Chapter 137 Why?

"Oh…" Facing this request for armed confrontation, Feng Bujue's reaction was quite calm. He responded nonchalantly and asked, "May I ask… why?"

"Is there even a need to ask?" Tu Aotian replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Your plan to 'impersonate prisoners to extract information' has already been seen through. Under these circumstances, it's meaningless to try and probe you through words again, so… I can only communicate with you with my fists."

"Sounds like you're quite confident in your own strength," Feng Bujue said.

"So-so…" As Tu Aotian spoke, he began to move his neck and limb joints, looking as if he was ready to fight at any moment. "Anyway, guys like Kakalu… I wouldn't even feel pressured taking on three of them at once."

"I see…" Xiao Ling chimed in with a smile, "Looks like that Kakalu has been eyeing your village for more than just a day or two, huh?"

"Yeah…" Feng Bujue replied weakly, "Statements like 'I wouldn't even feel pressured taking on three of them at once'… are clearly something you'd only say if you've had some experience fighting him."

"Hmph…" Tu Aotian scoffed, "You guys' minds certainly work fast…" He stated bluntly, "That's right, Kakalu and his goons have attacked our village more than once, but each time they were repelled by us."

"Since you're so much stronger than him, why didn't you just kill him?" Ruoyu threw out a rather sharp question.

"That's because… on this planet, people (rabbits) like Kakalu are as numerous as rabbit fur," Tu Aotian replied. "Killing one Kakalu isn't difficult, but after he dies, maybe two, three, or even four or five people (rabbits) just like him will pop up to compete for his territory." He paused, then continued, "Keeping Kakalu around at least lets us know who we need to guard against…"

"Hey, hey… so are you saying that us taking out Kakalu actually caused trouble for you guys?" Xiao Tan said somewhat awkwardly.

"No…" Tu Aotian replied, "It's not your fault. If your 'self-defense' story is true, then you can't really be blamed." As he spoke, he adopted a fighting stance. "This is a world where the strong eat the weak. The strong have no reason to apologize, and the weak have no right to complain…" He paused for half a second, his expression hardening, "Come on, let me see… which kind of people you are…"

"Understood…" The next second, Feng Bujue put down the catapult in his hand and stepped forward, looking like he was preparing to face the opponent head-on. "You're judging our credibility based on our strength, huh…" At this moment, his expression was almost cold. “…Since you intend to do so, then I won’t stand on ceremony.”

Before his words could fade away, the man and the rabbit moved simultaneously.

"Short Fur Whirlwind Combo!"

"Nanto Flying Dragon Fist!" (a martial arts technique)

It wasn't clear who made the rule, but it seemed like you just couldn't launch an attack in this script without shouting out the name of the move.

Another round of four hands crisscrossed, as fast as lightning.

Tu Aotian's strength was indeed above Kakalu's. Feng Bujue didn't need to test it to know, just looking at the data told him that.

But… Jue-ge's strength wasn't just for show either. Perhaps the spectators watching the match couldn't see any difference, but Ruoyu and the other two on the scene could all see that Jue-ge's attack speed, strength, and accuracy… were all different from the previous time he used the Nanto Flying Dragon Fist.

The same fighting skill could be subtly adjusted with extreme precision and controlled freely based on the player's consciousness… this was undoubtedly a skill that only S-level fighting specialists possessed.

*Pitter-patter…*

Battle energy and fists collided, creating bursts of rapid sounds that echoed continuously in the dim cave.

In just ten seconds, the two of them had each thrown hundreds of punches.

Finally, after a heavy clash of fist winds in the final strike, Tu Aotian retreated several steps, ending this wave of engagement.

And Feng Bujue… stood firmly in place, unhurriedly shaking his wrist, and said, "Is that enough?"

Tu Aotian's face turned quite ugly, because he could clearly feel… that the opponent in front of him was far from using his full strength. "May I inquire… your honorable name is…"

"Feng Bujue," Jue-ge replied before the other party could finish speaking.

