Full-Time Public Enemy

Chen Gu and the other members of the special operations team went to sleep. They were firm in their confidence in Chen Gu, knowing that if the beast suddenly turned violent, the revelation of its malicious intent would instantly awaken them all.

However, the other followers were unaware of this. They lay down beside the giant beast with fear and trepidation, clutching their weapons, their eyes wide open.

Thus, while Da Jiu watched over the surrounding wilderness, they watched over Da Jiu. The night seemed endlessly long.

The next day, when they resumed their journey, the ordinary followers were all lacking energy, nodding off after just a few steps.

Chen Gu knew not to rush. Subduing the giant beast was part of his plan, a way to introduce the belief to his followers that "all creatures are the children of our God." This, in turn, would lead to the acceptance of the concept that "all beings are equal." Without this concept underpinning their actions, their rebellion against the royal family would merely be labeled "insurrection"—an act of defiance.

Though it might sound like a seemingly optional mindset, what Chen Gu wanted was not a few isolated outbreaks of minor trouble. He aimed for a sweeping change across the entire planet.

After traveling for an hour, they needed to rest. This left Charles with no choice but to report to Chen Gu, "At this pace, I'm afraid it will take us four days to reach Potsdam City."

He wanted to gently persuade the Prophet to drive away the terrifying beast. With it present, everyone was constantly on edge and unable to rest properly, whether at night or during the day.

Chen Gu, however, seemed not to understand. "On the path arranged by our God, there is no need to worry."

Upon hearing this, Charles immediately knelt and repented for his sins. As Chen Gu spoke these words, however, his gaze was fixed on a distant mountain peak, his mind seemingly occupied with other thoughts.

Atop that mountain peak, a group of people lay in ambush within the dense primeval jungle. They were a ragtag bunch, armed with various weapons, including matchlock guns. Over the years, a considerable number of matchlock guns had been "lost" or "damaged" in battle, eventually falling into the hands of bandits.

The leader of this group of "bandits" had a head slightly longer than the others and one blind eye, covered by a black eyepatch. A broad, palm-wide leather belt hung around his waist, into which was tucked a pair of peculiar short guns. They somewhat resembled matchlock guns, yet were not quite the same.

His other eye, however, was exceptionally clear. He descended from a large tree with two other agile bandits, a grass root clenched between his teeth. He cursed dissatisfiedly, "City folk are truly unreliable! What kind of information is this? They got the numbers right, but why didn't they tell us these people were accompanied by an Eight-Toothed Terror Beast?"

The bandits chattered amongst themselves. "If it were just a group of believers, even though we're slightly outnumbered, we could have taken them all down. But an Eight-Toothed Terror Beast... that's no joke."

"Even the boss's guns would hardly inflict a fatal wound on such a huge creature." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Not worth it, not worth it at all."

The one-eyed leader stroked his bristly chin and then said, "A head-on fight is indeed not worth the cost. But hey, why should we fight them head-on?"

"Have you forgotten the poisoned spring we mistakenly drank from a few days ago?"

His followers' eyes lit up. "Right, good idea!"

All of them had survived for years in the wilderness and possessed ample experience in judging the safety of food and water. Yet, that spring's water—colorless, tasteless, and indistinguishable from any ordinary spring—had tricked even them. Luckily, the water only caused paralysis. After lying motionless under a few large trees for more than two hours, they managed to survive, largely because it was daytime and no large predators were active. Their only misfortune was ending up with several splotches of bird droppings on them.

"Split into two groups! One will secretly follow them, and the other will fetch water from the poisoned spring!"

...

When the sun began to set in the west, everyone was clearly weary and unable to walk further. Chen Gu declared they would find a place to camp. They would not push on today but rest well tonight and resume their journey tomorrow.

Some cut down trees to clear a campsite, while others were assigned to find water sources.

Four followers quickly found a clear creek in the nearby mountains and returned with water in leather pouches.

That evening, everyone drank this water, including Da Jiu, who was also suffering from unbearable thirst.

Then, just as night fell and the campfire was lit, everyone began to feel immensely weak. They confessed to Chen Gu, "Prophet, we'll take our rest first."

But as they stood up to walk to their spots, their bodies no longer obeyed their commands, and they collapsed with a THUD.

As if it were contagious, the followers fell one after another.

Da Jiu seemed to sense danger. It stood up with a thunderous roar towards the darkness, but its massive body stumbled. It made several attempts to stay upright, yet ultimately, it fell helplessly. Its head rested on the ground, its large eyes filled with unresigned frustration.

In the entire camp, only Chen Gu and the special operations team sat cross-legged, motionless. However, in the eyes of the bandits, they too must have been weakened to the point of immobility.

"HEE HEE HEE!"

"HA HA HA!"

A series of strange laughs echoed as a large group of bandits sprang from the surrounding forest.

The followers lying on the ground immediately realized they were in dire straits; they were most likely about to die at the hands of these bandits. We are sinners for all time! We were supposed to stay alert and escort the Prophet to Potsdam City to accomplish that great cause!