After dinner, White and Xiao Feng, carrying a steaming jar of marinated meat porridge, walked toward the opposite end of the town. The drizzling rain showed no sign of stopping, and the late autumn night exuded a penetrating chill. The entire town lay soaked, cloaked in a damp melancholy.
They moved in silence, one behind the other, until they arrived at a modest courtyard. White pushed open a low wooden gate and stepped inside. At once, a Dogo Argentino the size of a calf erupted into a savage bark, straining against the chain around its neck. Had it been unshackled, it would have leapt at the intruders with jaws bared.
A woman's voice rang from within the house. "Peter, stop barking! Who's there?"
"It's me," White replied awkwardly.
The rusted door creaked open, revealing a woman in her forties—still beautiful. This was Lisa, White's ex-wife.
Her expression was far from welcoming. "It's late. Why are you here?"
"I wanted to see Alice… I brought her some delicious meat porridge."
"She's unwell. She surely doesn't want to see you."
"Is her condition worsening?"
"Yes."
"Then I must see her even more."
"No. He's at home," Lisa added with a troubled look.
White's confidence vanished in an instant. Like a defeated soldier, he handed Lisa the jar of porridge. "Tell Alice… I love her. If there's nothing more, I'll take my leave."
Without another word, he turned and walked away. Xiao Feng cast a glance at Lisa before following White out of the yard. Lisa watched their retreating figures, her expression caught in a tangle of emotions, before stepping back inside.
"Is she your beloved?" asked Xiao Feng.
"She was," White replied, his voice tinged with sorrow.
"She's very beautiful."
White smiled faintly. "Even more so when she was young. She was the most beautiful woman in this town."
"Then why did you part ways?"
"Ah… who hasn't made mistakes in their youth? Let's not speak of this anymore."
"Your daughter's name is Alice?"
"Yes."
"How old is she?"
"Fourteen."
"She's younger than me by a few years?"
"And shorter too."
"Oh? Is she pretty?"
"Very."
"What illness does she have? Hasn't she seen a doctor?"
"The doctors here can't help her. She needs treatment in the city… but we have no money, and no vehicle to get there."
Xiao Feng clenched his fists. "We will get there. No matter what." At that moment, Alice—whom he had never met—already felt like family.
White's large hand rested on Xiao Feng's head, tousling his hair. "Yes. We will get there."
"Uncle, do you want to see your daughter now?" Xiao Feng grinned mischievously.
"Of course I do. How could I not?"
Xiao Feng stopped, a sly smile playing on his handsome face. "Then come with me."
Puzzled, White followed him back toward Lisa's house.
Xiao Feng led him smartly to the rear of the house. "Which room is Alice's?"
"The one upstairs, by the window," White replied, suddenly catching on to Xiao Feng's plan and growing excited.
With a burst of speed, Xiao Feng sprinted and leapt. White watched in astonishment as he grabbed the edge of the eaves, pulled himself up, and then reached for the second-floor window ledge. With both hands firmly grasping it, he hauled himself up with ease.
He gave the window a gentle tug—it was unlocked. Slipping it open, he jumped inside.
"Who's there?" came a girl's voice. She was lying in bed, clearly about to sleep.
Xiao Feng whispered, "Uncle White is waiting outside. He wants to see you, but your mother won't let him. So… I came up with this little trick. Can you come to the window so he can catch a glimpse of you?"
Alice threw off the covers and hurried to the window, moving with practiced familiarity.
Xiao Feng's pupils dilated, his vision sharpening. He saw her clearly now—thirteen or fourteen, with golden curls like her father's. She was frail, even thinner than Xiao Feng, yet nearly as tall. Her innocent face lit with joy, and in that moment, her smile unlocked something deep within Xiao Feng's guarded heart. It was a smile he knew he would remember forever.
Alice leaned on the windowsill, smiling down. "Where's my father?" she asked softly.
Xiao Feng stepped beside her and guided her hand to point. "Right there."
She waved gently. "Papa…" she whispered, then turned to Xiao Feng, "Please don't let my mom hear us, or she'll scold me again."
