Chapter 42: Chapter 37 Trash Mountain
“I’m back.”
Tao Yu didn’t choose to use Stealth to track backwards; during the day there were too many people, and maintaining constant Shadow Evasion was too time-consuming and exhausting.
Now Tao Yu’s main objective was to drag out time as much as possible, spreading the message further, which would naturally resolve the issue.
With his innate talents and potential laid bare, he did not wish to engage in direct confrontations during his weaker moments.
Influenced by the world of his previous life, Tao Yu still preferred harmony.
Killing Joseph was an accident—the man had used something Tao Yu detested to tempt him.
“Dinner’s on the table, Mom and Dad have already returned to the Abyss.”
His sister-in-law, Li Li, wiped her hands on her apron.
“Has Shi come back? Nothing happened today, right?”
Tao Yu asked casually with an indifferent expression.
“He came back at noon, said he’d stay at a friend’s house tonight.”
Li Li sighed again; she spent the most time taking care of the family, and with Tao Shi staying out all night at such a young age, she always had her worries.
“It’s fine, they’re grown-ups now, boys won’t suffer a disadvantage.”
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Tao Yu, seeing his sister-in-law’s expression, knew that for the moment no one had come to harass the house.
As for his younger brother, Tao Yu wasn’t really worried; the guy had always been like this.
Despite having consumed lots of Qi-tonic Soup at the dojo, the sight of a bowl of pickles stir-fried with cured meat and white rice on the table still made Tao Yu rub his belly.
The energy he had spent using Stealth earlier needed to be replenished.
“Mom and Dad said that while you’re home, you should try to eat more meat, and they’ll also look for some to bring back from the gathering area.”
Tao Yu did not reject this show of parental concern.
Meat was expensive in the current world, but it was much easier to get in the Abyss gathering areas. The only issue was that it wasn’t convenient to carry, sometimes they would rely on colleagues returning from expeditions to bring some things and pass messages.
After finishing his meal, the sky had completely darkened.
Since Li Xiang had already mentioned not coming back, Li Li had closed the door early and bolted it.
Then she went to wash the dishes.
Tao Yu returned to his room to conserve energy. He was not planning on sleeping tonight; he had to stay alert.
At least until the news had fully spread, he intended to keep up this vigilance.
Lifting the cardboard that covered the window a little to create a larger gap, Tao Yu gauged the size of the window with his hand, then retreated to the bed.
“Feels like those nights spent alone in the Abyss again…”
Tao Yu sighed inwardly. For someone who disliked fighting and killing, dealing with these matters was truly a headache.
Hopefully, everything would go smoothly…
…
As night fell, it was pitch dark outside, and sounds from the autonomous cannons could intermittently be heard.
The Tao Yu who was lying on the bed with his eyes closed preserving energy, now opened his eyes.
There truly was a disturbance outside the house!
“Sigh…”
Reluctantly getting up, Tao Yu vanished into the shadows in the next moment.
He merged into the shadows and slipped out the window!
Shadow Evasion didn’t allow Tao Yu to walk through walls, but as long as there was a sufficient crack, he could slip through it like jelly!
The mottled shadows around him rapidly shifted, somewhat ignoring the volume of physical collisions, letting Tao Yu move without a sound or trace, much faster than his speed during the daytime flight.
It took less than two seconds for him to circle around to the back of the house, reaching the side of the two figures who had just leapt over the farm fence.
The rooftop autonomous cannon could only target the foggy abyssal creatures, not some intelligent defense system, which allowed these two men to completely ignore it.
They looked familiar—it was the two from the day, but they’d changed into a new set of gear.
During the day, they both had dressed as common Outsiders, dirty and disheveled.
But this time they were in two sets of pitch-black tactical gear.
The tactical pockets were stuffed with various items, and each man held a small submachine gun similar to an MP5, equipped with a silencer, clearly indicating malicious intent.
Add on the night vision goggles they wore on their heads, and the two men exuded a sense of professionalism, a stark contrast to the shabby appearance when they had been tailing him earlier.
If not for Tao Yu’s exceptional eyesight, he might not have been able to recognize them on the spot.
Seeing their gear, Tao Yu’s gaze gradually darkened from within the shadows.
He had already stepped back, why were they forcing his hand…
Without speaking, the two men exchanged glances after hopping over the farm fence, clearly all was pre-planned.
They communicated with several tactical hand signals, with one person then moving forward rapidly in a crouch.
It was apparent that they likely also possessed a Skill similar to Stealth, their tactical boots making no sound as they walked, and they moved swiftly.
