Survival in the Ruins: I can make everything evolve infinitely

Chapter 44: Blood Beard’s Madness

Night fell.

At the base of a hill, a campfire burned brightly.

Two thieves, one tall and one short, stood watch on the hill, scanning their surroundings.

“The boss is furious this time. Who would’ve thought he’d be tricked by those people from the small camp?” the short thief muttered softly.

The tall thief glanced at the campfire below and lowered his voice. “No kidding. The poor scouts were killed on the spot.”

“Good thing the tracker captain went with them. Just one sniff and he knew the scent was days old. Otherwise, we’d still be chasing shadows.”

“We’re heading back tomorrow. Hopefully, we’ll get more water this time.”

“Huh? Look, there’s a light in the distance!” The short thief stood on tiptoe, pointing at the glowing light in the dark distance.

The tall thief shot a glance at it and warned, “Stop staring. Don’t get too curious about those lights; it could get you killed.”

“Why? It might be someone over there. We could go and rob them,” the short thief suggested eagerly.

“Do you want to die?”

The tall thief snapped, “The ferocious beasts at night are terrifying and clever. Sometimes, they use lights to lure in prey.”

“Really?” The short thief jumped in fright.

“Just watch. That light will disappear soon enough,” the tall thief said with a sneer.

“Huh? It’s gone!”

“See? I told you. That beast emitting the light could be as big as this hill for all we know.”@@novelbin@@

“All right, all right. Stop talking about it.”

The night returned to silence.

By dawn, before the sun had even risen, Blood Beard’s bandit gang had regrouped and begun their journey back to the main camp.

The atmosphere was tense as they marched, with Blood Beard having thrown multiple fits and injured several people.

Not even the two head captains, Night Jackal and the Tracker, dared provoke him further.

By evening, they arrived at the valley, where Blood Knife was waiting with a team of around two hundred men.

“What are you doing here? Who’s guarding the camp?” Blood Beard’s face darkened, his hand already on the hilt of his blade.

If he didn’t like the answer, he would make sure this son of his was bedridden for days.

“Father, the cultivation room is gone.”

Blood Knife shrank back fearfully, speaking with a bitter tone. “The cultivation room was infiltrated by thieves, and the important items were stolen.”

“What? Where’s the crystal fish?” Blood Beard’s beard bristled with rage. He grabbed Blood Knife by the collar, spitting in his face.

“It’s… it’s gone too,” Blood Knife stammered, his voice trembling as he met his father’s murderous gaze. “They… they only left some water and dried meat behind.”

Slap!

Blood Beard’s face was a storm cloud as he slapped his son, sending him flying three or four metres.

The crystal fish was the backbone of the bandit gang—the very resource that held it together.

Without it, the gang would inevitably collapse, and no one would respect his authority.

If Blood Knife weren’t his only son, Blood Beard would’ve cut him down on the spot.

“Get out of my sight!” Blood Beard roared, driving everyone away except for the four head captains and Blood Knife.

He didn’t even bother entering the valley, sitting down heavily on a roadside boulder instead.

“Tell me exactly what happened, step by step,” Blood Beard demanded angrily.

“The night before last, the thieves climbed in from the back of the hill and blocked the door after entering,” Blood Knife explained, clutching his swollen face. His voice was muffled. “Yesterday, we pried open the door but found they’d already left. We searched the entire camp but couldn’t find them.”

“How could you be so stupid? Would someone who can climb a hill stay in the camp and wait for you to catch them?”

Blood Beard’s blood-red eyes glared, barely able to contain his temper.

One of the four head captains, Cunning Fox, interjected, “Boss, the priority now is to track the thieves.”

“Exactly. They can’t have gone far. If we act now, we should still catch up,” added the Tracker.

Two days had already passed since the thieves escaped, but no one dared say that catching up to them might be impossible.

“Huff… Did the thieves leave anything behind?” Blood Beard asked, his voice harsh as he suppressed his rage.

“They left some white ropes.” Blood Knife pulled a bundle of semi-transparent white ropes from his pocket.

“Tracker, it’s up to you now.” Blood Beard tossed the ropes to him.

“Yes, Boss.” The Tracker sniffed the ropes, then stiffened in shock.

“Boss, the scent matches the one left by the people from that small camp who lured us away.”

“You mean the ones who tricked us and the thieves who stole from me are the same group?” Blood Beard’s eyebrows shot up.

“Yes. The lingering scent is identical,” the Tracker confirmed with certainty.

“Excellent. So, they dared to scheme against me.”

Blood Beard grinned sinisterly, exposing his yellowed teeth. In a raspy voice, he ordered, “Track them down. I want to see who’s bold enough to play me for a fool.”

“Yes, Boss.” The Tracker respectfully sniffed the air, then the ropes again.

“There’s more rope here.” Blood Knife instructed his men to bring over all the collected ropes.

Sniff sniff~~ The Tracker’s expression shifted as he analysed the scent.

Blood Beard growled coldly, “Speak if you’ve found something.”

“Yes, Boss. There are two additional scents on these ropes. One is faint, and the other is very strong,” the Tracker reported with a serious expression.

He hesitated before adding, “The strong scent doesn’t smell human.”

“I don’t care if it’s human or not.”

Blood Beard’s patience wore thin as he barked, “I’m only asking if you can track it!”

“I can. The strong scent on this rope will lead us straight to them,” the Tracker replied confidently.

As a mutant with dog-like senses, he could track any scent left within the past three days.

“Bring out all the water and meat. Let everyone eat their fill, then we’ll set off.” Blood Beard had lost his sanity.

He was determined to lead his 500-strong gang in a night chase for the thieves.

Without the crystal fish, the gang wouldn’t last long. Reclaiming it was crucial; otherwise, losing some men would at least make things easier to manage.

“Yes, Boss.” Blood Knife began organising the distribution of water and meat.