Courage

Screech!

A piercing screech rang out as the SUV's rear end swung violently from inertia, spraying yellow dust in every direction like an explosion and plowing several scorched tire marks into the ground.

Bai Ye narrowed his eyes and looked at Tan Jie and his five underlings stepping out of the SUV.

They held machetes, their faces vicious and twisted. Their guns had run out of bullets, so they had simply discarded them in favor of machetes.

The rusty machetes glinted coldly under the sunlight. They were Tetanus Blades infused with magical damage. Even if they did not strike a vital spot, any wound on this medicine-less wasteland was practically a death sentence.

Watching Tan Jie and the others advance menacingly, Bai Ye knew this would not end peacefully today.

Li You had basically lost his ability to fight. Even if he stayed, he would only be dead weight, so Bai Ye had not intended to let him act.

"Li Zuo, they're here for me. You leave first... Hm!?"

"Bai Ye, I'll definitely avenge you!" Li You's voice drifted over from afar. Sprinting at top speed, he left a trail of dust across the yellow earth—he vanished in a cloud of dust.

Bai Ye: "..."

Bai Ye did not blame Li You for running away. The other man had already risked himself to help earlier, which was more than enough. Now that he saw the situation was hopeless, fleeing early was only natural.

Besides, when they had teamed up, Li You had said that he would help, but if they encountered an insurmountable danger, he would not sacrifice himself to save Bai Ye. His mother was still waiting for him.

But... wasn't he running a little too fast?

Just as Bai Ye thought that, Li You unexpectedly came running back in a cloud of dust.

"Why did you come back?" Bai Ye asked in surprise.

Li You panted heavily, but his eyes had become exceptionally resolute. "I may be afraid of death, but I'm even more afraid of spending the rest of my life drowning in regret and guilt for abandoning a friend and running away alone."

Bai Ye looked deeply at Li You.

Li You's face was pale, and he trembled like a leaf, yet he stood firmly beside Bai Ye, as though he had just gone through an intense internal struggle.

A friend?

Bai Ye smiled and patted Li You's shaking shoulder.

"Don't worry. With me here, we won't die."

Li You had first run away in fear, then turned back, wavering repeatedly between courage and fear.

But precisely because of that, wasn't this courage all the more precious?

The fearless bravery of the strong was certainly astonishing, but the weak turning back could be just as moving.

When instinct screamed in one's ear to retreat, yet courage insisted on carving out a path through that desperate cry.

That was the meaning of coura... Hm!?

Rumble...

The roar of an SUV interrupted Bai Ye's thoughts. He looked toward the sound and saw an SUV approaching from the direction Li You had just fled.

Screech!

The SUV came to an abrupt halt. King Snake stepped out with his underlings, a cold sneer on his face.

He shot Li You a mocking glance. "Li You, why don't you keep running? Heh... I knew you'd split up and run, so I blocked your escape route in advance. Otherwise, you brat might've actually gotten away!"

Li You wore a polite yet awkward smile.

Bai Ye: "..."

"Bai Ye, listen to my expla... explanation, actually..."

"Stop right there. Any more, and it'll get impolite."

Bai Ye wanted to hit someone. Damn it, Li You had almost fooled him. The brat's words had sounded so damn good.

I may be afraid of death, but I'm even more afraid of spending the rest of my life drowning in regret and guilt for abandoning a friend and running away alone.

Fuck! He had clearly been driven back by King Snake, yet he had put on an act like he was willing to lay down his life for a friend.

"Deputy Commander Bai... Pah! Bai Ye, hand over the Taboo Object, and I can spare your life!" Tan Jie shouted, raising his machete.

"Bai Ye, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being such a fool. You had the chance to join the Silent Court, yet you refused it. If you had really joined, we definitely wouldn't have dared trouble you. Too bad you cut off your own path to survival." King Snake sneered.

Tan Jie stood before them, King Snake behind them. Their escape routes had been completely sealed off.

"Looks like you're quite wary of the Silent Court?" Bai Ye's expression remained unchanged. He even had the leisure to pry out more information.

King Snake had not planned to say much, but Tan Jie, convinced that victory was already in his grasp, began showing off unhurriedly. Most people found it hard to resist the pleasure of mocking an enemy when victory was certain.

"A lowlife who got lucky and was chosen by a Taboo Object—it's normal for you not to know about the Silent Court. Otherwise, you wouldn't have refused to join.

"The Silent Court is an extremist Transcendent organization. Anyone who has had contact with the Transcendent world knows of it. They call themselves just, but in truth they abuse vigilante justice, slaughtering people across the wasteland in the name of righteousness. Anyone they brand a criminal never lives to see the next day.

"Heh... they're just a bunch of lunatics. What age is this, and they're still pursuing justice? By their standards, everyone in the entire wasteland deserves to die! Crows are black all over!"

Bai Ye finally understood. No wonder Tan Jie and the others feared the Silent Court so much. If that young woman had known about what they did in Gray Soil Town every day, they would likely have been judged long ago.

Silent Court... court... so it meant judging evil. But why call it silent?

"Enough nonsense. Hurry up and do it. We can't let Li You, a Transcendent, recover." The more cautious King Snake could no longer hold back. He did not want any unexpected complications.

However, he did not act personally. Instead, he had his subordinates attack first to test the waters. Tan Jie made the same choice.

At the two leaders' signal, more than a dozen underlings wielding rusty machetes formed a pincer attack from the front and back, closing in on Bai Ye and Li You step by step.

They could not be completely sure whether Bai Ye's gun still had bullets, nor did they know whether Li You could still use his Transcendent ability, so they moved with exceptional caution at every step.

"Ha..." A long sigh shattered the tense atmosphere.

"Actually..." Bai Ye slowly began, drawing everyone's attention.

"We got along fairly well before. There's no need to make this a fight to the death. I really don't want to waste time killing you all, so how about this? Kneel down and beg me, and we'll call this matter settled. What do you say?"

Tan Jie and the others nearly burst out laughing when they heard that.

"Do you even hear yourself? We should beg you? Bai Ye, I thought you were just pretending to be crazy and stupid before. Turns out you're actually insane. First figure out who's in control here," Tan Jie scoffed.

The underlings joined in the laughter, as though mocking Bai Ye for overestimating himself.

Bai Ye ignored their ridicule and said in an exceptionally earnest tone, "Seriously, just kneel down and beg me. The thing I hate most in life is wasting time."