51 - 59

Chapter 51: Blood Sense

Translator: Editor:

On the last week of school, not only were all the undergraduates preparing for their first survival training, but the school officials were as well. The undergraduates felt anxious about their safety, as there has been casualties every year during the survival training. This was not simply a trip in the wild but a test of their abilities to survive in the cruelty of this age. The world within the city walls was utterly different from outside the city walls.

On Monday morning, all the horny undergraduates stayed in an amphitheater as they waited for the teacher. However, the person that arrived this time wasn't their usual teacher; it was a fellow student who had graduated the year before and was now a soldier serving the City Guard Army of Blackhot City.

He told them of his past experiences on the trip and how he had witnessed the death of two peers because of carelessness in the last year's survival training. They were killed by a seemingly harmless White-Bone Mushroom. When they boiled the mushroom and consumed it along with the soup, they were unfortunately unable to get up the next morning, as they had already been poisoned to death when they were found. Only when the White-Bone Mushroom was found inside the soup was the cause of death discovered…

Nothing particularly stood out in the story, and the reason for the tragedy was also simple. From its looks alone, the poisonous White-Bone Mushroom looked almost identical to the common, edible umbrella-shaped mushroom. The only difference between them were the gray circular grains over the rootstalk of the White-Bone Mushroom. Since the person responsible for scavenging for food wasn't able to distinguish between the two mushrooms, he lost his life. Although it was a simple story, it was because of the simplicity of the events that caused everyone to feel a chill. At this moment, they realized the cruelty of the survival training. Knowledge regarding the White-Bone Mushroom and the umbrella-shaped mushroom was something that was taught in school; however, if one doesn't remember it firmly, they would solely be responsible for the mistakes in the future at the cost of their own or even another person's life…

All the horny students were shocked when they heard what the fellow student said. That class was ten thousand times more effective than what the other teachers had taught. The school probably knew about the difference as well; hence, why they arranged the class on their last Monday at school, so as to warn them.

The moment the morning class was over, all the members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood surrounded Sharwin.

"Sharwin, have you kept your biology notes for the past two years with you?" Fatty Barley pressed down on Sharwin's shoulders and asked him nervously while the other members were nervously waiting for Sharwin's response to the side. The story was really terrifying. Nobody would know whether they had forgotten any crucial knowledge during the past three years, as the world outside the city walls was much more dangerous than they could imagine. It was unfortunate to be eaten while fighting a magical beast with full preparations; however, if you lost your life because of your carelessness, you would fully deserve it.

"Yea, what's wrong?" Sharwin asked in a confused way.

"What's wrong? Of course, you should lend them to us, so that we can have a good review…"

"Alright, no problem!" Sharwin answered without any hesitation. "I have preserved those notes well. There are two more notebooks at home. I will bring them if you need them!"

Hearing this, Fatty Barley rolled his eyes. Something seemed to come to his mind as he said, "Bros, maybe we can make some money with Sharwin's notes!"

All the other members also realized it at the same time. Even Zhang Tie was admiring Barley's intelligence. However, their plan to make money by Sharwin's notes failed in the same afternoon. When Fatty Barley was planning the price of a copy of Sharwin's notes, Burwick made all the horny students boisterous once again.

...

"Hurry up, let's go find Burwick. He has already made a copy of the notes from the biology classes over the past couple of years and turned them into a brochure called . He's giving it out for free. Come on, let's go get one!"

One guy shouted during the break. Hearing his words, almost all the horny students in the classroom ran out of the classroom, leaving the members of the brotherhood blankly staring at each other. After a while, Barley opened his mouth widely and finally cursed—Damn...

At that moment, Zhang Tie suddenly felt an uncomfortable feeling in his heart…

The speed and preparation of the guy named Burwick really shocked Zhang Tie.

Starting from the , all the horny students nervously began to prepare for their survival training during the last few days of the week, which included preparing the necessary equipment and living materials. Each one of them could only take five days worth of food at most for the survival training. As for weapons, luggage, medicine, or something else, they could bring as many as they wanted…

In these days, Glaze's group was never seen in the school cafeteria again. It was impossible for them to show off in the school cafeteria anymore. Actually, they would feel reluctant gazes, so they directly ate in hotels outside the school.

"Guess what Glaze's group ate this noon?" There would always be someone shouting this when queuing up in the cafeteria. Hearing his words, all the other horny students started to laugh out loudly.

In contrast, Burwick became increasingly more popular at school, resulting in a great number of people standing by his side.

Zhang Tie didn't know why, but ever since Monday, his heart always pounded and his hands sweated more than usual. These days, he felt weak for no reason. On Tuesday when Zhang Tie arrived at the Railway Station once again, he found more magistrates patrolling the area than usual. Out of curiosity, he asked a person nearby about what had happened. It turned out that many people were burnt to death in that fire accident near the Railway Station a couple of days ago. That's why those magistrates nearby the railway station became more alert, though they seemed to have found no clues regarding that fire accident.

Zhang Tie arrived at the grocery store as usual. While settling the accounts, a heart pounding feeling was felt again, causing him to make two consecutive mistakes. Zhang Tie smiled bitterly and pushed all the beads back to their original places before he started to calculate again.

"What's wrong?" Donder asked to Zhang Tie when he realized something was off about him.

"Nothing serious, just a little bit distracted. These days, my heart has been speeding up for no reason!"

"Heart speeding up for no reason?" Hearing this, Donder gradually frowned. "Does anyone from your family have a heart disease?"

"No!"

"Did you have such a feeling before?" Donder continued.

"Also no. I started to feel it this Monday!" Zhang Tie answered honestly.

"Are you a virgin?"

"Shit!" Zhang Tie cursed inside. However, he didn't say anything when he saw the serious face of Fatty Donder.

"Answer me, I'm not kidding!" Donder looked more serious than he has ever looked, which almost frightened Zhang Tie.

"I am a virgin!" Zhang Tie could only admit. Feeling like he lost face, he then added, "But I won't soon!"

After a while, Donder muttered while rubbing his sparse mustache, "Have you heard about Blood Sense?"

"Blood Sense?" Zhang Tie was puzzled. Then, he seemed to realize something immediately and nodded. "I have heard about it from those horny students…"

"How could someone from your school know about this Oriental mysterious knowledge?" Donder was startled.

"That is an Oriental secret?" Zhang Tie was curious. "Many people know about it. I heard females would bleed so much every month, yet they wouldn't be hurt. They are truly strong…"

"Bastard!" the boss cursed as the corners of his eyes twitched. At the same time, he flicked Zhang Tie's forehead with a finger, causing Zhang Tie to feel so much pain that he jumped up. "I mean Blood Sense. Have you heard about it? No crap! I have played with more women than you have seen, you scumbag!"

Zhang Tie innocently rubbed his forehead. He truly didn't know where he was wrong. He really thought that women were stubborn beings, as they bleed but feel no pain.

Sucking in deep breaths, Donder recovered his composure. Staring at Zhang Tie, he said, "The so-called Blood Sense means that some lucky dogs might be able to feel impending danger or a fruitful opportunity. They would feel like how you feel these days; with Blood Sense, you would always feel your heart pounding and would also feel excited. People who had a sharp sixth sense or virgin males might have the same feeling as you. I suspect that you have Blood Sense and an unpredictable danger is coming to you!"

Zhang Tie turned pale. "I'm in danger?"

"Tell me, have you provoked some important figure?" Donder asked genuinely.

After thinking for a while, Zhang Tie recalled nobody but Glaze. "As for Mary, in the worst case scenario, she might fetch someone to beat me; however, it shouldn't make my heart pound."

"Could it be Glaze? It seems that I have not provoked anyone else other than Glaze's group!"

"I'm not sure. Sometimes you don't know whom you have provoked; however, they still want to kill you. There are powerful diviners in the East who can figure out the origin of the unknown danger based on the time your Blood Sense or other relevant trivial symptoms that appeared. As a result, the danger could be avoided. Unfortunately, I can't!" Donder shook his head. "Since you know it's coming, you can only prepare for what's about to come!"

Saying this, Donder searched the drawers in the counter and took out two goods, giving them to Zhang Tie. "I know you're going to take part in the survival training, so I've prepared two gifts for you. They can help you deal with danger!"

Zhang Tie realized that they were both "elite" goods—a vial of the purest "powerful rat poison" and a sheathed dagger. The blade of the dagger was very sharp; however, the most threatening part on it was not the sharp blade; instead, it was the handle which could send needles covered with snake poison towards the opponent. As a result, the person hit would be paralyzed and unable to move. The needle being sent out was so powerful that it could even penetrate through glass that was 1cm thick…

The two gifts were something that Zhang Tie definitely could not afford, but in the end, Zhang Tie did not reject them and finally accepted them.

Seeing Zhang Tie receive them without any hesitation, Donder nodded…

While Zhang Tie stood in Donder's grocery store as he thought over the possible sources of the unknown dangers, Huck and Snade were standing in an alley near the railway station. Standing in front of them were more than twenty young beggars and wandering kids. Lining up, they each stared at the coins in Snade's hands. Each of them would take 10 coppers before tossing them into their pockets and quickly scatter in all directions. 10 copper coins might be a small amount of money for commoners; however, it was enough for these people at the bottom of society in Blackhot City to do many things. As these poor people were willing to do many things for just a piece of bread, they would naturally be pleased to search for people near the railway station since they would each receive 10 copper coins at least. Once they found their target, they would receive another 2 copper coins, totaling to 12 copper coins…

When they weren't able to find Zhang Tie after two days, Huck and Snade thought up this method. It was really hard for them to locate a person who's on the move in these streets that numbered around ten near the railway station of Blackhot City. Thus, from that Monday onwards, the two of them changed their strategy with the one suggested by Snade. They stopped searching around alone by themselves. Instead, they fetched a few young beggars and wandering kids to help them. They thought that Zhang Tie would easily be recognized by his black hair and eyes, which were common features among the members of the Chinese clan.

Seeing those young beggars and wandering kids disappearing in the alley like a spreading fishing net, Snade showed a wisp of a smile.

"Would this method actually work?" Huck panted. To the side, Snade impatiently pinched the joints of his fingers, causing sounds akin to exploding crackers. "In the past two days, they have found three wrong people…"

"I can feel that we will get that kid soon…"

"Once he gives back it to us, I swear I'll pull out his heart and crush his head with my foot…" Huck said furiously.

"As you will…" Snade narrowed his eyes as he stretched out his long tongue and licked his lips. A cold and cruel air could be felt in the alley…

Chapter 52: The Last Virgin

Translator: Editor:

After Zhang Tie was beaten another four times on Wednesday, the first Iron Body Fruit should finally become ripe. Much like the Iron Body Fruit, the seeds of the parasol trees on both sides of the streets of Blackhot City would soon be ripe as well.

