Chapter 94 - 34: Rear Decorations (3)
Carefully counting the people, aside from the unknown number of natives who entered the forest, excluding the captives, there were a total of 27 natives left on the beach.
These natives all appeared to be men; at least Chen Zhou didn't see anyone with obvious female characteristics.
The majority had bold markings painted with white pigment on their bodies, holding long spears or bows and arrows, with a few wielding short knives.
Too far away to see the material of the knives, he guessed they couldn't be made of metal.
Among them, the native chanting the ritualistic hymns wore a headdress of yellow and white feathers, with a necklace around his neck, his posture slightly stooped. The patterns painted on his back were extremely complex and dense, making him appear old, like a respected wizard or priestly figure.
"Capture the leader first; if we engage in conflict with these natives, shoot this old guy first."
From the original text, he had learned about these natives' fanaticism with their beliefs.
Chen Zhou knew they worshipped a god called "Benamaki," believing that when people die, they don't truly disappear, and their souls will return to the embrace of Benamaki.
Therefore, before "Owokaki" (the elder who communicates with the gods among the natives) dies, under the "Blessing of Valor," once these natives launch an assault, it's nearly impossible to break their morale.
But such unstable morale could easily collapse as well.
As long as the Owokaki, symbolizing the power of the Celestial God, falls, they would scatter like monkeys from a fallen tree, losing the courage to fight.
Determining the beheading strategy in advance was to prevent unforeseen events.
While the natives hadn't discovered him yet, Chen Zhou wasn't planning to rashly start a war.
Currently, he didn't have a sturdy shelter nor a prison to detain captives, and even if he won the battle, he wouldn't gain much besides a pile of bodies and two canoes.
Better to watch and wait for opportunities in the future.
With this mindset, Chen Zhou lay quietly behind a "concave"-shaped rock on the ridge, observing the natives' every move.
This savage bunch still thought the island was deserted, running around unguardedly, dancing around the bonfire, showing off their weapons, creating an extremely lively atmosphere.
Six unlucky captives were tightly bound with grass rope, unable to move their hands or feet, looking like brownish meat worms, at the mercy of others.
They were lined up by the natives, side by side, with five guards holding short knives or long spears standing by.
Their end near, these fellows were silent, as if they had longed to return to the embrace of Benamaki.
Of course, it might also be due to being bound for too long, causing blood flow to their limbs to stop and resulting in their stiffness.
Pulling back his head, looking at the matchlock gun beside him, Chen Zhou hesitated whether to risk rescuing one of the captives to find himself a "Friday" like assistant when the guard holding the short knife had already begun the slaughter.
His movements were clean and swift, killing as if slaughtering pigs, hand rising and falling, slitting the throats of all six captives without even blinking.
Blood flowed, staining the beach red.
The natives celebrated the freshly completed slaughter, shouting loudly and dancing another round around the bonfire, as though those lying on the ground were not their kind, but livestock.
Watching from afar, witnessing their brutal acts, Chen Zhou felt a chill running down his spine.
Feeling fear, he also understood Robinson's feelings when he first witnessed the natives' cannibalistic rituals.
Anyone from a civilized society would find it impossible to remain indifferent to such acts of cannibalism.
These uncivilized natives were even more primitive than the so-called barbarians of Rong and Di.
If not for Robinson suffering from loneliness on the island in his last years, he probably wouldn't have spared Friday's life.
Whether or not they had set foot on the island, these natives at least carried the burden of human lives or had eaten human flesh.
Compared to beasts, they were only more cunning and cruel, and not much different.
After the celebration, the feast officially began.
Chen Zhou's hand holding the telescope was already trembling; the bloody and real scene, even across half a mountain, still made his stomach churn and dry-heave continuously.
But he continued enduring the discomfort to watch until the end.
Not until the six people were eaten down to bones and entrails, and the natives left the island taking advantage of the ebb tide, did he weakly crawl down from the rock, vomiting everything out of his stomach.