Su Chen saw that they were getting close, so he quickly ran back home to gear up. He donned his Super Knight Armor, strapped on his sword, grabbed his shield, and strategized with his trusty steed.
This battle was a must-win!
"This fertile hidden paradise will definitely have a piece reserved for me, Su Chen. And not just a piece—the lion's share!"
Mounted on his horse, Su Chen sped toward the scene. His speed, naturally, was several times that of an ordinary human, allowing him to reach the barbarian tribe ahead of Xi Bowen's group. Quietly, he hid behind a nearby tree.
At this moment, most of the rescue team Xi Bowen had organized had already arrived at the assembly point.
From a distance, Su Chen could see the large group—there were at least forty to fifty people, both men and women, though the majority were men.
It was clear that far fewer people had shown up compared to the number who signed up in the area's chat channel. Likely, some were too timid or simply didn't have the time and gave up midway.
Nearly everyone carried a small dagger. Among them, a tall, muscular man wielding a long sword stood out prominently. That must be Xi Bowen, Su Chen surmised.
From his hiding spot, Su Chen overheard their conversation.
"Hello, everyone, I'm Xi Bowen. I excelled in sports during school and was admitted to the National Sports University as a recommendation. I'm currently a senior. Is everyone here?"
Su Chen smiled to himself. His guess had been spot on—this was Xi Bowen.
"This guy's doing pretty well for himself!"
In this group, only Xi Bowen had a long sword. Most of the others were equipped with daggers, stones, or wooden clubs. Naturally, he became the group's leader without much resistance.
Several of the women looked at Xi Bowen with admiration in their eyes.
"Wow, he's amazing! Not only is he handsome, but he's also so strong."
"Exactly! So cool!"
"Can I join you on your RV trips later?"
Flustered by their compliments, Xi Bowen's face turned red, but he tried to maintain his composure.
"Stop joking around. We're here to save someone, not fool around."
A thin, frail-looking young man interjected from the crowd, "Brother Bowen, since you're the best equipped and the tallest and most handsome among us, why don't you lead us from the front and guide us to victory?"
The suggestion caused a wave of agreement among the group.
"Yeah, yeah! Brother Bowen, we'll follow you. You take the lead!"
"Exactly! All we need is a bit of food to survive a few days. The lion's share can go to you, Brother Bowen!"
"Brother Bowen, even as a guy, I have to admit you're impressive. With you leading us, victory is guaranteed!"
"Brother Bowen, the way you hold that sword is so dashing—I'm swooning!"
"Agreed! Long live Brother Bowen!"
Hearing all the praise, Xi Bowen puffed up with pride and began acting like a true leader.
"All right, all right, everyone relax. Since my gear is the best and you all trust me so much, just follow my commands."
"We have 46 people in total. In a moment, we'll line up in rows of eight. I'll stand at the very front, and everyone else should line up neatly behind me. We need to overwhelm them with our presence!"
"When I give the signal, charge immediately—no hesitation!"
"Oh, and the women stand at the back, while the men take the front."
The group readily agreed with Xi Bowen's plan, showering him with more compliments.
"This plan is amazing! Let's do it!"
"As expected from someone ranked in the top 100! Smart and good-looking—I'm so envious."
The women were especially taken in by Xi Bowen's final comment about protecting them, to the point where they couldn't think straight anymore, simply gazing at him in awe.
Meanwhile, Su Chen, still mounted on Er Bao, watched their every move from behind a nearby tree.
"Those barbarians are still worshipping their statue. They won't be easy to deal with," Su Chen muttered to himself.
Even a single barbarian could handle five grown men, let alone the fact that there was an unknown mage among them. Still, Su Chen had no intention of confronting them directly. He simply wanted to use this group to test the barbarians' strength. Otherwise, he wouldn't be confident about taking on these cannibalistic tribes.
For as long as he could remember, Su Chen had always had an intense fear of creatures like cannibals, zombies, and parasites. They made him deeply uncomfortable.
Xi Bowen, emboldened by the encouragement from the women, began to get cocky, spouting arrogant remarks.
"These barbarians? I could take on several of them by myself!"
"When they see so many of us, they'll wet their pants!"
"Everyone, line up now!"
Xi Bowen's authority within the group was undeniable. Whatever he said, the group obeyed without question.
Within ten seconds, the rescue team had formed a neat formation. In their eyes, victory over the foolish barbarians was guaranteed!
Pleased with their obedience, Xi Bowen stood at the very front, striking a heroic pose as the leader.
"Brothers! Charge! Kill these foolish barbarians!"
Xi Bowen's rallying cry was so loud it startled the barbarians, who were still worshipping their statue. They appeared deeply displeased at being interrupted.
They immediately stood up, and two strong barbarians charged at the forefront, wielding bone clubs.
Several other barbarians followed closely behind, their momentum entirely matching that of Xi Bowen's group.
As Xi Bowen came to his senses, he noticed the two barbarians charging toward him with fierce expressions, their bone clubs raised high.
Since Xi Bowen was an athlete, his running speed far outpaced the rest of his group. As the leader, he was now at the very front of the charge.
In a matter of moments, he found himself separated from his team. Now, he was alone, holding a longsword, charging ahead by himself.
Initially, he had thought their superior numbers would give them an overwhelming advantage. Surely, the barbarians would be terrified by such a powerful lineup.
"This is bad. I'm in real trouble now."
To his dismay, these barbarians showed no fear at all. Their size was in no way inferior to Xi Bowen's, and they were even more ruthless than he was.
When the two barbarians swung their bone clubs and charged at him, Xi Bowen realized that he was likely in big trouble.
But there was no turning back now. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and charge forward.
Slowing down slightly, Xi Bowen adjusted his grip on his longsword and ran toward the barbarians.
The outcome was exactly as expected. When the two sides collided, Xi Bowen was immediately struck—directly and unerringly. And it wasn't just one barbarian that hit him; both of them did.
He was instantly knocked dizzy and collapsed to the ground.
Seeing their leader get knocked out, Xi Bowen's underlings panicked.
Some of them, still holding their daggers, rushed forward, while others immediately decided to flee.
The rescue team was now in complete chaos.
Just then, the crisp sound of horse hooves echoed from behind the trees…
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