After leaving the Iron Thorns Fighting Club, as Zhang Tie walked on Bright Avenue, he suddenly felt a sharp pain, as something had fallen and hit his head. Squatting down, Zhang Tie picked up the object on the ground—it was a parasol seed. Every May and June, all the parasol trees in Blackhot City would start to produce thorny seeds. After drying up, parasol seeds the size of walnuts would fall off the trees, spreading all over the sidewalk.

On the way back home, under the light from the street lamps on both sides of the road, Zhang Tie picked up many parasol seeds and foisted them into his pockets.

Zhang Tie intended to throw them all into the Castle of Black Iron. He was brimming with pleasure when he imagined that the land in the Castle of Black Iron would be covered with parasol trees in just a few years.

Wednesday was the day of harvest. Although he had already ignited the Shrine burning point, he was only a bit more powerful than those rich kids, thus he still had to suffer from being beaten up in the Iron Thorns Fighting Club, and it would always take him two days to slightly recover from the excruciating pain each time. Only a few people would feel no pain after being beaten by a powerful opponent.

It seemed that Benet had already become resentful towards Zhang Tie. Every time, he would always knock Zhang Tie down; however, Zhang Tie was as stubborn as a small blade of grass trampled upon by numerous people—whenever he was knocked down, he would pick himself back up from the ground until Benet became exhausted. Rather than attributing it to his physique or his will, it was his positive attitude that allowed him to persevere, as attitude determined everything. For Zhang Tie, he simply considered all the pain as something that would help accelerate the growth of the Iron Body Fruit. Similar to his last name—Tie, which meant "Iron"—like a red block of iron, he would not become fine steel without being repetitively tempered on an anvil.

Zhang Tie appreciated each strike and each feeling of pain. When he experienced the effect of the first Leakless Fruit, he utterly realized how excellent that small tree was, causing him to greatly appreciate it. He also extended his sincere gratitude to the gods for giving him this opportunity to change his own life. He appreciated the Castle of Black Iron and the small tree gifted by the God. Zhang Tie knew that on the entire Kun'ang Continent, there was no else that was as fortunate as him and no one else that was able to change the strikes inflicted on him into sweet fruits.

Because of gratitude, Zhang Tie knew how to treasure it.

Another day had passed, yet that unknown danger still hadn't arrived. Aside from losing his towel, which he had always used for the past three years to wipe his sweat and wash his face after training at school, after having placed it in his locker, nothing else happened. It was already old enough and even had some holes on it. Zhang Tie wondered who would be interested in that broken towel. Besides being a bit dejected, Zhang Tie didn't think too much about it.

These days, the members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood discussed about how they would help Zhang Tie lose his virginity. It seemed that besides Zhang Tie, all the other horny students were talking about ending their own virginity, many of which had already taken action. Since the survival training would soon start, do you really want to die as a virgin? This slogan was much more effective than any other reasoning at the moment. Nobody, including Zhang Tie, wanted to keep their virginity. As the education system had separated the males from the females, the horny students could only seek help from a "professional" to solve this problem. It seemed that it had already become a tradition.

So because of this, those prostitutes had good business on the last week of school. As dusk soon fell and the roadside lamps were lit, groups of horny male students from Blackhot City's twelve male middle schools appeared in this place which they rarely visited. At this time, all the small hotels in Blackhot City were filled with pimps and prostitutes.

On his way home from Bright Avenue, Zhang Tie had already encountered several groups of these horny students. They appeared on the street in groups of two or three. They would always be looking around, and the moment they found the sexy prostitutes wandering under the light of the roadside lamps or the ones who stood on the sides of the street when dusk had fallen, they would pluck up their courage and stride forward. After idly chatting with them for a while, they would pull the hands of the one they fancied the most and would either disappear into the dark alleys or would head to a small hotel together.

It's shameful to die as a virgin!

That's why Zhang Tie also anticipated the ending of his virginity tomorrow after school. This benefit of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood provided by Fatty Barley was really attractive!

According to the schedule, the first Iron Body Fruit would be ripe today!

With one of his pockets filled with parasol seeds, Zhang Tie went back home excited. After finishing supper, Zhang Tie washed the bowls and the chopsticks as usual. The moment Zhang Tie prepared to chat with his dad and mom, his dad stealthily pulled him into the courtyard behind the kitchen. Before Zhang Tie opened his mouth, his dad tossed at least six or seven silver coins into his hands…

"Dad, what's this for…" Staring at the heavy silver coins, Zhang Tie was surprised…

"Shh…" His dad told him to lower his voice as he carefully looked at the door. At that moment, the voices of his mom and his soon-to-be sister-in-law drifted over. "These coins are your pocket money for this week. I have been saving them up secretly, so don't let your mom know…"

Zhang Tie scratched his head and was puzzled. "Dad, seven silver coins is too much. I don't need that much. Are you ok…"

His dad stretched out his hand and flicked away Zhang Tie's hand that had been placed on his forehead. He became a bit furious and glared at Zhang Tie. "Boy, you should know that even though I am old now, I was also young before. Humph… humph… remember it. Choose the younger ladies with lustrous skin and eyes. They are healthier even though they would cost you one or two more silver coins…" his dad warned him, "Remember, don't let your mom find out!"

After saying that, his dad made a coughing sound before showing his stern look once again. He then left the courtyard, leaving Zhang Tie standing in place as his mouth gaped while holding a handful of silver coins…

After quite a while, Zhang Tie finally figured out what his dad meant before forcefully gulping his saliva. "Are you kidding me? Dad gives me money to sleep with whores… 'Choose younger ladies with lustrous skin and eyes. They are healthier even though they would cost you one or two more silver coins…' That's really… really mother*cking great, dad!"

Zhang Tie almost burst into tears from the actions of his dad. His dad was truly considerate.

Because of what had just happened, whenever he spoke with the other family members at home, he would feel a bit weird. Thus, after tell his mom about the situation at school and how beautiful and comfortable the bathroom paved with mosaic in the fighting club was, Zhang Tie left.

...

After washing his feet and brushing his teeth, Zhang Tie went back to his bedroom and entered the Castle of Black Iron.

——Handsome and Magnificent Castle Lord, welcome to the Castle of Black Iron!

Whenever Zhang Tie read this line, he would always feel much better.

These past few days, Zhang Tie had noticed something—although nobody dug pits to sow seeds and nobody provided fertilizer for the seeds, the plants would still be rather vigorous everywhere. That meant that those seeds got along well with nature. The seeds with good quality would be able to survive by rooting themselves into the ground, while the seeds with bad quality would wither away. It would only take Zhang Tie a little bit of time to sow the crops. For the seeds of plants, he could just scatter them about. It was simple, convenient, and highly efficient. If they could survive in the wild, there was no reason for them to die here in the Castle of Black Iron. In addition, the conditions in the Castle of Black Iron seemed more suitable for plants to grow than that in the wild.

After thinking it through, Zhang Tie broke the shells of those parasol seeds and scattered them about onto a patch of land in the east. Then, he walked over to that small tree.

Similar to how it smelled when the Leakless Fruit was ripe, when Zhang Tie walked over to the small tree, the fragrance of a fresh fruit drifted towards him.

At that moment, two cute fruits were hanging on the Manjusaka Karma Fruit Tree; one in red, and the other in silver.

Zhang Tie checked the Leakless Fruit first.

——27 hours left before the Leakless Fruit becomes ripe!

A line of words appeared in front of Zhang Tie and disappeared after a while. Zhang Tie grinned. "One Leakless Fruit a week—life with the Leakless Fruit is truly marvelous." Then, Zhang Tie moved his eyes onto the diamond-shaped, silver-colored fruit that was slightly bigger than a walnut—the Iron Body Fruit. When Zhang Tie put his hand over it, another line appeared.

——The Iron Body Fruit has become ripe. Usage: Pick and directly eat it. Notice: The fruit cannot be taken out of the Castle of Black Iron. After twelve hours of having been picked off the tree, its energy and vitality will gradually decline.

Looking at that line of disappearing words, Zhang Tie smiled…

Chapter 53: Effects of the Iron Body Fruit

Translator: Editor:

When Zhang Tie realized the way to use the Iron Body Fruit was exactly the same as the Leakless Fruit, he no longer hesitated and directly plucked the strange-looking fruit and consumed it. It was slightly crunchy and had a fragrance similar to a peach that was not yet fully ripe. Afterwards, he waited for a while for the effects to manifest; however, nothing happened. He then waiting for another while, but nothing happened either…

After quite a while, Zhang Tie blinked a few times and had found that nothing had changed. "There really is a sharp difference between the effects of the Iron Body Fruit and the Leakless Fruit" He felt slightly disappointed; however, in that split second, Zhang Tie realized that he might have been too greedy. As he got this fruit from only being beaten up by a kid for 4 times, the effects of the Iron Body Fruit could not be noticed right now without quantitative accumulation. Iron body… Iron body… Naturally, you can't have an iron body after having been beaten up only 4 times.

Thinking in this way, Zhang Tie recovered his composure. After finishing the practice of and polishing the burning point at his tailbone, Zhang Tie fell asleep.

At midnight, Zhang Tie woke up because of his growling stomach. Hurriedly sitting up, he grabbed several pieces of toilet paper from the head of his bed and locked on to the arched door in his mind, entering the Castle of Black Iron. With short breaths, he ran towards a corner in the Castle of Black Iron. Covering his stomach, he was only able to run a few dozen steps before he could no longer hold it in. He then immediately took off his pants and squatted. The moment he squatted, he cooly excreted the waste in his bowels, which smelt particularly bad. After more than ten minutes, Zhang Tie felt that he had discharged all the messy things from the insides his stomach. After cleaning his butt, Zhang Tie stared at that "polluted" place as he frowned. At the same time, he was startled by that black pile.

F*ck, that was really disgusting. How did my sh*t turn black?

That pile of sh*t smelled extremely terrible and looked disgusting. Thus, like a cat, Zhang Tie decided to cover his shit with soil.

After looking around, Zhang Tie ran over to that small tree, which had a sundry box beside it. The "powerful rat poison" and the dagger gifted by Donder were stored inside the box in addition to a pile of sundries inside. Zhang Tie picked up a small shovel and ran back to that messy place. He then shoveled a pile of soil and covered the "evidence". After doing that, Zhang Tie returned to his bed and fell asleep again.

