From Robinson Crusoe

"Dalit, go and deal with this deer."

"Dalit, go and get some firewood."

"Dalit, go ahead and scout ahead."

“Dalite…”

……

Night had fallen, and the campfire burned brightly, its crimson light illuminating the dark tree trunks.

A breeze swept through the forest, and even sitting by the campfire, one could still feel the coolness.

This is a high-latitude region, close to the Arctic, and in the midst of an ice age. Even though the temperature in the Black Forest is slightly higher due to the terrain, it is still very cold for Indians.

Anbaydar's brown face, illuminated by the firelight, turned a deep maroon as he leaned against the tree trunk—

That would keep him warm from the cold wind.

Despite his reluctance to recall it, everything that had happened since the start of the challenge still replayed in his mind.

"Dalit" means untouchable, and they are at the bottom of India's caste system. They are also known as the nameless or untouchables.

At the very bottom of the caste system, even the insulting caste designations have disappeared, leaving only "Dalit" as a general term.

But Ambaydal was not an untouchable; he was a Shudra.

In the caste system established by the Aryans, although the Shudras represented slaves, they were not reduced to being nameless and thus referred to as outcasts.

At least in Indian mythology, they are still the feet of "Primordial Man Purusha," not the land beneath their feet.

Of course, none of these are the most important things. The most important thing is the attitude of his partner, the Brahmin named Sanjay Pandit, towards him.

It wasn't contempt from those in power towards those at the bottom, nor arrogance from nobles towards commoners; it was disdain, a complete and utter disdain.

Pandit even disliked his smell, ate separately from him, and slept on the other side of the campfire at night. He would only call on him when he needed something done, and rarely spoke to him otherwise, as if saying a single word to him would tarnish his noble Brahmin status.

Ambaydal was not a slave during the Mughal Empire, nor was he an untouchable during India's independence; he came from the 21st century.

Despite the existence of staunch adherents of the caste system within India, there are always some who have truly ventured beyond the land nurtured by the Ganges and looked out into the world; Ambaydal is one of them.

He knew full well that the caste system was unreliable and was merely a management tool created by the Brahmins, who were the earliest to engage in sacrificial activities, in order to rule the lower classes during the process of creating gods.

But he never explained any of this to his partner.

Because Pandit not only came from the Mughal Empire and was an old stubborn man, but his fighting strength was also far superior to his own. If he wanted to survive this challenge, he would have to be subservient to him and be at his mercy.

However, even a clay idol has some temper. Having endured the pressure since the start of the challenge and tolerated it until now, even though Anbaydar knows the value of life, he couldn't help but lose his temper.

Stirring the campfire, Anbedar picked up the venison that had cooled and lost its gamey smell, and tore at it fiercely, as if he were gnawing on Pandit.

Flames burned in his eyes as he looked at the sleeping Pandit, and Ambedar wished he could pick up a knife and chop off his head.

However, he ultimately did not do so.

With the supplies about to land, even if he had to pretend, he had to act compliant and hold out until they successfully obtained the supplies. After that, whether or not to take action would be entirely up to him.

For so many days, his disguise was flawless, as if he were truly a Shudra who would immediately bow down and touch the feet of any Brahmin he saw.

Throughout this process, Pandit never developed any suspicion towards him.

Their collaboration seemed destined to continue in this bizarre balance forever, but only Anbaydar knew that soon, this "stable" partnership would break apart in a bloody way.

No matter how strong Pandit was, he probably never imagined that his most loyal and honest "Dalit" would kill him while he was asleep.

Imagining himself wielding a sword to strike Pandit, Ambedar's anger subsided considerably, and he couldn't help but look up at the beacon in the sky—

It is still falling, and it seems to be falling faster than it was during the day.

Secretly plotting how to get Pandit to speed up the march tomorrow and have him lead the way to help him secure supplies, Anbedar added another piece of firewood to the campfire and then stuffed most of a piece of venison into his mouth.

Besides feeling uncomfortable with the environment and dissatisfied with his partner, he also missed India's diverse spices, especially masala, because life here, where even salt was scarce, was too unbearable.

