Chapter 74

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Chapter 74: Prelude to Slaughter

Lin Mo glanced around the bus cabin. Although he could defeat the group of robbers, he wasn’t an assassin. As a Dragon Knight, his skills focused on straightforward and powerful attacks. Once he made a move, it wouldn’t guarantee the safety of the civilians inside; the bus roof would certainly not hold up.

Realizing the noise might be too loud, Lin Mo shook his head and obediently handed over his backpack while casually pulling out his wallet. Seeing this foreign young man comply, the robber showed a displeased smile, swiftly searching Lin Mo’s belongings. He found over a thousand dollars, several hundred yuan, and mostly Kazakhstan’s currency, the tenge. There were also bank cards, an iPod? A good score! The robber took that too, along with an iPad that looked nice, and an iPhone which he gladly seized. In a matter of moments, the robber professionally stripped Lin Mo of all valuable items.

Accidentally spotting Lin Mo’s passport, he discovered five stars in the design, realizing it was Chinese. No wonder this guy was like a mute trying to speak; his Kazakh was so poor, yet he dared come here. Truly insane!

After discarding the empty wallet, travel snacks, and the bag with only clothes left, the robber mimed at Lin Mo, waving his gun and glaring fiercely, clearly demanding to know if Lin Mo had anything left hidden. “Otherwise, watch out for the bullets!”

Lin Mo understood perfectly. He shrugged and shook his head, indicating that he had nothing left.

The universal hand gestures for robbery worked across the world, just like sign language, but it required the users to have enough patience. The robbers found it frustrating to rob a foreigner with a language barrier.

“Hm?” The robber was about to turn away when he suddenly squinted, as if noticing something. He pointed his gun at Lin Mo and chattered away, leaving Lin Mo confused.

Language barriers were indeed troublesome. Both Lin Mo and the robber agreed on that point. The unfortunate language barrier had caused Lin Mo to only retain part of the English knowledge from the prior body while having practiced some daily Kazakh, but he stuttered even then, able only to engage in simple communication. Since Lin Mo didn’t need to exchange many words with his contacts, who all spoke either Chinese or English, he didn’t worry about sounding nonsensical in a foreign land. Plus, due to extensive trade between China and Kazakhstan, there were many Kazakhs who spoke Chinese.

The robber, aiming the gun at Lin Mo’s hand, rolled up his sleeve and revealed Lin Mo’s luxurious Longines watch, glimmering in the light.

“Hahaha!” The robber let out a strange laugh, as if discovering treasure, adjusting his aim.

Lin Mo made an “OK” gesture, obediently removed his watch, and handed it over, holding back a chuckle inside. Go ahead, take it. You’ll soon find out it’s easier to invite trouble than to get rid of it.

“Humph!” The robber snatched Lin Mo’s watch, shot him a disdainful look, threw the loot into a designated bag, and retreated with his partners.

Outside the bus, the sound of galloping hooves could be heard as the robbers, carrying their injured comrade and their loot, fled into the distance.

Inside the bus, only the angry breaths of the men, the frightened cries of the women and children, and the uncontrolled wails of the grieving friends of the injured and dead filled the air.

At that moment, Lin Mo stood up from his seat, carefully stepping around the injured and deceased in the aisle, and walked toward the middle door of the bus. The driver had left the front door open but hadn’t opened the middle door, likely to protect everyone inside.

Covered in blood, the driver suddenly dashed from the front and back pilot’s seat to grab Lin Mo tightly. He babbled loudly, but judging by his anxious expression and tone, Lin Mo could guess that the driver feared he intended to walk off alone or seek revenge on the robbers. Either way, it was a foolish action. Even if he encountered armed bandits, the predators of the night in the grasslands weren’t easy to deal with.

Lin Mo smiled nonchalantly, shaking off the driver’s grip and repeatedly saying, “OK! OK!” The words didn’t convey much, but the driver found that he couldn’t hold onto this young man. He slipped right out of his grasp and took two or three steps to exit the bus.

The driver wanted to chase after him, but Lin Mo casually pushed him back down into the bus with a light shove. He sat there dumbfounded, watching Lin Mo walk away step by step.

This young man must be insane to think he could stroll across the grasslands alone. The driver could only watch as Lin Mo disappeared from sight, knowing they had passengers to care for, needed to assist the injured, and awaited help.

