After packing up his prey and tightly sealing the basket with a white cloth, Tang Wen was about to climb a tree to survey the surroundings.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the woods behind him.
From a distance, Tang Wen spotted a dark figure running towards him. He raised his binoculars.
A moose, standing at least two meters tall, came into view.
"It must weigh around 1000 pounds, right?"
A look of pleasant surprise crossed Tang Wen's face.
But the next second:
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
The ground shook, and snow fell from the branches in clumps.
One moose, two mooses... a whole herd of mooses!
Behind them were other animals—wolves, wild boars, bison.
They were galloping on all fours, kicking up snow and mud, as if fleeing for their lives!
"Holy crap!"
Without hesitation, and not daring to wonder what was happening, Tang Wen turned and ran towards the camp.
He ran with all his might, his large strides crunching through the snow, his right hand tightly gripping a Flying Knife.
"Awooo!"
A beast's roar, unlike anything he had ever heard before.
Buzz!
Tang Wen felt dizzy, his legs gave way, and he fell face-first into the snow.
Luckily, the snow was thick.
"Pant, pant, pant..."
"What... what was that?"
He gasped as he got up, looking in the direction of the sound. Behind the herd of animals, he saw flashes of silver.
"It looks like... a Silver Wolf the size of a moose? A Mutated Beast!"
"No, not just one, but a whole pack."
Tang Wen's heart pounded like a drum. His limited knowledge of biology and physics told him that the roar he had just heard likely contained infrasound.
This was something an ordinary person could never withstand.
He hoisted the basket onto his back and continued running, his mind filled with fear:
"What exactly are Mutated Beasts? How can they be so powerful?"
"Even tigers on Earth have infrasound in their roars, but it's not this strong, right?"
"Will the camp be safe? No, the camp has been around for so long, it must be able to handle them!"
"..."
The weight and fear made cold sweat pour down his back. In temperatures dozens of degrees below zero, sweating was dangerous.
The sweat would freeze, rapidly draining his body heat. In less than two hours, he could suffer from hypothermia.
When Tang Wen reached the main road, he was stunned. The place was swarming with people!
All Scavengers!
As the saying goes, when people gather in the thousands, there's no end in sight.
The Scavengers before him were endless, packed together without a gap, their numbers impossible to count.
"Damn it!"
Tang Wen stopped in his tracks and cursed.
It seemed the Scavengers' gathering place had also encountered some kind of crisis.
But if you're fleeing for your lives, why block the road to the camp?
"Grab that kid!"
Tang Wen, dressed in thick clothes and carrying a basket, stood out conspicuously by the roadside.
A large group of Scavengers, their eyes bloodshot, charged at him with a ferociousness that made it unclear whether they wanted to steal his basket or eat him alive!
"Looking for death!"
"Ah—"
A stone shot through the air, and a short, sharp scream followed. The fastest Scavenger had his throat crushed, his eyes bulging as he rolled to the ground.
This move scared off many, but those who continued to charge were the truly insane ones.
Tang Wen turned and ran into the woods.
The brief half-minute pause had caused the sweat on his back to freeze, making his clothes stiff and leaving him shivering from the cold.
A group of people followed Tang Wen into the woods.
Tang Wen was fast. Since the usual entrance was blocked, he decided to take a detour and head straight for the gate to the inner city.
The inner camp had its own separate gate, allowing entry and exit without passing through the outer perimeter.
Whoosh!
The sound of an arrow cutting through the air reached Tang Wen's ears.
He swiftly dodged, taking cover behind a tree as the arrow narrowly missed him.
"Looking for death!"
He dropped his basket, drew his long blade, and charged toward the source.
Flying Stones were launched in rapid succession.
The fastest of the Scavengers clutched their eyes, screaming as they fell to the ground.
It wasn't that Tang Wen didn't want to target their throats, but these people were unusual—no wonder they dared to chase him even after witnessing him kill.
They wore thick clothing, with heavy scarves wrapped around their necks.
Tang Wen wanted to strike their throats but found no opening.
These weren't ordinary Scavengers; they were likely specialized highway robbers!
Not only were their clothes thick, but some of them also held long, sharp iron spikes!
Being stabbed by those would surely leave a bloody hole.
"Watch out for his stones!"
Someone shouted a warning.
Without even looking, Tang Wen hurled a stone directly at the one who had spoken.
"Clang!" The stone was deflected by a blade.
Huh?
Tang Wen's eyes narrowed: A skilled fighter?
Whoosh, whoosh!
Arrows came flying.
This time, he saw clearly—two crossbows!
His alertness heightened: Who were these people? They even had crossbows! With such weapons, why weren't they out hunting?
As the crossbow bolts closed in, he didn't dodge. Instead, he launched a few stones with his left hand.
His right hand swung the blade rapidly: Clang, clang.
The bolts were deflected, and Tang Wen pressed forward!
His stones grew more vicious!
With a series of precise strikes, a chorus of screams followed, and over a dozen Scavengers lost their ability to fight.
But the leader, wielding a blade, had closed in on Tang Wen.
A cold glint flashed as he gripped his sword with both hands, slashing down with full force!
The blade's wind carried a sweet, metallic scent. Tang Wen, unable to grip his own blade with both hands, could only block with one hand.
The swordsman's eyes gleamed with murderous intent!
Die!
Clang!
A teeth-gritting clash echoed.
The swordsman felt an overwhelming force, nearly losing his grip on his blade. He staggered back two steps, his face paling. In a swift motion, he threw a pouch of powder at Tang Wen and turned to flee, his actions decisive.
"You think you can escape?"
Dodging the thrown lime powder, Tang Wen pursued with his blade.
Hearing this, the swordsman thought Tang Wen was about to hurl a stone and instinctively ducked, continuing his escape.
Thud!
It wasn't a stone—it was a Flying Knife.
His body stiffened, but momentum kept him running.
Thud!
Another hit to his leg, and he completely lost balance, tumbling to the ground and sliding far.
"You picked the wrong guy, idiot."
Tang Wen spoke as he picked up the fallen blade.
The swordsman's vision blurred. The last thing he saw was a hand reaching into his chest.
"Hah! A money pouch? How many people have you robbed?"
"A long blade, two crossbows, and bolts."
"Awooo!"
Suddenly, a roar nearly brought Tang Wen to his knees.
The scent of blood and the cries on the ground had attracted a Silver Wolf.
"Crap! It's targeting me?" Feeling the pressure, Tang Wen suppressed his fear and dizziness, grabbed his basket, and bolted.
The Silver Wolf, several meters long, watched him for a few seconds before lowering its head to bite into the writhing prey on the ground.
Since it was all fresh, it didn't matter what it ate.
"Stop! Where's your identity tag?"
At the entrance of the unfamiliar camp, a guard holding a spear emerged from the watchtower and stopped Tang Wen.
"Phew, phew, phew," Tang Wen finally had the chance to look back and, seeing nothing behind him, sighed in relief and plopped down in the snow.
"Identification!" the guard repeated coldly.
Tang Wen panted, "I'm a herb gatherer. I encountered a Silver Wolf and forgot my ID. The ID was given to me by Old Li from the clinic. It's a round bronze plate, number 35."
The guard's cold expression softened. "Alright, I'll have someone notify Old Li. Put away your knife and come in to warm up!"
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Tang Wen stood up, removed his snows
hoes, and patted himself down at the entrance to get rid of all the snow before stepping into the stone house.
He was still drenched in sweat, and staying outside could freeze a person to death.
"Have some hot water." The guard, who had taken a liking to Tang Wen, handed him a ceramic teacup.
"Thank you, big brother guard!"
(End of Chapter)