After deciding on the sleeping arrangements, Jiang Hai went to wash up. This tribe clearly didn't have electricity—after all, how would power lines even reach this remote mountain village? Most Native American tribes, especially in isolated areas, lived without electricity.
Without power, many things became inconvenient. Showering, for example—there was no hot water. But Jiang Hai didn't mind. After a quick rinse in the cold, he returned to the room. The girl had already laid a bedroll on the floor for him.
Jiang Hai thanked her and lay down, while she went to wash up herself.
While she was in the bathroom, Jiang Hai glanced at his phone but only briefly.
There was no internet here. The signal was weak but technically still existed—just no data. And besides, his phone battery was running low. He'd only charged it a bit in the car, and it was now hovering just above 40%.
Everyone knows smartphones eat up battery life, especially on trips like this.
Even with minimal use, a phone might last a day. If you were gaming, it could die in just a few hours.
With 40% left, he could stretch it through the night, but if he kept scrolling, it'd be dead by morning. So after a quick glance, Jiang Hai closed all apps and set the phone aside.
Still, without his phone, he found it hard to fall asleep. He used to go to bed early—around 11 p.m.—but now?
Even though it was already late by local standards, it was barely past 9 p.m. And without anything to distract him, it felt like time was crawling.
Just then, the girl came out of the bathroom and quietly climbed into bed.
"You're still awake," she whispered, sensing Jiang Hai hadn't fallen asleep yet.
Honestly, she wasn't entirely at ease sleeping alone—especially when, in a sense, she now belonged to him for the night.
"Yeah. It's too early to sleep," Jiang Hai murmured.
"Life in the mountains is like that. Nothing much to do after dark," the girl said with a soft smile.
"Now that I think about it, we haven't even properly introduced ourselves. Sharing a room is fate, I guess," Jiang Hai said, sitting up with a grin. "I'm Jiang Hai. I'm Chinese, currently living in Winthrop."
"I'm Tarak… from the Tarak clan. If I dare call myself American, the chief would probably beat me to death," she chuckled in response.
"Tarak? That sounds like a boy's name." Jiang Hai raised an eyebrow, curious. Earlier, he'd heard her brother's name was Patan. It didn't quite line up.
"Our tribe doesn't use surnames like outsiders. Our clan name is our surname, and we're pretty casual about given names," she explained.
Native American names were indeed flexible. Most had no fixed surnames. As Tarak explained, a tribe's name served as a sort of collective surname. Children were given names when young, but they were often considered temporary. Upon reaching adulthood—usually around sixteen or seventeen—they'd choose a new name, symbolic of their growth.
The names themselves varied wildly—some based on animals, others on natural phenomena or symbolic traits.
Think of "Crazy Horse," the famous Sioux leader, or "Sitting Bull." To outsiders, the names might seem odd, but to the tribe, they were meaningful.
"Who taught you English? You speak pretty well," Jiang Hai asked after learning more about their naming customs.
"I learned from the chief," she said, settling deeper into the bed. "He served in the U.S. Army, learned English there, then came back and became our leader. He's helped preserve our culture while also encouraging some connection with the outside world. A lot of people learned English from him… but some of them left the tribe afterward."
She sighed softly. "No matter how strong your beliefs are, they don't feed your stomach."
With a bridge to the outside world, some people chose to abandon the tribe's way of life. Some left for good. Some returned, some didn't. The pull of modern convenience and opportunity was often too strong to resist.
From the government's perspective, that was probably a good thing. For the tribe, though, it felt like betrayal. It all depended on where you stood.
Tarak seemed to wrestle with that duality—yearning for the world beyond while resenting those who'd abandoned their roots.
Jiang Hai understood. The desire for a better life was universal. He couldn't fault anyone for that.
"Actually… I've never been far from the tribe. Can you tell me more about the outside world?" Tarak asked, eyes bright with curiosity.
Smiling, Jiang Hai nodded and began sharing stories—about his manor, life in Winthrop, modern appliances, gourmet food, and everything else she'd never experienced.
Tarak listened intently, enchanted. Her curiosity only deepened.
