Chapter 77 of 100

Chapter 77

16 min read3,993 words

Zhang Tie's movements were quick, he was strong, and he struck first. The three girls, though more in number, were weaker. Picking pinecones from a tree was much harder than picking peaches. When both sides started grabbing the pinecones, it was truly a match of equals, and for a moment, they were evenly matched. There were at least seventy to eighty pinecones of various sizes on the pine tree. Zhang Tie showed no intention of yielding, and with both hands, he reached for the larger pinecones, more agile than a monkey, making the girls grit their teeth in frustration. The issue of the pinecones was minor, but the fact that this annoying guy dared to ignore the charm of several beautiful girls and compete with them for the pinecones was a major issue.

As the pace of grabbing pinecones quickened and the tension grew, Wu De, standing nearby, rubbed his head, feeling somewhat helpless. He finally understood why Zhang Tie had been kicked by the girls. He had no gentlemanly manners at all, and he deserved it!

In no time, the pinecones on the entire tree were almost all picked. When only one medium-sized pinecone remained on a branch, Zhang Tie and the blonde girl both reached for it. The pinecone was slightly closer to the blonde girl. Just as it seemed the pinecone would fall into her hands, and her fingertips were about to touch it, the pinecone suddenly disappeared from her sight. Zhang Tie had cut the branch holding the pinecone, pulling the entire branch over to himself.

Watching Zhang Tie slowly pick the pinecone from the branch and casually toss it into the ugly mining basket, the three girls all stood up, glaring at Zhang Tie with anger. He was a guy who showed no manners at all.

"What's your name?" the blonde beauty glared at Zhang Tie. "If you offend us, you'll be the enemy of all the girls in the Rose Society!"

"My name is Zhang Tie..." Seeing the angry expressions of the girls, for some reason, Zhang Tie finally felt satisfied. He realized that when you were unhappy, transferring your unhappiness to others was indeed the fastest way to feel better.

"Alright, I'll remember you!" the blonde girl said and turned to leave.

"You'd better forget me..." Seeing them about to leave, Zhang Tie quickly called out.

"Hmph... Hmph..." A girl with a few freckles on her face lifted her chin and laughed proudly. "You rude guy, it's too late to apologize now. The girls of the Rose Society are not to be bullied!"

"No, what I mean is, you'd better not think about me, and especially not imagine doing those terrible and disgusting things to me in your heads!"

The girls were speechless, their faces turning white with anger. After giving Zhang Tie a fierce glare, they cursed him and turned to leave...

Zhang Tie found that his mood had finally improved. This method of transferring his frustration was indeed effective.

At this moment, Wu De gave Zhang Tie a thumbs up. "Bro, I see it..."

"What do you see?" Zhang Tie asked, somewhat puzzled.

"My mom told me, the thing men fear most is leaving no impression in the minds of the women they like. A successful man, if he can't make the woman he cares about like him at first sight, should at least make her hate him. Women's hearts are mysterious; they might end up loving you after hating you for a while. Is that what you did?" Seeing Zhang Tie's stunned expression, Wu De quickly stopped him from speaking, patted his shoulder, and said, "Don't deny it, we're all men, I understand!"

...

After another two hours of alternating work with the axe, the felled pine tree was finally successfully cut into several sections. Zhang Tie harvested more than half a kilogram of pine resin and over ten kilograms of firewood, enough to make about five or six torches. He then packed these items into the old mining basket and left the pine forest.

...

While Zhang Tie was busy in the pine forest, the four disheveled Gris and his companions returned to their campsite. Gris, feeling overconfident and eager to show off, had chosen a campsite far from the Wild Wolf Castle, about ten kilometers away. Their campsite was a natural cave, about six meters high on a cliff, accessible only by climbing down tree vines. Although it was far, it was safe from most wild animals, making it a good location.

