“Open the door! Open the door! Hurry up and open the door!”
“It’s the Flame Shrine, open up.”
“Are there any strangers inside? No? Then who are you?”
“Dare to run? Kill him, fire the arrows. Fire the arrows!”
In the Hen Shan Gathering Area, house doors were being shouted open or smashed open by the mixed forces composed of the Flame Shrine’s Grey Robes and Predators.
They were just like bandits; oh, they were bandits indeed.
These bandits charged recklessly, barging into houses to search around, then patting down the people, even prying open mouths to check if their teeth were good and strong. When leaving, they would casually pilfer anything they considered somewhat valuable from the home.
Some took goods, some took people.
Struggling was met with beatings, resistance was met with death.
The residents of the gathering area were accustomed to this. As long as the fists weren't landing on their own heads, everyone swept the snow from their own doorstep, caring nothing for the frost on their neighbor's roof.
To live, everyone was striving to live!
It’s just that, why did the people from the Flame Shrine today seem a bit like Predators?
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The courtyard door of a small stone courtyard was pounded heavily, and the voice of a middle-aged old woman came through: “Coming, coming... Who is it?”
“Flame Shrine,” the Grey Robe outside shouted loudly. “Open the door quickly, don't wait for us to break it down.”
The thick wooden door was pulled open from the inside, and a middle-aged old woman with a wrinkled face stood at the entrance, smiling obsequiously, and said, “So it is Divine Envoy Your Honors gracing us with your presence. May I ask what orders Your Honors have?”
“Why does it smell so bad?” Several Grey Robes instinctively stepped back a couple of paces.
They sized up the old woman before them and found her face black and her hair messy like a bird’s nest, her clothes ragged like straw. She wore a garment covered in Patches, and a thick, nauseatingly sour stench emanated from her entire body.
What was even more disgusting was that a swarm of flies was buzzing around her head incessantly, making faint buzzing sounds.
“Don’t come closer,” the Grey Robe said, pointing at the middle-aged old woman while covering his nose. “What is that smell on you? How long has it been since you bathed?”
“Replying to Divine Envoy Your Honor, my daughter and I haven't bathed in a month and a half... maybe two months. You know, there is only one water source for the entire Hen Shan Gathering Area, and it’s too far for us. Every time my daughter and I carry back two buckets, it’s barely enough for drinking and cooking, so we can’t bear to use it for bathing,” the middle-aged old woman replied with an Honest and simple expression.
“You have a daughter?” A Grey Robe’s eyes lit up, and he asked aloud.
“Yes, yes, her name is Ning Ning.” The middle-aged old woman turned around and called toward the inside of the door, “Ning Ning, Ning Ning, hurry out, we have distinguished guests at home...”
Thus, a thin, dark-skinned girl, also emitting a sour stench, walked out. She waved her hand to shoo away the flies in front of her, her voice a faint buzz, and she glanced timidly at the Grey Robes of the Flame Shrine before saying, “Mom, what is it?”
“Esteemed Divine Envoys, this is my daughter, Ning Ning. We rely on each other, my daughter and I,” the middle-aged old woman introduced with a smile. “Ning Ning, come quickly and greet the Divine Envoy Your Honors.”
When the Grey Robes saw the hideous and terrifying Scarface on Ning Ning’s face, the light in their eyes instantly vanished. They all stepped back repeatedly with grim expressions, saying, “No need to come closer, just talk from where you are. Are there any other people in the house besides you two?”
“No. It’s just the two of us; no one else is willing to come,” the middle-aged old woman said. “Divine Envoy Your Honors can enter and search.”
“You’re so foul, who would want to come?” the Grey Robe cursed. “Forget the search, what’s there to search? How could an Expert in Qi Control Technique be hiding in a place like this? We’ll be stinking to death...”
“Let’s go, let’s go, next house. What bad luck.”
“Exactly, I’ve never seen such an ugly woman.”
“We originally thought any woman would do, but it seems that’s not the case now...”
After the group of Grey Robes left, grumbling, the middle-aged old woman slowly closed the main door.
