Chapter 194: Reaping What One Sows

Without her needing to say another word, the other end of the thick vine immediately bore a new weight.

In just an instant, the entire vine was pulled taut. Even though the massive tree bore half the weight, she still felt the end of the vine heavy and unbelievably burdensome.

That had to be the weight of the lean man—far heavier than she had imagined. She practically threw her entire body onto the vine just to barely balance the forces on both ends.

Meanwhile, Garlo, who stood to the side watching coldly, remained silent. However, the way she looped the vine around the thick trunk of the giant tree seemed to strike him as odd. Yet, he still didn’t ask any questions.

Sha Yi thought he was sulking, throwing a tantrum at her. Otherwise, given his usual temperament, he would have long since trotted over to bombard her with endless questions.

At this point, she couldn’t be bothered to say anything more to him.

After all, pulling the thick vine was no easy task. She didn’t have their strength, and just holding onto the vine was already taking all her breath. Speaking now would be beyond her capacity.

Fortunately, the lean man was capable on his own. In no time, he scrambled up.

Sha Yi didn’t dare let her guard down. As soon as he reached the collapsed gap and grabbed onto the tangle of vegetation, she immediately let go.

Better safe than sorry.

She wasn’t willing to take risks. This tall, lean man was far too cunning and malicious. If she exerted herself to help him, there was a chance he might kick her back down when she least expected it.

He had made it clear—he wanted her dead. She wasn’t stupid!

When the man saw her quickly retract her hand, his face darkened as he shot her a glance. Though he said nothing, the murderous intent in his ash-gray eyes was unmistakable.

Sha Yi was startled.

But the man who had been glaring at her unhappily suddenly pulled her aside at the critical moment, glaring furiously at the lean man. “If you even think of pulling anything, I’ll send you right back down there myself!”

Hearing Garlo curse again, Sha Yi felt both exasperated and amused. Still, she knew that in such a critical moment, making the man think twice was the right move. Even if Garlo was being crude, it was exactly what was needed to deal with this scheming man.

Perhaps, earlier, because Saina was injured and the man’s target was solely her, he hadn’t paid much attention to Saina. Maybe he even assumed Saina wouldn’t help her much. But the facts proved him wrong.

Not only had Saina risked his life to save her, but the unexpected turn of events had landed all three of them in the underground oil pit.

Despite Saina’s severe injuries, the resistance he posed was not to be underestimated.

Now, Garlo was even more formidable—big, strong, and uninjured. Compared to them, his stamina was far less depleted. Even if he didn’t get along with them, he was still on their side. At the very least, in a fight, he wouldn’t abandon her.

So, no matter how you looked at it, the lean man was on his own.

This dynamic was highly advantageous for their side.

Sha Yi figured that as long as the lean man didn’t find an opening or opportunity, he wouldn’t dare provoke them further. After all, he probably couldn’t handle two men at once.

Moreover, Garlo’s brute strength was a serious threat.

She didn’t dare act recklessly again, silently watching as the two men engaged in a glaring contest.

Truthfully, she was a little worried.

In the collapsed underground oil pit, if the viscous liquid burned long enough, the narrow exit—blocked and sealed—would trap the heat, greatly increasing the risk of an explosion. The flammable, paste-like substance already contained highly explosive chemical components. The longer they stayed, the greater the danger.

Thinking this, she couldn’t help but poke Garlo’s back, signaling him to deal with the man quickly.

Unexpectedly, he couldn’t be bothered with words anymore and lunged straight at the man.

Sha Yi watched, heart pounding, but she understood.

If the man had abandoned his plan to kill her after climbing up, he would have fled immediately. Because once Saina got up, both men would undoubtedly attack him together—a situation extremely unfavorable for him.

Even a fool could see the current dynamic.

Yet, he clung to the edge of the collapsed pit, neither speaking nor running.

This alone proved he still harbored intentions to kill her.

Garlo’s insight wasn’t quite as sharp as Saina’s, but he was still a cunning schemer who often played dirty. So, in this situation, he wasn’t stupid—he saw through it at a glance.

