The early morning air was crisp and cold as the four survivors of the Thunder Sky Brotherhood sat around the flickering fire. Tao was busy stirring a pot of stew while Minho helped her, the smell of simmering herbs and vegetables filling the clearing. Shun, ever impatient, broke the silence.

“So, Brother Gu,” he began, his voice low but edged with frustration, “do you have any other ideas on what we’re going to do now? Now that we know the Greenwood Bandits are guarding all of our secret stashes?”

Gu sat quietly, his gaze fixed on the fire, deep in thought. He had heard Shun, but the weight of the situation kept him from answering immediately. They had just returned from checking one of their secret locations, only to find it crawling with Greenwood Bandits. It was clear that Shun wanted to talk about it, to come up with a plan, but Gu wasn’t ready to respond yet.

Minho, sensing the tension, interrupted. She handed Shun a wooden bowl filled with hot stew and said with a gentle smile, “Here, eat some stew, it’s ready.”

Tao followed suit, passing a bowl to Gu before the two women took their own. They all settled in around the fire, the warmth of the meal providing some comfort amidst the uncertainty. Tao, broke the silence next.

“We could just try walking in,” she suggested between spoonfuls of stew. “I mean, if we disguise ourselves as Greenwood Bandits, wouldn’t we be able to slip in without raising suspicion?” She paused, looking around at the others. “They’ve got hundreds of members now, and they’re forcing other brotherhoods to join them. There’s no way they’d recognize one of us, right?”

Gu shook his head and shut down the idea before it could take root. “It would’ve been a good plan with any other group, but Yu Ryang is no fool. He’s thorough, and he’s organized. He must have a system in place to keep track of the Greenwood Bandits. If we tried to infiltrate, we’d be caught before we even had a chance.”

The group nodded in agreement, recognizing the truth in Gu’s words. Yu Ryang was known for his attention to detail. There was no way he would allow outsiders to slip into his ranks unnoticed.

After a moment, Gu spoke again, this time with a hint of hesitation. “We could try looking into the village at the base of the mountains. There’s a brothel there where we’ve stashed some money in the past. If it’s still there, it could help us get by for a while. But getting to the village undetected... that won’t be easy.”

Shun, never one to back down from a challenge, quickly jumped in. “We could try the river route. If we get spotted, we can turn back without anyone knowing. It’s risky, but at least we won’t be trapped if something goes wrong.”

Tao nodded thoughtfully, considering the suggestion. “That could work,” she acknowledged. “The Imperial Patrols are usually stationed in the Jing Mountain villages and towns. If we can reach the village unnoticed, we might be safe once we’re there.”

The conversation continued as they weighed their options, each route presenting its own dangers. The fire crackled softly, casting shadows that danced along the cave walls.

“I still think going through the mountains is the safer option,” Tao interjected after a moment of quiet thought.

Gu and Shun exchanged confused glances. “What do you mean?” Gu asked, furrowing his brow.

Minho, who had been quietly observing, pointed toward a shadowy corner of the cave. Her voice was calm but firm as she explained, “The cave doesn’t end here, Brother Gu. It goes deeper. Sister Tao and I have been exploring it since morning, and from the looks of it, the passage might lead through the mountain.”

Shun’s eyes widened as he followed her gaze toward the dark recess of the cave. “You think there’s another exit? A way to get to the other side of the forest?” he asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and caution.

Minho nodded. “It’s possible. We haven’t explored all the way in, but the airflow suggests that there’s more to this cave than we thought. If it leads through the mountain, we could have a much safer route to bypass the bandits entirely.”

Shun scratched his chin, considering the idea. “It could be dangerous to explore deeper,” he said, his voice steady but cautious. “There’s no telling what might be lurking in there. But if it does have another opening... we could avoid the Greenwood Bandits completely.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Gu’s face softened slightly as he mulled it over. “It’s a risk,” he said slowly, “but it might be worth it. If we can find another way through, we’ll avoid the bandits and might reach a nearby village”

Tao chimed in, her eyes gleaming with a glimmer of hope. “It’s worth checking out, at least. this could be our best chance.”

Finally, Gu nodded, his decision made. “We’ll explore the cave. But we’ll do it carefully. If there’s even the slightest sign of danger, we turn back.”

He paused, glancing at his companions with a soft smile. “However, first, we need some rest. We were all up the entire night, and I can see it’s taking its toll on both of you.”

Tao and Shun exchanged weary glances, the exhaustion evident in their eyes. They had spent the previous night on guard, restless and alert, and now the toll of that sleepless night was catching up to them. Tao yawned softly, her shoulders sagging from fatigue, while Shun rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off the lingering tiredness.

As the hours passed and the sun began its slow descent toward the horizon, painting the sky with streaks of orange and crimson, Shun and Gu prepared to venture into the dark unknown of the cave. The plan was simple: they would try to find another exit on the far side of the mountain. Tao, as before, was tasked with standing guard at the cave’s entrance, ready to warn them of any approaching danger.

