Chapter 11

Blood flowed continuously down He Boqiang's left shoulder.

A bone arrow was firmly embedded in He Boqiang's shoulder, and he had to stretch his right hand to its limit to grab the arrow's shaft. The arrow wasn't deeply embedded, but the tip was poisonous.

At this moment, He Boqiang felt his entire right arm going numb.

The other two bone arrows missed him and were stuck in the ground where he had just lain down. He Boqiang walked up to the young native, first taking the quiver and wooden bow from his body, then searched him thoroughly but found no antidote or similar items, so he gave up the search.

This was a young face, now with hollow eyes and flared nostrils. His skin was a reddish-brown, and he wasn't wearing shoes, but his feet were calloused from running through the dense forest. If not for He Boqiang's trap, he would have been impossible to catch in the forest.

Perhaps the battle had stirred up He Boqiang's body's combat memories, and a new strength was continuously surging within him, making him feel as if he had endless energy, and the Roman sword in his hand felt even more handy.

However, the captured wooden bow was of little use. It didn't require much effort to draw it fully, and the bone arrows shot from it lacked power, only effective at close range.

This was why the native had run to within ten meters of He Boqiang to shoot him. Overall, the wooden bow wasn't very useful.

He Boqiang had seen the alloy bows used by the infantry, a type of hunting bow. The bow's back wasn't too long, but it had a good range and was easy to carry, making it very suitable for jungle combat. Unfortunately, he hadn't had time to grab one when he came.

There was no way to treat the wound for now, so he could only let the poison continue to spread. Fortunately, the poison wasn't very strong, only making He Boqiang's left arm feel numb.

This time, He Boqiang followed the natives' method, gathering some green-leaved branches to wrap around his body for camouflage. He also dug up some mud from the ground and smeared it on his face, then wiped the blood from the Roman sword on the native's leather armor. Finally, he thought for a moment and decided to strip the native's animal skin and wear it himself.

The leather armor had a sour smell that almost made He Boqiang unable to breathe.

He Boqiang knew he had entered the natives' alert zone and found this forest path, indicating that he wasn't far from the second squad. There were no signs of battle here, so he had to push forward into the dense forest.

...

After walking along the forest path for a long time, he suddenly felt the distant bushes tremble violently. Then, a reddish-brown arm extended from the bushes, waving quickly, signaling him to find a place to hide.

He Boqiang was a bit stunned, not expecting a native to be hiding in the bushes ahead. If the native hadn't extended his arm, he probably wouldn't have noticed him.

It seemed the native had mistaken him for a comrade. He Boqiang quickly found a bush to hide in, wondering how many natives were in the opposite bush and if he could sneak over and take them out.

While He Boqiang was lost in thought, the dense forest was filled with a cacophony of shouts. The first shout came from an unknown direction, and soon the forest was echoing with responses, making He Boqiang's scalp tingle. He hadn't realized he had stumbled into the outer perimeter of a native encirclement, but fortunately, the animal skin on his body had made the natives mistake him for one of their own.

Soon, He Boqiang saw agile figures in the forest, holding wooden spears and bows, leaping from tree to tree and rushing toward a slope on the other side. The leading natives even held shields made of woven vines. A few steel-tipped arrows shot from the dense forest, felling the three leading natives with vine shields.

However, these casualties did not stop the natives; they only quickened their pace, rushing toward the dense forest slope.

The trees on the slope were dense, and He Boqiang couldn't see the specific battle situation. He hid in a bush, observing the surroundings and noticing that many more natives were still rushing to the battlefield.

The dense forest slope seemed like a giant maw, silently swallowing the group of natives who rushed into it.

A native leader, wearing a headdress of colorful feathers, rode on another native's back, holding a wooden stick with a colorful flag. He stood behind a large tree, surrounded by a dozen strong natives, who appeared to be the leader of this group. He continuously gathered the natives, preparing for the next charge.

Despite the previous attack's failure, the native leader showed no signs of discouragement and continued to call out to other natives.

In response to his calls, many more natives emerged from the bushes, forming a new group. Encouraged by the leader, they gained the courage to charge, but this time the leader didn't rush to give the order. He called out again, and more natives emerged from the bushes and treetops, joining the charge.

It seemed the native leader was planning a full-scale attack, even including the dozen strong natives by his side in the assault, leaving only two guards behind.

Three natives ran out from the distant bushes, one of whom had signaled He Boqiang to hide.

Now, these natives responded to the leader's call and joined the charge.

As they emerged from the bushes, they waved to He Boqiang, inviting him to join the charge.

However, He Boqiang remained motionless, pretending not to see their calls.

The three natives, seeing that He Boqiang didn't emerge from the bushes, didn't force him. Under the leader's repeated urging, the attack force grew to hundreds of natives, densely packed in the forest, wearing animal skins and clothing made of woven branches, and making loud "woo woo" sounds, creating a formidable presence.

He Boqiang thought the native leader would lead the charge, but after making a few strange calls in front of the natives, the leader shamelessly stepped aside, waving his wooden stick and shouting a long, complex sound. Hundreds of natives rushed out of the forest, charging toward the dense forest slope.

The native leader, however, stayed behind with two guards.

He Boqiang, holding the heavy Roman sword, felt a sense of security. His body responded positively to the battle, and his strong physique made him feel no fatigue despite running for so long. Instead, he felt a growing urge to join the action.

At this moment, he made a bold decision. He pressed the leafy camouflage on his head down, adjusted the animal skin on his body, and, as the shouts grew louder, ran out of the bushes.

However, He Boqiang didn't charge toward the forest slope. Instead, he took this opportunity to run quickly toward the native leader in the forest.