Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Uninvited Guests

Xu Qing swept his gaze behind him as he turned around.

He saw seven people in different positions a couple dozen meters away, approaching him in a scattered formation.

These seven people were all adults. They were a mix of male and female, and they were mainly dressed in dark gray hide coats. All of them had several leather bags hanging off of them, and each held a weapon.

Three of them held bows and two held knives. None left their backs to the others, as if they were guarding against each other.

There was another person, wearing gloves, who walked by himself. He was positioned in the middle of the group.

As for the person who had spoken in a strange tone just now, it was a tall and burly man.

This person was carrying a huge battleaxe and was the closest to Xu Qing.

His body was extremely muscular, with a hideous scar on his face and a full beard. A cruel light flashed in his eyes and a sneer appeared on his face as he approached Xu Qing with large steps.

Xu Qing saw all of this with a glance.

His eyes narrowed, and he instantly analyzed that these people were not a cohesive group, but more likely a team of temporary collaborators.

This was clear from their positioning and caution towards each other.

Moreover, Xu Qing had already guessed the identities of these people. They... were all scavengers!

There was no shortage of scavengers in the South Phoenix Continent. Most of them were savage and had no bottom line to speak of.

Obviously, when the blood rain stopped and the barrier was lifted, these scavengers were attracted over and rushed into the brand new forbidden area.

Scavengers were people who constantly lived on a razor’s edge. Although forbidden areas were dangerous, the resources contained in the empty city were enough to make them red-eyed.

Even if most of the materials were polluted, some things were bound to still be valuable.

As his thoughts whirled rapidly, Xu Qing’s body trembled and he was about to leap to the side.

But when the burly man saw that Xu Qing was about to run away, his eyes sharpened, and his grin became bloodthirsty.

"Want to run? I like to kill brats like you the most. You should have a lot of stuff in your leather bag, right? Captain Thunder, let me take this kid."

The big man’s eyes seemed to radiate cruelty, and along with his huge frame and giant battleaxe, he gave off an intimidating aura.

He rushed forward with large strides. Swinging the battleaxe in his right hand, he flung it at the direction Xu Qing was about to dodge in.

The battleaxe pierced the distance between the two sides with a whistling sound, approaching from mid-air in an instant.

But although the burly man was very strong and his movements weren’t slow, Xu Qing was even faster. Almost at the same moment that the battleaxe arrived in front of him, he suddenly jumped aside to avoid it.

The battleaxe whizzed past him.

A gust of wind blew on Xu Qing’s face, causing strands of hair to fly up, revealing his cold, wolf-like eyes.

In the next instant, Xu Qing's body tumbled on the ground. But instead of running away, he dashed right up in front of the burly man. The black iron skewer appeared in his right hand as he raised it up.

Taking advantage of the fact that he was not as tall as the opponent, Xu Qing jumped and the iron skewer in his hand stabbed upwards, about to penetrate the burly man’s chin!

All this happened too quickly. Xu Qing's thin body and his previous attempt to escape formed a natural cover for his strike, causing the burly man to fall into a life-or-death crisis at this moment.

But after all, the burly man was an experienced scavenger. His face changed drastically and his upper body suddenly leaned back, avoiding a fatal strike from the black skewer. However, a bloodstain still appeared on his chin.

But just as the burly man’s heart was burning with anger, Xu Qing quickly pulled the dagger from his calf with an indifferent expression.

When the upper body of the burly man leaned back, Xu Qing lowered his body and directly stabbed the dagger into the man’s right foot.

With a puff, the dagger stabbed through the straw sandals, penetrated flesh and blood, and stabbed directly through the burly man’s foot into the soil!

The burly man's expression distorted and he let out a miserable scream as severe pain wracked his body. He was about to fight back, but Xu Qing was too fast. Immediately after striking, he retreated next to a broken wall, squatting down in preparation for his next move.

The glow of the swaying fire caused his face to appear hazy, but it couldn’t conceal his wolf-like eyes as he stared at the scavengers with vigilance and ferocity.

All this happened too fast, and Xu Qing's age and body shape were deceptive, so many among the scavengers were careless and didn't react immediately.

Now, their eyes turned fierce, and the three archers drew their bows with sharp gazes.

Xu Qing, who was crouching behind the broken wall, didn't look at the burly man who was screaming and pulling the dagger out of his foot not far away. Instead, his eyes swept over the three bow bearers, and finally looked at the person with the gloves standing in the middle of the group.

This person was an old man, and although his clothes were similar to the others, his eyes were the sharpest. Xu Qing could even faintly feel subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy coming from him.

Furthermore, based on the old man’s position and the instinctive gazes of the others around him, Xu Qing had some judgment in his heart.

This old man... should be the temporary leader of these scavengers.

While Xu Qing looked at the old man and analyzed in his heart, the old man was also looking at him. His eyes seemed to carry an unknown meaning as he looked at Xu Qing.

Soon, the old man looked away. He took a glance at the bonfire still burning not far away and fell silent.

Just then, the burly man yanked out the dagger with fury in his eyes. He let out a roar and was about to rush towards Xu Qing.

"Little brat, see how I kill you!"

