Genius Club.

Chapter 540 Combat
"Do we have to go far?"

The man VV and the little girl CC walked for a long time, until night fell, but they still did not reach the ruins of the legendary research institute.

"It will probably take another day or two."

The little girl CC looked up at the gradually darkening sky:
"Let's not move on today. Let's camp here. Once it gets completely dark, there will be many wild animals in the jungle. It will be very dangerous."

The words fell.

CC began to quickly collect dead branches, weeds, and fallen leaves, and soon arranged them into a pyramid shape, and used a special flint to start a flame.

The man looked at all this with great surprise:
"You're so skilled."

"Of course, what I said before was not a lie."

CC smiled and said:

"My father is the best hunter in the village. I have been hunting with him since I was a child. I have learned a lot from him."

"No one dares to go to those hidden places in the mountains. Not only do they need to climb up, but there are also wild animals and poisonous plants on the road... Only professional hunters like my father dare to try."

"That's why I said that the secret research institute that no one knows about should be our hope. My father never told anyone about this matter, and he only mentioned it to me and my mother after he came home."

"VV, you stay here and keep the fire from going out. I'll go get you something to eat."

After saying that, the agile and compact CC disappeared into the night without a trace.

The man looked in the direction the little girl left.

Scratching my head:
“I feel so useless…”

He smiled helplessly.

Although he promised to help CC to get revenge and rescue her parents, but at present, he has completely lost his memory and can only be regarded as CC's pendant. He even has to rely on this little girl to find food for him.

"I really hope I can regain my memory soon."

……

After more than an hour of physical experience, CC came back.

Her small cloth bag was filled with wild fruits, and she was holding a few bird eggs:
"Hey, look what I got back."

She looks very pretty when she smiles, with two dimples faintly visible at the corners of her mouth:
"I was really lucky. I came across a bird's nest while climbing a tree to pick fruits. I took out the bird eggs inside. They are very nutritious."

Subsequently.

The two men gathered around the fire, eating wild fruits while waiting for the bird eggs in the flames to cook.

"Have you ever met someone like me who has completely lost his memory?"

The man asked:
“My situation shouldn’t be an isolated case, right?”

"You must have hibernated from the old times." CC took a bite of the fruit.

"Hibernation?"

The man tilted his head:
"What is hibernation?"

"That's not quite clear."

CC is only an 11-year-old child, and many things are just hearsay:

"I also heard my parents mention it when they were chatting. It seems that there is a device called a hibernation capsule... It is a product with very high technological content and a relic of the old times. After the super disaster, humans no longer have the ability to manufacture it."

"Then sleep in the hibernation chamber, it will be like a semi-dead state, you can spend a very long time without aging, the side effect is complete amnesia, you won't remember anything."

It turned out to be the case.

The man nodded.

This is probably the case with him.

but……

Why does he hibernate?
Since hibernation means complete loss of memory, isn't this too risky?

"Super disaster..."

The man silently recited the words CC mentioned several times and asked again:
"You seemed to have mentioned a super disaster before. What kind of event is this?"

“Oh, that happened over a hundred years ago.”

CC chewed the wild fruit slowly and continued:
"I often hear stories about the past from the elderly, but most of them become more and more mysterious as they are passed down."

"It is said that in the year 2504, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and other super disasters suddenly occurred. Floods and landslides hit major cities, almost destroying human society."

"But it was only nearly so. Many people still survived... Then there were years of war and internal friction. Eventually, the population dwindled and the most basic balance was maintained. Only then did civilization officially begin to develop."

"Is the whole earth like this?" the man asked.

"should be."

CC spread his hands:
"I've never left Brooklyn, so I don't know what the outside world is like, but I guess it's pretty much the same."

"After so many years of reproduction and development, the surviving humans now basically live in villages, relying on primitive farming and animal husbandry, as well as some relics from the old times dug out from the ground."

"If we talk about the most powerful relics from the old times, they are definitely guns. Many well-preserved guns are still usable even after hundreds of years. Those bad tribes rely on guns to run rampant. Not only do they rob people everywhere, they also take people back as slaves."

"I understand."

