Only eighteen people were left in the team, and they continued forward.
Everyone's mindset had changed since entering the forest. Once certain things were brought out into the open, nothing felt the same.
Shen Zhiyan slipped up beside Lan Jin, speaking in a low, excited voice. "You've got guts. You just asked that straight out."
Lan Jin was speechless. "If we wait until someone is dead or hurt, it will be too late. We've supported each other since the start of the apocalypse. We are teammates, comrades, and as close as family. We cannot lose anyone."
Even after Captain Zhang's explanation, Lan Jin still did not believe him.
This was the dense forest. Everyone agreed it was one of the most dangerous places on Blue Star. If someone discovered that their ability had failed the moment they entered, who would keep that quiet instead of warning everyone to be on guard? Who would hide it all the way until others questioned them, or tell only one or two people first, without anyone knowing if that was true?
Lan Jin glanced at Shen Zhiyan. By chance, they were thinking the same thing.
They were probably not the only ones.
Shen Zhiyan asked, "I thought you dropped it. Looked like you stopped doubting them."
"I don't know. There is definitely a problem. But when I heard Dr. Zhou's voice, my heart settled."
Let it settle for now, but suspicion remained. She simply chose not to question or press them in public again.
Shen Zhiyan tugged at the corner of her mouth and warned, "No one knows if finding that thing is the final task. Everyone needs to be careful."
The warning was too pointed. Lan Jin's eyes cooled a little. "You know something, don't you?"
"Zhiyan."
Just as Shen Zhiyan was about to say more, Shen Zhiyu called her. Shen Zhiyan changed her words at once. "Nothing. How would I know anything? The goal is simple. We go back alive."
When Shen Zhiyan started to leave, she hesitated, then added, "Don't worry. You saved my life. I will never harm you."
Fine. If she had only been guessing before, that single line confirmed it. These people probably did know something.
Lan Jin was not flustered. There had to be a huge secret behind all this. How much they knew was impossible to tell. But they were already inside the forest. Thinking too much was useless. Lan Jin kept pace with the others and moved deeper in.
They saw no more large mutant beasts, but small ones kept harassing them without pause. Lan Jin acted as if she had forgotten the earlier dispute, solving problems as they came. Near dinnertime, a scout at the front spotted a small wooden cabin that looked man-made.
A cabin in a forest like this was strange, but it was finally a place to stop and rest.
Captain Zhang brightened. "I will take two people to check it out. We have been walking too long and need rest. If it is safe, we will spend the night here."
He led two team members to the cabin.
The old door creaked open with a harsh squeal, as if no one had lived here for a long time. A cloud of dust rushed out and made them cough.
No one knew what danger might be inside. After opening the door, the three of them slipped to either side of the doorway.
Nothing happened. Aside from the dust, there were no surprises.
Captain Zhang took point again and went in with the two soldiers.
Inside.
Dust and cobwebs covered every corner they could see. A question rose in their minds. Dust like this could not build up in less than ten years. Yet according to what they knew, this forest had appeared around the start of the apocalypse, only a little over a year ago. There was clearly something wrong here.
More importantly, in a place this dangerous, how could an old wooden cabin still be standing untouched.
One soldier behind Captain Zhang said, "Captain Zhang, this place feels wrong. Maybe we shouldn't stay here."
Another frowned. "Where else would we sleep. Outside is worse."
"If a neat little house is standing here just fine, doesn't that feel strange. The inside could be more dangerous than outside."
While the two argued, Captain Zhang cut in. "Enough. Even if we rest, we will post watches. Do not worry. Outside is truly impossible for the night."
After a while, Captain Zhang came out with the two men. He nodded to the people waiting. "It is fine. We checked. Nothing inside. Come in. We will spend the night here."
They approached the door with cautious steps, peered in one by one, then entered carefully.
As Captain Zhang said, apart from damage and dust, there was nothing else.
The dust stung the nose and eyes. Professor Pei was old. After a short while he could not stop coughing. Huang Jinghe at once brought Professor Pei back outside. The others hurried to clean, or the air would be unbearable, not only for Professor Pei but for all of them.
If Professor Pei was outside, they would not leave him alone. Huang Jinghe naturally stayed with him.
Pei Xin did not like cleaning. She also went out and stood beside her grandfather.
Inside the dense forest was not like the outside world. No one worried that Pei Xin would run. She had no combat skill and no ability. If she left them, she would not survive. They let her go.
After a while, Professor Pei suddenly asked Huang Jinghe to call Lan Jin out.
Pei Xin frowned. "Grandpa, why are you calling her?"
Professor Pei was displeased. "Do I need to report my every move to you?"
Pei Xin pouted and fell silent.
Huang Jinghe immediately called Lan Jin out of the cabin.
Lan Jin stepped outside. "Professor Pei, did you need me for something?"
Professor Pei searched his pouch, then placed a small chip-like object in her hand. Lan Jin looked at it, puzzled. "What is this? Why give it to me?"