Chapter 1, Predator!
These were a pair of beautiful hands!
Distinct joints, fair and slender. The blue veins concealed within the flesh didn't protrude, and even the surface lines were symmetrical, as if carefully sculpted by the Creator himself.
The dog leg knife, crafted from a piece of iron, danced agilely between the fingers, spinning at high speed, offering a pleasurable aesthetic and an intoxicating rhythm.
The handle of the dog leg knife was rough and pitted, even bearing specks of iron rust that couldn't be polished away. But the tip of the knife glimmered with silver light, sharp enough to slice through iron like mud, each strike precisely aimed, cleanly severing an arm or slashing open someone's throat.
Knife after knife drew blood!
Yet the knife was unstained by blood!
The blade remained crystal clear and snow white, without a hint of red.
Because it moved too fast—so fast that when it cut through flesh and severed limbs, the fresh blood didn't even have time to spurt out and stain its body.
The one holding the knife was a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy, with hair a bit too long, seemingly untouched by scissors for a long time. Beneath the veil of his unkempt hair, half of a rather delicate face was visible.
What was most memorable were his eyes, a pair of clear and bright eyes. It was hard to imagine how such eyes could exist in this evil world where deception was rife and life was cheap.
From the moment he saw them, he began to smile at them, with a genuine smile, even exuding an irresistible warmth.
Until, he abruptly made his move, one stroke slicing open the throat of the bald man who tried to snatch the game off his back...
At that moment, the smile on his face hadn't faded in the slightest.
In fact, it was even more radiant than before.
"Would you like some more?" asked Tang Fei, holding the knife in one hand and the sheep in the other, a gentle smile on his face.
It was truly unjustified, he was just walking home, minding his own business with the fruits of his labor on his back, when a group of predators ambushed him.
These so-called predators were a gang of strong and ruthless vagabonds turned bandits.
When you're exhausted and badly wounded from fighting beasts, they appear on cue...
They don't hunt themselves, they're just movers of the prey.
From someone else's hands to their own, or from someone else's home back to their own.
Murder, arson, pillaging, plundering—they committed every conceivable atrocity.
They demanded that Tang Fei hand over his game, but how could he possibly agree?
The edible game near human settlements was dwindling, and the places far from human habitation... he dared not venture.
If he gave this Red Horned Two-headed Sheep to them, his entire family would have to continue drinking kite soup.
That kite had been stewing for three days already, the soup tasteless and bland, the bones nearly dissolving had they not been promptly retrieved.
Thus, he made his choice without a moment's hesitation.
The leader, Scar-faced, looked at the Red Horned Two-headed Sheep and fear showed in his eyes.
He knew he had made a fatal error—how could they covet someone who could singlehandedly venture into Hate Mountain, slay a Red Horned Two-headed Sheep without a scratch?
At that moment, he thought he had the advantage of numbers, that they could dispatch the boy together and enjoy a hearty meal from the stolen sheep, perhaps even find other treasures on him.
To think that the hawk they hunted every day would be pecked in the eye by this little chick...
"You killed three of our brothers, and you think that's the end of it?" Scar-faced said menacingly.
To be honest, he also felt very troubled.
They were the ones who wanted to kill and plunder first, but facing this fellow who had dispatched three of his companions in the blink of an eye, he really didn't have much confidence in his heart.
To say nothing, to do nothing, and to just let the young man walk away nonchalantly, he would no longer be able to maintain his position as the leader, nor could he command respect from others afterward.
Stronger individuals would stand up and challenge his authority.
The predator team was extremely brutal from within; it was a place where the law of the jungle prevailed, and strength was honored above all.
Any successor would not feel secure with a former leader still present within the team; therefore, only certain death awaited him.
He had done exactly that in the past!
But for some reason, his deliberately displayed ferocity seemed to dissolve into nothingness when faced with the young man's smiling face.
You're speaking with seriousness and threating words, yet the other person is continuously looking at you with a grin...
Did they not take your words seriously or did they simply disdain you?
He felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness and humiliation.
"How do you want to solve this?" Tang Fei asked.
"Leave the sheep, and you're free to go," the Scar-faced man said through gritted teeth, clearly dissatisfied with the deal but helpless to change it.
"Sure?"
"I swear on my life and fortune."
"Deal," Tang Fei nodded and said aloud, "One sheep for three lives; not a bad trade."
He threw the Red Horned Two-headed Sheep forward, signaling that the prey was theirs now and then turned to walk towards the edge of the dense forest.
Scar-faced watched the slim figure of the young man and pulled out a pitch-black pistol from his embrace.
These were rare treasures, relics from before the great calamity. Back then, firearms were ubiquitous in many countries, buying guns was as easy as buying cabbage.
Of course, even cabbage wasn't easy to buy now...
