66: The flames that burned the village

Stealth is the art of death.

Lin Feng was pressed almost flat against the ground. Using the cover of the night and the terrain, he glided rapidly between the blind spots of bushes and wooden huts like an incorporeal shadow.

Every movement was precisely timed to the gaps when the patrolling native guards turned their backs.

Every breath perfectly blended into the sound of the wind and the clamor drifting from the distant square.

His heartbeat was forced down to an extremely low frequency, yet his senses were heightened to the limit. He could clearly distinguish the smell of sweat from different native warriors, the pungent scent of plant juices, and even the cold aura of the obsidian on their weapons.

This information rapidly constructed a dynamic, 3D map in his mind, where every red dot represented a moving threat.

Fifty meters.

Thirty meters.

Twenty meters.

He stopped behind the largest thatched hut. This was the limit of his line of sight; any further forward was a completely open area, directly exposed to everyone's gaze.

This was also the threshold between life and death.

In the center of the square, the atmosphere had climbed to a fever pitch of madness.

The deafening sound of drums pounded frantically against everyone's hearts, as if trying to shake their souls out of their bodies.

The withered Old Priest held the Obsidian Sacrificial Knife high, its sharp blade reflecting a heart-stopping cold glint under the soaring firelight. His chanting was no longer a low prayer but had turned into sharp, ear-piercing shrieks, as if he were using his life to summon some terrifying existence slumbering in ancient times.

On the Totem Poles, the hung-up Juan and Carlos had completely given up struggling. Despair had swallowed their last bits of strength, leaving only their chests heaving violently due to fear and lack of oxygen.

Only a few seconds of their lives remained.

Lin Feng's peripheral vision glanced toward the right side of the village.

There was still no movement from Wang Dalong's side.

He didn't feel the slightest bit of anxiety, only absolute trust and calm waiting.

He believed in his own judgment, and he believed in his brother who usually seemed unreliable but would never drop the ball at a critical moment... Meanwhile, at the other end of the village.

Wang Dalong felt like his heart was about to jump out of his throat!

He was huddled behind a pile of animal skins that emitted a rank, pungent smell, and cold sweat had already soaked the clothes on his back.

Following Lin Feng's instructions, he had carefully taken a long detour to reach the rear of the village. This was supposed to be the place where the natives stored miscellaneous items and processed their prey.

But the scene before him was a completely different story from the deserted rear he had imagined!

Not far away, several native women were chatting and laughing while using stone knives to process freshly caught prey, blood flowing all over the ground. Beside them, several naked children were chasing and playing with each other, letting out bursts of screams.

How the hell was he supposed to start?

Wang Dalong was sweating profusely from anxiety, and the sweat on his palms had dampened his pants.

Lin Feng was still waiting for his signal over there!

A second late, and Juan and the others might really be going to see God!

He forced himself to be calm, and then calmer! His eyes frantically searched through the piles of junk around him, looking for anything he could use.

Suddenly, his movements stopped.

In a corner, several round iron drums caught his attention.

Those drums were covered in rust, and the sides were printed with blurred foreign letters. At a glance, these things weren't products of the tribe; they were likely from a plane that crashed years ago or 'modern trash' left behind by some expedition, which these natives had picked up as treasures and used as storage containers.

Gasoline!

The word instantly popped into Wang Dalong's head!

If this stuff was lit, it would be much more powerful than burning firewood!

He stared fixedly at those iron drums, his breathing becoming heavy.

An opportunity! He needed an opportunity!

Time passed minute by minute. The drumming in the square grew more and more rapid, like the beat of a death knell, making Wang Dalong's heart race with panic.

Just then, one of the native women processing prey seemed tired. She stood up, stretched, and walked into a nearby wooden hut. Another woman picked up a basin of processed meat and headed toward the square, presumably to bring food to the warriors.

Now was the time!

Wang Dalong couldn't care about anything else anymore!

Like a wild boar driven into a corner, he suddenly lunged out from behind the pile of animal skins and dashed toward the iron drums with all his might!

He rushed to the drums, his hands trembling with nervousness. It took a great deal of effort to unscrew the cap of one of the drums.

A strong, pungent smell of gasoline instantly hit him!

Wang Dalong almost stumbled from the smell, but his heart was filled with wild joy!

There was still some! Though not much was left, it was definitely enough!

He didn't have time to think. He directly picked up a half-full fuel drum and stumbled toward the largest warehouse-like wooden hut nearby, which was used to store dry wood and animal skins.

"Glug, glug..."

He tilted the fuel drum and poured the remaining gasoline all over the dry thatched walls and the mountain of firewood piled at the entrance.

"Hey! What are you doing!"

A clear child's voice rang out.

A native child had run nearby at some point and was now staring with wide eyes, pointing at him and shouting in curiosity.

It's over! I've been spotted!

Wang Dalong's heart went cold. All his plans were thrown into disarray at this moment.

He didn't have time to look for a more discreet way to start the fire!

I'm going for it!

He pulled out the windproof lighter Lin Feng had given him and pressed it down hard against the gasoline-soaked firewood!

Click!

Boom—!

An orange-red flame surged up with a terrifying explosion!

The fire was like a dragon fed on oil, instantly swallowing the entire wooden hut. The scorching air formed a shockwave that violently pushed Wang Dalong backward!

He rolled several times on the ground in a sorry state, feeling a burning pain on his back. A large patch of his hair was singed, emitting an unpleasant odor.

In that instant, the soaring firelight illuminated half the night sky!

"@#￥%&!" (Fire!)

"￥%&**!" (Quick, put out the fire!)

Although Wang Dalong couldn't understand the native language, those screams filled with terror and panic were universal!

The rear of the entire village instantly fell into an unprecedented state of chaos!

People were screaming and crying. Some rushed toward the fire with buckets, while others fled in all directions in fear.

Wang Dalong leaped up from the ground. He didn't even look back at the soaring flames that resembled a volcanic eruption; only Lin Feng's orders remained in his mind.

He turned around and sprinted toward the riverbank along the pre-planned route without looking back!

Brother Feng, my mission... is complete!

The rest is up to you!

...And at the other end of the village, at the edge of the sacrificial square.

At the very moment the fire soared into the sky, lighting up the entire village like daylight!

Lin Feng's body moved!

He no longer hid; he no longer moved in stealth.

Like a cheetah that had been lying in wait and finally bared its fangs, he shot out from the shadows!

The distance of fifty meters, which seemed like an unreachable chasm to an ordinary person, was merely a track under his feet that needed to be sprinted with his life!