Chapter 326 - 141: Natives Landing on the Island (Part 3)
Chen Zhou thought he had been looking at the sea for too long, and his eyes were playing tricks on him. He didn’t pay much attention at first, but just as he was about to rub his eyes, those two small black dots suddenly reappeared.
As the black dots came closer, their shapes became increasingly clear, and Chen Zhou could no longer sit still.
After standing up, with an agile leap, he jumped directly behind the rocks, only revealing half of his head. Even Lai Fu, who had no idea what was happening, was pulled behind the cover by him.
He took a telescope out of his pocket and used his sleeve, worn into holes, to wipe the lens. After determining the direction, he hurriedly looked toward the sea.
...
After waiting patiently for days, the natives finally arrived.
They were sitting in large canoes, paddling leisurely, advancing slowly over the sea.
The distance was too great, and the high temperature made the air waver, distorting the view, making it hard to count the exact number of natives.
With one eye closed, Chen Zhou’s hand gripping the monocular telescope was surprisingly steady.
He roughly estimated that there were about 20 natives in total in these two canoes, seemingly fewer than the natives who landed on the island last time, which was undoubtedly good news.
As for the "food" the natives brought to the island, there was no way to know at this moment.
The captives whose hands and feet were bound were all "lying" in the canoes.
Until they were removed from the canoes or sat up in them, Chen Zhou had no way of knowing exactly how many captives there were, let alone how many were men or women, old or young.
...
"Finally, you’ve arrived."
When the canoes and those blurry natives appeared in sight, Chen Zhou found it hard to describe his mixed feelings.
Facing the impending slaughter, perhaps he felt fear;
Facing the end of a long wait, perhaps he felt relief;
Facing bloodshed and violence, perhaps he felt exhilaration...
The hand gripping the telescope gradually became unsteady, even trembling slightly, but Chen Zhou knew it wasn’t fear, he knew his heart was racing, his blood was heating up.
He couldn’t help but clench his teeth, the stiff and dense stubble on his lips quivering slightly due to the tension of his facial muscles.
Watching the canoes slowly approach the shore, he quietly drew back his head.
"Go!"
Uttering a single word, he struggled to suppress his agitated inner feelings, maintaining a calm pace as he walked toward the cave.
With a great battle on the horizon, there should be no unnecessary expenditure of energy due to impatience.
The natives were still some distance from the beach, enough time for him to go to and from the cave; even if he felt anxious, he couldn’t afford to run—
Restraint, for a more ferocious release.
...
Silent, he returned to the cave and went directly to the storage room.
All the weapons and equipment were neatly arranged around the doorway of the storage room, within reach as soon as he entered.
The placement had been studied repeatedly, not only conforming to his personal habits but also ensuring he could don all armor in a short time without omitting the shield and weapons.
He removed his loose sailor’s duty uniform, checked his inner clothing, fastened his belt and shoelaces, and skillfully donned leg armor, chest and back armor, shoulder armor, arm armor, waist and abdomen armor, and finally hand armor, before putting on a helmet.
The vine armor, inlaid with thin iron sheets, was fully worn, making him feel significantly heavier.
But for Chen Zhou, who was well-trained and long accustomed, this weight was nothing at all.
Standing before a mirror, having adjusted the details of the armor to his satisfaction, he walked to the side wall of the storage room, took the long-barreled flintlock gun and the short-barreled flintlock gun, and slung them over his back.
Then he opened the drawer on a small cabinet behind the storage room door, took out the revolver, loaded it with the shiny bullets one by one, and slipped the gun into the holster in his waist and abdomen armor.
Finally, he hung a quiver at his waist and picked up the cloth bag placed beside the armor—inside were bullets for the musket and the flintlock gun.
With one hand carrying the cloth bag and the other holding the longbow, with all weapons prepared for both near and far, carrying a heavy load and a full sense of security, Chen Zhou called Lai Fu to his side and locked it inside the cave.
The natives’ arrows had no eyes, and unlike the weak and easy-to-bully wild mountain goats, during life and death struggles, he might not be able to ensure Lai Fu’s safety, so he didn’t want Lai Fu to wade into these turbulent waters.