In response to Reef's query, Fang Senyan stated earnestly: "Because we wouldn't leave things in a state worse than how we found them. Back then, we only killed three of the native guards, but at least one escaped and informed the rest of their tribe about everything here. If we had simply mined the ore and left without incident, then of course, there would have been no issue. But after what happened with Li’er and Yu Ze, it's unlikely we'll slip away easily now."

Reef thought for a moment, then snapped the branch he was holding with a sharp crack, took a deep breath, and said: "That's right, it must be so! Do you remember that Na'vi native who rushed forward to die at the end? When he was shredded into a honeycomb by the external exoskeleton system controlled by Marky, I noticed something—that fellow only charged forward carrying a beast-bone dagger! He wasn't carrying a bow and arrows at all! But the external exoskeleton system had clearly been hit by three arrows earlier!"

"This suggests two possibilities. The first is that this Na'vi native was only skilled in close combat, and there was another archer lurking nearby. However, for the Na'vi, who are almost like sprites with every member being a skilled archer, this possibility is almost zero. The other possibility is that this Na'vi native handed his bow to someone else before rushing out... Even in older human societies, weapons—things essential for survival—were often passed down as symbols of legacy or relics."

"Like a certain medieval knight's sword?" Fang Senyan suddenly smiled. "One bestowed by Henry (the English King) or Charles (the French King) upon a great noble knight as an honor?"

"Hey, I don't like the expression on your face when you say things like that!" Reef was visibly annoyed.

"So, we can now deduce that the native attempting close combat gave his bow to his child, and then charged out. That child clearly wasn't yet capable of using such a primitive weapon, so he fled to find his kin and told them everything that happened here."

Mogansha's heart stirred: "Then what are they waiting for?"

Fang Senyan replied seriously: "Every Na'vi is an excellent hunter, and the greatest virtue of a hunter is patience. I have reason to believe that after receiving the warning from their kin, they are certainly lying in wait at the most opportune ambush spot. If we force our way back to the ship amidst the thunderstorm and darkness, we'll likely end up fighting these night-vision specialists in this damned jungle..."

Hearing Fang Senyan's analysis, Reef immediately recalled the terrifying two-meter-long poison arrows that flew like thunderbolts, and couldn't help but say: "To be honest, fighting in this location, at this time, against these enemies, I have no confidence in surviving. But if we stay here and don't leave, we turn passivity into initiative. If they want to attack us, they'll have to enter this tree hollow for close combat. However..."

Reef frowned suddenly: "If these fellows are very patient, and they keep lurking outside, they could starve us out in here. Moreover, they might call for reinforcements!"

Frankly, this was one of the difficult problems Fang Senyan had been wrestling with. If there were nine Na'vi outside, and nine two-meter-long poison arrows shot simultaneously, even the bulletproof glass of the M exoskeleton system would shatter instantly. Furthermore, their intelligence is certainly not inferior to humans; they must know the principle of 'better to break one finger than injure ten' and would focus their fire! Reef probably couldn't withstand two salvos! Hiding here poses no immediate mortal danger—we lack neither food nor water—but to hide until the world ends? That would be utterly unacceptable!

It was then that the dark-skinned man licked his thick lips and broke into a simple, honest smile, though it held a hint of the slyness associated with finding gold: "I do have an idea."

Fang Senyan asked, intrigued: "Let's hear it."

Mogansha said: "This place is just a broken tree hollow to us, but to these Na'vi natives, it's their home... I think we don't need to rush at all; they should be the ones anxious. We just need to start a small fire, some symbolic 'demolition,' and I guarantee they'll rush in with their pants on fire!"

"Or perhaps look around for any idols or anything sacred? If all else fails, we can target their Sacred Tree. Alternatively, I think Reef's light-saber chops wood pretty fast, and Chief, with your 49 Strength, splitting some kindling shouldn't be an issue either... We don't need to cut it down, just make a show of it, and these guys will jump in out of panic. But perhaps we should wait until the rain stops and it’s light. With the lightning flashing and flash floods raging outside now, even if we dealt with them, we couldn't leave. Let them sit outside in the jungle and catch a bellyful of wind first."

Fang Senyan and Reef exchanged a glance and burst into laughter: "Fine, that's what we'll do."

