Wasteland Hunt

The long-silent combat​‌‌‌​‍‌​​⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠​⁠⁠‌‍ frequency came alive with the excited voices of the Protectors: “Mr. Xi De!”

An Yu looked up only to see a gallant figure cutting through the miasma, his wings spreading wide.

Feathers of a flaming gold texture rustled loudly in the heat wave, pushing back the oncoming aberrant tide with powerful wingbeats and scorching the infected into ash.

The firelight danced in those golden-red eyes, and Xi De smiled and said, “I’m here.”

Qin Zhilu holstered his gun, “Finally.”

“Sorry, I got delayed by a pesky flock in the wilderness.” Xi De casually laughed and turned his gaze to An Yu, “So this is the kid you finally picked up?”

“Hello, sir,” Bo’s respectful voice came from the channel, “Yes, An Yu has just joined the Spire.”

An Yu then remembered that Xi De was Bo’s supervisor. One was bright and intense, the other aloof and proud. Besides both being young birds, they seemed to have little in common, yet it felt natural for them to be in the same camp.

“Nice to meet you. Looks like our Bo likes you a lot.” Xi De withdrew his gaze from An Yu, “Law, how do we fight this?”

Qin Zhilu replied, “I’ll leave the aberrant tide to you, the rest of the Protectors will focus on rescuing any surviving humans. An Yu and I will search for the energy core. Once we find it…”

He glanced at the seemingly endless aberrant tide—this was just the number attracted by the deaths of two [Frog Tongues].

“Humans will evacuate and thermal weapons will clear the city.”

“Commander,” An Yu looked at the ruined streets, “Will District 53 still exist after the thermal weapons hit?”

Qin Zhilu shook his head, “It will be completely destroyed.”

“What about the remaining humans?”

“There will be some,” Qin Zhilu’s voice grew heavier, “We can only do our best.”

“Adjust the battle plan, Protectors will conservatively hold off the aberrant tide. You search for the energy core; I’ll operate alone.” An Yu decisively modified Qin Zhilu’s orders, pausing only after he finished speaking, “Is that okay?”

That was far from the tone of “Is that okay.”

Qin Zhilu looked at him for a moment, “So disrespectful.”

An Yu seriously looked at him, “I’m requesting your approval.”

“You’re ordering me.”

“Then…” An Yu’s face remained emotionless, “Please, listen to me.”

Xi De, who had been silently watching, suddenly couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re not quite like the rumors.”

Qin Zhilu didn’t argue with An Yu, “What do you plan to do?”

An Yu turned around and looked into the distance.

The miasma and aberrant tide had completely turned District 53 into a terrifying wasteland.

Perhaps he wasn’t as inhuman as Ling Qiu said—although, before Ling Qiu’s death, he didn’t even know where his hometown was.

His cold gaze swept over the ruined city, “I want to return District 53 back to Ling Qiu.”

Leaving the aberrant tide behind, An Yu shouldered Ling Qiu’s sniper rifle and ventured into the city ruins alone. Two out of the eight [Frog Tongues] were down, and if he counted the true super-aberrant one hiding behind, he still had seven opportunities for experimentation left.

His earpiece was noisy with incessant questions from the Black Tower. He wanted to switch to Qin Zhilu’s channel for some peace but he suddenly recalled that gun barrel pressed against his chest.

The metal dug into his old wound, cold and unfeeling.

So, he muted all channels.

A heatwave swept over his head and Xi De said, “I’m patrolling above you, call me if you need anything.”

An Yu remained calm, “Did Qin Zhilu tell you to?”

Xi De chuckled, “You call him ‘Commander’ to his face but refer to him by name behind his back?”

An Yu paused slightly.

In fact, it was unconscious—maybe he was… a bit angry?

Anger was a very unfamiliar emotion to him. Since that state came, his temper seemed to worsen. Those Protectors he once feared were now as insignificant as ants, and the Commander’s reasonable test now annoyed him.

A person who had always looked up at the sky from the ground suddenly started to look down, realizing that nothing was ever truly grand.

Xi De didn’t press further, “Where are you going?”

An Yu continued walking with the rifle on his back, “I’m looking for someone.”

Ever since his awakening, he seemed to have developed a subtle sense. Although this Bait City was already full of filth, he could vaguely feel where it was the dirtiest.

He calmly said: “You can patrol, but keep your distance.”

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The recorder, which An Yu had ordered to stay at a distance, only captured a white shadow flying straight out of the exploding building— it was An Yu, who broke through a wall and hit a streetlight across the street before falling down.

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“What’s happening? Can’t handle it?”

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After a while, An Yu slowly propped himself up from the ground.

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It was a marvelous experience; completely ignoring space and distance, he only needed to select two points for a fixed-point crossing.

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The simultaneous occurrence of the octopus’ body explosion and space distortion had violently ejected him.

It really hurts to fall.

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“What kind of aberrant is inside?”

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“It’s unnecessary to kill all the [Frog Tongues]. This will only add unnecessary work for the Wings team.”

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“Even if you don’t care about the bigger picture, don’t play with fire. Your ability just awakened…”

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The world was finally quiet.

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Detonating sounded like it needed an external force, and the aberrant’s explosion should leave some skin or tissue and not disappear so cleanly.

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No wonder he didn’t want anyone following him—he probably thought his eating habits were too terrifying. This guy from the slums, his ability had just awakened a few days ago and he was already getting self-conscious.

Shortly after, the same earth-shattering movement erupted from the dark alley near the market, and An Yu came out alone, panting heavily.

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When An Yu was flung out of the window by thick tentacles, the people at the Black Tower nearly had a collective stroke.

