From Robinson Crusoe

The stars and moon are in the sky, and the rushing, turbid river reflects the faint light of the heavens.

The entire land was draped in a cool, silvery light. Occasionally, the roar of wild beasts could be heard from the vast plains, followed by the frantic galloping of ungulates and the desperate cries of old, weak, or young herbivores as they were killed.

One massacre after another is accompanied by new life, by the rampant growth of weeds after the rain, and by the ripening of fruit on trees;
Accompanied by the deep flow of the great river, and the wind that blows through the hills and valleys, it swaggered through the prehistoric world of ten thousand years ago.

……

Despite being washed several times, the glyptodont's bone armor still carried a bloody smell.

The diamond-shaped armor plates were woven together with vines through the holes on them to make a simple suit of armor.

Due to limited resources, Chen Zhou was unable to make a helmet for Paul, nor could he balance aesthetics and practicality. He could only try to use as much bone armor as possible to enhance the defense of vital areas.

The complete suit of armor includes a breastplate to protect the chest and back, an abdominal armor to protect the waist and abdomen, and arm and leg armor strapped to the forearms and calves.

In addition, Paul's thigh was also wrapped with a layer of bone fragments.

These separate suits of armor didn't offer Paul complete protection and might even have affected his agility, but overall, the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.

The bone density of the glyptodont is not low, especially its hard shell, which even has a stone-like texture, but it is still quite different from metal.

Paul's strength was not to be underestimated, so Chen Zhou deliberately thickened the upper part of the breastplate near the throat, as well as the belly armor, which was vulnerable to attack. This slightly increased the weight of the armor, but also improved Paul's chances of surviving the battle.

……

Paul carried five newly made spears on his back, while Chen Zhou carried six more, each holding a large hammer made from a reinforced carpenter's tail. They left the jungle one after the other.

To be on the safe side, Chen Zhou did not take the shortest route, nor did he return the way he came. Instead, he went around in circles, advancing along the riverbank and quietly making his way towards the mound.

Paul still carried the indelible smell of blood from the glyptodont.

For Chen Zhou, who has a keen sense of smell, this was undoubtedly a constant source of stimulation.

He held the tailbone of the Glyptodon in both hands, the heavy weapon seeming to awaken his muscles from slumber, a feeling of being a hunter, of being a superior predator, creeping into his heart.

He looked forward to the battle, to the adrenaline rush, to every second of the life-or-death struggle.

……

To avoid exhausting Paul's strength, Chen Zhou, who was leading the way, did not increase his speed too much. He also carried the remaining spears on his back to conserve Paul's energy.

After all, Paul was just a normal person, and he was wearing a suit of bone armor.

Their raid on the other two challenger camps, while giving them the initiative, did not give them a significant advantage.

In particular, the "45-yard" force and the Japanese were well-rested and waiting in their familiar camp, possibly even possessing modern metal weapons, making them extremely troublesome.

He didn't care; his stamina was enough to sustain him through a battle that could last half an hour or even longer.

Paul, however, had to conserve every ounce of his energy, as it concerned whether he could overcome the "45 yards" and even whether he could endure the fight longer and survive.

……

Treading on the washed-out grass and mud along the riverbank, the two quickly arrived at the foot of the mound and crouched low, tiptoeing up to climb it.

Chen Zhou carefully examined the land along the way, looking for any traces left by humans, or any alarm devices or traps set up.

Since he could deduce information about the other two challengers from footprints and bits of wood from their clogs, he couldn't rule out the possibility that the other two might have obtained information about them from other clues.

Those who participate in this challenge are most likely not ordinary people who live a quiet and law-abiding life.

Whether they came from special forces, were from a family of hunters, or were ninjas like that Japanese man, they all possessed extraordinary combat skills and cunning methods.

Even though he possesses extraordinary physical abilities, he is not at the level of being able to fly, escape from the ground, or be invulnerable to swords and spears or poisons. As long as the opponent has the ability to break through his defenses, there is a possibility of killing him. Facing such an enemy, Chen Zhou dares not be as carefree as if he were fighting a wild beast.

……

There are no clouds tonight, and although the moonlight is faint, it is still enough to illuminate the earth.

Nevertheless, for ordinary people, there are still many details in the environment hidden in the dark, making them difficult to notice.

Paul knew this well, so he obediently followed behind Chen Zhou and dared not act on his own.

This is not about handing the burden to the most capable person, but about discipline.

The two walked one after the other at a relatively slow but steady pace to a position close to the top of the mound.

Looking up from below, one can already see a layer of bright yellow light rising from the center of the mound, the glow of the campfire lit in the challenger's camp.

Seeing the firelight, Chen Zhou and Paul both breathed a sigh of relief.

Their biggest fear was arriving at the camp only to find the two challengers missing, forcing them to start searching again.

