True Apocalypse Game

Seeing Shen Feng frown, Firefly’s expression shifted to one of realization. She shouted to the people around them:

"Everyone, come on out! He’s not a Barbarian, he’s the one who saved my life!"

The moment she finished speaking, a clamor arose from the surrounding ruins, and figures emerged from behind all sorts of broken walls and rubble.

They were men and women, their clothes equally tattered, woven from tree bark, plastic, and all sorts of miscellaneous junk. They were, however, relatively clean.

Although some had obvious disabilities and mutations, with stooped or hunched backs, they didn’t show any overly bizarre signs of mutation.

Moreover, they all had young faces, ranging from ten to thirty years old. There was hardly a middle-aged person among them.

Seven or eight men armed with iron pipes and blades surrounded them, watching Shen Feng with wary expressions, looking as if they might swarm him and attack at any moment.

The burly man in the lead, Scar, frowned and said:

"Firefly, we were already being generous by taking you in, an outsider. How dare you bring another random person into town! What if he’s one of the Desert Bandits?"

A skinny man with a sinister face next to him immediately added:

"Exactly! Are you trying to get our town massacred by those Desert Bandits!?"

Firefly quickly said:

"Don’t worry, everyone! Shen Feng isn’t a Desert Bandit. He saved me from them."

Then she turned and whispered to Shen Feng, "Don’t worry. They’re all good people. They don’t eat humans."

As she spoke, she held her bound hands out to Shen Feng, motioning for him to untie them.

Shen Feng was speechless.

’When did the bar for being a good person get set so low?’

He could tell, of course, that the people of this so-called Nameless Town were not exactly friendly, approachable neighbors.

He untied the ropes on Firefly’s hands, then clenched his right fist. His muscles bulged, the back of his hand petrified, and he threw a thunderous punch, leaving a deep crater in the nearby brick wall!

He then turned his blank face to Scar, their leader, and said, "I mean you no harm."

But a flash of warning, of killing intent, glinted in his eyes.

’He didn’t believe in kind souls in this apocalypse. Establishing dominance by killing was likely the fastest way to get his point across.’

Scar’s men couldn’t help but look horrified. The man’s strength was immense, almost like a Barbarian’s.

The townspeople who had been watching the commotion flinched, seemingly imagining what it would be like if that fist had hit their own heads.

Scar didn’t back down. Instead, his eyes narrowed and he waved his hand, signaling his men to surround Shen Feng.

"Who are you? What are you doing in this town? What’s in your bag? Did you steal it from somewhere?"

’Brute strength doesn’t mean much. He’s still empty-handed.’

’The blades in our hands are the real deal. Even a Barbarian will bleed if you stab it.’

’The bag on his back is almost brand new. He probably just found it in some ruin. There’s definitely good stuff inside!’

Scar couldn’t help but lick his lips greedily.

Firefly waved her hands frantically, flustered. "A misunderstanding! This must be a misunderstanding! He’s really a good person! He even gave me delicious food to eat! He’s not a Desert Bandit!"

Then she whipped her head around, her expression turning grim. She pulled a small knife from a hidden spot in her clothes, clutched it tightly, and whispered in Shen Feng’s ear:

"The mayor isn’t here. That bastard Scar looks like he’s going to rob us. Let’s kill him."

Shen Feng nodded imperceptibly. He controlled the muscles in his body, making them slowly ripple as his skin hardened bit by bit. He casually slung the backpack off his back, took out an unopened pack of Mount Tai cigarettes, and said:

"As for what’s in the bag... cigarettes."

At the word "cigarettes," everyone present sucked in a cold breath. Even Firefly’s eyes went wide, and she stared, completely stunned, at the pack of cigarettes in Shen Feng’s hand.

"Cigarettes! He has smokes!"

"Gods, a whole pack of them! This... how much would that even be worth!?"

"I’ve never even seen a cigarette in my life! Is that really the legendary stuff? Let me see!"

"That’s a pre-war Sacred Artifact, worth a fortune! I heard that in some of the powerful tribes, a single cigarette can be traded for five slaves!"

"..."

Shen Feng was a little surprised to see everyone react so strongly to a pack of cigarettes.

’Just as I expected. An industrial product like cigarettes really is hard currency in the wasteland.’

Scar swallowed hard, his eyes filled with greed, and asked, "What else?"

’This outsider has so much good stuff! He’s definitely struck it rich!’

Shen Feng smiled faintly and said, "There’s also a bottle of alcohol. Come and see for yourself."

As he spoke, he reached into his bag and gripped the handle of his tungsten steel dagger.

Hearing there was also the legendary alcohol, Scar’s breathing grew ragged. He immediately strode forward, waving a hand at his men around him.

’He’d already made up his mind. No matter where this kid came from, he was going to rob him blind!’

THUD! A heavy, muffled sound echoed as something hit the ground. Scar, who had just taken two steps, froze in his tracks.

The surrounding crowd also showed expressions of fear, all turning to look in the direction of the sound.

In front of a relatively intact house, a middle-aged man who looked to be around fifty years old had just walked out. His face was covered in wrinkles and his hair was flecked with gray, but his expression commanded authority without anger.

In his hands, he held a Double-Barreled Shotgun. Its long barrel was propped on the ground, reflecting a dark glint in the sunlight.

"It’s the mayor!" Firefly whispered, her expression immediately relaxing. She then quietly explained to Shen Feng:

"He’s the oldest person in town, already thirty-five years old. He’s the guardian of order. The thing in his hand is the legendary Holy Spear. They say he brought it back from an expedition into the Death Forest when he was young. It can kill someone just by pointing it at them!"

The mayor asked in a deep voice, "Scar, what’s going on here?"

Scar looked flustered. "Mayor, it’s... uh... this outsider... his origins are unknown. I was just... just checking to see if he was... uh... one of the Desert Bandits..."

"Would a Desert Bandit be carrying so many treasures?"

"N-no..."

The mayor nodded. "Then he’s not a Desert Bandit. Everyone disperse. Our territory welcomes anyone who follows the rules."

"Yes..." Scar immediately waved his hand, and he and his men scurried away.

The mayor gave Shen Feng a slight nod, shot him a warning look, then turned and went back into the room behind him.

’A pity,’ Shen Feng thought, releasing his grip on the dagger.

But he also felt a sense of relief.

’Humanity, in this apocalyptic wasteland, hadn’t completely devolved into beasts fighting solely for survival. Some semblance of civilization and order remained.’

Firefly said:

"The mayor has spoken, so no one will give you any trouble. Shen Feng, want me to show you around Nameless Town? It’s one of the biggest towns around, you know! There are over five hundred people here!"

Shen Feng said:

"Take me to the store first. I need to sell some things."

A few minutes later, they were standing in a building that looked like a scrap-collection station.

All around them were piles of discarded steel components and waste from the pre-war civilization. Strips of some unidentifiable jerky hung in rows from the ceiling, along with some furs and plastic strips.

This was the store of Nameless Town.

The shopkeeper had already seen Shen Feng earlier. Now, seeing Shen Feng appear in his shop, his face was all smiles.

’He’d heard with his own ears that this man had the legendary cigarettes and alcohol!’

Shen Feng tore open the pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, held it under his nose to smell it, and said to the eager-faced shopkeeper:

"I’d like to trade for some things... and some information."