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Every wound on his body signified an infection, and his powers grew wildly under this nourishment. Although his combat prowess was going through the roof, this human body was reaching its limit.

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“Only kids drink that stuff.” Xi De glanced down at him, “Can you hold on?”

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An Yu softly said, “My… ultimate move.”

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An Yu was put on the ground and tidied up his prison uniform which was disheveled by the wind. “Although I’m not picky about food, my ultimate move isn’t devouring, but… it’s being devoured.”

He glanced at his reflection in the stagnant water—tattered clothing and a body covered in severe injuries—it really seemed that, as long as he closed his eyes, he was about to break down.

In truth, he thought he shared some similarities with rabbits; they both appeared very weak and easily attracted malice.

Animals die from greed.

And he happened to use greed to hunt.

[The final stop before the decisive battle, the south side of the inner city.]

The only hospital in District 53 underwent an unprecedented collapse. On the large screen, the hospital building shook and bounced up like a wind-up toy with legs, until the steel beams broke, the bricks crumbled, and the entire building became unrecognizable.

This time, An Yu walked out of the hospital with blood streaming down his back from his shoulders and dripping from his clothes. His pale face made his red eyes appear even colder.

The hint of a satisfied smile on his face sent chills down the spines of the people in the Black Tower.

A decision-maker, looking at the feedback data, trembled, “Survival rate 12%, genetic entropy zero, mental strength full score.”

High Peak questioned: “Is he greedy for merit and blood, or is he intentionally getting hurt?”

He promptly ordered the Brain researcher, “Reevaluate the psychological assessment results.”

The researcher was desperate and wanted to cry. In fact, he had secretly reviewed it several times, because even he himself gradually couldn’t believe that An Yu was not mentally ill.

After a long struggle, he hesitantly said, “He is indeed somewhat reclusive. But… in the tests, he showed an extreme desire to survive. Perhaps, in rare cases, this desire to survive might manifest inversely as some… masochistic tendencies.”

After making this up, he was almost moved to tears by his own imagination.

High Peak let out a relieved sigh of relief, “That makes sense. Qin Zhilu’s battle report said something similar.”

“…”

The researcher could only smile bitterly in silence, sympathetically looking at the poor little thing on the screen who was being labeled as having masochistic tendencies.

An Yu had just dealt with the last [Frog Tongue] near the hospital and was standing in front of a shattered shop window, wiping his face with gauze he had taken from the hospital.

A piece of gauze was folded twice, and the front and back sides could be divided into eight small grids. He wiped himself on each small grid until it was completely dirty before he was willing to dirty another grid. When Xi De’s call request lit up on the terminal, he turned on the earpiece.

“I think I know what you’re doing,” Xi De’s tone was somewhat incredulous yet also admiring. “Pushing your physiological limits to explore your ability’s limits?”

Not entirely correct.

But An Yu had no intention of explaining. He avoided the blood on his face with the gauze and only wiped away the filthy aberrant fluids.

After wiping his face, the reflection in the window still looked like he was on the verge of being beaten to death, but he appeared a bit cleaner than before.

Xi De chuckled, “Law’s brat is really interesting. But if you want to work out, there’s no need to hunt [Frog Tongues]. Why not just charge into the aberrant tide and fight to your heart’s content? Look at the mess you’ve caused now. Do you know how terrifying the outer circle of the aberrant tide is? My subordinates are about to collectively develop trypophobia.”

An Yu suddenly paused.

This was awkward, he had forgotten about those people.

“Tell your men to let them pass,” he said nonchalantly.

“Not stopping them anymore?” Xi De was surprised. “Then the aberrant army will split up and go pay their respects to their mothers. Did you plant explosives in those places after the fight?”

“It’s just a temporary separation. A grander reunion is waiting for them.” An Yu’s tone was flat. “Have you found the energy core?”

“Not yet. Billy still can’t find the real super-aberrant’s location. That thing is too cowardly. All eight clones are dead, but it still hasn’t shown its head.” Xi De sighed, “Law has already checked all areas with abnormal energy fluctuations and found nothing. Now it’s basically confirmed that the energy core can only be with the final mother body.”

In the window, a trace of disgust appeared in those red eyes. “The dirtiest thing,” An Yu said softly, “I thought so too.”

The blood-soaked prison uniform fluttered in the wind. It was nearly worn out, exposing his wounded skin.

What a pity, I wanted to take this prison uniform back and wear it for ten years after everything was over. I didn’t expect it to end up with such a shabby ending, worse than the sacks issued in the slums.

By the way, District 53’s slum was right in the center of the city. This Bait City was initially established to house the outcasts and then quickly expanded outward.

12%, I don’t have the energy to fight anymore…

An Yu gently blinked at his reflection in the window. Seems like he had to heed the big boy’s advice.

“I want to go home.”

The author has something to say:

This story will enter VIP tomorrow, and tomorrow is also the decisive chapter for District 53. An Yu will fulfill his promise to Ling Qiu.

[Lost District 53] is An Yu’s starting volume. As the foundation of the whole story, it does carry some heavy elements regarding Ling Qiu’s departure, Law’s attitude towards An Yu, the fate of the protagonists, the identity of the loose book… It’s normal to have reactions and speculations now, but no spoilers for the moment, hope you understand. The tone will be much lighter later, with the protagonist continuing to grow, and more interesting and lovable characters will appear. I hope everyone will not be impatient and continue to read the story~

See you in the next chapter.

M1zushi: we finally have a discord role! check it out <3

ill finish proofreading it later bcs its already midnight kslkjflskfkd