The path through the forest was extremely muddy. The low temperatures had created a layer of permafrost, and a fall on it would mean a broken bone, if not permanent disability.

"Over there, it looks like there’s a skull."

Ronan Kendrick pointed to a tree on the right. Evelyn Ford looked through her binoculars and saw the skull swaying in the wind.

Evelyn Ford turned to Officer Graham. "Mr. Graham, you and Wendy stay here. This is for you. Ronan and I will go down and take a look."

Evelyn Ford handed him a gun. Officer Graham’s expression was quite serious. "Alright. Don’t worry, I’ll guard the boat."

"We’ll be back as soon as we can."

Evelyn Ford’s eyelid was twitching nonstop. As she stared at the skull, a bad feeling crept into her heart.

The two of them slid down the hemp rope. The moment Evelyn Ford landed, she found that the permafrost was incredibly sticky, clinging to her shoes.

There were no fallen leaves in the forest, so their only option was to follow the muddy path.

As they entered the forest and walked up to the skull, Evelyn Ford discovered that behind it were densely packed skulls, including those of cattle and sheep.

"This must be a tribe," she said. "There are many tribes like this in other countries. They worship livestock like cattle and sheep, beheading them for sacrificial offerings. Some also practice human sacrifice."

"There’s firelight and singing inside," Ronan Kendrick said in a low voice, his ears twitching.

"So it really is a tribe. These kinds of people are savages who drink blood and eat raw flesh. We need to be careful."

The two advanced slowly, trying not to make a sound. When they saw the glow of a huge fire and heard incomprehensible chanting, Ronan Kendrick found a place to hide, and they stayed put, not daring to make a reckless move.

"Ooh-ooh-ooh..."

A series of monkey-like shrieks came from inside the camp. Evelyn Ford took out her binoculars and peeked over the mound of mud they were hiding behind to assess the situation.

"Ronan, these people are so tall. And they have long hair on their faces and bodies."

Ronan Kendrick’s eyes narrowed. "It seems this isn’t a primitive tribe, but a Savage Tribe."

Evelyn Ford’s heart sank to the pit of her stomach.

A group of savages clad in sheep and cow hides were singing and dancing around a bonfire. Kneeling before the flames were several people, and the lead savage held a whip, relentlessly lashing them.

The prisoners kept their heads bowed, and Evelyn Ford couldn’t see their faces.

"It’s Quincy and the others."

Evelyn Ford looked back at Ronan Kendrick. "How can you tell?"

"The savage with the whip has a red whistle around his neck. You gave that to Quincy, didn’t you?"

Just then, one of the kneeling people was dragged to their feet. The savages’ cheers grew more frenzied and excited as the person was hauled before a large chopping block, their head forced down, ready for execution.

Evelyn Ford was just about to fire when three shots rang out—BANG! BANG! BANG! Ronan Kendrick had already opened fire, killing the savage dragging the prisoner and the one with the whip.

Startled by the sudden turn of events, the savages screamed and scattered in a panic. They were nearly seven and a half feet tall, beating their chests and roaring in fury. Some of them grabbed spears and stone knives, searching for Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick.

Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick remained hidden, continuing to shoot from the shadows. The prisoners who had been kneeling were scared stiff, all of them cowering on the ground with their hands over their heads, not moving a muscle.

There were about seventy or eighty savages in the group. Unwilling to waste bullets, Evelyn Ford switched to her crossbow and began firing bolts.

Roars of anger and screams of pain filled the air. When one of the savages tried to flee, Evelyn Ford put a bolt straight through its heart.

One of the savages finally spotted their position and charged with a spear, only to be taken down by a headshot from Ronan Kendrick.

Evelyn Ford climbed up from the mound of mud. She raised her crossbow, aiming and firing at the savages. Whether they were women, children, or elderly savages with graying hair, she spared none of them.

Dressed in a military greatcoat, she stepped out from the shadows with Ronan Kendrick right behind her. Both of them were in a killing frenzy. The people still on the ground looked up, saw them, and rubbed their eyes in disbelief.

