The wilderness was fraught with peril, and one never knew whether an accident or danger would strike first.
In the second week, even after being rescued from the jaws of a tiger, bleeding and battered, Freya had been as lively as ever. But she stumbled on a vine.
That day, the two were walking together, foraging for wild vegetables, when Freya's calf was carelessly scratched by several gashes from a thorny plant.
They had left the camp to find food and had no medicine on them. Bai Cha had only brought a spray that aided wound recovery and disinfection, which she simply sprayed on Freya's leg before they continued.
They hadn't been out long, and if they went back to treat the wounds now, they feared they would go hungry for the entire day.
Freya felt a little unwell halfway through, thinking it was a minor issue and enduring it without speaking. By the time they returned to camp that evening, she had a fever.
In the wilderness, surrounded by various fierce beasts, the two young girls hadn't lit a campfire. Bai Cha was awakened by a moan in the middle of the night. She heard strange rustling sounds from the fallen leaves beside her. Upon opening her eyes, she found Freya curled up, trembling uncontrollably. Her face immediately turned pale.
For them, the most terrifying things weren't the insects and rats on the island or the wild beasts in the wilderness, but falling ill without reason.
Encountering wild beasts could still be fought, but if they fell ill, under their current limited medical supplies, they might face the worst possible outcome.
Freya wasn't the only one who had been sent to the deserted island. Everyone had a signal flare. Once ignited, someone would come to their rescue, but it also meant elimination from the competition. The longer one persisted, the better their ranking and results would be, and the stronger their voice within the organization would become afterward.
It wasn't a last resort yet, and Bai Cha didn't want to make the decision for Freya. After thinking for a moment, Bai Cha picked Freya up and started walking in a certain direction.
Freya only felt extremely cold, then hot, her consciousness blurring. Then she felt herself being carried, the jolting making her uncomfortable. She vaguely heard someone panting heavily.
She felt a bit strange. It took great effort for her to open her eyes. In front of her was a thin, narrow stick. Freya's fever-addled brain froze for a long time before she realized it wasn't a stick, but a shoulder.
As her eyes focused slightly, she saw the scenery before her constantly changing. She lowered her head and could only see a pair of shoes bobbing up and down.
Then, she was put down. There was a fire in front of her, very warm, making her want to lean closer to the heat source. She then heard a childish voice not far away.
"Don't move, or you'll fall into the fire."
Freya's brain was still frozen, and her throat felt a bit sore. However, she felt much better than the overwhelming dizziness she had felt initially. After a while, she realized they were still on the deserted island, and Bai Cha had actually lit a campfire late at night. Startled, Freya sat up abruptly, her senses becoming much clearer.
"Cha... *cough cough*, Chacha, what are you doing?" Freya's throat felt dry and uncomfortable. She found the water bottle beside her was full. She picked it up and drank it all, feeling a bit better.
"Uh, gathering herbs, but I'm not very good at identifying them." Bai Cha was very young then, her hands cupped under her chin, looking troubled, which made Freya's heart melt. Bai Cha picked up herbs one by one, carefully identifying them from root to leaf, muttering, "These... they look so similar, are they the same species? These don't look like the ones in the book."
"Is it this one?" Freya leaned over. She could tell Bai Cha was picking herbs for her. The bumpy ride earlier was probably because Bai Cha didn't feel safe leaving her at the camp, so she carried her.
Fortunately, they hadn't encountered any wild beasts. Otherwise, Freya couldn't imagine how Bai Cha would fight while carrying her.
For the next three days, Freya had a high fever, and Bai Cha carried her around to find food and medicinal herbs.
She couldn't possibly leave the defenseless Freya at the camp; it would be no different from letting her die. Even a small centipede could be fatal to her.
In the end, Bai Cha and Freya teamed up and took first place.
Both girls were only six or seven years old, their combined age less than that of other contestants. This achievement successfully silenced the old fuddy-duddies on the balance beam who used their age as an excuse.
However, Bai Cha fell ill for a period after returning. The gene super-mutation surgery required sufficient time for adaptation. Bai Cha had rushed to the deserted island to help Freya. Having suppressed herself for too long, she was sent to the hospital immediately upon returning home.
Except for Bai Ze, who grumbled in Bai Cha's ear for a while after being beaten soundly, all other outcomes were very good.
Bai Cha had always stood by her side, always helping her, so it was only right for her to reciprocate, wasn't it?
Freya stopped and looked back at Lucifer behind her.
This man acted so gentle and demure in front of Bai Cha, but in front of others, he subtly revealed the sharpness that remained on him. To put it plainly, everyone gathered here for the same reason.
Because of love, and yet more than just love.
Love wasn't the origin, but it became the cause of everything.
As she had said, Cang Liu saw Bai Cha as salvation. Both in reality and spiritually, Bai Cha had saved him more than once. As for Freya, Bai Cha was simply the accumulation of her infatuation.
Freya herself hadn't expected the person she was infatuated with to be so good to her. The person she had fallen in love with at first sight treated her so well. Naturally, she wanted to give everything to the person she loved the most.
Bai Cha didn't know how long she had slept. She seemed to have had a very long dream, but upon waking, she remembered nothing.
