From Robinson Crusoe

Every animal living on the grasslands knew how terrifying the mammoth was.

The elk was startled and ran harder than usual, but it couldn't hide its panic. Even though the person on its back held the reins tightly, it couldn't help but run in the wrong direction instead of continuing towards the campfire on the mound.

The person on the deer tightened the reins and loudly reassured his mount. When he looked up again, he saw a man holding a long spear upside down, flying over at an astonishing speed.

……

As the mammoth drew closer, the earth trembled so much that dust even rose slightly.

Chen Zhou's gaze was fixed on the chest of the giant antler deer, and he waited until he was close enough to throw out a kunai, piercing through the lung lobe.

If a running deer's lungs are damaged, it will not die immediately, but it will completely lose its ability to move. At that time, the two people will only be able to move forward on their legs, and their speed will be greatly reduced, making it impossible for them to divert the trouble eastward.

When Chen Zhou saw the giant deer, the two people on its back also saw him.

When they were still more than 200 meters apart, the man in white shouted loudly from afar.

The times were vastly different, and Chen Zhou only felt that the man's words had a heavy accent, making it difficult to understand. He couldn't make out what he was saying in a short time.

As Chen Zhou pondered, he continued walking without stopping, and the giant stag did not slow down either.

The two cars raced towards each other and came close in less than 10 seconds.

In order to defeat his enemy with a single blow, Chen Zhou specifically set a distance at which he could be considered to have a 100% hit rate.

20 m.

Within this distance, he could accurately knock down even a sesame seed on a bottle cap without shaking it; as long as Ku Wu made a move, there would be no mishap.

Holding the gun in his right hand, Chen Zhou reached out with his left hand to his waist and tucked the kunai into his palm. His hips turned with his waist, and his body moved with his steps, and the kunai was already out of his hand.

Under the cold light of the beacon, the two saw only a flash of cold light, and then the large antlered deer under the white-clad man suddenly stopped and knelt down.

If it were an ordinary person, being caught off guard by such a fall would likely result in at least a few broken bones.

This man in white was different.

The moment the deer was hit by the dart, he sensed it and quickly leaped off its back.

Upon landing, the man rolled like a rabbit, skillfully using the grass to dissipate the force of the fall. As soon as the force dissipated, he braced himself with his hands and leaped up. Apart from a few blades of grass sticking to his body, he was completely unharmed.

The deer that was hit by the dart was not so agile. It fell to the ground, and its forelegs, which were bearing the force of the impact, were broken by the potential energy of the movement. Once it fell, it could no longer stand up. It tried to cry out, but its lungs were pierced through by the kunai, so it could only open its mouth and spit out blood foam.

Having anticipated that these two were no ordinary people, Chen Zhou became more vigilant upon seeing the white-clad man's exceptional skills. Holding his gun, he prepared to meet them head-on. However, he noticed that the white-clad man did not draw his sword, nor was he angered by the death of his mount. Instead, he stood still, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed to Chen Zhou.

As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. Chen Zhou was just about to have a fierce fight with these two when he saw how humble this person was, so he didn't dare to make a move.

On the other side, the brown-armored man also reined in the giant antler deer. Before the deer could stand firmly, he leaped off its back. He also did not draw his weapon and, like his companion, clasped his hands in a fist salute.

However, this man seemed more arrogant than his companion. He clasped his hands in greeting but did not bow, and his expression showed some wariness and apprehension.

……

As the mammoth approached, the three men stood still. The great stag, however, was quick-witted. As soon as it was freed from its master's control, it immediately ran off like a madman and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

After bowing and straightening his back, the man in white looked at Chen Zhou, then at his companions and the mammoth running towards them, and uttered a few words.

However, the man's accent and language were really hard to figure out. Chen Zhou could only tell that the man was speaking Chinese, but he really couldn't tell what region or period of Chinese he was speaking.

Not knowing what these two were up to, Chen Zhou had no choice but to try his luck and take the initiative to see if these two ancient people could understand him.

Worried that the two wouldn't understand if he spoke in plain language, he deliberately added some literary flair.

However, he hasn't studied Chinese language much in recent years and hasn't accumulated much knowledge of humanities, so his "classical Chinese" is no different from his modern vernacular.

Why did you two lead the mammoths here?

As soon as Chen Zhou spoke, the two people opposite him were stunned for a moment. The man in white seemed to not quite understand what Chen Zhou was saying, but the man in brown armor could understand it.

After clasping his hands in a fist salute once more, the man in brown armor spoke for the first time.

He spoke with a strong northern accent, but his voice was gentler than his appearance, and it sounded somewhat like Mandarin. This time, Chen Zhou finally understood what he was saying.

