Wang Jin’s throat tightened. "That’s why his killer must pay. Uncle, believe me, it wasn’t me. Yu ger wasn’t killed by the jar. His death was different. Let A-Hua and Xiao Ruo fetch Xi ger."
The middle-aged ger listened, his eyes burning as he stared at Wang Jin, as if trying to dig out all the secrets hidden in Wang Jin's heart. Wang Jin met his gaze directly, allowing those probing eyes to pierce deep into his soul, never flinching from start to finish.
Just as the middle-aged ger was about to speak, Yue ger weakly stumbled over and collapsed onto the middle-aged ger's lap, sobbing, "A-die, this man is the murderer! You mustn’t be fooled by him, he’s the best at deception!"
Hearing this, the middle-aged ger's expression instantly turned fierce. He stood up, pushing Yue ger away, and said coldly, "Aren’t you the one who’s best at deception?! Look, since your marriage, has this family ever known peace?!"
The middle-aged ger's voice trembled with emotion, his eyes red as he glared at the leader. "Step aside. Send someone to find Xi ger."
"Father! He’s the murderer!" The leader stared at the middle-aged ger in disbelief.
"Whether he’s the murderer or not isn’t for us to decide now. Even if he is, with you here, with so many people here, how could a single ger escape? What harm is there in calling Xi ger? If he truly is the murderer, it’ll only give him a few more breaths of air at most."
"This…" The leader fell silent.
Seeing this, the middle-aged ger stepped forward and forcefully shoved the leader who stood like a stone wall aside, then turned to A-Hua and Xiao Ruo. "I’ll trouble you two with this."
Xiao Ruo and A-Hua exchanged a glance before leaving.
Yue ger collapsed to the floor, his panic impossible to hide. His body trembled uncontrollably, his eyes downcast, his mind racing frantically…
Xi ger was his close friend… Would he still help him this time…?
Yue ger burned with anxiety, shaking so badly he could barely stand. The leader stepped forward to support him, assuming his illness had worsened, and urged, "A-Yue, perhaps you should rest first. Once Xi ger arrives—"
Yue ger shook his head. He couldn’t leave. He had to keep watch. One misstep, and he’d be exposed.
Seeing his determination, the leader said no more.
Wang Jin observed quietly, taking in his reaction. He understood now, Xi ger was the key to this matter.
But Xi ger and Yue ger had always been close… Would he harbor bias…?
"Something terrible has happened!" Before long, Xiao Ruo suddenly rushed back, his face pale with terror. "Leader, the beast horde, it’s come early!"
"!" The beast horde was an annual event where all the savage beasts of the jungle surged mindlessly in one direction, leaving no survivors in their wake.
And Yuan Heng… was still in the jungle.
Wang Jin’s heart lurched in panic, while the others erupted into chaos.
The leader’s expression darkened. "Stay calm! Everyone, go check if your beastmen have returned. Report to me anyone who hasn’t."
The crowd immediately scattered.
The leader lowered his voice. "Xiao Ruo, go notify every family, tell them not to leave the tribe. The only safe place during the beast horde is within the tribe. Also, have them report any missing beastmen."
"…Leader, that’s not the main concern right now, Xi ger…" Xiao Ruo gasped for breath. "Xi ger went to the safe zone to gather herbs this morning. The beast horde passes right through there! A-Hua has already gone to search, but he can’t do it alone. Leader, send reinforcements!"
"What?!" The leader was stunned. Now was not the time for hesitation, he turned to the others. "All of you, come with me to find Xi ger!"
Xi ger was the tribe’s healer, personally trained by the elder healer since childhood. A tribe only had one healer, if he were lost, they’d have no one to treat illnesses for years to come, drastically lowering their chances of survival…
Understanding the urgency, everyone followed the leader.
Lai Yuan also intended to help, but he couldn’t leave Mu ger and Wang Jin unguarded. After a moment of thought, he said, "Jin ger, A-Mu, come with me to my house first."
"Alright!" Wang Jin agreed.
Yue ger rushed to block the door. "You can’t leave! You killed A-Yu, you must pay with your life!"
Lai Yuan’s face darkened. "Yue ger, this isn’t the time for that. Everything can wait until Xi ger is found. Move aside."
He shoved Yue ger aside and led Wang Jin and Mu ger away. Before leaving, Wang Jin glanced back at Yue ger - his eyes were dark and sinister, like a vengeful spirit ready to haunt him for his life.
Lai Yuan took them to his house, gathered all the food he had, and handed it to them, instructing them to lock the doors and windows and stay inside until the beast tide passed. Once he finished, he left alone.
Mu ger hesitated, as if wanting to stop Lai Yuan, but in the end, he could only watch him leave.
This was Wang Jin’s first experience with the beast horde. He had never witnessed its horrors firsthand, but from the others’ words, he understood its danger.
Before, they had fallen into a python’s den, if such massive creatures came in swarms, a black tide surging past…
Just imagining it made Wang Jin tremble in fear. He tugged at Mu ger’s sleeve and asked, "A-Mu… Brother Heng, he…"
Mu ger stiffened, he remembered that Yuan Heng was still deep in the jungle.
Yuan Heng was an ancient beastman. With his strength, the beast horde shouldn’t threaten him… but that was the heart of the jungle, where the fiercest beasts roamed…
Mu ger couldn’t say for sure. Seeing Wang Jin’s worried expression, he gritted his teeth and forced a relaxed tone. "It’s fine. Brother Heng is an ancient beastman, he’s incredibly strong. He’ll be alright."
"…" Mu ger’s forced calm was painfully obvious. Wang Jin could see right through it.
At first, staying inside was uneventful, but soon, the entire house began to shake—so violently that dust and sand rained from the ceiling. The roars of beasts rose and fell, each louder than the last, threatening to split their eardrums.
Some stray beasts even broke into the tribe, only to be hunted down by the beastmen guarding it.
During their time indoors, Mu ger gave Wang Jin a crash course on the beast horde.
It came once a year, always on the first day after the initial snow melted. But this year, it had arrived before the snow - without warning, leaving the tribe unprepared.
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