Chapter 187 Rescue Accident, Data Collection Team, Preparedness
Lei and his men eventually stopped the carriage.
As the carriage passed the scene of the incident, a man rushed over from the roadside and forcefully blocked their carriage.
He knelt on the ground, crying his heart out, begging Ray and the others to take him away; he looked both pitiful and pathetic. To prevent the moving carriage from hitting him, Ray finally tightened the reins.
"Who are you? Why are you stopping our carriage? What do you want?"
Sayya asked fiercely, giving the man a cold look, and jumped down with her bow and arrow, looking like she was not to be trifled with.
Lai gestured to Seyia and walked over to the wrecked carriage to check on the situation.
The man's lips were cracked, his clothes were messy and dirty, there were large patches of blood on his sleeves, and his arm had been simply bandaged, but there was still blood seeping through the bandage, so it looked like he was seriously injured.
"We were a team commissioned by the town to collect herbs and magical plants, but we were attacked by bandits halfway there. There were ten of them, and only six of us. They were in the dark while we were in the light, and in the end, in the end..."
Unable to contain his grief, the man covered his face and wept. After calming down for a moment, he continued speaking, his voice choked with emotion.
"The five of them were killed on the spot. I used a teleportation scroll to move a hundred meters away and barely escaped. After hiding in the forest for a few days in fear, I returned here to see if there were any other companions who had also luckily missed the descent."
But they're all dead, all dead! I can't get out of here alone; my only hope is that someone passing by will save my life.
"I really had no other choice but to resort to this desperate measure to stop your carriage. I am alone, without supplies or a carriage, and I am seriously injured. I simply cannot survive in this jungle teeming with magical beasts."
I desperately want to live; my wife and two daughters are waiting for me at home.
The man cried uncontrollably.
Sayya seemed moved, as he thought of himself when he was also desperate.
Tata looked at the man, then at Seya.
He didn't feel anything for the man; the man had an unpleasant, bloody smell and was also smelly.
As for whether or not to save them, it's up to Ray. If Ray says to save them, then he won't voice any objections.
Tata lay on the cushion where Lai sat in the carriage, quietly watching the scene before her, pretending to be just an ordinary, speechless magical beast.
The place where the incident occurred was not far away. Lai carried a bone knife with him and quickly walked there.
The ground was littered with rubble and a badly damaged carriage. Clothing, cutlery, broken water bags, shattered glass lamps, and other daily necessities were scattered around the carriage.
Even more horrifying were the corpses on the ground, badly gnawed by wild animals. Lai had seen this kind of scene many times in the post-apocalyptic world, so it was still within his acceptable range.
Fortunately, the temperature isn't high, and it's not the season when flies and insects are most active. There's only a strong smell of blood around, not that particularly pungent stench of decay. But the little creatures crawling on the corpse are still quite unsettling.
Lai counted five sets of remains at the scene, along with several bags of withered flowers and plants. Apart from that, there was nothing else of any use.
After searching around and confirming that there was nothing else of value or information, he returned to the carriage and whispered a message to Sayya.
Ray glanced at the man. His injuries didn't seem fake, he had some supplies, and although he looked weak, he wasn't in a desperate situation on the verge of death.
"We won't turn back, but we can't keep you with us forever."
"That's what Lei said."
“My name is Dale Green, you can call me Dale.”
"Mr. Green."
Lei's attitude was polite yet distant.
“A few days before our team set off, three other teams went out to collect herbs. I know where each collection point is. When I meet them, I will ask them to take me back.”
Dale looked at Ray cautiously, afraid of being rejected.
"The picking spot ahead is not far. Based on past experience, it should only take less than two days to get there."
He added, his tone urgent and tense, that he was terrified that Ray and the others would leave him there.
Seyah looked at Lei.
He felt that if it only took two days, giving him a ride wouldn't be a problem. But the final decision rested with Lai, so he said nothing and just waited for Lai to make his decision.
"We can give you a ride, but we don't have many resources to offer you."
"Thank you! Thank you all. As long as I encounter other teams planning to return, I'll leave as soon as possible so as not to cause you any trouble!"
Dale finally relaxed, his face beaming with the joy of surviving a close call.
Seymah secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that Lai had made the right choice.
Despite having experienced deception and hurt, he remains fundamentally a gentle and kind spirit. His past life was so wonderful that it instilled in him a longing for kindness and other positive qualities.
"What should we do with those bodies, Mr. Green?"
Ray asked, wanting to see his reaction.
"If possible, could you lend me a shovel? I want to bury them."
Dale looked sad.
“They’ve already been partially eaten by wild animals,” Ray continued.
"I can lend it to you, but you need to do it as soon as possible."
Lai pretended to go back to the car to get something, and then took out a shovel and a hoe from the pendant.
"Let's go, I'll go with you."
"Thank you again for your kindness. May God bless you with all things going well!"
“Victor, just call me Victor.”
"Thank you, Mr. Victor."
Lai followed Dale back to the other side, and after Dale chose a spot, he began to dig a hole.
There's no concept of burial here; the only purpose is to prevent the remains of these five poor people from being eaten by wild animals.
Ray stepped forward to help, and it took them some time to bury them. The best way would have been to burn them, but that wasn't an option at the moment.
“Let’s go,” Lei said.
Dale bowed deeply in farewell, and Lai stuck a few scrap wooden planks from the carriages into the pit as markers.
