14 – Killing Intent and Dawn
The captain first gestured for his two men to lower their weapons. With his side’s fighting strength, he reckoned that they would be blasted into dregs by Luo You’s desert eagle before managing to pull their triggers. Shortly after, he pointed at the Rail Gun Sniper Rifle pressed against his head, and then pointed at Luo You’s foot, before saying with a self-deprecating smile: “You don’t need to keep stepping on my, right? Since things have already come to this point, then there’s no point in hiding anything. Let’s just be straightforward and have a proper talk.”
Luo You didn’t budge, nor had he turned the safety of his firearms on. He still spoke from high above: “Then talk.”
“You…” The captain was completely at a loss as to what to do. Such a perverted vigilance was only innate to people of the wilderness. He spread his hands in resignation and said cheekily: “Then I’ll talk. Long story short, we don’t trust you. Although you don’t want our supplies, but what about our women and Ling in particular? There have been quite a few instances of bandits raiding our base in order to kidnap Ling, causing disastrous losses on pour side. We don’t know anything about you. We don’t want to take risks. Therefore, we could only choose to mount a surprise attack on you at night.”
“You should have directly handed her over.” Luo You continued with a cold indifference: “Or exchanged her for supplies and weapons, or even offered her as a slave to some bigwig of a major city. Such people like young girls like Ling the most. You might have gained a chance at staying in the city. From that point onward, you could have had a peace of mind. But instead, you have chosen to protect her. You have chosen the most stupid and the least profitable approach.”
“Are you kidding me!” In his anger, the captain grabbed Luo You by the ankle. Because of the excessive use of force, blue veins popped out on his hands. He said through gnashed teeth: “Women are also people, not a commodity! Don’t mistake me for those heartless beasts!“
“Those so-called heartless beasts tend to live longer.” Luo You wasn’t expressing his own subjective opinion, but rather an objective fact of the world.
The fact was as follows, conscientious people were slowly dying out, while heartless people were adapting to the cruel world for the sake of survival, aggravating the collapse of the world.
“Getting back to the main point.” Luo You didn’t want to waste his breath on a naive topic such as good and evil, so he switched back to the main topic: “Do you trust me?”
Luo You had already formulated a comprehensive plan. If the answer was positive, then they’ll fight side by side. If the answer was negative, then he would leave. While treating the base as bait, he would snipe from behind a cover in the distance. With luck on his side, he could even eliminate the other party’s highest-ranked Evolver in a single shot. By then, the battle would be much easier.
The captain still hadn’t eased from his previous anger. His complexion alternated between pale and flushed for an unknown amount of time, before he said powerlessly: “As you have said, we have no other choice.”
“A sensible choice.” Luo You withdrew his foot, put away his firearms, and then said calmly: “A small group will be coming tomorrow to rendezvous with me here. The group has a total of seven people and their leader is a tall man. Tell your people not to stop them.”
“Got it.” The captain’s ribs were askew from when Luo You had smashed the door and kicked him. Only with the support from his two companions did he manage to stand up with difficulty. He said in a husky voice: “Tonight, there will be no more people bothering you. Therefore, you can relax and sleep.”
“It’s none of your concern.”
“Alright.”
…
The cold night was coming to an end and dawn was approaching. Everything was still hazy…
The yellow earth glimmered outside the window and threads of light broke through the darkness in the horizon. This embellished the wold, likening it to an ancient and mysterious manifestation. There was a hazy and mysterious aura everywhere. A sense of magnetic tranquility was brought into the room along with the dusky light.
Luo You opened his eyes. He did not lose himself in this sense of tranquility, he knew that it was but an illusion. What would be illuminated after the sun rose was still the crumbled wasteland.
The captain kept his word, there were no more ‘disturbances’ in the night. Luo You had a good rest. Strong Evolvers were people too. Without resting, they were bound to break down.
Because it was too early in the day, besides a few sentinels, the majority of people were still deep asleep. However, Luo You had discovered a familiar figure outside a tent.
“Dawn is my favorite time of the day. When the sun rises to dispel the cold, I feel like the world is full of hope.” While sitting on the ground and looking into the horizon, Ling suddenly spoke.
