Jiang Jin’s expression instantly tightened.
He had not expected someone to come looking for him to collect a debt at a time like this!
When he was injured and fell ill, he had been forced to borrow a lot of money. He had gradually repaid a portion, but another portion remained unpaid.
However, right now he truly had no money, so he could only negotiate with the creditor to grant him some more time.
Musing over the familiar voice outside the door, Bai Yu suddenly had a flash of insight and instantly remembered what was going on.
Before he could take any measures to hide, the door to Jiang Jin’s apartment was pushed open. This person actually knew the password to Jiang Jin’s door lock!
Seeing this, Jiang Jin was also greatly startled. Immediately afterwards, a thin, gaunt-faced man with sharp features appeared in the opened door crack, his face filled with malice and vicious intent.
With just a single glance, Bai Yu confirmed the man’s identity. When he had transmigrated not long ago, this very man was among the group of town residents who had captured him!
He was also the one who had claimed Bai Yu was dangerous and insisted on reporting him for punishment!
Seeing the man walk in abruptly, Jiang Jin asked in astonished panic, “How do you know my door password?!”
Yet the man’s attention did not fall on Jiang Jin. Instead, after a brief look of surprise, he stared fiercely at Bai Yu.
“Well, well, Jiang Jin, harboring a dangerous individual! Did you help him escape?!”
The man’s shrill voice rang out. Jiang Jin was genuinely stunned. His gaze shifted from the man to Bai Yu, and then back to the man, filled with complete confusion.
The incident had happened too suddenly, and for a moment he couldn’t figure out what on earth was going on.
“You’re concealing a criminal, I’m going to call the police!” the man suddenly shrieked loudly.
Hearing this, Jiang Jin was deeply shocked. “What nonsense are you talking about?!”
Pointing at the cold and vigilant Bai Yu, the man wore an even more ferocious expression. “That is a criminal locked up by the testing station. He escaped!”
Jiang Jin looked at Bai Yu in disbelief.
Yet soon he calmed down. Bai Yu had previously told him that the situation surrounding him was very complicated, and it turned out to be this kind of matter. But Bai Yu was such a good person, and he refused to believe that the other party was any sort of criminal.
“You’re talking nonsense!” Jiang Jin stared fixedly at the man. “If you dare to call the police, don’t even think about me paying you back!”
After saying that, he turned back to Bai Yu, signaling with his eyes for him to seize the opportunity and escape immediately.
Knowing the urgency of the situation, as staying here would only drag Jiang Jin down, Bai Yu immediately turned and walked toward the window beside the bed. Escaping through the front door was out of the question now.
However, seeing that Bai Yu was about to escape, the man slammed the door handle in his hand, producing a violent crash, and quickly lunged inside toward Bai Yu.
“You want to escape? In your dreams! Do you know how much your bounty is right now? One hundred thousand!” Greed flashed in the man’s eyes as he desperately tried to grab Bai Yu.
Startled by the shadow suddenly rushing in, Jiang Jin reacted immediately. Disregarding his own injuries and pain, he moved to stop the man.
He rushed forward, grabbed the man around the waist, and dragged him backward. Feeling the resistance, the man flew into a blind rage and thrust his elbow back viciously. “Well, you Jiang Jin, you’re an accomplice! I’m going to report you!”
Jiang Jin suffered an excruciating pain in his abdomen from that elbow strike, loosening his grip slightly, yet he still persisted in shouting to Bai Yu, “Hurry up and go!”
Bai Yu had already rushed to the window, climbed up, and glanced back at Jiang Jin and the man.
At that moment, the man kicked out viciously at Jiang Jin, stepping down heavily without holding back.
Jiang Jin immediately let out a sharp cry of pain.
Bai Yu’s pupils shrank instantly. Seeing the man rush forward again with greed and a desperate determination to capture him, and realizing the man was about to reach him, Bai Yu abandoned thoughts of escaping. He jumped down from the windowsill, charged straight toward the man, and delivered a fierce kick.
“Ah!” The man instantly flew backward, crashed toward the doorway, and began wailing while clutching his stomach, his face full of disbelief.
Bai Yu glared at him fiercely before hurriedly squatting down to check on Jiang Jin’s condition.
“Are you alright?!”
