Ethan, Elena, and Grace were all stunned.
For a moment, none of them knew how to stop Mia’s endless shouting.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan said, "That’s enough. If you keep insulting and provoking me, don’t blame me if I do something you’ll regret."
Mia burst into laughter as though she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Huh? You? You’re just a pretty boy. What can you possibly do? Come on, kill me! Shoot me! You turtle man!"
Thud!
A sharp sound echoed through the forest.
An arrow stained with fresh blood pierced deep into the tree behind Mia.
At the same time, a bloody hole appeared in the center of Mia’s forehead.
Her mocking smile froze instantly.
"You...!" She managed to utter a single word before the light faded from her eyes.
Her body swayed twice before collapsing heavily onto the ground.
Silence.
The entire clearing fell deathly quiet.
Everyone stood frozen, staring blankly at Mia’s lifeless body.
No one had expected things to escalate so suddenly.
Only after several seconds did they instinctively turn toward the direction from which the arrow had come.
It was Emily. She still stood in the same spot, calmly holding the wooden bow.
Her expression remained indifferent, as though she had merely dealt with a trivial matter.
The girls subconsciously retreated several steps away from her.
Even Christy couldn’t help trembling as she asked in a shaky voice, "S-Sister Emily... why...?"
Emily lowered the bow and said calmly, "She was too noisy. She had already lost an arm and could no longer contribute much to the Tribe. More importantly, she kept screaming and provoking everyone. Her shouting would only attract more monsters. The first Black-Maned Wolf was most likely drawn here because of the commotion. I won’t allow the same mistake to happen twice."
Hearing Emily’s explanation, the crowd fell silent.
Thinking back carefully, Mia had indeed been screaming almost nonstop from the moment they arrived.
However, Elena didn’t completely believe Emily’s explanation.
She knew her aunt very well.
Although Emily appeared cold on the surface, she wasn’t someone who would kill another person simply because they were noisy.
Elena’s gaze unconsciously shifted toward Ethan.
After remembering how Mia had continuously mocked, insulted, and humiliated him, a realization slowly dawned on her.
Aunt... did you really do it because of Ethan... and me? Ethan is my boyfriend, and you’ve always been protective of me. You couldn’t bear to see someone humiliating the person I love... is that why you acted?
For some reason, instead of feeling angry, Elena felt a faint warmth in her heart.
At least, someone had stood up for the man she liked.
Meanwhile, Ethan remained rooted to the spot.
His face had turned deathly pale.
Although he had threatened Mia earlier, it had only been out of anger.
He had never truly intended for anyone to die.
Looking at Mia’s lifeless body lying in a pool of blood, his stomach suddenly churned violently.
"Ugh..."
He hurriedly turned away and bent over.
"Blegh!"
He began vomiting uncontrollably.
This was the first time in his life he had witnessed someone die before his eyes.
The shock was far greater than he had imagined.
"Ethan!"
Elena hurried over, gently supporting his shoulder while softly patting his back.
"It’s alright... don’t look anymore. Take a deep breath. I’m here."
She took out a handkerchief and quietly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, her eyes filled with concern.
Not far away, Emily silently watched the scene.
Seeing Ethan vomiting so miserably, she couldn’t help cursing inwardly.
You stupid brat... You can’t even handle seeing someone die, and here I was killing her because she wouldn’t stop insulting you.
Even Emily herself hadn’t realized why she had acted so decisively just now.
She had only felt an inexplicable surge of anger every time Mia mocked Ethan.
Before she knew it, the arrow had already been released.
Grace quickly forced herself to calm down.
She clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention and said, "Everyone witnessed the danger just now. More importantly, we’ve also heard the system’s announcement. We must unite and elect a Tribe Leader first. The person chosen by majority vote will receive an additional Beginner’s Gift Pack. According to the system, the Tribe Leader probably cannot be replaced unless they die. Everyone, please discuss carefully before casting your votes."
Many of the girls felt that, since Grace was their teacher, she was the most suitable person to become the Tribe Leader.
Another group remained silent, choosing not to express any opinion.
Only Elena quietly raised her hand.
"I vote for Ethan."
Her words immediately attracted everyone’s attention.
"Elena, are you alright? You’re still supporting a man at a time like this?"
"We’re all girls here. Why should we vote for a man?"
"That so-called campus beauty title was only given to you by those boys in school. Have you really become so attached to him?"
The sarcastic words stopped abruptly.
A wooden arrow was already aimed squarely at the girl’s forehead.
Emily slowly lowered the bowstring, her gaze as cold as ice.
"I don’t know why Elena voted for Ethan. Maybe it’s because he’s her boyfriend. But regardless of the reason, she is my niece, and I won’t allow anyone to slander her. Apologize to her, or you die."
