I Didn't Lose Unfairly

"I understand." Li You's expression calmed as he stared steadily at Bai Ye and said seriously, "Go ahead and do what you need to do. I, Li You, may not be a good person, but I respect the kind of person you are, and I'm willing to follow your wishes.

After you deal with the hyena pack, we can work together against King Snake and the others.

It's just... I can't guarantee you'll still be alive by then. If you run into danger, all I can say is that I'll help where I can, but I won't risk my life to save you. My mother is still waiting for me to return. I can't put myself in mortal danger."

"That's fine. My mind is made up." Bai Ye stood with his hands behind his back. Cold moonlight fell upon him, seeming to trace him in silver.

Li You was moved. "Fate Roulette... I didn't lose unfairly. Take care!"

"No need to see you off."

A rustling sound arose, and Li You slipped into the woods without looking back, soon vanishing from sight.

Beneath the bright moon, Bai Ye stroked his chin thoughtfully. Was it really okay for me to deceive a disabled man like this?

Well, it didn't exactly count as deception. A gentleman was judged by his deeds, not his intentions.

The reason he had rejected Li You's plan was not for Gray Soil Town's sake. He wanted to kill more hyenas under King Snake and Tan Jie's protection and increase his own strength.

He could certainly have followed Li You's plan and worked from both inside and outside to kill King Snake and Tan Jie. But what then?

Who would protect him while he hunted hyenas afterward? Could a half-baked fighter like Li You protect him? By then, he would probably have to waste time using Time Stop just to kill all the hyenas.

Rather than that, he might as well continue making use of King Snake, Tan Jie, and their underlings.

In the previous battle, they had led everyone to protect him in the center, allowing him to shoot with ease. How considerate.

Still, Li You's appearance had been an unexpected delight. When the truth was finally revealed, facing King Snake and the others alone with only Breath of Bones would not be enough. He would definitely need to use Time Stop. With Li You around, he might be able to save a little time.

At that thought, Bai Ye could not help smiling. "I really am a master of time management!"

The next day.

By the time Bai Ye woke up, it was already noon. Today should have been the day they went out to hunt hyenas, but Old Tan insisted on delaying it by a day, claiming he was worried about Bai Ye's health. Gray Soil Town had no entertainment to speak of, so Bai Ye could only sleep.

After lunch, bored out of his mind, he yawned as he walked down Gray Soil Town's streets. Calling them streets was generous—they were really just dirt paths that had become roads because enough people walked over them.

Low, shabby houses lined both sides, and quite a few people slept directly beside the road.

It was summer, and people chose to sleep outside to keep cool.

"Vice Commander Bai." Passersby with dusty faces greeted Bai Ye with respectful expressions.

Gray Soil Town was not large, and word of Bai Ye's deeds yesterday had long since spread. He had earned at least a little respect.

He strutted along with an arrogant gait, enjoying everyone's attention.

The young man's unrestrained defiance stood out against the numb people around him, as vivid as a splash of color in a black-and-white photograph.

Though he was bored, the extra minute added to his time still put him in a rather good mood.

Four minutes and forty seconds! Li You had wasted ten seconds yesterday.

Suddenly!

Several panicked cries came from the distance.

"Bad news! The hyena pack is attacking the town!"

"The mutated beasts are attacking!"

Bai Ye focused his gaze and saw several ragged residents running toward him in panic from the direction of the town gate.

He grabbed one of them, his eyes filled with delight. "What happened?"

The man was still shaken, glancing behind him from time to time, his face pale. "Mutated beasts... the mutated beasts have gone mad. They're attacking the town!"

The delight in Bai Ye's eyes intensified. Attacking the town?

He had been worrying about not being able to fight mutated beasts today, yet they had come to attack the town themselves. This was even more convenient. He would not even need to leave the town to lure them out; he could simply shoot down at them from the walls.

Yet amid his excitement, he also felt a slight doubt. Why would the mutated beasts suddenly attack the town?

At that moment, Tan Jie, the leader of the eastern district, heard the commotion and rushed out with his men.

"Men! Come with me to the town gate!" Tan Jie shouted to his underlings. When his gaze landed on Bai Ye, he hurriedly said, "Vice Commander Bai, let's get over there."

Bai Ye took out Breath of Bones and followed impatiently.

Once they climbed onto the wall, they indeed saw nearly a hundred hyenas in the distance, led by the Hyena King as they charged swiftly toward Gray Soil Town.

"What exactly is going on? Why have the hyenas suddenly gone mad?" Tan Jie asked uneasily.

What he feared most was the hyenas disregarding everything and launching a direct assault on Gray Soil Town. The town gate looked sturdy, but it could not actually withstand the all-out attack of nearly a hundred hyenas. As long as they disregarded casualties, they would eventually break through.

The reason they had not launched a direct assault before was largely because the hyenas feared Gray Soil Town's numbers. There were eight times as many people as hyenas.

Mutated hyenas were not stupid, but they were ultimately not as intelligent as humans. They believed humans were like beasts, that when faced with a life-or-death crisis, they would fight back desperately. Little did they know that most people would only stand still and wait to die.

"I don't know either! They suddenly started showing up one after another!" a guard on the wall said nervously.

"Don't panic. Their attack may not be a bad thing." King Snake's cold voice came from afar. Surrounded by a group of people, he made his way up the wall.

"With the wall protecting us, we can shoot down at them from above. As long as Vice Commander Bai's body can endure it, even if the gate is breached, they'll suffer devastating losses."

"I'm just afraid he won't be able to hold on!" Tan Jie looked at Bai Ye with deep concern. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought the two were incredibly close.

"Hmph." Bai Ye snorted, his arrogant gaze sweeping over them coldly. "If you don't know how to talk, keep your mouth shut. Even if you die, I won't!"

Because his time had increased by another minute, he could not even be bothered to call him Old Tan now.

Tan Jie's expression darkened. He did not know whether it was an illusion, but he felt that as the days passed, Bai Ye showed him less and less respect. However, he knew now was not the time to make trouble for Bai Ye. After all, without Bai Ye, who would deal with the Hyena King?

Burning with anger, he could only vent it on his underlings. "What are you all standing around for? Those beasts have come right to our doorstep, and you still need me to tell you what to do? Raise your guns! When they get closer, shoot the hell out of them!"

Everyone hurriedly found their positions, set up their guns, and waited for the hyenas to approach.

Excited flames flickered in Bai Ye's eyes. He found a spot at the very center, raised Breath of Bones, and waited for the hyenas to come to him.

Closer! Closer!

He could already make out the Hyena King's true appearance with his naked eye. Last time, it had been too far away, and the sky had been filled with yellow sand, so he had only vaguely seen a black shadow more than two meters tall.

The Hyena King's entire body was covered in dark purple skin, so thin it was nearly translucent. Dense scarlet blood vessels twisted and writhed constantly as it ran. A fist-sized dark purple lump of flesh also grew from the top of its head, making it look savage and terrifying.

Bai Ye did not fire rashly. An ordinary handgun only had an effective range of fifty meters. Although Breath of Bones had a longer range of two hundred meters, he had no accuracy to speak of. With his current shooting skill, not to mention fifty meters, even beyond twenty meters he would become a master of outlining human-shaped targets.

So he would wait for his subordinates to fire first. Once the hyenas were wounded and their charge slowed, he would follow up with finishing shots.