The stone axe sliced through the air with a heavy whistling sound, aimed not at his head or heart, but at the tree trunk beside him—a precise and violent act of intimidation.
Gu Liang's back pressed against the rough bark, with nowhere left to retreat. Alei's towering figure blocked every escape route. Within that golden pupil, not yet smeared with blood, surged a possessive fury. Sweat, blood, and the forest's dampness clung to his skin, cold and bone-piercing.
He was going back. The spot where the brand was burned throbbed faintly. He could almost feel those rough hands grabbing him again, dragging him back into that tent of animal hides filled with humiliation.
The anticipated capture did not come.
A blinding, unnatural light flared like a sword from the darkness beside him, striking Alei's face with pinpoint accuracy!
"Roar—!"
A low roar, a mix of agony and fury, erupted from A Lie. His movements instantly distorted, and his stone axe plunged deep into the tree trunk beside Gu Liang's ear. He instinctively shielded his eyes from the blinding light with his arm, his body momentarily stiffening and leaving an opening due to the sudden attack.
In that split second, a figure darted out from beside the light source like a ghost.
"Follow me!"
It was Chinese!
Clear, urgent, carrying a tone he'd nearly forgotten—one belonging to the civilized world—it struck his muddled consciousness like a sledgehammer.
Gu Liang's mind went blank, utterly unable to process this development beyond comprehension. Another trap? A more elaborate deception? But the primal instinct within him, refusing to be imprisoned again, overrode all reason. The instant that figure brushed past him and yanked his arm forcefully, his body reacted before his mind could register it—run!
Like a bowstring released after being drawn taut, he shot forward, following the blurred silhouette ahead, plunging into deeper darkness.
Behind him came A Lie's furious roar and the sound of pursuing footsteps, but they were abruptly interrupted by a strange, muffled explosion—like a smoke grenade—and a sudden, acrid stench that filled the air. The pursuit halted noticeably, accompanied by A Lie's violent coughing from inhaling the irritant and an even more enraged roar.
Gu Liang cared for nothing else. He knew only to follow the figure ahead. Branches lashed his face and arms like whips, tearing through his thin clothing and leaving searing pain. Roots and vines beneath his feet nearly tripped him several times, but each time he staggered to regain his balance, unleashing unprecedented speed.
His lungs throbbed like broken bellows, each breath tasting of blood. He had no idea how long he ran until every sound behind him—the roars, the pursuit, even the forest's own moans—faded completely. All that remained was the deafening echo of his own heartbeat and gasping breaths.
The figure ahead finally slowed to a halt before a mountain wall thickly overgrown with vines. With a deft motion, the person parted the vines, revealing a narrow gap barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through.
"Go in," the woman's voice sounded again, slightly breathless from running yet unnervingly calm.
Gu Liang practically stumbled and fell inside. The space was a tiny, natural stone cave, barely five square meters in size, plunged into complete darkness save for the faintest glimmer of moonlight filtering through the vines.
He collapsed against the cold stone wall, coughing violently as if his lungs would burst. Sweat drenched his clothes, clinging icy to his skin and sending uncontrollable shivers through him.
Click.
A steady beam of light, countless times brighter than the moonlight, illuminated the cave, dispelling the thick darkness.
Gu Liang snapped his head up, his pupils constricting against the sudden brightness. Only then did he truly see the person who had rescued him.
A young woman. She wore the familiar dark functional jacket and pants from another world, carrying an oversized, modern-looking backpack on her back. Her hair was neatly pulled back, her face smudged with dirt and sweat, but her eyes shone unusually bright and calm in the light, meeting his gaze serenely.
It was her light. It was her speaking Chinese.
The sheer shock momentarily overwhelmed his physical exhaustion and fear. His mouth opened, but his parched throat produced no sound.
Emma didn't approach him immediately. She inverted the powerful flashlight in the center of the cave, directing its beam toward the ceiling. The diffused light softly illuminated the entire space. Then, she unstrapped the massive backpack, skillfully opened it, and retrieved a metal canteen.
She unscrewed the lid, took a sip herself, then calmly offered the canteen to him, setting it on the ground between them.
"Water," she said in Chinese, just one word.
Gu Liang's gaze locked onto the silver kettle, the burning sensation in his throat intensifying. But he didn't move. Years of captivity had ingrained the deepest wariness toward any "gift." He even suspected this might be another form of manipulation—that the water might be poisoned.
His gaze shifted from the kettle to Emma's face, filled with scrutiny, suspicion, and the desperate struggle of a trapped beast. He searched her expression for any crack, any trace of cruelty or mockery reminiscent of Alei or that tribe.
But there was none. Her expression was calm, even patient, as if she understood. She simply watched him, saying nothing more, making no further move to approach.
Time passed in silence. Outside the cave, wind rustled through the vines, a soft whispering sound.