The fact that the firelight is visible now proves that "45 yards" and the Japanese have not abandoned this camp, or at least they should be lingering nearby, so that their trip is not in vain and their hard-earned armor and weapons can be put to use.

For wild animals, fire is a terrifying phenomenon, a ruthless, brutal, and invincible enemy.

However, for humans, fire means warmth, light, cooked food, and shelter.

Even just catching a glimpse of a fire on the back of the mound made Chen Zhou and his companion relax a little. They straightened up their bent backs and took slightly longer strides.

"and many more!"

Just as he was about to reach the top of the mound, Chen Zhou suddenly stopped and raised his hand to stop Paul, who was following closely behind him.

Under Paul's questioning gaze, he bent down, put the bone hammer aside, plucked a handful of wild grass, and gently wiped the seemingly ordinary ground in front of him, which was illuminated by the edge of the firelight.

As the broom-like bundles of wild grass swept away the mud from the ground, a layer of slender branches gradually emerged from beneath.

When Chen Zhou removed the camouflage layer woven from tree branches, he was shocked to find a trap half a meter deep with its bottom filled with wooden spikes.

hiss~
Paul gasped.

He could tell that the trap didn't seem to be set up for wild animals, but rather for humans.

No one would make such a meticulous trap for dealing with wild animals, even carefully considering its location, placing it on the top of a mound where people's vigilance is at its lowest.

The soil, blending seamlessly with the surrounding land, and the low-lying wild grasses scattered upon it, seemed utterly superfluous to the unintelligent beasts.

Clearly, their arrival had been noticed by the other group of challengers.

If they hadn't been more alert, or hadn't possessed Chen Zhou's keen senses, one of them might already have stepped into the trap and had their foot pierced.

"Do you want to continue?"

Paul didn't speak, but his eyes revealed his worry.

Chen Zhou lowered his head, pondered for a moment, then swept the surroundings with a bundle of grass, and nodded after confirming that it was safe nearby.

Even if the challengers knew of their arrival, they couldn't possibly have gathered much information about them; at most, they would have only found their footprints on the mound. The trap and the firelight beneath the mound revealed that the challengers were completely unaware of his night vision and extraordinary sense of smell, which is why they hadn't bothered to further camouflage the trap or remove the astringent smell from the thorns using soil or boiling water.

Currently, the situation remains one of the enemy being in the open while we are in the dark; they possess more information and have the advantage.

The Japanese camp, which was 45 yards wide and held by the Japanese, was washed away by last night's heavy rain, giving them less than 12 hours to dig traps and set up defenses.

Even if they don't eat or drink today, they can only set up a dozen or so such traps at most, which wouldn't pose a significant threat.

However, if the situation drags on, they will definitely build more defensive structures, and even set up watchtowers on the hills and clear away the nearby weeds to prevent the enemy from approaching stealthily. At that point, the difficulty of launching an attack will increase significantly.

The arrow is on the string and must be fired.

Chen Zhou didn't want to miss such a good opportunity as tonight, as it might only come once in a lifetime.

Moreover, each group of challengers is their opponent, and each group of humans has considerable development potential. He and Paul haven't even set up a stable camp yet. If they were to take the "turtle-style attrition warfare" route, they would have already fallen far behind others.

At this point, there's only one path left to follow—

While others hoard food, I hoard guns. They are my granary. As long as we can pull off this heist, the supplies and survival tools that the other group of challengers have been accumulating for days will all be theirs.

……

At this point, Paul was completely obedient to Chen Zhou. Seeing that Chen Zhou insisted on carrying out the plan, he did not raise any objections, but silently drew a long spear from his back.

We are about to enter the front slope of the mound.

With a gentle slope on the back and a steep slope on the front, he had to prepare his weapons in advance, take the initiative, throw them at the enemy, and then rush down the hill to engage in close combat.

If you can use projectile weapons to inflict damage, that would be best. If you can't inflict damage, disrupting the enemy and taking the opportunity to rush into the camp is also a good option.

The long-range weapons created by humans are their unique "cheat tools" in the competition of nature, but if we abandon long-range weapons and enter the stage of hand-to-hand combat, human fighting is not much different from the fighting of wild beasts, which is nothing more than a contest of physical strength.

Technique might play a role, but ultimately it's a contest of strength, endurance, and resilience. In this respect, Paul is confident he's no less capable than anyone else.

……

"Beware of traps."

After saying something in a low voice, Chen Zhou continued to walk ahead of Paul to scout the way.

In just a few steps, the two reached the top of the mound, and from there, they had a panoramic view of the entire Challenger Camp.

Last night's rain shelter couldn't withstand the torrential rain and was destroyed. The empty campsite was covered in mud, mixed with broken branches and logs washed up by the river, as well as some animal carcasses that had been swept away and drowned by the flood.

