I pondered with no clue whatsoever.
The information I currently possessed was too scarce to infer the current situation of the Du'an tribe.
"Alas—"
The image of the man's death flashed in my mind again, and I couldn't help but sigh.
Even in death, a scholarly aura emanated from the man. Outside, he might have been a minor leader with a happy family.
But on this island of survival of the fittest, he ultimately met his end at the hands of the natives, which was, in a way, ironic.
"Don't let it break free!"
There was movement!
I was traveling through the forest when I heard a deep voice speaking the native tongue loudly from behind the bushes.
It was people from the Du'an tribe!
The accent was very familiar. I had conversed with Ke Ya quite a bit a few days ago, and it was indeed the dialect of the Du'an tribe.
This brought me some joy. I quickly took out the mask from my backpack and touched the disguise paste on my face before stealthily approaching.
As I got closer, more shouts and the sound of axes striking stone and metal reached my ears.
Were they fighting?
Upon nearing, I carefully parted the bushes and looked up. I saw over a dozen Du'an warriors attacking a fierce beast.
The beast was fully two meters tall, resembling a combination of a rhinoceros and a tiger. It had two horns on its head and yellow and black stripes on its body.
With every breath, its bulging muscles were clearly visible.
A chain was currently around the beast's neck, held by a group of five people.
As a result, it could only stand in the center, unable to move, and could only endure the attacks.
What surprised me was that the sound of stone axes hitting stone and metal I had heard earlier was made by the Du'an warriors striking this wild beast with their stone axes.
Damn, this monster must be mutated. Its hide was harder than iron and stone; the stone axes only left white marks on its body.
If this hide were skinned and made into clothes, it would probably be impervious to bullets.
While I was marveling, the situation on the battlefield changed.
Perhaps annoyed by the insects it perceived, the beast let out a roar, a terrifying sound like a drumbeat.
Then, with a toss of its head, it dragged the men holding the chain to the ground.
"Not good! Geng Hu is escaping!"
Seeing the dire situation, the leading Du'an warrior shouted, then leaped up and fiercely plunged his stone axe into Geng Hu's eye. Blood flowed freely.
When had the ruler of the forest ever suffered such an injury? Instead of retreating, it was further provoked, and with a sweep of its claws, it lunged forward.
The man and the beast then engaged in a brutal, life-or-death struggle in the forest, each move perilous.
The other Du'an warriors provided support from the sidelines, occasionally striking Geng Hu's soft spots, leaving shallow wounds on its body.
I watched the life-or-death battle with keen interest, and a thought suddenly surfaced, recalling the information Zhuo Ya had given me long ago.
I remembered Zhuo Ya's serious expression when she mentioned the word Geng Hu, and how she had solemnly advised me to escape if I encountered one, never to fight it head-on.
Geng Hu could be considered a tyrant of the island forest. Though not numerous, they possessed formidable physiques. Many native warriors could boast for a lifetime if they managed to hunt a Geng Hu.
Even Geng Hu's hide could be passed down as a family heirloom in the tribe.
In fact, Zhuo Ya had told me about many of the island's beasts back then, but I hadn't encountered them. It was only when the leading warrior mentioned the name just now that I remembered.
This warrior must be one of the top individuals in the Du'an tribe, otherwise, he wouldn't have brought such a small group out to hunt a Geng Hu.
Thinking of this, a plan suddenly formed in my mind, one that could help me blend into the Du'an tribe very well.
However, it depended on whether the Geng Hu before me would cooperate.
At this moment, the leading Du'an warrior had been parrying with Geng Hu for some time and was gradually losing his strength.
Such a large beast was not something that could be resisted by human strength alone. He had managed to hold on for so long solely due to his agility in dodging Geng Hu's attacks.
As Geng Hu swung its claw, the warrior, caught off guard, took a heavy blow. He was sent flying like a rag doll, a distance of two meters.
Seeing this, the other Du'an warriors rushed forward to try and restrain Geng Hu.
But perhaps the warrior had drawn too much of Geng Hu's aggression, as the beast completely ignored the other warriors' attacks and leaped up, ferociously pouncing towards the fallen warrior.
And just as the warrior despairingly closed his eyes, a fierce shout suddenly echoed in his ears!
"Hold it!"