Chapter 1

Waking up from the dark chaos, the young man Ren Xiaosu wiped the sweat off his forehead and then looked at the thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy at the door.

"Liuyuan, is there anything?" Ren Xiaosu asked.

The boy called Liuyuan's full name is Yan Liuyuan.

Yan Liuyuan had an innocent and harmless appearance, looking very guiltless, but he was holding a bone knife at the door. It was deep into the night, and he looked very sleepy but never closed his eyes, as he had to keep watch.

Yan Liuyuan shook his head and said, "Nothing, what's wrong with your head? Can't the doctor in the town figure out what's wrong?"

"You don't need to worry about that. It's not a disease," Ren Xiaosu said decisively. "It's almost dawn. I'm going hunting. You should sleep a bit and go to school on time."

"Okay," Yan Liuyuan nodded lowly. "What's the point of studying well in this wasteland..."

"I said it's useful," Ren Xiaosu said in a tone that brooked no argument.

"I want to go hunting too," Yan Liuyuan pouted.

"Who will keep watch if something happens to you? Or if I'm unconscious?" Ren Xiaosu stood up, preparing to go to the town center to fetch water. It would be less dangerous in the town when it was light.

The night here was a lawless place.

...

Dark clouds rolled in the overcast sky, and a drop of acid rain finally fell. It swayed in the strong wind and finally plopped in front of Ren Xiaosu.

The young man Ren Xiaosu lay on the ground in the wilderness. He frowned, thinking that his luck wasn't good today. He hadn't waited for his prey, but instead, he had waited for acid rain.

Some people said that one must be careful of wild beasts when walking in the wasteland.

But Ren Xiaosu thought this person didn't say it all, because there were many things in the wasteland that could be fatal, one of which was acid rain.

However, Ren Xiaosu still didn't move. If he didn't get any prey today, he and Yan Liuyuan would starve to death before the acid rain brought any disease.

Suddenly, there was the sound of bird wings flapping the air. Ren Xiaosu's eyes suddenly widened, but his breathing remained steady.

Not far in front of Ren Xiaosu was a black iron pot propped up by a stick, and under the pot, he had scattered a little black bread crumbs.

The large bird landed beside the pot, watching warily with sharp eyes. The bird was almost as big as the pot.

It stood there for a long time, preening its feathers, while Ren Xiaosu remained motionless, waiting.

It seemed the bird finally lowered its guard and slowly moved towards the pot, its steps as light as a thief's.

But just as it entered the range of the pot and lowered its head to peck at the bread crumbs, Ren Xiaosu suddenly pulled the rope in his hand with all his might. Then, the young man jumped up, charging towards the pot like a wild donkey, pressing the pot firmly with his body before the bird could flip it over!

"Phew!"

Ren Xiaosu exhaled, having waited for this sparrow all night. Fortunately, his efforts today were not in vain, as such a good opportunity didn't come every day.

The sound of the sparrow struggling came from under the pot, its hard wings scraping against the pot, making a sharp noise. At this moment, the clock in the shelter fortress rang out.

Ren Xiaosu looked back, wondering when he could take Yan Liuyuan into the shelter fortress.

For Ren Xiaosu, the people in the shelter fortress were fortunate because they didn't have to face the dangers of the wasteland.

But it wasn't a place anyone could enter just because they wanted to.

At this moment, the commotion in the pot finally subsided. He sighed, checked that the rag on his hand was securely wrapped, and then slowly lifted the pot a bit. Ren Xiaosu's hand reached into the gap, trying to grab the sparrow's leg!

But life isn't always smooth sailing. As soon as Ren Xiaosu's hand went in, he yelped in pain.

When he pulled his hand back, he saw that his palm was bleeding, and the rag hadn't stopped the sparrow's sharp beak.

Ren Xiaosu was angry. He took off his tattered coat and wrapped it around his hand, then thrust his hand into the pot again. This time, he grabbed the sparrow's neck.

He neatly lifted the sparrow and clamped it under his arm, twisting its neck with a snap, and it stopped moving.

At this moment, Ren Xiaosu suddenly felt a pang of regret because the sparrow's claws had torn several holes in his coat.

Suddenly, there was a loud thud in his head, and Ren Xiaosu fell to his knees. His mind was like a huge bronze bell ringing, plunging him into darkness.

Oh no, the illness usually came at midnight, but this time it came early.

This wasn't the first time he had "fallen ill." Almost everyone in the town knew he had a problem with his head, and he would occasionally have painful episodes.

But Ren Xiaosu knew very well that it wasn't pain; it was pure chaos.

Wait, this time was different. The black fog in his mind had opened up, revealing a palace inside!

Ren Xiaosu suddenly opened his eyes, standing up in disbelief: "Did I wake up so quickly this time?"

He had a chance to take a good look at the palace, but he knew that falling unconscious in the wilderness was no different from suicide. He had to get back to the town outside Shelter 113 before the acid rain arrived!

Ren Xiaosu tied the sparrow's legs together and hung it over his shoulder, then put the large iron pot on his head and started running. The raindrops pattered on the pot.

At this moment, the pot became his umbrella.

But before he could run far, a figure appeared in front of him, holding a bone knife: "Give me the prey..."

But before the person could finish speaking, he saw a large iron pot coming towards him and smashing into his face!

"Damn!" The robber was knocked backward, not expecting Ren Xiaosu to act so decisively and with such force!

Ren Xiaosu took off the pot, swung it, and raised it as an umbrella, all in one fluid motion, without stopping... By the time the robber hit the ground, Ren Xiaosu was already running away!

The robber lay on his back, feeling the sting of the acid rain on his face, confused.

Usually, wouldn't people have some kind of exchange? How many times had this young man dealt with such situations to have such an instinctive reaction?

No, the young man's footsteps were coming closer again!

The robber hurriedly sat up and turned to see the young man coming back.

Ren Xiaosu hadn't planned to come back, but he clearly heard a voice from the palace in his mind: "Task: Give the prey to someone else."

Who was speaking? Ren Xiaosu hesitantly turned back to the robber.

The robber panicked: "We can talk... No, I'm the victim..."

Ren Xiaosu carefully examined the robber, but there was no one else around.

"Do you want this sparrow?" Ren Xiaosu asked.

The robber's eyes lit up: "Yes!"

"Here," Ren Xiaosu shoved the sparrow into the robber's arms without hesitation.

The strange, neutral voice spoke again: "Task completed. Reward: Basic skill learning diagram, which allows you to learn others' abilities."

Ren Xiaosu was stunned because he clearly felt a piece of parchment appear in his mind!

A skill learning diagram, meaning he could use this to directly copy others' abilities? Hunting? Survival? Or something else?

The robber tightly hugged the large sparrow, preparing to say something in thanks: "You're a good person..."

But before he could finish, he watched Ren Xiaosu take the sparrow back and walk away.

The robber: "???"

He watched Ren Xiaosu run away... What kind of person is this? What's the point?