Chapter 64

When leaving the Hunter's Home, the sky had already begun to darken.

Qianye casually found a tavern, had two drinks, and then inquired from a waitress about which nearby houses were for sale.

An hour later, Qianye had secured his first residence in Darkblood City.

This two-story building with its own courtyard was priced at just five gold coins. It was so cheap because it was separated from the slums by only a wall. There, everything chaotic, dirty, and evil was concentrated. It was easy to imagine that almost every night, several thieves would visit that house.

No one wanted to live in such a place and would move out as soon as possible if they could.

Qianye, however, was not afraid of the trouble. He went out to buy many parts and then set up numerous traps and mechanisms at the corner of the courtyard and inside and outside the main building's doors and windows. These seemingly simple gadgets were actually quite effective; they wouldn't easily take a life, but they would certainly cause a lot of pain. After setting them up, Qianye wrote in large letters on the outer wall: "Traps inside, consequences at your own risk."

After writing this, Qianye locked the courtyard gate and prepared to head out to the wilderness for hunting.

The shortest route from here to the city gate was to directly cross the slums. Qianye ignored the hostile gazes of the idle men and walked straight into a narrow alley that required him to almost sidestep to pass through.

This alley was winding and already narrow, with piles of debris making it even more crowded. In some places, it was almost impossible to put a foot down. The ground was littered with garbage and flowing dirty water.

Children with faces so dirty that their original features were unrecognizable chased and played, running from one alley to another.

On both sides were low shacks, and even a man of medium height had to bend down to enter. Some women stood at the door, constantly waving to passersby. For just ten copper coins, they would sleep with you.

These scenes did not disgust Qianye; instead, they made him feel incredibly nostalgic. The place where he lived and grew up was even worse. The airship graveyard had no roads, and every step was on various metal fragments or blocks. People lived in large and small abandoned cabins or even pipes.

Children never thought of playing. Due to the lack of food, everyone had to conserve their energy, and the only reason for fighting was to compete for food.

In Qianye's eyes, these narrow and deep alleys at least had a basic order, and the running children represented vitality.

Qianye walked through this long, narrow alley, and at the end was a small open space where seven or eight roads converged. He slightly identified the direction and headed toward the highest and widest street. At almost every alley entrance, two or three locals were gathered, casting hostile glances at the stranger passing by.

Qianye kept his eyes straight ahead and did not deliberately avoid anything. His leather armor, the assault rifle on his back, and the short axe at his waist clearly indicated that this outsider was not to be trifled with.

But as he passed an alley entrance, a thin, small boy suddenly rushed out, charging straight at him like a bullet from a gun. Qianye, of course, wouldn't let him hit him and easily sidestepped.

The boy stumbled and fell face-first, his lips and teeth hitting the muddy ground. He struggled to get up, suddenly sniffed his unusually large nose, and screamed, "A Bloodline's original force gun! I smell it! I smell it!"

With the boy's scream, the entire slum suddenly erupted!

A Bloodline's original force gun was a fortune worth a sky-high price. Whoever got it could change their fate!

Qianye was somewhat surprised. This boy's nose was too sharp, able to detect the Rose of Flowing Gold, which he had heavily wrapped and placed in his backpack. Moreover, he didn't shout about gold or other common valuables, clearly not just making it up. It seemed that even in the slums, there were many people with natural talents, though most of them were destined to be buried for life.

Many ragged people slowly surrounded Qianye, and they all held primitive weapons like wooden sticks and kitchen knives.

Qianye was helpless. Once such a situation formed, it usually didn't end without bloodshed. He took off the assault rifle from his shoulder, pulled the bolt heavily, and aimed the black muzzle at the crowd.

"Whoever comes over will die! Now, clear the way for me!" Qianye shouted.

But his words had no deterrent effect. The mob did not retreat but, after a brief exchange of glances, tightened their circle. Their breathing grew heavy, and their eyes gradually filled with blood, staring at Qianye's backpack with greedy, longing eyes.

A gaunt man suddenly made a move to pounce on Qianye. As soon as he moved, Qianye, as if he could see behind him, suddenly turned, and the muzzle was already aimed at the man's forehead.

The man froze, but seeing that Qianye didn't shoot, he crouched like a wild dog and even let out a low, provocative growl at Qianye.

Qianye knew things were bad.

But perhaps it was the lingering thoughts from his slow walk, or perhaps the familiar metallic and decaying smell in the air, Qianye's finger slowly pressed the trigger but never pulled it all the way.

The 'Assault Rifle' had enough power to blow off the head of the mad man in front of him, and the spreading shockwave would be enough to knock over the people to his left and finally collapse the shack at the alley entrance.

