Just as Yanran was about to stand up, Old Bit was a bit quicker than her. He reached out and held her shoe in his hands.

Old Bit bowed his head and started to take Ruoran's shoe with his mouth.

This humble and respectful gesture left Yanran at a loss.

She withdrew her foot, but Old Bit took her other shoe in his hands again, touching it with his mouth.

She wanted to stop Old Bit's behavior; she really wasn't used to someone being so servile in front of her.

"Stop it!" Yanran shouted at Old Bit.

"Stop right now! Stand up!" Yanran said disgustedly.

Old Bit then released Yanran's foot, stepped back two paces, and slowly struggled to stand up.

"I won't kill you if you can behave yourself," Yanran said. "I will also speak to my teacher and ask him not to kill you either.

But I think he will have you spend the rest of your life in this place," Yanran said, looking around. "Although it's desolate here, if you try a little harder, you can definitely survive.

Consumed by her words, Yanran did not notice the cruel gleam in Old Bit's eyes as he faced her. This kind-hearted young girl knew that her teacher would never take this person away; not killing him was already her teacher's greatest leniency.

Therefore, out of pity, she began offering Old Bit some guidance on how to live here in the future.

After all, she had lived here for many years, and she had a profound understanding of it.

"Follow this little stream forward, and halfway up that mountain, there is a cave," Yanran pointed to the distance. "That cave is where I once lived, and there are some living supplies inside.

Yanran sighed, recalling those deceased elders, her companions who were more like family than family themselves. She hoped they would not suffer anymore in the alien world.

Old Bit didn't really listen to her words; he had already sunk deep into despair.

Staying in this desolate place was akin to death for him, even more terrifying than death. When their group had arrived on this planet and attempted to land, a massive monster attacked them. Along the way, they were continuously harassed by monsters, and even two of their people died. Just thinking about the various aggressive monsters, big and small, around here made him shiver uncontrollably.

He was already old, physically much weaker than before, and without even a handful of weapons. Facing such a harsh environment alone and confronting those monsters, it was better to be dead.

Old Bit knew all too well the horror of isolation and loneliness. More than ten years ago, he was captured and detained after a failed mission. His captors, to prevent his escape and keep his companions from finding him, locked him in a cell dug dozens of meters underground.

Old Bit used to boast to his companions about his mental strength, managing not to go insane in that dark, insect-free space.

Imprisoned in that cell for nearly a year, by the time his companions rescued him, his eyes had deteriorated to the point where he could not even see the faintest light initially.

Luckily, his group valued him highly. Old Bit had read more books than any of them, and throughout his decades of experience in the Dark World, he was never annihilated. Aside from luck, his experiences carried a certain significance for others.

Some even suspected that Old Bit was one of the oldest smugglers fighting on the front lines; of course, there were those even older than him who only strategized from behind the scenes. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Due to these reasons, his companions found him a skilled doctor who restored his vision.

Only heaven knew how Old Bit survived that unbearable time.

In that dark cell, apart from the basics of survival, Old Bit spent every day reflecting on his decades in the dark underworld—what successes were worth learning from, and what failures provided lessons.

To pass the time, he would always be deep in thought—about his enemies, planning revenge, his past happy moments, and how he would enjoy life once he was free, making up for lost time.

Even so, the oppressive environment pushed Old Bit to the brink of insanity several times. He would headbutt, use his fists, and kick, even biting with his mouth. The endless solitude could drive anyone mad. This planet, compared to the cell that had held him before, was significantly better, yet far more dangerous.

Old Bit would never endure such a life again.

Gritting his teeth, Old Bit looked at this alien girl with disdain. He didn't need her hypocritical compassion. If she truly felt sorry for him, she should have spared him and not left him alone to face the innumerable vicious monsters on this dreadful planet, letting him perish miserably.

The call of the Little Flaming Firebird reminded Yanran, as this intelligent bird was always alert to potential threats against its master. With its natural instinct, even though it couldn't understand the meaning of the man's glare, the dangerous aura emanating from him prompted the Little Flaming Firebird to alert its master.

At almost the same instant the Little Flaming Firebird issued its warning, Old Bit frantically lunged at Yanran.

He had already thought of how to deal with this alien girl in front of him—capture her and use her as a hostage to threaten the menacing man. They had attempted this before, but the bloody reality made Old Bit realize it was absolutely impossible.

Just a while ago, there had been seven or eight of them, and those were ruthless individuals, fearless of death.

Now he was all alone.

Moreover, beside this alien girl was a fierce bird.

Old Bit doubted whether he could handle that fierce bird alone.

He couldn't win a fight; he couldn't run away. The only option left was to go down together!

When Old Bit learned that this alien girl wouldn't kill him but intended to exile him to this uninhabited planet, he was filled with despair.

His past experiences taught him the terror of solitude and isolation. Placing him here alone was worse than killing him instantly.

However, as someone who had survived in the dark underworld for decades with blood-stained hands, he couldn't resign himself to die just like that. Before dying, no matter what, he had to drag someone down with him.

The thought of taking the alien girl down with him and imagining the sorrow of the once terrifying man after her death made Old Bit unable to suppress his urge to laugh.