82: Chapter 81: The Phantom Thief Kalba, Killed for Stealing

In the livestream room, barrage comments were scrolling frantically like snowflakes.

"Oh no, I saw that Kalba sneak into Great God Lu Fan's Shelter."

"Lu Fan: Oh no, my elixir!"

"What should we do? He's definitely going to steal Great God Lu Fan's supplies."

"It's fine, it's fine. Great God Lu Fan is almost back at the Shelter; he won't get away."

"Right, he needs to be taught a proper lesson this time."

While Lu Fan was rushing back with An Lan at full speed, Kalba, who had been fumbling around in the dark all night, finally found Lu Fan's Shelter.

Kalba hunched his back like a sneaking rat, prowling around the perimeter of the Shelter several times.

His eyes widened as he stared intently at the mountain-like piles of iron ore and Salt Mine. A greedy glimmer flickered in his eyes, making him look exactly like a starving wolf eyeing a plump prey.

"Damn it, where on earth did this Lu Fan get so many good things?" Kalba muttered under his breath, rubbing his bony hands together. The fire of greed burned fiercely deep within him, growing stronger by the second.

"But now, all of this belongs to me."

Kalba felt as if he had struck gold, discovering a mysterious cave filled with treasure. His mind was consumed by the frantic thought of claiming these precious resources as his own.

He tiptoed into the Shelter, his eyes darting around like a thief. He peeked here and touched there, all while non-stop muttering to himself.

"These are all mine now. Haha, I'm going to be rich."

He was so excited he could hardly contain himself. With trembling hands, he began frantically stuffing things into his arms—iron ore, earthenware jars, baskets—anything he could carry, he didn't let go.

When Kalba rounded the corner to Lu Fan's storage room, he was so excited he nearly fainted on the spot.

The storage room was filled with pork, mutton, and various kinds of seafood; a mountain of abundant food.

"This is enough to last me for weeks, Hahaha!"

Kalba doubled over with laughter, his face twisted in greed. But immediately after, his expression changed abruptly, turning venomous and hideous.

"Why does all this belong to Lu Fan? They should all belong to me! Only I am worthy of owning all this!"

Just as he was losing himself in his greedy fantasies, he suddenly heard a faint buzzing sound.

At first, Kalba didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just an auditory hallucination caused by his excessive nervousness.

But after a moment, the buzzing grew louder and clearer, like a fleet of fighter jets swarming toward him.

"What is that sound?" Kalba's heart tightened. His movements stopped instantly as he widened his eyes in alert, looking around.

The moment he subconsciously looked up, his face turned deathly pale, devoid of all color.

He saw a massive swarm of bees, as dense as a dark cloud, swooping down on him ferociously.

As it turned out, these were the bees Lu Fan had relocated earlier. Their beehives had been sitting quietly in the yard, but Kalba had been so focused on stealing that he hadn't noticed them at all.

Clearly, the swarm unceremoniously viewed Kalba, the uninvited guest, as a dangerous intruder.

And these bees would unwaveringly defend their territory, allowing no intrusion.

"Aaaah!"

Kalba was scared out of his wits; he turned and bolted.

But the bees were not about to let him off easily. They pursued Kalba relentlessly, like precision-guided mini-missiles, stinging him in a frantic frenzy.

Kalba ran for his life while wildly waving his arms, trying to drive away the clinging bees. But his resistance was futile; instead, it completely enraged the swarm, making their attacks even more violent.

"Help! Someone help me!" Kalba screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran desperately through the wilderness.

"Go away, go away, you damn bees! I'll kill you!"

However, his curses and struggles were useless.

Kalba's face, hands, and body were covered in large welts from the bee stings. After just a short while, he was swollen like a steamed bun, a truly wretched sight.

To make matters worse, Kalba was severely allergic to bee venom.

Before he had run very far, he felt his breathing becoming increasingly difficult. His chest felt as if it were being crushed by a giant boulder. His vision went dark, and his body swayed, nearly causing him to collapse.

At that moment, Big Horn, who had been leisurely wandering near the Shelter, heard Kalba's wretched screams.

Driven by curiosity, it slowly trotted over.

Although Lu Fan had released Baa Baa and Big Horn back into nature, they had long since considered this place their warm home. They were reluctant to leave and had been lingering nearby.

When Big Horn saw Kalba scurrying about in such a pathetic state, it thought he was causing some kind of destruction. It immediately became furious.

