The water dispute soon came to an end. The three gangs suffered heavy casualties, and in the end, the refined man, the fitness coach, and the yellow-haired man reached a consensus to divide the water among themselves. They unanimously ignored the bodies of their own subordinates who had died because of them.
Time passed quickly. As the sun set and the temperature dropped, night enveloped the town. Jiang Fanxing had rested well and, seeing that the world outside was completely shrouded in darkness, prepared to leave with his gear. He tucked the inverter into his backpack, slung the electric saw over his shoulder, and walked out the door. As he stepped onto the street, he was suddenly surrounded by countless torches, and his heart tightened.
The refined man walked at the front, a lazy smile on his face, though his eyes behind his glasses were filled with malice. “Kindhearted soul, we have been waiting for you for a long time. Hand everything over.”
Jiang Fanxing noticed that the fitness coach and the yellow-haired man were not among them, which eased his tension slightly. He asked innocently, “What are you talking about? I do not understand.”
The refined man’s smile faded, clearly dissatisfied with the answer. “If you are going to play dumb, this is going to be tedious.”
Jiang Fanxing hated people who spoke in riddles, so he snapped, “If you want something, come and take it yourself.” With that, he switched on the electric saw. The blade, resembling shark teeth, began to spin rapidly, emitting a frightening, high-pitched hum.
Seeing him draw the saw at the slightest provocation, the group hesitated. The refined man looked at the figure armored from head to toe, feeling both speechless and intrigued. He spread his hands to show he meant no harm. “Friend, do not be so impulsive. I know you brought the water today. I only want to know the source of your water; I have no intention of offending you. Tell you what, put down your weapon and tell me where the water is, and I will let my men leave and let you go. How about that?”
Jiang Fanxing would have been an idiot to believe him. Being besieged again made him feel genuinely angry, annoyed by his own weakness; he was always at the mercy of others when surrounded. Peering through the veil of his hat, he searched for an exit while stalling for time. “I do not trust you. You let me go first, and I will give you the map. Otherwise, you will get nothing.”
The refined man, of course, was unwilling to let him go so easily. To be walking alone in the apocalypse with a large oil drum suggested the man likely had a vehicle filled with supplies. If he could secure that vehicle, he could quickly eliminate his two rivals.
Jiang Fanxing watched as the man lowered his eyes in thought. When the man looked up again, his eyes held only cold ruthlessness. Jiang Fanxing’s heart sank; he realized he was in trouble and braced himself. The next second, the man ordered coldly, “Kill him. Whatever supplies you find afterward are yours.”
He did not lack food; he wanted water and the map to the source. In the apocalypse, the allure of resources excited the men and drove them into a frenzy. They ignored the spinning saw and lunged at him with clubs and wooden sticks.
Jiang Fanxing blocked the sticks with his saw and dodged the swinging clubs. Being alone, however, made it impossible to defend against every angle, and several blows landed on him. Fortunately, his thick clothing shielded his skin; he feared that the sickening sensation of skin-to-skin contact would make him vomit. Realizing he could not hold out much longer, his mind raced for an opening.
Finally, spotting a momentary gap in their formation, he angled the saw and began spinning in a frantic circle. The weapons were chipped and severed by the rotating blade. No one could breach his defense, and they stood back in frustration. The refined man nearly laughed in anger. “Attack his legs!”
Jiang Fanxing, who was starting to feel dizzy, cursed him internally. But when they lowered themselves to strike at his legs, he saw his chance. Goodbye to you! He lunged at one man, leveled the saw to decapitate him, and kicked the body aside. The next second, to their baffled stares, he fled while still spinning. Because of the momentum, he could not stop, and he was forced to perform an awkward, spiral-like sprint. He silently prayed that only these people from the rift world had seen this; if anyone from the real world saw him, he would die of embarrassment.
The refined man lost his cool. “What are you standing there for? Chase him!”
The men regained their senses and, humiliated, gave chase in a rage. As it turned out, Jiang Fanxing was an expert at running away; he was, after all, the man who had escaped Li Dadao and his gang. The pursuit dragged on until the refined man’s subordinates were panting and exhausted, unable to climb to their feet, watching Jiang Fanxing’s retreating figure in defeat.
The refined man was furious at letting such a big fish slip away. He kicked the man closest to him. “Useless! All of you are useless!”
“Lin Qing, why did you bring so many people here?” The fitness coach and the yellow-haired man arrived with their own groups. Seeing the men sprawling on the ground, they were suspicious. Lin Qing never did anything without a motive; he had definitely been hiding something from them.
Hearing their voices, the refined man’s gloomy face smoothed over. He turned and said gently, “My men have been slacking off lately, so I brought them out for some training.”
