But the brief hallucination had consumed all the strength he had painstakingly accumulated. Now, even lifting a finger was extremely difficult for him, let alone fighting back or escaping.

Two men walked out from behind the girl, dressed in the same style of hunting attire as her, looking very sharp and capable.

One of the men frowned and said, “This guy is so weak. Bringing him along will only be a burden to us.”

The other man added, “He’s of unknown origin, and his clothes are strange. I’ve never seen such attire in any tribe. And for him to appear at this time, he’s most likely a ghoul spy.”

The girl argued, “Impossible, he can speak our language.”

The first man said coldly, “Maybe some of the ghouls have gotten smarter? Even if he has nothing to do with the ghouls, what’s the use of bringing along someone this weak? He’ll only increase our danger. You’ve already saved his life, that’s enough. I don’t agree to take him with us!”

The girl jumped to the front of the bed, blocking Eleanor Clark, and said, “He won’t be a burden! I’ll take him with me. If there’s danger on the road, I’ll protect him. I don’t need you guys!”

The man’s face darkened as he said, “Do you have a crush on him or something?”

The girl’s face flushed red and she said, “Harold Gray, if you keep talking nonsense, I’ll definitely tell uncle when we get back! If you leave him here, he’ll definitely die at the hands of the ghouls. He’s one of our people, he speaks the same language as us. How can you be so heartless?”

Harold Gray said coldly, “No, we can’t take him back to camp! What if he leads the ghouls to us?”

The girl was angry too and shouted, “Harold Gray, you’re not qualified to order me around! I’m taking him back, whether you agree or not. Edgar Gray, are you on his side, or with me?”

Edgar Gray was tall and lanky, with long arms and legs, carrying two bows—one large, one small—on his back. It was clear he must be very agile in the forest, an outstanding hunter.

But this situation was obviously much harder than hunting. He looked troubled, tugging at his little braids, and said, “Alice Clark, if the three of us split up, what if we run into a ghoul hunting party? And if we bring him, we won’t even be able to run away.”

The girl said coldly, “Then you two go ahead without me!”

Edgar Gray scratched his head, glanced at Harold Gray, and said, “If we leave him behind, he’ll definitely die. Let’s just go together. We can’t stay here any longer.”

Harold Gray snorted, glared fiercely at Eleanor Clark, and said, “I hope our adventure will be worth it.”

Alice Clark came over, lifted Eleanor Clark, and said, “I’ll carry you. Hold on tight, or you’ll fall off.”

Eleanor Clark wanted to refuse, but the girl simply hoisted him onto her back, her strength leaving no room for argument.

Chapter 3: The Baboon Demon

The three of them walked outside. Eleanor Clark looked back, taking one last look at the hut where he had recovered.

The roof was covered with grass and leaves, the walls bound with vines and branches. In the two-meter-tall weeds, it blended almost perfectly with the surroundings. From a distance, it was impossible to distinguish it from the natural tangle of broken branches and fallen leaves.

Even in Eleanor Clark’s eyes, the concealment level of this little hut was quite high. He couldn’t understand why the three of them would abandon this base.

At this moment, Edgar Gray urged, “We’ve stayed here too long already. If we don’t leave now, we’ll be in trouble.”

Harold Gray leapt ahead, running toward the direction where sunlight streamed in. The girl followed, and even with someone on her back, her running speed was not the least bit slow. Edgar Gray moved to the girl’s left and right, alertly watching the surroundings.

Although the three had just had a bit of a disagreement, it was clear now that they each had their roles and worked together with great coordination.

The girl’s stride was impressive—each step covered several meters, and when faced with obstacles two or three meters high, she simply leapt right over them.

In the blink of an eye, the three arrived at the edge of a low cliff more than ten meters high. Harold Gray jumped up, arms spread wide, rising steadily—he really did soar up the cliff like an eagle.

Edgar Gray grabbed a small tree jutting from the cliff and used it to pull himself up to the top. Though not as astonishing as Harold Gray, his movements were crisp and efficient, and he climbed no slower than Harold Gray.

In Eleanor Clark’s eyes, because Edgar Gray used climbing techniques, his movements were actually more varied, giving him more options for attack or defense. In terms of martial skill, he was actually superior to Harold Gray.

The girl was the third to arrive. Her speed didn’t decrease—in fact, it increased as she charged straight at the cliff. With a light shout, she dashed up the cliff, her feet tapping rapidly on the rocks, and in a flash she was at the top.

But just as she was about to reach the top, her foot suddenly slipped and she began to fall. In that critical moment, she reached out and grabbed the edge of the cliff, narrowly avoiding a fall.

Harold Gray and Edgar Gray each reached out, grabbing one of Alice Clark’s hands, and together pulled her up to the top.

Alice Clark set Eleanor Clark down, gasping for breath, sweat rolling down her full forehead. After running for so long while carrying someone, she was clearly exhausted.

In a short time, in a subtropical rainforest environment, the three had already run ten kilometers, with Alice Clark carrying Eleanor Clark the whole way.

Their strength, agility, speed, and sense of balance were all outstanding. If this were the Imperial era, the three of them would have been strong enough to join the Imperial Guard directly, and with a little training, would become elite warriors.