After securing the bolt, she collapsed weakly against the door panel, gasping for breath.
“I was so scared, truly scared to death.”
“These people from the Flame Shrine are too vicious; they really will do anything.”
“What’s there to be afraid of? Don’t they also have one nose and two eyes?” An Ning snapped her fingers, and the flies surrounding her instantly vanished without a trace.
Illusion Technique!
These flies were all conjured by her secret art.
“Oh dear, you didn’t see what they did; it’s simply not something humans should do... beasts worse than pigs and dogs.”
The middle-aged old woman cursed, then, as if worried about being overheard through the walls, she unconsciously lowered her voice and whispered, “Strange, they rarely go door-to-door looking for people before. What are they looking for this time? Could something have happened to their Flame Shrine again?”
“I don’t know.” An Ning shook her head, but her expression was Pensive.
She had just heard them say, *How could an Expert in Qi Control Technique be hiding in a place like this?* Were they searching for a Qi Control Realm Expert?
“Nizi, what are you thinking about?” the old woman asked.
“I’m going to take a bath,” An Ning said.
“Oh dear, what are you bathing for now? Those Grey Robes haven't even left yet... If you wash off the skunk juice on you, what if those Grey Robes come knocking again?” the middle-aged old woman said. “It’s messy outside, and Tang Fei might not even pass by our door today.”
“I’m bathing.”
“This stubborn girl... she won’t even listen to her mother.”
Tang Fei was carving a small bird out of wood, and Phoenix was watching Tang Fei’s small bird nearby.
When the wooden bird was assembled in Tang Fei’s hands and then wobbled into the sky, both Tang Fei and Phoenix jumped up excitedly, shouting and yelling happily like children.
When the wooden bird’s rear end started smoking and it rapidly plummeted to the ground, scattering its parts in a blaze, their expressions became dejected and sad, like pitiful children who were about to face a hundred math problems or be beaten up by other classmates.
Phoenix realized she had gradually adapted to life on Old Earth, wearing Old Earth’s clothes, eating Old Earth’s delicacies, having friends and companions here, eating and sleeping with them, hunting with them, and sharing their joy or sorrow.
She had even learned a few curse words.
For example: Bastard!
Aren't dogs quite cute? She had a dog on New Star. It was a snow-white Bichon Frise named Qiuqiu.
But Tang Fei said this word was an insult, so she would take Tang Fei’s answer as the standard.
When the Escape Pod first crashed here, her heart was filled with tension and panic, along with uncertainty about the future. Fortunately, she met Tang Fei, and he carried her back—Little Fatty used the word *carry*.
Then, she lived like a child truly raised in the Wasteland.
Before, she prayed constantly, praying that the people coming for her would appear quickly.
Now, she still prayed, but not with the same urgency and panic as before.
In this chaotic era where life was as cheap as grass, she actually felt a sense of safety and warmth.
“Failed again,” Tang Fei said, looking at the charred wood on the ground with regret. “I don’t know when it will finally fly, or maybe it never will.”
“It was already amazing. Look how fast it flew just now; it even reached the Treetop,” Phoenix comforted him, looking curiously at Tang Fei and asking, “Tang Fei, how do you know how to make this?”
“Self-taught,” Tang Fei replied.
“That impressive?” Phoenix widened her eyes and said, “On New Star, Mechanics who understand machinery creation and design are highly respected. Tang Fei, you must keep working hard; maybe you can become an excellent Mechanic in the future.”
“What’s wrong? Are you going to take me to New Star?” Tang Fei asked.
“I don’t have that much ability.”
“If I can’t even go to New Star, how can I become a Mechanic? On Old Earth, without systematic knowledge reserves, without practical equipment, I can’t even find a decent tool,” Tang Fei shook his head and said, “Let’s just focus on living well first. Making these little things is just a personal hobby of mine, something to pass the Time when I’m bored. What else can I do? I can’t just hunt all the Time or keep hitting Stones like Little Fatty.”
Tang Fei looked at Phoenix and asked, “What do young people on New Star usually do?”
