and I exchanged a quick glance before scrambling up the nearest collapsed building to look in *'s direction.

But the mist had thickened again, and by the time we reached the rooftop, the * had already vanished into the dense fog.

"Well? Did you see anything?" Liang Qian called up from below.

I shook my head down to Liang Qian and said, "Looks like we'll have to walk over and check it out!"

Just then, Da Xiong pulled my arm and said, "No, we can't go over there right now."

"Why not?" I looked at Da Xiong with confusion.

Da Xiong pointed at the swirling fog around us. "Think about it. The mist is getting thicker again, and the terrain over there is incredibly complex. We'd definitely get lost if we went. If one more of us gets separated, we're in real trouble!"

"But what about Andre and the others?" I asked, torn.

Da Xiong clapped me on the shoulder. "Where did you see that thing take them? If something that enormous passed overhead, wouldn't we have noticed?"

I paused; Da Xiong had a point. Perhaps the sudden disappearance of Andre and the others had made me completely scatterbrained.

After a moment of thought, I told Da Xiong, "We should find a spot close enough to watch out for each other and wait a while to see if they come back."

Da Xiong nodded. "Yes, that’s the only sensible option now. And the spot shouldn't be too hard to find."

As soon as he finished speaking, I stood up and said, "Let's go then."

Da Xiong remained crouched there, asking, "Go? Go where?"

I turned back to him with a puzzled look. "Aren't we going to find a spot?"

Da Xiong pointed to where he was squatting. "I think this spot is perfect. The mist is thin up here on the roof, we can see each other, and it’ll be easy for them to spot us if they come back, or for us to watch the distance."

I looked around and realized we weren't on some random roof; we were on the flat top of a two-story stone diao lou (tower house).

These two-story stone towers resembled a modern two-story building, except they lacked internal stairs, with wooden ladders connecting each level. The ground floor was for living, the upper floor for storage, and the very top served as a rooftop terrace for planting. This architectural style was very common in ancient Western buildings, so I was somewhat familiar with it.

We were perched on someone’s rooftop garden, surrounded by old clay pots and bottles—likely where the former residents kept their flowers. Although this stone tower was half-ruined, it was, undeniably, a decent place to rest.

So I called down to Liang Qian, "Hurry up and come up! We'll wait here for Andre and the others for a while. Maybe they just lost their way temporarily and can find us when they loop back."

I heard my voice echo between the abandoned structures, but there was no response from Liang Qian.

My heart sank. Could it be that in these few short seconds, even Liang Qian has vanished?

I swept my flashlight beam through the mist below, and just as I feared, Liang Qian was gone too. Moreover, on the ground, I found the bronze censer she never let out of her sight, a faint wisp of white smoke still curling from its lid. The object standing there alone felt unnervingly strange.

Da Xiong and I exchanged a look; both our expressions were laced with frustration.

I stood up, intending to go downstairs to retrieve the censer and search for them. But Da Xiong grabbed me again. "This whole thing is damn creepy. We're not going anywhere now. You hold onto my hand, and I refuse to believe one of us will disappear."

I nodded, agreeing with him. Going down now would be useless anyway. We sat back down on the ground, silently holding onto each other's sleeves.

I surveyed our surroundings. Though the fog wasn't as thick as when we first arrived at Ruin Island, visibility was still terribly low. The mist blanketed the structure up to the middle of the second floor; we felt as if we were on a small island floating in the clouds.

Seeing this, a sudden, inexplicable sense of dread washed over me. I couldn't bear to imagine what I would do, where I would go, if Da Xiong disappeared, leaving me alone in this heavy fog. It wasn't simple fear; it was the innate human response—a nameless terror when confronted with the unknown.

My hand instinctively tightened its grip on Da Xiong’s sleeve.

Da Xiong noticed the tension and looked around vaguely. "What’s wrong? Scared?"

I heard the lack of conviction in his voice and knew he wasn't much calmer than I was. Instead of answering, I scanned our surroundings, looking for any approaching danger.

