Soon, a small opening appeared in the shelter's fence, just wide enough for one person to pass through. Under the watchful eyes of several women armed with spears, Zhang Qian and Xiao Tao hurriedly carried the unconscious Xiao Mei inside.
The fence was then tightly closed again.
Yang Li, Li Jing, Zhang Qian, Xiao Tao, and the terrified young woman collapsed in despair outside the cold fence, like abandoned, lost souls.
Their cries, curses, and pleas echoed outside the empty shelter, but received no response.
As the sun began to set, the temperature on the wind-eroded highlands dropped rapidly. The cold wind lashed at their bodies like knives, causing them to shiver involuntarily.
"Sister Yang... what... what do we do now?" Li Jing asked desperately, her voice trembling with cold and fear.
Yang Li slowly stood up from the ground. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her once pretty face was now distorted and deformed by anger, humiliation and despair, making her look somewhat ferocious.
But she also knew that the most important thing right now was to survive.
"Let's go!"
She glanced at the tightly closed fence of their sanctuary, which to them felt like the gates of hell, and then looked at the perilous wilderness in the distance: "Let's go back to the Misty Forest! Even if it becomes hell, it's better than waiting to die here!"
She didn't believe that the laughing corpse hyenas would remain entrenched in their original camp forever.
If they are careful, they might be able to find some abandoned items.
However, she did not know that their original camp had long been completely occupied by more laughing corpses, turning it into a real battlefield, with severed limbs and congealed blood everywhere.
Filled with resentment and unwillingness, Yang Li led the remaining women on a journey back that was fraught with uncertainty and almost certain death.
As their figures disappeared into the twilight in the distance, Qin Lan sighed softly from the watchtower of Lin Feng Shelter: "Mr. Lin, just letting them go like this... I'm afraid they won't survive the night."
Lin Feng stood beside her, gazing intently into the distance, and said calmly, "That was their own choice. I gave them a chance, but they didn't cherish it. Besides, do you think keeping them would be a good thing for our shelter?"
Qin Lan fell silent. She knew that with Yang Li's character and methods, if she were really allowed into the shelter, she would become a huge hidden danger sooner or later.
Lin Feng's decision, though cold-blooded, was the wisest in the long run.
"As for Xiaomei," Lin Feng paused, "use antibiotics on her and do your best to save her. If she can be saved, let her take care of some chores in the future. If she can't be saved, then that's her fate."
After saying that, he turned and walked down the watchtower, leaving Qin Lan alone in the cold wind, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
Inside the shelter, however, all was peaceful.
The sunlight from the sun-wheel tree remained soft, illuminating the courtyard with a warm, spring-like glow.
After a day of tension and stress, the women all looked somewhat tired.
Xiao Mei was placed in a makeshift isolation hut. Lin Feng personally examined her injuries and discovered that the Corpse Laughing Hyena's toxin was extremely potent and had begun to erode her nerves.
He used some detoxifying juice extracted from the strange beast, along with scraps of Frost Blossom Silk, to bandage the wound, hoping it would be effective.
But he also knew that Xiaomei's chances of survival were extremely slim.
The atmosphere at dinner was somewhat subdued. The women didn't have much of an appetite.
“Mr. Lin,” Su Wanqing hesitated for a moment before asking, “You can ignore Yang Li, but other women… are you really okay with that?”
Lin Feng put down the grilled meat in his hand, wiped his mouth, and said calmly, "I am not a savior, nor do I have an obligation to save everyone, especially those who have tried to harm us. In this world, everyone must be responsible for their own actions. They chose to be my enemies, so they must bear the corresponding consequences."
“But…they are human beings after all…” Tang Bao muttered softly.
"Humans?"
Lin Feng sneered, "Sometimes, humans are more terrifying than wild beasts. The ferocity of wild beasts stems from instinct, while the malice of humans originates from the darkness within their hearts."
"What I need are trustworthy partners who can help me survive, not a bunch of parasites who only hold me back or even stab me in the back."
Lin Feng's gaze swept over every woman present: "The reason you can sit here comfortably eating barbecue and wearing warm clothes is not because you are lucky, but because you are useful."
"If you have no value, I will not hesitate to abandon you!"
The women fell silent upon hearing this.
