Chapter 81

Titus was in a very odd state. Despite the harsh environment making it difficult for Cloudy to thoroughly check on Titus, she could only continue to guide him, urging him to take her to a "safe place."

Even in his dazed state, Titus's hunting instincts showed no signs of fading. He carried Cloudy through the rainforest, murmuring incomprehensible words along the way. Cloudy was worried, but seeing Titus lively and able to carry her on his shoulders, she assumed everything was fine.

"Cloudy, I can see many people." After walking for about ten minutes, Titus suddenly said, making Cloudy sweat nervously, "Really? How many people?"

"Five, walking beside me. Annoying. I want to put you down, kill them, and then continue walking."

Cloudy wiped her forehead, puzzled. Why was he acting this way? Was it related to that flower? She had smelled it too, but the hallucinogenic effects weren't supposed to be that strong or lasting. Before she could intervene, Titus had already put her down and she heard his footsteps moving towards the non-existent five people for a battle.

Confused, should she stop him? But Titus wouldn't understand anything she said now, and speaking out loud might attract animals. Lost in her thoughts, Cloudy could only stand still, waiting for Titus to finish his fight.

But it all felt so silly. What were they doing now? The previous sense of excitement and tension had vanished, leaving her standing in the darkness, watching Titus punch the air like a madman.

"Titus..." Cloudy finally couldn't resist interrupting his brave fighting. "There's no one around, we're safe..."

"I still saw someone running away." Titus mysteriously returned, crouching next to Cloudy, alert. He was too smelly, and so was she. When he leaned in, she instinctively wanted to move back, but Titus quickly noticed and pulled her closer, saying, "Stay closer to me, it's dangerous."

Cloudy was pressed against his smelly chest, suffering from the assault on her nose. "There are no... enemies... really..." she said in pain.

"Let's find a safe place to rest. I need to know what's wrong with you." She was concerned about Titus's current condition. If the hallucinations had been ongoing since yesterday, wasn't it serious? "There are no enemies, trust me."

"...Cloudy can't see, someone is hiding. I know."

Could she not be so stubborn at a time like this? Cloudy held Titus's arm, trying to reason with him.
From the unique situation in the rainforest, to his own circumstances, and the scattered gruesome body parts around, speaking about it made Titus' tongue dry. Yet, he persisted in believing there were invisible foes lurking around.

Feeling her own tongue stiffen, she casually mentioned, "I want water..."

Surprisingly, this offhand remark proved more effective than her previous lengthy discourse. Titus, without a second thought, lifted her up again, saying, "I know where there's water. I'll take Cloudy there."

Cloudy, hoisted on his shoulder like a sack once more, fell into contemplation. Did she only need to use herself to direct Titus? Wasn't that too convenient? And even in his chaotic state, was he prioritizing her?

Why did she feel a bit happy, even though it wasn't a time for joy?

Upon knowing Cloudy wanted water, Titus single-mindedly carried her forward. In the pitch-black environment, Cloudy couldn't see clearly around her, but she could sense Titus ascending, climbing up some tree trunks and low rocks.

Unable to see her surroundings clearly, when Titus cupped some water and brought it to her lips, she didn't know where this water came from. She could only moisten her tongue by drinking it down, asking, "Is this a safe place?"

"Yes, Cloudy, stay here, I'll take care of..."

Cloudy couldn't help but raise her hand and lightly tap Titus on the head. Why was he still worried about unseen enemies? "Don't go, stay with me, I need you."

The words "I need you" felt a bit too sentimental for Cloudy, but she found it effective. Indeed, Titus, upon hearing this, stayed very obediently still. Cloudy wished she could see Titus' expression at that moment, to gauge the wild man's feelings. "Titus, can you see me clearly now, right?"

"Yes, I can see you clearly, Cloudy. Cloudy is not dead."

She wasn't dead to begin with...

Cloudy raised her hand, holding it in the air, and said, "Bring your forehead over, press it against my hand." She knew the wild man's body temperature was high, but now there was no other way to check his condition.

His shiny forehead obediently pressed against her palm... burning like a furnace. "Do you have a headache, Titus? Any discomfort?"

"Why ask like that? I'm not uncomfortable."

Cloudy couldn't make sense of anything by touching his forehead. If Titus was hallucinating from smelling a certain flower, should he drink more water, use the restroom, and then sleep well?

"Do you want to sleep?" Cloudy felt around with her hand. This seemed like a platform attached to a huge tree, quite flat. She considered making Titus sleep, then keeping watch herself.

But Titus clearly didn't think that way. He wasn't sleepy at all, and always seemed very excited.
If she couldn't understand the words: "Cloudy, Cloudy, I saw it again."

"You have to trust me, many things you see now are not real, they are fake."

Titus fell silent, frowning at the person in front of him, "Is Cloudy also fake? I saw many Cloudy, just now... why."

After a few explanations back and forth, Cloudy was at a loss. She was patient with Titus, but the dark environment was really making her very anxious!! She moved forward, hugged Titus's arm, and decided to adopt the simplest tactic: "I'm tired, let's sleep. Rest together."

Titus, like a fool, immediately dispelled his doubts and turned to hug Cloudy, "Is Cloudy tired?"

Being enveloped by the warm and stinky thing felt like falling into a heated pile of garbage. Cloudy nodded with a bitter face, "Tired, let's sleep together. I can't see you at night, I don't like it. I want tomorrow's sunrise to come quickly, to see you."

After saying that, Titus held Cloudy tightly and sniffed, "Why are you suddenly smelling me!"

"Something's wrong, something's wrong." Titus wished he could sew his nose onto Cloudy's body. The smell was right, the familiar smell was indeed in that stinky smell.

Cloudy's scent was like wood soaked in water, he wouldn't be mistaken, but he just felt that something was off with Cloudy, different from usual.

"Stop sniffing, I'm fine, the one with the problem is you!" Cloudy really wished the sky would light up in an instant, so she could see Titus clearly. It was too uncomfortable to grope around in the dark like this.

It took Cloudy about half an hour to calm the suspicious wild man, but the price was that she had to sleep all night in the warm and stinky embrace of a garbage bin...