Chapter 80: A Desperate Fight
As soon as the system’s voice fell, Yu Luo didn’t feel anything unusual in her body.
In a hurry, she tried calling the Armor-Clad Beast again. This time, the little creature immediately opened its eyes inside the system space, flipped over in the basket, and curiously looked around.
Seeing such a big reaction from the Armor-Clad Beast, Yu Luo was thrilled. She quickly spoke to it using her mind: “Listen, Armor-Clad Beast. I’ve been tied up by bad guys. I’m going to release you from the system in a bit. Don’t make any noise or run around. Just chew through the ropes tying me up, got it? If you understand, nod your head!”
Yu Luo stared intently at the Armor-Clad Beast in the system space, her heart full of hope. She was grateful for its fast growth and its sharp teeth. Otherwise, she might have to wait for someone else to wake up and cut her ropes with a knife.
To her delight, the Armor-Clad Beast quickly nodded its head. Yu Luo grinned widely and immediately released it from the system.
As soon as it came out, the Armor-Clad Beast darted straight to the ropes binding Yu Luo and began gnawing at them. To Yu Luo’s surprise, the little creature’s teeth were incredibly sharp. In less than half a minute, the thick ropes were bitten clean through!
“Good boy!”
Praising the Armor-Clad Beast silently in her heart, Yu Luo quickly put it back into the system space.
“Armor-Clad Beast, it’s too dark here. I can’t see where my mom is. Can you find her and chew through her ropes too? Be careful not to alert anyone outside.”
Outside, the sounds of men drinking and shouting were still clear. Judging by the volume, Yu Luo estimated that the bandits were at least a dozen meters away — a good distance for a sneak attack.
The Armor-Clad Beast obediently sniffed its way through the unconscious women to find Ye Jiamei, its animal instincts and sharp sense of smell guiding it.
Meanwhile, Yu Luo pulled out a dagger and, in the dark, started cutting through the ropes binding the people nearby one by one.
After chewing through the ropes binding Ye Jiamei, the Armor-Clad Beast stayed on her chest, as if to signal Yu Luo. It seemed to understand that in the darkness, Yu Luo wouldn’t be able to find her mother otherwise.
Seeing this, Yu Luo felt her nervousness ease a bit.
Before, her parents used to complain about the hassle of feeding the Armor-Clad Beast with vegetables. Who knew it would repay them so soon and even save their lives!
After rubbing the little creature’s head in gratitude, Yu Luo quickly stored it back in the system to avoid losing track of it in the chaos to come.
She then reached out to cover Ye Jiamei’s mouth and pinched her philtrum sharply. The sudden pain woke Ye Jiamei immediately. As she struggled, Yu Luo leaned in and whispered urgently: “Don’t make a sound. It’s me!”
The muffled sounds stopped at once. Ye Jiamei lay still, her eyes wide in the dark.
Yu Luo quickly pulled off the ropes binding her and handed her a crossbow.
“We got hit by the bandits’ knockout smoke. They’ve taken us to their cave. Dad and the others should be in the next cave over. Understand?”
Ye Jiamei’s eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness yet, but hearing her daughter’s words, she immediately nodded, heart pounding.
“System, how many bandits are in the cave? And outside?”
[Reporting to the host, there are 300 bandits inside this cave. Your father and the others are in the next one. Outside, there are another 500 bandits. This challenge might be a bit tough, but if you manage to escape and kill these bandits, the system will reward you with 2,000 points.]
“A bit tough? This is insane! But thanks for the offer. I’ll do my best!”
“Xiao Luo? Second Sister-in-law?”
As Yu Luo communicated with the system, a faint voice sounded nearby.
She turned and saw Wang Ying and Yu Qiao’er slowly sitting up from the ground.
They had actually woken up before Yu Luo but, finding themselves bound and unable to break free, didn’t dare to act rashly. It wasn’t until they heard Yu Luo and Ye Jiamei whispering that they realized it was Yu Luo who had cut their ropes.
“Shh, don’t alert them!”
Thinking quickly, Yu Luo handed two more crossbows to the two sisters-in-law. With hundreds of bandits around, relying on just her and her mother was a long shot.
“Do you know how to use this?”
“I think so! We’ve seen you use it before. Just aim and pull this part, right?” Wang Ying fumbled in the dark, placing her finger on the trigger and responding uncertainly.
“That’s right. In a bit, we’ll sneak to the cave entrance. Hide first and shoot anyone who gets close. These crossbows are loaded with hundreds of bolts, enough to take them down. I overheard that there are 300 bandits in this cave and 500 outside. Once we clear this cave, we can free the men and have more help.”
“Our men are here too?” Wang Ying’s voice trembled with urgency.
“Yes, in the next cave. We deal with the bandits here first. When the other women wake up, you two stay here and guard the entrance. If anyone comes, shoot them immediately. Got it?”
Trying to lead a group of women and children into battle against the bandits was out of the question. The best chance was to clear the immediate threat first.
Meanwhile, Yu Luo instructed the Armor-Clad Beast to sneak into the men’s cave next door with two crossbows, locate her father, and cut the ropes binding everyone. If they could free themselves, their chances would greatly improve.
With the plan in place, Yu Luo gripped her crossbow tighter, preparing for a desperate fight.
