1960 Garbage and Junk
While the three of them were talking, they stowed the two Heavenly Fire Thunderous Strike Rings into their backpacks. Then, they picked up the bubbles, sc.r.a.ps of the metal sh.e.l.l, and even the parachute and cables. Resources were scarce in the Land of Sins. The items had their own usages and must not be wasted.
It was not until there was not a single metal sc.r.a.p on the ground that they activated the shuttle again and sailed to the Village of Peace, which was made of dozens of iron-sh.e.l.led boats in the middle of the lake.
The villagers collecting the resources that they saw on their way were not fighting crazily but doing their work in different roles. Some were staying on alert, some were scouting, some were organizing, and some were calculating the a.s.sets that had fallen from the sky. They left the impression that they were a well-trained, obedient army.
No wonder the village had existed in the lawless, dog-eat-dog Land of Sins for decades and expanded from several hundred people to thousands. Han Te’s master, nicknamed Sky Breaking Hammer, was indeed a remarkable leader.
Li Yao released his vague telepathic thoughts, which were bound to the many villagers like a gentle breeze, while he perceived their vitality.
He discovered that the villagers were both physically and mentally strong. Their spiritual energy was surging like tides, suggesting that they were all experts above average. They would be one of the best troops even in the federation.
On second thought, it did make sense. The angels—or the Immortal Cultivators—treated the sinners in such a way that only the strongest of them could survive in the abnormal Land of Sins. Those who were not strong or fortunate enough had probably long been killed.
Of course, what the angels blessed the sinners with were all untested techniques with great shortcomings and danger. After scanning roughly, Li Yao noticed many hidden injuries inside the limbs and internal organs of the villagers. The circulation of their spiritual energy was highly unsteady. The odds of them going mentally deranged were almost twenty times higher than regular training.
The shuttle gradually approached the Village of Peace.
Li Yao saw another astonis.h.i.+ng view. Many villagers—mostly old people, women, and dirty children—were burning incense and praying on the deck. They couldn’t have looked more pious.
“They are expressing their grat.i.tude for the grace of the angels,” Liu Li said in a low voice. “Thanking the angels for bestowing so many weapons and a.s.sets upon us, which may imply that the angels are watching over us and will continue to protect us in the ‘Bliss Ceremony’ in half a month. We will be given more things, and the Village of Peace will thrive even more.”
Hearing Liu Li’s explanation and looking at the children and the women in ragged clothes kowtowing on the rusty deck so hard that their heads were bleeding, Li Yao felt as if his soul was even colder. Some women who were too old even pa.s.sed out.
The three of them drove the shuttle into the parking area between two iron-sh.e.l.led boats. Walking up the half-broken stairs, they happened to run into a group of villagers who had picked up a lot of a.s.sets from the lake and returned with full loads of trophies.
Seeing that Han Te and Liu Li were back, a lot of villagers who had just finished picking up resources smiled and greeted them. The two of them returned their welcome courteously. Despite the chaos and perils of the outside world, the atmosphere within the village seemed genial enough.
Li Yao noticed that the metal cases they had picked up contained new weapons that were s.h.i.+ning coldly, hideous armor, or spiritual energy bars that stored explosive energy. Few of the metal cases stored synthesized food that was highly compressed and looked like gray bricks.
There were more weapons than food. The intention was obvious. The angels, or Immortal Cultivators, preferred the sinners to fight for food with weapons than to wait for food to come down from the sky.
“Come on. I’ll bring Grandpa Yao to master!”
Having recovered thirty percent of his past strength, Han Te could not have been more excited. He wanted his master to learn the news immediately. In the meantime, ‘Grandpa Yao’ could examine his master’s body condition, too.
Pretending to be a common spiritual puppet, Li Yao rolled his tracks in squeaky noises and followed the two of them.
However, at this moment, a malicious voice shouted from behind the crowd, “Han Te, wait!”
It was a bunch of teenagers around the same age as Han Te. They were all brawny and apparently arrogant, with leather armor full of iron nails on their bodies and thick steel plates beneath their boots. They swaggered and squeezed through the villagers in intimidating noises.
The young man in the lead had a pair of triangular eyes as well as an enormous garlic-like nose that n.o.body could ignore. He licked Liu Li’s face with his greedy eyes at first before he turned to Han Te in disdain. “I’m told that you were bold enough to explore Area ‘A3’. That place is full of high radiation and all kinds of mutated beasts. Is someone as worthless as you really brave enough to do that? You weren’t bluffing, were you?”
Han Te seemed to have a grudge with the triangular-eyed young man. His neck suddenly thickened in fury as he gravely said, “Zhao Chong, I do not need to report where I am going to explore to you!”
