Days passed in darkness punctuated by occasional faint glimmers. Gu Liang huddled in a cold crevice, surviving on the meager food and water Emma delivered regularly. That small piece of fluorite became his sole solace—its faint yet enduring glow dispelled some of the suffocating darkness, seeming to illuminate a faint spark of something stirring within him.
His dependence on Emma grew daily. Each faint rustle as she lifted the vine covering his entrance made his heart skip a beat—a mix of anticipation, tension, and an indescribable flutter. She brought not only survival supplies but his sole connection to the outside world, the anchor holding him from complete madness.
Emma remained taciturn, her tone perpetually stiff, yet her actions repeatedly revealed an extraordinary level of care.
"Eat."
"Water."
"Medicine. Use it sparingly."
Sometimes she lingered a moment longer, whispering quickly:
"A-Lie's men are still searching. They've expanded the perimeter."
"Grayclaw examined the prey from those days. Some of the entrails had the wrong color and tasted off."
"Armadillo Claw oversees the meat cellar—his sister is the mate of Blacktooth, one of Alec's men."
These scattered pieces of information were like scattered beads. Gu Liang silently stored them in his mind, trying to piece together the outline of the truth. He seemed to understand what Emma was trying to uncover.
Once, when Emma delivered food, Gu Liang was using the light from a firefly stone to sketch possible causes of food spoilage on the relatively soft mud ground with a sharp pebble—temperature fluctuations, moisture, insect eggs?—alongside simple allocation calculations. It was his only way to maintain sanity and exercise his mind.
Emma's gaze swept over the crooked symbols and lines on the ground. Her eyes flickered slightly, but she said nothing, setting down the supplies and preparing to leave.
"Wait," Gu Liang called out suddenly.
Emma halted, not turning around.
Gu Liang hesitated, then pointed to a symbol on the ground representing "rot" (drawn based on his own understanding), then to the symbol for "meat," and asked in a low voice, "Is it... this? Not the water?"
Emma fell silent for a moment before uttering a faint "Mm-hmm," confirming his guess. She added, "No proof yet. Keep your mouth shut."
Though merely a simple confirmation, it sent a wave of relief washing over Gu Liang! The shadow of the "poisoning" accusation that had long weighed on his heart seemed to crack open a tiny crack. It wasn't his doing! This feeling of being trusted—even if based on facts—made his nose sting slightly.
"Thank you..." His voice was low, yet filled with sincerity.
Emma's back seemed to stiffen momentarily. Without a word, she quickly left.
Yet the brief calm was soon shattered. When Emma arrived next, Gu Liang distinctly sensed her breath was uneven, her movements more hurried and alert than usual.
"What's going on outside?" he couldn't help asking.
Emma hastily shoved food into his hands, her tone grave. "A-Lie is growing impatient. He suspects a mole helping you and has begun investigating everyone who's approached the totem pole. Don't expect me to visit often lately." She paused, her voice dropping even lower. "If... if there's no other way, I'll tell you a perilous route that might let you escape the tribe. But that's the last resort—a journey where nine die and one survives."
Gu Liang’s heart leapt into his throat. A Lie’s encroachment filled him with dread, but the "last resort" and "one in a thousand chance" in Emma’s words sent a wave of unprecedented panic through him—not just for his own possible demise, but also for the consequences this seemingly cold woman, who had shielded him time and again, might face.
"Will... will you get into trouble?" The words practically burst from his lips, the worry in his voice unmistakable.
Emma visibly faltered, clearly unprepared for the question. In the faint glow of the fluorite, Gu Liang saw the lines of her profile soften for an extremely brief moment before hardening again.
"Mind your own business," she replied evasively, her tone tinged with deliberate irritation. "Remember, only by staying alive can you make him miserable."
Yet as she walked away, her seemingly resolute back inexplicably gave Gu Liang the feeling... of someone fleeing in defeat.
Once more, he stood alone in the crevice, yet this time, the turmoil within him surged far more violently than before. A-Lie's threats tightened like a noose, and the pressure and risks Emma faced became starkly clear. She wasn't merely investigating; she was engaged in a perilous game of power against A-Lie's authority.
[Target Individual Gu Liang deepens awareness of his situation, grows concerned for Host (Emma)'s safety, dependency and emotional bond further strengthened. Corruption Value -2%, Current Corruption Value 21%. Host faces increased external pressure, mission risk level elevated.]
Gu Liang clenched the fluorite in his hand, its faint glow seeming to carry a weighty chill. He no longer passively accepted protection and information; he began thinking harder, recalling every detail possibly linked to the food corruption, searching for the key to prove his innocence. He couldn't stay hidden here forever, leaving Emma to face danger alone.
Meanwhile, within the tribe, the patience in A Lie's golden pupils was rapidly fading. Suspicious, scrutinizing glances swept over every individual who might have come into contact with Gu Liang—including those who had once shown him a shred of kindness, like Old Grayclaw and the young beastman Fangclaw. A stifling tension spread throughout the tribe.
A greater storm brewed beneath the darkening skies. Could the faint light from the fissure illuminate the truth leading to survival? And could Emma, alone and isolated, hold the last bastion of secrecy against A Lie's relentless pressure?
ns216.73.216.141da2
and then Add to home screen.