Chapter 328 - 142: Take Action (Part 2)
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The Indigenous people on the canoe showed mixed emotions, each immersed in their own feelings.
None of them noticed that far in the mountains, there was a strange little black dot, skillfully utilizing the existing obstacles and artificial shelters on the mountain, quietly coming down and approaching the beach.
Under the elder’s command, the Indigenous people swung the paddles in unison and landed on the beach.
They did not immediately transfer the captives to the shore; instead, they first pulled the canoe using the waves’ power to drag it onto the shore.
The Indigenous people had no concept of anchors, so to prevent the sea from taking the boat away after going ashore, they had to exert extra effort.
During the process of dragging the canoe, all the Indigenous people except the captives went ashore.
The water varied in depth; some had half their bodies immersed in the sea, others had only their calves wet, standing on the sand and pulling together.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chen Zhou, who had already maneuvered to the foot of the mountain, took out his telescope, counted their numbers, and specifically remembered several particularly strong warriors, preparing for the first round of shooting to kill them directly, thus reducing his risk in the subsequent actions.
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Possibly due to poor medical conditions and lack of awareness of parasites and bacteria, and ignorance of nutritional balance and health, the lifespan of the Indigenous people was evidently several times shorter than modern humans, thus making them mature earlier.
According to Chen Zhou’s observation, among the twenty-three Indigenous people, except for Owokaki, estimated to be over forty, most were at their physical peak between their teens and thirties.
Approximately ten of them were aged around twenty-five to thirty-five.
Their appearance resembled East Asians with a bit of Indian features, slightly more defined facial features, generally large noses, lips not as thick as African descent, mostly black and dark brown hair, predominantly short.
If you ignore the impact of primitive life on them, along with their wooden expressions and flamboyant tattoo graffiti, they weren’t as ugly as Chen Zhou imagined.
This appearance, which made Chen Zhou feel familiar or even close, was more pronounced among the younger Indigenous people.
A few naked and skinny little Indigenous people, ribs visibly exposed, had faces full of childlike innocence, radiating strong excitement and fervor.
It can be imagined that as the youngest warriors in the tribe, being allowed to participate in this sacred ceremony made them immensely proud.
This could be observed from the look they cast towards Owokaki.
Among all the Indigenous people who landed on the island, Owokaki was a special presence, along with an Indigenous woman.
The saying goes, "Three years in the army, even a sow looks like Diao Chan."
Chen Zhou didn’t have a girlfriend in the modern world, and after coming to the island, he lived alone with animals for over two years.
Being at an age with rampant hormones, to say he abandoned worldly desires and didn’t think of women is impossible.
But even after holding back so long, when he saw this Indigenous woman, Chen Zhou still felt no desire—because her attire was extremely unconventional.
Her role seemed like a so-called "Saintess" or "Divine Servant" assisting in the ceremony.
To undertake this duty, her body was covered in various fierce white patterns, her neck adorned with strange necklaces made possibly of bird or fish bones.
Besides this, her body had undergone modifications, including piercings on her lips, the sides of her nostrils, her ears, and even her reproductive organs, with various bright accessories hung on them.
With such a look, not only did Chen Zhou have no improper thoughts about her, even having slightly unhealthy thoughts made him question if he had serious aesthetic issues.
Apart from these two "special" individuals, Chen Zhou observed only four Indigenous people as significantly threatening.
The Indigenous people living on the island had insufficient resources, lacked the concept of consuming meat, eggs, and milk, and didn’t know about calcium supplementation. Despite frequent physical activity, they were quite short.
Using the canoe as a reference, from afar Chen Zhou estimated that among all Indigenous people, only four might reach a height of 170cm, while most others were under 165cm.
As for the Indigenous youths, the shortest might only be 120cm, akin to that level where one might enter the zoo for free in modern society.
In terms of both equipment and physical quality, Chen Zhou had the upper hand.
However, he still dared not disregard the fighting capability of the Indigenous people; after assessing all the warriors’ height and appearance, he then observed their weapons.
The Indigenous people had placed their weapons inside the canoe.
After exerting considerable effort to move the canoe to the shore, under the elder’s command, they dispersed to gather firewood, dig pits on the beach, and transfer captives outside, each carrying out different tasks according to their roles.
During this process, Chen Zhou clearly saw the weapons they carried.
Perhaps years of experience made these Indigenous people feel that the Big Island was safe, their goal entirely to enjoy the feast rather than fight, hence few weapons were brought.
Besides a few bows and self-made wooden knives, Chen Zhou only saw two Long Spears, which made him secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
To him, the spear throw posed the greatest threat; ordinary wooden sabers and bows and arrows, unless accurately targeting his face, wouldn’t cause him any harm.