Intervention begins.
Phase One: Demonstrate Strength, Establish Strategic Deterrence
Mo Hong took a throwing spear from his back.
Following the muscle memory ingrained in his body, he hurled it with all his strength, aiming at the Infected charging toward the caravan leader.
Fueled by the Wendigo’s staggering strength, the heavy spear tore through the air at terrifying speed.
With a thunderous boom, it struck its target.
The ground exploded into a crater, and the Infected was pinned firmly to the earth.
Before Mo Hong could act, Roman’s narrowed eyes suddenly snapped open.
He had finally spotted the tall figure in the distance.
Unlike the others, Roman had noticed Mo Hong from the moment the caravan set out.
Although Mo Hong had disappeared from his sight shortly afterward, Roman had deliberately tested him along the way, confirming that the mysterious figure had been following the caravan the entire time.
Mo Hong had remained hidden in the shadows.
Roman knew very well how strong someone had to be to cross the snowfields alone on foot.
Anyone capable of doing so, yet choosing to follow their caravan, clearly had some purpose and would not simply stand by and watch them be destroyed.
Therefore, Roman had regarded Mo Hong as his trump card for this journey.
And now was the perfect moment to play it.
Roman had deliberately exposed an opening, and the Infected had indeed taken the bait, charging straight toward him.
That gave the person hiding in the shadows an opportunity to step onto the stage.
Mo Hong did not disappoint.
He acted decisively.
It was just that his strength was…
a little too exaggerated.
The sudden spear strike stunned both sides of the battle.
Everyone’s attention immediately shifted toward the direction from which Mo Hong was approaching.
A tall, burly figure clad in battered armor slowly advanced through the snow.
A shield hung at his side, and another throwing spear rested in his hand.
With every step, the grinding sound of steel echoed through the snow.
His eyes glowed crimson, while the exposed skull beneath his armor radiated an ominous presence.
A tide of fear instantly swept over everyone present.
Their eyes widened.
Their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Even their feet seemed to be bound by an invisible force, leaving them rooted to the spot.
Only after Mo Hong reached Roman did he finally stop.
He pulled the spear from the corpse before him and casually asked,
“Are you the caravan leader?”
Roman took a long breath, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and finally recovered from his terror.
“Ye-yes. I am the caravan leader, Roman. How may I be of service to you?”
Phase Two: Demonstrate Intent, Confirm Cooperation
“I protect you. You take me with you.”
“Of course. As long as you can protect us, we can help you with anything within our power.”
Roman nodded without hesitation.
Phase Three: Further Deterrence, Ensure Smooth Cooperation
Mo Hong thrust the spear into the ground beside him.
Then he slowly raised his arm and placed a fist the size of a human head in front of Roman.
He casually flicked a finger toward Roman’s face, stopping just short of touching him.
A powerful blast of air swept across Roman’s face.
Boom!
A deep pit appeared in the ground behind him.
Mo Hong calmly withdrew his arm, gave Roman a meaningful glance, and turned to leave.
Roman, drenched in cold sweat, immediately collapsed onto the ground.
Phase Four: Pull Up the Roots, Eliminate Future Trouble
Mo Hong picked up his spear and walked toward the remaining Infected.
One by one, he pinned them to the earth.
Afterward, he destroyed the evidence, erasing every trace of the enemies’ presence from the land.
Intervention complete.
Objective fully achieved.
A joyous occasion indeed.
A joyous occasion.
They died as they should have.
They died as they should have.
Once everything had been settled, Mo Hong returned to the fire and sat down, watching Roman organize the others to clean up the battlefield.
He began reviewing everything he had learned.
Infected: Extremely low HP, extremely low attack power, extremely low defense, extremely slow movement speed, and extremely low attack speed.
Total damage after death is higher than total damage while alive.
Conclusion: more useful dead than alive.
Infected Caster: Attack power only slightly higher than ordinary Infected, but possesses diverse Originium Arts.
Requires caution.
High kill priority.
Caravan Members: Ordinary people and travelers.
Physical fitness slightly higher than that of the Infected.
Not particularly useful.
Caravan Leader—Roman: Sniper.
Long attack range and low attack power, but possesses superb archery skills.
Suspected to have detected my presence early.
Keen perception and extraordinary courage.
Potentially useful.
This intervention had successfully achieved Mo Hong’s objectives while also giving him a preliminary understanding of his own abilities.
Even without Originium Arts, he was capable of handling most situations.
One should expect nothing less from a Wendigo.
His physical strength was truly absurd.
It was just a pity that Big Daddy had never joined Rhodes Island.
Otherwise, he would have been a top-tier Operator regardless.
While Mo Hong was lost in thought, Roman organized the remaining caravan members and finished cleaning up the battlefield.
“Sir, may I ask where you would like us to take you?”
Roman took a deep breath before stepping forward.
“Kazdel.”
“…Kazdel is the Sarkaz homeland. It isn’t somewhere people of our level can reach. Please forgive us, but we can’t do it.”
Roman sighed.
They truly could not do it.
With their abilities, merely leaving Ursus was already difficult, let alone finding Kazdel.
“In that case, I’ll escort you, and you let me travel with you. How about it?”
Mo Hong had already expected that they would be unable to reach Kazdel.
He had only mentioned it on the off chance that they could.
His actual goal was to travel with the caravan.
Since this was a period of Terra’s history he was unfamiliar with, anywhere would do.
“We can do that. As long as you keep your word and ensure our safety, we’ll do our best to fulfill your requests.”
Roman was overjoyed.
This was exactly what he wanted.
Running a caravan in Ursus was no easy task.
Having such a powerful bodyguard would solve countless problems.
Moreover, apart from himself, no one else would likely be willing to accept a Sarkaz.
Mo Hong was their only choice.
“Deal.”
Mo Hong extended his hand and shook Roman’s, officially sealing the agreement.
“Allow me to introduce myself again. I am the caravan leader, Roman. Might I ask how I should address you, sir?”
“Mo.”
Mo Hong thought for a moment before giving his answer.
From now on, he would go by the name Mo.
It was both a codename and a new beginning.
From that day onward, Mo Hong vanished from the world.
In his place stood Mo—
Pitch-black ink.
His journey through Terra had officially begun.