After the last three fleeing savages were killed, Evelyn Ford pulled out a crossbow bolt and viciously plunged it into the chest of one that was not yet dead.

Blood sprayed across Evelyn Ford’s face, but she ignored it. Instead, she walked over to the few people still kneeling on the ground and pulled them to their feet.

"Evelyn?"

"It’s me."

Quincy was disheveled and filthy, his clothes in tatters and his body covered in wounds. There was hardly a patch of unbroken skin left. He threw his arms around Evelyn Ford and began to sob uncontrollably.

"Evelyn, I thought I’d never see you again."

The others were the same; some were crying tears of joy, while others looked completely numb. Evelyn Ford did a quick count. There were only six of them.

Quincy, Wyatt Vaughn, Miles Vaughn, Peter Owens, Zion Lowell, and Taylor Vance.

"Is there no one else?"

Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell were on the verge of death. Wyatt Vaughn, however, was in better shape; apart from some frostbite, he had no signs of being whipped.

"The others..."

Wyatt Vaughn suddenly burst into tears. "Serena Lynch and her family were washed away by the sea. Some people were buried in the earthquake. Twenty-three of us were captured by the savages... Besides the six of us, everyone else was eaten."

Even though she had braced herself for the worst, Evelyn Ford was still stunned into silence for a long time after hearing this.

Evelyn Ford looked at Taylor Vance. "Secretary Hawthorne, too...?"

Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell’s hair had turned completely white, and their expressions were numb. At Evelyn Ford’s question, Zion Lowell raised his head to look at her.

"He and Cherie were separated from us during the earthquake."

"There’s still some noise back there. I’ll go deal with it," Ronan Kendrick said, leaning close to Evelyn Ford. "You get them out of here first. I’ll come back for the crossbow bolts later."

Evelyn Ford nodded. "Everyone, follow me. The boat is just outside the forest. Let’s get out of here first."

Taylor Vance suddenly grabbed a crossbow bolt and tried to plunge it into his own chest, but Ronan Kendrick swiftly blocked him.

"Evelyn, Ronan, I’m so glad I got to see you both," he said. "But I know my own body. I don’t have many days left. Just let me end it myself."

"Mr. Vance, I won’t try to talk you out of dying," Evelyn said. "But this is a foreign country. Are you sure you want to die here?"

Taylor Vance paused, then looked at Evelyn Ford with bloodshot eyes.

"Let’s go. The boat is just outside."

Evelyn Ford pulled Quincy and Wyatt Vaughn to their feet. Zion Lowell went to support Taylor Vance, while Miles Vaughn and Peter Owens helped each other. They had only taken a few steps when the sound of crying came from behind them. Evelyn led them on a detour, avoiding the path through the forest of skulls.

With the exception of Wyatt Vaughn, the others were barely hanging on by a thread. Quincy and Miles Vaughn were in particularly bad shape, their limbs festering.

Stumbling out of the forest, they were all stunned at the sight of the fishing boat before them.

"Mr. Graham! Wendy!"

Seeing Officer Graham and his daughter, Quincy burst into tears again. Officer Graham was both overjoyed and heartbroken.

He quickly helped pull them aboard.

"How did you all end up like this? You must have suffered terribly."

Even Officer Graham, a grown man, shed tears. Wendy ran over and hugged Quincy, sobbing loudly.

"I’ll go boil some water," Evelyn said. "You all should take a bath and change your clothes. I’ll help treat your wounds afterward. Mr. Graham, could you help them wash up?"

"Alright."

"Evelyn, is there anything to eat?" Quincy asked. His face was covered in sores, and a large patch of hair on his head looked like it had been violently torn out, taking the scalp with it.

"Yes. I’ll get some congee. Take some painkillers first."

Evelyn Ford gave each of them a painkiller. After putting the water on to boil, she went into the kitchen and took all the congee out of her spatial inventory.

"The congee is ready. It’s a little hot."

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the pot in Evelyn Ford’s hands. Seeing their ravenous, wolf-like stares, she sighed to herself.