In the end, the four of them still ended up together.
As he ran, George said, "Avril, let's go that way and take the detour around Negotiation Mountain. The Long-Haired Demon is too bulky—it definitely can't pass along the mountain path. It'll be safe there."
"Where you go is your freedom. Where we go is ours. Don't follow us!" Victor said bluntly.
The burly man said angrily, "Kid, do you know the rules? This little guy may be young, but at least he's kind-hearted. And he's right—the narrow path on Negotiation Mountain was originally carved out by smugglers. Not only is it narrow, but there's a seaside cliff to the right. We can get through, but the Long-Haired Demon is too large. It simply can't pass. Even if it tries to force its way through, it'll fall into the sea in no time."
"Come on, Avril. Trust me just once—just once!" George said, looking at Avril.
"Victor?" Avril asked softly.
"Then let's go!" Victor said coldly, having no choice.
In truth, he was afraid the burly man would lose his temper and beat him up again. Getting beaten normally did not matter, but if he got seriously hurt now and then caught the Long-Haired Demon's attention, it would be a dead end.
The four swiftly changed direction and soon fled from one side of the town to the narrow path on Negotiation Mountain.
The problem was that there were too many smart people.
The route George could think of was one others could think of too, so quite a few people were already waiting on Negotiation Mountain's path for those ahead to pass through.
The path was only about thirty centimeters wide. They had to press tightly against the mountain wall as they walked, making it extremely dangerous. Though everyone was frantic with urgency, they could only proceed one at a time.
"Why are there so many people? Damn it," George thought anxiously when he saw the scene.
Ten minutes later, it was finally their turn. The burly man immediately went first, followed by George, with Avril and Victor close behind.
The four pressed against the wall as they walked when screams suddenly came from behind. Victor turned his head and saw the Long-Haired Demon appear behind them. He immediately cried anxiously, "Hurry! The Long-Haired Demon is here!"
The Long-Haired Demon had actually been following George. There had simply been too much prey along the way, distracting it and costing it quite a bit of time.
It crushed a townsperson's head and slowly looked toward the people on the narrow path.
The next moment, it swiftly stepped onto the path. But things were completely different from the burly man's analysis. It did not need to rely on the path at all. It merely drove its fingers into the mountainside, moving even faster than humans.
"Don't come over here!"
The townsperson closest to the Long-Haired Demon saw it approaching and screamed in terror.
What followed was swift slaughter, and it drew ever closer to the four of them.
"What do we do? The Long-Haired Demon is coming!" George cried out in terror.
The burly man kept roaring at the people ahead, forcing them to move faster. In the end, a townsperson in front slipped in their panic and fell into the sea with a scream.
But the burly man had no time to care about that. He hurriedly sped up and headed toward the other side.
"Sorry for the trouble, Xiao Wei. I really don't want to be a hero, but I have no choice. George, if you truly like Avril, then protect her well." Victor gave a bitter smile. The Long-Haired Demon had already killed the people behind him.
Tears welled in Avril's eyes. Victor gently wiped them away and smiled. "Believe it or not, I truly wanted to marry you, but it looks like I can't!"
He turned around, took a deep breath, and after letting out a roar, leaped directly at the Long-Haired Demon's tail and wrapped his arms around it.
At that moment, the Long-Haired Demon was using its tail to coil around the neck of the townsperson behind Victor. When Victor suddenly grabbed onto it, its burden instantly increased. Moreover, Victor had leaped with all his strength, hugging the tail with tremendous impact. Caught off guard, the Long-Haired Demon's body immediately tipped backward.
The Long-Haired Demon actually had enough strength to support three people hanging from the mountainside. The problem was that the section of mountain it clung to could not support three people. A small patch of earth broke away from the mountain along with the Long-Haired Demon, plunging rapidly toward the sea.
"Victor!"
Watching Victor fall into the sea, Avril cried out through her tears.
George seized the opportunity to say, "Avril, hurry up. The Long-Haired Demon might still come back."
Though heartbroken, Avril still forced down her grief and continued onward.
A minute later, the three of them finally crossed the narrow path. On the other side was a mountain road. Once they descended it, they could enter the main road or take another route.
Quite a few people hurried down the mountain. The burly man took a deep breath, patted George, and smiled. "Kid, not bad. Let's go."
"Avril, let's go!" George immediately said.
But the moment the three reached the mountainside, they heard screams coming from below.
The burly man's and George's expressions changed at the same time. The burly man made a snap decision. "We're going back!"
They swiftly returned. Since all the people behind them had been killed by the Long-Haired Demon, no one blocked their way.
The burly man took the lead and stepped directly onto the narrow path. Before George and Avril could get onto it, they suddenly felt a terrifying presence.
Both of them froze. Turning back, they saw a tall man standing not far away, blood constantly dripping from both his hands.
They had no idea that this man was Jabus. George asked in terror, "Who are you? Why are you killing people?"
But Jabus did not speak. He merely slowly advanced, and George hurriedly shielded Avril behind him.
