Chapter 10: Night Raid! The Thorns and Blood of the Outpost

“Crack!” Another thorn snapped, a soft sound that echoed like thunder in the dead night!

Ellie’s eyes instantly sharpened like blades! Without hesitation, her index finger snapped down on the trigger!

“Shhh—!”

A pale blue streak tore through the darkness, shrieking as it shot straight into the depths of the thorn thicket where the sound had come from!

“Ptht!” The muffled thud of an arrow piercing flesh, followed by a stifled cry of pain!

“Ah! Damn it! Ambush!” A rough, furious male voice roared, thick with shock and rage!

Instantly, the thorn thicket was ripped apart as two figures burst out—wearing tattered leather armor marked with blood-claw totems. One had Ellie’s bolt embedded in his shoulder, blood gushing freely—it was the bald brute she’d shot through the wrist earlier! His face twisted in fury, left hand gripping a cleaver, right wrist still wrapped in grimy bandages.

The other was the gaunt yellow-haired man—he held a double-barreled shotgun! They were two of the three she’d knocked out and abandoned! They hadn’t died—and they’d returned, armed!

“You bitch! I’ll flay you alive!” The bald man roared, ignoring his shoulder wound, charging toward Ellie while swinging his cleaver! The yellow-haired man raised his shotgun, the black muzzle scanning the darkness for a target!

The battle erupted instantly!

After firing, Ellie rolled backward like a lithe cat, diving behind a pre-built concrete barricade. Almost simultaneously—“Boom!”—the yellow-haired man fired! A storm of iron shot rained down on the spot where Ellie had stood and the barricade itself, sending shards of stone flying!

Lin Mo’s eardrums rang from the sudden gunshot, his heart nearly leaping from his chest! He saw the bald brute charging like a mad bull toward Ellie’s cover, while the yellow-haired man frantically reloaded!

“Lingna! Stay down!” Lin Mo bellowed toward the shack, his fear instantly burned away by a surge of bloodlust! They couldn’t reach the shack! They couldn’t hurt Lingna or the potato field!

He roared and leapt from his own cover—not toward the gunman, but swinging the heavy metal pipe sideways to smash into the charging bald man!

“Die!” The bald man, wounded but still ferocious, heard the wind and swung his cleaver back to meet the pipe!

“Clang!” A piercing metallic clash—sparks flew!

Lin Mo felt a massive recoil jolt through him—his palms burned, the pipe nearly slipping from his grip! The bald man’s strength far exceeded his expectations! The brute himself staggered back, his cleaver deflected, leaving an opening!

Perfect! Ignoring his numb arm, Lin Mo swung the pipe with all his strength, aiming straight for the bald man’s temple!

The bald man’s eyes widened in shock—he barely twisted his head aside!

“Thud!” The heavy pipe slammed into his left shoulder blade! A crisp crack of bone echoed!

“Ughhh—!” The bald man screamed louder than when he’d been shot, reeling backward, his left arm hanging limp!

“Boss!” The yellow-haired man, mid-reload, froze in horror. He dropped the empty barrel and raised his shotgun—still loaded with one round—aiming straight at Lin Mo!

At that critical moment!

“Shhh!” Another pale blue streak!

Ellie flashed from behind the barricade like a ghost, her shortbow firing again—this arrow pierced the yellow-haired man’s right forearm!

“Agh!” He screamed, the shotgun slipping from his grasp!

Ellie struck and didn’t pause. Her body shot forward like a released arrow, lunging at the wounded bald man! Her speed was terrifying—before he could react to the agony, her cold dagger slashed like a venomous snake toward his throat—ruthless, merciless!

The bald man’s soul nearly fled. Instinct drove him to summon his last strength—he threw himself backward, ignoring the agony in his shoulder and wrist! The dagger’s edge grazed his neck, carving a thin red line!

“Plop!” The bald man crashed heavily to the ground.

Ellie missed. She turned to finish him—but the yellow-haired man, arm bleeding, eyes bloodshot, yanked a dagger from his belt and lunged at her from the side, screaming like a madman—no regard for his own life!

Ellie was forced to abandon the bald man, spinning to face the yellow-haired man. Her dagger danced like a butterfly in close quarters, clashing wildly against his blade—metal rang endlessly! Though wounded, the yellow-haired man was frenzied—and for a moment, he held her off!

The bald man, shoulder shattered, struggled to rise. He stared at Ellie, locked in combat with his comrade, eyes filled with hatred and terror. He knew tonight was lost. This outpost was far harder than they’d imagined! Especially that woman with the crossbow—she was a monster!

