Chapter 4, Market Day (Part 2)

At that moment, Shang Yi made his move. With a whoosh, a crossbow bolt struck a bandit squarely in the chest, causing him to grunt and fall face-first. Although Shang Yi carried a pistol with three hundred and twenty rounds, which could be considered ample ammunition, he understood that while primitive firearms had already emerged in this era, it would still take at least three hundred years before bullets compatible with his pistol could be produced. Once the bullets were exhausted, the pistol would become nothing more than a piece of scrap metal. Therefore, he had to be frugal; unless absolutely necessary, he should refrain from using the pistol.

In a moment of distraction, he said: "What should we do? We might as well head back immediately; it would be disastrous if we encountered robbers."

At this moment, Ye Yaotao reached the door and said, "Brother Shang, you must be careful"

Standing at the entrance of the town, several people exchanged glances, and Ye Yaozhuang had already lowered her head, unable to bear to look any further. Lao Cheng wiped away a cold sweat and murmured, "It has only been a few days since I last came, how has this town changed so much."

However, Lao Cheng, Zhou Shaohuan, Tong Dayong, and others were also quite anxious. Yet, fearing encounters with wild beasts on the mountain path, they brought their hunting bows, arrows, and spears. Thus, they all grasped their weapons and looked outside in terror

The other three clearly followed his lead, also stopping to turn and raise their sabers alongside the man in blue, charging forward to confront the bandits

Although Shang Yi was well-versed in this history, he had only learned about it from historical texts. During the more than ten days he had spent in this world, he had remained in that small mountain village, thus lacking any direct experience. It was only after witnessing this tragic scene with his own eyes that he could deeply appreciate the cruelty of history. Unable to restrain himself, he softly remarked: "Better to be a peaceful dog than to be a person in chaotic times."

Therefore, Shang Yi immediately said: "There are not many people coming; you all stay hidden here for now, do not run around, and do not make any noise. I will go out to take a look"

Shang Yi shook his head and said, "If the robbers intended to stay here, they would not have destroyed this town. It is precisely because they are aware that this town has already been ruined that they will not return. Therefore, this place should be temporarily safe. Moreover, we have traveled for most of the day and are quite tired. Let us first enter the town to find a place to rest and eat some provisions. That way, even if we encounter the robbers again, we will have the strength to escape, and then we can look around to see if there are any survivors and inquire about what happened."

The crossbow bolts are different; although there are only 16 matching bolts, it is possible to create additional compatible bolts. In the village, he made 50 crossbow bolts, so during these past few days, he has been hunting exclusively with crossbow bolts, without wasting a single bullet

Only then did Shang Yi come to his senses and say: "It's nothing, I..."

Shang Yi was also taken aback. Could it be that his judgment was wrong? The bandits had returned. He quickly took out the GPS and scanned with infrared; it showed only sixteen people. Shang Yi then breathed a sigh of relief. Although his device could only scan within a range of one thousand five hundred meters, it at least indicated that the main group of bandits was still a certain distance away. Dealing with merely seventeen people was still within his capabilities.

Upon hearing their account, it was indeed true that yesterday, a group of robbers stormed into the town, committing arson, murder, and robbery, leaving no evil deed undone. The entire town had over 260 households and more than 1,000 residents, but now only a dozen of them remain. After listening, Shang Yi and the others could not help but sigh. Lao Cheng lamented, "The world outside is truly chaotic; it is better to stay in our village."

From the attire and expressions of both parties, Shang Yi could basically determine that the group behind was composed of bandits, while the identity of the group in front remained difficult to conclude at that moment. In the brief time spent observing, the distance between these two groups and Shang Yi had closed further, with the first group now less than thirty meters from Shang Yi's hiding place

Everyone found his words reasonable, so they all entered the town together and found a house that had not been burned down. Although it was also in disarray, it was still suitable for resting. The group temporarily rested there. Shang Yi wandered around the town again, using infrared scanning to search, and surprisingly found more than a dozen survivors, whom he brought back. Among them were a few who recognized Lao Cheng. Shang Yi wandered around the town again, using infrared scanning to search, and surprisingly found more than a dozen survivors, whom he brought back. Among them were a few who recognized Lao Cheng

Shang Yi stood silently at the door, gazing at the town that had been almost completely destroyed, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He was aware that at this point in history, the Ming Dynasty was already on the brink of collapse. The world was in chaos, especially in the regions north of the Yangtze River, where bandits were rampant. Two peasant armies, led by Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, roamed freely, while the Ming court made repeated attempts to suppress them. Li Zicheng's forces were somewhat better, occasionally restraining their troops to win the hearts of the people. In contrast, Zhang Xianzhong's troops exhibited almost no discipline, leaving a trail of slaughter wherever they went. The government forces tasked with suppressing the bandits were not much better, resulting in the greatest suffering falling upon the ordinary citizens. The town before him was likely a microcosm of the current situation.

