Communication was difficult due to the language barrier, a mix of awkward, humorous, and frustrating. Luo Zheng looked at the middle-aged man with a resolute complexion, pointed at the bow and arrow, then pointed at the gun in his hand, and shook his head, only to find that the man's face was beet-red with a stubborn shake of his head and an unwilling look. Seizing a sudden inspiration, Luo Zheng quickly cleared the ground, picked up a rock, and started drawing. In no ti, a sketch of the Japan invaders' research base took shape, with hills, rivers, and rooms, all clearly visible, and then he looked towards the middle-aged man.
Although the drawing on the ground was not very clear, its contours were outlined, and after pondering for a while, the middle-aged man's face changed dramatically. He nodded continuously, mimicking walking and throat-slitting gestures, with a look of sorrow and anxiousness. Luo Zheng imdiately realized that these people knew about this place and harbored deep hatred toward it. However, seeing their bows and arrows, Luo Zheng did not know what to say.
Asking a group of people who lived in an ancient forest to fight against a well-trained and well-equipped force was tantamount to sending them to their deaths, wasn't it? Luo Zheng pointed at the middle-aged man, then at himself, making a gesture to leave. Then, pointing towards the others, he waved his hand, signaling for the others to lead the way, and that the rest should stay behind.
The middle-aged man stared blankly at Luo Zheng, deep in thought, unsure if he had understood. Luo Zheng, with nothing left to say, took out so compressed biscuits and began eating. The middle-aged man retreated back to his people, and after a while, brought over a large chunk of what appeared to be smoked at, dark and tough. Luo Zheng raised the compressed biscuit in his hand to indicate he already had sothing to eat.
Yet, the middle-aged man was insistent, stuffing the at into Luo Zheng's hands. Considering that this might be so sort of customary offering, as many ethnic minorities in his own country had similar practices, he reluctantly accepted it and smiled bitterly at Lan Xue. She spoke coldly, "Let's make a fire and cook it."
"I'll go get so firewood," said Ghost Hand.
"I'll keep watch," said Mountain Eagle.
The two left the cave, and the middle-aged man returned to sit on the ground, his expression sorrowful, lost in thought. The won comforted the children while the n gathered around the middle-aged man, whispering among themselves. Luo Zheng and Lan Xue exchanged glances, waiting.
After a while, Ghost Hand returned with firewood and a wild rabbit. Everyone started a campfire, roasting the rabbit and the piece of at. Seeing the middle-aged man glance at the fire without saying a word, Luo Zheng also sat down cross-legged and started practicing the "Breathing Skill" to recover his strength.
Soon, the at was cooked, and they divided it among themselves. Luo Zheng thought it over and decided to distribute his compressed biscuits to the children, one for each, as a sign of respect. None of the kids took them at first, looking instead to the middle-aged man. Once he nodded, they eagerly grabbed the biscuits and devoured them. For those who had never encountered the outside world, the foreign civilization was full of mystery and allure. The hard-to-swallow compressed biscuits turned into delicacies in the children's mouths.
After eating their fill, it was already the afternoon. Having run all night and the recent battle, they were spent and exhausted, so they took turns resting. Before they knew it, evening had co. Luo Zheng looked at the darkening sky, ominous clouds looming, the wind howling with the sll of the sea. It was going to rain.
"Looks like we won't be able to make a move tonight?" Lan Xue approached and said, her face etched with concern. As the deadline drew nearer, failing to complete the mission ant they couldn't report back.
"Not necessarily. We'll see how the second half of the night goes. If there's heavy rain, the enemy won't expect us to attack in it. We might have an opportunity. Everyone should continue to rest and prepare. What do you think?" Luo Zheng whispered.
"That's a good point." Lan Xue pondered and found the reasoning sound. Although attacking in the rain was risky, it could also catch the enemy off guard. Perhaps there was an opportunity, so he agreed and glanced at the tribal residents surrounding them with a grave expression. He continued, "Their level of civilization is just too low, it's impossible to communicate with them. They can't understand the simplest gestures. I'm afraid this guide is out of the question. Should we still stick with them?"
"Do you rember the five robust n who left the village just now? At this ti, for these people, letting five strong n leave is not appropriate. Why would they do that?" Luo Zheng said thoughtfully, looking up at the night sky, his eyes shining like stars, brimming with exceptional wisdom.
"Are you suggesting they might be going for help?" Lan Xue asked in surprise.
"I don't know, but there must be a reason. Let's wait and see how things unfold," Luo Zheng said indifferently.
Both returned to the cave and rested back to back. The cave was eerily quiet, and these people did not cry in anguish as their kin were killed. It was as if they were used to life and death, perhaps due to living in the prival forest. Luo Zheng thought that in the prival forest, killings are a daily occurrence, and death really doesn't count for much.
"Boom!" A clap of thunder exploded, tearing through the night sky. A massive bolt of lightning illuminated the cave before darkness returned. Luo Zheng suddenly opened his eyes, staring into the pitch-black cave exterior and hurriedly got up, heading towards the cave entrance, where he saw the middle-aged man also standing, his face solemn as he looked off into the distance.
"Crack!" Another spiderweb-like bolt of lightning slashed the night sky, bright as day. The entire firmant seed enveloped in the spider lightning, a sight both daunting and magnificent. The thick main stem and the delicate branches, each one containing terrifying energy. The majesty of the heavens and the earth was daunting, prompting a change in color on people's faces.
Luo Zheng was seeing this spider lightning for the first ti and felt tingles in his scalp as he was secretly taken aback. What a terrifying lightning. At that mont, Luo Zheng noticed the middle-aged man's solemn expression growing darker, with subtle worry flickering through, making him pause. He longed to ask, but the language barrier made it pointless. He gave a wry smile and, seeing Lan Xue approach, spoke softly, "This looks likely to be a heavy rainstorm."
"Yes, this rain could last all night, perhaps even several days. It seems that we'll have to change our plans. The whole night would be manageable, but several days could be troubleso. We don't have much ti left," Lan Xue said worriedly.
"Let's wait and see what happens," Luo Zheng said helplessly, in the face of nature's grandeur, humans are so small.
The two exchanged a few words and saw the torrential rain begin to fall, then retreated back into the cave. Luo Zheng noticed that the middle-aged man remained unmoved, continuing to stand at the mouth of the cave, letting the rain pour onto him with a solemn deanor, lost in thought. Luo Zheng mused, "This guy is not simple. He must be the leader of this group. It's a pity we can't communicate."
"Don't worry, let's just wait and see," Lan Xue reassured weakly.
"Ghost, my young friend, we can still proceed with tonight's operation. With the lightning, it's inconvenient to use guns; they could attract a lightning strike, which is bad for us and the sa for the Japanese pirates. But we could use bows and arrows, right? As long as we carry no tal on us, we could sneak into the research base and act according to circumstances. There might be an opportunity," Ghost Hand suddenly suggested.
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