Chapter 44: Disgrace
"Stay close to the person in front of you! Don’t get separated!"
Lu Jingyu roared, grabbing Xu Qingsui’s hand and bolting forward.
As his scorching palm enveloped her hand, Xu Qingsui stared at Lu Jingyu in stunned silence.
Before she could say a word, Lu Jingyu was already pulling her into a run.
A warmth spread through Xu Qingsui’s heart as she gazed at his profile.
’After all, besides her grandmother, Lu Jingyu was the only person who constantly looked out for her.’
For a moment, the THUMP-THUMP-THUMP of their footsteps drowned out the CRACKLING and PITTER-PATTER of the falling objects.
In truth, most people had no idea what was happening; they were just blindly running forward, following the sound of Lu Jingyu’s voice.
In their frenzied sprint, everyone had lost their composure, making mistakes inevitable.
No one could say how long they had been running, but the sky had finally stopped raining down those mysterious red objects.
Everyone was now physically and mentally exhausted. Heedless of whether Lu Jingyu had given the order, they all ground to a halt.
Shen Ling’an was completely unconscious. The two team members who had been carrying him were so exhausted from the effort that they collapsed onto the ground, sitting right where they stood.
Lu Jingyu knew everyone had reached their limit, so he didn’t blame them for taking matters into their own hands.
After scanning their surroundings and confirming it was safe, he finally spoke. "Is anyone injured? Check each other, and while you’re at it, do a headcount."
Once he gave the order, Lu Jingyu immediately looked over Xu Qingsui. He let out a visible sigh of relief when he saw she was unharmed.
"Captain, we’re two people short!" a sharp voice cried out, and Lu Jingyu’s heart leaped into his throat.
Lu Jingyu tore his gaze away from her and looked toward the team member who had shouted.
"Who’s missing?"
"Lü Jia and Tian Teng are gone."
"They were right behind us just a moment ago, but now they’re gone."
"We saw them in front of us at first. I never saw them leave the group, but just now I realized they’ve vanished into thin air."
Hearing this, the group fell silent once more.
Two living, breathing people had just vanished without a trace.
Logically, in a straight corridor like this, if someone were to go missing, it should have been the person at the very front or the very back of the line.
But the two who had disappeared were right in the middle of the formation. No one could even say for sure when they had vanished.
The inexplicable disappearance of two people instantly plunged the atmosphere to a freezing point.
No one spoke. No one knew what to say.
In the end, it was Lu Jingyu who stepped forward.
"They’re gone. All we can do now is take things one step at a time."
"From now on, everyone stays within five paces of each other. Make sure you can always see the people around you. That way, if something happens, we’ll notice it immediately."
"Then what about Tian Teng and Lü Jia?" a team member asked quietly.
Lu Jingyu took a deep breath. "They vanished without a trace; perhaps they’ll reappear just as quietly. For now, we move forward and see what happens. Once you enter a dungeon, survival comes down to your own luck. However, if we clear this instance quickly enough, maybe they’ll be safely teleported out with us."
’Lu Jingyu was worried about his teammates too, but as their captain, he had to keep his composure. He had to steady himself before he could steady everyone else.’
Seeing his resolve, no one else said a word.
"Captain, come take a look. Shen Ling’an is still out cold. If he stays like this, he’s just going to be another burden on the road ahead."
Someone finally brought up Shen Ling’an, which was a convenient way to shift everyone’s attention.
Lu Jingyu walked over, but not without shooting a quick glance at Xu Qingsui, signaling her to follow.
’Hearing that Shen Ling’an was unconscious, Xu Qingsui could barely contain her delight!’
’In her opinion, a scumbag like him should’ve croaked long ago, sparing the rest of the world his presence.’
She couldn’t be bothered to check on Shen Ling’an herself, but after Lu Jingyu’s look, she had no choice but to follow him.
After that terrifying escape, Xu Ruming had completely forgotten about Shen Ling’an.
Only now did she remember. Seeing Lu Jingyu approach, she scurried over to get closer.
Shen Ling’an’s face was drained of all color and his eyes were shut tight, but his hand was still clenched around the object that had fallen on his head.
This whole mess had started with the appearance of that blood-red thing.
Lu Jingyu ignored Shen Ling’an, his attention focused instead on the object in his hand.
Just as he was about to take the object for a closer look, Xu Qingsui grabbed his arm.
Their eyes met, and a strange current passed between them.
Neither of them seemed to notice anything amiss, but on the sidelines, Xu Ruming was gritting her teeth so hard they made a GRINDING sound.
A nearby team member heard the sound and looked around, confused.
Xu Qingsui shook her head at Lu Jingyu. "Don’t touch it with your bare hands. Something’s wrong with it. It might be poisonous."
Lu Jingyu’s expression grew wary. He gently patted the hand Xu Qingsui was using to hold his arm, reassuring her.
He withdrew his hand, then took out a pair of insulated gloves and put them on carefully before slowly prying the object from Shen Ling’an’s grasp.
The object was blood-red all over. At first glance, it was impossible to tell what it was.
Lu Jingyu studied it for a moment before realizing it was the skinned carcass of a bird.
He instinctively sniffed at it. His body instantly went rigid, and a tinge of blood-red colored his eyes.
Xu Qingsui had been watching his every move from the moment he picked up the object.
She spotted the change in him immediately. Rushing forward, she smacked his wrist, sending the object flying from his hand.
As the object flew from his grasp, the color in Lu Jingyu’s eyes returned to normal, though his mind still felt muddled.
Still, he understood what had just happened and gave Xu Qingsui a grateful look.
Xu Qingsui offered a small smile, then walked over to the object and crouched down to examine it.
Seeing that even Lu Jingyu had nearly fallen victim to it, the others instinctively kept their distance, afraid of getting caught up in it themselves.
After examining it for a long moment, Xu Qingsui understood.
"This thing is poisonous," she announced. "The toxin spreads not only through contact but also through smell. That guy over there is poisoned."
At her words, everyone immediately covered their mouths and noses.
"We brought the antidote serum, right? Give him a shot and see if it works."
Without a moment’s hesitation, Lu Jingyu arranged for someone to treat Shen Ling’an.
Xu Qingsui looked like she wanted to say something but held her tongue. After a moment’s hesitation, she sighed. "Well, go ahead and try it, I guess."
Seeing the unspoken words on Xu Qingsui’s face, Lu Jingyu asked, "What is it? Did you figure something else out?"
"I just don’t think a standard-issue antidote serum will work," she said. "Seems like a waste."
"Xu Qingsui, how could you still be thinking of hurting someone at a time like this?" Xu Ruming piped up.
’She couldn’t care less about Shen Ling’an’s safety anymore, but with so many people watching, she had to make a show of it.’
’And besides, with Xu Qingsui taking the spotlight, she felt an uncontrollable urge to step up as well.’