Betrayal

Bangier held his sister Korandi's little hand, leaning against the hillside, imagining the life they would face after escaping into the forest. Just then, Bangier felt his sister tug at his hand.

Bangier quickly turned to look at his sister, Korandi, who had a tense expression on her face, and said, "Brother, I don't think we should wait here. I don't have a good feeling about that Udick."

"Udick ... okay, whatever you say." Bangier affectionately pinched Korandi's little face, carrying the things and leading Korandi to a small ravine far from the hillside. From here, you could see the hillside, but the hillside couldn't see this side because of its location.

The small valley was a bit cramped for the two of them, so Bangier held his sister in his arms. Looking at his An Jing and well-behaved sister, Bangier had no regrets about the Li Family. Life was hard in their poor family. As the older brother, Bangier had to work and take care of his sister. His parents both had their own things to do. Life was not easy for anyone.

It could be said that Korandi was raised by Bangier. Looking at that little girl who had grown up, Bangier only had endless love for his sister. Perhaps if he hadn't ignored his sister and waited for his parents to come home, and had maintained his good behavior, he might have been able to stay and not have to face those so-called dangers.

But this is my sister! In this world, what could be more important than my sister? Even in the most dangerous situations, as long as my sister is by my side, those dangers don't matter.

"Kor's here, I'll go call him over." Bangier looked at his sister in his arms and smiled happily, all his worries about the future gone, or rather, only his sister's safety remained. He looked up and saw Kor carrying a package and secretly walking towards the hillside.

Bangier was about to walk over, he saw a group of people carrying various things and hurrying towards them. The leader of them was Udick, who was walking in front of an old man with a white beard and three large dogs beside him.

"Village Chief, it's just ahead. Kor and Bangier are trying to escape with his sister." Udick walked beside the village chief, looking at the three large dogs, each half a person's height, his heart filled with fear.

He had returned home and was secretly packing his things, but when he saw the aroma of meat sizzling in the pot in the distance, Udick's already wavering resolve began to falter. He swallowed hard, considering the consequences of fleeing into the forest, and decisively sold out the others.

He found the village chief, betrayed Kor and his companions, and subtly indicated that he did not want to be sacrificed. He then actively became a guide, betraying his own companions without mercy. Udick did not want to die. He did not want to be sacrificed, nor did he want to escape into the terrifying forest and live a life of constant uncertainty. He did not want to face that dangerous life. He still wanted to eat that pot of meat soup.

And so Udick shamefully betrayed the village, summoning all the adults who were meeting there. These adults cannot be called evil; they too were forced into this situation by the hardships of life.

Hunting was one of the mainstays of life for most people. Without hunting, most of them would not have enough resources to survive, so they had no choice but to obtain permission to hunt in the forest through sacrifice.

From the adults' perspective, this was a helpless act for survival. But from the perspective of the children chosen as sacrifices, they were even less wrong. Did they deserve to sacrifice their young lives?

The hunters weren't at fault, nor were the escaped sacrifices; the world was at fault.

Once upon a time, a noblewoman discovered what was happening here. She accused the villagers of being too cruel and used her noble power to force them to stop offering sacrifices. As a result, the villagers lost their source of survival resources—hunting—and many of them starved to death.

Then the nobleman said the villagers were pitiful; the forest was right next door, why didn't they go hunting?

People like this, often referred to as "saintly hypocrites," are always criticizing but never willing to sacrifice their own interests.

Unlike a "saintly mother" or a "saintly hypocrite," a "saintly mother" will step forward and say that she is acting as a sacrifice. Although such a person is foolish, she is worthy of respect, and most people are willing to be friends with her.

Compared to the "saintly mother" and the "saintly hypocrite," a person who helps villagers solve the root problem of not being able to hunt, or helps them find a new way to make a living, can be called a saint—not the kind from the prehistoric era, of course.

A saint is a capable person, a saint is a person willing to sacrifice, and a hypocrite is someone who only stands up to criticize but refuses to harm their own interests.

Kor was wondering where Bangier, who was supposed to be waiting there, had gone when he saw a large group of people rushing towards him from behind. He couldn't even outrun them and was immediately pinned down by several people, his hands and feet were immediately tied up, as if he had become a worm that could only wriggle.

"Udick, you bastard, you betrayed us! Are you out of your mind?" Kor shouted angrily. Could that idiot not see the situation? Even if he escaped this time, he would definitely be one of the sacrifices next time, because he had already been labeled as a sacrifice and a traitor.

"Where are Bangier and Korandi?" Bangier's father asked, holding a bow and arrow and lifting Udick in one hand. "Didn't you say they would be waiting for you here?"

"I don't know," Udick said, shaking his head somewhat blankly.

"Little Udick, you see, if Bangier were still here, we might have let Bangier become the sacrifice in your place. But I'm sorry, we couldn't catch him, so you can't escape being the sacrifice." The white-bearded old man, who was also the village chief, patted Udick on the shoulder and said with apparent regret, "Someone, tie Udick up too."

Then another worm that could only wriggle appeared. Udick screamed wildly, shouting things like "You've broken your promise!" The village chief smiled kindly and said, "Little Udick, your status as a sacrifice can't be changed, but you have indeed made a contribution. Well then, if there's anything you want to do, just tell us, and we'll definitely help you."

"I... I... I want a bowl of meat soup." Udick looked at the indifferent crowd around him, including his own parents, who were unmoved by his sacrifice. This finally made Udick resign himself to his fate. He swallowed hard and said.

Hiding in the valley, Bangier watched as Kor and Udick were carried back, feeling a chill run through him. He had almost become Udick's substitute. He didn't care much about his own death, but what about his sister who had been captured?

"Thanks so much, Korandi." Bangier patted his little sister in his arms. It was so wonderful to have such a cute little sister.

This is the fourth update. Please vote with your recommendations, monthly tickets, and Xu Ming. Thank you all for your support.