Chapter 3: Escape

  The night is like ink, with dark clouds surging forward.

  Unlike the scorching heat of the day, the gravelly wilderness at night was icy cold like an extremely cold hell, and the howling evening wind rolled up the yellow earth dust, cutting like a steel knife.

  Even the Kampas Beastmen, who uphold the iron will of the war god, are unwilling to walk on the gravelly wasteland on a windy night. The howling yellow sand and gravel block out the sky, it's simply hell.

  Two gray tents, secured with massive boulders, struggled to withstand the fierce gale. Pebbles the size of pigeon eggs pattered against them like raindrops, while the old, yellowed canvas flapped and billowed in the howling wind, as if it might be blown away at any moment.

  Two horses, relieved of their burdens, lay down behind the tent, too frightened by the howling wind to dare move, using the tent as a shield against the howling gale.

  "Hmm..."

  The tent door suddenly opened, and the icy wind rolled in with sand, dust, and mud, surging into the small space. The hanging horse lanterns were blown about in a flurry, immediately prompting the people inside the tent to offer their ancestors a series of warm greetings.

  A black figure hastily scrambled into the tent, skillfully re-fastening the flap behind him. Only then did he seem to relax, ignoring the chaotic greetings and squeezing into the crowd with a whoosh.

  "Damn... damn weather... damn wind... damn gravel wilderness..." Shaking off the gravel and mud on his body, Phil spat out a mouthful of thick phlegm filled with yellow sand. His still somewhat handsome face was completely covered in yellow dust, and his shiny golden hair was disheveled like dry grass that had been blown by the strong wind countless times, mixed with yellow dust and gravel.

  As for Phil's curses, the mercenaries just smiled and didn't say a word. They were all old mercenaries who had been walking on the gravel plains for many years, so they naturally knew what it would be like to go out on such a night. It was precisely because of this that this "glorious" task fell on young Phil's shoulders.

  "Oh! Poor little Phil, you've finally come back, I was worried that your frail little body would be blown away by the gentle evening breeze of the gravelly wilderness... Haha..."

  Old Bar's teasing immediately made the crowd in the tent burst into loud laughter, and Phil's face, covered with dust, looked even more embarrassed.

  "Alright, old Barl, stop teasing poor Phil or next time it'll be you checking on those monkeys..." Grey, as the team leader, intervened in a timely manner while handing Phil a leather water bag.

  Captain Grey's threat was apparently useful, as the old Balr people immediately shut their mouths. On such a night, no one would want to leave the warmth of the tent and throw themselves into the cold wind outside.

  "Are those monkeys all right?" Colonel Grey asked tightly.

  He took a big gulp of water, washing away the mud and sand in his mouth. Phil still couldn't bear to spit out the water, but instead swallowed it down with the mud and sand. After drinking several more gulps, Phil finally said, "Don't worry, Captain! Those monkeys are all safe!"

  "Alright..." He nodded slightly, and then Gray said in a low voice, "Okay, you bunch of rascals, hurry up and get some rest. Once the wind dies down, Phil, Old Grit, Carter, Hunter, you four come with me to the outpost to buy supplies from those idiot border guards. Old Barton, you take the rest of the men and keep an eye on our goods."

  "Yes, Captain!" Although they joked around in private, when the captain assigned tasks, everyone still responded loudly and seriously.

  "This damn wind, when will it stop...” As soon as he heard that he still had to go out, Phil muttered in a low voice, thinking of the scene outside just now, which was simply unbearable. The places on his body where he was hit by dense stones were still sore until now.

  "Bang..." A coarse big hand heavily patted on Phil's messy hair, raising dust, Old Bar laughed loudly "Youngster, in the gravel wilderness, this kind of sudden wind usually doesn't last too long. Little Phil, if you want to walk in the gravel wilderness, there are still many things you need to learn... Haha."

  "Alright, all of you shut up and rest. Whoever dares to speak again, once we return to Sarnia, I'll make him kiss the pig's ass!" Colonel Grey's sudden words instantly made the tent fall silent, with only the sound of gravel hitting the tent remaining.

