Where are the Bandits?

Trees towered on both banks, the river surface calm and deep. As the raft moved forward, gentle ripples spread like an unfolding ink-wash painting.

"How much farther? Are we almost there?"

Bai Yang crouched at the very front of the raft, staring at the placid water ahead with unbearable boredom.

No one around him answered. Boss, you've asked that eight hundred times already.

Bai Yang was a man with zero patience. They'd left the village about three or four hours ago, and the whole journey had been uneventful, the scenery monotonous. He'd gotten sick of it after the first hour, desperately hoping to reach their destination soon.

"Young master, maybe you could sleep a bit more?"

Little Cat came to Bai Yang's side and asked softly, even thoughtfully laying out a nest of fur from the raft for him...

Bai Yang glanced at Little Cat and let out a heavy sigh. Wearing a hundred-jin Titanium Alloy Armor, with a twenty-plus-jin Titanium Alloy Blade hanging at her waist, she could still move freely. Bai Yang really couldn't understand where that soft-girl body of hers got its strength...

The worst part was, with her in that armor, even simple, warm gestures like a hug were impossible...

"I've already slept a few times..."

He turned to look ahead and sighed, his mind full of bored, pointless muttering.

Around him, eight burly men in Titanium Alloy Armor surrounded him like a wall, their eyes scanning the surroundings like wolves, their hands always near the spot where they could draw their blades fastest.

Bai Yang figured even Obama wasn't as safe as he was...

This raft was way too slow. It made Bai Yang want to get a yacht!

Huh? A yacht? That's probably too expensive to buy, but getting a diesel-powered boat should be simple enough. The river's deep and wide enough, no problem for navigation, and it'd be at least a few times faster!

The guy was a total impulse case. The moment a thought sparked in his head, he couldn't sit still. If they weren't already halfway there, he'd probably have run off to buy a boat right away...

"Young master, maybe you should move to the middle raft. Up ahead, the river channels start to branch off. There might be some dangerous situations..."

The guard captain, Zhao Shi, looked ahead, then bent slightly to speak earnestly to Bai Yang.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Bai Yang perked up instantly. The whole trip had been so boring it could drive a man to drink—finally, something fresh.

Getting excited about trouble? Zhao Shi was utterly speechless inside. This kind of 'boss' seemed like trouble waiting to happen, but he patiently explained:

"Young master, this forest we're in is called Mihe Forest by outsiders. No one knows exactly how big it is. Many villages like ours are scattered around. Mihe Forest's waterways crisscross like a maze, making it extremely easy to get lost..."

What a mess. He's been talking forever and hasn't hit the point. Bai Yang cut him off and asked: "So you're saying the river channels in this forest are like a maze, right? And there are intersections, and one of those is coming up. At places like that, we might run into people from other villages, and maybe some arguments?"

Summed it up perfectly. Zhao Shi had nothing to say...

"Young master, meeting people from other villages is one thing. What we're really afraid of is bandits who rob passing village goods!"

That was Little Cat, looking at Bai Yang with worry. After all, in the village, even the kids could easily overpower him—his fighting ability was hardly reassuring.

"Then what are we waiting for? Speed it up, speed it up! Bandits are something I've only ever heard of in legends. Finally, I'll get to see some live ones..."

Bai Yang stood up and urged impatiently, looking like he couldn't wait.

The villagers were all wearing Titanium Alloy Armor, so what was there to be afraid of...

But why, if you're so excited, are you running back to the raft behind?

Ahem, a wise man doesn't stand beneath a crumbling wall. Watching bandits was fine, but Bai Yang wasn't about to risk his own life...

Sure enough, before long, a series of crisscrossing river channels appeared ahead. Between the channels, clusters of small forests looked like tiny isolated islands.

Faced with this spiderweb-like complexity, Bai Yang—who couldn't find his way without a GPS—felt like if he got dropped in there, he'd never get out in a lifetime...

"Where are the bandits? Why can't I see any?"

Bai Yang craned his neck, looking around impatiently.

But if you're so eager, why are you running behind Little Cat, clinging to her waist, and insisting that over a dozen guards surround you like an iron barrel? Isn't that a bit much...?

