Crossing the wilderness to survive, starting with a broken kitchen knife.

Although Ge Dalong immediately deployed all his life-saving measures, the explosion was multi-directional and even the water wall and ice armor could not spare him. In addition, he was a small and fragile person, so taking the explosion head-on would definitely not end well.

As for Zhao Feng, he had been injured many times before, and this explosion was the last straw that broke the camel's back for his overloaded body.

Zhang Shi tried to call out to the two, but unfortunately there was no response. It was obvious that they were seriously injured this time and the situation became critical.

Zhang Shi cheered himself up and rested for a while, during which he also drank some food and water. Apart from feeling sore all over, his physical condition had improved a little, and at least he had the strength to walk.

He knew that the situation was critical and his two companions were seriously injured. As the only combat force still able to move, he could not sit and wait for death.

Zhang Shi gathered his energy and observed his surroundings. He discovered a cave with good ventilation, suggesting it was connected to the outside world. He then groped towards the air vent. The journey went surprisingly smoothly. Within a few minutes, he successfully found the cave entrance and spotted a dazzling light.

"Sunlight!"

Zhang Shi suddenly became excited. He hadn't seen a ray of sunlight for several days since he entered the City of Fog. The sudden appearance of sunlight meant nothing.

Sure enough, the moment Zhang Shi emerged from the cave, the watch on his wrist began vibrating frantically. Zhang Shi checked the system and was surprised to find that the watch had restored its communication function. His private chat interface had already been flooded with messages, with Wang Wu, Cai Qing, Mao Tai, and others receiving the most. Even Chen Baomu had sent a number of inquiries. It seemed that a lot had happened during their absence.

Zhang Shi suspected that this cave was the boundary of the shielding ability and quickly returned to the cave, preparing to escort Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong out. Unexpectedly, Zhao Feng had already woken up and was now rubbing his arm with a grimace. It seemed that the explosion had also seriously injured him.

"Shi Tou, where is this? Where is Huo Xiuxiu? What's going on?"

Zhang Shi shook his head and expressed his own inference.

"We might have been tricked by Huo Xiuxiu."

Zhang Shi had been suspicious ever since Huo Xiuxiu was able to control the three monsters. And when Huo Xiuxiu could sense the monsters' positions from a distance, Zhang Shi had been wary. Especially at the last moment, when the three monsters actually self-destructed while being controlled, no one would believe that there was something fishy going on.

After hearing this, Zhao Feng still had some doubts in his mind.

"Then why did she do this? Couldn't she just kill us? Why bother going through so much trouble? And after the explosion, she must have been the one who sent us here. What's her reason for doing this?"

Zhang Shi was unwilling to reveal any deeper inferences, so he stopped there and told Zhao Feng about the situation outside. When Zhao Feng heard that they could finally evacuate safely, he immediately stood up, endured the pain, and together with Zhang Shi, helped Ge Dalong out of the cave.

Before evacuating, Zhao Feng raised his hand and looked at Zhang Shi.

"We're leaving like this, and Wu Qing's whereabouts are still unknown. If we leave, it's very likely..."

Zhang Shi pressed down Zhao Feng's raised arm and spoke slowly.

"Don't worry about her, she should be living well."

……

A flash of white light revealed the trio's return to the island. As soon as they appeared, they were spotted by soldiers, who immediately surrounded them and rushed the injured to the infirmary. Not long after, Lao Bai, Xiao Mei, Mao Tai, Cai Qing, and the others arrived. Seeing Zhang Shi and the others in such disarray, and seeing that they were missing one person from this operation, no one dared to speak first to inquire about their situation.

Zhang Shi took off his armor, and the support soldiers beside him carefully treated his wounds. Only then did Zhang Shi completely relax and then took the initiative to ask.

"Is everything okay on the island?"

Lao Bai stood up and answered directly.

"Reporting to the Lord, during the ten days you were away, Chen Baomu rebelled, cutting off the shipping lanes around the island. He also sent people to roam around the island, harassing it from time to time."

Zhang Shi frowned when he heard what Lao Bai said. He hadn't expected Chen Baomu to be able to hide so quickly. He had only been away for a few days when his fox tail was exposed. But Lao Bai had just said that he had been away for ten days...

"What did you say just now, I was away for a few days?"

Lao Bai hesitated for a moment, then accurately calculated the time when Zhang Shi and others left, and answered again after confirming that it was correct.

"Report to the Lord, you have been gone for a total of ten days, three hours, fifteen minutes, and twelve seconds. Now it's thirteen seconds, fourteen seconds..."

Zhang Shi reached out to interrupt, then glanced at the reactions of the others. After confirming that everything was correct, he accepted the result.

"It seems that time in the foggy area is not equal to reality. From my memory, it was only three days from departure to evacuation."

After recovering from his shock, Zhang Shi was just about to inquire further about the situation on the island when suddenly a sound of artillery fire came from the north shore, and everyone present changed their expressions.

Zhang Shi looked at Lao Bai, and Lao Bai began to explain.

"Because of enemy harassment, Zhang Dazhuang has been leading his troops to guard the north bank. Now there is artillery fire. I guess the enemy is launching a large-scale attack."

Sure enough, the next second, a soldier rushed in, bringing the news that Chen Baomu was leading a large-scale attack. Zhang Shi immediately stood up, his face as gloomy as water.

"You've come just in time. I haven't been out for a few days, and someone's already acting like a tyrant. This is a good opportunity to make an example of someone and see who dares to take over the island."

Zhang Shi quickly donned his armor, his eyes ablaze with murderous intent. He turned to look at Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong, who had also regained consciousness and heard everything. Though both men were gravely wounded, their eyes still burned with fighting spirit.

"Brothers, we just came back from the gates of hell, we can't just swallow this anger. Chen Baomu, that villain, took advantage of my absence to stir up trouble, today is the day he dies!" Zhang Shi clenched the weapon in his hand, the weapon hummed in his hand, as if it also felt the anger of its owner.

Lao Bai was also infected by Zhang Shi's momentum. "Lord, our soldiers are ready. We are just waiting for your order to fight this traitor to the death!"

Zhang Shi forcibly restrained Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong to recuperate, then strode out of the medical room with the others. The glaring sunlight outside seemed to heighten the tension of the impending battle. On the north shore of the island, smoke began to fill the air, and the sounds of battle could be heard faintly. Zhang Shi and the others quickly headed towards the north shore, silently pondering Chen Baomu's troop deployment and possible tactics.

"Since Chen Baomu dared to cut off the waterway and attack again, he must have come prepared, but he would never have thought that we would come back at this time." Zhang Shi whispered to the people around him.

Mao Tai nodded slightly. "Well, we should take advantage of this and catch him off guard. However, we also have to be careful of what other tricks he has up his sleeve."