"You guys be careful. I'll go ahead and check," the blonde man said before pushing off the ground. He shot forward like an arrow, whether intentionally or not, this move was clearly meant to showcase his strength.
"That kind of explosive power..." the Muay Thai woman seemed to recognize something, her eyebrows arching.
"It seems our Captain Number One was holding back earlier," Number Two, who had been mostly silent, suddenly spoke, a faint smile on his face.
Number Three chuckled and didn't reply, but a sense of vigilance arose as he looked at the blonde man's retreating figure.
On the other side, Li Chonglou, who had been moving at full speed to make progress, had already assassinated three ambushes. Two of these were contestant teams, and not a few were from the same country as the Japanese man.
Not only did Li Chonglou eliminate them silently, but he also dealt with the corpses, otherwise, the five of them wouldn't have been able to travel for half an hour without any issues.
However, just as he used his Heavenly Eye's clairvoyance to discover the fourth group of enemies, contestants hiding behind a protruding large rock, he suddenly felt someone approaching him from behind. He couldn't help but glance back and saw the blonde man, who was looking around in confusion as he made his way.
In the dense mountain forest, if it weren't for the fear of being too conspicuous, the blonde man would have wanted to climb a tall tree to survey the situation.
"This is too weird! How come I can't see anyone! And where's Number Five?"
The blonde man's initial caution and tense nerves had given way to him simply speeding up and rushing along. His mindset was even hoping someone would attack him, otherwise, he truly felt uneasy!
This was a sense of unease born from safety. Even saying it felt strange, let alone experiencing it firsthand.
Just as his unease grew, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in his sight, and his face lit up with joy as he called out.
"Number Five? Where did you go?"
Li Chonglou slowly stopped not far from the blonde man and asked, "Why are you here?"
The blonde man rolled his eyes and said unhappily, "Half an hour has passed now, hasn't it? Didn't we agree to take turns scouting every fifteen minutes."
Li Chonglou then realized what he had done. He looked back at the front and after a long pause, remained silent.
The blonde man showed his dissatisfaction, "You're fine, you know there's nothing ahead so you just ran. You made us behind so nervous following you, we thought you'd already been taken out."
It was clear the blonde man thought it was their good luck that their chosen path had no ambushes, but Li Chonglou didn't explain. Instead, he slowly walked back.
"Then let's go back. Who's turn is it to scout next?"
"Number Three."
The blonde man didn't say anything more and headed back.
"Not Number Four, thank goodness," Li Chonglou nodded inwardly. If Number Four, who was carrying the little girl, had been the next to scout, he would have had to sneak ahead and eliminate that group first.
In this complex environment, his Heavenly Eye's clairvoyance made him feel like he was in his element. With sneak attacks and his strength, he could basically achieve a one-hit kill.
However, to avoid drawing attention, he had to abide by the rules agreed upon by the six of them. This competition only allowed free movement upon reaching the third stage; before that, it was a team event.
Since they were basically traveling at full speed, the two of them soon reunited with the other four. Upon learning that the front was safe, Number Three breathed a sigh of relief and, after signaling to everyone, rushed ahead.
Li Chonglou watched his retreating figure, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes. Among these people, apart from the Japanese man, Li Chonglou felt that Number Three was the weakest. And among the ambushing contestants ahead, one had a slightly stronger aura. Judging by their auras alone, there was a significant gap between them.
However, he did not speak up to remind him. As he had said before, few who could participate were innocent, and he was no saint. He could afford to lose one or two members.
As expected, less than ten minutes later, sounds of fighting suddenly came from ahead. The other three's faces instantly changed, and they rushed forward to support, while Li Chonglou calmly followed behind.
With his Heavenly Eye's clairvoyance, he already had a clear understanding of the situation ahead.
Fortunately, Number Three reacted quickly. Although he wasn't as professional as the others to successfully set up an ambush, the moment the opponent made a move, he immediately retreated. His reaction was even more agile than a startled rabbit, and he managed to save his life.
However, he was still entangled.
This ambush consisted of seven enemies, all Western Europeans. Among them, three boxing experts had surrounded Number Three in a triangular formation. On the large rock, a bald man with only a bomb tied around him and his upper body bare sat with his knees bent, looking at Number Three with a mocking gaze.
The other three watched from below the large rock with apparent interest.
"Why play around with him when you could have just ambushed and killed him?" one of the men below the large rock suddenly said with a light laugh.
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Since Numbers Five, Six, and Seven couldn't resist a chance to practice, how could we fall behind?"
"I've said it before, why bother with ambushes? Isn't it more fun to just fight directly?"
"Number Three, this isn't the outside. If you encounter a master, even a few lives wouldn't be enough for you to die."
The one called Number Three was a slightly thin man, but his muscles under his clothes were far superior to those of an ordinary person.
It was almost a certainty what kind of martial art someone of his physique practiced. Number Three immediately sneered and said, "I don't believe there are many Number Ones in this world. As long as they're not like Number One, I'll find it boring if even two people don't come at me together."
At this moment, someone retorted, "If you're so boastful, why didn't you challenge for the Number Two position?"
Number Three immediately became displeased, "If you have the ability, tell Number Two to fight me again. It was just a mistake, hmph."
As soon as he finished speaking, the blonde man and the others arrived. Number Three's eyes lit up, and after saying a word, he rushed towards the four of them.
"Leave these four to me. Don't make a move, I'll show you my true strength!"
The blonde man was the first to spot Number Three. At the same time, he saw his own Number Three being attacked by three people and immediately said to the people behind him, "You three, hurry and help. I'll stop him!"
With that, he charged towards Number Three.
The two instantly became like two trucks, charging at each other furiously.
Seeing the blonde man dare to take away three people, Number Three immediately roared, "You're looking for death!"
The distance closed in an instant. Number Three's long arms struck out towards the blonde man like灵蛇 (ling she - spirit snakes).