WS - Chapter 124

Chapter 124

What kind of ant is a scorched ant?

Of course it's... an ant trapped on a hot pan, running in circles for a long time but never finding a way out, finally giving up and lying flat on the hot pan.

At this moment, Song Shiyue was just such a tired and helpless ant.

Who could have expected it?

Not dissolving, not vanishing.

And not transmigrating back.

And certainly not the ideal scenario of just being tired and falling asleep.

Her strength was gradually drained, from walking while panting to barely being able to breathe while walking.

Until finally, every step felt like the last effort she could muster.

She couldn't see what was ahead, couldn't see what was underfoot; the only thing she could still feel was that pair of warm hands, not strong, yet steady, always holding her up.

That was... the only reason why Song Shiyue, despite her agony, still wanted to take one more step.

But everything eventually comes to an end.

Whether it's strength or human endurance, it's all the same.

When was it...

She seemed to vaguely hear Zhao Da's voice, saying something about resting, that it was getting late.

As if she had been carrying a mountain on her back for far, far too long, her soft limbs barely controlled by her will until they were numb, no matter how she struggled, she could no longer draw even a wisp of air; Song Shiyue finally could bear it no more.

Like a newborn baby trying to carry a mountain— too hard, too bitter; in the end, she could only come this far.

Full of regret, unwillingness, and attachments.

As her almost completely drained body fell, the last sensation it registered was those warm hands gripping her arms tightly, then shifting to her waist...

After that, after that there was nothing more.

For a moment, Song Shiyue seemed unable to feel her body at all, but her consciousness was much clearer than it had been in the afternoon when her exhaustion had made her thoughts chaotic.

It was as if her consciousness had escaped from her burdensome body, and in that lightness, she felt refreshed.

Then, Song Shiyue could feel her body again. No, it was more like her consciousness had jumped out of her body for an instant, washed away all the burden and exhaustion, and then dropped back in.

But...

Although her consciousness remained, Song Shiyue... could not move.

Aside from the seemingly automatic breathing, Song Shiyue couldn't even open her eyes or curl a finger, yet she could still feel Yu Nianbing's trembling warm hand touching her forehead, and the slightly uneven ground beneath her...

Her consciousness and her body seemed to have lost some connection, yet were still bound together.

This is simply...

Simply worse than directly dissolving away!

The moment Song Shiyue realized she had become a vegetable, she thought of several possible outcomes for herself.

She could still feel her body; the full experience of starving to death or being eaten by beasts would probably be quite novel and thrilling.

She hoped someone in the team would support euthanasia; whether manual or just buried alive, it would probably be better than the first two scenarios.

After all, the livestream was gone; if everyone discussed it, there was still a chance to end her life humanely.

As for carrying a vegetable along on the journey... Song Shiyue didn't even consider it.

Look at this team.

A team leader greedy for power, with poor judgment and brains.

A capricious director who needs to be coaxed and flattered.

A sycophantic assistant who fears hardship, fatigue, and death.

Two bodyguards who prioritize self-preservation, never give their all to save others, but still manage to pass as decent people.

The doctor is okay, but she can barely take care of herself and has little strength.

The other assistant has already collapsed; likely she's also destined to be abandoned, maybe we could be buried together and be neighbors.

Ah... well, that one might be even harder to deal with than a vegetable, and might not get the final humanitarian care.

The guests are also a problem.

The three male guests are decent enough, but they lack the strength; they might not even manage to carry one fallen person, let alone two.

Not to mention Ning Chuyang— she has decent stamina but not nearly enough strength.

As for...

At this thought, Song Shiyue's heart ached; she dared not continue.

Even though she knew that in this situation, being abandoned was inevitable.

But Song Shiyue still didn't want to think about how she would be abandoned by Yu Nianbing.

But maybe...

Ha, Song Shiyue couldn't help but mock herself and quickly stopped that thought. Isn't that moral extortion? Just because someone saved you once, they have to keep saving you?

Song Shiyue tried hard to ignore that sliver of hope in her heart.

She was already like this; she was useless.

Yu Nianbing... just stay alive, that would be enough; you must survive, and leave Wilderness Planet safely.

If possible, at the very end, just don't let me hear her voice agreeing to abandon me.

