Li Xiao's shadow silently rose to its feet and sneered. "You?"
The atmosphere suddenly grew tense, and quite a few people looked eager to watch the show.
Gao Bancheng broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly stepped forward.
"Wait! Mr. Nether Tiger, my father..."
Clang!!
Before he could finish, a crisp sword chime cut him off.
Gao Bancheng turned around in astonishment and saw Xiao Yi's treasured sword streak over his head toward Nether Tiger.
This action was immediately taken by Nether Tiger and the others as a declaration of war. Two hundred genetic warriors simultaneously drew their submachine guns and aimed them at Gao Bancheng's group.
"Hey! Come back!" Xiao Yi dashed forward and grabbed Wait. He gave the crowd an awkward smile. "Would you believe me if I said this was a misunderstanding?"
The only response he received was two hundred pitch-black gun muzzles.
Gao Bancheng panicked. What kind of teammates did I find? Mr. Li is still the most reliable—he never says a single unnecessary word. Huh?! Where are Mr. Li and Brother Little White???
Just as battle was about to break out, Gao Bancheng shouted, "My father is Gao Shanhe!!!"
A force known as Dad Way exploded outward, plunging the entire scene into silence!
A strange glint flashed through Nether Tiger's eyes. He raised a hand, stopping his subordinates from opening fire.
"And you are?"
Gao Bancheng panted heavily. "I am Gao Bancheng, son of the president of the Fortune Commerce Association."
As he spoke, he fumbled to pull out the Mountain-River Token.
"Mr. Nether Tiger, this is only a minor misunderstanding. My friends have no intention of becoming enemies with Apocalypse Corporation. Please, give me some face."
Nether Tiger glanced at the Mountain-River Token, and his expression softened. "So you are President Gao's son. The company has worked closely with your association. Naturally, we must give Young Master Gao this courtesy. Put the guns away."
Afterward, he sat back down on the boulder and said nothing more, as though waiting for something.
But Li Xiao was dissatisfied and wanted to continue provoking him, frightening Gao Bancheng into hurriedly stopping him. He lowered his voice and said, "Li Xiao, don't forget why you came to Black Mountain!"
"Hmph! Before I kill the Ten Kings, I don't mind teaching a few insignificant pests a lesson!"
Gao Bancheng wanted nothing more than to slap Li Xiao. If the Zodiac were insignificant pests, then there would be no strong people left in the world.
His small eyes darted around as an idea came to him. "Then Nether Tiger isn't even one of the Ten Kings. If you attacked him, wouldn't that lower your status for nothing?"
At those words, Li Xiao's expression eased slightly, though he still said coldly, "You do have a point. Fine, I'll spare him today."
Whew.
Gao Bancheng let out a breath of relief and quickly urged the people behind him, "Let's go. We're heading north."
No fewer than three hundred people had gathered in the north, outnumbering Apocalypse Corporation. However, they lacked discipline and were scattered among countless small groups.
These people wore all manner of clothing and carried a wide variety of weapons. There were bounty hunters, Transcendent organizations, and members of various major factions.
Apocalypse Corporation held the home-field advantage and far surpassed everyone else in both numbers and equipment. Thus, these people from various factions and organizations had temporarily united to prevent Apocalypse Corporation from monopolizing Shelter 189.
Bai Ye mingled among the crowd, silently observing them.
The smaller groups consisted of just a few people gathered in circles, while the larger ones had dozens. There were even people who had come alone.
For example... the Knight Girl of the Silent Court!
Seeing her for the second time did not surprise Bai Ye. She had clearly come for Shelter 189, though whether due to her organization's ideals or her own wishes, the Knight Girl had gone to save the wasteland settlements around Black Mountain.
The Knight Girl leaned against the mountainside, seemingly guarding against an attack from behind. Her ink-black hair swayed in the wind, while she held that slender silver cross sword in her arms.
She wore the same outfit as before, with only black and silver on her entire body.
There was no one within two meters of her. The people nearby seemed to know she was not someone to be trifled with, and no one approached.
At that moment, the Knight Girl seemed to sense something. Her light brown eyes turned toward Bai Ye. Her gaze was calm and undisturbed, and she merely gave Bai Ye a slight nod before looking away.
Having received her attention, Bai Ye did not narcissistically assume that the girl had noticed him because he was too handsome. He had not washed his face in three days, and after enduring wind and sun along the way, his face was barely cleaner than the soles of his shoes.
He knew perfectly well that the girl had noticed him because of what he had done in Gray Soil Town.
Bai Ye also looked away and examined the others. At that moment, bushes in the distance suddenly rustled. A man stepped out, smiled as he swept his gaze over the crowd, then entered the northern gathering and found himself a place to sit. He had clearly just arrived.
This man, who had come alone, drew quite a bit of attention. There was no other reason—he was simply too conspicuous.
He wore a tattered suit and clown makeup. His seductive red lips stretched almost to the roots of his ears.
Although many people present wore strange outfits, masks, beast-like pupils, or even had faces made entirely of mechanical components, there was only one clown.
After this Clown sat down on the ground, his behavior became even stranger. Though no one was beside him, he laughed happily. His mouth never stopped moving as he talked to the air beside him, occasionally making a few ridiculous faces.
He did not seem to have come to Black Mountain in search of a shelter. He seemed to have come here to entertain people.
People watched him as though he were insane, and many laughed at him. Yet he seemed unable to hear them, chatting merrily with the air.
"Tall Fatty, who is that?" Bai Ye asked curiously. According to the Transcendent madness principle he had developed himself, this Clown had to be very strong. The crazier one was, the stronger one was; the more abnormal one was, the stronger one was.
Gao Bancheng's large face darkened. He glanced at Li You and decided to swallow his anger. Following the direction Bai Ye pointed, his expression immediately changed.
"Ghost Clown? That lunatic came too?"
"You know him?"
Gao Bancheng nodded. "This is also my first time seeing him, but his traits are too obvious. There's no way I could mistake him."
"He's also a Transcendent?"
"Probably not."
"Probably?" Bai Ye was immediately surprised.
"Ghost Clown is very powerful, but he has never displayed any Transcendent abilities. He has also never undergone genetic modification or mechanical augmentation."
"Blood Qi Martial Arts?"
"That's right. He made quite a name for himself through Blood Qi Martial Arts alone. Even Genetic Modifiers who have injected five doses of serum are no match for him."
Bai Ye immediately gave Ghost Clown another look. He had not expected this seemingly frail man to have cultivated Blood Qi Martial Arts to such a degree, using an ordinary mortal body to stand shoulder to shoulder with Genetic Technology.
"Then why did you say he's probably not a Transcendent?"
"Because he has an invisible girlfriend. Didn't you see him talking to the air the whole time? He's actually talking to his girlfriend."
Before you continue