However, just as the one in the front reached the corner and pulled out a dagger preparing to pry open the door bolt, a subtle sound of cracking bones came from behind.
A chill rose from his spine in an instant; he was all too familiar with that sound!
It was the sound of a neck being twisted!
Without any hesitation, he waved the dagger behind him while his other hand had already regripped the handle of the gun.
But besides the falling body of his companion, there was no other movement behind him!
Sensing trouble, and without waiting to react further, a heavy blow to the back of his head caused his vision to blur, and he lost consciousness.
Within a few short seconds, while the first body had just hit the ground, Tao Yu had already taken down two men.
Quickly searching, Tao Yu found two tactical headsets and hesitated for a moment before breaking the microphones; he then temporarily placed them by his ear.
But it seemed they were only used for private communication between the two; no sound was forthcoming.
Then, carrying one body in one hand and the unconscious one in the other, he directly climbed over the guardrail and headed towards the direction of the trash mountain.
The nights in the Outer City were nearly pitch black, with no starlight or moon. Only a few lights were faintly visible on the Inner City walls; on Tao Yu’s side, it was almost impossible to see one’s own fingers.
But in Tao Yu’s eyes, every detail of this environment was still clearly visible.
The streets of the Outer City at night were just as dirty, but empty of any human figures, save for occasional coughs coming from inside the houses, with not even the sound of dog barking.
Only the sporadic distant gunshots served as a brief decoration in the silence of night.
Tao Yu moved quickly, carrying two fully armed adults, slowing down not in the slightest.
Simultaneously, he kept observing his surroundings, worried about the presence of backup gangs.
He’d intentionally shown himself to gauge the extent of their force.
Equipped with “Bullet Time” and having “Stealth” as a backup, and with ample Yuan Force reserved, Tao Yu had the capital to probe.
Perhaps one could consider it good news, similar to the silent headset; even as Tao Yu reached the front of the trash mountain, no new attacks had occurred.
“Ha, to take on our family, this level of force is indeed more than sufficient,” Tao Yu said with a self-deprecating laugh. Sometimes being underestimated wasn’t such a bad thing.
Ahead was a pitch-black trash mountain, piled up of various wastes and exuding an even more pungent odor than the streets above.
Besides the garbage and stench, there were many red dots scurrying through the trash now and then, rummaging for something.
Tao Yu’s vision easily discerned that these red dots were the eyes of huge rats.
Each rat was the size of a small cat, and rather than fearing Tao Yu’s presence, many stared directly at him with no fear, their crimson eyes full of savageness.
Because the flesh of these rats was toxic, not even cooking them would do, making them one of the Outer City’s few luxuries.
Tao Yu had heard ghost stories of the trash mountain rats that ate humans since he was a child.
Dropping the two men carelessly to the ground, Tao Yu bent down to start claiming his loot.
He removed the bulletproof vest and neatly packed all the scattered gear.
The next moment, Tao Yu lifted one of the bodies and spun on the spot, hurling it a long distance onto the trash mountain.
Squeak, squeak~
Rats that had already been eyeing the area swarmed over the body in an instant, piling into a mass. The sounds of leather tearing, chewing, and bones being gnawed on continued to emanate, leaving Tao Yu feeling slightly nauseated.
Looking down at the unconscious man, Tao Yu wasn’t sure if he had controlled his strength properly, not knowing if he was alive or dead.
But he didn’t worry too much about it; in this regard, he indeed had no experience.
Casually flipping the man over, he then exerted force with his foot.
Crack, crack~
One limb after another was broken, and the unconscious man awoke with a series of muffled groans.
But before he could scream out in agony, a hand gripped his throat like iron pincers, nearly making the man who had just been painfully awakened blackout again.
Li Xiang, just revived, felt pain all throughout his body, his head foggy, and the immense pressure on his neck made it hard to breathe.
What was happening?
Right…
He and his cousin were about to catch that kid from earlier in the day and interrogate him.
Then what?
His memory started piecing together in fragments, recalling the scene before the attack; just as he was about to open the door latch with his dagger, he heard a noise behind him.
Turning around…
His cousin was dead!
As the memories surged into his mind, Li Xiang was startled, his head clearing up a bit.
The night vision goggles had already been removed, making everything in front of him dark; Li Xiang could only vaguely see some crimson red dots and an unbearable stench wafted into his nostrils, accompanied by rustling sounds near his ears.
This suddenly sank Li Xiang’s heart.
Even without a clear view, he knew where he was.
The trash mountain!
Some of the dirty work he had done involved dealing with this place!
It’s over…