Yamaguchi Village

The convoy had not gone far before it encountered a group of Wa people coming to meet them.

They had seen the signal and rushed over to provide support.

When they saw that only thirty men remained of Tianshe's team, all gaunt and emaciated, their expressions changed drastically.

They knew that more than a hundred had gone out to receive the newcomers, yet only thirty had returned.

And every one of them was skin and bones, clearly having pushed their organs into overclocking for a prolonged period.

"Tianshe, who did this?"

Tianshe shook his head. "I want to see Lord Fúshé."

Seeing that he did not wish to speak, the men who had come to meet them turned to the frail youth, who explained in a low voice.

The corners of their mouths twitched at once. They had been done in by newcomers?

It was not as though there had never been exceptionally powerful newcomers, but there would always be intelligence beforehand, with thorough preparations and enough powerful fighters brought along.

Going in blind like this was simply terrible luck.

They said nothing and continued onward. After roughly four or five kilometers, they finally passed through the woods and saw an open expanse.

This place also connected to a stretch of coastline, far larger than the beach from before. A vast field of salt pans could be seen in the distance, with many people laboring within them.

When they saw the passing convoy, their eyes remained numb. They merely glanced at Gaoxin and the others before lowering their heads and continuing their work.

After passing the salt pans, Gaoxin could see a sprawling cluster of buildings.

Most of the people walking about, judging by their clothing, were Wa people. The whole place was a Wa settlement.

The most eye-catching structure was a silver high-rise like a tower, its surface smooth as a mirror. It was at least two hundred meters tall and stood at the center of the entire village.

Around it stood densely arranged medium-rise metal buildings, where neon lights and revelry could vaguely be seen, like a commercial entertainment street in some remote backwater.

There were also ancient-style buildings scattered among them, draped in all manner of fabric ornaments, with carved beams and painted rafters. Their designs were antiquated, though their materials were still all kinds of alloys.

This arrangement of utterly mismatched styles looked extremely chaotic.

Further out, there was little worth mentioning—just clusters of iron shacks, with ten-meter-tall stone watchtowers every few dozen meters, each manned by sentries.

"It's Lord Tianshe! What happened?"

The Wa people on the watchtowers spotted the convoy and cried out in alarm.

Tianshe Rokuro remained silent, his face dark.

The people in the watchtowers did not dare press him and allowed the convoy to enter.

The convoy remained quiet all the way through. Pedestrians along the road occasionally pointed at the emaciated Tianshe and his men, whispering among themselves.

Gaoxin kept observing and caught sight of a boundary marker.

Written on it in the common language were the words: "Yamaguchi Village."

"Yamaguchi Village?" Gaoxin froze. Wasn't this the Yamato Territory?

Then he realized that the Yamato Territory probably referred to a much broader region containing multiple villages, and this was merely one of them.

He silently memorized every route, and before long they arrived at a training ground.

The ground was packed yellow earth, surrounded by tall walls and several ancient-looking buildings resembling old castles.

A large group of Wa people clad only in underwear were roaring as they fought one another.

Their fists struck flesh, beating each other bloody and mangled as though they were mortal enemies.

When they saw the miserable state of the returning newcomer reception team, surprise appeared on their faces.

Several dozen swordsmen in black kimono emerged from the buildings as well, hurrying over in shock. "This... who was it? Who did this?"

Only then did Tianshe speak. "Where is Lord Fúshé? I wish to apologize to him in person."

Several men hurried off to report, and soon a narrow-eyed man with a sinister face approached.

His skin was creased like scales, and the exposed portions of his arms and chest bore mottled patterns in varying colors. He truly resembled a venomous snake.

"Rokuro, your heart was pierced?" Fúshé saw through Tianshe's injury at a glance.

Tianshe knelt on one knee. "Tianshe has failed Your Lordship's expectations. The Black Hands I led this time suffered grievous casualties. I beg Lord Fúshé to punish me."

Fúshé was indeed furious. The losses had been too great, but he still asked, "What exactly happened?"

Tianshe recounted everything in detail, and the people around them erupted in uproar.

They had thought some neighboring force had ambushed and plundered them. Who would have thought they had been beaten by a single newcomer?

"A special-type Cyborg? He could actually contend with a hundred Sub-Wolf Level Black Hands... even you, a True Wolf, couldn't stop him. There was no intelligence at all on a newcomer like this." Fúshé pondered.

Gaoxin did not understand. Were Black Hands some kind of specialized thugs? And were Sub-Wolf and True Wolf the strength ratings here?

The frail, beautiful youth—the only one in the reception team who had not fought—knelt on one knee and said, "Lord Fúshé, he was an SR-Class, after all. It would not be difficult for someone like that to reach Wolf Level outside, perhaps even surpass it."

Fúshé said coldly, "Even if the newcomer was Tiger Level, that is no excuse for the team losing more than half its members!"

"Knowing that he was so strong, why did you have everyone overclock their organs to forcefully keep him?"

Tianshe lowered his head. "Bringing back every newcomer was the task Lord Fúshé gave me. I would never dare disobey."

