Qi Heng did not stay for long.
He estimated that he would not have time to return over the next several days, so before leaving, he arranged the plump Zerg’s food supply. He selected two energy crystals and told it to eat them only when the hunger became unbearable.
It was not that he wanted to abuse a child.
Even the landlord’s granary had no surplus grain.
At present, allowing the plump Zerg to eat its fill was impossible. The best Qi Heng could do was let it consume something when it could no longer endure the hunger, easing its physical discomfort.
Once the tunnel he envisioned was completed and a continuous supply of Obsidian Crystal was excavated and transported here, the plump Zerg could eat as much as it wanted.
Qi Heng emerged from the Hatchery’s lowest-level base beneath what was now the dead-egg pit.
When he raised his head, he saw two crescent moons hanging in the sky.
Night had fallen.
Carrying the basket, Qi Heng hurried toward District 49, though his mind was occupied with other matters.
He wondered whether Mo Nan from the hunting team had come looking for him and whether Yan Ning had delivered his message.
When Mo Nan had previously asked whether Qi Heng was interested in joining the hunting team, Qi Heng had not yet planned to exchange prey for large quantities of Starstones from District 49’s female Zerg.
He had only said that he needed some time to consider it.
Mo Nan had given him one day to decide. According to that schedule, he should have come looking for Qi Heng today.
Unfortunately, Qi Heng had needed to take the Blue-Tailed Butterfly to the mine.
The two of them were certain to miss each other, so Qi Heng could only ask Yan Ning to pass along a message.
Hunting a controlled number of ordinary animals would not attract much attention. At most, others would say he had been fortunate.
However, if Qi Heng intended to continue this “business” over the long term, he would inevitably need to target animals deeper within the wasteland, perhaps even mutated beasts.
There was nothing unusual about a female Zerg successfully catching an animal in the wilderness.
But if he returned with a full harvest every time, repeatedly ventured deep into the wasteland without injury, and always came back heavily loaded, his unusual nature would eventually be exposed.
Qi Heng had not forgotten the enormous size of the mutated beast detected by the system.
Moreover, he was extremely curious about how mutated beasts had come into existence. He very much wanted to capture one alive, dissect it, and analyze how it differed from an ordinary animal.
Targeting a mutated beast had already been added to his list of objectives.
It was now merely a matter of when he would accomplish it.
In summary, Qi Heng needed a few fall guys.
They could also be called shields to divert future investigative attention away from him.
Within District 49, Qi Heng noticed something wrong with Yan Ning’s home before he had even approached it.
He remembered that the stone slab used to block the doorway was normally propped against the side.
Now it lay flat on the ground.
Had something happened?
At the thought, Qi Heng quickened his pace.
Inside the house, he reached the doorway and looked at the devastated interior.
“What happened here?” he asked Yan Ning, who was sitting beside the firelight.
Yan Ning heard his voice and stood, preparing to say that nothing was wrong, but Qi Heng’s next words stopped him.
“What happened while I was gone?”
Qi Heng stepped inside and examined the surroundings carefully.
Yan Ning’s home was small and crude, but he always kept it neat and clean.
Now it looked as though a tornado had passed through.
Not only had the belongings inside been violently smashed and ruined, but Yan Ning himself looked extremely disheveled.
Unless Qi Heng was mistaken, the blue and purple marks across Yan Ning’s face were bruises from being beaten.
“Who did this?”
Qi Heng’s voice turned cold.
Yan Ning was ordinarily kind to everyone and had never seemed to conflict with other female Zerg.
As for Qi Heng himself…
The only person he had offended recently was a male Zerg in the trading area.
Could that male Zerg have found his home so quickly?
Lele had originally been lying against Yan Ning.
The child sniffled and looked at Qi Heng with red, swollen eyes, then began whimpering quietly.
“Uncle… hic… bad Zerg hit Female Father.”
Qi Heng raised a hand and patted the child’s head.
“Don’t worry. Not one of the Zerg who struck him will escape.”
His voice sounded no different from usual, yet at that moment, it sent a chill through the listener’s heart.
“Brother Qi, don’t listen to Lele. He doesn’t understand anything,” Yan Ning said.
Then, forcing himself to continue, he added, “It was only a few female Zerg who came looking for trouble.”
Qi Heng looked at the adult and child, then turned and walked outside.
He first lifted the stone slab and blocked the drafty doorway.
Any questions could wait until afterward.
Just as he finished raising the slab, however, he saw a figure running toward them in a hurry.
It was Yun Tian.
“Brother Qi, you’re finally back! I need to tell you…”
Yun Tian’s face lit up when he saw him.
“It’s cold outside. Come in and tell me there,” Qi Heng said.
“Oh, right. All right.”
Qi Heng blocked the doorway again.