As long as... I don't hear it, that would be the best ending.

Song Shiyue tried again and again, but her utterly immobile body was no longer something her will to survive could control.

Yes, when she came, she came so inexplicably. And when she leaves, it indeed won't be by her own will either.

The ant on the hot pan, after trying again and again with all its might, finally lay flat on the hot pan and was scorched.

But being a vegetable does have some interesting aspects; at least before the inevitable end, there are some novel experiences.

For example, not feeling tired or sleepy, her consciousness staying clear and alert...

Of course, that brings a problem: um... it's really a bit boring.

At this moment, Song Shiyue's hearing was only at the level of an ordinary person; with so many people around, no one was talking.

Ah, the lack of water is also a big problem.

But the boredom, the hearing, the random wandering thoughts— all of it was just Song Shiyue's way of escaping.

Escaping... the person who was always by her side, those familiar footsteps that never went far.

Escaping... those cool, trembling hands that gently brushed her forehead and face.

Escaping... that concern which would make her feel attached, perhaps making it impossible to face the end calmly.

Song Shiyue couldn't see, but she constantly sensed and felt Yu Nianbing's almost disoriented panic.

Truly... so sorry.

If only I could survive...

I swear, I would never make you worry or feel so helpless again.

But alas...

Alas, though her heart was so bitter, that ungovernable body could not shed the single tear Song Shiyue wanted to shed.

Alas, this is the end.

Whether it was everyone busily clearing the ground, lighting the fire, or being picked up and moved by Zhuang Jiachuan, Song Shiyue clearly knew and felt it all.

Including after Ni Jinghe came, Yu Nianbing would occasionally check her breathing and feel her pulse— Song Shiyue was aware of all of it.

But what use was knowing? Beyond feeling increasingly sorry for having gotten too close to Yu Nianbing, Song Shiyue could do nothing.

The heavy guilt crushed even her disembodied consciousness to the point of suffocation.

It wasn't until Zhao Da, on the second watch shift, started talking with Mu Xingzhou that Song Shiyue, immersed in guilt, was slightly distracted and caught her breath.

Wealth stirs the heart, but one's life is even more important.

As a bodyguard, Zhao Da had a map; earlier on the zipline it was also clear he was familiar with many of the production team's routines.

So in other words, Zhao Da had an estimate of the difficulty of the remaining journey. Traveling with Feng Qianqian would slow them down by at least half; combined with the consumption of so many people, the difficulty would definitely rise from hard to hellish... the eighteenth level of hell.

Given Song Shiyue's limited understanding of Zhao Da, his refusal was not incomprehensible.

What she couldn't understand was... why Zhao Da refused so quickly?

Mu Xingzhou made two offers, not far apart in time.

With such a grand offer, the time Mu Xingzhou spent talking was just enough for Song Shiyue to roughly calculate the value of those things in her head.

Yet Zhao Da, directly facing the temptation, actually interrupted and refused before Mu Xingzhou had even finished his second offer...

Others might not know, but Song Shiyue, who had carried stones with him, knew well that Zhao Da was no qualified bodyguard; his words of refusal, though seemingly reasonable, were utterly groundless.

Moreover, a normal person, even if they had concerns about the road ahead and their own calculations, would at least weigh the offer and consider the pros and cons, right?

Did Zhao Da's mind really work that fast? That well?

Or... did he already have some unshakable reason that even a hundred properties couldn't sway?

Of course, another possibility was that Zhao Da truly valued his life so much that he had zero interest in how far Mu Xingzhou's offer could go.

But that possibility was very small; after all, someone with that level of enlightenment wouldn't be working as a bodyguard or coming to Wilderness Planet at all.

Song Shiyue didn't know what Zhao Da's deal was; anyway... his reaction was definitely not that of a normal person.

But no matter how much Song Shiyue thought, it was useless; even if she could speak and make an offer, ha, make an offer with negative assets?

Better to let it go, just let it go...

Having tried to control her body for so long and grown weary, disappointed again and again, Song Shiyue thought this.

But in the next moment, her consciousness, which had just begun to drift in despair, was pulled back by that icy hand once again gripping her wrist.

Why is it so... so cold.

Is the night too cold? She herself was still quite warm, and could feel the heat from the campfire over there.

