The kid looked utterly pathetic now, his originally small frame crisscrossed with scars. He limped, as if his left leg had been broken and he could only drag it along.
My heart felt both triumphant and desolate.
It was truly heaven's will that this beast should end up like this!
Yet, seeing a former colleague reduced to such a state, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pity, like a rabbit mourning another's fate.
Guan Hai'er gritted her teeth, glaring at the group of savages, wishing she could rush forward and slaughter them one by one!
"Brother Ye, why don't we take advantage of their lack of vigilance and rescue those people?"
Guan Hai'er pressed herself close to me, her small head nudging my ear as she whispered.
"No rush, let's observe for now."
Before the blizzard, we hadn't seen any sign of these savages in the vicinity.
How had they suddenly appeared now? I sensed something amiss, as if only one more thread was needed to connect everything.
As Guan Hai'er and I spoke, her hand accidentally brushed against a stone, sending a pebble rolling down.
Not good!
The sound of the falling pebble was faint, but it seemed to have been detected by the lead savage.
He paused mid-sentence and looked up towards our hillside.
I shoved Guan Hai'er's head down, pressing my own head close to the ground with hers.
If we were discovered now, our fate would be the same as Liu Bowen's!
Anxiety gnawed at me as I secretly observed the savages' every move.
The leader said a few words to some of the other savages, who then approached our hillside carrying their weapons.
I fretted inwardly, my mind rapidly sifting through our escape options.
But looking around, this hillside offered no cover other than wild grass. If we tried to flee quickly, we would surely be spotted.
We would be glaring targets!
The savages drew nearer, and I could even see the yellow teeth in the mouth of the leader.
Damn it, if it comes to it, I'll fight them to the death. Killing one is breaking even, killing two is a profit!
I had already resolved that if the savages approached us, I would jump out first to engage them. I would tell Guan Hai'er to hurry back to the cave and lead everyone to escape.
Closer, even closer!
The savages were only about ten meters away. A few more steps and they would discover us.
I tightened my grip on the alloy knife, my body taut, ready to strike.
At this moment, one of the savages seemed to have noticed something and forcefully plunged his spear into the wild grass beside him.
When he pulled it up, a rabbit was impaled on the spearhead!
The savage grinned, plucked the rabbit off, muttered something to the other savages, and turned back.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the rabbit had saved us from a potentially fierce battle.
I gently leaned towards Guan Hai'er's ear and whispered, "With their numbers advantage, we can only return to the cave for now and make plans."
Guan Hai'er was no longer the hot-headed one from before, having completely calmed down.
As the savages returned to report to the masked one, the group rested for a while under the trees before driving the stranded survivors into the forest.
Guan Hai'er and I waited where we were. Seeing no activity in the forest, we finally relaxed.
Fearing further trouble, I led Guan Hai'er stealthily through the grass, heading towards the cave.
This group of savages was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, a sense of impending danger pressing down on my heart.
If these people found our hiding place, everything would be ruined!
We had to seize this precious window of opportunity and move to a new dwelling before they found us.
While contemplating our safety, I also made up my mind.
Since fate had led me to find traces of Liu Bowen again, I couldn't be blamed for being ruthless!
No matter what, I had to personally kill Liu Bowen and eliminate this persistent worry!
Upon returning to the cave, I quickly asked Guan Hai'er to gather everyone. Meanwhile, I began drawing a map on the ground outside the cave with branches.
Once everyone had gathered, I pointed to the map on the ground.
"This is the cave we are currently in. To our east is the sea, and to our south is a high mountain."
Shangguan Yao, seeing me have Guan Hai'er summon them and then explain the terrain, looked bewildered.
"Lu Ziye, what kind of lesson are you giving us now!"
I didn't know how long it would take for the savages to find us. So, I spoke concisely, recounting our encounter with the savages and then marking a large cross to the north on the map.
"Given the current situation, we cannot stay in this cave any longer. The savages came from the north, so we must not go north. Our only way out is to the south, to cross that high mountain and find a new place to live."
When the women heard my description of how the savages tormented the survivors, they turned pale with fright and unanimously agreed with my plan.
Frankly, I couldn't guarantee that this route wouldn't lead us into encountering savages. Who knew how many indigenous tribes inhabited this island? But at least we wouldn't be walking into a trap.
The situation was urgent, and there was no time for lengthy discussions. We confirmed our direction, quickly packed our belongings, and prepared to flee.
This sudden turn of events meant that some inconvenient items like firewood and spare parts had to be reluctantly abandoned.
Most importantly, we packed the food and fresh water we had collected, along with the crucial medical kit.
Seeing so many of the belongings I had painstakingly gathered over the days having to be left behind brought a dull ache to my heart.
But there was no other way; this wasn't a simple move, but a desperate escape.
I could only hope that we could find a way to deal with the savages later and then come back for them.
After we had organized everything, I shoved the wooden fence at the entrance into the bonfire, burning it to ashes.
Then, I found some vines to cover the cave entrance, hoping to conceal any trace of our habitation and make the savages waste more time searching for us.
Having done all I could, I led everyone deep into the forest.