The armored vehicle, dented and scraped from plowing through other cars, was parked on the highway with a crooked trailer hitched to its rear.
The Ape Cavalry approached on their warhorses, dismounting a hundred meters from the armored vehicle. They dropped to the ground, hesitant to advance.
"Black Rope, you and I will go take a look," Wuzhiqi said to an ape beside him.
Black Rope flinched, a flash of terror in his eyes, but he didn't move.
Wuzhiqi frowned. "Scared? It is an honor to protect Kuafu!"
He looked at the other apes again. This time, a few finally stepped forward to go with him and inspect the armored vehicle.
They were mostly Kuafu's personal bodyguards.
Wuzhiqi took a deep breath, picked up a detached car door to use as a shield, and led the other apes forward.
The other apes followed his example, tearing doors and metal panels from abandoned vehicles to use as shields. Some even picked up motorcycle helmets and put them on.
It was no wonder they were afraid. The memory of the two traps that human had set before was seared into their minds.
The horrifying scene that had been revealed when they first opened the armored vehicle's door was still enough to jolt them from their sleep.
Such a bloody lesson forced them to be cautious.
Watching Wuzhiqi lead a few apes forward, Stone Eye, who remained in the back, had a peculiar glint in his eyes.
Wuzhiqi advanced quickly, soon reaching the side of the armored vehicle.
At a signal from Wuzhiqi, one of the apes grabbed the handle of the vehicle's cabin door. Gritting his teeth, he yanked it open and instantly dropped to the ground, covering his body with his metal shield.
The other apes, Wuzhiqi included, also hit the dirt. Even those dozens of meters away ducked their heads.
The explosion they feared never came. There wasn't even a sound.
Wuzhiqi immediately lifted his head and peered into the cabin. It was empty except for half a barrel of stale diesel fuel.
That vicious human hadn't set a trap this time.
The group of apes immediately got to their feet, their faces lit with the joy of having survived a close call.
The thousand apes in the rear also stood up and surged forward. A flicker of disappointment was barely visible in Stone Eye's eyes.
Wuzhiqi carefully inspected the vehicle's interior. His nose twitched, and his expression turned grim.
"It's the scent of Kuafu… and a human!"
The surrounding apes also picked up the scents, their expressions turning solemn.
Their suspicions were correct. It really was that vicious human!
Stone Eye walked over to the trailer at the rear, sniffed the air, and said:
"The horses are gone. The scent is still strong. It hasn't been long. We must, immediately spread out to track them! To the surrounding, cities!"
Wuzhiqi and the other ape commanders nodded. Over a thousand members of the Ape Cavalry immediately split into a dozen or so teams, each led by a veteran, and fanned out into the surrounding wilderness.
Though they didn't know where the human had taken Kuafu, they knew that humans had an affinity for cities. He had likely fled to the ruins of one!
...
Shen Feng had never ridden a horse before. The stirrups on these warhorses were crude, ape-made things, and their length wasn't suited for a human.
The ride was jarring at first, and he almost fell off, much to Kuafu's eager anticipation.
But after only a few minutes, he had already grasped the knack of riding, allowing his body to sway with the warhorse's undulations like a boat on the waves.
His mind was still incredibly sharp. It was as if his surroundings had grown brighter and he himself had become more focused, able to analyze and master new skills and information in an instant!
Kuafu also sensed the change in the human youth beside him, and his gaze grew more thoughtful.
Leading a second warhorse by the reins, Shen Feng galloped toward the Capital with Kuafu in tow.
He had no idea how long it would take for the Ape Cavalry to catch up, so he had to get as close to the Capital as he could.
The sooner he reached the Capital, the sooner he could complete his mission and return to his own world.
Although he had grown a lot these past few days, he had had more than enough of this place.
Being hunted by several thousand apes with human-level intelligence was not exactly a pleasant experience.
It was now past midnight. The warhorses, having galloped nonstop, finally began to huff and slow down.
