The warning left by Liyun Tian hung heavy over the cavern, casting a suffocating weight on everyone. Even the distribution of the supplies no longer brought any relief—only a numbed, cautious meticulousness. The clean water and dried rations were divided as evenly as possible among everyone, while Margaret personally kept the small box of healing pills for emergencies. Everyone ate in silence, the bland food tasting like sawdust. In a corner, the two most severely injured guards leaned against the rock wall, their faces ashen. One had been wounded by the fog-shrouded attack; though his chest was bandaged, a creeping deathly pallor still emanated from the wound. His breathing was shallow and rapid, clearly at the very edge of endurance. The other had lost an arm. Though the bleeding was stopped, the overwhelming pain and blood loss left him barely conscious, occasionally letting out involuntary moans. Their suffering was like needles piercing the eyes and nerves of the remaining su...