32: Unusual sounds in the night during the night watch

Cai Xukun also rubbed his neck and looked up at the object in front of him; it was a massive thing.

It was a tree with a very thick trunk, requiring at least ten people to encircle it with their arms.

Their boat happened to be wedged against that very tree.

"Brother Jing, I think it's fine for the boat to stay stuck here. We've been tired all day, so let's just rest for the night."

Seeing the boat stuck, Yang Mi looked down at her watch; it was already eleven o'clock at night.

They were all exhausted, so resting where they were was the best option.

"Yes, yes, yes, let's take a break."

Zhang Dada was aching all over from the boat ride, so he nodded eagerly upon hearing they could rest.

"Yeah! Everyone should rest for a bit. I'm exhausted."

As Cai Xukun spoke, he massaged his legs. He felt quite sore; having been curled up on the boat, an indescribable fatigue had washed over him.

"But we can't all sleep. This is a Forbidden Ground. We'll take turns on night watch, switching every two hours."

Wu Jing also felt tired, but this place was dangerous, and they had to remain vigilant.

"Huh? We still have to do night watch? Can I skip it? If I don't sleep well, I'll get a headache, and it'll affect my creative process..."

Upon hearing this, Cai Xukun reflexively refused. He was exhausted from the day and couldn't bear the thought of staying up for a watch.

[Night watch? My Kun Kun can't stay up late; he won't be able to handle it. Can he skip the watch?]

[Exactly! My Kun Kun needs his brain for composing. What if his brain gets damaged?]

[Pah, only your Kun Kun's brain is useful? Is our Tao Tao's brain useless then?]

[Our Hua Hua also needs to use his brain, and he's been tired all day. My heart aches for him.]

[Forget about your Hua Hua. No one can even understand the songs he sings, so stop making excuses for him. What's so tiring for him? Everyone walked the same path, yet he was the most opportunistic. He's clearly the one who benefited the most. If anyone's worked the hardest, it's Ye Bai. He even killed that giant python. Why aren't you saying Ye Bai should rest?]

[Exactly, Brother Ye Bai has worked very hard. Don't be so rude, okay?]

...The fans were all defending their idols, afraid they would suffer even a little bit.

"Everyone must take turns on night watch, no matter who it is."

Wu Jing completely ignored Cai Xukun's protests.

They were outdoors, and no one knew what might happen.

Moreover, there were many snakes, insects, rats, and ants in this Rainforest. If a snake fell from the tree, everyone would be in danger, so a night watch was mandatory.

Wu Jing's words left everyone with no room for argument. Cai Xukun wanted to say more, but seeing Wu Jing's firm attitude, he didn't dare protest further and could only agree.

"I'll take the last shift," Zhang Dada said, his eyes darting around as he spoke first.

"I'll take the last shift too."

Huang Zitao spoke up before Cai Xukun could.

The last shift would be in the early morning. By then, they would have rested enough; it would just be waking up two hours early, which was no problem.

Thinking of this, Huang Zitao became even more set on his decision.

Seeing Huang Zitao speak first, Cai Xukun pouted in annoyance. He would take the second-to-last shift then.

"Brother Jing and I will take the first watch. You guys get some rest now."

Seeing that no one else objected, Yang Mi spoke up first.

"Fine, then I'm going to sleep."

As Cai Xukun spoke, he pulled a blanket out of his bag. They had just been caught in the rain and now had to sleep outdoors; they needed to keep warm to avoid getting sick.

"Sister Mi..."

Reba had just been cured of the poison and was still very weak. She was a bit worried seeing Yang Mi on watch.

"Go to sleep." Yang Mi took a blanket out of her backpack. Fortunately, she had kept it in there so it hadn't been lost in the cave.

Everyone huddled together and prepared to rest.

Having walked all day, they were extremely exhausted. After such an eventful and thrilling day, they quickly fell into a deep sleep once they could finally rest.

There were also fans staying up late in the Live Stream Room.

They watched as Yang Mi and Wu Jing remained highly vigilant, occasionally shining their flashlights around.

[Da Mimi and Brother Jing are really serious! Suddenly, I feel so safe.]

[Yeah! I thought Brother Jing was the most masculine, but now I'm seeing that sense of security in Da Mimi too.]

[No wonder so many people call Da Mimi 'Boss Yang.' At a time like this, I really see the boss-like demeanor in her!!]

[I admire their courage for agreeing to the night watch. In this forest so late at night—never mind if they're scared—I'm terrified just watching!]

[Yeah! I'm constantly worried something terrifying will appear from that tree, and I'm even more afraid the Corpse Beetles will catch up!!]

[Holy crap! Stop talking about it. Just thinking about it scares me. I don't dare watch anymore. It's late at night, and now I'm not sleepy at all.]

The fans' comments continued to flow; they were still very fearful of the Rainforest before them.

Inside the Forbidden Ground.

Wu Jing and Yang Mi were looking around, not daring to relax for a moment.

Creak...

After hearing the sound, Yang Mi and Wu Jing's movements stiffened, and they quickly looked at each other.

They saw vigilance and unease in each other's eyes.

Creak—

The sound came again, making the hair on Wu Jing and Yang Mi's bodies stand on end.

The sound seemed like the sound of teeth grinding... "Brother Jing... is that the sound of teeth grinding?"

Yang Mi's back stiffened. She turned her head stiffly toward Wu Jing beside her and asked in a trembling voice.

Wu Jing heard it too, but he didn't speak. Instead, he stared at the large tree in front of them.

"To me, it sounds more like fingernails scratching, not teeth grinding!"

Wu Jing looked up at the tree, his voice also trembling.

He thought he had heard the sound coming from the tree. As his gaze swept over it, he saw a white figure flash by.

Wu Jing thought he might have misseen it and quickly rubbed his eyes. When he looked again, there was nothing there.

Had he seen wrong?

Wu Jing felt uneasy, but he chose to keep quiet. If he had misseen it, he would only end up scaring the others. So, he decided to stay alert and keep a close watch.

"Yang Mi, keep a close eye out."

Wu Jing didn't forget to remind Yang Mi.

Yang Mi's expression was solemn. "Okay."

On the boat, Ye Bai, who had his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. His cool eyes were very bright in the dark night.

Ye Bai had already woken up the moment the abnormal sound appeared. He could sense danger whenever anything unusual occurred in the surroundings.

This was Zhang Qilin's unique ability, but since he hadn't fully mastered the role of Zhang Qilin yet, his premonition of danger wasn't very clear.