Qin Siyang had a very long dream.
In the dream, he and Li Tianming and Qian Wenzhao were in a bathhouse, forming a circle, scrubbing each other's backs, laughing and chatting.
Scrubbing nonstop, laughing nonstop.
Harmonious and beautiful.
By the time Qin Siyang woke up again, he had no idea how much time had passed.
Thinking about that long dream, Qin Siyang felt worse than death.
He sighed and pushed the bizarre dream out of his mind.
Then he looked at his own body.
His wounds had mostly healed.
At least, the joints that had been exposed to the bone were now covered by newly grown flesh.
His body no longer hurt intensely.
It was within his tolerable range.
The only thing he couldn't bear was the emptiness in his stomach.
His stomach walls were grinding against each other, desperately demanding new food.
Qin Siyang rummaged through his backpack again.
Only one piece of bread was left.
And half of it was already moldy.
At this point, he wasn't going to be picky.
He tossed the moldy half away and ate the other half.
His body felt a little better, so he grabbed his backpack and prepared to head out.
But now there was another problem.
He was completely naked.
The safe zone was, after all, a civilized society.
He had to cover up a bit.
But the Cyan-Striped armor he had taken off had been corroded to just a tiny piece.
That tiny piece was only enough to cover one area.
He lowered his head in thought.
Where should he cover?
Logically speaking, he should cover the lower half.
But that would let everyone near the safe zone know that the naked guy running around was him.
But if he covered his face…
He wasn't sure if his exposed appearance would pass the checkpoint inspection at Exit 213.
If he got stopped and had to take off the mask, it'd be even more eye-catching.
After thinking it over, he still had to cover the lower part.
After all, running into the safe zone naked—first, it wouldn't be appropriate.
Second, it would put a lot of pressure on other men. [T/N: 💀]
Qin Siyang had always been kind to others, so he wrapped that little piece of Cyan-Striped armor around his groin.
Then he grabbed his backpack and crawled out of the hole.
Once he climbed out, Qin Siyang looked at the unfamiliar surroundings and fell into deep thought.
Damn it.
He didn't recognize the way.
When he came, he was fighting the whole way, keeping his head down and charging forward. Anyway, Old Li was beside him, so he never had to worry about getting lost.
But now, he had no idea where to go.
The cold wind brushed against his chest, his armpits, and his barely covered butt, making him feel a little miserable.
Qin Siyang sat on the ground, aimlessly scanning his surroundings and muttering to himself, "This should be deep outside the safe zone, not far from where the large god appeared. I can't head in the wrong direction."
He scratched his head, but still had no clue.
He couldn't read the stars, didn't remember the way back, and was both hungry and injured. He felt utterly helpless.
"Dear heavens, please let me run into someone as reckless as me who also came deep outside the safe zone."
Just as he finished speaking, he heard footsteps.
"So fast?"
Qin Siyang immediately got up and walked toward the sound.
The person he saw was tall, wrapped in metallic-looking clothing that seemed even more advanced than his Cyan-Striped armor.
That person saw a naked man with a backpack approaching with a fawning smile and looked confused.
Qin Siyang quickly walked up, bowing and nodding to the tall man in front of him, "Big brother, may I ask how to get back to the safe zone?"
Qin Siyang's attitude was respectful, his smile humble—he was fully utilizing his past-life skills of servitude.
The man didn't respond immediately, instead scanning him up and down.
Finally, his gaze settled on the small piece of armor at Qin Siyang's groin.
After a long pause, he asked in shock, "Cyan-Striped armor… came out with a new design?"
"Huh?"
"Big brother, you really know how to joke. I'm in this miserable state because of a god. Can't you see I'm covered in injuries?"
"You got dragged here by a god?"
"Mm-hmm, I was near the safe zone hunting iron-helm flea mice when suddenly, a huge wing slapped me over here. Got injured all over, my armor got destroyed, and all I have left is a useless backpack full of junk."
The man pointed in a direction, "Walk that way, and you'll reach Exit 213 of the safe zone."
"Alright, thank you."
"Wait."
"Hm?"
"This area isn't safe for you alone. I'll go with you. Once you're back in the safe zone, I'll continue hunting gods."
Qin Siyang instantly became wary.
Met a kind person? He highly doubted it.
From birth until now, forget kind people—
He hadn't even met many normal ones.
"Big brother, that's really not necessary. I can manage on my own."
"Don't act tough. Even though you look about my age, your strength is definitely far below mine. With me around, I can at least ensure you make it back safely."
Qin Siyang looked at the rugged face under the man's helmet, thick eyebrows, and a full beard.
About the same age?
This guy looked old enough to be his uncle.
"Big brother, may I ask how old you are?"
"Eighteen."
"Eighteen? Big brother, you… you look a bit mature."
"Can't help it. It's required for my profession."
"You're a bodyguard?"
"I run a business association."
"…I don't quite get it."
"You know how we say in Huaguo, 'No beard, no credibility'? So my family made me keep a beard to gain trust."
"Alright then. How should I address you, big brother?"
"Zhao Sifang. And you?"
"Liu Dazhi."
"Alright, I'll walk with you back. Once you're inside the safe zone, I'll leave."
"Uh… alright, thank you, Brother Zhao."
The two walked back together.
Since Qin Siyang's naked, injured, and overall miserable appearance made it unbelievable that he was here to hunt gods,
Zhao Sifang didn't recognize his face. Seeing how pitiful he looked, he let his guard down and started chatting freely.
"Liu Dazhi, how old are you this year?"
"Almost eighteen."
"So you're in your last year of high school?"
"Mm."
"You're a special recruit? Sorry, dumb question. A high school senior hunting gods alone must be a special recruit."
"Yeah, I am."
"Ugh, this year's special recruitment is such a mess."
"What happened?"
Zhao Sifang sounded displeased, "Some kid named Qin Siyang got lucky and found a vine core, and he's also close with Li Tianming. The organization that recruits him gets both the vine core and Li Tianming's team."
"The universities and research institutes are fighting over that vine core and Professor Ling's team, so they started special recruitment early."
"Special recruitment should be about strength and points. You have to climb step by step. How can they change the rules overnight and encourage shortcuts?"
"I was planning to hunt a ton of gods in the next two months to raise my points, but this totally caught me off guard."
As Zhao Sifang ranted about him, Qin Siyang was just about to feel smug when—
Zhao Sifang added, "Right now, I only have a little over twenty thousand points. If I go to the special recruitment, I'd disgrace my family."
Hearing that, Qin Siyang scratched his head, barely holding back the urge to punch Zhao Sifang.
Why did it feel like every word this guy said was cursing him?
And yet, he couldn't refute it.
He stole a glance at Zhao Sifang, trying to figure out if the guy really didn't recognize him or if there was some hidden meaning behind his words.
But Zhao Sifang's eyes were steady, his thick eyebrows and full beard making him look like an honest man.
Qin Siyang felt like he was just overthinking.
Zhao Sifang continued, "I originally wanted to meet Qin Siyang and tell him to earn his points the proper way. Too bad, he's already dead."
Qin Siyang was stunned, "Qin Siyang is dead? When did that happen?"
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