"They didn't know the outside world had changed, and most of the women here already had children, so they didn't dare to run away.
Now that they know the situation outside, they want to escape. That woman said she could tell we were soldiers and hoped we would save her.
Xu An heard this and smiled noncommittally, "You don't actually believe that, do you? Such a clumsy excuse."
Qin Chuan was momentarily speechless.
Even he felt a sense of shame. Xu An had noticed the sloppiness and numerous loopholes in the excuse from the very beginning.
Yet, such a simple excuse had managed to sow discord within Qin Chuan's entire team, which was what puzzled him the most.
Xu An's voice came from the other side, laced with casual mockery.
"Even if these women were originally abducted, their hearts have long since become one with this fishing village," Xu An said, then picked up his backpack and began preparing breakfast.
Qin Chuan's lips curled in a slight frown, not denying it. Even though he had initially held a skeptical attitude, the subsequent events validated Xu An's statement.
"And then? Keep talking," Xu An said, sounding intrigued and pressing Qin Chuan for more.
Of course, the subsequent vicious story was rather cliché. Qin Chuan's team was split into two factions because of the woman's tragic past.
One faction was focused on helping the women in the village escape their plight, while the other, led by Qin Chuan, was determined to explore the deep sea.
Naturally, the faction supporting Qin Chuan was very small.
Many people there disliked Qin Chuan's methods. While on the lighthouse, they had heard many rumors about him.
They said he was cold-blooded and heartless, treating his fellow humans on the ground as less than human, and that he killed without batting an eye.
Originally, this statement was just circulating among people, but now, seeing Qin Chuan's actions, they couldn't help but believe the widespread rumors from the lighthouse.
Qin Chuan was indeed cold-blooded and heartless, like a killing machine.
However, he was never one to explain or argue. Seeing the looks of misunderstanding and wariness in everyone's eyes, he didn't say anything. He simply prepared to find an opportunity to set sail with those who were willing to leave with him.
As for those who stayed behind, they met a terrible fate, sold to the villagers by that woman.
When all their supplies were plundered, and countless companions were thrown into the sea to feed the fish, those people finally realized that not everyone in this world would resist an unjust fate.
Some people, when faced with injustice, don't think of escaping. Long-term abuse had instilled in them a sense of forced compliance and dependency.
Xu An felt a bit speechless, "And then? Your team, they didn't just capsize and get wiped out, did they?"
Qin Chuan shook his head, "No. They were, after all, people with brains. After realizing something was wrong, they discovered all their supplies had been stolen. Later, a group of them stealthily managed to recover some supplies and followed my trail, heading out to sea to find me. But as soon as we met, we were attacked by sea monsters."
At this point, Xu An's mind suddenly lit up, and he asked, seemingly out of nowhere, "Is Chu Yu still in your team? Do you remember him?"
Qin Chuan's gaze immediately turned sharp.
"How do you know about Chu Yu?"
Xu An sensed something was amiss and his eyes darted away slightly, but he still looked at Qin Chuan and said, "Chu Yu came from the arena with us, remember?"
Qin Chuan certainly remembered, but Xu An's concealment was too good.
However, the timing of Xu An's mention of Chu Yu was too coincidental.
What Qin Chuan didn't tell Xu An was that the person who had led the rebellion and caused the team's division was none other than Chu Yu, who had always seemed inconspicuous and ordinary.
Yet, it was also Chu Yu who led the group to find him.
Qin Chuan would never forget that during their battle with the sea monster, someone had stabbed him from behind.
Although he dodged quickly, the knife still grazed his ribs, causing the monstrous sea creature to fling him into the sea with a tentacle strike.
Even though Qin Chuan hadn't seen the person's face clearly at the time, anyone who could emerge from behind him so silently and without being detected...
Besides Chu Yu, who had always been nondescript on the lighthouse, Qin Chuan couldn't think of anyone else.
Upon further reflection of everything that had happened, Qin Chuan began to suspect with astonishment that Chu Yu seemed to be playing a crucial role as an NPC pushing the plot forward.
Every time he intended to lead the team to do something, problems would invariably arise.
And Chu Yu was the one who caused trouble at each critical juncture, forcing Qin Chuan to start suspecting his identity.
Xu An, hearing Qin Chuan's questioning, began to play dumb, refusing to admit why he knew Qin Chuan had encountered sea monsters and why he was asking about Chu Yu at this particular moment.
But in his heart, a thread of connection was gradually being pieced together.
Chu Yu and Qin Chuan were adversaries.
Chu Yu wanted to kill Qin Chuan.
Qin Chuan did not know Chu Yu's true identity.
...
All these factors pointed to one thing.
The lighthouse had been infiltrated by the mainland base much earlier, and the people on the mainland were already beginning to take action against the lighthouse.
This speculation made Xu An's heart pound.
In his previous life, although the mainland and the lighthouse eventually went to war,
that was much later in the apocalypse.
At that time, due to the extreme scarcity of resources, the lighthouse, which had to remain suspended in the air, consumed a great deal of energy. Thus, it was forced to repeatedly send troops to the ground to seize supplies.
By then, the physical fitness of the people on the mainland had evolved to be far superior to those pampered individuals raised on the lighthouse.
Every engagement was a fight to the death.
The lighthouse had not failed to send people down to negotiate for peace, but the various leaders of the mainland bases had refused.
They had been able to abandon everyone without hesitation to enjoy their lives in the sky during the escape.
Now that they were unable to do so, returning to the sky was naturally impossible.
It's just that...
Xu An looked at Qin Chuan before him. Even if the mainland base was going to deal with the lighthouse, wasn't this movement a bit too fast?
Before he could emerge from his thoughts, he heard Qin Chuan's voice from above.
"You should stay away from that Chu Yu in the future."
Xu An glanced at him with a sideways look, remaining silent, thinking, "I know more than you do."
He didn't stop his actions, continuing to busy himself with making breakfast."