Chapter 2: Children

The Southern Phoenix Continent is vast. Seen from high above, its landmass resembles an irregular oval, surrounded by the ocean. Although separated from the Ancient Moon Continent by an endless sea, making it more like an island continent, its immense size means many could not traverse it in a lifetime.

However, humans find it difficult to enter most of its interior, blocked by the Truth Mountain Range, which diagonally spans the entire continent. The southwestern part of the Truth Mountain Range is an extremely immense forbidden zone, occupying nearly seventy percent of the Southern Phoenix Continent. Only the northeastern region of the Truth Mountain Range serves as human habitation.

Despite this, the human population is not small. Within this northeastern region, countless cities, large and small, are densely scattered like stars; some are sturdy, others simple. But these cities are all built to avoid the numerous small forbidden zones within the northeastern region.

Given a choice, no one wants to live near a forbidden zone, constantly threatened by impending danger. Only desperadoes, driven by necessity, gather in such places, red-eyed and clinging to survival. This leads to the formation of scavenger camps, which appear around almost every forbidden zone. Across the entire human territory, the number of scavenger camps is quite varied.

Standing on a mountaintop, such a camp came into Xu Qing’s view. From a distance, the camp did not appear very large, housing only a few hundred people. Perhaps it was early morning, as plumes of cooking smoke rose lazily. Though not as prosperous as a city, it was quite lively. Faint sounds of shouting, cursing, hawking, and unrestrained laughter intertwined, carrying far.

However, as Captain Lei had mentioned, the structure of the dwellings became progressively simpler from the inside out, with the outermost ones being little more than tents. Not far behind the camp lay a dark jungle. Mist swirled there, as if concealing terrifying entities. Even the bright sunlight could not fully penetrate, as if gods or demons resided within, coldly intimidating all directions. It was also like a black, aberrant spot on a human body, shocking to behold yet distinctly separated from its surroundings.

“What do you think after seeing it?” Captain Lei asked from the mountaintop.

“It’s similar to a slum,” Xu Qing replied honestly after a moment’s thought.

Captain Lei smiled and said nothing, beginning to walk forward. Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and followed behind Captain Lei. The two descended the mountain, getting closer and closer to the camp. Along the way, they encountered a few people returning from outside. Their attire was similar, mostly dark gray leather coats. Xu Qing noticed that when these individuals saw Captain Lei, their expressions all showed reverence, and their eyes, mostly curious, swept towards him. This led Xu Qing to speculate more about Captain Lei’s identity.

Thus, as the sun reached its zenith, Xu Qing followed Captain Lei onto the plain below the mountain and entered the scavenger camp. The camp had no walls, and the ground was messy, dusty, with withered leaves and trash scattered everywhere, giving it a rather chaotic feel. As they walked further in, the sounds previously heard from the mountain became clearer in Xu Qing’s ears.

What met his eyes, besides the simple structures, were the numerous scavengers themselves. Some were tall, robust, and savagely powerful like crippled oxen; some were emaciated and gaunt with malicious eyes; others were so old they seemed barely able to open their eyes, yet no one dared to provoke them. There were also some youths like himself, huddled in corners, staring blankly at the sky. A portion of them were disabled. Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing some of them, as the aura emanating from their bodies suggested spiritual energy fluctuations.

All sorts of people were present: some were buying and selling, others were fighting amongst themselves, while some lay on large stones sunbathing. There were also a few walking out of tents adorned with distinctive feathers, pulling up their trousers, their faces showing lingering satisfaction. To an outsider, Xu Qing’s entry into the camp with Captain Lei would seem like stepping into hell. But apart from an inner vigilance, he showed no other emotion; in fact, he even felt a faint sense of familiarity.

“It really is very similar to a slum,” Xu Qing murmured to himself, his gaze sweeping over the feather-decorated tents, seeing what looked like pale figures inside. From one tent, a scantily clad young woman even emerged, lazily smiling and waving to Xu Qing.

“Don’t stare,” Captain Lei glanced at Xu Qing.

“I know what kind of place that is,” Xu Qing replied, averting his gaze.

The wrinkles on Captain Lei’s face gathered into an amused smile. He said nothing, leading Xu Qing through the camp until they reached their destination. It was a large wooden structure located in the center of the camp, circular in shape, much like a coliseum.

All along the way, Xu Qing had been observing, mentally constructing most of the camp’s map. This was his habit; often, familiarity with an environment could change the outcome of a crisis. Now, he looked up at the coliseum-like building before him, noticing that besides the large central field, there were many simple benches on the inner perimeter. In addition, the roars of ferocious beasts echoed from within the structure. Around it were several rows of shed-like structures, with a few cleaner-dressed scavengers chatting and laughing outside.

Upon Captain Lei’s arrival, a gaunt middle-aged man soon stumbled out of the coliseum. This man wore a long gown, distinguishing him from the scavengers, and had three sparse whiskers on his face. He also had spiritual energy fluctuations. As he approached, he gave a perfunctory glance at Xu Qing, then looked at Captain Lei.

“Newcomer?”

