Chapter 187 I need to talk to Chen Yu tonight.

"Our tree shelter was overturned,"

Captain Zhou Ting said somewhat helplessly, "If the Annual Ring Beetle hadn't withstood the first wave of tearing, I'm afraid we would have been eliminated already..."

Pei Yuanheng nodded. "These strange plants are not simple. How many teams have we gathered?"

Cheng Minglang immediately reported, "Nine teams. Only Zhang Tianlang and his group are left..."

"Fuck! Don't pull me—!"

Zhang Tianlang rolled out from the bushes, followed by Blondie and a few lackeys, looking incredibly disheveled!

An Ash Salamander was perched on his shoulder, its mouth opening and closing; it couldn't even spit out sparks anymore, only smoke!

"Brother Wolf! This way! Run toward the light!"

Blondie dragged him and charged toward the treehouse!

Zhang Tianlang stumbled over and sat on the ground with a thud, gasping for air!

"What the hell are these things..."

"Is it like this on the other islands too?"

"Never mind what they are, let's figure out how to survive tonight first. There are just too many of them!"

Just as everyone was tense about their surroundings...

"Class Monitor!"

Suddenly, Wang Mengmeng let out a scream!

Zhang Wanyue looked down; a vine was crawling up her calf, its suckers opening and closing!

"!"

Zhang Wanyue kicked hard, but she couldn't shake it off; the vine tightened another loop!

Almost at the same instant, several strands of seaweed sprang from the fern thicket on the right, lunging toward Li Mengyao!

She was chatting with Liu Manqing and didn't notice at all!

"Mengyao!"

Liu Manqing also screamed, trying to pull her behind her!

At the critical moment!

Chen Yu stepped out, moving so fast he left an afterimage. He reached out with his left hand and grabbed Zhang Wanyue's arm! At the same time, he slashed at the seaweed behind her!

The grip on Zhang Wanyue's calf loosened, and she fell forward, caught firmly in Chen Yu's arms!

"Ah..."

The tips of Zhang Wanyue's ears turned red, and the surrounding noise suddenly seemed to fade away!

But on the other side...

Li Mengyao was not so lucky!

Those strands of seaweed came from tricky angles. One slapped toward her face; Li Mengyao instinctively tilted her head, and the seaweed brushed past her ear, scraping her earlobe and leaving a stinging pain!

Another one curled up from below, wrapped around her ankle, and gave a violent tug!

If Liu Manqing hadn't been gripping her arm tightly, Li Mengyao might have been dragged away!

"Energy Gift!!!"

"Mengyao!"

Li Mengyao let out a muffled groan, stomping on the seaweed with all her might!

It wasn't until Chen Yu used his machete to hack the seaweed to pieces that Liu Manqing and Li Mengyao finally breathed a sigh of relief!

"How are you, Mengyao?"

Liu Manqing immediately squatted down in concern.

Li Mengyao bit her lip. "Auntie... it hurts a bit..."

Liu Manqing looked down, and her heart suddenly tightened.

There was a deep gash on Li Mengyao's ankle where she had been constricted; the flesh was torn open, and beads of blood were seeping from the mark, trickling down her calf. It looked painful just to see.

"How did you get hurt so badly..."

Liu Manqing's fingers trembled as she looked up at Li Mengyao's face. The girl was biting her lip, tears welling in her eyes, but she forced them back.

"It's okay, Auntie."

Li Mengyao gave a brave little smile.

Looking at that smile, Liu Manqing's heart ached even more.

She couldn't help but glance into the distance.

Chen Yu was standing next to Zhang Wanyue, head down and saying something, with Shui Bobo perched on his shoulder.

Zhang Wanyue nodded occasionally.

The two were standing very close, shoulder to shoulder.

Liu Manqing withdrew her gaze, the lump in her heart growing larger and larger.

She held it in for a few seconds but couldn't help herself.

"Mengyao," she said, trying to keep her voice casual, "Xiao Yu... why didn't he save you first just now?"

Li Mengyao's body stiffened.

"Wasn't he closer to you?"

Liu Manqing continued, her tone still soft, "I saw him go to the Class Monitor first, even though you're the one who..."

"Auntie."

Li Mengyao interrupted her, her voice a bit hurried. "It's the same no matter who he saves. He saved us both anyway."

Liu Manqing looked up at Li Mengyao's face, but the girl's eyes were darting away, not daring to meet hers.

"But you're hurt worse than the Class Monitor, and... your relationship with him is different!"

Liu Manqing shook her head. "By all rights and reason, he should have checked on you first."

"The Class Monitor was in more danger then!"

Li Mengyao blurted out, then felt her tone was too sharp and softened. "That vine was already wrapped around her calf; any later and it might have... On my side, it was just a few strands of seaweed, he cut them easily."

Liu Manqing didn't speak, remaining silent for a long while.

Li Mengyao sensed something and quickly said, "Auntie, don't overthink it. Chen Yu is just... he has fast reactions and saves whoever is closest. I was further away from him then, he couldn't make it in time..."

"But Mengyao, you're wrong. He was less than five steps away from you just now."

Liu Manqing interrupted her, then spoke in a low voice, "Mengyao, didn't Xiao Yu work at that milk tea shop next to your school? He supported his studies with that part-time income and even bought you a new phone. If he didn't have a good character, he wouldn't have been so devoted to you."

Li Mengyao lowered her head.

Liu Manqing looked at her tenderly. "But after the apocalypse, with his abilities... I'm afraid many girls will like him. After all, people aren't blind. So... you can't just dwell on the past, Mengyao."

Li Mengyao was speechless. Looking at the bloodstains on her ankle, she remembered the day the apocalypse arrived—the day she broke up with Chen Yu at the Western restaurant, and he walked away without looking back.

Back then, she thought he would come back and beg for her forgiveness, just like before.

But in the end, he didn't.

Li Mengyao's tears fell, splashing onto the back of her hand.

Liu Manqing sighed and pulled her into an embrace, gently patting her back.

Wang Mengmeng, seeing this from not far away, slapped herself on the mouth in frustration.

Lu Xiaoyu asked from the side, "Sister Mengmeng, why are you hitting yourself?"

Wang Mengmeng waved her hand. "Don't ask. It's all just past trauma."

Lu Xiaoyu was confused, and Zuo Shi whispered, "This is some major gossip... Xiao Yu, you might not believe it, but your Sister Mengyao used to be Chen Yu's official girlfriend!"

Lu Xiaoyu's eyes widened, and she whipped her head toward Li Mengyao, who was wiping away tears!

"Auntie."

"Hmm?"

"I might not be... as good as you think."

"Why do you say that?"

"I've done many things wrong. I'm sorry."

Liu Manqing looked at Mengyao in her arms, her heart feeling a slight tug.

She knew Li Mengyao too well; the girl always held her head high, her chin slightly tilted in that proud manner.

But now, she saw a different Li Mengyao, carrying a sense of... inferiority... that she had never seen in her before.

Liu Manqing's heart sank.

It seemed she would have to put in more effort. She needed to have a talk with Chen Yu tonight.