Chapter 164: Bird and Snake Blocking the Hole

“Are you out of your mind, you damn liar?” Garo exploded instantly. “Or is your plan to kill me first?”

“Scare off the birds and the snake—that’s your job now.” Sha Yi pointed at the giant birds fluttering outside the cave. “Listen to me if you want to live. The birds go in first, the snake stays last, but it must be kept under the birds’ control. Time’s running out. Figure it out yourself. At worst, we all die—no, wait, maybe Xi Yi and I won’t!”

“You’re too damn cunning!” Garo jabbed a finger at her nose, nearly jumping in fury. “You dump all the life-threatening tasks on me!”

“Well, you just called me stupid, didn’t you?”

If she was stupid, then of course she couldn’t handle this. It had to be left to the smart one.

With a sidelong glance at Garo, Sha Yi snatched the torch from Tuge’s hand and strode back into the depths of the cave without a backward glance, completely ignoring the idiot’s tantrum at the entrance.

Xi Yi was still lying down, but unlike before, he was watching her from afar, his eyes filled with concern under the torchlight.

She, however, immediately noticed fresh blood seeping from the wound on his back. Forgetting for a moment to go to him, she instead rummaged through the bathtub Garo had brought in.

She had to prevent any further collapses caused by tremors. Earlier, she’d shielded Xi Yi from the falling debris, but she couldn’t stop the fine dust. She needed to find clean clothes to cover his wound and minimize direct contact with the dirt.

His rough animal-hide skirts were useless for this. After searching, she pinned her hopes once more on the bathrobe.

Soon, those giant-toothed eagles would be coming in, and the stench would be unbearable. She’d need more fabric to mask the smell.

With that in mind, she gathered all the available clothing.

Xi Yi never took his eyes off her. Now, his gaze held not just worry but also a hint of guilt.

Since he’d woken up, she hadn’t seen him smile much.

She missed his old, cheerful self. Right now, he was probably frustrated at being incapacitated by such a severe injury for the first time. On top of that, she’d been interacting with Garo and the others. Even though he knew she and Garo didn’t get along, it still left him feeling isolated.

Back then, he’d clung to her constantly, never letting her lift a finger for trivial tasks. If he could do it, he’d never give her a chance to exert herself.

Sha Yi felt that if his wound didn’t heal quickly, he might actually lose his mind.

Still, part of her thought he’d brought this on himself. She’d never supported his decision to take that bone spear for her.

He’d only considered her, not realizing how much it hurt her too. He feared losing her, and she feared losing him just as much. If he’d weighed the consequences, they might not be in such a passive position now.

Especially with that bastard at the cave entrance being so insufferable!

Fortunately, Xi Yi had an incredibly mild temper and was naturally reserved. Whenever he noticed her displeasure and suspected it was his fault—whether it was or not—he’d lower his head and wait silently for her scolding.

Like now. Sensing her simmering resentment, he immediately fell silent.

Caught between laughter and tears, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. In the end, she swallowed her complaints and simply helped him into the bathrobe.

Just then, a foul, birdlike stench wafted in with a gust of wind.

Sha Yi turned to see Garo kicking and cursing as he dragged a giant bird into the cave by its wing. The bird, clearly reluctant, was too large for the cramped space, and the flea-like man gave it no peace, not even a chance to inch in slowly.

Xi Yi glared at Garo, utterly baffled by his actions.

Only then did Sha Yi remember why she’d returned to the cave. She quickly explained her plan to Xi Yi. He didn’t object, but his expression betrayed his unease.

There was no other way now. They had to go all in.

Saina had intended to use Garo’s hand to eliminate Xi Yi. Her priority was protecting Xi Yi. As for her, Saina wouldn’t harm her severely—because she was his real target.

Garo was harder to predict. Her earlier analysis for him was pure speculation. Logically, it was a plausible approach—after all, no one liked a rival who constantly raided and stole. But Saina was different.

His mind didn’t work like most people’s. He might weigh Garo’s usefulness. If he saw long-term value in sparing him, he might let Garo live.

