Chapter Content
"We need to form an alliance." Kuhl sheathed his dual blades at his lower back, suddenly losing all desire to play with them. No matter how good the blades were, they couldn't compare to a gun.
"What kind of alliance?" Widow turned her head. Kuhl cast a greedy glance over her graceful figure, but when his eyes landed on her face, he shuddered involuntarily and quickly looked away.
Widow's hoarse voice sounded like frosted glass grinding together. The large patches of her exposed skin were covered in dust, making her look exceptionally filthy.
"If one of us is killed, the rest must attack the culprit together."
An offensive and defensive alliance was a solid choice. A sniper couldn't shoot everyone at the same time. Even if the interval between shots was short, it still took time.
The rest of the group remained silent at the proposal. Trust these Scavengers? They might as well trust the Snakehead who had trafficked them here in the first place!
"I just want to know where he got that sniper rifle. If he has the means to get a gun, why is he still stuck in this dump?"
The one who spoke was short, almost like a dwarf. His abnormally large head was completely out of proportion with his body, and his bald scalp was covered by a comical dinosaur hat.
From beneath the brim of his hat, Hunter scanned the dismembered chunks of the hyenas scattered around. "Who cares? If we don't hurry, that kid is going to hoard all the good stuff."
Li Yu rummaged through the garbage, occasionally flashing a look of disgust. He casually tossed aside a transparent condom, catching sight of the approaching Scavengers from the corner of his eye.
They all shared a tacit understanding, each selecting a specific area without fighting over territory. Naturally, Li Yu's designated area was the largest of them all.
Scavenging was a job that was incredibly easy to get absorbed in. By the time Li Yu looked up again, the sky had already grown dark, and the massive sack on his back was stuffed to the brim.
This method of dividing the pie would only last for a single day. After this, the area would turn into a gathering spot for the lesser Scavengers, no longer serving as their exclusive turf.
"That should be about enough..." Li Yu finally yanked an arm off a half-naked housekeeping robot. He weighed it in his hand. The skin was exceptionally smooth and highly realistic, though the body was covered in whip marks.
One of the strikes had damaged its Energy Core, causing the robot to be scrapped. The most valuable components, like its chips, had already been stripped away. Its specialized functions would probably make plenty of people here salivate, but Li Yu had zero interest in such things.
Hefting the massive sack over his shoulder, Li Yu marched deeper into the Garbage Pile. Behind him, on the Garbage Mountain, the Scavengers straightened their hunched backs and watched his retreating figure.
...
"Blue-Trace Alloy Wheel Hubs, two of them, 2000 Star Coins..."
"Magnetic Energy Heating Device, one, 2500 Star Coins..."
"This Hard Drive is broken, completely worthless..."
Scavengers were people without any formal identity. If folks like them were gunned down by the inspectors, no one would ever speak out against the injustice.
Therefore, they couldn't enter the city. They could only bring their finds to the Black-Hearted Merchant in the Garbage Pile for recycling.
This man was obese. His swollen belly strained the buttons of his suit, faintly exposing pale, greasy rolls of fat. His hair was slick with oil, and contrasting with his formal suit was a pair of conspicuously undersized pink slippers.
Yet, it was this very fat man who controlled the entire Junkyard, monopolizing the harvest of all the Scavengers.
It was a lucrative gig; he could double his profits simply by flipping the goods.
"You're pushing the price down way too hard." Li Yu furrowed his brows tightly as he listened to the fat man's quotes.
That pair of wheel hubs was worth at least 3000 Star Coins, but Third Fatty had instantly slashed the price down to 2000 Star Coins.
Third Fatty chuckled and rubbed his hands together, casting a glance at him through eyes narrowed into slits. "Old Lu's kid, you really stole the spotlight today."
Li Yu's expression remained calm as he just stared back.
"However, you don't seem to realize one thing..." Third Fatty's expression suddenly turned vicious, practically roaring, "I call the shots around here! I don't care who you've hooked up with behind the scenes. No one is replacing me! You'll take whatever amount I give you, or else... scram!"
Li Yu finally understood. This guy thought he had gained someone's backing to overthrow his current status, which was why he was deliberately trying to put him in his place.
"Brother San~" A sickly sweet voice drifted over from the three-story Metal Apartment nearby. A White Gauze Nightgown fluttered as a pair of impossibly pale, almost reflective thighs crossed over each other, stepping forward on delicate, bare feet.
"Why did you walk off wearing my slippers..." The Beauty, her expression hazy and her cheeks flushed, was a full head taller than the fat man. She leaned naturally against Third Fatty and spoke in a coquettish tone.
Several nearby Scavengers waiting to sell their junk instantly widened their eyes, their gazes sweeping up and down her body.
"Oh, my darling, why did you come out here..." Third Fatty's eyes roamed over the woman before he yanked her into his embrace.
"This is just a bunch of garbage pickers. What if they take advantage of you?"
