With Re Xi Ti making such a scene, the plan to continue traveling was naturally ruined.
This suited my wishes, as I didn't agree with pressing on at this point either.
Especially after Jiang Ye said those words to me, I felt even more strongly that Jin Qiao Yue was plotting something.
What would she do upon reaching their destination?
Until I figured this out, I thought the later we arrived at A Lai Valley, the better.
We ultimately decided to rest here for the night and set off early tomorrow.
However, before that, someone had to take turns keeping watch.
Fatty and I had already slept, so we weren't sleepy. Thus, Fatty and I took the night watch, letting the others rest well.
There was no firewood around, so Fatty and I could only wrap ourselves in sleeping bags and stand guard at the entrance.
It was truly cold in the latter half of the night.
The wind on this plateau was no joke, feeling like a knife scraping against the face.
I told Fatty about what Jiang Ye had said, hoping to get him to use his brain to think about it.
To my surprise, Fatty blurted out, "Brother Xiang, could it be that Jin Qiao Yue plans to kill us all once we reach our destination?"
I retorted, "What's your reasoning? Why would she do that? We have no prior grudges with her, and what benefit would she gain from doing so?"
"Naturally, she wants to keep the treasure all to herself," Fatty said with a completely matter-of-fact expression.
I regretted asking for his opinion. I truly didn't know what was going on in this guy's head.
Seeing that I wasn't responding, Fatty continued, "Brother Xiang, do you think there's a possibility that this entire expedition was planned by Jin Qiao Yue and her associates, just to gather us all together and then eliminate us in one fell swoop?"
"Alright, Fatty. I suddenly feel like I know a place that would be perfect for you."
"Where?"
"The Yan Jing Psychiatric Hospital. With your kind of brain, coming out with me is a waste."
"Brother Xiang, why are you being so mean?"
I didn't know what Jin Qiao Yue planned to do upon reaching their destination, but she definitely wouldn't try to eliminate us all as Fatty suggested.
What would be the point of doing something like that?
After thinking it over, I felt I still needed to ask Jiang Ye for clarification.
About half an hour later, I pretended to go back to my pack for food, intending to find Jiang Ye. Just as I was heading over, a horse tethered not far away suddenly neighed.
Immediately after, the horse violently collapsed onto the ground.
Everything happened so suddenly that it startled everyone awake, and even I stood there, somewhat bewildered.
Could it be wild wolves?
I shone my flashlight in that direction. As it was over twenty meters away, I couldn't clearly see what was happening, but I also didn't see any wild wolves.
"What's wrong?" Song Bing ran over and asked me immediately.
I shook my head, "I don't know."
The others also gathered around. After some thought, I decided to go and investigate.
So, I walked over with the flashlight. Before I got close, I heard a strange sound, like water, or perhaps like chewing.
When I got closer, the sight of it nearly made me drop the flashlight.
Lying on the ground, the horse was covered in many blood-red, meter-long, thick as a rope things.
At first, I thought they were snakes, but upon closer inspection, I realized they weren't snakes at all.
Strange worms were constantly gnawing at the horse's corpse, wriggling in and out of the body, making my stomach churn.
At this moment, Re Xi Ti suddenly shouted something in Kazakh, which we didn't understand at all.
However, from his expression, it seemed like he knew what these things were.
Before I could ask him what they were, Re Xi Ti turned and fled.
His running made the others realize the seriousness of the situation, and they all began to retreat.
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air.
"Ah!!"
The sound came from Zhao Xue Zhen. Since she wasn't feeling well, she had been lying in a corner resting.
Jiang Ye immediately rushed over in that direction, and then gunshots rang out.
I quickly told Song Bing to chase after Re Xi Ti, and then instructed Li Chuang and Fatty to grab the packs and leave.
By the time I reached Jiang Ye, Zhao Xue Zhen's hand was covered in blood, and her entire face was pale and green.
On the ground were several worms, severed by bullets, still wriggling.
"Hurry and get her out of here!" I shouted.
Jiang Ye immediately scooped up Zhao Xue Zhen and ran out.
I had originally intended to grab a pack, but when my flashlight beam swept across the ground, dense clusters of worms had already surrounded us.
Seeing this, I abandoned the idea.
After running out of the ruins for over a hundred meters, I finally saw Song Bing and the others.
When I reached them, Re Xi Ti was already pinned to the ground by Song Bing, and Jin Qiao Yue stood nearby, pointing a gun at Re Xi Ti's head.
Fatty and Li Chuang were panting, carrying two packs.
"What were those things?" Jin Qiao Yue asked menacingly.
Re Xi Ti said, "What are you guys doing… Those worms, I didn't summon them…"
I told Song Bing to release him and waved my hand at Jin Qiao Yue, signaling her to lower her gun. Then, I asked cordially, "Re Xi Ti, what exactly were those things?"
He sat on the ground and looked at me, "Mr. Xiang… you're a good person… Those are called Death Worms, they're very scary… They can spray venom, and those who are poisoned usually don't live long. They also eat living things. The horses we brought, they've probably all been eaten…"
As he spoke, he actually started crying. "I shouldn't have brought you here for money. The wolves and the worms are definitely sent by Allah to punish me…"
The "Allah" he mentioned is the true God of Islam, and it seemed Re Xi Ti's mental state was also somewhat collapsing.
It was understandable. After barely escaping from the wolf pack, they had now encountered these "Death Worms." Anyone under such multiple stresses would likely experience some degree of breakdown.
I comforted him a couple of times, telling him not to overthink it, that we would soon reach our destination and could all return safely.
Re Xi Ti also knew that it was basically impossible to return alone now; they had to stick together.
He wiped his tears and didn't say much more, merely nodding silently, "Mr. Xiang, you are a good person…"
"Brother Xiang, go take a look quickly, something's not right over there." Fatty tugged at me, gesturing with his chin towards Jiang Ye, who was not far away.
It was then that I noticed him squatting beside Zhao Xue Zhen, looking completely lost.
When I went over, I saw that Zhao Xue Zhen, lying on the ground, was on the verge of death. Although the wound on her arm had been treated, her eyes were closed, her face was pale green, and her breathing was very weak.
"We can't keep going. We must find a way to get to a hospital immediately!" Jiang Ye said firmly, his face streaked with tears.