The Meat-Loving Youth

Luoqie Star, part of the Star River Federation's Fourth Administrative District, is the most remote planet in the Federation's territory. A planet that should have only had a designation was named after Major General Luoqie, the highest-ranking officer who sacrificed his life in several brutal battles fought to defend the Federation. Although an exception, it was still forgotten by most people.

Thick space debris floated around the planet. The only safe navigation route was a special passage for the planet's administrators. Supplies below the average Federation standard were transported to the planet only once every two months. Most people still struggled on the brink of hunger and poverty.

In District 22, the central city area was still brightly lit and bustling with people. As dusk approached, under the gray sky, two completely different scenes—liveliness and dead silence—coexisted in strange harmony.

In an abandoned factory thirty kilometers from the city, industrial waste was scattered everywhere, and fragments of battle-damaged mechs that couldn't be repaired were piled up. On this resource-scarce planet, the authorities didn't have the energy or kindness to deal with this garbage. The free labor from the slums would help them solve these annoying problems, while also saving the government a large sum of money. Why wouldn't they?

The surroundings were a silent wilderness, occasionally punctuated by a few squeaks. In a corner of the factory at this time, sparks occasionally flew out, a bonfire burned quietly, and a slender figure was silhouetted against the ruins.

Mu Fan, 17 years old, didn't know who his parents were. His adoptive parents told him they found him behind a trash can while scavenging at dawn. The light of the star shone evenly and softly on the baby's face along the horizon. When his adoptive father picked up the child, he found two tags had fallen off him. One was a dark yellow wooden tag engraved with "Mu," and the other was an ink-black metal tag engraved with "Fan."

Without thinking too much about the order of these two words, and following the principle of what sounded good, his adoptive father, who had the good fortune to have read a few books, named him Mu Fan. When he was a child and didn't understand things, he didn't ask his adoptive parents. When he was a little older, his adoptive parents went out scavenging during a star pirate attack and were killed by a stray bullet. Mu Fan didn't have any more opportunities to ask about the details of that time. That year, he was ten years old.

Mu Fan wasn't very talkative, but he was very sensible. After hearing the news, he didn't cry. He returned to the dilapidated shack, found the broken leather gloves he had picked up while scavenging before, and went out to help people he knew and didn't know, near and far, with labor. Moving things, washing dishes at restaurants on the outskirts of the city, delivering express packages for official city residents, coming back to search for scrap in the garbage piled up at the factory to sell... He was on his own now, so he had to survive even more.

It had been seven years since his parents passed away. Mu Fan looked up and glanced at the bonfire in front of him, then lowered his head again to sharpen a small knife that gleamed with a cold light. He hadn't paid much attention to his appearance. He had messy black hair, a body that wasn't particularly strong but was quite tall. When he lifted his eyelids, his brown pupils were revealed, but if you looked closely, you would find that deep within the brown pupils, a red light occasionally flashed, like a rose or settled blood.

At this time in District 22, the weather was getting cooler. Mu Fan was wearing a canvas jacket and oil-stained work pants. He took advantage of the evening rest time to sharpen his weapon, the dagger made from industrial alloy. He was at the age where he was growing rapidly and easily hungry. The money he earned from working each week he saved to buy bundled books at the used book market. The remaining money, which would be enough for a normal person to eat two bags of the lowest-grade synthetic food per day, was just enough to keep him from starving. If he didn't go out to find food himself, it meant he would remain in this state.

One day, on his way back, he saw an old vulture just taking off not far away. Curious, he saw a black shadow fall from mid-air. It was half a Plant Rat. In the flickering flames, Mu Fan tasted meat for the first time.

One of the survival standards Mu Fan set for himself was to go out hunting twice a week. Whether it was a large animal or a small animal, whether it was alive or dead, any harvest was a victory. He needed this energy too much, because he clearly felt the craving for meat in every cell of his body.

"Hiss." The last spark flew out. Mu Fan put away the dagger, lightly supporting the blade with his left hand, and looked at it against the firelight. He narrowed his eyes, showing a satisfied expression. Tonight—he was going to eat meat!

The night on Luoqie Star was as cold as steel, making one shiver to the bone.

Yet Mu Fan walked through the wilderness with his upper body exposed. The crisscrossing scars on his body were like medals of battle. His lean figure highlighted muscle lines with a natural aesthetic beauty, leaving no doubt about the explosive power hidden within this body.

Mu Fan didn't feel the cold that his neighbors talked about. On the contrary, he only felt a chilling sensation that made his brain incredibly calm and clear. He enjoyed this. He didn't know why, he himself was always hungry, but he found that his endurance seemed to be several times that of the people around him... or perhaps even more. He had no concept of it, nor was he interested in asking.

Under the cover of darkness, Mu Fan, who hadn't attracted anyone's attention, had already run to the edge of a jungle fifteen kilometers from the factory. In the silent night, Mu Fan seemed to merge with the land, only the steaming heat from his body indicating his presence.

There was a river here. The river water, which felt bone-chilling to people at night, was Mu Fan's favorite "treasure spot" for washing off blood and sweat. If he was lucky, he could even catch a fat fish in the water. Hmm, the taste of eating it raw was also very good, as long as it was meat!

Mu Fan's goal today was to hunt a large animal. He felt the hunger in his body growing stronger and stronger. The two Plant Rats from before were now far from enough to satisfy his body's needs. He wanted to eat more meat.

This jungle was already far from the city. On a remote, poor, and backward planet like Luoqie Star, the administrators didn't have the capability to deploy too many satellites for monitoring. The cities formed by the small number of humans fought against nature, and this jungle maintained a good appearance. There were stronger beasts here, which meant more abundant food for him!

With a whoosh, Mu Fan stopped. His bright eyes shone brilliantly at this moment. He stood at the edge of the jungle and sniffed the scent of a beast not far inside. There was a mutated beast there! That was right, this powerful aura, he had already smelled the ferocity in the mutated beast's blood. His stomach rumbled again. Mu Fan pursed his lips. At this moment, a red light surged in his eyes!

He wanted to eat meat!

Desire is the driving force of humans. When a rapidly developing body encounters hunger, it is enough to make a person burst forth with immense motivation, let alone Mu Fan, who had already tasted meat!

Closing his eyes, then opening them again, the faint strange red light in Mu Fan's eyes completely faded, but his eyes were incredibly bright. The surrounding darkness seemed to cease to exist. The jungle, insects, and birds were clearly reflected in his eyes. He didn't know when he discovered that he had the ability of keen night vision. After he accidentally used this ability to find several Plant Rats at night, he began to deliberately train himself to master this seemingly heaven-sent ability.

In the night sky, thick clouds blocked the light reflected by the planet.

A "meteor" streaked across the atmosphere, flashing a light above the clouds...

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