Yun Zhe recalled that in his elective course on the history of the philosophy of war, he had learned that ancient warfare relied on five elements: "heaven, earth, man, method, and weaponry." Now, the weather was unfavorable, the terrain was unfamiliar, and he knew nothing about the enemy's forces. Furthermore, he was completely ignorant of the enemy's tactics and weapons. With all five elements at a disadvantage, defeat seemed inevitable in the event of war.
Yun Zhe climbed a taller tree and observed his surroundings. Fortunately, no one had come yet. He had at least given himself some time.
"We can't change the timing and location, but can we try to figure out the rest?" Yun Zhe thought and thought. At least the first step was to find out how many people the enemy had. If it was hundreds or thousands, even if they risked their lives, it would probably be a waste. Letting them get away with it for nothing... Thinking of letting them get away with it, Yun Zhe suddenly remembered his Qiankun bag. He seemed to have put a lot of weapons and armor in it on the second floor. Now was the perfect time to use it.
After examining the items for a while, Yun Zhe finally found an exquisite chainmail, but it was made of mithril.
"How could a vampire have this kind of armor? Could it be spoils of war?" Yun Zhe had no time to think further. It was chainmail underneath, leather armor on the outside. He was fully equipped with crossbows and short swords, and his longsword was strapped to his back. He began scouting the terrain, gathering information on the movements and numbers of the approaching enemies.
Realizing his mistake, Jerry rallied his spirits and ignored the Aruru people. He needed to catch up with the vampire, or at least find out his current whereabouts; he couldn't let his companions arrive only to find him gone.
He moved cautiously through the woods, still believing his opponent to be Barbaro. Barbaro was indeed a master crossbowman, and not only that, he was also adept with a longsword and axe. He was familiar with hunters' habits and, crucially, could move in the sunlight. This was indeed a formidable vampire, so this time, all the vampire hunters in Jialai City had come out in force, determined to slay him within their territory.
Yun Zhe moved at high speed and discovered that four groups of people had approached nearby, each group consisting of two to five people, with similar equipment and clothing to the previous two. Yun Zhe hid back in the large tree where he had started. Jerry had already run far away. In the camp, the Aruru people cautiously returned, waking up the poet and the miners, seemingly packing their things to prepare for their escape.
"Don't they know this place is surrounded by vampire hunters? Running away now means certain death no matter where they go! We need to find a way to keep them here, that way we can at least reduce one variable."
The Aruru people packed their things very quickly. Yun Zhe didn't have time to think. He leaped nearby in a few bounds and fired a crossbow bolt. The Aruru people immediately dropped their belongings and scattered to hide. Seeing this, Yun Zhe was immediately in a dilemma. If he stayed here, wouldn't he be trapping himself? Not only would he be unable to rescue the people, but he would also hinder his own operation.
On second thought, "Although I don't know where they came from, they've made their way here, so they must have plenty of experience avoiding humans. Following them might be the best way to escape the encirclement."
With the plan finalized, Yun Zhe couldn't help but regret his arrow earlier.
Fortunately, these Aruru were eager to escape. After waiting for a few minutes and seeing that no one came out, they boldly jumped out again to pack their things and continue their escape.
Yun Zhe followed from a distance in the trees. Initially, things went very smoothly. These Aruru people were indeed quite skilled, hiding and maneuvering through the forest with incredible speed, managing to evade two groups of hunters. Yun Zhe was overjoyed and couldn't help but feel secretly pleased with himself.
But soon, Lady Luck stopped smiling on him.
At the edge of the forest, Yun Zhe watched the group of Aruru people cross the forest path and rush into another grove of trees. But he could only stop there…
The weather was fine today, with not a cloud in the sky. Yun Zhe looked around and saw that the road was so long that he couldn't see the end of it at all.
Yun Zhe gazed at the road gleaming white in the sunlight—that must be the boundary of the encirclement. But alas, those who most needed to cross that boundary couldn't. Yun Zhe sighed, consoling himself with the thought that at least they were safe.
"At least we've shaken off our pursuers. Let's wait here until dark," Yun Zhe said, huddled on a tree branch, pulling his hood tighter and closing his eyes.
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