With pursuers relentlessly chasing from behind and a large army blocking the front, this hunting party was like prey caught in a hunter's trap, with nowhere left to escape.
One Family Elder gritted his teeth and suggested, "There's no other way. Order everyone to rest in place. When they surround us, we'll fight them to the death!"
Another Family Elder calmly analyzed, "I've already sent out the Gu for communication. At this distance, we only need to hold out for one day and one night, and we'll receive the Family's support!"
"So, I suggest we keep moving, fighting and fleeing. By sacrificing a small portion of people, we can surely last until reinforcements arrive!"
"Nonsense! Do you think that what you can think of, those who ambushed us couldn't?" Another Family Elder immediately cursed.
"Otherwise, why would they have arranged people in front as well? It's precisely to surround us! Run? Where can we run?"
The Family Elders were somewhat disheartened for a moment. With no path forward or backward, they saw no hope of escape.
"No, wait!" At this moment, a Family Elder, who was carefully studying the map, excitedly pointed to a spot on it.
"See there, to our front-left, there's a valley!"
"This valley is pocket-shaped, wide at the bottom and narrow at the mouth. As long as we can escape into the valley and guard the entrance, it won't be so easy for them to attack!"
The other Family Elders quickly looked over and were all overjoyed.
"Good, excellent! That's a great idea!"
"Although it's a barren valley with no resources or food, we don't need to hold out for too long. Just one day and one night, and we'll have the Family's reinforcements!"
"Alright, immediately change direction and head for the valley!"
With the Family Elders' orders given, the team immediately turned left and advanced.
"Investigate the movements of the two teams in front and behind us. See what their reactions will be!"
The reconnaissance Gu Master quickly returned with the results.
"Report! Their teams have accelerated again! The advance speed of both teams has surpassed ours!"
"Good!" Hearing this news, the Family Elders were surprised but pleased.
"They're accelerating to catch us, they must have just discovered that valley and guessed our intentions."
"They want to intercept us before we enter the valley, but there's no way! We'll accelerate too! Pass on the order, discard anything that affects our speed, and advance at the fastest possible pace, no matter the cost!"
The three teams, left, right, and center, all turned and headed towards the valley over a hundred li away, chasing and competing, moving at a rapid speed.
"Report! Their speed is still faster than ours! They are expected to catch up to us in about half an hour!" The reconnaissance Gu Master reported constantly.
"Can we increase our speed even more?"
"Sirs, no, this is already the fastest!"
"Although we've already discarded a lot of supplies, because there are some wounded, so..."
The Family Elders' expressions were grim, knowing that it was time for a decision.
"Abandon the wounded!" A Family Elder suddenly shouted.
"Are you crazy!" The other Family Elders quickly tried to stop him. To be honest, they had also had such thoughts, but none of them wanted to be the one to say it.
"Now is not the time to be wishy-washy. Abandoning a small number of wounded is better than being caught and having most of us die!"
That Family Elder gritted his teeth and said, "They should be proud to trade the lives of a few for the lives of the majority! If none of you are willing to say it, then let me be the villain. When we return to the Family, I will accept the punishment!"
Regardless of how the Family Elders argued or made their decisions, at this time, the team was in a state of panic.
Most of the Gu Masters didn't know what was happening, only that the hunting, which had been going well, had suddenly turned into a rapid rush, which didn't even seem like a rush, but rather like fleeing for their lives!
Among the crowd, Zhou Ming's four-person team galloped on their wolves. Zhou Ming even managed to glance back, at what was originally a black dot, but had now become a cluster of small dark figures of pursuers.
"You were right. This operation targeting our Family could never have been carried out by just one Family."
"What is it about us, a small group of One- and Two-Turn Gu Masters, that would warrant the enemy sending out special personnel and even setting up an ambush to capture us?"
"There's only one explanation: the Three Great Families have joined forces! Only then would they have enough strength to deploy forces at multiple points, and even refuse to let go of our small hunting party, determined to annihilate our Zhou Family!"
Looking back again, the black figures representing the pursuers gradually grew larger, indicating that the distance between them and their own side was getting closer and closer... "No, at this speed, we definitely can't outrun them!"
Zhou Ming turned his head and said in a deep voice to the three, "Get ready. We'll be engaging them soon."
The three of them trembled, their faces solemn, and they all felt a heavy weight in their hearts.
After another half an hour of running, the two groups of pursuers from behind had already merged into one, getting closer and closer to the hunting party. The Gu Masters at the rear could even see their confident, chilling smiles.
"No, we're about to be caught, fight! Fight while retreating!" A Family Elder shouted.
"Have the wounded all been gathered?" The Family Elder who had previously suggested abandoning the wounded asked at this moment.
The subordinate Gu Master's body trembled as he replied, "They have been gathered."
"Good, now abandon those wounded!" That Family Elder's face was cold, and his tone indifferent as he said, "Whether they are willing or not, they will impede the progress of the pursuers behind us. We will use this time to create distance and escape into the valley in one go!"
Although the other Family Elders showed varying degrees of reluctance on their faces, not a single one of them spoke out against the proposal, all implicitly agreeing to it.
At the rear of the team, Zhou Ming and the others, who had already prepared for battle, watched in stunned silence as a large group of people were suddenly abandoned without warning.
That group of people were all injured, some lightly, some severely. Some were completely unaware of what had happened, chasing after the main force anxiously or angrily; others seemed to have already guessed they were abandoned, either slumping to the ground in resignation or turning around to charge towards the enemies pursuing from behind!
The first battle between the two forces thus erupted, and the vanguard of one side was surprisingly a group of wounded people!
"How could they do this!" Zhou Ke murmured, her face filled with disbelief.
"Like a gecko severing its tail to survive, or sacrificing a pawn to save a rook, the Family Elders who made this decision were indeed decisive and cold-blooded! It's just..."
Zhou Ming glanced at his teammates' completely unacceptable expressions and silently sighed in his heart, "They overlooked an important issue, which is that those abandoned wounded, they all have Family, friends, and teammates!"
"The team is probably going to fall into chaos..."
In the middle of the team, the Family Elders who had just ordered the abandonment of the wounded soon received news from their subordinates.
The team was in chaos!
Some teammates of the abandoned wounded were completely unable to accept the Family Elders' decision, and disregarding their own lives, they directly broke away from the team and fought alongside their abandoned teammates against the pursuers from behind.
"Bastards! These bastards! They don't understand the bigger picture!" The Family Elder who had previously proposed abandoning the wounded was now furious, his face like ice.
"Don't mind them. The team continues to advance! If they want to stay and fight, let them stay. It'll just delay the pursuers behind us for a bit longer!"
The other Family Elders exchanged glances, complex expressions flashing in their eyes.