Zhang Tie faintly felt that his stomachache was related to the Iron Body Fruit; however, he didn't put much thought into it, as he didn't lose anything in the end. As for the other effects of the Iron Body Fruit, Zhang Tie thought that he would know about it sooner or later!

That night, Zhang Tie slept dreamlessly. When Zhang Tie woke up again, although the pain and the soreness of his body had greatly lessened, he felt no other special changes. His underwear was still dry and cold, and his p*nis was still erect and hard.

Zhang Tie decided not to worry about the matter regarding the Iron Body Fruit anymore. When it came to mind that today would be his "heyday", Zhang excitedly got up immediately and began the start of his new day.

...

Zhang Tie entered school in the cleanest clothes he had and in the new leather shoes gifted by his elder brother. What waited for Zhang Tie was not admiration; instead, he was met with all sorts of jokes, looks of ridicule, and gossiping from the bastards in the Hit-Plane Brotherhood.

"Hey… Hey… You're well prepared!" Fatty Barley came over to Zhang Tie with an obscene smile after class. "You look much cleaner and fresher than you usually are. A fresher virgin may be well welcomed by women. You may be gifted with a surprise~"

Right when Zhang Tie was pretending to punch Barley in the face, he heard the word "surprise", causing his hormones to immediately rise up rapidly. "What surprise?" Zhang Tie asked the Fatty curiously.

Barley smiled obscenely. However, before he was able to answer, Hista, the evilest guy in the brotherhood, had already wrapped his arm around Zhang Tie's shoulder and whispered something to Zhang Tie, making him really excited…

...

Could a virgin concentrate on listening to lessons on the very day when he would end his virginity after having endured for more than ten years? At the very least, Zhang Tie couldn't. Most of the horny students in the class weren't in the mood for lessons as well; instead of paying attention, most of them were busy asking the teacher for their signature, as after tomorrow, they would have to say farewell to this classroom. Because of this, most classes in the final two days completely became classes where the students would ask for signatures from their teachers, and Miss Daina obviously had the most fans. Classmates also sought signature from each other. Early in the morning, Zhang Tie had already written down his blessings for many of his classmates.

Although nobody would admit it, everybody felt somewhat dejected over having to leave school. Every one of them wanted to leave something behind, as none of them knew how many among them would lose their lives during the survival training and would be forgotten by the others after several years.

The training class in the afternoon was their final class at this school. In the last training class, the instructor only talked about one topic—the usage of the long-handled weapon in wild training and how to hunt several common animals with long-handled weapons through teamwork. The instructor's implications were very obvious. For these green birds, they had to cooperate with each other as they used long-handled weapons like pikes and spears to keep a distance between them and the enemy. This was a critical rule for the training in the wild.

Finally, class was over. Outside the school gates, the members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood also bade farewell to Zhang Tie like what they did to Doug last time.

"Hope you will be a real man when we see you tomorrow!" Bagdad gave his blessings.

"Enjoy it!" Sharwin added.

"Young men are always ferocious for the first time. Once you can make her feel good, it will be possible to do it another five or six times!"

"Do not keep those damned tea leaves in your mouth!" Doug suggested.

"Don't forget how to stall time as I told you!" Leit smiled obscenely.

Zhang Tie had mixed feelings at that moment. He felt feelings of excitement and anxiety, and he also felt sadness since he could not easily see Miss Daina again.

Finally, under Barley's urgency and those horny guys' whistles and laughter, Zhang Tie left with Barley and headed for the destination where he would end his virginity.

"The same place that Doug had gone last time?" Zhang Tie asked curiously on the way.

"That's right!" Barley nodded. "Miss Anna is a good instructor to guide you to be a real man…"

"I have to work in the grocery store today!"

"You've already told me. I will go pick you up at the grocery store at 7 pm, and we will go look for Miss Anna together!"

"Fine!" Zhang Tie didn't ask where Barley was heading to, as each man had his own secret.

When they arrived at the first intersection at the railway station, Zhang Tie left Barley and headed for Donder's grocery store.

At the sight of Zhang Tie, Donder's words almost made Zhang Tie fall down outside the grocery store. "I remember you told me that you would not be a virgin soon. Judging from your clothes and the pair of new leather shoes, I guess it will happen tonight. Hey… Hey… Actually, I would understand if you told me it would happen tonight. There is an old saying in the Oriental Continent—'It's worth one thousand gold coins to sleep with the one you love'. I won't be that unkind. How about imparting you with two techniques? I am sure the lady will be highly spirited when you use them!" Donder smiled obscenely.

The fatty's talent of observing others made Zhang Tie furious. His secret was revealed so easily, making Zhang Tie feel like he had lost face.

"Yea, I will go for a woman two hours later to end my virginity. I heard that young men always performed ferociously for the first time, and they could even do it seven or eight times. Dear boss, how long has it been since you have not been able to do it seven or eight times in one night?" Zhang Tie purposely patted his own forehead. "Oh, I almost forgot. At your age, you should just stay healthy since you are not suitable to do this anymore!"

Hearing Zhang Tie's harsh attack, Donder, who was drinking water, coughed heavily. As a result, the two glared at each other furiously for a while, just like two fighting cocks. Then, they harrumphed consecutively, turned away their heads respectively, and started doing their own jobs.

Donder dealt with several transactions, while Zhang Tie settled the accounts. It might be because Zhang Tie had made him angry, but the narrow-minded man looked cold for two hours. During that period, he didn't say a single word to Zhang Tie. Whenever their eyes met, Donder would harrumph and turn his face away. Two hours later, that guy spoke stingily again, "I will not provide you supper!" Hearing this, Zhang Tie left.

Walking out of the gate, Zhang Tie saw Barley greeting him on the other side of the street. In a split second, he felt his heart pounding again, more heavily this time. Zhang Tie then shook his head and that gloomy face of Glaze flashed away in his mind.

"Motherf*cker!" Zhang Tie cursed inside.

...

In an alley nearby the railway station, Huck became gradually infuriated after having received no clues in the past week. Even Snade became anxious as he played his dagger. It was becoming closer to the final moment when the organization would take action. If they were still unable to contact that influential figure inside the Blackhot City within two days, they would fail this task and would have to escape as far away as possible…

The darkness fell again when a thin beggar ran into the alley.

"We've found a person who meets your description…"

Chapter 54: The First Time

Translator: Editor:

There were many first times in a person's life, and some of them were unforgettable—for example, today's first time!

At about 7:00 pm, Zhang Tie adopted Fatty Barley's suggestion and ate two pieces of bread brought by Barley. After drinking some water, he walked on the way together with Barley, just like the way they had previously accompanied Doug.

On the way, Fatty Barley constantly told Zhang Tie about what he had to pay attention to. "If you eat too much, you will not perform well, and neither would you if you were hungry. Later, when you see Miss Anna, you'd better pretend to be slightly bashful. According to my observations, that woman seems to like conquering bashful boys, especially virgins!"

"Bashful, how?" Zhang Tie asked while looking a bit nervous.

Barley glanced at Zhang Tie. "You don't need to pretend, she will know you are a virgin at first sight!"

"F*ck!" Zhang Tie cursed inside.

"How do you know that… that… Miss Anna?" Zhang Tie asked curiously.

"When I was 12, my dad took me to visit a friend's home, and that's where I got acquainted with her. Ever since the first time I saw her, I had been attracted to her plump breasts. She was really sexy and started to seduce me the instant she saw me��!" Barley said frankly.

Visited her at the age of 12? Zhang Tie became puzzled.

"Is she married?"

"Nope, Miss Anna was a mistress of a man who was a middle-class official in the Department of Goods in Blackhot City. Soon after he saw her for the first time, her lover was arrested. Do you remember that Great Train Robbery that happened several years ago? Her lover was arrested because of that event…"

The Great Train Robbery was a bloody robbery that shocked the whole Andaman Alliance and had occurred when Zhang Tie was in preliminary school. At that time, a train filled with many valuable materials was being transported outside of Blackhot City, heading for the manufacturing center of Andaman Alliance——Kalur, the city of machines. However, it was robbed by the Red-Scarf Burglars on the way, and as a result, there was nothing left on the train. Additionally, the driver, a detachment of soldiers on the train, and as well as several unfortunate workers were murdered. Ever since that incident, the Red-Scarf Burglars had been wanted across Blackhot City.

"How is that incident related to her lover?" Zhang Tie was surprised.

"Of course, I was also confused at first. However, when I came back late after school, I saw Miss Anna applying makeup to herself while she stood under the roadside lamps. When I came back home, I asked my dad why and he told me that her lover was arrested for disclosing secrets of some of the goods in the train. It was reasonable to arrest him…" Fatty Barley cursed while walking along with Zhang Tie. This story was really interesting to Zhang Tie.

"What then?"

"She's so alluring that I couldn't stand anymore, so one day, I stole some of my dad's money and helped her!"

"Help?" Zhang Tie stared at Barley curiously. However, that guy was not bashful in the least.

"Of course, I helped her with either money or my body. Try to imagine how lonely and helpless she is without her lover. In every aspect, she definitely needs the comfort and help from a man. And as I could meet her demands, I used my innocent body and spent all the money I could get for her!" Barley explained shamelessly.

Zhang Tie became speechless as he had noticed another trait of Fatty—shameless, endlessly shameless! How could he explain something like sleeping with a whore to be such a holy and righteous act? This was the first time Zhang Tie had heard such a ridiculous theory.

Zhang Tie knew that there were some apologists and hypocrites that would criticize seeking a whore as a morally degenerate and filthy behavior; however, there were also shameless guys like Barley who would glorify it as a beautiful deed to help the unprivileged. For Zhang Tie, this was neither holy nor indecent; it was just like the trades that happened in Donder's grocery store—there was a need. A woman needed money to survive, while a man needed to complete his coming-of-age ceremony. Nobody got hurt, and IOUs didn't exist. What was more, Zhang Tie thought that he was neither an apologist nor a righteous man or swordsman that might exist somewhere at a given point in time. Zhang Tie could not change what happened to her before, and neither should he assume responsibilities for sleeping with her in the future. Each man had his own story. Today, he needed a woman's help to become a real man. That was it!

"Take this…" Barley gave him a small paper parcel. "This should work if you're not as stupid as Doug!"

After thinking for a while, Zhang Tie took that paper parcel and opened it. Taking out three tea leaves, he put them inside his mouth and smacked his lips. "It tastes like nothing special!"

This was the first time Zhang Tie had eaten tea leaves to freshen his mouth.

By the time they stood in front of the same door that Doug had previously stood at, darkness had already fallen and the alley looked much darker. Perhaps it was because of his excessive male hormones, but Zhang Tie was excited.