"I failed. The fault is mine, and Tianshe is willing to accept punishment."

Fúshé nodded slightly. Deep down, he was very pleased with Tianshe's loyalty, but he still rebuked him. "You lost so many men and brought nothing back. Do not blame me for punishing you!"

The frail, beautiful youth caught the implication and hurriedly said, "We did bring something back—a hand!"

He took out an item. It was Xia Heng's right hand.

He presented it to Fúshé, who accepted it and examined it before handing it to someone beside him. "I see. Tianshe, you actually managed to keep a hand from a Tiger Level Cyborg. Not bad. At least you have some skill."

The Wa people around them visibly relaxed. The matter was being let go.

"Enough. I will investigate this hand. Your injuries are too serious, so go get treated first." Fúshé waved a hand.

Tianshe said, "My lord, I still need to inspect the newcomers..."

Fúshé shook his head. "Enough. I will personally inspect the newcomers. If you do not get treatment now, you will die."

As he spoke, he had someone bring over a stretcher.

"Your task now is to recover properly and train back the weight you lost. You are my most capable lieutenant. When we wipe out the Kutou Alliance in a month, I hope you will still be full of life."

"Yes!"

After agreeing, Tianshe felt a weight lift from his heart and immediately collapsed onto the stretcher, blood bursting from his chest.

His injuries had been too severe. He had been forcing himself to hold on the entire way.

The sight made everyone in the prison carts go numb with fear.

They had thought the man truly did not care about having his heart pierced. It turned out he was afraid too; he had merely forced himself through a fight, then made the journey back and reported to his superior before finally collapsing from exhaustion.

The newcomers clicked their tongues in disbelief. He was practically made of iron.

"Rokuro!"

Fúshé hurriedly stretched out a hand and pressed it against Tianshe's wound. Numerous vein-like tendrils spread from his hand and burrowed into the flesh.

The frail, beautiful youth hurriedly said, "Get Lord Tianshe to the Silver Tower!"

Fúshé roared, "There's no time! Find a useless piglet and use it first, quickly! Then send someone to bring Rou Si here!"

Sasaki's face tightened with anxiety. He immediately rushed to the prison cart and tore apart its bars.

Gaoxin and the others had still been wondering what he needed a piglet for, but now they realized it meant them!

Sasaki figured that Luo Yan was already crippled and looked close to death, so he casually grabbed him.

Gaoxin's eyes widened, but he had no way to stop him.

Luo Yan was extremely weak and lacked the strength to resist. Dragged before Fúshé, he could not help asking, "W-what... what are you doing?"

No one answered him. Only the frail, beautiful youth said softly, "We need to borrow your heart."

"Huh?" Luo Yan was stunned.

Gaoxin's eyes nearly split with rage. He ground his teeth but could only endure. Was the one person willing to help him find a way to escape going to die here so soon?

"Pfft!"

"Argh!" Luo Yan screamed in agony.

But Fúshé did not dig out his heart. Instead, he tore open the bandages around Luo Yan's severed arm, squeezed hard, and splattered a smear of blood into his mouth to taste.

The stump had hurt from the beginning. After being bandaged for so long, it had finally gone somewhat numb from the pain, but now his wound was torn open again. Combined with his extreme weakness, the pain made Luo Yan pass out immediately.

"No. His blood type doesn't match!" Fúshé said coldly.

The newcomers were shocked. He could determine blood types by taste alone?

Yet those words had undoubtedly spared Luo Yan's life, though Luo Yan could no longer hear them.

He was casually tossed to the ground, barely clinging to life.

Sasaki was about to grab someone else when the frail, beautiful youth got there first. "I'll do it."

The youth came to the prison cart and first stared at Gaoxin for a moment.

At that instant, Gaoxin felt that he was truly about to die, slaughtered like a piglet and dying a miserable death.

He absolutely did not want to die so humiliatingly, yet he had no way to resist. Even if he resisted, it would be useless.

But useless or not, he intended to fight to the death. Even if the chance was zero, it was better than doing nothing.

"You. Come out!" The frail, beautiful youth pointed.

A vicious glint appeared in Gaoxin's eyes. He was about to explode into action, intending to take one down with him!

But then he saw that the youth was not pointing at him...

He was pointing at Liu Di beside him.

"Huh? Me?"

Liu Di's face turned deathly pale, and even his voice trembled.

The frail, beautiful youth grabbed Liu Di and dragged him out, glancing at Gaoxin once more before leaving.

Gaoxin could not help wondering whether this person knew him.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"

Liu Di wailed, but the beautiful youth was also a Radiation User and immensely strong.

He left a trail of shit and piss along the ground, though it was impossible to tell whether he had just relieved himself.

There was no terror greater than becoming a lamb awaiting slaughter.

"Pfft!"

Sasaki drew his blade and severed one of Liu Di's arms, blood spraying everywhere.

Fúshé tasted it and said eagerly, "The taste is just right. He'll do!"