Do you think we believe that? The coach and the yellow-haired man thought to themselves. When they arrived, they had seen the debris, the severed head, and the headless body. The wounds were jagged and raw, as if hacked by a dull blade. Lin Qing was not a good person, but he would not usually torture someone like that. So, who had killed the man?
When they questioned him, the refined man simply said, “Well, I will not lie. I heard from my men that someone had been killed, so I came out to take a look.” He affected a look of regret. “Unfortunately, they got away. It is not a major issue, but since the culprit escaped, I felt embarrassed to mention it.”
The coach and the yellow-haired man exchanged glances; they could not find a trace of deceit on the refined man’s face. Since his subordinates were all face-down, they could not see their expressions either. With no evidence to hold against him, they had to accept his story.
The yellow-haired man noted, “Come to think of it, that must have been the guy who delivers the water. He runs fast, what a pity.” If they had caught him, they might have gotten more water.
The fitness coach was also disappointed but remained rational. “We do not know if he has a group. We will need to send people to keep an eye out these next few days.”
“Agreed,” the refined man replied.
After twenty minutes, the fallen men slowly crawled up, and the three groups turned back. The refined man walked at the front, knowing full well the two fools behind him were mocking him. He curled his lips into a sneer. The man could not have run far, but if he could not have him, nobody would.
Meanwhile, Jiang Fanxing, having escaped the town, stopped to rest and felt a surge of pure fury. The urge to return to the real world reached its peak, even overshadowing his fear of being discovered by Xie Yunqing’s team. Just you wait. Once I am back in the real world, I am signing up for combat training! Tomorrow, I will find the rescue team, join them to save people, and get back home as soon as possible. I am done with this miserable life!
He rode his tricycle through the night until he was too sleepy to function. After a quick outdoor wash, he passed out in the vehicle. The next morning, he arrived at a village he had passed before, his nerves finally beginning to settle.
“Hello, this is the survivor base. How can I help you?”
Jiang Fanxing heard the familiar female voice and greeted her naturally. “Hi, sorry to bother you. It is me again. I wanted to ask where the rescue team that went to Reservoir Village is now?”
Back at the base, the woman blinked. Hearing that familiar male voice, she grew curious about what he looked like. A man that kind and soft-spoken must be sunny and handsome, right? She blushed, feeling foolish for letting her thoughts wander, and replied, “They are at Duck Village now.”
Jiang Fanxing thanked her and hung up. Duck Village? He searched his memory and recalled a small, deserted village he had passed in the west. Since the rescue team did not know the situation there, they were likely checking each village one by one. Understanding this, he set off for the fork in the road where he had previously changed directions.
A day and a half later, he finally arrived at the last village he had stopped at in the west: Weizi Village. With the sun blazing, he found an empty house to stay in, took a short rest, and called the survivor base again. Before the woman could speak, he preempted her: “I have reached Weizi Village, the sixth village past Duck Village. The rescue team has not arrived here yet, right?”
“No, sir,” she answered gently. She paused for a moment before adding with concern, “Sir, may I ask why you are looking for the rescue team?” This kind, generous man had always reported the locations of survivors before, but he had never directly sought out the team. Was something wrong?
Jiang Fanxing had not planned on telling anyone his intentions, but since she asked, he answered, “I feel that saving people alone is too dangerous, so I want to join the rescue team.”
The woman’s heart skipped a beat. Joining the team meant he would come to the base. Did that mean they would meet soon? Suppressing her excitement, she made her voice even softer. “Then I wish you good luck.” I look forward to the day we meet.
Jiang Fanxing did not catch the expectation in her tone. He said thanks and ended the call. While waiting for the rescue team, he cleaned himself up. On his shoulder, beneath his greenish skin, the bruises appeared even more terrifying. Looking at his scarred reflection in the mirror, his expression became complex. He had not been this disheveled since he was ten years old. He knew such experiences would be common in the future, but his heart still ached for the bruises. At least they were only bruises; he had not been scarred or broken, or he would have wanted to strangle that dog of a system for forcing him into this.
The rescue team arrived in Weizi Village the following afternoon. Jiang Fanxing, dressed thoroughly to cover his appearance, walked over as Xie Yunqing and the others stepped out of their vehicles.
“Long time no see.”
Xie Yunqing looked toward him, his eyes flickering with surprise. Why is this person here? And is he not hot wearing so many layers?
Jiang Fanxing felt uncomfortable under Xie Yunqing’s gaze, feeling as if the man could see through everything. He was grateful for the veil over his face. He steeled his expression. “I have encountered many unfriendly survivors these past few days. It is too hard to keep going alone. May I join your team?”