Chapter 36

What kind of gaze was that? Hope, longing, anxiety, and a fear of the unfamiliar, which eventually turned into an unbelievable terror, and then the terror became confusion. It was a kind of confusion like a lost child, not knowing where to go.

Seeing all this, the scavenger's heart also became confused along with the little girl's gaze. The heart that used to be cold during sniping was no longer cold, and it became flustered. The scavenger's heart was in turmoil. He put down the sniper rifle and frowned.

If it were an ordinary sniper, they might not have cared about such a gaze. But the scavenger couldn't. As a king of soldiers, the scavenger was also a king in the world of sniping. Therefore, the scavenger's sniping realm was different from other snipers.

Although the scavenger would treat the target as a dead person during sniping and teach other soldiers to do the same, the scavenger, who had reached a certain realm, knew that when he treated the target as a dead person, it seemed different from the sniping theory.

It was a feeling the scavenger couldn't describe, as if a machine that only knew killing had developed emotions. It made an unfeeling person no longer unfeeling, so the little girl's gaze left a shadow in the scavenger's heart.

Although this shadow wouldn't affect the scavenger's shooting skills or even his combat ability, if a sniper of the same realm but without this shadow were to snipe the scavenger, the scavenger would no longer have the confidence to kill the other. Because when both sides' momentum reached that realm, the scavenger's heart was no longer calm.

"Is this just a coincidence, or am I overthinking it?" The scavenger couldn't help but ask himself.

As a powerful warrior, a king of soldiers revered by all the soldiers in the world, the scavenger could not allow such a shadow to exist in his heart. Therefore, this shadow must be removed, and the scavenger's self-questioning was the choice to remove the shadow.

If it was just a coincidence, then this game was just a game. The scavenger would find the little girl and snipe her. Although this was something the scavenger didn't want to do, to remove the shadow in his heart, he would do it. Because this was just a game, and the little girl, as a mission target, was just data, not a person. Killing her wouldn't burden the scavenger's conscience.

But if it wasn't a coincidence, then this matter needed deep reflection. Why did the little girl have such a gaze? This had to be investigated. Only by understanding why the little girl had such a gaze would the shadow in the scavenger's heart disappear.

A self-questioning with two choices, a choice that had to be made. Because the retired scavenger was no longer a king of soldiers and no longer had a world to gallop in. But the scavenger had to preserve this glory, because the glory of the king of soldiers was the brilliance forged by the scavenger and his fallen comrades with their lives and blood.

It belonged not only to the scavenger but also to every comrade who died on the scavenger's path to becoming a king of soldiers. It even included respect for the enemies who were slain in the process of forging this glory. A respect for a true warrior.

A warrior's dignity could not be trampled, and the glory of the king of soldiers could not be tainted. It was the scavenger's final line, and anyone who touched this line would face relentless pursuit unless the scavenger was dead. So the scavenger had to make this choice.

"I can doubt my eyes, but I must believe in my heart's feeling. Because it kept me alive on the battlefield. It is the invisible comrade I can clearly feel. So I must believe in my comrades, because they are my back, my hope of surviving the rain of bullets."

The scavenger clenched his right fist and struck his heart, as if it were the pre-battle fist bump between comrades. Or perhaps it was a silent farewell, because no one could guarantee they would survive the battlefield. Sending the blessing of life to his comrades, the silent farewell was buried in his heart.

"I believe you." Striking his heart, the scavenger, with a frown and a confused look in his eyes, became resolute, and his chaotic heart calmed down.

Dismantling the sniper rifle and putting it in his backpack, the scavenger glanced in the direction the werewolf had left and turned to leave the strange area. Although the scavenger's choice seemed a bit ridiculous, since he had made the choice, he had to follow through—finding the answer behind the little girl's gaze.

"Bro, are you crazy? This is just a game, do you understand? It's just a mission, do you understand? With your shooting skills, you could easily take out that werewolf. Then, since the little girl isn't a mutated monster, you could give her a lollipop or a doll. She would follow you back, right? Then we would complete the mission. What's the truth behind her gaze? Do you think you're analyzing a case, needing to become a detective like Sherlock Holmes?"

