Outside.
Five Gray Sparrows hovered in mid-air, their dull eyes fixed intently on Bai Ye as they attacked from five different directions.
Seeing this, Bai Ye pulled a dagger from his pant leg, his gaze fierce. He paid no mind to the five Gray Sparrows above, even though they blocked all his escape routes.
Once these five creatures got close, with Time Stop activated, he could easily slaughter them.
What truly annoyed him was Old Wang. Because Old Wang refused to open the door, Bai Ye couldn't get bullets, which meant he couldn't use the Breath of Bones to enhance his qi and blood. It was a complete waste of time with no gain.
"Won't open the door, huh? Once I deal with these Gray Sparrows, I'll set your tavern on fire and see if you open it then!"
Screech...
The five Gray Sparrows let out piercing cries, diving at Bai Ye like five streaks of gray lightning.
Bai Ye gripped his dagger tightly, the fierceness in his eyes growing stronger. He waited for the Gray Sparrows to get a bit closer.
Suddenly, a change occurred!
A sound of something breaking through the air exploded above. To Bai Ye's surprise, the five Gray Sparrows seemed to be struck by an invisible air hammer.
Bang, bang, bang...
Flesh and blood splattered, countless gray feathers fell like rain.
"This is... Li You!"
Bai Ye quickly looked toward the corner of a nearby building, seeing Li You lower his right hand, gasping for breath.
"Bai Ye! Over here!"
Bai Ye swiftly darted to the corner where Li You was hiding.
Li You was not in good shape, clutching his right hand tightly with a pained expression, sweat beading on his forehead. The fierce strike had aggravated his previous injury.
"How are you?"
"I'm fine, not dying," Li You forced a smile.
"By the way, you came for bullets, right?"
Bai Ye paused slightly, looking at the bulging burlap sack behind Li You, instantly understanding.
Li You struggled to untie the sack, revealing the contents inside.
Guns, bullets, cockroach protein bars, water...
"Did you steal this from the Tire Tavern?"
"Heh heh..." Li You chuckled, "I have a grudge against Wang She, so I had to hide in your East District. When I saw the Gray Sparrows entering the city, I realized something was wrong, so I went to the Tire Tavern early and used my Magic Hand to steal the supplies. With these, we can escape Graysoil Town."
Bai Ye's eyes flickered, "You could have run by yourself, why bring me?"
Li You seemed surprised, "Why ask why? Didn't I say before, I respect you for your character. You risked yourself to protect Graysoil Town and agreed to cooperate with me. Helping you is only natural." New chapters come out on novelping . com first.
"Besides, you have a Forbidden Item, so we can look out for each other while escaping."
Bai Ye laughed, "You haven't read any books, have you?"
Li You was even more surprised, "No, I haven't. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, Old Wang has."
"Old Wang? He has indeed read books. I heard he even stayed in Dawn City before, one of the few cultured people in Graysoil Town. But that old guy is really unkind, won't even open the door... Hey, why am I chatting with you? We shouldn't stay here, let's go!"
Bai Ye didn't move, instead loading bullets one by one.
"Aren't we leaving?"
Click!
The bullets were loaded.
Bai Ye looked up with a defiant smile, "No rush."
Li You was shocked, "You're not planning to stay and save the residents of Graysoil Town, are you?"
"No."
"Then what are you going to do?" Li You looked at the Gray Sparrows gathering, growing more anxious. He turned his gaze back to Bai Ye, only to see the young man in front of him with a blade-like smile on his lips.
"Of course... kill them all."
"You... are you kidding?"
"I never joke."
"Then why did you call me Li Zuo last time and said to become an Extraordinary Being, you'd have to lose your right hand..."
"Shut up, Li Zuo!"
Under Bai Ye's lead, the two arrived at an alley near the Tire Tavern.
"You protect me, I'll shoot the Gray Sparrows."
Li You hesitated, but before he could speak, a flock of Gray Sparrows swooped down.
Bang, bang, bang...
Continuous gunfire rang out, and one by one, the Gray Sparrows fell in the alley, gray feathers scattering like dandelions. For a moment, the narrow sky above the alley seemed to rain gray.
Some Gray Sparrows attacking from behind were blocked by Li You's invisible hand. Against the invisible attack, even Mutant Beasts had no defense.
Inside the Tire Tavern. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Old Wang, curled up behind the bar, covered his ears tightly, seemingly terrified of the bird calls and gunfire outside.
He knew Bai Ye was fighting the Gray Sparrows, and he also knew Bai Ye was doomed. One person couldn't defeat so many Gray Sparrows; it was only a matter of time before he died.
Old Wang mumbled to himself, "I'm not wrong, I just want to survive. A Wastelander who hasn't even read a book, only those fools outside admire him. If I had a Forbidden Item, I could kill Hyenas too, I could be a hero..."
His words sped up, his eyes gradually filling with self-assured light, "Bullets to deal with Gray Sparrows? Who does he think he is? Even the Commanders can't save Graysoil Town, what's he trying to prove?
He must be lying, trying to trick me into opening the door to hide inside, clearly scared to death... What was that sound!?"
Old Wang, like a startled bird, looked toward the tavern window, meeting a pair of dull eyes. In that instant, he was almost scared to death.
Thud, thud, thud...
Gray Sparrows kept crashing into the window, each impact felt like a blow to his chest. The fragile glass began to crack, and the clutter used to block the window fell, scattering everywhere.
"Stop... stop crashing! Go eat Bai Ye, he's right outside..."
Fear kept Old Wang from getting up to reinforce the window, leaving him only to pray.
However, if prayers worked, the world would be free of disaster and pain.
Bang!
The fragile glass shattered, and a Gray Sparrow the size of an eagle squeezed in, its lifeless eyes locked onto Old Wang.
"Ah!!"
Old Wang screamed, fleeing in panic, the Gray Sparrow flapping its wings in pursuit.
The clutter in the tavern saved Old Wang's life. The tires hanging on the pillars and walls, used for decoration, cramped the Gray Sparrow's flight space, hindering its movement.
Ironically, these tires were what Old Wang hated most. His Old Times Tavern was mockingly called the Tire Tavern by the Wastelanders because of them. He had sworn more than once that he would remove all the tires once he had the money.
Old Wang ran around the tavern in a panic, finally realizing in horror that he had blocked all the exits himself. In his haste, he ran to the door, frantically clearing the tables and chairs blocking it.
"There's still gunfire outside! That means Bai Ye isn't dead yet, he has a Forbidden Item, he can save me!!"
Rip!
A claw tore through Old Wang's back, the three bone-deep gashes bringing intense pain.
"Ahhh!"
He screamed while using the tables and chairs blocking the door to hit the Gray Sparrow. The Gray Sparrow, only losing a few feathers, was otherwise unharmed, but it did stall its attack.
His hands were cut by the splinters on the edges of the tables and chairs, covered in blood, but fear had numbed him to the pain.
Finally... with the last obstacle cleared, the door... opened.