After the great disaster, the elite humans migrated to New Star; Blue Star was left in ruins, and producing firearms became extremely difficult. Even if some were left behind from the past, after hundreds of years of use, only a scarcity had survived.
Yet, it was unexpected that the leader of these predators had concealed one; apparently, being a robber in chaotic times could indeed be a promising career.
Scar-faced aimed the gun at Tang Fei's back and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
How could he possibly let him go?
All that had been done just now was to numb his senses, to make him think he had escaped the danger and let his guard down, then at the crucial moment, deliver a fatal blow.
Predators never leave survivors...
Just as if he had sensed it, Tang Fei suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked in their direction.
He saw Scar-faced and the gun in his hand.
He was still smiling!
"Go to hell!" Scar-faced roared out.
He hated Tang Fei's smiling face, and he swore that once his body was a corpse, he would use a knife to cut off the skin of his face.
Hanging from the tree branches to feed the ant people...
Bang!
A bullet was discharged.
With an inconceivable speed, it flew towards Tang Fei's head.
Tang Fei simply tilted his head, yes, it looked as if he had casually flicked his thick hair aside.
He hadn't even flinched!
Then the bullet brushed past his cheek.
A miss!
Just as Scar-faced was about to pull the trigger to fire a second bullet, he felt a chill at the back of his neck.
He was puzzled and reached back to touch it.
His hand was covered in blood!
His pupils dilated and only at this moment did he start to feel pain.
First, there was a faint red line, then the line grew thicker and wider, quickly turning into a spray.
Behind him, a Dog Leg Knife floated in mid-air, the very weapon that slit his throat.
Silent and breathless, yet sending oppressive chills down one's spine.
"Qi Manipulation Skill..." Scar-faced cried out in alarm.
He hadn't expected he had provoked a Cultivator, and a master of Qi Manipulation at that.
He's so young, how can he be so... confident?
"Surprised?" Tang Fei said with a smile. "The old man used to say, don't trust human nature, because that thing doesn't even exist."
"Hunters take no prisoners; how could I possibly believe the promises of a bunch of predators? How could I believe that you would actually let me go?"
"Blame it on your bad reputation for being ruthless …"
Scar-faced felt his strength rapidly draining away; even standing up was becoming incredibly difficult.
"So tired!" he muttered to himself.
It was unclear whether he was lamenting his current state of mind or his tumultuous life.
Then, his eyes wide open, he fell to the ground with a thud.
"Brother Hu..."
"Boss..."
"Everyone, go at once, kill this kid..."
------
The remaining seven predators, with blood-red eyes, wielded their weapons and pounced towards Tang Fei.
Tang Fei raised his right hand and casually drew several lines in mid-air; the Dog Leg Knife, under the influence of his Qi, flew into the crowd.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bodies lunging forward froze in grotesque postures, followed by the sounds of objects falling one after another.
Cutting through people as if they were vegetables!
These mere brutes stood no chance against a Cultivator; they lived in different worlds.
Tang Fei called back the Dog Leg Knife and rummaged through the predators' bodies, pocketing all the useful resources, especially the pistol from Scar-faced's hand, which he coveted.
But, alas, the magazine contained only three bullets, which was far too few for any real use.
Thinking this, he cast a resentful glance at Scar-faced. Such a precious item, why waste it on someone like him?
I'm not worthy!
"This wasteful thing!" Tang Fei cursed angrily.
Scar-faced offered no rebuttal.
After finishing this trifling task, Tang Fei shouldered the wild sheep and set off on the road home.
In this post-apocalyptic world, who is the Hunter and who is the hunted is only decided at the moment one closes their eyes.
Just then, the ashen sky, diluted like ink, was suddenly pierced by a silver speck. The speck grew larger, drawing a glowing arc across the vast canopy of the sky, like a shooting star plummeting towards the earth, then with a 'clang' crashed into the soil.
Like a rabbit, Tang Fei darted behind a nearby boulder to conceal himself, yet he couldn't bear to stray too far and cautiously watched from that spot...
Killing a few predators only; surely it didn't warrant such a spectacle?
Clang!
The silver hatch door was forcefully pushed open, and a 'person' clad in a black tight suit and wearing a matching intelligent helmet emerged from the cabin.
Why say emerged?
Because the iron shell had flipped over upon landing, and she was squirming forward, face up and back down, inch by inch.
Why say she?
Because as she burrowed through the dirt using her body, the intelligent helmet had already opened the facial protection, revealing a dazzlingly beautiful face.
Hiss...
Tang Fei gasped!
"Her face is so white!"
"She must have no shortage of water in her household!"
"Can wash her face at least three times a week..."
------
After envying the abundant resources of another's household for a while, Tang Fei now faced a new problem:
Can this be eaten?