The man wrapped two roasted bird eggs in leaves and handed them to CC:

"That is to say, the hidden research institute your father discovered has not been searched yet. As long as we can find guns inside, we will have the power to fight against those bad guys."

"Yes."

CC took the roasted bird eggs and blew on them a few times:
"That bad guy tribe doesn't have many guns. After all, they don't have the ability to manufacture guns in this era, so these things are very precious. If one is broken, there will be one less, including bullets."

"I think it shouldn't be too difficult to use a gun. I saw that the bad guys used it very easily. All they had to do was press the trigger. With a little training... it shouldn't be difficult to master."

The man nodded blankly:
"I guess so. I don't understand either."

He had no choice but to peel the bird eggs and put them in his mouth.

It's very tender and smooth, but also has a fishy smell.

……

After a simple dinner, the two men were very tired after hiking all day, so they slept on the ground around the fire.

Fortunately, the temperature is neither too cold nor too hot now. I found a dry and soft place to lie down, which is quite comfortable.

Finally, after adding a lot of dead branches to the fire, the man yawned, lay down opposite the fire, and closed his heavy eyelids:
"Goodnight, CC."

The small figure on the other side of the fire shrank:
"Good night, VV."

……

The man slept very uncomfortably that night and woke up many times in a daze.

Sometimes it’s the mosquito bites that keep them awake;
Sometimes, inexplicable tension suddenly awakens him;
He is a light sleeper with poor sleep quality and can sense any disturbance.

Especially the occasional roars of wild beasts coming from the jungle, each of which made him open his eyes suddenly.

After all.

It must be because there is no memory in the brain.

Without memory, there is no sense of security and no sense of comfort.

I had originally hoped that I could recall something through dreams at night, but now I find that even dreaming is a luxury and I can’t do anything at all.

just like……

It was as if once you fell asleep you fell into a dark abyss of nothingness, you couldn't feel anything, you couldn't be aware of anything, and time just passed by inexplicably.

"Mother……"

A soft and gentle cry.

The man looked up at the other side of the fire, where CC was curled up in a small ball and seemed to be talking in his sleep.

Looking at her sleeping face, she looked nervous, biting her lips tightly, and her body was shaking a little.

I guess it must be a nightmare.

The man stood up and added some more dry firewood to the fire. After making sure that CC's expression had become relaxed and his breathing had calmed down, he returned to where he had just slept and fell asleep again.

the next morning.

The two of them simply satisfied their stomachs and started on their journey.

"Did you have a nightmare last night?"

The man followed the little girl.

CC used a dagger to cut the vines to clear the way and nodded:
"I dreamt about the day when the village was invaded again... My parents threw me into a well, and I covered my mouth and dared not say a word, but the chaotic noises outside frightened me."

"Gunshots, screams, running, the sound of horses' hooves, begging for mercy... Everything gradually became quiet, and in the end, nothing was left."

"The feeling of only being able to hear the sound is even more terrifying to me than seeing everything with my own eyes. I often have this nightmare, like a psychological shadow."

As she said this, the little girl CC turned around and looked at the bearded man:
"By the way, what about you? Did you have any dreams last night?"

"People say that dreams are also a kind of memory. You will dream about people you knew before and things that happened before. Maybe you can extract some real memories from dreams."

"No."

The man scratched his messy long hair:
"I didn't dream at all. I woke up many times during the night and my sleep was very light. If I had dreamed, I would have had some impression of it."

"But the problem is... I really don't have any impression of dreaming at all. It's as if I have lost the ability to dream, or I just can't dream."

CC thought about it and shook his head:
"That shouldn't happen. Everyone dreams. Maybe you just don't remember it."

"maybe."

The man said perfunctorily:
"Let's sleep a few more days and talk about it later."

The two continued to move towards the southeast.

CC is very familiar with this area, so with her leading the way, we don't have to worry about getting the right direction.

"Hey, wait a moment."

The man suddenly stepped forward, grabbed CC, and gave her a shushing gesture:
"Look over there."

He pointed to a more open area outside the bushes:
"You may not have noticed since you were leading the way. I realized something was wrong just now. Look at the footprints over there... Do they look like horse hooves?"

