Chapter 203 of "New Urban Farmers" (1018): The Mysterious Bead
"Who are you!" The dark-faced captain stared coldly at Zhang Guodong and Captain Tang. He sensed that the three men before him were putting immense pressure on him and were definitely not simple!
Only Zhang Guodong, seemingly an ordinary person, stared at the five of them with curiosity.
Captain Tang glanced at the five men with dark faces, their double-barreled shotguns making him wary. He also sensed that these five men were indeed fierce, and if a battle broke out in the forest, many people would die.
The five people looked like adventurers who frequently ventured into the forest, and they were deeply wary of everyone.
Captain Tang glanced at the dead tiger on the ground with surprise and said, "We're explorers too. We just heard gunshots, so we came to check if you were alright."
But the five dark-faced men ignored Captain Tang's pleas and coldly said, "We don't need your help here. Don't come any closer!"
Captain Tang and his men didn't look like ordinary people, and with such a major upheaval and life-or-death situation unfolding in the jungle, they had to be extremely cautious. On the edge of life and death in the jungle, no law really matters.
That double-barreled shotgun was no joke, and Captain Tang wouldn't dare take such a risk, but it was clear he had his own purpose. Leaving like this was impossible.
"Alright, but could I take a look at the dead tiger?"
"No way! Don't try to twist this; this is our prey!" Old Han sneered.
"You guys better not try to pull any tricks in front of us, or these bullets won't have eyes!"
Lorra!
He fiddled with the double-barreled shotgun. Old Han stared at Captain Tang and his three companions like they were lifeless objects, clearly ready to fight.
"The captain and his men still have households," the sixth man, who had been suspicious of the forest, said to the dark-faced man, his eyes gleaming. "There are several teams in the town, each with at least twenty men; these people all seem to be from the military!"
The dark-skinned man nodded slightly. He also remembered that many people had come to the town; for explorers like them, not understanding these things was essential, as sometimes they were adversaries or enemies. He said, "Pack your things, let's go!"
Captain Tang's side indeed had many remarkable individuals, so he chose to withdraw.
The man gave a sinister smile and then went to collect the belongings, weapons, and ammunition of the man who had just died a gruesome death. He finished quickly.
As for Dead Tiger, Old Han, suppressing his nausea, picked up his hunting rifle and fired two shots at Dead Tiger's head, splattering Dead Tiger's brains everywhere, making it incredibly foul-smelling.
Then he covered his nose and rummaged inside the dead tiger's head for a while, producing a strange, semi-transparent bead in his hand. This bead was about the size of an infant's fist, mostly transparent, but with a thin, dark green line running through its center, making it incredibly eerie. Because it showed absolutely no fluctuation of spiritual energy!
Zhang Guodong stared intently at the bead, looking somewhat astonished. Was this still a tiger? Had a strange bead actually been produced in its head?
"What is that?" Zhang Guodong couldn't help but ask.
But no one answered him; the five dark-faced men were quite wary of them. Old F had finished everything. The dark-faced captain said calmly, "Let's go!"
The five men with dark faces only turned around when they kept a certain distance from Captain Tang, Zhang Guodong, and the other three until they could no longer see each other.
"Captain, where do we go? Back? Or continue exploring deeper? I never expected that a single shot to the beast's head would blast out these strange beads that even bullets couldn't break!" Old Han whispered.
The dark-faced captain turned to the three men and asked, "What about you? Do you agree to go back or continue exploring?"
The sixth brother was quite observant. He noticed similar beads in the heads of some other animals, though they were a lighter shade of green and smaller than those in the tiger's head. Some animals had them, while others didn't, and that was thanks to him.
Therefore, the group largely agreed with Lao Liu's point of view.
The sixth brother nodded and said, "Although we don't know what this bead is for, it's definitely some kind of treasure. Maybe it's really a stroke of luck!"
"Captain, let's keep going! We've paid such a high price this time, it would be a shame if we didn't get something in return!" another person said unwillingly.
I've been to Shennongjia countless times, but this time I actually encountered a life-or-death situation and lost three brothers. Everyone said it was incredibly frustrating.
"I agree! Tigers are the tallest animals in the forest, are there any stronger ones?" Old Qiu said fiercely. "I don't believe that now that we're prepared, as long as the five of us stick together, anything bad can happen!"
"Alright, since you all agree, let's continue!" the dark-faced captain said through gritted teeth.
"What about the captain and his men? They're not ordinary people. They're all carrying weapons," Old Six said, not so optimistic.
