Chapter 15: Betrayal and Bait, The White Egg

After reviewing the information on the Mist White Moth, Su Bai prepared to flee. She never expected anyone to dare provoke such a powerful creature. Perhaps it was because these people lacked the skill to assess the monster’s strength, so they remained oblivious to its true power and antagonized it without hesitation.

The Mist White Moth was a level 10 entity, with talents and abilities that inspired dread. Ordinary people who encountered it usually only had one option: to run for their lives.

“Luckily, I kept my distance. Otherwise, I might be in danger now,” Su Bai thought with quiet relief, stepping backward. Although she had some confidence in her own strength, she knew that confronting a creature of this level head-on would be foolish.

She cautiously adjusted her position to stay out of the Mist White Moth’s line of sight, all the while observing the movements of the four individuals. This way, she could find an opportunity to escape.

But what happened next shocked Su Bai.

Among the four, the young man who was most severely injured and being supported by his companions was suddenly abandoned without a second thought. His body was corroded and decaying from contact with corrosive phosphorus powder, making his movements sluggish and clearly unable to keep pace.

His companions, without hesitation, pushed him toward the Mist White Moth, attempting to use him as bait to buy themselves more time to escape.

“This... this is so cruel...” Su Bai covered her mouth, disbelief flashing in her eyes. She clearly remembered that just minutes ago, the other three were still supporting him, showing some semblance of loyalty. Yet in the blink of an eye, they abandoned him without hesitation for their own sake.

This scene stirred complex emotions within Su Bai. She had briefly entertained the idea of having Pearl use her singing skill to try and hypnotize the Mist White Moth. Though she knew Pearl’s current power might not be enough to kill the creature outright, at least it could buy a few minutes for these people to escape.

But seeing how they discarded their comrade so callously, Su Bai completely abandoned that thought. These people had taught her a harsh lesson.

She watched coldly as the three figures disappeared into the distance, quietly thankful she had not acted rashly.

“It’s definitely wise not to approach them lightly,” Su Bai murmured, her voice tinged with coldness. She knew that in this world, soon to be fully digitized by the Calamity System, the darker sides of human nature would always reveal themselves in moments of life and death.

She did not want her momentary kindness to put herself in danger.

“Kindness is a principle, but I mustn’t push myself to the brink,” she silently reminded herself.

She understood well that kindness was a virtue, but in a world fraught with peril, excessive kindness could cost her life.

Drawing her gaze away from the three, she refocused on the Mist White Moth.

The creature seemed uninterested in the abandoned young man and fluttered its wings as it pursued the other three.

The young woman among them was visibly breaking down, her face pale and eyes filled with terror and despair as tears streamed uncontrollably.

Her voice trembling and nearly hysterical, she shouted, “Why is this monster still chasing us? We already used Shen Huaichuan as bait! Why won’t it let us go?”

Her cries echoed through the thick mist, filled with heart-wrenching despair.

She turned to her two companions, eyes pleading, “You... you have to get rid of that thing! Otherwise, it will keep chasing us! There’s no way we can escape!”

The two young men exchanged glances, hesitation and inner struggle flickering in their eyes. Their faces showed conflict—torn between attachment to the item and their desire to survive.

Eventually, their survival instinct triumphed.

One of them gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, “Forget it. Life is more important! No matter how precious that thing is, it’s not worth more than our lives!”

He then pulled several white spheres from his pocket, each about the size of a fist, smooth on the surface and faintly glowing.

These were what they had brought out from the depths of the Mist Forest.

The Mist White Moth’s eggs.

They had initially thought them to be precious treasures, but little did they know these very eggs were what attracted the creature’s relentless pursuit.

The man still held several eggs, but at this moment, he no longer cared. He quickly tossed the eggs in different directions.

The eggs arced through the air and scattered across various corners of the Mist Forest.

Seeing this, the Mist White Moth immediately ceased its chase. A trace of urgency flashed in its crimson compound eyes as it beat its wings fiercely, flying toward the scattered eggs.

It seemed to value these eggs immensely, ignoring the humans it had been hunting.

Su Bai, hiding nearby, observed everything clearly. Her gaze landed on one of the eggs that rolled to her feet, causing her heart to skip a beat.

Without hesitation, she bent down to pick it up, gripping it tightly.

“This... must be more than just an egg if it makes the Mist White Moth so anxious,” she thought.

She knew she had stumbled upon something extraordinary, but also realized she might become the creature’s next target because of it.

There was no time to ponder further; she immediately turned and sprinted toward the edge of the forest.

Thanks to her professional-grade physical conditioning, her speed far exceeded that of ordinary people. Her steps were light and swift, quickly widening the gap between herself and the Mist White Moth.

Meanwhile, the three survivors took advantage of the creature’s distraction with the eggs to flee the forest with all their might.

None of them noticed the man used as bait suddenly snap open his eyes from unconsciousness, a fierce gleam flashing within.

Su Bai ran at full speed, the only sounds in her ears the rushing wind and her pounding heartbeat.

Images of the recent events replayed in her mind, filling her with a mix of relief and lingering fear.

Relief that she had secured the egg, which might hold valuable information.

Fear that if the Mist White Moth realized what had happened, she might become its next target.

“I must leave here as quickly as possible!” she silently urged herself.

She never faltered in her pace, only allowing herself a breath of relief once she was entirely beyond the Mist Forest’s boundary.

Stopping, she glanced back at the forest shrouded in dense fog, her heart heavy with emotion.

“Next, I need to study this egg carefully...” she murmured, looking down at the white sphere in her hand, a hint of anticipation shining in her eyes.

But Su Bai knew it was too dangerous to investigate it here and now.