  In another tent, similar to the first one, there was also a general silence at this time. This tent was obviously older than the other one, with large and small holes all over the yellowed canvas, the largest of which could allow a hunting dog to walk out effortlessly.

  The sailcloth that was blown straight was shaking violently in the strong wind, and the icy cold wind was pouring in with a howling sound like a ghostly cry.

  Twelve Mongolians huddled in a corner, relying on each other's body heat to resist the biting cold wind. As for Xia Zuo, he was completely excluded by them. In their eyes, this weak and timid little beastman who didn't even dare to resist was simply a shame to their Kampas Beastmen.

  Xia Sha himself was hiding in a corner, the strong wind was biting, but for his current body, it wasn't unbearable.

  In two days, Xia Zuo could clearly feel the changes in his body. He didn't know how much stronger he had become, but the cowhide ropes tied to his hands were easily broken free.

  Suppressing the wild joy in his heart, Xia Zuo had never tried to escape for many reasons, but the most important one was Gure, the leader of the mercenary group.

  His rough skin and weathered face made Gure look like a sturdy middle-aged man who had withstood the test of time, but Xia Zha always felt an aura of danger emanating from him subconsciously, without any reason, and this instinctive feeling made Xia Zha dare not to act rashly.

  At the same time, the gaze of his fellow tribesmen also made Xia Zuo secretly vigilant. The eyes of these Mangke beastmen looking at Glei were different from the angry gazes of the other mercenaries.

  The beastmen are worshippers of the strong, and that these Mank beastmen can reveal such a gaze can only explain that under Gray's ordinary appearance, there is a more powerful force hidden than these Mank tribe beastmen who can tear tigers and leopards alive.

  He also tried to get some useful information from his fellow tribesmen, but the people in front of him who regarded Xia Zuo as a shame did not respond to his words at all.

  In his mind, he was thinking of how to escape before arriving in Sarnia. In the howling strong winds, Shazou unknowingly fell into a deep sleep.

  The fierce wind subsided, and the chaotic footsteps suddenly awakened Xia Zuo from his sleep.

  Peering out of the broken tent, with the sparse starlight, he could clearly see several figures quickly leaving, among them was Captain Grey, who made Xia Zuo worry.

  Heaven helps me! Watching the five figures walking further and further away in the night, Xia Zuo's heart was filled with cold laughter.

  The five of them didn't ride horses, to face those greedy bastards, the less they brought with them the better. The distance from here to the outpost wasn't that far, and the five of them walking would be enough to make it back before dawn.

  The remaining mercenaries walked out of the stinky tent, gulping down the cool night air after a wild wind. They surrounded the tent where the beastman was being held, tearing at the dried meat biscuits in their hands and laughing loudly as they talked about which women were the most attractive at that one tavern in Sarnia.

  "Hey... you... can you tell me, how did the brave Mank Beastman get caught by these powerless humans?" Xia Zuo estimated the time it took for Grey and the others to leave, and mockingly provoked a rough-looking Mank Beastman while struggling free from the cowhide rope binding his hands behind him.

  "You wretched coward, shame of the gods of Kampa, what are you saying..."

  The beastman's simple idea was that the humiliated him didn't think that the timid little beastman would have the guts to provoke him, a thunderous roar, a difficult dance of his arms, and the rough iron chain being pulled made a rustling sound, as if he was about to charge up and let the damn weak little beastman know his ferocity.

  Xia Sha seemed to be stunned, staring blankly at the enraged Mank Beastman as he charged towards him.

  "Bang!"

  A mercenary was drawn in by the sound, a whip cracking down on the enraged Mank's back, a blow that added another gash to the already scarred and muscular torso.

  "Damn monkey, dare to make another sound, and Mr. Ba will rip out your filthy tongue!"

  Old Bal's angry roar sounded from behind the Munchkin beast, and Xia Zuo smiled slightly, his body softened as he pretended to faint and fell down.

  "Damn it..." The enraged beastman was suppressed, and Old Bar only saw Xia Zuo lying on the ground.

  He thought it was old Barl who had fainted from hunger again, walked up with a bad face, muttering in his mouth, and lifted Xia Zuo's foot to see if he was dizzy.

