Ruan Mobei’s mind went completely blank for a full minute. The size of the footprint before him was beyond his comprehension. What’s the largest land animal? The African elephant. An adult male African elephant can reach up to eight meters in length, with footprints roughly half a meter in diameter.

But compared to the footprint in front of him, the African elephant was insignificant.

Several towering fir trees, each over ten meters tall, had been violently snapped, their remains scattered around the footprint.

Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, Ruan Mobei quickly came up with a possible explanation. During the great disaster, floods and earthquakes destroyed numerous nuclear power plants, causing widespread radiation leaks that quickly spread across the globe. It was highly possible that some creatures had mutated under these conditions, growing to an unprecedented size.

Whatever kind of creature left this footprint, it was undoubtedly a signal of extreme danger.

“Xiao Ming!” he called loudly. “Come here and take a look at this.”

“Huh?” He Songming, who had been crouched under a cedar tree searching for herbs, looked up. Glancing at the nearby doctor, he followed Ruan Mobei’s voice and climbed up the small snowy slope with his hands and feet.

“What is it?” he asked as he approached.

“This.” Ruan Mobei pointed at the massive footprint. 

“…What is that?” He Songming stared at it, wide-eyed.

“A footprint. Something’s footprint,” Ruan Mobei replied, his voice tight. His instincts told him that something bad might happen. “Are there many animals in this forest?”

“Plenty. People from the East Zone often come here to hunt. There are snow hares, roe deer, sables, and plenty of bears,” He Songming said, crouching beside the footprint. He reached out to touch the edge of the impression. Whatever it was, it must have been incredibly heavy to press a footprint half a meter deep into the snow.

“Any other beasts?” He Songming frowned. “But I’ve never heard anyone mention monsters in the forest. If there were, Uncle Zhang wouldn’t have brought us here to collect herbs.”

Ruan Mobei murmured, “Maybe it only arrived recently, drawn by something.”

“What would attract it?” 

“I don’t know.”

Inside the footprint lay a squashed plant—aconite. He Songming counted five toes. The footprint was long, vaguely resembling a human foot in shape.

Ruan Mobei suggested, “Call the doctor over to take a look.”

He Songming nodded, and the two began heading back. However, when they reached the spot where the doctor had been, they found he was no longer there.

Fortunately, his footprints hadn’t been covered by the snow yet. Following the trail, they circled around a rock coated in frozen ice. As He Songming stepped onto the snow again, the ground beneath his feet gave way. He would have fallen into the pit below if Ruan Mobei hadn’t reacted swiftly, grabbing his arm just in time.

Heart pounding, He Songming scrambled back a few steps. The snow he had stepped on tumbled into the pit, causing a chain reaction. The previously concealed pit was now fully revealed.

At the bottom of the three-meter-deep pit lay a familiar figure.

“Uncle Zhang!” He Songming shouted in alarm.

The doctor was gripping his lower leg with both hands, sweat streaming down his face. His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably with pain. Hearing He Songming’s shout, he forced himself to smile. “Go call for help.”

“Right away!” He Songming dropped his herb basket and ran to alert the other students.

Before long, everyone was gathered at the edge of the pit. The doctor had fallen in unexpectedly and, unable to adjust his posture in time, had landed on his left leg, breaking his shinbone.

The students retrieved climbing ropes and secured them to a nearby tree. Two male students descended into the pit, carefully avoiding the doctor’s injured leg as they worked with those above to haul their teacher out.

Ruan Mobei discreetly lent a hand as well, though nobody noticed, as everyone was focused on getting the doctor out of the pit. Even the doctor himself didn’t realize there was an extra force aiding him.

Sitting on the snowy ground, the doctor was pale and drenched in cold sweat. His gaze swept over the concerned faces of his students before settling on He Songming, who was standing quietly in the corner. 

“Xiao Ming,” the doctor said. “Go find two branches, about the thickness of your fingers. The straighter, the better.”

Startled by being singled out, He Songming jolted upright. Glancing at the senior students beside him, he immediately turned to search for branches.

The forest had no shortage of suitable branches. Before long, He Songming returned. The doctor used a knife to cut open his outer pants, then secured the branches to his injured leg with bandages to make a temporary splint. As he worked, he explained, “When setting a splint, you need to immobilize the joints above and below the injury to effectively limit movement. Make sure the splint has soft padding to avoid secondary injuries.”

The students’ anxiety eased as the doctor gave instructions. With the help of his students, he slowly stood up. He Songming glanced back at the area with the mysterious footprint, now obscured by the snow slope.

The doctor could no longer go back to examine it, and He Songming didn’t feel like calling anyone else over.

But what if there was real danger?

While he hesitated, the group began moving, supporting the doctor as they walked. One of the senior girls noticed He Songming lagging behind and called out, “Hurry up, Xiao Ming!”

“Are you going to show her the footprint?” Ruan Mobei asked.

“No,” He Songming replied, catching up with the others. “I’ll wait until we get back to tell Uncle Zhang.”

Even with the students helping him, each step the doctor took was excruciatingly painful. The group walked in silence, the only sounds being the crunch of boots on snow and the doctor’s occasional sharp intake of breath.

Everyone knew that there was a true “doctor” among them, but no one dared to bring up what would be the most practical suggestion in this moment. Only a young girl occasionally reminded the absent-minded He Songming to watch his step.

He Songming noticed everything. His hand brushed the small knife tucked into his belt. 

