The immediate concern was how to get out of here, how to rescue Wang Jue from Li Xiaohao’s clutches, and, if possible, I hoped to carry back the bodies of the old man’s two sons as well.

Li Xiaoshu believed we should leave immediately, as there was no retreat here; staying longer would inevitably lead to the zombies breaching our defenses. Rather than waiting for them, it was better to fight our way out. If we could just force them back toward the other path at the three-way intersection, the sheer power of the Jingyin Mountain lava would suck them in.

We unanimously agreed to this plan, though we were uncertain what to do with Bai Huaqian. Old He found a length of rope and bound her securely, arranging for her to descend into the water pool second to last. He followed right behind her, acting like an escort bringing in a prisoner. I took the lead, pulling the rope, while he supervised the rear, allowing us to slowly navigate the passage beneath the pool.

My older sister followed Li Xiaoshu, using her oxygen stick, and quickly surfaced from the tunnel. I, Bai Huaqian, and Old He followed them out smoothly afterward.

When we broke the surface, the surroundings were still profoundly quiet, not a single indication of human presence anywhere. I wondered how Li Xiaohao had managed to wait outside the cave for so long; it seemed this cavern posed less of a threat to him than we had imagined.

We scrambled up from the water pool. My sister was hopping on one foot, trying to shake the water that had rushed into her ears. The cave echoed with the thump-thump-thump of her stamping feet. Suddenly, the rhythm grew louder, mingled now with a distinct clap-clap-clap sound.

Everyone looked around, perplexed as to who was clapping. Yet, besides my sister, no one else was making noise. I placed my hands on her shoulders, signaling her to stop. She paused, and the thump-thump-thump ceased, but the clap-clap-clap still echoed in the cavern. A chill crawled down my spine.

We followed the sound with our eyes, only to see, far ahead at the visible limit of the cave entrance, a figure walking slowly toward us, unhurried, with a vast, dark mass of zombies trailing behind.

Li Xiaohao was clapping his hands, leading the procession. He stopped when he saw us and remarked with a hint of mockery, "Your farewell reunion seems to have taken quite a while. I almost lost patience and decided to come in myself."

It turned out everything was prearranged. There’s an old saying: one doesn’t fear a thief stealing, but one fears a thief who obsesses. When an enemy consistently calculates ahead of you, always setting traps for you to fall into, the feeling is one of maddening frustration. That was exactly how I felt now; escaping Li Xiaohao had become my greatest nightmare.

"Let’s discuss terms," Li Xiaoshu stepped forward, pulling Bai Huaqian to her side. "Let’s see what cards each of us holds."

Li Xiaohao snapped his fingers with theatrical flourish toward the zombies. The horde automatically parted, creating a clear lane through which Wang Jue walked, taking stiff, deliberate steps from the rear of the group.

"Trump card number one: Hostage for Hostage. There’s no contest here, let’s exchange them." Li Xiaohao stated.

Li Xiaoshu nodded, and with a tug on the rope end, the bindings around Bai Huaqian fell slackly to the ground. Old He stood next to Bai Huaqian, positioning the bottle containing the Nether Worm beneath her neck, keeping her immobile.

Li Xiaohao tapped Wang Jue lightly on the forehead. Wang Jue immediately collapsed onto the ground, clearly stiff from standing too long, his limbs numb.

Then, Wang Jue began to loosen his limbs, regaining sensation, and walked over to my side. Old He retracted the bottle containing the Nether Worm, allowing Bai Huaqian to return to Li Xiaohao’s vicinity. The exchange of hostages was thus completed.