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed, revealing a fierce light. But just as he was about to make a move, an aged voice came calmly.

"That’s enough!"

These two words seemed to have a deterrent effect. The roaring burly man stopped and looked back at the speaker.

The one who spoke was the old man with gloves that Xu Qing was just looking at.

"Captain Thunder…"

"This child should be a survivor of the slum outside. God already spared his life, so don’t take action. Let’s go."

"But..." There was a strong unwillingness in the burly man's eyes. Just now, he had been careless. If he really got serious, he was sure that he could crush Xu Qing's neck within moments.

But just as he was about to speak, the old man glanced at him lightly.

"You want me to say it a second time?"

The burly man’s expression twisted in unwillingness, but in the end he lowered his head.

However, as he bowed his head, he glanced at Xu Qing behind the broken wall. Killing intent flashed across his face as he turned around with a gloomy expression and limped back toward the old man.

When he noticed this killing intent, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes slightly. He vigilantly watched as the group of scavengers slowly walked away.

But after they had walked several dozen meters, the old man in the middle paused and turned his head. It was unknown whether he was looking at the burning corpses or Xu Qing, but he suddenly opened his mouth after a while.

"Kid, do you want to leave here with me?"

Xu Qing was stunned. He noticed that the old man spoke of “me”, not “us”.

Thus, he fell silent. He swept his gaze across the group of people. The old man was also patient, waiting for his answer without urging.

After more than ten breaths, Xu Qing had looked at these people many times, looked at the old man, and also looked at the cold-faced burly man whom he had injured.

A strange light flashed in Xu Qing’s eyes.

He stood up slowly, did not speak, and gradually approached them.

Seeing Xu Qing approaching, the old man smiled and turned to continue walking. The others also gave Xu Qing deep looks and followed.

Thus, Xu Qing followed the group of scavengers, watching them search for valuables in the city.

During this period, he learned the nickname of the fierce burly man. The others called him Savage Ox.

Savage Ox had glanced at Xu Qing many times with a dark gleam in his eyes.

But he restrained himself. It seemed that he wasn’t in a hurry, waiting for an opportunity to arrive where he wouldn’t be stopped by the old man.

And he seemed to be certain that such an opportunity would come.

Xu Qing pondered for a while. Thinking of how greedy the burly man was, he used his familiarity with the city to help the scavengers out.

With Xu Qing’s help, the scavengers were more efficient in their search and found more treasure.

And with Savage Ox’s greed, even if he already had more than he could carry, he still wanted more.

As a result, he, who was already injured, took more than the others, and the items on his back were heavier.

At first, it was nothing much, but as time passed, the effect on the burly man’s stamina became clearer and clearer. Compared to the others, he was much more exhausted.

Xu Qing considered that the old man called Captain Thunder had been kind to him, so he didn’t lead the group to the mutated beasts’ territories near the city lord’s mansion.

When night was about to fall, the group finally left the city and camped in the former slum outside the city.

Their movements were very practiced as they quickly pitched six tents.

Except for the two knife-carrying scavengers, who shared a tent, the others were all alone. They lit incense outside their tents, and some people took out powder and sprinkled it around.

As the sky darkened, all kinds of roars began to echo in the city, and the scavengers all walked into the tents.

Captain Thunder glanced at Xu Qing, who was alone. The old man took out a sleeping bag and threw it to the side.

"Burning incense can ward off the mutated beasts, and the eerie existences will avoid the powder. With your contributions today and me here, Savage Ox won’t dare to attack you. It’s safe."

After speaking, the old man ignored Xu Qing and walked into the tent.

Xu Qing didn't speak, but looked deeply at the old man's tent. He picked up the sleeping bag, opened it, and got in.

However, he didn’t seal it fully. He left a gap in the direction of the scavengers’ tents.

In the middle of the night, the roars and shrieks in the outside world became more and more intense, and strange cries also whirled around. The whole world seemed to be suffused with a terrifying atmosphere.

No one wanted to leave their shelter at this time.

Except for Xu Qing…

As he lay still in the sleeping bag, he suddenly opened his eyes, waiting silently.

Time passed, and in the middle of the night when people sleep most deeply, Xu Qing slowly crawled out of the sleeping bag.

He moved very carefully, trying not to make any noise.

The roars and shrieks in the city echoed in his ears, but he didn’t pay the slightest attention to them.

After carefully crawling out, Xu Qing silently walked towards the tent where the burly man Savage Ox was sleeping.

He couldn’t allow a hidden danger that threatened his life to remain around him. No matter what, he had to resolve it as soon as possible.

This was a rule Xu Qing learned through lessons of blood as he scraped by in the slums. It was also why he agreed to follow the scavenger group.

During the day, he had helped the group so they would harvest more. Savage Ox, being overly greedy, had bitten off more than he could chew. Coupled with his earlier injuries, he was extremely exhausted and unable to maintain his vigilance.

Xu Qing also deliberately acted lowly and humble in order to make the other party let his guard down.

All of this was for the sake of the current moment. At that moment, Xu Qing calmly approached the tent. He did not act rashly, but squatted down first and listened carefully for a while.

