The bodies of the mutated beasts decaying on the ground had mostly lost their original shapes. They were either slit open and disemboweled or had their heads covered in bite marks, and in more exaggerated cases, limbs and eyeballs were scattered aside.

The air was filled with an extremely sweet, nauseating stench of blood mixed with the smell of decay, making one want to vomit.

Arnold Simmons took out two masks from his pocket, first putting one on Hannah before handing another to Gregory Lawrence. "Mutated beasts become exceptionally aggressive during the breeding season. They’ll attack anything but their own kind."

The masks had been specially treated to block out most of the foul smell.

Hannah’s furrowed brow finally relaxed.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t withstand such odors and gruesome sights; she had seen much worse before.

Not of mutated beasts, but human bodies.

At a glance, a sea of blood red.

Among the blood, those faces without enough time to close their eyes seemed still to be filled with unwillingness, animosity, and resentment.

These were the memories she wished not to have yet could not help but carry with her constantly.

Noticing something off about Hannah, Arnold Simmons stopped walking and looked down at her, "Are you okay?"

Half of Hannah’s face was covered by the mask, leaving only a pair of bright, lively black eyes visible.

She lowered her eyes, shaking her head slightly with a muffled voice from behind the mask, "I’m fine."

"If you’re feeling unwell, you have to tell me," Arnold Simmons took Hannah’s hand once more.

The man’s large hand almost completely enveloped the girl’s delicate one.

She nodded, a smile spreading in her eyes, "Okay."

They continued on their journey.

Hannah’s mood had improved slightly, and she didn’t forget to turn her head and urge Gregory Lawrence to hurry up.

Gregory Lawrence waved his hand weakly, carefully avoiding the dark bloodstains on the ground, "I’m coming, I’m coming."

"Then move faster," Hannah no longer paid attention to him.

Gregory Lawrence sighed deeply and looked down at the ropes in his hand.

Two ropes, one tied to a creature named "Big White", the other to "Golden Lotus".

Black and white, they walked side by side, their steps tapping in unison. Perfectly in sync.

Gregory Lawrence looked up to the sky.

Why on earth did he decide to join them in the Blackwood Forest?

Was it to feast on dog food?

Even artificial intelligences had their pairs.

Oh heavens, send someone for him too.

He didn’t care whether it was a man or a woman at this point, just don’t let him be alone anymore!

...

The first night.

They hadn’t walked for too long, and had chosen a place to stay overnight half an hour before dusk was due to set in. Then they began to explore the nearby area.

Gregory Lawrence made a trip and brought back a pile of firewood.

First Year of Stellar, high technology was available.

But sometimes, high technology wasn’t as reliable as the "old ways".

Soon after, Hannah returned too.

Alone.

Gregory Lawrence, sitting down making a fire, asked her, "Where’s Arnold Simmons?"

Hannah sat down by the fire, "He said he wanted to check around a little more."

The terrain of the Blackwood Forest was overly complex, almost changing its layout every year.

So even though Gregory Lawrence had been there before, he now couldn’t provide any useful information.

The only thing they could rely on was a hand-drawn map.

Half an hour later, Arnold Simmons returned.

In his hand, he carried their food for the night.

A mutated beast that resembled a rabbit.

Twice the size of a normal rabbit, it had snow-white fur and long ears, just like a rabbit.

It looked soft to the touch.

Hannah reached out to pet its head.

Arnold Simmons, holding the rabbit, slightly lifted his hand, "It bites."

Hannah, surprised, "It’s still alive?"