Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Conflict Reignites, The Group Splits
The Blood Mist from the explosion still drifted slowly through the cabin.
Everyone was stunned, their gazes shifting back and forth between the Mutated Crow's obliterated head and Jiang Nan's still-raised finger.
Fear, confusion, and the blank disorientation of a worldview collapsing.
"This... what happened? Why did the crow suddenly die?"
From the corner, a petite girl wearing thick-lensed glasses timidly raised her hand.
Her name was Liu Yuqing—ranked among the top students schoolwide across all subjects, a true academic elite.
"I... I think I saw...Jiang Nan just made a Finger-Gun Shape, and also... he said something...and then the crow exploded!"
The moment those words landed, several girls nearby drew sharp breaths.
However, before that shock could fully take hold—
"Ha? Liu Yuqing, did the scare fry your brain too?"
A snort of contempt rang out.
It came from a girl seated in the front row.
She was dressed head to toe in designer brands, clutching a Hermès bag with its tag still attached, her chin sharp enough to skewer someone.
Her nose bridge practically glowed—a face that had clearly been over-sculpted by surgeons, the textbook influencer aesthetic.
Her name was Bai Lianhua—notorious in class for being a snob.
"What do you think this is, a novel? Making hand gestures, saying things?"
Bai Lianhua rolled her eyes dramatically and jabbed a finger toward the still stone-faced Jiang Nan
"Everyone knows he's a mute! What? is there actually some nutcase out there who'd hold his tongue for 18 years just to show off—saving it all up for this one big moment?"
"That's absolutely insane!"
Bai Lianhua's words were harsh, but it had to be said—they were perfectly logical.
Who in their right mind would play mute for 18 years just for the sake of it?
Yet Liu Yuqing bit her lip and mustered the courage to push back.
"But... but I really did see it."
The next second, the girl sitting beside her spoke up.
That was Liu Yuqing's best friend—and the class beauty—Yu Shishi.
Delicate and pure-looking, the two were inseparable in everyday life.
"Yuqing, Jiang Nan has a hospital-issued certificate. You must have seen it wrong."
"Think about it carefully—if you were a fake mute, someone who could actually speak but couldn't for some reason..."
"You couldn't share the juiciest gossip when you heard it, couldn't defend yourself when people misunderstood you—how unbearable would that be!"
"Never mind 18 years—I couldn't even last 1."
At those words, the otherwise expressionless Jiang Nan felt the corner of his eye twitch ever so slightly.
He was nodding furiously on the inside.
‘You've spoken my heart.’
‘18 years. A full 18 years.’
‘Do you have any idea what those 18 years were like for me?!’
‘All of it—saving up every single word, building toward that 1 explosive moment.’
‘How many times did I want to vent? How many times did I want to curse someone out, only to dig my nails into my own thigh and force every word back down?!’
This was also why his face had become almost incapable of expression.
Aside from the occasional cold smirk, he was essentially paralyzed—a living blank mask.
"But..."
Liu Yuqing opened her mouth to say more—only to be violently cut off by a roar.
"Enough! Who cares whether he's a real mute or a fake one!"
Yang Wei shot up from his seat, finger trembling as he pointed at the corpse on the floor.
His eyes held none of Li Xin's hunger—only raw terror.
"Forget how the crow died..."
"Did none of you see what he just did?!"
Yang Wei's face twisted with a mix of fury and horror as he bellowed:
"He grabbed Li Xin and used him as a human shield!!"
"He shoved a living person into that thing's mouth!!"
His words detonated like a grenade.
Those who'd been fixated on the crow's cause of death snapped back to that bone-chilling moment.
That mute—the one they'd always dismissed as part of the weak, the invisible—
Had yanked Li Xin, all 154 lbs of him, one-handed, and hurled him at the monster like throwing out trash.
"I saw it too... it was brutal..."
"Sure, Li Xin went too far just now, but Jiang Nan can't just kill someone for it!"
"Exactly—murderer... what's the difference between him and that monster?"
In an instant, the mood inside the cabin shifted.
Fear, more often than not, turns outward—into attacks on others.
Jiang Nan watched these classmates who had been cowering just moments ago, now positioning themselves on the moral high ground, pointing fingers.
There was nothing in his eyes but amusement.
This big guy in particular—leveraging herd mentality to rally the others.
It reminded him of something he'd once read online.
When a stray dog on the roadside barks at you, do you bark back?
Of course not.
Because Jiang Nan would just put it down instead.
He slowly raised his right hand, index finger extended, and pointed it directly between Yang Wei's brows.
In that instant, every hair on Yang Wei's body stood on end.
"You... what are you trying to do...?"
Seeing the trembling voice and the terror flooding the other boy's eyes—
‘Hm? Wait. That's not right.’
‘I see it now... interesting.’
Jiang Nan's brow furrowed, then the corner of his mouth curved upward.
‘So...’
