"You're planning to escape?"
Dylan Chen stared at Thomas Yang in disbelief.
Before Thomas could respond, William Li started to cry, his voice filled with terror.
"I can't take it anymore. I can't stay in this hellhole for another day. People die here every day; who knows when it'll be our turn. Let's run while they're not paying attention!"
"Dylan, we've already decided. Do you want to co with us? It's safer with more people on the road." Thomas looked at Dylan earnestly, his words sincere.
Dylan fell silent, thinking for a long ti before shaking his head. "I'm not going. You guys go ahead."
"Why? Haven't you been missing ho all this ti? Don't you want to go back?" Thomas was stunned, finding it hard to believe.
He thought he'd been good enough to Dylan these past days. Could it be that Dylan still didn't trust him?
Dylan explained, "The Immortal warned us not to leave this area. Anyone who does will be executed. I don't want to die."
"Well, you have a point. Let think about it." Thomas rubbed his chin, seemingly pondering Dylan's words seriously.
But William wasn't having it. He grabbed Dylan by the collar and shouted angrily, "What do you an? We're offering to take you with us, and you refuse? Are you planning to rat us out once we're gone? Boss, what's there to think about? If soone else escapes before us, it'll be even harder for us to get away!"
"You guys escape. I won't snitch. If you don't believe , there's nothing I can do." Dylan pried William's hand off and pushed him away, looking at him calmly without flinching.
Though Dylan had been weak and underfed since childhood, ten days of cultivation had increased his strength significantly. He still couldn't match Thomas and William, but he was no longer completely defenseless.
"Hey, what are you doing? Let go and talk it out. Don't hurt each other." Thomas quickly stepped in to separate them, trying to smooth things over. "Dylan, he's just like that. Don't take it to heart."
Dylan shook his head and said nothing.
Thomas smiled warmly, "Dylan, we're asking you to co with us for your own good. I know you don't want to take risks, and it's your choice to stay or go. But you have to understand, if soone rats us out, we're done for. So you should co with us."
Seeing Dylan fall silent again, a dangerous glint appeared in Thomas's eyes.
Dylan t Thomas's gaze and knew things wouldn't end peacefully. He nodded, "Fine, I'll go with you."
Thomas laughed heartily, clapping Dylan on the shoulder. "That's the spirit. We'll help each other escape. It's still early. Get ready, and we'll leave when it's dark."
Dylan sat on his mat, leaning against the wall with Little Tiger, gripping his wrist tightly and shaking his head slightly, signaling him to stay quiet.
Sunlight moved across the wall, sweeping over Dylan's face before disappearing.
***
In the dead of night, the door creaked open. The four of them tiptoed out, moving slowly and quietly, constantly scanning their surroundings, taking every precaution.
When they reached the training area, they all stopped simultaneously, nervously eyeing the red line ahead.
Crossing it would an leaving the safe zone.
Suddenly, Dylan turned and grabbed Little Tiger, sprinting several steps before stopping. He shielded Little Tiger behind him, staring seriously at Thomas.
"I'm not escaping. If you don't trust , I'll stay here and watch you leave. I promise I won't snitch. But if you insist on taking us, I'll shout and alert everyone. It's your choice."
Thomas snorted, cracking his knuckles as he strode towards Dylan. Seeing Dylan retreat to maintain distance, he sneered, "If we go back now, what can you do?"
Dylan replied calmly, "I'll shout. You won't be able to explain why you're here in the middle of the night."
Thomas frowned, and William looked shocked. They realized this wasn't going as planned.
"Boss, what now?" William asked.
Thomas said sternly, "Forget them. Let's go."
"You brat, just you wait!" William glared at Dylan before running off.
Dylan noticed Thomas standing still, his eyes changing. "Just as I thought!"
William ran a few steps, then turned back, puzzled. "Boss, why aren't you..."
Before he could finish, a cold light flashed, and William's voice was cut off. A thin red line appeared on his neck, and his head separated from his body, blood gushing from the wound. His headless body fell backward.
William's head rolled a few tis before stopping, his eyes filled with shock and confusion, staring at Thomas.
Thomas was horrified, quickly averting his gaze, his body trembling.
Brian Qin appeared in the air, descending slowly with a sharp bronze sword in hand, looking coldly at the group.
"Though you haven't crossed the line, being here at night requires an explanation."
Only then did they realize the cold light ca from Brian's sword, moving too fast to be seen.
They shivered in unison, knowing that if the light had hit their necks, they'd end up like William.
Dylan quickly bowed and said respectfully, "Immortal, William tried to escape. I didn't know how to find you, so I followed to stop him."
"Is that true?" Brian looked at Thomas.
"Yes, Immortal. It's our fault for not stopping him in ti, troubling you to intervene." Thomas hesitated but t Dylan's gaze and decided to go along with his story.
Though he didn't understand why Dylan didn't expose him, now wasn't the ti to question it.
"Your loyalty is comndable." Brian nodded approvingly, tossing a folded triangular talisman paper in front of them. "Keep an eye out. If anyone tries to escape again, use this to call ."
"Thank you, Immortal!" They accepted the talisman paper solemnly, bowing respectfully, then exchanged glances.
"Don't ntion tonight's events. Go back." Brian turned to leave but gave them a aningful smile. "Your lives aren't your own. If you kill each other, you'll pay with your lives. That's the rule."
"Yes!" Dylan pulled Little Tiger and turned to leave. Thomas stood for a mont before following them slowly.
Back in the room, Dylan pulled Little Tiger to the mat, making him sit down.
"Little Tiger, no matter what happens next, don't get involved, okay?"
"Okay." Little Tiger nodded repeatedly.
Soon after, Thomas stepped over the threshold, staring at Dylan before slamming the door shut. He clenched his fists and charged at Dylan, knocking him to the ground with a punch.
"Dylan, you bastard! How dare you set up!"
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
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