CHAPTER 48: SO, REACHING THE END OF THE GAME FIRST MEANT MY DEFEAT!

Twenty people rode strong mountain goats that resembled horses.

They were Ray Kang’s team.

Among them, two slaves walked on foot.

Kogan had never seen these two slaves before, but he didn’t ask the captain why they ended up like this.

He had lost interest in those scum.

Slaves should never be sympathized with.

As long as they ended up in this lowly state, it meant they deserved it.

Everyone only gets what they deserve.

The team members were completely optimistic about tonight’s mission.

Even if they didn’t recover any essence, they remained hopeful.

Because yesterday gave them hope, and this hope would drive them forward.

Hope is like a shining flame in the darkness; once you have it, you must run as fast as possible to cover as much distance as you can before the flame goes out.

Captain Ray Kang understood this well, and so he decided to make the most out of the upcoming nights to achieve the best results.

The more essence they obtained, the brighter the flame of hope would burn.

Mei Li approached Kogan with a gentle smile and handed him back the juice bottle.

He looked at her, then took the bottle.

"Thank you," Mei Li whispered to him.

It’s true that he didn’t hear her, but she felt she had to say it.

It was like thanking a god after getting good results on an exam.

The only difference here was that Kogan had actually offered real help.

Mei Lan noticed and approached them to ask,

"What’s going on?"

Mei Li hesitated for a moment before trying to respond.

But Kogan acted before she could respond—he handed the juice bottle to Mei Lan.

"What’s this?" Mei Lan took the bottle before opening it.

"Oh, it’s juice... Wait, this is ours."

She looked at Kogan, then at Mei Li.

Everyone knew how rare and precious this juice was.

So why had the bottle gone from Kogan to Mei Li, and then back to him?

"What’s going on here?" Mei Lan’s brows furrowed.

She had always been wary of Wei Li, and the fewer their interactions, the better.

So why was something like this happening now?

"It’s a long story. We’ll talk about it later," Mei Li said as she stepped out of Mei Lan’s space.

A bad feeling crept into Mei Lan’s chest. She looked at Kogan, suspicion flickering in her eyes.

She wasn’t doubting Kogan himself—she was doubting that he might be getting deceived.

She knew Kogan would be an easier target than she was.

She wanted to scold him, to tell him to be careful, and to remind him to inform her if anything happened—so she could handle it.

But unfortunately, Kogan couldn’t hear or speak.

If she wanted to communicate with him easily, she would have to reach the first rank as well.

***

Two of the slaves lit a fire and sat silently around it.

If they could be used as bait—they would be.

If they could be used as cannon fodder—they would be.

Most slaves wished to be sent into battle, as it increased their chances of dying.

Slaves would never be freed. Even if their masters were killed, they would remain slaves.

Their bodies and even their thoughts had been sealed. They couldn’t even take their own lives.

All they could do now was hope for a miracle to end their suffering.

The great create miracles for themselves—while slaves only wish to taste the crumbs of those miracles.

The twenty members spread out around the slaves, leaving enough space to allow the beasts room to move.

After several dozen minutes, a white sheep appeared near the fire.

No one was surprised—last night had raised their expectations.

Wei Li and Mei Li readied their bows from one side.

On the other side, Bai Tong and Wei Tong did the same.

And from yet another angle, Mei Lan took position.

She was determined to land a hit this time as well—the more animals she hunted, the better her future would be.

On the other side, placing his bow beside him, Kogan leaned back against the tree with his hands behind his head.

His eyes were closed, showing little interest in the hunting activities.

Ray kang remained focused on the target ahead.

He wasn’t competing with them to see who would hit the mark first, but rather analyzing the situation.

If he fired too quickly, it might prevent them from gathering a larger amount of essence—since more animals could still appear.

And if he hesitated, it might cause the only target before them to escape.

After waiting for some time, no other animals appeared—

just a single sheep wandering and jumping around the fire.

"Shoot... no, wait," Ray Kang’s expression changed.

Whoosh!

An arrow flew toward the sheep.

With a sorrowful groan, the sheep fell dead to the ground, the arrow piercing its body.

"Hmm!" Kogan slowly opened his eyes, a faint yellow glow shining from them.

"Finallyyyy, I got some essence!" Wei Li shouted joyfully.

He was the one who had shot the arrow.

"This will help him change his mind," Jin Chao smiled.

He wanted Wei Li to obtain some essence, to wipe from his mind the idea of trapping someone else.

Mei Li smiled faintly, thinking the same as Jin Chao.

Getting the essence would somewhat rein in Wei Li’s wildness, even though he had changed since meeting Ling Shao.

His view of Kogan had changed too.

After this mission, Wei Li planned to approach Kogan and formally apologize.

The rest of the team smiled—they remembered that in the previous mission, Wei Li was the only one who hadn’t gotten any essence, so they were happy for him.

In the darkness, Wei Li clenched his fists and shouted,

"I’m not cursed, hahaha! Mei Li, I’m the one who got the essence this time..."

Shoosh!

Suddenly, Wei Li’s voice was cut off.

An arrow pierced the side of his skull, pinning him to the tree.

Wei Li died with a smile on his face—

he died in the midst of his joy, unaware of what had happened.