Outside of Time

Perhaps it was because of the singing voice, but within this jungle of the forbidden zone, the howling of the mutated beasts still didn’t appear. It was as though the source of the singing voice was this forbidden zone’s ruler.

After its appearance, everything had to be silent.

Captain Lei sat there quietly, still watching the faraway place. It was pitch-black and there was nothing there.

Xu Qing had a complicated expression on his face. After a while, he swept his gaze across his surroundings, and it ultimately landed on Barbaric Ghost’s mace and shattered shield fragments.

Barbaric Ghost’s corpse, like all the other corpses here, had turned into dust when the singing fog departed. It was as though they never existed in this world.

And in many cases, scavengers didn’t have many relatives. Hence, there might not be many who cared about their disappearance.

Even if there were, they would eventually be forgotten with the passage of time. Thousands of years later… nobody would know or remember.

Xu Qing suddenly thought of the teacher who had treated him rather well back in the slums. During his latter days, before he died of sickness, he said something to a bunch of children.

“To have someone you can’t forget is a kind of suffering, but to be remembered by someone else is a type of blessing.”

Xu Qing didn’t understand it at that time, but as he watched Captain Lei now, he could somewhat understand the meaning behind it. Hence, he didn’t interrupt but walked quietly to the area where Barbaric Ghost’s corpse had been previously. He then took his dagger and began digging the ground.

Even if he didn’t have a close relationship with Barbaric Ghost, or more accurately, they only knew each other for days and didn’t speak much to each other, the other party still imparted his knowledge of the jungle to him. They had also fought and walked out of the life and death crisis against those wolves together. Ultimately, it was with the help of Barbaric Ghost’s item that Xu Qing had stopped the black blood.

So, Xu Qing thought he should do something.

Just like how he had cremated the corpses of the entire city before he left the ruined city, he diligently dug a hole in the earth and deepened it into a pit eventually.

He then buried the Barbaric Ghost’s mace and shattered pieces of the shield.

During the process, Xu Qing was very serious. He didn’t notice that Captain Lei had retracted his gaze toward the jungle and was now watching him from behind.

There was a hint of astonishment on his face, just like when he first saw Xu Qing in the ruined city previously. When he saw Xu Qing burying Barbaric Ghost’s weapons and looked like he wanted to make a tombstone, Captain Lei spoke up.

“Scavengers don’t need tombstones.

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. This is the life of a scavenger. While living, they struggled with the world, and after death… there was no need to offer sacrifice either. Peace would suffice.”

As Captain Lei said this, his breathing got weaker. With the serious injuries, the accumulation of anomalous substances, and the exhaustion of his mind, he was unable to hold on any longer. Gradually, the world turned fuzzy and he lost consciousness.

Xu Qing stepped closer and took out some of the seven-leaf grass from his pocket before stuffing it into Captain Lei’s mouth.

He didn’t know if it would be useful but thought that since the item was a necessary ingredient to make the white pills, it should have some effects in alleviating anomalous substances.

After that, he carried Captain Lei on his back and used the clothes to tie them tightly together. Only then did he take a deep breath. In the night, he traversed the jungle at full speed.

When he went past the spot where the Bloodshadow Captain had turned to dust, Xu Qing spotted a leather bag. He picked it up but didn’t see any medicinal pills inside, only various miscellaneous items.

As such, he took it and instantly sped away.

When the weak Captain Lei regained his consciousness, an hour had already passed.

He could vaguely feel himself being carried by a small body. With the motion of the movement, he slowly opened his eyes and saw the side of the youth’s face in front of him.

He fell silent.

Xu Qing probably sensed that Captain Lei had awakened. Softly, he started to speak.

“Are you feeling better? There are a few hours to go, so you can continue sleeping. We should be able to get out of the forbidden zone before daybreak.”

Captain Lei didn’t say anything. His frail body wasn’t able to mask his old age. He tried to lift his head to see the pitch-black sky, but his vision slowly grew fuzzy. Just as he sensed that he was about to pass out again, he muttered.

“Kid, do you know why I proposed to take you away twice in that ruined city?”

Xu Qing’s body didn’t stop moving. He shook his head.

“Then, do you remember the scene when we first met?” Captain Lei’s voice was a little weak.

“I remember.” Xu Qing’s body moved and he leaped over a huge tree. After that, he lifted his right hand and grabbed the area next to him, capturing a mutated lizard that hid there and was rushing at them at great speed. Seizing the opportunity, he threw it toward the ground ahead.

With the bang, following the lizard’s descent, a large number of vines on the ground twisted and swiftly twined around it. During the struggle of the lizard, its leathery armor was punctured and its flesh was devoured.

Xu Qing took this opportunity to leap up and avoid the danger before proceeding further ahead.

At that moment, the mumbling of Captain Lei behind him was weak. Even with their close distance, it was difficult to hear him.

“I saw the silhouette of you cremating the corpses. At that time, the fire illuminated you while you were standing beside the blaze. You looked like you had fused with the fire. It made me feel as though I have seen… a trace of warmth in this cruel world.”

Xu Qing’s footsteps then stopped in his tracks and he fell silent. At this moment, Captain Lei fell into unconsciousness once more.

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After a few breaths, Xu Qing quietly lifted his feet and continued speeding through the jungle, traversing past trees rapidly.

Time went by and very soon, two hours passed.

Xu Qing avoided all danger, and the distance toward the boundary of the jungle became shorter and shorter.

At this moment, when the sky was at its darkest, the gloomy cold from the forbidden zone invaded the surroundings. Fortunately, Xu Qing was moving rapidly and the heat generated by his body instinctively resisted the cold slightly.

However, as he moved forward, the cold became increasingly intense. After the amount of time it took for an incense stick to burn out, Xu Qing stopped abruptly. His expression was somber as he looked ahead.