FI CH 10

Chapter 10: Rainforest Siege (IV)

The next attack came two hours later. The enemy’s mental landscape once again engulfed them. Vines suddenly shot up from the swamp, closing in from all directions. These things seemed endless—no matter how many they cut down, more kept coming, completely unstoppable.

Bai Hua made a split-second decision and carved out a path through the weakest point in the encirclement. Kurosawa followed close behind, and the rest of the team lined up behind the two of them, with Wu Jin bringing up the rear to guard the back. They were driven into an area where the trees grew especially dense.

As they moved, Kurosawa kept searching for a weak point in the mental landscape, hoping to find a breach—but the surroundings were too cluttered to make anything out, unlike the last time. He figured this was also part of the enemy’s strategy. His eyes swept the surroundings without pause.

The pressure on Bai Hua, who was at the very front, was enormous, but he never rushed. Instead, he just kept charging forward, slashing a path through the thick of the vines. If he even hesitated a little, the vines trailing behind would catch up instantly.

Watching Bai Hua’s back, Kurosawa suddenly made a decision. “I’m going up. The higher, the better.”

Bai Hua paused slightly, but didn’t turn around. He only asked, “What are you planning?”

Kurosawa replied, “I want to search for a breach from a higher vantage point.”

Bai Hua knew this was dangerous, but he had no intention of stopping him. Just like the first time—he hadn’t stopped Kurosawa from taking the risk either. They were already used to walking with danger, completing missions under mounting pressure.

Bai Hua scanned the dense forest around them using his excellent dynamic vision and pointed out a towering tree ahead and slightly to the left.

Kurosawa responded with a quiet “Got it.”

Then Bai Hua said, “I’ll help you.”

Kurosawa didn’t respond, but the corners of his lips curved ever so slightly.

Bai Hua didn’t care whether he replied or not—once he said it, it was already decided. He used coded signals to inform the people at the back, quickly drafting a new temporary combat plan.

In fact, on the battlefield, Sentinels have a natural tendency to protect Guides—not because of some instinct, but because of the Guides’ unique abilities. They fight on a battlefield invisible to others, sensing things no one else can, which gives them a broad perspective of the situation. A skilled Guide can even completely reverse the tide of a battle.

As they passed the towering tree, Bai Hua swiftly darted behind it, pulling Kurosawa along with him.

An Shi immediately moved forward to take Bai Hua’s place at the front of the group. The team continued advancing, using some clever misdirection to make it appear as though no one had left the formation.

Wei Yang, right behind An Shi, could hardly believe it—the person who had been collapsed from blood loss just two hours ago was now forcefully clearing the path ahead as if those injuries meant nothing. But he couldn’t afford to be distracted now. Inside the enemy’s mental landscape, they were under constant surveillance. All he could do was draw as much attention to himself as possible to buy the other two time to act.

Meanwhile, behind the tree, Kurosawa and Bai Hua had already climbed up. The vines chasing them brushed right past, seemingly confused by the mental interference and mistaking the two for their own kind, not launching an attack.

Creating a fully immersive mental landscape consumes tremendous mental energy—even the strongest opponents leave some gaps.

And that’s where they’d strike.

Kurosawa led the way without hesitation. For a Guide, his agility was impressive. Bai Hua followed close behind, periodically slicing away the vines stretching toward them.

Their teammates were still fighting below—every second counted.

Kurosawa soon climbed to a higher point and moved to the edge of a thick tree branch, selecting a spot with the clearest view. He activated his spiritual energy to probe the environment.

It didn’t take long—he located the weak point of the mental space. It was hidden in a hard-to-spot underground cave, not far from here, within fifty meters. But the entrance was heavily protected, surrounded by entangled vines as if guarding it.

Bai Hua glanced in that direction, then suddenly said, “Kurosawa, we can’t just keep playing defense like this.”

“I know.”

In truth, the best way to escape this situation would be to split into smaller teams and launch attacks from blind spots. But for that to work, they’d need to know exactly where the enemy was—and make sure no one else disrupted the plan. The issue was, the enemy still had two comrades who hadn’t revealed their abilities. No one knew what kind of power they held, which made success far from guaranteed…

The chances of success were slim, and the risks were high. That was why Bai Hua had initially insisted they all stay together—but now, he was beginning to reconsider. Because compared to repeatedly falling into the same trap and waiting passively for death, he was far more accustomed to striking first.

