Chapter 426: Defeating Them One by One

This effect is really noticeable.

Zheng Tan jumped down from the tree, came to the bushes and took a look, then lifted the bird down, holding its legs and shaking it twice, shaking off a few feathers, the bird's head flailed from side to side from the shaking.

There was no other reaction, but the bird seemed not dead yet; as for whether it would die later, Zheng Tan didn't know. He was still exploring the effect of this tranquilizer dart.

Zheng Tan suddenly felt he could no longer look straight at an automatic pencil; he estimated that whenever he saw one in the future, he would think of this thing he was holding now.

Zheng Tan's technique is poor; if he were far away, he estimated he wouldn't hit. Just like this bird, it was less than three meters from him earlier; although he hit it, it was off a bit, and another centimeter off would waste the bullet. Fortunately, his real target is a person, a large target.

Zheng Tan pulled the bullet out of the bird's body and examined it. After firing, the tip has a needle-like object; when it hits the target, it pierces the target's body, and even if the target is wearing clothes, as long as it's not well-protected, it should penetrate, and the anesthetic effect also comes from this needle.

Regardless of whether Zheng Tan's technique is adequate, this is the only time he can explore it. He has seven bullets total, used one, six left, and there are six people over there; he can't afford to waste any more. This is his secret weapon for dealing with unexpected events; otherwise, unarmed combat, Zheng Tan would have no chance of winning.

Overall, Zheng Tan is still quite satisfied with this special pen; the only dissatisfaction is that each time only one bullet can be loaded, and to fire again he must reload, and the bullets are disposable—once used, they cannot be reused.

Zheng Tan loaded another tranquilizer bullet, then pulled a vine, tying the bullet-containing cylinder and this special pen to his back, making it easier to climb trees; for Zheng Tan now, being in the trees is safer than on the ground, and hiding in the trees makes him less likely to be spotted.

Not daring to stay away too long, Zheng Tan approached the place where those few people were stationed again.

The six people are no longer arguing, but the atmosphere isn't good. Moreover, Zheng Tan saw two people holding large packs and tidying up. This is not a good sign for him.

Zheng Tan originally planned to wait for the mountain to bring reinforcements, but seeing these people's behavior, it seems they intend to leave immediately.

If they leave, will the animals in the canvas shelter be taken away? Will Peijie be taken away? Being taken away still offers a chance to live. I'm afraid these people might find it troublesome and not intend to bring them. In that case, neither those few animals nor Peijie would have any chance of survival.

Zheng Tan became anxious. He didn't know where Er Mao and the others were now, nor how long until they arrived. He feared that when Er Mao and the others came, the six people might have already left, making Peijie's situation even more dangerous.

Over there, the six people: two were tidying up by the tent, two were holding a map and discussing something, probably planning where to flee next, one was leaning against a tree smoking, and the last one, carrying a hunting rifle, entered the woods.

Zheng Tan thought for a moment, then followed that person who had entered the woods.

Although he didn't want to startle the snake, the situation now left him no choice; waiting longer, Zheng Tan feared something might change. Of course, those people might not move Peijie, but Zheng Tan couldn't afford to gamble.

He had to strike first!

If he didn't have this pen on his back, Zheng Tan would still be thinking of ways, but now he has a tool and intends to try his best. He has a physique advantage, making concealment easier in mountain forests; of course, if it were night, it would be even better, his all-black leather outfit being more suitable for nighttime action.

In the woods, sporadic bird calls sounded, and from afar came occasional wild animal cries.

The sun hung high in the sky, there were bird calls and insect sounds.

After the person who entered the woods had gone a certain distance from the camp, he took his gun, cautiously looked around. From here he couldn't see the camp, and likewise the camp couldn't see him.

After confirming no one was nearby, he slung his gun back onto his back, then opened a pant pocket and pulled out what was inside. This is a small bottle of "medicine" he privately kept; recently, because things haven't gone well, he's been mentally tense, and even in this forest area he still has to stay highly alert, though he's actually long been fatigued. He wanted to use some drugs to perk himself up; of course, he had long thought of this, but while at the camp he couldn't let the others see his private stash, so he had endured without using it. Now that he's alone, he quickly took a bit, then had the energy to pack up and flee.

But just as he opened the bottle, focusing most of his attention on the pills inside that were highly attractive to him, he suddenly heard a soft "click," felt a pain in his back, his vision quickly blurred, and then he lost consciousness.

Zheng Tan watched that person fall, waited a few seconds, saw no further reaction, then first loaded a new bullet into the "pen" as a precaution, and only then slowly approached the person lying on the ground.

He carefully approached and kicked the person's leg hard.

No reaction.

Kick again.

Still no reaction.

Good, he should have been hit.

After confirming the person was truly down and not faking, Zheng Tan dragged the person's gun and dagger over, then hid them high up in a tree, specifically choosing a tree with lush foliage that's easy to conceal things in; even if the person woke up, he might not think to look where his weapons were hidden.

As for the medicine in that person's hand just now, Zheng Tan guessed it might be contraband, didn't dare touch it much, capped the bottle, and hid it in the tree; it might be useful after the matter is over.

After hiding the weapons and medicine, Zheng Tan pulled out the person's waistband, bound the person's hands behind his back, then dragged the person into the grass patch; the tall grass concealed him well.

One down, Zheng Tan thought about how to lure one or two more from over there. He could only pick them off one by one now; taking on multiple at once was impossible.

