Chapter 89: Section 90: Great One, You are the Hero Arranged by the Gods!


    “Sailing was going smoothly at first, but then the shipwreck happened so bizarrely and suddenly.”


    “The Pig Kiss broke directly in half, but luckily, we were close to this island, so most of us made it to shore.”


    “We discovered the Captain was missing, and the First Officer took charge of the situation…”


    Mu Ban recounted in detail.


    What he said didn’t differ much from what Zhenjin had learned from Huang Zao and Cang Xu. Sёar?h the Novёl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The survivors gathered on the beach, all wanting to leave, with no one wishing to spend the rest of their life stranded on an island.


    ...


    But the immediate issue before everyone was food.


    Therefore, the First Officer deployed the first exploration team, including Lan Zao and Huang Zao, their mission being to explore and gather food resources, ideally, a stable source of water and meat.


    Cang Xu volunteered to join the exploration team.


    However, this team, carrying everyone’s hopes, mysteriously vanished.


    Those left on the beach grew even more fearful of this mysterious and dangerous island, becoming more desperate to escape.


    With the ship broken in two, everyone knew that to leave the island, a new ship had to be built.


    Trees were plentiful; dense, thick rainforest surrounded the beach.


    However, felling trees, processing the timber, and constructing a ship all demanded substantial labor, and as people toiled more, they expended more physical strength, increasing food consumption.


    People scoured for every last resource they could find from the ship’s wreckage and barrels floating in the sea. Even corpses were not spared.


    But without a stable external source of food, these supplies, however significant, couldn’t withstand the relentless consumption, day and night.


    As time went on, life for the main group got increasingly harder to bear.


    The First Officer had no choice but to enforce food rationing, provoking widespread dissatisfaction.


    The scarcity of food, the hopelessness of escape, and the heavy daily labor led to widespread complaints and restlessness.


    A ship capable of crossing the continent and withstanding attacks from sea-dwelling Fishmen naturally had significant combat strength.


    The sailors were united, following the First Officer’s orders.


    Thus, despite growing internal conflicts, the First Officer managed to maintain control.


    With the food reserves dwindling to critical levels, the First Officer was forced to form a second exploration team.


    Some stepped forward, thinking of the greater good, and voluntarily joined the second team. But more people did not wish to face the dangers of the jungle. Wasn’t there still food to eat daily if they stayed with the main group?


    The First Officer knew this couldn’t go on. Since most were unwilling, he reluctantly announced a drawing of lots.


    The result of the draw caused an outcry.


    Few sailors were chosen; most were passengers.


    This led to suspicions that the First Officer rigged the lot drawing, deliberately showing favoritism. People demanded a re-draw.


    The First Officer hesitated. The sailors, of course, also did not wish to venture into the perilous rainforest, and they were his main supporters, while the passengers stood in opposition.


    In this atmosphere of internal unrest, a sudden incident detonated the entire stalemate.


    “That day, I was exhausted and nearly fell asleep on the beach. Late into the night, I and those around me suddenly heard a woman’s scream.”


    “At first, we thought a bird had met its end in the jungle. But then, the commotion from the First Officer’s side grew louder, with men’s roars of anger and swearing, and the sounds of a fierce fight with swords and spears.”


    “I had just risen from the grass bed when a sailor, his face panicked, informed us to grab our weapons and go to support the First Officer. He told me that a group of passengers had banded together and raided the First Officer’s tent with malicious intent.”


    “Although I was not a sailor, due to my work, I’d always been with the Fourth shipwright. I slept close by.”


    “The Fourth and others, of course, sided with the First Officer, quickly grabbing swords and rushing towards the tent. I also took up a crossbow and followed.”


    “Approaching the tent, I saw that a fierce battle was already underway.”


    “The passengers who had initiated the attack had surrounded the First Officer’s tent. Our attempts to break through from the outside failed twice.”


    “Fortunately, on the third attempt, the Fourth called over his adopted son. We all called him Big Fool; he was a foundling the Fourth shipwright had taken in. A hybrid of a giant and a human. Over three meters tall, he had immense strength, enough to uproot a tree. Big Fool listened only to the Fourth, and with a tree trunk, he swept away the passengers who couldn’t resist and were thrown into disarray.”


    “Just when we thought we were about to succeed, Zong Ge stepped forward.”


    “He was a Half-Beast, the leader of the rebels. Wearing a suit of thick fine steel armor, he withstood Big Fool’s sweeping tree trunk. Then he stepped on the trunk, ran along it, and jumped onto Big Fool, bringing him down with his fists alone, as Big Fool’s wild counterattacks were easily parried, and ultimately, he was beaten into pleading for mercy.”


    “With Zong Ge defeating Big Fool, he had defeated us too. He bound the First Officer tightly and then gathered everyone to explain the situation.”


    “According to him, the First Officer had been secretly hoarding food for his own use. That very night, he had taken a liking to a female passenger. He had ordered people to drug her and abduct her into his tent, but Zong Ge and others accidentally discovered this, leading to the fierce battle.”


    “We followed Zong Ge into the First Officer’s tent and did indeed find a lot of food that was not in the public storehouse.”


    “The female passenger called Queshan woke up and also confirmed Zong Ge’s words.”


