Four Split Personalities

"But speaking of which..."

Dabus didn’t continue to bemoan his leadership, but instead, he furrowed his broad brows and stared into the depths of the dense jungle. He said gravely, "What should we do later? If those people are just resting, it would be fine, but if they are ’delivering the goods,’ can we really rescue those who are being sold as slaves with just a few of us? If we continue to track them, this place is so vast and bare, the possibility of being discovered is just too high."

"That depends on what Old Jia says..."

Motan turned to have a glance at Jadka, who had changed back into his magical robes and was now squatting on the wooden cart in deep thought, and then he put on his current best equipment, which was a set of average-quality plate armor knight armor, all rewards from the Sky Pillar Mountain arena because it looked rather flashy and had always been kept in his pack.

Through some simple deductions, Motan had already guessed Jadka’s plan, so he did not follow his original idea to stir up trouble and start the rescue at the busy Eastern Field Stables, but chose to follow the target with everyone to this remote area.

Just then, Ji Xiaoge and Ya Ya, who had gone into the forest to change clothes, also returned. The former, as she was not exactly a standard combat role, hadn’t changed much, but the latter had put on her skin-tight, moderately revealing leather armor again. After returning, she ran up to the cart, grabbed her "holy robe"... ahem, weapon box and slung it on her back, and she was ready.

"One hour."

After everyone was ready, Jadka, who had been silent until now, suddenly lifted his head. His expression stern, he said to his companions, "If nothing unexpected happens, someone will come to help us in an hour. Those slave traders aren’t simple opponents, so I hope everyone will refrain from careless actions during this time."

Out of trust in Jadka and some guesses, no one asked further questions but just nodded slightly to indicate they had no objections. Ya Ya and Anthony had almost no guesses of their own. These two, one naive and the other a simpleton, both liked to rely on others and seldom offered any opinions on their own.

"But we still need to track them."

Ji Xiaoge gently tapped her palm and turned her head back toward the deep jungle, whispering, "Those people have been quiet for a long time now, we still need to keep an eye on them."

Jadka stroked his beard and chuckled, nodding, "Of course, let’s leave the horses and wooden cart outside. That way, we’ll make less noise. There are many weak creatures in this forest, and their scent is relatively mixed, making it difficult to detect. Hmmm, it’s best if you, Dabus, be particularly careful."

Dabus pondered for a moment, then took out a box of the few remaining rations (made by Ji Xiaoge), had Anthony eat an extra meal on the spot, and after the latter finished eating, quickly lulled him to sleep with a few words, then nodded to everyone, "I’m all set here."

So, everyone left the horses and wooden cart outside and entered the all-too-common forest of Casello as quietly as possible.

Ya Ya led the way at the front, her keen hearing and sense of smell allowed her, the pioneer, to guide everyone. Although the compatibility between dogs and forests wasn’t high, the wild instincts of this dog-girl remained unblunted; not only was she swift, but she could also move without making a sound while keeping alert. If she didn’t occasionally wait on the spot for a while, Motan and the others simply couldn’t keep up with her.

Following her was Ji Xiaoge. Though not as effortlessly as Ya Ya, her advantage as a member of the winged race was still fully displayed. With every flap of her white wings, she brought a fragrant breeze that stirred her graceful body to appear and disappear among the trees, like a beautiful and enchanting forest sprite, irresistible to the eye.

Fortunately, since Jadka was older and Dabus was focused on Teacher Chen, these two walking at the rear managed to keep their composure. Even if their gazes occasionally lingered a bit longer, their eyes only showed simple admiration, with no untoward thoughts.

As for Motan, who had dealt most with Ji Xiaoge in the game and had also met her more than once in real life, he had developed some resistance to her charms, especially after being influenced at close range by "A Glance Can Captivate A City" not long ago. Thus, he was able to maintain a state of Stilling Waters...

Clang!!

"Sorry, sorry."

The flustered Motan, who had accidentally bumped into a tree, climbed up from the ground, touching his nose sheepishly: "I was a little distracted just now."

...

Fifteen minutes later

Ya Ya, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped, crouched down, and turned to wave at the four people behind him, "The bad beast is right up ahead, only dozens of beast lengths away."

Ji Xiaoge immediately landed back on the ground, drew in his wings, and half-knelt beside Ya Ya, whispering to the approaching Motan, Jadka, and Dabus, "What do we do now?"

"Let’s check out the situation first and stay hidden. Dabus, you stay here for now; I’ll call you over if needed."

Motan held his breath and concentrated, speaking in an equally imperceptible volume.

The overly large ogre slightly nodded its head (one of them), then slowly sat on the ground holding a large stick that Anthony had somehow procured, "I understand."

"Everyone slow down your movements, use the sound of birds and the wind as cover."

Jadka, with his magic wand already frozen into a large block of ice at the top, silently moved ahead of Ya Ya. He casually scattered something on the ground and then whispered, "Follow my steps closely."

Then, the old man cautiously followed the relatively clear set of tire tracks ahead of him, truly stepping in ’one footprint at a time’, the kind where the tread pattern on the soles of his boots was clearly visible.

Thus, Motan, Ya Ya, and Ji Xiaoge closely followed Jadka, sticking as closely as possible to the footprints he left, which eerily allowed them to move forward without making a single sound, not even touching the nearby treetops and various branches.

[You have mastered the skill: Hunter’s Steps - Beginner]

A system notification sounded in the ears of Motan and Ji Xiaoge, but at that moment, they were too absorbed to open their character panel to check, as they almost simultaneously heard a weak, hoarse wail.

An open space appeared in front of the four of them, and those three black carriages were stopped not far ahead...

The next second, a spray of crimson blood splattered, and the screams abruptly ended.

Ya Ya and Ji Xiaoge, hidden behind the bushes, both widened their eyes. Then, they were quickly silenced by Motan, who was quick to cover their mouths, forcefully stifling the cries that had almost escaped their lips.

Seconds later, the four of them carefully looked up only to see a gaunt female orc lying in a pool of blood, her brown pupils devoid of focus or any spark.

Her body bore dozens of knife wounds, and her slackened, emaciated neck was brutally slashed open by a third, clearly beyond dead.

Next to this corpse, a male orc clutching a small knife, was sitting numbly on his knees. He wore a strangely shaped helmet, and the decorative-looking crystals on it still held a faint red glow that hadn’t completely faded.

"He’s crying..."

Ji Xiaoge gently tapped Motan’s hand, signaling that he had calmed down, then murmured in a low voice after being let go, "He’s crying."

Motan stared and saw that the male orc, who had just killed his fellow tribesmember, though expressionless, had tears streaming down his stiff face turned towards the crowd, silently seeping into the earth mixed with the splattered blood on his face.

Meanwhile, a large-eared goblin started dancing with joy...

"Perfect, just perfect! Such a clean, precise cut, fantastic!"

Chapter 486: The End