"Mm… Brother Feng's fist techniques are superb… unfathomable…" Cold sweat had already seeped out of Tu Aotian's fur. "I, Tu Aotian, admit defeat."

"Brother Tu is too kind," Feng Bujue said. "I wonder if you can now believe our story?"

"Brother Feng is joking…" Tu Aotian replied, "With your abilities… it would be easy to forcefully enter the village and plunder, there's no need to deceive us about such a thing… not to mention… you unhesitatingly took out precious food and clean water for me, someone (rabbit) you just met… I, Tu, was ignorant and have offended you greatly."

Hearing these words, Xiao Tan couldn't help but lean over to Xiao Ling's ear and say, "Why has this guy's speaking style suddenly become so pretentious…"

"When you're embarrassed, you throw out some fancy language… it makes you seem more cultured… and it's easier to step down…" Xiao Ling replied quietly.

…………

In any case, after this interlude, the four members of the Hell Front team finally gained the trust of the villagers of Cleft Village. The villagers quickly released Tu Aotian and the players from that cave.

When they returned outside the cave, the players also learned… that this cave was actually a "trap". The villagers deliberately made the entrance look like a normal residence, and the cave door was also made of ordinary materials; once the target was tricked into the cave, they would activate a mechanism on the outside, sealing a gate made of rock and metal outside the cave door.

Through Tu Aotian's introduction, the players also got to know some of the main NPCs in the village, such as the joint defense captain who had stopped them at the entrance of the village, "Tu Lisu"…

Tu Lisu was the daughter of the elder Pi Pian, and also Tu Aotian's lover.

According to Tu Aotian himself… he was once a wandering fist master (quan shi), and one day when he passed by this village, he happened to encounter slave traders attacking. So he stepped forward heroically, rescued Tu Lisu and the kidnapped villagers, and drove away the slave traders. Later… he stayed here.

Although the players weren't very interested in this kind of cliché story, Tu Aotian still narrated it vividly while leading them to the elder's house… as if this setting was very important…

Finally, after walking for more than ten minutes, the four members of the Hell Front team arrived at a sunken mountain gully in the middle of the mountain gorge. Here, there was a rather hidden cave entrance, which was the elder's home.

"Please wait here for a moment," Tu Aotian said to the players as he arrived at the cave entrance, and after knocking on the cave door twice, he pushed the door open and entered.

About a minute later, he returned, opened the cave door, and poked his head out to say, "Everyone… please come in."

Feng Bujue and the others didn't say anything, they just walked into the cave one after another.

This time, what appeared before their eyes was naturally not that dark prison cell…

Old furniture, simple lighting facilities, self-made daily necessities… were piled up in a cluttered but orderly manner in this not-so-spacious space, depicting a scene of a doomsday residence. Although this humble room in the cave didn't look like much, it at least gave people a sense of "home".

After the players entered the room, they saw a very old rabbit person in the corner far from the cave door. And the old man was sitting in an easy chair pieced together from scrap metal, looking at these visitors from another world with calm eyes.

Tu Aotian introduced the elder to the players, and Jue-ge and the others greeted the old rabbit person politely.

After a round of greetings, Feng Bujue took the lead in getting to the point.

"Elder, there's something… I'd like to ask you about…" As Jue-ge spoke, he inadvertently glanced at Tu Aotian. "Currently, in your Cleft Village… who is the strongest?"

"Hehe…" Pi Pian replied with a kindly smile, "Of course, it's Tu Aotian, who's standing in front of you."

Tu Aotian shook his head and said, "No, Elder, I'm still far from being as good as you."

"Hehehe…" Pi Pian stroked the long ears on his head. "Good child, you're too modest…" Just listening to the elder's tone, you could tell that he was also quite capable. "As the saying goes… fists fear the young and strong. No matter how high my cultivation was when I was young, at this age… I'm afraid I can't even beat that Kakalu."

Feng Bujue also knew that the old man was telling the truth. Observing from a data perspective, Pi Pian's combat power was indeed higher than that of ordinary rabbit people, and he was undoubtedly a "fist master" as well, but looking at the data intensity… Tu Aotian was still more powerful.

