Black Brother

"Phew..."

After killing Ghost, Lin Yun panted frantically as he searched through Ghost's waist pouch.

Inside were several packs of compressed rations, two rolls of spare bandages, and two medicine bottles tucked beneath them. One contained powdered hemostatic medicine, while the other held a dark brown healing potion.

As expected, an experienced killer like him would definitely carry healing supplies in his pack.

Lin Yun unscrewed the cap. Without even checking the dosage, he poured the hemostatic powder over the wounds on his abdomen and thigh.

"Argh!"

A pained howl escaped him.

Then Lin Yun tipped back his head and gulped down the entire bottle of healing potion.

A spicy warmth slid down his throat into his stomach, slowly spreading through his limbs and slightly suppressing the emptiness within him.

He wanted to keep searching for anything useful, but his body had already reached its limit.

First, a fine numbness spread through his fingertips. Then the agonizing pain in his abdomen and thigh surged up like a tide, as if countless steel needles were repeatedly piercing his flesh.

His vision blurred, his ears buzzed, and the outlines of the walls and floor began to spin.

Lin Yun braced himself against the wall and tried to head downstairs. But the moment he took a step, his vision went black, and he crashed heavily to the floor, completely losing consciousness.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Yun opened his eyes amid a dull ache.

A faint scent of disinfectant lingered beneath his nose. A rough canvas jacket covered him, and fresh bandages had been wrapped around his abdomen and thigh. The tight pressure had replaced the previous burning pain.

He flexed his fingers. Though his entire body was sore and weak, he could at least barely exert some strength.

Supporting himself against the wall, he sat up and looked around.

It was a small room, seemingly an office. Iron sheets had been nailed over the windows, and only a kerosene lamp on the desk cast a dim yellow glow.

A middle-aged man sat beside the desk.

His hair was a mess, his beard unkempt, and he wore a black tank top. He looked sloppy, yet weathered by life.

At that moment, he was examining a bloodstained crossbow bolt, lightly rubbing the arrowhead with his fingertips. His gaze was sharp.

Hearing the movement, the middle-aged man looked over, the corner of his mouth curving into a half-smile.

"Kid, you've got some real skill. You even managed to kill an old fox like Ghost."

He set the crossbow bolt down on the table. Its metal tip struck the wood with a soft clink.

Lin Yun coughed, his throat painfully dry.

"Did you save me?"

"You were lucky." The middle-aged man leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "I was nearby, so I picked you up while I was at it."

Gritting his teeth, Lin Yun braced himself on the edge of the bed and tried to stand. The movement pulled at his wounds, making his brow tighten sharply in pain.

"I can never repay the debt of saving my life. If you ever have need of me, just say the word."

He knew perfectly well that he had passed out in an abandoned building with no one around. Forget attracting mutated beasts—even some scavenging trainee martial artist could have taken his life.

This man had truly saved him.

The middle-aged man waved a hand and picked up the crossbow bolt, giving it a small shake. "I didn't save you for nothing. I'm keeping that folding crossbow. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

Lin Yun shook his head without hesitation.

"No problem."

The folding crossbow Ghost had used was a high-grade first-tier weapon, worth quite a bit on the market. It was enough to repay this favor.

They owed each other nothing now, which suited him just fine.

"Then you can leave." The middle-aged man jerked his chin toward the side. "Your things are over there. Check them yourself."

With that, he picked up the crossbow bolt again and lowered his head to inspect it. He did not look at Lin Yun again, as though he had no interest whatsoever in the rest of his belongings.

Leaning against the wall, Lin Yun walked over and unzipped the backpack on the floor.

Everything he had owned was neatly packed inside: the claws and fur of the Claw Rats, the back shell of the Ironclad Turtle, the spine plates and fangs of the Rockback Beast. The cuts were clean and precise, clearly the work of an expert.

Ghost's short blade was pressed at the bottom. The bloodstains were still on it. Beside it were a satellite phone and a stack of cash bundled inside a waterproof bag.

Other than the folding crossbow, nothing was missing.

Lin Yun understood immediately.

The man who had saved him really had only wanted the crossbow. Not only had he left everything else untouched, he had even brought it all back for him.

"I still don't know how to address you."

Lin Yun asked.

"Just call me Black Brother."

Black Brother did not even raise his head.

Lin Yun gave Black Brother's back a deep bow. Without saying anything more, he picked up his backpack and slowly walked out of the room.

Only then did he realize that he was probably in a temporary outpost in District 33. Such outposts were generally established by the City Defense Army or hunter organizations. They served both as shelters for human martial artists and as places for them to trade.

That office had been on the third floor. Black Brother was likely the boss of this outpost.

Holding the railing, Lin Yun slowly made his way down to the second floor.

This had probably once been a shopping mall. Shelves had been piled off to one side, while communal sleeping mats filled the open floor.

More than twenty martial artists gathered in small groups, paying little attention to the severely injured Lin Yun.

In the fallen zones, dozens or even hundreds of people died every day. They had seen plenty of heavily wounded people like Lin Yun.

Lin Yun found an empty spot for himself, placed his backpack on his lap, and began tallying his gains from this trip.

The Claw Rat and Ironclad Turtle materials he had personally hunted and carved up should fetch around seventy thousand.

The Rockback Beast materials, on the other hand, had likely been processed by Black Brother. They had been neatly cut, with the back armor, fangs, and beast tendons sorted into separate categories. They were worth at least a hundred thousand.

Among Ghost's belongings, the high-grade first-tier short blade was finely crafted and far sharper than ordinary weapons. Its market price was at least six hundred thousand.

The satellite phone was military-grade. It could receive a signal even in the fallen zones, and was worth around two hundred thousand.

Adding the more than fifty thousand in cash from Ghost's bag, his total earnings exceeded one million Dragon Nation credits.

After nearly dying on this trip, he had not come out at a loss.

He had no intention of selling the short blade or satellite phone.

The short blade fit his hand well. It would be useful for actual combat and for cutting up mutated beast materials in the future.

The satellite phone could communicate in the fallen zones, so it could come in handy at times as well.

He picked up the satellite phone and pressed the power button. Once the screen lit up, he immediately opened the call log.

There were only two outgoing calls, both registered in Azure City, made yesterday and the day before.

Lin Yun's fingers paused before he pressed the redial button.

The call was answered after three rings. A man's lowered voice came through, carrying a hint of impatience.

"Did you just get it done?"

The instant he heard that voice, Lin Yun's gaze turned cold.

It was Wang Dalong.

Lin Yun said nothing. After waiting several seconds without hearing a response, the other man's tone grew even darker.

"Talk. Are you mute? Do you know you made me wait three days?"

Lin Yun ended the call and slipped the satellite phone back into his pocket.

The chill in his eyes nearly overflowed.

So it really was Wang Dalong. He had likely hired a killer to chase him into the fallen zones in order to avenge Wang Erhu. Truly vicious.

Lin Yun sneered inwardly.

You want me to die here? Once I leave District 33, if I don't put you in the ground, then I went through the gates of hell for nothing!