In the morning, Xiao gets up. He feels refreshed.
"Bro Han, how was the sleep?" Hong is stretching near the door and smiles at Xiao. "I feel fantastic. Thanks for your treat. I have to leave now. If there is a chance, I will requite your kindness."
Ann brings a small paper bag and smiles, "I made some pies, you can have them on the way." Xiao feels the warmth passing from his hand to heart. He smiles and then realises that Ann can't see. He thanks again, "I had a great sleep yesterday. Thank you very much!" Ann laughs. Hong is happy too, "Haha, you are very welcomed."
Xiao packs the bag and takes the skin warp. He notices the leaf is gone. His face changed, "Somebody moved my wrap." Hong is surpried, "No way, Ann and I didn't… Wait, Fei, get the fuck out here!" Fei is bugging at the back of tent. He comes out slowly with fear. Xiao says without emotion,"Here are you again."
Fei looks down and dares not to look at Xiao. Hong kicks his ass and shouts, "Did you steal his stuff? Give it back now!" Fei bites his lips and takes out a bee. 73 pistol unwillingly. "Bro Han, feel free to kick his ass. This boy need a lesson." Hong is thinking how he could teach Fei a lesson with his fist.
"It is alright as long as I get it back. It is dangerous for you to keep it" Xiao relives that he gets the pistol back. He is not stingy. He worries the weapons left here would bring trouble to the camp. Hong treats him yesterday, it is his reponsibility to keep them safe. Fei says 'fuck u' thousands times in his mind. He thinks Xiao is super stingy. He has so many guns but he won't give out a single one.
"If I am lucky, I will see you." Xiao farewells to Hong couple. "Take care" Hong nods. Xiao takes the bag and leaves. He decides if there is a chance in the future, he will pay the kindness back.
"That ferocious guy finally leaves" Fei was scared but is happy now. Luckily, that guy didn't find that I took two pistols. Fei runs away to avoid the rebuke and punches from Hong. He goes to the back of the tent and takes another bee. 73 pistol out from a box. He really likes this gun. He is determined that even if Xiao would come back and ask for it, he won't admit it. He won't give it back. But why the pistol doesn't have trigger?
…
The map from the straggler is like painting form kids but it points out directions at least. This is enough for Xiao as he remember the overall map of the blue planet. He is in the Stardragon. According to the map, he will find railway in three days. He can get to the city with the train.
It is noon time. Xiao finds a clean place. He is about to eat some food to restore stigma. Then he notices there is several cuts from bushes on the skin wrap. Xiao opens the wrap and plans to put the guns back to his bag. Suddenly, he stops.
"There should be one more."
He counts it again. still missing one. Damn! It is terrible if the gun is left in the camp. Xiao packs everything and runs back towards the camp without eating.
…
Two tanks arrive at the camp. An armed subject squad are pointing at the stragglers who have their hands on head with guns. All stragglers recognise the sign from the Sprout. They are sacred.
"Anyone saw this guy?" One press a button and a virtual picture of Xiao appears.
"No" No one admits. They know that the Spout won't hurt them if they are not related. The Sprout is aginst six nations. Stragglers are netural. They may support any side. Thus both six nations and the Sprout have rules that no unnecessary force on stragglers.
Fei can't help but trembling.
One is furious. He chases Xiao for seven days and only this camps is on the way. And no one reports seeing Xiao which proves that he is on the wrong way. "Let's move on" One shouts and is about to lead the squad to another direction. He glimpses the crowd and notices Fei's abnormal. That boy is suspicious thus One orders "Get that boy!"
Fei is terrified and is dragged out from the crowd. He quivers like he was dragged from ice lake.
"Do you know the guy in the photo?" One asks.
"No..no I don't" Fei shakes his head as quick as he can.
One notices that there is something bump out near Fei's waist. So he orders,"Search him!"Fei is pinned on the ground and the Bee. 73 pistol is taken. "This is our gun!" One's face goes cold and aims at the crowd and shouts angrily, "Zero has been here and you cover up for him. Tell me the truth or die!" "Tell or die!" The squad all aim at the stragglers.
The crowd are scared and all look at the beard guy Kaili which traded with Xiao in the begining. Kaili is hiding in the corner and is teriffied by eyes on him, "Don't look at me. I just sold something to him. Only Hong knows his destination!"
The crowd near Hong avoid him like avoid the plague. Hong has to stand up and says, "I don't know." Kaili wants to get out of this and adds,"It is impossible. You saved him from my business and let him stay for a night."
One's elbow twists together and the stragglers are terrified and all push Hong.
"Just say something you know!"
"Do you want to sacrifice us for an outsider?"
…
Hong hates Kaili's betrayal and takes a deep breath. He points at a direction and says miserably,"He went that way."
"That's right." One laughs frightfully and fires without notice.
"Bang~" A hole appears on Hong's head. His face is fixed at the moment, surprised and then he falls down. Blood expands slowly underneath. Fei shouts and looks at his uncle's body. My.. my uncle is dead?!
One's face is emotionless like he just killed a rabbit. The cover up from stragglers already makes him angry and he is furious and decide to kill when he heard that Hong treated Xiao. All people who are related to Zero should die!
"Hong?" Ann senses something and her face is pale white. She slowly crawls towards her husband's body. One takes out the pistol and shot Ann's head. Ann dies and blood flies. She is half way there only one arm away from Hong which she will never make it.
One glimpses on the body and sneers.
Fei collapses and falls on the ground, tears profusely. He regrets it. His greedy kills uncle and aunt. Stragglers is mad but silent. They look at Hong and Ann's body and sad feelings circulate.
The scene is watched through monitor by the leader of the Sprout. The leader shouts, "Wtf are you doing? Who permits you to kill straggler?" One acknowledges the mistake in a hurry, "This camp of straggler cover up for Zero and I want to teach them a lesson. We shall leave now." The leader shakes his head, "Anyway, keep it here. You know what to do." One nods and give a sign. Follow up gun shots scare off the birds in the forest.
…
It is dawn time when Xiao finally gets back at the camp. The stink smell of blood makes him feel bad, "Too late." The camp is in dead silence. Massacre was by the door of the camp. Blood is everywhere and Xiao walks in. He gets furious when he sees the body of Hong and Ann.
At this moment, a guy slowly stands up from those bodies. Xiao recognises he is the business man who tricked him. Kaili is panic. He fainted when the massacre began and survived with luck. Before he rejoices his survival, he sees Xiao and he trembles because of fear. Xiao rushes to him and drags his shirt and shouts,
"What happened here!"
"The Sprout! It was the Sprout! We covered up for you and they killed us out of rage. We people died like shit. You need to revenge for us, for Hong!"
Kaili pretends sadness with tears. He dares not to tell the truth. He just wants to lead Xiao to the Sprout and leave him alone.