Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 17: What Exactly Are You

Perhaps because of the haunting melody, the usual roars of mutated beasts had vanished from this stretch of the jungle. It was as if the source of that song was the absolute ruler of this restricted zone.

In its presence, all living things were forced into dead silence.

Captain Lei sat in heavy silence, his gaze fixed on the pitch-black void in the distance.

Xu Qing’s expression was unreadable. After a long moment, his gaze swept across the clearing, finally settling on Barbarian Ghost’s spiked club and the shattered remnants of his shield.

Like every other corpse here, Barbarian Ghost’s body had crumbled to dust the moment the crimson mist and its song departed, erased as if he had never existed.

Scavengers rarely had family. Their passing would go unnoticed by the world. Even if someone did care, the memory would erode with time until, years later, no one would know or remember them.

Xu Qing suddenly recalled the old teacher from the slums—one of the few who had treated him with a modicum of kindness. Before the old man succumbed to illness in his twilight years, he had told the slum children:

“To hold someone in your heart whom you cannot forget is a kind of agony. But to be remembered in someone else’s heart… that is a kind of happiness.”

Xu Qing hadn’t understood those words back then. But now, looking at Captain Lei, the meaning finally clicked. He didn’t disturb the old man. Instead, he walked over to where Barbarian Ghost had fallen, drew his dagger, and began to dig.

He hadn’t known Barbarian Ghost well—only for a few days, with barely a handful of words exchanged. But the man had taught him how to survive the jungle, fought by his side through the wolf pack, and in the end, Xu Qing had used the man’s shield to block the Blood Shadow Captain’s toxic black blood. He owed him. He felt he should do something.

Just as he had cremated the corpses of his ruined city before leaving, he drove his blade into the dirt, carving out a small pit. He buried the spiked club and the shattered shield.

Xu Qing worked with single-minded focus, unaware that Captain Lei had pulled his gaze from the dark jungle to watch him. The old man’s eyes held the same strange, complex emotion as when he had first looked at Xu Qing in the ruined city. Seeing the boy bury the weapons and prepare to fashion a makeshift marker, Captain Lei spoke softly.

“Scavengers don’t need tombstones.”

“Dust to dust, earth to earth. That’s the life of a scavenger. We struggle in this world while alive, and after death… we don’t need offerings or worship. Just let us rest in peace.”

As he spoke, Captain Lei’s breathing grew weaker. The severity of his injuries, the accumulation of Mutagen, and the exhaustion of his spirit finally overwhelmed him. His world blurred, and he fell unconscious.

Xu Qing approached, took out some seven-leaf grass from his pocket, and placed it in Captain Lei’s mouth. He didn’t know if it would help, but since this herb was essential for making White Pills, he figured it must have some effect in alleviating Mutagen.

After that, he hoisted Captain Lei onto his back, securing him tightly with cloth strips. Taking a deep breath, he sprinted through the jungle under the cover of night.

Passing by where the Blood Shadow Captain had turned to dust, Xu Qing spotted a leather pouch. He picked it up and opened it—no Pills inside, just some miscellaneous items. He stored it away and continued on.

Captain Lei regained a sliver of consciousness half an hour later. Hazily, he felt himself being carried on a small, thin frame, jostling with each movement. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the side profile of the boy in front of him.

He fell silent.

Xu Qing sensed Captain Lei’s awakening and spoke softly.

“Feeling better? You can sleep a bit more. We should be out of the restricted zone before dawn, in a few hours.”

Captain Lei didn’t respond. His frail body could no longer hide his age. Struggling to lift his head, he gazed at the dark sky. His vision blurred again, and as he teetered on the edge of unconsciousness, he murmured weakly.

“Kid, do you know why I offered to take you with me twice back in the ruined city?”

Xu Qing didn’t slow his pace, shaking his head.

“Do you remember how we first met?” Captain Lei’s voice was faint.

