112. Garuda Began to Be Alert

After receiving the government's request, the activities of the Garuda Pioneers changed.

They no longer made three-star islands their primary destinations.

Those islands did contain far more valuable resources, but exploring them also carried greater risks. The mechanical predators there were stronger, while most of their time and energy had to be spent dealing with creatures that weren't actually needed to fulfill Earth's supply requests.

So for the time being, they reduced the level of their exploration.

One-star and two-star islands became their main targets.

Especially Tropical Island.

There, they could obtain large quantities of wood, various fruits and food supplies, as well as animals that could be hunted for meat. The predator threat was also relatively easier to control compared to three-star islands.

Their goal now wasn't to discover new technology, nor were they chasing dinosaur monsters.

They simply needed to gather as many resources as possible that could be sent to Garuda.

During the first few days, the work went quite smoothly.

Groups of Garuda Pioneers spread out across islands with lower difficulty levels. Some chopped down trees, some hunted, while other groups gathered coal and various types of metal ore.

Animals such as peccaries became one of their most frequently hunted sources of food.

Whenever a group managed to obtain enough game, the meat was processed and prepared for shipment.

Wood was collected in large quantities, while coal became one of their top priorities.

Basic metals that had previously been considered ordinary were now extremely valuable because the government needed all of them to keep domestic industries running.

However, one thing had changed compared to before the embargo.

The Garuda Pioneers no longer felt comfortable whenever they saw other Pioneers.

On the third day, a Garuda group was gathering wood on a two-star island when they saw several people emerge from behind the trees.

There were five of them, and they were wearing fairly complete Pioneer gear.

One of them raised his hand as if to greet them, but the Garuda group immediately raised their weapons.

Bows were drawn, and spears were aimed. No one attacked, but their message was clear.

“Don’t come any closer.”

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The foreign group stopped, and one of them raised both hands.

“Relax, we’re just passing through.”

There was no answer. A few seconds later, one of the Garuda Pioneers pointed in the opposite direction.

“Go.”

The group looked at each other.

“We’re not looking for trouble.”

“Go.”

His tone became firmer, and eventually they backed away and took another route.

There was no fight and no casualties, but similar incidents began happening repeatedly.

On another island, Garuda Pioneers who were hunting spotted a foreign group in the distance. They immediately stopped what they were doing and formed a defensive formation.

Elsewhere, two groups nearly encountered each other near a coal deposit. Both groups stopped at the same time. Neither wanted to be the first to approach.

A few minutes later, the foreign group chose to leave.

In regional chat, these incidents began being discussed.

Garuda Pioneer 17: I just ran into a foreign group on a two-star island.

Garuda Pioneer 21: What country are they from?

Garuda Pioneer 17: No idea.

Garuda Pioneer 21: Did they attack?

Garuda Pioneer 17: No.

Garuda Pioneer 21: Still, be careful.

Answers like that became increasingly common.

They no longer asked, “Who are they?”

Their first question had changed to:

“What do they want?”

The following day, Rangga's group experienced something more obvious.

Rangga was gathering wood with several Garuda Pioneers on a two-star Tropical Island when they saw another group emerge from the forest.

Rangga immediately stopped, his hand slowly moving toward his bow. The Pioneers behind him did the same.

The foreign group also stopped when they realized they had been spotted.

One of them raised his hand.

“We just want to pass through.”

Rangga didn't answer. He observed their weapons, then their equipment, then the number of people in the group.

There was no indication that they were from Bald Eagle but Rangga also had no way of knowing which country they actually came from.

“Don’t come any closer,” he said.

“We don’t want any trouble.”

“Good. Then don’t come any closer.”

The group began backing away, but one of them looked like he was about to say something else.

Rangga drew an arrow and it wasn't an ordinary arrow. He fitted an explosive arrow onto his bow.

Several Garuda Pioneers behind him immediately realized what he was about to do.

“Sir Rangga...”

Rangga drew his bow and released the arrow.

BOOM!

The explosion struck the ground several meters in front of the foreign group, sending dirt and leaves flying.

The group immediately backed away with startled expressions.

Rangga kept his bow aimed at them.

“Don’t come any closer.”

One of the foreign Pioneers stared at the small crater in front of him.

“Damn...”

Rangga lowered his bow slightly.

“I’m not attacking you.”

He pointed at the blast mark.

“That was a warning.”

The group eventually left. One of the Garuda Pioneers looked at Rangga.

“That was a little excessive, Sir.”

Rangga exhaled.

“Yeah... maybe.”

He stared in the direction the group had disappeared.

“But I don’t want what happened yesterday to happen again.”

No one argued, because they were all thinking the same thing.

They had once regarded other Pioneers as fellow humans who simply happened to come from different countries.

Now that view was beginning to change.

Every foreign group that appeared before them carried a possibility.

Maybe they were simply looking for resources. Maybe they wanted to pass through. Maybe they were from a country that had no problem with Garuda.

But there was also a possibility that they had come looking for trouble and after what had happened on Tropical Island, no one wanted to take that risk.

On the fifth day, a Garuda Pioneer even canceled a mining operation after seeing three foreigners approaching their location.

They retreated first because they simply didn't want to take the risk.

On the sixth day, two Garuda groups that encountered foreign Pioneers on the same island even warned each other through regional chat.

Stay alert.

By the seventh day, almost every Garuda group had developed the same habit.

Whenever they saw other Pioneers from a distance, they stopped working.

Weapons were prepared, formations tightened, and distance was maintained.

If the foreign group approached too closely, they were given a warning.

No one attacked immediately, but their attitude was enough to convey a message.

Don't even think about it.

Ironically, the Garuda Pioneers didn't always know who they were dealing with.

Bald Eagle, Green Jaguar, Golden Lion, Brown Bear, or another country that had absolutely nothing to do with their conflict.

They all began to look the same from a distance.

Not because they were actually enemies, but because the Garuda Pioneers' trust had been damaged.

Throughout that week, resources continued to be gathered.

Ships returned carrying wood, coal, meat, fruit, stone, and various metals.

Shipments to Earth increased, but at the same time, another change was beginning to take shape in the Pioneer world.

Garuda Pioneers began reminding one another.

Don't get too close to foreign groups. Don't turn your back on them. Stay alert while mining. And most importantly, don't wait until they attack first before getting ready.

They were still obeying Deri's orders, and they were not looking for war.

But after what had happened on Tropical Island, Garuda was no long

er exploring the Pioneer world with the same attitude as before.

They had come to gather resources and if another Pioneer approached, they would make sure that person thought twice before coming any closer.