32: I didn't die, that's not a crime.

"Look, the fact is, I escaped on my own, not because of Li."

This Female, who in Gaia's impression had always been as gentle as a dodder flower, spoke words that were even somewhat sharp.

"He did it to buy you time to escape!"

Gaia was indignant. He argued for Li, who might no longer be in this world, "He even entrusted you to me."

"If I had waited for him there, I would already be dead." Tu Nan turned toward him. "And so would you."

Gaia was speechless, because it was indeed the truth.

The morning sun on the sandy ground was already beginning to scorch. She pulled up her hood, hiding her face in its shadow.

"The insect tide, the flood... I was the only one there, truly facing all of this for the first time."

Tu Nan asked Gaia, "Do you really think I can accurately predict everything?"

She turned the side of her face that still bore the handprint toward Gaia, letting this Big Dog see more clearly how he had treated her.

"You only see the result, which is that I found an exit and I survived."

"I'm asking you, if that exit hadn't been found and the flood had risen, who would have been the first to die in that room?"

Gaia's blue eyes froze, then slowly shifted. He thought of the answer, but he didn't want to say it aloud.

Tu Nan said it for him.

"Me."

Tu Nan smiled.

"You can't imagine it because, at that moment, you weren't the one being torn to pieces."

"And us Foster Mothers..." her expression was mocking, "we have to live in fear every day, every hour, every moment. Hoping that misfortune doesn't befall us."

"A slap, or a bite mark? Those are nothing; we've long since grown used to them."

Gaia's gaze shrank back slightly, as if burned by Tu Nan's words.

Yet he couldn't help but shift his gaze from her face to her shoulder, where the bruises were green and purple, still unhealed.

"You ran away after hitting me."

Tu Nan's tone was as cold as a lake in late autumn.

"Did you save anyone? There was no time at all. I had calculated it, but you didn't believe me."

Gaia was restless. Tu Nan's gentle tone made him feel worse than a sudden outburst would have.

He had never thought about it from Tu Nan's perspective. He thought... Tu Nan didn't want to save people.

By the time he reached the rock wall, the water had completely risen.

The tumbling Earth-traveling Worms in the underground river were like a pot of boiling porridge.

No people could be seen in the water; it was unknown if they were in the bellies of Earth-traveling Worms or had been swept into the caves in the rock walls.

At that moment, his thoughts were frozen. The only thought in his mind was: if he had told everyone earlier, everyone might have lived. Why didn't Tu Nan say it sooner? Why?

Carrying this question, he was chased by the flood, following Tu Nan's footsteps to escape like a stray dog.

But then he saw—Tu Nan held in Gray's arms.

At that time, he could no longer suppress his anger. He felt that Tu Nan was a liar, that she had failed Li, and failed everyone.

"I just tried my best to survive. I was dragged by my hair by Fiona and thrown at her brother's feet like cargo that could be discarded at any time."

"And then what did you want me to say to Gray? Hmm?" Tu Nan sneered. "Tell him I'd been watching him for a long time just because I suspected he had a secretly prepared evacuation exit?"

"Would I still be alive then?"

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Go ahead. That way you can make me pay with my life for Li, for everyone, right?"

Tu Nan grabbed both sides of Gaia's long muzzle and stared straight at him. Her gaze was like that of a very earnest child seeking an elder's advice, but her actions were the complete opposite.

Gaia couldn't withstand this kind of psychological attack; his mind was in a mess.

What Tu Nan said seemed right, but Li's passing made it impossible for him to let go.

The Big Dog suddenly transformed back into a human. He pulled a cloak around himself, turned his head away, and muttered, "We finally managed to escape, why are we still talking about this?"

"Wait here for me, I'll go get something to eat."

Leaving those words behind, he walked away as if fleeing.

Tu Nan's gaze followed him until Gaia climbed a sand dune and slid down, disappearing from sight.

It seemed Gaia had been steadied.

Tu Nan counted her heartbeat; it was still steady and slow.

Good.

This series of maneuvers wasn't in vain; it made her crazy act of stabbing herself twice worthwhile.

Caressing the bracelet on her arm—if she remembered correctly, there was still a sum of funds inside.

Gaia was a better choice than Gray. She wanted Gaia to take her to Sand City, find a way to survive, and then plan a path to get close to those two men.

But how to break away from Gray became a new problem.

This was a pit she had dug for herself.

Earlier, she had accidentally over-embellished her story, which amounted to increasing the difficulty for herself. The current Gray wouldn't let her go easily.

Who could accurately predict the future? One could only take it one step at a time.

Instead of spending energy trying to figure out how to persuade Gray, it would be better to put more effort into Gaia.

They should find an opportunity to slip away in the middle of the night.

The Settlement was completely destroyed. Gray had many other things to worry about and wouldn't focus his energy on searching for an "escaping" Foster Mother.

***

"What do we do after this?"

Tu Nan gnawed on some kind of root vegetable. This was a food she had never eaten before; it had little flavor and was similar to a potato. Li had never brought it back.

"What? Go with Gray... what else can we do?"

Gaia was gnawing on a roasted small animal.

Tu Nan had just tried that kind of food and, as expected, she couldn't chew it.

Tu Nan was speechless at Gaia's obtuseness.

Since she no longer had the persona of a gentle little white flower in front of him anyway, Tu Nan simply gave up on it and directly took over the brainwork for this two-person team.

"No, we have to leave quickly."

She looked at the groups of people resting and eating nearby.

"Gray won't let you off. Don't you remember what you said yesterday?"

He recalled for a moment and said unhappily, "I just mentioned the business about the Underground City. So what? It's not like they didn't know."

"If you don't say it, everyone can pretend they 'don't know.' Now everyone is forced to know."

The Big Dog's cleverness seemed to have been a mere flash in the pan.

"Someone must take responsibility for the decisions made. Originally, this group of people just came out to seek refuge, but now it's become a flight for survival. That's different."

Gaia viciously tore a leg off the animal in his mouth. "Gray went too far. He clearly could have organized everyone to retreat."

"No one is innocent."

Tu Nan was very calm.

"That's why everyone will be even more desperate for a scapegoat."

"And Gray will never just sit and wait for his end. I don't really want to be with Gray. Do you still believe me?"

Gaia silently put down his food. He seemed to be listening seriously, but he didn't voice his thoughts for the moment.

Tu Nan ignored him and continued, "This group of people will definitely fall into chaos. There's no need for us to get involved. It's best to leave tonight and head to Sand City."

"We can't stay here; something will happen."