Lowering his gaze to his hands, he clenched them into fists and pressed his lips tightly together, forcing himself to push aside his thoughts.

Since the doctor hadn’t dared to lead the students deep into the forest, their journey back was relatively smooth. After about an hour, the outline of the settlement appeared in the distance.

They had already radioed the settlement, so a vehicle was waiting at the forest entrance. The group boarded and returned. The oldest student quickly reported the situation.

A senior girl approached He Songming and handed him a cup of hot water. 

“Don’t stress yourself out,” she said. “If it weren’t for you, we might not have found the teacher in time.”

“Mm,” He Songming muttered, nodding as he clutched the cup. He lingered outside the group for a while before quietly leaving.

The boy exited the settlement and sat in a corner near the wall. In the freezing temperatures, the water in his cup quickly cooled. He finished it as fast as he could and set the cup aside.

“Should I help him?” He Songming asked softly.

“That depends on what you truly want,” Ruan Mobei replied. “This is something only you can decide.”

He Songming fell silent, curling up in the corner. His eyes fixed on the vast white snow and empty sky, his hand brushing against the knife at his waist.

Suddenly, he stood up with resolve and strode away. Ruan Mobei could only follow, uncertain of what decision He Songming had made.

—Would he help the doctor ease his pain, or would he insist on not using his ability?

Whatever He Songming chose, Ruan Mobei would support him.

Ruan Mobei kept pace with the boy, glancing at him as he walked with determined steps. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a shadow flash behind them.

“Watch out—!”

Before he could finish speaking, a stick came whistling through the air.

The blow landed on the back of He Songming’s head with a sickening thud. Without even a groan, the boy crumpled forward into the snow.

“Xiao Ming!” Ruan Mobei barely managed to grab his collar to slow his fall, but the unconscious boy still lay motionless in the snow.

Blood seeped from the back of He Songming’s head, staining the pristine snow crimson.

A tall, thin man threw the club aside and squatted next to He Songming. Pulling a small knife from his belt, he crudely lifted the boy’s jacket and pressed the blade to his side, cutting out a small piece of flesh.

The man stuffed the flesh into a glass jar, sealed it, and adjusted He Songming’s clothing. As the bleeding from the boy’s head began to slow, the man sighed in relief, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction beneath his black mask.

Until a fist smashed into his face.

The punch landed with such force that the man’s nasal bone cracked audibly, leaving his nose crooked. He screamed, blood gushing from his nose and mouth.

Before he could figure out who had hit him, a knee slammed into his stomach, making him retch bile.

Flailing wildly, the man tried to grab at his attacker but found only empty air.

Then, a heavy elbow strike to his waist sent him tumbling to the ground.

Who?! Who was it

?!

Terrified, the man clutched the jar containing He Songming’s flesh and scrambled to his feet, fleeing without looking back.

Ruan Mobei gave chase, only to slam into an invisible barrier twenty meters away. The impact sent him stumbling back.

The man had already disappeared, slipping away like a frightened rabbit.

Damn it.

Damn it, damn it, damn it!

Ruan Mobei punched the invisible wall with all his strength, uttering a curse harsher than anything he’d ever said before. Rage burned away the last of his restraint. How could someone stoop to such despicable levels?!

The trail of blood left by the man would soon be buried under the falling snow.

“Don’t let me find out who you are,” Ruan Mobei hissed, his voice trembling with fury. He stared in the direction the man had fled, teeth clenched so tightly his jaw ached. The lines of his face hardened like carved stone.

“I’ll tear you to pieces.”

It was a night patrol that found He Songming.

The patrolman had been drawn to the sound of furious banging. The sight of blood-streaked snow nearly made him collapse. Forgetting the strange noise, he ran to the boy and shakily checked for a pulse.

—Faint, but there.

Relieved, the patrolman struggled to lift the unconscious boy. He Songming’s body was ice-cold, nearly frozen solid.

Ruan Mobei dropped the rock he had used to bang against the barrier and followed the patrolman as he carried He Songming into the East Zone, shouting for help.

The boy was rushed into the emergency room. The doctor, having just had his leg wound treated, was wheeled in to guide the nurses in saving him.

Though He Songming had near-miraculous healing abilities, that didn’t mean he was invincible.

Thankfully, Ruan Mobei’s desperate attempts to make noise had led the patrolman to discover He Songming in time. Otherwise, with so much blood lost and hours spent in the freezing snow, not even a deity could have saved him.

The boy’s vitals eventually stabilized. The nurses moved him to a ward, while the doctor was once again surrounded by students, treating his own injuries.

Sitting by the bedside, Ruan Mobei watched as He Songming, seemingly trapped in a nightmare, furrowed his brows. Gently, he reached out to smooth the boy’s forehead.

He Songming woke six hours later.

The boy slowly opened his eyes, momentarily disoriented. His head and side ached, but the pain was manageable.

Turning his head slightly, he saw Ruan Mobei sleeping at his bedside, holding his hand.

Did someone attack me from behind? 

Who would do that?

Struggling to sit up, He Songming gingerly touched his injured side and found a wound.

His body went rigid.

—

Author’s Note:  

Little Ruan: I’ll tear apart anyone who hurts you! (clenches fist)  

Xiao Ming: Let me tear apart the author first—she’s the one mercilessly stabbing me!  

Confused Narrator: ??? Why do I feel a chill down my spine?