Ajin gasped for breath, his throat and chest as if cold knives were darting about.
His body urged him to run, but the long sprint had left his limbs unresponsive, with his bleeding right leg growing cold and trembling.
At that moment, the sun was rising from the horizon.
The darkness was dissipating.
Under the dawn light, fear plastered over the pale face of the young boy.
Daytime had arrived...
The monsters were about to awaken.
Not far ahead, the black mist of the Dead Sea was gradually turning into a warm white color.
This was the eastern beach of the Oasis, far too distant from the safe zone, even under the best circumstances, he couldn't possibly live through running across the monsters' hunting grounds.
Ajin felt a deep despair welling up within him.
His back was slightly chilling, and the hair on his arms had stood up unknowingly.
Something was watching him from the shadows.
Ajin looked left and right for cover and suddenly spotted a bonfire behind several large rocks to the east.
Could it be a hunters' camp?
His will to survive drew him closer.
Upon reaching the bonfire, Ajin found only one person there.
The individual wore a black coat, roughly in his twenties; anyone who could live to that age in this place was a strong person.
Beside the dark-clothed man lay a large backpack and a peculiar device.
The device was speckled yellow, with wheels at both ends, goat-like horns, and other delicate parts.
The man in black had an unscarred, smooth face and calm eyes that fixed on Ajin, causing a tight feeling in his heart.
Such pristine skin, finely textured exotic clothing, and clean, tidy black hair were clearly nurtured in a safely superior environment.
Ajin mustered up his courage and asked, "Are you an enhancer?"
The man's voice was soft, "What is that?"
He didn't know about enhancers.
The traveler seemed to recall something cheerful, "Is there a city nearby?"
Ajin became frantic, this stranger had no common sense.
"Mister, it's daytime now! Shouldn't you be hiding? Do you have a death wish?"
Yet, the traveler turned his face towards the bonfire, "There's just enough time. Meeting is fate, take one."
He handed Ajin a thin metal skewer with sizzling, juicy chunks of golden-brown meat.
The rich aroma immediately entranced Ajin.
He devoured it ravenously.
This was real fresh meat!
Not comparable to the insects raised in town.
Ajin had eaten rotten meat, which had to be stewed into sludge in a pot to be edible without falling sick. That had hardly any taste, just a bit of greasiness.
Deliciousness intoxicated him momentarily.
Death's urgency regained control of his mind.
Ajin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "Stop eating, let's go! It's not the time for us to be out during the day, hurry."
An unsettling noise followed by deep, powerful breaths and heavy footsteps emanated from behind.
The stranger handed him another large chunk of meat.
Ajin gnawed anxiously.
Though his life hung by a thread, the meat was irresistibly delicious.
From the corner of his eye, the youth glanced behind.
Two monsters had emerged from the darkness.
Their bodies were covered with gray-black coarse hair, and their robust legs had curved-bone claws resembling bent knives, with dark brown congealed blood stains on them.
The hooked-claw creatures dribbled drool from their double rows of sharp fangs, with short noses exhaling a stench of rot, and their malevolent eyes fixed on the two unarmed humans, having locked onto their prey.
Ajin felt his scalp tingle.
E-class Guangna Species, clawed pig.
"You run, I'll distract them."
Ajin grabbed a tree branch off the ground, brandishing it, preparing to make his final stand.
Having eaten good meat, he was ready to die.
The traveler leisurely ate the meat skewer, " No rush, I'm not yet at the point of needing a child to cover my retreat."
Ajin stiffened, his face flushing red, "How can you insult someone like that..."
"I know I'm not tall or bulky, but I'm already 13-years-old and have three years of professional Scavenger experience! I am an adult man! A man!"
The other party seemed to realize something and changed his statement, "My fault, fixed thinking really harms people."
The traveler's words were a bit incomprehensible.
But at that moment, Ajin couldn't worry about anything else.
The clawed pigs were already charging at him.
