"Deputy Commander Bai, the Mutated Beasts haven't been dealt with yet, and food is really scarce. How about you save a little for now? Have a Cockroach Protein Bar to tide you over first?"
Tan Jie pulled out a pitch-black rectangular protein bar.
Several cockroach antennae could vaguely be seen on it.
This was the daily food of wasteland residents: Cockroach Protein Bars!
It even had simple packaging, printed with a crude slogan:
Cockroach Protein Bars taste truly great! Meet all your nutritional needs for the day! —Cockroach Protein Workshop
Bai Ye took one look at the Cockroach Protein Bar and immediately flew into a rage. This thing had appeared plenty of times in his predecessor's memories. It was practically a staple food. Though it looked disgusting, at least it tasted awful.
That flavor... was like someone with sweaty feet wearing short stockings inside fur-lined snow boots, running five kilometers through the snow, then stuffing the stockings into the boots, sealing them up until spring, and finally rubbing those stockings across your tongue.
"Before I became deputy commander, I ate Cockroach Protein Bars every day. Now that I'm deputy commander, I'm still eating this? Then what was the point of becoming deputy commander?
Take it away! Even dogs wouldn't eat this!"
With a sweep of his hand, he sent the Cockroach Protein Bar flying off the table. It landed among the crowd, triggering a frantic scramble.
Tan Jie's expression turned a little unpleasant as he forced a smile. "But weren't you eating it all along?"
As if he had not seen it, Bai Ye draped an arm around Tan Jie's shoulders and said earnestly, "Old Tan, do you know the first thing a person should do after becoming successful?"
"What?"
"Forget where they came from, of course! If you still remember your roots after succeeding, then what kind of success is that?"
Tan Jie: "..."
"Old Tan, don't worry. With me here, a few Mutated Beasts can be wiped out with a flick of my finger. By then, won't there be all the meat we could want? So stop being stingy at a time like this and bring it all out so I can build myself back up.
After all, you wouldn't want me to be short on Blood Qi and unable to deal with the Mutated Beasts, would you?"
Bai Ye had swallowed plenty of empty promises in his previous life. After eating so many pies, his skill at drawing them naturally improved by leaps and bounds.
"Yes, yes, Deputy Commander Bai is right. Someone, hurry up and bring the meat!" Tan Jie smiled apologetically, but in his heart, he had already decided to forget where he came from. Once Bai Ye dealt with the Mutated Beasts, he would kill him!
It was not only to reclaim his authority, but even more for the Taboo Object. That thing was extremely valuable. Though he could not use it himself, he could sell it for money.
Of course, it would be even better if Bai Ye exhausted too much Blood Qi while shooting the Mutated Beasts and died on his own. That would save Tan Jie from bearing the blame.
After stuffing himself with food and drink, Bai Ye, thoroughly satisfied, went to sleep in the house Tan Jie had arranged for him. He definitely was not going back to his old doghouse. Forgetting where he came from and all that...
After he left, Tire Tavern fell completely silent.
Tan Jie's face was grim, and killing intent flashed through his eyes from time to time. His underlings sensed their boss's fury, and none of them dared speak.
At that moment, one of his confidants quietly stepped forward and whispered, "Boss, I think that kid Bai Ye is relying on his Taboo Object and showing you a bit too much disrespect."
Bang!
Tan Jie slammed his palm onto the table and roared, "A bit too much disrespect? He clearly doesn't take me, Tan Jie the Boar, seriously at all!"
As his rage erupted, every hair on his body stood on end, turning black and hard like a wild boar's bristles. A fierce, savage aura unique to beasts spread outward.
Two faint streams of white vapor puffed from his nostrils.
Seeing this, everyone hurriedly prostrated themselves on the ground. "Boss, calm down! Boss, calm down! You're a Genetic Modifier who has been injected with a Genetic Potion, while that brat is merely an ordinary person relying on an external object.
Once he finishes shooting the Mutated Beasts, his Blood Qi will surely be depleted, and he won't be able to fire again. Won't he be at our mercy then?"
"Hmph!" Tan Jie's expression eased slightly. His subordinate's words had struck right at his heart, but as commander, he could not simply agree. He had to preserve his image.