Luo You remained silent, ignoring her words. However, the chatterbox didn’t minded talking to herself.
Ling didn’t mind Luo You’s cold personality. She continued with a grin: “I still don’t know your name.“
Luo You didn’t care about her. Anyway, they were just strangers, they wouldn’t have anything in common nor would they see each other once the mission was over. Therefore, there was no need to tell her his name. Not to mention that this lass, who had no fighting strength, might not live past this mission.
Seeing that Luo You didn’t respond, Ling ran over to his side, grabbed him by the cloak, and said: “Ah, tell me. You know my name. It’s not fair.“
Luo You was truly at a loss: “Luo You.”
“Luo You?” Ling’s eyes widened, before suddenly doubling over in laughter: “Such a ‘pretty name’, just like a girl’s.”
Luo You felt rather helpless. No matter if it was Arnold or Ling, everyone who learned of his name would tease him and liken him to a girl. But this name was chosen by his parents upon his birth, he couldn’t do anything about it.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing at your name. It’s impolite.” Although Ling said so, yet she still kept snickering. Seeing that she couldn’t stop laughing, she blushed and changed the subject: “What you said yesterday to the adults, is it true? Are there really people who want to attack our base?”
“It’s true.”
Ling’s eyes widened. She jumped in front of Luo You and grinned, revealing her adorable little white teeth. She said: “Will you protect me?”
“I won’t.” Luo You was not trying to scare Ling. He didn’t even know if he himself could retreat in one piece, how would he have the spare time to protect a girl he didn’t know?
“Ah!” Ling became a bit distressed. However, she had no intentions of reproaching Luo You, and instead started pacing back and forth: “What should I do? I don’t know how to use firearms, nor how to fight… that’s right!” You’re so strong, can you teach me martial arts?! A martial art that could make me strong after one day of practice!”
“…” Luo You was at a loss for words. He didn’t know whether he should call Ling retarded or naive.
Just as Luo You didn’t know how to answer, a drowsy sentinel on the earth wall suddenly jumped up and shouted: “Alarm! Alarm! A squad is approaching!“
…
14 – Killing Intent and Dawn
The captain first gestured for his two men to lower their weapons. With his side’s fighting strength, he reckoned that they would be blasted into dregs by Luo You’s desert eagle before managing to pull their triggers. Shortly after, he pointed at the Rail Gun Sniper Rifle pressed against his head, and then pointed at Luo You’s foot, before saying with a self-deprecating smile: “You don’t need to keep stepping on my, right? Since things have already come to this point, then there’s no point in hiding anything. Let’s just be straightforward and have a proper talk.”
Luo You didn’t budge, nor had he turned the safety of his firearms on. He still spoke from high above: “Then talk.”
“You…” The captain was completely at a loss as to what to do. Such a perverted vigilance was only innate to people of the wilderness. He spread his hands in resignation and said cheekily: “Then I’ll talk. Long story short, we don’t trust you. Although you don’t want our supplies, but what about our women and Ling in particular? There have been quite a few instances of bandits raiding our base in order to kidnap Ling, causing disastrous losses on pour side. We don’t know anything about you. We don’t want to take risks. Therefore, we could only choose to mount a surprise attack on you at night.”
“You should have directly handed her over.” Luo You continued with a cold indifference: “Or exchanged her for supplies and weapons, or even offered her as a slave to some bigwig of a major city. Such people like young girls like Ling the most. You might have gained a chance at staying in the city. From that point onward, you could have had a peace of mind. But instead, you have chosen to protect her. You have chosen the most stupid and the least profitable approach.”
“Are you kidding me!” In his anger, the captain grabbed Luo You by the ankle. Because of the excessive use of force, blue veins popped out on his hands. He said through gnashed teeth: “Women are also people, not a commodity! Don’t mistake me for those heartless beasts!“
“Those so-called heartless beasts tend to live longer.” Luo You wasn’t expressing his own subjective opinion, but rather an objective fact of the world.
The fact was as follows, conscientious people were slowly dying out, while heartless people were adapting to the cruel world for the sake of survival, aggravating the collapse of the world.
