Meanwhile, on another island far away, it seemed completely different from this one.
A woman was hiding in a corner, trembling uncontrollably. With dust all over her face and her eyes red, Dai Xiaomei was filled with terror.
After encountering the black shadow that night, Dai Xiaomei had fainted and was then brought to this island. Unlike other islands, this one was exceedingly dark, as if perpetually hidden from the sun, starkly contrasting with its surroundings.
"What should I do now? How can I go back? This is too terrifying. Why did I come out alone? I wish I were with Jiang Fan and the others right now."
Only now did Dai Xiaomei realize how important Jiang Fan, Yao, and Gun Gun, the three combat members, were.
Fortunately, she was clever enough. Upon waking up and finding the shadow temporarily absent, she immediately used a nearby reef to cut through the ropes binding her hands.
After freeing herself, she quickly hid.
However, she could vaguely recall that the shadow hadn't brought her there out of thin air; it had used the boat she had left by the sea.
Now, Dai Xiaomei was hiding in a tree hollow. The trees here were also enormous.
Coincidentally, there was a tree hollow with two small birds nearby.
These birds, however, showed no hostility. They stayed close to Dai Xiaomei, sometimes even using their feathers to keep her warm.
It hadn't been easy for Dai Xiaomei to climb up here. She had exerted all her might, mimicking Jiang Fan's climbing movements, to reach this tree hollow just in the nick of time.
The tree hollow had a small opening through which Dai Xiaomei could observe the movements outside. She had watched the shadow pass by here numerous times through this opening.
Yet, the shadow seemed not to have discovered Dai Xiaomei.
However, the shadow was constantly searching for Dai Xiaomei's whereabouts, as if wanting to find her and kill her.
All of this was almost unbearable for Dai Xiaomei, as she had never experienced anything like it before. It was truly terrifying. She finally understood why Zhou Niannian had been so frightened in the pyramid.
What was the difference between that monster then and the shadow now? She and Zhou Niannian had felt similar fear and similar despair.
The best-case scenario was that the shadow couldn't reach her, but the fact that the shadow could incapacitate her and bring her here proved that it wasn't that it couldn't touch her, but that it hadn't intended to kill her at that moment.
Dai Xiaomei's feet were injured.
During her climb, she had sprained her ankles countless times, but she endured the pain and climbed up. Shortly after reaching safety, her ankles began to throb with intense pain.
"What should I do now? Am I going to stay here? I've been here all night. If I stay here any longer, even if I'm not killed, I'll starve to death."
Dai Xiaomei was utterly terrified. She had been there all night and still hadn't heard any news of her companions outside. Instead, the shadow was running around everywhere, as if waiting for her to emerge so it could kill her.
Dai Xiaomei began to weep continuously.
After crying for a while, Dai Xiaomei suddenly noticed that the commotion around her had ceased.
"What's happening? Did the shadow leave after failing to find me? If it left, does that mean I can leave too?"
Just as Dai Xiaomei thought she was safe, she slowly poked her head out.
As her head emerged from the tree hollow, a pair of eyes stared directly at her.
Dark pupils, coupled with a figure whose skin texture was indiscernible, instantly startled Dai Xiaomei and made her fall from the tree.
Of course, she didn't jump. She trembled, her body losing control as if it had gone limp, and she tumbled out of the tree hollow.
At that moment, the shadow pursued Dai Xiaomei relentlessly. Dai Xiaomei frantically fled across the island, heading towards the shore.
As she ran, Dai Xiaomei cried out for help.
Her voice was already trembling with fear.
But she still calmed herself and screamed with all her might. Her legs were already injured, and she was running while enduring immense pain. This was the power of despair.
Suddenly, Dai Xiaomei felt unable to breathe, and her nasal cavity seemed to fill with seawater.
She tried to open her eyes, but found she couldn't, and her eyes were also burning with pain.
"What's happening? Why do I suddenly feel this way? I'm clearly on land, why do I feel like I've fallen into water?"
Dai Xiaomei was completely immobile. Her entire body seemed to lack support. She flailed but couldn't move on land. She looked around and saw that the ground was fine, yet her feet couldn't find it no matter how hard she tried.
Her whole body felt as if it were floating in mid-air, yet in close contact with the ground.
At that moment, Dai Xiaomei suddenly felt her body lift into the air. Then, her breathing returned.
"Dai Xiaomei, Dai Xiaomei, what's wrong?"
A warm current flowed through Dai Xiaomei's body, and then a force from somewhere unknown pulled away the darkness before her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, Dai Xiaomei found herself looking at Yao. Upon seeing Yao, she immediately rushed forward and hugged him.
"You scared me to death! I thought I was done for. You finally came to save me. Do you know how scared I was?"
Seeing this, Yao, standing nearby, didn't know what to say. He was incredibly moved and embraced Dai Xiaomei again.
"It's okay, I'm here now. It's all good. I brought Gun Gun to save you. You're very safe now."
Looking at her surroundings, Dai Xiaomei seemed to find it incredibly unbelievable. She had been on a dark island just a moment ago.
"No, how did the surroundings change like this? I don't remember being here just now."