Chapter 4

As he turned, Xu Qing quickly glanced behind him.

He saw seven people at different positions, scattered and approaching him from about twenty to thirty feet away.

All seven were adults, a mix of men and women, mostly dressed in fur coats of a deep gray color, with many leather pouches hanging from their bodies.

Each person was armed, spread out.

Three of them held bows, two had knives, and none of them exposed their backs to each other, as if they were on guard.

One person wore boxing gloves and moved forward alone, positioned in the center.

The one who had spoken in a strange tone was a tall, muscular man.

This man carried a massive battle axe and was the closest to Xu Qing.

He was extremely robust, with a fierce scar on his face and a beard, his eyes filled with cruelty, and he advanced with a sinister smile.

All of this was what Xu Qing saw in a single glance.

His pupils contracted, and his mind instantly analyzed that these people did not seem to be a cohesive group but rather a temporary team.

This was evident from their positioning and the fact that they were on guard.

Xu Qing had already guessed their identities; they were all scavengers!

The Southern Phoenix Continent was not short of scavengers, who were mostly ruthless and had no moral底线. Everything was a naked struggle for survival.

Clearly, the cessation of the blood rain in the restricted area and the opening of the barrier had attracted the surrounding scavengers.

To them, the restricted area, though dangerous, was a place where they lived on the edge of a blade. The resources contained in the abandoned city were enough to make them red-eyed.

Even if most of the resources were contaminated, there were still valuable items.

As his thoughts raced, Xu Qing's body flickered, and he was about to leap away from one side.

But the tall man, seeing Xu Qing about to run, his eyes filled with even more cruelty and a bloodthirsty grin.

"Do you think you can run? I love torturing brats like you. The items in your leather pouch must be quite a lot, Lei Team, this kid, give him to me."

The cruelty in the tall man's eyes seemed to radiate from his pupils, forming a deterrent. Coupled with his massive body and battle axe, the pressure was immense.

He charged forward, his right hand wielding the battle axe, and threw it directly at the direction Xu Qing was about to leap.

With a whoosh, the battle axe whistled through the air, closing the distance between them in an instant.

The tall man was very strong, and his movements were not slow, but Xu Qing was faster. Almost as the battle axe arrived, he suddenly accelerated and dodged to the side.

The battle axe whistled past in front of him.

The wind it generated blew some of Xu Qing's disheveled hair, revealing his cold, wolf-like eyes.

In the next moment, Xu Qing rolled on the ground, not fleeing but approaching the tall man. He raised his right hand, and a black iron spike appeared in it.

Taking advantage of his shorter height, Xu Qing leaped upward, thrusting the iron spike upward toward the tall man's chin!

Everything happened too quickly. Xu Qing's small and seemingly fleeing body provided a natural cover for his attack, putting the tall man in a life-threatening situation.

But he was experienced, and his face changed drastically as he suddenly leaned backward, narrowly avoiding the iron spike, though his chin was still scratched.

Before his anger could boil, Xu Qing, with a cold expression, quickly drew a dagger from his calf.

As the tall man leaned backward, Xu Qing crouched and thrust the dagger into the man's right foot.

With a thud, the dagger pierced through the grass shoes, the flesh, and nailed into the ground!

The tall man's face contorted, and intense pain swept through his body, causing a shrill scream to erupt. Just as he was about to retaliate, Xu Qing, being too agile, shot back to a broken wall for cover, crouching there, ready to strike again.

The flickering firelight cast shadows on his face, making him look somewhat indistinct, but his wolf-like eyes, filled with vigilance and ferocity, stared at the scavengers.

Everything happened too quickly, and Xu Qing's age and appearance were deceptive, causing many of the scavengers to be caught off guard and not react immediately.

They all now had a fierce look in their eyes, and the three with bows had a sharp gaze.

Hiding behind the cover, Xu Qing did not look at the tall man, who was screaming and struggling to pull the dagger from his foot. Instead, he scanned the three archers and finally looked at the person in the center wearing boxing gloves.

This person was an old man, dressed similarly to the others, but with the sharpest gaze. Xu Qing faintly sensed a subtle spiritual energy emanating from him.

From his position and the instinctive focus of the others, Xu Qing made a judgment.

This person... should be the temporary leader of these scavengers.

Xu Qing looked at the old man, analyzing, while the old man also looked at him, his eyes filled with some curiosity.

