Chapter Forty-Nine: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

“Brother, did you hear something?” The chubby boy asked as he waded through the water.

They had just exited the Fierce God’s cave dwelling, and in the blink of an eye, they were teleported to the center of a lake.

Tang Fei paused, cupped his hand to his ear, and listened intently. “No, I didn’t. Did you hear something?”

“I must’ve imagined it.” The chubby boy glanced fearfully at the skull-headed hammer he was carrying. “Ever since I started carrying this hammer, I’ve felt… off. I’m scared I’ll turn into a monster if I’m not careful. I’m even starting to hear things...”

“You’ll get used to it,” Tang Fei shot him a glare. “And listen, you’d better use it well. Don’t even think about losing it on purpose.”

“How could you think that of me, brother?” The chubby boy protested indignantly. “You want me to use it, I’ll use it. Why would I lose it on purpose?”

“You’re right,” Tang Fei nodded. “You’re not like Dad…”

Dad would do that—deliberately break or lose things he didn’t like, just like a husky.

So undignified!

“Brother, why did you say your name was Lu Yu in there?” The chubby boy asked. “Godfather didn’t go in with us.”

“I was afraid the Fierce God would seek revenge.” Tang Fei answered. “If he’s a true god, he might go to the King of Hell and check the Book of Life and Death. Then he’d find me for sure, wouldn’t he?”

“Oh. So you set up some confusion, like digging extra traps when hunting,” the chubby boy said, suddenly enlightened. He looked at Tang Fei with admiration. “You really think of everything, big brother.”

“If a man has no long-term concerns, he’ll soon have near-term worries.”

“But why use Godfather’s name? What if the Fierce God goes after him?”

“I was too nervous; I couldn’t think of anyone else,” Tang Fei admitted. “Next time, I’ll use Pi Monkey.”

“Brother, don’t use Pi Monkey—he’s my friend,” the chubby boy said seriously.

“All right, all right, next time I’ll just make up a name,” Tang Fei relented.

The chubby boy was so single-minded, if he didn’t agree, the boy would never let it go.

“Thank you, brother,” the chubby boy said happily.

The two of them scrambled onto the shore, threw down the pulse gun and hammer they were carrying, and collapsed on the sand, gasping for air.

This tomb raid had been thrilling, and at first, they’d thought all the explorers from the Nova had left, so they could pick up some leftovers.

They never expected to encounter the Fierce God and nearly lose their lives.

Fortunately, the Fierce God was only present as a wisp of divine thought—if his true form had survived, he might have smashed them into meat paste with a single blow…

Tomb robbers? Leave your heads behind.

But fortune favors the bold.

Gazing at the skull-headed hammer, Tang Fei thought the risk had been more than worth it.

Phoenix had come all the way from the Nova just to find this tomb, and in the end, she found nothing and nearly lost her life.

He, on the other hand, had stumbled around and—well, guess what?

Picked up a divine weapon.

“Hehehe…” Tang Fei could hardly contain his joy.

The chubby boy was terrified and quickly scrambled up, eyeing Tang Fei warily. “Brother, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Tang Fei replied. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving,” the chubby boy groaned. “I’m about to drop dead.”

“Impossible,” Tang Fei retorted. “You’re like a camel. You could go a week without food or water and be just fine.”

“…”

Tang Fei was hungry himself, so he decided to take a drink to tide himself over.

With the skill they were best at, they crouched down, hands on the ground, and lowered their heads to drink from the lake…

“Cluck, cluck, cluck—look at him drink! Doesn’t he look just like a dog?” A woman’s voice suddenly rang out right beside his ear.

“Who’s there?” Tang Fei rolled over and snatched up the pulse gun.

After encountering the Fierce God, the chubby boy was on edge. In the dead of night, to hear a woman laughing scared him so much his fat quivered.

Hunger forgotten, he grabbed the pulse gun and looked all around, on high alert.

Gun in hand, his flesh stopped trembling.

A gun was a man’s greatest backup, his firmest confidence.

Mouth alone never solves anything.

A group of people emerged from the dense forest ahead—men and women, some in their twenties or thirties, others in their forties and fifties.

They wore deep-space suits much like Phoenix’s, though the colors and styles varied.