Spitting out the three tea leaves, he took a deep breath under Barley's encouraging stare. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" He knocked on the door and waited peacefully. Zhang Tie began to hallucinate about Miss Anna's sexy figure and her sexy expression as his heart started to pound. He became breathless, and his erect p*nis stood up once again, forcing him to have to toss one hand into his pocket and press down on that wild thing.

A little bit of lamp light penetrated from behind the door. Before Zhang Tie knocked on the door for the second time, the sound of footsteps drifted over. Hearing the footsteps, Zhang Tie became even more breathless and started to peep through the cracks of the door...

When the door opened, the frowning face of a woman above the age of 50 with gray hair appeared in front of Zhang Tie. The old woman stood in front of Zhang Tie and Barley with a grin. Her front row of silver teeth scared Zhang Tie, causing him to take a few steps back. Never would he have thought that this fantasies of the "surprise" would turn into a "frightening shock". At this moment, his p*nis shrunk…

"Come on in!" the old woman uttered…

Zhang Tie turned pale and stared at Barley. Zhang Tie swore inside that he would definitely beat up Fatty Barley if this was Miss Anna, even at the risk of exposing his real strength…

"She's Miss Anna's servant!" Fatty explained. Hearing that, Zhang Tie felt reassured. "Where's Miss Anna?"

"She's inside…" the servant replied and closed the door. Barley then went inside with Zhang Tie.

The house was not large, but it was well cleaned. When they passed through the door, they saw a passageway and a guest room, which looked really comfortable and warm. The whole house was filled with a slight scent of a woman. Smelling this, Zhang Tie's p*nis became as hard as fine steel once again.

Waiting in the guest room, Zhang Tie found Miss Anna coming out of the washroom as she dried her crimson-red hair; she seemed to have just taken a bath. Miss Anna was wearing a pair of sandals and translucent lace camis that just barely covered her butt. She was thin and tall and had plump breasts and a plump butt. Although she was not extremely beautiful, she still looked enchanting and seductive, especially her pair of watery eyes. Once his eyes fell upon that woman, Zhang Tie was no longer able to avert his eyes. Consequently, the blood all over his body rushed towards his p*nis…

Hidden under her translucent lace camis, her body appeared under the light of the lamps in the guest room. Her snow-white thighs were exposed, and the graceful curves hidden under the pajamas almost drove Zhang Tie mad. Her breasts especially stood out. Zhang Tie swore that they were definitely larger than Miss Daina's. Droplets of water from her hair fell onto her breasts, causing the thin camis to become even more translucent as her breasts stuck more tightly to it. Besides the seductive plump breasts, the two purplish grapes also loomed.

Without needing to say a word, Barley pointed at Zhang Tie, and in response, Miss Anna showed an enchanting smile that made Zhang Tie dazed as he instantly mistook this woman for Miss Daina.

Miss Anna walked over and held Zhang Tie's hand while he was still nervous and gaping. After kissing him gently on his face, she pulled Zhang Tie into her bedroom.

Smelling the fragrance of that mature woman, Zhang Tie became more nervous and slow-witted. Before entering the bedroom, Zhang Tie anxiously looked back at Barley, only to see Barley clasping his fist in encouragement.

The door to the bedroom was closed by Miss Anna as she pulled Zhang Tie towards the huge bed with a pink mosquito net. At that moment, Zhang Tie felt like he was in a wet dream.

"Come on, baby. Apply some rose essence on your auntie…" Miss Anna took out a fine glass bottle containing a dark-red liquid. She passed it to Zhang Tie and gave him a fascinating smile as she slightly undid the straps of her camis. Immediately, a charming, naked female body was lazily lying in front of Zhang Tie …

At that moment, Zhang Tie was in a daze. Her naked body was truly stimulating. Zhang Tie forcefully swallowed his saliva and moved two steps forward. Seeing Miss Anna staring at his high rising tent and her bashful smile as she rested her face on her hand, Zhang Tie felt all the blood rushing to his head and immediately charged at her…

"Slower, baby, ah…"

Chapter 55: Caught

Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey

After seeing Zhang Tie enter the bedroom with Miss Anna, Barley paid the old servant 4 silver coins and then sat in the guest room alone as he drunk water peacefully.

Listening to the faint moan of Miss Anna from inside the bedroom, Barley showed an obscene smile. After a while, he heard various strange sounds and the gentle laughters of Miss Anna. More than ten minutes later, a miserable cry drifted over, almost frightening Barley who was drinking water. Barley thought that it might have been Zhang Tie's cry. Then, the bedroom became silent for a while. Several minutes later, another miserable cry was heard again. Barley heard it clearly this time and it truly came from Zhang Tie.

"What's happening?" Barley curiously stared at the bedroom. He knew that Miss Anna had no special hobbies and she was the best teacher for virgin boys. How come Bighead cried so miserably?

After the second miserable cry, no more sounds were heard from the bedroom. 5 or 6 minutes later, Barley saw Zhang Tie dejectedly walking out of the bedroom with a pale face. Lowering his head, Zhang Tie pulled Barley's arm and ran outside without saying a single word.

They didn't slow down until they were 100 meters away from Miss Anna's home…

"What's happening, Bighead? Why were you crying so miserably?" Fatty Barley asked while gasping.

Zhang Tie looked frustrated. He opened his mouth wanting to say something, but he didn't say anything in the end. Only under the insistence of Barley's repeated questions did Zhang Tie reluctantly pour out his secret quietly…

"My d*ck… expanded too much. It was similar unsheathing a sword, but it was difficult to pull it out. I have tried to 'unsheathe' it twice, but it almost tore off the 'sheath' before being fully 'unsheathed'.…

"Did you have the same feeling when you slept with her for the first time? Was it utterly different from that in dream?" Zhang Tie asked Barley unconfidently.

Hearing what Zhang Tie said, Barley gaped. Although he wanted to freely laugh loudly, he solemnly suggested, "Bro, it's nothing serious. You should get circumcised when you have time…"

...

It seemed that Zhang Tie's plan to end his virgin status absolutely failed. Thinking of that disastrous defeat, Zhang Tie was fully frustrated.

"Circumcise? F*ck! Nobody has told me about that. It seemed that I didn't have that problem when "fighting" Miss Daina in the dream. How come I couldn't stand it when in a real 'fight'? It seemed that my good reputation would be ruined today." Zhang Tie was willing to bet that Barley, that talkative guy, would definitely spread this awkward matter among the other members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood tomorrow.

"Bro, why are you so unhappy? Tell us, so we'll be happy. Hahaha…" Whenever Zhang Tie thought of the bad traits of the members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood, he saw no bright future.

At that moment, Zhang Tie saw the two crescents hanging in the sky, seemingly giving off a smile of ridicule. After separating from Barley, Zhang Tie stepped on to the road back home gloomily while casually kicking cobblestones on his way home.

Unconsciously, Zhang Tie moved onto a less populated path…

"Bang." Zhang Tie had walked into someone. "Ah, sorry…"

He had walked into a huge figure. After apologizing, Zhang Tie raised his face and saw a familiar, evil face. As his two hands clasped around Zhang Tie's shoulders like a pair of iron pincers, he said, "I finally found you, boy…"

The face looked slightly familiar. The moment Zhang Tie wanted to open his mouth, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head as everything turned pitch black—he had lost consciousness

...

Feeling a cold sensation as cold water had been poured on his face, Zhang Tie opened his eyes. He then saw two ugly faces through the flickering of the lamp lights, giving off an expression as if they wanted to eat him. A cold feeling could be felt as he realized the snake-like man had already placed a dagger at his throat.

"Boy, I can easily cut through your windpipe before you can even shout. Try it if you don't believe me. If I'm clear, nod once. Afterwards, we can have a good conversation!" Zhang Tie didn't know why, but he was almost more calm when facing dangers. At that moment, Zhang Tie's mind was as clear as a crystal. Hearing the man's suggestion, Zhang Tie immediately thought of four pieces of useful information in his mind:.

The first piece of information: The man with the dagger is preventing him from shouting, which meant that this place was not very far from populated areas.

The second piece of information: Since his fate was in their hands, and they didn't seem to care about killing him, he needed to speak carefully.

The third piece of information: He had met them last Thursday when he had walked into the manly guy called Huck. In the end, he picked up a wooden plate. Since they are looking for him, it must be related to that wooden plate. It seems that although that wooden plate was useless to him, it was very important to them, thus the wooden plate would determine Zhang Tie's life or death.

The fourth piece of information: Since the two of them have captured him, this means that they are not afraid of being recognized by Zhang Tie. And since they don't care about the troubles from the magistrates, then it seems that they have made preparations to ensure that Zhang Tie wouldn't be a threat. They must have made one of the following two decisions: First, they will take the wooden plate and leave Blackhot City; Second, kill him directly. Only having chosen one of those two options would they be this confident…

As the icy dagger stuck close to his throat, the faint smell of blood immediately allowed Zhang Tie to determine their final decision. As he oozed sweat all over his body, Zhang Tie knew that he was faced with the greatest crisis in his life…

All those thoughts flashed in Zhang Tie's mind in a single second. Then, Zhang Tie nodded…

Soon after, the dagger was moved away; however, the icy edge caused goosebumps to appear on the skin on Zhang Tie's neck.

"I remember you! We met last Thursday!" Before the two were able to open their mouths, Zhang Tie had forced himself to calm down and started the conversation, causing Huck and Snade to be stunned simultaneously.

Huck and Snade stared at each other silently.

"Very good, boy! Since you remember us, let's not talk nonsense! Give that wooden plate back to us!" Snade forced a smile within a split second as he immediately put away his dagger. "That plate is very important to us, so give it back right now. If you do so, then we'll both benefit!"

"Can I sit up?" Zhang Tie asked.

"Heh… Heh…" Huck smiled viciously as he stretched out his hands and yanked Zhang Tie up to his feet. He then pushed Zhang Tie into a chair. The moment Zhang Tie sat up, he noticed that all his personal belongs had been searched through by the two and were spread over the desk. It seemed that the two had only woken Zhang Tie up when they found nothing. If Zhang Tie brought the plate with him, he might have already been a corpse by now.

Looking around, Zhang Tie realized he was in a bedroom with no windows. Around him were various common appliances that were cheap and clean. He could hear faint human voices from outside. Glancing over this bedroom, Zhang Tie instantly remembered those hotels especially used by the pioneers in Blackhot City. Due to the living habits for pioneers that drew them to secrecy and safety, none of the hotels for pioneers had windows, thus they felt like secret rooms. This room had most of the features one would find in a pioneer's hotel room.