This isn't as simple as he'd assumed.
He'd underestimated this big guy. He'd been too quick to stereotype.
Then Jiang Nan lowered his hand, shook his head, and spread his palms open.
The message was clear: do whatever you want.
But in the very next moment—
Whoosh!
A wave of fragrant air swept over him.
Then, suddenly, everything went dark as 2 mounds enveloped his entire face.
It was Chen Tong!
The full-figured and beautiful counselor, overcome by panic, had lunged forward and given Jiang Nan a face-first burial—forcibly pressing his head deep into the turbulent swell of her chest!
"Mmph..."
Jiang Nan felt warmth flood through him—and nearly blacked out.
‘Oh, this damned suffocating sensation...’
‘And this damned softness...’
Chen Tong clung to Jiang Nan and whipped around to berate Yang Wei and the others.
"Of all times—you're fighting amongst yourselves now?!"
"Can't even one of you stop and calmly think about what we're supposed to do next?!"
It had to be said—Chen Tong, as a student counselor, carried a certain authority.
On top of that, she'd always treated her students well; last winter break, she'd personally intervened to save quite a few from failing.
And being a striking beauty on top of it all—when she got angry, more than a few heads bowed.
"Heh..."
Yang Wei had just let out a breath of relief when he heard Chen Tong speak. He stiffened his neck and shouted back.
"Ms. Chen, you're playing favorites! Jiang Nan clearly—"
"Stop arguing! Everyone, stop!"
At that moment, another voice cut in.
It was the chubby bespectacled boy, Wang Meng.
Drenched in sweat, he came rushing over from the direction of the driver's seat, cutting off both sides.
"Our goal isn't to fight each other—it's to survive until sunrise!"
Wang Meng panted as he spoke:
"By the way—my family runs an auto repair shop. After Master Wang died, I went up to check the vehicle's condition."
"Bad news: the electrical system is completely down, the engine is totaled. This bus is nothing but an iron coffin right now—it can't be driven at all!"
At those words, faces across the cabin turned instantly pale.
The bus was broken?
Did that mean they were trapped here to die?
"Everyone should think about what to do next. I strongly advise against staying in the vehicle."
Wang Meng pushed up his glasses and pointed at the shattered window.
"You all saw it—that crow smashed through the glass without even trying. Against those monsters, this bus's defenses might as well be paper!"
Wang Meng's words immediately drew attention away from Jiang Nan.
After all—survival was the only thing that mattered now.
"Damn it!"
Yang Wei slammed his fist against a seat and snarled: "That Wang guy was a real bastard! He must've known all along!"
"Now I get why the bus doors wouldn't open—and why he was such a wreck back then!"
Yang Wei paced back and forth in the aisle, his expression shifting unpredictably.
He snuck several glances at Jiang Nan, still wriggling free, and shuddered each time.
Finally, he stopped dead in his tracks, eyes sharpening with resolve.
"No! We can't keep waiting!"
"The bus is too big of a target. And..."
He shot a disgusted look at the bodies of Master Wang and Li Xin on the floor, and the blood pooling all around them.
"The smell of blood in here is too strong! It'll attract more monsters!"
"We have to leave!"
As he said this, Yang Wei's eyes swept around and landed on the large wrench in Chen Tong's hand—he looked like he might try to snatch it.
But the next second, he locked eyes with Jiang Nan, who had just broken free from Chen Tong's embrace.
Yang Wei's whole body jolted. He immediately dropped the idea.
"Hmph!"
He snorted and turned away, sweeping up several scattered bags of chips and dried beef jerky from the floor and stuffing them into his bag.
Then, quick as lightning, he grabbed the emergency glass-breaking hammer hanging by the window, along with a high-powered flashlight from beside Master Wang's body.
These were the most valuable supplies left on the bus.
He walked to an unbroken window, smashed the glass with 1 blow, and looked back at everyone.
"This bus is a death trap! Who's coming with me?"
"Sure, it's dark out there—but if we find open ground with no trees, there are no crows! Clear sightlines mean safety!"
Everyone exchanged glances.
Looking at the blood-soaked cabin, the shattered windows, the corpses—fear overrode everything.
"Me! Yang Wei, I'm with you!"
"Same here! This place reeks!"
"Let's go, let's go—I think outside is safer!"
Driven by the will to survive, most of the students grabbed their belongings and scrambled over each other to follow Yang Wei out through the window.
Within 2 minutes—
The once-packed cabin was suddenly hollow.
Only 4 people remained.
Chen Tong, Jiang Nan, Wang Meng, and that petite girl from earlier—Liu Yuqing.
Outside the window, Yang Wei swept his flashlight back and called out
"Ms. Chen! You're not coming down?"
Chen Tong looked at Yang Wei, then glanced at Jiang Nan beside her, visibly torn.
"Jiang Nan... should we go too?"
"The blood smell in here really is too heavy..."