Tang Fei had tried one of those suits—they were breathable, sweat-wicking, kept you cool or warm, and offered some physical protection. They were also flexible enough for fighting.

The only drawback was that the crotch was a bit tight.

Just from their clothing, it was obvious they’d come down from the Nova.

Each held a variety of high-tech weapons, fanning out to surround Tang Fei and the chubby boy.

Tang Fei groaned inwardly—a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

He’d thought he’d taken advantage of Phoenix, but it turned out someone else was waiting to take advantage of him.

These people were clearly prepared and must have been waiting on the shore for quite some time.

He and the chubby boy had just escaped the cave, barely dodged death, and hadn’t even caught their breath before being surrounded.

After the encounter with the Fierce God, Tang Fei had vomited blood three times—his body was weak.

The chubby boy had never trained in cultivation; Tang Fei doubted the two of them could hold out.

“You’re a cautious one,” a young woman with snow-white skin and a head full of braids spoke up. “Seems the Old Earth isn’t lacking for talent.”

Tang Fei recognized the voice—she was the one who’d mocked his dog-like way of drinking.

You cluck like a chicken yourself…

“Who are you people?” Tang Fei demanded, staring at the woman.

“Why don’t you tell us first? Who are you?” The braided woman grinned, glancing from Tang Fei to the chubby boy. She clicked her tongue in admiration. “Look at that—they’re holding pulse guns…”

“If I’m not mistaken, those are the Phoenix Empire’s latest West Wind Model Three. I haven’t even touched one, and they’re already equipped. I’m so jealous.”

“So what if they have pulse guns? I bet they don’t even know how to use them,” a middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes mocked, his accent odd—he was a foreigner.

After the Great Cataclysm, with transportation cut off, contact between East and West ceased instantly. Tang Fei and the chubby boy rarely traveled; this was their first time seeing a real foreigner.

They’d only seen the paper ones in the old man’s magazines—usually unclothed.

“Oh? Mr. Simon, you really look down on people,” the braided woman laughed.

“Just look at their clothes—pure bumpkins from Old Earth. Who knows how they got those guns, but now they’re out here strutting around. They probably don’t even know where the safety switch is,” a young man said, his contempt for the Old Earth refugees evident.

That was the basic attitude of the Nova elites toward the Old Earth survivors.

Despise you for being poor, ugly, and ignorant—scorn you for your lack of experience.

Two half-grown wild children like Tang Fei and the chubby boy were nothing in their eyes.

“Whoever they are, they’re the ones we’re looking for. Our stealth aircraft spotted them three days ago and has been tracking them ever since…” The braided woman pointed to the skull-headed hammer, gleaming with a cold silver light, then to Tang Fei’s pitch-black cloak. “They didn’t have those before. Looks like they just acquired some new treasures.”

Tang Fei’s scalp tingled.

They’d been watched for three days? Wasn’t that when he and the chubby boy were wandering all over the mountains?

Stealth aircraft? What on earth was that?

He was a master at controlling qi—his senses were far keener than most. Normally, any disturbance within dozens of meters would be detected immediately. How had he missed it this time?

Were they monitoring him from high above, or were they so close, yet invisible?

The crushing feeling of technological superiority was infuriating and left him with a sense of helpless loss.

The price of ignorance…

“Seems they made it into the tomb and brought back some gifts,” Simon said with a sly smile, though his tone was full of regret. “A pity—just when you’ve gotten your hands on them, you’ll have to hand them over.”

He looked at Tang Fei. “You see the situation. If I were you, I’d hand over everything you took from the tomb—right away.”

He gestured at the lake behind them. “But before that, put down your pulse guns. I’m not sure you even know how to use them, but put them down anyway.”

“Then, step back into the lake—both of you. Once we’ve taken what we want and left, you can come out. Only then will you be safe.”

He looked at Tang Fei. “What do you think of my proposal?”

Bang!

Without hesitation, Tang Fei pulled the trigger.

Crack!

With a crisp sound, the blond, blue-eyed man was torn to shreds by the pulse gun.

Blood and flesh splattered everywhere—a messy, violent death.

As far as Tang Fei was concerned, you could mock him for being poor or ugly.

But if you tried to take what was his—

He’d fight to the death.