Desert Island Girl (Pure Lily) - Chapter 27.1

Now, Mu Xiaoyang faced a serious problem.

She was lost.

The sky was completely dark, and though the rain had lessened slightly, it still poured heavily.

Honestly, Mu Xiaoyang was shivering all over, freezing cold!

Her overalls felt like no protection at all, as the icy night wind seemed to blow straight into her bones.

She didn’t want to keep going… she was so tired.

She desperately wanted to stop, find a dry spot to build a fire, and sit by it to warm up.

But she knew she couldn’t—Ning was still waiting for her.

Huff… don’t panic, stay calm, Xiaoyang… Panic will kill you and Ning.

Mu Xiaoyang comforted herself in her heart.

To be fair, Mu Xiaoyang wasn’t exaggerating—unless it touched her soft spot, she was almost always rational, no matter the situation.

Even in danger, she was no exception.

With the darkness and low visibility from the storm, Mu Xiaoyang had to pull the tactical flashlight from her backpack.

She pressed the switch, praying silently: Please, don’t be broken! Light up!

The flashlight, designed for outdoor exploration, didn’t let her down.

Despite the backpack getting wet, it wasn’t damaged by the river and shot out a steady beam of light.

This flashlight’s intense beam was more focused than a regular one, with better penetration than a car’s headlights!

It could illuminate far distances and even temporarily blind an enemy.

Mu Xiaoyang sighed in relief: If the flashlight had been broken, in this pitch-black darkness, she wouldn’t have known what to do.

Shining the flashlight around, Mu Xiaoyang saw she was still in the forest—no mountains, no familiar landmarks, only the rushing river beside her.

Wait… the river?

Mu Xiaoyang quickly recalled that from the mountaintop, she saw the river winding from the tent’s side to the sea on the other side.

If she followed the river upstream, she might return to where she caught the fish!

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to take a shortcut over the mountain, but she was too exhausted.

If she collapsed halfway up, stuck in the middle, the consequences would be unthinkable.

So, despite her urgency, Mu Xiaoyang could only find another stick, lean on it, and slowly walk back along the riverbank.

…

So cold… so hungry…

Walking alone in the dark forest, Mu Xiaoyang was physically and mentally drained.

Her boots were filled with muddy water, and her biscuits were long gone.

Her stomach was empty, so she ate the remaining candies with half a bottle of water, finally feeling a slight sense of fullness.

The bright light swayed with her movements, clearly illuminating the rain curtain ahead, drop after drop, forming a dense sheet…

The night wind howled mercilessly, countless branches clawing in the storm.

Mu Xiaoyang was so scared, fearing a white-clad, ghostly figure might leap from behind a tree or an angry bear might charge and tear her apart…

Carrying this fear, she trudged through the muddy ground for an unknown time, barely feeling her legs anymore.

Finally, Mu Xiaoyang saw the mountain wall again—this meant she had covered about half the journey.

If she kept going, she’d soon reach the tent to make medicine for Ning…

But something strange caught her eye: in the corner of the mountain wall, there were yellowish-green glowing dots, moving back and forth…

Fireflies? Gems embedded in the mountain? Surely not ghost lights?

Instinctively shining her flashlight at the green glow, Mu Xiaoyang’s heart jolted when she saw what they were, nearly collapsing!

Those pairs of green lights weren’t fireflies!

They were the eyes of a dozen wolves!

The gray-black wolves huddled in small caves in the mountain wall.

They clearly noticed Mu Xiaoyang but didn’t chase her, just staring eerily from their shelters.

Perhaps the heavy rain, their lack of hunger, or their cunning, pack-oriented nature made them cautious.

Wolves, being clever and cooperative, wouldn’t easily attack an unfamiliar species like humans.

But Mu Xiaoyang had no time to think about that!

She didn’t dare look twice, gripping her dagger tightly and running along the riverbank, one step deep, one step shallow, terrified the wolves would swarm and tear her apart.

Her earlier exhaustion seemed to vanish as adrenaline surged!

She stumbled as she fled, glancing back occasionally.

After running far with bated breath, seeing the wolves didn’t follow, Mu Xiaoyang relaxed slightly, but an even stronger wave of fatigue hit her.

My goodness… this cursed place had wolves!

Still shaken, Mu Xiaoyang dragged her heavy steps forward: Thank goodness it was raining, or she might already be…

Shaking her head, she clutched her backpack, feeling her steps grow heavier.

At first, she thought she was just exhausted, but gradually, something felt wrong—her feet felt heavier, as if the mud had a strong suction!

Even her stick, planted in the ground, was hard to pull out.

Looking down, Mu Xiaoyang’s soul nearly left her body, more terrifying than the wolves!

Her boots were half-sunk in the mud! Each attempt to lift her leg took immense effort!

A swamp!

She had blindly wandered into a swamp!

The moment she sank into the mire, Mu Xiaoyang froze, overwhelmed with despair, truly believing it was all over—not only would Ning die of illness, but she’d perish in this bottomless mud!

Looking closely, there were no trees or plants around—obviously something was off!

But it was too late for hindsight.

Her legs sank slowly, and even as rational as Mu Xiaoyang was, her mind went blank: She lacked survival experience on a deserted island. What now? Moving or staying still only meant dying faster or slower…

The thought of sticky mud slowly covering her mouth and nose, dragging her underground, sent chills through Mu Xiaoyang.

If it was this agonizing suffocation, she’d rather have a wolf bite her throat!

Alone, buried forever underground, never to be found…

Talk about trouble piling on—she saw it firsthand today.