"Brother, we have no other choice but to resort to this desperate measure, hoping to get your help. If we can escape this predicament, we will surely reward you handsomely."

We, the people of the martial world, though reckless warriors, also understand the importance of upholding martial virtues and prioritizing integrity.

"If you brave warrior help us through this ordeal, we will face any hardship or danger that comes our way, no matter how great the obstacles or how fierce the trials!"

"I was just staying on the mountain, making a fire and roasting meat, having a great time. If it weren't for you two jinxes, I would have already been hunted down by the little saw-toothed tiger."

"Damn, even people in ancient times have such thick skin! If you two hadn't shamelessly insisted on coming this way, I wouldn't have needed to help you. I'd be having a much more leisurely evening!"

Chen Zhou secretly grumbled to himself, but he couldn't bring himself to voice his thoughts directly.

Although they are competitors now, at least they haven't completely fallen out. If he were to say those words aloud, it would probably become a fight to the death.

Although people from the martial arts world value martial arts and morality, and prioritize integrity, they are also capable of seeking revenge for every grievance and harboring resentment; they can be petty and narrow-minded.

Looking at the three mammoths whose speed had slowed down slightly due to running too far, Chen Zhou thought to himself that it was probably too late to start running further now, so he might as well go with the flow and help these two out.

Besides wanting them to help him tame the giant deer, Chen Zhou also wanted to take the opportunity to probe their abilities and see how skilled they were and if they had any unique skills.

Chinese martial arts are profound and extensive. In modern times, many traditional martial arts have been lost and declined. Moreover, no matter how good one's martial arts skills are, they can be defeated by a single spear, and ultimately they cannot compete with guns and cannons, so they have never recovered.

In ancient times, the "jianghu" (江湖, a term referring to the martial arts world) created by martial arts practitioners was indeed prosperous and flourishing, and it was full of extraordinary skills.

With his formidable physical prowess, Chen Zhou has always advocated using sheer force to overcome all methods.

In modern life, he rarely suffers from a lack of top-level skills when engaging in extreme sports.

After starting the challenge, he was able to handle the ferocious beasts, but when he fought the ninja, his foot was pierced.

In other words, due to the short time available, the ninja failed to prepare the deadly poison. Had he been given more time to prepare, or if his survival tools contained a deadly toxin, he might have already lost his life.

After this battle, Chen Zhou had developed a sense of awe towards the methods of other challengers. He hadn't yet formed an enmity with these two, nor did he know their backgrounds, so he was unwilling to engage in conflict with them. Moreover, just by looking at their age and appearance, observing their bulging temples, the calluses on their fingers, and their constant display of concentrated internal energy, he knew that each of them individually was likely stronger than the Japanese ninja.

After some thought, Chen Zhou decided that starting a war at this moment would do more harm than good. He pretended to ponder for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright, I'll lend you a hand."

……

As soon as the words were spoken, the three angry mammoths had closed to within twenty meters. The two female mammoths were slightly ahead of the males, swinging their trunks and charging forward with their ears, which were much smaller than those of African elephants.

Faced with the behemoth's charge, Chen Zhou's method of dodging was completely unskilled; he simply ran.

As the saying goes, the greatest truths are the simplest, and returning to simplicity is the best approach.

With his physical abilities, he doesn't need any fancy skills; he can just run.

……

On the other side, the two wandering knights had a completely different style from Chen Zhou.

The man in white dared to take risks at every turn, maintaining a distance of about six meters from the mammoth with agile movements.

He dodged by leaping, his toes barely touching the ground before he sped away. Though he was dodging, he didn't seem flustered. Dressed in white, he had a rather elegant air about him, much like the swordsmen Chen Zhou had imagined in martial arts novels when he was a child.

As he shifted his stance, the man in white had already drawn his long sword from his waist, aiming directly at the elephant's hoof joint.

Unfortunately, his sword was not sharp enough and was too thin. Mammoths have long hair, under which is a thick skin, and under the skin is a layer of fat. Only after passing through the fat layer can one reach the flesh. It is almost impossible for ancient short weapons to cut into the bone.

Moreover, the man in white had more skill than strength. His sword was fast and accurate, but the damage was low. He stabbed the mammoth four times at one joint, but only managed to pierce the mammoth's skin. Such a huge mammoth didn't even bleed a few drops, but he was forced into a dangerous situation. If it weren't for his agile dodges and occasional leaps and rolls, he would probably have been trampled into mincemeat long ago.

As for the brown-armored man, his dodging method was somewhat similar to Chen Zhou's, with only a few tricks involved. He didn't approach the mammoth, but tried his best to keep his distance, since he was using a bow and arrow.