Soon, the old man averted his gaze and looked at the burning flames not far away, remaining silent.

At that moment, the tall man, with rage in his eyes, let out a roar and charged at Xu Qing.

"Brat, watch me kill you!"

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed, revealing a fierce light. Just as he was about to act, a calm, elderly voice sounded.

"Enough!"

These two words seemed to have a deterrent effect, making the roaring tall man stop in his tracks and turn to look at the speaker.

The speaker was the old man with the boxing gloves whom Xu Qing had just looked at.

"Lei Team..."

"This kid is likely a survivor from the slums outside. Even the gods have spared him, so don't attack. Let's go."

"But..." The tall man's eyes were filled with intense reluctance. He believed that he had been careless earlier and was confident that he could crush Xu Qing's neck in a few breaths if he really attacked.

Just as he was about to speak, the old man gave him a faint look.

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

The tall man's expression showed struggle, but he finally lowered his head.

As he lowered his head, he glanced at Xu Qing hiding behind the cover, a murderous intent flashing across his face. He then turned coldly and limped toward the old man.

Xu Qing sensed this murderous intent, his eyes narrowing as he watched the scavengers gradually move away.

After they had walked several dozen feet, the old man in the center paused, turned his head, and it was unclear whether he was looking at Xu Qing or the burning flames of the cremated bodies. After a moment, he suddenly spoke.

"Kid, are you willing to leave with me?"

Xu Qing was taken aback. He noticed that the old man said "me" rather than "us."

So he fell silent, his gaze scanning the group, while the old man patiently waited for an answer from a distance.

After a dozen breaths, Xu Qing scanned the group multiple times, looking at the old man and the tall man with a cold expression.

A strange light flashed in the young man's eyes.

He slowly stood up, not speaking, and slowly approached them.

Seeing Xu Qing coming, the old man smiled, turned, and continued walking. The others also looked at Xu Qing deeply and followed.

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

During this time, he learned the tall man's nickname, which was "Scarred Ox."

This man also scanned Xu Qing multiple times, his eyes filled with a cold light.

But he seemed to be restraining himself, waiting for an opportunity when the old man, who had stopped him, was not around.

He seemed very confident that such an opportunity would come in the future.

Xu Qing thought about the tall man's greed and, using his familiarity with the city, provided some assistance to the scavengers.

Xu Qing's low profile helped the scavengers find valuable items faster and in greater quantities.

Scarred Ox, being greedy, wanted to take more items even though his body could not carry the weight.

Thus, despite his injury, he searched a wider area and carried more items.

At first, it was not a big deal, but as time passed, the tall man's stamina was clearly depleted, and his fatigue far exceeded that of the others.

As for the area of the city lord's residence, Xu Qing, considering the old man's help, did not lead them there.

By the time night was about to fall, the group finally left the city and set up camp in the former slums outside.

They were very skilled, setting up six tents.

Except for the two with knives who shared a tent, the others were alone. They also lit incense outside the tents and sprinkled some powder around.

As the sky grew darker, various roars began to echo from the city, and the scavengers all entered their tents.

Only Lei Team glanced at the lonely Xu Qing, took out a sleeping bag, and threw it to him.

"The incense can drive away beasts, and the powder can ward off the strange. With your contribution today, and with me here, Scarred Ox won't dare to harm you. It's relatively safe here."

With that, the old man walked into his tent without another word.

Xu Qing did not speak, only giving a deep look at the old man's tent, picked up the sleeping bag, and crawled inside.

But he did not seal it completely, leaving a gap facing the scavengers' tents.

Deep into the night, the roars and wails outside grew stronger, and eerie cries echoed, creating a terrifying atmosphere.

It seemed no one wanted to leave their shelter at this time.

Except for Xu Qing...

He opened his eyes in the sleeping bag, lying still, waiting silently.

As time passed, when people were most deeply asleep, Xu Qing slowly crawled out of the sleeping bag.

His movements were very careful, trying not to make any sound.

The roars and wails from the city echoed in his ears, but they did not distract him.

Cautiously crawling out, Xu Qing silently approached the tent of the tall man, Scarred Ox.

He did not allow any threat to his life, even a potential one, to remain. He had learned this rule through blood in the slums, and it was why he had agreed to follow them.

Even during the day, when he helped the group find more items, he had noticed Scarred Ox's greed and wanted to make him more exhausted and less alert while injured.

