Chapter 681 - 18: The Battle Begins
The stars and moon hung in the sky, the turbulent, muddy river reflecting the faint light of the heavens.
The entire land was cloaked in a cold silver glow, and the vast fields occasionally echoed with the roar of wild beasts, followed by the frantic galloping of hoofed animals. The despairing cries of elderly or juvenile herbivores rang out as they were killed.
The cycle of slaughter and rebirth continued, accompanied by wild grasses growing madly after rain and trees bearing mature fruits;
accompanied by the deep river flowing, and the wind passing through high hills and shallow mounds, brazenly traversing the prehistoric world from ten thousand years ago.
...
After several washes, the beaver’s bone armor still carried a bloody scent.
Diamond-shaped pieces of armor were woven together with vines through holes in them, creating a rudimentary piece of armor.
With limited resources, Chen Zhou couldn’t make a helmet for Paul, nor balance aesthetics with practicality. He could only utilize more bone armor to enhance the defense of vital areas.
The complete armor set included chest pieces to protect the front and back, abdominal pieces for the waist and abdomen, and arm and leg armor tied to the forearms and calves.
Besides, Paul’s thighs were also wrapped with layers of bone fragments.
This segmented armor didn’t provide comprehensive protection for Paul and even hindered his agility, but overall, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.
The bone density of the beaver was not low, especially its hard shell, which felt almost like a stone artifact. However, compared to metal, there was still a considerable difference.
With Paul’s great strength, Chen Zhou specially thickened the armor plates near the throat on the chest piece, as well as the abdomen, where he was most likely to be attacked. This slightly increased the weight of the armor while also improving Paul’s chances of surviving a battle.
...
Paul carried five newly crafted long spears on his back, Chen Zhou carried another six, holding a large hammer made from the reinforced tail of the beaver, as they left the jungle one after the other.
To be safe, Chen Zhou didn’t take the shortest route or retrace their steps. Instead, he circled around, advancing along the riverbank, quietly approaching the mound.
The lingering bloody scent of the beaver remained on Paul.
To the keen-sensed Chen Zhou, this was an ever-present stimulus.
He held the beaver tail bone with both hands, its weight seeming to awaken his muscles from slumber, causing a hunter’s, a predator’s feeling to crawl up his heart.
He anticipated the battle, the adrenaline rush, and the tense seconds of life-and-death struggle.
...
To avoid exhausting too much of Paul’s energy, Chen Zhou, leading the way, didn’t increase the pace too much. He carried the remaining spears to save Paul’s strength.
After all, Paul was just a regular person, also wearing a full set of bone armor.
Their assault on the other two challengers’ camp didn’t give them a considerable advantage, aside from taking the initiative.
Especially since "Size 45" and the Japanese were lying in wait, defending familiar grounds, possibly equipped with modern metal weapons, posing a formidable challenge.
To him, it didn’t matter much; his endurance was enough to sustain a battle lasting half an hour or even longer.
Paul, however, needed to conserve every bit of energy; it was crucial for him to defeat "Size 45," or even to endure longer in the battles and survive.
...
Walking along the washed grass and mud on the riverbank, the two quickly reached the base of the mound, then crouched low, quietly ascending.
Chen Zhou carefully observed the terrain along the way for signs of human presence, or any alarms and traps set up—
Since he could deduce information about the other two challengers from footprints and scraps of wooden clogs, there was a possibility the others could gather information about them from subtle traces too.
All participants in this challenge were likely not ordinary people who stayed safe and sound.
Whether from special forces, a family of hunters, or a Japanese ninja, all possessed exceptional combat skills and cunning methods.
Even though his physical qualities were extraordinary, he hadn’t reached the level of being invulnerable, immune to weapons and poisons. If the opponents could breach his defenses, they could kill him. Facing such adversaries, Chen Zhou couldn’t brazenly fight like he did with wild beasts.
...
No clouds obscured the sky tonight, and although the moonlight was dim, it still illuminated the ground.
Even so, many details remained hidden in the darkness, difficult for ordinary people to detect.
Paul fully understood this, obediently following behind Chen Zhou, not daring to make any independent moves.
This wasn’t entrusting the task to the most capable person, but adhering to discipline.
The two moved in sequence, at a relatively slow but steady pace, nearing the top of the mound.
From below, they could already see a warm yellow glow rising from the center of the mound, the light emanating from a campfire lit by the challengers.
Seeing this fire, both Chen Zhou and Paul breathed a sigh of relief.
Their greatest fear was reaching the camp only to find the two challengers gone, forcing them to search anew.
Being able to see the firelight indicated that "Size 45" and the Japanese hadn’t abandoned this camp, at least lingering nearby, so their trip would not be in vain, and the painstakingly crafted armor and weapons would be put to use.
To wild beasts, fire was a terrible phenomenon, a ruthless and invincible enemy.
However, to humans, fire symbolized warmth, light, cooked food, and protection.
Even catching a glimpse of the firelight from behind the mound, Chen Zhou and Paul’s tense mood inevitably eased, and even their perpetually bent backs straightened slightly, with their stride widening a bit.