Can you blame me? I've never even seen a pig slaughtered in my life, and now I might run into vicious bandits. Is it so shameful for This Humble One to be afraid of dying?

The river was wide enough. Several rafts had been lashed together with wooden beams. Over a hundred burly men were spread out, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

Bai Yang was worried. Tying the rafts together meant they could support each other, but if the enemy was clever and pulled a 'burning the linked ships' trick, everyone would be doomed...

There's water all around. It probably won't burn. And the bandits probably don't want to torch the goods either...

Bai Yang muttered to himself, eyes wide as he looked around.

When the raft entered the maze of crisscrossing channels, a flock of birds burst from the forest with a flurry of wings.

"Damn, we're screwed!"

Bai Yang's heart skipped a beat.

But Zhao Shi and the others were clearly more experienced. The moment the birds took flight, he shouted: "Everyone on alert! Prepare for battle!"

To be fair, these villagers had professional instincts. As danger approached, most of them closed in around Bai Yang, surrounding him in layers so thick he couldn't see through.

Over two-meter-long Titanium Alloy Blades were drawn, cold and menacing in the sunlight.

A cacophony of wild shouts came from all directions. Bai Yang, trapped in the middle, was frantic. Damn it, you're all too tall—I can't see a thing!

Then came a series of ear-splitting whooshes, followed by a clatter of clanging sounds.

"Little Cat, what's happening?"

He quickly asked.

Little Cat had already crossed the Titanium Alloy broadsword in front of her chest, shielding Bai Yang behind her like a tigress protecting her cub, and still found time to answer Bai Yang's question:

"Young master, bandits have surrounded us on all sides, they've already started shooting arrows at us!"

"I can hear that, but how many of them are there? What's our casualty count?"

"There are a lot of them, at least a dozen rafts. We have no casualties—their arrows can't even penetrate the armor you provided, young master..."

"That's good."

He was relieved. See, Titanium Alloy Armor can even block sniper bullets, so you losers should just kneel down and sing surrender...

So frustrating, surrounded and unable to see anything. If he'd known, he would've set up a drone to livestream!

Bai Yang couldn't see outside, but both the villagers and the bandits were a bit stunned.

The bandits had fired several volleys of arrows, but suddenly realized—damn, not a single one of these guys fell. Were they invulnerable to blades and spears or what?

How were they supposed to handle this?

The villagers were stunned for a moment too, then snapped out of it. The armor the young master provided was this incredible? What were they waiting for? Counterattack!

Longswords sheathed. Except for those protecting Bai Yang, one by one they lowered their visors, ignored the enemy's arrows, drew their bows, nocked arrows, and shot the hell out of them! After all, their arrows couldn't even scratch them...

The two sides exchanged fire, arrows flying, the whistling sound of breaking air unceasing. But on Bai Yang's side, aside from a clatter of clanging noises, nothing happened.

On the bandits' side, screams rang out nonstop, arrows struck one after another, casualties were heavy.

When the rafts from both sides closed in for close combat, Bai Yang's side had zero casualties, while the enemy had lost at least a third!

The bandits were truly dedicated. Even so, they didn't flee. With a third gone, they still had four or five hundred people—numbers advantage was a solid crushing force, right?

"Kill them all, leave no one alive, take everything!"

On one of the bandits' rafts, the leader roared with bloodshot eyes, his voice like thunder.

Huge loss. They'd never suffered such heavy casualties before. If he didn't kill these people, he'd definitely be hacked to death by his own brothers back home. But if he got his hands on the armor they were wearing, it would all be worth it...

The bandit leader was an estimated two and a half meters tall, a mass of muscle, basically a green-skinned Hulk except for the color. He wielded a table-sized battle axe, and as the rafts closed in, he charged like a wild beast, roaring!

Did anyone really think the bandits were stupid enough to stay with such heavy losses? No—every single one of them had their eyes on the villagers' armor, red with greed. No matter how many died, getting one set would be a huge score...

Hadn't they noticed the bandits weren't even looking at the cargo? Their eyes were fixed on the armored villagers like starving wolves?

Anyone watching would think they were trying to hook up...

(Plea for recommendation tickets and collection support)