If only...

If I could hold her...

Would she warm up?

She knew her own body; even though she couldn't control it, she could feel that gaping hole in the balloon, with nothing left to leak, yet it was still there.

What Ni Jinghe said about sleeping until tomorrow and then getting up— that was simply impossible.

But... really... I want to hold that silly fool who still isn't sleeping beside me...

And just as Song Shiyue was filled with countless emotions, Mu Xingzhou, having been refused by Zhao Da by the campfire, did not give up.

Unfortunately, no matter how Mu Xingzhou tried to persuade him, Zhao Da always took the stance of protecting the safety of the majority, deflecting with minimal effort.

Not saying yes was essentially a refusal, merely not uttering those two words.

Too much tai chi, and it becomes dull.

After several rounds, Mu Xingzhou stopped.

Silence fell again, a very, very long silence.

After a long, long time, Mu Xingzhou spoke again, this time not continuing the previous topic, but asking: "Is it about time? Should we wake the third watch?"

Zhao Da glanced at the sky and didn't rush to answer; instead, he asked a seemingly random question: "If it really comes to that, would you choose to stay behind alone?"

Mu Xingzhou's body jolted, and after a long pause, he gave a dry laugh and replied: "Brother Zhao Da and Zhao Er don't lack anything; maybe others will lack something..."

At these words, not just Zhao Da, but Yu Nianbing and Song Shiyue both shook their heads inwardly.

Sure enough, Zhao Da sighed: "Then when we reach the camp and get the food, we'll leave some for you."

Zhao Da's words sounded very friendly, but Mu Xingzhou hesitated and still asked: "Can you leave enough for the number of us?"

"We certainly intend to. But when the time comes, we'll have to see the situation; after all, Zhao Er and I can't make decisions for everyone. It also depends on whether the journey goes smoothly and whether the supplies at the last camp have been used up. Ah... there are many variables; we will definitely do our best to leave some for you." Zhao Da didn't agree outright, which made his words seem quite sincere.

His response was Mu Xingzhou's long silence.

Yu Nianbing gently felt Song Shiyue's pulse, but in her heart, she sighed once more.

Zhao Da was absolutely inclined to abandon Feng Qianqian. And listening to the conversation up to this point, Yu Nianbing had figured out that from the start, Zhao Da had been probing the relationship between Mu Xingzhou and Feng Qianqian. In the end, these somewhat cutting words were probably meant to make Mu Xingzhou give up on Feng Qianqian as well.

Indeed, if even the one with the closest relationship wouldn't insist on staying, wouldn't keep trying...

Feng Qianqian's fate would be sealed.

But... Yu Nianbing was still somewhat puzzled.

Could Zhao Da really be a dedicated bodyguard trying to protect the majority? Otherwise, even if Mu Xingzhou wanted to stay at that time, it would just mean abandoning two people. After all, if Zhao Da and Zhao Er didn't stay behind to slowly guide them, it would be hard for others to give up a group with a better chance of survival for the sake of wealth.

But if Zhao Da was so painstaking and scheming just to bring Mu Xingzhou along... that would fit his image as a good bodyguard protecting the majority, but it would be quite different from what Song Shiyue said about him only exerting superficial effort.

Yu Nianbing, of course, trusted Song Shiyue more, so she became even more confused about Zhao Da.

But in any case, Zhao Da's words just now had marked the food as crucial... or rather, as the sole source.

The journey would certainly not be smooth; even a conservative estimate of smooth travel would take at least one and a half times the expected time. The food from the last camp would absolutely not sustain their consumption.

The first group, arriving hungry at a new camp, receiving the already meager food, and thinking about the long road still ahead.

How much food could they leave for the second group, who didn't know how long it would take to get there, or whether they'd even survive to reach it?

And... how many times could they leave food?

It was too much of a test of humanity.

With Zhao Da having spoken to this point, Yu Nianbing didn't need to sit up to see; she could imagine that Mu Xingzhou's face must be very ugly right now.

And Mu Xingzhou...

Such silence was perhaps itself a sign of wavering.

So here comes the problem.

If tomorrow Song Shiyue couldn't properly wake up, then what Yu Nianbing might face would be a living hell of dragging two burdens along...

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