If CC hadn't just said that he heard the sound of horse hooves while hiding in the well, the man wouldn't have paid too much attention to the footprints.

After all, this is a natural jungle, and wild buffaloes, wild horses, wild deer and the like are very common.

But if those bad guys with guns are riding horses...these horse hooves are something you have to pay attention to.

CC and the bearded man walked out of the bushes and looked at the "fresh" horse hoof prints on the ground:
“It is a horseshoe.”

CC frowned:

"There are three horses in total, and horseshoes are nailed on their hooves. This means they are not wild horses, but domesticated horses! They are most likely the bad guys who took my parents away!"

The man squatted down, touched the horseshoe prints, and began to analyze:
"These horse hoof prints are very new, which means they just passed by not long ago. Is this a coincidence? Why are they in the same direction as we are heading?"

"It can't be...it can't be that after your father was captured, he revealed the secret research institute in the mountains in order to save his life or under coercion or inducement?"

CC bit her lip, her face full of worry:
"I do not know."

She shook her head again: "I really don't know..."

"Then what do we do now?"

The bearded man asked:
"If we continue to move forward towards the secret research institute, we will most likely run into these bad guys with guns. They have guns and horses, and we are no match for them at all."

"But...on the other hand, if you do nothing or run away, you might miss the only chance to rescue your parents."

finally.

CC raised his head and looked at the man firmly:

"VV, I want to follow and see what's going on."

She clenched her fists:
"I don't know how those bad guys knew about that secret research institute, but if it is true as you said...my father told it under certain circumstances...what was his purpose?"

The man rubbed his chin:

"This is indeed dangerous, but there seems to be no other good solution."

"Well, since we promised to help you get revenge, let's follow them carefully and see if we can find out any information."

The two reached a consensus and began to move forward along the horseshoe prints.

As pursuers, they have an advantage; the enemy is in the light, they are in the dark, and with the horseshoe prints as a guide, they can easily determine the enemy's direction and distance.

The other party's purpose is indeed very clear... pointing all the way to the southeast, without any deviation.

It seems.

The final destination of both parties is indeed the same.

In this way, the chase continued until night. From a distance, the man and CC saw a bonfire and heard the three brown-skinned strong men laughing. They quickly stopped and hid behind the trees.

The man gestured to CC, signaling her to be quiet, and then whispered:

"That group of people should plan to rest here at night."

CC narrowed his eyes, looked towards the fire in the distance, and gritted his teeth:
"It's them! I recognize their hats... It's them who destroyed our village, killed the villagers, and took my parents away!"

"VV, don't move here. I'm small and light, and I'm familiar with the jungle environment. I'll sneak over and see what they are talking about."

"Then be careful."

The man warned:
"The other party hasn't discovered us yet. We will have many opportunities when they fall asleep at night. Don't be impulsive."

"rest assured."

CC made a gesture to the man, then lowered his body, paid attention to the route he was taking, and moved forward step by step in the jungle.

Her unique physical advantage allowed her to hide behind a big tree near the fire without making any sound, and she listened attentively.

Three horses were tied to the opposite tree, and three brown-skinned strong men were sitting on the ground around a fire, communicating in slang.

CC could understand some of it.

They talked about trivial and dirty things, and there was no useful information; but she secretly saw that two of the three brown-skinned men had pistols on their waists, and the other had a dagger.

It was not until the three of them finished their barbecue dinner that they started talking about this operation:

"Is what that yellow-skinned guy said true? Is there really a research institute site in this mountain?"

"It shouldn't be fake."

The strong man opposite said:
"He only confessed this when we were about to beat a little boy to death. He said he wanted to use this information in exchange for the kid's life."

"Haha, if he dares to lie to us, we'll go back and kill all of them!"

"It's time to kill a bunch of them."

The last strong man sneered and said:
"We can't afford to keep so many useless slaves. Kill the old and incompetent ones and keep the young ones."

Listening to the three people's cold-blooded speeches, CC felt cold all over and his tense body trembled continuously.

After the three brown-skinned men fell asleep around the fire, she returned to the bearded man.

