People in the Alliance, Time Management Master

"Alright, stop joking around, go to sleep." Kasha smiled. "We'll need you to dispel the fog tomorrow."

Mu Bai nodded, lay down on the spot, and the coldness of the rocks and the biting wind swept over him. He wrapped his coat tightly around himself, turned to his side, and closed his eyes.

The Secret Forest was far from quiet at night. The sound of the evening wind rustling through the leaves was interspersed with the occasional chirping of insects or the roars of void creatures.

Mu Bai frowned subconsciously, turned over again, but still couldn't fall asleep.

He slightly opened one eye and caught a glimpse of the girl's slender, delicate back. The moonlight shone on her flawless face, casting a long, elongated silhouette with an indescribable sense of poignant beauty.

Perhaps sensing his movement as he turned over, or perhaps it was just a coincidence, Kasha happened to turn her head and meet his admiring gaze.

"What's wrong? Can't you sleep?"

"A little," Mu Bai admitted.

"Huh? You also have that...bed-phobia? Yes, that's called bed-phobia. You have that bad habit too?" Kai'Sa blinked. "I heard it's a very troublesome thing."

"Hmm... I wouldn't say that." Mu Bai smiled and sat up. Now he could appreciate the girl's beauty more directly.

He wasn't really a light sleeper; the main reason he couldn't sleep was because the environment felt dangerous, and the constant sense of impending danger made it hard for him to close his eyes.

Plus... with a young woman of excellent age, figure, and appearance sitting next to you watching, who could possibly fall asleep?

"At least close your eyes and rest for a bit," Kasha said, deliberately lowering her voice to make it sound gentler. "There's still a lot of trouble to deal with tomorrow."

"No, forcing yourself to sleep won't help. You know, sleepiness is like a pencil that disappears without a trace. The more you look for it, the less it appears. But when you stop looking for it, it comes out on its own."

"What kind of analogy is that... Okay, so what are you planning to do now?"

"Hmm... how about we do something interesting?" Mu Bai moved to the girl's side and, under her questioning gaze, took her hand.

"Huh?" Kasha was stunned for a full three seconds, her cheeks flushing red like mercury in a thermometer.

What are they trying to do...?

Interesting things... do you mean those strange things...?

But... I'm a monster infected by the void... how can I...?

"Let's go deeper into the cave and see." Seeing the girl's flustered appearance, Mu Bai knew she must have misunderstood.

Teasing Kai'Sa is definitely one of the most interesting things in the world. Watching her usually icy face slowly turn red and hot is so captivating.

"...?" Kasha tilted her head, looking even more confused.

“The airflow here is strange.” Mu Bai put away his playful mood and explained, “I can feel the wind from outside blowing in and not flowing back for a long time. The depth of this cave is probably beyond our imagination.”

You mean...there might be danger inside?

"Not necessarily. Since you didn't sense the void, there are probably no living things in it... Just for peace of mind, how can you rest well with a knife hanging over your head?"

"I see, then let's go in and take a look." Kasha was about to stand up when she suddenly remembered that her hand was being held in the other person's palm, and the blush that had finally faded from her face returned.

"I'm afraid of getting lost." Mu Bai smiled and shook his arm. "If we hold hands, we won't get lost—you said that yourself."

"I clearly said 'get closer,' not 'hold hands'..."

"But I like it this way."

"..."

Kasha tried to argue, but her body still obediently intertwined her fingers with his, even secretly tightening her grip, as if afraid he would let go.

The two walked hand in hand into the depths of the cave, the dark environment filled with an ambiguous atmosphere.

Just as Mu Bai was about to take it a step further, the girl's expression suddenly changed, and the Void Armor rapidly extended, covering her slightly flushed face.

“I smell blood.” Her voice became low and hoarse, almost inhuman. “It’s faint…it’s probably been there for a while.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Bai immediately became serious, and Lan Qie slid out of his scabbard. The two slowed their pace, trying to make as little noise as possible.

As they ventured deeper, the stale smell of blood grew stronger, until even Mu Bai could smell it directly.

Strangely, Kai'Sa could not sense the presence of the void.

“The cave’s owner might not be here,” the girl whispered. “I’ve found the source of the blood.”

"Is it a corpse?" Mu Bai asked in the same low voice. He didn't have Kasha's powerful perception and night vision, and was currently in a state of near-total darkness.

"Hmm... sort of."

The girl lowered her body slightly and carefully examined the unidentified piece of meat placed on top of the rock.

Round, with a few fibrous-like structures... an eyeball?

That one next to it must be a hand with five fingers and skin removed...

"What a twisted sense of humor..." Kasha frowned and looked around. There were at least thirty different human tissues or organs on display.

Upon hearing the words "bad taste," Mu Bai could guess the source of the bloody smell even though he couldn't see it.

He squeezed Kasha's little hand, about to ask a question, when a loud bang suddenly came from behind him.

