I agreed, but I couldn’t beat him. He wrapped his arm around my neck, saying the master had defeated the slave, and ordered me to kneel and surrender to him.”

A single tear silently slid from the corner of Sarah’s eye. “For my sister’s sake, I knelt. I raised my hands and, crying, said I surrendered. All around me, the white children laughed recklessly. I knelt on the ground, looking at my poor Sophie as she struggled to get up, glanced at me once, and left without looking back.”

Sarah’s thin shoulders trembled. “I know she despises me as her brother, despises this brother who, like a dog, knelt at someone else’s feet.

I will never forget the look she gave me—heartbroken, angry, and deeply disappointed. From that day on, I swore never to say those three words again, never to yield to anyone!”

Sarah’s quiet sobs drifted far into the night. Ethan Brooks asked sympathetically, “And your sister?”

“I’ve been searching for her, but I still haven’t found her.”

Sarah lowered his head, fell silent, and gulped down mouthfuls of fish. His silhouette, cast by the firelight, looked so lonely and desolate.

Ethan Brooks said nothing, never expecting that the seemingly carefree, joking Sarah had such a tragic childhood.

After a long time, Sarah slowly raised his head, a cynical smile once again appearing at the corners of his mouth, though tinged with sadness. “Strange, I actually told you all this. But it’s all in the past—I’ve long forgotten it.”

“Sarah, have you ever wondered if the world we’re in is really an illusion?”

Ethan Brooks was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

“What? What do you mean?”

“The fish we’re eating—surely it’s not just a virtual image, right? Everything—the forest, the mountains, the pool, and those ancient monsters and terrifying enemies that appeared—are they all just illusions?”

“You mean, these things are real?”

“Some might be illusions, but some definitely aren’t! The mermaid’s song—you and I both truly heard it, didn’t we?”

“But, but where are there mermaids in real life?”

“There’s an Arabian myth, a legendary story about Sinbad the Sailor.”

Ethan Brooks gazed at the dark water under the night, speaking calmly: “During his adventures at sea, Sinbad accidentally heard singing from afar, a voice so beautiful and enchanting it was like music from heaven, irresistibly drawing the sailors to see what it was. But Sinbad forced his crew to cover their ears, because the song was said to come from a sea siren. If a ship was lured close, the siren would doom them to a tragic end at the bottom of the sea.”

Sarah stammered, “But that’s just a myth, right? Are you saying there really are, uh, sea sirens?”

“What do you think?”

Ethan Brooks looked at him intently.

Chapter Eleven: The Terrifying Eyeball

Sarah stared blankly at Ethan Brooks, murmuring, “Yeah, everything we saw today was clearly real.”

Ethan Brooks nodded. “Sarah, can you tell me what you’ve encountered during this time?”

Sarah’s face showed excitement. “I was attacked by a group of vampires, and dragged by several zombies into a mysterious tomb—almost buried alive. Luckily, I was clever enough to escape by every possible means.”

He licked the fish off his fingers and continued, “But there was this Indian old man who was actually pretty nice to me. He wore strange robes, looked very kind, and taught me a magical skill. Heh, want to see it?”

Seeing Ethan Brooks’s curious look, Sarah stood up proudly, but staggered, clearly not yet recovered.

“We’ll watch your performance another time.”

Ethan Brooks quickly got up to steady him. “Right now, the most important thing is to figure out our surroundings.”

“Now that you mention it, I’m starting to wonder too—whether this world is an illusion or really exists. When those zombies in the tomb grabbed me, their fingers were stiff and cold as ice.”

Sarah said, looking bewildered.

Ethan Brooks sighed and lay down, hands behind his head, slowly closing his eyes. “Let’s get some rest. If we survive and return after seven days, I believe we’ll have an answer.”

“No matter what, I’ll hold out until that day.”

The playful look vanished from Sarah’s face, replaced by seriousness and determination.

The two slowly drifted off to sleep. All around was silence; the cool night wind blew, wild grass bent low, and the campfire flickered unsteadily.

No one knew how much time had passed when Ethan Brooks suddenly woke from a dream, as if he’d seen a white fox shrieking, its blood-red eyes shining menacingly.

The campfire had gone out. All around was endless darkness. Sarah was still asleep, snoring softly.

Ethan Brooks’s ears suddenly pricked up in alarm, staring in horror at a spot ten meters ahead.

On the ground, a ball-sized lump was bulging up, wriggling rapidly toward them, and in the blink of an eye, it was already at his feet.