Chapter 168

What’s it to you?

Suzy thought, frowning.

Outwardly, she remained calm. "Aren’t you also out here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

"I went out to use the restroom. I saw some light over here and came to check," Wendy said, forcing a smile. Her gaze flicked back and forth between them.

Then she noticed the wound on Liam’s shoulder. Her eyes widened instantly.

"Liam, you’re hurt? What happened? Did you get injured protecting me today? Why didn’t you tell me?"

Her voice filled with concern as she moved closer, subtly edging toward Suzy, trying to push her aside.

"It looks serious... you should have told me."

Liam only let out a low "Don’t worry," offering nothing more. It was unclear which part he was even responding to—if any.

Wendy’s eyes reddened slightly. She reached out toward the gauze in Suzy’s hand.

"Suzy, let me do it. I’ll take care of him. No need to trouble you."

The words sounded almost like a declaration.

Suzy’s irritation spiked.

She shifted slightly, avoiding her hand. "That’s not necessary."

Her hand grasped nothing. Wendy’s expression flickered, her gaze turning colder as she looked at Suzy.

Suzy didn’t back down.

What she couldn’t stand most was Wendy’s sense of entitlement. There was no way she would let her have her way.

Acting like she had some claim here—as if she and Liam were that close.

The two of them remained locked in a silent standoff.

Then, Liam suddenly spoke. "Give it to her."

Suzy froze. Realizing he was talking to her, she turned to him in disbelief.

What did he mean? Did he want Wendy to bandage him instead?

So what was she—just part of some awkward exchange?

A wave of disgust rose in her chest. She had helped him out of goodwill, and now that Wendy showed up, he was pushing her aside? Since when were they so close?

Without another word, she tossed the gauze into his arms. "Fine."

Wendy’s voice came immediately, light and satisfied. "Suzy, I told you—you should’ve just given it to me."

Suzy turned her head and saw that smug smile on Wendy’s face.

Arrogant. Triumphant.

It made her blood boil.

"I won’t disturb you two any longer," Suzy said, her smile thin.

She stood abruptly, retrieving her medicine in one smooth motion.

The entire sequence was swift and decisive. She didn’t even spare Liam another glance before turning and leaving.

There was no denying it—she felt annoyed.

It felt as though she had just been overshadowed by Wendy.

And given how much she already disliked her, that thought alone was enough to sour her mood completely.

Liam watched her retreating figure, his lips parting slightly—whatever he meant to say, he swallowed it back.

The moment Suzy left, Wendy quickly moved closer, her tone eager.

"Come on, Liam, let me help you with the bandage. Honestly, you should’ve told me you were hurt."

Liam’s voice was quiet, almost indifferent. "If you hadn’t knocked into that rack earlier, I wouldn’t have been injured."

The smile on Wendy’s face froze.

...So his injury was because of her.

"I—I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to..." she said, her expression turning pitiful. "I’ll make it up to you, alright?"

Liam looked at her, his gaze distant, devoid of warmth.

Suzy had already left.

But before she could return to her room, she heard hurried footsteps behind her.

She turned and saw that Wendy, who should have been bandaging Liam, was now storming back toward the lounge.

That was fast. What happened?

Wendy didn’t even notice Suzy. She marched straight into her room and slammed the door shut with a loud bang, clearly fuming.

The moment Wendy got angry, Suzy’s mood improved instantly.

She glanced curiously in Liam’s direction.

Did they argue? But she hadn’t heard anything...

That was strange.

As she wondered, Liam stepped out from the corner.

Their eyes met.

It was obvious—he wanted to say something.

Suzy noticed.

But she calmly looked away, opened the door, and went back into her room.

Inside, Leonard and Thomas were still asleep, completely unaware of what had happened outside.

Suzy returned to the bedroom.

She had barely lain down when a system notification suddenly sounded in her mind—

[Target Liam Austen successfully bound.]

Her eyes lit up, and she almost laughed out loud.

Finally—success!

That meant rewards.

She lay there, excitement flooding her thoughts, completely forgetting why she had gone out in the first place.

But the reward notification didn’t appear.

After asking, she learned the system was currently upgrading.

Fine. An upgrade was still a good thing.

As the excitement settled, drowsiness crept back in.

Still... it felt like she had forgotten something. What was it?...She couldn’t remember.

Never mind.

Suzy closed her eyes and fell asleep, not waking again until morning.

***

The next day, a sharp scream shattered the silence. Suzy’s eyes flew open.

The voice sounded familiar.

It was Wendy.

Her first instinct screamed danger. She immediately pulled a dagger from her space and got out of bed.

Pushing open the bedroom door, she saw Leonard and Thomas already up, weapons in hand.

They had clearly heard it too.

There was no time for greetings. The three of them exchanged a look—and moved out at once.

"I’ll go check." Thomas took the lead. With his skills, neither of them objected.

When the three of them stepped outside, they found Wendy collapsed on the floor, trembling violently.

She pointed ahead, her voice shaking. "Th-there’s... a snake!"

They followed her finger.

In the corner, a snake was coiled.

Leonard reacted first, grabbing a weapon and rushing forward. Thomas moved right after him, positioning himself protectively in front of Suzy.

Wendy remained on the ground, her face pale, her finger still shaking as she pointed. "Kill it—quick, kill it!"

Suzy narrowed her eyes.

The snake was coiled tightly in the corner. Its body was pure white, its scales reflecting a faint silvery sheen in the dim light. It was about as thick as two fingers.

Oddly... it looked almost beautiful.

A thought flickered through her mind.

The noise last night—could it have been this little thing?

The white snake sensed their presence. It raised its head and flicked its tongue, but didn’t attack.

Leonard lifted his stick, ready to strike, but Thomas suddenly raised a hand, stopping him.

"Wait."

Wendy panicked. "Wait for what?! Kill it! What if it bites someone?!"

Before anyone could respond, she snatched the stick from Leonard and swung hard at the snake.

The white snake reacted instantly, twisting its body to dodge the first blow.

Unwilling to give up, Wendy struck again and again. Finally, one swing clipped its tail.

The snake’s body jerked, then went limp, collapsing onto the ground, motionless.

Wendy panted heavily, a flash of satisfaction crossing her face. "Dead. Finally."

She had been bitten by a snake as a child. Ever since, she had been terrified of them.

The moment she spotted it in the corner, she had nearly lost her mind.

Suzy, however, wasn’t afraid.

Something felt... off. She had clearly seen how agile the snake was. That strike had only hit its tail—it shouldn’t have been fatal.

So why did it suddenly "die"?

Thomas had noticed too. He stepped forward, studying the snake’s "body" for a few seconds.

"Playing dead," he said calmly.

The moment his words fell, the "lifeless" white snake suddenly sprang up.

In a flash, it darted into a nearby pile of debris, slipping through a narrow gap and disappearing.

Wendy froze, her face shifting between pale and flushed.

"It... it ran away?"

She bit her lip, staring at where it had vanished, unwilling to accept it.

No. She couldn’t stay here anymore.

Just the thought that there might be snakes lurking somewhere—ready to appear at any moment—made her skin crawl.

With a pale face, she rushed back to her room to pack.

Suzy stood beside Thomas, still looking toward where the snake had disappeared, thoughtful.

She had never seen a snake like that before.

A lost pet, maybe?

It was... strangely pretty.

As that thought crossed her mind, a small white head suddenly peeked out from the edge of a nearby table.

The little snake had reappeared.

Its tiny red eyes fixed directly on Suzy. It flicked its tongue, glanced around, then slipped back into the gap just as quickly.

Suzy caught the entire sequence.

...Why did it feel like that snake was a little too smart?