Their conversation flowed naturally—one asking, the other answering—as time slipped by unnoticed.
Jiang Hai normally didn't get sleepy until after eleven. But Tarak, used to sleeping around eight or nine, was already fighting fatigue by ten.
Still, she stayed up, fascinated by everything Jiang Hai described.
"Alright, time for sleep. If you ever get the chance, come visit me in Winthrop. I'll show you around, and you can see modern life for yourself," Jiang Hai said, noticing her growing drowsiness.
"I mean it. If you ever do come, I'll take good care of you."
"Really?" Her eyes lit up with excitement.
"Of course," he smiled.
"Then it's a promise. If I get the chance, I'll come find you, Jiang Hai," she said happily.
Jiang Hai grinned. He wouldn't break a promise, especially one as pure-hearted as this.
Eventually, the two drifted off to sleep.
Jiang Hai didn't know exactly when he fell asleep—he was half-dreaming when he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps outside. His eyes snapped open. Sitting up, he frowned.
This tribe was primitive. The only piece of modern tech they used was a flashlight.
They always had people posted on night watch, so footsteps weren't unusual. But this time… they were distant. Disorganized. Something felt wrong.
"What's going on?" he muttered, rubbing his head.
Slipping on his shoes, he walked to the door and opened it. But before he could step outside, one of the patrolling tribesmen spotted him and rushed over.
They didn't draw weapons, but their expressions were serious, and they looked at Jiang Hai with suspicion.
"Excuse me, I just wanted to check…" Jiang Hai said, frowning. Whether they understood him or not, he wasn't sure. But the noises in the distance were getting closer.
"Sir, please return to your room. You're not allowed to walk around at night," one of them said sternly. But Jiang Hai just grew more uneasy.
"What's happening?" came a sleepy voice from behind. The girl had awakened, rubbing her eyes as she approached.
"There are people in the forest… quite a few," Jiang Hai said, pointing into the trees.
Tarak blinked at the darkness but saw nothing. She glanced at Jiang Hai doubtfully, silently questioning whether he was imagining things.
Jiang Hai shook his head firmly. "I really heard footsteps. Tell them to check. It's not far."
Even with his enhanced physique—eight times stronger than a normal human—his hearing wasn't superhuman. But something was off. His instincts were screaming.
"There might be people in the woods," Tarak told the leader. "Go take a look. Better to be safe than sorry."
Though the man clearly didn't believe them, he reluctantly set off to investigate.
He hadn't gone far when Jiang Hai's senses screamed a single word: danger.
"Get down!" Jiang Hai shouted, yanking Tarak to the ground.
The patrollers hesitated in confusion, but the leader dove for cover just in time.
In the next moment, gunfire erupted from the trees—flames flaring in the darkness. The man who had gone to investigate was immediately gunned down.
"Enemy attack!" the remaining night watch cried out, panic in their voices.
The sound of gunfire roused the entire tribe. Years of hunting instincts kicked in as men burst from their homes, grabbing weapons.
But before they could organize, another barrage of bullets swept across the area.
More than a dozen people were gunned down before they could react.
Meanwhile, under the cover of the chaos, dark figures crept closer to the village.
Jiang Hai recognized the tactic instantly. These weren't amateurs.
If they reached the village, no one would survive.
His expression hardened.
He pushed Tarak back into the room, then bolted toward his car. No one tried to stop him—any doubts they had earlier were forgotten in the chaos.
The tribesmen fought back with homemade firearms—barely enough to bring down a wild boar, let alone an organized assault. They fired wildly, but their bullets missed more often than not.
The attackers pressed forward, firepower relentless.
From what Jiang Hai could tell, the tribe had already lost a fifth of its fighting force—and the enemy hadn't even made contact yet.
Thankfully, the attackers hadn't paid him much attention, letting him slip to his car unnoticed.
He opened the door, slid into the back seat, and exhaled sharply.
Reaching behind the rear seats, he retrieved his weapons.
A Desert Eagle… and a semi-automatic AUG.
With those in hand, he was no longer panicking.
(To be continued.)