Chapter 727 - 37: Black-robed Man (Part 2)
If they hadn’t arrived too late yesterday, these two groups of challengers would have ventured into action much earlier.
After a night of torment, they finally waited until the sun rose. Naturally, they couldn’t control their urge to reach the spot right under the airdrop. The two groups strangely maintained a tacit understanding to not interfere with each other; some were weaving ropes, and others were seeking safer descent paths, attempting to climb down the Broken Cliff as fast as possible.
Fortunately, when Chen Zhou and Paul descended, they deliberately used moss to conceal the stones tied to their belts.
On the cliff face, stretching for thousands of meters, one protruding rock was inconspicuous. The two teams of challengers were so focused on finding a way off the cliff that no one thought someone had already descended and left a ready-made "ladder."
Even though they didn’t find a shortcut, the two teams’ abseiling speed remained impressive.
One team had their ropes ready and started to descend once they secured a stable anchor point.
The other team, without ropes, became anxious upon seeing their competitors begin their descent. They resorted to using sharp short weapons as climbing picks, attempting to descend barehanded.
Compared to the team with safety measures, this team’s speed was naturally much slower.
But it was precisely because they were slower that they avoided a deadly disaster—
The Black-robed Man, after descending the cliff, didn’t enter the Black Forest. Instead, he found a concealed depression and hid there for almost an entire day.
The challengers who used ropes to descend were ambushed as they were about to reach the bottom of the cliff.
Even though this group of challengers was prepared, their vigilance was mostly towards the other group.
Including Chen Zhou, no one expected this guy to be so ruthless, so patient, waiting motionlessly at the cliff’s bottom for five or six hours, just to exact revenge, even foregoing the chance to be the first to enter the Black Forest.
A challenger near the base of the cliff was struck by a long-distance weapon, a flower of blood blossoming on his back, and with a scream, he fell off the cliff.
Before falling, he was at least 8 meters from the ground. Unable to adjust his posture after being attacked, he landed heavily on the hard rocks below. Even if he wasn’t dead on impact, his severe injuries would certainly claim his life.
Another challenger, descending slightly faster, was about 3 meters from the ground when attacked. Seeing his companion fall, he feared the same fate. In a panic, he leaped down, drew his weapon, and charged at the Black-robed Man.
The Black-robed Man’s plan succeeded; he turned the two-against-one situation into a one-on-one duel.
It seemed that this was exactly the result he wanted—
Now, he only needed to kill this survivor to obtain all the survival tools this group of challengers had, thereby securing an advantage.
However, facing the challenger charging toward him, the Black-robed Man made a choice that no one expected.
He fled.
Turning away, back toward the challenger, the Black-robed Man started running.
Despite his height and seemingly clumsy build, his running speed was not slow, even quite swift.
The challenger, just down the cliff and at a distance, couldn’t catch up no matter how angry he felt, and watched as the Black-robed Man rushed into the distance, the striking black robe waving in the wind, growing fainter and smaller.
...
"Ah!"
With a loud shout, the challenger crouched helplessly on the ground, lowering his weapon, clutching his head, unable to stand back up for a long time.
Not long ago, he was discussing with his partner which direction to head after descending the cliff, how to distribute the supplies once obtained, and enthusiastically speculating what was inside the airdrop.
Less than an hour later, their conversation turned into ashes, dissipating into reality, forever etched in memory—
When he landed, he saw clearly. His partner had a hole as wide as three fingers on his back, the ground around him soaked in blood, showing no signs of breathing.
From that moment, he became a solitary person, facing all subsequent difficulties alone, while the Black-robed Man, the culprit, could walk away freely, even outpacing him.
Anger, but powerless to do anything, it was a suffocating despair.
...
"Let’s go."
Having witnessed everything, Chen Zhou immediately led Paul to pursue in the direction the Black-robed Man fled.
From the moment the Black-robed Man launched a sneak attack from below, Chen Zhou marked him as a high-threat individual and regarded him as the biggest competitor for the supplies, with murderous intent reaching its peak.
As long as this person was alive, Chen Zhou felt no sense of security.
With the enemy in the light and himself in the dark, he wanted to catch up as soon as possible, resolve the threat while the Black-robed Man was still unawares.
Now, there were four teams of challengers at the taiga’s edge. Apart from him and Paul, two of the other three teams were missing members, and the only full-strength team didn’t seem very competitive. As long as they could eliminate the Black-robed Man, getting the supplies would be a breeze.
...
The two and the three Saw-toothed Tigers dashed through the forest, with Chen Zhou trying to accommodate Paul’s pace, not forgetting to tell him important information.
"Let me handle facing him alone, don’t hastily join the battle.
This person’s combat ability far surpasses yours. Helping might distract me, not only having no positive effect but possibly hindering me.
If he runs, I’ll pursue. You mustn’t remain stationary, find a hidden spot to hide.
I’m unsure if I can outpace him. Based on his previous actions, he’s vengeful. If you stay and he targets you, there’s a high chance he’ll attack you.
Lastly, if he captures you, forming a one-on-one situation, remember to defend with all your might, shout loudly to reveal your position. I’ll return to assist as fast as possible, you must hang on."
"Got all of that?"
"Got it."
Seeing Paul nod firmly, Chen Zhou fell silent, speeding up a bit more.
The Black-robed Man’s nature was unpredictable, and it was unclear if he would run deep into the forest or turn back to ambush another team of challengers or kill a lone challenger.
They could only give it their all, closing the distance with the Black-robed Man, gaining control over his movements to intercept him.
...
The closer he got to the spot where the Black-robed Man disappeared, the slower Chen Zhou became.
The three Saw-toothed Tigers sensed the seriousness, lowering their heads. Their paws had soft pads, making little sound when walking, and as natural hunters, their bodies were structured more for lurking.
Chen Zhou flared his nostrils, taking a deep breath—
Now less than 100 meters from the point the Black-robed Man left their sight, he just caught a scent that didn’t belong in the Black Forest—
The distinctive withered scent of river willow, mixed with the earthy smell of rocks, blood, and soil.
In the Black Forest, aside from some moss and lichen, and wild grasses surviving the slightly warmer climate, no smaller shrubs grew. The willow scent must have been brought by an outsider.
As for the meld of rock, blood, and soil, Chen Zhou guessed it came from the Black-robed Man lingering too long either descending or hiding at the cliff base.
The bloody smell came from the Black-robed Man’s mount, the Camel-impersonator. After killing it, he hadn’t cleaned his weapon. Only a few hours passed; such blood scent wouldn’t dissipate completely.
Making a silence gesture, he signaled to Paul to slow even further.
Chen Zhou was almost certain the Black-robed Man was nearby, and their distance was even less than 50 meters.
Without the numerous thick "tree walls" in the Black Forest obscuring the view, they’d easily see each other at this distance.
Unsure if his whereabouts were exposed, Chen Zhou heightened his guard, inserting his long spear into the strap on his back, notching an arrow on his longbow, awaiting to find the "prey," or prepare for a sudden encounter.
...
In the Black Forest, only dead trees remain, with no living branches or rotting leaves.
Walking through, one constantly feels an intense stillness, so quiet as if life vanished from the world.
This naturally formed atmosphere could lead one to drop their guard, but also incite instinctual unease, and restlessness.
The towering trunks and monotonous colors disrupt vision, hindering focus.
Following the bloody trail, Chen Zhou carefully skirted several trees so thick they required many to encircle them, continually advancing, advancing...