"Misunderstanding?"
Wang Ye's expression turned icy as his sharp gaze fell on the Strong Man, a trace of danger flickering in his eyes.
"We're all Scavengers out here. When we come across something valuable, it's only natural to try and snatch it."
"But it's obvious you're qualified to take that thing now. Consider me blind. Better to avoid trouble when we can, right?"
The Strong Man grinned at Wang Ye, spreading his hands to show that he no longer meant any harm.
"Besides, the Wasteland is full of threats. I admit I'm not as strong as you, but I'm not someone you can kill instantly either. If this drags on, you'll be in danger too, right?"
The Strong Man's face was full of smiles, but his eyes remained extremely calm.
"Heh."
A cold smile appeared at the corner of Wang Ye's lips.
"Are you joking with me?"
A chilling glint flashed in Wang Ye's eyes. If he had not reacted quickly just now, he would already have been a corpse.
As he spoke, Wang Ye raised his right hand, where a faint red light flickered.
The veins beneath his skin visibly pulsed as the blood flowing through his body abruptly accelerated.
The Strong Man's expression changed. Without hesitation, he turned and ran into the distance. From that brief exchange, he already knew he was no match for Wang Ye.
Unfortunately—
The next second, an enormous suction force swept over him.
The Strong Man gritted his teeth, pulled a broken straw doll from his pocket, and tossed it onto the ground.
Like a living person, the doll landed on the ground and eerily shifted its gaze. Its body turned stiffly, but the next second, it was sucked into Wang Ye's hand.
"Hee."
The doll suddenly revealed an eerie smile. Its eyes turned bright red, then its body began to burn strangely, crumbling into ashes.
The whole process took only three seconds, and the Strong Man had already used that chance to flee far away.
"As expected, no Scavenger who can make it this far is that simple."
Watching the Strong Man disappear into the distance, Wang Ye murmured to himself before returning to his Mail Truck and starting it.
If he insisted on pursuing the Strong Man, he could try chasing him down in the Mail Truck.
But the direction the Strong Man had fled was not along his Navigation route. Wang Ye was not sure what would happen if he deviated from it. Rather than take that risk, he might as well head back to the city in peace.
Wang Ye comforted himself inwardly.
"But... I can't control myself."
Touching the steering wheel, Wang Ye muttered to himself. Then, without hesitation, he spun the wheel and sped after the Strong Man.
The Navigation, which had remained quiet, began to glitch.
Its light flickered nonstop.
Several blood-red words appeared on the screen.
"Please return to the correct route."
Wang Ye acted as though he had not seen them. In just over ten seconds, relying on the Mail Truck's terrifying speed, he caught sight of the Strong Man in the distance.
"I'm the kind of person..."
"Who holds a grudge."
Wang Ye muttered, madness flashing through his eyes. In an instant, he reached the Strong Man's side and got out of the vehicle!
From the Strong Man's perspective, Wang Ye seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
His face filled with shock, and his hand instinctively reached into his clothes. The next second, a sharp flash of blade light streaked past. His eyes widened, and he finally collapsed to the ground in despair.
The Strong Man's head abruptly fell from his neck and rolled across the ground like a ball.
Wang Ye looked coldly at the Strong Man's body and calmly sheathed the Boning Knife.
A line of blood appeared on Wang Ye's neck as well.
A thin trail of blood slid down his neck.
"The Boning Knife's side effect is applied to its user too, only to a lesser degree?"
Feeling his body's condition, Wang Ye gently wiped the blood from his neck, then walked over to the Strong Man and began searching his chest.
When this Strong Man first saw him, he had not used his ability. Instead, he had reached for his pocket.
Clearly, he believed that only the thing in his pocket could save his life.
Looking at the Strong Man's body, which was on the verge of rotting from excessive use of his ability, Wang Ye searched the corpse without expression.
Soon, Wang Ye's eyes lit up. Another doll appeared in his hand.
It was the same as the one the Strong Man had used earlier.
The doll was broken all over, yet it wore an eerie smile. Its black eyes seemed almost alive as they stared at Wang Ye.
"Can it take attacks in my place?"
Satisfied, Wang Ye put the doll away. After searching for a while longer and confirming he had missed nothing, he returned to the Mail Truck.
By then, the Navigation screen inside the Mail Truck looked as though it had been soaked in blood.
The blood-red words, "Please return to the correct route," were so vivid they seemed ready to seep out of the screen.
Wang Ye frowned slightly and returned to his previous position according to his memory.
The restless Navigation gradually returned to calm. The bloody color faded away, and the familiar route map reappeared.
"Is it afraid I'll exploit a bug to hunt for treasure?"
"Such a stingy Post Office."
Wang Ye could not help grumbling a few times before focusing on driving.
During the rest of the journey, he did not find any more treasures. After all, the route was fixed, so the chances of finding anything valuable were not high.
Wang Ye was already more than satisfied with his current gains.
As more and more Scavengers came into view, so did Shangjing City, enclosed by thickly piled walls that gave off faint points of light.
He was finally back.
After parking the Mail Truck at the entrance to his residential complex, Wang Ye returned home in exhaustion.
Standing at his front door, Wang Ye's pupils narrowed slightly.
A nearly imperceptible strand of hair had fallen to the ground before the door.
It was a habit he had developed over many years.
Especially after that mysterious Wooden Door had appeared in his living room.
Every time he went out, he would trap a strand of hair in the gap of the door.
"Someone came in?"
Wang Ye fell silent for several seconds, then opened the door expressionlessly and entered his home.
The room was quiet and spotless.
As though nothing had happened, Wang Ye took a bottle of water from the refrigerator, sat on the sofa, and closed his eyes wearily.
A long time later—
From the shadows, someone who looked exactly like Wang Ye suddenly emerged.
His face was pale. He moved his body stiffly as he slowly approached Wang Ye from behind, his deep, hollow eyes fixed on Wang Ye's back.
Finally—
He slowly raised his arms and reached toward Wang Ye's head.
"Couldn't hold back anymore?"
"You really were willing to clean my room for me!"
Suddenly, Wang Ye, who had seemed to be asleep on the sofa, snapped his eyes open. A cold smile rose at the corner of his lips.
The Hemp Rope, which had somehow appeared in his hand, instantly lashed through the air.
Before you continue