But Reef suddenly slapped his thigh and shouted, "Damn it!" Seeing his exasperated look, both Fang Senyan and Mogansha tensed simultaneously. Then Reef exclaimed: "I agreed with Ziye that we were supposed to take the midnight shift tonight, watching over the fallen spaceship’s core engine. We have to move now! We need to rush back tonight; I never go back on my word. Hey, hey! Why are you two lying down pretending to sleep?"

In the pitch-black night, several tall, slender blue figures leaped through the mountain forest, as mysterious and swift as phantoms of the dark. Lightning occasionally streaked across the sky; the wind and rain remained fierce, and the forest occasionally echoed with sharp, piercing screams—the sounds of nocturnal predators successfully making a kill.

Under the intermittent flashes of brilliant lightning that scarred the heavens, one could faintly make out the lead-gray, swirling clouds pressing heavily close to the ground. This made the distance between the sky and the earth appear oppressively close, inducing a profound sense of heaviness and repression. For a moment, it gave the subtle illusion that in this vast world, only their presence mattered, dramatically heightening the cold, tense atmosphere.

In the distance, the tree known as the "Great Canopy" home tree could be seen. Upon seeing this giant tree slowly beginning to wither, Yakri couldn't help but recall its former glory. Even a home tree, vast and long-lived, would eventually fall.

When the life force of a home tree is exhausted, it doesn't wither; instead, it gradually degenerates, shrinking over a few decades, becoming smaller, eventually reverting to a sapling, a seed, and finally vanishing into thin air!

For the home tree's long lifespan, which reached tens of thousands of years, a few decades of decline was nothing. Looking at the "Great Canopy" home tree, whose silhouette was already visible in the darkness, Yakri, who hadn't visited this place in nearly ten years, sighed inwardly: "This mother has shrunk by nearly twenty meters again. I truly miss its former glory. When its vitality wasn't yet depleted, the 'Illinos' clan residing here numbered over three hundred, and they even boasted powerful Phantom Riders. They were the pride of our Yanode region! It's a pity about that terrible plague... and that ruthless invasion. Although the Qiwataiqin clan managed to annex the Illinos clan afterward, they too have withered to the point where outsiders have occupied even their home tree, and they are now too weak to reclaim it, forced to seek aid from our Taji clan..."

From the distant dense forest came a few subtle, untraceable insect chirps—the secret signals used by the Na'vi for communication. Yakri quickly ran towards the sound with three warriors from his clan, meeting up with the remaining five able-bodied hunters of the Qiwataiqin clan.

The occupation of their sacred home had driven these savage Na'vi tribes to a state of extreme anxiety, much more urgent than Fang Senyan and his group had imagined. They quickly finalized an attack plan, which, in essence, was simply to swarm them... It is worth noting that the remaining Na'vi of the Qiwataiqin clan had clearly suffered losses against Earthlings before, repeatedly emphasizing that their "bows" were strange and very powerful, insisting on engaging them in close-quarters combat!

Five minutes later, the nine fully armed Na'vi were stealthily closing in on the home tree shrouded in darkness. Their eyes were extraordinary—their entire eyeballs resembled clear water droplets, with pupils that could expand and contract freely, looking like yellow-green jewels, dilated wide in the night to capture every minute trace of light.

But despite these powerful beings possessing night vision, the people inside were hiding exceptionally well; their presence was completely concealed from the outside. Just as they began creeping forward amidst the violent storm, a tongue of flame suddenly spat out from the tree hollow—it was the sound of da-da-da burst fire!

The timing and location of this attack were chosen perfectly, hitting exactly the moment when the Na'vi felt it was too disadvantageous to retreat but too far to advance.

Although Fang Senyan and his companions lacked night vision, Fang Senyan's own Perception was close to 30 points. If he hadn't noticed these Na'vi until they were within a few dozen meters, his Perception would have been useless. Seeing these fellows holding daggers made of beast teeth instead of bows, preparing to sneak in, and remembering the head hanging above the fire pit, he immediately analyzed that these Na'vi natives must have mistaken them for ordinary Earthlings who were catastrophically weak in close combat... He immediately warned his comrades.

But then again, the three of them were sheltered inside the spacious, hall-like tree hollow beneath the home tree. The Na'vi were archers, not Amazonian warriors; complex arrow techniques like guided shots that could change trajectory mid-flight were likely beyond their mastery. Thus, even if they wanted to utilize their clan's remote firepower advantage, they couldn't do so right now.