"Chen Lu... Gao Ming... Liu Bowen..."
Some of the names the man spoke I didn't recognize, but some were familiar – colleagues from my company.
These people had been captured by the savage tribe?
Especially when I heard Liu Bowen's name, my heart jolted!
This bastard hadn't died in the forest and was also captured by this savage tribe!
I figured the kid was lucky to survive, but hearing the man's account, he must have had a tough time in the tribe too!
And so, I stayed with the man for a night. I must have dozed off at some point, because when I woke up, the man was no longer breathing.
With a heavy heart, I closed the man's pained eyes, carried him outside, and buried him next to Xu Jiaojiao.
I stood before the man's grave, speechless.
To be honest, if Xu Jiaojiao's death the first time had been a shock, then the man's situation had made me somewhat numb.
This was the law of survival in nature, wasn't it? Each of us was a small boat sailing on the sea, perhaps to be swallowed by the waves in the next moment.
Brother, I don't know your name, but if there's a chance, I will definitely seek justice for you!
When morning came, I told the women about the man's fate.
Luo Yaqin sighed softly, her voice dejected, "Life and death are ordained, wealth and honor come from heaven. He couldn't make it through this."
Shangguan Yao's focus, however, was on the man's words when he was unconscious.
"Lu Ziye, those people who were captured..."
Shangguan Yao seemed hesitant. After all, many of the castaways captured by the savage tribe were our former colleagues.
If it hadn't been for Shangguan Yao's suggestion of this team-building event, they wouldn't have fallen into such a dire situation. One could say Shangguan Yao bore some responsibility.
I shrugged at her, not taking the bait.
Our current situation wasn't good, let alone rescuing others.
If I had even a company of troops, I would have wiped out that so-called savage tribe without a second thought, showing them the power of modern weaponry!
But now, it was just me and a bunch of women, with hardly any bullets. Trying to rescue others was a joke.
Guan Hai'er, seeing my silence, nervously grabbed my hand and shook her head.
"Brother Ye, our current strength is not enough to save them."
With our current capabilities, if we went, the most likely outcome would be to be captured and tortured by the savage tribe just like them.
Everyone in the cave understood this.
Shangguan Yao had only mentioned it, not strongly insisting that I rescue them.
For the next few days, we all tacitly avoided the topic.
The weather grew warmer day by day, and we finally enjoyed a period of stable life.
I had even gradually grown accustomed to this life of hunting during the day and warming ourselves by the fire at night.
But a peaceful life was always bound to be broken. Eventually, we were still caught up in a crisis...
...
"Brother Ye, what do we do now?"
One day, three days later, Guan Hai'er and I were crouched on a hillside, our bodies hidden by overgrown wild grass. I nervously looked down.
I saw a few robust, burly men in the forest, searching for something.
They had their bodies painted with colorful herbs, wore armor made of animal hides and vines, and had a circle of animal hide wrapped around their lower bodies.
With these attires, they must be from the nearby savage tribe the man had mentioned!
Guan Hai'er and I crawled on the hillside, not daring to breathe, fearing we would be discovered by them.
Today, Guan Hai'er and I came here to search for food. I only had my alloy knife and a bow and arrows on me; the handgun was left in the cave.
As I watched, each of those savages held a long spear made of animal bones. The tips of the spears reflected a green light, clearly poisoned.
If the two of us were discovered and fought, our chances of survival would be slim.
As I was contemplating, I saw a savage wearing a mask emerge from the forest. The mask had an ancient, rustic design, clearly a valuable item.
These earlier savages immediately lowered their heads and bowed to him, as if this newcomer held a very high status, their leader.
I had intended to sneak away from the hillside with Guan Hai'er while these savages were conversing. But to my utter astonishment, I witnessed a scene that made my jaw drop.
One of the savages shouted into the forest, and a group of people walked out, trembling.
There were men and women among them, each wearing a leather collar around their necks. When one woman walked too slowly, that savage lashed out with a whip!
This savage tribe dared to act like this!
Although the weather was slowly warming up, it was still very cold.
The people who came out later were all scantily clad. Their exposed skin was covered in burns and cuts, testifying to the inhumane treatment they usually endured.
It seemed they had gradually grown accustomed to this life, their expressions numb. They meekly obeyed the savages' shouts and orders.
Among this group, there were some familiar faces.
What was even more unimaginable to me was...
I saw someone who made me grit my teeth – Liu Bowen!