Chapter 64: Was It Just a Dream?
Fang Xiaocao felt like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched Scarface Monster gripping Yun Luoshu.
She raised her gun and aimed at him, screaming hoarsely:
“Let her go!”
“I said, let her go!”
Scarface Monster simply grinned at her with his signature eerie smile.
Bang!
Fang Xiaocao fired a warning shot into the air, then pointed the gun back at him.
“I will really shoot!” she shouted desperately.
Scarface Monster, still smirking, slowly loosened his grip.
Yun Luoshu’s body collapsed weakly to the ground.
Seeing this, Fang Xiaocao’s eyes burned with rage.
She didn’t hesitate.
She pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
She kept firing mechanically.
Click—
The magazine emptied.
But when she lowered the gun—
Scarface Monster was already gone.
She threw the gun aside and sprinted into the forest.
Right now, her only thought was to save Yun Luoshu!
When she reached her, Yun Luoshu was lying motionless.
Fang Xiaocao approached, her whole body trembling.
She knelt beside her and checked for breathing.
There was still breath!
“Phew—”
She exhaled in relief.
“Thank goodness…” she muttered.
Rustle… rustle…
A sudden sound behind her.
Fang Xiaocao whipped out her backup pistol and fired without hesitation.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots in quick succession!
The muzzle flashes lit up the dark forest—
For a brief moment, she saw it.
Scarface Monster’s body—
A crimson, eerie blossom of blood bursting from it.
“Mm…”
A low groan.
“I hit him!”
Her heart leaped.
She wanted to pursue him, but—
She hesitated.
She couldn’t leave Yun Luoshu behind.
If she did, and Scarface Monster circled back—
The situation would spiral out of her control again.
Fang Xiaocao crouched, searching Yun Luoshu’s body.
Her gun was missing!
Scarface Monster had taken it.
“But…”
“Why didn’t he shoot me?”
She murmured, gripping her gun tightly in vigilance.
Hooking Yun Luoshu’s arm over her shoulder, she stumbled toward the camp.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly—
Three gunshots rang out.
Fang Xiaocao felt Yun Luoshu’s body tremble—
A warm, wet liquid splattered onto her face.
She froze.
Slowly, she reached up and wiped her face.
Sticky.
Dark red.
Her eyes widened in horror as she turned to look—
Yun Luoshu’s head—
Shattered.
“AHHHHH—”
“LUOSHU—!”
A piercing scream tore from her throat.
She cradled Yun Luoshu’s lifeless body, sobbing uncontrollably.
Through her blurred vision—
Yun Luoshu seemed to be smiling at her.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three more gunshots shattered the night.
Fang Xiaocao’s body jolted.
She looked down.
Her jacket—
Soaked in blood.
“I… got shot?”
Her mind registered the pain too late.
A sharp, unbearable agony spread through her body.
She gasped, blood spilling from her lips.
Dazed, she lifted her gaze.
Scarface Monster was still grinning.
His crude, makeshift pistol was smoking.
Instinctively, she raised her gun and fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Scarface Monster flinched—
And fired back.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire roared in the night.
The dark forest flashed with fiery bursts.
Then—
Thud.
Two bodies collapsed simultaneously.
Fang Xiaocao lay twitching, blood pooling beneath her.
Her breath came in ragged gasps, warm liquid bubbling from her mouth.
Rustle… rustle…
Footsteps approached.
A figure slowly walked up to her.
She forced her eyes open—
And saw—
Yun Luoshu!?
Her mind reeled.
Then—
Darkness swallowed her whole.
“Xiaocao, Xiaocao…”
In the abyss, a familiar voice echoed.
She tried to open her eyes—
But the searing pain in her skull dragged her back into unconsciousness.
Time blurred.
She didn’t know how long had passed before she slowly came to.
Above her—
A vast, hazy night sky.
“Wait…”
“Wasn’t I shot?”
She blinked, confused.
She felt her body.
No excruciating pain.
Only a splitting headache.
“I’m… not dead?”
She muttered.
Before she could process the relief—
The sound of chirping insects filled her ears.
A strange, overwhelming headache surged through her.
She winced.
“Hiss—”
It felt like needles stabbing her brain.
She lay there, waiting for the dizziness to fade.
When she finally felt strong enough, she pushed herself up—
Only for her limbs to give out.
She collapsed back onto the hard ground.
“Xiaocao’s awake!”
A voice exclaimed in delight.
Footsteps hurried toward her.
Fang Xiaocao blinked in confusion.
Before she could react—
Zhi Qi, Su Wanqing, Wen Shi, and Yun Luoshu had gathered around her.
“Xiaocao, are you okay?”
“How do you feel?”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Concerned voices bombarded her.
She stared at them, completely dumbfounded.
“Wait—”
“What… is happening?”
“Wasn’t Yun Luoshu shot too?”
“And… what happened after I was shot?”
“Why don’t I feel any pain?”
Her mind swirled with questions.
“What happened to me?”
She croaked.
Her gaze flickered between their faces—
Looking for any sign of a human skin mask.
Su Wanqing exaggeratedly sighed in relief.
“You just collapsed out of nowhere!”
“You scared us half to death!”
Fang Xiaocao frowned.
She turned to Zhi Qi.
Zhi Qi nodded.
“We were just getting ready to rest.”
“You and Luoshu said you were going to gather firewood.”
“But after just a few steps, you suddenly fainted.”
Fang Xiaocao instinctively looked at Yun Luoshu.
Yun Luoshu met her gaze and nodded.
“Yep, you just dropped like a log!”
“If you hadn’t been twitching and flailing like you were having a nightmare, I would’ve thought you were dead.”
Fang Xiaocao frowned deeper.
That brainless way of speaking—
It was definitely Yun Luoshu.
Everyone’s expressions seemed natural.
No signs of masks.
“Could it be…”
“It really was just a nightmare?”
Fang Xiaocao was full of doubts.
(End of Chapter 64)