Phoenix thought for a moment and said, “Students attend classes, and adults go to work. But in their spare Time, we go to karaoke, we go clubbing, and watch concerts by celebrities. Sometimes we meet a few friends for a cup of Coffee or an afternoon tea. Of course, we also often go to the Illusion Paradise; that world is so vast, so vast, it seems endless.”
“What do you like doing the most?” Tang Fei asked.
“I like watching movies the most,” Phoenix said, smiling with narrowed eyes. “I like watching any kind of movie—action, Love, comedy, and science fiction movies...”
“Oh, right, you can also use AI technology for face-swapping, replacing the faces of movie stars with your own, as if you were in the movie yourself. You can also use a Brain-Computer Interface to enter games or videos to increase the sense of real immersion.”
Tang Fei was dumbfounded. After a long silence, he said with envy, “It’s only been a few hundred Years since we left Blue Star, and I didn't expect New Star to have developed to this extent. That’s wonderful.”
Tang Fei pointed at the ancient forest before them and said, “Look at our situation here. It’s either Acid Rain or strange monsters. Even these seemingly insignificant little flowers and grasses are highly poisonous and can injure people with the slightest carelessness.”
“There are no laws to restrain us, no morality to guide us. There is only man eating man, man killing man. This planet is beyond saving, and we who live on this planet are also beyond saving.”
“Perhaps one day, everyone on this planet will die, and humanity will become extinct. But that no longer matters; the hope and continuation of humanity are on New Star.”
“Tang Fei...” Phoenix felt a wave of melancholy blocking her Chest. She wanted to comfort him but didn't know what to say.
Because she knew that what Tang Fei said was the truth.
Moreover, the anthropologists on New Star had also studied and written countless analytical reports concerning the environmental deterioration and human survival conditions on Blue Star.
All the reports pointed to one common conclusion: humanity on Blue Star would become extinct.
“No need to comfort me,” Tang Fei laughed and said, “While we can still live, we should enjoy life. For example, I make little crafts, An Ning draws, and Little Fatty hits Stones. Oh, Little Fatty hitting Stones isn't a personal hobby; that’s for survival.”
“I probably won’t live to see the day humanity goes extinct. Even if I did, I couldn’t change anything. That’s the fate for people like us—why were we born on Blue Star?”
“There will definitely be a way,” Phoenix said with a firm voice.
Tang Fei shook his head, put the Dog-leg Saber in his sheath, and said, “Let’s go hunting. If we don’t bring anything back today, we won’t have anything to eat tomorrow. You probably haven’t experienced the feeling of an empty stomach, have you?”
Phoenix shook her head and said, “I really haven’t.”
“Then we need to work hard,” Tang Fei said. “But you still need to be careful. Try your best not to use that whip of yours.”
“Are you worried they will follow the trail and find us?” Phoenix asked.
“When you use the whip, you will naturally damage the plants and grass in the jungle. The Hen Shan Gathering Area is unlikely to have such a sharp weapon. If they discover those cuts, they will know we are living nearby.”
“I understand,” Phoenix nodded and said, “Even without using that whip, I will definitely catch more Prey than you.”
“Impossible, I’m an old hunter; you’re just a novice rookie.”
“Then let’s have a competition.”
“Alright. What happens if someone loses?”
“The loser has to prepare a gift for the winner.”
“Can it be anything?” Tang Fei asked.
“Anything at all,” Phoenix said. “But it must be a gift you genuinely want to give the other person, not just something you grab to get by.”
“Of course, it must be carefully prepared,” Tang Fei said. He had originally planned to just casually pluck some wildflowers from the grass if he lost.
“Then let’s begin,” Phoenix said.
Tang Fei nodded, then sped off ahead. He knew which areas held Prey.
Phoenix was not to be outdone and followed closely behind Tang Fei.
She knew where Tang Fei knew Prey could be found, so she intended to strike first and snatch the Prey away.
She wanted to use practical action and abundant results to show Tang Fei that his boasted hunting skills were worthless in the face of a Qi Control Realm practitioner.