Chapter 21

The half-orc Soru kicked Zhao Mai fiercely several times, intending to squat down and snap his neck, but suddenly felt a wave of dizziness and vertigo. The crimson blood color faded from his eyes, the frenzy ended, and exhaustion immediately washed over him. Now, with the added wound from the thigh, the aftereffects of the frenzy became even more severe.

The barbarian's frenzy was originally a method of temporarily overexerting the body's functions. A period of strength was followed by a period of weakness. Soru's frenzy was not powerful enough, and the aftereffects were relatively minor, but the massive blood loss still caused severe symptoms.

He tore his clothes, ripped off strips of fabric, and tightly bound them around his thigh. The blood flow slowed, but it still didn't stop. "Damn it, why isn't this working?" He covered his eyes, dragging his injured leg, and struggled to crawl into the ranger Karl's tree hollow. Inside were various bottles and jars filled with different herbal remedies, including a hemostatic potion.

Reserve Grain, the dog, whined and licked Zhao Mai's ear. In the past, this always woke up his master and made him laugh happily. But now, his master lay motionless on the ground, showing no reaction.

It sensed the killing intent from the half-orc, partly directed at itself, but mostly at its master. So the most important thing now was to hide the master, so the half-orc wouldn't find him.

The little dog raised its head, its eyes sparkling, and quickly ran to the ranger's tree with its short legs. It peeked into the partially repaired tree hollow, occasionally looking back to check the distance from Zhao Mai.

The sound of rummaging above stopped as Soru found the ointment and began treating his wounds. Besides the thigh wound, he also needed to treat the eye wound. He had to endure the severe headache, relax his emotions, and focus his mind. The half-orc's instincts were of no use here; only the ranger's training in emotional control could help.

As the impulse subsided, regret flooded his heart. The situation was very difficult to handle, and the bloodstains on the ground could not be covered up. The wound on the inner thigh was stubborn; even with the best ointment and bandages, blood still seeped through, and he couldn't exert any force. This made it impossible to carry "Mike" into the jungle, and without disposing of the body, he couldn't clear the suspicion.

It seemed he would have to hide for a while, heal his wounds, and slowly think of an excuse. Even if he couldn't dispose of the body, "Mike" had to be killed; he couldn't leave a witness. The half-orc understood the principle of no one to testify. Karl's box contained many weapons, and he could easily grab one.

The sound of metal clanging came from above, and Reserve Grain knew it had little time left. It leaped out of the tree hollow, panting and ran to Zhao Mai's side, jumping onto his belly. Then, it bit Zhao Mai's waistband, frowned, and stared at the tree hollow, its back arched.

Its fluffy fur quickly stood on end, and occasional electric arcs rose along the direction of the fur. Reserve Grain's legs were stiff, and its body trembled uncontrollably. With a faint "puff" and a cloud of black smoke, the man and the dog instantly disappeared.

The white goose "Sausage" strolled to the entrance of the lower tree hollow, sat down, and bent its neck to preen its feathers. When it raised its wings, it perfectly covered the motionless Zhao Mai and the dog that had fainted from exhaustion, lying on its back.

So when Soru finished bandaging his wounds and left the tree hollow with a scimitar, he couldn't find Zhao Mai's trail. He didn't think Zhao Mai was hiding in the lower tree hollow but assumed the human had woken up and fled into the forest out of fear. He limped to where Zhao Mai had fallen. The injury to his right eye impaired his ability to track footprints, and the headache further clouded his judgment.

In a daze, he thought he saw the route "Mike" had taken and followed it. As he passed the spare shield, Soru picked it up, weighed it, and slung it over his back.

Without the frenzy affecting his thoughts, the half-orc wasn't stupid.

Zhao Mai had no bleeding wounds; his unconsciousness was mainly due to oxygen deprivation and a concussion. After he fell into a deep sleep, the positive energy left by the angel on his shoulder began to heal his injuries. Sensing this energy, Reserve Grain struggled to turn over, rolled onto Zhao Mai's shoulder, and continued to sleep.

In a daze, Zhao Mai had a strange dream. His wounds healed, and he walked naked through the pine forest. The animals around him, whether the mischievous squirrels, curious monkeys, or elegant deer, all turned to look at him.

Zhao Mai felt very embarrassed and immediately covered his lower body. At that moment, he realized his arms had turned into wings, and his lower body had become bird legs. With a powerful kick, he flew into the sky.

Flying was a wonderful feeling, but turning into a bird-man was not a good thing. Zhao Mai cried as he flew, and his tears turned into a heavy rain over the forest.

Suddenly, black-red flames appeared in the forest, starting as small sparks and then growing into large bonfires. His tears turned into rain, but they couldn't extinguish the flames.

Like a nightmare, the black flames scorched the trees and hardened the ground. The once fertile land turned into a landscape of molten rock. Animals fled in terror, and the black-red flames reached out with arms, grabbing at these poor creatures. The path they took to escape was actually a trap, and in the end, the entire forest became a sea of fire, with countless lives serving as fuel for the flames of destruction.

Zhao Mai, now a bird, saw everything. He stopped crying and became more alert. He knew he was dreaming but didn't understand why he was having such a dream or how to wake up.

As he realized this, he transformed back into a human, standing on a cloud. He was no longer naked but fully clothed. Through movies, TV, and video games, Zhao Mai had seen countless more spectacular and imaginative scenes, so what he had just experienced didn't easily affect him.

"Whatever you want, just say it. Don't play these games," Zhao Mai shouted, guessing he was trapped in some kind of dream spell. "Don't hide. I know someone is there. I know you mean no harm and want me to do something. If I can, I'll try—of course, don't make me work for nothing."

The clouds rolled, and a rustling sound came from inside, like many small animals whispering. Zhao Mai strained his ears but couldn't understand anything.

The stalemate continued, and Zhao Mai stood idly on the cloud, watching the wind and the clouds. After a while, the scenery finally changed. A cloud rose in front of Zhao Mai, rolled inward, and condensed into a human form.

"Hey, since you're just making it up, couldn't you make it a bit prettier?" Zhao Mai sighed in disappointment.