Though Third Fatty said this, he raised his voice even louder, seemingly doing it on purpose to attract the attention of the other Scavengers.
He glanced at the surrounding Scavengers, watching their heated gazes wander over the woman, and instantly felt a stirring somewhere on his own body.
But when his gaze landed on Li Yu, his expression changed once again. He pulled out a stack of Star Coins, wrinkled and smeared with grease, and slapped them on the table, declaring to Li Yu:
"Now, are you going to pack up your garbage and leave, or take the money and walk..." Third Fatty viciously pinched the Beauty in his arms and glared menacingly at Li Yu. "Or maybe, you want to try aiming your sniper rifle at my head?"
Li Yu shot him an indifferent look. Without a shred of hesitation, he snatched up the Star Coins, shoved them into his pocket, and turned on his heel.
"Heh..." Third Fatty sneered. "Old Lu's son, remember what I said."
Third Fatty then buried his head into the Beauty's cleavage, rubbing against her continuously, eliciting a burst of giggles. The Beauty covered her mouth, casting a downward glance at Third Fatty's greasy hair, a flash of disgust flickering in her eyes.
"You scoundrel!"
"Hehehe... hehe..."
Third Fatty paid no further mind to the departing Li Yu. Flirting and playfully groping the woman in a suggestive display, he retreated back into the Metal Apartment.
"Master, Master, how did Claptrap do?!"
The moment he returned home, Claptrap rushed up, cheering and fishing for praise.
"Awesome!" Li Yu gave it a thumbs up, prompting Claptrap to spin around him in several excited circles.
"Here... this is your reward..." Li Yu pulled out the mechanical arm and handed it to Claptrap.
"A new arm... My dear Master, Claptrap is going to cry... I'm so incredibly moved!" Claptrap let out an exaggerated gasp, taking the arm with pleasant surprise before scurrying off to the side to study it.
Li Yu smiled faintly and casually stored the sniper rifle into the System's built-in spatial storage, which could be considered a minor perk.
Night fell. When he had first crossed over, it was the three moons of varying sizes hanging in the sky that convinced Li Yu he was no longer on Earth.
The bright moonlight made it scarcely darker than daytime. On the largest of the moons, the craters were clearly visible.
'Twelve thousand five hundred Star Coins, plus the forty thousand Star Coins Old Lu left behind. That's already enough for the Protection Fee...'
'However, because I exposed the sniper rifle, the Scavengers here and Third Fatty are all very hostile toward me. When the time comes...'
After pondering for a moment, he called out to Claptrap and ducked into a Garbage Mountain. No Scavenger would actually maintain a fixed residence; doing so was simply asking for death.
Waking up early the next morning, Li Yu settled Claptrap down and impatiently opened his System panel. He didn't have to wait long before the panel finished its cooldown.
[Host: Li Yu]
[Avatar: 1 (Ready for Deployment)]
[Talent: Act Randomly]
[Title: Guardian of the Chrysanthemum]
"Let's hope this time doesn't turn out like the last," Li Yu prayed before pressing the [Deploy] button.
[Searching for deployment world... Analyzing data... Locating coordinates for Biohazard World... Opening World Barrier Smuggling Channel... Opening successful... Please select Avatar Deployment. Carrying Talents and Titles will affect the Comprehensive Evaluation.]
Li Yu felt a headache coming on as he looked at the Talent he had obtained last time—[Act Randomly]... Was this damn thing good or bad? Since it was his only Talent, Li Yu gritted his teeth and equipped it anyway.
Naturally, he had to bring the Title as well. Even if it was just an Avatar, Li Yu still wanted to protect his chrysanthemum!
[Avatar route selection... Beep... Influenced by Talent, route selection deactivated. Deploying... Deployment successful. Please wait for the System Log to refresh. (Note: The current deployed world experiences an Inconsistent Time Flow with the Main World, at a ratio of 1:2.)]
Li Yu was dumbfounded. He remembered that during his first deployment, there had been a route selection where he could choose to follow the protagonist, deviate from the protagonist, antagonize the protagonist, and so on.
Following the protagonist would obviously let him survive longer! Why was it gone this time? That damned Talent!
Li Yu felt that by gritting his teeth and equipping it, he had made a huge mistake. However, the Avatar was already deployed, so all he could do was wait for the System Log to refresh.
Stretching lazily, he nimbly slipped through a few twisted iron frames. The morning sunlight was the most comfortable, lacking its usual harsh intensity. He narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing up at the crimson star in the firmament.
A shadow poked out from the Garbage Mountain above. Backlit by the sun, Li Yu couldn't make out its features clearly. The figure wore a gray cap with goggles, a black scarf wrapped around its neck, and a tattered gray Windbreaker. Its body was thoroughly bundled up, and the jacket had numerous pockets.