Finally, physical need overpowered everything. Gu Liang licked his cracked, bleeding lips and, with an almost desperate resolve, reached out and grabbed the water jug. He didn't drink directly from it. Instead, he carefully poured some water into his palm and quickly lapped it up.
Clear, fresh water—
Not an illusion.
This realization loosened his last line of defense. Abandoning caution, he raised the flask and drank greedily in large gulps. The cool liquid slid down his throat, moistening his parched insides, bringing a relief that bordered on pain.
Only after emptying most of the flask did he pause, breathing heavily as he set it back down.
"Thank you," a hoarse voice squeezed from his throat. The long-unused Chinese sounded strangely unfamiliar.
Emma nodded, accepting his thanks. She pulled another packet of compressed biscuits from her backpack, tore it open, broke off a small piece, and ate it herself. Then she pushed the remaining larger piece, still wrapped in its paper, back toward him.
The same routine. Silent proof it was safe.
This time, Gu Liang hesitated less. He grabbed the biscuit and devoured it greedily. The coarse, solid texture and simple taste of salt and fat felt like a feast compared to nothing. The food brought a faint warmth and a sense of stability.
After finishing, he leaned against the stone wall, regaining some strength, though his mental vigilance remained undiminished.
"Who are you?" he stared at her, asking the most crucial question in Chinese. His voice remained hoarse, yet carried an unavoidable sharpness. "Why are you here? Why did you save me?"
Emma met his gaze without flinching.
"My name is Emma," she answered clearly, her tone steady. "Like you, I don't belong here."
She gestured toward the water bottle and cookie wrapper on the ground. "We come from the same place."
Then she paused, her gaze sweeping over the scrapes beneath his tattered clothes before settling on the gruesome brand beneath his collarbone—one that even the dim light couldn't fully conceal.
"As for why I'm here..." Her voice was soft yet carried an unusual power that pierced the cave's chill. "Because I saw you. I couldn't watch you be dragged back into that hell."
"Saw?" Gu Liang seized on the vague word, his brow furrowing sharply. "How did you 'see'? Who are you?"
Emma paused, as if weighing her words.
"Between our world and this one, there exist... fissures." She chose a relatively accessible metaphor. "I don't understand the mechanics, just as you don't understand why you fell through."
"I can... sense fragments. Through those cracks, I sensed you." Her gaze settled below Gu Liang's collarbone. "I sensed a kindred soul enduring unspeakable suffering, about to lose the last shred of freedom."
She lifted her eyes to meet his once more, her gaze sincere and resolute. "When I discovered a possible 'crack' to pass through, I came in. My purpose from the very beginning was you—to find you and bring you back to life."
Gu Liang stared intently at her, searching every flicker of her expression for signs of deception. Her explanation sounded utterly absurd. Yet her fluent Chinese, her modern equipment, her precise timing, and the unwavering directness of her gaze now... all these things supported her words.
Most crucially, she had indeed rescued him from A Lie.
He fell into a long silence, his chest rising and falling only slightly.
Emma didn't disturb him further. She simply picked up the water bottle again, took another small sip, and began checking the straps of her backpack, rearranging its contents with a faint rustling sound.
The cave fell silent once more, filled only by the uneven rhythm of their breathing.
After an unknown length of time, Gu Liang finally spoke again, his voice low and weary:
"...Will they come after us?"
Emma paused her movements, straining to listen for sounds outside the cave. Only the wind and the chirping of unidentified insects reached her ears.
"Not tonight," she replied. "I used a little 'gift' to distract him. The Black Forest is dangerous at night, and he's injured. He won't risk pursuing us deep into the woods."
She paused, then added, "But after dawn, who knows? We must leave this area as quickly as possible. The farther, the better."
Gu Liang closed his eyes. Yes, they had to leave. He'd barely escaped this time; he couldn't be captured again. Whether this woman before him was an illusion or real, at least for now, she represented a different path.
He leaned against the cold stone wall, every wound and bruise screaming in agony. The extreme mental tension and physical exhaustion receded like a tide, leaving behind a vast emptiness and weariness. But he dared not sleep.
Emma seemed to sense his state. She pulled a thin, silver thermal blanket from her backpack, shook it out, and gently draped it over him.
"Rest for a while," she said. "I'll keep watch."
Gu Liang grasped the oddly textured blanket, hesitated, then finally wrapped it around himself. A faint warmth gradually enveloped his frozen body.
He didn't say thank you. He simply curled up, burying his face in his knees and arms. The trembling subsided, but his muscles remained stiff and tense.
Emma switched off the flashlight, plunging the cave back into darkness. Only a few faint rays of light seeping through the gaps in the vines outlined her blurry silhouette as she stood guard at the cave entrance.
Outside the cave, the Black Forest breathed in the night.