"I don't remember taking your thing…" Hearing his words, Huck and Snade's faces twisted at the same time. However, before the two were able to beat him up, Zhang Tie immediately added, "That day I walked into you…" Zhang Tie then pointed at Huck. "After you left, I found a small cloth bag on the ground, and when I opened it, I found a common, triangular piece of wood. I wonder whether you are looking for that?"

"That piece of wood is very important to us. If you can hand it back to us, you will get 10 gold coins as a reward…" Snade gave a kind smile. "Can you tell us where you put it?"

"Nobody would trust you!" Zhang Tie cursed inside. Putting on a greedy look, Zhang Tie forcefully swallowed his saliva as he looked at Snade. "10 gold coins? Are you cheating me? I just f*cked a woman for 4 silver coins today. If I had 10 gold coins, I could f*ck 200 women…"

"How could I cheat you? Take a look…" As he said this, Snade took out his purse from his coat, opening it and pouring out dozens of gold coins into his hands immediately.. Seeing those glittering coins, Zhang Tie gaped. At this moment, he was not pretending; ever since he was born, he had truly never seen so many gold coins.

Zhang Tie stretched out his hand to take them, but the gold coins were retracted at the same time. "You still haven't told me where you have put it."

"It's at my house. If you let me go, I'll go and bring it back to you. Since I found it useless when I returned home that night, I had casually thrown it into my nephew's bunch of building blocks!"

Chapter 56: A Wise Fight

Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey

Zhang Tie spoke fluently, causing the people who listened to feel as if his words were believable. Hearing his words, Snade gazed at Zhang Tie's face for a long while. He seemed as if he was trying to see through something, but Zhang Tie simply pretended as if he saw nothing. With eyes staring at Snade's purse, Zhang Tie swallowed his saliva forcefully.

"How about we accompany you back home? If we let you go, it would be difficult for us to find you again. We are just common pioneers. Since we are new to Blackhot City, we are not familiar with the roads!" Gazing at Zhang Tie, Snade explained kindly.

Zhang Tie pretended to considerate it. "Fine! But you have to pay me 3… No, 5 gold coins as an advanced payment. After all, I picked that thing up for you. If you want it back, you have to, more or less, pay me as a reward…"

Snade then gave Huck a look. Zhang Tie could tell that during their exchange, they had exchanged a cruel message from their looks. Aside from that, the corner of Huck's mouth rose from the terrifying message, showing disdain towards Zhang Tie's ignorance of the situation.

"Alright, lead the way!" In a split second, five gold coins were thrown into Zhang Tie's hand. Zhang Tie clasped them instantly and hurriedly tossed them into his pocket. He then pointed at his belongings on the table. "Could you please give them back to me?"

"Of course…"

As Zhang Tie had expected, they were in a large hotel for pioneers which was close to the edge of the upper eastern region of Blackhot City that neighbored the railway station. Huck and Snade had chosen a remote independent suite. Zhang Tie didn't know how they had carried him inside. As pioneers always had bad temperaments and had weird behaviors, there were many taboos among them. Given Huck's exaggerated figure and strength, once he hid Zhang Tie inside a bag and carried him with on his back while wearing a cloak, nobody would doubt that there was a man inside. When Zhang Tie was carried inside, he was still in a coma; however, when he went out, Snade let Zhang Tie put on a cloak and a hat to slightly cover his face. Thus, Zhang Tie left the hotel with Huck and Snade, shoulder in shoulder as if they were bosom friends. Naturally, nobody else spared them a glance, as there were always people from all walks of life that wandered around here.

Treating him as if he was a bosom friend, Snade stretched out his right hand and placed it on Zhang Tie's neck, causing Zhang Tie to cry inwardly. Rather than it being a hand over his neck, Zhang Tie felt like it was a poisonous snake who would spit out its tongue. With a casual bite, the poisonous snake would be able to easily kill him. Snade gave off a disgusting and fishy smell. Zhang Tie didn't know when the dagger would appear in Snade's hand and cut through his neck as it ended his life. Before the two of them, even though Zhang Tie was already a LV 1 fighter, he still felt as powerless as a baby. Zhang Tie didn't know whether they were LV 6 or LV 7; he only knew that they could kill him easily, thus he didn't have any hope of being able to fight against them. If he wanted to survive tonight, he had to make other decisions.

"Since we are new to Blackhot City, we have been feeling rather tense, so we may end up hurting others to protect ourselves. So, no matter who we meet, could you please not make us nervous? This will benefit all of us," Snade told Zhang Tie kindly as they walked out of the hotel.

Zhang Tie nodded, yet his brain spun rapidly.

It was almost 9pm, only a few more hours before the curfew was in effect, thus there were currently numerous people on the street. Zhang Tie and Snade looked very close as they walked shoulder to shoulder with Huck following behind. They were currently heading for Zhang Tie's "home". On the way, they had met two groups of the guards from the City Guard Army. Zhang Tie knew that City Guard Army could not save him, so he didn't do anything to arouse their attention. In addition, he was really scared of encountering people whom he was acquainted with. Once that happened, it was very possible for him to lose his life tonight. Fortunately, that didn't happen. After passing by two groups of city guards from the City Guard Army, Zhang Tie felt that Snade and Huck were no longer alert. The atmosphere among the three was also relaxed.

"That piece of wood is just made of common red pine, so why is it so important to you?" Zhang Tie asked Snade as if they were bosom friends.

"You know for pioneers like us, sometimes we need to trade and contact others. That piece of red pine is our token. Since the grains and the quality of the material are quite distinct, we will always split the piece of red pine in half. When the two halves have matching grains, then it means we have found the correct person. When we get that piece of wood, we can finish our task and leave. You are really a lucky dog to get 10 gold coins so easily…" Snade answered in a relaxed way.

Hearing his words, Zhang Tie finally understood what that piece of red pine wood was used for. He guessed that the two were here to look for someone and had taken that half of red pine as a token, but they had unexpectedly lost it. Therefore, they hurriedly searched for him as he might be the very person who had seen that piece of wood.

"You know, I am really sorry. If I didn't walk into you, you wouldn't have lost your thing. How about taking only 8 gold coins?" Zhang Tie said bashfully.

"We've already made the deal, so we will give you 10. You are fortunate. It's our fault, so we'll pay the price…"

"Hoho, thank you. Those gold coins really help me a lot. My parents would never give me so much pocket money and would only give me 20 silver coins a week. I can only sleep with two women with it…"

"Hahahaha…"

"Hehhehhehheh…"

The two prattled with each other, truly giving off an image of bosom friends.

"What's your name?" Snade suddenly asked when Zhang Tie was totally relaxed. Zhang Tie almost poured out his real name. However, he was very clear-minded tonight and had already made a plan to stay alive. Zhang Tie instantly replied:

"I'm Du Shaofeng…" Soon after Zhang Tie spoke, he immediately covered his mouth with a hand and stared at Snade in a hasty manner. It seemed as if he had made a mistake and had carelessly disclosed a secret. At the same time, a pleasant look flashed in Snade's eyes." The boy is still innocent."

After more than 20 minutes of walking on a street in the upper eastern region of the city, they arrived at the residence area where Zhang Tie's "home" was located.

"You wait here. I will go in and bring the thing to you," Zhang Tie's heart pounded, though he seemed as if he was talking as usual.

"Is your home here?" seeing the heavily-guarded residence ablaze with lights and the two rows of fully-armored City Guard Army standing outside the gate, Snade and Huck asked dejectedly.

"Yes, my brother is a military official in Blackhot City. This is the residence for the relatives of the City Guard Army officials, so of course we live here…" Zhang Tie replied, "We didn't live here before, but ever since my elder brother became an official, he got a house here. That's why we all moved here. Wait for a moment, I will bring it back to you soon!"

The instant Zhang Tie wanted to move, Snade clasped onto him. A cold light flashed in Snade's eyes as he stared at Zhang Tie's face like a snake capturing its prey.

"Are you familiar with the guards over there?"

"Yes, I live in here, so of course we are acquainted with each other!"

"Then, let's go in together!"

"Well…" Zhang Tie forced a smile and said in a relaxed way, "The residence is strictly managed. As you two are new here, you cannot go inside directly. I will let the guard call my elder brother out so that he could lead us in. Come on, let's go look for him together..."

Saying this, Zhang Tie moved one step forward…

The three then walked towards the gate of the community together. However, Zhang Tie's heart pounded. He felt his mouth was dry and his eyes were dazed. He felt like he was walking on a steel wire hanging in the air while under his feet was a bottomless chasm. Once the guards say they don't know Zhang Tie, he would be killed. Therefore, at that moment, Zhang Tie was betting with his life that Snade and Huck were more afraid of being exposed than he was. Zhang Tie felt that the two were extremely afraid of the City Guard Army of Blackhot City, as whenever they met the City Guard Army on the way, Zhang Tie could obviously feel that Snade would clasp him even harder. Common guards from the City Guard Army might be easily killed by these two; however, military officials of the City Guard Army in the Blackhot City were all above LV 5. As this was the residence for the relatives of military officials, there were a great number of great fighters inside, thus Zhang Tie didn't believe that the two would dare to go inside with him. Zhang Tie clearly knew that he might have a chance to survive tonight if they dared not go in with him. If he showed them where the wood was truly hidden, he would be killed. If they couldn't get their wood, they would kill him as well.

He learned this from Donder as an apprentice during the past two years in the grocery store. When you give a despaired person a beacon of hope, you would get a beacon of hope when you felt despair. You should always make yourself useful to others. Don't be disposable. This was the key rule for the underprivileged when in trouble.

If the two guys finally trusted him, they would try to let him in. Then, he could escape from the other gate of the community.

The two rows of City Guard Army standing outside the gate of the community were becoming closer to them. Although Zhang Tie pretended to be calm, he was actually becoming increasingly reluctant to move forward. They were drawing closer and closer to those guards…

60 steps…

50 steps…

40 steps...

30 steps…

Seeing the three of them drawing closer, alert soldiers had already glanced at them. Finally, at about 20 steps away from those soldiers, Zhang Tie's shoulder felt it being clasped even more tightly as Snade had already forced him to move away in a different direction.

"I've changed my mind…" Snade said, which made Zhang Tie relaxed immediately. "We pioneers don't like to deal with those uniformed workers since easy matters always become difficult when they're involved. Let's find another way!"

