<TOC> Chapter 2 Strange Things
Translator: SumTLMan
Gasping for breath, A Jin felt as if icy blades were swirling chaotically within his throat and chest.
His body screamed at him to run, yet the long-distance sprint had rendered his limbs unresponsive, and his bleeding right leg was cold and trembling.
At this moment, the morning sun was rising over the horizon.
The darkness was dissipating.
In the light of dawn, the boy’s pale face was filled with terror.
Daytime had come.
Daytime was here…
Those monsters were about to awaken.
Not far ahead, the black fog-like Dead Sea was gradually turning into a warm white.
This was the beach east of the oasis, already too far from the safe zone; even in his best physical condition, he couldn’t possibly make it alive through the monsters’ hunting grounds.
A deep despair surged within A Jin’s heart.
A faint chill ran down his spine, and the hairs on his arms had stood on end without him noticing.
Something lurking in the shadows was watching him.
A Jin frantically searched left and right for cover and suddenly spotted a bonfire behind several large rocks to the east.
Could it be a hunters’ camp?
His will to survive drew him toward it.
Upon reaching the bonfire, A Jin discovered there was only one person there.
The other was an elder wrapped in a black coat, probably in his twenties; anyone who could survive to that age in this place was a formidable individual.
Beside the man in black lay a large backpack and a peculiar device.
The device was mottled yellow all over, featuring two wheels at the front and back, horns like those of a sheep, and other parts extremely slender.
The man in black had a smooth, unblemished face without a single scar, and a pair of serene eyes that gazed at A Jin, causing his heart to tighten.
Such well-maintained, pampered skin, densely woven exotic attire, clean and tidy black hair… Clearly, only someone nurtured in a superior and safe environment could have such features.
Summoning his courage, A Jin asked: “Sir, are you an Enhancer?”
“Enhancer?” The other’s voice was soft: “What’s that?”
A Jin was astonished.
He actually didn’t know what an Enhancer was.
“I suppose I’m not.”
The Traveler seemed to recall something pleasant: “Is there a city nearby?”
A Jin grew anxious; how could this outsider lack even the most basic common sense?
“Uncle, it’s daytime now! Aren’t you going to hide? Do you have a death wish?”
The traveler turned his face toward the bonfire: “The timing is just about right. Since we met by fate, have one first.”
He handed A Jin a thin iron skewer, threaded with sizzling, oily, golden-brown chunks of meat.
The rich aroma of meat instantly intoxicated A Jin.
He devoured it ravenously.
This was real fresh meat!
Far superior to the insects raised in town.
A Jin had eaten rotten meat before, which had to be boiled into mush in a pot before it could be eaten; otherwise, he’d get sick. It had hardly any flavor, just a hint of oiliness.
For a fleeting moment, the deliciousness overwhelmed him.
The urgency of impending death once again seized control of his mind.
A Jin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand: “Stop eating, let’s go! Daytime isn’t when people like us should be out. Hurry!”
Unsettling sounds had already begun behind him, accompanied by deep, powerful breathing and heavy footsteps.
“Have another one,” the man offered him another large skewer of meat.
A Jin anxiously gnawed at it.
Although his life hung by a thread, this meat was truly mouthwatering.
From the corner of his eye, the boy glanced back.
Two monsters had emerged from the shadows.
Their bodies were covered with gray-black coarse fur; their sturdy four limbs extended curved, blade-like bone claws, still stained with dark brown, coagulated blood.
The clawed monsters drooled from their two rows of razor-sharp fangs, their short snouts exhaling a putrid stench of rot and decay. Their ferocious, beady eyes locked onto the two unarmed humans, they had found their prey.
A Jin felt his scalp tingle with fear.
An E-class Light Absorber Species, the Claw Boar.
“You run quickly; I’ll distract them.”
A Jin grabbed a piece of tree branch from the ground, brandishing it as if wielding a weapon, ready to make his final stand.
Having tasted good meat, dying was worth it.
The traveler leisurely munched on his skewer: “No need to rush. I’m not yet at the point where I need a little kid to cover my retreat.”
A l-little kid?
A Jin’s entire body stiffened, his face flushing crimson: “H-how can you insult me like this…”
“I know I’m not tall or strong, but I’m already thirteen years old, a professional scavenger with three years of experience! I’m an adult man! A man!”
The other seemed to realize something and corrected himself: “My mistake; fixed thinking really is harmful.”
The traveler’s words were somewhat baffling.
