"Hmm? What's going on?"
In the wild forest, Tang Wen kept glancing around, occasionally looking back.
"Today, why do I keep feeling uneasy? My attributes have improved, so it should be the prey that's anxious," he thought suspiciously.
The hook-nosed man who had been tailing him confirmed his direction and quietly left, heading to the outskirts of the Scavengers' gathering spot.
The hook-nosed man spoke to a few emaciated, barely clothed Scavengers:
"Kill a half-grown kid, and each of you gets half a pound of rice. Those who want to do it, step forward. I need five—no, eight! I'll take eight!" Remembering the long knife Tang Wen carried and his height, which was no less than his own, he decided to play it safe and spend four pounds of rice to hire eight people.
Eight against one—how could they lose?
As for himself, of course, he wouldn't risk his life.
Deep in the forest.
Tang Wen, who had scattered roasted sweet potatoes as bait, began testing his enhanced abilities.
Whoosh!
He hurled a Flying Stone with all his strength.
Thud!
The stone struck the tree trunk, cracking the thick bark and causing the tree to shudder slightly.
Tang Wen walked over and saw an egg-sized dent in the tree, with cracks radiating out like a spiderweb.
"Isn't this effect a bit exaggerated?" he couldn't help but mutter.
Within a few dozen steps, the stone had pierced the bark and left a dent in the trunk.
If it hit a person, wouldn't it break at least two bones?
What if it hit the head?
The Flying Stone hadn't even been upgraded yet, but just the increase in his personal attributes had made it so much stronger?
Suddenly, a bird flew by.
Tang Wen instantly drew his knife.
The dagger shot out like an arrow, pinning the passing Red-billed Finch to the tree with a thud.
[Skill: Flying Knife Skill, Proficient (3→5/3000)]
Two experience points—better than nothing.
The dagger had sunk more than ten centimeters into the wood.
If the target had been a person, this strike would have been fatal.
"Tang's Flying Knife never misses!"
After several experiments, Tang Wen looked at the information in his attribute panel: [Physique: 2.1], and began to understand.
From 1.1 to 2.1, his physique had nearly doubled, but his strength had increased by more than just double.
After all, explosive power equals strength multiplied by speed. With both strength and speed doubled, his explosive power would be close to four times what it was before.
And both the Flying Stone and Flying Knife Skill relied heavily on explosive power.
"Hmm?"
Wait!
He recalled the sudden unease he had felt earlier. His attribute [Spirit: 2.05] meant his perception and similar abilities must have also significantly improved.
So, was that feeling of unease some kind of warning?
It sounded far-fetched, but Tang Wen decided to trust it!
At home, they weren't short on meat or grain, so hunting wasn't urgent.
With that in mind, Tang Wen shouldered his basket and found a sturdy tree. Using his hands and feet, he quickly climbed up.
In the forest, visibility was limited, and even from the tree, he didn't immediately notice anything unusual.
But as a hunter, he had plenty of patience.
Time passed slowly, and the sun gradually rose overhead.
Suddenly, Tang Wen heard footsteps.
He hid himself and quietly looked in the direction of the sound.
A group of ragged Scavengers, each holding a sharp bamboo pole over two meters long, crept into the forest.
There were eight of them in total. The leader was burlier and carried a knife, while the other seven each held a long, sharpened bamboo pole!
Among them, some were looking around, while others were staring at the footprints on the ground.
"Is it this direction? Are we sure we're not mistaken?"
"Who cares if we're wrong? If we can't find him by noon, I'm going back."
"This forest is so vast, who knows where he could be?"
"..."
Tang Wen slowed his breathing, his eyes filled with suspicion: Are these Scavengers looking for someone? Could it be me?
At that moment, a Scavenger holding a long knife spoke up: "Keep your voices down! We took his rice, so we must find him. Split up, two in a team, and shout if you find him!"
"Alright."
The responses were scattered, and the group was about to split into pairs.
