Chapter 58
The Prey
Finn, who was running ahead, slowly stopped, and Cliff, who was behind, finally caught up with him.
"Fan...you're running too fast." Cliff put one hand on Fan's shoulder, bent over and breathing heavily.
Finn did not respond, and Cliff, with his mouth wide open, struggled to lift his head.
A tall figure riding a black horse appeared in front of me. The figure was standing under a tree, wearing a cowboy hat, so I couldn't see his face clearly.
Then, the man slowly pulled an axe from a bag on the side of the horse; the axe gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
The black horse impatiently stomped its foot on the ground, snorted irritably, and stared intently at the two of them.
Finn dared not move; fear gripped his throat, rendering him unable to utter a sound.
"Run!" Cliff grabbed Finn and they dashed into the nearby woods.
Finn finally regained control of his body and tried to keep up with Cliff.
Caesar moved too; the Night Fury charged forward, head down, as if it wanted to smash Finn to death.
With a sharp axe raised, Caesar brought it down in a swift, powerful strike as he approached Finn.
The axe sliced through Finn's arm, and amidst the flying blood and the stray severed hand, Finn took several steps forward before he realized what had happened.
Finn clutched his arm and let out a terrible scream.
Cliff glanced back.
Finn clutched his arm, rolled on the ground, and screamed.
The figure riding a black horse stood behind Finn, raising the execution axe high.
The moonlight flashed across the axe blade, and it fell almost without hesitation.
Cliff didn't look back. He knew Finn was beyond saving, so he could only run forward with his head down, trying to escape the dark figure.
But Cliff hadn't run far when he saw several similar dark figures ahead of him.
Lloyd appeared in the moonlight riding a white horse. Cliff saw his face clearly and heard him say, "Cliff, run!"
"run!"
Cliff turned around and ran in a panic in another direction.
"Let's go, whoever kills the first one gets to keep it." Lloyd glanced at his companions and took out a lasso from the bag on his horse.
Colby rushed out immediately, followed closely by Tite.
Ryan pulled out his pistol and tilted his head at Lloyd: "Let's go."
Lloyd spurred his horse forward impatiently, brandishing the lasso: "It's no fun with a gun."
"Safety is the most important thing," Rick said, then rode off at full speed, leaving Lloyd behind.
Seeing the three walk away, Lloyd smiled and said, "Well, well, you don't take this old man seriously, do you? You little brats, let me show you what you're made of."
Lloyd tugged on the reins, and the white horse immediately turned around and galloped off to one side, disappearing into the forest in the blink of an eye.
Cliff was running wildly through the dark forest.
Cliff's chest heaved violently like a broken bellows, and he gasped for breath, not daring to stop for a moment, glancing back every now and then with eyes full of terror.
"Fuck, a bunch of lunatics."
Cliff ran behind a thick tree and hid, leaning against it trying to calm his breathing, his eyes filled with resentment.
"If you want to hunt me, I'll break your teeth too!"
"Let's see who the prey is!"
Cliff took the two pistols from his waist, turned off the safety, and slowly squatted down.
The ground trembled slightly; someone was approaching.
A fierce glint flashed in Cliff's eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
coming!
Cliff counted the beats in his mind, estimating when the person would arrive, but he didn't notice that the moonlight shone on him, casting a shadow on the ground.
"Where did that bastard go?"
A burly male voice rang out, and Cliff tightened his grip on his pistol, holding his breath.
"Keep looking. We can't let him go. Lloyd said he'd hang him."
It was a woman's voice.
If you want to hang me up, I'll kill you first.
Cliff's expression was fierce as he drew closer.
The sound of horses' hooves was right beside me; it was at that moment.
Cliff seized the opportunity, leaping out of the tree with a triumphant grin on his face. "You sons of bitches, die!"
When Cliff saw what was happening before him, a gunshot rang out, and the smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by pain.
He didn't see those two hateful figures in front of him, only Cliff's teammates.
They were tied to two large trees, their mouths were covered, and tears and snot streamed down their faces; they were so frightened that they lost control of their bladders.
Cliff's shots hit two team members, who glared at him with resentment.
Cliff fell to the ground, quickly suppressing his guilt and trying to defend himself against the enemy.
Colby and Tite emerged from two different places and opened fire immediately.
The gun struck Cliff's wrist, causing him to scream in pain and drop the pistol.
"ah!!!"
Cliff writhed on the ground like a maggot. Suddenly, he stood up and ran forward despite the pain.
His hands could only swing at his sides, and blood splattered on the grass.
"If you're going to die, then die cleanly! Don't get in my way of living!"
Cliff's forehead veins bulged, as if he were defending himself or trying to convince himself, and he roared.
He stumbled forward, but his injuries were too severe, and Cliff eventually collapsed in front of a tree.
Cliff, his cheek stained with his own blood, leaned against a large tree, waiting for the sound of hooves to approach.
In an instant, Colby and Tite appeared before Cliff on horseback. Colby looked at him and asked sarcastically.
"When you robbed us, did you ever imagine this moment would come?"
Cliff scoffed. "Are you still a child?"
"However, if I had known this moment would come, I would have killed you all and taken all your food."
Cliff roared angrily, "I don't regret it! I don't regret it!"
Colby smiled with relief. "I don't regret taking action against you either."
As he spoke, Colby pulled a sickle from his bag, the moonlight flashing across the upright blade.
"Don't worry, I knew I was coming for revenge tonight, so I sharpened my scythe."
Colby lowered his scythe and gently urged the horse forward, which took small, quick steps.
As the speed increased, the small steps turned into long strides. Colby, riding the horse at high speed, raised his scythe, ready to decapitate his opponent with a single blow.
Cliff raised his head, ready to face death.
Just then, a ring flew out, firmly looping around Cliff's head and choking him, pulling him away from the scythe with tremendous force.
The sickle struck the tree trunk, sending wood chips and fragments flying.
"Colby, as a cowboy, you're too kind to your enemies."
An elderly voice rang out, and Colby and Tite looked up to see Lloyd.
Lloyd brandished the ring toss ring in his hand, looking as smug as a child: "This prey is mine now. I'll show you how to toy with your prey to death."