Everyone has awakened, but I am the only mortal!

After a brief silence, Lao Zhou looked at Su Bai.

"Old Bai, just tell me what to do, I'll do whatever you say."

Su Bai said, "Do nothing, just follow Huang Xiang to get the biscuits."

Old Zhou said, "We're going in the wrong direction. How could we possibly reach the Western Regions?"

If we can't reach the Western Regions, we won't be able to get the biscuits.

Old Zhou didn't believe Su Bai couldn't have thought of this.

Su Bai chuckled lightly: "Looking back, Luo Zheng said we were on the right track, and Huang Xiang also said we were heading in the right direction. When we first emerged from the alien realm, we slowly made our way here. With the changing scenery along the way, they both said we were about to reach the Western Regions. But what if our understanding of the Western Regions doesn't actually mean the West?"

Old Zhou stared blankly, his mouth agape. Seeing Su Bai looking at him earnestly, he quickly nodded and said, "You're right. Perhaps the Western Regions is just a place name and doesn't necessarily represent the West."

Su Bai looked down at the inscription on the bluestone tablet beneath him, and after a long while, he finally uttered, "Interesting."

Old Zhou listened to his words and looked at the inscription. He found it difficult to even recognize the characters, let alone understand their meaning.

He looked at the inscription, then at Su Bai, and after several repetitions, seeing that Su Bai was still intently studying the inscription, Old Zhou gave up on asking any further questions.

Afterwards, Lao Zhou took Su Bai to the crevice in the rock to drink water. Su Bai looked at the crevice where the stream water kept flowing down. Some people had already drunk water and left, while others came over. When the survivors saw Su Bai and Lao Zhou, they were not very excited. Instead, each of them had a blank face.

The thin, lifeless body seemed poised for death at any moment, a feeling that left one feeling utterly powerless.

Su Bai drank the water, and then filled a few empty bottles with water before leaving the crevice with Lao Zhou.

As dusk approached, Luo Zheng and his companions could no longer be seen. Su Bai didn't care whether they had noticed that Su Bai and his group hadn't followed. Instead, he noticed that someone had lit a campfire, and as the fire blazed, the scattered scavengers remaining in the city slowly gathered together.

Su Bai and Lao Zhou discussed it and decided to stay and rest, and continue their journey tomorrow.

Not only can they not catch up with Luo Zheng and the others now, but if they leave this ruin and there is any danger, they will have a hard time resisting. It would be better for them to stay with these scavengers.

The two of them didn't move forward, but sat down about five or six meters away from the crowd. Although there was no food, they had water to drink, which made their stomachs feel much better.

Looking up, you can see the starry sky above, especially the moon, which is very red tonight, like a red-hot iron block.

Old Zhou couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "To see such a moon even in the apocalypse is truly rare."

Su Bai observed the scavengers, however. The apocalypse had robbed them of their vitality, leaving them numb, like walking corpses. The group huddled together, none of them speaking.

Su Bai then remembered the sound of "Tongtong" that he had heard during the day, and at that moment, everything before him was deathly still.

Old Zhou yawned: "Old Bai, are there any monsters?"

Su Bai asked him, "Why are you looking for monsters?"

Old Zhou was clearly very sleepy, but suddenly he perked up and glared at Su Bai: "Old Bai, don't follow my example."

Su Bai didn't understand: "Why?"

Old Zhou said with a serious expression, "Because I'm a bad person, and you're not; you're a good person."

Su Bai met his serious expression, and a smile appeared in her eyes.

Old Zhou chuckled, a wicked smile spreading across his face. He closed his eyes and lay down on the ground. "Old Bai," he said, "have you thought about what you're going to do once we get to the Western Regions?"

Su Bai looked into the distance: "I don't know."

He didn't even know if that place in the Western Regions existed, or if they could even get there.

There was no response from Lao Zhou in the darkness, but soon his snoring could be heard.

Su Bai, who was not sleepy at all, suddenly felt heavy-hearted and fell into a deep sleep. In his dream, he heard someone calling "Tongtong" in a very urgent voice.

Su Bai suddenly opened his eyes and found that it was still pitch black all around. The campfire had gone out sometime earlier. He turned his head and found that Lao Zhou was gone.

Just then, Old Zhou's voice came from behind him: "Old Bai, come here."

Su Bai turned around and saw Old Zhou with his back to him, bent over and searching for something. Hearing that Su Bai behind him hadn't moved, he turned around and urged him again.

"Old Bai, hurry up."

Su Bai remained half-lying on the ground, propped up on one arm, his posture resembling someone enjoying a sunbath on the beach.

He remained motionless and silent, but Old Zhou grew increasingly anxious.

"Come here... come here quickly."

Su Bai didn't want to move, but his body moved slowly and uncontrollably, as if an invisible string was pulling his limbs. He was a puppet controlled by the string.

Losing control of your body feels terrible, like there's a pot of boiling oil in front of you, and you know it's dangerous, but you're about to be thrown in.

As he was pulled closer, Su Bai could see clearly that "Old Zhou" was not wearing clothes, but scales.

Each scale seemed to come alive; when you stared at it, your entire soul was drawn in, and a voice kept asking you in your ear: "Where is the thing? You brought something out."

thing?

Su Bai's gaze was blank, but when he heard the word "thing," he thought of something, and his hand instinctively reached into his shirt pocket. There was a hard object, and he held it tightly in his hand through his clothes. In an instant, his soul, which had been pulled out and his body, which had been out of control, was back under his control.

Su Bai suddenly opened his eyes and saw stars in the sky. He could hear Old Zhou snoring in his ears. The night was still long, and the whispers in his ears faded away.

Su Bai rubbed his forehead and found that he was covered in cold sweat.

Although he couldn't fall asleep again, Su Bai didn't sit up either. Everything that had just happened felt like a dream, but having experienced that strange realm, Su Bai didn't believe it was a dream. Perhaps...

In the endless darkness, it seemed as if a pair of eyes were watching him.

"Tongtong, Tongtong..."

The low call rang out once more, sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

This time, Su Bai understood. When the other person called "Tongtong," their tone wasn't anxious; instead, it was as if they were gently humming the other person's name as usual.

Su Bai remained still, and the sound of "Tongtong" gradually faded into the distance.

Afterwards, Su Bai kept his eyes open until dawn. Apart from Old Zhou, who was still asleep, there was only the burnt-out fire. The scavengers' figures had probably disappeared last night.

As the sunlight streamed down, Luo Zheng and his companions slowly came into Su Bai's view. As they approached, Su Bai noticed that they looked disheveled, as if they had escaped from some great calamity, and their faces still showed signs of fear.