Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Only one instinctive command remained in Qingshui’s mind.

Move.

The high fever made her vision waver between clarity and a swimming haze.

All she could hear was her own ragged breathing and pounding heartbeat, the endless howl of the wind, and… the whispers and shrill laughter that had begun anew inside her head.

Strangely, in these deathly silent mountains, she found herself feeling a warped sliver of gratitude toward those vicious voices.

At least they made her feel… as though she wasn’t entirely alone.

Her body had long since gone beyond exhaustion. Every muscle screamed in agony.

She didn’t dare stop. Stopping meant risking discovery by any Madmen wandering nearby. It meant death.

Qingshui could barely do more than drag herself forward, stumbling over the uneven ground and nearly tripping over exposed roots and rocks several times.

The world swayed and tilted before her eyes.

Thud.

Qingshui’s knees buckled, and she crashed heavily to the ground. The rough earth struck bone, sending a sharp bolt of pain through her, but it also cleared her muddled mind for a fleeting moment.

She couldn’t stop.

Bracing herself on trembling arms, she inched her way up from the ground like a worm.

It was a slow, grueling process. The full weight of her body seemed to bear down on her violently shaking arms.

Go. She had to keep moving.

Gravel soon tore open her palms and knees, scraping them raw and bloody, but the pain had already grown distant and dull.

She had bitten her lips to shreds long ago. Warm liquid trickled slowly down the corner of her mouth.

Qingshui crawled onward with great difficulty. Through the feverish haze, her gaze suddenly met a pair of eyes.

They were less than two meters ahead, behind a low, dense thicket.

The eyes were large, their blacks and whites sharply defined, but they held no emotion and scarcely any spark of life.

There was only numbness and despair.

They stared silently at Qingshui through the gaps between the leaves, watching her wretched, dying struggle.

Time seemed to freeze.

Two pairs of lightless eyes met in silence amid the mountain forest.

No words. No movement.

What felt like an eternity passed. Or perhaps it was only a few seconds.

Then the owner of those eyes moved. With excruciating slowness, she reached out and parted the thicket that had been concealing her.

Behind it was a hidden hollow in a tree.

The opening was small, cleverly half-concealed by hanging vines and roots. Its interior was pitch-black and impossible to make out.

Without hesitation, Qingshui summoned the last of her strength and crawled toward the hollow.

The instant she was fully inside, the thicket behind her was gently drawn shut again, plunging the hollow into absolute darkness.

Wedged into the cramped space, Qingshui panted violently. The fever made her skin burn, yet the chill inside the tree hollow left her shivering uncontrollably.

As her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, she made out the other person squeezed in beside her.

A young girl.

Disheveled hair clung to her cheeks and neck, and her eyes were large.

The faintest flicker of recognition crossed Qingshui’s muddled mind.

Where had she seen her before?

Several disjointed images flashed through her feverish haze: the construction site, a team, a silent, wary face…

Song Yunting’s team.

That sharp-eyed young girl. Qingshui was certain it was her.

The girl was also looking at Qingshui, her face still devoid of expression.

Then she spoke. Her voice was low, hoarse, and dry, as if she hadn’t used it in a very long time.

“Take off your clothes.”

Qingshui shook her head to clear it, then struggled to remove her damp clothes in the cramped hollow.

She tossed the wet garments into a corner.

The hollow was simply too small. Once Qingshui had stripped, the two girls had little choice but to press tightly against each other.

With their backs against the inner wall of the hollow and their sides pressed close, they curled into two shapes nestled against one another.

The sensation of bare skin against bare skin was impossibly complex.

Each could feel the warmth of the other’s body. There was no embrace, no comfort. They simply remained pressed together.

Beside her, the girl said nothing more. She merely closed her eyes.

At last, Qingshui was able to close hers as well, seeking some relief from the fire blazing inside her skull.

Two girls who didn’t even know each other curled up together in a world without hope.