Chapter 84: Sick in the Head (Please Vote)

After a hearty meal, Fatty was finally full. He rubbed his hands together and moved to the edge of the cave entrance, feeling along the side with both hands, muttering indistinctly under his breath.

Zhou Yi found it somewhat amusing. He retreated into the cave, picked a clean spot to sit, and sipped his water while watching the other two. In truth, his intention was also to give Fatty a bit of training.

Fatty clung to the edge of the cave opening, while Cheng Zhi stood behind him, holding a slender branch, which he hooked around Fatty’s waist and secured to a pillar inside the cave—a safety precaution of sorts.

Fatty kept feeling along the edge for quite a while without much happening. Zhou Yi, meanwhile, was studying the fire elemental spirit stone. Even for him, sensing this attribute wasn’t easy, so he took the opportunity to examine it more closely.

Cheng Zhi didn’t rush Fatty, though beads of sweat had already formed on Fatty’s forehead.

Just as Cheng Zhi was about to ask if he needed help, the patch of earth Fatty was touching began to crack, and with a crash, it tumbled down into the valley below.

Cheng Zhi’s eyes widened, for a C-shaped path had appeared at the left side connecting to the cave entrance, leading all the way to the ridge they had crossed earlier.

He hadn’t expected all the earlier preparation to pay off so suddenly, and he was genuinely happy for Fatty.

“Fatty, you’re amazing! The path looks wide enough. I’ll lay down some branches and vines so we don’t get covered in dirt.”

Fatty grinned, wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, not caring in the least, and turned to Zhou Yi.

“Boss, come take a look—the path’s ready!”

Zhou Yi was a little surprised. He put away the fire spirit stone, stood up, and headed to the cave entrance. Fatty, eager to show off, stretched a hand toward the left side of the opening.

Looking out, Zhou Yi saw the C-shaped path that Cheng Zhi had already covered with vines and branches. Cheng Zhi, now more adept after his first attempt, had used only the vines, wrapping the path on three sides, leaving out the leaves entirely.

“You two did well, especially you, Fatty. You’ve improved a lot. Let’s go.”

Fatty’s expression faltered—‘improved a lot’ meant he’d been poor before—but at least he’d caught up, which was nothing to be ashamed of. He hurried along after Zhou Yi onto the path.

The three of them climbed the ridge, where several gullies had formed near the summit. The other two used the same approach to make steps and set up railings, and the group ascended to the mountaintop in one go.

No sooner had they reached the top than they spotted the pack leader curled up in a corner.

The leader wolf glared at Zhou Yi with glowing green eyes, baring its teeth and growling menacingly, its head low and shoulders hunched, as if ready to pounce at any moment.

Fatty immediately grabbed his machete, ready to charge, but Zhou Yi stopped him with a hand.

“Wait!”

As soon as they reached the top, Zhou Yi noticed what seemed to be a she-wolf hiding behind the leader. Despite all the commotion, the she-wolf hadn’t moved.

Zhou Yi gestured to Cheng Zhi and whispered, “Make a vine leash for the leader, and stake it far away. I want to check on the she-wolf.”

Cheng Zhi nodded, and Fatty joined him.

“I’ll help out. That wolf’s not going to be easy to handle.”

Cheng Zhi had no objection. The two moved a little way off and set up a stake.

A vine looped around the leader’s neck, while Fatty raised a wall of earth, penning the wolf in. One tightened the leash, the other moved the wall. In no time, the leader wolf was confined to a corner of the summit, anxiously whining as it watched the she-wolf, powerless to do anything.

Only then did Zhou Yi approach. There was blood at the she-wolf’s side, and a newborn pup lay motionless. Zhou Yi reached out to touch it—the pup had no breath. He glanced at the she-wolf; she was alive but seemed weak, raising a leg as if asking him to check.

Zhou Yi understood—she must have more pups, likely stuck in labor.

He spread a cloth on the ground, knelt beside her, and examined her birth canal. Sure enough, another pup was stuck. Pressing gently, he pulled the pup out with effort.

