Chapter 45: I Don't Want to Die

"That's right, Duo Duo, we'll sleep here tonight."
Yu Yan patted the hammock strung between two sturdy trees.
Lin Zhe had bought this on a weekend before the arrival of the dungeon world, saying it would be convenient for their future camping trips.
Unfortunately, before they could put the plan into action, the dungeon world arrived.
Yu Yan sighed softly.
Mother and daughter had spent an entire day cautiously making their way through Crocodile Island, facing countless dangers. They never had a chance to slay a lone dungeon monster above the Profound rank; those they encountered were either in groups or so powerful that they couldn't be killed in a short time.
If they dragged things out, the monsters would call for reinforcements, and then the roles of hunter and prey would be reversed!
Yu Yan had no interest in becoming food for dungeon monsters.
With sunset approaching, the rainforest would only grow more perilous at night.
Yu Yan had no choice but to choose these two towering trees, each over ten meters tall, as a temporary perch for her and her daughter. She planned to wait until the sun rose again before seeking a suitable target to hunt...
From a distance, panicked human voices drifted over, making Yu Yan's body tense.
Other than the Tang Yan father and daughter she was searching for, and Zhang Quan, whom she had deliberately brought into the Fuzhu Rock Forest, this was the first time since her rebirth that she had encountered other humans inside a dungeon.
Yet there wasn't a trace of joy on Yu Yan's face.
Human beings are half angel, half devil from the moment they're born. Over time, social rules, education, and laws suppress the evil side and allow the good to flourish.
Now, with the dungeon world upon them, the old systems and laws had all been swept away.
Chaos and lawlessness were its defining features!
The dangers of the dungeon only magnified the selfishness and malice within humanity. People like Tang Yan and Zhang Quan, whose true nature remained intact, certainly existed, but far more often, people revealed their ugly sides in moments of crisis.
If she were alone, Yu Yan wouldn't have cared. After three years in the dungeon world, what hadn't she seen? But it was different with Yun Duo'er at her side.
Yu Yan didn't want her daughter to witness too much of humanity's darkness.
If possible, what loving parent wouldn't want their children to grow up healthy and optimistic?
Yu Yan frowned, intending to pack up the hammock and find another place to spend the night with her daughter.
However—
"Mama, I think there are people over there?"
Yun Duo'er's almond-shaped eyes blinked, full of anticipation and excitement.
Her rank as an Enhancer was the same as Yu Yan's: Profound Rank, Fourth Grade. Her five senses were nearly as sharp as her mother's. She heard the commotion shortly after Yu Yan did, and soon caught the faint voices as well. Focusing, she could hear cries for help, growing more urgent by the second!

"Mama, something's wrong—they're in danger."
After following Yu Yan in and out of advanced dungeons for some time, Yun Duo'er had matured quickly. Once a little girl who would only cry when frightened, she had become a child who could endure great pain and refine unicorn rhinoceros meat in silence, so as not to worry Yu Yan.
Yet she had not yet experienced the poisonous, selfish side of human nature revealed after the world's descent into chaos.
Looking into her daughter's eyes, still three parts innocent and seven parts passionate, Yu Yan's throat tightened.
What should she do?
She couldn't bear to shatter her daughter's last illusions, to let the cruel reality tell her that, after the arrival of the dungeon world, humanity's greatest catastrophe wasn't the world itself, but the demons lurking in some people's hearts.
"Mama?"
Yun Duo'er's clear almond eyes reflected Yu Yan's struggle and hesitation.
She seemed puzzled—her mother was so powerful and capable, so why was she unwilling to help when she heard someone calling for aid?
"...Alright."
Yu Yan closed her eyes.
Silly child, Mama only wants to preserve your innocence!
This terrifying dungeon world had stripped away humanity's every pretense, exposing the ugliest facets of human nature. Though there were occasional flashes of goodness, those faint glimmers were nothing more than fireflies compared to the overwhelming darkness of the dungeon world!
Her daughter's Enhancer rank was similar to hers.
But Yu Yan's wind affinity gave her an overwhelming advantage in hearing.
Carried on the wind, she heard not only a woman's desperate pleas and a man's dying wails, but also waves of resentment and deep hatred. The latter two emotions usually only appeared in the face of betrayal by someone deeply loved.
"Qu Zi Mo, you will die a miserable death!"
As Yu Yan had expected, ten kilometers away in the dense, gloomy undergrowth, Liang Hong screamed her final accusation.
"Don't...don't blame me."
Qu Zi Mo trembled as he backed away, his arms scratched and bleeding from the brambles.
He felt no pain, only sheer terror and the lingering shock of survival in his eyes. "I...I don't want to die. Liang Hong, your leg is broken, you can't run far anyway."
"So why not trade your life for mine? Isn't that fair?"
"Don't worry! If I find your brother, I'll take good care of him, I promise."

"Get out of the way!"
Song Yi kicked Qu Zi Mo aside in disgust. Normally, he knew the man to be all talk and no substance, but he hadn't expected Qu Zi Mo to do something as deranged as pushing Liang Hong into a swarm of bomb ants!
Liang Hong had always devoted herself to him without asking for anything in return.
Glancing once at Liang Hong, already engulfed by the ant swarm, Song Yi's eyes flashed with wariness.
Liang Hong was beyond saving, but their team still had to survive. "Xue'er, give me your hand..."
"Forget about her, Song Yi!"
Qu Zi Mo stared in terror, "She's injured and can't run fast. Trying to save her will only drag us down. They're coming... they're coming! Run, Song Yi, run!"
Qu Zi Mo clung to Song Yi's pant leg desperately.
It wasn't that he didn't want to run himself—Song Yi was much stronger than he was.
If not for Song Yi's protection, he wouldn't have survived this far. If he left Song Yi and tried to escape alone, he would die sooner or later. "Master told us to meet up in the bamboo forest."
"When we get there, just say... just say Rong Xue'er was stubborn and accidentally ran into the bomb ant swarm!"
"Master will believe us, Song Yi, trust me."
In this world of constant uncertainty, where any moment might bring forth a new horror, only a dozen of the original fifty people on their double-decker bus were still alive.
If those trying to draw off the bomb ant swarm—people like Rong Jingtang—were unlucky, only a handful of them would be left.
At this point, what did it matter if a delicate, troublesome girl like Rong Xue'er died? Even if everyone but himself died, so what? Wasn't this perfectly normal?
"You're full of it!"
Song Yi's eyes blazed with rage. Hating Qu Zi Mo for obstructing his rescue attempt at such a critical moment, he slapped away the hand clutching his pants.
"Ah!"
Qu Zi Mo screamed in agony. Song Yi had used half his strength in that blow. If they weren't cousins, he would have used his full strength—and Qu Zi Mo's hand would have been finished.