Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  Xiang Wan studied the strange place and somehow, she thought of Huang Yaoshi from the classic novel, “Legend of the Condor Heroes”.

  In that novel, he was a person who could trap people just by setting up a formation using some Ancient Magical Arts……

  Of course, this was the real world, which would not be as exaggerated as martial arts fiction.

  In fact, she also sensed something was amiss.

  After walking for so long, the surrounding scenes were as though the same throughout.

  That also meant there was nothing obvious enough that they could mark as a reference.

  In that pressurizing atmosphere, besides the air being pungent which made them had some difficulty breathing, coupled with the uncomfortable feeling at their stomach, there was somehow an odd sensation lurking about the environment—It could be the terror of nature, yet it felt as though someone might have created that……

  Behind them, they felt as if there were numerous pairs of eyes looking at them.

  However, when they turned around, besides the wind rustling through the trees, there was nothing at all……

  Cheng Zheng walked toward her quietly.

  “If he’s no longer around, what will you do?”


  No longer around.

  To hear this at this time was too painful.

  Xiang Wan did not look at Cheng Zheng. “He will be around.”


  Cheng Zheng squinted his eyes, his gaze felt unusually sharp. “I said ‘If’.”


  Xiang Wan turned to face him. Her eyes at night were astonishingly bright.

  The wind in the mountains blew past them which sounded like some kind of sad howling to their ears. The leaves were swaying with the mountain breeze as it blocked the moonlight from shining into the forest. Xiang Wan also squinted her eyes as she looked at Cheng Zheng. “You followed along just to ask me this question?”


  Cheng Zheng’s mouth moved slightly. “I thought you needed some concern.”


  “Okay, you’ve shown your concern,” said Xiang Wan with a faint smile, “my answer should not be as important, right?”


  “.……”


  Her attitude was somewhat overbearing.

  Although she spoke the way she normally does to him, he could feel that she might flare up at any moment.

  Cheng Zheng’s apathetic gaze felt cold and serious.

  “It’s very important.”


  “.……”


  This was not what Xiang Wan wanted to hear.

  They were out in the mountains, in the wilderness, where Bai Muchuan’s life and death was unknown. She did not want to get into any ambiguous conversation with anyone.

  She was even a little disgusted by such behavior which seemed as if he was trying “to fish in troubled waters”.

  Xiang Wan countered with a question, “Why is it important?”


  Cheng Zheng’s eyes turned darker.

  “.……”


  Xiang Wan’s tone sounded even unfriendlier.

  “Why aren’t you talking?”


  “.……”


  After a long pause, Cheng Zheng heaved a puff of breath.

  Back in the days at Jin City, Xiang Wan had never treated him this way.

  The Xiang Wan he knew at this moment was certainly not in a good mood.

  “I’m worried you might not be able to withstand the pressure and have a breakdown.”


  Breakdown? Was she such a weak person?

  Xiang Wan examined his expression. “What has my mental state got to do with you?”


  “It does.” Cheng Zheng lifted his head to look at the tall mountains in the distance. There was an indescribable feeling of loneliness in his apathetic face. “No matter what your decision is, I’ll support and follow through it.”


  “.……”


  His reply astonished Xiang Wan.

  For a moment, she could only hear the cold winds howling past her ears.

  Xiang Wan had never thought of the question he had posed to her earlier.

  She daren’t think of the possibility if Bai Muchuan was no longer around, what kind of disaster it would spell to her life.

  Xiang Wan gave a sneer. “What if I tell you that I’ll follow him to wherever he is if he’s no longer around?”


  Cheng Zheng looked at her calmly. “Then I’ll follow you along as well—”


  “.……”


  Xiang Wan thought.

  Where’s the talk about egoism he had told her before?

  Where’s the man who told her that falling in love was a waste of time?

  Xiang Wan totally did not believe him at all. “Captain Cheng,” she scoffed, “you’re so humorous!”


  “You don’t need to look at me like that.” Cheng Zheng looked away, he did not want to see his own reflection at her eyes. “Just treat it as…… the first time I confessed to a girl.”