"No, it's very easy!" Zhang Tie explained in a confused manner, "I will go in and bring it out for you, or you two can go inside with me and get it together…"

"Snade, I feel there is something wrong with the boy…" Huck said gloomily as Zhang Tie's heart pounded…

At a dark corner of the street, Snade glanced at Zhang Tie coldly. "Huck, keep an eye on this guy. I will take a look around and see if what this boy is saying is true or not…"

The instant Snade left, Huck had already placed one hand onto Zhang Tie's neck. "Kid, I feel that something is wrong. Don't play tricks with me. If not, I will break your neck…"

Zhang Tie hurriedly nodded…

Ten minutes later, Snade came back and looked gloomy. "Let's go back first…"

"Let me go. Give me two minutes and I will bring it back to you!"

"Shut up!" Snade lowered his voice. At the same time, Huck pinched his neck with even more force, causing Zhang Tie's face to immediately turn purple…

"Keep him alive. Let's go back and deal with him later…"

...

Then, the three of them returned to the hotel for pioneers faster than they had left. On the way back, Huck and Snade were both silent as they stared at Zhang Tie more fiercely and more viciously than before. As a result, Zhang Tie gradually became dejected. He knew that his plan had failed and the moment to determine his death or life was coming…

Chapter 57: A Test Concerning Life and Death

Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey

Although this was a test, for Zhang Tie, it was not an impossible task. On the way back to the hotel, Zhang Tie realized that it was possible to lock onto the marvelous arched door between his eyebrows. That meant that once he was given a couple of seconds, he could disappear from their clutches and seek refuge in the Castle of Black Iron. However, once he did this, although he would be able to rid himself of the immediate danger, he could potentially bring a greater and more dangerous dilemma to his family. The secret of the Castle of Black Iron was something so great that once it was exposed, nobody related to him would be able to survive, be it his family, the members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood, and perhaps even Donder. In the eyes of those great figures, the lives of dozens meant nothing when compared to the secret of the Castle of Black Iron.

Returning to their room, they closed the door and Huck and Snade immediately showed their ruthlessness.

"Bang!" Zhang Tie was almost thrown onto the ground while his neck was still gripped by Huck. As a result, the bones all over his body almost broke, and as he couldn't stand the pain, he cried out miserably.

"Quiet! That might be heard by others!" Snade told Huck. Hearing his words, Huck reluctantly pulled back his foot, which he had wanted to use to kick Zhang Tie. Squatting in front of Zhang Tie, Snade patted Zhang Tie's face. "What's your name?"

"My name is Du Shaofeng…"

"What's your elder brother's name?"

"Du Shaowu!"

"What's his position in the City Guard Army of Blackhot City?"

"Major commander of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Regiment of the City Guard Army of Blackhot City…" Zhang Tie responded miserably, "That piece of wood was truly thrown to my nephew as a building block, I swear! Once you let me go back, I will bring it back to you. Why don't you trust me? I have suggested for you to enter with me, yet you refused! What do you want?"

"Where is your home?" Snade ignored what Zhang Tie had said and continued.

"B301 in that community…"

After asking the question, Snade fetched some dirty rags and a rope before he forcefully opened Zhang Tie's mouth and stuffed some rags into it, causing Zhang Tie to be unable to utter a single word. He then bound Zhang Tie's hands with the rope. Afterwards, Snade patted his palms and stood up. He said something to Huck before leaving, resulting in only Zhang Tie and Huck being left in the room. Zhang Tie struggled on the ground for a while. He knew where Snade was heading for; however, he wasn't afraid. Du Shaowu was his elder brother's superior. He had heard information about the Du Family when he chatted with his elder brother. Unless Snade has a picture of Du Shaofeng, he would never be able to discover that Zhang Tie was telling a lie.

Half an hour later, Snade returned again.

"How about it?" Huck hurriedly asked as Snade closed the door from the inside.

Snade looked really gloomy. "It took me 1 gold coin to verify that all the kid's words were true. There really is a major battalion commander by the name of Du Shaowu in the 3rd Battalion, 4th Regiment in the City Guard Army of Blackhot City. Du Shaowu has a younger brother called Du Shaofeng, who's as old as this kid. They live in B301 in that community. In addition, Du Shaowu has a 2-year son…"

Hearing Snade's words, Zhang Tie started to twist on the ground again.

"That's impossible! I feel there is something wrong with what he has said…" Huck said furiously, "I should have kicked him to death!"

"I have also felt that there was something off about him, but I couldn't figure it out. We have no other ways now. If the kid is still telling a lie, we have to kill him!" saying this, Snade moved in front of Zhang Tie. Squatting down, he patted Zhang Tie's face with his hand before saying, "I have known since the beginning that you might be cheating us. I simply wanted to see what tricks you would play. Do you know your mistake? When a man tells a lie, his heartbeat would speed up, causing the veins all over his body to pulse even more strongly, and their body temperature would also slightly increase. Earlier when I had wrapped my hand around your neck, I could figure out when you were telling a lie through your pulse and your body temperature. I could feel that you became most nervous when we were walking towards those soldiers. If you were telling the truth, then your heart then shouldn't have beat so quickly. You are smarter than most of the other kids at your age I have seen. Pitifully, you have met me!"

As he said this, Snade pulled Zhang Tie's hair, ignoring how much he was struggling on the ground, and brought him into the washroom in the room while Huck followed behind.

Entering the washroom, Snade's dagger suddenly appeared in his hand once again. With a chilly aura, Snade cut the rope on Zhang Tie's hands. He then stepped on Zhang Tie's left hand while he turned around Zhang Tie's right hand and placed it onto the toilet bowl. Afterwards, he placed his dagger onto the artery of Zhang Tie's right hand.

"You have one last chance. Tell us where you hid the token!" When Snade asked, he pulled out the rags from Zhang Tie's mouth.

"It's in my elder brother's house. I really mean what I have told you! The reason I became nervous was because I was worried that you would kill me once you got that thing. I could feel that you two were having malicious thoughts and were trying to cheat me by exchanging for that thing with gold coins. Once you promise not to harm me, I will definitely bring that motherf*cking wooden plate back to you…" Zhang Tie seized the opportunity to explain. Hearing Zhang Tie's words, Snade frowned and foisted the rags back into his mouth. Afterwards, Zhang Tie's right wrist felt cold. Following an excruciating pain, fresh red blood trickled down into the toilet bowl. The instant Zhang Tie wanted to struggle, his body had already been held by Huck, causing him to be unable to move in the least.

The scene suddenly reminded Zhang Tie of how a butcher killed a pig. They bound the pig and poked it. He had found it funny when he saw people slaughter pigs; however, when he was the one slaughtered like a pig, Zhang Tie didn't find it funny at all. He now started to understand how the pigs thought when they were being slaughtered…

First he felt pain, then it was followed by weakness, and finally, he felt cold. As more and more blood had flowed out, he gradually became more afraid…

"We have already lost patience! We will give you several minutes to tell us the truth. Once you do that, we'll stop the bleeding and let you live…" Hearing the alluring words of Snade, Zhang Tie suddenly realized that how happy he was when he wasn't bleeding.

Blood continued to trickle down into the toilet bowl from Zhang Tie's hand, turning the originally white toilet bowl into a pool of blood. Looking at the bloody toilet bowl, Zhang Tie suddenly remembered the topic that he and Donder were talking about, "Blood Sense". He was truly amazed at how women didn't feel pain when they bled every month… At that moment, Zhang Tie started to admire women… Gradually, he felt cold and weak. He forced a smile and muttered inside, "What mother*cking blood sense!? I really don't understand it at all, but I am curious…"

Time slowly passed by as more and more blood trickled down from his right wrist.

He then felt dazed and could hardly lock onto that arched door in his mind. "Should I enter the Castle of Black Iron?" Zhang Tie asked himself. He wished to survive a bit longer; however, he didn't want to bring a greater and more dangerous crisis to his family members and the members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood.

During that period, the rags inside Zhang Tie's mouth were pulled out one more time. Afterwards, Snade asked the same question, yet he received the same answer. Thus, the rags were stuffed back into Zhang Tie's mouth…

Zhang Tie started to think of his mom's plump shadow… the increasing white hair on his dad's head… the pair of leather shoes and the underwear gifted by his elder brother… and Fatty Barley's suggestion of getting circumcised…

"F*ck! I haven't even been circumcised yet and am going to die a virgin. It truly is shameful to die as a virgin…" Zhang Tie felt that he was gradually losing his consciousness…

Looking at the young man's pale face and his miserable white lips, Snade started to have doubts. He had estimated that the body had already lost over 1800 ml of blood. "If we don't stop the bleeding, he will die soon. But, he still hasn't said anything. Were we wrong? Could it be that what he has told us was true? Was the boy actually nervous because he realized we were having malicious thoughts?"

At this moment, Huck also stared at Snade. Since the two of them had worked together for many years now, Huck knew that the method Snade used had made many tough guys succumb to him. Very few people would simply wait for their death since it was much more miserable than just being immediately killed. Could this boy be tougher than those guys? Impossible! Otherwise… were the boy's words true?

At that moment, Zhang Tie's body had completely turned limp by itself. He was no longer able to move. If Zhang Tie simply died in this way, then the two would have to escape tonight from being endlessly hunted down by their organization.

Seeing the look in Huck's eyes, Snade also became frustrated. He cursed as he placed two fingers onto Zhang Tie's cut artery, "F*ck! Just stop the bleeding first. Maybe… he was telling the truth…"

With the artery on his right wrist being pressed down, the blood stopped flowing out. At the same time, Zhang Tie saw a bright light before his eyes among the endless darkness. A line of words appeared in his mind:

——The Manjusaka Karma Fruit Tree has detected that the body energy, Qi, and blood of the lord is approaching a dangerous, minimum level. Do you want to begin recovery and invert the flow of blood and Qi through the Leakless Fruit ?

——Yes…No

Zhang Tie spent his last effort to click "Yes" in his mind…

Chapter 58: A Huge Plot

Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey

Huck and Snade carried Zhang Tie back onto the bed. Snade then pressed Zhang Tie's artery as Huck fetched a strip of clean cloth and a vial. Opening the vial, Huck shook out some white powder onto the wounded wrist of Zhang Tie. Afterwards, he wrapped up the wound for Zhang Tie with the cloth strip quickly in a familiar motion as he discussed with Snade about their next course of action.

"It seems that he was telling the truth. What will we do when he wakes up tomorrow?" Huck asked impatiently. They never would have imagined that they had mistaken the kid and had almost killed him. Huck was somewhat afraid, as they would never get the token back if the kid was killed. If so, they would be killed as well.

Looking at Zhang Tie, who was in a deep coma, Snade frowned. "We can't enter that community residence since it is 100 times more dangerous than that gang we swept. If we enter, we would be killed the instant the kid shouted out. We are not able to fight a major battalion commander like his elder brother, Du Shaofeng. According to the military traditions in Blackhot City, it's impossible to become a major without being at least LV8 or LV9. So, we should try to avoid meeting his family members and have him bring it back to us…"

"But he's too cunning! I swear he will betray us once he leaves!"

