While others seek survival, I engage in flirtation Chapter 65: Matt is Missing

The noise around me slowly faded, and the chaotic shouts grew distant. Only then did I step out of the house with the others.

The air outside was thick with the smell of blood, and the sight of monkey corpses piled high on the ground was enough to make anyone sick.

I never thought I'd see something like this, especially with a girl like Moon at the center of it all. Even crazier was that all of this was her doing.

"You okay?" I asked Moon, even though she didn't look hurt. Better safe than sorry.

Moon shook her head right away, her skirt swaying gently in the breeze. She glanced up at me, a flash of blue light flickering in her eyes.

I felt a bit dazed, not sure how to face Moon at that moment.

"The monkeys have already run off," Moon spoke first, even giving me a small smile.

Her smile only made me more nervous.

I had just seen her take down those monkeys one by one with my own eyes!

"No kidding, you're a total badass!" Dennis couldn't help but exclaim, poking at a nearby corpse with a stick.

"What kind of monkeys are these?" Dennis asked, looking confused.

Honestly, I was surprised Dennis would ask such a question. Wasn't he the survival expert? How could there be something he didn't know?

"These are East African baboons," Moon said, tilting her head to look at the corpse beside her, her brow slightly furrowed.

Moon, being a writer, sure knew a lot.

I didn't know much about these monkeys either, so I just nodded along, pretending to understand.

"These baboons are very aggressive. Sometimes, they even see human babies as food," Moon said nonchalantly like it was no big deal.

These things could eat people?

I looked at the corpses in disbelief, suddenly feeling that Moon was incredibly reliable.

"Don't you think something's missing?" Lilian looked around, frowning.

Soon, I realized the problem too. We were missing someone.

Matt was gone!

"Matt!" I shouted his name, but there was no response.

"I remember he was just here. How could he disappear?" Dennis sounded puzzled. "Could those crazy baboons have killed him?"

He started poking through the corpses with his stick, but none of them were Matt.

If I had to guess, that jerk probably took advantage of the chaos to escape.

Otherwise, we would've found his body.

But where could Matt go on his own? Surviving alone would be tough.

The only possibility I could think of was that he sneaked back to the camp while we were distracted.

That jerk must've thought we'd die at the hands of those crazy baboons and wanted to take over the camp!

I quickly shared my thoughts with the others, but Dennis immediately stopped me, looking displeased.

"It's too dangerous to leave now. It's already dark!" He grabbed my arm and pointed at the full moon in the sky, his eyes filled with fear.

"What about the others at the camp?" I shook off his hand and started walking towards the camp.

Lilian and Moon were with me. There was no one at the camp who could stand up to Matt. Besides, my absence would only make the girls more worried. I knew I had to get back if only to let them know everything was fine.

"If you get eaten by wolves or something, don't expect me to save you!" Dennis grumbled, clearly not happy with my decision. "I'm not going back with you. Whether you come back tomorrow or not, I'll keep exploring deeper."

With that, he went to sit by the campfire, saying no more.

Lilian and Moon didn't object and quickly packed their bags to head back to the camp with me.

I didn't need to say much to Moon, and Lilian moved through the jungle faster than I expected. Honestly, if my physical condition hadn't improved so much, I would've been left far behind by these two girls.

We moved quickly and reached the camp around midnight.

"Carl is dead! From now on, you do what I say, or I'll toss you to the wolves!" I heard Matt's voice from a distance.

I should've known that jerk wouldn't just let me boss him around. He must've been waiting for this moment!

"Matt, did you sneak back just to do this?" I quickly approached and leaped into the cave.

When I stood in front of Matt, I could see his eyes widen in shock, followed by a flash of fear on his face.

He was still afraid of me. After all, if I were him, I wouldn't want to get beaten up again either.

"Carl! I knew you weren't dead!" Margaret ran over and hugged me, her voice choked with tears.

She must've thought I was really dead, as her eyes were still wet with tears.

"I'm fine." I patted her head and smiled at her, then turned my gaze to Matt.

"Dead, huh?" I stepped closer and grabbed his neck.

I'm not usually a violent person, but spreading rumors about my death in front of the girls? No way I could let that slide!

I seemed to have developed a sense of possessiveness over these girls. Seeing Matt act like this made me angrier than ever.

Matt tried to say something, but I didn't give him the chance. Before he could speak, my fist connected with his face.

He probably didn't expect me to hit him so hard. He didn't have time to dodge and lost two teeth from the blow.

Even so, he only dared to mutter curses under his breath, not daring to fight back.

"You guys actually survived!" He looked at me, disbelief in his eyes.

Honestly, I couldn't believe we survived those crazy baboons either. If it weren't for Moon, we might've all been wiped out.

Taking on those baboons alone would've been impossible for me.

I didn't respond to Matt, just punched him again. This time, he didn't dare say another word, only looking at me with fear.

The girls quickly gathered around me, snapping out of their shock.

"Carl, I knew you were still alive!" Their concern and care lifted my spirits.

At least I wasn't angry at that jerk Matt anymore.

I told the girls about what had happened at the strange man's house, including my thoughts on the place.

Though it was a bit rough as a house, it was still better suited for survival than this cave.