  “.……”


  Confession?

  That came as a surprise.

  She did not know if she should laugh or cry……

  In the forest, the group stayed quietly at their spot with a few of them looking around for their way back.

  The winds started to get stronger, and Xiang Wan felt a little cold. She suddenly hugged herself.

  “Do you think this is a suitable time to talk about that?”


  “Not suitable.” Cheng Zheng answered swiftly.

  He suddenly laughed without a second thought.

  “I was worried that if I don’t tell you that…… I might not get another chance.”


  Not get another chance……

  Vulture’s Mouth.

  A place where there was a myth saying that one could only enter, and they would never be able to return.

  The locals believed in it and that was fine.

  However, for Cheng Zheng to believe it as well, was quite absurd, he was highly educated after all……

  Xiang Wan frowned in disbelief. “You believe that?”


  “Initially, I don’t believe in it.”


  Cheng Zheng remained silent for two seconds before narrowing his eyes.

  “But, if this is the place where Bai Muchuan had gone missing, it might not be impossible after all.”


  “.……”


  Xiang Wan was speechless.

  He was right that currently, Bai Muchuan was missing.

  He had gone missing without any trace.

  “Generally, in those web novels, when such situations occur, he could have transmigrated or he could have been saved by a beautiful woman.”


  Cheng Zheng’s sudden out of the blue but humorous remark took Xiang Wan by surprise.

  “You can actually joke around like that at a situation like this? Looks like you’re not so nervous after all!”


  “No.” Cheng Zheng’s tone went lower. “I’m actually…… very nervous.”


  His solemn expression stunned Xiang Wan a little.

  Prior to entering the mountain called the Vulture’s Mouth, everyone knew their search mission would be perilous and might land themselves in precarious situations. Since Cheng Zheng had chosen to follow along, that would mean he was mentally prepared…… Why was he suddenly down in the dumps that he had to say words like ‘might not get another chance’?

  “Captain Cheng!”


  Mei Xin suddenly shouted at Cheng Zheng.

  That shout startled Xiang Wan and she turned to look together with Cheng Zheng.

  They saw a fellow teammate lying on the ground, his pants were spattered with mud, and he was holding his chest. “I…… feel uncomfortable……” He was gasping.

  “Oh no!” Xiang Wan was shocked. “Captain Cheng, you better hurry and take a look at him.”


  Cheng Zheng looked at her deeply. There was neither surprise nor shock on his face.

  It seemed as if—he already knew that this would happen.

  Everyone felt nervous. He walked to the teammate and got two others to help support the teammate to sit up from the ground.

  Xiang Wan also went closer to find out what was happening.

  That teammate looked feeble like a patient. He was weak and needed others to support so he could sit up. His lips were ghastly pale and his eyes listless. His body was trembling slightly and he was gasping for air. Nevertheless, he seemed to have a lot of difficulties doing so as his cheeks were red from all the gasping of air……

  Mei Xin asked the teammate, “How are you feeling?”


  He was still holding his chest. “My head hurts and my chest felt stuffy. I feel like vomiting. I’m breathless……”


  It was so cold, yet his cheeks were flushed red. There was quite a lot of perspiration on his forehead too.

  Cheng Zheng checked his eyes and his tongue before looking around the surrounding and pointed at a dry place under a tree.

  “Someone help me carry him so he could sit over there.”


  Some of the men quickly helped to move the ill teammate.

  Mei Xin quickly took out some medical equipment.

  “Captain Cheng, what happened to him?”


  Her tone sounded a little worried.

  Mei Xin was a medical examiner, but she was far behind in the medical field compared to Cheng Zheng.

  Cheng Zheng quickly did the checks on the teammate who was now in a semi-conscious state.

  “The environment here is not too good—” He replied as he gave her a glance.

  Everyone could not understand what he meant.

  His reply also slightly puzzled Xiang Wan. As she looked at the seemingly impenetrable forest, she also felt slightly dizzy.

  Cheng Zheng eyeballed everyone. “His symptoms showed that…… he’s contacted the natural-focal disease!”