Chapter 344: Visitors (3/5) |
Someone was looking for them.
Qin Ziwen and Du Yu exchanged a glance, both coming to the same conclusion.
In this deep mountain forest, a godforsaken place, people suddenly appeared, and right near where they were operating.
"Master, we can't leave too many people behind," Du Yu said immediately.
"Mm, I'll go talk to them."
Qin Ziwen found Qin Ziwu and explained the situation.
Qin Ziwu tightened his grip on his spear, "I understand."
Soon he turned and found Cao Biansheng. The two of them returned and had the troops passing through the center turn back, sending the bulk of the force back to the residential complex, leaving only a few elite behind.
"Everyone else go back too," Qin Ziwen glanced around and said, "Everyone else go back. If there are no Superhumans, there's no need to stay. If too many people stay, withdrawal will be difficult."
Watching the group head back, Qin Ziwen murmured inwardly with regret that Mogu wasn't in the residential complex right now.
Earlier that day, Mogu had taken some fish-men and gone out to sea to hunt.
Qin Ziwen fetched his bow and smeared the arrows' tips with the Silver Thread Snake's venom, then put those poisoned arrows together into the same quiver.
If there were other people secretly nearby, they would have noticed such a big commotion long ago.
Qin Ziwen asked Little Black One, "Do you smell any other humans nearby?"
Who in the Home didn't know that nothing escaped Little Black One's nose?
As a top carnivorous hunter, its olfactory bulbs were highly developed, evolved to the peak of terrestrial sense.
Even from hundreds of meters away, it could burp and tell what meat he'd eaten for lunch.
Once, after Qin Ziwen finished some roasted meat and wiped his mouth with a piece of paper and threw it in the trash, ten minutes later the damned dog brought that napkin to him begging, tail spinning like a propeller.
Little Black One lowed and trotted to the place where horse hooves had been found before. It lowered its head and moved eastward for a short distance, then straightened up and stared into the distance.
"Headed that way?"
"Howl."
From the direction Little Black One picked out, the others were probably heading downstream along the river, toward the plains.
Qin Ziwen guessed where they had come from.
Most likely they were from that city he had seen on the plains last time.
A chill ran down his spine. They'd only glanced once from afar, yet had shot a few arrows at him, then sent people to pursue them for over a hundred kilometers, conducting a blanket search.
This damn Dark Forest!
Last time they traced them via the network to beat people up, now they came to inspect the houses.
How on earth are decent people like us supposed to survive in a world bristling with danger?
"Little White Dragon, you go back first," Qin Ziwen told the juvenile white dinosaur to return to the Home. It was still a hatchling and wouldn't be of much help staying.
He looked at Little Black One as well. It was large, but large targets attract focused fire.
He was about to send it back too.
Wings beat through the sky; the Crowned Eagle swooped, snatched a bird that had taken off from the nearby woods, and returned.
The bird had golden wings, a deep blue back, and a white ring around its head.
Qin Ziwen's eyes narrowed. There was a small iron ring bound around the bird's leg.
It was a captive bird.
They had deliberately left a pigeon here?!
When someone came out, the bird would fly back to report.
A trace of unease flashed across Qin Ziwen's eyes.
Looks like they can't casually come into the forest map anymore.
But was this wasted on a rare Backtrack opportunity?
Still... he was curious. Judging by how far they were, the search must have lasted more than a day. Did they have a way to stay long-term in the previous map?
If someone brought people back to an earlier map and, when the Backtrack time ended, left those people outside, would those people continue to exist in that map, or would they be forcibly returned?
People were being sent back one after another.
Du Yu stepped forward and volunteered, "Master, let me stay. I can probe their strength and intent."
Qin Ziwen frowned and shook his head without hesitation, "No. The enemy situation is unclear. How can I let you take risks? If they have ambitions..."
"Master," Stone Tiger, who had been standing silently behind, suddenly spoke up, "I'll stay. Instructor Du is the Home's Pillar of Heaven; let me remain."
"I'll stay too. The two of us—if there's danger, one of us can come back to report," Zhang Meng said.
Qin Ziwen looked at the two of them, resolute. "Alright. If you succeed, I'll record this merit. But you won't be on duty alone; I'll assign you a helper."
The others returned to the Home. Zhang Meng and Stone Tiger remained, sitting against the gate.
Night fell.
The mountain forest sank into darkness; only the wind whispered through the leaves.
The two on watch made a small fire nearby.
The flames flickered and lit their cheeks; on the ground beside them, the Mononykus lay quietly.
As a spark burst from the bonfire, the Mononykus suddenly lifted its head and looked off into the distance.
Not long after, clear rhythmic hoofbeats sounded from deep within the woods, coming closer and shattering the night's silence.
Stone Tiger raised his head, his bow hand tensing slightly.
Three figures on horseback passed through the sparse trees and stopped right at the edge of the bonfire's glow.
The woman in the lead sat high in the saddle. The firelight outlined her sharply defined jaw. She scanned Stone Tiger and the other, her voice cool and carrying a hint of appraisal: "You're cautious. To notice our tracks and intercept a messenger bird shows some skill."
The firelight leapt and finally revealed the visitors' forms.
Stone Tiger's pupils constricted. He had never seen such a tall, grand horse; even more astonishingly, a sharp horn rose straight from the center of the horse's forehead.
The woman did not dismount. Casual as if passing by, she said, "I mean no harm. I'm here to bring you an opportunity. Go quickly and inform your master."
Stone Tiger inhaled deeply, stepped forward, straightened his back, and spoke aloud, "If you have something to say, say it to me."
"You?" The woman's gaze finally landed on his face. Her tone was as indifferent as brushing away dust, "You are not qualified."
She said it lightly, not directed at Stone Tiger so much as stating a fact.
Stone Tiger's fingers tightened on his bow's grip, his knuckles whitening. Facing her look, he said each word heavily:
"I have my master's authorization. Here I am my master's eyes and ears. You are guests, yet I see no guestly manners. My master is not someone you can summon at whim!"
"How dare you!"
Two black-robed men behind the woman drew curved blades from their waists with a metallic ring. The blades pointed straight at Stone Tiger.
Stone Tiger sneered and, instead of retreating, stepped forward toward the blade, locking his gaze on the woman, "Quick to draw blades at a disagreement? Is this the sincerity behind your so-called opportunity?"
A flicker of surprise crossed the woman's eyes. She appraised Stone Tiger, then glanced to the two men behind her with an almost amused look. "Have you drawn your blades? Put them away."
"Yes."
The black-robed men replied respectfully.
They sheathed their swords.
A faint, inscrutable curve lifted the woman's mouth. "You have some guts. Your master knows how to use people."