I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

In order to boost the crumbling morale, the strongman had no choice but to increase the rewards.

The increase in the bounty has indeed reignited the fighting spirit and greed of some of the Black Mothers who had already become fearful.

However, it is only a "part" of it.

The generous reward is certainly tempting.

But no matter how generous the reward, you still need to be able to spend the money!

Otherwise, even if you earn a thousand taels of gold, ten thousand taels of gold, or a hundred thousand taels of gold, what good will it do?

Despite their reluctance to admit it, most of the Black Mothers had to face the cold reality: they were no match for Qing Deng and his group!

However, organizational discipline did not allow them to openly surrender.

Thus, the Black-Clad Clan, who dared not advance nor retreat, stood frozen in place, staring at each other in bewilderment.

The infamous "minions of the Shimizu Clan" and "elite combat force of the Shimizu Clan" were behaving like shy, timid women... It's a pity that those who deeply abhor the Black Mother's Cloak Clan's usual actions are not here at the moment.

Otherwise, they would surely feel triumphant after witnessing such a comical spectacle.

Perhaps convinced that the Black Mother Cloaked Clan had lost all fighting spirit and that he was safe, Onodera cautiously stepped out from behind the tree trunk and strode towards Aoto and the others.

One side hesitated and retreated, while the other side was full of fighting spirit and still had strength left... No matter from any angle, Qing Deng and his group had the upper hand.

However, Qingdeng, a veteran of countless battles, was well aware of the principle that "the battlefield situation changes in an instant."

Therefore, even though the situation before him was clear, he dared not relax in the slightest. He remained on high alert, focusing intently on the movements of the Black Mother Clan and paying close attention to everything around him.

Unwittingly, Qingdeng, whose hearing was exceptional thanks to a variety of talents, keenly caught a strange sound.

Chirp chirp chirp...

At first, he thought it was birdsong.

But soon, an ominous premonition rose in his mind.

Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp…!

The sound was shrill... and getting closer!

—This is… a burr!

Qing Deng, his eyes flashing with astonishment, instantly discerned the target of the arrow.

"Mr. Onodera! Get down!"

Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp!

As soon as Qing Deng's shout ended, a white light sliced ​​through his vision.

With his powerful dynamic vision enhanced by "Eagle Eye +2", Qingdeng barely managed to make out the true nature of the white light – a giant arrow, nearly 1 meter long, pure white with barbs hanging from its tip.

The so-called "dip arrow" is a type of arrow that makes a sharp sound when it flies out.

Before Onodera could even react to Aoto's urgent reminder, he collapsed to the ground in pain.

The giant arrow pierced through Onodera's abdomen.

Enter through the front of the stomach and exit through the back.

In an instant, a deathly silence enveloped the surroundings.

However, this only happened in an instant.

"This is... Lord Nue's arrow!"

[Note: Nue: the same sound as leaf]

The burly man was taken aback at first, then looked puzzled.

"What are you doing here, Lord Nue?"

Just as the burly man was muttering to himself, a short figure appeared silently behind him.

"Mr. Hirabayashi."

"Whoa! You startled me! It's Lord Kappa!"

The kappa completely ignored the burly man's fawning smile, and coldly said in a tone devoid of joy or sorrow:

“Mr. Pinglin, I have come to inform you that Lord Rakshasa has arrived.”

"Lord Rakshasa?!"

The burly man turned his head and looked around, bewildered.

"Why, why would Lord Rakshasa suddenly come here?"

"Heaven knows, maybe he wanted to witness the traitor's demise firsthand. After all, Lord Rakshasa hates traitors the most."

……

……

The sudden and dramatic change not only left the Black Mother Clothes Clan feeling lost and confused, but also deeply shocked Qing Deng and others.

Souji, who was closest to Onodera, rushed to his side and helped him up.

In just a few seconds since being shot, Onodera's clothes on his chest and abdomen were completely stained red with gushing blood.

"Hey! Wake up! Wake up! Don't sleep!"

Souji dared not shake Onodera, and could only shout loudly into his ear in the hope that he would remain conscious.

"Well……!"

Onodera lifted his trembling eyelids.

He lowered his gaze and glanced at his abdomen, which had been pierced by an arrow.

The excruciating pain of skin and organs being torn apart; the helplessness of watching blood and life force flow out... Onodera, who personally experienced these horrors, showed no panic or fear.

He just laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Haha...I still...fell for it after all..."

At this moment, Aoto and Sanako arrived at Souji and Onodera's sides one after the other.

Sanako, who was skilled in medicine, immediately knelt down to check Onodera's injuries.

"It's so serious..."

"Zanako said in a deep voice."

"The liver and spleen are ruptured..."

Neither Aoto nor Souji knew anything about medicine.

Even though they knew absolutely nothing about medicine, they knew what a ruptured liver and spleen meant.

This is an injury that could kill you at any time...

"Tachibana-kun..."

Souji called out softly to Aoto and raised his eyes, casting a straight gaze at Aoto.

Her gaze clearly conveyed the message, "Mr. Tachibana, what should we do now?"

Onodera was an important informant.

For Aoto, Onodera is a treasure trove waiting to be explored, a former member of the Shimizu clan, a comrade-in-arms of Tachibana Takayuki, and someone who investigated the strange drug with Tachibana Takayuki.

Therefore, Onodera cannot die—at least not before he has explored the "treasure trove"!

Therefore, Qingdeng quickly made a decision.

"Retreat and find a safe place for Mr. Onodera to heal. Okita-kun, Sanako-san, you two support Mr. Onodera, I'll cover the rear."

Qingdeng's calm voice and methodical arrangements soothed the panic in the two women's hearts.

Time is of the essence, and there is no time to discuss the details of the operation.

The two women nodded vigorously.

Sanako took out a can of unknown powder from her pouch and poured it all over Onodera's wound.

"Ugh...!"

Onodera let out a low, painful cry.

Sanako said seriously:

"This is a hemostatic medicine, just bear with it."

After saying that, she and Souji worked together to lift one of Onodera's arms.

Qing Deng, holding a bow, turned to face the Black Mother Clan, tightly protecting the two women and Onodera behind him.

—Where did this arrow come from?

Qing Deng involuntarily glanced at the arrow shaft stuck in Onodera's abdomen.

He heard it clearly just now; the arrow came from a very, very far place... at least 300 meters away.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have mistaken its flight sound for a bird's song.

A 300-meter long-range sniping... If the opponent were using a McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle, that would be one thing, but the opponent's weapon was a primitive bow and arrow...

[Note: McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle: A Canadian soldier once used this rifle to kill a target 3540 meters away, breaking the global military record for range and becoming a new world record.]

300 meters... An arrow struck a moving human body, hitting a vital spot.

Thinking of this, Qing Deng raised his gaze, his eyes fixed on the direction from which the arrow had just flown.

For some reason, Qing Deng had a premonition—this sniper with unparalleled archery skills was definitely not a member of the Black Mother Clothes Clan.

Rather... it is something even more terrifying.

……

……

At this very moment—

About 300 meters away from Qingdeng and the others—

"Nue, how was it? Did you hit the target?"