Garbage Mountain

"I'm back."

Tao Yu didn't opt to use his stealth skill to track them in reverse. There were too many people during the day, and maintaining Shadow Meld for extended periods would be too taxing.

Tao Yu's main objective now was to stall for as much time as possible, allowing him to spread the word further. That way, the problem would naturally resolve itself.

With his innate talent and potential, he didn't want to go head-to-head while he was still weak.

Influenced by his past life, Tao Yu still preferred peace.

Killing Joseph was an accident; that guy had used something he deeply detested to trick him.

"The food's on the table. Mom and Dad have already returned to the Abyss."

Sister-in-law Li Li wiped her hands on her apron.

"Has Shi Tou returned? Was there anything going on today?"

Tao Yu casually asked with an indifferent expression.

"He came back briefly at noon and said he's staying at a friend's place tonight."

Li Li sighed again. She spent the most time taking care of the family, and she worried about Tao Shi, who was so young and already staying out all night.

"It's fine. He's old enough, and boys don't get taken advantage of."

Seeing his sister-in-law's expression, Tao Yu knew that person hadn't come to bother the family for now.

As for his younger brother, Tao Yu wasn't really worried. The kid had always managed on his own.

Even though he'd eaten a lot of Qi Replenishing Soup at the dojo, seeing a bowl of stir-fried preserved meat with chili and white rice on the table made Tao Yu pat his stomach.

He needed to replenish his energy after using stealth earlier.

"Mom and Dad said you should try to eat more meat at home, and they'll look for some to bring back from the settlement."

Tao Yu didn't refuse this kind of parental concern.

Meat was expensive in the current world, but it was much easier to obtain in the Abyss settlement. The only inconvenience was carrying it back each time. Sometimes they would ask returning colleagues to bring things and deliver messages.

After Tao Yu finished eating, the sky had completely darkened.

Since Old Eighth had already said he wouldn't be back, Li Li had locked the door and bolted it early.

Then, she took the bowls and chopsticks to wash them.

Tao Yu, meanwhile, returned to his room to rest and conserve his energy. He wasn't planning on sleeping tonight; he had to stay alert.

At least he had to maintain this vigilance until he had fully spread the message.

He lifted the cardboard window slightly, creating a larger gap. Tao Yu reached out to gauge the window's size before retreating back to the bed.

It feels like I'm back to spending nights alone in the Abyss...

Tao Yu sighed inwardly. It was truly troublesome for someone like him, who disliked fighting, to be caught up in these events.

I hope everything goes smoothly...

Night fell, and it was pitch black outside. The faint sounds of automated cannons could be heard.

Tao Yu, who had been resting with his eyes closed on the bed, now opened them.

There was indeed movement outside!

"Sigh..."

He got up reluctantly, and the next moment, Tao Yu vanished into the shadows.

He instantly merged with the shadows and slipped out through the window!

Shadow Meld didn't grant Tao Yu the ability to phase through walls, but as long as there was a sufficient gap, he could slide through like jelly!

The surrounding dappled shadows shifted at high speed, largely ignoring collision volumes. Tao Yu made no sound and left no footprints, moving far faster than when he'd fled during the day.

In less than two seconds, he had circled around to the back of the house, arriving beside two dark figures who had just climbed over the farm fence.

The automated cannons on the roof could only detect Gray Mist monsters; they weren't intelligent defense systems, allowing the two men to ignore them completely.

They looked familiar – the same two from earlier in the day, but they had changed their gear.

During the day, they were dressed as ordinary Outer City residents, dusty and disheveled.

But this time, they were in two sets of pitch-black special operations suits.

Their tactical pockets were stuffed with various items, and in their hands, they each held a compact submachine gun resembling an MP5, complete with suppressors. It was clear they meant trouble.

Combined with the night vision goggles on their heads, they exuded a professional air, a stark contrast to their shabby appearance when they were tailing him earlier.

If Tao Yu hadn't had exceptional eyesight, he wouldn't have recognized them immediately.

Looking at their gear, Tao Yu's eyes in the shadows gradually darkened.

I've already backed down, why are you forcing me...

The two men exchanged a look after scaling the farm fence. They didn't speak, clearly having planned this out in advance.

They exchanged a few tactical hand signals, and one of them quickly crouched and moved forward.

It was clear that both individuals possessed skills similar to stealth, as they moved silently with tactical boots.

Their movement speed was also very fast.

