Chapter 084: Concealed Troop Tactics

As the enemy leader was rallying his troops, bewildered by the sudden death of their "master," the giant ape, Luo Chong took advantage of the distraction to command his tribesmen to shoot. With the twang of bowstrings, eleven arrows swiftly struck, hitting various targets.

"Ah, those flesh apes have speared me! They are still here; everyone, rush them!" The leader, his thigh pierced by Luo Chong's arrow, shouted in fury.

Indeed, Luo Chong didn't aim to kill the leader; an incapacitated leader could lead his followers more aggressively out of vengeance. Especially since Han tribe's arrows were made simply of pointed sticks, not proper arrowheads—they inflicted painful, but not immediately fatal, wounds. Given this, the leader's frustration was expected to ensure his relentless pursuit of Luo Chong, aligning perfectly with Luo Chong's strategy.

After their initial volley, the tribesmen reaped a good harvest, hitting many of their targets due to the short distance and their fixed positions, though only two enemies were fatally wounded. This outcome was just as Luo Chong had hoped: minimal enemy casualties to sustain their chase.

"Everyone, run! There are too many of them; we can't defeat them," Luo Chong yelled, reminding his tribe to retreat while signaling their location to the enemy.

Predictably, the enemy leader, driven by anger and pain, commanded his men to pursue. "Those flesh apes are over there; they killed our master. We must kill them and take their weapons as offerings to appease our master's spirit, or we face death upon return. Charge!"

"Run south!" Luo Chong continued to shout as he and his tribesmen fled. Maintaining a 100-meter distance from their pursuers, they were out of range for spears or thrown axes, much to the chagrin of the enemy leader.

In this manner, the chase continued with the Han tribesmen occasionally stopping to shoot back whenever a clearing provided a clear line of sight. Each time, they managed to injure a few pursuers without aiming to kill, further inflaming the enemy's frustration.

As dawn approached, they reached the edge of the Dark Forest at the foot of a densely wooded but low hill. Crossing the ridge would bring them into the territory of the Black Rat Tribe. Luo Chong planned precisely for this moment, intending to divert the cannibals' attention towards the unsuspecting tribe.

"Prepare yourselves. When we get to the clearing ahead, we'll shoot another volley and then continue running. Make sure to shout and keep them on our trail," Luo Chong instructed as they approached the clearing.

"Yes!" came the unanimous response.

Upon reaching the clearing, they quickly fired another round of arrows, causing a few more enemy casualties. Immediately afterward, they resumed their flight, heading straight for the Black Rat Tribe's territory.

"Fast, keep up! If we can capture their weapons, we can offer them to our master. His spirit might spare us from the wrath of the other giants," the enemy leader urged, limping and frustrated by the ineffectiveness of his own weapons compared to the Han's arrows.

Unbeknownst to the pursuers, as they reached the forest's edge, Luo Chong's men began to climb into the trees one by one, disappearing from sight. Only Luo Chong remained on the ground, shouting provocations to ensure the cannibals continued straight into the Black Rat Tribe's area.

By the time Luo Chong finally ascended a tree himself, the enemy was thoroughly convinced that the Han tribesmen had retreated to their village. Focused solely on the prospect of raiding for revenge and capturing valuable weapons, they pushed forward—straight into another tribe's land, exactly as Luo Chong had planned.