"Wait, let me remind you again, what does he look like? He's a young lad, wearing several layers of hemp clothes, carrying a basket on his back, and holding a long knife..."
Tang Wen's alertness shot up: A young lad, hemp clothes, a basket, and a long knife—that's exactly me!
Could there really be someone else dressed exactly the same in this forest?
Impossible!
So, I've been waiting for this, someone really wants to harm me?
...
Tang Wen felt both relieved and fearful, his mind still in a whirl.
What should I do?
There are eight of them.
Should I run?
They haven't spotted me yet!
No,
No way!
They're clearly hired to find me.
If I don't figure this out, I'll have to sleep with one eye open from now on!
But who is it?
Who have I offended?
Who wants to kill me?
Damn it!
What kind of world is this!
Tang Wen crouched on the tree, going over everything that had happened since he crossed over, but he couldn't make sense of it.
"I have to figure this out!" He felt a surge of frustration.
In a short while, the group had split into pairs.
Stones, daggers, long knives—Tang Wen checked his weapons, everything was in order. He took a deep breath and looked at a nearby pair.
Since I can't avoid it, I'll face it!
Avoiding their line of sight, he slipped down from the other side of the tree and quickly moved toward their rear.
"Who's there?" One of the Scavengers turned around.
Whoosh!
A long knife came into view, its back heavy with force, descending with a gust of wind.
The Scavenger who turned around didn't even make a sound, collapsing to the ground.
"Don't move, if you want to live, stay quiet!" The knife turned and pressed against the other's neck: "Make a sound, and you're dead!"
"I won't, I won't."
He looked at his companion, whose neck was bent at a hundred and eighty degrees, swallowed hard, and his legs went weak.
"Are you looking for me?"
"Yes, yes, it's you."
"Why are you looking for me? Are you sure it's me?"
"I don't know, someone gave us rice to find you, said if we kill you, we get a pound of rice each."
Hearing this price, Tang Wen couldn't help but feel a moment of dizziness.
My life is worth eight pounds of rice?
"Have you seen me before?"
"No, no."
"Then how do you know it's me?" Tang Wen's first interrogation was a bit chaotic due to lack of experience.
"That person said he saw you enter this forest alone."
"What if there are others?"
"Then, then, we kill them all..."
Thud!
After saying this, the man knelt on the ground, begging for mercy.
Tang Wen sneered: "Tell me, what does the person who hired you look like, where is he now?"
"He's waiting on the path by the edge of the forest, waiting for us, waiting..."
Tang Wen understood: "Waiting for you to bring back my head?"
"The body, it's the body."
"Damn! Quite professional." Tang Wen cursed.
"Help! I'm here!" The man on the ground suddenly shouted, reaching out to grab Tang Wen's leg, trying to trip him.
But he was too slow and lacked strength. Tang Wen swiftly drew his dagger and slashed it across the man's throat.
Ssssh!
The blade felt strange, as if cutting through several extremely resilient ropes.
Blood gushed out!
There was no time for reflection. Someone in the distance had spotted Tang Wen.
Several Scavengers shouted and charged toward him.
Tang Wen also accelerated, rushing toward them.
Soon, the distance was close enough!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh
Flying Stones were launched in rapid succession, aiming straight for their eyes and throats.
"Ah!"
"Ah, ah!"
The accuracy of the Flying Stones was such that even the most agile Red-billed Finch couldn't dodge them, let alone these Scavengers who had long endured hunger and hardship!
The four who charged forward fell to the ground one after another. The luckier two could still roll on the ground, clutching their eyes.
The other two had their throats crushed and collapsed to the ground, gradually losing their vitality.
Not far away, the leader of the
Scavengers, along with one of his subordinates, charged forward, howling.
After charging for a while, their vision blurred, and the next moment, they saw their four companions simultaneously incapacitated. They stopped shouting and came to an abrupt halt!
The two exchanged a glance, as if they had seen a ghost, and turned to flee.
Tang Wen: ...
(End of Chapter)