# 102
**Chapter 102 – Alone**
Eight hours into Mount Jinnan.
With weighted packs on their backs, Lin Qiye and Cao Yuan had crossed who knew how many peaks. The night sky grew darker, and the mountain range ahead was now completely swallowed by darkness.
In this terrain full of branches and potholes, moving without flashlights was nearly impossible. No one could tell whether the next step would land on solid ground or into a thorn-filled pit.
At this moment, the vast Mount Jinnan was deathly silent.
“How many are left?” The instructors sat together as Instructor Hong glanced at the time and asked.
“Three left: special forces soldier Zheng Zhong, Lin Qiye, and Cao Yuan.”
“Damn, how are those two kids still holding on? This doesn’t make sense…” one instructor muttered.
“Cao Yuan’s body was tempered by the [Black King’s Annihilation Slash], so it’s not surprising he can endure. But Lin Qiye… how is he doing this?” Instructor Hong rubbed his chin, eyes full of doubt.
“Now only two are left,” said the instructor watching the screen. “Just now, Zheng Zhong slipped in the dark and fell down the slope. He knocked himself out. The medics are already on their way.”
“It’s already this late. Should we call off the extreme training?”
“Yeah, it’s too dark to see anything in the mountains. If this continues, something might go wrong.”
Instructor Hong was silent for a moment. “Not yet. Redirect all drones to those two kids. Keep medics on standby right behind them, ready for rescue.
I want to see… just how far these two can push themselves.”
…
In the pitch-black forest.
Lin Qiye’s eyes flickered as he precisely slashed through the thorns in front of him with his blade, ducking through the gap.
Cao Yuan followed closely behind, not falling back even half a step.
“It’s so dark—how can you still see?” Cao Yuan asked, holding a small spoon.
“I can,” Lin Qiye replied calmly.
“…Then slow down. I can’t see a thing.”
“I’m already going slow.”
“No, seriously. You said you were at your limit an hour and a half ago. How are you so energetic now? Are you a night owl or something?” Cao Yuan complained.
“Pretty much.”
Lin Qiye had indeed hit his limit long ago. But as the night grew darker, his stamina began recovering at an astonishing rate. After just a short rest, he felt more energized than when they first entered Mount Jinnan!
He didn’t want to cheat using his abilities—but this passive power couldn’t be turned off!
He wanted to train properly and push his physical limits, but every time he felt like he was about to break, his strength would mysteriously return…
As for Cao Yuan, although his physique had been greatly enhanced by his Forbidden Ruins, his endurance still had a ceiling. After holding on for so long, he was now nearing his limit.
In other words, Lin Qiye was like a freak with 1000% mana regeneration, while Cao Yuan had a long mana bar but terrible regen—eventually, it would run dry.
“We haven’t heard any punishment announcements in a while. Do you think we’re the only ones left in the mountain?”
“There was one ten minutes ago. Now it’s just us.”
“You even know that?”
Lin Qiye didn’t answer. He just glanced at a bat flying overhead.
In this deep night mountain, earthworms, millipedes, lizards, bats… all nocturnal creatures were Lin Qiye’s eyes and ears. About an hour ago, he had already gained full awareness of the mountain through them.
He even knew exactly how many medics were following behind and how many drones were circling above. If he wanted, he could vanish into the deep mountains and never be found.
Now, this mountain had become Lin Qiye’s home ground.
“I think I’m done for.” After trekking a while longer, Cao Yuan’s staggering steps came to a halt behind Lin Qiye.
Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow. “Not going to push a little more?”
“I can’t pass out,” Cao Yuan shook his head. “Once I lose consciousness, my Forbidden Ruins might take over my body. That would be even worse.”
“Looks like having a high-level Forbidden Ruins isn’t always a good thing,” Lin Qiye sighed.
“You go on. I’ll wait here. Sooner or later, you’ll hear the announcement of my punishment.” Cao Yuan sat down and smiled at Lin Qiye.
“I’ll head out then.”
“See you back at camp.”
“Yeah.”
Lin Qiye turned around, gripped his blade, and strode into the dark mountains.
Down below.
“Cao Yuan just gave up. Only Lin Qiye is left,” an instructor reported.
“This kid… always manages to surprise us,” Instructor Hong raised his brows in admiration.
“Also…”
“What?”
“Since over an hour ago, he’s been walking in a straight line.”
“What?” The instructors in the tent were stunned. “That’s impossible. We’ve been constantly changing the paths in Mount Jinnan. How could he be walking in a straight line?”
“I don’t know, but he’s doing it. At this rate… in three more hours, he’ll actually make it through the entire mountain range!”
“Three hours? Does he have the stamina for that?”
“I want to say no, but logic never seems to apply to him.”
“…” Instructor Hong was silent for a moment, then slowly said, “Pack up the tents. Leave one person to administer Cao Yuan’s punishment. The rest of us will head to the other side of Mount Jinnan…
We’ll wait for him there.”
“Instructor Hong, do you really think he can do it?”
“If it were anyone else, I might not believe it. But if it’s him… that’s a different story.”
…
Nine hours into Mount Jinnan.
Lin Qiye ran faster and faster through the night forest. Like a phantom, he moved freely through the mountains as if they were his own home.
Suddenly, a voice came from the pack on his back.
“Cao Yuan?”
“Yeah.”
“You did well.”
“I know.”
“But unfortunately… you still have to be punished.”
“I know.”
“Not many can hear our conversation right now. Aside from a few instructors, only your comrade still fighting in the mountains can hear us. You can relax a bit.”
“Ask your question.”
“What kind of girls do you like?”
“I don’t like girls.”
“??? Don’t tell me you’re…”
“I like mature, full-figured women. Preferably intellectual ones who’ve had partners…”
“Thank god… wait, did you just say something outrageous?” The instructor’s face changed. “Your taste…”
“…”
“Ahem, Cao the thief, let’s change the question… What’s your biggest regret in life?”
Cao Yuan fell silent for a moment.
“When I was six, I regret not drowning myself in the river.”
“Why?”
“If I had died then, none of this would’ve happened.” Cao Yuan said calmly. “I wouldn’t have returned to the village. I wouldn’t have picked up that sickle out of curiosity…
I wouldn’t have lost control of my Forbidden Ruins and killed 172 innocent villagers.
And I wouldn’t have been locked in a police station, where I used a nail clipper to slaughter 161 people…”
“…It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was. I won’t run from it.”
“You just couldn’t control the power inside you. That wasn’t your intention.”
“My body. I failed to control it. That’s my fault.”
“…” The instructor was silent for a moment. “Then, do you have anything you want to say to your comrade still in the mountains?”
Cao Yuan smiled faintly, turned to look at Mount Jinnan under the night sky, and slowly spoke:
“Lin Qiye, don’t let us heretics down…”