The young man named Zhao Chong cackled like a crow. Instead of talking to Han Te, he walked up to Liu Li, with even more scorching brilliance beaming out of his triangle eyes. He said ‘softly’, “Liu Li, if you want to find some good stuff from the city ruins to earn money for the village leader’s disease, why don’t you come with us? Everybody knows that my father is one of the best explorers in the village. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been appointed as the captain of the exploration team! It will be both safe and rewarding if you come to explore with us. Wouldn’t it be much better than following this useless man? Look at you. You are hurt…”
Swallowing, he s.n.a.t.c.hed at Liu Li’s arm that had been scratched with his hand that looked like an eagle’s claw.
“What are you doing!” Liu Li shrieked and took two steps back, disgusted by the guy’s abnormal hand caused by radiation. “Don’t touch me!”
Han Te burst into fury and stepped between Zhao Chong and Liu Li. “Zhao Chong, don’t be so outrageous!”
“Hehe. I was speaking the truth. You are useless. Am I wrong?”
Zhao Tong retracted his hand. With brutality and cruelty beaming out of his face, he rolled his triangular eyes for a moment and s.h.i.+fted his attention to Li Yao.
Li Yao’s rusty, unattractive appearance slightly dazed him. Then he burst into wild laughter. “Hahaha. Is this the treasure that you have found in Area A3 after searching for three days and three nights? A puppet for cleaning and maintenance, broken and riddles with holes. Even its tracks are falling. This—this is a piece of junk!
“Come on, brothers. Take a good at the treasure that Han He discovered through arduous effort at the risk of his life. Tsk, tsk, tsk. The shaking mechanical arms, the twisted antenna, and the unsteady tracks. You can certainly get a hundred coins if you sell it on the black market, right?
“However, it suits Han Te very well. One of them is garbage, and the other is junk. Aren’t they the perfect match?”
The unfriendly young people all laughed.
Han Te was so infuriated that dozens of thick veins protruded out of his forehead. He clenched his fists so hard that they were squeaking. Looking at Li Yao, he was uncertain of the att.i.tude of ‘Grandpa Yao’. Taking a deep breath, he gnashed his teeth. “Liu Li, ignore them. Let’s go!”
“Wait!”
With an expression of a cat teasing with a rat on his face, Zhao Chong extended his thick arm again and blocked Han Te and Liu Li.
Han Te could not have been angrier. “Zhao Chong, what do you want? Are we not allowed to leave?”
“Of course you can.” Zhao Chong grinned hideously and looked at their backpacks. “However, the items that you found just now must stay.”
As it turned out, he had noticed that Han Te and Liu Li picked up the Heavenly Fire Thunderous Strike Rings on the sh.o.r.e through a telescope, and he wanted the two pieces of magical equipment.
“You should be well-aware that all the a.s.sets from the sky are distributed fairly according to demand,” Zhao Chong said coldly. “Those who discover the a.s.sets do not own them, or everything would be a mess. This is the rule of our village, established by your master, Liu Li’s father, our great leader of the village who admires fairness more than anything else. What, are you keeping your discoveries to yourselves?”
“Stop your slander!” Things became serious when the rule of the Village of Peace was questioned. His face flushed red, Han Te argued, “It is true that this is the rule of our village, but the rule is only effective within the range of the lake. For the a.s.sets that have fallen to the sh.o.r.e, those who discover them have the privilege to use them first, as long as they trade with their quota of other a.s.sets!”
The two Heavenly Fire Thunder Strike Rings were both the magical equipment of the latest generation that was rather powerful. With the Bliss Ceremony coming near, Han Te naturally did not want to submit the weapons.
“There’s indeed such a rule, but I clearly saw that the parachute fell to the lake first, and you picked it up from the sh.o.r.e, didn’t you?”
Zhao Chong turned around and asked the unfriendly young people around him, “Hey, that’s the truth, right?”
“Exactly. We saw it with our own eyes. That’s what happened!”
“It clearly fell to the lake first before you picked it up from the sh.o.r.e!”
“Garbage. They are the belongings of the village. Hand over the items and get out of here!”
The young men were all shouting and helping Zhao Chong. Outnumbered, Han Te and Liu Li seemed unable to defend themselves.
“You—” Han Te was at a loss for words.
“Garbage, one should not be so selfish. Even if you have a piece of excellent magical equipment, what can you do about it? Do you know how to use it? Do you deserve to use it?”
Zhao Chong continued looking at Han Te with his nostrils and demanded c.o.c.kily, “You know that the Bliss Ceremony is only several days away. Only by giving the best magical equipment to the strongest warriors will the village get the most resources. This is all in the interest of the village. What do you have to say?”
“Exactly how long are you going to continue this nonsense?” Li Yao’s soul was also yawning hard as he sent a stream of feeble waves directly to Han Te’s brain. “Please, just start the fight already. Enough of the trash talk. Such clichés are a waste of everybody’s time!”
Han Te was rather shocked. “Who—who’s talking inside my head?”
“It’s me, Grandpa Yao!”
“Grandpa Yao, you want me to fight him?”
“Of course. What, you want to invite him to dinner? When he walked up to you with a hideous smile at the beginning, you should’ve already punched him in the face. Why did you ramble on so much?”