But at this moment, A Jin couldn’t bother with anything else.
The Claw Boars were already charging toward them.
A Jin raised the tree branch in his hand, letting out wild shouts to bolster his courage and keep himself from running away——that would only lead to a quicker and more miserable death.
The two monsters barreled forward like heavy tanks, reaching them in the blink of an eye, their sharp hooked claws raised like scimitars.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Suddenly, spikes jutted out from the ground, piercing through the abdomens of the two monsters. The Claw Boars, charging at high speed, tumbled over instantly, their impaled bodies writhing in agony, blood gushing forth.
From the sandy ground emerged large azure crabs bearing silver crosses on their shells. Gripping long, sharp iron spears in their massive claws, they encircled the wounded prey and thrust at them. After several rounds of attacks, they had riddled the Claw Boars with bloody holes, leaving them motionless.
The bodies of the dead monsters emitted a faint glow, gradually forming two small spheres of light, which were promptly swallowed by two large crabs.
In the blink of an eye, the battle was over.
A Jin was dumbfounded by what he saw.
They were Warrior Crabs.
They had ambushed and slain the Claw Boars, which seemed powerless to resist.
But aren’t they both E-class? Is the disparity really this vast?
Warrior Crabs can wield long spears and form battle formations?
Aren’t they the type that only know how to fight to the death with their claws, regardless of whether they can win?
Since when did they become this cunning?
The Warrior Crabs carved up and collected the prey, gradually transporting it into the nearby Dead Sea.
Yet they paid no heed to the two humans beside them.
This was also quite eerie.
A Jin had a suspicion and looked at the mysterious traveler: “Was this a trap?”
The other wiped his mouth with a piece of thin white paper: “You could say that.”
But A Jin still couldn’t fathom it: “How is that possible? How could a group of Light Absorber Species cooperate with humans? And these are Warrior Crabs in broad daylight, they wouldn’t allow humans to set foot in their territory.”
The traveler replied: “They are my employees.”
“……”
A Jin thought he must have misheard.
Warrior Crabs can be hired now?
The traveler was unperturbed: “As long as there’s profit, even enemies can become friends. If I offer enough, cooperating with me is far more lucrative than attacking me.”
After calming down, A Jin pondered.
Although this group of Warrior Crabs had superior numbers, their movement speed on land couldn’t hold a candle to the Claw Boars.
In a head-on confrontation, the Claw Boars could simply avoid the brunt and make their escape.
These land monsters boast tremendous stamina and explosive power, adept at continuous running and protracted battles, coming and going as they please. For the Warrior Crabs, hunting them in open terrain is an impossible mission.
Without the traveler’s trap using himself as bait, there would be no such outcome.
Could it really be as he said?
However.
Just from his demeanor of facing the monsters’ charge with unwavering composure, this man was clearly no ordinary person.
A Warrior Crab placed several pieces of sliced meat on the stones of the campfire.
They burrowed back into the sand one after another, lying in ambush.
“This is my share.” The traveler gestured toward the steaming fresh meat.
A Jin’s eyes went blank for a moment: “The skewers earlier were from a Claw Boar…”
“Exactly.”
The traveler said: “Come on, have some more. I can’t finish all this by myself. Drying the meat takes time, and with the Warrior Crab here, it’s perfectly safe.”
A Jin swallowed hard.
Meat from a Light Absorber Species was an incredibly expensive luxury, even in the cities.
He obediently sat down and eagerly volunteered to start grilling the meat.
The traveler gave a simple self-introduction: “My name is Zhou Yi, from a distant place to the east. My profession is the same as yours, a scavenger.”
“My name is A Jin, from Grub Grain Town to the west… Thank you, I owe you my life.”
A Jin devoured the meat ravenously, feeling as if his wounds didn’t hurt as much, and his whole body was regaining strength.
He pondered in his heart; the other party must be a master-level scavenger.
I must learn well from him.
…
Zhou Yi stretched lazily.
Warrior Crabs are born fighters, brave and fierce, they obey orders without question. However, they’re not the clever or nimble type; asking them to perform complex disguises is asking the impossible.
In this wasteland world, it’s best to display your strength openly.
On the contrary, it reduces a lot of unnecessary trouble.
This was Zhou Yi’s hard-earned experience.
If the nearby people are xenophobic or can’t accept his monster team, then he’ll just move on to the next place.
After all, there are plenty of options for settling down.
Better to scout things out first.