"Whatâs going on?" Wen Yu asked, puzzled, looking at Li Dalong not far away.
A bitter expression crossed Li Dalongâs face. "This is trouble. Er Gang used to be with Brother Fei. They were both involved in the underworld. Itâs said Er Gang once saved Brother Feiâs life. Now that Sun Aotian has just killed him, Brother Fei definitely wonât stand for it."
After listening to Li Dalongâs explanation, Wen Yu stood up straight away. "Letâs go, we should go and see."
Following the crowd, Wen Yu and the others headed to where the incident had occurred. It was human nature to enjoy watching a spectacle.
Li Dalong, walking beside Wen Yu, kept talking about some of the campâs secrets.
Li Dalong had his own considerations. If Sun Aotian and Zang Pengfei had a direct confrontation, it would only leave both sides severely damaged. At that moment, if he could latch onto another powerful âthigh,â his own safety would undoubtedly improve significantly. And right now in this camp, who had a âthicker thighâ to latch onto than Wen Yu?
"The friction between Little Sky and Brother Fei started long ago. Most of us were saved by Brother Fei, and we all recognized him as our leader. But Sun Aotian somehow had a fortunate encounter, and his power grew at a fantastic rate. He suddenly became the strongest person in the settlement, and he seems to have a hidden profession."
Li Dalong had seen Wen Yuâs Soul Beast, so he inferred Wen Yu also had a hidden profession. As time passed, hidden professions were no longer so rare.
"That would have been fine, but the problem is Sun Aotian isnât all there in the head. He always thinks heâs some kind of protagonist, wanting to fight for the top spot in the settlement. Brother Fei definitely wouldnât stand for that, and thatâs how the conflict started."
"If you ask me, Sun Aotian has a terminal case of eighth-grader syndrome. He thinks he can gather followers just like in novels, that if he puffs out his chest, weâre all supposed to kowtow in submission. And look at that ridiculous name he pickedâSun Aotian! Why doesnât he just try to ascend to Heaven and conquer it?"
Li Dalongâs words were filled with scorn for Sun Aotian.
Wen Yu also felt this young man had some issues. Laughing, he asked, "How do you know his parents werenât the ones who gave him that name?"
Li Dalong rolled his eyes. "Boss, have you ever seen parents give their kid a name like that? Itâs said that inviting such envy from the heavens would shorten oneâs life!"
Wen Yu looked at Li Dalong with surprise. "Your explanation is truly insightful. Itâs left me speechless!"
Li Dalong chuckled and continued, "Actually, aside from being a bit eccentric, Sun Aotian hasnât done anything truly outrageous, especially not murder. I donât know what set him off today. We professionists all know to steer clear of Sun Aotian unless absolutely necessary."
"That Er Gang, though, he was a real piece of work. Heâd use his connection with Brother Fei to harass men and take advantage of women in the camp. Of course, he only picked on ordinary people. Brother Fei had a hard time controlling him too. Itâs actually a good thing Sun Aotian dealt with him this time."
As Wen Yu and Li Dalong strolled and chatted, they soon spotted the incident site, surrounded by a crowd.
"This place... it seems familiar?" Wen Yu asked, looking at Li Dalong with a teasing glint in his eye.
Seeing the crowd, Li Dalongâs face instantly paled. "CRAP! Isnât this my place? What the FUCK! Why did that dumbass Er Gang have to die in my goddamn house?!"
Muttering curses under his breath, Li Dalong quickened his pace, leading Wen Yu and the others directly toward the commotion.
"Make way, all of you, make way!"
Li Dalong shoved aside the ordinary people gathered around, clearing a path for Wen Yu. These commoners, even those pushed to the ground, dared not utter a single complaint.
The hierarchy of the apocalypse had already clearly formed!
As Wen Yu, Li Quanâan, Li Dalong, and the others entered the circle, they saw a tense standoff.
Zang Pengfei glared angrily at Sun Aotian, his steel saber already in hand, but he made no rash moves.
Sun Aotian, in contrast, was perfectly at ease. He had one arm around a sobbing Bai Feifei, whose clothes were disheveled, and was comforting her softly, completely ignoring Zang Pengfei.
Between them lay a bare-chested man. Judging by the massive wound on his head, he was long dead.
Wen Yu instantly saw through the drama unfolding before him.
It was nothing more than the classic hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress scenario. Er Gang, the one on the ground, had lusted after an innocent woman and tried to take her by force. The âprotagonistâ swooped in, took him out with a single strikeâa solo killâand won the beautyâs heart. Then, the scoundrelâs sworn brother becomes dissatisfied with the protagonist and wants to avenge his fallen comrade. What a clichĂ© plot; it could be a novel in itself.
"So, Mayor Li, what do you think?" Wen Yu glanced at Li Quanâan, who looked visibly upset, and asked bluntly.
"What else is there to think? The new replaces the old. I admit defeat," Li Quanâan said, his eyes glinting fiercely as he stared daggers at Bai Feifei. "But that damn bitch... she better not give me an opening."
He had already figured it out: Bai Feifei had latched onto a thicker thigh and naturally no longer needed him.
"Oh right, Mayor Li, do you remember? I owe you a favor. Donât forget to use it!"
An enigmatic smile played on Wen Yuâs lips, leaving Li Quanâan baffled.
"Whatâs wrong, Brother Wen Yu?"
"Heh heh, youâll know soon."
After saying this, Wen Yu chose not to elaborate further and continued to watch the unfolding events with a smile.
"Little Sky, I havenât treated you badly in the past, have I?" Zang Pengfei broke the silence.
Sun Aotian, however, completely ignored Zang Pengfei and continued whispering to Bai Feifei.
Sun Aotianâs attitude was the last straw. Zang Pengfei roared at him, "You fucking bastard! You killed my brother! His corpse is lying right in front of you, and youâre still in the mood to mess with a woman? Iâve put up with your shit for too long! If you donât give me an explanation today, I swear Iâll kill you, no matter what!"
Perhaps startled by Zang Pengfeiâs furious roar, Bai Feifei yelped and shrank into Sun Aotianâs embrace, which finally drew Sun Aotianâs attention to Zang Pengfei.
Sun Aotian sneered at Zang Pengfei. "Brother Fei, I call you that out of courtesy. Without it, what are you? Youâre trash, not even Level 2, yet you dare shout at me. Believe it or not, I can kill you in a single move!"
Hearing Sun Aotianâs words, Zang Pengfeiâs eyelids twitched with rage. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Sun Aotian turn and walk directly to Li Dalongâs bedside.
On the bed lay the injured Bai Xiaoâan.
Sun Aotian rummaged through an inner pocket of his protective suit and pulled out a basic healing potion.
"Drink this. From now on, youâre my little brother. With me protecting you, no one can harm you."
His words were incredibly domineering. Bai Feifeiâs face flushed, and she gazed at Sun Aotian with adoration.
"Brother Tian, Feifei... I truly donât know how I can ever repay you..."
Wen Yu almost choked back a laugh.
This kid is even more of an oddball than Sun Ruixing. Or rather, heâs even easier to manipulate than Sun Ruixing. A scheming woman like Bai Feifei would have someone like him eating out of her hand.
Wen Yu glanced at Zang Pengfeiâs livid face, then at the seemingly harmonious âfamily of three.â
1, 2, 3...
he counted silently.
Sure enough, just as Wen Yu expected, before he even reached ten, Sun Aotian had already managed to completely derail the situation.