Lizzie, still catching her breath beside him, stiffened as the reality of the situation dawned on her. She shot Calvin a sidelong glance, her face pale but her eyes hardening with resolve. The leader’s hand gripped the pistol tighter, his patience wearing thin.“You saved us,” he continued, his tone a mockery of gratitude. “And I thank you for that. But make no mistake—we’ve come too far, lost too many to leave empty-handed. Show us the way, or…” The cold metal pressed harder against Calvin’s skull, driving the threat home.Calvin swallowed, his mind racing for a solution. He could feel Lizzie tensing beside him, the familiar glow beginning to stir in her eyes again. He needed to keep her calm, keep her from doing anything reckless.“Listen,” Calvin said slowly, his voice low and measured. “You don’t want to do this. We’re not your enemies. We’ve all been through hell together, and there’s no need to make this any worse.”The leader’s chuckle was dark, devoid of any warmth. “Spare me
Calvin and Lizzie slowly stood up, their muscles stiff with exhaustion but their minds now racing with fresh tension. As they straightened, they were met with the unmistakable sight of gun barrels trained on them from every direction. The Han Xin survivors, the very people they had risked everything to save, were now their captors. Calvin's jaw clenched, and beside him, Lizzie let out a low curse under her breath.“Keep moving!” one of the Han Xin men barked, his voice cold and impatient.Lizzie shot a furious glare at Calvin as they started walking, her steps deliberate but heavy with frustration. "*I told you!*" she hissed under her breath, just loud enough for Calvin to hear. "We shouldn’t have saved them. This is what they do after everything? You knew this would happen, didn’t you? You knew and still—”“Lizzie, calm down," Calvin replied softly, though his voice carried a gravity that matched the dangerous situation they were in. His eyes, as calm as they appeared on the surface,
As they reached a darker, more ominous part of the ravine, the atmosphere thickened with tension. The air was cold, damp, and filled with the faint echoes of water dripping from unseen cracks in the rocks. Calvin slowed his pace, glancing around as if searching for something. Then, he stopped abruptly, his movements deliberate.“This is where we need to stop,” Calvin said calmly, his voice cutting through the uneasy silence. The Han Xin soldiers, weapons still trained on him and Lizzie, exchanged skeptical glances.“Why stop here?” the leader asked, suspicion heavy in his tone.Calvin turned to face him, his expression unreadable but composed. “In order to find the Fountain of Health, I need to meditate. The path ahead is full of dangerous forks and dead ends. If we take the wrong one, we’ll be lost, or worse.”Lizzie shot Calvin a quick look, her eyebrows raised in disbelief. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it, sensing this was part of his strategy.The leader of the
The atmosphere grew thicker with anticipation as the Han Xin soldiers waited for some kind of sign—anything—that Calvin was actually doing something. The ravine was eerily silent, save for the distant, muted sounds of water trickling and the occasional soft growl from the hidden monsters that still lingered far behind them.Calvin sat perfectly still, cross-legged on the cold rock, eyes closed and seemingly deep in meditation. His breathing was steady, too calm for the danger surrounding them. Lizzie stood off to the side, her eyes occasionally flicking from her brother to the impatient faces of the Han Xin soldiers. She was trying to stay composed, but the longer the silence stretched, the more her nerves began to fray.One of the soldiers, a younger man with a scruffy beard, finally broke the silence. “What’s taking so long?” he grumbled, eyeing Calvin suspiciously. “Is he even doing anything? Usually, when he does his thing, there’s some kind of glow or something, right?”Lizzie sh
Calvin remained perfectly still on the outside, but inside his mind, everything was buzzing with quiet intensity. He could hear every word the Han Xin soldiers muttered behind him, and he felt the weight of Lizzie’s trust and doubt pressing on his shoulders. But he didn’t react—he couldn’t afford to.In the silence of his meditation, Calvin called upon the system. He felt its familiar presence, like a quiet hum at the back of his consciousness. System, he thought, I need an upgrade—now. What can I do with the points I have left?The system responded with its usual efficiency, a disembodied voice echoing inside his mind."Points available: 120. Cultivation strength can be upgraded, but no high-energy objects are present to accelerate the process. This will require more points than usual. Proceed?"Calvin hesitated only for a fraction of a second. He knew what he was up against—these soldiers, the monsters outside, and the unknown dangers that lay ahead. He needed more power, and he nee
The leader’s face flushed with anger, but his hand trembled slightly as he tightened his grip on the gun. His knuckles whitened as he tried to regain his composure. “I said show us the way,” he growled through gritted teeth, his voice lower now but strained.Calvin, standing perfectly still, met his gaze with unnerving calm. “And I said, you should take a moment to calm yourself.” His voice was cool, almost too casual for the situation. “That pounding in your temples? The tightness in your chest? You feel it, don’t you?”The leader blinked, confusion flashing across his face. “What... what are you talking about?” he asked, his bravado faltering for the briefest second.Calvin’s lips curled into a subtle, knowing smile. “Your blood pressure. It’s spiking. You keep this up, and you’re going to have a stroke.”A ripple of unease spread through the ranks of the Han Xin soldiers. They exchanged quick, uncertain glances, their weapons still trained on Calvin and Lizzie but with less convict
The leader of the Han Xin group visibly trembled, his hand still gripping the gun as his gaze darted around the cave, searching for some semblance of control. The threat of a stroke loomed over him, and it was clear that Calvin’s calm demeanor had unnerved him. “We don’t have time for this,” the leader said, his voice shaky. “My boss will be furious if we don’t get back soon. We can’t afford delays.”Calvin raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. He stood tall, his posture relaxed but commanding. “And what do you think will happen if you drop dead right here?” His voice was steady, measured. “You really think you’ll make it back up that ravine if you collapse from a stroke? Trust me, meeting your boss’s anger is the least of your worries right now.”The leader's face paled even further at Calvin's words. His fingers flexed nervously around the gun’s handle, and a bead of sweat trickled down his temple. “Fine,” he muttered through clenched teeth. “Fine! Just… do what you have to
The group trudged onward through the desolate terrain, the sun beating down on their backs like an oppressive weight. The landscape was unforgiving—dust clouds swirled with each step, and the air was dry enough to crack skin. Jagged rocks jutted out from the ground like broken teeth, and the barren earth stretched out endlessly before them. Every now and then, the wind howled through the cracks in the rocks, giving the place an eerie, hollow echo.Calvin walked at the front, his expression calm, though his mind was anything but. His eyes scanned the horizon, taking in the features of the land. He knew they were growing impatient. The heat, the fatigue, and the endless wasteland were gnawing at their resolve. It wouldn’t be long before someone snapped, and he needed to play this just right.Behind him, the Han Xin soldiers grumbled among themselves. Their footsteps were heavy with frustration, and their hands tightened on their weapons. The tension between them and Calvin was palpable,