One could buy any kind of general merchandise in the Mall, but the only thing that could not be purchased was firearms.
Otherwise, Qin Sang would have exchanged for a sniper rifle long ago and taken out Butcher Hu with a single shot.
Now that she was alone, a melee weapon like a chainsaw might not be enough to deal with over forty Rebel Soldiers.
The safest approach would be to get a heavy-duty truck and just roll over them, sending them all to the afterlife.
It was just too expensive; she wasn't willing to trade that ginseng for it yet.
Qin Sang quickly decided on a plan: a compound bow plus a nail gun, and a fire extinguisher plus a chainsaw—covering both long and short ranges.
The compound bow had a maximum range of four hundred meters and featured a high-tech auto-aiming scope; its power was enough to blow their heads off.
The nail gun could fire continuously, with an effective range of about five meters.
The chainsaw, naturally, went without saying—a destroyer of carbon-based lifeforms. She hadn't actually used it yet, and just thinking about it was thrilling.
These were all self-defense weapons she had found in the Mall when she couldn't sleep, and she had prepared several contingency plans to avoid panicking during a crisis.
The fire extinguishers were for unexpected needs; she clicked twenty of them into her shopping cart.
Having made up her mind, Qin Sang removed the muzzles from Da Huang and the Horse, fed them their fill, and gently stroked their backs while instructing them:
"You two will draw their attention later. You must stay safe, do you understand?"
Qin Sang was about to put on her bulletproof vest and equip the Horse and Da Huang with armor before heading down the mountain to fight when she suddenly heard movement behind her.
Qin Sang alertly hid behind a tree. Once she saw clearly who was coming, she cried out in surprise:
"Hunter Xu? Hei Zi? Why are you here?"
Indeed, the people who had arrived were from Tianjia Village.
Seeing Qin Sang standing safely next to the Horse, the group all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Da Zhuang's Mother, it's good that you're alright."
"Mother..."
"Mother?"
Seeing Da Zhuang and San Gui covered in dust and looking haggard, Qin Sang knew they must not have slept all night, traveling through the darkness to reach this place so quickly.
Qin Sang didn't have time for many words:
"It's good that you've come. I won't say anything else; there's an emergency. Butcher Hu wants to burn the mountain, and he's heading toward the back of the mountain right now.
Everyone, listen to my arrangements. We must deal with them before they set the fire. Otherwise, once the fire starts, not just us, but our camp and everyone hiding in the mountains will die."
The group sensed the urgency in Qin Sang's eyes and realized the gravity of the situation, nodding one after another:
"Da Zhuang's Mother, just tell us what to do."
"Yes, we'll follow your lead."
No one shrank back, and no one questioned her.
When everyone's life was on the line, they had no reason to be afraid.
Qin Sang looked at them with satisfaction. Although she probably could have handled it if they hadn't come, it was a good thing that everyone was prepared to stand together. It just meant changing her methods slightly.
Qin Sang quickly began making arrangements...
Butcher Hu and his group reached the middle of the mountain in less than an hour. The trees here were denser than at the foot of the mountain, and the massive trunks made it easy for people to hide.
With a gesture from Butcher Hu, the group fanned out, waiting for his command to set the fire.
Butcher Hu opened his mouth and shouted toward the mountain:
"Listen up, people of Tianjia Village! I'm giving you one last chance. Hand over Widow Tian and Tian Erfu. Otherwise, don't blame me for burning the mountain and sending you all to the Western Paradise with one fire!"
The Rebel Soldiers burst into laughter. Responding to them was the irritable barking of Da Huang, which sounded exceptionally clear in the forest.
The Rebel Soldiers were thrilled:
"Aha, there's a dog. From the sound of that bark, it sounds quite fat."
"Dog meat is fragrant and very nourishing."
"Master Hu, make them hand over the dog too."
Butcher Hu remembered this dog; it belonged to Widow Tian's household. Thinking of how he had been humiliated by Widow Tian, Butcher Hu wanted nothing more than to make her kneel before him and beg for mercy; otherwise, he couldn't satisfy the hatred in his heart.
"It seems you've brought Widow Tian. I'll count to ten. Bring Widow Tian before me. One... two..."
As Butcher Hu counted down, the atmosphere in the forest grew somewhat eerie.
The scorching sun forced layers of sweat from the men, and the Rebel Soldiers stared intently at the large trees on the mountain.
As far as the eye could see, only those thick trees could hide anyone.
When Butcher Hu reached 'three', Qin Sang appeared in their field of vision, bound by ropes.
Hunter Xu and Tian Yougen appeared behind Qin Sang as her captors, one on each side, occasionally shoving her to force her forward.
Cold light and murderous intent flickered in Butcher Hu's eyes.
That day, the people of Tianjia Village had seen him flee in a sorry state. Every single person from Tianjia Village had to die.
When the Rebel Soldiers saw Qin Sang appear, they all swallowed hard:
"Master Hu, this woman is alright! Curvy in all the right places, plenty of meat on her."
"Right, this kind would sizzle with oil when roasted. Most fragrant."
"What's the rush? Shouldn't we brothers have some fun before roasting her?"
Butcher Hu curled his lip in a smirk:
"What's the hurry? Don't worry, as long as you follow me, there will be benefits for everyone."
With this promise from Butcher Hu, the gazes of the Rebel Soldiers became even more lecherous.
Qin Sang looked at them coldly. It was precisely because she knew these men were monsters that she had firmly refused to let Da Zhuang and San Gui escort her.
If those two heard this talk, they would surely be unable to stop themselves from attacking, which would have ruined her plan.
Hunter Xu and Tian Yougen pushed Qin Sang forward until they stopped twenty meters away from Butcher Hu:
"Butcher Hu, we've brought the person. You cannot set fire to our Tianjia Village, and you certainly cannot burn the mountain."
Butcher Hu said sinisterly:
"Who said that? I want more than just Widow Tian; I want Tian Erfu and everyone in Widow Tian's family.
I remember there are eight of them in her house. Do you think you can brush me off with just one Widow Tian? Do you take me for a fool?"
Hunter Xu and Tian Yougen exchanged a look and a smile, then shouted to Butcher Hu:
"Then give us three more days, and we'll bring her whole family."
Butcher Hu sneered:
"No need for such trouble. I don't have that much time. Since you've come today, do you really think you have a chance to leave?
I'll just burn this whole area to the ground. Every one of you from Tianjia Village must die."
Tian Yougen said anxiously:
"How can you go back on your word?"
Butcher Hu snorted, completely ignoring Tian Yougen's accusation, and waved his hand:
"Set the fire."
Qin Sang shouted angrily:
"Butcher Hu, you will die a horrible death!"
As Qin Sang's words fell, the Rebel Soldiers holding torches suddenly felt a chill on their backs as a sharp pain pierced through their hearts from behind.
In just a breath, half of the forty-plus Rebel Soldiers collapsed.
Realizing something was wrong, the Rebel Soldiers cried out:
"Oh no, it's an ambush..."
The Rebel Soldiers all turned around to face the enemy, but the villagers who had already been lying in wait behind Qin Sang leaped out. Bamboo spears traced arcs through the air, and Hunter Xu also drew his bow, firing an arrow that shot straight toward the center of Butcher Hu's back...