However, just as he was becoming familiar with people and hadn't done much,
a commotion suddenly erupted from the forest, and a group responsible for gathering wood ran out in panic.
It seemed they had encountered an enemy situation.
Gao Xin immediately went to Luo Yan's side and overheard Luo Yan saying, "Gentlemen, I didn't expect to run into a surprise so soon. The Radiation, follow me and let's check it out."
Luo Yan's gaze was somewhat stern, since, according to his previous assessment, there shouldn't be anyone living nearby.
Still, he was very composed, thinking it was probably just one or two stragglers.
His bare upper body's muscles were tense as he took the lead.
The rest of the Radiation followed suit.
Clearly, Luo Yan had not assigned these Radiation any labor earlier and had been making conversation the whole time, intending to have them take on the role of protectors for this team.
This seemed to be going smoothly, making Gao Xin very impressed; Luo Yan truly was a cultivated individual, capable of integrating nearly three hundred criminals in such a short time.
However, they hadn't gone far when they suddenly froze, seeing something and stopping in their tracks.
The other prisoners were even more frightened, dropping what they were holding and retreating toward the coastline.
They saw people, many people, sauntering out from the woods.
In a continuous line, from one end of the forest to the cliffs on the other side of the sea, men armed with weapons emerged.
There were about a hundred of them!
They all were clad in kimonos, sporting ugly hairstyles, holding sharp implements, and closing in step by step, surrounding them along the coastline!
These were a group of Japanese, and although they weren't as numerous, they clearly had hostile intentions, each one looking extraordinarily ferocious.
The leader, a burly man, was not very tall, but he was muscular, with a cold gaze.
The black, loose kimono he wore was stretched tight across his body, bulging at the seams, and he had a scarily large knife attached to his waist.
Beside him was a hunched, frail young boy, dressed in thin and bright clothes, the only one among them who looked utterly submissive.
"Everyone, line up!" the frail boy shouted at the top of his lungs, conveying the message from the burly man beside him.
"No mercy for those who resist!"
Luo Yan's brow furrowed tightly, the situation was completely unexpected.
How could there be so many banished people? And they had organized to encircle them?
Looking again, the Radiation who had just promised to protect the team had fallen back, leaving only Xia Heng by his side.
At this, Luo Yan took a deep breath, still very responsible, and still stood out from the crowd, his bare torso standing in front of everyone.
He spoke loudly, "My name is Luo Yan. You all must be the seniors from Crime Prison Island, right? Here we have thirty-eight Radiation and two hundred and fifty ordinary people, all newly exiled by the authorities."
"We've just arrived and don't know the rules yet. We would all very much like to join you, hoping to be taken in..."
He didn't speak any polite nonsense, seeing the Radiation's behavior, knowing they already couldn't fight.
To tell those opposite to let them leave was even more nonsensical, considering they had already been surrounded, so Luo Yan clearly stated his stance, hoping to join.
It could be said, he was quite aware of the circumstances.
However, a Japanese man rushed forward and slapped Luo Yan, yelling "Baka!"
Luo Yan was knocked to the ground, spitting out teeth mixed with blood.
His head buzzing, vision darkened, he couldn't manage to get up, the blood he spat out staining the gravel red.
"What kind of 'baka' are you? To think you could act like a boss!"
...