The light from the teleportation gate behind them receded.
The clamor and confrontation on the snowfield were completely cut off.
Chen Mo had never cared about what others thought.
Asuna's anger, Kirito's struggle, or the players' fear, to him, were nothing more than dust by the roadside.
The wind passed, leaving no trace.
His creed had always been simple.
Live in the present, look to the future.
"Hey, do you really not care at all?"
Argo shook their clasped hands, looked up at him, the mottled forest shadows reflected in her playful eyes.
"Asuna, that guy, is probably going to get internal injuries from you."
"Whether she's angry or not, what does it have to do with me?"
Chen Mo's answer was no different from when he was on the snowfield.
Argo let out a giggle.
She stood on her tiptoes, leaned close to his ear, her warm breath brushing against him.
"I just love this heartless side of you."
The two of them strolled casually through the forest on the 35th Floor, treating it as a leisurely walk.
Suddenly.
A shrill scream tore through the tranquility of the forest.
"Hmm?"
Chen Mo's steps halted, his gaze like lightning, sharply directed towards the depths of the forest.
His enemy-detection skill was already maxed out; a warning red dot representing a player was flashing frantically, surrounded by several crimson markers indicating hostility.
"No!"
A tender cry came, mixed with the dull whooshing sound of heavy objects being swung.
Chen Mo didn't think.
He grabbed Argo's hand, his figure already leaving an afterimage at his original spot, and shot towards the source of the sound.
Several clumps of bushes were pushed aside by an invisible surge of air.
The sight before them made Argo's breathing stop for a moment.
A Little Girl in a green dress, looking no more than thirteen or fourteen, was cornered by three massive giant apes.
Beside her, a small blue dragon pet flew in vain, letting out anxious screaming.
The Little Girl, panicking, tripped over gnarled tree roots and tumbled clumsily to the base of a tree.
"Roar!"
A giant ape grinned ferociously, its large, fan-like hand raising a giant wooden club high, bringing it down with a crash towards the Little Girl's head!
The Little Girl's HP bar instantly plummeted from full green to the dangerous yellow zone!
"Damn it!"
Chen Mo growled, his speed increasing once more.
Just as the second strike was about to land.
The small blue dragon let out a wail, then resolutely charged forward.
It used its tiny body to block in front of its master.
Bang!
The wooden club landed squarely on the small dragon.
Its fragile body instantly burst into a shower of blue light particles.
Finally, only a lone blue feather remained, floating gently to the ground.
"No! No! Pina!"
The Little Girl's cries were heart-wrenching.
She tremblingly picked up the feather, closed her eyes in despair, and waited for death.
But the anticipated blow did not fall.
Around her, there was a deathly silence.
She tremblingly opened one eye.
A black figure, like a mountain, stood in front of her.
And the three giant apes, which had just been incredibly ferocious, were being erased by an invisible force, silently turning into data fragments and dissipating into the air.
"You're a Beast Tamer, right?"
Argo peered out from behind Chen Mo, looking at the Little Girl who was crying her eyes out, her voice unconsciously softening a lot.
"Sorry... we came too late and couldn't save your companion."
"No... it's not like that..."
The Little Girl choked, shaking her head desperately, tears streaming down her face.
"It's my fault... it's all because I ran off, Pina..."
Argo walked forward, knelt down, and gently patted the Little Girl's head.
"Don't cry."
She comforted her in the unique tone of an information broker.
"I remember, familiars drop a core ITEM after death. On the 47th Floor's 'Hill of Recollection,' there's a plant called 'Soul Flower' that can revive familiars."
"Really?!"
Light instantly reignited in the Little Girl's eyes; she sharply lifted her head, her face still streaked with tears.
"Then I'll wait..."
Her joyful words were cut short by a flat voice.
"A familiar's core data lasts for a maximum of three days after death."
Chen Mo spoke.
His words were devoid of any warmth, as if stating a cold law of physics.
"After seventy-two hours, the data will completely disintegrate."
"No one can bring it back."
He paused, then delivered an even more fatal blow.
"Furthermore, the resurrection ritual must be personally performed by the host next to the Soul Flower."
Chen Mo's words were like a basin of ice water, extinguishing the last flicker of hope that had just ignited in the Little Girl's heart.
Those tear-filled eyes instantly dimmed.
