When Tang Fei carried the 'Prey' home, the Old Man and Little Fatty were smashing stones.
To be more precise, the Old Man was lying in a worn-out rattan chair, soaking several large tree roots in a big iron mug he held, directing Little Fatty to use a large Hammer to shape the large stones Little Fatty had moved down from the mountain into neat square blocks.
Shameless old thing!
The square stones were for building houses. Such houses were sturdy, sealed extremely well, capable of resisting monster charges as well as blocking Sun storms and Acid Rain erosion.
After the Great Cataclysm, less than one in ten humans survived. Those with means, such as the Scientists and tycoons, had long since relocated to New Star, which was the Red Moon City Base they had been developing.
Those without means, like Tang Fei, became Orphans on the Ruins.
To defend against all sorts of terrifying animals or compatriots more terrifying than animals, people naturally gathered together, resulting in the formation of human settlement areas one after another.
Huddling together for warmth is human nature, but one must also be wary of embracing a venomous snake or a hedgehog.
People died in the settlement areas every day, and new wanderers arrived from somewhere. Therefore, a large quantity of stones was needed here to build houses.
The profession of stonemason, which was nearly obsolete before the Great Cataclysm, was now somewhat in short supply, becoming the top choice for young people seeking employment and a livelihood.
"Brother, you're back?" Little Fatty stopped swinging his Hammer, wiped the sweat from his Forehead, and greeted Tang Fei with an Honest and simple manner.
His wiping motion was careless; the dust on his palm mixed with the sweat on his face, leaving several finger streaks, instantly turning him into a painted clown face.
The Old Man pointed at Little Fatty and cursed loudly, roaring in Anger: "How many times have I told you? Don't wipe your face while working. Look at the mess you've made; where am I supposed to get water to wash your face?"
"When have you ever let anyone wash their face with water?" Tang Fei spoke up for Little Fatty, sneering repeatedly, "Haven't you always made us wipe with our sleeves? We've forgotten when we last washed our faces."
"Whenever I last washed my face is when you all washed your faces," the Old Man retorted without politeness.
This was because Tang Fei and Little Fatty used the water the Old Man had used to wash his face. The Old Man ranked first, Tang Fei was half a year older than Little Fatty, so he luckily ranked second, and Little Fatty ranked third.
Although there were only two people ahead of him, due to the long period without washing, by the time it was Little Fatty's turn, the water was almost a basin of mud.
Whether it washed cleanly was uncertain, but it was definitely moisturizing.
Otherwise, how could he remain plump like a painted steamed bun after working and living under harsh conditions of constant wind and sun exposure?
After the Great Cataclysm, a large amount of water resources on the planet's surface became polluted. Even the Groundwater became highly corrosive due to the backflow of Acid Rain and the infiltration of Poisonous Gas.
That isn't water; that's sulfuric acid. Finding clean, usable water sources is as difficult as ascending to heaven.
"You call that washing your face? Do you have any shame saying that?"
"You Brat dare to lecture me? When I sent you out to hunt, what is that thing you're carrying on your back?"
"A person," Tang Fei replied.
The Old Man shook his head, looked towards Tang Fei with a serious and earnest expression, and said in a Deep Voice, "How many times have I told you? We don't eat this. We didn't before, and we absolutely won't in the future."
"The meat tastes sour," Little Fatty grinned foolishly.
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Seeing Tang Fei and the Old Man look at him in horror, Little Fatty quickly explained in fright, "I haven't eaten it. I heard Granny Wang at the village entrance say it... I won't eat it, not even if I starve to death."
"This isn't for you to eat; I picked this up from outside." Tang Fei slapped the woman's full buttocks and shouted, "Hey, wake up."
He carried the woman back as if carrying a sheep, his shoulder pressing against her abdomen, her upper body dangling loosely behind him.
His left hand was holding the Two-headed Sheep, so he had to use his right hand to slap her to wake her up.
Well, slapping her like this was indeed more convenient...
The moment he made eye contact with this woman who fell from the sky, she immediately closed her eyes and passed out.
This gave Tang Fei a deep sense of frustration, and for a moment, he even doubted his own appearance to some extent.
Of course, thinking of his name instantly dispelled that absurd notion.
"Picked up? Where did you pick her up from?"
"Hate Mountain," Tang Fei replied.
"How did you find her?"
"I was carrying the Two-headed Sheep home when... unexpectedly, a white light flashed in the sky, and then a large metal box fell. She climbed out of the metal box..."
The Old Man climbed out of the rattan chair, walked over, and carefully examined the woman's clothing and appearance. He said with a grave expression, "She must be from New Star. I don't know what disaster she encountered. We cannot keep someone like this; send her away quickly."
"Alright." Although Tang Fei thought the Old Man had Bad character, he trusted the Old Man's survival wisdom. Otherwise, a combination like them—one old man and two young ones—would have long been eaten clean, leaving not even bone fragments.
Tang Fei carried the woman and turned to leave. When he reached the Small Courtyard entrance, he asked aloud, "Where should I send her?"
The Old Man then displayed the characteristic expression of Constipation, hesitated for a long time, waved his hand, and said, "Since you picked her up, she is your personal property bestowed by heaven... Whether to discard her or keep her is up to you."