“The rules are known,” Captain Lei slowly replied.

“What’s his name?” the man with three whiskers asked casually.

“Just a kid, what name does he have? Call him Kid,” Captain Lei said indifferently.

“Then come with me. Kid, you’re lucky; there are a few ahead of you already. The show should be ready to start tomorrow.” The man with three whiskers yawned and turned to walk towards the sheds.

Xu Qing looked at Captain Lei.

“Go on. I’ll come get you tomorrow,” Captain Lei said, looking at Xu Qing with some anticipation in his eyes.

Xu Qing gave Captain Lei a deep look, nodded, said nothing, and stepped to follow the man with three whiskers. When they reached the shed, the man with three whiskers exchanged a few words with a scavenger nearby, then turned and left. Xu Qing was assigned to a spot inside the shed and told not to go out without permission.

As he stepped into the shed, Xu Qing saw four pairs of eyes from different parts of the room converge on him. They belonged to three youths, two boys and one girl, and a young man. The two boys seemed a few years older than him. They scanned Xu Qing, sized him up, and then dismissed him. As for the girl, she was slightly younger than Xu Qing, huddled in a corner, with a large scar across her face. She nervously and warily watched everything around her, including the original three occupants and the newly arrived Xu Qing.

The eldest youth in the room, seemingly a scavenger already, had simply moved camps. So, when he saw Xu Qing, he curled his lip, somewhat dismissive, and turned his gaze with an aggressive intent towards the girl in the corner, licking his lips. But clearly, not yet having officially obtained residency in the camp, he dared not act rashly. Xu Qing ignored them, found a spot near the door, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and quietly meditated.

Time slowly passed. Perhaps because Xu Qing’s arrival was so quiet, the three occupants in the shed, excluding the little girl, gradually ignored him and began to converse amongst themselves. In the conversation between the two boys, there was a clear attempt to ingratiate themselves with the young man. Their discussion mostly revolved around the upcoming trial.

Through their talk, Xu Qing learned that the camp held a trial periodically, once enough people had accumulated who wished to obtain residency. The rules of the trial were simple. Because the camp master raised many mutated fierce beasts, the trial to gain residency involved drawing lots in public and fighting the chosen beast. It was either life or death, with each combatant being the other’s prey. The survivor could take the spoils of victory and gain residency. The deceased’s belongings would become food for the fierce beasts.

Each trial was held in the coliseum. At that time, most of the scavengers in the camp would buy tickets to watch this bloody spectacle, finding pleasure in it, while the camp master would open a betting ring to profit. In this cruel world, human lives were cheap. But without qualifications to enter a city, and unable to enter a camp, living alone in the wilderness carried even greater risks of death. Of course, a slum was also an option, but clearly, those who decided to enter a scavenger camp had their own stories that compelled them to come here.

Xu Qing listened while meditating. Their conversation eventually touched upon the time when the gods opened their eyes, several days ago, when a boy suddenly spoke. “When I came, I heard people say that you were a survivor of that catastrophe?”

At these words, Xu Qing slowly opened his eyes. He noticed that the boy’s words were not directed at him, but at the little girl in the corner. The little girl trembled and silently nodded. Xu Qing’s gaze fell upon her. Others had only heard about it, but he had experienced it all, so he profoundly knew that those who survived the catastrophe and came here might not be as fragile or simple as they appeared.

Seeming to notice Xu Qing’s gaze, the little girl looked up at him. Xu Qing closed his eyes again, resuming his meditation. He needed to seize every moment to cultivate; this was fundamental to him living a better life.

And so, the night passed.

The next morning, amidst the external clamor and shouting, the door to the shed was suddenly pushed open from outside. Sunlight poured in, bathing the scavenger standing at the doorway, his shadow falling into the room and covering the little girl in the corner, as a cold voice spoke. “Get ready and follow me. Your show is about to begin.”

“Finally!” The youth in the shed, who seemed to be a scavenger already, was the first to rise, smiling as he walked over and greeted the person at the door. The two boys quickly followed. Xu Qing was the fourth to step out, and the little girl was the last. The scavenger at the door seemed to know the youth, exchanged a few laughing curses with him, then ignored the others and led the youth towards the coliseum.

As they approached, the sounds of shouting, yelling, and cheering intensified and became continuous. Once their group stepped into the coliseum, the surrounding noise erupted instantly. From the benches around the coliseum, one could see over a hundred people present, men and women, like a demonic throng gathered to watch a good show. Their voices were loud; the little girl visibly trembled, and the two boys also turned pale. Only the youth looked at the audience with some excitement. As for Xu Qing, his expression remained largely unchanged; he began to observe the environment of the fighting area within the coliseum.

“The area isn’t very large, not suitable for prolonged combat or evasion since there’s no cover.”
“The surrounding wooden boards are high, making it unsuitable to lure danger towards the audience, but there are several marks that look like door frames, suggesting other passages.”
“Therefore… either stall and use the scavengers’ shouts to startle the beast and find an opening, or act quickly to finish it, which would be most advantageous, as stalling might enrage the beast.”