  "Damn it... you mangy pig in a monk's skin..." Old Bal cursed, bending down to grab Xia Zuo and drag him out. He didn't want to stay any longer in this cramped and smelly shed.

  In the instant that Old Barlow bent down, Xia Zuo suddenly opened his eyes and struck a long-prepared hand knife, swiftly chopping at Old Barlow's throat.

  Lao Ba Er is a veteran mercenary who has been able to walk the gravel plains for years and live to tell the tale, which in itself is the best proof of his strength.

  Perhaps it was Xia Sha's frail appearance or the perfectly coordinated actions of the past few days that caused Old Bal to involuntarily let his guard down, and the price he paid was his own life.

  Xia Sha's tremendous power, which had grown over the past few days, struck again at the throat, one of the human body's most vulnerable spots. All that could be heard were a few crisp sounds of "ka ka", and Old Bar's face was frozen in shock. He didn't even have time to let out a final warning cry before Xia Sha's single strike severed his throat and crushed his cervical vertebrae, sending him softly collapsing to the ground.

  Agilely jumping up from the ground, Xia Zuo supported Old Bar's sprawling body with one hand and silently placed him on the ground. He briefly searched the corpse but didn't find what he was looking for.

  Xia Sha slightly furrowed her brow, though somewhat disappointed, this was also within expectation.

  The best plan was to release the twelve beastmen and escape together, but Bal didn't have the key on him, and Shaya wasn't capable of tearing open the tempered steel handcuffs with his bare hands.

  He made a gesture of silence to the several beastmen who had not yet reacted, and then Xia Zuo lifted the curtain and walked out in big strides.

  "Old Bal... stop bothering those savage monkeys, let's gamble two more rounds... the loser will go back and buy drinks for everyone at Buffett Bar and sleep with the girls..."

  The dim starlight made the inside of the tent even darker, and a vague figure emerged. A mercenary immediately walked up with a smile and said.

  "Damn it... you..."

  The mercenary didn't come to his senses until he was close, and before he could even finish shouting out of instinct, Xia Zuo rushed up quickly and punched him hard in the face.

  The mercenary reacted quickly, but despite his hasty defense, he was shaken by the great force of Xiao's small fist and retreated several steps in a row. By the time he steadied himself, Xia Zuo's lean figure had already merged into the surrounding darkness with incredible speed.

  "Damn it... It's that little monkey..."

  When the mercenary shouted, the surrounding lazy mercenaries immediately became vigilant and picked up their weapons. However, Xia Zuo's appearance was too sudden and his speed was too fast, and in just a few breaths, he had already become a blurry shadow in the darkness.

  "Damn... Old Baldy is dead..."

  A middle-aged mercenary, holding a long spear, lifted the flap of the tent and immediately saw Old Bar lying on the ground. Years of experience made it unnecessary for him to make any checks, and he was certain that his comrade was dead. His face turned even uglier at once.

  "Grigori... go set off the fireworks and inform the squad leader. Yalik, you come with me to chase that damned little monkey, the rest of you keep an eye on these remaining ones!"

  Years of mercenary life had quickly calmed the middle-aged mercenary, ignoring the mocking gaze of the twelve Mongolians in the tent, walking out of the tent with a steady pace, giving orders calmly.

  The mercenaries who were caught off guard by the sudden event quickly sprang into action, and those who had been repelled by Xia Zuo hastily rushed towards their tents to look for fire.

  There was also a mercenary with a large sword on his back, a robust physique, and a commanding mercenary who simultaneously jumped onto the horse and chased after Shano's vague shadow in the darkness. The rest of the people drew their swords and carefully surrounded the tent.

  "...Bang!" A red light burst into the sky, blooming like a flower, and suddenly illuminated the dark night.

  "Captain... look..." The strange noise in the sky instantly drew the attention of the five, and several people changed color at the same time. Young Phil pointed to the sky and anxiously shouted.

  "Damn it... something's happened! Let's go back right away!"

  As he watched the red fireworks dissipate in mid-air, Grey's face turned icy cold.

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