"They fell asleep." said CC.

"Did you find out any news?" the man asked.

CC nodded and told the man the truth:
"VV...You guessed right. It was indeed my father who told them about the ruins of the research institute. Moreover, they plan to kill a group of slaves after returning! It is very likely that they will start with my parents!"

The bearded man nodded:

"From what you've described, it seems like they are capable of doing something. It would be best if we could stop them here. This would not only protect your parents, but also prevent them from entering the institute first, and also give us more hope and opportunities."

"I think it's okay."

CC said categorically:

"The three of them were not very alert, or perhaps too arrogant, and did not leave anyone to keep watch at night."

"VV, now that all three of them are asleep, I think this is a good opportunity to grab the gun."

She gritted her teeth:
"Two of the three of them have guns. As long as we take the two pistols, we can definitely kill them! In this way, their horses and weapons will be ours!"

"Can it be done?"

The man was a little worried.

"No problem, don't worry."

CC patted his chest and said:

"I have been hunting with my father since I was a child. I know how to approach quietly. You just wait for me here."

"I'd better go with you."

The man was unwilling to let CC take risks alone again:

"There are three of them after all. It's too dangerous for you to go alone. Once you steal the gun, don't act rashly. Withdraw first. We will study how to use it, and then we can kill them."

CC nodded and led the man closer in the dark.

Soon, the two of them, familiar with the route, returned to the place where CC had just hidden.

CC tiptoed towards the three brown-skinned men who were sleeping.

She held her breath.

Getting closer little by little.

at last.

Came to one of them.

The structure of the cowhide holster had just been studied clearly. She gently squeezed the buckle and slowly pulled out the heavy and ancient gun...

call.

She couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Fortunately.

The gun was drawn perfectly without waking anyone.

however!
at this time!

“WHEW!!!!!!!!!”

The sleeping horse nearby suddenly let out a loud howl.

The three brown-skinned burly men were suddenly awakened, stared at the little girl with wide eyes and cursed at her.

CC was panicked for a moment.

He quickly gripped the pistol, pointed it at one of the sturdy men and pulled the trigger.

Click.

I can't press it at all!

For some reason, I couldn't pull the trigger at all!
"shit!"

The burly man in front of him was just scared to death, and now he rushed towards CC in anger, and the two burly men behind him also grabbed him with their big hands.

CC saw that he couldn't escape the trap, so he turned around and threw the gun behind a tree:
"VV!"

puff.

The black pistol fell on a pile of dead leaves, at the feet of the bearded man.

He lowered his head and looked at this completely unfamiliar machine, feeling at a loss for what to do.

Boom!
The sturdy man kicked CC in the abdomen and sent him flying into a tree. Another sturdy man quickly pulled out a pistol from his waist, cursing.

“V…V…”

CC had blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. He forced his eyes open and looked at the bearded man standing there in a daze. He also saw the brown-skinned burly man clenching his pistol and gradually raising it to aim.

For a moment, I was filled with regret.

It was her childish thinking that made her pull VV into this...

It was she who harmed VV and made VV the scapegoat...

“VV!!”

She used all her strength to scream hysterically:

"Run!!!!"

Bang!Bang!Bang!
Three blood flowers exploded in the air instantly.

It was like three big watermelons bursting, and the bright red juice dyed the night red.

"V..."

CC's eyes widened and he was speechless for a moment.

She had no idea what was happening.

I just felt that the moment VV picked up the gun, he seemed like a different person.

His hands moved so fast that you couldn't see their shadows... and you couldn't even see his aiming movements. The next second, the heads of the three brown-skinned strong men exploded one after another!

Plop, plop, plop.

The sound of three bodies falling to the ground, red and white mud flowing out from the back of their heads and seeping into the fertile earth.

At this moment, a night wind suddenly blew.

It blew away the smoke from the bearded man's gun and made the branches in the sky rustle.

The dark clouds rolled in the breeze, revealing the moonlight hidden behind them, which fell on the man and cast a bright light.

“V, V…”

CC could no longer hold up his body and fell to the ground.

She stared at the tall man bathed in the moonlight:
"who are you?"

(End of this chapter)