When he turned, he saw Yun Tian adding fuel to make the fire burn more strongly.
Yan Ning placed Lele beside Yun Tian and began collecting the belongings scattered everywhere.
“Yun Tian.”
Qi Heng walked over.
“What is it, Brother Qi?”
“Do you know what happened? I just returned, and Yan Ning hasn’t had time to explain.”
Yan Ning, who was gathering the scattered objects, tried to stop him.
Yun Tian completely failed to notice his friend’s intentions and indignantly explained the entire matter from beginning to end.
“Brother Qi, you still don’t know?!”
Yun Tian angrily threw down the fire poker.
“It was Lie Ke and his group of female Zerg. They came to collect protection money!”
“They saw that you exchanged the venison for a lot of Starstones yesterday, so they came today and demanded that Ah Ning hand over half.”
“When Ah Ning refused, they attacked him… That’s what happened.”
Yun Tian told him everything he knew.
“Fortunately, Mo Nan was here. Otherwise, they definitely wouldn’t have left so easily.”
Qi Heng looked toward Yan Ning.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect something like this to happen. You should have told them the truth.”
Qi Heng had taken the Starstones with him.
They had never been in Yan Ning’s possession.
Yan Ning shook his head.
“Those female Zerg were the ones at fault. It had nothing to do with you, Brother Qi.”
“Besides, you exchanged your prey for those Starstones. They never should have received any of them.”
“If you gave them something once, there would only be a next time…”
“Yan Ning is right.”
Yun Tian nodded firmly, but then became worried.
“But if you don’t give them anything, they’ll continue harassing you.”
“Let them come.”
The corner of Qi Heng’s lips lifted, and he gave a quiet laugh.
“I would like to see what else they can do. I wasn’t here today, so the two of you were dragged into this because of me.”
Protection money?
He would never pay it.
He had worked hard to wait in ambush and capture prey. Every Starstone he received had already been assigned a purpose.
How could they possibly benefit Zerg who wanted to profit without working?
They had actually tried collecting protection money from him, the Overlord.
Had Qi Heng not been the victim, he might genuinely have praised them for their remarkable courage.
“Brother Qi, why would you say that? We’re clearly the ones who’ve caused you so much trouble,” Yan Ning hurriedly said, shaking his head.
“I can’t blame you either. They were simply unlucky.”
Unlucky?
Qi Heng played with the child attempting to climb onto his knee.
They truly were unlucky.
Otherwise, how could they have chosen to cause trouble for him?
“Were you frightened?”
The child nodded, then opened his arms and whispered, “Hug.”
Qi Heng lifted Lele onto his lap and allowed the child to press against him.
He had noticed long ago that he seemed more indulgent toward children.
Children also liked approaching him.
It was probably the Overlord’s aura at work. Certain instincts in young Zerg were much stronger than those of adults.
Lele sensed the reassuring aura around him, and the fear that had made him tremble gradually faded.
“They attacked you. Are your injuries serious?” Qi Heng asked Yan Ning.
“I’m fine. These are only minor injuries. They’ll heal by themselves in a few days.”
Female Zerg possessed powerful regenerative abilities.
The blue and purple bruises looked severe, but they would disappear within a few days.
“Yun Tian, these Zerg you mentioned, Lie Ke and the others. Aren’t they afraid the patrol team will come after them for causing trouble like this?” Qi Heng asked casually.
He disliked trouble, but he did not fear it.
Qi Heng knew that, strictly speaking, the matter had little to do with Yan Ning.
The female Zerg who came to the house had been targeting Qi Heng. Yan Ning had suffered an undeserved disaster.
Even setting aside that Qi Heng had been their true target, the fact that they had struck Yan Ning and terrified Lele was enough for him to remember the debt.
He had never said it openly, but Yan Ning, the first person in this world to show him kindness, and Lele, the child he was fond of, had long since been classified as his own people.
There was no reason not to retaliate when one of his own was bullied.
“Brother Qi, it only makes me angrier when you mention that.”
Yun Tian frowned.
“Lie Ke and those female Zerg aren’t afraid of the patrol team at all. I heard they have connections with Zerg inside the patrol team.”
“Even if someone reported something like this, the patrol team wouldn’t interfere.”
Qi Heng understood.
It seemed this group of protection-money thugs was colluding with members of the patrol team.
That made sense.
Otherwise, where would they find the confidence to cause trouble so openly?
Qi Heng himself had been warned by a gray-clothed patrol officer on his very first day in District 49.
He was not surprised.
District 49 maintained superficial stability, but all kinds of problems existed beneath the surface.
Good and bad people existed everywhere.
Naturally, the Zerg also had good and bad members.
The problem was that they should never have provoked him.