Seeing that Qianye didn't shoot, the man's courage suddenly grew, and he leaped up without hesitation, fiercely biting at Qianye's throat!

Qianye hesitated for a moment, sighed in his heart, released the trigger, and changed his grip from horizontal to vertical, preparing to knock the man unconscious with the rifle butt. With his current strength as a Level 3 Combatant, he could force his way out of this place.

Just then, a gunshot suddenly rang out from the side, and the man in front of Qianye's head exploded, splattering Qianye with blood and brain matter!

That was the scene of being hit by a large-caliber bullet!

Qianye suddenly turned his head and saw a woman in tight-fitting clothes standing on the roof, holding a clearly modified gunpowder rifle, with a thick barrel still smoking.

Her muzzle moved slightly, already aiming at the boy with the particularly large nose, and she sneered, "Die, little scoundrel!"

"Wait!" Qianye's voice and the gunshot sounded simultaneously.

The powerful recoil made the woman's ample upper body lean back slightly, and the boy's head and half of his upper body exploded.

The mob was instantly in a panic, and some turned to run. But most were instead incited to greater ferocity, and some howled as they pounced on Qianye, with countless hands grabbing for the shoulder straps of his backpack. In the chaos, two short blades made from scrap metal were stabbed into Qianye's lower back.

These mobs were weak but absolutely ruthless and didn't care about their own lives.

Qianye sighed, swung his hand backward, and accurately grabbed the two blades. The two mobs struggled to pull or stab, but the blades were as if welded in place, not moving an inch.

But at that moment, a metal block smoking green suddenly flew through the air—it was a grenade!

Qianye cursed in his heart and, with no choice, leaped up, flipped over two layers of shacks, and landed on the street on the other side, immediately crouching down.

With a boom, two mobs were the first to be hit, their bodies flying high into the sky, and several severed hands and feet were thrown up. The shockwave destroyed the surrounding shacks, and countless pieces of wood and debris flew over Qianye's back, cutting his skin and causing pain.

This was a powerful military offensive grenade! Qianye instantly concluded from the unexpectedly strong explosion. This was a powerful weapon used against lower-level dark races, and even formal Bloodline warriors would be injured if caught in the blast!

If Qianye had thought it was just an ordinary grenade and hadn't fully dodged, he would have been seriously injured by this indiscriminate attack.

He cursed the woman for her ruthless actions, using a weapon that should only be used in the wild in the city!

The mob was instantly thrown into chaos, and the rest were finally scared and fled.

Disturbance appeared in the distant streets, and soon several fully armed expeditionary soldiers rushed over.

When they saw the woman standing on the roof, they were immediately taken aback and became respectful, asking, "Miss Yuying, what happened? It seems you used a weapon that shouldn't be used in the city."

The young woman sneered and said, "Nothing serious. Some guys tried to rob a member of our Hunter's Home. I just took care of a few to teach them a lesson. As for the offensive grenade, it accidentally fell, and it's not my fault."

The expeditionary soldier in charge, wearing a corporal's insignia, nodded and turned to his companions, saying, "It's clear. Someone hid a grenade here, and it accidentally exploded. Alright, let's regroup!"

The expeditionary soldiers turned and left, ignoring the dozen or so bodies on the ground.

Seeing this, Qianye remained silent. When he was in the Red Scorpion, he had encountered death quotas a few times, but that was for the local nobility. This kind of situation, he often heard from veterans who had served in regular armies, but it was his first time experiencing it firsthand.

At this moment, the young woman jumped down from the roof, landed in front of Qianye, sized him up from head to toe, and showed him something in her palm, saying, "Follow me! Let's find a place to have a drink."

A short while later, Qianye and she were sitting in a bar.

Qianye followed her because she showed him a four-star Hunter's badge. A four-star Hunter not only needed to accumulate corresponding achievements but also had to have at least Level 4 strength to obtain it.

Only now did Qianye have the chance to observe her carefully.

She was a rather young girl, about twenty years old, wearing deep brown and dark gray armor. The material seemed to be the skin of some fierce beast, with key areas made of metal. This armor was certainly several levels stronger than Qianye's and fit her exceptionally well, clearly either custom-made or specially adjusted.

She had a face that was both heroic and wild, very beautiful. A small scar on her forehead did not detract from her appearance but added a touch of unruliness when she tilted her head.

The girl was tall, only slightly shorter than Qianye, with an exceptionally curvaceous figure, full of vitality and strength. She had deep brown hair, tied in a ponytail.

She leaned forward, seemingly unaware that her chest was almost touching the edge of the table.

The girl knocked on the table with the confidence of a seasoned veteran and said to Qianye, "I