Chapter 163
Avery’s long eyelashes fluttered, and she felt a bit shy at her words. "I know," she said with a squinty smile, gently patting Alexander’s shoulder. "You don’t need to be too touched. You’re my hero."
Alexander chuckled. "Miss Carter, can you really chase off these cannibals by yourself?"
"Not with my bare hands," Avery said, proudly patting her chest. "But fully armed? No problem." She took down the submachine gun slung across her body and placed it next to Alexander. Then she stood tall, one hand holding the gun and the other pointing at the natives as she shouted in Maiselish, "I don’t care if you understand me! But if you don’t leave now, I’ll summon my army and blow your tribe to smithereens!"
The other natives didn’t understand, but the tribal leader did. He looked fearfully at the "steel bird" above, then at the submachine gun in Avery’s hands, recalling how the advanced weaponry of outsiders had slaughtered his people in the past. He wavered and no longer harbored any thoughts of resistance. He took out a bone whistle and blew a retreat signal.
But at that moment, Alexander said, "Find that safe and bring it to me, and I’ll let you take your injured comrades with you, along with some healing medicine."
The tribal leader hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Alright, you wait here." He led his people away.
Avery looked Alexander up and down, frowning. "You’ve sustained so many injuries. I’ll pull the arrows from your back, stop the bleeding, and then we can leave together by helicopter."
Alexander’s hands were covered in blood. There was blood on his left thigh too. The arrow in his back was the least of his wounds. Perhaps beneath his clothes, he had even more injuries. But Alexander shook his head. "I want to wait here for them to bring back the items."
Avery blinked. "Is a diamond worth more than your life?" She added, "The helicopter can’t hover for too long. Those natives might not come back, or maybe they won’t come at all."