Shen Feng stepped forward and picked up the meteorite. Although it didn't look large, it was quite heavy, weighing over forty catties, much heavier and harder than raw iron.
"What good luck. Fortunately, I never gave up. I finally have something to show for it!" Shen Feng muttered to himself.
Next, Shen Feng, carrying the meteorite, prepared to leave. Unbeknownst to him, the fire had already been extinguished. Shen Feng's body temperature had become the highest in the vicinity, and the vines changed their target, attacking Shen Feng again.
Shen Feng dared not underestimate these vines. If he were truly caught by them, he would be caged again.
Thus, Shen Feng unleashed "As the Wind Follows" and ran continuously towards the south. The vines couldn't keep up with Shen Feng's speed at all. As soon as the banyan tree detected Shen Feng's temperature and began to mobilize its vines for an attack, Shen Feng had already rushed out a considerable distance. Moreover, the vines had a limited length; once they were out of the attack range, they could no longer pursue.
Finally, two hours later, Shen Feng returned to the base inside the volcano, holding the meteorite. After entering the room, Yue Hengyi had gone somewhere. He wanted to find Taruts, but he didn't have the opportunity. Taking advantage of being alone, Shen Feng lit an oil lamp in the room to examine the meteorite.
For this tribe, having lived in modern society for decades and now returning to the era of hunting and gathering was naturally difficult. There were no more televisions, no mobile phones, and not even any lighting facilities. The only generator and computer were still in the hands of the prophet. Ordinary people, wanting light, could only light oil lamps, and they had to cover the windows to prevent the light from shining outside.
The oil lamp Shen Feng used was made from sheep fat, with a wick crafted from grass hearts. After lighting it, it provided only meager illumination.
"No wonder the ancients were famous for reading by lamplight. With such dim light, how could they see the text clearly? It's truly not easy," Shen Feng mumbled, then began to examine the meteorite.
The meteorite had bumps and depressions of various sizes, appearing quite irregular. Some areas were relatively flat, and it was these flat spots that reflected light. Otherwise, Shen Feng would have truly missed this meteorite.
"It feels different from meteorites found in the sea. I heard that meteorites in the sea are mainly gray. This meteorite in my hand is black. The color doesn't match. Does it really contain extraterrestrial elements?" Shen Feng mused. Although he found the meteorite under the large banyan tree, it didn't necessarily contain extraterrestrial elements.
Shen Feng spent two hours in the room, unable to discern anything. At this moment, Yue Hengyi returned with a basket of fruit, saying as he walked, "There are indeed many fruits in Southeast Asia, but there's also a problem. Not many people manage the orchards now, and many fruits are sour. I ate a papaya, and honestly..."
Before he finished speaking, Yue Hengyi saw the meteorite placed on the table. He quickly walked over to the table and exclaimed in surprise, "Is this the meteorite? Brother Feng, where did you find it?"
"I burned down the largest banyan tree. The mutated banyan tree's main body escaped, and I didn't catch it. But I found this meteorite in the root area," Shen Feng explained briefly.
Yue Hengyi swallowed and then said, "You said before that you'd give me a quarter of the meteorite. Don't go back on your word, right?"
Shen Feng replied calmly, "Let's see."
"What do you mean 'let's see'? We agreed on this before, can you go back on it?" Yue Hengyi couldn't help but ask.
Shen Feng explained, "If it contains extraterrestrial elements, then you won't get any. If it doesn't contain extraterrestrial elements and is just an ordinary meteorite, I can give you half."
"Brother Feng, you're being unfair. If you want to keep it all, aren't you being too greedy? And it's not right to go back on your word!" Yue Hengyi couldn't stand it. They had already agreed on this, and now you're going back on it at the last minute. Isn't that going too far?
Shen Feng shrugged and said, "That's because you didn't listen carefully to our agreement before. What did we say? We'd kill the mutated plants together, obtain the meteorite for trade, and then we'd divide it. But now? I'm the one who brought the meteorite back, and you didn't help. It's already good that I'm willing to give you some scraps. What more could you want?"
Yue Hengyi thought about it and was about to retort, but Shen Feng didn't give him the chance. He put the meteorite on his bed, lay down, and went to sleep.
"I'll curse you! This meteorite definitely won't contain extraterrestrial elements!" Yue Hengyi muttered, then also lay down on the bed. There were two beds in the room, both made of wooden planks covered with dry grass. Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi had no choice but to sleep on the wooden beds.
The climate in Southeast Asia was truly scorching, and there were many mosquitoes. The houses were made of adobe, which couldn't keep the mosquitoes out. Therefore, living here was a torment. The indigenous tribe couldn't find mosquito nets, so they could only endure the mosquito bites. Finally, as dawn broke, they got up listlessly.
"Southeast Asia is good in every way, except it's too hot and there are too many mosquitoes. It's not very suitable for living!" Yue Hengyi got up, still groggy. Shen Feng glanced at the meteorite on the bed, went out, and brought in the fruit basket. They ate fruit for breakfast.
Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi went out for breakfast, found an open space, and sat on the ground. Then they opened a coconut to drink the juice and ate fruit. A gentle breeze blew, and looking at the surrounding scenery, they felt a sense of ease.
