OBS Chapter 317 Tell me, why did you ambush us?
Chapter 317 Tell me, why did you ambush us?
"Don't get too close, let's take a detour."
Li Xiangyang slowed down and raised his hand to signal Wang Ergou to stop.
Wang Ergou nodded, and was about to turn around when he suddenly squinted and pointed at the strange black mountain: "Xiangyang, look over there!"
Following the direction Wang Ergou pointed, Li Xiangyang saw a thin wisp of smoke slowly rising from one side of the black mountain.
"Found them. Deep in the mountains, it's either a wildfire or people! There's almost no vegetation up ahead, so it can't be a wildfire; it's most likely the reconnaissance team!"
Wang Ergou said excitedly.
Li Xiangyang stared at the wisp of smoke, equally excited but not letting his guard down: "Don't be too happy yet, we need to be careful. There's something strange about that mountain."
"What's strange?" Wang Ergou asked, puzzled.
Li Xiangyang pointed to the dark mountain: "Look at that mountain, it's so dark, doesn't it look like a giant magnet?"
"A magnet?" Wang Ergou scratched his head. "It does look somewhat similar."
“I suspect that mountain is the culprit behind the abnormal magnetic field here,” Li Xiangyang pondered. “If we approach rashly, any iron objects we wear might be sucked in. Then, even if we encounter danger, we won’t be able to resist.”
Wang Ergou shuddered: "That's troublesome."
"Let's try it first."
After Li Xiangyang finished speaking, he tied a long line to the hilt of his knife and threw it toward Cishan.
At first, there was nothing unusual. However, as he continued to get closer, the rope suddenly became taut. If he hadn't been far away and Li Xiangyang hadn't been holding onto it with the rope, he probably would have flown right over.
"It really is magnetic. Luckily, we didn't get too close. Now it seems that if we want to get closer, we can't have any metal on us. Let's leave our equipment here and make some weapons for self-defense before we go."
Li Xiangyang said with relief, pulling the knife back.
The two acted quickly, hanging their equipment from the tree with ropes, and then cutting two pine branches of just the right thickness, carefully peeling off the bark and twigs.
Before long, the two of them made two simple spears.
"Alright, it's better than nothing. Even if we encounter danger, at least we'll have something handy to defend ourselves."
"Let's go. It seems we've most likely found the exploration team. But since they can start a fire, they're obviously not in danger. Since they're not in danger, yet they're not coming out of the mountains, we should still be careful and keep an eye on them."
Li Xiangyang patted Wang Ergou on the shoulder and reminded him.
Wang Ergou nodded solemnly.
The two cautiously made their way towards Black Mountain.
The closer they got to that strange mountain, the more oppressive the air became.
As they got closer, they finally saw the source of the smoke. On one side of Black Mountain, there was a simple campsite, and several figures were busy inside.
Just then, a figure seemed to notice them, stopped what he was doing, raised his hand to shield his eyes, and looked in their direction.
The man paused for a moment, then forced a smile and waved to them.
"It's them! It really is the survey team!" Wang Ergou exclaimed with delight.
Li Xiangyang did not respond immediately; he keenly noticed that the other person's expression was somewhat unnatural.
That wasn't the excitement and joy one should feel upon seeing rescuers after being trapped for many days; it was a deliberately made, somewhat fake smile.
"Ergou, be careful," Li Xiangyang warned in a low voice, "Something's not right. They don't seem trapped, and there's no emotion or surprise at being found."
"Huh?" Wang Ergou was stunned for a moment, but quickly became alert and gripped the spear in his hand tightly.
The man strode toward them, followed by two other men, both wearing survey team uniforms, but their clothes were worn and tattered, covered in mud and sweat.
"Comrades!" the man greeted them warmly, his voice tinged with feigned surprise. "You've come to find us, haven't you? Thank you so much! We were almost in despair in these mountains!"
Li Xiangyang smiled, but his eyes never left the other person's hands and eyes: "Yes, the Forestry Bureau sent us to find you. Why did you come to such a remote place?"
The man's smile faltered slightly, then returned to normal: "Oh dear, we've gotten lost. The magnetic field in these mountains is abnormal; compasses don't work. We can only find a random place to set up camp and wait for rescue."
Li Xiangyang nodded, feigning understanding, but his vigilance remained undiminished: "Are you all alright? How about the others?"
"Hey, everyone's resting in the camp," the man waved his hand. "Come on, I'll take you there. Everyone's so happy to see the rescue!"
He gestured for Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou to follow.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou exchanged a glance and followed behind the man in tacit agreement, keeping a certain distance.
"By the way, comrades, did you bring supplies?" the man asked, turning around and scanning the two men as if searching for something.
"I brought some, but found there was a strong magnetism here, so I put most of them far away," Li Xiangyang answered vaguely.
A flicker of disappointment crossed the man's eyes, but he quickly forced a smile: "I understand, I understand. Luckily you noticed, otherwise, if you had metal weapons, you'd be in serious trouble."
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou silently followed the three men toward the camp. Although the men greeted them warmly, the two men kept their spears firmly in their hands and remained vigilant.
The campsite was simple but well-organized. In the distance, four people were busy around a fire, seemingly preparing food. Li Xiangyang observed that almost all the tools in the camp were made of wood—wooden basins, wooden spoons, wooden forks, and even the pot placed on the fire was carved from some kind of black rock.
"Come on in, just in time for dinner!" the leader greeted enthusiastically. "The brothers hunted a wild rabbit, and it's roasting beautifully!"
The air was indeed filled with an enticing aroma of meat, causing Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou, who had traveled a long way, to involuntarily swallow.
"Sit down, sit down!" the man said, pointing to several flat stones beside the fire. "Don't be shy, make yourself at home!"
"Thank you." Li Xiangyang nodded slightly and sat down with Wang Ergou by the fire, but the two of them still held their spears tightly in their hands.
Seeing this, the leader's face flashed with a barely perceptible hint of impatience, but he quickly put on a smile again: "Oh, we're all on the same side, no need to be so wary. We've been in this godforsaken place for days, and nothing's happened. Put down your spears and have a proper meal!"
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou exchanged a glance, and Wang Ergou understood immediately. At the same time, they placed their spears on the ground beside them and reached out to take the roasted meat that was handed to them.
In that instant, a sudden change occurred!
A cold glint flashed in the leader's eyes, and his right hand shot towards his waist as he shouted, "Attack!"
Li Xiangyang was prepared. He ducked, grabbed the spear with his left hand, and swept his right hand across the man's leg, knocking him down. Caught off guard, the man fell heavily to the ground, the stone knife he had just pulled out falling to the ground with a thud.
At the same time, the other six people also drew their weapons and rushed towards the two.
Wang Ergou reacted quickly, dodging the oncoming attack with a roll, grabbing his spear and thrusting it forward, forcing back the two attackers.
Li Xiangyang remained completely calm, his movements as natural as flowing water. He kicked away the stone knife in one man's hand, then spun around, sweeping his spear to force the other two back.
In just a few breaths, the two worked in perfect coordination, subduing all seven men. Wang Ergou stepped on the leader's chest and sneered, "I knew you guys were up to something! Tell me, why did you ambush us?"