"S-sorry!" The girl was so frightened that her legs gave way beneath her, and she immediately knelt on the ground.
"Alright, Emily. Everyone here is a classmate. Let’s not make things more awkward than they already are," Grace stepped forward to mediate as she stood beside Emily.
Emily lowered her bow and nodded.
She then looked at Elena and said calmly, "Elena, I understand that you want your boyfriend to become the Tribe Leader. If this were school, I wouldn’t object. But this isn’t school anymore."
Her gaze shifted toward Ethan, who had only just stopped vomiting.
"Look at him. He couldn’t even withstand witnessing a single death before throwing up. Do you really think someone in his current state can shoulder the lives of thirty-five other people?"
She paused before continuing in a gentler tone.
"He’s still just a college student. Let him grow first."
"As for him... Grace and I will look after him together."
"But right now, he isn’t suitable to become the Tribe Leader."
Hearing Emily’s words, many of the girls subconsciously nodded.
Although her words were blunt, they were difficult to refute.
Even Grace looked at Emily with newfound admiration.
She hadn’t expected Emily to remain so rational after everything that had happened.
Grace then expressed her own opinion.
"Everyone, the rules have changed. This is no longer a civilized society governed by laws and order. The Tribe Leader must be someone who is both strong enough to protect everyone and calm enough to make difficult decisions."
"Just now, Emily was the one who stepped forward to fight the Black-Maned Wolf and protected all of us."
"She remained calm under pressure, made decisive judgments, and resolved the crisis."
"In my opinion, Emily is currently the most suitable person to become our Tribe Leader."
"I vote for Emily."
As soon as Grace cast her vote, many of the girls who had originally intended to support Grace immediately changed their minds.
After all, even Grace herself believed Emily was more suitable.
There were thirty-five voters in total.
Very quickly, Emily received twenty votes.
The remaining fifteen classmates still hadn’t voted.
They instinctively stood together, their expressions showing a mixture of hesitation and fear.
Standing at the front of their group was a beautiful girl with a fit figure and an imposing aura.
"I refuse to accept this!"
"Jessica, what are you doing?" Grace asked, her tone carrying gentle reproach rather than anger.
"Everyone here is from the same class," Jessica said firmly. "If it were you, Teacher Grace, becoming the Tribe Leader, I wouldn’t object. Even if I became the Tribe Leader, I believe most people would accept it. But Emily isn’t even from our class. I don’t even know how she ended up here."
"Yes! Teacher Jessica is right!"
"We won’t accept it!"
"Exactly! Since all of us classmates were transported here together, the Tribe Leader should also be one of our classmates!"
Grace sighed softly and stepped forward.
"Jessica, we’re no longer in school. Right now, what matters isn’t whether someone is our classmate, but whether they can protect everyone."
"She may not be from our class, but she’s still a teacher. More importantly, everyone witnessed her strength just now. She was the one who killed the Black-Maned Wolf and saved all of us."
"We should choose the most suitable person, not simply the one with the closest relationship to us."
Jessica shook her head without hesitation.
"I don’t agree."
"Teacher Grace, I respect you, but this is a matter of principle."
"If Emily can become our Tribe Leader today, who’s to say another outsider won’t take control tomorrow?"
"We won’t accept it!"
Seeing that Jessica remained stubborn, Grace could only sigh helplessly.
Elena, who had remained silent after being reprimanded by her aunt, finally spoke in a cold voice.
"If you don’t accept it, then leave. Just don’t keep shouting and attract more monsters."
Jessica looked at Elena with obvious disdain.
"Hmph. A man’s mouthpiece has no right to lecture me."
"You!" Elena’s face flushed with anger, and even her fair cheeks turned bright red.
Before anyone could react, Emily silently raised the wooden bow once more.
The arrow was already resting against the bowstring.
Her cold gaze settled on Jessica.
"Do you really think I wouldn’t dare to kill you?"
"Emily!" Grace immediately reached out and gently lowered the bow. Her expression was full of helplessness.
"I don’t want everyone to split apart."
She then turned toward Jessica.
"If our opinions truly can’t be reconciled, then the only option is for us to live separately."
Jessica snorted. "Hmph. That’s exactly how it should be."
She turned toward the girls standing behind her. "Students who trust me, come with me."
"Our group of women can survive perfectly well without relying on anyone else."
With that, Jessica led the fifteen classmates away.
However, none of them dared to venture into the mist.
After walking a short distance, they stopped near the edge of the clearing, where they could still see Grace’s group.
The girls following Jessica looked around nervously.
"Teacher Jessica... what should we do now?"
Jessica folded her arms confidently.
"Why panic? Let’s watch what they do first. Whatever they do, we’ll simply do the same."