Chapter 117: Chapter 116 Where Are Uncle Wei and the Others? Why Can’t I See Them? (Please Subscribe)
The people from Zhao Family Castle responded instinctively with disbelief.
The last time they encountered Chen Guodong’s group in Song Family Castle, it was true that Chen Guodong had caught a significant amount of prey. But in their view, it was likely just a case of a blind cat stumbling upon a dead rat, purely luck.
Next time, they surely wouldn’t be so lucky.
But now?
"Brother Cao, are you sure you’re not mistaken? Is that not Chen Guodong’s group?"
"Yeah, how could they possibly have wildebeest mounts, and several of them too? Don’t you know that each of those costs a few thousand?"
"Maybe it’s someone else?"
"Do they have many people? If they don’t outnumber us, heh heh heh."
Someone let out a laugh, the meaning was clear.
Hearing this, the others began to grow restless.
If they were not many, they could just rob them. After all, if something was handed to you on a platter, how could you not accept it?
Although they could show some mercy and let those people live, provided they were sensible enough.
"How could I be mistaken?"
Cao Shiguang’s breathing became rapid, "It’s definitely them, but..."
He paused, squinting his eyes, curiously saying, "Why are Gu Jianghai and his people with them? They seem to get along quite well?"
The twenty or thirty people behind him were even more confused upon hearing this.
What’s going on?
It’s both Chen Guodong and Gu Jianghai, what’s really happening?
"Hiss..."
At that moment, Cao Shiguang gasped again, his voice full of shock and a tinge of fear, "How come they have guns?"
"What!"
The atmosphere immediately fell silent.
Those who were eager to give it a try moments ago now looked at each other, unconsciously taking a step back.
No wonder they had mounts; it turned out they were armed.
But something was off!
Didn’t Brother Cao say they were from Chen Family Stronghold? Even if you count Gu Jianghai, where did the guns come from???
Many eyes fell on Third Brother Zhao.
"Third Brother, what’s the situation? Is it really like Brother Cao said?"
"Yeah, Third Brother, if they’re from Chen Family Stronghold, where did they get horses? And where did the guns come from? Even if they had the money to buy them, they couldn’t without a resident permit from Song Family Castle, right?"
They felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling on their bodies, itching intolerably.
Third Brother Zhao didn’t answer immediately. It was almost two minutes before he put down the telescope and said, "Old Cao is right, it’s Chen Guodong and Gu Jianghai’s group."
"Then, do they really have mounts? Do they really have guns?"
Countless desperate eyes turned to him.
"Yes."
Third Brother Zhao nodded, his gaze growing colder, "Not only do they have them, but quite a few."
"!!!"
The atmosphere quieted again, pin-drop silent.
"I saw them leading six wildebeest, each one dragging a prey."
Cao Shiguang said slowly, "Not only that, I saw three people with guns, two rifles, and an SMG."
The crowd felt a surge of heat, then as if doused with cold water.
Two rifles?
And an SMG?
Despite having bows and arrows, their range was far shorter than that of rifles.
Getting close was dangerous, especially with an SMG!
At one to two hundred meters, a burst could turn someone into a beehive!
Those six wildebeest, each dragging a prey, sounded tempting, but considering the guns, forget it.
Someone shrank back, taking a step backwards.
But not everyone was willing.
A tall, crooked-mouth man holding a 100-pound longbow shouted, "Damn it, so what if they have guns? Do they think they’re mighty? Just three guns, we have so many people, charging together, they can’t be our match!"
"That’s right!"
Someone quickly echoed, "Chen Guodong’s group, who knows how they got those three guns, but it’s not easy to master marksmanship. Many of us are good with bows, in a real fight, do we need to fear them?"
"Third Brother, there’s nothing to hesitate about. Let’s catch them off guard, seize the guns and horses. If they resist, kill them all! And take all the women from Chen Family Stronghold!"
"Yes, yes, hahaha!"
The site resounded with laughter.
In their view, there was nothing wrong with this approach.
To hell with legal rules and moral constraints, in this apocalypse, whoever has the bigger fist owns everything!
"They’ve spotted us."
Third Brother Zhao suddenly said.
"Huh?"
The crooked-mouth man gaped, "Third Brother, what did you say? They’ve spotted us?"
"Right."
Cao Shiguang, still watching through the telescope, said, "Some of them also have telescopes and are watching us, including those holding the guns. If we charge now, they’ll likely see and shoot first."
"They wouldn’t dare!"
Someone shouted.
However, no one echoed the sentiment, and the person’s momentum quickly waned, "Shouldn’t we pretend to go over and greet them?"
"Do you think they’re stupid?"
