It Wasn't Me Who Was Wrong, but This Era!

"G-Greetings, sir. My name is Wang..."

"No one cares what your name is. What information do you have about a forbidden artifact? If you dare spout nonsense, I'll put a bullet through your head." The officer looked disgusted as he pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and covered his nose and mouth, as if trying to block out the air polluted by this wastelander.

The wastelander dropped to his knees with a thud. "I wouldn't dare, sir, I wouldn't dare! Every word I said is the truth."

"Speak!"

"Yes, yes! In Gray Soil Town, where I used to live, there was a forbidden artifact called [Breath of Bones]. Bai Ye obtained it. I just saw Bai Ye in the crowd!"

"What?" Delight flashed in the officer's eyes. "You mean someone in the refugee camp is carrying a forbidden artifact?

Wait... that's not right. Everyone was searched earlier. No one was carrying weapons."

The wastelander hurriedly said, "Sir, I'm telling the truth. Bai Ye really made the forbidden artifact recognize him as its master. Even if he isn't carrying it now, he must have hidden it somewhere."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Ying's gaze fell on him, his yellow-brown hawk eyes flashing with a chilling glint.

"I... I didn't mean to hide it. Bai Ye was one of the two who joined the refugee camp yesterday. He was filthy, and it was so dark yesterday that I didn't recognize him. But when he started beating someone just now, he suddenly looked familiar...

He's the deputy commander of our East District. I even worked with him for a few days before. When he was injured, I helped him to meals. He promised to give me a piece of meat, but in the end he never did...

Sir, since I gave you information about a forbidden artifact, can you give me a piece of meat?"

The wastelander had clearly been scared senseless by Ying's gaze. He was already babbling, pouring out everything he knew in one breath.

"Brother Ye, was I wrong?" Li You asked dejectedly. "I just thought he was pitiful..."

Bai Ye curled his lip. "What? Did a dog puke out your conscience?"

"I..." Li You was so angry he nearly choked. He flared up at first, but quickly deflated again.

"Maybe I really was wrong."

"No, you weren't wrong. This era is what's wrong."

Li You's heart shook violently. He suddenly looked up at Bai Ye with a touch of emotion, never expecting him to be so good at comforting people.

"You're right, Brother Ye. This era is what's wrong. If this were the age of civilization, something like this wouldn't have happened. If..."

Bai Ye raised a brow in surprise. "What nonsense are you talking about? What I mean is, if you want to live well, the first rule is never admit you were wrong. How could I possibly be wrong? That's mental self-consumption. Not advisable.

Remember this: blame others whenever you can. If you can't blame anyone else, blame the era for being bad."

Li You: "..."

He had come to realize that in the few short days he had known Bai Ye, countless twisted principles had taken turns bombarding his fragile heart.

The sixteen-character mantra, the eight-character mantra, humble tombstone... and now there was another one: It wasn't my fault. It was all the era's fault.

He didn't consider himself a good person, but compared to Bai Ye, he suddenly felt that he was actually pretty decent...

"Brother Ye, I really envy your state of mind. By the way, do you have any of those poisonous mushrooms left?"

"I'll poison your..."

"Hey, hey, my bad, my bad! Don't hit me... Don't hit my right hand..." Li You hurriedly dodged, protecting his right hand. He would rather injure his manhood than let anything happen to that hand.

But Bai Ye's character was obvious to all. Kicking a cripple's good leg was his usual style.

The two messed around for a while. Then, suddenly, a disturbance broke out among the troops in the distance. The officer and Ying stepped out of the vehicle, with a timid wastelander standing beside them.

The moment Bai Ye saw that wastelander, he sighed. "Sigh."

"What is it, Brother Ye?" Li You asked curiously.

"Get ready to fight."

"Huh!? Fighting again?"

Bai Ye did not answer. He slowly rose to his feet and walked toward the officer and Ying.

His actions instantly drew everyone's attention. Even the wastelanders who were eating stopped what they were doing and watched them nervously.

No one knew what was about to happen. They only saw the lofty officer walking toward the refugee camp, while a young man stepped out from within it at the same time.

"Sir! That's him! He's Bai Ye!" The wastelander beside the officer pointed excitedly at Bai Ye, desperately trying to prove that he had not lied.

Watching Bai Ye approach, the officer's lips curved into an intrigued smile.

"This wastelander is rather interesting."

Ying stared coldly at Bai Ye, his yellow-brown hawk eyes seeming able to see through the human heart.

"You have a forbidden artifact?" he asked flatly.

Bai Ye did not deny it. "I do."

With that, he directly pulled [Breath of Bones] from his person.

That action instantly put the soldiers on edge. Click, click...

The sound of countless bullets being chambered rang out as more than a dozen soldiers raised their guns and aimed them at Bai Ye.

The officer frowned slightly and barked, "What are you doing? With Ying here, do you think a single forbidden artifact can cause any trouble? Lower your guns.

Isn't that right, Ying?"

Ying nodded calmly. There was no arrogance on his face, but absolute confidence radiated from his bones. In his eyes, even if this wasteland boy held a forbidden artifact, he could not pose the slightest threat to him.

"With six bullets, you won Fate Roulette and contained [Breath of Bones]. Though you're merely a wastelander, you do have some courage."

The condescending tone unique to those in power was displayed to the fullest in him. It was not an act, but something innate to his very bones, born of habit.

"Hurry and thank Ying. Receiving praise from Ying is an immense honor for you." The officer was still sucking up.

Bai Ye did not respond. Instead, he was considering how to kill the hundred-plus soldiers present in the shortest possible time.

"Kid, I'm talking to you. You..."

"Ah, it's normal for wastelanders not to understand etiquette." Ying lightly raised a hand, stopping the angered officer.

His yellow-brown hawk eyes looked at [Breath of Bones] in Bai Ye's hand as he asked unhurriedly, "How powerful is it?"

"No bullets." Bai Ye raised a brow and casually waved the revolver in his hand.

"Give him bullets."

Ying's words shocked the soldiers. Give a wastelander bullets? Wasn't he afraid...