“I remember.” Xu Qing leaped onto a tree, his right hand shooting out to grab a mutated lizard that had been lurking there, lunging at him. He flung it toward the ground ahead.

With a thud, as the lizard landed, numerous vines writhed from the earth, swiftly wrapping around it. The lizard struggled, but the vines pierced its hide and began devouring its flesh.

Seizing the opportunity, Xu Qing jumped away, avoiding the danger and continuing his dash.

From behind, Captain Lei’s feeble murmur reached him, so weak it was barely audible even at close range.

“I saw you cremating the corpses. In the firelight, you seemed to merge with the flames. It was like… seeing a sliver of warmth in this cruel world.”

Xu Qing’s steps faltered for a moment, then he fell silent. Behind him, Captain Lei slipped back into unconsciousness.

After a few breaths, Xu Qing silently resumed his sprint, weaving through the trees and racing deeper into the jungle.

Time passed, and soon another hour went by.

Xu Qing avoided dangers, drawing closer and closer to the jungle’s edge.

The sky was at its darkest now. The chilling cold of the restricted zone at night seeped into everything. Fortunately, Xu Qing’s constant rapid movement generated enough body heat to fend off the chill somewhat.

But as he pressed on, the cold intensified. After the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Xu Qing suddenly halted, his expression darkening as he stared ahead.

Before him, a thick fog had risen in the jungle.

The mist was dense, spreading in the distance. Unlike the blood-red mist from the song earlier, it didn’t carry the same oppressive weight. Yet, wherever the fog enveloped, everything turned hazy and indistinct, impossible to make out clearly.

Especially in the pitch-black night, the fog’s obscuring effect was even stronger. Xu Qing tried to detour around it, but no matter how far he ran, the fog seemed to be closing in from all sides.

He knew what this was.

When they first entered the restricted zone, Cross and Luan Ya had mentioned that among the dangers here was something called the Mist.

If caught in this fog, people would lose all sense of direction and eventually become hopelessly lost.

Once the mist formed, it often took a long time to dissipate naturally.

Xu Qing figured he could probably endure until the fog cleared without his Mutagen spiking too much, but the weakened Captain Lei couldn’t. If trapped, the old man would surely mutate and die before long.

This forced Xu Qing to backtrack, attempting a wider detour to skirt the fog.

But the mist was too vast. No matter how fast he ran, he soon found himself surrounded on all sides, with nowhere to hide. The fog swallowed him.

Yet, strangely, the fog around Xu Qing began to thin rapidly, eventually revealing his astonished figure once more.

He looked down at his feet.

In the darkness, there was no visible shadow, but Xu Qing could feel the surrounding mist being sucked into the ground beneath his feet.

It was as if his unseen shadow had formed a vortex, devouring the fog around him.

The absorption wasn’t fast, and it soon seemed to reach its limit, stopping abruptly. The fog closed in again, obscuring Xu Qing.

But as the shadow’s devouring ceased, a feedback force surged into Xu Qing’s body, gathering in his eyes. Wherever he looked, the dense fog seemed to turn transparent.

Or perhaps it wasn’t sight, but perception.

The fog was still there, thick as ever, yet in his perception, it was only slightly blurry—far from being impenetrable enough to cause disorientation.

Xu Qing’s breathing quickened. He stared down at the invisible shadow beneath his feet.

“What exactly are you…” he whispered.

After a long moment, he raised his head, perceiving his surroundings. After a brief silence, he immediately began moving again, his speed undiminished. Like a ghost, he darted through the thick fog.

Before long, while weaving through the dense mist, Xu Qing spotted living people.

Two scavengers.

He vaguely remembered seeing them at the camp. The two were holding hands, groping blindly through the fog like lost souls, inching forward cautiously.

But in Xu Qing’s perception, their path was actually a circle. They seemed to have realized this too; sweat beaded on their foreheads, and their ragged breaths betrayed their tension and despair for the future.

