128 Party Warm-Up

Da da da—

Seria picked up the machine gun and pulled the trigger, firing three bursts. A 12.7mm bullet hit a Earth-Walking Beast that was trying to approach. The beast rolled forward like a phantom and was quickly knocked to the ground.

The latter collapsed to the ground with a groan. The bullet pierced its flesh and internal organs, probably exiting through the location of its Second Brain. The cavity effect was not maximized, so it did not die completely.

Its tentacles twitched rapidly, and with a slight struggle, it collapsed to the ground. Immediately, its fellow beasts bit its throat, ripped open its blood vessels, and devoured it on the spot.

The commotion of the beasts caused the 'Youth' to quickly create distance. The Javelin Dragon, which had been lying down on the hillside, puffed out its chest, lowered its head, and launched its bone javelins from its shoulder, which struck the 'Youth's' incredibly sturdy steel plate, leaving only shallow dents.

"These Mutated Beast from Outland are attracted by the commotion every time the subway is running, and they come to their deaths."

Seria put down the machine gun, smiled, and gestured to the three young men and women of the Esha Infected were watching to give it a try. "It's not difficult. You'll learn these things sooner or later."

One of the slightly older Frostplate youths nervously picked up his bolt-action rifle and, under Seria's guidance, awkwardly used the iron sights to adjust the distance. He leaned slightly out of the car window and aimed the muzzle at the Javelin Dragon, which was motionless on the hillside, waiting to 'reload'.

Bang! A dull gunshot rang out, and after the bullet blew for a moment, the full-power round cleanly pierced the Javelin Dragon's chest, causing it to fall to the ground with a thud.

"Wow—that's good, you're very talented," Seria encouraged. "What's your name again?"

"Hordor." The young man looked somewhat bewildered; in truth, he himself couldn't tell if he'd hit the target. But Seria's praise immediately made him puff out his chest and laugh, "Hey, not bad—by the way, Gina and Li Mu, why don't you give it a try?"

"No, I'm still afraid of gunfire," Gina waved her hand.

Li Mu glanced at the ferocious Beast Tide. The shrieks that rose and fell, and the flashing bats flying overhead that occasionally cast phosphorescent fire that exploded in the air, filled him with fear. However, he was ashamed to show it in front of a woman, so he forced himself to speak:

"I'll pass. It would be a waste of bullets if I couldn't hit it."

Seemingly to prove that he wasn't afraid to lean half his body out of the carriage to shoot, he added, "I still prefer using my old Aoneng to firearms."

"It's better to get rid of that abnormal power sooner rather than later." Gina touched the back of her smooth hand and said nostalgically, "My Aoneng [Cherry Blossom Scales] only causes my skin to crack and develop hard, cherry blossom-petal-shaped scales. Although they can block gunshots, they are very inconvenient to clean and are easy to get infected with parasites—it's better to be like this now."

Gina was beautiful, and when Hordor heard her say that, he immediately burst into laughter and said cheerfully:

"It's alright, we humans have enough guns. Ms. Seria, I'll be on duty here from now on, shooting down wild beasts from the Outland every day."

Seria was happy to have some free time. "Sure, but this job isn't exactly dangerous, it's very hard work."

Hordor nodded. "No problem. Even though we've lost our Aoneng, we still need to have a skill to make a living."

"Then you'll definitely improve very quickly, and I'd like to help you out," Gina said congratulatoryly.

"I think so. Practice makes perfect, and besides, Gina, you can stand guard with me."

"Hmm, that's not bad—but hitting such a distant target on your first time handling a gun shows you have a lot of talent, so don't underestimate yourself..."

Li Mu glanced at Hordor being praised by pretty girls and Ms. Seria from the Subway Brotherhood, and felt a pang of jealousy—if he had known it would be like this, he should have come out and shown off earlier.

'That Javelin Dragon was stupid too. A beast is a beast; it didn't even try to move, letting a Frostplate guy, only a few years older than me, kill it.'

