Did I Let You Leave?

Though the soldiers still had lingering concerns, seeing Ying's composed expression, they could not help but be infected by his confidence that everything was under control.

Before long, the bullets were delivered to Bai Ye. He did not stand on ceremony, openly loading them into the gun before firing directly.

Bang!

The thunderous gunshot startled both the wastelanders and the soldiers. Only Ying and the officer remained calm.

Thud!

The informant wastelander standing beside Ying fell at once. A gaping bloody hole had appeared in his chest, his eyes wide open in death.

The wastelanders were all shocked by Bai Ye's audacity. He actually dared to kill someone right in front of the officer!?

Ying casually glanced at the corpse on the ground, a faint smile curling at his lips. "A Snake-class taboo item. Its power is decent enough. If you survive the trip to Black Mountain, I can give you a chance to follow me."

With that, he turned and left, utterly unconcerned with Bai Ye's answer. Perhaps, in his eyes, no wastelander would refuse to follow him. It was an immense honor.

The officer sneered. "Kid, you got lucky."

He turned to leave as well, with no intention of taking the taboo item. It was not that he thought little of it; he had already learned its containment method from the informant. He would never stoop to such a barbaric, crude method of containment.

Besides, [Breath of Bones] carried severe side effects when used. Its only value was being sold for money. But since Ying had taken an interest in this wasteland boy, the officer naturally abandoned the thought.

"Did I say you two could leave?"

The boy's wild, arrogant voice rang out, stunning everyone present!

Ying and the officer frowned at the same time and stopped in their tracks.

Bai Ye held [Breath of Bones], casually pointing it at the two of them. Neither dust nor grime could conceal the defiance in his eyes.

"Brother Ye, my actual brother, calm down," Li You muttered anxiously from the side.

"They didn't take your taboo item, did they? Why push it?"

A savage grin spread across Bai Ye's lips. "They didn't rob me, but I want to rob them."

Li You stared dumbfoundedly at the boy before him. That utterly unrestrained, reckless style truly shook him.

He did not understand it, but he was deeply shocked.

In his mind, they could clearly have gone their separate ways in peace. The others had already let them off, so why go looking for trouble?

That might have been how ordinary people saw it, but Bai Ye did not see it that way. What he saw was not peaceful coexistence. He saw two self-important big shots throwing a meat-covered bone onto the ground and telling him to lick it—while expecting him to do so with gratitude!

You put on a show in front of me and think you can just walk away?

He had only wanted to follow the group safely to Black Mountain, but who would have thought two pieces of trash would suddenly jump out and show off right in his face?

They had pissed him off so badly he almost laughed. Seriously, who gave them the courage?

"Kid, I thought you were a smart man. I never expected you to choose to become a dead man," Ying said coldly. The last trace of appreciation in his eyes had long vanished, replaced only by lofty indifference.

"Ying, there is no need to anger yourself over someone like him. He is merely a wastelander whose mind has been clouded by a taboo item. Leave him to me."

"Mm." Ying gave a quiet response. Given his status, personally acting against a wastelander would indeed be beneath him.

The officer slowly stepped forward, casually rolling his head as metallic gears ground together in his neck.

He sneered. "Kid, I have seen plenty of stupid people, but this is the first time I have seen someone as stupid as you. You do not really think a lousy gun makes you invincible, do you?

"A taboo item's power is indeed considerable, but you still have to hit someone with it. At your firing speed, even if I stood here and let you shoot me, you would not be able to hurt me in the slightest."

"Stop wasting words with him. Deal with him quickly and prepare to set off... What!?"

Ying's cold voice suddenly rose. His body stiffened in an instant as every instinct within him screamed warnings of danger. His hair stood on end, and a bone-chilling sensation climbed from his tailbone straight to the top of his skull.

And the source of it all was... the barrel pressed against the back of his head, and the boy holding it.

"There should be a limit to how much you talk to yourselves, shouldn't there? Don't you think so, Ying...?" Bai Ye's arrogant voice sounded beside Ying's ear.

"That's impossible!? When did you..." Ying's tawny eagle eyes shrank to pinpoints, his face filled with disbelief.

He could not understand why Bai Ye, who had just been in front of him, had appeared behind him in an instant. His eagle eyes possessed incredibly sharp dynamic vision; even one of the Ten Kings could not move faster than his eyes could follow. Could it be the legendary teleportation?

"Release Ying now!" The officer was shocked and enraged. Instinctively, he tried to activate his mechanical limbs, but the moment he exerted force, he discovered in horror that his mechanical arm and both mechanical legs had all been disconnected.

Most terrifying of all, his torso was slowly sliding downward. Downward... Bang!

The officer crashed to the ground, leaving only his torso and head intact as his mechanical limbs clattered across the floor.

"What is going on!? What did you do to me!?" The officer's face was nearly twisted by terror. Dust from the ground dirtied the refined skin of the city dweller. He had never seen anything so bizarre—before he could even make a move, someone had dismantled all four of his mechanical limbs!?

"How exactly did you do it?" After his brief panic, Ying had already regained his composure. He did not act rashly, instead secretly searching for an opportunity.

He was indeed genetically enhanced, but his frontal combat ability was not particularly strong. At most, he could dodge bullets. The reason he had become one of the Zodiac was mainly because of his eagle eyes and peerless sniping skills. Give him distance and a sniper rifle, and even one of the Ten Kings could be killed.

But with [Breath of Bones] aimed at his head, no matter how capable he was, he could not put his abilities to use.

"Tell them to put down their guns," Bai Ye said calmly, his figure concealed behind Ying.

"Put down your guns, all of you!" Ying shouted in a low voice. The soldiers around them, who had been tensely aiming their weapons, exchanged glances before finally placing their guns on the ground.

"Li Zuo, get out here and do some work." Bai Ye called toward the crowd. Li You, still staring in stunned disbelief, stepped out. His shocked eyes had never left Bai Ye.

He passed through the crowd and came to Bai Ye's side under everyone's watchful gaze. Dumbly, he asked, "Brother Ye, what do you need me for?"

Seeing that foolish look on his face made Bai Ye furious. He kicked him and barked, "Go collect the guns!"

"Okay, okay, okay..." Li You hurriedly began picking up the guns on the ground. After gathering them for a while, he finally recovered from his shock and turned to give Bai Ye a thumbs-up.

"Brother Ye, you're fucking awesome!"