Following the plan, Chen Zhou made a big detour from the bottom of the cliff back into the Black Forest, and by the time he rushed to where Paul was, it was already noon the next day.
Fifty-four straight hours of traveling left Chen Zhou radiating a heavy weariness from the inside out.
His normally light footsteps had turned sluggish, his bright eyes were bloodshot, and even keeping his thoughts running smoothly now required him to constantly force himself to stay focused.
...
At the edge of the Black Forest, the campfire burned quietly. Paul, leaning on his crutch, saw Chen Zhou return and quickly went up to meet him.
Even though there were no visible injuries on Chen Zhou, just looking at his state made it clear how exhausting and dangerous the last two days had been.