They knew Lin Feng was telling the truth. In this cruel alien world, any act of kindness could lead to utter ruin.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Lin Feng waved his hand. "Let's eat. We need to be full to have the strength to face the challenges ahead. The appearance of those laughing corpse hyenas is definitely not a coincidence."
Over the next few days, Lin Feng strengthened the shelter's defenses. He dug trenches outside the wooden walls and set up more traps. He also took advantage of the Corpse-Laughing Hyena's fear of fire, making a large number of torches and Molotov cocktails, which he distributed to everyone.
Lingfeng and Zhuiyue became the most vigilant sentinels in the sky, taking turns circling above the shelter and monitoring any unusual activity within a range of hundreds of kilometers.
Wangcai's wolf pack also doubled the patrol area.
Inside the makeshift isolation hut, the scent of herbs mingled with the fresh fragrance of wood. After an unknown amount of time in a deep sleep, Xiaomei's eyelids twitched a few times before she finally opened them slowly.
What came into view was an unfamiliar wooden roof, and she was covered with soft animal skins. The sharp pain from her wounds reminded her of the terrible experience she had just gone through.
A gentle figure was busy nearby, changing the wet cloth on her forehead.
"Where...is this?" Her voice was dry and hoarse, almost inaudible.
Qin Lan, who was taking care of her, turned around when she heard the noise, a gentle smile on her face: "You're awake? This is a shelter."
“Shelter…” Xiaomei murmured to herself, her hazy memories instantly becoming clear.
She remembered those terrifying monsters, Yang Li's pleas, and the despair brought by that solid wooden wall.
She struggled to sit up, but Qin Lan gently pressed her down.
"Don't move around," Qin Lan said. "Your injuries are severe. Although Mr. Lin has given you the best medicine, you still need to rest. You're lucky to have survived the claws of the Corpse-Laughing Hyena. You'll be fine after a while of rest."
"Thank you... thank you." Tears welled up in Xiaomei's eyes, tears of relief at surviving a disaster.
However, Qin Lan shook her head and said softly, "No need to thank me, I was just following orders. It was Mr. Lin who truly chose to save you."
Xiaomei's body suddenly stiffened, her eyes filled with an indescribable complexity.
Is it Lin Feng? The man they cursed behind his back and plotted to enslave?
Just then, the door of the cabin was pushed open, and a tall figure walked in. Backlit, his expression was obscured, but an undeniable and powerful aura instantly filled the small space.
"Go out for a moment," Lin Feng said to Qin Lan.
"Yes." Qin Lan nodded, obediently walked out, and gently closed the door behind her.
With only two people left in the room, the atmosphere suddenly became oppressive and tense.
Xiao Mei instinctively gripped the animal skin covering her body, like a frightened rabbit, nervously watching the man in front of her.
Lin Feng walked to the bedside, looked down at her, his expression calm and unwavering.
"I took pity on you and saved you."
His voice was devoid of any emotion: "From now on, you will work for me. You are not allowed to disobey any of my orders. Understand?"
Xiaomei trembled, but having just faced death, she knew better than anyone how precious this opportunity was. Without hesitation, she nodded hastily, afraid that if she answered too late, the opportunity would vanish.
In the face of those monsters and death, she had long been terrified to the extreme.
Now that she has such a strong and safe haven to take refuge in, she is willing to pay any price.
"And another thing," Lin Feng's voice turned colder, "I don't want to hear any of your nonsense. If you repeat the same lines Yang Li taught you, you'll be dead immediately."
A bitter smile appeared on Xiaomei's face, a smile mixed with self-mockery and sorrow: "Mr. Lin, I understand... I will never box again."
She looked up, tears welling in her eyes, and said in an almost pleading, incredibly fragile tone, "I'll do whatever you say from now on, just please don't abandon me."
At this moment, all her pretense and extreme thoughts completely collapsed.
She truly felt the chill of death; if it weren't for Lin Feng's rescue, she would have long since become a stinking corpse in the wilderness. She was truly terrified, terrified to the bone.
"Then we'll see how you perform." Lin Feng left with a cold remark, not giving her another glance, and turned to walk away.
The door was closed, cutting off the light from outside, but a glimmer of light seemed to shine into Xiaomei's heart.
She could no longer hold back, buried her face in the animal skin, and burst into tears.
The cries contained pain and grievances, but even more so, an indescribable ecstasy.
Anyway, I finally survived.
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