Max did not need to strike for them to survive, yet he intervened quietly at moments when a centipede would surface unexpectedly, his warnings made the group avoid the centipedes every time it appeared.
Each time Max gave warnings the group gained a few steps of safety, and with every detour the distance between Nina's team and the next swarm widened. The repeated detours planted a seed of curiosity in both Nina and Evan.
They compared notes silently in glances and in the way they adjusted their formations, and the same question pressed at the edges of their minds. How could Max, who ranked lower in cultivation according to the usual measurements, sense these centipedes long before anyone else did?
"The weight upon our body is kept increasing the more we walked." Max said to them looking at Nina and the fate compass. "It seems we are heading in the right direction."
Evan didn't say anything nor did Nina about Max's words.
