After the wealthy merchant gave the order, the guards of the Golden Summit Security Zone used the slaves as human shields, placing them in front of their weapons.

Soon everyone was ready for battle.

The wealthy businessman stood at the edge of the canyon, looking down at the crowd gathered below. He showed no panic whatsoever; instead, a smug smile appeared on his face.

"Ha ha ha ha..."

The wealthy businessman's loud laughter echoed throughout the canyon entrance.

"This is our Golden Summit Security Zone. We can do whatever we want here," the wealthy businessman shouted at Wang Lijian.

Then, the wealthy businessman turned his gaze to the crowd.

"Gentlemen, it seems you all want to pass through this canyon."

The wealthy businessman's tone carried a hint of sarcasm: "But the world is fair; if you want something, you have to pay a price."

The wealthy merchant continued, "If you want to pass through here, you'll have to leave something behind."

"For example, pay the toll for my Golden Summit security zone."

The wealthy businessman stretched out his hand, palm up, making a gesture as if asking for money.

"This is robbery!" one of the awakened beings shouted angrily, having no intention of paying any tolls.

The wealthy businessman sneered: "Robbery? No, this is a deal."

"You can choose to pay the toll or take a detour."

"However, I must warn you that taking a detour will take quite a bit of time," the wealthy businessman said confidently.

Wang Qinshui also stepped out from the crowd and asked loudly:

What do you want?

He seemed to have made some compromises, agreeing to pay some toll fees as long as the people from the Wang family's safe zone could pass through smoothly.

The wealthy businessman narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the crowd behind Wang Qinshui, before slowly replying:

"It's simple, just exchange it for the gold bars from your safe zone."

"Those who hand over the gold bars can pass; as for those who don't have gold bars..."

The wealthy businessman paused deliberately and looked at the stray dog ​​lying to the side.

"Then stay and be a slave, at least you'll have something to eat."

This condition instantly ignited the emotions of the crowd.

"What?"

"hateful!"

Everyone's faces darkened; they hadn't expected the wealthy businessman's terms to be so outrageous.

No one wanted to pay the toll, but no one wanted to be the first to start a war, since no one wanted to be the first victim.

The situation reached a stalemate for a moment.

Seeing this from a distance, Li Yu couldn't help but admire the wealthy businessman's audacity.

Fu Xiyao, who was standing to the side, also said angrily, "This guy is really audacious."

“He must have been prepared, otherwise he wouldn’t be so fearless,” Li Yu whispered to Xi Yao.

A hint of curiosity flickered in Li Yu's eyes.

He didn't know what cards the wealthy businessman had up his sleeve, that he dared to offend so many people at the same time, regardless of their power or status.

In front of the canyon mouth.

People from the safe zone kept trying to go up and negotiate, but the wealthy businessman refused them all. It seemed that he only wanted gold bars and nothing else.

[Armor-Piercing Arrow LV8: Penetration +80, Stability +80, Flight Speed ​​+80, Special Feature: None]

With the upgrade complete, Li Yu moved the beast's leg from the horse's back to the ground.

"We finally have some time to rest, let's eat something first, don't waste it."

Seeing that Xiao Hei didn't want to eat, Li Yu and Fu Xiyao started eating.

"With so many people, they should be able to defeat the Golden Summit Safe Zone, right?" Fu Xiyao ate her meat, looking at the excited crowd, feeling a little worried.

Li Yu tore off a piece of meat and chewed it vigorously: "Then it depends on which side's Awakened One is stronger."

The two had only taken a few bites when Fu Xiyao sensed someone patrolling high up in the canyon.

However, since the height difference was significant and the other person was unlikely to come down, she didn't take it to heart.

On the cliff face of the canyon, guards from the Golden Summit Security Zone were patrolling with three slave refugees.

The three refugees crawled on the ground like dogs, constantly observing their surroundings and barking like dogs.

When they looked down into the canyon, the three refugees, who were crawling like dogs, suddenly stopped.

"What is that?"

"Could it be Li Yu?"

"It's Li Yu, and Fu Xiyao."

"There's no mistake, it's them."

The three refugees lay on the edge, staring intently at what lay below, rubbing their eyes in disbelief.

"They have a horse?"

"impossible!"

"What a big piece of meat."

"They're actually eating meat."

Because of the long-term corporal punishment and discipline, the three were listless and their constant crawling had almost crippled their legs.

Their bodies became extremely weak due to prolonged hunger and abuse.

The three were Gao He, Kang Le, and Song Deng, who had chosen to leave Li Yu's team.

The skinny monkey Gao He was tortured until he was nothing but skin and bones.

Despite the significant height difference, the three people who had lived together immediately recognized Li Yu and Fu Xiyao below.

"How can they live so well?" Gao He whispered with his chapped lips, his eyes filled with jealousy.

Kang Le gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with anger and regret:

"Why did we leave in the first place? If we had stayed with Li Yu, maybe we wouldn't have ended up like this."

"It's all your fault, Gao He, it's all your fault!" Song Deng's face was full of pain and resentment.

then.

They chose to leave the group, and when they left Li Yu's team, they deliberately took away the tree roots and food from the group.

The three of them were convinced that Li Yu would definitely starve to death.

Later, they went back to look for Fu Xiyao, who was alone, only to find that Li Yu and Fu Xiyao had already left.

As a result, after separating from the team and without Li Yu's command, they went several days without any success.

After learning of the impending disaster, the three of them continued their westward migration.

They barely managed to avoid starvation by scavenging for food along the way.

Just when they were about to reach the shelter and start a good life, they were caught red-handed by the sudden arrival of the Golden Mountain Safe Zone and became slaves of the safe zone.

This marked the beginning of their tragic journey as dogs.

At this moment, seeing Li Yu below eating meat with gusto, the three of them felt a pang of resentment.

Why should they have to be treated like dogs just because Li Yu eats meat again?

Li Yu now looked incredibly strong, which made the three of them feel even more distressed.

When they saw Fu Xiyao's fair and beautiful appearance, all three of them were stunned.

The changes in Li Yu and Fu Xiyao were so drastic that they were almost unrecognizable to them.

"Smack!"

The whip lashed out fiercely at the three men, and the patrolling guard kicked Song Deng hard to the ground.

"You bastards, who gave you permission to stop and talk? Keep patrolling!"

"I've made a discovery! I..." Skinny Gao He was about to speak.

"Smack."

Another lash struck him, the intense pain rendering him speechless.

"You lowly wretch, you still want to fool me!"

The guards at the Golden Summit pulled hard on the rope, and the three of them immediately struggled to breathe.

"Climb quickly!"