“Getting back to the main point.” Luo You didn’t want to waste his breath on a naive topic such as good and evil, so he switched back to the main topic: “Do you trust me?”
Luo You had already formulated a comprehensive plan. If the answer was positive, then they’ll fight side by side. If the answer was negative, then he would leave. While treating the base as bait, he would snipe from behind a cover in the distance. With luck on his side, he could even eliminate the other party’s highest-ranked Evolver in a single shot. By then, the battle would be much easier.
The captain still hadn’t eased from his previous anger. His complexion alternated between pale and flushed for an unknown amount of time, before he said powerlessly: “As you have said, we have no other choice.”
“A sensible choice.” Luo You withdrew his foot, put away his firearms, and then said calmly: “A small group will be coming tomorrow to rendezvous with me here. The group has a total of seven people and their leader is a tall man. Tell your people not to stop them.”
“Got it.” The captain’s ribs were askew from when Luo You had smashed the door and kicked him. Only with the support from his two companions did he manage to stand up with difficulty. He said in a husky voice: “Tonight, there will be no more people bothering you. Therefore, you can relax and sleep.”
“It’s none of your concern.”
“Alright.”
…
The cold night was coming to an end and dawn was approaching. Everything was still hazy…
The yellow earth glimmered outside the window and threads of light broke through the darkness in the horizon. This embellished the wold, likening it to an ancient and mysterious manifestation. There was a hazy and mysterious aura everywhere. A sense of magnetic tranquility was brought into the room along with the dusky light.
Luo You opened his eyes. He did not lose himself in this sense of tranquility, he knew that it was but an illusion. What would be illuminated after the sun rose was still the crumbled wasteland.
The captain kept his word, there were no more ‘disturbances’ in the night. Luo You had a good rest. Strong Evolvers were people too. Without resting, they were bound to break down.
Because it was too early in the day, besides a few sentinels, the majority of people were still deep asleep. However, Luo You had discovered a familiar figure outside a tent.
“Dawn is my favorite time of the day. When the sun rises to dispel the cold, I feel like the world is full of hope.” While sitting on the ground and looking into the horizon, Ling suddenly spoke.
Luo You remained silent, ignoring her words. However, the chatterbox didn’t minded talking to herself.
Ling didn’t mind Luo You’s cold personality. She continued with a grin: “I still don’t know your name.“
Luo You didn’t care about her. Anyway, they were just strangers, they wouldn’t have anything in common nor would they see each other once the mission was over. Therefore, there was no need to tell her his name. Not to mention that this lass, who had no fighting strength, might not live past this mission.
Seeing that Luo You didn’t respond, Ling ran over to his side, grabbed him by the cloak, and said: “Ah, tell me. You know my name. It’s not fair.“
Luo You was truly at a loss: “Luo You.”
“Luo You?” Ling’s eyes widened, before suddenly doubling over in laughter: “Such a ‘pretty name’, just like a girl’s.”
Luo You felt rather helpless. No matter if it was Arnold or Ling, everyone who learned of his name would tease him and liken him to a girl. But this name was chosen by his parents upon his birth, he couldn’t do anything about it.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing at your name. It’s impolite.” Although Ling said so, yet she still kept snickering. Seeing that she couldn’t stop laughing, she blushed and changed the subject: “What you said yesterday to the adults, is it true? Are there really people who want to attack our base?”
“It’s true.”
Ling’s eyes widened. She jumped in front of Luo You and grinned, revealing her adorable little white teeth. She said: “Will you protect me?”
“I won’t.” Luo You was not trying to scare Ling. He didn’t even know if he himself could retreat in one piece, how would he have the spare time to protect a girl he didn’t know?
“Ah!” Ling became a bit distressed. However, she had no intentions of reproaching Luo You, and instead started pacing back and forth: “What should I do? I don’t know how to use firearms, nor how to fight… that’s right!” You’re so strong, can you teach me martial arts?! A martial art that could make me strong after one day of practice!”
“…” Luo You was at a loss for words. He didn’t know whether he should call Ling retarded or naive.
Just as Luo You didn’t know how to answer, a drowsy sentinel on the earth wall suddenly jumped up and shouted: “Alarm! Alarm! A squad is approaching!“
…
