Chapter 767: Chapter 56: Fierce Battle (Part 2) Chapter 767: Chapter 56: Fierce Battle (Part 2) At this moment, the battle was raging fiercely, with the companies’ men and weapons being relatively superior, and their tactics even more advanced. They used long spears and tight formations of musketeers in coordination with the civilized tribes, and although the uncivilized tribes fought fearlessly, not even falling despite getting shot multiple times, they still kept losing ground under the relentless gunfire.

Sensing that the uncivilized tribes were losing, a horn sounded in the distance, and from the depths of the jungle emerged a pygmy elephant with blood-red eyes, knocking a member of the civilized tribe to the ground. Its foot crushed the man’s stomach, making him vomit blood endlessly, obviously not surviving. Immediately after, dozens of frenzied pygmy elephants charged out of the forest, while those from the uncivilized tribes lifted their heavily injured companions and retreated in small groups.

“They’re planning to run.”

Cha Xiaodao was able to discern this, and so naturally could the Treasure Ship King on the battlefield. He immediately ordered a pursuit. The companies had many hands, and the few dozen pygmy elephants only caused some disturbance but could not hinder the advance of the masses. Soon, everyone had penetrated the dense jungle, leaving behind only pools of blood, explosion craters from cannon fire, and the lifeless bodies of pygmy elephants killed by the chaotic spears and muskets.

The dense jungle became deep, quiet, and suddenly serene.

Cha Xiaodao looked towards Zheng Xiu, “Shall I go and scout around?”

“Why trouble Mr. Cha for such a matter?”

Zheng Xiu gave a meaningful look to one of his Gaoli ghosts, who nodded in agreement and descended the hill.

In a short while, there was a sudden ‘puff’ from within the deep forest, setting off a massive red explosion that shot up over ten meters high and spanned about one or two li in diameter. There was no fire, just thick red smoke filling the sky. It started to disperse with the wind, gradually spreading out.

Gunfire and cannon fire followed in rapid succession, sounding like a fierce battle had erupted again.

Zheng Xiu extended his hand to check the wind direction and, making sure it wouldn’t reach his position, frowned at Cha Xiaodao, “Could it be that the Treasure Ship King and his men have walked into an ambush?”

“It looks very likely.”

About half an hour later, the sounds of fighting finally ceased, but still, no one emerged from the deep forest, not even the Gaoli ghost Zheng Xiu had sent out, who failed to return in time with news.

“I think I should take a look.”

Cha Xiaodao volunteered again.

Zheng Xiu frowned and thought for a while but still refused, “Borneo is full of mysteries, and it’s said that even Buddhist teachings cannot fully describe it. With the situation still unclear, if Mr. Cha does not return as well, I truly wouldn’t know what to do. We should not get involved carelessly. If Xiao Qi doesn’t return by nightfall, we’ll go back and reassess.”

Cha Xiaodao shook his head, “We can’t go. Since we’ve come to the island of Borneo, we have to deal with the uncivilized tribes eventually. Even if we leave today, would that solve the problem? After all, Lin Ajin and Cai Qian are old acquaintances of ours, and we can communicate with each other. If they were to fail in there, who else would be left on the island? The uncivilized tribes? The civilized ones? The Red Hair? Dealing with them would be even more difficult than dealing with Lin Ajin. Not to mention, Xiao Qi is missing. As for my safety… I am confident.”

Indeed, with Cha Xiaodao’s skills, none of the so-called power players of the South Seas, including the manipulative mastermind Cai Qian, were any match for him.

The reason he had not acted rashly was that he had learned from the experiences of Li Yan during the battle on Lantau Island.

Months before the naval battle at Lantau Island, Cha Xiaodao had initially not taken the so-called Allied Fleet seriously. He had always been focused on the technological evolution in the South Seas and the power dynamics of various parties. He had a clear assessment of the Allied Fleet’s capabilities. With the combined strength of Li Cha and himself, plus Lantau Island’s robust ships and powerful cannons, Cha Xiaodao was slowly gaining confidence in defeating the Allied Fleet. He even had plans to annihilate them entirely. Initially eager, he was entertaining this very idea.

However, Li Yan firmly opposed it, insisting on temporarily abandoning Lantau Island to preserve their forces. He believed that the Yan Fu incident would elevate the difficulty, but the Allied Fleet posed no threat to the duo. The very nature of this incident was highly suspicious.

Li Yan was proven right.

If the sailors from Lantau Island and the Allied Forces had clashed head-on at sea, and the fierce battle was at its peak, Yan Gong’s sudden appearance could have triggered the Heavenly Mother Crossing the Sea, and the consequences would have been unfathomable.

After the maritime disaster at Lantau Island, the casualties of the Allied Forces were grossly exaggerated. Yang Sheng, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi who had advocated for this battle, not only failed to receive commendation for eradicating the pirates of Lantau Island but was also demoted and sidetracked. In reality, only a fraction of the Allied Forces’ casualties were caused by Li Yan. Most were due to the residual might of Yan Gong. If the sailors from Lantau Island had not left, they too would likely have fallen victim to collateral damage.

Despite the fact that the situation later spiraled out of Li Yan’s control, with the Red Flag’s influence among the populace being exploited by some rascally Five Dragon Sect leader, the situation became even more complicated. But this undoubtedly served as a wake-up call for Cha Xiaodao.

Today, Borneo Island is afflicted with the Tri-Buddha curse that has caused generations of the Lin Family to perish prematurely, and also the phenomenon known as the Black Tea Tide, which is as notorious as the Heavenly Mother Crossing the Sea. The difficulty of this event is likely to be no less formidable. Hence, Cha Xiaodao chose to observe and wait until Zheng Xiu’s main force landed on the island.

But now, Cha Xiaodao was no longer willing to wait. As he had just mentioned, waiting would not improve the situation. Having braved countless battles in Yan Fu over the years, and with a wealth of experience, he had a gut feeling that if he did not take action soon, both the Treasure Ship King and Cai Qian would be doomed, and the situation would slide towards an even worse direction.

“Um, may I join you? Perhaps I could be of help.”

Ruchika, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

“You?”

Cha Xiaodao didn’t really want to bring along a burden.

“The mist is likely from the spores of the Dionysus Giant Mushroom, a highly toxic parasitic powder. When inhaled by animals, it is absorbed by the alveolar walls into the bloodstream and then parasites itself in the human body’s blood vessels. Those who are infected ultimately die of severe internal bleeding, a particularly distressing death.”

Just the description from Ruchika was enough to send a chill down one’s spine, and Zheng Xiu’s brows furrowed deeply upon hearing it.

“However, as long as one drinks strong liquor, it can effectively kill the spores inside the body. With the correct response, the Dionysus Giant Mushroom isn’t something to fear. Plus, it’s delicious.”

Ruchika spoke rapidly, “Those uncivilized tribes should possess the ability to manipulate the animals and plants of the dense forest. Studying biology was a subject of my teacher Saint Watson, and I’ve learned the basics from him. I believe I can be of help.”

“Fine, go with Mr. Cha. Mr. Cha, do your best but make sure to prioritize your safety if anything goes awry.”

“I’ll go, but I have a demand!” Ruchika raised his hand.

“A demand?” Zheng Xiu laughed lightly, reaching for Ruchika’s neck. She grasped the wrinkled collar of his shirt and yanked him forcefully towards her, looking him in the eye: “You were saved by me from the sea. Your life is mine, you have no right to make demands of me.”