Plunder

Crack!

A branch snapped.

Zhu Jiusi woke in an instant. Three years of Journey Survival had kept him constantly on guard.

The slightest sound could rouse him.

But he didn't hurry to leap up. He didn't even move his eyelids, just breathed normally, as if he were still sound asleep.

Meanwhile, he rapidly analyzed the air entering his nostrils.

The air was two parts drier than before, no longer the pure forest air he'd been breathing.

It was also tinged with three parts of blood—human blood!

The roads had merged!

A sudden change in the environment meant his road had fused with someone else's! That person was either injured or had killed someone.

The smell was fairly distant. For now, there was no danger nearby.

Zhu Jiusi slowly opened his eyes.

He looked ahead but saw no one.

He rolled to his feet and checked both sides to make sure there was no danger. Then he continued down the trail, walking a full li before turning a bend.

Suddenly, he spotted a cart.

An ox cart, but the ox had collapsed on the ground.

In Journey Survival, ox carts and horse-drawn carriages had oxen and horses with a keen intelligence. But they weren't real animals. They didn't need food or water, and were part of the vehicle itself.

The ox lying on the ground meant the cart was badly damaged.

The Great Roads had crossed!

There was a saying in Journey Survival: the road beneath one's feet was the Great Dao a Path Seeker cultivated.

One walked the Great Dao alone, but sometimes the roads crossed. They could even merge.

Those who stepped onto the same Great Dao were either Dao companions—or rivals contending for the Dao.

In the struggle for the Great Dao, there was only death.

It had only just begun. This was probably an accidental crossing. Zhu Jiusi slowly stopped, intending to wait for the ox cart to move aside.

If both sides kept their distance, their roads would naturally separate.

But the person in the cart had no such intention. Instead, at the sound of Zhu Jiusi's steps, someone struggled to raise half his body from the cart bed.

He had a buzz cut. Seeing a Wild Boar standing on the path, he jolted in fright. He looked as if he wanted to jump out and flee, but was too badly injured to move.

When the boar didn't move, he cautiously asked, "A-are you a Path Seeker?"

His accent was strange. Zhu Jiusi couldn't tell where it was from.

"Demon Cultivator... Path Seeker?" Seeing Zhu Jiusi remain still, and even seem to retreat, the man finally got confirmation.

"Wonderful... I've finally found someone! I won't die after all..."

"Buddy, a snake shot out when I opened a Gourd and bit my ox. I got hurt too. Do you have any medicine or food? I'll trade with you!"

As he spoke, he rummaged noisily through his things and laid them under the cart.

"If... possible... I'd also trade for some wood and metal... I need to repair... the cart..." His voice was faint.

Zhu Jiusi looked at the things scattered on the ground: stone, cotton, seasonings, water! His pig eyes instantly gleamed with greed.

As if he couldn't control himself, he walked forward while taking things out.

Metal, wood, and even a whole cabbage.

Trade, trade! I've got all of it!

By the time he reached the cart, he'd emptied everything out and set it beside the wheel. He was just about to collect the goods on the ground.

A dagger quietly emerged above him. The Mountain Boar, head lowered as he exchanged goods, didn't notice at all. A vicious glint flashed in the man's eyes as he suddenly stabbed down.

But at that moment, the Wild Boar suddenly rammed its head into the underside of the ox cart and heaved upward. The entire cart flipped over.

The man was flung to the ground.

His face filled with terror as he struggled to rise. The boar had already charged, knocking him away like a rag doll. He rolled across the ground several times, then lay completely still.

A bloody hole in his chest gushed with blood. The Wild Boar's tusks had been like a Demon-Subduing Pestle; that single impact had pierced his heart.

It had happened too fast. He hadn't even felt the pain yet, only stared in shock.

How... did the boar know he was going to ambush him?

Could a pig see above its head?

He shakily took out a bottle of pills, but before he could swallow them, his hand dropped. His body slumped to one side, and he fell silent forever.

The pills fell to the ground and rolled beneath Zhu Jiusi's hoof.

Basic Healing Pill × 2

"Heart of iron, killing like a demon. Tsk... Path Seeker, did you forget you were human just three days ago? You kill without hesitation—you're a demon!"

"Title: Demon. Ignore a sliver of damage when fighting human Path Seekers."

Zhu Jiusi: "..."

You call me a heartless killer, then give me a title like this. All talk, no conviction!

Journey Survival wasn't completely data-driven, but plenty of people had figured out a lot of its rules in the previous round.

Ignoring a sliver of damage meant around 1% to 3%. It might not seem like much, but sometimes that tiny amount was enough to save a life.

As soon as he got the title, Zhu Jiusi immediately replaced Blockhead, which he'd only just equipped.

Only then did he look at the corpse on the ground.

The Scroll belonging to the dead man was still giving off its last glimmer, displaying information about the corpse.

[Name: Zheng Ai]

[Dao Name: Don't Hit Me, I'm Timid]

[Identity: Robber]

When a Path Seeker killed another, the victim's basic information would appear. Usually, that only included their name, Dao name, and their traits and occupation from before they entered Journey Survival.

No wonder he'd been robbing people on the road just one day after the start. A repeat offender!

Too bad he was an idiot! The ox carts and horse-drawn carriages of Path Seekers weren't real animals. Monsters couldn't attack them.

Otherwise, why would vehicles protect Path Seekers once the beginner period was over?

He'd started with a lie. How could there not be something fishy going on?

Besides—if he really needed medicine and food, shouldn't he have traded on the Scroll? Why wait for someone on the road? Even a pig could see what he was up to.

Three years in Journey Survival—what hadn't Zhu Jiusi seen?

Yet it had only just begun, and someone had already abandoned their old morals and attacked another person.

He would've been perfectly suited to Journey Survival. Too bad he'd picked the wrong target.

The man's Scroll flickered, then vanished completely.

Zhu Jiusi walked over. The ox cart was empty; there was nothing inside. The corpse, however, had dropped several items.

When a Path Seeker died, at least a third of the items in their pack would drop at random.

Drinking Water × 2

Toast Bread × 7

Metal × 15

Wood × 25

Stone × 20

Path Seeking Card × 1 (Uses remaining: 1/3)

Sanitary Pads × 4

So poor!

But Journey Survival had only just begun. It was normal to have so little, and these drops might not include everything the man had.

But this Path Seeking Card... it was both a treasure and a useless trinket.

It could randomly make his road intersect with someone else's. But he couldn't choose who he'd meet.

Unless he was crazy or absolutely confident in his strength, who would dare to make their road intersect with someone else's?

The man had only dared to think of abandoning his morals and ambushing someone first because it was the beginning, and everyone still clung to their sense of morality and law.

Come to think of it, quite a few people had found special items in their Gourds.

Rain Seeker's Skateboard, the Crude Clairvoyant he'd traded for, and now this Path Seeking Card...

He'd opened plenty of Gourds too. How come he'd only gotten basic materials? He'd barely found any food or water!

Was this targeted at me? Zhu Jiusi strained to raise his head and managed to glance at the sky.

The Scroll flickered: "Dismantle the ox cart seized in the robbery?"

"Dismantle!" Zhu Jiusi answered without hesitation.