Chapter 582 - 579: Agitation

Chapter 582: Chapter 579: Agitation

Bai Wanwan was just starting to feel a bit drowsy in Yin Ze’s warm, strong embrace when a sudden commotion from outside the camp startled her.

The sound was a mix of beastmen’s low roars and panicked screams, instantly shattering the night’s tranquility.

She immediately opened her eyes, all traces of sleepiness gone.

Not far away, Xin Feng had already gotten up, his movements light and swift, thinking he wouldn’t wake her.

But when he turned back and saw her eyes were open, he quickly gave her a reassuring look and said in a low voice, "Don’t worry. Get some rest. I’ll go out and see what’s happening."

"Okay. Be careful," Bai Wanwan urged softly, her gaze following Xin Feng’s figure as he quickly disappeared outside the cave.

Outside the cave, the sounds of fighting were fierce at first but didn’t last long. They gradually died down, leaving only some suppressed sobs and noisy chatter.

’It’s over this quickly?’

Bai Wanwan tried to sit up. Just then, Xin Feng returned, striding quickly into the cave, a hint of the chilly night air clinging to him.

"It was a small group of scattered Beastmen," Xin Feng explained concisely, his tone steady. "It seems they were attacked on the other side of the mountain and stumbled into our resting area while fleeing in panic. They saw that our group has many Foreign Beastmen and begged to follow us to the Tiger Clan to seek refuge."

"I see," Bai Wanwan said, sitting up straight and pulling up the thin blanket that had slipped. "If they want to follow, let them."

After speaking, she fell silent, her brow furrowing slightly, lost in thought.

Beside her, Zhu Xiu silently draped an animal hide over her shoulders. Seeing the worry on her brow, he said, "Wanwan, the Beast World Continent is too vast. There are tribes and Beastmen suffering every day. Our energy is limited; we can’t save everyone."

Bai Wanwan turned her head to meet Zhu Xiu’s jet-black, slitted pupils and forced a smile. "Yes, I know. I’m not delusional enough to think I can save every Beastman. I was just thinking, what kind of enemy are we about to face? Their power seems to be everywhere, and they can even control the minds of Beastmen. I’m worried... that even if we return to the Tiger Clan, we might not be able to rest easy."

’The power behind this seems to be plotting something huge.

The Tiger Clan is safe for now, perhaps because they haven’t amassed enough power yet. But what about when they do?

Even a Super Tribe would probably be overthrown.’

Zhu Xiu gazed at her and said in a deep voice, "Once I get you settled safely back at the Tiger Clan, I’ll go investigate..."

"No!" Bai Wanwan immediately shook her head, cutting him off.

She reached out and grabbed Zhu Xiu’s arm. "The last time Hua Han left on his own, you all saw what happened! This time, I can’t let any of you take such a risk alone. We’ll face this together and figure something out together."

She paused, then continued to explain her idea. "We can’t figure out our hidden enemy’s motives or schemes, but we can build up our own strength. After we get back to the Tiger Clan, we can absorb as many surrounding tribes as are willing to ally with us to bolster our overall power."

’It’s like a snowball rolling downhill. As long as it gets big enough, as long as we have the strength to crush our opponent, then whatever they do will be of no concern.

And I have to hurry, too. I need to have a few more litters of cubs to accumulate more System Points as quickly as possible.

Only by stockpiling enough "trump cards" can my mates and I protect our cubs and the tribe’s Beastmen when a real crisis arrives.’

Xin Feng nodded in agreement. "Since Wanwan doesn’t want you to venture out alone, we’ll concentrate our forces and fortify the Tiger Clan and its surrounding territory. We can start by establishing more rigorous and efficient patrol teams."

’That way, we can create a safer environment and better protect Wanwan and the cubs.’

Seeing how anxious she was about his safety, a warmth entered Zhu Xiu’s eyes. He relented and nodded. "Alright. If you don’t want me to go, then I won’t go."

With their discussion settled, the area outside the cave had fallen completely silent. The Beastmen who had barged in must have been properly settled.

Bai Wanwan looked at her mates, seeing the exhaustion on their faces. She knew that days of travel and high alert were mentally draining, so she cut the conversation short and said softly, "Let’s all get to bed early. We need to rest up. We have to travel again tomorrow."

The males agreed. They were strong and sturdy, so a little fatigue was nothing to them, but Wanwan was a female and needed her rest.

The night grew deeper, and the cave was gradually filled with the sound of steady breathing from both inside and out.

＊＊＊＊＊＊

The next few days of trekking were not easy.

Hua Han’s condition became more and more heartbreaking.

His moments of clarity grew shorter and shorter. More alarmingly, when he was controlled by the Dark Energy, he was no longer just blank and dazed. Instead, he became abnormally agitated and extremely aggressive, letting out threatening, low growls from his throat and struggling to attack any living thing that came near.

This continued until he nearly injured a curious Fox Clan cub that had wandered too close, but Yan Lie was quick enough to snatch the cub away.

Zhu Xiu made a decisive call and had no choice but to take out a tough Beast Tendon Rope, binding Hua Han’s hands and feet securely and personally standing guard over him.

Hua Han’s hair, which he usually kept impeccably styled, was now a tangled mess, full of grass and dirt.

His face, so handsome it had captivated countless females, was now twisted in a mask of struggle and some inner agony. Veins bulged on his temples, and beads of sweat constantly broke out on his skin.

And those beautiful, charming eyes, which usually sparkled with flirtatious smiles, were now a murky, bloodshot red. They held no trace of reason, only a beast-like frenzy and a desire for destruction.

Seeing him like this, Bai Wanwan’s heart ached terribly. She couldn’t stop herself from trying to approach him several times, only to be held back by Xin Feng.

The Beast Tendon Rope cut deep into the flesh of his wrists and ankles. His violent struggles had already rubbed his skin raw, drawing blood and leaving jarring red marks on his fair skin.

"Hua Han..." Bai Wanwan called out softly, her heart clenching with grief.

"Wanwan," Xin Feng said, pulling her into an embrace and blocking her view of Hua Han’s tragic state. He soothed her with a gentle voice, "Hua Han is very unstable right now. It’s best not to get close to him. If he were in his right mind, he would never want to risk harming you in the slightest. With Zhu Xiu and Yan Lie watching him around the clock, he’ll be okay."

Bai Wanwan understood this logically, but emotionally, she was in agony.

No one noticed that amidst his frenzy, Hua Han would occasionally lift his head, his blood-red eyes sweeping unfocused over his surroundings. When his gaze unintentionally passed over Bai Wanwan’s direction, it would pause for an extremely brief instant.

A flicker of barely perceptible struggle and pain seemed to flash through his vacant gaze, so fast it could have been an illusion, before being drowned again by an even more violent surge of madness.

For several days in a row, aside from a few brief moments of lucidity, Hua Han spent most of his time in this state of torment.