The two challengers' semi-permanent sunken shelter, which was slightly higher than the campfire, was preserved, with only a layer of leaves piled up on the side edge.

The two people's small raft on the riverbank had disappeared.

Two rocks were placed beside the burning campfire. "45 Yards" and the Japanese man were sitting at opposite ends of the fire, holding fish pierced with sticks and roasting them over the fire.

What made Chen Zhou envious was that there was a tripod set up on the campfire, with a small army pot hanging on it. The pot lid had a valve, and the water inside was hissing and steaming when it boiled, so it was obvious that there was soup simmering inside.

"Damn it, I was sent here wearing a tattered protective suit, and for so many days I've had to use stones to heat water."

"What's wrong with them? They're using military axes and pressure cookers! Have they no regard for the law?"

Looking down at Chen Zhou, the more he looked, the angrier he became.

We all start from the same point, so why should I walk while others ride bicycles? It would be an injustice not to take advantage of them.

Signaling to Paul with his eyes that he should prepare for battle, Chen Zhou tucked the bone hammer into his waistband and then drew the wooden spear slung across his back. Once they were within their shared throwing range, he and Paul would throw the spears together, launching the first wave of attack.

……

Trying to slide down the mountain in areas where the firelight wasn't too bright, Chen Zhou never forgot to observe the ground beneath him and around him to avoid falling into another trap.

But he didn't encounter any more traps until he was close to the bottom of the mound. He guessed that the two of them didn't have time to set up more traps and had only dug a defensive line around the top of the mound.

There was no time to wash clothes in the wild. Chen Zhou and Paul had been busy all day and hadn't had time to wash their faces. They were still covered in mud from the rain last night.

The dirt and grime provided natural camouflage, helping the two quietly reach the vicinity of the campfire.

With their feet firmly planted in the mud and their eyes fixed on the target sitting by the fire, Chen Zhou attempted to close the distance between them and the challenger to within 50 meters.

The effective throwing range of the spear is 10-50m. As long as he can get within 50m and throw the spear at the same time as Paul, there is hope to directly cause casualties to the enemy.

However, reality often falls short of expectations.

They had already detected humans loitering around the camp, and despite setting traps around the area, 45 Yards and the Japanese remained vigilant.

They sat facing each other around the campfire so that their vision could fill in any blind spots, allowing them to observe more comprehensively whether there were any lurking wild animals or enemies.

The closer Chen Zhou and Paul got to the campfire, the more easily they were exposed to its light.

The open space below the mound was very flat, with no protruding slopes, no ditches, and no bushes to conceal their figures. Chen Zhou and Paul were both large men, making it impossible to bring them into firing range as planned.

"気をpayけてください!"

The Japanese man dressed in ninja attire was the first to spot Chen Zhou and his companion. He quickly stood up and reminded them to stay at 45 yards, then grabbed a shuriken from his waist and threw it at Chen Zhou.

"Do it!"

A distance of 50 meters gives a person enough time to react, and the firelight clearly illuminates the Japanese movements, so Chen Zhou isn't worried about Paul being hit by the darts.

Even if he had a big target or was clumsy, he was at least a trained young soldier and couldn't possibly make such a basic mistake.

With a swift step forward, dodging the darts, Chen Zhou put down the bone hammer and picked up the spear.

The Japanese man facing Chen Zhou and his companion seemed to have exceptional eyesight as well. While reminding them of the 45 yards, he habitually crouched down, curled up his thin body, and frantically dodged through the mud.

Although his movements were clumsy, the speed at which he changed direction and the unpredictable and agile way he moved still opened Chen Zhou's eyes.

Lacking confidence in hitting the Japanese ninja, Chen Zhou directly chose a target of 45 yards.

This big guy, with broad shoulders and a height of 190cm, was an easier target to hit.

Whoosh!
Whoosh!
While Chen Zhou was pondering who to attack first, Paul had already thrown his wooden spear.

However, in terms of absolute strength, Chen Zhou was far superior to him. Therefore, although Chen Zhou threw his spear a little later, the wooden spear struck first, passing through the 45-yard mark and deeply embedding itself in the campfire, knocking away the red-hot charcoal and sparking a burst of flames.

The size 45 showed agility that was disproportionate to its size. With a roll, it dodged Chen Zhou's fatal blow. Before it could even steady itself, it rolled around a few more times like a lazy donkey, ignoring the mud on the ground.

Paul's wooden spear missed its mark due to 45 yards' continuous tumbling. Just as he drew the second spear from his back, 45 yards stood up in a kneeling position, already gripping a military axe in his hand.

At this moment, both challengers were on guard. Their sneak attack only left their opponent covered in mud and looking a bit disheveled, without causing any real damage. What followed was a head-on battle.

Whoosh!
Paul symbolically threw his spear, then drew a third, shouting "Hurrah!" and sprinted off towards the 45-yard mark. (End of Chapter)