After a single gunshot, a rapid series of shots went off—BANG BANG BANG—and then there was only silence.
Han Ning and Teacher Liu simultaneously froze, their expressions turning grave.
"Something's happened over there. We have to go, now," Teacher Liu said, working the bolt on his rifle.
"Teacher Liu, shh..." Han Ning grabbed Teacher Liu just as he was about to jump down from the locomotive's steps. Han Ning put a finger to his lips and whispered, "They have guns. We don't know how many of them there are. Let's sneak over there first."
"Right." Teacher Liu nodded firmly and lightened his steps.
Following the faint sounds coming from their right, the two of them moved silently through the thin white mist, heading in the direction of Teacher Zhou's group.
When Han Ning was just over 50 meters from the source of the noise, he used the dim light to get a clear view. Near what looked like the second train car from the right stood nine gaunt figures in green military camouflage. Each carried a Silver Lotus Wood on their back.
Every single one of them held a rifle.
Teacher Zhou and his two companions appeared to be surrounded by them. Near the back of the group, two more figures in camouflage lay on the ground.
His view was obstructed, so Han Ning couldn't see exactly what was happening in the middle of the circle.
A sickening thud—the sound of a rifle butt smashing into muscle—came from the circle. A middle-aged man who looked like their leader roared in broken English at someone inside the circle, "People of Xia Country, tell me, where the hell is this?!"
"I... don't know."
"You don't know? Go on, break two of their fingers."
The breeze carried the sounds to Han Ning's ears: furious curses in their native tongue mixed with pained, weak cries. "Shan State monkeys! I'll fuck your mothers! Just you wait until I get my hands on you! I'll— AARGH!!"
"Han Ning, what's the plan? There are nine of them," Teacher Liu said, his brow furrowed as he stared ahead.
"Teacher Liu, are you confident you can take one of them down instantly with your rifle from over 50 meters out?"
Han Ning asked suddenly, calculating the distance between them.
Teacher Liu tightened his grip on the stock. "I can try."
Han Ning unslung the Compound Bow from his back. "It can't be 'try,' it has to be a certainty. Teacher Liu, I need you to kill one person with your rifle the moment Yin Yi and I attack. The other eight are ours."
Teacher Liu's expression grew solemn. "Understood. Absolutely."
"Good." Han Ning nodded, then turned his attention to Yin Yi. 'Yin Yi, do you see those seven men I'm indicating? When I give the signal, immediately fire your Silver Thorns and kill them. Then, charge in as fast as you can and rescue Teacher Zhou and the others.'
'Yin Yi's current limit was seven Silver Thorns at once. After that first volley, Han Ning worried the enemy would react. They might get desperate and kill Teacher Zhou's group, or use them as human shields. That would make things difficult.'
'So... they had to strike all at once. A single, lethal blow was essential!'
'You recognize Teacher Zhou, Luo Chen, and Teacher Li, right? Make sure you don't hit them by mistake.'
Yin Yi tilted its flower, sending back a wave of confirmation.
"Right." Han Ning raised his Compound Bow and took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He and Teacher Liu each took aim. They held their breath for a second, then Han Ning gave a low shout. "Kill!"
The word had barely left his lips.
SWISH! BANG!
Seven flickering green streams of light, a speeding Arrow, and a bullet tore through the white mist, precisely striking the nine figures—some standing still, others moving slowly.
The Silver Thorns burrowed into the bodies of seven of the Shan People and instantly detonated like high explosives. One moment they were living men; the next, they were reduced to a shower of blood and gore.
Meanwhile, the Arrow fired by Han Ning and the bullet from Teacher Liu's rifle struck the other two Shan People in the chest and abdomen.
"AARGH!!" A series of shrill, agonizing screams echoed across the wasteland.
Flashing with green light, Yin Yi shot forward like a predator emerging from the shadows, having locked onto its prey.
It covered the fifty meters in an instant.
Yin Yi was suddenly upon the two Shan People who hadn't died instantly, viciously lashing out with its thick Vine Whip!
The two men only had time to raise their arms in defense.
WHAM!
The Vine Whip struck, sending the two men flying backward like kites with their strings cut, blood arcing through the air.
In a matter of seconds, there was no one left standing within a twenty-meter radius of Yin Yi.
"Teacher Zhou, are you alright?"
Han Ning and Teacher Liu hurried over and knelt before Teacher Zhou and the others to check their condition.
"Cough, cough... I'm not going to die. Just a few broken fingers."
Teacher Zhou wiggled his right hand, his eyes dazed.
He had a large, dark purple bruise on his forehead, and one side of his face was swollen. Blood trickled from a cut within the bruised area, running down his cheek.
Han Ning saw that the pinky and ring fingers on Teacher Zhou's right hand were bent back at an unnatural angle, hanging limply against the back of his hand.
It wasn't just Teacher Zhou. Luo Chen and Teacher Li were in a similar state, their bodies and faces covered in wounds of varying severity.
Teacher Li lay weakly on the ground, gasping for breath, his face contorted in too much pain to speak.
"We got careless..." Teacher Zhou wiped a nosebleed with the back of his hand, his tone surprisingly lighter now. "These Shan State militants have some real military training. They didn't pop up until we were right on top of this car, and they caught us completely by surprise."
"Dammit. If Teacher Zhou hadn't stopped me, my Tongmu could've killed two more of those ground monkeys," Luo Chen cursed. He looked heartbroken as he gathered a fallen, writhing Silver Lotus Wood into his arms. His voice was choked with emotion. "Tongmu took three bullets from those apes to protect us."
Tongmu was the name Luo Chen had given his Silver Lotus Wood.
Han Ning's eyes swept over the scene. He saw that all of their Silver Lotus Woods had taken bullets protecting their masters. Each plant was now lying on the ground, its life force draining away.
The three men, on the other hand, hadn't been shot—a small blessing amidst the chaos, likely because their captors wanted to interrogate them.
"A Soul Beast's body is much tougher than a human's. They might not die," Han Ning said. He dumped the carcasses of the Gray Snake and the large Demon Eye Frog from his sack. Then, he picked up each of the three Silver Lotus Woods and placed them on the corpses.
The three Silver Lotus Woods tremulously extended their roots and plunged them into the carcasses.
Han Ning had already absorbed the Energy from these two Soul Beasts, so they didn't have many nutrients left. He thought for a moment, then conveyed to Yin Yi:
'Yin Yi, go into the next car, catch some leeches, and bring them here to feed our friends.'
'He didn't know if it would work, but it was a desperate situation that called for a desperate measure.'
'Plant-type Soul Beasts had a completely different physiology from other Soul Beasts. They didn't seem to have any specific weak points. Maybe, just maybe, they could be saved.'