Day 5 of the Apocalypse.Chen Xiao wandered aimlessly in Nancheng District.After the "turbulence" of last night, his physical strength had grown even stronger.The main reason? Tang Shiyang's affection for him had indeed broken through, just as she'd said!His talent bonuses increased too!Pretty pleased with himself!
Today,he had only one goal: Find Dashan!In his past life, today was the dayhe'd found Dashan being hunted.Back then,Dashan had already lost an arm.That indirectly prevented him from unleashing his full talent.But in this life, he vowed to protect Dashan's arm.
Time to calculate—Dashan's about to lose that arm."Dashan, don't you go thinkin' I'm heartless—it's just a real pain to find the exact spot you lost that arm!"If all else failed, Chen Xiao was ready to revisit the old spot and wait.Let the arm follow history's inevitable course.
Suddenly, a commotion reached Chen Xiao's ears.He quickly activated [Dragon's Breath], instantly pinpointing the sound's direction.North!He sprinted—maybe there was still a chance!
A hundred meters north, ten people stood.Nine on one!Nine men formed a circle, a tight net closing in on one man.
The man in the center was ordinary-looking but stood a full two meters tall!He radiated an immense pressure, standing there like a titan forged in countless trials.His arms were thick and muscular, veins bulging, his calves and thighs defined—able to support a mountain, it seemed.
"You big oaf, still trying to run?""You've killed seven of us—you're a Tianyi traitor!""Surrender quietly and save yourself the trouble, big oaf!"
"Stop wasting time on this fool—his head's worth a fortune!"The nine men tightened their circle, brandishing an array of sharp blades and cruel-looking instruments!
"Don't ya push me! Don't! I ain't no traitor!"The man roared, covered in wounds, each movement tearing his injuries open.
As the man's focus wavered, four of the nine seized the opportunity and surged forward.But the man wasn't defenseless—he roared, and his already two-meter frame suddenly swelled.To a full two and a half meters!A living mountain!
"Peng——""Peng——""Boom!"
He whipped his body, unleashing boundless force!He sent three men flying!
The last man seized the moment, swinging a long chopper at his head!The man noticed the danger but was too slow to dodge.He had to turn quickly, trying to steer the blade away from his carotid artery.
Between life and death, it's all down to fate!"Peng—Boom!"Before the blade could fall, a short figure dashed in front of him.A seemingly light punch sent the skilled attacker flying over ten meters.Had he eaten a black bear too?
"Dashan, long time no see."Chen Xiao retracted his fist and turned, smiling faintly.
"Benefactor, who are you?"Dashan suddenly collapsed, leaving Chen Xiao speechless. He helped him up slowly:"The folks call me… right! Chen Xiao!""You're so strong—got a place to go?"
Dashan scratched his head. "Nah. I's fixin' to head back to the mountains. Don't wanna be around crowds—they just pick on me. Reckon I'll go back to the hills."Chen Xiao didn't expect this—Dashan had never said anything about returning to the mountains in his past life.
He guessed it was because Dashan's arm was safe now.In his past life, losing an arm had ignited a vengeful fire, driving him to destroy Tianyi.In this life, after Tianyi targeted him and he'd killed over a dozen people, he felt even. So he thought of returning to the mountains.But Chen Xiao couldn't bear to see that. He sighed:"There's no meat in the mountains!""That's not right—there's animals everywhere! Just slaughter 'em."Chen Xiao said casually, "Guess you don't know—animal meat goes black and stinks real quick. Can't eat that."
Dashan paused, seeming to consider this.But since the man before him was his savior, he chose to believe."Can you take me to eat meat?"
Chen Xiao nodded noncommittally:"Sure. Come with me and eat well. But first, I only take S-rank talent underlings!"
Dashan heard this and immediately straightened up, reopening some wounds, but he said proudly, unfazed:"No problem, Benefactor! I's got a double talent! S-rank [Bear Spirit Possession]—let me Git Big!""And an A-rank skill called [Iron Fist]—let me Smackdown!"
Chen Xiao laughed heartily: "That's the stuff! Dashan, don't you go changin' those names—else I won't know how to react!"
In his past life, Chen Xiao had laughed countless times at Dashan's habit of shouting "Git Big" and "Smackdown" every time he used his talents.Never thought he'd still laugh this time!But as he laughed, Chen Xiao stopped smiling.Overwhelmed with emotions, he looked at Dashan wistfully and said softly:"Promise me something," Chen Xiao said, his tone uncharacteristically solemn. "Don't ever be the one to cover someone's retreat. Not for anyone."
Dashan didn't understand but replied cheerfully: "Sure, Benefactor—no coverin' retreats for anyone!""From now on, just call me Xiao-ge. Don't act on your own without my orders, got it?""No problem, Benefactor.""…"