Besides the threat of wild animal attacks, the existence of humans also needs to be considered. The fact that the other side saw them digging for that strange bead is a major hidden danger.
Old Fu, Old Qiu, and the others' expressions changed. They couldn't help but look at the dark-faced captain, and some even harbored murderous intent. However, considering that the other side had many people and were not ordinary, they felt a heavy pressure on their shoulders.
"Let's take a detour!" the dark-faced captain said in a deep voice. "The forest is vast, and losing even one person will be a huge loss for us!"
The five reached an agreement. They immediately shrank back and headed deeper into the forest.
And that direction turned out to be the direction of Zhang Guodong and his group's first destination.
Captain Tang and the other three did not stop the five explorers from leaving; conflict could have resulted in deaths. Knowing the other side was clearly not an ordinary person and not understanding what benefits they could gain made their actions even more unwise.
Turn over the dead tiger's body. The blackened blood indicated that the tiger had actually been dead for some time, not recently. Furthermore, its unfocused, blood-red eyes were more terrifying than those of a wild boar or a large bird.
Captain Tang and Zhang Guodong exchanged a glance and then turned back without saying a word.
Captain Tang's expression was somewhat grave as he prepared to report the situation to Wang Chengzhou. This expedition had greatly exceeded everyone's expectations. It was incredibly bizarre!
Zhang Guodong, however, was pondering what exactly the bead was, and what was wrong with these animals. Was it related to the bead? Clearly, all of this was beyond everyone's comprehension.
Wang Chengzhou and Li Lizheng were getting anxious. Only when Captain Tang and Zhang Guodong appeared did Wang Chengzhou breathe a sigh of relief. But Li Shao looked somewhat disappointed.
"Captain Tang, what happened when the gun went off twice more?" Wang Chengzhou asked.
Two more gunshots rang out. They almost thought a conflict had broken out, but there was no third shot. Wang Chengzhou breathed a sigh of relief.
The Li family is already falling far behind before they've even reached the truly mysterious area, with casualties already occurring. They don't know where the others are going home, so they're very anxious. They don't want anything to delay their journey.
“Mr. Wang, things are a bit complicated,” Captain Tang said in a deep voice. He then recounted the matter, focusing on the issue of a bead. Wang Chengzhou’s expression changed several times.
"Did you get a clear look at what that bead looks like?"
"No, the other party seemed to care a lot about that bead and didn't seem to mind getting it dirty, so they just put it away!" Captain Tang said, shaking his head.
Wang Chengzhou questioned Captain Tang but showed no interest in asking Zhang Guodong. Zhang Guodong, amused, pretended not to know, wondering if those two large birds also had beads in their small heads.
Just then, Wang Chengzhou said, "We just killed a wild boar and two big birds. Let's go back and see if we can find those beads too!"
Zhang Guodong wanted to go and take a look, but he knew Wang Chengzhou wouldn't give him that opportunity, so he had to let it go.
As expected, Wang Chengzhou's face paled even more when he asked Li Lizheng to take the two men to find Young Master Li. He suppressed the urge to vomit and left with the two men.
A short while later, Li Li returned, looking excited, holding a very small, transparent bead in his hand.
"Uncle, just as you predicted, there really is this thing!" Li Lizheng said happily. In fact, as soon as he approached the two large birds, a stench assaulted him, and he vomited for a while. The two guards then used their hands to find a very small, translucent bead inside the head of one of the large birds. A thin green line was embedded in it, and its size was much smaller than the one they had dug out of the dead tiger. The green color was also much lighter.
As for the wild boar, surprisingly, no beads were found on its body, yet it exhausted everyone.
However, having this small bead is enough to make up for it.
"Oh? Let me see!" Wang Chengzhou's eyes lit up as he took the bead. His hands even trembled slightly as he stared at it.
He looked at it from left to right, but couldn't discern anything. However, he was already certain that this bead might be related to that mysterious area and the fifty-year agreement? Otherwise, how could such things appear in an animal's head?
Thinking of this, he became excited.
A fifty-year promise. He was even more certain!
“Not bad, I’ll keep this bead for now; consider it an unexpected bonus. Captain Tang, we need to be even more careful on the road!” Wang Chengzhou calmly put away the bead, abruptly ending everyone’s curiosity, and solemnly said to Captain Tang.
Captain Tang nodded but didn't say anything.