"It's getting late, let's leave soon."
"good."
After dealing with these matters, they set off again.
To avoid getting the carriage dirty, Dale and Ray sat on the wooden planks at the front of the carriage, one on each side. Ray gave him a piece of bread with applesauce and some drinking water.
After eating these, Dale felt much better. He said that he had been surviving on wild vegetables for the past few days, as he dared not hunt for fear that the smell of blood would attract more wild animals.
After spending so much time settling the remains, in order not to delay their planned itinerary, Lei and his team ate bread in the car for lunch.
The carriage moved at a good speed, covering a considerable distance in the afternoon, getting further and further away from the location where Dale's group had their accident.
As darkness fell, Lei asked Seyia to slow down the carriage and find a suitable place to rest near a water source.
After the campfire was lit, Sayya boiled a pot of water and had Dale wash himself.
There was indeed a long knife wound on his arm, and seeing this, Saiya finally dispelled his doubts.
Ray gave him new bandages and some medicine for treating external injuries.
It wasn't the right time yet; he wouldn't easily reveal his magical abilities to strangers. He would only provide Dale with the necessary treatment once they actually encountered the team Dale had mentioned.
While fetching water in the afternoon, Lai caught two big fish in the river, so their dinner tonight is grilled fish and vegetable soup.
When night fell, Lai and Seyah took turns keeping watch. Out of consideration for the wounded, Lai did not assign Dale any work.
After nothing much happened that night, Dale crawled into his own tent and went to sleep.
This is good, as it maintains a sense of distance between the two parties while ensuring necessary safety.
Two days passed in this way. Lai and his group took a slightly detour to the nearest herb-gathering site, and nothing strange happened during that time.
Dale was reliable and never asked too many questions, so the three of them got along fairly well and gradually built up a little trust, though not much.
"This is where the herbs were gathered?"
"Seya asked."
"right!"
Dale gave an affirmative answer.
Seyia looked suspiciously at the forest, which was no different from any other place.
It's afternoon now. Saya is outside rushing to catch up on her train, while Lai is still resting and taking a nap in the car.
"There grows a magical plant here called 'Orchid Chaser,' which is incredibly effective in treating acne and allergies. It's a commonly used and essential medicinal herb, but its growing conditions are quite demanding. It can only be found in such large quantities in the Eton Great Forest, which is why it's quite expensive."
When talking about his area of expertise, Dale broke his usual silence and began to speak eloquently.
“Every time the collection team comes here, they will definitely come to pick the orchid grass. The more they bring back, the more they will earn, which is an extra bonus for us.”
"Luckily, they'll be able to save up several gold coins on this trip back. They'll definitely stay here for a while."
Saiya parked the carriage by the roadside and waited for Dale to go in and find the person. Someone was sleeping inside the carriage, and someone needed to watch over it, so he couldn't go far and had to let Dale go alone.
Lai was a light sleeper, and he couldn't fully relax and rest when he was out and about. He woke up as soon as the carriage stopped and heard the whole conversation between Saya and Dale.
He calmly put on his coat and held the weapon firmly in his hand.
One should always be wary of others; he did not fully trust Dale.
Lai knocked on the carriage door to indicate that Seya was awake.
"What's wrong, Ray?"
"He's gone far away?"
"Hmm, we can't see anyone anymore."
"Hold your weapons safe, and be careful," Ray warned.
"You suspect Dale of having problems?"
"I don't know, but it's always better to be safe than sorry."
"good."
Seya became alert and began to pay attention to his surroundings.
They stopped in a somewhat remote location, quite a distance from the main road.
The trees nearby were covered with vines, their roots hanging down in a messy, tangled manner. The leaves had not yet sprouted, giving the scene a desolate and bleak feeling.
Seyya waited for a long time but Dale did not return, and a strange sense of unease and panic rose in his heart.
Is it because of what Lai said that I overthink things and become too distrustful of others? Why do I feel that Dale might harm them?
Or perhaps he was attacked by wild animals while searching for someone, which is why he hasn't returned yet.
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. Sayya started to fidget and kept glancing in the direction Dale had left.
Finally, a rustling sound came from the other side. Saiya nocked his bow and arrow, aimed at the woods, and prepared to launch an attack at any moment.
"Don't shoot the arrow, it's me!"
Saiya secretly breathed a sigh of relief, put down his bow and arrow, and let Dale come back.
"Why are you back so late?"
“I didn’t find anyone, but I did find some traces. There were piles of ashes left from cooking on the ground. Judging from their condition, they shouldn’t have gone far. If we walk fast, we should be able to catch up.”
Dale was very excited, with a kind of joy at the prospect of returning home.
"good."
Saya set off again following the route indicated by Dale.
Lei didn't let this little incident make him complacent. If it really was a gathering team, that would be the best outcome; if not…
He looked at Ryan.
The Great Forest of Eton is a vast treasure trove, rich in resources, yet it has never been truly and fully developed.
Rumors circulated throughout the continent of Casa that there was an entire mountain of gold and countless other mineral mountains, drawing people to the area in droves, hoping to strike it rich.
But beneath this wealth and allure lie countless untold dangers and sins.
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Author's Note: The first paragraph of Chapter 186 describes the general appearance of the sky; it's hanging on the big-eyed boy [rainbow fart]
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