One-Eyed Monster

Kadi, unable to sleep, inwardly berated himself again. The reason was that, at this very moment, he had thought of old Kevin. That old man Kevin was an abominable fellow. It wasn't just that he spoke inexplicably; he was also always punishing people. Kadi couldn't remember how many times he had been punished by that old man. It really made no sense to think of that old fellow at a time like this.

The night wind whooshed past his ears. He didn't feel cold at all. Thinking of the two fellows huddled beside him, and then of the two who slept sitting upright, Kadi suddenly found these people truly strange. They were obviously the same species, yet their habits differed so greatly. Some were fearless of the cold, while others were terrified of it...

They truly are a strange species, Kadi thought to himself. Strangely, at this moment, he again recalled old Kevin's baffling words. Kevin had once said that humans are the strangest beings, yet it was these strange beings that occupied countless resources. Lions and tigers weren't much weaker physically—some were even stronger—yet they were still driven into the deep mountains by humans.

Kadi hadn't understood much back then. However, after spending some time wandering around Dawn Peak, he gradually began to grasp it. He discovered that some of the people who came to climb the mountain were incredibly weak, so weak it seemed a gust of wind could blow them over. Some looked quite capable, yet they would be exhausted as soon as they began to climb. They'd be gasping for breath and drinking water after just a few steps, finishing all their water before even reaching halfway up the mountain. That level of incompetence was worse than the monkeys in the depths of Guru Mountain. At that time, Kadi had an actual urge to go into the deep mountains, catch a monkey, and release it on Dawn Peak. He wanted to show this group, who constantly boasted about going to the mountain to gather White Cloud Fruit and defeat monsters, what real climbing entailed...

However, this idea of Kadi's was stopped by old Kevin, and that fellow, true to form, added a pile of his usual baffling remarks. He said, "When you truly disrupt these people's interests, what you'll face is a formidable force. These people may not seem important individually, but collectively they are difficult to deal with."

It was strange. Kadi always found Kevin's words baffling, yet, as fate would have it, he often recalled them. Those words seemed to have taken root and sprouted in his mind; he couldn't forget them even if he wanted to. From time to time, a new branch would grow and figuratively tap his head, as if telling him, "See? Kevin was right, wasn't he?"

Why do I always think of that fellow Kevin at times like these...

Kadi racked his brains but could never figure out the reason. And this wasn't the first time it had happened.

Once, when he was very young, he was playing in the mountains and lost his way; the first person he thought of then was Kevin. Later, when he grew a bit older and became more mischievous, he emulated the monkeys, swinging through the trees in the mountains. He accidentally injured his leg, and the pain immediately made him think of Kevin. Later still, when he was exploring the mountains and discovered some novelties, the first person he thought of, surprisingly, was Kevin again...

Now that he sensed something amiss on Guru Mountain, his natural first reaction was, of course, to tell Kevin...

It could only be said that Kevin was deeply ingrained in Kadi's life; it was difficult for him not to think of Kevin.

It was a difficult feeling to articulate. Kevin and the others were the companions Kadi had lived with all his life. Over so many years, a tacit understanding had long since formed between them. It was as if the entirety of Guru Mountain was one large home, and Kevin and Kadi were both members of this home.

Therefore, when peculiar things began to happen in their home, that deep-seated understanding, common to those of the same kind, unconsciously solidified within them.

Although Kadi found it odd to be thinking of Kevin, deep down, he still wished to see him as soon as possible. He wanted to tell him everything that had recently occurred on Dawn Peak, because he had a faint feeling that things were not right. It seemed as if something major was about to happen on Guru Mountain.

That was why he had constantly wanted to escape. From the very moment he was captured, the thought had been in his mind. Initially, he was bound by Stan Sol with the Binding Beast Rope, making it impossible for him to use his escape skills. Now that the Binding Beast Rope had been replaced with an ordinary rope—though the knot was tied in a frustratingly complex way—he had studied it for a long time and discovered some of its secrets. Once the opportunity was ripe, he could escape directly...

However, he felt a slight reluctance, and this reluctance was entirely due to Igor.