"So what do you have in plan?"

"We have to poison him and have him exchange the token for the antidote. If he's smart, he knows what to do…"

"Good! But will we give him the antidote?"

"Heh, heh, we will kill him when we get the token and have ensured that he had not revealed it to other people. Since he has seen us, if he tells his elder brother about what had happened after getting the antidote, we will be screwed. That's why we have to kill him…"

"We might be in trouble if we kill the kid since people in the hotel have seen us with the kid. His family would definitely be able to get that information through their rich connections!"

"That's why we should contact the Niumuen Merchants Group in Blackhot City as soon as we get the token and reach an agreement for that event as well as the time for action. Once that's out of the way, we will leave Blackhot City. One day after the kid has disappeared is enough time for us to complete our mission. By that time, his family members might not even have been able to respond to what had happened. After that… heh… heh… we will have to worry about nothing!"

"Once we succeed this time, Blackhot City would belong to us. And then we will definitely kill his elder brother, Du Shaowu, with the help of our Lord to prevent potential trouble…" Huck said viciously.

After wrapping up the wound for Zhang Tie, the two checked his wound and ensured that it would no longer bleed. Thankfully, Zhang Tie's life had been temporarily saved. At that moment, Huck's belly made a "gulugulu" sound, reminding them that they had not yet eaten supper. Nobody could survive without food, no matter how great he was.

"You go and buy some food from the hotel. I will go outside and prepare some things…"

"What about the kid?"

"We'll return soon…" Snade stood up and stared at Zhang Tie, who was lying on the bed like a dead man. He then pressed and touched the spot by Zhang Tie's heart and smirked. "Don't worry about that kid. It would be amazing if he could wake up from the hemorrhagic shock tomorrow morning!"

Afterwards, the two left the bedroom and closed the door…

The instant the two left, Zhang Tie, who was supposed to be in a hemorrhagic shock from Snade's observations, opened his eyes. Actually, when the two carried him onto the bed, Zhang Tie had already recovered his consciousness. Although he could still not move, he could still perceive everything that was going around him, thus he had heard what Snade and Huck had said.

Niumuen Merchants Group… Contact… Action… The alluring Blackhot City… Lord…

Zhang Tie felt cold all over. This time, he knew that he had gotten involved in a huge conspiracy against Blackhot City. Huck and Snade were just two trivial figures dispatched by an organization to contact the Niumuen Merchants Group in Blackhot City. That piece of red pine wood was the very token between the two and the Niumuen Merchants Group…

"What should I do now? I need to recover my strength and survive tonight at first!"

Zhang Tie smiled bitterly. He then closed his eyes again. He could feel something different from his head, spine, heart, and liver as a wisp of warm Qi was rising from those places…

Zhang Tie recovered consciousness through the first wisp of warm Qi rising from his head. He then could slowly controlled his movements and opened eyes through the second wisp of warm Qi rising from his spine. From the third wisp of warm Qi that rose from his heart and liver and spread to his organs, Zhang Tie could feel that he was quickly recovering his vitality…

Is this the result of the inverted flow of energy and qi and the blood regeneration from the Leakless Fruit? Zhang Tie tried to move his fingers and found that they could move.

Zhang Tie realized that this might be his beacon of hope tonight. As Huck and Snade thought he was in a hemorrhagic shock, they would never have imagined that he was already quickly recovering…

He had to escape before the two returned!

Zhang Tie was brimming with anxiety…

Within ten minutes, when Zhang Tie realized that he could sit up, he heard a series of heavy steps and the sound of someone opening the door. He then knew Huck that had returned, indicating that his escape plan would no longer work.

Zhang Tie then became dejected once again.

Be patient, patient, patient… Zhang Tie reminded himself. As long as he was patient enough, he would definitely find an opportunity. Closing his eyes again so that only a faint amount of light could be seen through the corners of his eyes, Zhang Tie began to observe what was going on in the room…

"Well, just put food on it. I will take it in myself, you can go…"

"Yes, enjoy…"

Afterwards, a dining cart was pushed away and the door was opened as Huck entered with plates full of food on them. Instantly, the room was filled with the fragrance of food. After placing the food on the table, Huck walked towards the bed. Zhang Tie then fully closed his eyes and pretended to be relaxed. Huck put one finger under Zhang Tie's nose and confirmed that Zhang Tie was still breathing before turning around. At the same time, Zhang Tie slightly opened his eyes and observed the situation in the room through the corners of his eyes.

Zhang Tie saw Huck walking towards those plates. The moment Huck picked up something, he suddenly thought of something. He then put it down and muttered something. Afterwards, he wandered in the room anxiously.

"F*ck, I never want to do this again…" Huck cursed.

Snade also came back within 2 minutes.

"How was it?"

"I've made the preparations. We will feed him the poison when he wakes up!"

"Fine, let's eat. I am so hungry!"

The two then walked to the table. Zhang Tie saw Snade taking an object out and poking the food and the bottle of alcohol with it. After observing the object for a while, Snade uttered, "It's clean. We can eat it!"

However, less than 2 minutes since they started eating, the sounds of knocking drifted from outside. The man on the other side of the door shouted, "Magistrate of Blackhot City, routine investigation. All registered persons, please come out…"

Instantly, the doors opened and curses reverberated in the hall…

"Why so late? I had already fallen asleep!"

"Buddy, what are you doing?" Complaints were heard everywhere in the hotel.

"Friends, I'm very sorry. Since some things have happened in Blackhot City recently, we have to do some security checks. As you might have heard, a couple of days ago, someone had set fire to a place near the railway station. It's said that there were dozens of bodies found from that incident. Because of that incident, the big figures were really shocked, and the magistrates are forced to do security checks. As it's almost time for the curfew, people who have registered at the hotel would be in big trouble if they're not in the hotel now. Therefore, simply show your face…" As the serviceman in the hotel explained what was happening loudly, those curses gradually disappear. Although those pioneers were defiant, they were not idiots. Nobody wanted to fight those guys in uniforms.

"Motherf*cker…" After cursing, Huck and Snade stood up and walked outside the door.

Hearing the door having been closed from outside, Zhang Tie opened his eyes immediately. Seeing the food and alcohol on the table, Zhang Tie suddenly thought up of a crazy idea. "F*ck you, bastards, I don't care about what happens to you anyways…"

Be quick!

Zhang Tie closed his eyes and locked onto the arched door in his mind. In a split second, he disappeared from the room and entered the Castle of Black Iron…

——Handsome and Magnificent Castle Lord, welcome to the Castle of Black Iron!

Chapter 59: A Miraculous Reversal

Translator: WQL Editor: Geoffrey

Before the line had even disappeared, Zhang Tie had already long tumbled in…

"Handsome and magnificent my ass! I was almost slaughtered like a pig. Since you two didn't kill me, I will definitely kill you," Zhang Tie ruthlessly declared in his heart.

Even though he felt very weak, he was still able to run. The moment he appeared in the Castle of Black Iron, he immediately ran towards the sundry box…

Inside the box were the two killing weapons gifted by Donder, the "powerful rat poison" and a dagger. Besides being matched with poisonous needles, the dagger's edge had also been quenched in snake poison and thus had the same amazing lethality.

Although this was risky, Zhang Tie decided to give it a try.

The distance between the place he had appeared in the Castle of Black Iron and the box were only a few steps apart; however, by the time he arrived before the box, Zhang Tie was already slightly panting and his hands and feet felt weak. He quickly took out the vial of "powerful rat poison" and the dagger from the box. Zhang Tie then squatted and took in two deep breaths. Afterwards, it took him more than 10 seconds to lock onto that arched door in his mind again.

Exit!

In the next moment, Zhang Tie reappeared in the bedroom, squatting on the bed.

After having accessed the Castle of Black Iron over many days, Zhang Tie had noticed a reoccurring pattern when accessing it—he will reappear exactly at the place where he had entered.

It was still bustling outside. It seemed that the investigation won't be over very soon, thus Zhang Tie took in a few deep breaths and moved off the bed with the smallest and slightest strength he could muster. Bending his body, he stealthily moved in front of the pile of food. After glancing over where the cups and plates were placed, he then took out the "powerful rat poison" and opened the alcohol bottle deftly and rapidly before pouring in half of the "powerful rat poison". He then spread the leftover "powerful rat poison" into the bowl of thick soup and slightly swirled the alcohol bottle and stirred the rich soup. Afterwards, he returned to his bed and threw the empty vial of "powerful rat poison" back into his pocket. He then pulled out of the dagger as he held it tightly under his body, pretending as if he had not awoken even for a moment… As Donder had told him that a dose of the "powerful rat poison" was enough to kill 20 elephants, Zhang Tie didn't believe that Huck and Snade would be stronger than 20 elephants.

Nervous, really nervous…

Closing his eyes again, Zhang Tie felt his heart pounding like a beating drum. He was extremely nervous and kept taking in deep breaths. Zhang Tie kept repeating in his mind—easy, take it easy!

Easy, take it easy!

Easy, take it easy!

...

Zhang Tie slowly calmed down in this way. Repeating this phrase in his heart, he was able to calm down. This was a useful method that was taught in school for occasions such as this.

Zhang Tie then waited for Huck and Snade as if nothing had happened…

Huck and Snade stood outside the door coldly for about 3 minutes before the owner of the hotel came towards them with several magistrates. After checking the names they registered with and asking a few silly questions, they left. Afterwards, Huck and Snade stared at each other at the same time, as they had already figured out what the alleged investigation meant. Usually, the magistrates of Blackhot City preferred to slack off by capturing several hapless people. Nobody would have expected that the fatty magistrates would have already figured out what had truly happened in that fire.

When the two returned to the bedroom, Zhang Tie had already been laying on the bed for a bit less than one minute. Everything remained unchanged in the room, and the food was still hot on the table, thus the two continued their meal.

Huck drunk some alcohol, and Snade simply ate a bit of the rich soup.

Laying on the bed, Zhang Tie glanced over them through the corner of his eye. When Huck chugged a large cup of alcohol, Zhang Tie gripped his dagger more tightly. As Snade was someone who would notice if he looked, he did not dare to look at him.

Zhang Tie was very nervous. He was afraid that Snade wouldn't have eaten even a bit of the poisoned food by the time the poison took effect on Huck. However, after a few seconds, Zhang Tie became reassured when he saw Snade drink a large spoon of the rich soup, thus he held onto that dagger even more tightly...

One minute after Huck drunk the alcohol…

"I feel a bit uncomfortable…" saying this, Huck's face suddenly turned black. He then inclined and fell backwards onto the ground from his chair.

