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The sudden strike caught Xu Nuan off guard, forcing her to instinctively twist her waist to evade it. Just as she barely managed to dodge, Wang Huacheng produced another knife, slicing directly toward her abdomen.
Behind her was a cliff, and scattered boulders surrounded them, none of which provided a place to hide. Gritting her teeth, Xu Nuan drew the knife from her waist and charged forward.
Wang Huacheng clearly did not expect Xu Nuan to come at him willingly. His initially fierce strike hesitated for a fraction of a second in mid-air. Seizing this moment, Xu Nuan swiftly drew the bayonet from the side of her backpack with her left hand and plunged it into Wang Huacheng's approaching arm without hesitation.
The ambush resulted in a deep gash on Wang Huacheng's arm, blood flowing freely, while Xu Nuan only had her outer clothing torn, escaping serious injury.
It was evident that Wang Huacheng's body had been affected by the explosion; his reflexes and attack power had diminished significantly. The ambush was his only option, and Xu Nuan, focused on the cliff below, had indeed exposed a weakness.
But he failed—that was the truth. This reality twisted Wang Huacheng's face in anger as he took a few steps back, his bleeding right hand gripping the short knife while he continued to glare at Xu Nuan. Meanwhile, the short knife in his left hand fell freely.
Xu Nuan remained vigilant against Wang Huacheng. Her back was already soaked with cold sweat; the fact that he was still alive shocked her, and she realized she had been too careless moments ago.
From her perspective, she noticed that Wang Huacheng's left hand lacked agility, even hanging awkwardly at his side. His steps were unsteady, indicating that his leg was also injured.
Though he appeared weakened, Xu Nuan dared not let her guard down. The fact that Wang Huacheng survived the explosion was surprising; his ability to chase her from the swamp could very well mean he had help from others.
Should she call out for help now?
Xu Nuan hesitated. If there were an ambush waiting for her, shouting would either put her in danger or endanger Gu Ze and the others—this was not a gamble worth taking.
Since she didn't know for sure, it might be better to test the waters; at least for now, she held the upper hand.
Resolute in her decision, Xu Nuan took two steps forward. When she saw Wang Huacheng retreating in one direction, she halted again.
"You’re still alive? Then you should cherish it; isn’t it a waste to come here willingly?"
"Shut up!"
Xu Nuan's calm tone only intensified the murderous intent in Wang Huacheng's eyes. The hidden madness and desperation made this man who had narrowly escaped death seem somewhat pitiful.
"If it weren't for you, how would I have ended up like this? You must die, all of you must die!"
Wang Huacheng desperately waved the bloodied short knife in his hand, inadvertently kicking away another short knife that had fallen to the ground. However, the direction was wrong, and that knife, which had not been of much use, ultimately fell off the cliff.
Wang Huacheng did not show any signs of regret; instead, his madness intensified. His eyes glinted like a starving beast, sending chills down Xu Nuan's spine.
"It was you who struck first; you have no one to blame but yourself."
Xu Nuan's face paled slightly. The cliff they were waiting on had too many traps. Back in the stone formation, she had triggered a new mechanism with just a turn, resulting in her being separated from the main group. The feeling of fighting alone was unbearable, especially after just having a conversation with Gu Ze. This outcome was something she could not accept.
"Heh heh, heh heh."
The hidden panic in Xu Nuan only made Wang Huacheng chuckle coldly a few times, and soon his laughter took on an eerie quality like that of a monster.
It was daytime; Xu Nuan was not yet at the point of thinking that Wang Huacheng had crawled back from hell. However, upon closer inspection, she noticed that his appearance had changed drastically. Wang Huacheng already bore scars on his face, his hair unkempt and somewhat long and messy. Now, parts of his hair were singed and drenched by Heavy Rain, matted with blood that clung to his face. His skin bore marks from being scorched by fire, displaying different colors mixed together. Coupled with his eyes radiating murderous intent, he truly resembled a demon.
"Since you managed to escape death, I see no reason to linger here any longer. Let’s part ways here, shall we?"
Xu Nuan did not intend to get entangled with Wang Huacheng any further; her concern lay with the few people trapped in the stone formation. Returning was her current priority.
"Bah!"
Wang Huacheng, who had been locking his gaze onto Xu Nuan, grew even more agitated. He swung the knife wildly in his hand as he stumbled forward. Xu Nuan suspected that his unstable mental state might lead him to fall off the cliff himself; however, she had no inclination to save Wang Huacheng at this moment.
"You and Gu Ze are both demons! You’ve plotted against me; I will kill you! I will never let you go!"
Wang Huacheng charged again, this time with a buildup of energy behind him. Without any surprise attack planned, he could only rush straight at Xu Nuan.