Clutching his throbbing side, Jiang Jin winced in pain, his face turning several shades paler, yet he still managed to force out a smile and said, “I’m fine. Hurry up and run, otherwise things will only get worse the longer you stay.”
Bai Yu’s expression grew even colder. “What will happen to you if I escape?”
Jiang Jin couldn’t help coughing, caught his breath, and said, “At worst, I’ll be locked up in a prison cell for a bit. It’s no big deal.”
Bai Yu couldn’t help drawing a sharp breath.
Just then, the man lying by the doorway crawled back up through the pain. With a fierce and vicious glare fixed on Bai Yu and Jiang Jin, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Help! Jiang Jin is assaulting people! Jiang Jin is harboring a criminal and even tried to kill me!”
Hearing those words, Bai Yu and Jiang Jin widened their eyes in shock.
The shout yielded quite an effect.
Because of the battle brought on by the Taifeng raid, many people had been hiding in their homes. Hearing a sudden commotion, neighbors began opening their doors to watch the excitement and gossip.
Bai Yu heard the sounds of door locks clicking open.
Jiang Jin’s mood instantly tightened with panic. Showing deep fear, he hurriedly pushed Bai Yu. “Hurry up and leave, you won’t be able to get away in a moment!”
Looking at the men and women opening their doors and stepping out, Bai Yu felt an even greater shock inside.
Still, he quickly formulated an escape plan within this desperate situation. Fixing his gaze on Jiang Jin, he said in a deep voice, “I’m sorry for dragging you into this storm. Just insist that I threatened you. Take care!”
Jiang Jin’s expression grew even heavier, and he only muttered, “Hurry go!”
Bai Yu immediately stood up. As the curious onlookers flooded toward the entrance of Jiang Jin’s apartment, Bai Yu sprinted toward the window, climbed up, took a quick glance below, and jumped straight down.
Seeing Bai Yu jump out the window to escape, the curious neighbors were utterly shocked.
Someone suddenly exclaimed, “Could he be an ability user?”
Hearing these words, Jiang Jin and the man who had called for help both froze. A lingering sense of fear suddenly gripped the man.
No wonder the bounty on this person had skyrocketed to one hundred thousand within a mere hour! So that was the reason!
When ordinary people went up against an ability user, wasn’t that a surefire path to death?!
Unreconciled that he had been treated this way, the man maliciously fabricated facts and shouted, “So what if he’s an ability user? That’s a criminal ordered to be captured by the testing station! He’s a dangerous individual! Jiang Jin actually harbored a criminal. Since the criminal escaped, Jiang Jin is unforgivable himself!”
Jiang Jin felt a surge of terror upon hearing this. Then he heard the man continue, “Jiang Jin still owes me money. None of you can steal the reward money for reporting him from me!”
Pure panic flashed in Jiang Jin’s eyes.
After jumping out the window, Bai Yu climbed down the drainage pipe step by step and, relying on his agile skills, landed safely on the ground.
Those people did not pursue him downstairs. He picked a direction and quickly fled.
He just didn’t know what kind of situation Jiang Jin would face.
Bai Yu clenched his fists tightly. He hadn’t expected things to turn out this way, inadvertently dragging an innocent person down with him. At this moment, apart from regret, he felt only more regret.
Being an unregistered person without money, he couldn’t take any transportation and had to rely solely on his own two legs to dash through the various roads and alleys of the town.
Bai Yu chose a path leading out of the town and walked on and on.
Before long, he actually made it out of the town and accidentally wandered into a nearby forest.
This direction formed an angle opposite to the direction of the Taifeng attack. The forest might be dangerous, but it was still better than staying in the town where he could be captured at any moment.
He needed to rest for a bit and sort out the whole transmigrated situation so that he could make effective plans for his next steps.
Walking a short distance into the forest, he found a clear patch of ground covered with dead leaves and grass. Bai Yu found a tree close by, sat down with his back against the trunk, and faced the open space.
The sky was approaching dusk.
Bai Yu let out a heavy breath, closed his eyes, swallowed hard, and then slowly opened them again to stare ahead.
He still found it somewhat unbelievable that he had actually transmigrated.
Moreover, in less than a day, he had experienced two major escapes, creating an extremely pressing situation with his life in jeopardy.
