From Robinson Crusoe

Anger is a stronger catalyst than fear.

When Chen Zhou saw Paul slumped under the tree trunk, Hu Erwa kicked away, Hu Dawa lying on the ground, and Hu Sanwa hanging on the legs of the man in the black robe, all his calm thinking and clear thoughts were burned away by anger.

At that moment, he had only one thought—

"kill!"

……

With no way to clear the path, they dragged their guns and sped away.

In Zawahiri's eyes, Chen Zhou's speed was much faster than before. It was as if the man had appeared several meters away in the blink of an eye. Just as he dodged the kunai, the spear was already close at hand.

There wasn't much time for Zawahiri to think; he instinctively used techniques from melee weapons, such as those used against spears and clubs, to fight back.

"Gun at the head, club at the base."

If the spearhead thrusts out with force, and it is a real attack, he can slide along the shaft to negate the advantage of the spear's length and strike directly at the vital point.

In their previous encounter, Zawahiri was in a tree and didn't have a chance to use this move.

But now that he's using this move, he doesn't have any advantage. After all, the weapon in his hand is a scabbard, not a knife. Since it doesn't have enough lethality, how can he possibly strike at a vital point?

Almost as he moved forward along with the scabbard, about to get close to Chen Zhou, Zawahiri suddenly realized something was wrong.

Compared to this monster, close-quarters combat doesn't seem to be his forte.

……

As expected, when he saw that the man in black robes not only did not run away, but instead took the initiative to approach him, Chen Zhou's eyes first showed a trace of doubt, and then a surge of joy welled up.

He loosened his grip on the gun barrel slightly, letting it slide in his palm, and moved towards Zawahiri.

The upward trend is difficult to curb, especially since both are "heading in opposite directions".

Zawahiri only saw a blurry shadow flash by. Before he could react to what had happened, his body was sent flying as if he had been hit by an angry bull. The scabbard he was holding was nowhere to be seen.

"cough!"

Before the darkness in his eyes had dissipated, Zawahiri coughed and hurriedly got up from the ground, propping himself up on his arms.

Tiger Cub was still clinging to his leg. When he saw Chen Zhou return, he finally let go, releasing his claws and ceasing his insistence.

The regeneration capsule's effects were waning, and waves of pain washed over him. Before Zawahiri could even get up, Chen Zhou launched a powerful kick into his abdomen.

The light armor mitigated much of the damage, but it couldn't withstand the terrifying power of Chen Zhou in his rage.

Zawahiri, a burly man over two meters tall, flew out like a tattered sack, only stopping when his back hit a tree.

The wound on my back, which had healed under the effect of the capsule, reappeared. This time, the wound was larger and the pain was worse than before.

The tree trunk was stained red with blood.

Now, even the air he inhaled felt fiery, burning Zawahiri's trachea.

The mask he always wore on his face was now crooked, revealing his thin chin and a few stubble of yellowish-brown beard.

The displaced mask covered Zawahiri's eyes; his former indifference and composure, and his recent impatience and rage, had all vanished, leaving only fear, a deep, profound fear.

Zawahiri didn't want to die here. He was a man who had already undergone a trial, he had the best start, his cunning and shrewdness surpassed all his challengers, and he always believed himself to be the chosen one...

The stench of blood filled his nostrils as Zawahiri stubbornly stretched out a hand, attempting to detonate the last smoke grenade.

But the arm was only halfway out before Chen Zhou's iron-like hand gripped it tightly.

"Don't kill me, please!"

Zawahiri spoke in broken Chinese, but received no reply.

His arm was being controlled by Chen Zhou and gradually twisted towards his back.

Human joint structures do not support such a large twisting of the limbs, but with Chen Zhou’s continuous force, Zawahiri’s arm never stopped, moving steadily and slowly in a direction that violates the structure of the human body.

Beneath the mask, Zawahiri's face was contorted. Knowing he had no chance of survival, he cursed Chen Zhou madly in Arabic.

But soon, he couldn't speak anymore—

Chen Zhou not only broke his joints, but also twisted his shoulder muscles, tearing his skin apart and slowly pulling his arm off his shoulder.

The intense pain nearly made Zawahiri faint, but the excruciating pain repeatedly brought him back to his senses.

The loss of blood made his face grow paler and paler, and his adrenaline was gradually unable to suppress the layers of injuries. The kick to his abdomen also revealed the extent of the injury.

His intestines seemed to be completely tangled up, and Zawahiri couldn't tell which part was more painful and which part was less so. He only knew that he was suffering from excruciating pain.

……

As the anger subsided along with the black-robed man's blurred flesh, reason finally regained control of Chen Zhou's mind—

He tore off the black-robed man's arms and twisted his leg joints, leaving only a pool of blood and the dying black-robed man on the ground.