Xu Nuan frowned and resigned herself to the situation as she bent down. With one hand, she struck fiercely at Wang Huacheng while simultaneously kicking at his leg as he thrust down with his knife. As Wang Huacheng lost his balance from her kick, she straightened up abruptly and began to slash at him repeatedly with her knife.
Wang Huacheng, despite his injuries, was agile and strong enough to temporarily evade the attacks. However, this shift from attacker to defender left him feeling frustrated, causing his eyes to redden with rage, a fury that seemed to bleed out of him, startling Xu Nuan.
Though startled, Xu Nuan had no intention of showing mercy. Only by putting Wang Huacheng at an absolute disadvantage could she safely escape; otherwise, he would continue to be a thorn in her side. Killing Wang Huacheng was an option, but she bore him no grudge and had no desire to go that far.
"Why are you only targeting me and Gu Ze? Everyone is involved in this!"
Xu Nuan wielded both her dagger and fists with equal ferocity, not giving Wang Huacheng a moment's respite. As his fatigue became more apparent, she felt somewhat reassured that there were no hidden ambushers nearby.
Her words rang true. During the Arrogant Swamp incident, while everyone was frustrated and angry at the mechanical mice causing chaos, He Min's discovery had illuminated the situation. After some probing by Gu Ze and Xu Hang, it became clear that Wang Huacheng had little value left to them. The choice of sacrifice inevitably fell upon him. However, Xu Nuan had noticed that Gu Ze was merely testing Wang Huacheng. Had Wang Huacheng been willing to share details back then, Xu Nuan was certain he would not have become a sacrifice; they could have found another way to reach the Supply Station.
Unexpectedly, Wang Huacheng, usually indecisive, had shown remarkable bravery at that time, adopting a defiant stance that left Gu Ze with no choice but to go along with the crowd.
This was how Wang Huacheng ended up being sacrificed. They had devised a plan to trap him with the mechanical mice before swiftly retreating. After distancing themselves, they heard an explosion and assumed it was due to Wang Huacheng's reckless destruction of the mice that triggered the device.
Yet now, standing before Xu Nuan was a living man filled with hatred for her; she couldn't believe that escaping death would be so simple.
There must be complications involved. If Wang Huacheng revealed what he knew, she might let him go. But if he remained obstinate, she would no longer hold back; even if she didn't kill him, she would ensure he had no chance to retaliate.
"That's your own doing. If you have the guts, come seek revenge yourself; if not, get lost!"
Xu Nuan was resolute in her stance. He Min had suggested this approach—let Wang Huacheng direct his vengeance toward her—but his unwavering focus on her and Gu Ze was infuriating.
Someone was provoking Wang Huacheng, and even as Xu Nuan dealt with him harshly, no one came forward to intervene. She felt the weight of frustration pressing down on her.
With this thought in mind, Wang Huacheng became even more relentless. As time slipped away second by second, Xu Nuan's urgency to return grew stronger, while Wang Huacheng's stubbornness became an increasingly irritating obstacle.
In complete control of the situation, Xu Nuan delivered a flying kick that sent Wang Huacheng sprawling. No matter how weak he appeared in the end, he merely lay coldly staring at the ground where he crashed against a boulder, his face contorted in pain as he clutched his abdomen and trembled while reaching behind him.
"Do you really think those you protect and rely on will come to save you? Hold onto your foolish thoughts and perish!"
Perhaps it was Wang Huacheng's last desperate move that stirred something within Xu Nuan, prompting her to mock him coldly. Whether Wang Huacheng understood her meaning was of no concern to her.
What Xu Nuan did not know was that after she left without a hint of mercy, another person arrived at the Cliff.
Wang Huacheng was groaning softly, the pain from his broken bones and torn flesh contorting his features into a grimace. The wounds he had sustained from the explosion were now coming back to haunt him. For a brief moment, he truly believed he might die.
But the pain was a reminder that he was still alive. As long as he lived, there was hope. He regretted not choosing to side with Gu Ze, and now his situation felt as precarious as being on this Cliff—there was no way out. He could only follow the orders of that person, moving forward to fight for his survival, hoping to endure the impending chaos.
He heard the sound of stones being kicked, and at first, the footsteps seemed leisurely. However, Wang Huacheng's instincts kicked in, and he looked up in alarm. The panic in his eyes faded when he recognized who it was, and he forced a smile.
"I’ve done everything you asked of me. I stirred things up before, and now I’ve delayed Xu Nuan’s time as well."
A sycophantic grin adorned Wang Huacheng's face—one that Xu Nuan had not seen before—just as she did not know that the person approaching was someone she recognized.
"Now you should be able to plead my case to that person. Wu Wu’s incident was just my mistake; I didn’t expect Qi Huan to show up."
He watched as the newcomer approached him step by step, squatting down with a gentle smile on their face. He instinctively smiled back, but in the next moment, that smile froze, and it felt as if a knife had pierced his heart.
"You did indeed do well. This is your reward."
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