(Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)
(The Mermaid's Lake – Forested Outskirts)
Liu Tao blinked twice and stared at her hands. She lifted one up in the air and looked at it curiously as if she could not believe that it was attached to her body.
She was still getting used to her new height and the proportion of her limbs.
Standing up and walking on two legs was quite the novel experience.
Chen Xiao had yet to notice her strange behaviour as he was still hugging her tightly with an expression of relief on his face.
Liu Tao glanced towards the entrance of the cave and for a brief moment her calm appearance cracked to reveal an inhuman smile.
A young teenage girl had bravely walked into the cave…
And something else had walked out…
"We should head back…" Chen Xiao suggested as he finally stepped away. He smiled warmly at Liu Tao who returned his grin with an identical smile on her face.
"Yes… yes…" Liu Tao hesitantly spoke. Her voice was raspy and disjointed as if the words coming from her mouth were unfamiliar.
"Are you okay?" Chen Xiao asked with concern evident in his voice.
Liu Tao looked at the ground in silent contemplation before deciding her next course of action.
Her body swayed gently from side to side before she collapsed in a state of what appeared to be unconsciousness.
"Oh shit!" Chen Xiao exclaimed in shock as he hurriedly rushed over and picked up the young girl in his arms.
Her body was extremely hot and feverish which meant that she had probably caught something during the time they had spent walking through the forest.
Chen Xiao bravely put Liu Tao on his back and began to trek towards the general direction of the camp site.
He brushed his hand against her waistband to try and reach for the gun but was surprised to discover that the gun was nowhere to be found.
Perhaps she had lost it in the cave…
This was the first time that Chen Xiao had been in such close physical contact with a girl. He had no idea that their clothes felt so fur-like.
Nor did he realise just how… earthy they smelled…
Liu Tao rested on the back of the human who was carrying her through the forest and her fingers slowly twitched.
It would be a simple matter to strangle the neck of this human but there was a greater prize to be found.
This human would lead her to more of his kind. And then…
She would kill them all.
She would slaughter them.
No mercy would be given.
Liu Tao smiled sadistically as she recalled the bleeding corpse inside the cave that was missing its lower jaw, limbs and certain body parts.
It was a horrific way to die…
And that human had been so confident as well… not knowing that inside the darkness of the cave was her domain…
Chen Xiao gritted his teeth and continued walking even as sharp thorns tore through his jeans which made his legs bleed.
Night had already fallen, and the forest was far more difficult to navigate with only the pale moonlight streaming down from the sky.
Long shadows danced beneath the moonlight and Chen Xiao had to admit that it was a little bit scary walking through the forest at night.
He could not shake the feeling that multiple creatures were watching him as he moved unhindered through the labyrinth of trees and bushes.
Chen Xiao took out a small pocketknife from his pants and would occasionally mark the trees as he walked towards the camp site.
Hopefully these markings would prevent him from walking around in circles.
In the worst-case situation, all he had to do was make it to the lake and then Sister Lan should find them in the morning when she went for water.
Chen Xiao stopped for a moment to catch his breath as he felt as though all of his muscles were now on fire.
He was an ordinary teenage boy and after hours of walking through the forest, he was completely exhausted.
Things were even worse now that he had to carry an extra weight on his back.
Liu Tao had not moved for the last couple of minutes and her temperature seemed to get hotter.
Chen Xiao took one step forward but tripped over an exposed root and nearly fell to the ground face first.
No… it would be impossible to travel further tonight…
Chen Xiao gently place Liu Tao on the ground and leaned against a nearby tree. He winced painfully as the cuts on his leg continued to bleed.
The former class monitor was not a survival expert, but Qin Lan had shown the young teenagers some survival tips.
Chen Xiao reached for his pants and ripped off several pieces of fabric. He used the pieces of fabric to tie around the bleeding cuts on his legs and then applied pressure.
It was so painful…
Chen Xiao tried to distract himself by looking at Liu Tao who was sleeping peacefully on the forest floor without a care in the world.
Her chest slowly rose and fell as beads of sweat began to form on her brow. Chen Xiao was sure that it was a sign that her fever was getting worse.
How do you deal with fever again?
Chen Xiao tore a long strip of fabric from his pants and then opened up a bottle of water. He poured some of the water on the strip and then walked over to Liu Tao.
He gently placed the piece of cloth on her forehead in an attempt to cool down her temperature and break her fever.
Chen Xiao wasn't sure if this really worked but he had seen this method used on a television show before so hopefully it was useful.
Qin Lan had only shown the young teenagers how to do basic first aid, but she hadn't managed to teach them about dealing with diseases.
Liu Tao's breathing got calmer and unbeknownst to Chen Xiao, her eyes were partially open and staring at him.
The look in her eyes as she stared at the boy who was looking after her was not one of gratitude but rather it was as though she was observing prey.
Humans… so gullible… so delicious…
Liu Tao had to stop herself from drooling as she imagined ripping apart the human sitting beside her body.
pαпᵈα-noνɐ1·сoМ Then she would take his form… she would become him… a predator that looked identical to its prey…
They would never see it coming…
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