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Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Strange Phenomenon by the River
Hong Yun saw Han Jiaojiao approaching, a smile spreading across her face.
"Hong, what happened?" Han Jiaojiao asked as she came closer.
"Two researchers have gone missing, and now no one can find them."
Han Jiaojiao was stunned, "...can’t find them?"
Hong Yun nodded, "We already had the superpower user who can do mental search look for them. Just now, they called your brother over; they probably want to try again. Your brother’s search range is bigger than anyone else’s."
"Oh..."
Hong Yun looked Han Jiaojiao up and down, noticing her attire had changed into something more loose, likely her pajamas, and her long hair hung down disheveled, fluffy and a bit messy, which made her look playful and cute.
Hong Yun’s eyes softened a bit, "Why are you out here instead of sleeping? It’s a bit chilly at night, go back quickly."
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Han Jiaojiao said, "I originally came out to use the bathroom, then I saw a crowd over there and wanted to ask what’s up..."
"I’ll go with you," Hong Yun said, looking around and pointing to an area, "Over there, there are a few trees that can shield us."
Basically, it was all men around here, and a little girl using the bathroom always needed someone to watch out for her, lest it become really awkward if someone stumbled upon her.
Shoulder to shoulder, they walked over. Hong Yun stopped at a proper distance, patted Han Jiaojiao lightly on the shoulder, "Go on, I’ll wait here for you."
Han Jiaojiao pursed her lips into a smile, "Then I’ll go first, and will come to switch places with you in a bit."
Hong Yun smiled and nodded.
Han Jiaojiao went behind a tree, looked around again, and seeing that there was no one, squatted down to relieve herself... The sound of her urinating made her feel very embarrassed, but being away from home, fussing about such a thing seemed prissy. She shook off the distractions and quickly finished her business, standing up and walking back to find Hong Yun—
Han Jiaojiao froze.
Hong Yun was gone? ...Not only was Hong Yun gone, even their campsite had disappeared...
What met her eyes was a weed overgrown wasteland, a few sparse trees faintly standing, and the surroundings pitch black, cloudy in a fog, all of the scenery felt unreal.
Han Jiaojiao’s hair stood on end!
She instinctively reached for her lower back, only to find nothing there; she had not brought her gun and dagger after changing her clothes. Waves of regret washed over Han Jiaojiao!
She gritted her teeth, slowly stepping around the tree where she had just relieved herself—
It was still that desolate wasteland.
Han Jiaojiao knew that she was probably trapped by something. The sight before her eyes was most likely an illusion.
She should really be thankful for her experience in the apocalyptic world. A normal person, suddenly encountering such a situation, would probably think they were hitting a ghost wall and might get frightened to death. But Han Jiaojiao knew that after the apocalyptic world, there were many cases of using spiritual power to disrupt brain waves to create illusions, and hardly anyone managed to escape them.
Han Jiaojiao took a deep breath, trying to calm her tense emotions; she needed to stay calm... The more one feared, the more likely they were to see the illusions they feared.
Deep breath... Calm... Calm down...
Han Jiaojiao slowly breathed in, walking around the tree once more.
It was still that deathly quiet wasteland.
This won’t do, she couldn’t just sit and wait for death. She needed to think of something.
Hong Yun would definitely call her if she didn’t return soon, but if so much time had passed without hearing anything, did it mean that not only her vision but her hearing was being manipulated as well? ... Han Jiaojiao slowly sat down leaning against the tree, her head bowed in thought.
Was this illusion targeting her alone, or would anyone entering this area be affected? Would the people at the campsite be impacted? — No, it definitely couldn’t be a mass hypnosis. It’s only been three months since the apocalyptic world began, and even if the mutants grew, they couldn’t have evolved this quickly. So, it must be just a localized area. If she left this area, could she escape the trap?
Han Jiaojiao immediately stood up, picked a direction, and started walking forward, thinking as she moved: Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, my brother will definitely find me.
No matter where she hid, her brother always managed to find her immediately.
But where was her brother now? ...Was he with Qin Nanyi? Had he noticed that she was missing?
Han Jiaojiao didn’t stop moving as a wave of uncontrollable grievance and sourness surged in her heart.
After a long walk, the surroundings seemed unchanged, those feelings of grievance slowly turned into sadness and despair. Was she going to be trapped here forever... unable to leave?
Would she never see her brother again?
Han Jiaojiao felt like crying...
She suddenly crouched down, trying hard to push back the warmth in her eyes.
She couldn’t accept this. After being reborn, was this her ending? ...Where was her brother now?
— She had to find a way to get out of here.
Time ticked away, and Han Jiaojiao’s heart filled with increasing despair.
She laughed at herself, thinking she really wasn’t smart enough. If it were Hong Yun in this dangerous situation, she would definitely have thought of a way to escape.
Being so foolish even in her second life, yet boldly claiming she wouldn’t be a burden, was truly laughable.
Han Jiaojiao looked blankly at the illusory scene before her, thinking she must also be confused about the direction and distance. Otherwise, why had she walked for so long without finding a way out? This mental interference was truly formidable... Maybe the real her was actually still behind that tree, not having moved an inch.
...Wait, the real... herself?
Han Jiaojiao abruptly stood up and pinched herself hard— it hurt!
She was real!
If she was real... then her Ability should also work.
Han Jiaojiao closed her eyes, carefully sensing the direction of water. As long as she could find the direction of the river, she could determine the true location of the campsite. 𝓷ℴ𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝒸𝓸𝓶
Although it was just a short while, Han Jiaojiao felt very tired. She tried to activate her Ability, sensing the water molecules around her—the scene before her shook violently as if disturbed by her actions, and a wave of hope surged in Han Jiaojiao’s heart. She redoubled her efforts, and the surrounding scenery shook even more violently, as if it could collapse at any moment!
Amidst the faint sensation, she felt a massive surge of water vapor rushing towards her. She opened her eyes just as the scene before her suddenly shattered, and the sky turned dramatically bright! Hong Yun’s arms transformed into various fierce and sharp blades, slashing at the continuously extending branches around her! And there, her brother Han Yi, was standing behind Hong Yun!
"Brother!" Han Jiaojiao couldn’t help but call out.
Han Yi’s expression shook dramatically, and then he sprinted towards her, yelling, "Jiaojiao! Be careful!"
A huge green shadow flew across, and as Han Jiaojiao was about to dodge, something tight gripped her waist, lifting her high up with a giant vine!
Hong Yun yelled from below, "Jiaojiao! Use your Ability!"
— Right! Ability!
Han Jiaojiao wrapped her arms tightly around the vine at her waist, using all her strength. Green sap splashed wildly from her palms! Before the vine could strangle Han Jiaojiao, part of it instantly turned into dry, brittle deadwood!
Han Jiaojiao plummeted from the sky, but halfway down, she was gently caught by a soft force, lifted up slowly, and placed into Han Yi’s arms—
"Brother, Brother!" Han Jiaojiao happily wrapped her arms around his neck, almost believing she would never see him again.