The snoring sound that entered his ears was even, continuous and stable. It didn’t seem fake. After confirming this, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and slowly pulled out his iron skewer. He gently lifted the tent flap and entered.

The inside of the tent was dark, but Xu Qing could vaguely see Savage Ox’s figure, lying down and sleeping soundly. It was clear that the haul during the day and his previous injuries had made him extremely tired.

Moreover, the mentality of a strong man made Savage Ox not expect that the boy who had been so cooperative during the day would dare to enter his tent at night, with all the other scavengers still in the camp.

Thus, he had no idea that there was currently an uninvited guest in his tent.

Xu Qing looked at the sleeping Savage Ox, his cold eyes as calm as the deep sea. Approaching silently and standing beside him, Xu Qing did not hesitate at all. The dagger in his right hand flashed with cold light and instantly slit Savage Ox’s neck.

He struck with such force that the head almost separated from the body.

Blood spurted out instantly.

The sharp pain caused Savage Ox’s eyes to suddenly open, and when he saw Xu Qing's expressionless face, his face twisted in disbelief and horror. He tried to struggle, but Xu Qing quickly raised his left hand and pressed it against Savage Ox’s mouth, so that he couldn’t make the slightest sound.

Eyes widening, Savage Ox struggled harder and harder, and his whole body twitched wildly.

But Xu Qing's hand pressed down firmly like a pair of iron pliers. He lifted his right foot and stepped directly on Savage Ox’s stomach, holding him down. Against this stable strength, Savage Ox was helpless.

As blood continued to pour out, Savage Ox was like a fish that had left the water. Despair surfaced in his eyes, and he even had an expression of pleading.

But what he saw was still Xu Qing's expressionless face. The sounds of struggle were covered up by the outside world’s roars and shrieks, so nothing out of the ordinary could be heard.

Time passed slowly, until after more than ten breaths, Savage Ox’s struggling gradually weakened. With a final tremble, his whole body relaxed. Lying there motionlessly, his open eyes still displayed a fear of death.

He died.

Xu Qing did not raise his hand immediately, but instead waited for a while to confirm that Savage Ox was really dead. Then he let go of his hand, wiped off the blood, and opened his leather bag.

From the inside of his bag, he carefully took out the snake head wrapped in sackcloth. With the utmost caution, he used the snake head's fangs to pierce Savage Ox’s skin.

In the next instant, poison spread, and green bubbles burst from Savage Ox’s corpse as it slowly melted.

After an incense stick’s worth of time, the corpse had completely turned into a pool of blood, seeping into the soil.

Xu Qing watched all this silently. He began to rearrange the scene of the crime, disposing of everything else Savage Ox had left behind so that it seemed like the other party simply went missing. Then he exited the tent.

The cold night wind blew on his face, blowing away some of the lingering smell of blood. Xu Qing looked up at the night sky, took a deep breath of the icy air, and slowly returned to his sleeping bag.

The moment he lay in the sleeping bag, his heart finally calmed down, and the sense of security brought by the removal of hidden dangers made him close his eyes and quickly fall asleep. But his grip on the iron skewer in his hand never loosened.

The rest of the night was silent.

Early the next morning, the sun’s rays shone over the earth. Xu Qing opened his eyes and quietly climbed out of the sleeping bag, glancing at Savage Ox’s tent.

The next moment, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Savage Ox’s tent had actually disappeared.

Xu Qing's heart sank and he became more vigilant.

Soon, the other scavengers walked out of theirs tents one after another. When they first found out about Savage Ox’s disappearance, they were all surprised. Some people searched around to no avail.

But because Savage Ox had disappeared so completely, even bringing his tent with him, some people judged that he was greedy for the things in the city and left in the middle of the night. Or there might have been other reasons for him to leave without saying anything.

Anyway, in a forbidden area, there were too many reasons for a person to suddenly disappear.

It was originally a temporary team anyway, and Savage Ox was a loner, so these scavengers quickly stopped paying attention to this matter. Some people looked at Xu Qing, but they seemed to think that this matter couldn’t be related to him. Plus, they had no obligation to investigate, so any guesses were quickly discarded.

Only the old man known as Captain Thunder gave Xu Qing a meaningful look as he took back his sleeping bag. He spoke lightly.

"Now, are you still going with me?"

This sentence had far-reaching meaning, and Xu Qing was silent.

The old man didn't say anything else, and called everyone to hurry under the morning sun.

Xu Qing stood there for a while, then instinctively turned his head to look at the ruins of the city. Finally, he turned his head and looked at the old man's back. After thinking about it, he followed after them. As he walked, his steps gradually became firmer.

Six scavengers plus a child, their shadows grew long under the sun...

As they walked into the distance, the wind blew, scattering their sentimental sighs.

"This is the catastrophe caused by God, a whole city has been destroyed..."

"There is one more forbidden area in this world..."

"This is nothing, I heard that there was a big city in the northern area seven or eight years ago. When God opened His eyes, the city and the whole area disappeared inexplicably, as if it had never existed in the first place."

The sounds of conversation grew weaker. Under the morning sun, the faraway figure of the boy was silent. He walked silently, and he listened silently.

Walking farther and farther...

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