I finally understood. I was the real wildcard!
I ripped off the face of the fake "wildcard" in an instant, revealing a bloody, mangled mess beneath. As the fake's identity was exposed, everyone else around me froze like clay statues and gradually melted into the shadows.
Hahahaha! Fakes are always fakes, they can never be real. If I hadn't sensed something was wrong just now, I would have been completely fooled by you!
Gritting my teeth, I glared ferociously at the gradually disfiguring mass of flesh before me, and pointed a finger.
"Mu Shen, as long as I, Lu Ziye, am alive, you will never return to this world!"
Although the flesh could no longer speak, I could still feel a surge of anger emanating from it, as if my words had enraged it.
The mass of flesh squirmed, trying to charge at me, but it had lost its legs and could only move at an incredibly slow pace. A couple of steps back was a distance it could never close.
Damn it, I was trapped in an illusion earlier and could only be at your mercy. Now that I'm clear-headed, can you still bully me in my own mind?!
I let out a cold laugh. With a thought, a chainsaw almost as tall as I was appeared in my hand. I pulled the trigger, and a deafening roar erupted.
Seeing that I had completely broken free from the illusion, the mass of flesh stopped wriggling towards me and began to retreat into the shadows.
Hmph, trying to escape?
I sneered, brandishing the chainsaw and charging at the slow-moving mass. In a few swings, I sawed it into pieces.
The dismembered flesh vanished into the air. Shortly after, the monster before me completely disappeared. As it vanished, I keenly felt the surrounding space loosen and gradually become brighter.
Whew!
I jolted awake from my dream, turning to look outside the cave. The sky was already dawning, and my dream had lasted the entire night!
Damn it, I almost couldn't see the scenery before me again!
I rubbed my arm, which had gone numb from maintaining the same posture for too long, and greedily inhaled the fresh air.
After the numbness subsided, I stood up from the ground.
I never expected to be fine in the temple, only to almost be killed by Mu Shen now. What a cunning old schemer.
Perhaps my appearance was a contingency plan for Mu Shen. I recalled with a shiver of fear that if I had truly been talked to death by Mu Shen in the illusion, then the fake Lu Ziye would have become the real one. Perhaps what was standing up from the ground now would have been Mu Shen wearing a human skin!
Thinking about it, I still felt a chill of apprehension.
After taking a deep breath, I suddenly noticed that the dripping sound from the depths of the cave, which had been bothering me before I slept, had disappeared at some point.
Could this dripping sound not have been real, but merely a trigger for Mu Shen's illusion?
I had lost all interest in exploring what was in the depths of the cave. Whether it was an illusion or a real entity, all I wanted now was to return to the camp as quickly as possible. It was too dangerous outside.
I took out a few pieces of jerky from my backpack, dealt with them simply, packed my things, and set off towards the camp with the first light of dawn.
I encountered no further danger along the way. Perhaps the pheromones I had before were still present, as smaller wild beasts dared not approach me.
As I got closer to the camp, the weather grew increasingly hot, and I eventually found myself hiking with my chest half-open.
Damn it, this island's climate system is like a poorly designed game. Hot today, cold tomorrow. It's only a matter of time before it hails under a scorching sun.
I cursed under my breath. I could deal with physical creatures in reality, but the sun hanging high in the sky truly left me helpless.
Unconsciously, I had returned to the area where the camp had been.
Seeing the familiar forest, tears welled up in my eyes, and I almost dropped to my knees to kiss the welcoming ground.
For a person to survive in an unfamiliar environment, besides basic physiological needs, it requires even more spiritual comfort.
This is why many people who venture out to make a living often hold onto the idea of returning home as a spiritual anchor, a focal point to prevent mental breakdown.
Now that I was stranded on a deserted island and uncertain if I could ever return to my real home, I had made this place my second home after the camp was roughly constructed.
Now, I could finally go home!