# 350
**Chapter 350 – Wild Game**
Lin Qiye was stunned for a moment, then gave a helpless smile and accepted the clothes from An Qingyu.
“Thanks.”
Although his physical abilities had been greatly enhanced after advancing to the River Realm—far surpassing those of an ordinary person—he was still made of flesh and blood. Prolonged exposure to the bitter cold inevitably made his movements stiff.
Moreover, frost easily formed in the forest at dawn. Wearing only a thin shirt, he’d soon be soaked by dew, which would only make things worse.
Before long, Baili Pangpang had packed the entire camp into his pocket. He then modified the large iron box originally used to carry the grill and stuffed the disabled giant ant inside for easy transport.
The four of them finished packing and once again headed deeper into the primeval forest.
Every half hour, Lin Qiye opened the iron box and used darkness to erode the giant ant’s mind, reading the route forward and constantly adjusting their direction.
After about an hour and a half, the little girl lying on Cao Yuan’s back suddenly trembled, as if startled by a nightmare, and snapped her eyes open.
With a scream, she instinctively began to struggle in panic.
All four stopped and turned to look at Cao Yuan’s back. Baili Pangpang quickly stepped forward and comforted her:
“Don’t be scared, little sis! The monster’s been chased away by us big brothers!”
The girl looked around in alarm, saw no sign of the giant ant, and gradually calmed down. After studying the group carefully, she asked hesitantly:
“You’re… the big brothers from the train?”
“That’s us.” Baili Pangpang grinned. “Little sis, what’s your name?”
She hesitated a moment, then answered timidly, “Li Tingting.”
“Tingting…” Baili Pangpang moved closer, gentle now. “Don’t be afraid. We’re not bad guys. We’re tourists filming a documentary in the forest. When we’re done, we’ll take you home.”
Li Tingting stared at him, still half-doubtful.
“Li Deyang from the Anta County Forestry Station—he’s your dad, right?” Lin Qiye asked with a smile.
At the name Li Deyang, Li Tingting’s eyes lit up. “You know my dad?”
“We’re good friends. Don’t you remember? We visited the station yesterday.”
That settled it. Li Tingting finally relaxed, her gaze toward them now trusting.
Baili Pangpang silently gave Lin Qiye a thumbs-up.
Then, as if remembering something, he pulled a pizza from the thermos box in his backpack and held it out to Li Tingting. “Saved you breakfast. Eat up.”
The smell of pizza hit her and she swallowed hard. After a night of terror and cold, she was starving. Without hesitation she took it and began devouring huge bites.
“Hey, slow down, no one’s stealing it,” Baili Pangpang chuckled, producing two thermos cups. “Coffee or milk?”
…
Dawn’s pale light crept slowly over the far side of the mountain.
Li Deyang, cloak flapping and shotgun slung across his back, hurried through the forest, his weathered face etched with exhaustion and windburn.
Chen Han followed close behind, cheeks equally red from the cold.
They tracked the footprints to a relatively open patch of woodland.
Li Deyang frowned at the chaotic prints and crouched for a closer look.
“Uncle Li, there’s signs of a tent here,” Chen Han called after circling around. “They rested here for a while.”
Li Deyang straightened and nodded.
“The trail’s too messy to read, but the prints heading into the trees are fresh. They can’t have left long ago. If we push hard we’ll catch up fast.”
Chen Han grunted agreement and they set off at a run.
After an hour at full speed, four figures appeared ahead.
Even from behind, Li Deyang recognized the young men who’d asked for a map at the station yesterday—then his gaze locked on the small back of one of them and his pupils shrank.
“Tingting!” he shouted, voice cracking.
Far ahead, Baili Pangpang and the others glanced at Lin Qiye; he gave a slight nod and they stopped.
“Dad!!”
Li Tingting twisted around, leapt from Cao Yuan’s back, and ran.
Li Deyang’s lips trembled; a smile broke across his frost-stiff face as he scooped her up, strong arms folding her tight.
“Tingting! Are you hurt? Where’s the giant ant?” He checked her quickly—no scratches—and exhaled in relief.
“I’m fine! When I woke up I was on Brother Cao’s back!” She shook her head, long braids swinging.
Still holding her, Li Deyang turned to the four.
Lin Qiye smiled and waved. “We meet again.”
Chen Han and Li Deyang exchanged puzzled looks. Li Deyang stepped closer.
“You… rescued Tingting?”
“Yup,” Baili Pangpang answered.
“Did you… see anything else?” Li Deyang’s brow knit. “Say, red ants?”
Lin Qiye and the others exchanged glances, then shook their heads innocently. “Red ants?”
Li Deyang’s confusion deepened. “Then how did you find her?”
“Picked her up in the woods,” Lin Qiye said firmly.
The other three nodded emphatically.
They definitely couldn’t mention that the red giant ant had been carved into a walking stick and was currently stuffed in the iron box on Baili Pangpang’s back… If Li Deyang learned that, he’d doubt their identities for sure.
“Picked her up?” Li Deyang was stunned.
“Yeah. We were just walking, saw her lying under a tree, so we picked her up,” Baili Pangpang explained, gesturing.
Thump—thump!
A dull bumping came from the iron box on his back, as if something were shifting inside.
Li Deyang’s gaze snapped to the box.
Lin Qiye casually stepped over, slapped the lid, and the thumping stopped. He gave an embarrassed chuckle:
“Wild game we caught on the way. A bit unruly, heh-heh…”