"Elder…" Based on the previous reasoning, Jue-ge had basically ruled out the first two of the "three possibilities", so he continued, "Then… are there any relic entrances or ancient tombs in the village?"

"Hmm?" The elder's expression changed slightly when he heard this. "Why are you asking about this?"

"To be honest, there's a reason why we came to this village…" Feng Bujue's flattery began. "Perhaps you'll find it hard to believe, but I… was born with a special ability to sense the existence of certain 'extremely powerful beings' from a great distance. Today, after we were attacked by Kakalu, I suddenly sensed a surge of power, so I followed the trail of that power all the way and came to this village."

"Hmm…" The elder and Tu Aotian exchanged glances, both with inexplicable expressions.

It wasn't that they didn't believe what Feng Bujue said, because logically speaking, Jue-ge had no reason to lie to them. It's just… that this topic was indeed beyond their understanding and knowledge.

"Alright… let me think…" The elder replied, then fell into deep thought.

After a moment, he spoke, "Hmm… I remember back then, when the external nuclear radiation was still very serious, I and thirty-five other survivors discovered this canyon and decided to use it as a camp; over time… it developed into the village it is today." He raised his hand and stroked the long whiskers at the corner of his mouth. "I remember… when we were first excavating the cave, we did dig up some strange things in a cave… they looked like stone tablets engraved with patterns. But we didn't pay attention to them, we just treated them like ordinary rubble and disposed of them." He looked at Feng Bujue. "Now that you mention it… if there really is any ancient ruin or tomb here… it's likely related to that cave from back then."

Hearing this, the players all felt that this matter was promising, and Feng Bujue immediately asked, "Elder, where is the cave you mentioned…?"

…………

At the same time, thirty kilometers north of Cleft Village.

In the rolling yellow sand, a group of people (and rabbits) riding motorcycles were heading south in a mighty formation.

This team consisted of more than forty people (and rabbits), including the vice-captain of the Corpse Blade Second Squad [Water Show Assault] and the combat general [Transmigrate as King].

And their target… was Cleft Village.

The four members of the Hell Front team were unaware that while they were exploring Cleft Village, the four members of the Corpse Blade Second Squad had already completed their "borrowing of power", and… the power they had borrowed was one of the strongest forces on the entire Rabbit Rabbit Planet.

"Aren't we there yet?" Hissing Full, sitting on a motorcycle with a sidecar, chewed on a carrot and said to Water Show Assault beside him, "You guys aren't playing me, are you?"

"Our companions are still being held in the fortress, how could we possibly lie to you?" Water Show Assault replied in a deep voice.

At this time, the four members of the Corpse Blade Second Squad had already split into two groups.

Under the planning of [Reborn as King], they reached an agreement with the NPCs. Captain San Yu Assault and Reborn as King would stay in Pi's Tower as "hostages" in exchange for the NPCs' trust. Water Show Assault and Transmigrate as King would be responsible for leading the two "Long Fur Six Heavenly Officials" to the location of the enemy team.

Some people might wonder, how did they know the location of the Hell Front team?

It was actually very simple… Reborn as King also had a "detection type" title ability. Of course, he couldn't calculate whatever he wanted like Jue-ge could. His ability was only to measure the location of the enemies.

In the previous preliminaries, Reborn as King had never used this ability… because he was very clear about the value of this ability in the elimination round stage.

Now, the significance of hiding this skill in advance was reflected. Even if Jue-ge had watched the Corpse Blade Second Squad's match recordings, he wouldn't be able to discover that the other party had such a trick up their sleeve…

"Hissing Full, have a little patience." At this time, on another motorcycle with a sidecar in the convoy, a thin rabbit person also turned his head to Hissing Full and said, "These Earthlings have no reason to lie to us. If they just wanted to run… they wouldn't have taken the initiative to leave two hostages in the city."

The person speaking was also one of the Long Fur Six Heavenly Officials – Si Lu Star Lord Du Du Mo.

"That's right," Transmigrate as King said, also turning his head and adding, "Don't be anxious, you two… that 'village' will soon appear before our eyes."