Nan Muran casually picked up a ham sandwich. “Let’s focus on eating first. Afterward, we’ll find Han Yingtian and the other three. Together, we’ll discuss the current situation and come up with a reasonable strategy.”

After realizing that their goals aligned, Xingchen and Yin Yue had specially summoned the helpers who had been hiding in the dark at the Lan City base. This indicated that the two of them were determined to get their hands on the mutated fruit tree deep in the forest.

Moreover, the news of this tree had originally been released by the underground laboratory as bait to lure Nan Muran and her group, deliberately given to them.

Thus, Xingchen and his group must know more about this tree than Nan Muran’s group, and their information was likely more detailed and accurate.

However, it was strange that the first ones to act were them.

“It was right to call them over. Since we’re all after the mutated fruit in the forest, it makes sense to strategize together,” Eagle nodded in agreement.

Han Yingtian and his team, the military’s special ability squad, stood to gain from this matter. They would inevitably need to face the problem together.

“Muran, given the situation, the fact that the other side dares to show themselves openly means they must be strong,” Jia Wu’s tone grew serious.

After their contact with Xingchen and his team, the fact that they dared to appear openly showed their confidence in their own abilities.

Nan Muran nodded. “But I’m curious. Why didn’t these three appear at the Lan City base?”

Si Ye lowered his head, thinking for a while. “Maybe it was simply a matter of timing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Judging from their clothing style, those three likely came from the west. So it wasn’t that Xingchen didn’t want them to appear at the time—it’s that they weren’t even near the Lan City base.”

Jia Wu, recalling the encounter with the three earlier in the hallway, nodded in agreement, increasingly sure of Si Ye’s guess.

Nan Muran looked down. “So, are they the helpers Xingchen found after meeting us?”

“Probably prearranged.”

Xingchen’s group likely belonged to an organization, and if they were after a large quantity of mutated fruits, it would be illogical to send only two people.

Eagle couldn’t help but ask, “So you mean, they didn’t come specifically to help, but just happened to show up as part of a prior plan?”

“Let’s wait and see, then we’ll know.” Si Ye handed Nan Muran her favorite soy milk.

As they conversed, Xiao Qi Jin, who had been engrossed in eating a green onion pancake, suddenly stopped. “Sister, I saw that the hotel owner’s wife has a tree person in her room who can get fruits from the mutated fruit tree in the forest. They’re the same green fruits shown in the pictures. There were a lot of them.”

Nan Muran turned to Xiao Qi Jin. “Can you see what kind of mutation ability that tree person has?”

“I can’t see that, but I saw him bringing back a lot of the mutated fruits and giving them to Boss Liu. But I didn’t see you all return.” Xiao Qi Jin spoke hesitantly. Every time he couldn’t see Nan Muran and the others in his predictions, a deep sense of panic rose in him.

Though they hadn’t known each other for long, they had already become like family to him.

Nan Muran and the others weren’t too concerned. What mattered was that they didn’t feel anyone could wipe out all four of them in the current situation.

Moreover, they had a secret weapon—Si Ye’s time-based ability, which could freeze time for up to thirty seconds.

At that moment, Xiao Qi Jin suddenly stood up, staring out at the hallway in disbelief. It was those people. They were on the move.

Seeing that Xiao Qi Jin’s prediction ability was functioning well, Nan Muran began to mobilize her own mental abilities and soon realized that her spiritual powers were now uncontrollably active inside the hotel.

The others also tried using their abilities, finding they were no longer being suppressed by some mysterious force. They felt no more of the previous sense of restraint.

Using their mental abilities, they could sense the presence of others.

Nan Muran was able to accurately discern that three of the five people from Xingchen’s group had entered the dark and eerie room where Liu Mei was staying.

Meanwhile, at the sixth-floor staircase, there were two others—a man and a woman—hiding in the corner, observing the rooms where they were staying, not moving at all.

Clearly, the three in front had a specific goal, while the man and woman were guarding against them.

“Based on the behavior of these five from Xingchen’s group, Liu Mei and the tree person in that dark room are directly connected to the mutated fruit in the forest,” Si Ye spoke with certainty.

Back when they were at the Lan City base, Xingchen’s group had encountered Nan Muran’s strength and knew how difficult she could be to deal with. Despite this, they still chose to take the risk and confront Liu Mei and the tree person, leaving themselves exposed. This indicated just how important the tree person’s existence was to obtaining the fruits.

“Eagle, go out and bring Han Yingtian and the others here,” Nan Muran already had a plan in mind. She was content to watch the drama unfold for now.

“Just right, I also want to see if they really intend to make a move,” Eagle said with curiosity, eager to see how the man and woman in the corner would react once he stepped out.

Si Ye gave a slight smile. “If they approach you now to fight, it can only mean one thing: they’re not thinking straight.”

After Eagle went out to call for reinforcements, Nan Muran leaned back on the sofa, watching as they cleared the table. “Logically, they should know more than us. All they need to do is wait and observe, then act when the time is right to take the fruit. Why are they suddenly so eager to act? It almost seems reckless.”

“Taking the initiative is not a good idea, yet they still chose to act. There can only be one reason.”

“They were forced to act.” Jia Wu and Si Ye said in unison.

It seemed the problem wasn’t just with Liu Mei and the tree person. The organization behind the underground laboratory was also involved.

Meanwhile, in another room, Han Yingtian and his group had already gathered for breakfast. As they realized their abilities were now working freely, they also noticed the two pairs of eyes watching them from the corridor, silently observing how they would handle the situation. Just then, a knock at the door broke the silence.

Seeing Eagle at the door, the four of them instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

After a brief exchange of information, they all made a tacit decision to stay where they were and watch the situation unfold before deciding on their next move.

After all, among the three who had come to assist Xingchen and Yin Yue, there was a level-5 early-stage ability user and two level-4 peak-level experts. They had no choice but to proceed cautiously.

Nan Muran thought for a moment and directly activated the little Liu and Xiao Bai on her left wrist, signaling them to investigate the situation.