Ajin raised the branch in his hand and let out a loud roar to encourage himself not to run away—it would only lead to a quicker and more miserable death.
The two monsters, like heavy battle tanks, rushed forward in the blink of an eye, their sharp hook claws like raised sickles.
Suddenly, sharp spikes emerged from the ground, piercing the bellies of the two monsters. The high-speed charging clawed pigs were immediately turned upside down, their bodies painfully twisting as they were impaled, blood gushing out.
From the sand emerged blue giant crabs with Silver Crosses on their shells. They held long iron spears with their large pincers, clustering around the wounded prey and stabbing them. After several rounds of attacks, the clawed pigs were full of bloody holes and no longer moved.
A faint glow emitted from the dead monsters, gradually forming two small light orbs, which were directly swallowed by two of the large crabs.
In the blink of an eye, the battle was over.
Ajin was somewhat dazed.
It was the samurai crabs.
They had ambushed and slaughtered the clawed pigs, which seemed utterly powerless to resist.
Both were class E, but could the gap be this big?
Samurai crabs can use long spears and formations?
Aren't they the type that only fights to the death with their crab pincers, regardless of whether they can win or not?
When did they become so intelligent?
The samurai crabs began to cut up and collect their prey, gradually carrying them into the nearby Dead Sea.
Yet, they showed no reaction to the two humans nearby.
That was also very strange.
Ajin had a guess and looked toward the mysterious traveler, "Is this a trap?"
The other man wiped his mouth with a piece of white paper, "You might say that."
But Ajin still couldn't understand, "How is it possible, how could a group of Guangna Species possibly cooperate with humans. These are daytime samurai crabs, they wouldn't allow humans within their territory."
The traveler said, "They are my employees."
Ajin doubted he heard correctly.
Samurai crabs, when could they be hired?
The traveler didn't seem to care, "As long as there's a profit to be made, enemies can become friends. As long as I offer enough, cooperating with me is much more beneficial than attacking me."
After calming down, Ajin thought about it.
Although the group of samurai crabs had a numerical advantage, their movement speed on land was completely incomparable to that of the clawed pigs.
In a head-on fight, the clawed pigs could simply avoid the sharp attacks and flee.
These terrestrial monsters had incredible stamina and burst capacity, excelling in sustained running and prolonged battles, ready to come and go as they pleased. Hunting them in open terrain was an impossible task for the samurai crabs.
Without the traveler's physical trap, this battle wouldn't have been won.
Could it really be as he said?
Just the attitude of facing the monster's onslaught with a calm demeanor, this uncle was clearly no ordinary person.
One samurai crab placed several cut pieces of meat on stones by the fire.
They gradually burrowed into the sand, hiding themselves.
"This is my share," the traveler pointed at the steaming fresh meat.
Ajin's eyes glazed over, "The kebabs before, they were from clawed pigs..."
The traveler said, "Come on, have some more. I can't eat this much by myself. It takes time to dry the meat, and with the samurai crabs here, it's very safe."
Ajin swallowed his saliva.
The meat of the Guangna Species, even in the city, was an extremely expensive luxury.
He obediently sat down and began grilling the meat.
The traveler made a simple introduction, "My name is Zhou Yi, I come from a far place in the east, I'm a Scavenger like you."
"My name's Ajin, from Mao Valley Town in the west... Thank you, you saved my life."
Ajin gobbled down the meat, feeling his wounds hurt less and his body regain strength. Googlᴇ search novel★fire.net
He considered that the man must be a master-level Scavenger.
He had to ask for advice.
Zhou Yi stretched lazily.
Samurai crabs are born warriors, daring and disciplined, but not the clever type. Asking them to perform complex camouflage was too difficult.
In this Wasteland World, it's best to display your strength.
It generally reduces a lot of unnecessary trouble.
This was Zhou Yi's experiential advice.
If the nearby people were xenophobic or couldn't accept his monster team, then he would just move to another place.
There were many places to settle down anyway.
He would scout around first.