Chapter 61: Secretly Showing Off
The vicious gale rushed toward them. He could dodge it in the fog, but the team members behind him might not be so lucky.
He couldn’t risk their lives. Lu Jingyu had no choice but to face the gale himself.
Sensing the direction of the energy, Lu Jingyu made a sudden move.
A blast of palm wind shot out from his hand.
A ripple went through the air, and the gale, which had been coming straight for them, was diverted.
Lu Jingyu let out a small sigh of relief. As he continued forward, he realized the sounds of fighting had vanished.
"I’ve taken care of it. It was just a small thing. No need to trouble yourself, Captain Lu." Shen Ling’an’s voice finally cut through the silence.
Lu Jingyu stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowed.
"What was that? This passage is so dangerous, there’s no way this is the right path! I think we should turn back right now!"
Xu Ruming’s tearful complaint came from within the dense fog.
Lu Jingyu couldn’t see her, but from the sound of her whimpering, he thought she must have been badly hurt.
In reality, not far away, Xu Ruming had fallen to the ground, suffering from nothing more than a slightly uncomfortable ankle.
When the danger had appeared just moments ago, Shen Ling’an had acted immediately, shoving her out of the way.
She hadn’t been harmed by the Mutant; she had merely twisted her ankle when she fell.
"Since it’s been dealt with, let’s keep moving! Everyone, stay sharp. If you smell a foul stench, be on high alert."
The stench from the previous Mutant had been unmistakable, which was why even Xu Ruming had sensed trouble ahead of time.
After giving his instructions, Lu Jingyu carefully returned to Xu Qingsui’s side and resumed leading the team forward.
"What’s wrong?"
"What did you say?"
Suddenly, a series of voices erupted from the back of the line.
Lu Jingyu was confused. Just as he was about to ask, Xu Qingsui’s voice rang out, "Lu Jingyu, what’s going on back there?"
Lu Jingyu didn’t know either, so he prepared to halt the team to investigate.
"What’s going on?" But just as Lu Jingyu came to a stop, Xu Qingsui’s voice piped up again.
Lu Jingyu’s brow furrowed in alarm.
’Why did Xu Qingsui ask the same question twice?’
He started to turn around, but a hand suddenly fell on his shoulder, holding him in place and preventing him from looking back.
"Don’t turn around. I heard your voice... behind me," Xu Qingsui said, her voice filled with tension.
"The first rule: if someone behind you calls out to you, you must never turn around."
Lu Jingyu understood at once. But the memory of the chorus of voices from behind moments ago sent a chill down his spine.
"Remember the rule! No one turn around!" With so many people having spoken up, someone must have fallen for it.
But there was no time to take stock of who was in trouble. He had to warn everyone else first to prevent more casualties.
Sure enough, as soon as Lu Jingyu shouted his warning, the voices at the back of the line vanished, leaving only the sound of ragged breathing in their wake.
After a brief pause, Lu Jingyu asked with a sense of dread, "What’s the situation? Everyone, hold hands. Check if anyone’s missing."
As he spoke, Lu Jingyu gripped Xu Qingsui’s hand tightly, not daring to let go again.
"Captain, Liang Jun is gone."
"Liu Zhongtian is gone, too."
The responses echoed through the air, and Lu Jingyu’s heart went completely cold.
They had already lost two team members, and now, in the blink of an eye, they had lost two more.
For a moment, everyone fell silent. A heavy, unspoken mood settled over the group.
"I told you there was something wrong with this path! I said we should have turned back!"
"How long has it been? First, we were attacked, and now two more people have disappeared. If we keep going like this, who knows how many more we’ll lose!"
Xu Ruming, seething with resentment and nursing a grudge, seized the opportunity to unleash a torrent of sarcastic criticism.
Lu Jingyu was already in a foul mood. She had just picked the worst possible time to provoke him.
"And the path you chose earlier was perfect, was it? It led us straight into a Mutant’s nest! This dungeon is filled with danger. If you can’t handle it, feel free to go find your own way out."
After Lu Jingyu’s rebuke, Xu Ruming immediately fell silent.
Still, two more people were missing, and Lu Jingyu needed to investigate.
Under the circumstances, it wasn’t practical to bring Xu Qingsui along, so he had to let go of her hand again.
"Wait for me here. I’m going to check on the situation. Remember, I will not call you from behind me. If you hear my voice back there, do not, under any circumstances, turn around."
’It’s been a while. The lost souls that hide in the darkness should be gone by now.’
But Lu Jingyu was still uneasy. He reminded Xu Qingsui of the rule again and only proceeded toward the back of the line after receiving her confirmation.
As she felt Lu Jingyu move past her, Xu Qingsui sighed to herself.
’This fog is agonizing. And as the captain, Lu Jingyu has to bear so much more.’ She suddenly wished she could do something to share his burden.
"What is the deal with this fog? Is it caused by some kind of Mutant?"
With no other ideas, Xu Qingsui called upon the Golden Octopus.
’It’s supposed to be my cheat ability, after all. It must know something that can help guide me through this.’
[The aura of a Mutant is present in the fog, but there is no Mutant. It must have been scared off already.]
"Then why hasn’t the fog cleared?"
[Host can now try using the Fire Attribute obtained from devouring the elixir. Flame is a beacon that can guide the way through the thick fog.]
The Golden Octopus had given her a hint, but Xu Qingsui hesitated at the thought of using her Fire Attribute in front of everyone.
She had always deliberately concealed her devouring ability, to say nothing of revealing a brand-new one she had just acquired.
She was afraid of becoming the center of attention, but lost in this dense fog, she had no other choice.
After thinking it over, Xu Qingsui could only reassure herself. ’The fog is this thick, and Lu Jingyu isn’t right next to me. I won’t be found out.’
’Besides, if I can really get rid of this fog, it will solve our immediate problem.’
Xu Qingsui immediately cast her hesitation aside and began to channel the Fire Attribute within her. Not wanting to be too conspicuous, she slowly guided the power into the palm of her hand.
With her back to everyone, she held her palm in front of her chest and released the Fire Attribute, causing a small flame to rise from her palm.
The moment the flame touched the fog, it was like a spark igniting tinder. The fire spread in an instant, devouring the surrounding mist.
The fire blazed a path backward, consuming every last wisp of fog.
And the flame seemed to have a life of its own, consuming only the fog and not harming the team members in the slightest.
In a flash, all the fog was ignited. The disorienting gloom, so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, was finally broken.
It all happened so suddenly that everyone was momentarily disoriented, staring in astonishment as the flames continued to consume the fog in the distance.
Lu Jingyu watched the flames, baffled. But the thought of the two lost team members was more pressing, and he had no time to search for the cause of the fire. He hurried over to where the two had been standing.