This person is nearly 1.85 meters tall, with a slightly different build than the average person. He has long arms and legs, and runs much faster than ordinary people. He can also take out a longbow from his back and draw it while running.

However, two legs can hardly outrun four legs. Although the mammoth expended a lot of energy, giving the man a slight advantage in speed, it was still impossible to widen the distance to tens of meters in a short time.

After hastily firing the first arrow, seeing that the mammoth was too close, the brown-armored man could only continue running, holding the bow in one hand and the arrow in the other, waiting for the right moment.

If the white-clad man's longsword was ineffective, then the arrows were even less damaging.

Unless it hits the eye, arrows only a few centimeters long, even if they pierce a mammoth's flesh, will cause no pain or itch, only making the mammoth even angrier.

But a skilled archer's arrow must be accurate enough. Close range is both a danger and an opportunity. The brown-armored man dodged and fired another arrow. This arrow was as swift as the wind, flying diagonally and piercing the edge of the mammoth's upper eyelid.

Although it didn't hit the bullseye, the edge of the arrow still caused some damage to the mammoth's eye.

As blood stained the arrow shaft, the mammoth raised its trunk high, its speed suddenly increasing dramatically due to the pain. With a sweep of its trunk, it nearly swept up the unsuspecting brown-armored man.

Having hastily dodged the sweep, and knowing he had completely enraged the beast, the brown-armored man dared not continue drawing his bow to look for an opportunity. He could only run away without looking back, trying to widen the distance once again.

……

The man in white and the man in brown armor each fought off a female mammoth, but left the largest male mammoth to Chen Zhou.

While cursing under his breath, Chen Zhou had no choice but to fight back with all his might.

Now it's not him and the three mammoths working together to deal with these two, but rather the three of them facing off against the mammoths.

The enraged mammoth couldn't distinguish friend from foe, and the situation he had envisioned—where the mammoth would keep a close eye on the two men and attack—would not materialize at all. If he were to let the male mammoth join the battle now, the two men would be turned into mincemeat in no time.

If he's left to face three mammoths alone, he'll be exhausted even if he can run. It's better to put in some effort now; at least he can get some benefits from the two of them.

If they are truly trustworthy "people of the martial world".

……

The two rangers over there displayed flashy moves and masterful skills, yet they inflicted negligible damage on the mammoth.

The white-clad man's idea of ​​killing the mammoth with his sword is utter nonsense. Unless he can pull off a miracle with sheer force, piercing deep into the mammoth's flesh with a single strike, or cutting away large chunks of flesh with each blow, the only way the mammoth can die from exhaustion is through his repeated thrusts and slashes.

Although the brown-armored man's arrows could inflict excruciating pain on the mammoth, even if he managed to hit the mammoth's left and right eyes precisely with two arrows, it wouldn't kill the mammoth; at most, it would only greatly reduce the mammoth's attack power.

But even though mammoths lost their sight, they still had their sense of smell and hearing. At such close range, a blind mammoth could still cause a lot of trouble.

……

Although Chen Zhou was facing the largest mammoth, the situation and circumstances were completely different from the two of them—

His movements weren't graceful, but each step he took was lightning fast, much quicker than the man in white.

His gun-wielding posture was simple and unadorned, but each attack pierced deeply into the mammoth's flesh and joints.

The two were being chased and were in a sorry state by the mammoth. Chen Zhou had already riddled one of the male mammoth's hind legs with holes.

The spear was covered in elephant blood and brownish elephant hair. One of its hind legs was severely injured, and the male mammoth was struggling to stand, let alone run.

For Chen Zhou, a giant beast that cannot run is simply a sitting duck. He only needs to keep moving to the side of the mammoth, avoiding its powerful trunk and tusks, to keep bleeding the mammoth.

The incredibly thick elephant hide was like paper under his monstrous strength. Almost every attack he made left a bloody mark on the mammoth. If this continued, the behemoth would fall to Chen Zhou's spear in less than an hour.

They thought that with their incredible performance, the other two only needed to hold off the female mammoth, and they would win this "battle between man and beast".

Wielding his spear, Chen Zhou was contemplating chopping off the elephant's trunk with his axe when he turned his head and discovered that the white-clad swordsman had been driven to the brink of despair by the female mammoth.

……

The white-clad man's swordsmanship and movement techniques were all created for dealing with people, emphasizing quick turns, risky moves, and killing in an instant.

When facing martial artists, his swordsmanship often proved to be a great success, allowing him to quickly win battles. However, when facing a mammoth, his skills were completely outmatched.

Having held his breath and used his movement techniques to fly for so long, he had reached his limit. As his energy dissipated and his strength waned, the white-clad man's evasions became increasingly sluggish and powerless. The close distance between them became a death sentence. (End of Chapter)