“So they’re connected to the patrol team. No wonder they’re so arrogant,” Qi Heng said.
“Exactly. No one can afford to offend them, so after being threatened, everyone can only exchange Starstones for peace.”
“If the matter reaches the patrol team, we’ll still be the ones who suffer.”
Yun Tian continued muttering.
“I heard my female father say that Lie Ke’s group gives some of the Starstones they collect to members of the patrol team in exchange for protection.”
“My female father told me never to provoke Lie Ke and his group without reason. Once they target you, it becomes very troublesome.”
“Brother Qi, what are you planning to do? Maybe I can go back and ask whether my female father can help…”
“No.”
Qi Heng rejected the offer without hesitation.
There was no need to involve anyone else in his affairs.
He had other plans.
“Yun Tian, thank you for today.”
“Don’t say that. I didn’t really help.”
Yun Tian stood.
“Mo Nan was the one who frightened them away. I originally came to keep Ah Ning company, but since you’re back, I should go home.”
“My female father is waiting for me. He’ll scold me if I return too late.”
Yan Ning saw Yun Tian out.
Qi Heng placed the sleeping child from his arms onto the bed.
“He’s asleep. You should rest too.”
“These things can be cleaned up tomorrow.”
Most of the belongings had already been smashed beyond use.
It might be better to throw them away and replace them.
Yan Ning nodded and pointed toward the chipped stone pot.
“I cooked something earlier. You haven’t eaten yet, Brother Qi. Have some.”
“What about the two of you?”
“We already ate.”
“Oh, right. Brother Qi, I passed your message to Mo Nan. He said he’ll come to see you first thing tomorrow morning.”
After speaking, Yan Ning turned toward the child.
“All right. I understand.”
Qi Heng noticed that Yan Ning was limping slightly, but said nothing.
Qi Heng ate a small amount of food, drank some water, and lay down.
His mind, however, had no intention of resting.
Lie Ke, the female Zerg collecting protection money, had targeted them because Qi Heng had attracted too much attention over the past two days.
Yesterday in particular, Qi Heng had made no effort to conceal himself.
That did not matter.
Even if it had not happened yesterday, it would have happened tomorrow.
As long as Qi Heng refused to change his plans, attracting attention and being targeted were inevitable.
Lie Ke’s connection to the patrol team meant he possessed backers.
That was why his group could behave lawlessly within this area.
However, since Mo Nan had successfully frightened them away, they probably would not be especially difficult to deal with.
Qi Heng could question Mo Nan tomorrow.
Perhaps he would obtain new information.
That night, Qi Heng did not cultivate stellar power.
The mental power he had expended during the day had not fully recovered. He needed a proper night’s sleep to restore his energy before facing whatever came next.
The moment he fell asleep, he also descended into a magnificent dream.
Once again, it was more than ten thousand years in the past.
The following morning, Qi Heng awoke.
He did not immediately open his eyes. Instead, he lay there with them closed for two minutes before rising.
At first, the dreams had made it difficult for him to distinguish reality from illusion.
That was no longer the case.
He could now treat everything in the dreams like a film.
The only difference was that he was not merely an audience member. He was also an actor, as though playing another version of himself.
Since Mo Nan had said he would come, Qi Heng did not leave the house.
After breakfast, he carried a stool outside and sat beside the doorway.
At the same time, he taught Lele how to speak and write.
There was nothing else he could do.
In a world without phones or other entertainment, he could only play with the child to pass the time.
“This character is pronounced le. It’s the Le in Lele.”
Qi Heng picked up a branch and wrote in the dirt.
The child was highly sensitive to his own name and curiously examined the marks on the ground.
“Character?”
“It’s writing.”
Qi Heng pinched Lele’s cheek.
“Would you like to learn?”
“Mm!”
“Then follow me and write it…”
Qi Heng held the child’s hand and guided his movements.
Zerg children were all intelligent.
They might not understand complicated concepts yet, but they were capable of copying what they saw.
Unfortunately, as far as Qi Heng knew, the Zerg written language had already been “lost.”
Writing?
What was writing?
The female Zerg in the slums were all illiterate.
It was already fortunate that their spoken language had survived.
Once writing spread, how could anyone continue imprisoning the Zerg’s development?
Naturally, its circulation could never have been permitted.
When Mo Nan arrived, he saw the black-haired female Zerg holding a child’s hand and drawing casually in the dirt.
He could not understand what they were drawing, but the marks appeared to follow some kind of pattern.
Qi Heng noticed someone approaching.
He casually wiped away the characters on the ground, then stood and addressed the child.
“Go find your female father. This uncle and I need to talk.”
Lele obediently nodded and ran into the house.
“I heard everything about yesterday. Thank you.”
Qi Heng smiled gently.
Mo Nan waved dismissively.