"Ah!" At the moment of life and death, Liu Di forgot everything else and pointed at Gaoxin, shouting, "He wants to run! Kill him—"

But the beautiful youth had already seized his throat, rendering him unable to speak.

At the same time, he tore open Liu Di's prison uniform. Fúshé quickly stepped forward and cut out his heart.

He used his fingers, but they were incredibly sharp, and his movements were exceptionally deft.

Before long, he completed the heart transplant for Tianshe. Hardly anyone in the prison cart dared look; the scene was too horrifying.

They naturally knew that AI was best at heart transplants, but this was the first time they had heard of someone performing one barehanded on the spot. They had thought only Cyborgs using Prosthetic Bodies could do such a thing. They had never imagined Radiation Users could as well.

Many of the newcomer prisoners present fainted. Others shook like sieves, their eyes unfocused, as though they were on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Gaoxin stared fixedly, feeling wretched as wave after wave of nausea hit him. Yet perhaps because he had already seen so much bloodshed, he was starting to adapt a little.

"Little Fúshé! This beauty is here for you!"

A soft, delicate female voice rang out, followed by the training ground gates being blasted open.

A bloated figure charged inside. Every step made the ground seem to tremble, leaving deep footprints behind.

She was a white woman. Though she called herself a beauty, she was so fat that she looked like a lump of pork that had come to life.

Layers of fat piled across the top of her head, making even her hairstyle rise and dip unevenly.

There was no need to mention the fat on her stomach. The fact that her thighs could not even be seen said enough about how outrageous it was.

She carried an enormous alloy steel club over her shoulder, studded with bone-like spikes from some unknown animal.

"Rou Si, you came just in time. Heal Rokuro, quickly!" Though Fúshé had replaced Tianshe's heart, Tianshe was still not out of danger. His heart had yet to resume beating.

"Oh, my Tianshe!" The fat woman named Rou Si tossed her massive club aside, where it struck the ground with a thunderous boom and smashed out a crater.

It felt like a car had been dropped there. The thing had to weigh two or three tons.

"I replaced his heart, but he keeps getting weaker! His heart still can't beat on its own!" Fúshé said urgently.

Rou Si took one look and said, "Fúshé, you idiot. He overclocked his organs and nearly drained himself dry. How could he adapt to a new heart? And it's only the heart of a Glass Person?"

With that, Rou Si pressed down with her left hand. Her flesh and fat wriggled for a while before pressing against Tianshe's body.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle. Blisters rose beneath her skin as something was being transferred.

Then Tianshe seemed to inflate, visibly growing fatter... while all his injuries rapidly healed.

Gaoxin's eyes burned as he watched. The Radiation Users here were all so powerful. Some actually possessed healing abilities.

Outside, he had never heard of such things. Did the authorities conceal the many abilities of Radiation Users, or were the Radiation Users outside truly just too weak?

Probably both, because Gaoxin saw that the newcomer Radiation Users were equally stunned.

It was as though they had never imagined they themselves could possess such abilities.

"Hm? Does Tianshe have [Flesh Assimilation]?" Rou Si suddenly asked.

The frail youth hurriedly answered, "No."

Rou Si grinned. "Then what use is a Glass Person's heart?"

Fúshé said, "It only needed to hold him over until you arrived."

Rou Si nodded and directly reached in, pulled out the heart, and tossed it away...

The sight left all the newcomers dumbfounded. They could not help feeling that Liu Di, dead on the ground, would never rest in peace.

"Bring me another Radiation User."

Rou Si's single sentence made the hearts of every newcomer Radiation User tighten.

"Fuck it, we'll fight you!" More than thirty Radiation Users finally rioted.

This time, they truly shared a common hatred. They attacked together and blasted apart the prison cart's wooden frame.

"How dare you!"

"Baka!"

This was Wa territory, and powerful people surrounded them. They immediately swarmed over, throwing a few punches and kicks before knocking the newcomer Radiation Users to the ground.

There was not the slightest surprise. It was as though these people had not even used much strength.

They were all Radiation Users, yet the gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

Pfft. One Radiation User had his heart cut out and given to Tianshe.

"Today I'm having an extra meal! I want whale meat!" Rou Si shouted as she treated him.

Fúshé readily agreed. "No problem. Eat as much as you want. How's Rokuro?"

Rou Si laughed sweetly. "Easy. As long as his brain isn't damaged, it's fine. Don't you know my [Vitality Fat]? It's already been injected throughout his body to help his cells regenerate, stimulate rapid self-healing, and adapt to his new heart."

"Good, good, good." Fúshé finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The newcomers, meanwhile, looked numb and despairing. The gap in strength was simply too great.

So even with more than thirty Radiation Users among them, it was useless. Even if they hadn't been afraid on the beach earlier, they probably would have only been throwing their lives away.

Then they remembered that Yamaguchi Village was no small place. With so many high-rises, it housed at least tens of thousands of Wa people. Despair washed over them again.

Could every single one of them be this strong? An army of tens of thousands of iron men like this?

P.S.: Sorry.