Huang Wen fought feverishly. He felt his senses heightened. Sometimes he ducked from an attack that launched from behind. Although he couldn't see it, somehow he could feel the danger. He noticed nothing and at the same time everything.
One by one the enemies fell. Huang Wen's speed was simply overwhelming for those who never experience a level up. With only their natural ability, they must rely on their weapon. Against unsuspecting prey, they stomp over them easily with their guns. Now, they were forced to face their enemy in such a close quarter and in a chaotic battle. Five of Zhang Hu's men were known for their courage. They used to fight the zombies in close quarter. How could these groups of men compared to them?
Huang Wen was an extreme case by itself. He moved between his enemy with such grace and agility that even the most experienced enemies couldn't follow his movement.
Once they face Huang Wen they would fall to his sword in less than five movements.
Huang Wen just killed a man and moved in a flash to another position searching for another enemy when he realized they just killed everyone. Well not everyone, there were two men captured alive by Zhang Tian Yi and Liu Wang Yun.
Huang Wen and Tian Zhong stood in a daze, disoriented, the smell of blood, the raging desire for killing their enemy as fast as possible still filled their body, but now it had no target. Slowly everything back to normal, one by one all the memories were coming back to him. Everything that was suppressed start to surge up. Even his memories of killing his best friend Cao Bao who turned into a zombie.
He could feel nauseated feeling slowly built up within his body.
Suddenly he heard someone was retching. Huang Wen turned to see. It was Tian Zhong.
It seemed the same thing happened to him and as Tian Zhong looked around at the mess he just created, it got him and he couldn't hold it in.
The scene, worked like a shock that snapped Huang Wen out of his dreamy state. Although the nauseated feeling won't go away, but his conscious mind spoke to defend his act, suppressing the guilty feeling that was judging and prosecuting him. He consciously refused to look at the corpses and turned his attention to the two men who were captured by Zhang Tian Yi and Liu Wang Yun. While Huang Wen and Tian Zhong still in a daze, the other four had begun interrogating them.
Zhang Tian Yi and Liu Wang Yun, surely had many experience. Even the toughest underworld assassin would open his mouth under their interrogation, how would these newbie thug could keep their mouth shut. With a few "suggestions" they began to blab and told Zhang Tian Yi everything about their group.
Huang Wen was a bit late, but he still managed to hear some of them.
A while later Tian Zhong came sheepishly.
He quietly whispered to Huang Wen who was nearest to him, "Uh... sorry... so how things going?"
Huang Wen turned and smiled, "Hey... what's the apology for? Anyway it seemed Uncle Zhang Tian Yi and Brother Liu Wang Yun had them spill everything. We'll just have to wait until they finished telling everything."
Tian Zhong nodded and now he turned his attention to the interrogation. There wasn't any new information by then, Zhang Tian Yi and Liu Wang Yun simply cross checked them and tried to find if the information was true or not. From listening to their interrogation, bit by bit, Huang Wen and Tian Zhong learned a bit about their opponent. After a while, both Zhang Tian Yi and Liu Wang Yun seemed satisfied. They looked at each other, then turned to the other as well. With gestures, all left the fate of the captured enemies to Zhang Tian Yi.
Zhang Tian Yi looked at the two of them with his cold eyes and his voice was just as cold, "Hmm... I don't trust you both. When humanity face great danger, you guys rather took advantage over the weak, such character... believe me, I'll kill any of you without any regret."
Still with his cold stare, "... but for the same reason, I decided to let you both free. I hope you will think of your action in the past and what you will do in the future. I hope..."
Zhang Tian Yi gave it an underline note, "I hope, you're not back to that group of yours. I don't care if you decide to report us and as I said before. I won't feel any regret killing pests like you two. So if I find you back to your group, you better be prepared."
The two of them obviously relieved after heard that Zhang Tian Yi would let them go free, but now they were confused about what they should do.
Chen Wu Xuang saw it and said, "You two stay here and talked about it on your own."
Zhang Tian Yi agreed and nodded, without much words. Zhang Tian Yi led his group to leave that place. They needed to discuss their next step. They went to find a place to rest and discuss. On the way, Zhang Tian Yi told Huang Wen and Tian Zhong of the information that they managed to obtain during the interrogation.
Apparently there were a group of thugs led by a man, managed to take control over a small village named Yuan Ge and build his base there. The village was surrounded by hills and forest. There was a small river that later will be integrated to the Minjiang River. So the village was quite strategic, easy to defend and could self produce all the basic necessities. They have enough wood to strengthen their defense. Some of the villagers were recruited but most of them worked like a slave under their control.
The leader, Shi Long, apparently was one of a very ambitious man. He planned to take over other villages as well and began to absorb other thugs they found around the area. They also stocked many foods and weapons. They even build walls around the village. It just wood palisades but to build it within a few days wasn't an easy feat either.
From the captured member of that group, Zhang Tian Yi and Liu Wang Yun also learned about the power division within the group and other extra information.
