Chapter 8: Me, as the Chief
The life, these two words are very simple. Separately, they mean: be born, and survive.
And Luo Chong was now striving for this concept. To achieve these goals, he first needed to secure the position of chief. New sources of food, new hunting methods, new weapons—these all required him to implement reforms. But without becoming the chief, no one would listen to him.
The method for electing a chief was simple and brutal: barehanded, no weapons allowed, and no inflicting serious injuries. The most powerful fighter would become the next chief.
The elder wouldn’t participate in the trial, and the Lame Man had enough self-awareness not to try. Six-Fingers was a bit foolish; though his physical strength wasn’t low, he couldn’t lead the whole clan. Feather and Stone could only rank behind in terms of physical power, but these two were very clever. That left One-Ear, Shouya, and Dali competing with each other.
The clan members had already formed a large circle, even the smallest children came to watch. A few toddlers, just two or three years old, had already put on simple animal skin clothes made the night before.
Luo Chong also stood inside the circle, but he didn’t intend to act immediately. The others hadn’t planned for this child to become chief either, only wanting him to replenish the losses in the hunting team.
But Luo Chong refrained from acting because he knew his current body didn’t have an advantage. Acting now would mean facing a war of attrition, so he only needed to defeat the final champion. He was confident in this—if he couldn’t handle a few ancient people, then the tactics and strategies he learned in his previous life were wasted.
One-Ear and Shouya had already started fighting. They exchanged punches and kicks, their combat lacking any spectacle or technique. With no weapons, they relied solely on their fists and feet. This was a test of who was stronger and more ferocious.
One-Ear and Shouya had become entangled, gripping each other’s shoulders and arms, trying to knock the other down. If these two weren’t human in appearance, Luo Chong thought the scene would resemble two bulls locking horns.
One-Ear’s endurance wasn’t great, but his explosive power was impressive. After a brief struggle, One-Ear was pushed backward by Shouya grabbing his shoulder. His feet dug shallow indentations into the ground as he retreated until his foot hit a stone, giving him an opportunity to counterattack.
At that moment, One-Ear’s explosive power showed its worth. He forcefully pushed off the stone with both legs, used the momentum to lower his upper body, and with a flying tackle, pinned Shouya beneath him. Shouya struggled a few times but couldn’t flip over. Huffing heavily, he unwillingly conceded defeat.
Both men climbed to their feet afterward. One-Ear looked at the green feather crown in the elder’s hand, his eyes shining brightly. It wasn’t just a symbol of the chief but also a mark of strength.
Shouya shoved One-Ear, pointing at Dali, reminding him there was still another contender, not to celebrate too early.
One-Ear let out an excited shout, which Luo Chong didn’t understand, but it seemed like a challenge to Dali. Dali also appeared eager to accept.
The morning of autumn carried dew, making the ground damp and soft. For someone like Dali, a heavyweight, every step created a depression. When the nearly five-foot-seven One-Ear stood before the almost six-foot Dali, the disparity between them was immediately apparent.
This doesn’t make sense! In Luo Chong’s understanding, early primitive humans should have averaged around five feet tall. However, the adults here were far taller than that, nearing modern Earth human heights.
He wasn’t an expert in ancient humans, so he didn’t dwell much on the issue, ultimately attributing it to the fact that this wasn’t Earth. There were already two moons in the sky, so what else was there to fuss about?
Standing nearly six feet tall, Dali looked like a small tower, leaving One-Ear feeling at a loss for how to start the fight. This was an unequal contest.
“Ah!”
One-Ear roared and initiated the attack. Primitive hunting methods were quite rudimentary. Their usual tactic was to pounce on prey and smash its head with a rock. However, this meant they were powerless against prey larger than themselves.
The situation was similar now. One-Ear rushed to Dali, wrapped his arms around Dali’s waist, and rammed his head toward Dali’s chest, attempting to use a wrestling throw to knock Dali down.
One-Ear’s explosive power was potent; this move was incredibly fierce, causing Dali, like a small tower, to take a step back. But it was merely one step.
Dali spread his feet apart front and back, stabilizing his stance. His large hands, resembling small baskets, quickly grabbed One-Ear’s shoulders. Once One-Ear’s initial attack failed, he tried to retreat quickly but was unexpectedly caught by Dali. Before he could react, he heard a roar, and suddenly felt himself flying through the air.
With a single horizontal swing, Dali threw One-Ear across the circle.
Puff
After a dull sound, One-Ear flew out of the circle, landing face-down on the grass, eating a mouthful of mud.
Emmm, the spectators watched as One-Ear groaned on the ground, his expression resembling someone suffering from constipation, as if everyone could empathize with how much pain he was in.
Fortunately, the open space in front of the cave was mostly soil with few stones. Soon, One-Ear groaned and got up, proving once again the incredible toughness of these primitive people.
However, in this chief election battle, One-Ear had lost his eligibility. Being knocked out in less than five seconds was embarrassing, so One-Ear reluctantly stepped aside, watching the elder hand the feather crown to Dali.
Finally, Luo Chong made his move. He knew that to survive well in this world, he must gain leadership. Otherwise, no one would listen to him. Now, all he had to do was defeat this big man in front of him, and everything would be fine.
Dali happily accepted the feather crown, grinning foolishly. The clan members looked at this newly crowned chief, ready to follow his first order.
Just then, an inharmonious voice rang out: “Don’t rush, there’s still me.”
In two steps, Luo Chong reached beside Dali and grabbed the feather crown from his hand.
Roar
Dali roared, anger flashing in his eyes. The elder nearby looked surprised and confused, while the onlookers surrounding them wore expressions of bewilderment. How come it wasn’t over yet? They wanted the new leader to assign tasks soon so they could gather more food for the winter.
Dali became angry and grabbed the feather crown, but unexpectedly, Luo Chong didn’t let go. With a snap, a few feathers fell between them. Seeing the damaged feather crown in his hand, Dali was enraged, pounding his chest and shouting at Luo Chong.
Luo Chong didn’t back down either. He expressed his intention to the elder using the limited tribal language: I will defeat him, and I shall be the chief.