"I originally wanted to become brothers with Bai Ye and govern the East District together. But I never expected that after obtaining a Taboo Object, this brat would become so smug and reckless. His temperament is twisted, and his greed knows no bounds. If he governs the East District with me, he will surely bring disaster upon its people.
For the future of my brothers, and even for the future of all the East District's people, I, Tan Jie, would rather bear the infamy than keep my promise."
"Boss is righteous!"
"We swear to follow Boss unto death!"
Inside the dilapidated red-brick house, Bai Ye stood naked before a mirror after finishing his bath.
He stroked his chin and examined himself. "Not bad. Just the right amount of handsome."
In the mirror, the young man's short black hair hung messily over his brows and eyes, as if deliberately concealing those sharp, defiant black eyes that resembled a wolf's.
A scrape that had yet to heal ran across his high nose bridge, with dried blood still clinging around its edges. Rather than ruining his looks, the wound added a touch of wildness.
He was tall and lean, his skin carrying the pallor of malnutrition.
This was the first time Bai Ye had properly looked at his own appearance. Mainly because water was scarce, and he was usually filthy and disheveled. Most people in Gray Soil Town were the same, aside from certain special workers.
Now that Tan Jie was footing the bill, he could naturally enjoy a comfortable bath.
"If I'm not mistaken, Old Tan should be discussing how to kill me right about now, right? Tsk, tsk... Old Tan really is a piece of work. Good thing I never planned to let him off either."
Bai Ye knew Old Tan's character well. Given the man's personality, once the matter was settled, he would definitely seize the Taboo Object and sell it for money.
He did not care about the threat from Old Tan. Containing the Taboo Object had taken ten seconds earlier, and he still had fifty seconds left. Killing one Old Tan would be effortless, even if Tan Jie was a Genetic Modifier.
No matter how much his genes had been modified, he was still a carbon-based lifeform. Even if his body was covered in bristles, his throat, crotch, eyes... all were fatal weaknesses.
The reason Bai Ye did not kill him now was because he needed Old Tan to deal with the Mutated Beast pack as well.
The Mutated Beast pack had surrounded Gray Soil Town. If they were not dealt with, everyone here would be trapped to death.
Bai Ye lay on the bed, playing with [Breath of Bones], a faint smile on his lips. "Perfect containment. That was an unexpected delight."
Ordinary people only knew that Taboo Objects could be contained. They did not know that there were two containment modes: ordinary containment and perfect containment.
As a wasteland hunter who had hunted and struggled to survive in the wasteland, Bai Ye had encountered quite a few other wasteland hunters. Those people had traveled far and wide. Their strength might not have been exceptional, but their experience and knowledge were incredibly extensive. He had learned this information from them.
Put simply, ordinary containment meant that the user fulfilled the conditions set by the Taboo Object, after which the Taboo Object would work for the user. It was like a boss hiring an employee, paying wages for labor. The employee belonged to the boss, but they were not truly of one mind.
Perfect containment, on the other hand, was like taking in a deathsworn follower—someone completely won over by you, body and soul alike.
Bai Ye's six bullets had directly achieved perfect containment of the Taboo Object [Breath of Bones].
The ability of [Breath of Bones] was simple: it drew Blood Qi from its user and attached it to bullets, increasing their power. Ordinary firearms found it difficult to break through a Mutated Beast's hide, and even when they did, they could hardly inflict serious damage. [Breath of Bones], however, could easily pierce their defenses and even kill them.
Because it drew Blood Qi, using [Breath of Bones] was extremely harmful to the body. If it was fired too many times, the user might even be drained of all Blood Qi and die.
But perfect containment was completely different. Though it still drew Blood Qi, after [Breath of Bones] killed an enemy, it would return to its master the Blood Qi it had plundered from that enemy. This way, not only would Bai Ye not suffer a shortage of Blood Qi, he would only grow stronger the more he fought.
Bai Ye toyed with [Breath of Bones], a malicious smile curling across his lips. "Eating Old Tan's meat, ordering around Old Tan's people, and then using Old Tan's strength to harvest Blood Qi in the end. Old Tan, you really are such a good person."
He was already looking forward to Old Tan's expression when he saw him growing stronger and stronger in battle.
(Protagonist image) ------------
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