True Apocalypse Game

"Two little rats, two little rats, run so fast, run so fast. One is roasted jerky, one is meaty stew. So delicious, so delicious..."

Following the baptism of Rebirth Day, the morning in Nameless Town seemed exceptionally quiet.

In a stretch of ruins outside of town, Firefly was tossing a few walnut-sized stones, humming a song as she walked.

After the dazzling spectacle of Rebirth Day last night, Shen Feng had immediately started repairing a motorcycle. Firefly had chatted with him for a good while, and she came away feeling, ’this middle-aged man must be insane’.

He actually wanted to find the Divine Halls of the Great God Jingwei, the Bear God, and Poseidon, just so he could tear them all down.

In his own words, it was all stuff like, "Only by destroying the launch systems can we save human civilization," and, "Even though I don’t really care about human civilization, there’s no way in hell I can go back without finishing my mission."

Listening to this left Firefly completely baffled.

When Firefly asked if he was from Peach Blossom Spring, Shen Feng flatly denied it, claiming he had no idea what it was like inside a Shelter.

But any fool knew that the treasures he carried could only have come from the legendary Peach Blossom Spring.

What’s more, Shen Feng kept asking Firefly where he could find Shelter 0 and peppering her with questions about any strange things she might have encountered as a miner. He was so preoccupied he hadn’t even noticed the hair clip she was wearing, which was just infuriating.

That’s why Firefly had stormed out first thing in the morning to go hunting by herself.

It was hard to catch rabbits this time of year, but bagging a few big rats wasn’t a problem.

Two of yesterday’s "Flowers of Death" had blossomed within sight of Nameless Town. The animals from those two directions, especially the rats, would likely flock toward the town, making it a good time to hunt.

Just then, a plump rat appeared in the rubble not far ahead of Firefly.

Her eyes lit up. She immediately held her breath and crept closer, then suddenly threw one of the stones from her hand.

THWACK! The stone hit the rat’s tail but failed to knock it down. Instead, the terrified creature scurried away in a frenzy.

Forgetting everything else, Firefly immediately gave chase, flinging more stones after it, but none of them found their mark.

The rat and the girl, one chasing the other, soon arrived at a cluster of dilapidated buildings outside Nameless Town.

The rat seemed to have tired itself out and stopped. Firefly also slowed, tiptoeing forward.

Suddenly, the faint roar of car engines drifted over. Firefly frowned, crept quietly toward the sound, and hid behind a crumbling brick wall, peeking out through a crack.

She saw Scar and several of his men standing there with fawning smiles on their faces. In front of them were two roaring cars!

The vehicles had no cabins, just iron frames welded on top. Each car held two people with heavy, dark circles painted around their eyes.

The men were bare-chested, and each had a black crow insignia tattooed over his heart.

Firefly’s eyes widened. In an instant, she understood: these were men from the Crow Tribe!

She heard Scar ask, "Friends from the Crow Tribe, I was right, wasn’t I? This outsider is a Flawless Seed Source, isn’t he?"

The leader of the group, a man with his hair in numerous small braids, replied emotionlessly:

"That’s right. The tribe’s Sacred Artifact has already tested it. The man’s blood is pure, untouched by the curse. He’s a top-tier Flawless Seed Source! Take us to him now!"

One of Scar’s men said hesitantly:

"Taking you to him is no problem, but... our mayor is the Saint Spear Mayor. If..."

The man scoffed and said:

"Saint Spear Mayor my ass. How many years has it been since he’s killed anyone? His Sacred Artifact bullets were probably used up long ago! And even if he could still use the Holy Spear, our Crow Tribe wouldn’t give a damn about one little Holy Spear!"

Scar smacked his lips, feigning a calm and composed air, and said:

"Well, in that case, perhaps we should discuss our payment in advance..."

Behind the wall, Firefly’s eyes were wide, utterly shocked by what she had heard.

Holding her breath, trying not to make a single sound, she slowly backed away from the crumbling wall. Once she was a safe distance away, she turned and sprinted toward Nameless Town.

Inside the room, Shen Feng was looking at the motorcycle in front of him with a satisfied expression.