Run! Must run! Report to Limp Wolf! The bald man’s mind held only this thought. Ignoring the agony, he pushed himself up with his good hand, crawling and rolling desperately toward the edge of the depression!

Lin Mo, just having driven back the bald man, gasped for breath—then saw him trying to flee! He knew he couldn’t let this man escape to warn them! Otherwise, the Blood Claws’ main force would arrive soon!

“Stop!” Lin Mo roared, dragging the pipe after him! But he was too slow—and though wounded, the bald man moved fast in his panic!

The bald man was about to burst out of the depression, vanishing into the shadows of the ruins!

Suddenly!

“Yaaah—!”

A piercing, tear-filled scream rang out! From the shack’s entrance, Lingna had suddenly rushed out! She gripped the crude alarm device Lin Mo had made—springs and metal sheets—and slammed it with all her strength into the bald man’s back!

The alarm clattered against his back—minimal damage, maximum humiliation.

But the sudden strike and scream jolted the already terrified bald man—he shuddered, stumbled, and tripped over a protruding concrete slab!

“Plop!” He crashed face-first into the dirt, hard and full.

Opportunity! Lin Mo finally caught up! Seeing the writhing bald man, remembering the terror of nearly being strangled and Lingna’s scream—a cold fury surged in him. He raised the heavy pipe high, then brought it down with all his strength onto the bald man’s skull!

“Nooo—!” The bald man sensed death descending, screaming in despair!

“Crack!!”

A dull, sickening thud echoed!

The bald man’s scream cut off. His body twitched once—then lay still.

Lin Mo gripped the bloody pipe, gasping heavily, staring at the corpse at his feet. His stomach churned. This was his first time… truly killing someone.

On the other side, Ellie’s fight with the yellow-haired man was ending. He was wounded, frenzied, wide open. Ellie seized an opening—her dagger struck like a snake into his ribs, twisting sharply! His movements froze, his eyes dimmed rapidly, and he collapsed.

The depression fell silent again, save for three ragged breaths and the thick stench of blood.

The night raid was over. Two Blood Claw raiders now lay forever on the land they’d coveted.

Ellie pulled her dagger free, wiped the blood on the yellow-haired man’s clothes, then walked to the bald man’s corpse. She knelt and began looting without hesitation—dried meat, some bullets, and a metal tube that looked like a signal flare.

Lin Mo watched Ellie’s practiced movements, then looked at his own still-trembling hands. His emotions churned. He walked over to Lingna, who sat trembling on the ground, face pale as paper, and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s over, Lingna. You did well. You were brave.”

Lingna burst into tears, flinging herself into Lin Mo’s arms, her small body shaking like a leaf in the wind.

Ellie finished looting, stood, and stared at the two corpses and the ruined battlefield. Her expression didn’t flicker. Her gaze turned westward, toward Vulture Cliff—where the night hid a crouching beast.

“They were scouts,” Ellie said coldly. “Their deaths won’t stay hidden long.”

Lin Mo’s heart sank again. The Blood Claws’ retaliation wouldn’t stop here! Tonight’s victory had only repelled a probing claw—it had enraged the beast behind it! That “Limp Wolf” would soon unleash something far worse!

He looked at the potato field, faint green glimmers glowing in the dark, then at Lingna trembling in his arms. A fierce sense of danger and duty surged within him. Hope Outpost had just endured its first baptism of blood—but the real storm might have only just begun!

Ellie walked to the broken section of the thorn wall, silently replanting the snapped thorns and reinforcing them with metal wire she’d found. Her silhouette under the moonlight stood lonely, yet resolute.

Lin Mo clenched his fists. He had to move faster. Grow stronger. He looked at the bullets and signal flare Ellie had taken—and a thought flashed through him: perhaps it was time to try crafting something stronger?

At that moment, on a steep rock far from the depression, toward Vulture Cliff, a figure stood, peering through a battered telescope, coldly watching the direction of Hope Outpost. Moonlight carved his lean, sharp outline—his left leg bent unnaturally. He lowered the telescope, lips curling into a cruel, icy smile.

“Interesting… two useless wastes dead… clean water… and that little girl…” His voice rasped like an owl’s cry, low and guttural. “Looks like I’ll have to pay them a visit myself… Let’s hope your ‘hope’ keeps me entertained a little longer…”

He turned, his figure melting soundlessly into the shadows behind the rock.