……

The night grew deeper, and the wind in the forest suddenly picked up, howling through the jade-like treetops as if someone were playing some ancient instrument.

In a dark environment, this sound, combined with the crackling of burning firewood, can actually make one more drowsy and lethargic.

Chen Zhou hadn't slept for a full day and night, and although Anbedar couldn't compare, he had also stayed up since dawn.

At first, relying on his beautiful fantasies about the future and the exhilarating feeling of revenge, Anbedar was able to hold on. But as the firelight grew weaker and the darkness in front of him grew, Anbedar began to feel disoriented.

Pandit has never been willing to keep watch at night. According to custom, he must stay up until the sky begins to lighten before he can wake Pandit and then take a nap. The lack of sleep is also a major source of dissatisfaction in Ambedar's heart.

Relaxing his body, he sat down a bit more comfortably and glanced at Pandit.

This so-called Brahmin was no different from him. He snored, ground his teeth, and farted when he slept. Although he was a Brahmin, he was no different from a Kshatriya, a Vaishya, or a Shudra. He was just born wearing a luxurious hat.

Seeing that Pandit was sleeping comfortably while he himself was too sleepy to keep his eyes open, Anbedar felt frustrated.

The firelight grew dimmer, and with renewed vigor, he added another piece of firewood to the campfire. Thinking that he would eventually have to survive alone and would no longer need to depend on Pandit, Anbedar simply closed his eyes.

He was certain that even if he woke up tomorrow morning, Pandit wouldn't make things too difficult for him if he saw him sleeping. After all, both sides had a common goal, and if they fell out halfway through, the supplies would completely lose their chance to fall into their hands.

As for the other threatening challengers, Anbaydar remembers clearly that they were all far away.

Supplies hadn't been replenished yet, and everyone was focused on their own plans. The likelihood of them attacking others in the meantime was small, so Anbaydar chose to trust himself.

Of course, when people want to do something, they will always find all sorts of reasons to boost their confidence and motivate themselves to do it.

Ambedar was in the same boat; he was utterly exhausted. If he didn't get some sleep soon, he felt it would be difficult to complete tomorrow's or the day after's battles in his current mental state.

Not long after Ambedar closed his eyes under the tree, a shadow suddenly began to move on the trunk of a thick tree not far from him.

Rubbing his eyes, Chen Zhou couldn't help but yawn.

He hadn't slept for nearly 36 hours. Even with all his energy, after such a long and intense activity, as a human being, he would still feel exhausted.

Based on the direction the challengers were heading, he selected a spot in advance and waited there all night.

He originally planned to make his move late at night when people's vigilance was at its lowest. However, he didn't expect that this group of Indians would be so undisciplined, able to fall asleep even in such a harsh environment and tense atmosphere. This was truly a stroke of luck, providing him with too many conveniences.

……

After climbing down the tree, Chen Zhou tiptoed to the vicinity of the campfire, then tried to keep his voice down as he climbed another tree not far from the fire.

He had carefully chosen this tree; it faced another group of challengers and had a huge branch that could conceal their figures.

Thus, he only needs to feign an attack to alert this group of challengers, and then deliberately make a noise to lure the two of them toward another group of challengers.

Once the two went to investigate, he would climb down the tree and move to the other group of challengers' encampment, using the same trick to lure both groups of people to the same place.

The atmosphere is tense. Each group of challengers is eager to seize supplies and could explode at any moment. If they feel that another group of challengers is planning to attack them under the cover of night, the probability of them taking action is extremely high.

Even if both sides are rational and suppress their anger, it doesn't matter, because he will soon attract a third and a fourth team of challengers.

With all competitors gathered in one place, the usual situation of "going their own way" naturally disappears. As long as a grudge is sown in their hearts, even if they are just in a standoff and do not take action for the time being, it is a good thing.

Even without supplies, people who have a grudge will eventually fight each other, let alone when they are in a challenging situation, where they are already in a life-or-death competitive relationship.