He knew it even without being told. The journey wouldn't be peaceful. They hadn't directly confronted the dead tiger and didn't know that one member of the expedition had died. He didn't know that the other side had paid the price of three people to kill that strange tiger.
Knowing this would probably make me feel even heavier.
After obtaining the bead, the team's speed increased significantly. Although Zhang Guodong didn't say anything, he could tell that Wang Chengzhou valued the bead highly.
Li Lizheng also seemed eager to get started.
But this left Zhang Guodong with nothing to do in the group. He didn't have a gun, so naturally he had no chance to catch a strange wild beast to crack its head open.
As dusk fell and darkness descended upon the forest, Wang Chengzhou and the others, however, dared not utter a sound in the darkness, as they were nearing their destination.
It was as if they were facing a formidable enemy. Zhang Guodong found it quite amusing.
"I wonder if these wild beasts will come out at night," Captain Tang said softly.
Zhang Guodong couldn't help but laugh. The sound was so abrupt in the dark forest that it startled Wang Chengzhou and Li Lizheng, who both glared at him. But it was so dark that they couldn't see the expressions on their faces with their dim headlamps.
"If you want to die, just say so. Haven't we caused enough trouble along the way?" Li Lizheng couldn't help but curse.
"Hey, Mr. Li, who are you calling a coward?" Zhang Guodong sneered. "I've put up with you all this way, and even when I didn't say a word, you still came looking for trouble. Now you seem to be nothing but a coward!"
"You brat, don't mess with me again! My gun might accidentally go off!" Li Lizheng's face was filled with murderous intent, wishing he could shoot Zhang Guodong immediately.
"Haha, you? You dare to shoot? I doubt you can even hold a gun properly," Zhang Guodong said disdainfully.
"Shut up, all of you! If you provoke a wild beast, you'll be the first to die!" Wang Chengzhou shouted, his face dark with anger. "Stand at attention! This isn't a game! And you, Zhang Guodong, if you want the old man's promise, you'd better behave yourself!"
Speaking of Zhang Guodong, his resentment comes out.
"Behave yourselves? This is not fair at all. You all have weapons, but I don't even have a machete. Are you telling me to die? If that's the case, I'm quitting now!" Zhang Guodong said. The voice was clearly that of Young Master Li, but the thought of his second uncle really angered him, so he immediately shut up, only letting out two snorts.
This forest is over eight kilometers deep, how can someone go back alone? He'll probably be eaten by wild animals soon, won't he? Li Lizheng naturally agreed that it was better for Zhang Guodong to be dead.
Wang Chengzhou was somewhat annoyed. Zhang Guodong was no pushover either, and had been restless the whole way. However, Zhang Guodong was right; everyone else carried a pistol and a machete, while Zhang Guodong carried no weapons.
If that beast comes, Zhang Guodong will probably be the first to die. That explains the commotion.
Wang Chengzhou, his anger finally subsiding, took a breath and said, "I'm afraid you won't be able to handle the gun properly, it might misfire, but you can take a knife with you!"
Captain Tang handed his machete to Zhang Guodong. The machete was curved, over a foot long, and very sharp. In the event of a wild animal attack, the machete would be sufficient for Zhang Guodong.
"Something is better than nothing!" Zhang Guodong accepted it without even thanking him. "But I have another question."
Wang Chengzhou frowned. He said, "Speak."
“We haven’t reached our destination yet. If I kill the beast and obtain the bead, will it belong to me?” Zhang Guodong said.
"Dream on!" But it was that young master Li who said it.
Zhang Guodong, however, said to himself, "I remember the agreement before we set out that I would hand over everything I obtained upon arrival at our destination to earn merit. Of course, this doesn't include what I gained along the way!"
Wang Chengzhou and the others were getting anxious. Zhang Guodong was still talking incessantly in the dark forest. Wasn't this just making themselves targets for wild beasts?
But Zhang Guodong wouldn't let go of this issue and insisted on getting a precise answer.
Wang Chengzhou, suppressing his anger, said, "You can kill whoever you want on the road!"
“Even close brothers should keep clear accounts. I’m not someone who doesn’t know what’s going on. By the way, there are more wild animals out at night, so everyone should be careful,” Zhang Guodong said with satisfaction.
Suppressing the urge to beat Zhang Guodong up, Jiang Chengzhou simply ignored him.
We've arrived at our first destination, as shown on the map and locator!
"Gah!" Just then, a piercing screech came from the destination number one, sending chills down everyone's spines. The crowd's expressions changed, and they instantly tensed up.
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