Chapter 112: Falling into the Water

Fan Bei had just formed this thought when he saw He Gui walking toward him.

"Boss He, is there something you need?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Watching you walk these past two days, Mr. Fan, you’ve always seemed so relaxed. It truly makes an old man like me envious; youth is a wonderful thing," He Gui sighed.

Fan Bei certainly wouldn't find this tiring. He had never stopped conditioning his body, and his muscles were comparable to those of a professional athlete. Combined with his "Energy Recovery" and "Mist Armor" abilities, traversing these rugged mountain paths—while perhaps not as flat as a plain—didn't pose much of an obstacle.

He just smiled. "Not at all, Boss He. You seem equally at ease. You’re truly as sharp as ever."

"I can't compare to you young people. Mr. Fan, you are doing well. Use your youth to diligently train yourself; don’t be afraid of hardship. Otherwise, by the time you reach my age, wanting to endure hardship will be meaningless," He Gui said, his words clearly implying something.

"Boss He’s advice is well-taken," Fan Bei nodded.

"They just discovered a cluster of honeysuckle up ahead. That’s a treasure; even a City Lord-level figure would have their eyes on it. It’s a pity that, unlike you, I have so many people to look after. Otherwise, if I were thirty years younger, I would definitely take the risk to gather it," He Gui said again, looking regretful. "In this day and age, if you don't want to take risks, how can you obtain the materials needed for rapid cultivation? Relying solely on meditation, who knows when one might reach Silver or Gold rank."

Fan Bei nodded in agreement, though he sneered inwardly. *I don’t believe a word of it. This old rascal is truly cunning.*

Lin Zhongshi had already warned that the road was dangerous and that one shouldn't covet wild curiosities, yet here was this man trying to entice him into taking the risk. The man was an old fox, far more sophisticated than Lin Qing, who had simply used his status to pressure others. But they had no grievances; why was the man plotting against him?

Before he could figure it out, He Gui finished speaking and strolled away with his hands behind his back. Fan Bei sat down to rest, watching the man’s retreating back with a thoughtful look.

He Gui had only walked a few dozen steps when he suddenly stumbled over something, reeling in the gravel. Immediately, a dozen vines creeping along the sand coiled around him and dragged him toward the river a few dozen meters away!

"Help me!" He Gui shouted instantly.

A thin layer of black armor appeared on his body, but it offered no resistance to the vines. He was pulled to the ground, dragged away by the force of the plants. He manifested two claws on his hands, digging them desperately into a patch of gravel. However, the gravel was pushed aside by countless weeds, leaving him with nothing to anchor himself. He was like an ant trapped in a sand pit, losing ground with every desperate scratch.

He was rapidly pulled toward the water's surface.

At this point, others had reacted. Several men from the Oil River caravan drew their machetes and rushed over, intent on hacking at the vines. But they severely underestimated their opponent. The riverside was overgrown with weeds and shrubs; one could only imagine how frantically the vegetation had grown along a river untouched for decades.

Those attempting to rescue him were immediately bound by the seemingly harmless weeds, which grew with frenzied speed to keep the rescuers at bay.

"Chairman Lin! Mr. Fan! Help!" He Gui cried out in panic. He was now only a few meters from the water.

Lin Zhongshi reacted with great speed. He leaped over the ground-level weeds, attempting to approach from the air. However, before he could land, countless blades of grass rose up, obscuring his vision and entangling him.

"Get off!" He shuddered, a gray-green armor flashing around his body to block the grass blades.

But it was already too late. The event had been sudden, and though it was only a few dozen meters, the sheer pulling force of the sand vines, combined with the cooperation of the ground weeds, had already dragged He Gui into the water with a loud *splash*.

"Damn it!" Lin Zhongshi finally broke free and rushed to the water's edge. He saw only a whirlpool on the surface, followed by a string of bubbles, and then, nothing more.

Human life was far too fragile. What were Bronze or Silver ranks? In the face of these curiosities, they were all just piles of scrap metal!

This thought crossed everyone’s minds, and they retreated in terror from the deceptively safe riverbank. Lin Zhongshi was helpless; he couldn't jump into the water to save anyone—that would be suicide. In the water, even a clump of seaweed could easily take a life.

"Everyone, fall back!" He had no choice but to retreat with the others, all the way up to the hillside near the river.

The group of thirty hurried away, including the men from the Oil River caravan. Not one of them suggested trying to recover their boss. Fan Bei wasn't surprised. From his conversations over the past two days, he knew that He Gui was only a caravan boss in name; in reality, he was merely an agent. The true owner was the City Lord of Oil River. Every caravan branded "Oil River" belonged to him, and the man had just been a professional manager.

Once everyone reached the hillside, covered in dense shrubs, they stopped, staring at the distant water. The surface, which appeared to be flowing silently, now looked like a bottomless abyss waiting to swallow them whole.

"Chairman Lin, you owe us an explanation!" He Xing, He Gui’s right-hand man, suddenly shouted from the crowd.

"You chose the route, and our boss was following your instructions without taking any unauthorized risks. How could this have happened so suddenly? And even when it did, you didn't save him!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, fearing someone might not hear him.

Fan Bei understood the man’s motivation perfectly. He was trying to pin down responsibility while the incident was still fresh, to avoid being blamed when they returned.

Lin Zhongshi looked somber. He had accounted for the dangers of the road, but this incident had been too sudden. He hadn't sensed any signs of corruption or malice in those vines or bushes. He didn't answer He Xing, instead looking at the surrounding shrubs and grass. Despite the clear, bright sky, he felt an inexplicable sense of dread.

At that moment, a rugged-faced man spoke up, dissatisfied with He Xing. "What are you yelling about? This is the apocalypse! Anything can happen. Otherwise, you wouldn't have hired us. Everyone has their own fate; his luck was just bad, and those monsters only targeted him. Who can you blame for that?"

He Xing let out a harsh breath. The outburst had been driven by panic, and now that he was slightly calmer, he felt dizzy and at a loss. Logically, his boss hadn't been in a dangerous spot, nor had he provoked anyone. How had he become the target?

His eyes suddenly shifted to Fan Bei. The situation had only occurred after his boss had spoken to this man. Furthermore, he knew He Gui had been eyeing the man’s dog—could the man have overheard that discussion?

He didn't voice his suspicion, only noted it down. He couldn't act on his own; the incident had happened in broad daylight, and without evidence, how could he accuse him? The man seemed to be alone, but one shouldn't forget that the Hard Rock Chamber of Commerce was on his territory and had a close relationship with him.

Fulfilling the City Lord’s orders was the priority now. With He Gui dead, he had to complete the mission, or his own end would be no better than his boss’s. The superior wouldn't care about the process; only the result.

Suppressing his emotions, he said, "I apologize, Chairman Lin. The incident was so sudden that I lost control of my emotions. Please forgive me."

Lin Zhongshi sighed. "I understand He Xing’s feelings. It was truly beyond my power. I will refund part of the escort fee. We must be even more cautious on the road ahead. Thinking back, it’s very likely that when Boss He revealed his intention to pick that honeysuckle, he provoked the local river spirits and grass monsters."

"Sigh, I was thinking the same thing. It seems one really shouldn't touch things in the wild," He Xing said, agreeing verbally while keeping his own plans to himself.

Afterward, the group didn't dare stop to rest and hurried away from the dangerous site.