In this world without a Dragon God, but filled with legends of dragons, Lin Mo’s Dragon Knight Pact left him with only the ability to communicate telepathically. Although the robbers galloped away on horseback, the watch they had stolen was a deadly metal dragon. It’s said that ignorance breeds fearlessness. If the robbers knew the truth, they wouldn’t even have the courage to get close, let alone attempt a robbery.

Feeling confident, Lin Mo began to follow the path the robbers had taken, taking slow steps in their direction.

He wasn’t in a rush; after all, he had plenty of strength left. A Dragon Knight wouldn’t tire from walking, but the outlaws would need to stop and rest. Lin Mo was certain he had them at his mercy.

He didn’t immediately kill them with Gold Coins because he wanted to avoid the aftermath. The reasoning skills of the human race in this world were simply too formidable. If they found out about any sort of monster, it wouldn’t take much for them to connect it back to him, and then he would be left speechless. Primarily, he feared the complication it would bring. As a Dragon Knight, he was only responsible for taking lives; there was no concern for cleanup after the fact. Without any support from the old Aerial Knights, Lin Mo remained the sole Dragon Knight in the world. He had to rely on himself and proceed cautiously.

The robbers, cunning as they were, dashed twenty kilometers in one direction before veering in another, galloping at full speed, truly living up to the reputation of a people known for their horsemanship.

What they didn’t know was that someone was quietly following them, using telepathic communication to track their movements, steadily and effortlessly trailing them.

Though Lin Mo’s pace was slow, each step spanned the distance of two or three normal strides, making him seem like a wraith amid the vast grassland. Having once donned hundreds of pounds of heavy Dragon Knight armor and moved gracefully, he could surely cover ground quickly now without any weight holding him back. If he truly sprinted, he might not lag far behind the horses.

As night fell, Lin Mo continued down the path, still led by the shining Gold Coin from the watch in the robbers’ sack. Even though he could barely see his hand in front of him, the faint starlight directed him clearly, making the robbers’ location stand out like a beam of light in his mind.

Although the robbers had already prepared a resting spot and switched out their horses, fatigue began to set in once night fell, prompting them to camp on the grasslands.

By now, the police had likely arrived at the bus scene, but it would take at least two to three hours for them to reach the site, given the time needed for treatment and reporting. Finding the robbers amid the vast grasslands would not be an easy task.

The grass, reaching knee height, easily concealed all hoofprints, and at any time, the robbers could disguise themselves as herders, successfully avoiding aerial searches.

Several temporary tents surrounded a small camp, where a portable field stove heated a pot of soup. A sharp Kazakh knife sliced through chunks of smoked meat, occasionally sprinkling in some spices, as the steam wafted deliciously into the air.

A large patch of grass had been cut surrounding the camp, mixed with bean cakes to feed the horses. A bearded robber pulled out small bottles of vodka from a bag on horseback and tossed them to the person sitting by the camp stove. They each took turns drinking from the bottle while waiting for the soup to cook, occasionally breaking into a few lines of a folk song to express their joy over their day’s spoils.

Impatient as ever, one robber pulled open the bag to examine their loot, bursting into laughter.

They had heaps of cash, gold, silver, jewelry, and other valuables. This group of outlaws eagerly counted their bounty while planning how to quickly sell it for cash, imagining a future filled with indulgent parties and lavish living. They completely disregarded the army and police, viewing this as a life-and-death game that required only speed; one day at a time, they wouldn’t care whether they’d get shot or thrown in jail later.

The solid fuel in the stove burned with a faint blue flame while the soup pot bubbled with a mix of meat, vegetables, and more. The famished robbers could hardly contain themselves as they pulled out their bowls and split the bread amongst themselves, ready to feast.

“@#$%^&*” Voices could be heard from far away, but Lin Mo couldn’t understand the words. It turned out he hadn’t learned any criminal slang.

The robbers turned in surprise, noticing a young man standing at the edge of the camp. The dim light of the LED lamp by the tent illuminated his face, where he wore a cheerful grin, watching them.

If they could understand Chinese, they would have heard Lin Mo calling out, “It smells so good! Do any of you have an extra serving?!”

This Dragon Knight had a way of showing up right at mealtime.

“It’s him! I saw this guy on the bus during the day! I even robbed his watch!” One of the robbers suddenly stood up, pointing at Lin Mo.

How did he catch up? Was there someone else with him? The robbers felt as if a powerful enemy had approached, hurriedly dropping their dishes, scrambling to retrieve their guns, and aiming them at Lin Mo. They also pointed flashlights around Lin Mo, searching for any military or police forces surrounding them.