His manner of transmigration didn’t fit physical transfer, and soul transfer didn’t seem quite rational either; instead, it exuded a bizarre atmosphere that defied convention.
Furthermore, he might actually possess an ability.
Thinking of this, Bai Yu couldn’t help bringing his hands close to his eyes. Those hands, which had spent years immersed in a laboratory, were slender and fair, but now bore large and small red marks and friction wounds from his two escapes, looking thoroughly abused and radiating a hot, swelling, stinging pain.
Staring fixedly at the clear palm prints on his hands, Bai Yu couldn’t help letting out a deep sigh.
Forget it. What’s done is done; it’s just a different world. If things go south, the worst-case scenario is just a restart, or maybe he’ll transmigrate to yet another world. Let’s just treat it like experiencing a fast-paced transmigration novel.
Bai Yu mentally consoled himself with positive thinking.
However, if he wanted to settle down in this world, resolving his status as an unregistered person became top priority.
After resting for a little while, Bai Yu couldn’t help thinking of the mysterious man he had encountered when escaping from the testing station.
What on earth was that person’s intention in suddenly appearing and then suddenly vanishing?
Was it merely curiosity as to how he had climbed out and escaped from the testing station?
Bai Yu was completely baffled.
He wondered if he would ever see that person again. After all, the other person had black hair and red eyes, resembling the person he was searching for in his dreams. Stripping away some dangerous and suspicious factors, he actually felt a strange sense of fondness for the individual.
Without realizing it, Bai Yu had rested for over half an hour. Unexpectedly, his stomach, which had only digested a single sandwich, grew hungry again.
With no other choice, he stood up and searched the woods for anything edible.
Relying on his instincts as a biological genetic researcher, Bai Yu had an extremely thorough understanding of plants and knew which ones were actually edible.
Walking for a distance, Bai Yu chewed on a few tree leaves. Although the taste left much to be desired, it barely managed to stop his stomach from growling.
Just when he thought he would have to rely solely on tree leaves to stave off his hunger, the view ahead suddenly opened up to reveal a wild litchi grove!
Verdant trees were laden with red and green mottled fruits.
The litchi fruits were on the smaller side and didn’t look like they were artificially cultivated. Upon spotting the wild litchis, Bai Yu’s eyes lit up.
Waking up and immediately being handed a pillow when you’re feeling sleepy!
Taking a deep breath and pinching his cheek to ensure he wasn’t hallucinating, Bai Yu quickened his pace toward those wild litchi trees.
There were plenty of fruits on the trees, weighing down the branches until they drooped near the ground. Approaching a litchi tree, Bai Yu only needed to reach out his hand to pluck the litchi fruits one by one.
Even though the fruits were only the size of a thumb, their sheer quantity could fill him up.
Bai Yu quickly harvested a large handful, cradled them in his arms, and walked over to a relatively flat tree to sit down with his back against the trunk, beginning to peel and eat the litchis to satisfy his hunger.
The pinkish-green litchi rind was peeled away to reveal translucent, crystal-clear flesh. Bai Yu could already smell the rich, sweet fragrance of the litchi, and a faint smile bloomed at the corners of his cold, indifferent face.
Heaven hadn’t been too harsh on him after all. He had transmigrated and immediately achieved litchi freedom. In the apocalypse, fruit used to be terribly expensive!
Suppressing his smile, Bai Yu popped the sweet litchi pulp into his mouth.
The rich litchi flavor instantly spread across his palate, the sweet juices wrapping around the tip of his tongue, leaving only two big words in his mind:
Delicious!
Bai Yu’s mood instantly brightened; he never expected wild litchis to possess such quality!
Yet since these litchis were so delicious, why were the branches still laden with fruit? Did the people of South Village Town dislike eating litchis?
Still, free things. Wasn’t it wasteful not to eat them?
Bai Yu didn’t ponder it further, his mouth keeping busy.
Before long, the thirty-odd litchis he had picked all went into his stomach, and he gradually felt half-full.
Sighing lightly to express his appreciation for the sweet and juicy litchis, Bai Yu supported himself against the tree trunk to stand up, preparing to pick more fruit to keep eating.
However, the moment he straightened his body, his head suddenly spun with dizziness.
Bai Yu froze, a sudden bad premonition welling up in his heart.
Could it be?