It snorted angrily, pawed the ground hard with its front hooves to kick up dust, and then charged fiercely toward Kalba like a rampaging mini-tank.

"What is this thing now?!"

Seeing Big Horn charging at him so aggressively, Kalba was scared senseless, nearly wetting his pants.

He was already dizzy and disoriented from the bee stings, and now faced with such a massive creature, he completely broke down, his mind going blank.

Big Horn didn't care about any of that. Filled with rage, it reached Kalba and began goring him wildly with its sharp, pointed antlers.

One must remember that as Lu Fan's former capable transport soldier, Big Horn was sturdily built and possessed incredible strength, comparable to a small car.

Kalba dodged and ducked in a pathetic state, but several deep gashes were still carved into his body by the antlers. Blood flowed out, and the heart-wrenching pain made him scream.

"I was wrong! I won't do it again!"

Kalba wailed for his parents as he stumbled, trying to escape.

But his body was weak and limp from the bee stings, and he was so disoriented from Big Horn's pursuit that he lost all sense of direction, having no idea where to run.

Big Horn seized the right moment, kicked off with its hind legs, lunged forward, and delivered a powerful headbutt. Kalba was sent flying like a tattered sack.

Poor Kalba; he had just been sent flying by Lu Fan's horse yesterday, and today he was ruthlessly knocked away by Big Horn. He truly had the worst luck imaginable.

"Holy crap, Big Horn!?" Just then, Lu Fan came galloping back on his horse. As soon as he reached the Shelter, he witnessed this chaotic and comical scene.

Seeing Lu Fan, Kalba acted as if he had caught a final lifeline, letting out a weak and desperate plea: "Save me, please, save me... (in English)"

His voice was filled with terror and helplessness.

An Lan looked at the chaotic scene before her, stunned: "What's going on? Who is this person?"

Lu Fan turned back and replied with a cold expression, "This is an enemy. He's with that Meichuan Neiku."

Meanwhile, seeing Lu Fan return, Big Horn ran to his side excitedly, letting out cheerful cries and gently nudging Lu Fan with its antlers as if expressing how much it missed him.

Baa Baa also came hopping out from behind a tree, frolicking around Lu Fan, looking exceptionally happy.

Seeing Big Horn and Baa Baa, Lu Fan's eyes lit up, and a surprised, relieved smile broke out on his face.

"Big Horn! Baa Baa! You guys are still here!" Lu Fan said excitedly, reaching out to affectionately pat Big Horn's head and gently rub Baa Baa's ears.

Big Horn nuzzled Lu Fan affectionately, and Baa Baa bleated "Baa Baa," as if telling him about their longing and concern during this time.

"An Lan, let me introduce you. This is Big Horn, my logistics manager, and Baa Baa, our milk production master."

Lu Fan introduced them to An Lan excitedly, his face beaming with pride.

Seeing that Lu Fan had not only the loyal Big Black but also such cute and capable partners like Big Horn and Baa Baa, An Lan's eyes were also full of wonder and affection.

After all, what woman could resist the charm of these cute little animals? Even if they weren't exactly small.

"Haha, great! I'll never drive you away again. This will always be your home!" Lu Fan promised loudly, his eyes full of tenderness and determination.

Big Horn and Baa Baa seemed to understand his words; they bleated happily and frolicked around him affectionately.

At that moment, Kalba's voice, now so weak it was almost inaudible, came again: "help me...help me...you're my father, please"

The voice was faint, carrying deep despair and trembling, sounding exceptionally desolate in the cold wind.

"Holy crap, I actually understood that!" Lu Fan's heart gave a jolt; he finally had a day where he understood English.

But he quickly snapped out of it and turned to look at the dying Kalba lying on the ground.

Kalba lay there in a wretched state, covered in injuries. His face, swollen like a pig's head from the bee stings, was full of pain.

There were also shocking wounds left by Big Horn on his body, with blood constantly seeping out and staining his tattered clothes red.

Lu Fan frowned and walked forward with a look of disgust. He crouched down and looked down at Kalba: "I say, why do you have such a bad memory? Being sent flying once wasn't enough? You just had to come steal my things. Aren't you just asking for trouble?"

Kalba opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but only coughed up a mouthful of blood. He slumped weakly on the ground, his eyes filled with terror and regret.

"Can you speak Chinese?"

Lu Fan confidently opened his mouth to speak.