Scholars and Dog Butchers

Outside.

Five gray sparrows circled in midair, their pale, lifeless eyes fixed intently on Bai Ye. They attacked him from five different directions.

Seeing this, Bai Ye pulled a dagger from his pant leg, his gaze fierce. He paid no heed to the five gray sparrows above him, even though they had cut off all his avenues of retreat.

Once those beasts got close enough, he could activate Time Stop and slaughter them with ease.

What truly annoyed him was Old Wang. Since Old Wang refused to open the door, he had no way to get bullets. Naturally, he could not use [Breath of Bones] to enhance his Blood Qi. This meant wasting time for nothing, with no gain whatsoever.

"You won't open the door, huh? Once I'm done with these gray sparrows, I'll burn your tavern down and see whether you open it then!"

Chirp chirp...

The five gray sparrows let out piercing cries and dove at Bai Ye with murderous intent, moving as swiftly as five bolts of gray lightning.

Bai Ye gripped his dagger tightly, the vicious light in his eyes growing stronger. He waited, waiting for the gray sparrows to come a little closer.

Just then, a sudden change occurred!

A sharp whoosh exploded through the air. To Bai Ye's astonishment, the five gray sparrows seemed to have been struck by an invisible hammer of air.

Bang bang bang...

Flesh and blood splattered, while countless gray feathers fell like rain.

"This is... Li You!"

Bai Ye abruptly looked toward the corner of a house to his right, where Li You lowered his right hand and panted heavily.

"Bai Ye! Over here!"

Bai Ye quickly darted over to the corner where Li You was hiding.

Li You was in poor condition. He clutched his right hand tightly, his face twisted in pain and his forehead covered in beads of sweat. That fierce attack had aggravated his old injury.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine. It won't kill me," Li You said with a forced smile.

"By the way, you came for bullets, right?"

Bai Ye paused slightly and looked at the bulging snakeskin sack behind Li You. In an instant, he understood.

Li You struggled to untie the snakeskin sack, revealing the miscellaneous items inside.

Firearms, bullets, Cockroach Protein Bars, water...

"You stole these from the Tire Tavern?"

"Heh heh..." Li You grinned. "King Snake and I have a grudge, so naturally I could only hide out in your East District. When I saw the gray sparrows entering the town just now, I realized something was seriously wrong. So I went to the Tire Tavern ahead of time and used my Magic Hand to steal the supplies inside. With these supplies, it'll be enough for the two of us to escape Gray Soil Town."

Bai Ye's eyes flickered. "You could have run by yourself. Why bring me along?"

Li You looked slightly surprised. "Why does there have to be a reason? Didn't I say before that I respect the kind of person you are? You were willing to risk yourself to protect Gray Soil Town, and you agreed to work with me. Isn't it only natural for me to help you?"

"Besides, you have a Taboo Object. If we escape together, we can look after each other on the way."

Bai Ye smiled. "You've never gone to school, have you?"

Li You looked even more surprised. "No, I haven't. Why are you asking?"

"It's nothing. Old Wang has."

"Old Wang? He really has. I heard he even lived in Dawn City before. He's one of the few educated people in Gray Soil Town. But that old bastard really is shameless—he wouldn't even open the door... Hey, why am I still chatting with you? This isn't a place to linger. Let's get out of here!"

Bai Ye did not move. Instead, he loaded the bullets one by one.

"Let's go!"

Click!

The bullets were loaded.

Bai Ye raised his head and gave a defiant grin. "No rush."

Li You was shocked. "You're not planning to stay and save the people of Gray Soil Town, are you?"

"No."

"Then what are you going to do?" Li You watched the gray sparrows gathering in their direction, his expression growing increasingly anxious. He looked back at Bai Ye, only to see a blade-like smile curl across the young man's lips.

"Of course... kill every last one of them."

"You... are you kidding!?"

"I never joke."

"Then why did you call me Li Zuo last time and say that I'd have to cripple my right hand to become a Transcendent..."

"Shut up, Li Zuo!"

Under Bai Ye's lead, the two arrived at an alley near the Tire Tavern.

"You protect me. I'll shoot the gray sparrows."

Li You hesitated, but before he could speak, flocks of gray sparrows had already swooped down.

Bang bang bang...

Gunshots rang out in rapid succession. One gray sparrow after another fell into the alley, gray feathers scattering like dandelion fluff. For a time, it seemed as though gray rain was falling from the narrow strip of sky above the alley.

Some gray sparrows attacking from behind were firmly blocked by Li You's invisible giant hand. Faced with an invisible attack, even Mutated Beasts had no way to defend themselves.

Inside the Tire Tavern.

Old Wang crouched behind the liquor cabinet, covering his ears tightly as if he were terrified of the bird cries and gunfire outside.

He knew Bai Ye was fighting the gray sparrows. He also knew Bai Ye was doomed. One person could not defeat so many gray sparrows. It was only a matter of time before he died.

Old Wang covered his ears and muttered, "I did nothing wrong. I just want to live. A Wastelander who never even went to school—only those ignorant fools outside admire him. If I had a Taboo Object, I could kill hyenas too. I could become a hero too..."

The faster he spoke, the more a self-assured light gradually emerged in his eyes. "He wants bullets to deal with gray sparrows? Who does he think he is? Even the commander couldn't save Gray Soil Town. What kind of hero is he trying to be?

"He must be lying to me, trying to trick me into opening the door so he can hide in here. He's obviously scared to death... What was that sound!?"

Like a startled bird, Old Wang looked toward the tavern window and met a pair of pale, lifeless eyes. In that instant, the fright nearly stopped his heart.

Thud thud thud...

The gray sparrow repeatedly rammed the window, every impact seeming to strike Old Wang's chest. Cracks had already begun to spread across the fragile glass, and the clutter used to block the window fell to the floor.

"Don't... don't ram it! Go eat Bai Ye! He's outside..."

Fear left Old Wang too terrified to get up and reinforce the window. All he could do was pray without cease.

But if prayer worked, there would have long been no disasters, illnesses, or pain in this world.

Bang!

The fragile glass shattered with a crash. A gray sparrow as large as an eagle squeezed inside, its deathly eyes locked firmly onto Old Wang.

"Ah!!"

Old Wang screamed and fled in panic. The gray sparrow flapped its wings and pursued him.

The clutter in the tavern saved Old Wang's life. The tires hanging from the pillars and walls as decorations cramped the gray sparrow's flying space, hindering its movements.

Ironically, those tires were precisely what Old Wang hated most. His Old Times Tavern had been mockingly called the Tire Tavern by those Wastelanders because of them. More than once, he had sworn that once he had money, he would clear out every last tire.

Old Wang frantically ran a circle around the tavern, only to discover in horror that he himself had blocked every escape route. In his panic, he rushed to the front door and madly tore away the tables and chairs barricading it.

"There's still gunfire outside! That means Bai Ye isn't dead yet. He has a Taboo Object—he can save me!!"

Rip!

Sharp claws viciously tore across Old Wang's back, leaving three bone-deep gashes and searing pain.

"Ahhh!"

Still screaming, he used the tables and chairs blocking the door to strike the gray sparrow. Apart from losing a few feathers, the battered gray sparrow was unharmed, but the blows did manage to hold back its attack.

The splinters along the edges of the furniture cut his hands until they were dripping with blood, but fear had already numbed him to the pain.

Finally... as the last obstacle was cleared away, the door... opened.