He hadn't known Igor for long, but Igor gave him an inexplicable feeling. In that short time, he and Igor had talked about everything under the sun and had a wonderful time. He even had the illusion that Igor was the same kind of being as him...

But an illusion is ultimately just an illusion. Igor had no tail, nor did he have blue skin; he couldn't possibly be Kadi's kind. Despite this, Kadi still hoped he could take Igor with him when he escaped, as long as Igor was willing...

He also wanted to bring Igor before Kevin and ask Kevin about this strange feeling—why he felt that Igor was the same kind as him...

Kadi had been wanting to talk to Igor about escaping, but a good opportunity had never arisen. Initially, Igor was relentlessly pestering Stan Sol for things like Zhì Rou Grass, while Kadi himself was caught up in Stan Sol's story, leaving no opening to mention his plan.

Later, after that talkative big fellow joined them, he could hardly get a word in edgewise.

Never mind, I'll talk to that fellow when there's a chance, Kadi decided. For now, I'd better think about the escape plan.

Kadi's initial plan was to try and lead Stan Sol to an area he was familiar with. Then, using his skills in games like hide-and-seek, he would lure Stan Sol into a trap. Afterward, he could swagger off and vanish right before Stan Sol's eyes...

Yes, this was the most ideal escape plan, and it perfectly suited my way of doing things.

However, he hadn't expected Stan Sol's Binding Beast Rope to be so formidable...

But then again, even without that detestable Binding Beast Rope, it seemed Stan Sol wouldn't be so easy to lure into a trap. Because he seemed to hardly listen to what they said along the way. If a person doesn't even listen to you, do you think you can deceive them?

This ideal escape plan was thus abandoned; hide-and-seek traps and the like were completely useless. Moreover, after witnessing the battle between Stan Sol and the talkative big fellow, Kadi felt that a direct confrontation with Stan Sol was simply not feasible. Who knew what other "pets," more formidable than flames, that guy might have hidden in his pockets? If things went wrong, he might be the one turned around and beaten so badly he wouldn't know north from south...

Therefore, this escape plan could only be achieved through wits.

Kadi's mind was quite sharp. After decisively abandoning that ideal escape plan, he quickly analyzed his current environment and soon came up with another escape strategy.

This new plan came about by chance, but upon careful consideration, it also seemed inevitable. The chance element was that Stan Sol's chosen path downhill was, coincidentally, Kadi's favorite path. The inevitable part was that Kadi, being a native of Guru Mountain, knew every corner of this mountain like the back of his hand.

The reason Kadi liked the downhill path Stan Sol had chosen was because it was a shortcut, shorter than other routes leading down the mountain. Although Kadi himself had never walked this mountain path all the way to the bottom, he had secretly observed people descending along it. Some parts of this mountain path were quite steep; if one wasn't careful, it was easy to fall off the mountain.

Many unscrupulous individuals often chose this path to commit their evil deeds. In certain narrow sections, these scoundrels only needed to stand behind someone and give a light push, and the victim would basically bid farewell to this world.

As a "native resident" of Guru Mountain, Kadi knew which sections of this path were narrow and which were steep. He knew which sections, if one fell, would lead to being smashed to pieces, which sections, if fallen from, wouldn't necessarily be fatal, and which sections one could fall from and remain unharmed...

Fall and remain unharmed!

This was Kadi's new escape plan!

The specific plan was as follows. When Stan Sol reached that particular section of the path, Kadi would stop, using the excuse that he needed to relieve himself. Stan Sol wasn't a bad person; Kadi was fairly certain he wouldn't make him go on the spot—this was the only thing Kadi had confirmed from observing Stan Sol over the past two days. Once Stan Sol agreed, Kadi would walk to a rock beside that narrow stretch of path. If Igor was willing to follow then, he would take Igor along. If Igor didn't want to come, Kadi wouldn't force him. Upon reaching the rock, Kadi just needed to pretend to "relieve himself" and then accidentally slip and fall. That way, he could escape...

Overall, the plan looked quite good, but Kadi didn't know if any unexpected problems would arise when it was time to implement it. He was starting to feel uneasy now; after all, the things he had encountered these past few days had all been a bit off!