’A silicon-based brain is just too powerful. Using only fragmented memories, I figured out the operating principles of a motorcycle and understood the structure of this old wreck.’

In the end, using various parts—and even improvising a few of his own—he had actually managed to fix the motorcycle in a single night!

Though it was covered in rust and looked like it had been cobbled together from garbage, it was surprisingly sturdy, and most importantly, it ran!

As for the tires, he had patched them with various melted bits of rubber and plastic, then inflated them. They were barely usable, but they would do.

This thing looked like a total wreck, as if it might fall apart at any second, but it ought to run. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Shen Feng opened the motorcycle’s gas tank, poured in the bottle of gasoline he’d bought, and was about to try starting it.

"Shen Feng! Shen Feng!" Firefly’s shouts came from outside. Shen Feng couldn’t help but frown.

A moment later, Firefly ran in, panting, and words tumbled out of her like machine-gun fire:

"Go, quickly! Scar is working with the Crow Tribe! I don’t know how, but they tested you and found out you’re a Flawless Seed Source, untouched by the curse! They’re on their way to grab you right now!"

Shen Feng’s expression grew stern. He was about to ask for details when the roar of car engines sounded from outside!

In just a few seconds, the roar was right at the door. Shen Feng rushed out to see two strange-looking iron-frame vehicles blocking the entrance.

Scar leaped down from one of the cars, pointed at Shen Feng, and said:

"Mr. Grey Feather, that’s him!"

The man with the braided hair looked Shen Feng over with a satisfied smile. But when his gaze swept over Firefly, his pupils suddenly constricted, and a flicker of excitement flashed in his eyes.

Then he waved his hand and ordered:

"Seize them! And that includes the woman!"

Several of Scar’s men, along with a few members of the Crow Tribe, all rushed toward Shen Feng at once, eager to capture the priceless Flawless Seed Source!

Shen Feng’s face grew grim. His muscles bulged as his hand shot to the dagger at his waist, ready for a bloody battle.

"Stop!" A sharp command rang out, halting Scar’s men and the members of the Crow Tribe.

The mayor walked over slowly, holding a double-barreled shotgun. Behind him were a few of his trusted men and some of the town’s residents.

Brandishing the shotgun, the mayor’s face was grim as he said:

"In Nameless Town, no one gets to run wild!"

Grey Feather let out another cold laugh.

"So, it’s the legendary Mr. Mayor. What an impressive display... But tell me, do you even have any bullets left in that gun? Besides, do you really want to make an enemy of the Crow Tribe!?"

"You’re welcome to find out if I have bullets or not," the mayor said, his face expressionless, as he placed his finger on the trigger.

Shen Feng gave the mayor a deep look, then pulled Firefly back into the house.

Scar and Grey Feather exchanged a look and, for the moment, didn’t order their men to make a move.

After all, they were only guessing. If the mayor’s gun was still loaded, they would be the first to go down.

Just then, the roar of an engine erupted from inside the house. An instant later, Shen Feng shot out of the doorway on the motorcycle with Firefly behind him, a black blur that knocked down two members of the Crow Tribe and sped away, heading out of Nameless Town!

"After them!"

Scar bellowed. He had seen the backpack on Shen Feng’s back. From the very beginning, all he had ever wanted was that bag and the treasures inside!

BANG! A gunshot rang out. A bloody hole appeared in the chest of one of Scar’s men, and he collapsed instantly.

A wisp of smoke drifted from the barrel of the mayor’s double-barreled shotgun. "Don’t move!" he said grimly.

Scar and the others were horrified. The mayor’s gun was still loaded with Sacred Artifact bullets!

The mayor turned to watch Shen Feng’s receding figure and thought to himself, ’Hurry, kid. This is all I can do to help you...’

Grey Feather’s gaze was sharp. He gave a cold smile and said, "Fine. We won’t move."

Then, he took a sheet-metal whistle from his waist and blew a sharp blast.

A piercing whistle echoed through the town. Immediately, the roar of engines and the rumbling of sheet-metal drums sounded from outside the town’s limits!

Dozens of Crow Tribe members, who had been waiting outside, gunned the engines of more than ten iron-frame cars and took off in pursuit of Shen Feng!

Billowing dust and smoke merged into a furious road to death!