However, when the two returned to their room after breakfast, they found that the meteorite that had been placed on the bed was gone.
Shen Feng turned to look at Yue Hengyi. Before he could speak, Yue Hengyi quickly defended himself, "Why are you looking at me? I went out with you. Would I steal from you?"
Yue Hengyi felt wronged. He hadn't done anything, so why was Shen Feng looking at him first?
Shen Feng said, "I'm not suspecting you, but I wanted to ask if any suspicious individuals have appeared recently."
"Let's go find Taruts. How would I know who is suspicious? I don't know any of these people. Everyone looks suspicious to me!" Yue Hengyi quickly replied.
Shen Feng took Yue Hengyi and immediately went to where Taruts was located. Upon entering, he recounted what had happened: the meteorite had been stolen!
Unexpectedly, Taruts readily said, "No need to look for it. I took your meteorite and hid it. Now, you must continue our transaction and kill the monster. Otherwise, I won't return the meteorite to you."
When Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi heard this, their expressions turned to disbelief. They had thought some ignorant native had stolen it, but now Taruts admitted to taking it. What was going on?
Shen Feng suppressed his anger and tried his best to remain calm, asking, "Why? I brought the meteorite back. How can you steal it?"
At this point, Shen Feng didn't want to completely fall out. After all, they had known each other for a while, and they had lived in his tribe for two days, eating so much of their fruit. If they fell out directly, it wouldn't look good!
However, Taruts said matter-of-factly, "We agreed on a trade before. You must go and kill the mutated plants. Otherwise, I won't return the meteorite to you. And so what if you brought the meteorite back? Once the meteorite lands on our New Guinea territory, it becomes our property. Without my permission, I will not give it to you."
Hearing this reasoning, Shen Feng's eyes were opened. There were such scoundrels in the world!
Yue Hengyi couldn't stand it any longer and pointed at Taruts's nose, saying, "Are you being reasonable? Before, you tried every means to get us to help you kill the mutated plants, and you didn't tell us crucial information. Now that we've brought back the meteorite, you're claiming it for yourself and continuing to blackmail us. You're a thief!"
"So what if I'm a thief? In any case, you must work for me. If I'm in a good mood, I'll return the meteorite to you. Otherwise, you'll never see the meteorite in this lifetime!" Taruts was not afraid of Yue Hengyi and said, puffing out his chest.
Yue Hengyi was furious. He had thought Taruts was a reasonable person when he was being hosted by him. But now, Yue Hengyi realized that the so-called prophet was just a scoundrel.
Shen Feng lost his patience and kicked him, sending Taruts flying five meters away. He hit the wall and even smashed a hole in it.
Taruts hadn't expected Shen Feng to attack him directly. After being kicked, he felt pain all over and couldn't help but let out screams.
The surrounding natives quickly surrounded them, their faces unfriendly, holding spears and cleavers. For them, the prophet was the one who led them to a safe place and gave them hope. As long as the prophet existed, they could avoid any danger. Now, their prophet was being bullied by outsiders, and they naturally couldn't stand by and watch.
Yue Hengyi also walked out of the room and looked at the surrounding natives, frowning. He had eaten the fruits picked by others and cassava from the fields for the past two days, so he had been taken care of. At this moment, he didn't want to kill innocent people, so he shouted to explain, "Please listen to me. Your prophet stole our things. We just want to find out the whereabouts of the meteorite. It has nothing to do with you!"
Many of the natives had been guides before, and they quickly translated Yue Hengyi's words. However, these natives still surrounded them aggressively, showing no signs of backing down because of Yue Hengyi's words.
Taruts laughed and shouted, "You only have one option: cooperate with me. Kill the monster obediently, and I'll give you the meteorite. Otherwise, don't even think about it!"
Yue Hengyi looked at Shen Feng and asked, "Brother Feng, what should we do?"
Shen Feng looked at the unfriendly group around him, took a deep breath, and explained, "I understand now. In the eyes of these natives, there's no option of helping outsiders over their own. They live in the apocalypse and can only rely on unity. Therefore, if anyone's life is threatened, everyone stands up. This is the so-called human society. I didn't expect it to be so vividly displayed among the natives."
"I don't want to hear your analysis. I'm asking what to do? Should we fight?" Yue Hengyi continued.
If it were zombies or mutated beasts, Shen Feng wouldn't need to say anything; Yue Hengyi would have acted directly, with no need for pity towards such creatures.
If it were rebellious crowds, desperate bandits, or villains who violated ethics, Yue Hengyi would also act after a moment's hesitation.
But now, Yue Hengyi was facing natives with whom they had been able to get along harmoniously, and the situation was turning hostile. He hesitated, as any action would lead to bloodshed.
Shen Feng grabbed Taruts by the neck and said coldly, "I'll give you one more chance. Tell me the whereabouts of the meteorite, and we'll let this matter go. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Despite Shen Feng's warning, Taruts remained indifferent, his smile becoming more and more unrestrained. He had heard about a set of Chinese etiquette, the so-called rules, one of which was that the law does not punish the masses. Now that there were over three thousand of them, could they all be killed?
Therefore, Taruts shouted loudly, "Listen to me obediently. I am the prophet!"