Although the process was incredibly perilous, luckily, everyone made it through safely.
Kelvin got to the shore before Old Bray and playfully tugged at the rope as soon as his feet touched the ground.
Old Bray was still hanging on the rope, and the movement made him swing like on a swing set in a fish’s mouth, making the old man spew curses.
“You little rascal, what are you doing?”
“Old Bray, you’d better hold on tight, or you might get bitten on the butt again.”
Now Old Bray was sure Kelvin was retaliating because he had interrupted a moment of affection between a young couple earlier.
“Young people nowadays really don’t respect the old.”
Kelvin did have a sense of measure; he only pulled the rope when he estimated that Old Bray was close to reaching the shore.
It was purely out of spite, and he wouldn’t really let the old man fall.
Cheyenne interrupted the two of them and pulled a silver scalpel from her leather backpack.
“Enough fooling around, both you and Old Bray have been bitten by piranhas, and we still don’t know how strong their toxin is. To be safe, let’s drain the poisoned blood first.”
“I got it, Cheyenne.”
He didn’t dare ignore her words. Kelvin obediently shut his mouth and stretched out his injured right hand for her to treat.
Cheyenne gently sliced his wound with the scalpel, squeezing out the poisoned blood inside.
Whether it was his good luck or the effect of the Golden Silkworm Magic within him, the piranha’s poison didn’t greatly affect him.
A simple adhesive bandage was all that was needed to finish the job.
On the other hand, Old Bray was half paralyzed, and because the wound was on his buttocks, he was too embarrassed to let Cheyenne look at it.
Of course, even if Cheyenne was willing, Kelvin wouldn’t be pleased.
Didn’t you see how dark his face had become.
Iker took the scalpel with a light chuckle, taking on the task himself.
“Let me do it, I’ve learned a bit of bandaging before.”
The two found some bushes, and Old Bray, supporting himself on a tree trunk, bent over and pulled his pants down to his thighs.
While looking back at his own pale buttocks, he urged Iker,
“Hurry up, it’s quite embarrassing with the cold breeze.”
Cheyenne stood outside the bushes, laughing heartily, teasing the old man,
“How could it not be cold? Old Bray, your red underwear is all torn and frayed.”
Children are curious; Mike even peeked through the bushes.
He exclaimed in surprise as if discovering a new continent.
“It’s actually torn just like mine, with two big holes.”
Boom!
Even thick-skinned Old Bray couldn’t help but blush at this, his voice booming as he shouted, “Scram!”
Thrift is a traditional virtue, understand?
Then Mike had another question,
“Cheyenne, how did you know without even turning around?”
Could she have peeked before?
Thinking this, Kelvin squinted his eyes, looking displeased.
“Cheyenne.”
“Don’t think too much, who would peek at him? It was just a guess, all right? Just call me smart.”
How else could she have guessed right?
Kelvin’s expression finally eased a bit, but he still lectured her on what “Mind your own business” means.
Mike’s eyes widened as if he had just discovered the ultimate secret of the universe.
“Cheyenne, why did Uncle Foley want to bite your lips? Are they tasty?”
Now it was Cheyenne’s turn to be embarrassed; she raised her hand and knocked on Mike’s forehead.
“Mind your own business, understand?”
He quickly covered his eyes with his hands.
“I got it, Cheyenne.”
Kelvin flashed a charming smile, showing no hint of embarrassment from being caught; instead, he seemed eager for more as he licked his lip bitten by her.
“Not bad. It seems you’ve turned pro instantly.”
“Boring.”
He was clearly just finding ways to take advantage of her.
A pig-like scream emerged from the bushes.
“Ah ah ah, it hurts, lighter… gentler!”
The enormous volume startled the birds in the forest, causing them to flee in panic, flapping their wings.
Iker replied emotionlessly, “You can’t blame me, after all, the poison must be squeezed out, and your buttocks…”
Have too much flesh.
Cheyenne was nearly dying of laughter; Old Bray was the comic relief of their group, it seemed.
The most fatal was Master Iker; how on earth did he manage to say such things with a dead serious face?
And Iker had no idea where his words had gone wrong.
He clapped his hands and took out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping his hands meticulously.
Without a word, his movements graceful.
Then, with a gentle wave, the handkerchief was blown away by a breeze, and he turned and walked away without a second glance, as if disdainful of his own hands.
Old Bray, pulling up his trousers in a sorry state, emerged from the bushes.
“Ah, you bunch of brats, always so full of yourselves. Back in my youth, I was a notable figure in the city of Onistead. Can’t you show me a bit of respect?”
Iker faintly uttered an “Oh” in response.
“Let’s hurry up, Old Bray, who knows if a snake might suddenly slither out of the bushes and bite you again. That would be unfortunate.”
“After all, your precious buttocks have just been injured…”
Hearing this, Old Bray immediately fell silent, covering his behind with one hand and limping quickly out.
“Let’s go, this place is too dangerous.”
Mike led the way as they moved on, finally reaching the rumored haunted site.
Different from the lush vegetation on the outskirts.
The trees here were mostly short, with bare branches as if scorched by fire.
An old tunnel appeared before them.
Looking into the tunnel, it was pitch dark like ink, an icy chill hitting them even before they approached.
A mist at the entrance obscured the view, adding a touch of mystery.
A deathly silence.
Not only were there none of the common snakes, insects, rodents, and ants seen on the outskirts, but not even a bird was in sight.
“Something’s wrong, too much quietness here feels abnormal.”
Iker’s intuition told him this place was dangerous, his hand subconsciously touching the gun at his waist.
“Mike, are you sure you saw a ghost here last time?” He asked.
Mike nodded firmly.
“Yeah, but I saw it when dawn was about to break last time. Ghosts might not come out during the day.”
Just as he finished speaking, a loud sound of footsteps approached from afar.
For a moment, even the ground seemed to tremble.
Cheyenne: “What’s going on?”
Old Bray felt a chill down his spine.
“What’s that sound?”
Mike pointed ahead with a horrified face and said:
“They’re coming!”