After speaking, the Old Man walked back into the house carrying his large tea mug.
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Tang Fei was dumbfounded.
This old fellow actually used the ultimate tactic of washing his hands of the matter?
"Brother, keep her," Little Fatty wiped his nose and said from the side, reminding him, "Keep her so we can use her to smash stones."
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When the Young Girl opened her eyes, she saw Tang Fei picking a clump of dark green viscous substance from his mouth and smearing it onto her bare lower leg.
Slap!
Very accurate!
That clump of unknown substance landed exactly over the wound on her lower leg. A strong coolness washed over it, significantly suppressing the burning sensation that had been there. Only then did she smell a faint, fresh herbal fragrance.
"What are you doing?" the Young Girl Said aloud.
Her voice was hoarse, as if she hadn't drunk water for a long Time.
"Treating an injury," Tang Fei Said aloud. "You are injured. Eleven cuts on your body, three large ones, eight small ones... oh, eight small ones..."
"...Don't you have tools for crushing herbs?"
"I do," Tang Fei replied. "They are outside, and I'm too lazy to get them. Also, there's no water to clean them with..."
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"Besides, my mouth is a bit inflamed recently. The sap from the Snake Skin Leaves has an anti-inflammatory and sterilizing effect, and I don't want to waste it."
Perfectly reasonable!
"...Thank you," the Young Girl Said aloud.
At the moment of life and death, all minor details can be ignored.
If someone is starving to death, they still complain that the bowl someone used to serve them food wasn't washed clean—that person is either foolish or pretentious.
Thinking of this, the Young Girl glanced at Tang Fei's bruised mouth and thought, luckily that wasn't the bowl used for serving food.
"Who are you? Where is this place?" the Young Girl asked.
Tang Fei Looked towards the woman and said, "I should be the one asking you that question first, right? I've taken in a woman of unknown origin; my pressure is immense..."
The Old Man wouldn't care, and Little Fatty couldn't manage it; he had to be responsible for his own life safety.
He had already sacrificed his meager daily ration of clean water, and even used the Snake Skin Leaves he had been saving for a long Time. He might have to sacrifice even more.
Therefore, he absolutely needed to figure out this woman's identity and origin.
"I am from New Star," the Young Girl said, looking at Tang Fei.
This made her attitude seem even more sincere.
"I can tell," Tang Fei nodded. From her clothing and the pile of metal shell she arrived in, one could immediately discern her origin.
There were no such high-tech products on the Ruins.
Besides, her skin was so fair...
On the Ruins, whether it was Acid Rain or Sun magnetic storms, coupled with shortages of food and water, the living environment was extremely harsh. Who could maintain such skin?
Except for Little Fatty!
"We came to Blue Star for an exploration when our spacecraft encountered an accident. In a moment of crisis, I escaped in an Escape Pod..." the woman said.
"What is your name?"
"Phoenix," the woman replied.
"Phoenix?"
"Phoenix."
"Liar," Tang Fei pouted and said aloud.
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"I said you have eleven wounds. Two are sword wounds, one is a wound from a Bullet penetration, and the rest are scrapes from falling... If your spacecraft had an accident, how did you get sword wounds and bullet wounds?"
"Furthermore, I know there is a Phoenix Empire on New Star... You must be from the Phoenix Empire, right? You just woke up and probably hadn't managed to fabricate a fake name yet, so when I asked your name, you blurted out Phoenix."
Phoenix looked at Tang Fei with some surprise, thinking, this guy who just made mistakes in simple addition and subtraction actually possesses such delicate and sharp insight?
Suddenly, she felt a chill down her spine: What if he was deliberately exposing weaknesses?
What if he was deliberately pretending to be an ordinary youth just to make her lower her guard, so he could extract more useful information from her?
Too terrifying!
Phoenix sighed softly and said, "My name is indeed Phoenix. The Phoenix Empire has many girls named Phoenix. I am just one of them."
Tang Fei nodded and said, "I can accept that reason."
Accepting it is one thing; believing it is another.
"As for my sword and gunshot wounds, I didn't intend to mention these. I am a student at the First Military Academy of the Phoenix Empire. We came to Blue Star for an exploration under the guidance of our instructor, searching for legendary ancient ruins..."
"At the beginning, everything went smoothly. But then, we found a King's Great Tomb... A group of people wanted to claim that Great Tomb for themselves, leading to a fierce conflict. I managed to run into the spacecraft and enter the Escape Pod in time to escape..."
"What about the others?" Tang Fei asked.
"Most of them died..."
"The ones who didn't die are those who wanted to claim the Great Tomb. To silence witnesses, they might track down your whereabouts, correct?"
Phoenix nodded and replied, "Yes."
She couldn't hide this fact and had to be prepared...
"But don't worry. As soon as my injuries heal a little, I will immediately leave in the Escape Pod and won't bring trouble to you."
"When will your injuries heal?" Tang Fei asked with anticipation. "Can it be tonight?"
Phoenix glanced outside and asked, "What Time is it now?"
"Nine thirty-five PM," Tang Fei said, looking at the electronic watch he had 'picked up' on his wrist. "It might be forty-five. This watch has an error margin of less than ten minutes... Your Time is running out."
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