Please Bury Me by the Stream, Among the Green Grass

Harley slid down the tree trunk, a large portion of the roasted thigh already eaten. She gnawed on the remaining part as she walked towards the three.

Bigge had assumed the poker-faced woman would hide in the tree and watch the show, waiting for the three to finish their fight before cleaning up the mess. But instead, she revealed herself immediately, and no one knew what she was thinking.

The three men looked at the roasted thigh in her hand. Without a doubt, the woman who had lit the campfire and roasted things here was the one whose face looked like she had undergone cosmetic surgery. Seeing the thigh in her hand, the Big Beard, remembering the legless corpse in the bushes earlier, could easily guess what kind of meat it was.

"I was originally planning to sit back and enjoy some barbecue while watching the show, but the three of you have really disappointed me. You didn't even start fighting the moment you met; you even had time to chat." Harley shook her head. "That's too much of a waste of time, so I've decided to take matters into my own hands. But before that, there's one more person watching. Come on out!"

Harley looked toward the big tree where Bigge was.

The other three were somewhat surprised. They had come from the direction where Bigge had been, but had not noticed anything unusual.

Bigge was somewhat exasperated; he had been discovered after all. He had no choice but to slide down the tree trunk and walk towards the group. "When did you find out?"

"When we were grilling the meat, I heard your stomach growling. My senses are naturally more sensitive than most people's, and there's no way I could hear a sound that's out of sync with the environment." Harley looked at Bigge with her expressionless face. "I never expected that someone with such good stealth skills would be a child."

"Don't underestimate children." Although Bigge knew this poker-faced woman was formidable, he was still confident in his own swordsmanship.

"I never underestimate any opponent." Harley sensed a threat emanating from Bigge; it was a pure intuition. In fact, not only were her five senses heightened, but her perception of danger was also extraordinary. This feeling made her even more interested in the boy before her.

"You must be hungry, right?" Harley suddenly reached out and offered the half-eaten thigh, completely ignoring the presence of everyone else.

"Sorry, I don't eat human flesh." Bigge refused outright.

Hearing Bigge's words, Harley suddenly remembered the burly man's corpse she had encountered earlier. It hadn't been eaten, and the lingering stench of Corpse Eating Black Beetle remained nearby. "You wouldn't happen to be one of those bug-eating guys, would you? Corpse Eating Black Beetle, they look so disgusting, and they smell so awful. Compared to that, eating human flesh is definitely easier, isn't it?"

"I'm a chef, and I just think that this kind of food isn't really suitable as an ingredient, so I refuse to eat this kind of food," Bigge gave his reasons.

"Hey, have you two finished talking nonsense?" The Big Beard, feeling ignored, shouted at the two of them.

"If you don't want it, I'll just throw it away. I'm pretty full anyway," Harley said, casually tossing the remaining half of the roasted thigh aside before looking at the Big Beard and his companions. She sized them up and shook her head. "You guys are too weak."

"What a joke! You're just like us First Order Gene Body. What right do you have to say we're too weak?" The fat man sneered.

"It seems you still don't understand that genetic level and Combat Strength are not the same thing." Harley explained expressionlessly, "Although I am only First Order Gene Body, my Combat Strength is far stronger than yours."

No sooner had she finished speaking than she drew her sword without warning. The first strike aimed directly at the fat man's throat, then the sword light, without pausing, sliced across the boy's throat, and then, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, shot straight towards the Big Beard.

The fat man and the boy instantly collapsed, clutching their carotid arteries, while the Big Beard managed to block the attack with the blade of his sword. But after that blow, he realized the difference between himself and Harley. The attack felt like being struck by a heavy object, and his long sword almost slipped from his hand.

"It's no use," Harley's voice whispered into the Big Beard's ears. Her longsword, like a serpent, suddenly changed direction after the first impact and attacked the Big Beard's throat again.

The Big Beard swung his longsword again, and with another "clang," the sound of metal clashing rang out. The Big Beard clearly felt that Harley's force seemed slightly greater this time; his right hand, which was holding the sword, trembled slightly upon impact.

Harley's attack did not stop for a moment; the tip of her sword changed direction again, still aiming straight for the Big Beard's throat.

With a "clang," after this impact, the Big Beard's right hand was completely unable to exert any force, and the long sword finally slipped from his grasp.

The next moment, Harley's sword tip turned sharply, piercing his throat.

The Big Beard fell to the ground, filled with resentment, while the other two men whose carotid arteries had been severed were already dead.

Harley then looked at Bigge, "Actually, you had a chance to escape just now."

