Breaking the Enemy

Li Wei was completely stunned!

What was going on? Why did these bandits attack immediately?

Weren't Penny and the others shouting Anderson's name from a distance?

Besides, wouldn't they normally talk, interrogate, capture, and demand ransom?

Were these guys real savages or bandits? How could they be so fierce!

Forget talking, forget interrogating, forget disguises, just smash them to death first.

Or, smash them half to death?

No, in fact, just four or five seconds later, several sharp, blood-red messages appeared directly in front of Li Wei's eyes.

[Family member, your fiancée Mixi had her head smashed by a bandit with a stone, and has unfortunately died.]

[Family member, your sister Penny is in a state of injured unconsciousness.]

[Monthly Family Special Main Quest – Foreign Trade has suffered a major setback. If the Head of the Family Penny dies, the family will suffer a heavy blow.]

[The family development direction set by the Head of the Family Penny has led to serious consequences. Her abilities are questioned, and the completion evaluation will be greatly reduced. She has been forcibly deducted fifty Family Contribution Points, stripped of her title as a Family Elder, and will not be able to obtain the title of Family Elder for the next two months. All Plot Kills targeting her will only require one Family Contribution Point to initiate, but she will need five Family Contribution Points to be exempt. Similarly, any Plot Kills she initiates will also cost five Family Contribution Points, assuming she can even survive to return.]

[Warning! You can choose to rescue Penny, or you can choose to stand by and do nothing.]

[Warning! The bandits have discovered Penny is a woman. They believe she is a witch spreading plague among them and intend to burn her to death.]

--

Damn it!

So that's where the problem was – a woman, a witch!

Li Wei realized this in a flash. He didn't know why these bandits hated and feared two women disguised as men so much. Was this really a medieval setting, with witches rampant and plagues spreading?

What should he do?

Save her, or not save her?

Li Wei hesitated for only a second before making his decision. He had to save her. Whether he could succeed was another matter, but he couldn't stand by and do nothing. He absolutely couldn't get that evaluation.

Last time, Penny's fiancé Sam was bitten to death by wolves, and she chose to stand by and do nothing. The consequences were terrible.

And Sam wasn't an important figure in the family; his death didn't matter much.

But Penny was currently the Head of the Family! If he chose to stand by and do nothing again, Li Wei felt his status as a Family Elder would likely be revoked too.

At this moment, with time pressing, Li Wei had no time for detours. He directly dropped the bundle containing dry rations and clean water, carrying the iron spear in his left hand and the recurve bow and hunting bow in his right. A bold plan formed in his mind.

Although he could shoot from a distance with his bow and arrow, facing eight bandits who looked like they were skilled in mountain combat, and not being familiar with the terrain, how could he win?

Therefore, he had to inflict maximum damage on their combat strength before they could react.

And for that, he needed to feign weakness first.

Immediately, Li Wei let out a loud yell, sounding very anxious. His voice echoed in the mountain hollow.

Then he sprinted down the path on the ridge. While attracting the attention of the eight bandits a few hundred meters away, he also threw the iron spear, the recurve bow, and five broadhead arrows behind a large tree.

Afterward, he charged forward, holding the hunting bow and three wolf fang arrows in his hand.

Li Wei's strategy was successful.

The bandits, who had intended to enter the pit trap to investigate, were all alerted. Seeing Li Wei charging down the ridge alone, they didn't laugh out loud. Instead, after a brief exchange, they strode towards Li Wei.

But they didn't rush him all at once.

Only four bandits charged straight at Li Wei from the front.

The remaining four bandits split into two groups, flanking him from the left and right.

They showed no signs of underestimation.

Li Wei's heart pounded with extreme nervousness, but he knew he had no other choice. He tried his best to stay calm, preventing excessive stamina consumption, while slowing his pace, looking around as if he were timid and fearful.

When the four bandits charging directly at him reached a hundred meters away, he tremblingly drew his bow and shot. A wolf fang arrow flew out weakly, landing more than forty meters away.

Then he turned and ran. The four bandits didn't shout anything but silently and madly pursued, catching up to within fifty meters in just a moment.

The other four bandits flanking him were further away, but they were moving to cut off Li Wei's retreat.

Li Wei gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay calm. He took a deep breath, drew his bow again, and a wolf fang arrow flew out. It had good accuracy, landing a few steps in front of a bandit.

Calm down, killing one is enough to break even!

A look of determination appeared on Li Wei's face. He stopped running and stared intently at the largest bandit. That guy was like a wild beast, with fierce eyes. His dense, yellowish-brown beard and thick hair made him look like a lion. Standing nearly 1.9 meters tall, the momentum of his high-speed charge was truly terrifying!

That was killing intent.

Die!

Li Wei ignored the four bandits flanking him from the sides and slowly, steadily drew his hunting bow, aiming at the big bandit who had already charged to within twenty-five meters.

"Hum!"

The bowstring vibrated slightly. The big bandit actually sidestepped and dodged at the same time.

Of course, he couldn't dodge a volley of feathered arrows, but he could observe Li Wei's movements in advance.

"Damn, he's good."

But Li Wei's actual target at the last second wasn't him, but a short, strong, middle-aged bandit about three to five steps behind, three to four meters away, who was wearing a mismatched leather armor.

If that big bandit hadn't slid, Li Wei wouldn't have even been able to shoot him, as there wasn't enough of a firing angle.

But now, within an effective shooting range of less than thirty meters, and with the short, middle-aged bandit not even having time to react, even slowing down slightly, Li Wei's shot was perfect, fully utilizing the Professional Hunter's 40% accuracy bonus.

"Swish!"

A unique whistling sound followed, and by the time all the bandits realized what had happened, the Wolf Fang Arrow had already precisely pierced the short, middle-aged bandit's right eye, penetrating more than ten centimeters.

No matter who he was or what glorious past he had, at this moment, he was beyond saving, dead for sure.

Li Wei didn't even bother to check his kill. In that instant, he dropped his Hunting Bow and turned to run, fleeing like a whipped dog.

He was incredibly fast.

Behind him came shrill screams and angry roars.

All the bandits began to accelerate their charge, and one could clearly hear their ragged gasps for breath.

Closer, even closer.

The big bandit even threw away his weapon, a heavy Stone hammer, and in a flash, he was within ten meters of Li Wei.

And the bandits flanking from the north and south were only thirty to forty meters away from Li Wei.

He had nowhere to run!

But the next moment, he darted behind a large tree by the roadside, crouched down, picked up his Recurve Bow, scooped up three Broadhead Arrows with his other hand, held two in his mouth, and nocked the remaining one onto the string with lightning speed. He turned and slid out from behind the tree, drawing the bow simultaneously. The big bandit had already closed in to within ten meters.

His face, contorted with rage and exertion from the sprint, was incredibly clear. Before terror could even flash in his eyes, a sharp Broadhead Arrow had already exploded his right eye, the arrowhead even penetrating the back of his skull!

A sharp, fine steel Broadhead Arrow, combined with a Recurve Bow of at least fifty pounds, was simply unstoppable at such close range!