Shen Feng knew that if he kept pushing the two horses, they would likely be ridden to death. He turned them around and headed into a small town off to the side.
With an ape for a captive, he didn't dare enter the ruins of a large city; after all, the night belonged to the Skinners.
There would be far fewer Skinners in a small town like this; they might have even all moved on to the larger cities.
The dilapidated town was silent, with only stone statues standing everywhere under the moonlight.
Surprisingly, the small town even had a little zoo.
Shen Feng turned into the zoo, dismounted, and tied both horses off to one side before lighting a bonfire in the courtyard.
The zoo's tall walls would hide the firelight, and the courtyard was open enough that he wouldn't be easily ambushed.
He didn't know if it was because his brain was changing, but Shen Feng felt ravenous.
He found a pot, rinsed it with some leftover mineral water from a concession stand, and set it to boil. He opened the last two cans from his backpack, tossed in two packs of expired instant noodles, and began to cook.
To Shen Feng's pleasant surprise, tomatoes and small radishes were growing wild in the zoo's courtyard. He didn't know if they had once been used to feed the animals, but now they were all his for the taking.
The venison was already gone, and while the canned braised pork was still edible, the meat inside was almost tasteless.
Shen Feng picked a fist-sized tomato and took a few bites. Just as he was about to settle for a simple meal, he heard a sudden rustling from a patch of grass in the corner of the courtyard.
He froze for a moment, then grabbed a burning piece of firewood in one hand and his gun in the other, and walked over.
The grass parted violently as a wild boar weighing several hundred pounds charged out!
Caught off guard, Shen Feng quickly dodged to the side, avoiding the boar's tusks. The boar shot past him, trying to flee the zoo.
Kuafu, who had been sitting silently to one side, suddenly leaped up, dropped low, and slammed violently into the boar.
His strength was so great that he actually knocked the boar to the ground.
The boar scrambled back up and was about to run, but the delay was all Shen Feng needed. He had already caught up from behind, raised his gun, and shot the boar in the back of the head.
BANG! The sharp crack of the gunshot echoed through the dilapidated zoo, startling a flock of birds from a nearby tree.
They had at least an hour's lead on their pursuers, so Shen Feng wasn't afraid the gunshot would attract the pursuing apes.
After giving Kuafu, who had already sat back down in his original spot, a long look, Shen Feng pulled out his dagger and gleefully began to carve up the meat.
He washed and sliced the fatty pork, placing the pieces in a frying pan he had found in a small convenience store. The heat from the fire quickly rendered the animal fat. The pieces began to curl and shrink as fragrant grease oozed out, pooling at the bottom of the pan.
Soon, a small pot of lard was rendered, leaving behind a pan full of crispy cracklings.
Shen Feng poured the lard into an empty mineral water bottle. He sprinkled some salt on the cracklings, picked one up, and popped it in his mouth. The rich, savory aroma of rendered fat exploded over his taste buds, sending a wave of comfort through his entire body. It was so delicious it could make a man weep, and it even eased his headache.
'Cracklings from all-natural wild boar really are better,' he thought.
The aroma had also attracted Kuafu. Though he was still trying his best to maintain the image of a wise leader, he couldn't help but swallow hard.
'Cooking is a hallmark of a civilization's development,' Kuafu thought. 'Only an intelligent race like humanity, with tens of thousands of years of history, could possess such a profound culinary heritage.'
'This is the very scent of civilization!'
'Compared to these cracklings, the Ape Race's current diet is practically still at the stage of eating raw meat and drinking blood.'
Shen Feng used a pair of chopsticks fashioned from twigs to pick up a piece of amber-colored crackling. He held it out to Kuafu and asked:
"Want one?"
~
(As many of you have probably noticed, Kuang Miao's works were taken down yesterday, and many chapters of my other books have been taken down as well. The entire web novel community is going through a tough time, and I, Dream Catcher, have reached the lowest point in my many years of writing. Thank you all for continuing to support me during this dark time. Thank you for being my light. Thank you, everyone!)