin wore such an expression, but that didn’t stop her from slightly provoking Deng Yinyin and redirecting her attention toward Xu Hang.
Deng Yinyin did not disappoint Xu Nuan’s expectations; she broke the deadlock between Xu Hang and Chi Xiaoming.
“If you’re back, you should wash up and rest for a bit. Once Yu Yu returns, we can head to the next stage.”
According to their usual habits, if they arrived at the Supply Station in the evening, they would definitely spend the night there. However, with the seventieth stage approaching and the secret passage right before them, none of them wanted to waste a single second; they all wished to push through to the next Survival Game during the night.
This was also why Xu Nuan had been concerned about why Xu Hang and Yu Yu hadn’t arrived yet; resting was fine while waiting, but if waiting conflicted with advancing through stages, it would draw attention.
Deng Yinyin understood this point as well; however, her words were much more straightforward than Xu Nuan’s and revealed her intentions.
At that moment, Deng Yinyin felt a bit nervous. If Xu Nuan or someone familiar with her were to observe closely, they would notice her unease—her hands were tightly clenched, beads of sweat were forming on her forehead, and her lips trembled slightly.
When Deng Yinyin waited for Xu Hang's response, she was not the type to lose face. She believed that Xu Hang had been taking care of her in the game because of Lan Ling.
However, this time the wait felt unusually long, so long that the caring smile on her face had frozen when she finally heard a cold laugh from Xu Hang.
The cold laugh startled not only Deng Yinyin but also Xu Nuan, who had been subtly hinting at Gu Ze, along with several others.
"Yu Yu is right here; there's no need to wait."
Xu Hang tossed the backpack he was holding onto the ground, and immediately blood began to seep out from it, staining the living room floor.
The sound of the backpack hitting the floor was like a funeral bell tolling. Xu Hang no longer looked at Chi Xiaoming, seemingly indicating that this matter had nothing to do with him. He rubbed his temples wearily and then sank into the sofa, which immediately sagged under his weight.
No one paid attention to Xu Hang's actions; they all stared blankly at the backpack.
The backpack provided by the Supply Station was quite large, capable of holding plenty of clothes, food, and medicine, but it could never fit a person. The blood-soaked backpack seemed like a bomb, drawing everyone's attention yet no one dared to approach it. They all noticed the irregular bulges on the backpack, which were also seeping blood, and collectively swallowed hard.
At this moment, Xie Huai also ceased to be despondent. Trembling, he pointed at the backpack and looked at Xu Hang with a terrified expression.
"What do you mean by that? How could a living person like Yu Yu be in that backpack?"
As he spoke, everyone realized what Xie Huai was implying, and Xu Hang's silence only confirmed Xie Huai's grim suspicion.
Xu Hang remained quiet, perhaps too exhausted or simply unwilling to respond.
Xu Nuan was filled with a mix of fear and anxiety. Naturally, she shared the same thoughts as Xie Huai and the others, but at that moment, her primary concern was for He Min. As she glanced over at He Min, she suddenly saw her lunge forward, panic etched on her face as she clutched the backpack tightly. Trembling, He Min opened the bag.
Xu Nuan felt an urge to look away; turning her head, she caught a glimpse of Gu Ze's profile. His gaze was clearly fixed on Xu Hang, who was leaning back against the sofa, head tilted slightly upward, eyes closed, appearing as if he had no intention of engaging with anyone.
This attitude made Xu Nuan frown. She had many speculations swirling in her mind, but knowing Xu Hang as she did, she found it hard to believe he would be so irresponsible as to leave everything unexplained. That was not in his character. Therefore, there must be deeper, unspoken truths at play.
As Xu Nuan distracted herself with these thoughts, a sudden scream from Deng Yinyin pierced through the air. Reflexively, she turned toward the sound and was met with a horrifying sight: He Min cradled what remained of a half-eaten head and some scattered human bones.
The half-head, so mangled it was unrecognizable, and the skeletal remains with only traces of blood left were unmistakably Yu Yu's.
No wonder Xu Hang had reacted that way. Xu Nuan felt nauseated by the scene before her but managed to suppress her discomfort more effectively than Deng Yinyin. The brutal death of Yu Yu demanded an explanation—not just for Chi Xiaoming but also for He Min.
At that moment, it was Xu Hang who needed to provide answers after his earlier cold laughter.
He Min was in pain; Deng Yinyin continued to scream; Xie Huai trembled uncontrollably; Feng Feng remained detached yet pale; while Xu Nuan held Gu Ze's hand tightly, drawing comfort from his warmth.
The number of deaths in this round had become alarmingly high, and when death became commonplace, it signified even greater dangers ahead.
However, they needed to find reasons for each death; otherwise, their group would struggle to hold together.
The Supply Station buzzed with noise, but eventually only the voices of two women rose and fell in a way that was both irritating and understandable.
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