The next morning, I woke up around ten o'clock.
I had expected to be sore and aching after the intense battles and escape of the previous day. To my surprise, after a day of rest, my fatigue seemed to have completely vanished, and I felt like I had recovered to my peak condition.
Zhuoya and I ate something quick and headed towards our cave.
Our relationship with the Kasa tribe was now one of irreconcilable enmity. If they discovered we were still alive, they would hunt us down at any cost.
Therefore, we had to relocate to a place they couldn't find before they could react. Once we became stronger, we would return to settle the score!
The journey was uneventful until we neared the cave where we were staying. I heard a commotion from the direction of the cave, with shouts and yells.
Had the Kasa tribe found Shangguan Yao and the others?
My heart tightened. The cave's combat strength was at most Guan Haier alone. If the savages attacked, they would all be doomed!
I instantly entered combat mode and signaled Zhuoya. She understood and pulled out her gun.
Zhuoya and I quickly moved through the forest, stealthily approaching the cave.
Indeed, over a dozen savages, armed with spears, stood at the cave entrance, shouting inside.
The wooden barricade at the cave entrance was intact, suggesting these savages intended to capture Shangguan Yao and the others alive. They weren't in a hurry to attack.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Zhuoya and I were fast. If Shangguan Yao and the others had been captured, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
It was also their greed that led to this. They wanted to capture them alive, but I wouldn't allow it!
I gestured to Zhuoya and quietly circled around to the other side of the woods.
Once in position, I raised my rifle, chambered a round, and aimed at the leader of the savages.
This brute, unaware of his impending doom, was arrogantly roaring into the cave, occasionally gesturing with his spear.
Shangguan Yao's angry voice echoed from within the cave: "Damn savages! When Lu Ziye returns, he won't let you get away with this!"
While the savages' attention was fixed on Shangguan Yao's voice, I pulled the trigger. A bloom of blood erupted on the chest of the leading savage.
He staggered, his eyes wide with disbelief, and fell to the ground.
Nice!
As my gunshot rang out, Zhuoya also made her move. Bullets suddenly rained down on the savages from all directions, each one claiming a life.
The savages were thrown into utter chaos. Despite their powerful physiques, they couldn't locate the hidden enemies. They could only roar in defiance as their lives ended.
Watching the savages die in frustration at my hands filled me with a sense of exhilaration. A clever plan began to form in my mind.
Ordinary savages posed no threat to us armed with firearms.
Only the Sea God's Attendants, cultivated through some unknown method, were troublesome.
If we ambushed and eliminated some savages each day, the Kasa tribe would be wiped out in no time.
After all, Sea God's Attendants could no longer be considered human, unable to reproduce. Moreover, the conditions for their transformation were extremely harsh.
As I pondered this, only one heavily tattooed savage remained on the field. He looked around in fear, his hand clutching the spear trembling uncontrollably.
I lowered my rifle and slowly emerged from the bushes, looking at him with disdain and beckoning him with a finger.
Upon seeing me, the savage's face contorted with rage. He let out a yell, charging at me with his spear, intent on avenging his fallen comrades.
I no longer considered these minor characters a threat, especially after I had already killed a Sea God's Attendant, who was ten times more powerful than them.
Dealing with this type of fodder was child's play!
Seeing the spear charge towards me, I calmly sidestepped. I caught the spear as it narrowly missed me and, to everyone's astonished gaze, drew my alloy knife from my waist and decapitated him with a single stroke!
Thus, the invading savages were completely annihilated by Zhuoya and me.
Seeing that the savages outside had been dealt with, Shangguan Yao and the others inside the cave quickly lowered the barricade.
Shangguan Yao rushed into my arms, tears streaming down her face. "Why did you take so long to come back? If you had returned any later, we would have..." she sobbed.
I held the crying Shangguan Yao in my arms and waved to the others.
Guan Haier stepped forward, hesitating as she asked, "Ye Gege, it's only been a few days since I last saw you, but your entire demeanor has changed?"
I smiled and retorted, "I'm still your Ye Gege, aren't I? How have I changed?"
Guan Haier stammered, shyly saying, "You've developed a decisive and resolute aura, as if you've been a soldier on the battlefield."
Hearing Guan Haier's words, I realized it was true.
She wasn't wrong.
While only a few days had passed for them, I had endured several crises and even fought my way out of life-threatening situations.
My mental state was bound to be different.
However, now was not the time to dwell on such matters. I smiled and comforted Shangguan Yao for a moment, gently pushing her away and walking over to Luo Yaqin.
Luo Yaqin, on the other hand, appeared remarkably calm, though the intense emotion in her eyes was undeniable.
She took several deep breaths, settled her heaving chest, and repeatedly said, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
It wasn't surprising that everyone reacted so intensely. Before Zhuoya and I left, we had instructed them to relocate if we didn't return within a few days.
We had essentially made our final arrangements.
Looking back now, it was indeed a terrifying thought.
If even the slightest thing had gone wrong in the past few days of Zhuoya's and my experiences, we would have either been captured by the Kasa tribe and turned into slaves, or worse, become nourishment for the forest's flora and fauna.
After exchanging pleasantries with everyone, I took a shovel from the cave, preparing to dig a pit and bury all the savage corpses.
The strong smell of blood, if left for too long, would attract fierce beasts from the forest. While we weren't particularly worried with our guns, if it led the Kasa tribe here, all our efforts would be in vain.
If destiny were to subtly ensnare someone without their awareness,
Then, looking back, I was already deeply entangled, unable to extricate myself...