Jiang Nan shook his head.
He found a clean spot and sat down, his expression calm and unbothered.
‘You're joking.’
Right now he was a glass-cannon mage—high offense, zero defense. His Word Spirit was formidable, but his body was still mortal flesh.
‘This bus might be battered, but at least it was a layer of metal.’
‘Voluntarily leaving cover to venture into an unknown dark jungle?’
‘And heading for open ground on top of that?’
‘isn't that just walking into a buffet and announcing yourself as the main course?’
Seeing Jiang Nan refuse to move, Chen Tong grew even more conflicted.
She didn't know what to choose—her rational mind told her Yang Wei had a point, but instinct told her she didn't want to leave this student.
In the end, she looked into Jiang Nan's eyes and asked:
"Why? Give your teacher one reason."
Jiang Nan pulled out his notepad. The tip of his pen swept across the paper, writing 2 words in strokes heavy enough to pierce through:
【Trust me.】
Looking at those 2 words, Chen Tong drew a slow, deep breath.
That inexplicable sense of security washed over her again.
"Alright."
Chen Tong's eyes steadied with resolve. She called out toward the window: "I'm staying! Stay safe out there!"
At this, the group outside erupted in fury.
"Pfft—looks like Ms. Chen's gone soft for that pretty boy!"
"Exactly—go ahead and wait to die with that mute!"
Voices piled on top of each other.
To Jiang Nan, every word sounded like a joke.
‘Who wastes their breath on the dead?’
His gaze swept over the other 2 who had stayed.
Wang Meng was bent over the driver's console, tinkering around, apparently trying to see if anything could be repaired—completely deaf to the shouting outside.
As for Liu Yuqing—a small dispute had broken out on her end.
She was leaning halfway out the window, desperately pleading with Yu Shishi below.
"Shishi! Come back up! It's way too dangerous out there! I really think the bus is safer!"
Liu Yuqing called out anxiously.
Yu Shishi stood in the cold wind below, wavering as she looked up at the bus.
But before she could speak, Bai Lianhua beside her grabbed her by the arm.
"Shishi, why are you even listening to that bookworm?"
Bai Lianhua shot Liu Yuqing a look of pure disdain.
"Liu Yuqing, if you want to die, don't drag others down with you! Did you not see how that Jiang Nan kills without even blinking?"
"Honestly, I'd rather stick with Yang Wei than deal with some psycho like that."
"He's the center on the school basketball team—he's literally a PE student. Even if we run into monsters, he can carry us to safety!"
Nearby, the 3 boys who had been persistently chasing after Yu Shishi immediately chimed in.
"Exactly! Shishi, don't listen to that four-eyes!"
"We'll protect you! What future is there in following some mute?"
"Shishi, come on—it's freezing out here!"
These boys were practically bowing and scraping—not like lovesick puppies at all, clearly just devoted, warm-hearted gentlemen.
Yu Shishi looked at Liu Yuqing, then at the crowd of boys orbiting around her like satellites. In the end, she bit her lip.
"Yuqing... I'm sorry."
"I think everyone makes a fair point. Maybe... you should come down too?"
At those words, the light in Liu Yuqing's eyes dimmed instantly.
She could see it clearly now—in the face of life and death, even this friendship was worth only so much.
She took a slow, deep breath and shook her head firmly.
"Shishi, just trust me this once, okay?"
Yu Shishi avoided her gaze and made an excuse: "I... I can't stand the sight of blood."
Liu Yuqing said nothing more.
She quietly stepped back from the window—and then, in front of her once-closest friend, firmly closed it.
Even latching the lock.
One motion to close. Two separate worlds.
"Ugh! What kind of person does that?! No good deed goes unpunished!"
Bai Lianhua spat in the direction of the window.
Then she looped her arm cheerfully through Yu Shishi's, while tossing a coy glance back at the 3 boys.
"Let's go! You boys had better play your roles as knights in shining armor~"
"Of course!"
The 3 boys instantly lit up like they'd been injected with adrenaline.
"Alright, stop dawdling!"
Up ahead, Yang Wei waved his flashlight impatiently.
He glanced back at the darkened bus—at Jiang Nan, who had no intention of leaving—and actually felt a wave of relief wash over him.
‘I have no interest in staying next to a monster...’
Yang Wei thought to himself uneasily, then took command.
"Move out! Toward that clearing over there! The more open it is, the fewer trees—and fewer trees means no crows!"
The group set off in full force, heading toward a sparser stretch deeper in the jungle.
The night grew heavier. A blood-red moon crept up over the treetops.
Inside the cabin, Jiang Nan leaned against the window, watching those figures fade one by one into the darkness.
‘Open ground...’
Jiang Nan laughed coldly inside.
In this crisis-ridden Savage Realm, exposing yourself in a wide-open field with no cover...
That wasn't safety.
That was setting out a welcome mat for a buffet.