Threatened by the situation, Zhaxi had no choice but to propose a condition: entering Devil City was fine, but at every single intersection, he had to build a pile of stones. If they kept walking and saw a stone pile, it would prove they were walking in circles, and in that case, they would have to turn back.
As long as Zhaxi was willing to come along, A-Ning naturally agreed to this small demand.
The terrain of Devil City was complex and the magnetic field chaotic, rendering the compasses they brought completely useless. They had no choice but to hold their walkie-talkies high, hoping to pick up a signal.
Suddenly, A-Ning's walkie-talkie emitted a signal. From it came the sound of someone's agonizing wails mixed with the howling of the wind. Holding the walkie-talkie, A-Ning walked forward and found the sound growing clearer. Convinced that the person was nearby, A-Ning wanted to push deeper inside.
However, Zhaxi resolutely refused to continue moving forward. "We can't keep going. This sound is too terrifying. We've been in here for so long, it's time to go back."
A-Ning looked at him with an unkind expression. "The walkie-talkie picking up a message means the person is right nearby. Keep looking—we need to see them alive, or their corpse if they're dead."
As the team leader, A-Ning certainly could not give up the search in front of so many people. Otherwise, she would lose all credibility; if the others saw her as a leader who might abandon them at any moment, how could they possibly trust her? How would she continue to lead the team?
Wu Xie also did not want to give up just like that, so he tried to persuade him: "Don't be scared. If there's any danger, you can just run first. Besides, we've walked for so long, the person might be right ahead. Let's look a bit further."
Seeing this, Zhaxi had no choice but to follow them onward with a resigned sigh.
Meanwhile, ever since Wu Xie went in, Zhang Qiling had been sitting at the intersection holding the Black Gold Ancient Saber, his eyes filled with worry as he watched the path ahead.
Hei Xiazi, sitting nearby, felt his teeth ache just looking at him. If Hei Xiazi himself were to die right in front of Mute Zhang, the man probably wouldn't be this worried, yet he was staring with such eager longing just because Wu Xie had gone inside. If Wu Xie got hurt, wouldn't this man practically flip the heavens?
"All right, stop looking. No amount of staring is going to make Wu Xie magically appear in front of you," Hei Xiazi said helplessly, wearing his large black-framed glasses. "You'd better fill your stomach first. Once it gets dark, I'll go in with you to look for him."
"I'm coming with you guys."
Not to mention how worried Zhang Qiling was about Wu Xie, Xie Yuchen was deeply concerned as well. Even though they hadn't seen each other in a long time, the bond from their childhood remained, and Wu Xie's notoriously weak physical condition made it impossible not to worry.
At this, Hei Xiazi was left speechless. With both his sworn brother and future wife worrying so much about Wu Xie, he hardly knew what to say.
Zhang Qiling remained silent, his lips moving slightly as he was about to head toward Devil City, when the walkie-talkie in his hand rang, transmitting a familiar voice.
"Hey, Xiaoge, can you hear me? There's a signal inside Devil City! We're continuing the search, and Zhaxi is leading the way, so don't worry."
Wu Xie had a lingering intuition that if he didn't make things clear, Xiaoge would immediately come in after him.
Zhang Qiling let out a breath of relief, his grip on the tightly clutched walkie-talkie loosening at last.
Seeing Zhang Qiling staring motionlessly at the walkie-talkie while Wu Xie on the other end kept asking if he could hear him, Hei Xiazi impatiently snatched the device to speak to Wu Xie himself.
"I hear you, I hear you! It's not like you don't know Mute Zhang can't talk—why are you still rattling on and asking over and over?"
"You're the one who can't talk! Xiaoge is just taciturn."
In Wu Xie's eyes, you could badmouth him all you wanted and he wouldn't get angry, but the moment you spoke ill of Xiaoge, he would instantly transform into a little firecracker.
Seeing Hei Xiazi snatch the walkie-talkie, Zhang Qiling shot him a look filled with silent, heavy curses, but when he heard Wu Xie defending him, his gaze involuntarily softened, making him wish he could be by Wu Xie's side right this instant.
Hei Xiazi laughed without mercy. For someone like Mute Zhang who couldn't squeeze out a word after half a day, was that really just being "taciturn"? If so, how was everyone else supposed to survive?
"Wu Xie, how is it on your end? Did anything happen?" Knowing that Hei Xiazi was completely unreliable, Xie Yuchen snatched the walkie-talkie back to ask about the situation inside.
"Xiaohua, our journey so far has been quite peaceful. Our walkie-talkie picked up their signal, and we're heading forward to find them now," Wu Xie briefly explained their current status.
"Then be careful, mind your safety, and let us know immediately if anything feels off so we can go in and rescue you," Xiaohua instructed meticulously, terrified that his childhood friend might kick the bucket while he wasn't around.
"Got it, Xiaohua, I'll be careful."
Just as he finished, A-Ning's faint voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Not done talking yet? You two have been chatting on this phone-line forever."
"Xiaohua, Xiaoge, Blind, I'm hanging up. I'll let you know when I find anything new."
"Mn, be careful," Zhang Qiling, who had been silent the whole time, finally murmured in a low voice.
The voice on the walkie-talkie paused for a few seconds, as if never expecting Xiaoge to say something like that. Recovering from the shock, Wu Xie's excited voice rang out: "Don't worry, Xiaoge, I'll take good care of myself. You don't need to worry."
Hei Xiazi and Xie Yuchen exchanged bewildered glances. Had this Mute Zhang undergone a personality transplant? He actually knew how to care about people now?
Learning that they were safe, Zhang Qiling stopped waiting at the intersection and turned back to get some food. The Blind was right about one thing: only by filling their stomachs would they have the strength to go look for Wu Xie.