"Huck!" Snade exclaimed. At the same time, he also felt a bit uncomfortable and noticed that something was moving on the bed behind him.

When Huck fell backwards, Zhang Tie had actually already fully opened his eyes. At that moment, Zhang Tie had slightly adjusted his posture so that he could use the dagger more easily.

Although Zhang Tie tried his best to not make any noise, his movements were actually noticed by Snade. Turning around, Snade stared at Zhang Tie while Zhang Tie stared back at him. At that moment, he looked even more surprised than he did when Huck had fallen over. Instinctively, he pulled out his dagger and charged at Zhang Tie, stabbing it towards Zhang Tie's neck like how a poisonous snake would spit out its tongue…

Having been long prepared for Snade's attack, Zhang Tie only made one movement—he rolled onto the ground from the bed, avoiding Snade's first strike…

Stabbing towards Zhang Tie, who was laying on the ground, Snade's face turned pale. He then slightly stopped and intended to throw his dagger at Zhang Tie; however, at the same time, Zhang Tie pressed the button on his dagger, releasing two poisonous needles that instantly shot into Snade's shank and thigh. The snake poison on the needles immediately paralyzed Snade all over, resulting in his hand remaining raised as he was no longer able to move. Zhang Tie then jumped up from the ground and fiercely stabbed Snade's heart with his dagger.

Laying on the ground, Snade didn't die instantly. Instead, he gazed at Zhang Tie with his widened eyes as the corner of his mouth twitched. "Wh… why…"

There were so many questions in Snade's mind. He couldn't figure out how this young man, who should have been in a hemorrhagic shock, could recover in such a short period of time. He couldn't figure out where the dagger and the poison had come from. He clearly remembered that he had searched this young man all over and found nothing that stood out. Why? How did it end like this…

With widely opened eyes, Snade died with many unanswered questions.

Kneeling on the ground, Zhang Tie panted for quite a while before he was able to slightly recover from the dizziness attributed to the lack of blood. The small tree in the Castle of Black Iron was not omnipotent; even now, he still has not fully recovered his strength, Qi, and blood. At that moment, Zhang Tie felt weak all over and had no strength at all, as he had exerted all his efforts just now. His forehead was covered in sweat, feeling as if he had just finished a 10 km run on the training ground at school. Over the past few minutes, he had experienced his most dangerous moment in his life yet.

In the end, Zhang Tie survived, while Huck and Snade became corpses.

Kneeling on the ground, Zhang Tie adjusted his breathing. He quickly wracked his brain on how to deal with their bodies. Zhang Tie knew that he had made a very dangerous decision, one which might tear him into pieces if he didn't deal with it carefully. Thus, Zhang Tie had to deal with it very carefully and not leave a single trace.

Zhang Tie was thinking about how to deal with the weird scene in the room; lying on both sides of him were two bodies that had turned completely black, while he was kneeling on the ground like a sculpture. He remained still for quite a while. It was still noisy outside the door, as the magistrates haven't left the hotel yet.

Three minutes later, after recovering a bit more, Zhang Tie picked himself up from the ground. After confirming that Huck was truly dead, he gave up on the idea of stabbing him once more. He then pulled Huck's body over and put it together with Snade's body. Afterwards, he searched every corner of the room and found their luggage. Several seconds later, lowering himself to hug Snade's dead body, Zhang Tie disappeared together with their luggage hung on his shoulders.

1 minute later, Zhang Tie reappeared in the room. This time, he fetched a watertight cloak from their luggage and packaged all the food and tableware. Hanging the package on his arm, he went over to Huck, squatting as he hugged the body that weighed about 100 kg. More than 10 seconds later, Zhang Tie disappeared once again.

This time, it took him longer than before. After more than 10 minutes, Zhang Tie tumbled and reappeared in the room with a pale face…

Back in the room, Zhang Tie had already changed his clothes. As Snade's figure was similar to his, Zhang Tie put on a suite of clothes from Snade's luggage along with a cold-protective hooded cloak which was usually worn by pioneers. After doing this, Zhang Tie glanced over the room.

——Flush the fresh blood in the toilet bowl. Clean his and Snade's blood using the towel in the toilet.

——Rearrange the chair lying on the ground.

——Arrange the bed well.

——Confirm that no evidence related to him, Huck, and Snade were left in the room.

He even checked it over for the second time. Sometimes, Zhang Tie even felt that he himself was somewhat a lunatic. Finally, on his second check, he picked up several strands of black hair from the bed.

Before leaving the room, Zhang Tie tossed the towel drenched in his blood into his pocket as he glanced over the room one last time. Actually, he made it even cleaner than what the servicemen usually does at the hotel. Like all hotels for pioneers, the guests paid before they lived in the room, thus the owner of the hotel would not feel anything out of place when the guests left without even bidding farewell.

Nodding inwardly, Zhang Tie put on Snade's clothes and raised the hood of the cloak in hopes to avoid being identified by others. He then sped up and left the hotel. Without careful looking, most people in the hotel could only mistake Zhang Tie for Snade. For the others who didn't know what had happened, this was also the last trace of Snade in this world...

When he left, Zhang Tie glanced at the clock hanging in the hotel. It was 11:52, 8 minutes before the curfew…

The magistrates had just left. Everybody else found it normal to closely follow the magistrates out of the hotel like Zhang Tie, as they knew every pioneer was rather bold.

Sneaking out of the hotel, Zhang Tie especially chose dim alleys and paths and found a dark corner about 200m away from the hotel. Taking off Snade's clothes and cloak, he threw them into a roadside trash can. The next morning, some lucky wanderer or beggar would receive a nice surprise.

After throwing away those clothes, Zhang Tie wrapped the towel dyed in his blood around a rock and threw it into a smelly sewer on one side of the road. As a result, all evidence was eliminated. Zhang Tie then let out a sigh of relief.

After doing all of this, Zhang Tie chose the avenues and streets without roadside lamps and stealthily walked towards home. In the meantime, he started to think of how he would answer his mom's questions when he got back, as this was the first time he has returned home after midnight.

...

"Stop!" A gloomy order drifted over. It really frightened Zhang Tie, as he was walking around a corner stealthily. A squad of patrolling soldiers shone their lanterns onto Zhang Tie's face, directly revealing him. Due to the strong light from the lamps, Zhang Tie wasn't even able to open his eyes. Hearing the safety wires of the bows being pulled on in the surrounding darkness, Zhang Tie hurriedly raised his hands and stayed still.

"What are you doing here?" A captain of about 20 years old walked towards Zhang Tie coldly with his right hand on the sword handle over his waist. Being alert, he didn't become relaxed until he saw clearly that Zhang Tie, who looked slightly pale, didn't carry a weapon with him.

"I'm… going home!" Zhang Tie stammered. In a split second, Zhang Tie found that he had already been surrounded by more than ten soldiers. Facing the bows in their hands, Zhang Tie did not dare to make the slightest movement. He had just escaped from Huck and Snade, and it would be really motherf*cking unworth it to be killed by those average soldiers here.

"Going back home? Why are you so late?" the young captain continued.

"I… I played outside today and forgot the time!"

"Where do you live?"

Zhang Tie told him his home address…

"Are you still in school?"

"Yes. Tomorrow is the last day!"

"I remember that block is close to Ninth National Male Middle School!"

"I'm from Seventh National Male Middle School!"

"Ah, yes. Has Mr. Fiore the biology teacher been well?"

"Miss Daina is the one who taught us biology. Mr. Fiore taught us law!"

Hearing the last answer of Zhang Tie, the captain showed a smile and raised his hand. Seeing his response, the other soldiers put away their weapons, alleviating the tension in the surrounding air.

"Leader, is this kid your schoolmate?" a soldier asked.

Zhang Tie stared at this captain of the City Guard Army of Blackhot City in surprise. He really didn't think that this man had also graduated from Seventh National Male Middle School.

"I'm Joy. I have also graduated from Seventh National Male Middle School. It's already past the curfew, why are you so late?"

"Erm… I played… too much... outside and lost track of the time!"

Seeing Zhang Tie's pale face, his unsteady body, and his staggering tone, Joy understood it immediately, and so did the other soldiers. Thus, all of them laughed out loudly, as they had already captured several students similar to Zhang Tie after the curfew in these past few days.

"Little bro, it must have been your first time touching a woman today. You should watch out for your health!" Joy suggested him kindly, "Since we're on the way, let us send you home just in case. Otherwise, you might be caught by the other patrol guards!"

Unexpectedly, Joy was so kind-hearted. Hence, Zhang Tie kept walking along with them until they reached an intersection that was less than 200m away from his home.

Seeing the lamplights at home, Zhang Tie became somewhat upset, as his dad and mom would have always fallen asleep by this time. Needless to say, they were waiting for him. Entering his house, Zhang Tie saw his dad and mom were just sitting there, waiting for his return. His mom looked furious, while his dad looked dejected, seemingly as if he had been cursed at by his mom. Hearing the door open, his dad and mom saw him coming back and immediately let out a sigh of relief.

His mom instantly rushed forward and looked all over Zhang Tie carefully. Seeing Zhang Tie's pale face, his mom poked his forehead with force. Without saying a word, she only stared at Zhang Tie and his dad, humphed, and went upstairs.

Followed by mom, his dad also walked up to Zhang Tie. Staring at Zhang Tie's face, he flicked at Zhang Tie's forehead several times ferociously. "Son, why are you so late? I have already poured out everything to your mom. Because of you, my private money was completely confiscated by your mom!" After saying that, his dad also turned around and went upstairs. However, several steps later, he turned back and asked obscenely, "How many times?"

Hearing his dad's words, Zhang Tie was puzzled and almost shouted out—your son has not circumcised!

Receiving no response, Zhang Tie's dad felt like that question made him lose face as a dad. Hence, he pretended to be serious, coughed twice, and followed Zhang Tie's mom upstairs.

Seeing his dad's shadow disappearing at the corner of the stairs, Zhang Tie suddenly felt moved and shouted out, "Dad!"

"Hmm?" His dad turned around and became curious about what Zhang Tie was going to say.

"I love you!"

"Boy, I swear you will get no more money from me! I was almost cursed to death by your mom…" Being scared by Zhang Tie's words, his dad intended to leave but soon turned around again. "Your mom has already prepared dinner for you. It's in the pot!"

Standing in the simple yet warm guest room, Zhang Tie looked around. Thinking back to what had happened to him just one hour ago, Zhang Tie felt a sense of rebirth. Especially when he heard the last words from dad, Zhang Tie couldn't stop his tears anymore…