APJ CHAPTER 177 THE COMPLEX FEELINGS OF THE RESIDENTS OF KURI

Minks have inherited the traits of animals, which not only allowed them to acquire the innate abilities of those animals but also inherit their weaknesses. Nekomamushi’s cat tongue is that prominent trait.

A cat’s nose is even more weak. They did not expect Miltank to adopt such an attacking method. As a result, Nekomamushi was powerfully struck on the nose by the leading Miltank.

However, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were no ordinary people. As young Minks, their physique was much more powerful than that of ordinary people. After Nekomamushi was hit by Miltank’s rolling charge, Inuarashi reacted and blocked the second Miltank’s Rollout on his behalf.

But the problem was that there wasn’t just one or two Miltanks here, it was a group. Before he could catch his breath, the third Miltank came rushing over, and the Miltank he had blocked adjusted its direction and accelerated to once again join the Rollout sequence.

The ground was marked with tracks like tire prints. Rollout is inherently a continuous attack, where its speed and power increase over time.

Inuarashi gradually found it harder to block the attacks, despite initially being able to defend himself. Miltanks, under the command of their leader, divided into several groups. They wouldn’t interfere with each other but ensured a continuous assault, leaving no chance for the opponents to catch their breath.

“Nekomamushi! Are you okay?”

Miltanks had formed a circular formation, enclosing them in the middle. Inuarashi’s back received a strong impact from the collision.

Inuarashi’s waist can be considered one of his weaknesses, as the saying goes, “A strong body with a weak waist.” Although this phrase is used to describe wolves, wolves and dogs are closely related species, sharing certain characteristics in common.

Since they had stealthily come to steal vegetables, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi didn’t bring weapons. They didn’t want to escalate things too much, so Inuarashi wanted to leave this place quickly.

“I’m fine.”

“Then let’s hurry and leave. It’ll be troublesome if we get caught. We can’t cause trouble for the lady!”

This statement was somewhat peculiar, especially considering that trouble had already arisen when they made this decision.

Moreover, it was difficult to leave now. When the Miltanks had just started rolling, they could have escaped, but as the Miltanks completed their rolls, they stored up power and entered the battle state, and their strength had multiplied by several times.

Miltanks had a glowing layer on their bodies, which was the move “Defense Curl.” Defense Curl and Rollout can be considered a fixed combination. The increased defense not only made them less susceptible to injury but also indirectly enhanced the damage of Rollout.

After recovering, Nekomamushi’s claws crackled with lightning. As Minks, they naturally possessed the power of static electricity. Thunder and fire have always been things that beasts fear, but they were of no use against Miltank.

Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were eventually forced into a corner under the leader’s commands.

“Inuarashi, let’s take down the leader first; otherwise, we won’t be able to handle these strange cows!”

They didn’t just do odd jobs on the pirate ship. They had experienced many battles, big and small. One of the Miltanks was noticeably different; it attacked and then retreated to the back, directing the other Miltanks.

“You don’t need to tell me that, the problem is how to do it!”

To capture brigands, one must capture their leader first. This was the most basic principle, but accomplishing this requires a necessary premise: they had to break through the formation of the Miltanks before them.

“What are these strange cows? Don’t they feel dizzy at all?”

Ordinary creatures would get dizzy after spinning a dozen times, but these strange cows that had performed Rollout countless times on the ground, not only were not feeling dizzy, but their strength and speed had also increased.

They were able to be discreet while stealing crops, avoiding making excessive noise. However, when engaged in combat, maintaining such discretion became impossible. As the sounds of the fight grew louder, the nearby farmers were awakened from their sleep.

Listening to the commotion coming from the farm, they didn’t run away. Instead, they grabbed their axes and pitchforks and went inside together.

Beasts Pirates have introduced a new policy for the farm, setting a specific planting target. Any surplus crops harvested beyond this target will be converted into an equivalent amount of common grain and handed over to them.

For these farmers, a delicious fruit was far less important than three kilograms of rice. Their top priority is to eat their fill.

Although the initial purpose of the Kozuki family’s Paradise Farm was to provide residents with three meals a day, their approach involved collective distribution by the daimyo after the crops were cultivated. This approach limited people’s motivation.

Since the amount they could get was the same regardless of how much was planted, there was no need to exert too much effort.

However, when the policy changed to “more work, more rewards” and “less work, fewer rewards,” everything changed. The whole family, including children, participated in tasks like milking cows, driven by this policy.

Now, anyone who interferes with the farm is directly affecting their own interests. Every loss of a crop signifies a loss to their own benefits. So, bound by their shared interests, they were more proactive in defending the farm than the Beasts Pirates themselves.

However, when those ordinary farmers started to gather around with torches, the situation took on a weird twist.

As the Miltanks spun rapidly, the soil beneath their bodies was lifted into the air, creating vast clouds of dust that obstructed people’s vision, and the approach of the farmers caused the Miltanks to slow down their speed.

As the dust gradually dispersed, they could see clearly that the people surrounded by the Miltanks were none other than Nekomamushi and Inuarashi.

Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were retainers of Kozuki Oden, who was the daimyo of Kuri. As residents of this region, these people naturally knew them.

“That’s Inuarashi-sama and Nekomamushi-sama.”

“So what if it’s them? This place has already been abandoned, and so are we.”

In the initial agreement, the Beasts Pirates only wanted Paradise Farm, and these farmers were recruited later because Oden’s retainers were unable to provide them with a proper alternative.

Moreover, they had spread a lot of negative propaganda about the Beasts Pirates, so these people were initially very panicked. Accepting employment under the Beasts Pirates was more out of necessity than choice.

But reality eventually revealed the truth to them. Faced with the objective facts they personally experienced, those “rumors” naturally fell apart.

So when they saw Inuarashi and Nekomamushi appearing here, a complex mix of emotions welled up within them.

However, when someone noticed the trampled vegetables on the ground, anger surged in their hearts. Those were the crops they had painstakingly cultivated, but they were being wantonly destroyed.

“Inuarashi…those people’s expressions remind me of some very unpleasant things.”

“Yeah, I feel the same way. It’s like when we first came here a few years ago.”