Winner's Fist

第6話 "Kid, tell me what you think."

Seeing Chen Mo open his eyes, the old man smiled and said, "Not bad, not bad. You're a promising kid. If only you could awaken your elemental powers, that would be perfect. What a pity!"

Chen Mo didn't mind the old man's teasing; he was more curious about why the old man had parked on the roadside. He soon noticed something parked on the road ahead. Although it was far away, Chen Mo could clearly see its outline—it seemed to be the wreckage of a car.

This realization made him tense. If it was indeed a car wreck, it meant there had been a fight here, likely just yesterday.

"Should we go check it out? There's no other road," Chen Mo asked the old man, grabbing a short knife from their luggage.

The old man didn't respond, scanning the woods on the side of the road. A few minutes later, the Jeep slowly moved forward and stopped behind the wreckage.

Chen Mo stood behind the old man, examining the car wreckage. The car was burnt to a blackened frame, with some debris on the ground.

"Kid, tell me what you think."

Chen Mo leaned into the car, overwhelmed by the strong smell of charred remains. After a brief inspection, he looked around.

"This must be a convoy that was ambushed."

"Explain in detail."

"The inside of the wreck is too clean—there's no burnt debris. There are no bodies inside or around the car, which means the convoy was ambushed, this car was hit, and the people and goods were taken away."

"But there's one thing I don't understand. Just a bit further up this road is the fork we took to get here, and there should be a joint village nearby. We didn't see anything unusual on our way here, and it hasn't even been a day. If beasts dared to take this risk for an ambush, could it mean the joint village has already fallen?"

"It shouldn't be. Most of the beasts around here are Level II forest wolves, rarely any Level III beasts. Besides, the joint village has a village guard and protective formations; they should have been able to evacuate in time if attacked."

Hearing the old man's words, Chen Mo found the situation even more puzzling.

"That's not right. There are few vehicles on this road. Beasts wouldn't take such a risk here unless they knew something and were staging an ambush."

Chen Mo's analysis matched the old man's expectations, though the old man had more information and could see further.

"Staging an ambush, huh? That's quite fitting."

The old man looked at Chen Mo with regret, mumbling, "What a pity you can't awaken your elemental powers. Otherwise, you could've become one of the top three, maybe even had a chance..."

Chen Mo didn't hear the old man's murmurs. He was more worried about the camp, especially his two lovely sisters.

"Grandpa, let's hurry back. I'm worried about the camp's safety."

The old Jeep started again, maneuvering around the car wreckage and turning onto the side road. The journey was uneventful, and they soon reached the end of the dirt road.

The last stretch to the camp was also the most dangerous. The Jeep slowly entered the forest gap, with Chen Mo gripping his knife tightly, on high alert for sudden attacks. In contrast, the old man seemed more relaxed, casually driving as if defenseless. Any hidden beast attack could easily kill him.

The Jeep left the forest and entered a grassy area where Chen Mo saw a convoy parked in a circle, with a few people standing nearby. When they saw the Jeep approaching, they waved for it to stop.

The old man parked to the side, and they quickly approached. The three young men looked about seventeen or eighteen, led by a handsome young man.

"Hello, we're students from the academy, on a mission. Could you help us?" the young man asked.

The old man glanced at them and said, "Kids, this place is dangerous. Without adults, you should go back. I don't have time to play house with you."

The young man's smile stiffened at the old man's words. Before he could respond, a middle-aged man in uniform appeared behind him and spoke first, "Sir, can we talk?"

The old man thought for a moment and agreed, following the man to the grass. Chen Mo watched them walk away, understanding something.

"What's your name, little brother? How old are you?" a girl's voice brought Chen Mo back to reality. He looked up at her. She had an ordinary face with a few small scars but bright, spirited eyes.

"My name is Chen Mo. I'm 14 years old."

"Fourteen, huh? Are you in school?" Chen Mo shook his head.

"Well, I'm Song Yao, a student at Huizhou Academy. If you ever come to the academy and need help, you can find me," Song Yao said, pointing to the young man in the lead. "His name is Wang Yu, and the one behind him is Zhang Zheng. We're classmates and a team." Before she could finish, her companions called her back, and she waved goodbye to Chen Mo.

What a warm person, Chen Mo thought, continuing to wait in the car.