……

In order to mislead the challengers, Chen Zhou deliberately picked up several long, thin, and sharp stones to use as hidden weapons.

This thing has no distinctive features; it's everywhere in the Black Forest, and anyone could use it to attack someone. It's perfect as a weapon to start a conflict.

After adjusting his position to ensure he could hide immediately after throwing the "dart," Chen Zhou aimed at the nearest Indian man lying flat on the open ground, deliberately deviating from the outline of his body as he threw the stone.

The ground in the Black Forest is mostly uncovered, and even if it is, it is only a shallow layer, less than half a finger deep.

The slender stone struck the ground with a crisp sound, breaking into several pieces that flew out.

Chen Zhou threw a dart, and was about to throw a second one to wake up the man leaning against the tree trunk when he saw the Indian man lying on the ground jump up as if he had a spring in his body.

Worried about being discovered, Chen Zhou quickly retreated back into the tree trunk, intending to listen to the sound first before deciding whether to throw a "dart".

He was unaware of the inside story and assumed that all the challenger pairs were very close, but he overlooked the most basic issue of understanding between people.

Although he and Paul were from the same modern era and their strengths differed greatly, they shared similar understandings, and Paul was willing to follow his orders, which led to a harmonious relationship.

The American soldiers and Japanese ninjas he killed seemed to be at odds with each other. When faced with danger, the Japanese ninjas did not think of rescuing the soldiers, but rather of fleeing for their own lives.

The man in black robes went even further, killing his partner outright.

Challengers like him and Paul, or those two江湖儿女 (people of the martial arts world), are actually few and far between.

Even people from the same region, the same era, and who speak the same language often have conflicts due to differing views, let alone in a country like India where the caste system creates a clear class division.

……

The shards that flew out after the stone shattered were exceptionally sharp, and by sheer coincidence, one of them landed on Pandit's face, cutting his fair skin.

The stinging pain woke Pandit before the sound. He was jolted awake from his dream, thinking he was being attacked, and instinctively got up quickly.

After finding no enemies around, Pandit touched his face and saw the blood on it, as well as the sleeping Ambedar. An uncontrollable rage surged within him.

In India, one's caste can be discerned simply by looking at their face.

High castes are tall and fair-skinned, while low castes are short and dark-skinned.

As a noble Brahmin, even his excrement is more noble than that of a lowly Dalit.

During this time, I've been partnered with this Dalit, enduring his smell every day, his non-standard pronunciation, his disrespectful attitude, and his lowly appearance...

Even now, Pandit did not whip Ambaydar or hurl insults at him; he felt he had been tolerant enough.

But now it seems that simply giving in will only lead to more contempt.

This Dalit dared to sit on the ground and sleep during the night watch, causing him to get injured, and damaging his noble Brahmin face!
Given this situation, he had to adopt the attitude a Brahmin should have towards a Dalit. He had to let this creature, who was even lower than a slave, know that they were not equals, who was closest to God, and who was just insignificant dust beneath God's feet.

"Dalite!"

Pandit shouted once, and without even looking to find out where the stone that injured him came from, he vented his anger on Ambedar.

Exhausted from a long period of work, Ambaydar fell into a deep sleep shortly after closing his eyes.

In his dream, he had accomplished everything he planned, successfully obtained supplies, and killed Pandit. With an off-road vehicle large enough to sustain him through the entire challenge, along with a whole truckload of stew, tali, chapati bread, and various spices, he galloped across the grasslands, heading straight for the warm south.

The reality, however, is quite different.

After the roar, Anbaydar still hadn't woken up, which made Pandit even more furious.

He pulled out the long whip from his waist and swung it with all his might.

The whip whistled as it was wielded, then cracked with a sonic boom at its tip before striking Anbaydar hard across the face.

The power of this whip was far greater than the stone Chen Zhou threw. Anbedar's nose was broken by the whip, and a bright red whip mark was left on his face, his skin torn and flesh ripped open.

If the whip hadn't landed too inaccurately, he probably would have lost an eye. (End of Chapter)