Chapter 120: Shi Zhile’s Scheme

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: Shi Zhile’s Scheme

With her space to retreat to, Shi Zhile and Jiang Jing were also curious about Jiang Yuxing’s true objective. In the end, they followed the group back to the Cannibal Clan.

The Cannibal Clan had made its home atop the easternmost cliffs.

They had carved a climbable stone ladder into the cliff face.

They lived in caves of varying sizes, but their true settlement was at the very top of the cliff.

The area was dotted with grass huts of all sizes, and its perimeter was fenced off with a palisade of sharpened wooden stakes.

Men and women were everywhere, most of them clad in animal hides.

Among the crowd were about a dozen players, huddled together and watching everyone with a mixture of nervousness and suspicion.

As darkness fell completely, a large bonfire was lit in the center of the settlement. The members of the Cannibal Clan, dressed in their animal hides, gathered around the fire, singing and dancing.

Although it was impossible to understand their songs, the joyful smiles on their faces made it clear that they’d had a bountiful day.

Seeing how happy they were, the huddled players grew even more terrified.

’Are we the cannibals’ next meal?’

’They caught over a dozen of us at once. That’s certainly enough for a feast.’

’They brought us meat tonight... they must be afraid we’ll starve.’

’They’re probably worried our meat won’t be fresh if we starve to death.’

Shi Zhile stood beside Jiang Jing, mentally calculating their numbers.

Around the bonfire were thirty to forty able-bodied young men. The elderly, women, and children remained behind in the caves.

All told, the Cannibal Clan likely numbered close to one hundred.

Their numbers weren’t massive, but every one of them was tall and powerfully built. Even the women were all taller than Shi Zhile.

A significant number of players had landed on the island. If they could all be brought together, their numbers might rival those of two Primitive Tribes combined.

The problem was that every player had been through life-or-death trials that tested their humanity, making it nearly impossible for them to trust anyone.

Everyone was on guard—wary of the primitive tribesmen, but even warier of their fellow players, terrified of becoming someone else’s scapegoat.

After Mo Ze led them back to the settlement, he had intended for Shi Zhile to stay with the tribe’s women. However, she refused, opting to stay with Jiang Yuxing and Jiang Jing instead.

Dinner consisted of the fish Shi Zhile had caught earlier. To get on their good side, she gave a large portion of her catch to the Cannibal Clan. In return, the women of the tribe brought her a pile of sweet wild fruits.

In return, Mo Ze offered them his own cave.

The cave was quite large, with a stone bed in an inner chamber and a stone table in the main area. It was more than spacious enough for the three of them.

As night fell, they lit a fire inside the cave.

Shi Zhile washed up in her pocket dimension. When she emerged, she bypassed the hard stone bed in the inner chamber and promptly commandeered the wooden bed Jiang Yuxing had produced.

"You’re the one who brought us to this tribe, so I’m taking your bed. Any objections?"

With that, she patted the space beside her and beckoned to Jiang Jing.

Jiang Yuxing and Jiang Jing had also just finished washing up.

Jiang Jing glanced at Jiang Yuxing and said hesitantly, "I don’t know about this... Mr. Jiang is right here."

Shi Zhile had to laugh at his antics.

’He knows perfectly well that I just want to discuss tomorrow’s plans with him, yet he’s acting like we’re doing something illicit.’

She sat down cross-legged. "What’s the big deal? We can all sleep together and build some camaraderie."

Just as Jiang Jing started to walk over, Jiang Yuxing yanked him back by his clothes.

Jiang Yuxing strode past him to the edge of the bed, saying, "She’s a restless sleeper. With your injuries, you shouldn’t sleep next to her."

He sat down on the edge of the bed, then smoothly lay down beside Shi Zhile and closed his eyes.

Jiang Jing rolled his eyes and walked over as well.

He sat at the foot of the bed and whispered, "A little while ago, the Clan Leader asked me if what you said on the beach was true. And when we went to wash up, some woman grabbed Jiang Yuxing and said she wanted to be his woman."

A glint appeared in Shi Zhile’s eyes. "Was she pretty?"

’Instances and the game world aren’t in the same dimension anyway.’

’Jiang Yuxing has a high status in the interstellar community. If he gets stuck here after this instance is over, that’s one less interstellar rival for me.’

’And if the woman is attractive, it’s not like he’d be getting a bad deal.’

Jiang Yuxing’s eyes flew open, his chest heaving. "You want to go take a look? Her brother is Mo Ze. How about we each take one of them?"

Shi Zhile froze. ’There’s no way he knows what I’m thinking, right?’ she thought.

’Novels always have those plots where people’s thoughts are broadcast out loud. That couldn’t be happening to me, could it?’

But then she decided that was impossible. Still, just to be safe, she mentally cursed him a few times. Seeing his expression remain calm, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

’Whether he can hear me or not, as long as he doesn’t call me out on it, I can just pretend he can’t.’

She smoothly went along with his suggestion. "Sure, I have no objection."

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. She decided that she and Jiang Jing would split up during the day. One would explore the island, and the other would integrate into the tribe.

’The instance quest hasn’t been announced yet, but since they had us join a tribe, the quest must be related to it somehow.’

’Back in the desert instance, the hidden quest was to save the desert. This time, on a tribal island, it’s very likely there’s a hidden quest too.’

’I can get information from the women of the tribe, but it won’t be as much as what the Clan Leader knows. Jiang Yuxing actually gave me a great idea.’

Shi Zhile’s expression grew serious. "Tomorrow, we’ll split up. Some of us can explore the island, and some can stay in the settlement."

Jiang Jing said, "I’ll explore the island. The Beast-eating Clan mentioned in the instance prompt hasn’t shown up yet. Leave scouting the terrain and searching for others to me."

Jiang Yuxing was silent for a moment before saying, "The men of the Cannibal Clan go hunting during the day. I’ll go with them."

Shi Zhile concluded, "Then I’ll stay here in the settlement and start by gathering intel from the women."

With their plan settled, Shi Zhile took out a military greatcoat, spread it over the stone bed, and lay down.

Throughout the night, the three of them took turns standing watch.

「The next morning.」

Before dawn, the men of the Cannibal Clan set out to hunt.

The three of them went their separate ways, each beginning their respective tasks.

During the day, Shi Zhile joined the women of the tribe in gathering wild fruit nearby. Before long, she had gotten to know everyone in the small foraging party.

Among them was Mo Ya, the Clan Leader’s sister.

She was tall and powerfully built. Though her skin was dark, her features were pleasant. She must have truly taken a liking to Jiang Yuxing, because she was the first to speak up and demand him.

"I want your man. My brother is the Clan Leader. I’ll give you my brother, and you give me your man."

Shi Zhile paused, her hand hovering over a berry. The next moment, Mo Ya stuffed a load of fruit into her arms.

"This is for you," she said. "If you agree, I can bring you food every day. Or if there’s some other food you want, just tell me. I can have my brother find it for you."

Shi Zhile’s eyes lit up. ’I didn’t expect a deal this good,’ she thought.

She put on a troubled expression, though she quickly stashed the fruit away. "But... he’s not my man."

Mo Ya didn’t believe her for a second. "You live together. Of course he’s your man."

Shi Zhile looked thoughtful. "But what if he doesn’t agree?"

"Here, women are the most precious thing after the Clan Leader. Your agreement is all that matters."

Shi Zhile nodded instantly. "Alright, I agree to give him to you. But I don’t want your brother."

’Trading a man for food is an absolute bargain.’