"I heard you killed the Dog King yesterday. Word on the street is that you've secured a connection inside the city..." With an agile flip, the guy landed not too far from Li Yu, half an apple clamped in his mouth.
It looked quite fresh, which was an absolute rarity around these parts. God knows where he managed to scavenge it from.
"What city connection..." Li Yu shook his head. "Just stupid rumors..."
The other party didn't press the issue and took a bite of the apple. It was bursting with juice and produced a crisp, satisfying crunch.
"Thanks to you, those Veteran Scavengers weren't in much of a mood to pick through the scrap dropped by the Colossus garbage trucks yesterday. It ended up being a great deal for the rest of us."
He had very short hair and looked quite energetic. His eyes were a bright, vivid green—an exceedingly rare trait.
He casually tossed the bitten apple to Li Yu. More than half of it was left, emanating a sweet, fruity aroma. It seemed to be a special breed, given how plump the flesh was.
Li Yu's mouth twitched slightly. He caught the apple and immediately tossed it right back. He had absolutely zero interest in it—who knew what kind of filth was on it?
"I saved that specifically for you..." The other guy looked puzzled, tilting his head up. Li Yu's reflection could be seen deep within those green pupils.
"No need... thanks..." Li Yu's expression grew odd, and he subtly took a step back. I have no interest in men. He immediately changed the subject. "Haven't seen you in a few days. What have you been up to?"
This person was named Mo Duo, an acquaintance of Li Yu's. They had run into each other a few times while scavenging, but Scavengers never truly poured their hearts out to one another. Everyone maintained a healthy dose of vigilance.
Mo Duo wiped the apple against his clothes and began chomping down in large bites. Juice overflowed from his mouth as he mumbled indistinctly, "I don't have your kind of luck. I had to empty out a few Garbage Mountains before finally scrounging up enough hidden gems to pay my Protection Fee."
Li Yu subconsciously glanced at him. Emptied out a few Garbage Mountains and scrounged up some hidden gems?
Did he really think all these Scavengers were useless garbage? Which Garbage Mountain hadn't been thoroughly picked over multiple times? Yet Mo Duo still managed to find hidden gems? It was hard to say who actually had the better luck.
However, just as Mo Duo hadn't pried earlier, Li Yu didn't call him out on it either. He casually pulled a large bottle from a Garbage Pile, which still contained some clean water.
"I really don't get you. We've been reduced to this kind of life, yet you still need clean water just to wash your face and brush your teeth." A peculiar glint flashed through Mo Duo's green eyes.
Li Yu's former self clearly suffered from a habit known as germophobia, but precisely because of this, the transmigrated Li Yu hadn't experienced too much discomfort in taking over.
"Elegance never goes out of style..." Wiping his face with a towel, Li Yu instantly felt as if a filthy barrier between himself and the rest of the world had been stripped away.
Mo Duo flipped backward and sat atop a pile of rubber tires, his long and incredibly slender legs dangling. "Third Fatty is quite displeased with you. He thinks whoever is backing you wants to seize his profits."
Li Yu frowned and shot him a look, internally marveling at Mo Duo's bodily proportions.
"It's only been one night, and the rumors are already flying everywhere?" He found it rather strange. No matter how fast news traveled, it still needed time to brew, right?
Mo Duo remained silent for a moment before replying, "Third Fatty did it on purpose. He wants to force you to hand over that gun to assert his authority."
"So..." Li Yu paused his movements and looked at Mo Duo on the tires. "You're here to deliver a message."
A fleeting look of disdain flashed across Mo Duo's face as he shook his head. "No... I just happened to hear the news..."
"The one actually here to deliver the message..."
"Is me..." A clear voice took over the sentence. Not too far away, Hunter pressed down on his Cowboy Hat and slowly walked over.
He had arrived without a sound; neither Li Yu nor Mo Duo had noticed when he showed up.
Li Yu's expression became indescribably bizarre. He hesitated to speak. Mo Duo jumped down from the stacked tires and retreated to Li Yu's side, his body slightly hunched as he went on high alert.
Hunter kept the brim of his hat pulled low. His footwork had a demonic grace to it, expertly avoiding all the trash on the ground without making a single sound.
This was the origin of his name. Like a hunter in the jungle, you never knew where he would emerge from to harvest his prey.
Just like Kuhl, he also possessed F+ grade strength, which was already considered top-tier among this group of Scavengers.
"You..." Li Yu pursed his lips before finally spitting it out. "Do you keep your hat pulled down because you don't want people to see your eyes darting everywhere to check where the garbage is on the ground?"
Hunter's footsteps suddenly halted. Mo Duo's heart clenched, but for some inexplicable reason, he wanted to laugh. Just the thought of Hunter's eyeballs darting wildly beneath the brim of his hat left him feeling completely dumbfounded.
Because the suffocating tension brought by Hunter had suddenly dissipated, Mo Duo felt significantly more relaxed.