Chapter 339 - 146: The Last One
The indigenous people have lived in environments of food scarcity and poor sanitation since childhood.
They suffer from malnutrition, they are extremely frail, they contract illnesses, and even suffer from parasites, yet their vitality is always resilient.
When Chen Zhou returned to the shade with Lai Fu and the indigenous boy, the emaciated captive surprisingly still had breath.
…
Chen Zhou washed his face with clean water, pried open his mouth, and poured some salted boiled water into it.
By now the sun was gradually setting in the west, and a breeze blew through the forest.
The captive's body heat dissipated, and finally, under the expectant gaze of the boy, he slowly regained consciousness.
Seeing this, Chen Zhou placed the last piece of chocolate into the boy's hand, got up, and walked away with Lai Fu.
Unable to speak the same language, he couldn't explain everything to the newly awakened captive.
Luckily, there was the indigenous boy who witnessed everything; he seemed to have a good relationship with the captive and could explain things.
…
The newly awakened captive looked bewildered, completely unaware of what happened after being tied to the canoe. He thought he was dead and had reached the Celestial Kingdom.
Dragging his weak body, he struggled to get up, trying to see if the surroundings were as the Priest described—trees full of fruit and fur-clad houses, protecting them from sun and rain.
Duoduo Lu quickly supported him, rapidly describing the events in their native tongue.
…
At this moment, Chen Zhou had already started tracking the last escaped indigenous warrior, leaving only his back view.
He knew the newly awakened captive couldn't make a long journey, and he was satisfied with the honesty of the indigenous boy, believing they wouldn't run away secretly during his absence.
Moreover, the tide hadn't risen yet, and even if they wanted to leave, they couldn't move the canoe.
Surviving in the forest was less favorable than staying with him. At least they could eat chocolate, and he believed the boy, with his knowledge of new things, would make the right choice with his friend.
…
He lowered his head, closely examining the footprints on the beach.
Based on the size, stride, and marks at the end, Chen Zhou quickly found the tracks of the escaped indigenous warrior.
His messy footprints led into the forest, leaving the beach and soon disappearing upon entering the forest land.
He parted the trees and leaves along the way, following the direction pointed by the footprints.
Chen Zhou believed that given the chaotic situation at the time, the young indigenous warrior was in extreme fear, unlikely to take a detour or create false trails to deceive him.
If there were no obstacles ahead, he would run in a straight line, probably aiming to flee as quickly and as far away from the Demon as possible.
With this thought, Chen Zhou continued forward and found something familiar beside a cluster of dense plants—a Wooden Bow.
This crude self-made weapon of the indigenous people was discarded along the escape route, and nearby, several slender Wooden Arrows could be found.
Upon seeing these weapons, Chen Zhou's previously anxious heart was completely at ease.
He knew that without weapons, the indigenous warrior couldn't be a match for him with just his hands.
Not only did he have a gun, but also Lai Fu to help him; even a grown indigenous warrior couldn't win this confrontation.
He casually picked up the Bow and Arrow, leaned them on a raised tree root, snapped them, eliminating any possibility of the warrior turning the situation around, and continued exploring toward where the Bow and Arrow were found.
Not far ahead, Lai Fu, who had been sniffing the ground, seemed to find a clue. It barked softly, calling out, walking towards a small tree.
Chen Zhou recognized this tree.
He called it the thorn tree, aptly named because of its wood-like short thorns on its branches, easily causing scratches in the forest if not careful.
Though the thorn tree is non-toxic, poses no worry about poisoning after being scratched, it severely damages clothing, causing headaches.
In the area where Chen Zhou lived and often traversed, he prioritized cutting down these trees for firewood to protect his clothes.
…
Seeing Lai Fu stopped by the thorn tree, Chen Zhou immediately thought about the possibility of the indigenous warrior being scratched while fleeing, so he walked over.
Squatting by the tree, he saw a branch extending to the side with evident deformation, sharp thorns adorned with dried blood, and a strip of shriveled skin.
This was an important clue indicating the escaped indigenous warrior was injured and bleeding.
For someone bleeding and injured, it's difficult to escape Lai Fu's tracking.
Chen Zhou took out his Dagger, carefully cut the blood-stained branch to avoid getting pricked, and held it to Lai Fu's nose.
"Good boy, Lai Fu, find this."
He hugged Lai Fu's sturdy neck and spoke to it.
Shooting geese-like birds or tracking rabbits in the forest, Lai Fu often used its keen sense of smell to help Chen Zhou find injured prey.
However, Chen Zhou had never intentionally trained Lai Fu to track prey by scent, unsure if Lai Fu could understand his intention.
…
Facing the branch in front of its nose, Lai Fu seemed particularly serious—
Unaware of the importance of this task, it saw it as a new game with its master.
Its nose twitched, perhaps worried about forgetting the scent; Lai Fu even licked the branch.