The atmosphere in the cave was oppressive and gloomy, as quiet as a dead zone. Gris did not burst into anger or shout this time; he remained expressionless and silent. The longer Gris remained quiet, the more uneasy the other three became.

After a long silence, Gris finally spoke softly, "Zahir, if I sneak to Zhang Tie's place tonight and cut off his head, do you think there will be any problems?"

The other three shuddered at the calm but menacing tone in Gris's voice.

"Today's conflict with him has become public. Everyone knows you want to kill him. If he is killed during this trial, you will be the prime suspect. The inspection committee will thoroughly investigate you. The four teachers leading the temporary inspection committee are not simple people; some are quite ruthless. I don't know what methods they have, but if you kill him, it will be hard to ensure that you leave no evidence or traces," Zahir swallowed hard, glanced at Gris, and carefully chose his words. "Today's conflict was completely unexpected. According to our original plan, he wouldn't have many good days left. We just need to slightly modify our plan to put him in a deadly situation. We've already found a wolf den, and Zhang Tie is going to mine alone. This is his own death wish and an opportunity given by heaven. I'll sneak back and secretly observe his routine, and we can implement our plan!"

"And that Bulvik must die too. Anyone who stands in my way must die!" Gris said fiercely.

"Bulvik is more cunning than Zhang Tie. Since we arrived in the Wild Wolf Valley, he has been wary of our revenge. He now has some influence and has gathered over two hundred people around him. They are practicing hunting tactics, and there are always many people around him. It's hard to make a move. To deal with him, we need a different approach. According to the usual trial arrangements, there will be a competition among students from different schools at the end of the trial. Bulvik wants to stand out, so he must perform well in this competition. You can find an opportunity to seriously injure or kill him during the competition. However..." Zahir hesitated.

"However, what?"

"Bulvik is already a first-stage warrior, and the gap in strength between him and you is not significant. He is also cunning and good at hiding his strength. In a confrontation, he might have a chance to escape."

"Strength gap not significant?" A cold smile appeared on Gris's lips as he looked at the three in the cave. "Do you think only others can improve and hide their strength, while I remain a second-stage warrior forever?"

"Gris, you..." A hint of surprise appeared on Sharron's face.

"In at most two weeks, I will ignite the second bright point on my spine and become a third-stage warrior..." Gris's eyes glowed with a ghostly light. "In the final competition, I will find an opportunity to kill Bulvik. When I start to control my own fate, it will also be the time for you to control your own fate..."

The group no longer discussed Zhang Tie. Ever since Zhang Tie dared to oppose them at school, Zahir had devised a vicious plan to take revenge on him during this trial. Today's events only strengthened their resolve to take revenge. They did not believe Zhang Tie could survive their upcoming retaliation. In their eyes, Zhang Tie was just a troublemaker who dared to oppose them and make them look bad, a minor character who was courting his own death. The real threat to Gris's future was Bulvik. Some rumors from the school suggested that some teachers favored Bulvik. If Bulvik performed well in this trial, he would likely get the recommendation for the graduating class. Gris would not allow such a thing to happen!

...

When Zhang Tie returned to the trap he had set by the hidden stream, carrying the old mining basket, it was already midday, and the sunset was beginning to cast its light over the Wild Wolf Valley. The traps he had set in the forest for small game had not been triggered, and he was slightly disappointed.

On his way, Zhang Tie had been cautious, circling through the forest to ensure no one was following him or paying attention. He then quietly followed the river to the stream.

When he reached the stream, Zhang Tie was still a bit nervous. After all, this was his first trap, and he wasn't sure if it would work.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Tie removed the branches covering the small pool. The sight inside the pool filled him with joy. There were eight fish swimming happily in the pool. Five of them were about the size of a palm, looking like carp, while the other three were much larger, longer than chopsticks and fat and strong, with black backs and two faint golden stripes. Although he couldn't identify the species, these fish, each weighing at least two kilograms, made Zhang Tie extremely happy...

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