He placed it before the she-wolf, who began licking it persistently, but the pup remained still. Zhou Yi stood, took the pup in his hands, and shook it vigorously several times. After four or five shakes, the little wolf twitched and let out a faint whimper.

Zhou Yi hurriedly returned the pup to its mother and checked her belly—there seemed to be no more inside.

Fatty and Cheng Zhi came closer, glancing at Zhou Yi in surprise. After all, they’d killed so many wolves, and now here he was saving the wolf king’s offspring. Was this some sort of saintly compassion?

“Boss, what are you doing delivering wolf pups? The leader isn’t going to thank us.”

At those words, the leader wolf immediately lowered its head, bared its teeth, and growled at Fatty, as if it understood him.

Zhou Yi chuckled, found a box of milk in the storage chest, and tossed it to Cheng Zhi.

“Give it to the she-wolf. It’s the only milk we have.”

Then, turning to Fatty, he said,

“Life needs a sense of ceremony. We killed those wolves at first to survive. Now, they’re no longer a threat, and this place is deserted. If we don’t save the pup, the she-wolf won’t last either. This is just for my own sake—to remind myself that I’m still a person with compassion, not just a tool for the base. That’s all.”

Fatty fell silent.

Once, he too had been a soft-hearted soul. Killing wolves, fighting the gravekeeper, escaping for his life, the schemes to kill Wang Shengyu—all that had made him forget who he used to be. If Zhou Yi hadn’t brought it up, he wouldn’t even remember himself from before. The realization left Fatty stunned; he stared at Zhou Yi, silent.

The she-wolf drank the milk, and her strength seemed to return. Zhou Yi didn’t touch her, but placed the pup before her.

He looked toward the path they’d taken up and addressed the leader wolf, saying,

“I don’t know if you can understand me, but take your mate and pup and go back to that cave. We’re leaving now—the cave is yours again!”

He patted Cheng Zhi on the shoulder.

Cheng Zhi understood, and with a wave of his hand, the vines withered and snapped.

Fatty, machete in hand, remained wary. Wolves were still wild beasts; even saving them, they might turn on you in an instant.

The leader, freed, darted to the she-wolf, sniffed her and nudged the pup, then looked at Zhou Yi. Only then did it pick up the pup and lead the way, the she-wolf following close behind.

They raced down the path the group had just climbed, turning in the direction of the cave at the ridge.

Fatty let out a sigh of relief and dropped his machete.

“Not bad—it’s not stupid.”

Standing atop the mountain, Zhou Yi looked around. After the rain, the sky had cleared, and the temperature had risen. It didn’t seem as desolate as before.

He raised his wrist, and the control panel automatically displayed a map.

Zhou Yi looked and narrowed his eyes.

The map had changed!

The original map showed only the vast expanse of the desert, with the cave marked as a single, distinct location.

Now, the map was different. The area of the desert seemed smaller, and new locations appeared around its edges—roads, rivers. Zhou Yi zoomed in at random on one of the spots.

From the outline alone, it was clearly a city—and a sizable one at that.

Seeing Zhou Yi frown, Fatty hurried over, took a look, and was dumbfounded.

“Damn, so clearing the Five Element Tomb unlocked a game dungeon or something? Why does the map keep changing? Where did that city come from?”

Zhou Yi shook his head. This world had always been an unexplored mystery; they had come to investigate. Yet why had they been dropped at the Five Element Tomb—coincidence, or by design?

“It’s not just one city. Many cities have appeared around the edge of the desert. The desert is now the center of the map. Judging by the scale, I’d roughly estimate that the desert is at least as large as the Sahara.

“And these surrounding cities—they may be part of this world, too. If we keep exploring, I suspect the map will open up bit by bit, just as it has now.”

The three of them fell silent, Fatty most of all. As a fat man, the thought of having to walk out of an area as vast as the Sahara on his own two feet—wasn’t that just asking to be roasted like a suckling pig?

“Whoever wants to try, let them. I’m not crazy.”