Meanwhile, beneath the cliff, Victor emerged from the seawater. He often went swimming at the beach, so although he had fallen from a great height, he was not actually injured.
He gulped down breath after breath. Sure enough, those Long-Haired Demons could not swim.
No.
More precisely, those Long-Haired Demons seemed to die the moment they fell into seawater.
The Long-Haired Demon that had fallen into the water with him had rapidly turned ashen the instant it entered the sea. By now, it had probably sunk to the ocean floor.
"Avril!!!!"
Victor roared in the sea, his eyes splitting with rage.
Meanwhile, George swiftly stepped onto the narrow path, muttering to himself as he walked.
She was just a worn-out shoe. He would never risk his life to protect a worn-out shoe.
Trembling, he hurried toward the other side. But just then, the burly man who had reached the opposite end had his head seized by a hand. Like a watermelon, his head was effortlessly crushed.
George stared in terror at the Long-Haired Demon appearing ahead, then looked back at Jabus behind him...
This was truly a long dream. She felt even more exhausted than before she had gone to sleep.
She opened the Chat Group and typed: I know where Jabus is.
Mark replied quickly: Where?
Jennie answered: In Two-Harbor Town. At least, he was definitely in Two-Harbor Town last night.
Mark: Captain, should we change course?
Hawkins: Then let's go take a look at Two-Harbor Town.
The Black Knife swiftly changed direction. Countless tentacles beneath the water paddled rapidly, sending the ship forward at incredible speed.
Two hours later, the Black Knife arrived at Harbor Village.
Two-Harbor Town, as its name suggested, was a small town connecting two ports. Because it stood at a major transportation hub, it had a permanent population of one hundred thousand.
When Hawkins and the others arrived at Harbor Village, they saw many people hiding aboard boats, all too afraid to go ashore.
The Black Knife slowly moved forward. At that moment, someone aboard a sailboat shouted, "Don't go ashore! There are Long-Haired Demons in the village!"
"Nothing will happen as long as we don't go ashore?" Mark asked, standing at the rail.
That person nodded. "That's right. They don't dare go out to sea."
Many people from Two-Harbor Town had fled to Harbor Village. Warned by these people, most of Harbor Village's residents had managed to flee onto boats in time, escaping the Long-Haired Demons' poisonous claws.
However, the Long-Haired Demons were unwilling to give up. Instead, they hid in the shadows around the houses, waiting for opportunities to strike.
Just moments ago, someone had been bold enough to try going home to retrieve some belongings. But after taking only a few steps ashore, they were snatched away by a Long-Haired Demon that suddenly sprang out. They were likely doomed.
After learning the situation, Mark first sent a round of messages in the Chat Group, then asked Hawkins. Hawkins's solution was simple: prepare to go ashore.
Hawkins had been conducting experiments these past few days, yet had made no breakthrough progress. This was the perfect chance to change his mood.
After receiving Hawkins's approval, Mark directly had Arthur steer the ship ashore. Several kind-hearted people tried repeatedly to dissuade them, but when it proved useless, they stopped.
"I'm starting a video. If you spot anything, remember to tell me," Mark typed into the Chat Group.
During a previous fishing trip, he had received a child's hint because he had been recording a video. Only then had he realized that videos had this function.
Jennie: Wait, Mark, look to the right. That man.
Mark looked over. On a wooden sailboat not far away, a man with a gloomy expression was crouched at the bow, sharpening a knife.
Jennie: It's really him. He's one of the people I dreamed about. I didn't expect he wasn't dead.
Mark frowned: George?
Jennie: No, he's Victor—the Victor who fell into the sea.
Mark: Oh, so it's him. Should we go over and sound him out?
Jennie: Mm-hm. Although he doesn't look like a good person, he was willing to sacrifice himself for the one he loved. I think he's especially brave.
Mark hurriedly typed: I could do that too. Besides, he probably had no other choice then. He was dead either way, so he might as well die a little more heroically.
Ai Miye: You're jealous.
Mark: Arthur, bring the ship over. I'll go meet this love-struck fool.
Arthur: Okay!
The Black Knife changed direction and slowly approached the wooden sailboat. Victor aboard it glanced at the Black Knife, then continued sharpening his knife, wearing an expression as bitter as if the whole world owed him a debt.
Once the Black Knife drew close to the wooden sailboat, Mark jumped over from the Black Knife. One hand gripped a rope while the other rested on his hip. Smiling, he said, "What's the use of sharpening a knife when you don't even dare go ashore?"
"Who are you?" Victor stopped and asked.
Mark said smugly, "A good person, probably!"
"Don't interfere with me. If you want trouble, find someone else," Victor said flatly, then continued sharpening his knife.
Mark crouched down and asked, "You want revenge for your woman? I know who the ferocious beast is."
"What do you want?" Victor stopped again and asked.
Mark grinned. "I don't want anything. I just want to see how brave you really are."
"Then tell me, who killed Avril?" Victor immediately said.
Mark's smile vanished. Looking at Victor, he said, "The one who killed your beloved was Jabus!"
Clang!
The knife in Victor's hand fell to the deck.