Peach Eye followed behind the scavenger, scolding him for being obsessed with the game while wiping the sweat from his forehead and jogging to keep up with the scavenger's quick pace. Their goal was the large villa that looked like a manor, where they had received the mission.

"I didn't ask you to follow me, go do your own thing," the scavenger said, glancing at Peach Eye.

The scavenger knew this was a game, but whether it was a game or not, the shadow in his heart had already been left. The scavenger had to find the answer, so even though he knew it was a game, he chose the second path. Because although the scavenger wanted to eliminate the shadow by sniping the little girl, he couldn't do it.

"Uh... What nonsense is this? You're my partner, if you're crazy, I'm crazy too," Peach Eye glared at the scavenger, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of the scavenger's mouth.

They soon arrived at their destination, and the scavenger saw the same old butler.

"Mr. Scavenger, have you completed the mission?" the butler asked, looking at the scavenger.

"No, not yet. The little girl is protected by a very powerful werewolf, and I couldn't bring her back. I came this time to ask about the little girl's background. A little girl with such a powerful werewolf by her side, I'm very curious," the scavenger said casually, but his gaze was fixed on the butler's face.

"Is that so? It seems Sang Sang has completely fallen. People who associate with mutated beasts are traitors to humanity. I've been trying to bring her back, fearing she would sink deeper, but I didn't expect it to be like this," the old butler's expression showed no signs of being off.

"Completely fallen, traitor? What do you mean?" the scavenger asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Sigh! It's been a long time. I didn't want to bring it up, but since you want to know, I'll tell you." The old butler sighed, his face showing a look of reminiscence.

"It was a long time ago, thirty or forty years, I can't remember exactly. I remember that the nightmare of war had ended, and everyone was rebuilding their shattered homes, hoping to quickly return to a better life.

A group of people started rebuilding in the ruins, including Sang Sang's parents. At that time, due to nuclear radiation, many creatures began to mutate, and zombies appeared. People who had just emerged from the nightmare of war began to face the nightmare of mutation. Many newly rebuilt homes were again occupied by mutated creatures and rogue machines. However, the place where Sang Sang's parents lived was fortunate and survived this crisis.

One day, while playing outside, Sang Sang brought back a puppy. We all thought it was a domestic dog's puppy, so we didn't pay much attention. But we were wrong. As the puppy grew, we gradually realized it wasn't a domestic dog's puppy, but a wolf, a vicious wolf.

At the time, everyone in the village asked Sang Sang to give up the wolf. Even if she didn't kill it, it couldn't stay in the village, but Sang Sang refused and insisted on keeping the vicious wolf. Until a terrible night arrived."

The old butler's face showed a look of fear, as if he was thinking of something terrifying.

"It was a night with a full moon. The vicious wolf Sang Sang raised howled at the moon and began to mutate. It went mad, tearing apart the villagers and destroying the newly built homes. By the time the soldiers who were clearing out the mutated creatures arrived, it was too late. Sang Sang was taken away by the mutated wolf, and her whereabouts became unknown."

"Thirty or forty years ago?" The scavenger frowned. The Sang Sang he saw was only seven or eight years old, not a woman in her thirties or forties.

"The Sang Sang you saw is still seven or eight years old because she died and later became a mutated creature, so she didn't grow up," the old butler seemed to know what the scavenger was puzzled about and explained.

"How do you know all this?"

"I am one of the survivors from back then. If you don't believe me, you can go to the police station in this safe base and look up the records from that time. The small village built on the ruins was not far from this safe base. At that time, this safe base hadn't been built yet, but the police had investigated the scene and filed a report."

"Oh, thank you. But I don't have the ability to kill that werewolf now, so this mission might take a bit longer. But I don't understand, if Sang Sang has already become a monster, why do you want me to bring her back?"

"We lived in the same village, and I want to bring her to the church so that the Lord can purify her, allowing her to have a better afterlife instead of continuing as a mutated creature and accumulating sin. If your strength isn't enough now, you can complete the mission later," the old butler's eyes flickered imperceptibly, and he said without showing any emotion.

Although the scavenger had doubts, there was nothing wrong with the old butler's words. The scavenger knew he wouldn't get any clues from the old butler, so he and Peach Eye turned to leave.

"Wait a moment." Not long after leaving the large villa, a servant from the villa rushed out and called out to the scavenger.

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