——Adam Carter had seen too many monsters hunting and fleeing in the abyss, and knew how to escape. He thought Henry Watson knew as well. However, it wasn’t until the moment blood splattered that Henry Watson seemed to snap back to his senses, let out a loud cry, grabbed Anthony Carter's front legs with both hands, and kicked frantically at Anthony Carter's now black, cocoon-like body, trying to retreat.

　　The ground rumbled. Adam Carter quickly turned his head and saw the armored vehicle, which had already driven quite far, suddenly make a sharp turn and speed back in their direction—Victor Harris had finally realized something was wrong.

　　He took a few breaths and sprinted toward the armored vehicle.

　　Through the window, he could see Victor Harris's anxious expression. Before the vehicle even reached him, the door had already popped open. As Adam Carter brushed past the armored vehicle, a pair of strong arms suddenly yanked him up from the ground. He cooperated with Victor Harris's movements and climbed into the cockpit. Victor Harris quickly shoved him to the other side of the cockpit and slammed the door shut with a bang.

　　Adam Carter said, “They…”

　　“Can’t be saved!” Victor Harris jerked the steering wheel again, the armored vehicle spun around and sped back in the original direction, pedal to the floor, racing north.

　　Adam Carter leaned back against the passenger seat, took a few breaths, and after calming down a bit, looked into the rearview mirror—mutated Anthony Carter and the gravely injured, dying Henry Watson were tangled together, rolling on the ground. Anthony Carter raised his forelimbs, then brought them down hard, piercing straight through Henry Watson's abdomen and pinning him to the ground. Then, the creature looked up in their direction. After about five seconds, it seemed to give up chasing the armored vehicle, lowered its head, and its slender proboscis pierced into Henry Watson's skull. After a spasm, Henry Watson's body went completely limp.

　　The vehicle sped away quickly, and in no time, their figures had disappeared among the yellow sand and shrubs, no longer visible.

　　Victor Harris said, “Anthony Carter mutated?”

　　Adam Carter turned to look at Victor Harris and saw that his eyes were slightly red.

　　He lowered his head. “I’m sorry.”

　　He was still alive, but Victor Harris had lost two teammates.

　　“Sorry for what?” Victor Harris forced a smile. “People die all the time when we’re out working. You get used to it. Maybe the next one to die will be me.”

　　But Adam Carter truly felt guilty. Anthony Carter had been infected—if he had told Victor Harris about the suspicious traces of human blood on the ant’s carapace when he first noticed them, maybe they could have discovered Anthony Carter’s infection earlier.

　　He lowered his head and confessed this.

　　Victor Harris was silent for a while, his voice a bit lower: “Anthony Carter didn’t turn into an ant. He might have been infected before. Before we met you, we ran into a group of mutated wild mosquitoes.”

　　Adam Carter: “And then… he got stabbed by the carapace?”

　　Victor Harris gazed out the window. After a long silence, he finally said, “The pollution level on the second plain is very low, two stars. Getting pricked or lightly injured doesn’t necessarily mean infection. But if you say something, you’ll definitely be abandoned by the team. A lot of people don’t say anything after getting hurt.”

　　His voice dropped a little: “…Because they want to go home.”

　　Adam Carter: “What about Henry Watson?”

　　If they had discovered Anthony Carter’s infection earlier, maybe Henry Watson wouldn’t have died.

　　“Don’t worry about it, Henry Watson didn’t die unjustly,” Victor Harris lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. “He’s done plenty of rotten things, at least five lives on his hands. If we hadn’t been so short-handed this time, Anthony Carter and I wouldn’t have worked with him. What was he doing at the time? Was he bullying you?”

　　Adam Carter didn’t answer, and Victor Harris turned his head to look at him.

　　In the dusk, the boy’s profile looked quiet and peaceful, like a crystal-clear drop of water. For someone like this to appear in the treacherous wilderness, maybe he had unspeakable hardships, but Victor Harris didn’t ask.

　　Likewise, Adam Carter didn’t know what to say to Victor Harris. He was recalling the moment before Henry Watson died. At first, Henry Watson seemed to have briefly lost his senses, only regaining clarity when he was stabbed.

　　What had Henry Watson done before that?

　　He had bitten the mycelium.

　　Adam Carter frowned. He actually didn’t know if, as a mushroom, he was poisonous or not.

　　Now he suspected he was a poisonous mushroom.

　　As they continued forward, the vegetation grew even sparser. On the endless desert, there was no sign of life—only their armored vehicle driving alone.

　　At night, when the aurora appeared in the sky again, Victor Harris decided to stop and rest. He stubbed out his cigarette on the steering wheel, opened the hatch connecting the cockpit and the rest area, and jumped down. His voice echoed in the pitch-black rest area: “Get some sleep first. Another day and a half and we’ll reach the base.”

　　Adam Carter also came to the hatch. For a better view, the cockpit was set high, while the rest area was lower to save space for the storage compartment—a difference of more than a meter. He had to jump down.

　　He stood there, hesitating for a moment. After just three seconds, Victor Harris seemed to notice his hesitation and said, “Sit there first.”

　　Adam Carter obediently sat on the edge, legs dangling. Immediately, Victor Harris reached out, gripped his upper body, and helped him down.

　　Adam Carter landed steadily and whispered, “Thank you.”