Along with that, a dazzling red light illuminated the entire cave.

"A distress flare!" Kasha immediately recognized the meaning of the light. "It's the search team! Quick, Mu Bai!"

Mu Bai nodded and ran out of the cave with the girl.

Just before leaving the cave, he glanced back at the human organs in the light of the signal flare and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.

Monsters that like collecting loot...

Chapter 87 One of us is worth one of theirs

Heathia ordered her team to fire the last signal flare, the dazzling red light highlighting her slightly tense expression.

"Damn monster..." she thought irritably, keeping a watchful eye on her surroundings. She was supposed to rejoin the main group in just one more night...

Tsk, I shouldn't have been so hasty... Once we left the camp, this forest became that monster's territory... Oh no.

To be on the safe side, we could set up camp and defend before it gets completely dark... if we weren't in a hurry to travel at night...

If I had listened to Mirik's advice...

"Don't blame yourself too much." A voice suddenly rang in her ear. "Everyone makes mistakes. You should think about how to make amends instead of rushing to write a self-criticism."

"You're right... I'm sorry." Hesslia gave Yasuo a grateful look, then forced her mind to calm down and think of a solution.

Visibility was extremely poor in the thick fog, and that damned monster had an excellent ability to hide. We couldn't continue fighting head-on...

Defense... Back-to-back defense is the most effective, but it's too slow and makes you vulnerable to sudden bursts of explosive spikes...

Should we scatter and flee, hoping one person can escape? No, that won't work either... The reinforcements must have seen the signal flare. If we leave now, the main force won't be able to find anyone.

Hold this place! We must hold this place!

Hesslia took a deep breath and turned to look at the panicked group.

Nine people... There were fourteen when they came, but how many of these nine can go back?

Mog's abdomen was ripped open, and the intestines that were pushed back in were filled with all sorts of weeds and dust... Kogil also lost an arm, and if the bleeding wasn't stopped soon, he probably wouldn't make it through the night...

And Chris and Werner...

The horrific scene constantly jolted Heathlia's taut nerves, and in a daze, she seemed to see the most glorious warrior of Demacia—Garen Crownguard.

"To fight for those who cannot fight..." she murmured softly, repeating the words that the sword captain often spoke, the confusion in her eyes gradually replaced by determination.

He inherited the greatsword of the Sword Captain, and even more so, he inherited the Sword Captain's indomitable spirit!

"Could you help me blow away the thick fog, even if only for a few seconds?"

Hesslia put her helmet back on and said to Yasuo:

“I have a plan… If it goes well, everyone in the investigation team will be saved.”

"Judging from the current situation, I can disperse the fog for five seconds," Yasuo replied. "The fog will gather again after five seconds... What do you want to do?"

"Just help me blow away the thick fog."

"and then?"

"Then...wait for my next instructions."

Hesslia ripped off her blue cloak, gripped her greatsword, and assumed a running stance. "After I run ten steps forward, unleash Gale in the direction I'm running."

"Are you sure?" Yasuo raised an eyebrow, wondering if he had misheard.

No one can outrun the wind.

"Just listen to me!" The wounded soldier's cries made Hissia unconsciously raise her voice. "There's no time to explain now! Listen to me!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly exerted force with her legs, and her whole body darted out like an agile and fierce cheetah, her figure quickly disappearing into the thick fog.

Yasuo listened carefully to the heavy footsteps and silently counted them.

The instant he counted to ten, his eyes sharpened, and the long sword at his waist was drawn from its sheath.

"Hasaki—!"

The still air began to move, and the breeze, driven by the sword intent, transformed into a gale. The gale then quickly coalesced into a terrifying hurricane.

In an instant, the thick fog and leaves were blown away, and the bright moonlight shone on the ground for the first time.

Hesslia finally saw the monster's true form—it resembled a mantis, with scythe-like blades on its hands, wings on its back, and its entire body covered with a shiny, hard exoskeleton…

“Humans. Food…” At the same time, the monster also spotted her.

"Die, you filthy evil spirit!"

Facing the onrushing monster, Hisslia neither dodged nor flinched, but instead raised her greatsword to meet it head-on.

But she was too slow. The magic-suppressing stone greatsword was easily deflected, followed by a bladed claw that slashed across the surface, the burning pain bringing with it warm blood.

Having succeeded in its attack, the monster did not linger. It glanced at the approaching hurricane and flapped its wings vigorously, preparing to retreat.

However, Heathia wouldn't let herself get hurt for nothing.

"Don't go, you haven't eaten me yet..." She grabbed the monster's hind wing, her bloodshot eyes fixed on it, a miserable yet mocking smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

The next moment, a hurricane swept in.

Except for her outstretched arms, Heathia curled her body into a ball as much as possible. The fierce hurricane swept her and the monster she was clutching into the sky.

Countless sharp wind blades ripped through her armor and cut through the monster's exoskeleton.