She only remembered something nibbling at her shoelaces, but she couldn't even recall if she was wearing sneakers.
It seemed to be a rather unpleasant dream. After waking, her heart was racing, and she felt a slight palpitation. Bai Cha walked to the door and opened it, just in time to see Freya about to push it open.
"Oh? Chacha's awake? You slept from noon until evening." Freya raised the cup of hot milk in her hand, smiling triumphantly. "The temperature is just right this time."
"Ah, thank... thank you." Bai Cha's palpitation gradually subsided. The milk was a bit cool, but Bai Cha blinked and drank it down in one go, wisely not mentioning it.
"Chacha, you don't have to thank me. I belong to Chacha." Freya said with a giggle. "I just won another match. Do you want to praise me?"
"Mhm, very impressive." Bai Cha breathed a sigh of relief and returned to her room. Freya followed closely behind.
"Chacha, did something happen?" Freya stopped at the doorway, watching Bai Cha sit down at the vanity before closing the door and walking over with concern.
"...Where is Lucifer?" Bai Cha didn't answer Freya. She had been a bit unsettled lately. Even with her vast abilities, she wasn't omnipotent, especially with fewer people she could rely on. Bai Cha had no choice but to force herself to calm down.
What surprised Bai Cha was that Lucifer, who usually stayed by her side, wasn't there, making her feel a bit empty and uneasy.
"Chacha, you..." Freya, looking worried, took Bai Cha's hand. She could feel an unstable aura emanating from Bai Cha, like falling leaves in the wind, without support.
"It's nothing, just that too many things have happened recently." Bai Cha forced a smile. A good night's sleep had made her feel much better.
"It's just... I feel a bit uneasy."
She had a feeling that more frustrating things were yet to happen. Although the departure of Meng Qinghuan and Yun He, following Cang Liu's exit, was already bad enough, Bai Cha needed to be fully prepared for her plan to proceed smoothly.
"Freya, things will get better." Bai Cha covered her face and took a deep breath, finally calming down. "Freya, will you come with me after the World Championship?"
"Chacha?" Freya was so surprised that she couldn't come to her senses for a long time, not expecting Bai Cha to bring this up so seriously.
"Leave here, and we'll find a utopia. I'll do my best to hand over everything."
Freya: "...Why so suddenly?"
"Don't you want to?" Bai Cha hesitated for a moment, then changed her mind. "It is indeed very sudden. There's no rush, I can postpone it for a while longer..."
"No, I thought you, who values responsibility and protection so much, wouldn't leave." Freya held Bai Cha's hand, lost in thought. "And I thought you, being such a rational person, wouldn't believe in the romantic notion of a utopia."
Bai Cha paused, her expression a little unnatural. She coughed lightly, seeming a bit embarrassed. "You said you wanted to find one."
"Besides, I suddenly realized I've never considered what I want for myself. At least, I want to try other things. With you leading the way, it should be better."
Freya blinked and stared at Bai Cha for a long time, suddenly looking a bit surprised.
"Chacha, are you shy?" Freya tilted her head, her eyes wide with excitement. "Do you love me too?"
This time, she didn't say "like," she said "love."
Freya had always expressed her affection and love for Bai Cha very directly, but the most intimate word Bai Cha had ever used was "like," and that too, very sparingly. Now that Freya had brought up the word "love," it made Bai Cha hesitate again.
"I... I don't know either."
Perhaps she should have said "love," and Freya would have been very happy. But Bai Cha felt she should be honest. "I seem to be rather vague about many emotions. I seem to be really slow, but I want to try."
Because you are worth it. At least, I want to make an effort.
"Then I'll also keep it to myself, how about that?" Freya hugged Bai Cha and smiled sweetly. "When Chacha feels love for me, come and kiss me yourself. I won't be the one initiating that kiss."
"..."
Lucifer, who was about to knock on the door, silently withdrew his hand. After a long hesitation, he pushed the meal cart and slowly walked away.
In the following time, everything seemed to return to calm. Jingji reported successfully. Jingji's abilities were also very strong, although some of his taboo abilities were cultivated by Bai Cha as a trump card. Now, they had to be released prematurely due to the circumstances.
Meng Qinghuan and Xiang Nan completed their work handover. Although the relationship between the two good friends had become very strained, they still perfectly completed the handover of subsequent tasks.
During this period, Mo Yuntian still sought help from Bai Cha. If he didn't, the capital city might truly descend into chaos. Those people were privately researching human experiments behind his back, and he had turned a blind eye. Who knew that the experimental subjects developed by someone suddenly lost control, and the entire laboratory was compromised.
By the time Bai Cha arrived, strange Asura zombies had almost taken over the capital city. The Imperial Guards were the first line of defense, firing heavy weapons at the dense masses of Asuras.
To call them Asuras was inaccurate; these deformed half-products were more akin to zombies. A bite would result in assimilation within five seconds.
However, these zombies were too low-level. Even if they were sent to the Asura realm, they would likely only be low-ranking Asuras who did menial labor.
Anyway, Bai Cha estimated that these low-level creatures would at most be pulling rickshaws for the higher-ranking Asuras. She couldn't fathom why those people were so excited after activating such Asuras.