Xu Qing glanced at them, then looked away, preparing to leave.

He had no overflowing sympathy. Living in this cruel world, he had seen too many examples in the slums of people being betrayed after rescuing others without cause.

But for those whose vision was obscured, hearing became extremely sharp. The sound of Xu Qing’s footsteps as he turned to leave caught their attention.

Both men tensed immediately. Unable to tell if the noise came from a person or a beast, one of them growled menacingly, trying to intimidate whatever was out there.

The other, however, cried out for help. To show sincerity, he even pulled out White Pills and spirit coins from his leather pouch, promising to hand them over in exchange for a chance at survival.

Xu Qing paused, glancing back at the White Pills in the man’s hand, then feeling Captain Lei’s weakness on his back.

After a moment’s thought, he rummaged in his own pouch, pulled out a candle, and lit it. A faint glow illuminated his immediate area, though the fog seemed to suppress the light, causing it to dim slowly.

While the candle still burned, Xu Qing retreated a short distance and spoke to the two men not far away.

“Seven steps straight to the right, then ten steps to the left…”

Hearing his voice, both scavengers trembled, their faces lighting up with wild hope. Gasping, they immediately followed Xu Qing’s instructions.

Guided by his continuous directions, they zigzagged left and right, avoiding dangerous spots. As they neared the candle’s glow, the fog around them began to thin.

When they finally stepped into the dim circle of candlelight, the illumination hit them like blind men seeing light for the first time. They collapsed beside the candle, emotions surging, hearts pounding with relief.

Xu Qing, meanwhile, remained hidden in the shadows at the edge. Even with the faint candlelight, his figure was blurry. He watched their excited display expressionlessly and spoke calmly.

“Give me the White Pills.”

One of the men trembled, not hesitating in his post-rescue euphoria. He immediately tossed the pouch containing his spirit coins and White Pills to Xu Qing, thanking him profusely.

The other man started to reach for his Pills, but after scanning Xu Qing’s shadowy form, his excitement waned.

Since Xu Qing stood in the dim, fog-shrouded periphery, this man couldn’t make out his face clearly—only a small, thin frame and what seemed to be a unconscious person strapped to his back.

A glint of cunning flashed in his eyes, though he forced a sincere smile.

“Little brother, I’ve already eaten all my White Pills. But don’t worry, once the fog clears, or if you have a way to lead me out, I’ll repay you double.”

As he spoke, his eyes flickered toward Xu Qing’s location, a hint of calculation in his gaze.

His companion, witnessing this, felt a pang of regret, thinking he might have given up his Pills too hastily.

Xu Qing gave the man who hadn’t offered the Pills a deep look but said nothing.

He simply raised his right hand and waved. A gust of wind snuffed out the candle flame, plunging the area back into darkness and thick fog.

A cry of alarm erupted from the cunning man. Xu Qing darted forward, snatched the leather pouch from him, and his calm voice echoed through the mist.

“No need. You can stay in here.”

“Wait, I was wrong, I really was! I’ll give you the White Pills, I—”

The man panicked, scrambling to grab at something, but he tripped over a tree root and fell.

As he clambered to his feet, his calls grew more desperate, regret flooding him.

“Little brother, listen to me, I—”

Xu Qing ignored his pleas, walking toward the other scavenger who had given him the Pills.

This man was now terrified, lost once more in the fog and filled with dread. Without him even noticing, Xu Qing passed by and spoke quietly.

“Follow the sound of my footsteps.”

Without looking back, Xu Qing continued forward. The man, hearing his words, gasped and immediately trailed the footsteps, feeling an unprecedented gratitude for his quick payment earlier.

Especially when he heard the desperate pleas behind him quickly turn into furious, hopeless curses, the sheer despair in that voice made him shudder. His awe for the owner of the footsteps ahead grew even stronger.

—-

Got up late… It’s so hot today, I feel like hiding out in the restricted zone jungle for a while…