But just as the one in front reached a corner and pulled out a dagger to pry open the bolt, a faint bone-cracking sound came from behind him.

A chill instantly shot up his spine; he was very familiar with that sound!

It was the sound of a neck being snapped!

Without any hesitation, he swung his dagger behind him while his other hand was already gripping the gun handle again.

But behind him, apart from his falling companion's corpse, there was no movement!

His heart sank, and before he could react, a heavy blow to the back of his head made his vision go black, and he lost consciousness.

Within a few short seconds, just as the first body hit the ground, Tao Yu had already dealt with both of them.

Quickly patting them down, Tao Yu found two tactical headsets. After a moment's hesitation, he broke off the microphone and temporarily placed one over his ear.

However, it seemed these were only for their own communication, as no sound came through.

Then, carrying one corpse in one hand and the unconscious man in the other, he flipped over the railing and headed towards the Garbage Mountain.

The night in the Outer City was almost completely dark, with no starlight or moonlight. Only faint specks of light could be seen on the Inner City walls. In Tao Yu's neighborhood, it was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

But in this environment, every detail was still clearly visible to Tao Yu.

The Outer City streets were still dirty at night, but there wasn't a soul in sight. Apart from the occasional cough from inside a building, there wasn't even the sound of a dog barking.

The sporadic distant gunshots were the only punctuation to the silent night.

Tao Yu walked quickly, not slowing down at all despite carrying two fully armed adults.

He was also constantly observing his surroundings, worried about any backup groups.

He had deliberately exposed himself to see how large their operation was.

With Stealth as a foundation, supported by Bullet Time, and with plenty of Wish Power as a backup, Tao Yu had the means to probe them.

However, perhaps it was good news, just like the silent headset, that Tao Yu encountered no new attacks until he reached the Garbage Mountain.

"Heh, for dealing with just my family, this level of force is indeed more than enough."

Tao Yu chuckled self-deprecatingly. Sometimes, being underestimated wasn't such a bad thing.

Ahead lay a dark Garbage Mountain, piled high with all sorts of waste, emitting an even more pungent odor than the streets.

And besides the garbage and the stench, there were many red dots darting around the piles of trash, searching for something.

Tao Yu's eyesight could easily identify these red dots as the eyes of large rats.

Each rat was the size of a small cat. Upon Tao Yu's arrival, many stared directly at him without any fear, their scarlet eyes filled with ferocity.

Because the meat of these rats was poisonous, even after cooking, they were one of the few thriving animals in the Outer City.

Tao Yu had heard ghost stories about Garbage Mountain rats eating people since he was a child.

He casually threw the two men on the ground and began to collect his spoils.

He removed their bulletproof vests and packed all their scattered equipment.

The next moment, Tao Yu grabbed the corpse with both hands, spun around forcefully, and flung it a long distance onto the Garbage Mountain.

Squeak squeak~

The rat swarm, which had been occasionally watching, instantly swarmed forward, piling onto the corpse. The sounds of tearing leather, chewing, and crunching bones filled the air, making Tao Yu feel a bit disgusted.

Looking down at the unconscious man, Tao Yu didn't know if he had controlled his strength well, unsure if he was dead or alive.

But he couldn't worry too much about it; he really had no experience in this area.

He casually flipped the man over and then applied force with his foot.

Crack~ Crack~

Each of his limbs was snapped, and the unconscious man woke up with a muffled groan.

But before he could even scream, a vice-like grip clamped onto his neck, nearly making the man, who had just woken up in pain and groggy, black out again.

Li Xiang, who had just regained consciousness, felt pain all over his body. His head was swimming, and the immense pressure on his neck made it hard to breathe.

What happened?

Right...

He and his cousin were about to catch that kid from earlier and interrogate him.

And then what?

Fragmented images of what happened before flashed through his mind: he had just been about to use his dagger to pry open the bolt when he heard a sound behind him.

He turned around...

His cousin was dead!

The memories flooded his mind, jolting Li Xiang awake, making his head much clearer.

His night vision goggles had been removed, and his vision was pitch black. Li Xiang could only vaguely see some scarlet red dots in front of him. An extremely foul odor filled his nostrils, and he could hear rustling sounds.

This immediately caused Li Xiang's heart to sink.

Even though he couldn't see the outline clearly, he knew where he was.

The Garbage Mountain!

Some of the dirty jobs he used to do were handled over here!

It's over