"Forty-seventh Floor..." she murmured to herself, her voice so soft it seemed it would scatter with the wind, "It's too far for me..."
Three days to traverse twelve floors from the 35th Floor to reach a high-level area she had never been to.
For her, who couldn't even handle forest giant apes, this was nothing short of a fool's dream.
"Ah... of course, if you pay, I can also help you go." Argo, seeing her distress, habitually rubbed her fingers, revealing the standard smile of an information broker, "However, the price..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.
The Little Girl shook her head vigorously, tears once again uncontrollably flowing down.
She clutched the blue feather tightly in her hand, treating it as a precious treasure.
"It's okay... Sir, I'm already very satisfied that you could save me..."
She suppressed a sob, her voice full of despair and resignation.
Argo pouted, just about to say something more, when Chen Mo beside her suddenly moved.
He opened his menu interface.
A trade request window abruptly appeared in front of the Little Girl.
"Eh...! ?"
She exclaimed, not yet reacting, when she saw several pieces of equipment emitting a faint blue light being thrown into the trade slot.
A one-handed sword, a leather armor, and a pair of boots.
The name suffix of each piece of equipment carried the words [Excellent].
To her, this was simply divine gear she had only heard of in legends!
"No... no! I can't accept these!" The Little Girl shook her head like a rattle-drum, "You've already helped me so much, I can't take your things anymore!"
"I don't need them."
Chen Mo's voice was flat, as if stating a fact.
"They take up space."
These two sentences were his entire explanation.
He pressed the trade confirmation button, looking at her calmly, with no ripples in his eyes.
The Little Girl was completely stunned.
She looked at the several pieces of equipment in the trade window that were enough to let her walk unchallenged in the lower floors, then lowered her head to look at the fragile feather in her palm.
Reason told her not to accept unearned favors.
But emotion screamed wildly in her heart.
With these, Pina could be saved... She hesitated for only a moment, looking at Chen Mo's face, devoid of any greed or ulterior motives, and her trembling fingers finally pressed the confirmation button.
A flash of light, and the three pieces of equipment entered her storage space.
"Thank you... Thank you!"
The Little Girl's voice was thick with a nasal tone; she didn't know what to say, only repeating her thanks over and over.
Chen Mo did not respond.
He did this not out of sympathy.
He simply felt that a familiar who sacrificed itself to protect its master should not simply vanish without value.
That was all.
"Alright, hurry and put them on." Argo urged from the side, observing Chen Mo with interest, the smile in her eyes growing wider.
The Little Girl obediently opened her menu and equipped the new gear.
When she grasped the excellent-grade one-handed sword, a sense of power she had never felt before surged through her body, and the skyrocketing numbers on her attribute panel made her almost disbelieve her eyes.
Her legs, which had been weak from fear, also became strong again.
The light of hope reignited in her eyes.
"I..."
She looked up, just about to say something to Chen Mo, but found that he had already turned around, preparing to leave.
His back was still so indifferent, as if the person who had just given her new life was not him at all.
"Please wait!"
The Little Girl mustered all her courage and shouted loudly.
Chen Mo's steps paused, but he did not turn back.
"My name is Silica! Um... Big Brother, what's your name?"
Just then.
Rustle, rustle, rustle... A clear sound of footsteps echoed from the surrounding woods, interrupting Silica's question.
More than one.
Chen Mo and Argo became alert almost simultaneously.
Soon, seven or eight figures emerged from the tree shadows, subtly surrounding the three of them.
Leading them was a burly man with a scarred face; he carried a giant axe and his gaze swept over the three of them with ill intent.
When his eyes fell on Silica and he saw the obviously extraordinary one-handed sword in her hand, his eyes instantly gleamed with greed.
"Oh, isn't this Rosalia, the boss of Fang?" Argo narrowed her eyes, recognizing their identity.
An orange-named guild that made a living by robbing lone players of their equipment.
"So, it's rats." Rosalia, the older sister, grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. His gaze lingered on Argo and Chen Mo, who had his back to them, for a second, then returned to Silica.
Evidently, they only knew Argo's name and hadn't recognized Chen Mo.
"Little sister, it's very dangerous to be alone in a place like this."
He licked his lips, making no secret of his intentions.
"Your equipment looks good; how about lending it to big sister to play with for two days?"