Chapter 372 - 344: Visitor
Someone was looking for them.
Qin Ziwen and Du Yu exchanged a look, both arriving at the same conclusion.
Out here in the middle of nowhere, in this godforsaken forest, people had suddenly appeared right near their operational area.
"My Lord, we can’t keep too many people here," Du Yu said at once.
"Right. I’ll go tell them."
Qin Ziwen found Qin Ziwu and explained the situation.
Qin Ziwu tightened his grip on his Long Spear. "I understand."
He quickly turned back, found Cao Biansheng, and the two of them stopped the group that was crossing over. They had the main force return to the Gated Community, leaving only a small elite team behind.
"Everyone else should head back too," Qin Ziwen said, glancing around. "Anyone who isn’t Extraordinary has no reason to stay. It’ll be harder to retreat if we have too many people."
Qin Ziwu thought for a moment and agreed with the logic. He then had the core members of the Hunting Team return to Home as well.
Watching them depart, Qin Ziwen sighed inwardly. ’It’s a shame Mogu isn’t at the Gated Community right now.’
Earlier in the day, Mogu had set out with some of the Fishmen to hunt at sea.
Qin Ziwen retrieved his Bow and coated the arrowheads with venom from a Silver Thread Snake, then placed the poisoned Arrows into a separate Quiver.
If there were still people lurking nearby, they must have noticed all the commotion by now.
Qin Ziwen found Black. "Do you smell any other humans nearby?"
Everyone in Home knew that nothing could escape Black’s nose.
As a top predator, its olfactory bulb was extremely developed—the pinnacle of terrestrial evolution.
It could tell what kind of meat you had for lunch from a burp hundreds of meters away.
Once, after Qin Ziwen had finished some barbecue, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and threw it in the trash. Ten minutes later, that damn dog trotted up to him with the napkin in its mouth, begging for food with its tail spinning like a propeller.
At the command, Black let out a low growl and trotted over to where the horseshoe prints were found. It lowered its head, followed the scent eastward for a short distance, then stood up straight and gazed into the distance.
"They went that way?"
"ROAR."
Based on the direction Black indicated, they had likely headed downstream, toward the plains.
Qin Ziwen had a good guess as to their origins.
They were probably from that city he had seen on the plains last time.
A chill ran down his spine. All he did was take a peek from a distance, and not only did they shoot a few arrows at him, but they also sent people to track him for over a hundred kilometers, conducting a full-blown grid search.
’This is the freaking Dark Forest, for crying out loud!’
’First they dox you, then they raid your house.’
’How is a purely good-natured person like me supposed to survive in this world full of crises?’
"Little White Dragon, you head back first." Qin Ziwen sent the juvenile dinosaur back to Home. It was still just a hatchling and wouldn’t be much help here.
Then he looked at Black. It was large, but a large body also made a large target, easy to focus fire on.
He was just about to send it back as well.
The sound of beating wings came from the sky. A Beaked Eagle dove, snatched a bird that had just taken flight from the nearby woods, and flew back.
The bird had golden wings, a deep blue back, and a white ring around its head.
His eyes narrowed. Tied to the bird’s leg was a small metal ring.
’It was domesticated.’
’They intentionally left a bird here?!’
’If someone came out, this bird would fly back and report it.’
A flicker of apprehension crossed Qin Ziwen’s eyes.
’Looks like I can’t just casually come to the forest map anymore.’
’But is this hard-won chance to rewind just going to be wasted?’
’However... he was curious. Judging by the distance they’d covered, it must have taken them more than a day to search this far. Did they have a way to stay in a previous map for an extended period?’
’If he brought someone back to a previous map and left them there when the rewind period ended, would that person continue to exist on that map, or would they be forcibly sent back?’
The group was sent back one by one.
Du Yu stepped forward and volunteered, "My Lord, let me stay. It’s a good opportunity to probe their strength and weaknesses."
Qin Ziwen frowned and shook his head without a second thought. "Absolutely not. The enemy’s situation is unknown. How can I let you put yourself in danger? If they have malicious intent..."
"My Lord," Shi Hu, who had been standing silently in the back, suddenly spoke up. "Let me stay. Instructor Du is a cornerstone of Home. It’s better if I stay instead."
"I’ll stay too," Zhang Meng said. "With the two of us, if there’s real danger, one can escape to bring back word."
Qin Ziwen looked back at the two determined men. "Alright. If you succeed, I’ll record a merit for each of you. But you won’t be on duty alone. I’ll assign you a helper."
Everyone returned to Home, leaving Zhang Meng and Shi Hu behind. The two of them sat down, leaning against the gate.
Night fell.
The mountain forest sank into darkness, with only the rustling of wind through the leaves.
The two men on watch built a small fire in front of them.
The flames danced, illuminating their faces. Lying quietly on the ground beside them was a Single Claw Dragon.
Just as a spark burst from the campfire, the Single Claw Dragon suddenly lifted its head and looked into the distance.
Before long, the clear, rhythmic sound of horse hooves echoed from deep within the woods, growing closer and shattering the night’s silence.
Shi Hu looked up, his hand tightening slightly on his bow.
Three figures on horseback emerged from the sparse woods, stopping right at the edge of the firelight.
The woman in the lead sat high on her horse, the firelight illuminating her well-defined jawline. She looked down on the two of them, her voice cool and appraising. "Cautious, aren’t we. To be able to detect our tracks and even intercept a Message Bird... it seems you have some skill."
The flickering firelight finally illuminated the visitors’ forms clearly.
Shi Hu’s pupils constricted. These were tall, powerful horses, the likes of which he had never seen before. Even more astonishingly, a sharp, single horn jutted from the center of each horse’s forehead.
The woman did not dismount, speaking casually as if she were merely passing by. "I mean no harm. I have come to present you with an opportunity. Go quickly and inform your master."
Shi Hu took a deep breath, stepped forward, and straightened his back. "If you have something to say," he declared in a clear voice, "you can say it to me."
"You?" The woman’s gaze finally landed on his face, her tone as flat as if she were brushing away a speck of dust. "You are not worthy."
She said it matter-of-factly, not as an insult directed at Shi Hu, but as a statement of fact.
Shi Hu’s knuckles whitened on the back of his bow. He met her gaze and said slowly, deliberately:
"I am authorized by my Lord; here, I am his eyes and ears. You are guests, yet I see no courtesy befitting a guest. My Lord is not someone you can summon at will!"
"Insolent!"
The two black-robed figures behind the woman drew the curved blades at their waists. With a metallic ring, the tips of their swords were pointed directly at Shi Hu.
Shi Hu sneered and, instead of retreating, stepped forward to meet the blades, looking straight at the woman. "Drawing your weapons at the first disagreement? Is this the ’sincere opportunity’ you spoke of?"
A strange light flickered in the woman’s eyes. She sized up Shi Hu, then glanced back at her two attendants with displeasure. "Did I tell you to draw your blades? Sheathe them."
"Yes, milady."
The black-robed men replied respectfully.
They sheathed their blades.
A faint, unreadable smile touched the woman’s lips. "You’ve got some nerve. Your master certainly knows how to pick his men."
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