Chapter 148: Butterfly
The road stretched out rugged and uneven under their wheels. The air hung thick with a bizarre scent, blending the must of rotting earth with the faint, lingering sweetness of burning incense.
Above them, the sky was an eternal, sickly yellow. There was no sun, no moon, and not a single star—only an oppressive, murky ceiling of clouds that felt low enough to crush them at any moment.
Withered tree branches swayed stiffly in the silent draft, looking like countless skeletal hands reaching hungrily toward the passing vehicles.
From those bare, dead boughs, tiny specks of pale light began to drift free. Floating together above the dirt track, the motes coalesced into butterflies shimmering with strange, iridescent hues.
Lin Huai spoke into her comms without hesitation: “Everyone, stay sharp. Follow the butterflies. Those butterflies are your soul-guiding lamps.”
“Brother He Ping, patch through to Brother Long’s unit and make sure their side has the same information.”
Peace and Violence’s steady voice crackled through the private channel: “Don’t worry, Boss. We’ve already linked our channels. Fortunately, Little Yellow is riding in their formation, and his spatial skill allowed us to bridge the connection across the boundary.”
The Young Miss let out a light laugh. “Little Yellow really turned his luck around this time! From an overlooked driver to our most indispensable tactical support. Peace and Violence deserves plenty of credit for coordinating it, too!”
Lin Huai chuckled softly. “Every single person on this team has real value.”
Sister Cai’s cheerful voice chimed in right behind her: “Exactly! Exactly! Our lineup is solid from top to bottom. Everyone has their place.”
Shudao Mountain listened quietly to the warm banter through her headset, choosing not to jump in.
She was naturally quiet, and since she was the newest addition and had not fully earned her place among the core members yet, she felt a slight distance between them.
Even so, Lin Huai and the others never made her feel unwelcome. Whenever she stayed quiet, no one pressed her or forced awkward small talk. They simply gave her clear, direct tactical instructions, which helped ease her nerves significantly.
Hearing Lin Huai calmly guide the convoy’s spacing and remind everyone of potential hazards, Shudao Mountain grew deeply impressed. Lin Huai clearly understood the strengths, habits, and limits of every single squadmate, seamlessly placing each person where they could shine the brightest.
A pang of self-reproach touched Shudao Mountain’s heart. By comparison, her own performance as a top-ranked district leader had fallen far short.
She had always favored a relaxed, hands-off approach to governance. No matter how unruly District 390 became, she rarely stepped in to crack down. Even within her personal party, she had avoided taking firm command, allowing every member to vote and debate on every minor decision to preserve a sense of fairness.
Remembering the endless arguments and hesitation that had plagued their past missions, she realized that blindly chasing equality had actually ruined their team coordination.
Still, one puzzle lingered in her thoughts. Lin Huai was far from an overbearing tyrant, so how had she won such complete, unquestioning loyalty from powerhouse veterans like Dragon Emerging from the Sea and Old Wang? In Shudao Mountain’s experience, strong male players rarely took orders from a female leader without friction; groups almost always fractured into petty factions.
Yet Lin Huai held them together with effortless authority.
The more Shudao Mountain thought about it, the more remarkable Lin Huai seemed. It only reinforced that surrendering her territory had been the smartest choice she ever made.
Leading the convoy, Lin Huai steered her hearse steadily along the dirt road. Between the high-definition feeds from her external cameras and the automated tracking of the Yellow Springs Road Guide, the navigation system locked onto the glowing butterflies automatically, sparing her from straining her eyes.
Even so, Lin Huai refused to lower her guard. Standing tall behind the wheel, she kept her eyes fixed on the murky path ahead.
Sure enough, a three-way fork appeared in the road shortly after.
“Boss, there’s a three-way split coming up! Which route are we taking?” Sister Cai called out the moment the junction came into view.
Before Lin Huai could reply, the Young Miss let out a startled cry: “Boss, my butterfly vanished! What do I do if I can’t track it?”
Milk Tea’s voice turned anxious right after: “My butterfly veered straight into the right path! Did yours head right as well?”
Peace and Violence reported calmly: “The butterfly leading my vehicle entered the left fork.”
Listening to the channel dissolve into sudden confusion, Shudao Mountain’s usually steady tone carried a hint of panic: “Um… my butterfly just split into two… and each one flew down a different path. Which one… should I follow?”
Lin Huai’s composed voice cut through the chatter like an anchor: “Keep calm, everyone. If you can see your guiding butterfly, follow it. Don’t worry about getting separated; every branch loops back to the same destination eventually, and we will regroup on the other side.”
“If your butterfly vanishes, keep your eyes on my rear bumper and match my line.”
“Shudao Mountain, your guide split into a pair. Look closely—can you spot any difference between them?”
Taking a deep breath, Shudao Mountain focused her gaze on the two fluttering shapes hovering near the junction, just as Lin Huai instructed. She did have a foundation in traditional metaphysics, after all.
However, after staring intently for just a few seconds, her head began to swim. The two shapes blurred, multiplying until five or six phantom butterflies danced before her eyes. Remembering the provision, she quickly tossed one of Cute and Sparkling’s Bursting Meatballs into her mouth.
A tangy, effervescent pop erupted across her tongue like sparkling candy. Her senses snapped back into sharp focus instantly. Looking again, she noticed that one butterfly was faintly translucent, while the other held a solid, steady luminescence.
She let out a soft breath, a confident smile touching her lips. “Boss Bone Ash, I see the difference now. I’m taking the right fork.”
Lin Huai didn’t waste time asking for details. Hearing the clear resolve in her voice, she nodded. “Good. We’ll meet on the other side.”
Lin Huai and the Young Miss steered their vehicles down the center lane. With the squad split across different routes, the path grew noticeably tighter.
The Young Miss’s motorhome trailed close behind the hearse. Her voice came over the radio: “Boss, I’ve lost the signal to Brother He Ping and the others.”
Lin Huai remained unfazed. “I noticed. It’s fine. We’ll link back up the moment we clear these branches.”
After driving for a few more minutes, a dense veil of pale yellow mist drifted across the road ahead.
Lin Huai’s brow furrowed. “Young Miss, pop one of Sparkling’s meatballs now. This fog carries heavy hallucinogens. Don’t let your guard down.”
“Got it, taking one right now!”
After warning her teammate, Lin Huai swallowed one as well. Between her mental resistance and her bag of specialized talismans, ordinary spiritual illusions posed little threat to her.
Once they punched through the yellow haze, the dirt path widened considerably.
The Young Miss let out a sigh of relief. “Boss, looks like we’re out of the fork! Sister Cai and the rest should be joining us any second.”
Right as the words left her mouth, she gasped, pointing eagerly through her windshield. “Boss, look up ahead! It’s Brother Long and his group!”
Lin Huai raised her eyes.
A short distance down the trail, Dragon Emerging from the Sea and Old Wang were pacing beside the road, their expressions tight with frustration.
Their convoy was parked haphazardly along the shoulder. Two of their vehicles sat tilted at awkward angles, their tires visibly shredded and flat.