Chen Zhou tossed the arms aside and ran to Paul's side first.

Fortunately, Paul's injuries were not serious. He was just a little pale, couldn't lift one arm, and had a knee injury that affected the bone, but it was not life-threatening. At least there was still some spirit in Paul's eyes.

"Can you still talk?"

"can."

Paul pointed to his back with his other finger, indicating that he was also injured there.

"I feel a little unwell, but it's nothing serious, I'll be fine after a rest."

You should go see the saw-toothed tiger first.

"it is good."

Seeing that Paul could still speak normally, think clearly, and had no obvious wounds or blood loss, Chen Zhou was slightly relieved and immediately ran to check on the condition of the three-headed saw-toothed tiger.

Tiger Boy had already gotten up, but he was walking with a limp and looked somewhat listless.

Tiger Two also moved slowly, appearing to be more seriously injured, and had lost its usual lively and active demeanor.

But compared to Tiger Three, these brothers are still considered lucky—

By touching the tiger, Chen Zhou determined that Tiger Three's spine had been broken. Even if he survived, he would likely be paralyzed from the waist down, which would be fatal for the sawtooth tiger.

At this moment, Tiger Three, who was lying on the ground, was extremely weak, delirious, and unable to even close his mouth.

Chen Zhou only knew that its heart was still beating and it seemed to retain some consciousness.

He spread the black-robed man's robe on the ground, moved Tiger Three to the tree trunk to prevent it from losing body heat, and turned to look at the black-robed man who was barely clinging to life. Chen Zhou only hated that this man could not be reborn so that he could kill him again.

……

They helped Paul up, brought him to Tiger Three, and checked Tiger One and Tiger Two again.

Even in their cub stage, the serrated tiger possesses physical strength and vitality surpassing that of humans. Although the two little ones aren't in the best mental state, they're generally alright and should recover after a few days of rest. Chen Zhou frowned as he glanced at the beacon still plummeting in the sky.

Now that Paul is injured and Tiger Three needs care, they not only cannot continue exploring the terrain, but also expend more energy taking care of the wounded.

As for setting a trap, that goes without saying, unless Paul recovers within two days, but that's impossible.

After much deliberation, Chen Zhou decided that he should take care of the wounded first. As long as he arrived before the airdropped supplies landed, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to take the supplies from the other challengers with his personal strength.

Moreover, as more challengers arrive, the situation in the central area will inevitably become more complicated. In that environment, even if Paul participates, he probably won't be able to make much of a difference. It might be more convenient for him to take advantage of the chaos on his own.

With that in mind, Chen Zhou made a decision in secret and returned to Paul's side.

……

Tiger Cub lay motionless inside the black robe, its limbs still, only its chest rising and falling slowly, indicating that it was still alive.

Chen Zhou patted its head, and Tiger Three opened its eyes with difficulty, trying to stick out its tongue to lick Chen Zhou's hand, but it really didn't have the strength. After trying for a long time, it could only move its front paws and then closed its eyes again.

"We need to get it some food as soon as possible, and then make a simple brace to stabilize the injured spine."

If the injury isn't too severe, there might be hope for a full recovery. Even if only one leg can move in the future, you can at least live for a few more years.

Besides, it's still growing, and its vitality is stronger than that of an adult tiger. Even if it's seriously injured, its condition might not be so bad.

Trying to think positively, Chen Zhou spoke a few more words to Paul and, by assessing the condition of his wounds, determined that Paul had a dislocated shoulder and a fractured kneecap.

Dislocations are relatively easy to treat; as long as one understands human anatomy and knows the techniques, the joint can be put back in place. However, kneecap fractures are more difficult to treat.

However, even for a dislocation that is easily treatable, Chen Zhou would not treat it.

He spent too little time in the modern world, and his understanding of most knowledge was only superficial, without any depth.

He knew absolutely nothing about how to reposition joints, yet his strength was ridiculously high. Even if he had repositioned the joints correctly, it might have made the injury worse rather than improved it.

After much thought, Chen Zhou felt that the only solution to this matter was to rely on the pair of wandering knights from ancient times.

Traditional martial arts are all linked to traditional Chinese medicine, which in turn is closely related to acupoints, meridians, and bones. Therefore, most wandering knights know how to set bones and may even know acupuncture.

Thinking of this, Chen Zhou couldn't help but feel a little happy.

Acupuncture is very helpful in treating paralysis. If those two knights really knew acupuncture, maybe even Tiger Three's broken spine could be saved.