“There’s no need to thank me. You agreed to join our hunting team, which makes you one of us.”
“Companions should naturally help each other.”
“I know your name, but I don’t think I’ve formally introduced myself.”
“My name is Qi Heng.”
“I’m very interested in the hunting team you mentioned. Would it be convenient to discuss it in more detail?”
“No problem. That’s why I came.”
Mo Nan patted his chest.
“We aren’t going out to hunt today. Would you like to come with me and meet the other members?”
“Meet them?”
Qi Heng thought briefly before nodding.
“All right.”
“There is one matter I’m somewhat concerned about.”
Mo Nan looked confused.
“What is it?”
“Lie Ke didn’t receive what he wanted yesterday. He may return today.”
“I’m not comfortable leaving only Yan Ning and Lele at home.”
“You don’t need to worry. Lie Ke won’t come today.”
“How can you be sure?”
Qi Heng considered the possibilities.
“I told him yesterday that you were going to join us and that you would meet us afterward.”
“They won’t come here and cause trouble at a time like this.”
Mo Nan did not explain in detail.
He scratched the back of his head somewhat awkwardly.
“I can’t explain it clearly. It’ll be better to let our boss tell you later.”
Qi Heng nodded and followed Mo Nan to meet the companions he had mentioned.
Although Mo Nan had not explained clearly, Qi Heng could roughly guess what was happening.
The hunting team and Lie Ke probably had some kind of financial arrangement.
The truth was exactly as Qi Heng suspected.
Mo Nan brought him to the hunting team captain’s home.
There, Qi Heng learned that the hunting team regularly paid Starstones to Lie Ke in exchange for an agreement that Lie Ke’s group would not harass its members.
After explaining, the tall female Zerg with a handsome, sharply defined face carefully looked Qi Heng over from head to toe.
His gaze finally settled on Qi Heng’s exceptional face.
“You don’t look like much of a fighter.”
The speaker’s hair was as fiery and brilliant as his name, and his words carried an obvious note of provocation.
Mo Nan tugged at the red-haired female Zerg’s arm.
“Yan, can’t you say something nicer?”
The moment he opened his mouth, he offended someone.
The only reason he had not been beaten to death was that his strength was formidable.
“I’m only telling the truth.”
Yan folded his arms over his chest and shrugged.
The corner of Mo Nan’s mouth twitched.
He hurriedly explained, “Qi Heng, our captain is simply blunt. He doesn’t mean anything else.”
“It’s fine. I don’t mind.”
Qi Heng met Yan’s eyes and smiled slightly.
“You can’t determine whether someone can fight by looking at his appearance.”
“Would you like to test it?”
This female Zerg was probably around 1.8 meters tall.
He did not seem much shorter than Qi Heng.
Among all the female Zerg Qi Heng had encountered, such height was genuinely rare.
Yan spoke with some amusement.
“Of course we need to test it. Even if Mo Nan recommended you, you still need to fight before we determine whether you have enough strength to join us.”
“In that case, let’s fight.”
Qi Heng looked around at the surrounding female Zerg.
“So, are you my opponent?”
He also wanted to know how strong his present body was.
He wanted to understand the difference between his current strength and that of the Overlord inside the dreams, as well as whether the techniques he knew from those dreams could be used in reality.
Finally, he wanted to see the standard of the present-day female Zerg.
Since these female Zerg dared hunt mutated beasts, they should count among the stronger members of the current Zerg population.
They were suitable samples for collecting information on the present female Zerg’s combat capabilities and improving the system’s newly established database.
How arrogant.
The other female Zerg looked between their boss and the black-haired newcomer, secretly clicking their tongues.
Could this female Zerg have come from outside the district?
Otherwise, how could he dare speak to Boss Yan this way?
He must never have heard of Boss Yan’s reputation or known how terrifying he became during a fight.
“You want to fight me?”
Yan had not expected Qi Heng to choose him.
He looked surprised.
“It’s been a long time since a female Zerg actively asked to fight me. You’re very brave.”
“Qi Heng, you should choose someone else…” Mo Nan interrupted.
“Our boss isn’t a suitable opponent.”
Their strange reactions were far too obvious.
Qi Heng was not blind.
However, since he intended to test his own strength, he naturally needed to choose the strongest person present.
That was what he thought, and that was what he said.
“It’s only a test of strength. It shouldn’t matter whom I choose.”
“How could it not matter?!” Mo Nan began.
Before he could continue, Yan interrupted him.
“Then let’s do it!”
Yan rubbed his fists together.
“I hope you don’t start crying and begging me to stop later.”
There were so many things wrong with that sentence that Qi Heng did not know where to begin.
After a moment of silence, he said, “…You shouldn’t speak so absolutely. The winner has not yet been decided.”
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