"Now, what are we going to do with them?", Zhang Tian Yi ended his explanation and turned to Huang Wen.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"It is your mission. We're here to help. If we go to save the villagers from this little tyrant, then we will put your mission at risk. Their number is big and it seemed that the leader has some capabilities despite his cruel method.", Chen Wu Xuang added.
Huang Wen nodded but didn't answer right away. It was really hard to decide.
After a while, Huang Wen took a deep breath and said, "How about this, we go there and do a more thorough investigation of their power and the situation there. If it is possible, I'd like to deal with them without asking assistance to Uncle Zhang Hu."
"Why can't we ask support from the main force now?", Zhang Tian Yi asked.
Huang Wen nodded, he realized Zhang Tian Yi asked because he wanted to know his reason and explained, "First, the strength between our group and their group nearly similar. Both have armies that reach around two hundred, if we have an open battle with them now I believe we'll win but with lots of casualties. I would like to avoid this."
"Second, unlike our forces where every fighter was allowed to level up, here the leader and his trusted men tried to keep his authority by limiting their men's chance to level up. Just like this group, only one man who has the experience of leveling up. So even if their armies numbered hundreds, we only need to kill few of their leaders to ensure our victory."
From the interrogation Zhang Tian Yi and Liu Wang Yun found out that actually there was one high level among the group they just slaughtered. It accidentally happened to be the first man who was killed by Huang Wen. They were really fortunate in that battle.
Zhang Tian Yi replied, "Hmm... I agree with you. From your answer it means you already made up your mind to help the villagers, is that right?"
"From the information we got, yes, most likely I would like to save them. Either by ourselves or by asking assistance from our main force. However, if after our investigation I think that the villagers situation is still manageable, there is a chance that I wouldn't do anything for now.", replied Huang Wen.
"Heh... since most of them are criminals even before this new world, the chance is they treat the villagers poorly. So what's your limit?", said Zhang Tian Yi.
Huang Wen hesitated for a while before answered, "As long as they provided food for the villager, even if it's not much. As long, as they don't abuse children...."
He paused for a moment before continued, "... even if they rape women, as long as they don't treat them too inhumanly... I think... I think we could leave them to their own device for now."
"Hmm... you're pretty lenient there... if that's the condition then I guess we have a 50:50 chance on whether we would take action against them or not.", Zhang Tian Yi before he seemed to give it a thought.
While Zhang Tian Yi quietly thought over Huang Wen's answer. Chen Wu Xuang asked Huang Wen, "Huang Wen, you said even if they rape women as long as it's not too inhumanly you could allow them to do it. Is that true? How could you allow such thing to happen?"
Chen Wu Xuang,before he met Zhang Hu, with some other men he worked to defend the survivors who happened to be in the hospital where he worked. During that few days, he killed one of their own, who drunk with the power and tried to rape one of his patients. For Chen Wu Xuang, it seemed a bit of that Huang Wen would let this group of thugs go with rape.
Huang Wen replied, "It is not like I do that with a clear conscience but in this new world, I think in many places that what would happen when the only law is the strong prey upon the weak. To bring order, we must build our power first. We will save them, but we will do that when we had the power to do it."
Chen Wu Xuang seemed not satisfied, "Hmm... doesn't that means, if we had the power to do it then we should help them. You said it yourself, by killing some key persons within that group, we will ensure our victory."
"That's probably true, but we didn't know and had no way to know, how high the level of the leader. Even his own men only know that he could show a burst of extra ordinary strength. That's one active skill, with his character there is no way he only has one active skill. Without knowing his other two active skills, it won't be easy to kill him, even without his men around, without risking our life. All of you five, are people who are prepared to lead our forces. I won't put you in unnecessary risk.", answered Huang Wen.
Chen Wu Xuang sighed and shook his head, he turned to Ma Heng, "What do you think about it?"
Ma Heng took a deep breath before carefully answered, "I agree with him, that we should try to avoid any conflicts before we have the strength that could subdue them...."
"Haiiya... ", Chen Wu Xuang sighed once again.
"... one of the conditions is more obscure compare the other two, how could we say that one rape is humane while another rape is inhumane? Isn't all rape is inhumane?", Chen Wu Xuang argued.
At that time, no one could answer his question.
Suddenly Zhang Tian Yi who had been quiet until that point spoke, "All the three conditions are vague. I shouldn't ask in the first place. How about this? Let's see the village with our own eyes and we'll discuss once again, what should we do once we see it."
Huang Wen and Chen Wu Xuang looked at each other and after a moment of pause. They nodded.
"I agree... Let's see the situation with our own eyes first. It's easy to say this and that, when you didn't see it with your own eyes.", said Chen Wu Xuang.
"I agree.", said Huang Wen.
"Okay, everyone agrees?", Zhang Tian Yi asked the other.
Ma Heng, Liu Wang Yun and Tian Zhong nodded in agreement. They began to camouflage their truck before they left it in that abandoned warehouse. Each of them brought a backpack, filled with food and water. They chose to approach the village quietly on foot.