Chapter 29: Ambush

Chapter 29: Ambush

After a long while, Chen Shouyi finally stopped praising the Shell Woman, who was already dizzy from the flattery as if drunk. He stood up and stretched lazily.

Suddenly, his body stiffened, and his pupils contracted sharply.

In the distance on the sea, a canoe had appeared unnoticed, carrying two barbarians who were rowing steadily, seemingly heading in his direction.

"Barbarians!"

Snapping back to reality, he shuddered and immediately crouched low.

Since his body had undergone transformation once, his vision had improved significantly. Even though the canoe was still over a kilometer away, he could clearly make out the details.

The canoe was enormous—Chen Shouyi estimated its diameter to be at least four to five meters, with a length of around ten meters.

One could only imagine how massive and towering the tree used to carve it must have been.

The two barbarians on the canoe wore only animal pelts around their waists, their upper bodies completely bare. Chen Shouyi couldn’t tell if they were armed, but their bronzed, sinewy muscles clearly displayed their formidable strength.

His heart pounded violently, his breath quickened, and fear sent tremors through his body.

Ever since the bloody incident at the bookstore—especially after hearing how even a seasoned Martial Artist like Zhou Shaofeng had lost his life to a barbarian—he had developed a phobia of them. Though he knew logically that not every barbarian was as strong as that one, his mind instinctively superimposed that terrifying image onto every barbarian he encountered.

"I can’t stay here. I have to report the spatial gateway."

Chen Shouyi hastily stuffed his book and the scattered items on the ground into his briefcase, then grabbed the still-dazed Shell Woman and sprinted toward the nearby gateway.

Within moments, he was back in the underground parking lot, bolting toward the exit.

But gradually, his pace slowed. By the time he neared the parking lot entrance, he came to a complete stop.

A fierce impulse surged through his mind, his entire body burning with adrenaline.

Was he really going to abandon this spatial gateway just like that?

Give up the gold grains on the island?

All because of two barbarians whose strength was unknown?

His physical abilities were now nearly at the level of a Martial Artist—not far off from a barbarian’s.

And perhaps their strength wasn’t entirely unknown.

A thought struck him. He glanced around, then quickly moved to lean against the wall. Closing his eyes, his consciousness plunged into the Gray Mist Space. There, within the memory leaves, he saw the two barbarians on the canoe.

...

Moments later, he opened his eyes.

From what he sensed, these two barbarians were slightly stronger than him—but only marginally, no more than 1.5 times his own strength. They were far weaker than the mysterious barbarian from the bookstore.

His courage swelled. It wasn’t impossible to fight them—if he was careful.

His heart hammered, his expression conflicted. This wasn’t a sparring match—it was a life-or-death battle. A single misstep could mean death. But the thought of abandoning the island and its gold made him grit his teeth fiercely. With a sudden burst of resolve, he dashed back toward the gateway.

He would assess the situation first and act accordingly.

The moment he stepped into the Otherworld, he immediately grabbed a wooden stick lying on the ground.

This wooden stick was no longer the crude one he had picked up at the construction site. It was something he had carved himself from a small tree he cut down out of boredom, its texture now as hard as iron. Though not sharpened to a point, with enough speed, flesh would be no match for it.

He lay in the grass, watching the canoe. By now, it had slowly approached the island. After more than ten minutes, the canoe finally scraped against the sandy shore and ran aground.

Two barbarians jumped out of the canoe, dragging a rope as thick as an arm. Wading through waist-deep seawater, they walked toward a massive rock by the shore and tied the rope around it to secure the canoe, preventing it from being swept away by the rising tide.

The two barbarians seemed delighted as they surveyed the island, chattering incessantly and occasionally bursting into rough, hearty laughter. They turned back to retrieve something resembling a water skin from the canoe and soon began making their way up the hill.

Chen Shouyi noticed they weren’t carrying any weapons—undoubtedly good news for him. But it also meant they had likely been to this island before. As barbarians still living in a primitive tribal era, awareness of danger was practically second nature in unfamiliar environments. If they were this careless, it could only mean they knew there was no threat here.

Yet another question arose in Chen Shouyi’s mind:

Why had they come here?

Glancing at the water skin, likely used for storing water, his thoughts turned to a small pond about a hundred meters away.

Could they be here for fresh water?

The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed. That pond was the island’s only water source—barely more than a dozen meters across but incredibly deep, its bottom invisible to the eye. Out of caution, Chen Shouyi usually avoided it entirely, even when thirsty, preferring to bring his own bottled water. If there was any place that could be their destination, it had to be that pond.

Taking a deep breath, he carelessly set the Shell Woman aside, then gripped the wooden stick and, concealed by the grass, crouched low as he moved swiftly and silently toward the pond.

Half a minute later, he crouched again.

Chen Shouyi’s judgment had been correct—they really did seem to be here just for water.

The two barbarians walked with practiced ease, chatting casually as they approached. Their appearance was far from human standards of beauty—at least these two weren’t. Their faces were rough and hideous, nearly unbearable to look at.

