Chapter 7

Qiu Shuyu rolled out of bed, snatched up the axe by the door, and strode outside.

-

Shang Bao kept thinking about Song Xiaozhu. Now and then, he rubbed his fingers together as that slender, pale neck she could not hide flashed through his mind.

Could that girl have come from the Fortress?

How could a refugee living below Garbage Mountain have skin like that?

The more Shang Bao thought about it, the more his desire grew.

He found Bai Jing damned annoying. All that old bastard knew was a bit of medicine. He could only play the big shot here at Garbage Mountain. If he had any real ability, why didn't he go to the Fortress?

Shang Bao had disliked him for a long time, and now he disliked him even more.

He ambled home just in time for dinner, only to be met with a torrent of abuse from Shang Dayuan the moment he walked through the door.

"You've been gone all damned day! How dare you slack off on a scavenging rush day!"

"If your mother's useless belly hadn't given me just one

"son, I'd have fucking beaten you to death long ago!"

Shang Dayuan's words only irritated Shang Bao further. He said disdainfully, "Screw the scavenging rush. You work yourself to death for that little bit of money, and you still won't be able to afford a 'Fairness Card' in your lifetime."

Shang Dayuan slapped him across the face. "Now you're getting cocky? You dare talk back? I'll beat you to death today!"

After taking the slap, Shang Bao's eyes filled with hatred. A bellyful of curses rose to his lips, but he forced them back down. He could not afford to provoke Shang Dayuan. When that old bastard got vicious, he really could beat him to death.

Seeing Shang Dayuan reach for something to hit him with, Shang Bao turned and ran without looking back.

Shang Dayuan had worked all day and had even injured his leg during the scavenging rush. He had no strength to chase him and could only lean against the doorway, cursing furiously. "Run! Keep running! Don't come back to this house if you've got the guts!"

Shang Bao scoffed. Before long, he reached the main road and sauntered into the community's tavern.

Since it was a scavenging rush day, there were few people there, just a handful of good-for-nothing layabouts drinking watered-down fake liquor. Shang Bao had no money, but his father, Shang Dayuan, did, so the tavern owner let him run a tab.

He had only had two cups and was feeling woozy when he heard someone nearby whisper, "What exactly happened over in Liu Family Village?"

"What, did someone else escape here?"

"Earlier today, I saw someone from Liu Family Village with a big chunk of flesh missing from his shoulder. He came looking for Master Bai to treat him."

"What's so strange about that? Liu Family Village is a bandit stronghold to begin with. Getting hurt..."

"No, the wound didn't look like someone had slashed him. It looked more like something had bitten him. As soon as Master Bai saw it, he straightened right up and went with him to Liu Family Village."

"What kind of thing bit him? Don't go scaring people this late at night!"

Chapter 7

Hearing that Bai Jing had gone to Liu Family Village, Shang Bao immediately perked up and looked toward the man speaking.

The man's name was Luo Tong, and his family also had a small workshop. Unlike Shang Bao, his family could not bear to make him work. They were counting on him to study hard, hoping that if his studies got him somewhere and he managed to earn a "Talent Card" through an exam, the whole family could enter the Fortress with him.

Luo Tong had not read many pages, but he had drunk plenty of liquor. Relying on his quick wits, he loved rambling on in the tavern, talking about anything and everything.

Seeing more people listening, Luo Tong grew even more enthusiastic.

"Why would I scare you? Plenty of people saw it during the day. That fellow from Liu Family Village had a chunk of flesh torn right off his shoulder. You could even see the teeth marks clear as day."

The people around him shuddered and asked, "Did another big thing break through the isolation zone?"

Luo Tong said mysteriously, "Of course. Liu Family Village is closest to the uninhabited zone... If a big thing breaks through, they're the first to suffer."

"Why do I feel like the isolation zone's been getting less and less effective lately?"

"Who knows? But it should be fine, right? Going by the timing, the big shots in the city should be sending people to maintain it soon..."

Shang Bao had no interest in any of this. All he cared about was Bai Jing's whereabouts.

Liu Family Village, the isolation zone, big things... it was all the same old talk at Garbage Mountain.

He had heard it all since he was a child, but he had never seen any of these so-called "big things."

As for Liu Family Village, they were just a bunch of savages, constantly fighting and throwing their weight around. From time to time, they even robbed the community's scavengers.

As far as he was concerned, the district chief should never have let them in, and that Old Man Bai certainly should not have given them medicine.

One dead meant one fewer. Why the hell save them?

Shang Bao steered the conversation back. "Master Bai went to Liu Family Village?"

The others were still talking mysteriously about "big things," and no one noticed Shang Bao's question. He was about to lose his temper when he remembered that snowy white skin she could not hide. Unable to resist rubbing his fingers together, he told the tavern owner, "A cup for each of the boys. My treat."

The tavern owner immediately answered, "Coming right up!"

He would put it all on Shang Dayuan's tab later. The Shang family was a "wealthy household" in the community, after all. They could afford it.

With drinks on offer, everyone naturally stopped ignoring Shang Bao. They all beamed at him and thanked him repeatedly.

Shang Bao quickly repeated his earlier question.

Luo Tong took a sip and narrowed his eyes. "He did, he did. Master Bai didn't even stop to bandage the man's wound. He grabbed his medicine chest and headed up the path. That fellow from Liu

"Family Village was pretty tough, too. With that festering wound, he jogged along after him..."

Shang Bao asked again, "Didn't Master Bai go borrow a vehicle?"

Luo Tong thought for a moment. "He did, but the district chief happened to be out too."

At that, delight showed on Shang Bao's face, and he said, "Then Master Bai won't be coming back tonight."

Luo Tong said, "Without a vehicle, he definitely won't."

Liu Family Village was not too far from the scavenger community, less than twenty kilometers away. With an off-road motorcycle, it was only half an hour's ride, but without a vehicle, walking... it would take at least three or four hours.

Bai Jing had hurried off to Liu Family Village. He certainly would not turn right around and come back. He would most likely be busy for a while.

Once darkness fell, who would dare travel through Garbage Mountain at night?

He could only wait until dawn.

Shang Bao's heart tingled, and he could not help muttering, "...Can't come back... He won't be in the shack tonight..."