The order came without warning.
It never didn't.
"Hey. You two."
The voice was rough, impatient, laced with the kind of authority that didn't need to shout to be obeyed.
Jin Yue and Jun Kai both looked up immediately.
One of the demon pirate guards stood near the entrance of their shelter, arms crossed, eyes sweeping over them with clear disinterest...as if selecting tools rather than people.
"You're going to the mountain," he said.
Jun Kai frowned instantly. "What mountain?"
"The waterfall."
That was enough to make the nearby captives fall silent.
Everyone knew that place.
Far.
Steep.
And dangerous.
Jin Yue didn't react outwardly.
But he understood immediately.
"…for water?" he asked calmly.
The guard scoffed. "What else? Yan Luo Hai will be back in three days."
A brief pause.
"He only drinks from that waterfall."
The tone made it sound less like a preference...
And more like a rule no one dared to question.