Before he could articulate the answer, he felt a sharp, violent pain in his stomach, followed by a rich, bloody taste rising in his throat.
Puff!
Bai Yu saw himself cough up a mouthful of dark red blood.
The litchis were poisonous!
His eyes widened in instant shock.
Before he could process it further, his body went limp, sliding slowly down the tree trunk to the ground.
Was he really going to restart and go to another world before even adapting to this newly transmigrated alien world?
I don’t know how much time passed.
Bai Yu was shocked awake by the cold night air.
He slowly opened his eyes and hazily saw twinkling stars in the sky.
Huh?
Which world is this now? Is he alive again?
Bai Yu blinked in utter bewilderment. Everything around him was pitch black and hazy, accompanied by the rustling sound of wind blowing through tree leaves.
He found the surrounding environment somewhat familiar.
Dazed for a moment, Bai Yu suddenly snapped to his senses. Wasn’t this the exact spot where he had eaten the wild litchis and gotten into trouble?!
Could it be that he actually didn’t die and came back to life?!
Yet clearly his stomach had hurt so badly, and he had coughed up a large mouthful of dark blood!
Now his stomach didn’t hurt anymore, and he even felt physically full of energy.
Bai Yu subconsciously swallowed, feeling bewildered and panicked by his current situation. No matter how much worldly experience he possessed, the current situation completely baffled him.
After a moment of silence, he hurriedly steadied himself against the tree to stand up, fixing a sharp gaze on the direction of the litchi trees.
No wonder the townspeople didn’t bother picking the wild fruit by the roadside. It turned out to be poisonous!
This alien world was truly formidable. Even something like wild litchis could be poisonous, the key being how delicious they tasted!
In this wilderness, what else was safe to eat?!
As for waking up after being poisoned, it was likely due to him possessing an ability.
And his ability…
Just at that moment, the roar of a wild beast suddenly echoed, sounding like a piercing cat screech, exceptionally startling and terrifying in the silent, empty forest.
Bai Yu’s eyes widened instantly.
Good grief! Did he run into monsters hunting at night?!
The next moment, however, wave after wave of overlapping roars erupted, ferocious, bloody, and accompanied by fierce fighting.
More than one!
Bai Yu’s heart sank instantly.
Run!
Damn it!
Without a second thought, Bai Yu bolted and began running toward the edge of the forest.
He suddenly recalled what Jiang Jin had said: Taifeng frequented the area, and mutated creatures above level 4 might be lurking nearby.
Instantly, his inner panic intensified.
He was merely a researcher stuck in a laboratory. Why did he keep facing desperate, life-or-death escapes after transmigrating?!
Running for a few minutes, Bai Yu soon spotted the edge of the forest.
Once he escaped the forest, reached the edge of the town, and blended in with the supporting town mercenaries, he would be fine.
Even if he had an ability, who knew if it could stand up against the mutated creatures currently appearing!
Running away first was still the best option!
Yet at that moment, Bai Yu acutely caught a strong scent of blood drifting over on the wind.
Human blood.
Those few words popped into his mind instantly.
His rushing footsteps came to an abrupt halt. Bai Yu instinctively turned around to look and saw a tall figure staggering out toward the perimeter of the forest, the smell of blood growing even thicker.
Following closely behind were several ferocious mutated creatures charging out with overlapping cat-like screeches. Bai Yu could now clearly make out the appearances of the creatures chasing the tall figure.
His eyesight was exceptionally good right now. Even in the dark, he could barely make out the shapes of certain things.
The mutated creatures stood about 1.5 meters tall with a body length of 3 to 4 meters, resembling rhinoceroses from the waters appearing on land, colossal and as tall and rugged as mountains.
Yet they possessed bizarre, mismatched features.
At that moment, a passage of text suddenly popped into Bai Yu’s mind:
[Level 4 mutated creature Tiangou: white dog head, lynx body, red eyes, ferocious appearance, capable of emitting miserable cat screeches, formidable combat power, sharp claws, possesses control-type ability that delays the target’s movements. Once the target is restrained, instantly tears them to shreds with sharp claws.]
For a moment, Bai Yu was dumbfounded.
How on earth did he manage to know information about mutated creatures in this world? Could it be that he transmigrated with a system?!
Before he could figure it out, however, that fleeing tall figure suddenly stumbled and collapsed right in front of him.