Chapter 689 - 21: Spoils of War
Beside the desolate Challenger Camp lies silence, only broken by the sound of flowing river and the whisper of wind.
Paul was tidying up the scattered embers on the ground, occasionally wiping sweat from his forehead, as he gazed at Chen Zhou’s silhouette by the river in a trance——
To him, the combat though brief was far more perilous and difficult than he imagined; several times he nearly perished at the hands of that American soldier.
This true life-and-death struggle was something he had never experienced before.
Nor had he seen the gruesome sight of someone being killed, and the stark white of bones exposed when joints break.
...
Minutes ago, Chen Zhou’s resolution of the Japanese Ninja definitively marked the end of the fight.
The American soldier who had been resisting Paul for so long was no match for Chen Zhou.
When he broke free from Paul, stubbornly waving the Hand Axe again to try and slay the fearsome Eastern man, Chen Zhou kicked his knee, snapping it, then broke his arm, revealing to Paul the fierce and brutal side of his partner for the first time.
Seizing the Hand Axe, Chen Zhou kicked the American soldier over to the Japanese Ninja’s side, nonchalantly tossing the axe to Paul, instructing him to dispose of these challengers, before stripping the clothes and searching for all spoils.
Just released from the fight, Paul was still driven by adrenaline, decisively picking up the axe, and then walked over to the pair breathlessly.
Only then, as the cold wind swept over him, did he begin to sober up, gripping the axe handle tight with a stance to chop, yet hesitated to strike——
After all, this was his first time killing a person.
Facing the Japanese Ninja lying on the ground with limbs broken and the American soldier who kept groaning, pleading in stuttering Russian, Paul’s hand holding the axe trembled a little.
"Can we not kill them?"
After hesitating for a full two minutes, Paul lowered his head, sighed, and asked Chen Zhou.
Chen Zhou was picking up firewood, using the embers scattered by the Long Spears to reignite the fire, he was very surprised to hear this and even chuckled.
Sitting by the bonfire, while breaking the remaining spears and laying them on the embers, he pointed at the incapacitated Japanese Ninja and American soldier.
"Of course, if you’re cruel enough, then don’t kill them.
Strip them of their clothes, leave them here, and soon they’ll be eaten alive by blood-scenting Cave Hyenas, raptors, or giant lizards living by the river.
Even if they are lucky enough to survive, they’ll die from infection or starvation.
If they are even luckier and their wounds heal, they won’t survive the first winter, the cold will claim their lives.
Perhaps you’re reluctant, but now, swiftly chopping off their heads is the best outcome for them."
After a slight pause, Chen Zhou dropped his hand and continued.
"For you too..."
This brutal challenge permits only two survivors, indicating that here is utterly unlike the orderly modern society——
Compared to an isolated island, this place is more akin to a vast arena.
Whether killed by beasts, dying from disease, cold, hunger, or at the hands of other challengers, all are failures in competition.
Even the seemingly better option, voluntarily leaving the area, equates to death.
How much impact or energy can two modern individuals leave in a Prehistoric World?
Throughout the lengthy historical progression, two individuals resemble two grains of sand in the tidal waves, consumed with one roll, and ten thousand years later, no one will know of their existence, even their own world may slowly forget them.
Every challenger should recognize this, and let go of unnecessary compassion.
Chen Zhou hoped Paul would personally kill these two challengers, as he felt Paul’s performance was really unsuitable for this challenge.
If it weren’t for him, Paul would likely perish on the first day of the challenge.
Even if Paul withstands the Cave Hyena’s siege, being so close to this pair of challengers, future conflicts with them are inevitable, and given Paul’s current mindset, he’d certainly be the one to die after a conflict.
Sometimes, Chen Zhou could see a reflection of his former self in Paul——
The self who felt fear upon seeing Robinson’s corpse, who had nightmares after killing natives, who struggled in heavy labor, who blamed Heaven due to illness.
Thus, he mostly chose to accommodate Paul, like keeping those three Serrated Tiger Cubs.
But everything has distinctions.
Keeping the Serrated Tiger Cubs at most adds a burden to their food supply, but this unnecessary compassion would cost Paul his life.
If Paul still harbors this thought when acting alone, then he will certainly die.
Chen Zhou likes this tall, yet mentally immature Slavic person, and more importantly, he doesn’t want to face the upcoming challenges alone.
He hopes the blood of these two can make Paul realize where he is, that he’s participating in a deadly challenge, not a TV reality show or entertainment program.
Unfortunately, Paul ultimately couldn’t swing the axe, only stripped the clothes from the Ninja and American soldier, leaving the final part to Chen Zhou.
...
Although the lives stained on his hands aren’t many, Chen Zhou’s orders for execution, mass purges, hanging or beheading aren’t in small number.
Faced with the venomous gaze of Yokomae Sohaku and the despairing looks of James, Chen Zhou struck down their heads without hesitation, then kicked the bodies into the river.