Chapter 682 - 18: War Begins (Part 2)
"Wait a moment!"
Just as they were about to reach the top of the mound, Chen Zhou suddenly stopped and raised his hand to hold back Paul, who was closely following.
Under Paul’s puzzled gaze, he bent down, placed the bone hammer aside, plucked a handful of wild grass, and gently wiped the seemingly unremarkable ground reflected by the edge of the firelight ahead.
As he swept the muddy ground with a broom-like bundle of wild grass, a layer of fine branches gradually appeared below.
Once Chen Zhou lifted the camouflage layer woven from branches, what lay beneath was a half-meter deep trap filled with wooden spikes at the bottom.
Hiss~
Paul took a sharp intake of breath.
He could tell that this trap didn’t seem to be set for wild animals; rather, it seemed intended for humans.
No one would construct an animal trap with such meticulous detail, even carefully choosing its placement at the top of the mound where people’s vigilance would be at its lowest.
The soil that blended seamlessly with the surrounding land, dotted with low wild grasses, was unnecessary for unintelligent beasts.
Clearly, another group of challengers had already noticed their arrival.
If they hadn’t been vigilant enough or lacked Chen Zhou’s keen perception, one of them might have already stepped into the trap and had their foot pierced.
"Should we continue?"
Paul didn’t speak, but his eyes already showed concern.
Chen Zhou lowered his head, pondered for a moment, and then used the grass bundle to sweep the surroundings, confirming the area was safe before nodding—
Even if this group of challengers knew about their arrival, it was unlikely they had gathered much information about them. At most, they had discovered their footprints on the mound.
From the trap and the firelight beneath the mound, it was apparent the challengers were unaware of his night vision and heightened sense of smell. That’s why they hadn’t crafted a more intricate disguise for the trap or used soil or boiling water to eliminate the plant tannin scent from the wooden spikes.
The situation remained in their favor: the enemy was in the open, they were in the dark, and they had more information, giving them the advantage.
The "Size 45" and Japanese solidified their camp, after last night’s heavy rain, they had less than 12 hours to dig traps and fortify their defenses.
Even if they starved throughout the day, they could at most set up around ten traps like this, posing no significant threat.
But if they let this drag on, they would certainly build more defensive structures, perhaps even erect a lookout tower on the mound, clearing the surrounding grass to prevent stealthy approaches. By then, launching an attack would be much more difficult.
The arrow is nocked; it must be released.
Such a golden opportunity might only come this once, and Chen Zhou didn’t want to miss it lightly.
Moreover, every group of challengers was their opponent, each with significant potential for growth. He and Paul hadn’t even established a stable camp yet; if they followed a "turtle strategy," relying on attrition, they would already be far behind others.
To date, there’s only one path to follow—to the end—
Others hoard food, I hoard guns. Others are my granary; as long as they can pull off this heist, all the accumulated resources and survival tools of another group of challengers would be theirs.
...
At this moment, Paul almost blindly followed Chen Zhou’s lead. Seeing Chen Zhou determined to proceed with the plan, he raised no objections and silently drew a long spear from his back.
They were about to enter the mound’s front slope.
The back slope was gentle, while the front was steep. He had to have his weapon ready to strike first, throw at the enemy, and then charge downhill to engage in close combat.
If they could inflict damage using thrown weapons, that would be ideal. If not, they could still disrupt the enemy and seize the chance to rush the camp.
Man-made ranged weapons are a unique "cheat tool" in the natural competition, but once discarded, and in melee combat, human fighting isn’t much different from a beast’s struggle, mainly a contest of physical attributes.
Perhaps technique could play a minor role, but fundamentally it was a matter of strength, endurance, and resilience. In that regard, Paul was confident he was not inferior.
...
"Watch out for traps."
Lowering his voice, Chen Zhou continued to lead the way for Paul.
After a few steps, they reached the mound’s peak and looked down, encompassing the entire Challenger Camp in their view.
The rain tarp from last night hadn’t withstood the storm’s assault, now destroyed. The empty camp was covered in mud, mixed with branches and driftwood brought by the river, and a few animal carcasses drowned by the flood.
The two challengers’ semi-permanent sunken shelters were on slightly higher ground than the bonfire, thus preserved, with only a layer of leaves piled at the side edges.
Their small raft by the river was nowhere to be seen.
Two rocks lay next to the burning fire, with "Size 45" and the Japanese sitting at each end, roasting fish skewered on sticks over the flames.
What made Chen Zhou envious was a tripod set over the bonfire, with a small army pot hanging from it. Steam hissed from the valve on the lid, clearly an indication that there was soup inside.
"Darn it, I got transported here in a ragged protective suit, and for so many days, I had to heat water with rocks.
But look at them, with their army hand axe and pressure cooker; where’s the justice?"
Looking from above, the more Chen Zhou saw, the angrier he became—
Everyone started from the same point; why did I have to slog while others rode bicycles? Not robbing them would truly be unfair.
With a glance, he signaled Paul to prepare for combat. Chen Zhou tucked his bone hammer at his waist, then drew the wooden spear slung across his back. Once they got within their shared throwing range, he and Paul would hurl their long spears in the first wave of attack.