The older one had deep wrinkles already forming on his forehead, his buckteeth a sickly yellow and slightly protruding, his nostrils flared upward. The other, in his prime, had crossed eyes and a face so flat it looked like it had been smashed by a brick.

Neither showed the slightest vigilance. After all, who would expect someone to be lying in wait in the grass of this desolate island, ready to take their lives?

Within minutes, they reached the pond and crouched to fill their water skin.

Chen Shouyi, his killing intent already ignited, didn’t even consider letting them leave after fetching water. The island was small—less than a square kilometer—and from the hill, the entire place could be seen at a glance.

They would come today to fetch water, and perhaps return in a few days—maybe even with more people. If he wasn’t careful, they might spot him or sneak up unnoticed, and that would be dangerous.

He had only two choices: either abandon this small island or eliminate these two barbarians to remove the threat.

"Now!"

His heart pounded violently, adrenaline surging through his veins, his eyes even slightly bloodshot. Suddenly, his expression hardened. With a forceful push of his feet, he burst out from the concealing grass like an arrow loosed from a bow.

In just a few steps, he crossed over ten meters.

The older barbarian seemed to sense the movement and instinctively turned his head—only to see a wooden stick rapidly enlarging in his vision. The next moment, it pierced straight through his throat, the momentum unrelenting as it shattered his cervical spine and burst out from the back of his neck.

Chen Shouyi felt no fear at all. The entire sequence was lightning-fast, over in the blink of an eye. By the time the other, younger barbarian reacted with a furious roar and lunged at him, Chen Shouyi was already withdrawing the wooden stick from the first barbarian’s throat, nimbly stepping back.

The barbarian’s charge met empty air, his body momentarily unbalanced. Before he could recover— A textbook Lunge Thrust.

The wooden stick flashed like lightning, piercing straight through his chest.

Chen Shouyi didn’t linger for even a second. The moment the strike landed, he swiftly retreated.

A wound as thick as a baby’s arm gushed blood from the barbarian’s chest.

Yet such an injury wasn’t enough to kill him instantly.

With a thunderous roar, the barbarian ignored the wound entirely, charging forward with savage fury.

But after only a few steps, his movements slowed, his strength failing, until he finally collapsed to his knees.

The entire fight, from start to finish, lasted mere seconds.

Of course, in a real battle, the two barbarians wouldn’t have been so easily dispatched. On one hand, they were unarmed. On the other, the ambush had been too sudden—they’d had no time to react.

……

Once the two barbarians were completely dead, Chen Shouyi exhaled in relief and sat down on the grass.

His hands trembled uncontrollably.

During the fight, he had been utterly focused, his mind devoid of any distraction, consumed only by the intent to kill. But now, in the aftermath, a creeping dread settled over him.

It was as if he had become a different person—no hesitation, no struggle, no fear. He could hardly believe such brutality lurked deep within him.

After all, there was no personal grudge between him and these barbarians. Only conflicting interests.

Their existence had blocked his path.

Or perhaps it was also the influence of propaganda. On Earth, barbarians were practically synonymous with demons, their every appearance tied to slaughter and bloodshed. At first sight, his instincts had screamed either to flee—or to kill them.

Gradually, he shook off the thoughts. They were just two barbarians. Dead now, and nothing more to dwell on.

He stood up, his mind quickly settling back into calm.

Sometimes, the panic after killing someone isn't about the act itself but the consequences it brings. On this isolated island in the Otherworld, no one would notice even if two humans died, let alone two barbarians.

However, the two corpses had to be disposed of. Not only would they start to rot, but their presence might also draw attention if more barbarians came, potentially muddying the waters.

He stepped forward, hoisting one of the corpses onto his shoulder, his footsteps heavy as he trudged down the mountain.

The stranded canoe was still tied where it had been left.

Wading through the seawater, he placed the corpse inside.

The canoe was surprisingly spacious—if packed tightly, it could easily fit over a dozen people. Inside, he found dozens of fish of varying sizes, a crude fishing net, two paddles, a few blackened lumps resembling sweet potatoes, and two spears.

Staring at the two peculiar spears, each over three meters long with sharpened ends, Chen Shouyi couldn’t help but feel a surge of relief. If the barbarians had been armed during the ambush, the fight wouldn’t have been so effortless.

He made two trips, hauling both corpses onto the canoe.

Then, untying the rope and waiting for the tide to rise, he mustered all his strength to push the canoe out to sea.

He wasn’t oblivious to the fact that the canoe and the bodies aboard still posed a potential risk. But the vessel was too large and heavy to destroy completely, and leaving it here would only invite greater danger.

Watching as the canoe drifted farther and farther away, he silently prayed, hoping this incident would end here—that both sides could go their separate ways without further trouble.

……

After staring for a long while, he exhaled deeply, gripping the two spears in his hand as he turned to leave.

When he reached the area near his passageway—the place he had been staying—he realized the Shell Woman was gone.

A cold sweat broke out on his back.

Earlier, consumed by adrenaline and focus, he had rushed to the pond to set up the ambush without securing the Shell Woman properly, merely tossing her aside carelessly.

Now, she had clearly seized the opportunity to escape.