Chapter 65 (1/2)

The soil was soft and moist. When Qing shui stepped into the flower bush, Chang noticed the sound of Qing shui's shoe slightly sinking into the soil. The sound was light, but it suffocated Chang as if a pillow was pressed firmly on his face.

His palm was sweating and he clenched his fist, Chang didn't even dare to blink, he paid all of his attention to the surroundings of Qing shui.

It was only the first step, but those flowers became vigilant to the stranger immediately. Then, creepily, they turned their ”face” altogether, as if there were pairs of eyes in the center of the flowers. They were facing Qing shui now.

”It moves, like I thought!” Chang almost lost control, he wanted to drag Qing shui back before things escalated. But Qing shui only waved to him, indicating that he was fine. ”Don't worry, just stay there.”

The waving convinced Chang and he sat back knowing the person who he trusted well.

After making sure Chang wouldn't interrupt, he took another step and cautiously avoided most of the small plants around the flowers.

Even though Qing shui paid full attention to avoid having to have contact with the plants, the vividness sensed his existence. The flowers turned their faces one by one as if they were bystanders of a fight. They looked at Qing shui in a circle, although they were only at Qing shui's waist height.

Chang almost had a heart attack from the strangeness. He couldn't wait to shout out to ask Qing shui to come back, but he was also afraid that these seemingly mellow flowers would turn into killing machines if he ever spoke. It was a double dilemma to Chang, he struggled to decide if he should follow Qing shui or ask him to come back.

Qing shui, as the person stayed within the circle, was even more nervous of the unforeseeable unknown. The evolution of his intelligence didn't dull his emotions. As a normal human, he knew the bitter taste of fear.

However, he had also become a smarter human these past days. He realized he needed to suppress his feelings more in this situation.

Qing shui took a deep breath to stabilize the tremor of fear over his body, and he again took a third step further in the flower bush…

Then there was the fourth…

As if he was the Sun and those were just normal sunflowers, every movement he made was followed by the sensitive readjustment from the flowers. Qing shui escalated his pace as he went further into the flower bush.

To Chang, Qing shui was a fearless champion that walked into the abyss of fear without hesitation. His clenched fist couldn't stop trembling. He couldn't dare imagine that the person he knew could be sliced into pieces by the whirling petals. He also couldn't take the heartbreaking moment that the face he knew would become mummified.

Therefore, Chang closed and opened his eyes, again and again. He wanted to make sure Qing shui was safe but also wanted to flee since he would never be able to handle Qing shui's death. As he thought internally, Qing shui had found the captain's body. It really was a mercy that the lush flower bush didn't give him too much of a hard time on finding the compa.s.s. About 10 seconds after, Chang knew Qing shui had found the compa.s.s when he stood up.

The familiar man tucked his right hand in his sleeve and picked up the compa.s.s that fell in the flower bush, and then started to make his way back.

Step by step, Qing shui was even more cautious than when he went in. Of course, the flowers watched him all the way back too.

The last step Qing shui took to get out of the flower bush was a relief for both of them. Qing shui kneeled as he had used up all his strength. All his emotions finally had a channel to break out.

”I never want to do this again.” Qing shui's fingers fumbled over the compa.s.s. The blood cloth dried half way when he got into the flower bush, but it was re-damped by the cold sweat and tears in this moment. Perhaps this was the time he cried hardest in his life. He took several large inhales to try to calm his mind.

”Let's get back.” Chang took Qing shui's arm and placed it around his neck to help him to stand up.

”Wait.” Qing shui didn't want to wipe off his tears because his hands might have had contact with the pollen when he was in the bush. He shook his head instead as if he could shake off the emotional side of him in this way. ”We still have one more thing to do.”

”What? We have had the compa.s.s already, let's move.”

”Let's get his high powered flashlight too, I remembered he dropped it beside the flower bush.” Qing shui let down his arm from Chang's shoulder and returned to the place where the blood first splashed. He moved forward on his knees. Apparently, he had not recovered from the terror. A minute after, his fingers felt the flashlight, but it seemed to have stopped working. Qing shui sighed and fixed the flashlight using the most primitive but perhaps the easiest way. He pounded it on the ground twice and the light went back on within 3 seconds.

He turned off the flashlight and hung it on his belt. Qing shui walked again to the edge of the flower bush as if he was possessed.

”What are you doing?” Chang squatted beside him and frowned. His heart almost stopped when he saw what Qing shui had just done: Qing shui ripped off 2 flowers in a flash of light. There were a handful of petals in his hands now.

”Are you kidding me?!”

”Don't worry, it has no teeth so it doesn't bite.” Qing shui showed the petals to Chang calmly, convincing Chang that those b.l.o.o.d.y flowers were danger free. He then carefully placed them into an iron box that he hid in his pocket. Obviously, it wasn't a spontaneous decision. He prepared all this when he changed his clothes.

”You are nuts! How can it be possible that those monster flowers eat you!?” Chang forced Qing shui to leave with him. He needed to stop Qing shui's crazy act.

”They didn't because they have not yet evolved far enough.” Qing shui chuckled ”As I thought, they only gain the sensory system at this time, but mouth pieces and digesting system are still far off reach for them.”