Chapter 123

Chapter 123

Jian Fan and Qin Nan were responsible for the first watch of the night.

Xia Zeqin, Yellow Hair, and Lu Jing were assigned the second half.

After a long day of exertion, everyone was exhausted. Although their stomachs were empty, the sheer weight of their fatigue pulled them into sleep almost instantly.

Xia Zeqin, however, was the exception.

He had exchanged more Points for food.

He drifted off to sleep only after his belly was full.

Inside the Cave, the only ones still awake were Qin Nan and Jian Fan.

Jian Fan sat there quietly, looking like a transcendent immortal who didn’t need to bother with the mundane world. He didn’t even seem to feel hunger. Qin Nan, on the other hand, had rubbed his own stomach several times.

Hungry and thirsty-it was truly miserable.

Jian Fan noticed Qin Nan’s restless movements.

He turned his head to look over, and then-

He reached out, pulling a pack of biscuits and a bottle of water out of thin air.

Jian Fan tore open the Compressed Biscuits and held them out toward Qin Nan. “Here.”

Qin Nan turned his head. Looking at the food in Jian Fan’s hand, his first reaction wasn’t to take it, but to stare in shock. “Do you really not care about your Points at all?”

First the Down Jacket, and now food-it pained Qin Nan to see it. Points were so difficult to accumulate, yet Jian Fan was spending them so recklessly.

Jian Fan remained indifferent. He nudged the biscuits closer, his tone blunt and decisive. “Are you eating or not?”

“I’m eating!”

Qin Nan immediately snatched the biscuits from Jian Fan’s hand.

The Points were already spent; it wasn’t like he could return the items. He’d be a fool not to eat.

Seeing that Qin Nan had taken the food, Jian Fan unscrewed the water bottle and handed it over as well.

Qin Nan took it. After wolfing down a few biscuits, his throat was parched; a few gulps of water made him feel significantly better. However, he hadn’t forgotten that Jian Fan was also starving. He took a few more pieces and then handed the rest back.

Jian Fan wasn’t foolish enough to mistreat his own stomach.

He ate a few biscuits himself, then took the water back from Qin Nan and took several deep swallows directly from the bottle.

With his stomach no longer empty, Qin Nan let out a comfortable sigh. Then, he remembered his previous conversation with Jian Fan. He turned around, looking at him solemnly. “Points are hard to come by. Don’t use yours next time. Besides, I can’t just keep taking advantage of you, can I? If there’s a next time, use my Points.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jian Fan said.

Qin Nan frowned. “Don’t you want to leave the Realm of Death?”

“Until we figure out how the Realm of Death targets us, no matter how many you save, they’ll just be drained away anyway.” Jian Fan was very pragmatic about it.

Qin Nan was stunned.

Clearly, Jian Fan had his own plans. He knew exactly whether the cost was worth it.

For a moment, Qin Nan’s feelings were complicated.

However, he quickly snapped out of it. His gaze swept over to Qi Shuping, who was sleeping not far away. “Why don’t you go ask Professor Qi? Hasn’t she almost saved up enough Points?”

Even though the Realm of Death’s targeting was intense, Professor Qi’s Points were right there. Her current expenditure wasn’t too high. Even if she had bad luck and ended up spending more, she would surely be able to leave in the next world.

It wasn’t possible for every world to drain that many Points, was it?

Jian Fan’s gaze also fell upon Qi Shuping.

But it was only for a fleeting second. He quickly looked away, his voice calm. “I have my own plans.”

Qin Nan felt a bit suspicious.

To be honest, he sometimes couldn’t wrap his head around Jian Fan’s thoughts. It was obvious that Jian Fan cared about Qi Shuping-otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked Qin Weiyi for help so many times-but despite that care, Jian Fan actually had very little private contact with her.

Qin Nan knew that Jian Fan had suspected Qi Shuping at the beginning. But by now, was Jian Fan still not certain in his heart?
Qin Nan rubbed his chin, feeling somewhat perplexed.

Was there more to the story, or was Jian Fan truly just that cautious?

In the midst of his confusion, Lu Jing, who had been sleeping, suddenly bolted upright from the grass. He reached out and grabbed the Sniper Rifle lying beside him.

Jian Fan immediately turned to look, and Qin Nan was also startled. He looked at Lu Jing, puzzled. “Lu Jing, what is it?”

Lu Jing quickly made a “shh” gesture and pointed toward the fire. He then scrambled up from the ground and moved swiftly to the Cave entrance. Crouching low, he raised his Sniper Rifle.

Lu Jing had entered a state of high alert.

Qin Nan and Jian Fan exchanged a glance and immediately stood up, extinguishing the small fire that served as their only light source.

The Cave plunged into darkness.

When vision is restricted, hearing becomes more acute. The movements the two hadn’t noticed before now gradually became audible.

There was a series of very, very light footsteps.

In the darkness, Qin Nan looked toward the entrance.

Thanks to the moonlight, a sliver of light reached the Cave entrance, falling right on Lu Jing. Qin Nan couldn’t help but admire him; despite the two of them being wide awake, they hadn’t sensed anything amiss, yet a sleeping man had detected the situation instantly.

Lu Jing remained at the entrance, keeping a vigilant watch outside.

After a moment, five Rabbits passed by in the moonlight. They didn’t realize there was a Cave nearby, chatting and discussing things amongst themselves as they moved away.

Lu Jing didn’t dare lower his guard, keeping his gun aimed.

He was confident he could kill the five Rabbits, but firing would inevitably expose the Cave. Finding another suitable hiding spot wouldn’t be easy, so Lu Jing suppressed the urge and held his fire.

He watched the Rabbits disappear into the distance.

With the crisis averted, Lu Jing lowered his gun, but his brow remained furrowed, a look of confusion on his face.

He stood up and walked back into the Cave.

His fire-starting kit was still there, so relighting it wouldn’t be difficult. Moreover, the darkness that hindered Qin Nan and the others didn’t seem to affect Lu Jing’s movements at all.

However, as Jian Fan watched Lu Jing walk toward them, his brow also furrowed.

The moonlight hit Lu Jing, making his form faintly visible, but after he took a few steps further inside, he was swallowed by the darkness.

A long while later, after Lu Jing managed to produce a spark, a corner of the Cave lit up. Lu Jing crouched before the fire, and his shadow stretched across nearly half the Cave in the flickering light.

“The shadow,” Jian Fan suddenly spoke, his voice low and heavy. “The Starry Sky is fake.”

Lu Jing had just finished lighting the fire when he heard Jian Fan’s words. He looked up, his face a mask of confusion. “Huh? What?”

Qin Nan also looked at Jian Fan, bewildered. “What shadow? How is the Starry Sky fake?” As he spoke, Qin Nan glanced around the Cave. Now that it was lit again, their shadows were cast against the Cave walls, appearing perfectly normal.

Because of the sudden light, Qin Weiyi, Qi Shuping, and the others slowly opened their eyes.

They hadn’t been in a deep sleep to begin with, and the sudden brightness quickly roused them. It just so happened that they heard the next sentence Jian Fan uttered.

“Just now, Lu Jing didn’t have a shadow,” Jian Fan said.

How could Lu Jing possibly not have a shadow?

Qin Weiyi’s expression shifted instantly, and he snapped his head toward Lu Jing.