Sure enough, the moment I tossed out the blood-soaked handkerchief, those crabs went absolutely feral, swarming toward its direction, instantly submerging the bloody scrap. But with that, the scent of blood was masked by the mass of crab bodies, and the other giant crabs began circling the central pile.

The faint trace of blood on my fingers, however, managed to attract a few stragglers. The three—one man and two women—let out a sharp crack as green, foul-smelling ichor splattered across my face.

The crab, nearly as tall as my knee, was instantly cleaved into two perfectly neat halves by my strike. The separated body crawled a few more steps before it let out a screech and collapsed.

Once I started, I couldn't stop. Waving the Yin Yu short sword wildly, I charged toward the staircase.

This was the only chance to save Liang Qian; if the scent on the handkerchief faded, things would get difficult quickly. I went on a rampage this time; everywhere I passed, it was either crab legs flying or eyeless crabs spinning in place from pain.

Yet, no matter how fiercely I fought, my scalp went numb when I reached the stairwell. Following the beam of the flashlight upward, I saw that the entrance to the stairs was completely blocked by massive crabs—a veritable crab mountain, some of them still tumbling down.

I was stumped. I thought how great it would be to have a bomb right now, truly wanting to blast those disgusting things into the sky.

Just as I was racking my brain for a solution, a loud gunshot suddenly echoed from upstairs, causing my pupils to contract with a surge of bad premonition. Simultaneously, several sharp barks erupted from the direction of the doorway.

This unexpected barking surprised me; I wondered if the white Mastiff that had cleared the path for us earlier had returned. I looked back and saw a large white dog charging out of the mist, a mangled, partial crab still clamped in its jaws.

Clearly, it had just finished a fight. The White Mastiff stopped not far from me and barked twice in my direction.

I didn't understand its intent, but judging by its demeanor, it probably wanted me to follow it outside. Indeed, the White Mastiff barked twice at me, then turned its head, barked twice toward the outside of the door, and then bolted out the entrance again.

I glanced back at the crab mountain above me, realizing ascending that way was impossible. Perhaps there was another way up from the outside.

With that thought, I ran out, following the big dog. As soon as I cleared the doorway, I saw what looked like a person lying in the fog ahead.

Several large crabs were surrounding this person, tearing at them relentlessly. My heart clenched.

I pounced forward almost simultaneously with the dog, kicking and slashing with the Yin Yu short sword, instantly scattering the crabs. Then I shone the flashlight on the person's face and saw it was Long Jia, lying there covered in wounds.

Her clothes on her arms, thighs, and abdomen were ripped to shreds, revealing several bloody gashes. However, unlike her previous unconscious state, Long Jia was awake, her eyes slightly open.

Although her breathing was uneven, she was conscious. Seeing me approach, she immediately grabbed my hand and whispered weakly, "Go quickly..." I shook my head, turned back toward the second floor, and asked, "Can't go.

Liang Qian isn't out yet. How did you get down?" Long Jia shook her head, a pained expression crossing her scratched, small face.

She swallowed hard with difficulty and said, "Liang Qian is dead. She died saving me.

If we don't leave now, we'll die here too." That sentence struck my Tianling Gai like lightning. My mind buzzed, and I nearly choked on the shock.

I grabbed Long Jia's shoulders fiercely and exclaimed, "What did you say?! Liang Qian is dead?!

How?" Long Jia winced slightly as I gripped her, indicating the pain. It was only then that I realized how agitated I was.

I released her shoulders and urgently pleaded, "Tell me, this isn't true... Is Liang Qian really dead?" Long Jia nodded slowly and said, "Liang Qian woke me up.

When I came to, we were surrounded by thousands of giant crabs. Liang Qian lit the bronze censer to temporarily hold off their attack.

But the fuel in the censer was running low, and Liang Qian told me to find a way to leave first." "I had several escape routes, but as the smoke from Liang Qian's censer thinned, the giant crabs advanced, claws brandished. Just then, a big white dog suddenly jumped in through the window, grabbed my collar, and leaped out of the second floor." After hearing her account, my face turned grimmer than pig liver, because I knew that in those circumstances, Liang Qian's fate was grim.

But I still asked stubbornly, "But that doesn't prove Liang Qian is dead." Long Jia gave a bitter smile and said, "Didn't you hear that gunshot just now? When the white dog rescued me, Liang Qian had already aimed the last 'glory bullet' at her own head." At this, a wave of dizziness washed over me; the whole world seemed to spin, a heavy weight clogged my chest, and my legs gave way, collapsing me onto the ground.

The death of Da Xiong had already dealt me a devastating blow. Now, the news of Liang Qian’s passing made me feel as though the entire world was collapsing.

I clenched my fists tightly; my nails, several days overdue for a trim, nearly dug into my flesh. I slammed my fists into the ground a few times, ignoring the sharp pain radiating up my arm, and grabbed the Yin Yu short sword, charging back toward the house.

What I wanted was to kill every last one of these crabs to avenge Liang Qian. But before I could take more than a step, the Great White Mastiff lunged, clamping its jaws firmly onto my trouser leg.

I was beyond reason now. I kicked the dog away and rushed toward the house regardless of everything.

To my surprise, an ancient, white-haired old woman suddenly materialized before me like a phantom. Her face was a roadmap of deep wrinkles, dotted with age spots, and her tattered clothing and pale complexion made me briefly think she was a ghost.

My rage was instantly subdued by a wave of inexplicable astonishment. I was certain I had never seen this old woman before, yet I felt an unsettling sense of familiarity.

While I was still marveling, the old woman suddenly spoke. She said, "You want to die?

Not yet. Come with me..." She spoke Russian, a dialect thick with the Chukchi accent, very much like Andrei's.

I struggled to recall the old woman's face, and suddenly it struck me—I had seen her not long ago.