If those two doctors are skilled, perhaps Tiger Three Witch can really stand up again.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Zhou placed all his hopes for curing Paul and Tiger Three on the pair of wandering knights. Thinking of the challengers who had recently arrived around the Black Forest, and the vicious individuals like the man in black robes, Chen Zhou could only pray silently.

"You two must not get into any trouble!"

Before he could finish thinking, he heard a "click" sound. Turning his head, he saw that Paul's forehead was covered in sweat. He had actually set his dislocated shoulder himself and was trying to stand up while holding onto the tree trunk with one hand.

"What the hell?"

Unexpectedly, Paul had this trick up his sleeve. Seeing his trembling figure, Chen Zhou was afraid that he would sit back down and break his newly reattached arm, so he quickly reached out to support him.

"I'm fine, Chen Zhou. Find me a piece of wood and make me a walking stick, then I can walk."

Our plan can't be delayed; I can't hold them back no matter what!

Paul's eyes were resolute, as if the pain had not affected him.

He stood in front of Chen Zhou, clinging tightly to the tree bark. Although his face was young, Chen Zhou vaguely saw the spirit of the "gadfly"—the spirit of being willing to endure hardship and even sacrifice heroically for the group.

……

"You should recover from your injury first, otherwise I'll have to take care of you if you become a cripple."

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Chen Zhou smiled and then pointed to Tiger Three on the ground.

"I need to find some wood to make a splint for you two, especially this, and I'll also get you a cane while I'm at it."

Besides, we haven't even secured food for today yet. We can't expect those two stinky deer legs to feed this bunch of wounded.

"And I also need to check what the other two groups of challengers are doing now, and whether any new challengers have come down the cliff."

After speaking, Chen Zhou walked towards the man in black robes.

The injuries were too severe; Zawahiri's arms were bleeding constantly from the wounds. Although it hadn't been long since his arms were torn off, he ultimately couldn't hold on any longer due to excessive blood loss.

When Chen Zhou walked to his side, Zawahiri was already a corpse.

They dragged the corpse to Paul's side and had Paul search his body for any usable medicine. Chen Zhou then called Tiger Big Brother and Tiger Second Brother to the tree so that Paul could keep an eye on them.

After making the arrangements, Chen Zhou picked up the scabbard, inserted the black-robed man's long sword into the scabbard, found the kunai he had thrown, removed the hand axe and handed it to Paul for self-defense, and left alone.

……

The place to deal with the man in black robes was located on the edge of the Black Forest. Once outside the Black Forest, one was bathed in bright sunlight.

As far as the eye can see, there are lush, low-lying plants everywhere.

In this uniquely blessed "greenhouse," the plants and animals continue to enjoy their comfortable lives, unaware that winter is coming, still indulging in their illusory tranquility.

The smell of blood and the fighting seemed to have faded away with the bright world. Standing quietly under the shade of a tree at the edge of the forest, Chen Zhou felt as if he had just experienced something else entirely.

Although life on a deserted island involves life and death, and killing, it is mostly caused by firearms and punishments.

Close combat like this, and such a formidable enemy;
These split-second decisions, the flashing blades and the dangers, were things he had never experienced before.

He had never done anything like executing a living person with such brutality before.

Previously, I only felt that this challenge was cruel, as if everyone was locked in a huge arena, and only the final winner could leave, but the feeling was not intuitive.

It wasn't until the battle ended and he saw the wounded Paul and the paralyzed Tiger Three that he sensed the scent of death and realized what this vast, primitive land truly meant to every challenger.

Feeling somewhat heavy-hearted, Chen Zhou touched the hilt of his sword at his waist, scanned the ground below the cliff, and, finding no trace of the two groups of challengers, set his sights on the nearest camel.

……

The hunt went smoothly, and Paul was not disturbed.

When Chen Zhou returned carrying the camel, firewood, and timber, Paul had already stripped the man in black robes clean, leaving only a Semitic man covered in tattoos.

The mask lay discarded beside Paul. The face beneath it was also covered in various tattoos, including skulls, human bones, and hideous demons symbolizing death, as well as geometric patterns with strong science fiction elements.

Among these intricate tattoos, the one that attracted Chen Zhou the most was the square in the center of the black-robed man's forehead.

With a tan skin base, black and gray tattoos covered the body of the person in the black robe. In this monotonous color scheme, only the squares were colored, presenting a clean and bright blue.

"It seems you also have close ties with the Time and Space Administration..."

Chen Zhou smiled, it was unclear whether he was mocking the man in black or thinking of himself.

Now he was certain that the man in black robes was not a first-time participant in the Time and Space Administration's challenge, but rather a repeat offender. No wonder this man possessed such formidable combat power and exceptional escape abilities, even making him a formidable opponent. (End of Chapter)