When that person was knocked down just now, he didn't cry out, so the people by the tent probably didn't hear any sound.

How could he make a sound to lure one or two of those people over?

Zheng Tan jumped up the tree, stood in a high place and looked around.

To the front-left, no tall trees blocked the view; Zheng Tan could see a small slope over there, and there were some birds active there.

Some birds like to eat fruit, while others prefer carrion.

Zheng Tan jumped down from the tree to check the situation; as he had guessed, there were over a dozen birds—crows and other birds he couldn't name—currently pecking at an animal whose appearance was no longer recognizable. Probably it was an animal those people had hunted and tossed here, becoming a feast for these birds.

These birds didn't retreat because of Zheng Tan's approach; in the wild, many animals will fight for food, even some species that look gentle cannot be underestimated.

Birds on campus. Birds in the wild. After all, they're different.

Two birds spotted Zheng Tan. But he didn't see retreat in their eyes; instead, they had a hint of ferocity, and combined with their pecking demeanor, their whole bodies exuded a savage aura.

This made Zheng Tan, who had originally intended to rush over and scare the birds, pause. For safety, he found a suitably long and thick broken branch, swung it, and charged forward. He couldn't just go in with fists; a stick would do, right? Not wanting to get whipped, he hurriedly took flight!

By the tent, things were still as Zheng Tan had seen earlier; but when he heard a sudden shriek from somewhere and over a dozen birds took flight, the five people simultaneously put down what they were doing, their eyes sharp as they looked over.

Normally, unless someone or another animal disturbed those birds, they wouldn't suddenly all take off like that.

The five exchanged glances, picked up their guns, and one of them shouted toward the woods at the companion who had just left.

No response.

After a brief discussion, they decided to send two people over there to check the situation, while the other three stayed behind.

The two who entered the woods headed toward the direction where the birds had taken flight, but when they arrived, they found no trace of anyone having been there.

"Probably just an animal," one of them said.

The other, after carefully examining the surroundings, nodded in agreement.

From the earpiece came the voices of the people at the camp asking questions; they reported the situation here, then after leaving, instead of immediately returning to the camp, they searched for their companion who had previously entered the woods. Whether the companion had met with mishap or defected, they needed to confirm it, so they could proceed with the next step of their operation.

This time the two weren't close together; the search area was relatively large, so there was some distance between them.

Zheng Tan hid behind a bush, watching the distance between the two people grow, picked one, and followed. Since he couldn't guarantee his tracking skills, he first predicted the person's walking route, then took a detour and waited at a certain point along that route.

Although the person's actual walking route deviated somewhat from Zheng Tan's prediction, the deviation wasn't large, and Zheng Tan still seized the opportunity; his third tranquilizer bullet hit the person's thigh.

This person seemed to want to shout something, but unfortunately couldn't utter it before passing out.

Just like with the previous person, Zheng Tan hid his gun and dagger in a tree, then dragged the person into the grass and tied him up.

After changing the bullet, Zheng Tan used the same method on the third person; the person's vigilance was high, and Zheng Tan almost messed up, but thanks to his physique advantage, the target was small and the person couldn't easily notice him; otherwise, if his build were a bit larger, he likely couldn't dodge the person's visual sweep.

Three people left, three bullets.

The people by the tent waited a while, then tried to contact again the two companions who had just gone into the forest to look for someone, but this time, it was destined that no one would respond.

The sunlight in the sky was a bit glaring, the air carried a slight irritating heat; although it was daytime and the temperature was fine, the three people left at the base felt that it was more frightening than the chill brought by night.

The three companions went in one after another and then fell silent.

Utter silence.

Just who are they?

If they had defected, it's impossible for all three to slip away so quietly without a sound—there hadn't been any sign of that before.

This incident acted like a catalyst, instantly triggering the negative emotions of those whose minds were already unstable.

"Someone must have come! We can't stay here any longer! Leave, leave immediately! If we're caught, we're done, we're finished!" The person who had been tidying up earlier, shouldering a pack and holding a gun, was about to leave.

Bang!

With a gunshot, the person carrying the pack collapsed to the ground before taking a few steps; there was a bullet hole in the chest.

The shooter was one of the people who had just been studying the map, and also the one who had captured Peijie.

They had roughly decided on an escape route and the next place to rest; he would not allow anyone to act on their own, for if someone didn't follow the plan, betrayed him and revealed his plan, everything would be for naught. So, when just now that person was about to slip away alone with a pack on their back, he decisively fired a shot to eliminate the potential danger—he was just a temporary companion; if he's dead, he's dead, dead men tell no tales.

"Keep an eye out, I'll clear out the things in the shed and then withdraw." Saying that, the person folded the map, put it in their pocket, and, gun in hand, walked into the cloth shelter.

The person left outside didn't spare another glance at the companion lying in a pool of blood, felt no sympathy or pity; in his view, killing the other was the correct choice—even if that person hadn't fired earlier, he would have done so himself. His own safety and interests came first; as for others? They meant nothing.

However, this also helped Zheng Tan, even saving him a bullet.

Zheng Tan quietly approached the tent area, saw the person lying on the ground, and took a deep breath to calm himself.

There are two people left, three bullets. Enough, right? The anesthetic bullet's effect is decent, just don't know how the Electric Shock Bullet works. Between these two, one will definitely get shocked. (To be continued..)