Chapter 139: Sarah’s Nagging

A night of terror passed.

As the scorching sun rose, Qin Yang stretched and emerged from the cave. Inside, a pot hung over a fire, simmering a delicious-smelling soup. Beside it lay the severed limbs of several snakes. The pot was filled with herbs and fruits he had gathered; with a medical expert like Yuwen Rounu by his side, he could identify even African flora without risk of poisoning. Of course, he had no fear of toxins anyway—with "Hell" within him, it would be a joke if the Grim Reaper himself were to die of poisoning.

The best ingredient for snake soup is, naturally, snake meat.

When Qin Yang woke up around three in the morning, his skin had crawled to see seven or eight snakes coiled around him. He felt a particular chill at the sight of a pure black cobra at the cave entrance. He felt fortunate that the presence of "Hell" kept these reptiles at bay; otherwise, he would have been dead beyond a doubt.

Though his scalp tingled, he was not one to waste such excellent supplements, especially since he had left all his other rations with Yang Yaxin. Yuwen Rounu was a master of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, with miraculous medical skills, and her cooking was equally exceptional. Otherwise, Wang Gong would not have returned from years of exile looking decades younger, as if he had just returned from a vacation. Though snakes carry many germs, Qin Yang did not worry about illness after special preparation and the addition of local herbs.

Afterward, Qin Yang had to be glad for his enormous appetite—he could eat as much as several dozen ordinary men. This served as a perfect cover; otherwise, if Leosel noticed the lack of food, his ruse would have been exposed. Once he judged enough time had passed, he finished every drop of the snake meat and broth, then carelessly scattered some around the ground to create the illusion of a rushed meal for dozens of people. He kicked over the stove and covered it with leaves, feigning a hasty retreat, while he himself strolled eastward at a leisurely pace. With his Ghost Soldiers observing from behind, he had no fear of surprises. Plus, his Yin-Yang Eyes could pierce through any camouflage within five kilometers; he truly doubted anyone could approach him undetected.

"I’m smiling so smugly, so smugly."

He wandered through the jungle with a swagger, occasionally dodging venomous insects like spiders, snapping a few twigs, or crushing a bug underfoot. Aside from the deadly weapons on his person, he looked like a man on vacation. After the harassment throughout the night, the distance between him and the pursuing soldiers had grown significantly, and now Qin Yang’s goal was to wait for them to catch up.

Around noon, Qin Yang suddenly heard the faint sound of gunfire from the north. He frowned, glanced back, and then made a sharp turn to sprint north. As he neared, he saw Tang Li and the others hiding on a mound behind a small village. Nearby, a group of armed rebels was massacring the villagers.

The brutal scene made Sophie and Sarah want to rush out, but Tang Li and his men stopped them. Arthur and the others beside him were also trembling with the urge to stop the atrocity, but one look at Zhao Wu’s fierce, murderous face and the cold dagger in his hand made them lower their heads. Qin Yang quickly passed through, clutching a longbow he had fashioned in the cave the night before. Although crudely made, no one would doubt the power of the heavy, twenty-kilogram weapon; it had taken great effort to hew the wood, which was the same type used by indigenous Africans for their bows.

During World War II, those tribes had used such bows to humiliate the Italian army's guns and cannons. Though, to be fair, Italy’s role in WWII was mostly to add a touch of comedy to the tragedy.

"I beg you, save these poor people!" Sophie looked at the defenseless villagers kneeling on the ground and the jeering rebels, her heart breaking as she wept. "I beg you!"

"Do you want to get us all killed?" Tang Ning said coldly. "If we fire, the enemy will track our position, and we will be hunted by hundreds!"

"We cannot just watch them die," Arthur said, equally pained.

"Then close your eyes," Zhao Wu said sharply.

Sarah gritted her teeth and suddenly rose to charge out. The four men were startled and about to stop her when they saw the rebels had already noticed the commotion. Cursing, they signaled for everyone to stay put and drew their daggers and combat knives. Sarah shouted, "Stop killing them!"

The rebels sneered and walked forward, intending to "teach" this Western woman a lesson. But just as their hands reached out, a wooden arrow pierced one man’s throat, and blood sprayed out, causing Sarah to squeeze her eyes shut in terror. When the rebels turned, they saw a man rushing out of the jungle with a massive bow—three or four arrows had already been loosed!

"Charge!"

Tang Li barked the order and was the first to rush from their hiding spot, sprinting to plunge his combat knife into a rebel’s spine. Zhao Wu’s method was simpler: a series of rapid kicks, the sickening sound of breaking bones making one’s skin crawl, while he threw his combat knife directly into the forehead of a rebel trying to raise his gun. As the four men moved in sequence, Qin Yang’s arrows struck down every rebel who tried to lift a weapon.

In less than a minute, only three unarmed men remained out of the twenty.

"Stop killing!" Sophie suddenly shouted.

Only then did Zhao Wu and his men refrain from finishing the last three on the spot. Qin Yang set down his longbow, walked to Sarah, and snapped, "Are you trying to die? Do you have any idea what would have happened if you were alone?"

"I had to save them," Sarah said, pointing at the tragic refugees.

"Then kill those three," Qin Yang waved his hand.

Despite Arthur and the others shouting "no," Tang Li and his men swiftly drew their knives across the rebels' throats.

"You lunatic!" Sarah couldn't help but yell. "Why did you kill them? They were just misled by Azarias! They are human, too! We could have persuaded them to join the peace organization and contribute to peace!"

Qin Yang couldn't be bothered to argue with her. He turned and said, "Leave here immediately. The enemy’s tracking unit is coming."

"Qin Yang, are you even listening to me?" Sarah demanded angrily.

"I heard you," Qin Yang rolled his eyes. "Your voice could be heard five miles away. You’d better shut up; if the tracking unit hears you, I can’t guarantee any of you will survive."

"Qin Yang! You were the one who deceived us first!" Sarah said, full of resentment and self-reproach. "We shouldn't have agreed to lead you in! If we hadn't, how many killings could have been stopped?"

"Don't get so arrogant. We would have entered Nili even without you. If we weren't here, you would have died miserably, and this village would have been slaughtered anyway," Qin Yang retorted. "Our appearance at least saved the lives of those who remained."

Sarah had no rebuttal, but she kept nagging about Qin Yang’s "murderous" nature.

Qin Yang stopped wasting words and ordered Tang Li and the others to clear the scene and move out. Arthur wanted to suggest taking the villagers with them, but after catching the murderous glares from Zhao Wu and Tang Li, he dared not speak. Sarah and Sophie voiced their complaints, but they were met with Zhao Wu’s ruthless words: "If you hadn't helped us, we certainly wouldn't have saved you. Take these people? I tell you, I don't want to die that early."