Mr. Whitman snorted, “No need to count. When you came in, I already gave you an antidote, so you’re fine. For the next two years, you can come and go as you please, but if you plan to bring anyone in, you’d better let me know first!”

Logan Whitman was taken aback, then followed behind him and bowed, saying, “Don’t worry, Fourth Grandfather, I won’t bring anyone in.”

Mr. Whitman seemed to smile a little. “I’m just giving you a heads-up, no need to overthink it.”

Just as Logan Whitman was about to say he wouldn’t dare, suddenly the leaves above his head rustled, and a figure leapt at him with incredible agility. Logan Whitman was caught off guard, but his two years of hard training immediately paid off—his body instinctively lunged forward, then he bent down and slapped the ground, his legs scissoring toward the attacker in pursuit!

Bang!

With a muffled thud, both Logan Whitman and his opponent grunted at the same time and staggered backward. Then, with another roar, a second person, moving on all fours like a wild beast, pounced at him with terrifying ferocity. The expression on his face was savage and frightening, and his gleaming white teeth aimed straight for Logan Whitman’s throat, snapping down!

Logan Whitman was utterly shocked. He had never imagined a person could attack like a wolf. He tensed his shoulders, pushed off with hands and feet, and collided head-on with the second assailant!

At this moment, Mr. Whitman barked a command, and the two attackers instantly froze, then retreated to the side together. Once Logan Whitman steadied himself, he could see clearly: one of them was hunched over like a monkey, arms dangling near his ankles and swinging constantly; the other crouched like a wolf, nose twitching as if sniffing for the scent of a living person.

Logan Whitman rolled his aching shoulders, still a bit shaken, and asked, “The Death Section?”

Mr. Whitman’s voice remained emotionless: “In these mountains, some animals with a bit of spirit, after losing their young, steal human babies to raise. One of these I snatched from an old ape, the other I rescued from a wolf’s den. Like you, they’re just guests here in the compound.” As he spoke, the old man’s gaze softened as he looked at the two strange people, and he said gently, “Come over and greet him. From now on, you’re not outsiders anymore.”

The two odd figures nodded obediently and with some effort, making muffled sounds as they ran over to Logan Whitman and rubbed against him in a friendly gesture. Logan Whitman felt a pang of sympathy and stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

“No need to be afraid. You can pat their shoulders or touch their heads. They won’t go after you anymore.” Mr. Whitman’s voice was calm. “You were smart not to mix poison into your counterattack.”

Logan Whitman gave a simple, honest smile.

“Right now, there’s no one in the Death Section. You’re not allowed to set foot in the Old Section or the Sick Section. If you forget, it’s fine—once you lose your eyes, you’ll remember. Also, in the Red Leaf Forest, never light the incense burner.”

Logan Whitman agreed, but was inwardly puzzled and uneasy. No one in the Death Section?

With a creak, the door of a wooden cabin in the woods opened, and a girl of about twelve or thirteen stood at the doorway, calling to the two strange people, “Abe, Old Wolf, come eat!”

The two odd figures each let out a cry and dashed into the house like the wind.

The girl’s clear eyes turned and landed on Mr. Whitman and the bewildered Logan Whitman behind him. Her face immediately lit up with joy. “Grandpa, you’re back! That’s great, and so soon!”

Logan Whitman felt as if a light had shone before his eyes, and he was unconsciously infected by the girl’s genuine smile, a smile appearing on his own face as well.

But Mr. Whitman still responded coolly, then turned to Logan Whitman and said, “This is the girl. Unless it’s about your studies, don’t bother me—just ask her. Thirteen years ago, I picked her up from…”

Logan Whitman swallowed nervously, half-afraid the girl before him would suddenly act like a giraffe or a bear.

“I picked her up as an abandoned baby from the river. She’s grown up here in the compound, especially familiar with the Living Section. If you need any books, just tell her.” With that, Mr. Whitman ignored them and strode into the largest wooden cabin in the center of the woods. With a bang, the door was shut tight.

The girl looked at Logan Whitman a bit timidly, and Logan Whitman was also sizing her up.

A thirteen-year-old child, raised in the mountains since birth, her face still full of innocence, but the pure light in her eyes made Logan Whitman feel a refreshing sense of comfort.

Compared to this child, Logan Whitman felt that the innocence he’d accumulated over eighteen years was only fit to feed to the dogs.

Logan Whitman reached out a hand and smiled at the girl. “My name is Logan Whitman.”

The girl stared blankly at the hand extended before her, nervously tugging at her braid. She’d been abandoned by her parents in a wooden basin on the river as a baby, and when Mr. Whitman fished her out two days later, she was barely alive. After being saved, she’d always stayed by Mr. Whitman’s side. She’d never left the mountains, rarely even left the Red Leaf Forest, and knew nothing of the outside world’s customs.

Logan Whitman took her small hand and placed it in his own, giving it a gentle shake, and smiled, “This is a handshake. When people meet, they shake hands to show friendliness. My name is Logan Whitman. What’s your name? Do you eat carrots?”