Seeing a companion suddenly die, the bandits were all taken aback, and even those who were fleeing paused in shock. Meanwhile, Shang Yi's crossbow was capable of rapid fire; in just this brief moment, he shot three more bolts, each hitting its target, and consecutively killed three more bandits

Shang Yi walked over, flipped through a few corpses of the townspeople, then approached a pile of ruins, grabbed a handful of ash, and took a sniff. He then returned and said: "The time of the incident in this town is not long ago, at most it happened yesterday. From the looks of it, it was likely the work of bandits"

At the same time, Shang Yi's left hook is also renowned in the military, with many teammates being knocked to the ground during daily combat training by Shang Yi's left hook. Moreover, at this moment, Shang Yi's left hand was also wearing a glove. The robber could not withstand it, and was instantly struck, blood and flesh flying, not even letting out a sound, as he fell face-first and could no longer get up.

Just as he was lost in thought, Ye Yaozhao walked up to him and said, "Brother Shang, what are you thinking about?"

This was still after the time travel, and it was the first time Shang Yi engaged with someone. He slightly turned his body and raised his knife in response. Although Shang Yi's military knife was short, it was forged using 21st-century technology, made from alloy steel, which was far superior to the forging techniques of this era. Therefore, with a sound of "crack," the single knife in the robber's hand was reduced to half.

However, when the third robber was shot dead, the other robbers had already discovered Shang Yi's hiding place. Four robbers immediately raised their weapons and charged towards the half-buried earthen wall where Shang Yi was hiding. The group that had fled also clearly realized that someone was assisting them, and they could not help but feel invigorated, each raising their knives and rushing towards the robbers. A melee ensued between the two sides. The group that had fled also clearly realized that someone was assisting them, and they could not help but feel invigorated, each raising their knives and rushing towards the robbers. A melee ensued between the two sides

In less than a minute, Shang Yi peeked out from behind the half-broken earthen wall. He saw two groups of people running frantically on the main street of the small town, approximately forty to fifty meters away from him, each group armed. The first group consisted of only five individuals, each wielding a single-edged sword, with one person dressed in green while the others wore gray. The second group had more than ten people, dressed in various styles, and their weapons were equally diverse, including knives, sticks, and even some wielding sickles and hoes. The two groups were not far apart, at most only five or six meters separating them.

The shattered door panels and window frames, the damaged tables and chairs, the crushed remnants of jars, and the tattered pieces of clothing are strewn across the entire roadway. The bodies of the townspeople lie haphazardly everywhere, all stained with blood. Along both sides of the not-so-wide street, there are almost nothing but piles of rubble and ruins, with remnants of walls still standing and emitting wafts of black smoke. The entire town has been transformed into a scene of utter devastation.

While speaking, they suddenly heard a commotion outside, with voices shouting and footsteps mixed in. The more than ten surviving villagers were already like startled birds, immediately turning pale with fear. Someone exclaimed, "Are the bandits back to kill us again?"

After shooting down the fourth robber, Shang Yi immediately put down his crossbow, drew his saber, and faced the robber charging towards him. The robber at the front wielded a single-edged sword, which was significantly longer than Shang Yi's saber, and swung it down fiercely at Shang Yi's head.

Shang Yi smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry! I will be fine. You all need to hide well, and make sure not to make a sound." After saying this, he turned and ran towards the street following the GPS directions

Seeing that the weapon in his hand had broken, the bandit instinctively froze. At that moment, Shang Yi had already clenched his left fist tightly and swung it out, landing a direct blow to the bandit's face

However, Shang Yi did not run directly towards the street; instead, he crouched low, continuously weaving through the ruins, fully concealing his body. This is a fundamental quality of a special forces soldier: in any environment, one must utilize all available conditions to first protect oneself before being able to eliminate the enemy

This technique of combining knife and fist may seem simple, but it has been developed through the era of Shang Yi, incorporating the extensive combat experiences of numerous instructors skilled in Sanda, Muay Thai, Jeet Kune Do, knife techniques, and Japanese Kendo. After thorough computer analysis and continuous practice, it has resulted in the most effective lethal skill. Shang Yi has practiced this single move countless times, perhaps thousands or tens of thousands. Moreover, with this technique, he has defeated several extremely vicious terrorists.

At that moment, one person from the previous group was bumped and fell to the ground. Before he could get back up, he was caught by the pursuing robbers, who struck him with two knives. The man let out a terrible scream and then fell silent. The others in the previous group turned back to look, and upon seeing their companion's tragic death, the man in blue said, "Brothers, let us fight them to the death." With that, he stopped in his tracks and turned around.

He then took off his long gown, revealing a camouflage outfit underneath. He couldn't help but feel a sense of relief, as his habits had served him well; not only had he brought all his weapons, but he was also wearing his bulletproof vest, arm guards, and leg guards, all of which were now proving useful. He then took out a folding crossbow, opened it, strung the bow, and walked out of the door.