These are beautiful hands!
The knuckles were distinct, fair, slender, and long. The veins were hidden beneath the flesh and not prominent, and even every texture on the surface was uniform, as if meticulously carved by the Creator.
The dog-leg saber, forged from iron sheets, moved back and forth between the fingers, spinning rapidly, possessing a pleasing aesthetic beauty and a rhythm that could easily captivate one.
The dog-leg saber hilt was rough and unbearable, even retaining patches of rust that couldn't be rubbed off. However, the saber blade gleamed with silver light, capable of slicing through iron like mud; every strike was perfectly timed, cleanly severing an arm or slitting someone's throat.
Every strike drew blood!
The saber remained unstained by blood!
The saber blade was still crystal clear and snow-white, without a trace of red.
This was because its speed was too fast; by the time it cut through flesh and severed limbs, the blood hadn't even had time to gush out and stain its body.
The wielder of the saber was a youth of about fourteen or fifteen, with somewhat long hair that looked like it hadn't been trimmed in a long time. Beneath the covering of messy hair, only half of a rather delicate profile could be seen.
The most memorable aspect was the pair of eyes—they were clear and bright. It was hard to imagine how such eyes could exist in this deceitful, dangerous world where life was as cheap as grass.
From the first moment he saw the youth, he had been smiling at them, his smile sincere, even carrying an irresistible enthusiasm.
Until he suddenly made a move, slicing the throat of the Bald Big Man who tried to snatch the Prey on his back with one strike.
At that time, the smile on his face had not diminished at all.
In fact, it was even brighter than before.
“Want some more?” Tang Fei asked aloud, holding the saber in one hand and the sheep in the other, his smile gentle.
It was quite unfair, actually. He was walking home with the fruits of his day's labor, minding his own business, when he was surrounded like dumplings by a group of Predators.
The so-called Predators were a gang of bandits formed by ruthless and physically strong Refugees.
Just when you were exhausted and covered in wounds from fighting a ferocious beast, they would show up right on time.
They didn't hunt; they were merely the haulers of Prey.
Hauling from someone else's hands to their own, or from someone else's home to their own.
Arson, murder, robbery, and plunder—they committed every evil act.
They demanded Tang Fei hand over the Prey he was carrying, and how could Tang Fei agree?
Edible Prey around the human settlements was becoming scarcer, and he dared not venture far from the human settlements.
If he gave this Red-horned Two-headed Sheep to them, his entire family would have to continue drinking crow soup.
That crow had been stewing in the pot for three days; the soup was thin and tasteless. If it hadn't been fished out in time, the bones would have dissolved.
Therefore, he made his choice without any hesitation.
The Scarred Man leading them looked at the Red-horned Two-headed Sheep, fear showing in his eyes.
He knew he had made a fatal mistake. How could someone who could single-handedly venture into Hate Mountain and slay a Red-horned Two-headed Sheep without sustaining any injury be someone they could covet?
At that time, he thought that since they had superior numbers, if all the brothers attacked together, they could finish the person off, and snatching the Two-headed Sheep would be enough for the brothers to feast, perhaps even finding some other treasures on him.
Hunting eagles all day, only to be pecked in the eye by this little fledgling hawk.
“You killed three of our brothers, and you think it’s over just like that?” the Scarred Man said fiercely.
To be honest, he was in a difficult position.
They were the ones who intended to commit robbery and murder first, but facing this guy who eliminated three of their companions in a flash of lightning, he truly lacked confidence.
If he did nothing and said nothing, letting the youth walk away casually, his position as Leader would be lost, and he wouldn't be able to command respect afterward.
Someone stronger would step up to challenge his authority.
The internal structure of the Predator team was extremely brutal, emphasizing survival of the fittest, where strength was paramount.
No successor would feel secure with the former Leader still in the team, so only a dead end awaited him.
That’s exactly what he had done in the past!
But for some unknown reason, the viciousness he deliberately displayed was instantly dissolved when faced with the youth's Smiling Face.
You are speaking threatening words seriously and earnestly, yet the other person just keeps looking at you with a cheerful smile.
Does this mean he doesn't care about your words, or does it mean he utterly disregards you?
He felt a sense of powerlessness yet extreme humiliation.
“How do you want to settle this?” Tang Fei asked.
“Leave the sheep, and you can go,” the Scarred Man said through gritted teeth, clearly dissatisfied with the deal but having no other choice.
“Are you sure?”
“I swear on my life.”
“Deal.” Tang Fei nodded and said aloud, “One sheep for three lives; it’s not a loss.”
He tossed the Two-headed Sheep he was holding forward, indicating the Prey belonged to them now, then turned and walked toward the edge of the Dense Forest.
The Scarred Man watched the youth’s slender back and pulled a completely black handgun from his pocket.
This was a rare item, something from before the Great Cataclysm. At that time, many countries had widespread gun ownership; buying a gun was as easy as buying cabbage.