Just before they were about to set off, Minho approached Shun with concern written all over her face. She tugged gently on his sleeve, her eyes wide with worry. “Brother Shun, please,” she began, her voice soft but insistent, “if it looks dangerous in there, promise me you’ll come back right away. Don’t take any risks, alright?”

Shun blinked, momentarily caught off guard by Minho’s pleading gaze. Despite his usual reckless nature, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse her request.

“I… alright, I promise,” Shun said, trying to offer a reassuring smile. “I’ll come back if things get dangerous, don’t worry.”

Minho smiled weakly, still not entirely convinced but grateful for his words nonetheless.

With that, the two men lit their torches, the flickering flames casting long shadows against the cave walls. The warmth of the firelight illuminated their determined expressions as they stepped deeper into the cave, its cold, yawning darkness swallowing them as they moved farther away from the safety of the entrance.

Tao, after watching them disappear into the cave’s depths, made her way to the entrance as planned, keeping watch for any signs of trouble. The sun was still setting, but the fading light would soon give way to night, and she needed to be alert in case the Greenwood Bandits or anyone else wandered too close.

Meanwhile, Minho quietly retreated into the small hut, She laid down on a bed of hay, letting out a soft sigh.

The moment she was alone, Minho’s hand reached into her bag, fingers brushing against the cool surface of the [smartphone]. She pulled it out, its glossy screen reflecting the dim light filtering through the hut’s cracks.

Carefully, she tapped the side button, and the screen blinked to life with a soft glow. The unfamiliar symbols greeted her once again, and she felt that same mix of curiosity and excitement bubbling inside her.

She tapped the [Browser], her fingers moving with a newfound familiarity, and once again referred to the notes she had scrawled on the firewood. She tapped the [URL Bar], as her notes indicated, and immediately a box of characters appeared on the screen, much like the one she’d encountered when using [Maps].

But this time, there was a key difference. According to her notes, the [URL Bar] wasn’t just for inputting specific locations, it could be used to search for anything she wanted. The thought both intrigued and slightly unsettled her. “Search,” the word itself felt powerful, as if she could ask any question and be given answers as vast and endless as the knowledge of the society this [Smartphone] had come from.

Minho paused for a moment, her mind racing. What should she ask first? Should she test the limits of this knowledge with something personal, like “What is my name?” or “What’s my favorite dish?” But she quickly dismissed the idea. The device wouldn’t know such intimate details about her—not unless this foreign society had somehow been spying on her, which seemed unlikely.

Instead, she opted for something simple yet universal. Her finger hovered over the characters for a moment, then decisively clicked on a combination to form the word: “sword.”

It was a safe choice—an object that was very important and used by almost everyone. After typing the word, she tapped [Enter] and waited.

The screen flickered for a second, and then a flood of information appeared before her eyes, far more than she had expected. Rows upon rows of text filled the screen, accompanied by small pictures and symbols that she couldn’t entirely make sense of. Her eyes darted from one corner to the next, trying to understand the layout of what she was seeing.

The first thing she noticed was that the word "sword" seemed to be repeated several times on the page, appearing in bold text in different parts of the screen. Below the bolded word were sentences—what she assumed were descriptions or explanations. Each sentence seemed to describe something different.

There were pictures too, intricate drawings and even some life-like images of swords she had never seen before. They were displayed beside the text in neat rows, each sword slightly different from the other. Some were curved, some straight, some with golden hilts, and others entirely made of a material she couldn’t recognize. The sheer variety of designs took her breath away.

Minho quickly realized this was unlike any scroll or book she had ever read. The screen wasn’t static. As she scrolled down, more information appeared, almost as if the device was anticipating her need for more knowledge. It wasn’t just one entry but a vast collection of entries—pages upon pages of information from what seemed like an endless library.

She tried to make sense of what was in front of her. The pictures were simple enough to understand, but the text was more complicated. She didn’t recognize all of the words as always, but she noticed certain phrases that repeated, which gave her a basic understanding. Words like "history," "types," "forging techniques," and "uses" stood out among the clutter of text. Each section seemed to describe a different aspect of the sword—its creation, its evolution over time, and how it was used in battle.

Then, it hit her. This wasn’t just a basic answer to her question. The [Browser] didn’t give a singular response, it presented her with a wealth of information, covering multiple aspects of the topic she had asked about. It was as if the device was drawing from an infinite collection of knowledge and presenting her with options to explore further. The sheer depth of it was astounding.

Her heart raced with excitement. This [Browser] wasn’t just a tool to give her simple answers—it was a gateway to an entire world of information, and all she had to do was ask. It was overwhelming in the best way possible.

Minho’s mind buzzed with possibilities. If this one word, “sword,” could open up so much knowledge, what else could she learn? Could this [Smartphone] give her insights into their society’s greatest secrets, or perhaps even provide answers to questions about her own world?

Suddenly, she felt a deep sense of awe for the device in her hands. It wasn’t just a mirror or a tool—it was a connection to something far greater. The people who had created this [smartphone] were different from her, but they clearly possessed a vast, organized knowledge system that was unlike anything she had ever encountered. And now, she had access to it.