Astral Express: I'm a Big Villain, Starting with a TPK of the Astral Express Crew

Jiang Mo lowered his head slightly, and when he raised it again, a chilling smile appeared on his face.

Actually, it's very simple.

Just do it that way.

Chapter 21: We Are Wildfire

Another year passed.

Jiang Mo was nine years old.

The days after the Underworld was sealed off were even harder than imagined.

The situation in Rivet Town was especially bad, with the speed of Riftworld erosion clearly accelerating.

Every night, the roars of monsters often came from the edge of town, making the residents tremble with fear.

Losing the Silvermane Guards' defenses, Riftworld Monsters began to frequently infiltrate Rivet Town.

Jiang Mo heard that several times monsters had charged directly into the town, causing casualties.

Those residents who failed to take refuge in time could only be killed by the monsters in despair.

Before long, the residents of Rivet Town began to migrate to Boulder Town on a large scale.

Long lines of people carried their meager belongings, silently walking on the road to the neighboring town.

Their faces were filled with exhaustion and numbness, having already become refugees fleeing disaster.

If the residents of Rivet Town were like this, the orphanage on the edge of town would naturally not fare well. The more dangerous the surrounding environment, the more severe the food shortage became.

Headmistress Natasha did her best to keep the orphanage running, running around to find food and supplies, and soothe the children's emotions.

But it was too difficult for her alone.

Finally, on the advice of the Rivet Town Management Committee, Natasha made a difficult decision – the Rivet Town Orphanage would cease operations.

This news made the children burst into tears and broke Natasha's heart.

She began to run around, contacting those families in Rivet Town and Boulder Town who could barely make a living, hoping they could adopt the children.

Not many days passed.

The orphanage officially closed.

Natasha led the last group of children, along with a pitiful amount of supplies, on the road to Boulder Town.

The line was like a tired snake, winding forward.

The children's faces were covered with tears and snot, their small hands tightly clutching their remaining toys.

On the edge of Boulder Town, there was a cluster of abandoned houses.

The walls were dilapidated, the windows were drafty, and half of the roof had collapsed.

Natasha stopped here.

This place was far inferior to the orphanage in Rivet Town, but at least it had a place to shelter from the elements.

She began to get busy, directing the older children to help clear debris and use scavenged planks to repair the drafty places.

Soon, a house that could barely be lived in was cleaned up.

Natasha also cleared out a small area and placed the simple medical equipment and medicines she had brought.

Before long, Natasha's clinic opened in Boulder Town.

Although the conditions were harsh, Natasha's superb skills quickly made the clinic famous in the town.

Those injured or sick residents came here with a try-it-and-see attitude, but were touched by her responsible attitude.

Natasha was also a kind-hearted doctor, often charging patients very little, or even nothing, and was willing to accept some food as medical expenses.

Jiang Mo stood outside the clinic, watching from afar.

He saw Natasha's busy figure and the patients' smiles.

Of course, he wasn't concerned about whether Natasha was doing well or not.

He was just worried about that favor.

As long as Natasha was still around, that favor could be repaid.

That was more important than anything.

Afterward, Jiang Mo returned to his shelter.

These days, he had been constantly upgrading his shelter, using resources collected from various places.

He reinforced the walls with thicker planks, made a simple canopy with scavenged sheet metal, and even set up some simple traps made of ropes and gravel around the shelter.

The shelter had become more solid and hidden, like a tortoise shell hidden in a corner.

Jiang Mo looked at the shelter, which had everything he needed, but he always felt like something was missing.

As he thought about it, he suddenly had a thought:

Should he invite Seele to move in?

Seems... not a bad idea?

No sooner said than done.

Jiang Mo even managed to get a few clean blankets and a soft pillow for this.

These things were absolute luxuries in the Underworld, and he had gone to great lengths to get them from others.

This wasn't some sudden attack of saintly compassion.

He admitted, there was a bit of selfishness involved.

Living alone for too long, even the most rational person wants a companion.

And Seele was one of the few people he could talk to and was willing to be close to since he came to this world.