His low profile was also to麻痹 the other, making him less vigilant.

All of this was for the current attack. Xu Qing's expression was calm as he quietly approached the tent, not acting rashly but first crouching to listen carefully.

The snoring he heard was steady and continuous, not fake. After confirming this, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, slowly drew his iron spike, and gently cut the tent's fastenings, slipping inside.

The tent was dim, and Xu Qing vaguely saw Scarred Ox lying there, deeply asleep, clearly exhausted from the day's load and his injury.

The mindset of a strong person made it impossible for Scarred Ox to imagine that the boy who had been so cooperative during the day would risk coming at night while the other scavengers were around.

So he did not know that his tent had an uninvited guest.

Xu Qing looked at the sleeping Scarred Ox, his cold eyes calm like the deep sea, and quietly approached. Standing beside him, Xu Qing did not hesitate, and the cold light of his dagger flashed as he fiercely slashed Scarred Ox's neck.

The force was so great that it nearly decapitated him.

Blood spurted out.

The pain made Scarred Ox's eyes snap open, seeing Xu Qing's expressionless face, his eyes filled with disbelief and terror. Just as he was about to struggle, Xu Qing's left hand quickly covered his mouth, preventing any sound.

The struggle intensified, Scarred Ox's eyes wide, his body convulsing wildly.

But Xu Qing's hand was like an iron clamp, holding tightly, and his right foot stepped on Scarred Ox's stomach, his body forming a bow to maintain steady pressure, making Scarred Ox's struggle futile.

As the blood continued to flow, Scarred Ox, like a fish out of water, showed a growing sense of despair, even pleading.

But what he saw was still Xu Qing's calm face, and the sounds of his struggle were drowned out by the roars and wails outside, not reaching anyone.

Time slowly passed, and after a dozen breaths, Scarred Ox's struggle gradually weakened, and he finally trembled, his body relaxing, his eyes open, filled with the fear of death, as he died.

Xu Qing did not immediately release his hand but waited a while to ensure the other was truly dead. Then he released his hand, wiped the blood off, and opened his leather pouch.

He carefully took out the snake head wrapped in a cloth and used its fangs to puncture Scarred Ox's skin.

In the next moment, as the toxin spread, Scarred Ox's body began to bubble green and slowly dissolve.

After a while, the body turned into a pool of blood, seeping into the ground.

Xu Qing silently watched this, began to clean up the scene, and handled Scarred Ox's belongings to create the illusion of his disappearance. Then he crawled out of the tent.

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

Lying in the sleeping bag, he finally felt a sense of security, closing his eyes and falling asleep quickly, but he kept the iron spike in his hand, not letting go.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, as the first light of dawn illuminated the earth, Xu Qing opened his eyes, quietly crawled out of the sleeping bag, and casually glanced at Scarred Ox's tent.

In the next moment, his eyes narrowed.

Scarred Ox's tent was gone.

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

Soon, the other scavengers also emerged from their tents, noticing this and looking around in surprise, but they found nothing.

Since Scarred Ox had disappeared completely, even his tent was gone, some speculated that he had left the city at night, driven by greed, or had left for other reasons without saying goodbye.

In the restricted area, there were many reasons for someone to disappear.

Being a temporary group, and with Scarred Ox being alone, the scavengers quickly lost interest in the matter. Some looked at Xu Qing, but they did not think he was involved and had no obligation to investigate, so they withdrew their suspicions.

Only the old man, Lei Team, who was collecting Xu Qing's sleeping bag, gave him a meaningful look and spoke calmly.

"Now, are you still coming with me?"

The words were profound, and Xu Qing was silent.

The old man did not say anything more, called out to the others, and they set off under the morning sun.

Xu Qing stood there for a moment, instinctively looking back at the ruined city. Finally, he turned, looked at the old man's back, thought for a moment, and followed, his steps gradually becoming more determined.

Six scavengers, one child, their shadows stretched long in the sunlight...

A breeze blew, carrying their sighs and reflections as they moved forward.

"This is the divine calamity, the entire city destroyed."

"The world has one more restricted area..."

"This is nothing. Have you heard? Seven or eight years ago, in the northern region, a large city disappeared when the gods looked upon it, as if it had never existed."

The voices grew fainter, and under the morning sun, the young man walked silently, listening and moving forward.

The further he walked, the farther he went.

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