Of course, even cabbage wasn't easy to buy now...
After the Great Cataclysm, elite humans migrated to New Star, leaving Blue Star in ruins. It was extremely difficult to produce firearms again. Even if some were left over from before, after centuries of consumption, very few remained.
Unexpectedly, the leader of these Predators had one hidden away. It seemed that in chaotic times, being a bandit was indeed a profession with good Future prospects.
The Scarred Man aimed the gun at Tang Fei's back and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
How could he let him go?
Everything done just now was merely to numb his nerves, making him think he had escaped and let his guard down, only to deliver a fatal blow at the critical moment.
Predators never left survivors.
As if sensing something, Tang Fei suddenly stopped walking and turned to look in their direction.
He saw the Scarred Man and also the gun in the Scarred Man's hand.
He was still smiling!
“Go to hell!” the Scarred Man roared.
He hated Tang Fei's Smiling Face. He swore that when Tang Fei's body became a corpse, he would use a knife to peel off his facial skin.
Then hang it on a tree branch to feed the ants.
Bang!
The Bullet left the chamber.
At an unbelievable speed, it flew toward Tang Fei's Head.
Tang Fei merely tilted his Head slightly—yes, it looked just like he casually shook his long, clumped hair.
It didn't move!
Then the Bullet whizzed past his cheek.
The shot missed!
Just as the Scarred Man was about to pull the trigger again to fire the second Bullet, he felt a chill on the back of his neck.
He reached up to touch it, feeling confused.
His hand came away covered in Blood!
His pupils dilated, and only then did he feel the pain.
First, a thin red line appeared there, and then the red line grew thicker and larger, quickly forming a spraying pattern.
Behind him, a dog-leg saber hovered in mid-air—the culprit that had cut open the back of his neck.
Silent, yet it exuded a chilling Sense of pressure.
“Qi Control Technique!” the Scarred Man exclaimed.
He hadn't expected to provoke a Cultivator, and furthermore, an Expert skilled in Qi Control Technique.
He was so young, why could he be so... confident?
“Are you surprised?” Tang Fei said with a smile. “The Old Man told me never to trust human nature, because that thing simply doesn't exist.”
“Predators never leave survivors; how could I possibly believe a promise from a group of Predators? How could I believe you would really let me go?”
“You can only blame your terrible reputation for always going for the kill.”
The Scarred Man felt his strength rapidly draining away; even standing upright was an extremely difficult task.
“Too tired!” he muttered to himself.
It was unclear if he was lamenting the feeling of this moment or his tumultuous life.
Then, his eyes wide open, he fell to the ground with a thud.
“Brother Hu...”
“Leader...”
“Let’s attack together, kill this brat...”
The remaining seven Predators, their eyes blood-red, rushed toward Tang Fei wielding their weapons.
Tang Fei raised his right hand and casually drew a few lines in the air; the dog-leg saber, under the control of his Qi Manipulation, plunged into the crowd.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The charging bodies froze in bizarre postures, followed by the sound of objects dropping one after another.
Slicing people was like cutting vegetables!
These bandits, possessing only Brute Force, could not contend with a Cultivator; they lived in two different worlds.
Tang Fei recalled the dog-leg saber and rummaged through the bodies of these Predators, stuffing every usable supply into his pockets, especially eyeing the handgun in the Scarred Man's hand with great interest.
Unfortunately, there were only three Bullets left in the magazine; it was too few, not enough to use.
Thinking of this, he glared resentfully at the Scarred Man—why waste such a precious item on someone like him?
I don't deserve it!
“What a wasteful fool!” Tang Fei cursed angrily.
The Scarred Man offered no rebuttal.
After completing this insignificant little task, he hoisted the wild sheep onto his shoulder and walked toward home.
In the apocalypse, who is the Hunter and who is the Prey is only revealed the moment one closes their eyes.
Just then, the gray sky, diluted like ink, suddenly revealed a silver pinpoint of light. That light spot grew larger and larger, tracing a bright arc across the vast expanse of the sky, falling toward the ground like a meteor before crashing into the dirt with a 'clang.'
Tang Fei darted like a rabbit behind a nearby boulder to hide himself, yet unwilling to leave, he stayed there cautiously observing.
Killing a few Predators—it shouldn't warrant such a grand spectacle, right?
Clang!
The silver hatch door was forcefully pushed open, and a 'person' wearing a black tight-fitting uniform and a matching smart helmet crawled out of the cabin.
Why crawl?
Because the steel shell had flipped over upon landing, she was wriggling forward with her face up and back down.
Why 'she'?
Because as she used her body to dig into the earth, the smart helmet had already opened its face shield, revealing a stunningly beautiful face.
Hiss...
Tang Fei gasped in amazement!
“Her face is so fair!”
“Her family must not lack water!”
“She must wash her face at least three times a week.”
After Tang Fei envied the resource wealth of others for a while, a new problem arose:
Can this be eaten?
It's great, we meet again!