War-Torn
The Animal Protection Organization hadn't come back this time to give the Chinese a hard time. They'd been driven back by the sudden outbreak of war. If they hadn't retreated quickly, they would have been caught in the fighting.
About fifty kilometers away, several native tribes had suddenly started fighting each other. They clashed with both cold weapons and firearms, and in no time the area was swept by gunfire and flames of war.
The Animal Protection Organization, which had just withdrawn from Landon Hawkwell Manor, was left completely bewildered. They sent people to negotiate, hoping to pass safely through the battlefield, but the other side nearly detained the negotiators and took them hostage, demanding an outrageous ransom.
To these dark-skinned locals who had come from far away, these Europeans were practically fat sheep delivered right to their doorstep.
Fortunately, the detained negotiators were quick-witted. They bribed the native soldiers guarding them with a few large-denomination dollar bills and asked them some questions. Then they seized an opportunity to sneak back and report the grim situation to Wells Black.
One could imagine just how livid the animal rights activists who'd acted so arrogantly in front of the Chinese must have been.
As the leader of the animal rights activists, Wells Black ordered them to turn around and head back without hesitation.
On one side was a merciless tribal war; on the other, the unyielding Chinese. Neither side particularly welcomed them, but relatively speaking, those lawless tribal locals wanted both money and goods—and their lives as well. The Chinese might dislike them too, but they wouldn't be as vicious as the locals, and they certainly had no plans to kill them.
There wasn't much to think about when making this life-or-death choice between civilization and barbarism.
On the way back,