He felt jealous. Gina was considered one of the most beautiful among the infected. Her fluffy, golden-brown short hair was like a dream, full of fantasy. In particular, her appearance perfectly matched the aesthetic standards of Outland People: beautiful, rounded apple cheeks, smooth and alluring red lips, plus a beeswax-like dark complexion, as oily and fragrant as cream.

There is no unified ethnic or tribal culture in the Outland. Over time, various races have intermarried, resulting in a wide variety of appearances. Some people have distinctly Caucasian features but bear names of East Asians, and vice versa. Although there is a diverse mix of surname cultures, the aesthetic standards are quite consistent: a darker complexion, smooth skin, healthy teeth, and a round, chubby face, preferably with some freckles, symbolizing plenty of sunshine, vitality, and health.

"Those ' Frostplate Frostbarians' have robbed us of so much land and resources, and now they want to steal girls from Outland too. They're shameless!"

Li Mu thought of it.

After giving some pointers, Ms. Seria went about her work, leaving the three of them behind.

There were three of them, but Li Mu couldn't get a word in edgewise. Watching Hordor quickly join in the conversation, he felt increasingly resentful, especially with Gina's occasional comments like "Good job!" or "Very good!" which fueled his jealousy. He stood silently to the side for a while, but seeing the two of them so engrossed in their conversation, he finally couldn't stand it any longer:

"I need to use the restroom."

"Go quickly and come back soon," Gina reminded her with concern.

Li Mu slammed the train door shut as if fleeing, head down, and walked through the aisles of each carriage—cargo box, dining car, purification room, fuel room, machine room, power distribution room. Along the way, he heard the voices of the survivors from the Nethermark Humanity. Many were celebrating, some were exhausted, and a very few were too excited by the ups and downs and the great joy and sorrow, and did some outrageous things.

Many of them were discussing Li Aoz, the one who had rescued them.

Li Mu leaned against the toilet. A woman with a droopy head and Frostplate was in front of him in line, not saying a word. The atmosphere was particularly awkward, but soon his attention was drawn to the people talking nearby.

"Did you see Li Aoz in person? He looks like an old man in his seventies or eighties." A young man from Outland gathered around the table and started discussing heatedly. "To have the strength to challenge the professor's giant at such an old age is truly legendary."

Upon hearing this, a man with Frostplate glasses adjusted his glasses and said calmly:

"Even so, he still took our Aoneng. After all, it's still ours..."

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? If it weren't for Li Aoz's intervention, you would have been drained dry by the professor!" Outland People nearby couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up to warn him.

"I'm not denying his achievements, Li Aoz. It's true that he saved us, but how could he have defeated the professor without our support of the Aoneng?"

The man with Frostplate glasses said disdainfully, "In other words, we clearly defeated the professor together—don't you Outland People even know what a people's historical perspective is?!"

Bang! His words instantly ignited the anger of the other young people from Outland. One of them slammed his fist on the table, pointing at the Frostplate -eyed man and cursing:

"I don't know your mother's ass. I've never been to school. Do you feel accomplished showing off your knowledge in front of us, you Frostplate old man?"

"Speak properly and stop swearing! What kind of behavior is this? You deserve to be bullied by the Four Nations. You don't understand what it means to be a rational and objective person."

The man with Frostplate glasses met the fierce gazes of the Outland People, and his tone immediately softened. "I meant well, trying to fight for everyone's interests. Without our help, Li Aoz couldn't have defeated the professor, isn't that a fact? Is there anything wrong with that?"

Compared to the fierce and aggressive nature of the Frost Plating men, who are at the bottom of the Frostplate discrimination chain, the Frostplate men are like house cats encountering wild Bengal tigers compared to the men from the Outland who have struggled in darkness and cold since childhood. "Oh my, oh my, now you're starting to play the coward?"

The young people from Outland sneered:

"Still trying to gain benefits—do you think anyone dares to take on that behemoth? Or are you saying the Subway Brotherhood's Armored Train is giving us a free ride?"

The man with the Frostplate glasses continued to argue, "These are Daoism, isn't it just what we should do? If you're going to help someone, you should help them to the end. This is his own choice—"

Bang!