“But don’t be reckless,” Kurosawa added. “We’ll find the right moment—trust me.”

“Alright.”

For now, they had to get out of here first. Bai Hua tightened his grip on his short blades and immediately dashed toward the weak point.

This time, Kurosawa didn’t stay behind. He followed closely behind Bai Hua. The two of them rushed downward along the wildly growing vines. The mental interference was still in effect, and the vines showed no signs of attacking. But if they initiated any offensive action, the illusion would immediately collapse.

They had no idea how far the other four had gotten, but they’d already agreed on a rendezvous point. Once they broke free from the mental landscape, they would regroup immediately.

The second escape went even smoother than the first. When Bai Hua struck the exit point, they barely sustained any injuries.

The surrounding illusion instantly dissolved—the vines vanished into nothing.

But before they could even take a breath, a sudden suction force erupted from the tear in space. Bai Hua, who was closest, was yanked toward it by a violent wind and nearly fell in.

Kurosawa instinctively reached out and grabbed him, but it was no use. It felt like they were being sucked into a black hole, spiraling into another dimension.

All around them was pitch black. The sensation of weightlessness was intense as they plunged downward, seemingly endlessly.

Bai Hua could feel Kurosawa’s grip still firmly holding onto his hand. Then, Kurosawa did something—he wasn’t sure what—but a crack split open the surrounding darkness, and a blinding light burst through.

Bai Hua shut his eyes against the sudden brightness. When he opened them again, they were lying in the middle of an open grassland, with rolling hills rising in the distance.

This was likely still somewhere in the rainforest—but it was a part they had never been to before.

“Did we return to reality?” Bai Hua asked.

“Yes,” Kurosawa replied briefly. “But it’s only a temporary escape from tracking. We need to move—fast.”

Bai Hua wanted to ask about the others, but now wasn’t the time to worry. They had temporarily broken free of the enemy’s control—and that meant it was finally time to fight back.

Clearly, Kurosawa had the same thought. He scanned the area, trying to sense anything nearby.

But just then, rain began to fall.

The convection in this rainforest was intense—within moments, it turned into a torrential downpour, accompanied by blinding lightning and deafening thunder.

They had no choice but to temporarily give up on looking for the others and ran uphill. Soaked to the bone, they finally found shelter in a cave along the mountainside.

Inside, Bai Hua lit a fire to warm their bodies, chilled by the rain. Their clothing was made of specialized materials, so even staying in them was no problem. But Kurosawa’s wounds had been drenched—he had to change his dressings.

The heavy rain lasted until nightfall. It helped bring down the suffocating heat and humidity of the rainforest, but the oppressive tension in their hearts didn’t ease with the temperature.

Neither of them were the kind to sit and wait helplessly.

After a long silence, Kurosawa finally said, “They’ll be fine.”

Bai Hua gave a soft grunt in agreement. “With An Shi there, I’m not worried.”

That simple exchange seemed to ease the stifling air between them.

Kurosawa recalled the moment An Shi had been dragged into the wolf pack. He asked, “You really trust him that much?”

Bai Hua shook his head gently—but it wasn’t a denial. He explained, “Because no one can kill him. The title of ‘Chief Sentinel’ should’ve been his, actually.”

Kurosawa was intrigued. “Then why…?”

“He didn’t want to fight me. Gave it up on his own.”

Sentinels and Guides had separate systems and criteria for ranking strength, and Kurosawa wasn’t in a position to comment. But he didn’t doubt Bai Hua’s words—it was obvious he was being modest.

Bai Hua didn’t continue the topic. He simply said, “You get some sleep. I’ll keep watch tonight.”

When night fell in the rainforest, darkness became absolute. Neither side would take the risk of launching a night attack in such conditions.

Kurosawa didn’t argue. He had expended far too much mental energy that day. As the eyes of this team, he couldn’t afford to collapse. If they were to wait for rescue from the Sentinel-Guide Association, the soonest help would arrive was in two days.

Just before lying down, Kurosawa murmured, “When I wake up, I want to do something.”

“Whatever you want,” Bai Hua replied, cracking a rare smile. He knew that when Kurosawa said “do something,” it wasn’t going to be anything small.

(To be continued…)