Below, tears welled in White's eyes as he watched his daughter appear. He whispered, "Alice, Daddy loves you."
"Big brother," Alice asked Xiao Feng, "who are you? Have I 'seen' you before?"
Xiao Feng smiled. "No. My name is Xiao Feng. I'm your father's new apprentice. We're family now. I'll often bring Uncle White to see you."
"Hehe… then thank you."
"It's late now. Go back to bed and don't catch a cold, alright?"
"Okay. Thank you, Brother Xiao Feng."
After guiding her back to bed, Xiao Feng slipped out the window, shut it behind him, and jumped down.
White's voice trembled with gratitude. "Xiao Feng, thank you."
"Don't mention it. Let's go home—I'm getting sleepy."
White wiped his tears. He was deeply happy. It had been so long since he last saw Alice. Thanks to Xiao Feng, tonight he did. Even the rain couldn't dampen his joy.
At dawn the next day, White readied his gear to head out.
Xiao Feng, already dressed, insisted on joining him for the hunt.
White hesitated. "You should stay. You're still just a boy."
"No. I'm going with you. I want to help you hunt. I want to earn money for Alice's treatment."
"This is a man's job."
"I am a man now," Xiao Feng said with stubborn resolve.
White gave in. "We have a long way to go."
"Uncle, I told you—I run like the wind."
White handed him a knife from his belt. "This is all I have. No spare guns."
"Perfect," said Xiao Feng, taking the blade and strapping it to his waist.
They disappeared into the starlit wilderness. White, shouldering his heavy hunting rifle, planned to travel farther than usual—any delay, and they'd miss the window to return before nightfall. And to be caught on the plains after dark was certain death.
At the exit of Zone 64, a handful of soldiers in camouflaged uniforms guarded the checkpoint.
"White, heading out this early?" one called. "The dead and the beasts of the wild aren't asleep, you know!"
White waved. "Prey is scarce. I'm venturing farther today. Otherwise, we'll go hungry."
Xiao Feng eyed the soldiers cautiously. They bore silver badges engraved with four clasped hands circling a globe. Beneath the globe—a vertical line denoting the lowest rank: Grade-One Sergeant in the League Army.
To explain again: after the Great Purge, governments had crumbled. Four powerful conglomerates forged the Planetary Alliance, ushering in a new era under their rule. This alliance now governed the ruined Earth.
These soldiers belonged to that alliance. Without them, Zone 64 would have long been devoured by monsters.
Curious, one soldier glanced at Xiao Feng. "White, you taking this kid to his death?"
White chuckled. "With me here, nothing will happen to him."
Xiao Feng replied seriously, "We're going to hunt. Please don't speak ill omens. Tonight, we will return—with prey."
"Haha! Such ambition in one so young. Good! Learn well from White. When you grow up, join our army."
"Pfft. I'd never join your army. I want to be a free hunter—like Uncle White," the boy declared proudly.
The soldiers bristled, but held their tongues out of respect for White. With a few forced laughs, they lifted the gate.
Xiao Feng glanced back. The massive iron door was covered in claw marks and bite wounds—grim and foreboding.
Above it, a giant spotlight swept the surrounding plains, scanning two kilometers in every direction.
Beyond the gate stretched a vast wasteland. The protection zone was built here precisely because of the openness—F-class beasts and higher had nowhere to hide. League soldiers could spot them early with laser scopes and eliminate them with sniper rifles.
This was why Zone 64 still existed.
As they passed the gate, White and Xiao Feng began to run. Their destination lay forty kilometers away—a journey that would take over two hours even at full sprint.
After several kilometers, White turned. "Need a rest?"
Xiao Feng smiled. "I'm not tired at all. Shall we race?"
White laughed. "Let's!"
They surged forward, side by side, like wild stallions charging across the plains.
White, who could punch with a force of over a thousand kilograms, found the run easy. But what surprised him was Xiao Feng's endurance—light and lean, yet keeping pace effortlessly, his breathing steady.
Who is this kid? White wondered. Has he undergone some kind of evolution?
He didn't ask. But in his heart, he felt a growing joy—if Xiao Feng stayed at his side, they'd surely bring down greater prey.