He began to tidy up the shelter, placing those luxurious blankets and pillows in conspicuous places.

Imagining Seele's expression when she saw these things, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

Seele's recent living conditions hadn't been good.

She had become more silent, and her eyes were colder.

In order to snatch the increasingly scarce food, the scars on her body were increasing, but she didn't seem to feel the pain.

She was like a small beast, surviving in the cracks.

Gradually, she began to miss the former order of the Underworld.

She didn't want to see people fighting to the death for a loaf of bread anymore, nor did she want to experience the kind of heart-pounding fear that Riftworld Monsters might suddenly charge into the town.

But she was just a child, what could she do?

This day.

Seele was once again caught up in a scramble.

Several wanderers were fighting over a pile of scrap metal, fists and sticks flying everywhere.

Seele was just passing by, but one of the wanderers tried to snatch the food hidden on her, and she unhesitatingly fought back!

She was agile and ruthless, and quickly knocked the wanderer to the ground clutching his stomach.

But the food on Seele's body was exposed.

In an instant, other starving wanderers, and even some residents who usually looked honest, had red eyes and surrounded her, their eyes filled only with the desire for food.

"Kid! Give me those things!"

"What? You won't give them? Can you even finish eating that much by yourself? Be good!"

The atmosphere immediately became tense.

Seele confronted five or six adults who were more than ten years older than her.

Although Seele was very good at fighting, she had no chance of winning against such a difference in numbers and size.

Just then, two figures walked over.

"Enough."

A middle-aged man with white hair stopped them.

Beside him stood a tall, expressionless man.

The people who had surrounded her paused, but hunger made them unable to care too much, and someone charged forward!

Oleg's eyes turned cold.

He didn't make any extra movements, he just punched the wanderer at the front of the charge in the face.

"Ah!"

The wanderer screamed, blood splattering from his nose, and his body flew out like a rag doll, crashing heavily to the ground.

Immediately afterward, the man beside Oleg also moved, grabbing the other two charging wanderers like he was picking up chicks, and then slamming them hard on the ground.

"Ugh! Ah!"

The two groaned simultaneously, unable to get up for a long time.

The remaining wanderers and residents stopped in their tracks, looking at Oleg and the other man with suspicion and uncertainty.

They then realized that this man and the person he brought with him were unusually skilled.

Oleg ignored those people, he turned his head and looked at Seele.

Seeing that although she was ragged and injured, her eyes were still sharp, without the slightest hint of retreat.

"Are you okay, child... wait, are you Seele?"

Oleg was a little surprised after seeing Seele's appearance clearly.

Seele didn't answer, just looked at him warily.

Oleg didn't force it, he turned around and scanned the wanderers and residents who had been scared away.

"Is this how you want to spend the rest of your lives?"

Oleg asked, a hint of disappointment in his eyes:

"Like beasts, tearing at each other for scraps? Is this all the Underworld has become?!"

His words pierced their hearts like an awl.

They lowered their heads, offering no reply.

"The Silvermane Guards have left, the Upper District has abandoned us!"

Oleg's voice suddenly rose, like a thunderclap. "But we can't just sit here and die!"

He began to loudly proclaim his ideas to the crowd.

"We've formed a team, a team that belongs to the Underworld itself!"

"Listen up, everyone, we're called Wildfire! We will maintain order, we will resist the Riftworld Monsters, we will make sure the Underworld is no longer a junkyard abandoned by the Upper District!"

Oleg's gaze swept over everyone present, his voice ringing out:

"Join us! And together, like flames in the depths, we'll ignite and illuminate the darkness! We won't rely on anyone, only on ourselves!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man beside Oleg pulled out a stack of roughly printed papers from his chest and began handing them out to the surrounding people.

They were Wildfire flyers, with their recruitment slogans and base location written on them.

Though it was hard to say if the vagrants and town residents had taken it to heart.

But Oleg's words, like a real fire, ignited the long-suppressed rebellious spirit deep within Seele's heart.

She had always longed to change this Underworld.

And this man seemed to point the way.

Then, Oleg came to Seele's side.