As I watched, I suddenly felt something slippery brush against my neck, sliding down from my back. Thinking it was a snake, I instinctively reached out to grab it, accidentally letting go of Da Xiong's sleeve.

When I felt my back and confirmed nothing was there, my heart plummeted. "It's over! A diversionary tactic!"

I instantly lunged to grab Da Xiong beside me, but as expected, he had vanished in that split second.

I violently raked my hand through my hair and cursed, "Damn it, what the hell is going on!"

Before, things were bizarre, but now, Da Xiong, a living, breathing person, had vanished without a sound. That was too unnatural. Given Da Xiong’s skill and courage, I couldn't conceive of anything capable of taking him away so silently.

I frantically swept my hands through the surrounding mist a few more times, but there was no trace of Da Xiong. I pulled at my hair again, muttering to myself, "What now? What do I do now..."

Just as I stood there feeling helpless, a dog barked in the distance.

"Woof!" The single, light bark sounded unnervingly clear in the silent ruins.

I flinched and looked toward the sound. "That's Loren! Loren is over there!" I called out into the air.

I couldn't hesitate any longer. I shouted towards the direction, "Loren! Get over here!"

The only response was the endless churn of the dense fog. I called out a few more times, unwilling to give up, but the result was the same.

Staring at the swirling fog, a sudden surge of anger took hold of me. Ignoring everything else, I slid down from the collapsing roof, snatched up the bronze censer Liang Qian had left behind, and headed in the direction of the bark.

I walked while constantly sweeping my flashlight beam around. The light managed to pierce the fog enough to reveal the outlines of nearby structures. In the haze, it looked as if these buildings hadn't decayed at all—intact walls, windows, even doorways suggested people might step out at any moment, making them look like ordinary residences.

I tried my best not to dwell on that thought and kept my head down, moving forward. It was then, incidentally, that I spotted those strange, muddy footprints on the ground again.

Shining my light around, I realized I had quickly reached the area where we had first found *'s tracks. Identifying my bearings, I saw that the spot where the dog had barked was exactly where the * tracks began—the location of that bizarre statue.

I muttered to myself, "Could it be that Loren didn't disappear, but snuck back here to check out that statue again?"

With that thought, I quickened my pace toward the location. Within a few minutes, I located the narrow alley we had found earlier. I turned into it without hesitation and walked a few steps before freezing dead still.

My flashlight beam cut through the fog, revealing that the tall statue, which should have been there, was gone. In its place on the ground was the square entrance to an underground passage.

I rushed over and shone my light into the opening, only to see it completely sealed off by rubble. It looked like it had been recently blasted shut. I carefully scanned the debris with my light and noticed something shifting in the cracks between the stones.

At that moment, I forgot all about maintaining any dignity and dropped to the ground, peering intently into the pile of rubble.

Soon, a pair of glowing, phosphorescent eyes slowly swiveled toward me.

"It's a person!" I exclaimed, but upon closer inspection, I felt something was wrong, as human eyes aren't that round.

"Woof!" A sound came from beneath those eyes.

I immediately understood: this wasn't a person; it was a dog. But it wasn't Loren, because I could see white fur around its eyes.

"Strange... why is there a living dog here?" I wondered aloud, surprised. Furthermore, the dog's eyes held a certain melancholy and depth, surprisingly similar to human expressions, which is why I had initially mistaken it for a person awaiting rescue.

"Woof!" The dog barked again, very low and weak.

"Wait! I’ll get you out right now!" I called to the dog and started to slip my legs into the underground entrance.

But the moment my foot crossed the threshold, I felt a person suddenly materialize behind me, visible by the shadow cast on the ground. Without a word, the figure reached out, grabbed my collar, and yanked me backward.

I felt a mix of relief and confusion—relieved to see another living person, but perplexed by the stranger's abrupt actions.

"Who is it?" I managed to ask.

The person didn't reply, but the grip was immense, hauling my entire body out of the entrance in one swift motion. The figure seemed intent only on pulling me out, not steadying me, and promptly dumped me onto the ground.

Annoyed, I scrambled back up and immediately raised my flashlight to illuminate the person's face, needing to see exactly who this strange character was.