In the morning, Xiao gets up. He feels refreshed.
"Bro Han, how was the sleep?" Hong is stretching near the door and smiles at Xiao. "I feel fantastic. Thanks for your treat. I have to leave now. If there is a chance, I will requite your kindness."
Ann brings a small paper bag and smiles, "I made some pies, you can have them on the way." Xiao feels the warmth passing from his hand to his heart. He smiles and then realises that Ann can't see. He thanks again, "I had a great sleep yesterday. Thank you very much!" Ann laughs. Hong is happy too, "Haha, you are very welcomed."
Xiao packs the bag and takes the skin warp. He notices the leaf is gone. His face changed, "Somebody moved my wrap." Hong is surprised, "No way, Ann and I didn't… Wait, Fei, get the fuck out of here!" Fei is bugging at the back of the tent. He comes out slowly with fear. Xiao says without emotion,"Here you are again."
Fei looks down and dares not to look at Xiao. Hong kicks his ass and shouts, "Did you steal his stuff? Give it back now!" Fei bites his lips and takes out a bee. 73 pistol unwillingly. "Bro Han, feel free to kick his ass. This boy needs a lesson." Hong is thinking how he could teach Fei a lesson with his fist.
"It is alright as long as I get it back. It is dangerous for you to keep it. Xiao relives that he gets the pistol back. He is not stingy. He worries the weapons left here would bring trouble to the camp. Hong treated him yesterday, it is his responsibility to keep them safe. Fei says 'fuck u' thousands of times in his mind. He thinks Xiao is super stingy. He has so many guns but he won't give out a single one.
"If I am lucky, I will see you." Xiao farewells the Hong couple. "Take care", Hong nods. Xiao takes the bag and leaves. He decides that if there is a chance in the future, he will pay the kindness back.
"That ferocious guy finally leaves" Fei was scared but is happy now. Luckily, that guy didn't find that I took two pistols. Fei runs away to avoid the rebuke and punches from Hong. He goes to the back of the tent and takes another bee. 73 pistol out of a box. He really likes this gun. He is determined that even if Xiao comes back and asks for it, he won't admit it. He won't give it back. But why doesn't the pistol have a trigger?
…
The map from the straggler is like a painting by kids but it points out directions at least. This is enough for Xiao as he remembers the overall map of the blue planet. He is in the Stardragon. According to the map, he will find the railway in three days. He can get to the city by train.
It is noon time. Xiao finds a clean place. He is about to eat some food to restore stamina. Then he notices there are several cuts from bushes on the skin wrap. Xiao opens the wrap and plans to put the guns back in his bag. Suddenly, he stops.
"There should be one more."
He counts it again. still missing one. Damn! It is terrible if the gun is left in the camp. Xiao packs everything and runs back towards the camp without eating.
…
Two tanks arrive at the camp. An armed subject squad are pointing at the stragglers who have their hands on head with guns. All stragglers recognise the sign from the Sprout. They are sacred.
"Anyone saw this guy?" Press a button and a virtual picture of Xiao appears.
"No" No one admits. They know that the Spout won't hurt them if they are not related. The Sprout is against six nations. Stragglers are neutral. They may support any side. Thus, both the Six Nations and the Sprout have rules that prohibit unnecessary force on stragglers.
Fei can't help but tremble.
One is furious. He chases Xiao for seven days and only this camp is on the way. And no one reports seeing Xiao, which proves that he is on the wrong way. "Let's move on", One shouts and is about to lead the squad to another direction. He glimpses the crowd and notices Fei's abnormality. That boy is suspicious thus One orders, "Get that boy!"
Fei is terrified and is dragged out of the crowd. He quivers like he was dragged from ice lake.
"Do you know the guy in the photo?" One asks.
"No..no I don't" Fei shakes his head as quickly as he can.
One notices that there is something bumping out near Fei's waist. So he orders,"Search him!"Fei is pinned on the ground and the Bee. 73 pistol is taken. "This is our gun!" One's face goes cold and aims at the crowd and shouts angrily, "Zero has been here and you cover up for him. Tell me the truth or die!" "Tell or die!" The squad all aim at the stragglers.
The crowd are scared and all look at the beard guy Kaili, who traded with Xiao in the beginning. Kaili is hiding in the corner and is terrified by eyes on him, "Don't look at me. I just sold something to him. Only Hong knows his destination!"
The crowd near Hong avoid him like the plague. Hong has to stand up and says, "I don't know." Kaili wants to get out of this and adds,"It is impossible. You saved him from my business and let him stay for a night."
One's elbow twists together and the stragglers are terrified and all push Hong.
"Just say something you know!"
"Do you want to sacrifice us for an outsider?"
…
Hong hates Kaili's betrayal and takes a deep breath. He points in a direction and says miserably,"He went that way."
"That's right." One laughs frightfully and fires without notice.
"Bang~" A hole appears on Hong's head. His face is fixed at the moment, surprised and then he falls down. Blood expands slowly underneath. Fei shouts and looks at his uncle's body. My.. my uncle is dead?!
One's face is emotionless, like he just killed a rabbit. The cover-up from stragglers already makes him angry and he is furious and decides to kill when he hears that Hong treated Xiao. All people who are related to Zero should die!
"Hong?" Ann senses something and her face is pale white. She slowly crawls towards her husband's body. One takes out the pistol and shoots Ann's head. Ann dies and blood flies. She is halfway there only one arm away from Hong, which she will never make it.
One glimpses on the body and sneers.
Fei collapses and falls on the ground, tears profusely. He regrets it. His greed kills his uncle and aunt. Stragglers is mad but silent. They look at Hong and Ann's body and sad feelings circulate.
The scene is watched through a monitor by the leader of the Sprout. The leader shouts, "Wtf are you doing? Who permits you to kill a straggler?" One acknowledges the mistake in a hurry, "This camp of straggler cover up for Zero and I want to teach them a lesson. We shall leave now." The leader shakes his head, "Anyway, keep it here. You know what to do." One nods and gives a sign. Follow-up gunshots scare off the birds in the forest.
…
It is dawn time when Xiao finally gets back to the camp. The stink smell of blood makes him feel bad, "Too late." The camp is in dead silence. The massacre was by the door of the camp. Blood is everywhere and Xiao walks in. He gets furious when he sees the bodies of Hong and Ann.
At this moment, a guy slowly stands up from those bodies. Xiao recognises he is the businessman who tricked him. Kaili is panicked. He fainted when the massacre began and survived with luck. Before he rejoices in his survival, he sees Xiao and he trembles in fear. Xiao rushes to him and drags his shirt and shouts,
"What happened here!"
"The Sprout! It was the Sprout! We covered up for you and they killed us out of rage. We people died like shit. You need to avenge us, for Hong!"
Kaili pretends sadness with tears. He dares not tell the truth. He just wants to lead Xiao to the Sprout and leave him alone.