RPAGF Chapter 228 Natural Disaster? Man-Made Catastrophe?
Chapter 228 Natural Disaster? Man-Made Catastrophe?
Chapter 228 Natural Disaster? Man-Made Catastrophe?
The people who had been standing around then rode away on horseback.
The once crowded woods are now only occupied by five people kneeling on the ground and a Wuling Hongguang van standing next to them.
Lin Ziping felt as if all his strength had been drained, and he slumped to the ground: "Friends, am I doomed this time?"
Fan Ji, Pu Santong, and Wu Xudong were devastated.
"How could there suddenly be a tiger? Didn't we sprinkle animal repellent powder?" Wu Xudong muttered.
Fan Ji said, "Under normal circumstances, with so many people here, the tiger wouldn't easily come down from the mountain. How could there be a tiger? Lin Ziping, you were the first to discover it. Tell me what exactly happened?"
Lin Ziping forced himself to remain calm and recounted the events leading up to and following his encounter with the tiger in detail.
"So, according to you, the tiger appeared suddenly?" Fan Ji asked.
Lin Ziping thought carefully, trying not to miss any details, and nodded: "They initially came chasing a herd of deer, but somehow, a tiger suddenly appeared and chased them relentlessly. I could only make a noise to lure it away, and then Xiao Wei came over."
Fan Ji and the others then turned their attention to Tang Jiawei, who clutched his chest and nodded weakly.
Wu Xudong looked grief-stricken: "What's the use of Lao Fan asking these questions now? Such a huge mistake has occurred in the area we are responsible for. According to military regulations, we... will probably all face death."
Fan Ji stood up: "Old Wu, this is not a military camp, but a palace. Our lives are nothing more than a word from the nobles. Never give up until the very last moment. Besides, even if I die, I want to die knowing why!"
"You suspect this is a man-made disaster?" Wu Xudong asked with a wry smile. "Even if it is, what can the few of us do?"
Fan Ji lowered his eyes and said, "At least we know why we died."
Wu Xudong was startled and looked up at Fan Ji.
Fan Ji ignored him and made arrangements on his own: "Before the others arrive, let's go and take a look at this tiger."
Whether you stick your neck out or not, you'll still get stabbed. This is a damn messed-up world!
Lin Ziping felt a surge of heroic spirit. He was ready to throw caution to the wind and do whatever he wanted. Looking back on his time in this era, he realized there was nothing to enjoy. So what if he died?
"Me too!" Lin Ziping stood up and walked towards the big tiger.
Tang Jiawei looked at it, then clutched his chest and stood up.
"Are you alright?" Lin Ziping felt a surge of gratitude as he thought of how Tang Jiawei had done this to save him.
"Cough-cough-"
Tang Jiawei coughed twice and waved his hand, saying, "I was injured by that beast, but I'll feel better after taking some medicine."
"You...I..." Lin Ziping's words of gratitude stuck in his throat, unable to be uttered or swallowed, and he stammered, unable to speak.
“We’re responsible for this whole area. We all share the same fate, and if we can get through this, we’ll definitely have a big celebration when we get back,” Tang Jiawei said, seemingly noticing Lin Ziping’s predicament.
Lin Ziping was so moved that he cried. He vowed never to say that the little brat was annoying again.
Tang Jiawei ignored Lin Ziping's emotion and went straight to Fan Ji and the other man: "Brother Fan, how is Brother Pu?"
Pu Santong squatted in front of the tiger, fiddling with its head and exposing its neck.
"These arrows all hit the tiger's vitals, and this one was pierced by a dagger, severing an artery, causing blood to gush out." Pu Santong looked at Lin Ziping and continued, "This must have been Lin Ziping who stabbed it!"
Lin Ziping looked at the tiger; the fur under its big head was soaked in blood, and judging from the location, it must have been pricked by itself.
Pu Santong rolled his eyes at the tiger again: "Who injured these eyes?"
“It should have been me.” Tang Jiawei pursed his lips. “I think that tiger wounded Old Lin, and in desperation, he shot out an iron needle. It wasn’t fatal, was it?”
Pu Santong shook his head without saying a word, his hands continuing to stroke the tiger inch by inch.
After a while, Fan Ji asked, "How is it?"
“There are many hard bumps on its body. Without Lin Ziping’s stab and the arrow in its neck, it probably wouldn’t have survived long even if it ran back to the mountains,” Pu Santong replied. “Also, this is a female tiger, and it should have just given birth to cubs not long ago.”
"That's strange. A tigress that has just given birth shouldn't be far from her cubs, right?" Lin Ziping wondered.
“Perhaps one of the people Lin Ziping saw stole the tiger cubs, which is why the tiger is chasing after them so relentlessly,” Wu Xudong added. “Both wolves and tigers are extremely protective of their cubs, but compared to tigers, wolves generally act in packs.”
Tang Jiawei said fiercely, "This is truly a man-made disaster! Someone wants to harm us?!"
“We are just innocent bystanders; the real victims are probably the others,” Wu Xudong said.
"Who is being harmed?" Tang Jiawei asked.
Just as Wu Xudong was about to answer, he suddenly shouted in a low voice, "Someone's coming!"
Fan Ji was startled and quickly instructed, "Go back and kneel down properly!"
The group quickly returned to their previous positions and knelt down. Wu Xudong swiftly rearranged the tiger to its original position.
A short while later, seven people emerged from the woods.
The group was dressed in matching blue outfits, and the only difference in their appearance was their height.
"Hey, you guys are all here?!" One of the tall guys spoke with that familiar villainous tone.
Lin Ziping glanced at him sideways and said, "Hmm, I don't recognize him."
The tall man directed the remaining six men: "Go and carry this tiger away. His Majesty has instructed that it be thoroughly examined to see how it died."
"Yes." The others responded in unison and stepped forward to drag the tiger away.
The dagger stuck in the tiger's neck gleamed in the sunlight.
Lin Ziping mentally reached out Er Kang's hand, wishing he had taken the dagger earlier. Now, everything would have been taken away, leaving nothing behind.
The tall man approached and reached out to lift the ordinary-looking man's chin: "I find you quite familiar. Where do you work?"
Is it that exciting?!
Lin Ziping was dumbfounded.
Pu Santong dodged to the side, then raised his hand and vigorously wiped the spot where the tall man had hit the ground.
"Heh—interesting. I haven't met someone as fiery as you in a long time!" The tall man licked his lips. "I'll wait until you kneel down and beg me."
Is it really that perverted?!
This is our first time meeting!
"Pah—" Pu Santong spat.
“You—” the tall man pointed at Pu Santong.
"My lord, His Majesty has not yet convicted us. Do you think we are guilty?" Before the tall man could say anything more, Lin Ziping stood up, pushed Pu Santong aside, and looked directly at the tall man.
Lin Ziping made an exaggerated gesture and continued, "Could it be that you, sir, can bypass His Majesty?"
“Yes, can you bypass His Majesty, sir?!” Fan Ji and the others also stood up.
"You—" The tall man looked around and sneered, "You're really sharp-tongued. What kind of skill is it to kneel here? You should kneel in His Majesty's tent to show your true abilities!"
The tall man looked around and pointed at the "Wuling Hongguang": "Where did this donkey come from? You've been hiding these kinds of animals in secret. How many heads do you have to chop off?"