    “After understanding the truth, I decided to stand with Zong Ge. Most people chose the same as me. Even many of the sailors were wavering.”


    “With conclusive evidence at hand, the First Officer could only admit to his crimes. Ignoring the sailors’ objections, Zong Ge forcibly executed the First Officer, relying on his strong combat abilities, he became the leader of the camp.”


    Upon hearing this, Zhenjin nodded, “So it seems this Zong Ge, though a Half-Beast, was also heroic in his actions. Does he have any relationship with that Queshan?”


    Mu Ban shook his head, “They don’t know each other. Just like you, at first, I thought since Zong Ge could so righteously act on behalf of a stranger and stand up against injustice, he would be an even more qualified, superior leader. But what followed were bizarre events.”


    “We were attacked.”


    “Almost every night, someone died a horrible death.”


    “We examined the bodies, and it looked like the fatal wounds were caused by wild beasts.”


    “But we had cleared the vicinity of the camp multiple times. The camp was on the beach, nearly without cover. Where could the wild beasts come from?”


    “Zong Ge personally led the team to guard at night, and at first, there were no more deaths. But soon, people were ambushed and killed during the daytime.”


    “Zong Ge wasn’t made of iron; he couldn’t guard continuously, day and night without sleep. The Guard Teams formed by others couldn’t stop the killings from happening either.”


    “We were all terrified, the campsite was in a state of panic.”


    “Rumors erupted. One of them pointed directly at Zong Ge, saying the real murderer was actually Zong Ge himself. Being a Half-Beast, his animalistic nature was hard to tame, and he had a craving for human flesh. If he didn’t consume human flesh, he would go insane. Once driven mad, he would crave it even more. The mysteriously deceased in the camp, though they appeared to have been mauled by wild beasts, it was actually Zong Ge. Because he is a Half-Beast!”


    “Like most people, I didn’t believe the rumor at first. Until one day, someone spotted a floating body at sea.”


    “Food was in such short supply that the discovery of the floating body was met with excitement, as the discoverer could vaguely see that it had drifted over and the body had intact clothes, which might have food or other resources on it.”


    “Risking his life, the discoverer swam a long distance, finally reached the floating body, and eventually dragged it ashore.”


    “The floating body was identified as the Captain. There were penetrating wounds on his body, obviously caused by weapons like gun spears.”


    “The Captain had been assassinated!”


    “So, it’s very likely that the shipwreck was also a man-made conspiracy.”


    “The discovery of the Captain’s body caused a sensation. The Third Officer Xi Suo, who was the Captain’s son, lay on top of his father’s body and wept bitterly, swearing in public to find the killer and avenge his father.”


    “We were all very angry, guessing who the real murderer was, why they wanted to kill the Captain, why they wanted to create this shipwreck?”


    “Based on the fatal wounds on the Captain’s body, we also speculated who possessed weapons like gun spears.”


    “No one was more suspicious than Zong Ge.”


    “Because not only did he have rather strong, thick steel armor, but what was most eye-catching was the pair of Short Spears hanging on his back. Even when confronting Big Fool, he had not used these Short Spears. Without a doubt, when he was wielding the Short Spears, his combat ability must have been formidable.”


    “The Captain was of Black Iron Level strength, and so was Zong Ge.”


    “The sailors all sided with Xi Suo, but everyone understood Zong Ge’s strength.”


    “The attacks continued to happen, becoming more frequent, with someone dying almost every day.”


    “In terms of food, although the part stolen by the First Officer was added to the public storehouse, it was not enough to withstand the consumption, and Zong Ge had to resort to forming an exploration team.”


    “This time, many sailors volunteered to join, and the exploration team was quickly formed.”


    “On the day the exploration team set out, the shipwright pulled me aside secretly. He told me it was all Xi Suo’s scheme.”


    “Xi Suo knew he couldn’t confront Zong Ge head-on for the time being, so he planned to lead the sailors away and build a ship by themselves.”


    “I knew the shipwright was most skilled in shipbuilding, so after thinking it over, I decided to join them.”


    “Not long after the exploration team departed, Zong Ge discovered that Xi Suo, Hei Juan, and I were missing. Realizing he had been tricked, he immediately led a pursuit.”


    “We fled for our lives, about to be caught when suddenly the world around us changed! The rainforest was no more, and instead, we were surrounded by a forest.”


    “We were brought here by a mysterious force and then discovered this campsite.”


    “This campsite is peculiar; the log cabins are built directly on the ground without any foundations, as if some giant had plucked them straight up from the earth.”


    “Xi Suo was delighted, believing it to be a divine sign that the gods had helped us escape from the vicious and cunning enemy, and blessed them with a temporary camp.”


    “So we repaired the campsite and settled here. Because the shipwright and I were also glad—the timber from the forest suited new shipbuilding better.”


    “After that, we divided into two teams. Xi Suo, the shipwright, his foolish son, and some others went to cut timber. We continued to build the camp. But unexpectedly, we were attacked by bat monkeys, and luckily you saved us!”


    “A hero’s arrival is always like this; it must also be arranged by the gods! Under your leadership, we will leave this Demon Land!”


    Mu Ban said, his tone becoming fervent.