Still, she couldn’t shake her doubts about Saina.

In her view, ancient humans who’d undergone evolution couldn’t be fools. She’d never thought them more complex than modern humans—after all, this was millions of years ago. She refused to believe an ancient human could harbor such convoluted schemes. Yet Saina seemed exceptionally shrewd.

How had he developed such a personality?

Xi Yi was plenty sharp too, but his intelligence mostly applied to survival skills. With people, he was straightforward and kind.

Take Garo—he was undeniably cunning, even relishing others’ misfortunes. But nature had balanced his deceitfulness with a tendency to act impulsively. This duality made him clever yet easily manipulated. Someone like him was easier to handle.

But Saina? She couldn’t make sense of him at all. Long ago, she’d sensed he had a past. Now, she realized her understanding of that past was far too shallow.

After this brush with death, she suspected he’d endured something terrible. Otherwise, why would he be like this?

Even in modern times, without a highly complex upbringing or intricate social dynamics, becoming such a twisted individual would be incredibly rare.

Saina’s extremism wasn’t balanced like Garo’s.

His was skewed to the extreme, like a pole of the Earth.

She couldn’t comprehend it—perhaps this was the fundamental difference and distance between people. Like why some could never see eye to eye or get along.

Same principle.

At the cave entrance, Garo’s bird-dragging operation reached its climax. Tuge even lent a hand, but it was no easy task.

The giant-toothed eagles weren’t uncooperative—the cave was simply too small for their size. Still, under her strict orders, Garo “fulfilled his mission,” successfully wedging one bird into the cave.

By the second bird, he seemed to have figured it out. This time, he made the bird back in butt-first, no longer pulling from the front. Instead, he lit another torch and forced the bird to retreat on its own.

But this only worked once more. The remaining two birds, carrying the snake, had to be positioned at the outermost edge, gripping only the snake’s tail while backing in.

That was far trickier.

Just as she thought he’d struggle, she noticed he only had trouble getting the birds to grip the snake’s tail. Once that was done, he used the torch to force the snake-carrying bird to back in, then dragged the other bird to push the snake deeper. When the snake was fully inside, he yanked the second bird out and shoved it into another cave.

Pretty clever. Sha Yi realized she’d underestimated him.

But since he was helping their group now, she held back any criticism, though she remained wary.

When everything was ready, without needing further instructions, he inspected both cave entrances. Spotting gaps, he swiftly gathered bamboo-like branches and stuffed them into the crevices. Then he erased his footprints in the sand, carefully retreated to his own cave, and extinguished the torch.

Mission accomplished.

The wait wasn’t long. Soon, chaotic footsteps echoed outside the cave. The four inside held their breath.

Unexpectedly, the footsteps grew quieter as they neared. Though surprised, the group stayed silent.

Then, a hoarse shout erupted from the cave entrance, followed by a series of thuds and pained groans.

The next second, the hissing of a snake filled the air.

Sha Yi guessed they’d spotted the glowing serpent struggling at the entrance and panicked at the sudden sight.

But the commotion didn’t last. Soon, the noise outside quieted, leaving only slow, deliberate footsteps—as if someone was pacing between the caves.

Her first thought: Saina.

No one else would stay so composed after encountering a snake. His unwavering footsteps alone proved it.

Given Saina’s cunning, he might suspect something. But she wasn’t foolish either. Unless their lives were at stake, she wouldn’t reveal their position.

After a long silence, a cold, detached voice finally spoke outside: “You said the giant-toothed eagles landed here?”

“Yes, we chased them the moment we saw them. But they were far, and by the time we got here, they’d vanished,” someone replied.

“Could you have been mistaken?”

“We heard their calls too. Even if we misjudged the sight, the sounds wouldn’t lie,” another added.

“If neither was wrong, where are the eagles now? Why only the giant snake?”

“This place is too strange!” a third voice chimed in, sounding aggrieved. “We couldn’t even find our way in during the day. Now this? It makes no sense…”