Chapter 9, Secret Base

Two individuals shot at close range at the temple with handguns, while another person shot with a handgun in their mouth, almost completely tearing off the entire top of the skull

I sighed and said, "Let us go, do not let down the life that your friend has sacrificed for you"

If we are fortunate enough and have good luck, we should be able to get out. Upon hearing this, I felt a chill in my heart, but I did not inquire further, as we both understood without needing to say more

In a state of extreme despair, I suddenly experienced a hallucination. I abruptly turned around, firmly grasped the girl's shoulders, shook her vigorously, and said: "Why must you kill them? Why must you kill these soldiers?"

"How long have you been here? There are many things you don't know at all," the girl exclaimed, becoming agitated and calling out to me.

I was even somewhat deranged; the girl was clearly frightened by me. After a moment, she let out a piercing scream. The girl from the primitive tribe was definitely more formidable than a lady, as she immediately slapped me across the face.

You had better not think this way; even if it means killing me, I will not betray my kin, nor even my enemies

I myself do not even know what exactly I am causing a commotion about

This cannot possibly be a drug trafficking organization, as no criminal group would establish a base in a secret passage, which would only expose their whereabouts. Therefore, those staying in this military tent must be a group of professional foreign soldiers, and they could even be special forces. However, regardless of who they are, it is certainly better than facing those ferocious indigenous people or wild wolf packs

They are all soldiers, regardless of which country they belong to. Since they are capable of executing combat missions across regions, they must all be the elite of the elite. Why would these strong-willed, well-equipped soldiers give up their hope for life, even ending their own lives without any resistance

A woman's display of vulnerability is sure to stimulate the secretion of male hormones in men. In an instant, I suddenly felt myself transform from a coward into a terminator, tightly wrapping my arms around her waist and saying: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

All I could see was a massive grayish-white military canvas tent, with vines and branches used for camouflage hanging from the top and all around. A dark, heavy machine gun barrel protruded from the window opening of the fabric curtain, and its distinctive shape allowed me to immediately identify it as a Gatling rotary machine gun

I do not know, but I can be certain that their hands are stained with the blood of our people the girl stated with conviction

Although it is very dark inside, my eyes have long since adapted to the darkness, allowing me to clearly see the bodies that have long since died and frozen into blocks of ice, sitting in front of the square table in the tent. The soldier slumped over the heavy machine gun has also succumbed to death. The cause of death for the five individuals is entirely the same; a horrifying gash has been cut open at their necks, with blood splattered everywhere, though it has long since turned into dark, dried stains. It is evident that the five must have died a long time ago.

"Going home," the girl said with a cold smile, "You are holding a weapon meant for killing, and yet you want to take me home? Barbarians may be simple, but they are certainly not fools"

Yet what I see before my eyes are the corpses of soldiers

These words pierced through the softest part of her heart, and the girl couldn't help but shed tears again. I quickly took her hand and, in a daze, found a way to leave.

How do I know that you are not just acting?

I ... ...

The girl's beautiful eyes, however, revealed an expression of extreme distrust towards me, which certainly is not the gaze one would expect from a herdsman. If she had truly gone astray and found herself in a dire situation, she would not communicate with me using such a gaze upon suddenly encountering a soldier.

Perhaps it was the back-and-forth running before, or perhaps it was the local magnetic pole disturbance; in any case, a high-quality military compass has lost its effectiveness, and I now have no idea of my orientation.

After walking approximately 3 to 4 kilometers, an unimaginable scene emerged before my eyes

Before the girl could say anything, I suddenly shouted, "Get lost, get the hell out of here, I don't want to be in the same place as a barbarian who specializes in killing soldiers." Her large, deep-set eyes were filled with tears again, and her expression turned aggrieved

This made me calm down, and I slumped down in the snow, feeling as if my spine had been pulled out, unable to even straighten my waist, and said: "They were killed by your people, weren't they?"

I took out the compass to determine my direction, but at a glance, I was immediately drenched in cold sweat, for the compass was unexpectedly broken

I let out a bitter laugh and said, "Please, just go. At the very least, do not let me die at your hands. Tell your kin that I am here waiting for them. Considering that I truly attempted to save you, let them grant me a swift death."

In such a place, losing one's sense of direction is a truly terrifying experience, and the sky is completely obscured by tall trees and thin mist, making it impossible to observe the Big Dipper. At this point, I could only ask the girl: "Are you a herdsman from the Qinke Grassland?"

Moments later, she coldly said: "You greedy humans have come here again to kill us? What advanced weapons have you brought this time? However, I regret to inform you that no matter how advanced your weapons are, no matter how many of you come in, you will surely be buried here by the God of the Snowfield"

The presence of heavy machine guns in a combat zone indicates two conditions: first, there is at least one fully organized special forces unit in the area; second, there is a combat unit at the company level or above present in the area

I deemed this merely a young girl's expression of loyalty, and thus I smiled and said, "Let me escort you home instead"

I was even momentarily taken aback before I reacted, pointing ahead and saying, "Do you see it? Do you see it?" The girl remained silent, calmly gazing at the direction I was pointing, as if she had long been aware of the existence of that particular thing.

"Were those wolves also arranged in advance? I can be certain that they will not harm me or my companions?" This statement left the girl speechless

I do not understand why the girl would doubt me for no reason, saying: "If I were the kind of person you claim, why would I need to protect you? Can five soldiers not take away a little girl? I have completely lost contact with my companions and am in a desperate situation, and all of this is to save you? Moreover, all of this was done right under your nose? Can you really turn a blind eye to it?"

I know the fault does not lie with you, you may leave. I said weakly, I have already realized that I will inevitably die in this perilous and strange forest, for that group of exceptionally powerful "natives" will not allow me to escape.

Soon, I saw the large tree adorned with a bear skin, which was very well tanned. The entire skin was spread out and hung from the branches, swaying in the wind. I did not understand the purpose of this, but in my precarious situation, I had long lost my curiosity and simply turned to the right as the girl had instructed.

I am uncertain whether my identity has been exposed, I pulled the girl behind me, raised the gun, and quietly approached, there was not a sound inside

I hope she is just an ordinary herdswoman, and I also wish that it is the wolf pack in the snowfield that kills that group of mercenaries, so at least I still have a chance of survival. I do not wish to face a group of beings with hidden powers

The tent is divided into two rooms, separated by a curtain. The inner room is likely where the communication center is located. Upon lifting the curtain, three deceased soldiers can be seen, but unlike the five outside, they died by gunshot suicide.

Can one walk out of the forest

The two walked silently for a long time, and she said softly: "Up ahead, you will see a black pine tree with a bear skin hanging from it; when you get there, turn right."

Before her words could finish, a sudden howl of a wolf echoed from outside the house. The girl had no time to argue with me, her face pale with fear as she dove into my embrace, her soft and warm body trembling gently.

What I saw was actually a temporary military command post

A military outpost cannot be unguarded; my ability to easily infiltrate it only indicates one of two possibilities: either there is no one inside, or it is filled with corpses. With this thought in mind, I no longer hesitated and strode forward to the tent, lifting the curtain to enter.

What exactly did they encounter

It seems that there truly exists a group of indigenous people here, yet upon unraveling the mystery, I find myself no longer entangled in the thought: "I am merely here to help you, never considering what I might gain from you"

After crying for a while, the girl gradually quieted down. I said, "It is time to go; once those beasts return, we will be in serious trouble." The girl stood up silently and walked in front of me.