As the saying goes, those who have left us are already dead, but those who still live must continue to live. No matter how unwilling the captain feels, he would not gamble the lives of his subordinates.
"Are you just going to leave me here like this?"
Just as a few were preparing to depart, a familiar voice reached their ears.
Upon hearing this voice, everyone instinctively froze in place, their eyes widening as if they’d seen a ghost.
With unprecedented speed, they turned towards the direction of the voice, only to see Lin Beichen, covered in dust, stepping out from behind a tree.
Lin Beichen’s face showed signs of fatigue, but he still bore a smile, which was enough to prove that he was in no life-threatening danger.
The members of the Dragon Army surrounded Lin Beichen with the fastest speed, especially the team member whom Lin Beichen had previously saved. Confirming that Lin Beichen was alive, he couldn’t help but burst into tears.
Such behavior might be seen as somewhat embarrassing among soldiers, but this time no one said anything. They all understood that this tears were a sincere expression of gratitude towards Lin Beichen.
"Alright, let’s leave here quickly!"
Lin Beichen also did not wish to linger in such a place for long. Upon hearing Lin Beichen’s words, the soldier who had previously been treated by him, without hesitation, hoisted Lin Beichen onto his back.
Originally, Lin Beichen wanted to refuse, but after thinking it over carefully, he realized that this was the soldier’s way of expressing his gratitude, so he did not decline further.
On the way back, a few people asked briefly about what had happened to cause such an explosion. Lin Beichen himself felt deeply shocked, not expecting the people from Dragon Country to be so ruthless.
It turned out the box contained a remote control, and the remote-controlled button for the bomb was strapped to Bordeaux and others.
Lin Beichen did not know how the bomb was attached, but judging by Bordeaux and the others’ expressions, they were certainly unaware of its existence. Otherwise, they would not have appeared so relaxed when Scorpion walked towards the box.
"I never would have thought they would do such a thing, planting bombs on their comrades. Even ordinary terrorists wouldn’t do that."
While being amazed at Lin Beichen’s survival, they also found it hard to believe. If it were members of the Dragon Army, they would never turn their comrades into human bombs, even at the cost of their own lives.
"But I can sense that Scorpion does not regard the people around him as comrades!"
After Lin Beichen said that, he clearly noticed a shiver ran through the members of the Dragon Army squad around him, and their expressions became shocked.
Although Lin Beichen was aware of this, he pretended not to see. During his conversation with Scorpion before, he had suspected that this person might have close ties with the Dragon Army, and the squad members’ reactions confirmed his suspicions.
Adhering to the principle that less trouble is better, Lin Beichen did not pursue the matter further, since the existence of the Dragon Army is highly confidential.
"Why is he called Scorpion?"
The captain tried hard to keep his voice calm, but the faint tremble in his voice was still caught by Lin Beichen.
"Because he has a scorpion tattooed on the web of his left hand!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the scene instantly fell silent. Seeing that no one spoke, Lin Beichen did not say anything more.
They then arrived at the designated time and place, where a helicopter was already hovering and waiting.
After boarding the helicopter, they flew towards the domestic direction. When they entered Dragon Country, they saw a vast forest.
"To be honest, I originally thought the forest should be a pretty nice scenery, but after what happened, seeing the forest makes me feel a bit nauseated!"
The soldier whom Lin Beichen had saved spoke up, his words eliciting bursts of laughter on the helicopter, everyone laughing heartily.
Meanwhile, in the forest, a few middle-aged men carrying bows and arrows surrounded a campfire.
"I really didn’t expect not to catch any prey after a whole day of effort today."
"Exactly, our kind who guards the forest for generations can only live off hunting!"
These people were all from a village near the forest. They had lived there since they could remember, and the village had a peculiar rule: men in the village could never go outside. Once they left, their village registration would be erased, and they could never return.
People once asked why there was such a rule, but the village chief who couldn’t explain well could only say it was a tradition handed down by the former chief, his father. They had to protect the forest and not let outsiders enter. It was said there might be some secrets in the forest.
They lived off hunting, which made this village the only one in Dragon Country allowed to hunt because the forest had many animals. Thus, their life was decent, with clear rules about not using modern firearms, only old-fashioned bows and traps.
The state occasionally provided subsidies, so despite a somewhat modest living, they were secure.
"No prey means no prey, we still have national subsidies!"
One young man smiled lightly, not bothered by not catching any prey. Just as his words fell, a middle-aged man beside him slapped his face, leaving him dazed, clutching his face in disbelief facing his father.
"Dad, why did you hit me!"
Seeing his son’s confused expression, before the old father could get angry, several seasoned hunters shook their heads with a smile.
"Let me tell you, we indeed live well under the nation’s support and can survive without hunting. But in this village, failing to catch prey is a disgrace!"
Hearing these words from his father, the young man suddenly understood and nodded.
Indeed, their village originally lived off hunting, their livelihood dependent on bringing back prey. After Dragon Country’s establishment with wildlife protection laws in place, their village alone preserved its tradition.
Firstly, the village had a significant history. Secondly, the village population was small, and restricting their hunting means wouldn’t have much impact.
The reason many animals neared extinction lies in extensive human weapon use for hunting, whereas primitive methods wouldn’t cause such issues.
"So, remember, being able to hunt is crucial for a man’s standard here. If you fail to catch any prey, don’t call yourself a man, and definitely not my son!"
Seeing his father getting emotional, the young man quickly nodded, flashing a flattering smile to calm him.
Just then, an old hunter clapped the dust off his hands, stood up, and beckoned to the others.
"Alright, let’s not waste time here. We have two hours left!"
"Don’t forget to extinguish the fire, that’s your first lesson!"
The old hunter told his son, who nodded quickly, fearing another slap.
"Wait for me!"
Seeing others rise to leave, the young man glanced at the remaining sparks and followed.
"These few sparks shouldn’t cause any problem!"