Seeing the cart, the crowd let out a collective sigh of relief and slowed their steps.
Strangely, there was no one near the cart. Its wheels turned on their own as it rolled steadily toward them.
At a glance, the cart was piled high with all kinds of food—fried earthworms, acorns, kudzu dumplings, braised winter bamboo shoots. Waves of rich aroma drifted through the air.
Everyone was starving.
A few people immediately rushed forward, grabbing the food and stuffing it into their shriveled stomachs.
Uncle Wei hurriedly warned them, "What if the food is poisoned? Don't eat it yet."
But they paid him no attention, continuing to gorge themselves.
Jin also picked up a piece of fried insect and raised it to his mouth. Xianan quickly grabbed his hand.
"Don't eat it!"
Jin had always had a big appetite. Now, starving to the point of dizziness, he could barely keep his eyes open.
"Even if it's poisoned, I have to eat… Xianan, I'm about to starve."
She tightened her grip on his hand.
"If something happens to you, who will save Grandpa Feng? What about your mother?"
Jin froze. Slowly, he lowered the food in his hand, as though it weighed a thousand pounds.
Head lowered, he dragged his heavy steps away with Xianan, distancing himself from the cart and its temptation.
Uncle Wei and Han also chose not to eat. They sat down with Xianan and Jin.
"If this keeps going, we'll starve to death even if the monsters don't kill us," Uncle Wei muttered, forcing himself not to look at the cart.
Han hesitated, then pointed toward a few corpses in the distance.
"Should we…?"
"No." Xianan shook her head immediately. Just looking at the bodies made her uneasy—she couldn't bring herself even to consider it.
After about an hour, weakened by hunger and lack of food, Xianan gradually lost consciousness and fainted.
"She's probably dehydrated," Uncle Wei said, checking her face.
"Water? There's no water here!" Jin panicked. "Should we… take blood from the corpses?"
"No," Uncle Wei said firmly. "They've been dead too long. The blood is likely spoiled."
"Then what do we do?"
Han said, "When we were digging earlier, I saw a lot of worms and ants in the soil. There must be moisture in them. Let's gather some."
They dug into the soil and collected as many insects as they could. Thankfully, the dungeon was vast and the soil rich—they found plenty.
They crushed the insects into a paste and fed it to Xianan's mouth.
"You two should eat some as well," Uncle Wei urged. "You'll need the strength."
Jin shut his eyes tightly, holding his breath as he forced the insects into his mouth. He didn't dare chew—he swallowed them whole.
At least the unbearable hunger eased slightly, and his restlessness calmed.
After a while, Xianan slowly opened her eyes.
Uncle Wei gently encouraged her to eat more and reassured Jin in a soft voice.
Looking at him, Xianan felt a warmth rise in her chest.
For a moment, she felt as though she were seeing her father again. If he were here, he would have taken care of them just like this.
After eating, she gradually regained her strength. But when she looked at those who had eaten from the cart, her brows furrowed.
About another hour passed.
Those who had eaten the food seemed completely fine. Most of them found a spot and lay down to sleep.
Xianan finally felt a bit relieved.
"See?" Jin said. "They're fine after eating. Too bad the cart is gone now."
Xianan gave a faint smile, but doubt still lingered in her mind.
Would the guards really be kind enough to bring them food?
A full day had passed.
After discussing among themselves, Xianan, Jin, Han, and Uncle Wei moved to a quiet area away from the others to rest properly. They took turns keeping watch.
Though tense and afraid, Xianan soon drifted into a hazy sleep.
She didn't know how much time had passed when Jin suddenly shook her awake.
"Xianan! Wake up!"
"What is it…?" she murmured, rubbing her eyes.
"Look!"
He pointed toward the crowd.
The people there were twisting in agony, their faces contorted. Their bodies convulsed uncontrollably as they vomited, eyes rolling back.
Then—
Their skin turned a sickly brown.
Black, metallic shells began to grow across their bodies, spreading rapidly until they were completely encased.
They became… iron-skinned monsters.
Xianan's pupils shrank. Her entire body trembled.
Was it the food? Was it poisoned?
"Pain… it hurts!"
One of the iron-skinned figures staggered toward Han and suddenly grabbed her throat.
Han struggled—but couldn't budge it at all.
"Girl!" Uncle Wei and Jin rushed forward, prying the creature's hands away and throwing it aside.
Jin stepped forward and knocked it down with a punch.
"Quick—into the pits!"
The four of them scattered in panic.
Xianan, Jin, and Han reached their nearby pit quickly and climbed inside.
But Uncle Wei's pit was farther away. He stumbled, barely able to keep his footing—
Before he could reach it, the iron-skinned creatures swarmed toward him.
"Uncle Wei!"
From inside her pit, Xianan peered through a gap. He stood frozen in terror as the creatures closed in.
No… she couldn't just watch him die.
Without thinking, she climbed halfway out of the pit. Seeing Jin about to follow, she gestured urgently for him to stay back.
Then she ran.
Grabbing several large stones, she threw them into the distance, trying to distract the creatures.
But they didn't react at all.
They continued advancing toward Uncle Wei, gathering like a dark cloud.
Not sensitive to sound…
Xianan frowned, her heart racing.
Then she suddenly remembered something and shouted,
"Uncle Wei—use the wasp stinger!"
As if waking from a dream, he fumbled for the stinger at his waist and stabbed at the approaching creatures.
They recoiled.
But more were coming.
Thinking quickly, Xianan grabbed a lighter corpse and used it as cover, dragging it forward as she approached.
Then she propped it upright and hid behind it, charging toward the creatures.
The moving corpse caught their attention.
Seizing the moment, she lured them away, then threw the body aside and ran.
Her heart pounded wildly—but she made it back.
She rushed to Uncle Wei's side and helped fend off the remaining creatures.
Jin also burst out of his pit to join them.
Together, the three of them forced the creatures back. Eventually, they staggered away, black blood seeping from their eyes, nose, and mouth.
"Back to the pits!" Xianan shouted.
They quickly retreated.
Inside the pit, Xianan's heart still raced.
It's over… it's over…
But outside, she could still hear screams—and heavy footsteps.
What would those creatures do next?
If they couldn't be killed… would they be trapped here forever?
If they fought head-on, they stood no chance.
Her heart sank.