Chapter 50 - 46: Mountain Armor
"Forget it, let’s head back. A whole day’s work for nothing again."
"Brother Chen, you got any extra dog food at home? Mind lending me some?" The young man with the wolf-tail haircut chuckled, rubbing his hands together as he faced the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man shook his head, his face full of regret. "Sorry, Xiaozheng, I’m almost out of dog food myself. My Labrador has a huge appetite, like a bottomless pit."
The wolf-tailed young man looked at the young man with the mole, who quickly waved his hands. "Da Fei, I was about to ask you for some. I’m out of dog food too. I don’t know what I’m going to do."
A flicker of gloom crossed Zheng Fei’s eyes, but he quickly looked up, a sunny smile returning to his face.
"Alright, let’s head back then. Come on, Heizi."
The German Shepherd, which had been circling the Labrador, heard its master’s call. It glanced back at the Labrador reluctantly before running to its master’s side.
After they had walked a short distance, the German Shepherd barked furiously at something up ahead. "WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"
The Labrador moved forward, coming up alongside the German Shepherd.
The Beagle glanced ahead, then lowered its head and took two steps back to stand by its master.
"RUSTLE, RUSTLE."
A rustling sound came from the tall grass.
An injured wild boar poked its head out, glanced at the three men, and then ducked back into the bushes behind it.
The three men froze for a moment, then exclaimed excitedly, "It’s that injured boar!"
"After it!"
"WOOF WOOF!"
The German Shepherd was the fastest. It charged ahead and dove into the tall bushes, but a second later, it was sent flying back out.
It flew three or four meters through the air before hitting the ground and rolling several times.
The German Shepherd’s body twitched slightly. It struggled to get up several times but couldn’t.
"THUD! THUD! THUD!"
The ground trembled. The three men watched as a dark silhouette like a moving fortress burst from the grass. The injured boar from before was cowering beside this behemoth. Though it was a large boar itself, weighing well over two hundred pounds, it looked like a child in comparison to the giant beside it.
The injured young boar let out a pathetic squeal from its throat.
Beside it, the gargantuan boar’s tail whipped back and forth. It lowered its head, its snout rooting at the ground, its hooves digging into the soil.
Seeing the classic pre-charge stance opposite them, Zheng Fei’s throat went dry. He turned and ran.
The other two men snapped out of it and also turned to flee.
"ROAR!!!"
With a deep, powerful roar like an engine, the gargantuan boar became a black shadow as it charged forward.
Zheng Fei had only run a short distance when something slammed violently into his lower back, sending him flying through the air. He could only watch as he hurtled toward a tree.
...
"Careful, don’t run into the tree."
Qin Ziwen steadied his brother. Just now, Qin Ziwu had stepped on a small rock and nearly twisted his ankle.
"Kree."
Overhead, the Beaked Eagle seemed to hear something and looked behind them.
It stared for a moment, then turned back.
It wasn’t until after seven in the evening, when the sky was already dark, that everyone arrived safely back at the Gated Community.
Li Yue was moved to tears. "Bro, don’t say anything. I’ll keep it all in my heart. A long road tests a horse’s strength, and time reveals a person’s heart."
Qin Ziwen shot him a disdainful look. "Alright, alright, you’re not even using the idiom correctly. Where do you live? We’ll help you get up there."
Li Yue said, "Bro, I’m in Building 5, Unit 2, on the third floor."
They followed Li Yue to his apartment. Li Yue retrieved a key from a hidden compartment in the fire cabinet next to the door and opened it.
Li Yue said, "I live alone, so it’s a bit quiet."
Once inside, the Golden Retriever wagged its tail excitedly.
The decor in Li Yue’s home looked expensive. The walls were made of stone, the floors were hardwood, and all the cabinetry was custom-made from wood.
In a corner of the living room stood a mannequin.
The mannequin was dressed in a full suit of Mountain Armor.
The individual plates, shaped like mountains, were pieced together from many small metal sheets. The full set included arm guards, shoulder guards, leg guards, and the main chest Armor.
The entire set weighed a good thirty to forty pounds.
No wonder Li Yue didn’t wear it when he went out.
"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK."
There was a knock at the door.
Li Yue was stunned for a moment, then his face flushed with anger. ’Those three actually dare to come looking for me? This is going too far.’
"Li Yue, I saw you come back just now. Have you seen Zheng Fei?" a woman’s voice came from outside the door.
Li Yue replied coldly, "No. I got separated from them."
The woman outside sounded anxious. "How could that be? Weren’t you all together this morning?"
Li Yue whispered an explanation to Qin Ziwen, "That’s Zheng Fei’s girlfriend. They live together. She probably saw us."
"Mm," Qin Ziwen responded, unconcerned. He packed the Mountain Armor into a large cloth bag and lifted it.
’It’s pretty heavy.’
He probably wouldn’t get much chance to use it on a regular basis after taking it back, just like the Compound Bow. The Compound Bow was a very delicate piece of equipment; if it broke, it was unlikely anyone could repair it. Using it for hunting before he had a spare would be a waste. But if he could pull it out at a critical moment, it would be a game-changer.
But before that, he needed to get a simple Bow first to practice his archery skills.
The woman outside was still interrogating him. "Li Yue, did something happen to Zheng Fei and the others? It’s already dark, how come you’re the only one who came back? And who are those people who came back with you?"
Hearing this, Li Yue laughed in exasperation. He walked over, peeked through the peephole to confirm there was only one person outside, and then opened the door. "You have the gall to blame me? They were the ones who abandoned me! I injured my leg, and these kind people were the ones who saved me and brought me back."
The woman outside poked her head in and carefully scanned the room, her gaze focusing on Qin Ziwen and the other strangers.
The woman had long, dyed-blonde hair. She was on the thinner side, wearing a loose white T-shirt, and her eyes were sharp.
"We’re leaving," Qin Ziwen said, lifting the bag to take his leave.
The woman blocked the doorway. "You can’t leave. Zheng Fei and the others haven’t—"
"Move."
Qin Ziwen pushed her aside directly. "I don’t know any Zheng Fei, or any other Fei for that matter. When I found him, there was no one else around. This is the first and last time I’m explaining this."
The woman, having been pushed aside, came to her senses. She stared at Qin Ziwen in disbelief, her voice turning shrill. "Are you even a man?! Hitting a woman!"
Qin Ziwen, who was already heading downstairs, stopped. He glanced back over his shoulder, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "A woman? I’d hit a man all the same."
Following behind, Qin Ziwu let out a cold snort and struck his club heavily against the handrail.
The woman’s face paled. She was so angry she could grind her teeth, but there was nothing she could do.
Li Yue poked his head out the door and called out to Qin Ziwen and his brother, "Brother Qin, stay safe on your way out!~"
With that, he promptly shut the door.
Once they were downstairs, Qin Ziwu said in a low voice, "Bro, that guy was just using us for backup. If those three come back, there’s probably going to be more trouble."
Qin Ziwen hefted the bag in his hand. "The transaction is complete. Alright, let’s go home."
They came out of Building 5.
Today was different from usual. Although there were often many people setting up stalls, it had never been this bustling.
In the open space up ahead, a large crowd of people was gathered, their voices loud and noisy.
...
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