"I know." Bigge certainly knew. While Harley and the Big Beard were fighting, although it only lasted a few seconds, he had ample time to escape and hide. With his hiding skills, Harley would likely have a hard time finding him quickly. "My initial plan was to escape while you were fighting, but you called me back. As for why I didn't run away just now, it's because after carefully observing your fight, I felt I wasn't without a chance of winning. Besides, a good friend of mine told me that the correct response to a challenge is to face it, not to run away. Because running away doesn't solve problems; what's meant to happen will happen."

"Sounds like a good friend, but it's a pity we're enemies, otherwise I'd really like to get to know you." A slight smile suddenly appeared on Harley's usually expressionless face, though only for a moment, proving she wasn't incapable of smiling. "You're special, but that won't make me hold back. On the contrary, I'll fight you with all my might. As a sign of respect, if you die, I won't eat you. Where would you like me to bury you?"

"Just bury me under that big tree where I was hiding." Bigge looked around, then his gaze fell on the tree where he had been hiding. "And if I win? What do you want me to do?"

"Bury me by the creek, so I can be with these green grasses," Harley said, expressing her last wish.

"Now that you've said your last wishes, let's fight!" Bigge gripped the hilt of his sword, his body in a defensive stance, ready to strike.

Harley moved as well, her longsword still as nimble as a snake, attacking the same two points she habitually targeted: the throat and the carotid artery in her neck.

Bigge, he drew his sword and swiftly and precisely clashed with Harley's blade. He himself hadn't anticipated that, despite his body being only seven years old, the amplification of his swordsmanship within his mind would be enough to rival Harley's.

The impact forced both men back several steps, but a second collision soon followed. It was still blade against sword tip, neither giving an inch.

Then came the third, the fourth... the clanging of metal against metal was deafening, their battle far exceeding the scope of First Order Gene Body. Even second- and Third-Order Gene Body would be quickly defeated under this intensity of combat.

The memories of battle within Bigge's body gradually awakened with each impact. He no longer used the inherited sword techniques he had obtained from the darkness, but his own unique moves, which, even when used casually, possessed unparalleled skill.

Harley, on the other hand, felt the pressure mounting. She had initially held the advantage, as her attack speed was faster than Bigge's. While Bigge was able to react each time, he always struck after the opponent had acted. His blade clashed with the sword tip, seemingly an attack, but actually a defense.

However, after several collisions, Bigge's body seemed to adapt to the intensity of the fight. His speed gradually increased, reaching the same level as hers. Not only that, his moves became increasingly unpredictable. In just a few minutes, Harley's advantage had completely dissipated, while Bigge, with his stamina, began to gain the upper hand.

"How could this be? I started practicing swordsmanship when I was three years old, and it's been eighteen years now, without a single day off. My teacher said I have monstrous swordsmanship talent, and the reason he didn't let me advance my Gene Level was to make me practice the basics. Why is this child's basic skills better than mine?" Harley couldn't understand it.

Harley's swordsmanship was gradually suppressed. Bigge's attacks became increasingly fierce, and his moves were bizarre and terrifying, almost all of them deadly strikes, completely different from his initial broad and powerful swordsmanship. Harley even began to suspect that this kid might be a specially trained assassin.

Neither of them possessed Source Power or Gang Jin, and their defensive capabilities were at the level of ordinary people; common swords and blades could easily inflict damage. Because of this, their fight better showcased their fundamental skills. Without a doubt, Bigge's fundamental skills were far superior to Harley's.

Five minutes passed, and the tide of their battle had completely turned. Initially, Harley was on the offensive, but now Harley was left only with the ability to defend. She had absolutely no way of predicting where Bigge's next strike would come from. Bigge's swordsmanship was purely for killing; every strike left no chance of survival. Once hit, there was only one outcome: death.

Harley, under such intense attacks, gradually showed signs of exhaustion. Suddenly, a gap appeared in the defense, and Bigge's longsword slipped in, slicing through Harley's throat without any resistance.

Seeing that he had landed a successful blow, Bigge finally snapped out of the thrill of the fight, while Harley clutched her neck and collapsed to the ground.

Bigge sheathed his sword and stood quietly watching her fall into a pool of blood.

Harley looked at Bigge, a slight smile appearing on her perpetually icy face. "You can go back and see your friends now..."

Minutes later, that smile was forever etched on Harley's face. Bigge struggled to lift her body and walked towards the creek. He wanted to fulfill her last wish, to bury her beside the creek, so she could be with the green grass... (To be continued).