"I've never had good food?" Li You immediately retorted, "Back in the day when I was dominating the casinos, the money I won in a day is something you'd never see in your lifetime. Have you ever had Curly Noodles? I bet you've never even seen them!
Those noodles are compressed into a hard cake, with patterns more intricate than a sweater. Boil them in hot water until they're golden, not at all mushy like regular noodles, but incredibly chewy. Add an egg on top, and the taste is simply...
This is a delicacy only city folks can enjoy!"
Curly Noodles?
Bai Ye's expression turned strange. The more he listened, the more it sounded like instant noodles. No, damn it, it was instant noodles!
Seeing Li You's face full of nostalgia, Bai Ye felt a sense of dissonance and absurdity. Having traveled through time for a shorter period, his thoughts sometimes lingered in the Civilization Era, leaving him slightly dazed.
What he once scorned as junk food, instant noodles, was now a delicacy most Wastelanders had never seen in their lifetime.
Noticing Bai Ye suddenly fall silent, Li You chuckled, knowing his words had given this inexperienced kid a little shock.
"What? Craving it? Don't worry, since you saved my life, once we get to Dawn City, I'll treat you to two... one bowl, with two eggs!"
"Thanks a lot," Bai Ye replied sarcastically.
"No problem, we're buddies!" Li You patted his chest with a bold demeanor, even though his pockets were emptier than his face was clean.
"By the way, why didn't you join the Silent Court earlier? From the looks of Tan Jie and the others, the Silent Court seems like a powerful Transcendent organization. And with such a strong and beautiful woman inviting you, how could you refuse?"
"You can tell she's beautiful even with a mask on? Maybe she's wearing it because she's too ugly. Who wears a mask if they're normal?" Bai Ye recalled the knightly girl's appearance.
Tall and striking, with long, straight black hair down to her waist, definitely a killer from behind.
"You don't get it. Back in my day, I was quite the ladies' man. I've seen countless beauties. Even with a mask, I can tell she's a stunner. That unique aura of a beauty can't be faked. She obviously has a thing for you. Why else would she invite you over me, a known Extraordinary Being?"
"I feel sorry for you. If you had joined, spending day and night together, you might have won her over."
"Childish." Bai Ye couldn't be bothered with Li You's insinuations. To him, such adolescent fantasies were immature.
He wouldn't have such childish fantasies. As a god of the new era, wielding supreme control over time, though his divine power was currently sealed, allowing him only one minute a day, his pride as a god remained. This story is hosted at NovelPing.
How could he waste precious time on a woman?
"Hey, you still haven't told me why you refused her. She's got a strong background, great power, beauty, and kindness. You can't possibly be..." Li You's eyes turned strange, a mix of suspicion and wariness.
"What the hell are you thinking?" Bai Ye snapped, "I can't believe I ran into someone as ridiculous as you! You want to know the reason, right? Listen up, it's simple, just six words: 姕孕奀!"
（PawRead P/N: The Chinese phrase "姕孕奀" can be broken down into six words: "此女乃子不大" (This woman has small breasts.).）
Li You was stunned, blinking in confusion, "What does that mean? I don't get it. Didn't you say six words? That's only three."
"Figure it out slowly."
"Come on, don't keep me in suspense. What does it mean?"
Suddenly, Bai Ye stood up and walked towards the window where Li You was.
Li You was startled, "Hey, hey, what are you doing? If you don't want to say, don't... huh?"
He realized Bai Ye wasn't coming over to hit him but was leaning against the window.
"Outside..."
"Don't speak, there's a vehicle coming, lots of them!" Bai Ye listened carefully, hearing the roar of an approaching convoy.
Li You's face changed, quickly getting up to look. His abrupt movement pulled on his right hand, causing him to wince in pain, but he endured it silently, straining to listen. Sure enough, he heard the sound of vehicles.
In Graysoil Town, ten military transport trucks moved in a line, each truck bed packed with armed soldiers, numbering no less than a hundred.
Surrounding the transport trucks were over two hundred dusty Wastelanders, herded along like sheep by the soldiers.
Bai Ye looked through the window and recognized many familiar faces among the two hundred Wastelanders.
"They're the residents of Graysoil Town, they've returned."
"Eye of Apocalypse! Those soldiers have the Eye of Apocalypse insignia on their uniforms. They're from Dawn City's army!" Li You exclaimed in a low voice.
Bai Ye also saw the so-called Eye of Apocalypse, its main feature an eye seemingly containing the mysteries of the universe, adorned with star-like patterns, and three silver-white lightning streaks running through it. You are reading on novelping . com, the official source.
"What's going on? Why is Dawn City's army driving the residents back?"
"You ask me, who am I supposed to ask?" Bai Ye replied irritably. He hated unpredictability. He just wanted to quietly accumulate a little time, damn it, can't even get that!
Whatever those Dawn soldiers were here for, it certainly wasn't good.
"Stop, it's getting late. We'll rest here for the night and head to Black Mountain tomorrow."
A voice came from a loudspeaker in the middle transport truck, a military officer issuing orders. The convoy soon stopped in Graysoil Town, clearly planning to spend the night there.
Bai Ye and Li You were no ordinary people. Though the distance was far, they could still barely make out the officer's voice.
"Black Mountain!? They're going to Black Mountain?" Li You's eyes widened in surprise.
With Mutant Beasts rampant in Black Mountain, only a formal army would dare venture there.
What was in Black Mountain? Why did Dawn City keep sending troops? Was it really for war? But this hundred-man unit didn't carry heavy weapons or transport supplies, not at all like they were going to fight.
Bai Ye pondered silently, pretending not to be curious was a lie, but he didn't plan to join the fray, as it was too time-consuming.
If he had an hour to spare, he'd definitely go take a look, maybe even gain some benefits. But with only a minute, it was better to keep a low profile.
"Why are they taking these residents to Black Mountain? Could it be..." Li You suddenly thought of a possibility, exchanging a knowing glance with Bai Ye, both understanding what the other was thinking.
"Cannon fodder."
"Suicide squad!"
They spoke simultaneously but with different words.
It proved they had no tacit understanding, not only using different terms but even differing in word count.
"They're herding a bunch of defenseless Wastelanders to Black Mountain, clearly using them as a suicide squad to clear the way," Li You said grimly.
Being a Wastelander himself, he felt a deep disgust for the actions of the Dawn soldiers.