Chapter 72

The group had only just begun their free time, still buzzing with excitement, when Luo Li walked over in a sullen mood. He happened to overhear someone suggesting, “I spotted a weird sink cave over there a moment ago. It should connect to the bottom of the sinkhole. What do you say—should we check it out?”

A girl hesitated. “Maybe we shouldn’t… Those sink caves are super deep. What if we can’t climb back out?”

“We’ve got all this gear—what’s there to fear? Besides, I already tested the water. It’s pretty shallow, no problem.”

Despite the reassurance, only a few dared to go. The proposer turned to Saibansi. “What about you? Wanna join?”

Saibansi snorted. “Sure, let’s go.”

He glanced back at Luo Li. “You coming too?”

Luo Li eyed the cave mouth they were talking about. It was pitch black, the ground covered in dark green moss and scattered with bones from unidentified creatures.

He shook his head at once. “Nah, count me out.”

Saibansi scoffed. “Coward. Fine, wait here then.”

The group set off lightly equipped, with rescue gear and climbing tools for the sink cave. After watching them leave, Luo Li returned to the assembly point and began wandering aimlessly in the safe zone.

He decided not to tell Saibansi about the peeping incident. After all, he had no evidence now, and he didn’t even know who the culprit was.

With that guy’s temper, if he found out, he’d kick up a fuss and ruin everyone’s peace for sure.

Better to let it slide for now.

Luo Li wandered aimlessly around the area. He quickly realized the forest was far more complex than he’d thought. The trees all looked eerily similar, making it hard to get his bearings.

The specific tree he’d locked onto earlier… he couldn’t find it anymore.

Not daring to venture deeper into the woods, lest he get truly lost, he hurriedly retraced his footsteps toward the forest’s edge.

But just then, his 【Tracking】 skill pinged.

Following the glowing indicator, Luo Li spotted another set of footprints stretching deep into the Giant Tree Forest.

A player here?

Ever since 007 had inexplicably turned into a robot, Luo Li was completely in the dark about what the thing even wanted in this world.

But now that a player had shown up, he had to check it out.

Luo Li followed the footprints past towering giant trees cloaked in moss and mushrooms, hopping across rushing streams, until he reached a tall chain-link fence.

He had just stopped when voices drifted from nearby. “Chairman, I just tallied it up. These goods should fetch three million credit points.”

“Only three million? That’s a huge loss.”

Luo Li’s heart clenched. That voice… it was Kroya!

He dropped into a crouch at once, hiding himself completely in the underbrush. He parted the leaves just a sliver and peeked toward the source of the sound.

Soi was there, slicing open the carcass of an unidentified creature with a knife. He grinned. “Selling to regular folks would get us ripped off, sure. But selling to those officers at the supply station? That’s a different story.”

He kicked the chain-link fence in front of him. “See, the troops stationed inside are basically half-exiled. They’re dying to trade these monsters for military merits and get back to the surface early… They’ll pay any price.”

The supply station had been built by the military to provide energy resupplies for bionic people and intelligent mechs.

But a station like this one, deep in the sinkhole, was remote and resource-poor—practically an exile post.

The only way out was racking up merits. Slaughtering dangerous species was one of the prime ways to do it.

Kroya was communicating with someone inside via some device. After a moment, he frowned. “They want to inspect the goods first. Too many scammers lately, and with the Marshal down in the sinkhole, they’re paranoid.”

Soi shrugged it off. “Then let’s give ’em a look. Lai An, didn’t you take photos?”

The youth called Lai An—looking honest and unassuming—responded and walked over with a camera, handing it to Kroya.

Kroya flipped it open and immediately frowned.

“What the hell is this?”

Lai An blinked blankly. “I took them normal…”

His voice trailed off.

The early shots were fine, but the last few revealed a figure in the corner. Standing off to the side, Lai An hadn’t noticed before.

The person stood under a giant tree, back to the camera, bending over.

Long, jet-black hair fell to the waist, and beneath a gauzy top, pale, delicate skin peeked through. Two slender, lotus-root-like arms gleamed white—one palm pressed to the trunk, the other freeing the button of a pair of shorts.

Those jeans were really short, the fabric digging into the thighs so the flesh bulged out plumply. The little rear was round and perky, its full, smooth curves drawing the eye irresistibly.

The shots were in burst mode. The first few captured the figure slipping off a shoe. The ankle was exquisitely slim, narrow enough for two fingers to encircle; as the sole lifted, light caught just right, illuminating the scene.

The high-tech camera allowed extreme magnification, rendering the toes—with their faint pink nails—in crystal clarity. Shot from below, it almost looked like that pretty little foot was about to press right onto the viewer’s face.

A top-tier beauty’s figure.

The next shot: the shorts came off.

Every man present caught his breath.

…Pale pink, conservatively cut panties hugged slim, delicate hips—clear enough to see the fabric’s transparent sheen from thin sweat.

As the figure bent, every view was laid bare.

Soi’s expression grew complicated. “Isn’t this Saibansi’s little boyfriend, Luo Li? You were peeping on him?”

Lai An scrambled to defend himself. “No! I swear I didn’t see. There were too many shots—I couldn’t check every single one.”

No one bought his bullshit.