Cao Shiguang glanced at him, "If it were you, carrying so much, wouldn’t you be cautious seeing a large group approaching?"
"But, but..."
That person, unconvinced, still wanted to argue.
A voice cut him off.
"Enough, that’s it." Third Brother Zhao said calmly.
"!"
The crowd exchanged glances, even those considering retreating seemed incredulous.
"Third Brother, you’re giving up so easily?"
The crooked-mouth man unwillingly said, "This time is different from last time, those troublesome guys aren’t here. This side is all our people. So what if they have guns? If we charge together, we’ll definitely win."
"Who’ll lead the charge? You?"
Third Brother Zhao gave him a cold look.
The crooked-mouth man immediately shivered, his face showing a smile uglier than a cry.
Are you kidding?
Leading the charge meant likely dying first...
He was still young, not wanting to die yet.
"Or you? You? You guys?"
Wherever Third Brother Zhao’s gaze landed, nobody dared meet his eyes; they either looked at their shoes or turned to the wilderness.
"See?"
Third Brother Zhao said unhappily.
Whether others would be focused on by Chen Family Stronghold, he didn’t know.
But as the leader, he would surely be targeted.
Even if he got shot and survived, it wouldn’t feel good, and he might be left with a permanent injury, stuck at the Body Tempering Third Layer for life.
He was on the verge of breaking through to the Muscle Refining Realm and couldn’t take that risk.
"Alright, calm down, calm down," Cao Shiguang chuckled, "everyone just doesn’t want to let Chen Guodong go so easily."
"Yes, yes, Third Brother."
"Feels too lenient to let them off like this."
"How did they get those things anyway? There has to be a big secret here."
"Don’t worry."
Third Brother Zhao’s mouth curved up in a pleased smile, "They might evade us now, but once I tell my older brothers, Chen Guodong’s group will have to hand over everything."
Everyone’s eyes lit up at his words.
They had forgotten about Third Brother Zhao’s two older brothers!
One was at the Mid Stage of Muscle Refining, the other Late Stage. Especially Brother Zhao Da, who could effortlessly draw a five hundred pound longbow and shoot down Mid-level Fierce Beast Iron Armor Rhinoceros!
With that level of skill, what did a rifle matter? Could it even strike Brother Zhao Da?
"Third Brother is indeed wise; we only act impulsively," the crooked-mouth man flattered.
"Yes, yes, if we rushed in, even if we won, we’d suffer some losses."
"Exactly, Third Brother is thinking about our safety."
"Third Brother, you are too good to us."
Listening to these flattering words, Third Brother Zhao’s smile grew wider. Was he unaware they were fawning?
Of course, he knew.
But flattery pleased him nonetheless, and he didn’t think it was all false.
A kilometer or two away, Chen Guodong and his group were also on high alert.
They knew that traveling with mounts would eventually lead to encountering people from Zhao Family Castle. They couldn’t just leave the mounts unused in the stronghold out of fear of causing trouble.
So they had prepared for such a situation.
Leading the wildebeests back, they kept an eye on the distance. If that group led by Third Brother Zhao really came over, they would have to fight to see who was stronger.
Chen Fan also received the news and observed the distant group with a telescope.
"They don’t seem to be coming over," Gao Yang said.
Chen Guodong and the others let out a sigh of relief.
"Don’t worry, although they have many people, we’re not few either, and we have guns, not to mention Xiaofan is here," Gu Jianghai analyzed calmly.
"That’s right, even the bandits outside Song Family Castle couldn’t beat Xiaofan. Zhao Jiabao’s ragtag bunch can’t compare to bandits."
"Old Liu, you give Third Brother Zhao’s people too much credit."
The crowd laughed.
"They really don’t seem to be coming, they’re turning away," Liu Yong said, surprised.
Could they be scared?
"Smart move."
The group finally relaxed, smiling.
A busy morning, going back and forth four times; the bounty of their hunt was evident.
They were indeed exhausted, but after lunch and some rest, they would practice martial arts again.
With this much prey, they wouldn’t need to hunt for the next few days and could focus on martial arts.
"Something’s off."
At that moment, Chen Fan’s voice, filled with slight panic, broke the calm.
"What is it, Xiaofan?"
Chen Guodong’s heart sank, and Gu Jianghai, Liu Yong, and others’ smiles froze.
"I didn’t see Uncle Wei among them."
Chen Fan said, a chill running down his spine.
Holding the telescope, Gao Yang was stunned.
No wonder he felt something was off. He had been worried they would come over, so he kept watching Third Brother Zhao.
Now hearing Chen Fan’s words, he came to realize.
Right, where were Tian Gong and Tianyuan, and the other two or three people? They seemed to be missing!