However, he wasn’t Xiyi or Saina. If a problem could be solved with brute force, he wouldn’t waste time thinking or talking.

That was probably the only straightforward thing about him.

She guessed he was also wary of getting into a war of words with the lean man—after all, he often ended up tangled in his own arguments.

Sometimes, the extremes of a person’s personality were downright frustrating.

The two men quickly rolled into a brawl.

Neither had weapons, relying solely on brute force. She didn’t need to worry anymore. The priority now was to pull Saina up as quickly as possible.

But Saina’s injuries were severe. She had no hope he could climb up on his own.

Thinking this, she looped the thick vine another time around the tree trunk and tossed the other end back down. Then, she called out again, “Saina, grab the vine! I’ll pull you up!”

He didn’t respond verbally, just as before when she had pulled the lean man up. Instead, he shook the vine to signal he was ready.

This time, she braced her foot against the giant tree and pulled with all her might.

Saina weighed about the same as the lean man—neither was light. The effort strained her, especially after already exerting herself earlier.

If Garlo hadn’t been keeping the lean man occupied, she wouldn’t have had enough time to pull Saina up.

When she finally got him up, she realized his wounds had worsened—likely from overexertion. He was drenched in sweat, and the skirt she had tied around his waist was soaked in blood. His face was even paler than before.

She reached out, intending to press on his wounds, when a muffled explosion sounded from the depths of the pit.

Her heart lurched. Sha Yi quickly grabbed the injured man, who was leaning heavily against the tree and panting, while shouting at the two figures still locked in combat, “Garlo, stop fighting! The oil pit’s about to explode!”

Hearing this, the burly man—who had clearly gained the upper hand—startled. As he turned to look at her, the lean man landed a punch squarely on his eye.

Garlo flew into a rage, instantly forgetting her warning. He flipped the lean man beneath him and rained down punches with terrifying speed and force.

Sha Yi stared, stunned.

The lean man, caught off guard, was immediately pummeled senseless.

After struggling with Saina, falling into the oil pit, and exhausting himself to climb back up, he had the audacity to pick a fight with Garlo.

She could only describe him as “asking for death.”

Someone like Garlo only responded to force. Brutal and savage by nature, the only way to overpower him was either through wits or matching his violence with violence. Otherwise, the only outcome was utter defeat.

Just like now.

She had no doubt the lean man was about to suffer terribly at Garlo’s hands.

The more beaten down he got, the fiercer Garlo became. Honestly, his frenzy reminded her of a modern-day pitbull—the more he fought, the more energized he got. The more pain he felt, the more relentless he became.

Sure enough, within moments, the lean man paid dearly for that accidental punch—his face was a bloody mess.

Another muffled rumble came from underground.

Sha Yi’s heart pounded with fear, but she knew she couldn’t let Garlo keep this up. If they delayed any longer, the explosion could kill them all.

They needed to leave. Now.

With that in mind, she shouted urgently, “Garlo, are you coming or not? If you don’t leave now, we’re going ahead! Don’t say I didn’t warn you when something happens!”

Garlo turned, eyes wide with outrage. “You’ve got no conscience! I’m doing this for you, and you’re just going to abandon me and run off with that half-dead guy?”

His jealousy-laden words made her speechless. “I’ve warned you twice! If you don’t leave, that’s on you! Do you expect us to die with you? You don’t understand how powerful an explosion is, but I do! Last warning—stay and die if you want!”

Done talking, she turned and helped the bleeding Saina toward the edge of the forest.

Seeing this, Garlo—still straddling the lean man—panicked. In his hesitation, the lean man suddenly shoved him aside, scrambled up, and bolted.

But Garlo reacted just as fast. From his sprawled position, he stuck out a leg and tripped the man, sending him face-first into the dirt. Not content with that, he somehow produced one of Saina’s blackwood arrows with red feathers and stabbed it into the lean man’s calf.

The man howled in pain, but Garlo ignored it. Seizing another arrow, he drove it deep into the man’s leg while he was still off-balance.