The lens was practically shoved up the guy’s leg gap. Who’d believe that wasn’t deliberate?

Seeing it had come to this, Lai An could only plead with Kroya. “Chairman…”

“Delete them,” Kroya said flatly. “Now.”

Lai An swallowed his bitterness. He had no choice but to follow orders and start erasing the photos one by one.

Those were rare captures of dangerous species—practically his life’s blood.

Forcing himself to delete them all like this? Of course it hurt.

The team were all members of the Poachers’ Guild—some excelled at hunting, some at tracking. Lai An’s specialty was nabbing these precious shots.

Truth be told, getting his hands on firsthand footage of dangerous species thrilled him more than striking it rich down in the sinkhole.

…This bunch of brawling thugs didn’t get it at all. Only he understood the true wonders of the perilous world beyond the Enclosing Wall.

But going deep into the sinkhole to witness the legendary Pollution Source? He couldn’t do it alone.

Lai An gritted his teeth and trailed after the poachers.

Photo after photo vanished. Suddenly, right before hitting delete again, Lai An paused.

In the image, the boy had just slipped his shorts back on and walked off. A few beads of sweat dotted the ground, not fully dried.

And around those thin water stains, visible to the naked eye, vicious clusters of dangerous green plants were sprouting.

Rumor had it the Pollution Source’s bodily fluids could spawn all manner of life down in the sinkhole.

Could it be…

The suspicion took shape in his mind. Lai An’s palms grew sweaty; he didn’t even hear the team calling him to regroup.

It took a good while before he pocketed the camera and caught up. But his heart raced faster and faster. For some inexplicable reason, he clenched his fists tight.

…

Huddled in the bushes, Luo Li half-listened to their chatter, catching vague snippets like “supply station,” “soldiers,” and “photos.”

Utterly confused, and with dusk falling, he didn’t dare linger. He retraced the footprints back the way he’d come.

…

By evening, the folks at the assembly point had pitched their tents.

The sink cave team hadn’t returned yet. The leader checked the locator. “Their vitals are stable. They should be out soon.”

So everyone prepared their own food, ate dinner, and retired to their tents.

After the day’s upheavals, Luo Li was exhausted. He cleaned up, changed into pajamas, unrolled his sleeping bag, and crawled in.

Once he lay down, the night’s silence enveloped him instantly.

Only then did he realize how different it felt with Saibansi there—or not.

Sure, the guy was bossy and annoying as hell when present, but without anyone sharing the space, the stillness made Luo Li’s skin crawl…

He pulled the sleeping bag tight around himself, forcing his eyes shut, trying not to think.

The tent was dead quiet—no wind, just the thump of his own heartbeat.

Still, Luo Li’s mind wandered.

That chain-link fence earlier… had to be the supply station, right?

007 had said he was heading there. Was he inside now?

And Saibansi—why wasn’t he back yet…

“Tap, tap, tap.”

Footsteps approached from outside the tent, drawing nearer to his spot.

Luo Li’s heart skipped. His lashes trembled as he opened his eyes into the darkness.

Was that Saibansi returning?

Everyone else at the assembly point was asleep by now. If they’d come back, they wouldn’t wake the others.

The tent’s zipper was slowly pulled open from the outside. A hand reached in bit by bit and rested on Luo Li’s waist through the sleeping bag.

Luo Li shrank into himself, his ear tips burning hot.

Saibansi, that guy… Why was he groping him the moment he got back?

But since the man was his financial backer after all, Luo Li could only swallow his irritation and let that hand linger over the sleeping bag.

Saibansi was acting strange today. His hand trembled slightly, as if he were being extra careful. Normally, he was always super eager, practically pouncing right away. Not tonight, though.

The intruder unzipped Luo Li’s sleeping bag just a little and pinched his cheek.

Only then did Luo Li sense something was off.

This hand was far too rough, covered in scars—nothing like Saibansi’s.

And now the man’s callused fingertip pressed against Luo Li’s lips, shoving something inside.

It was a pill.

“Mmph…!”

Luo Li struggled, but the pill had already slid down his throat.

In just a few seconds, a wave of dizziness crashed over him. All the strength drained from his body, and he sank into a hazy faint inside the sleeping bag.

…

Lai An’s heavy breathing echoed through the tent. Once he was certain the boy in his arms had passed out, he unzipped the sleeping bag the rest of the way.

A rush of sweet fragrance hit him, leaving him dazed for an instant. He quickly lit the small lamp he carried, illuminating the boy’s face.

In that moment of clarity, the breathtaking beauty before him sent a jolt through his body. His camera nearly slipped from his grip.

He knew this gathering spot was dangerous—the Guard Team could discover him at any moment.

He had only come to verify his suspicions at first. But now? He had a change of heart.

Lai An swallowed hard. His hand slipped under the boy’s soft pajamas, brushing the edge of light pink underwear.

The damp, heated touch sent goosebumps racing across his skin.

During the day, he had thought it was just the sweat from this little guy.

But it was so cold at night. No one would be sweating.

A tangle of thoughts churned in his mind.

He had no idea if his hunch about the Pollution Source was right. But if—if there was even a chance…

This was an opportunity too rare to pass up.

His wrist trembled as he raised the camera.