Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 64 - 051. Wasteland Punk: Scavenger

Chapter 64: 051. Wasteland Punk: Scavenger

"Humans aren’t deities, making mistakes is normal," Qiu Ran, who was a bit rough around the edges, laughed heartily, "by the way, we’re about to reach Sikkim Settlement."

"Really?" Li Aozi glanced at the destination for the task, "Hmm, it’s not far now, get ready."

"Are you guys going to have a straight fight with them?" Qiu Ran was a bit worried, "Although I know you and Nomi have divine skills, the other side is made up of desperadoes, after all, which is very dangerous. No matter what, ensure your safety first, you must take good care of yourselves."

Li Aozi was startled, he glanced at Qiu Ran who felt a little uneasy and scratched her head:

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No," Li Aozi shrugged, "It’s just that it seems like a long time since anyone has shown concern for me, it’s surprising."

"Is that so, eheh." Qiu Ran felt relieved, she liked to laugh a lot which always seemed to put others in a good mood, "Back at home, I was the eldest. I have two younger brothers and a younger sister, and seeing you and Nomi, I can’t help but feel like a big sister. Sorry."

"Not bad."

Li Aozi changed the subject:

"Although it’s a bit new to me... I don’t mind it."

"Really?" Qiu Ran brightened, "To think I could make you say that, I feel quite honored."

"Is that necessary? But yeah, you probably see me as a murderous demon who looks bad at expressing emotions," Li Aozi spread his hands, "I did come off as too arrogant in the past, didn’t leave a good impression—I’ll try to restrain myself in the future, starting with valuing life isn’t a bad idea, I won’t kill people arbitrarily."

"Well—it’s good as long as you admit it, just be yourself and it’s no problem."

Even so, Qiu Ran still muttered under her breath:

"It should be said that killing people while laughing is a bit too terrifying."

"Rest assured, we won’t act immediately, after all, in Sikkim Settlement, it’s their turf," Li Aozi explained, "We need to first scout around, then plan to rescue people and retrieve the medical equipment before retreating. We’ll try not to cause unnecessary trouble."

"Then, I’ll be ready with the car at any time, to get you guys safely out of there."

Qiu Ran pumped her fist, as a non-combatant she was very aware of her role.

"My driving is not worse than Nomi’s."

Li Aozi nodded. He looked down at his outfit: he was still dressed in Mingji Humanity’s patient clothes, just with a cotton coat thrown on top, which was out of place in the Outer World.

Heading into Sikkim Settlement soon, it was time to change his look.

"Blending in with the surroundings makes it easier to move around."

Li Aozi opened the Game Mall, found the Fashion section, and scrolled to the very bottom.

Half an hour later, a small mountain appeared in the line of sight, its dark rock formations blocking the wind, snow, and sand, and under its protection, between the foot and the middle of the mountain, a cluster of densely packed tin cans sprouted up. Only upon a closer look did one realize that these messy tin shipping containers had been transformed into airtight metal houses.

With no signs and no fences, it was much like the corner of a kitchen, dark and dirty, with excrement and piles of fire scattered everywhere. The ground seemed empty, and apart from a few figures moving stealthily around corners, engaged in some kind of transaction, not a single sign of life could be spotted.

"So this is a gathering place for Wanderers," Qiu Ran commented, "It’s just like a dumpsite."

"Hmm—oh, good morning, is it morning now?"

Nomi, with her eyes still groggy from sleep, kicked Yawen next to her and poked her head into the front seat, she glanced at Li Aozi on the passenger side:

"Yo, so the Empire’s big shot knows how to dress up."

"When in Rome," Li Aozi fitted a filterless breathing mask to his face:

"Qiu Ran, you have a steady personality, come with me to scout the area, remember to dress up—Nomi, just stay in the car and keep an eye on this woman."

"Huh? Not fighting? How boring," Nomi pouted and slumped back into her seat.

"All right."

As their vehicle approached the edge of the settlement’s hard ground, they covered it with a layer of protective and camouflage fabric. Li Aozi turned around, looked at Qiu Ran who had changed into a dark, thick cotton coat, wrapped her face and hair with a scarf, nodded at her, then coiled the chains around his hands and pulled down his hood as he strode into Sikkim Settlement.

For the Wanderers of this place, an unwelcome pair had arrived from the Outer World.

The woman, bundled up tightly, appeared weak and submissive at a glance, just another dependant. It was the man’s attire that put people on high alert.

The grey and black filterless breathing mask was suited for those with agile skills—types who would sacrifice comfort for the sake of mobility, and it was better not to get into conflicts with them, since it was not just a matter of being unable to fight them off, but also about not being able to keep up with their escape speed.

The length of the hem of his yellow and black coat was just right to block the wind, snow, and dust, while the single-shoulder backpack clung tight to his body, deliberately left unzipped to show a myriad of mechanical parts and metal scraps.

His neck adorned with a grey bandana, coupled with the clinking chains, would make anyone familiar with the Outer World realize at a glance that this is a man who’s used to robbing and murdering.

Wearing a bandana indicated he must have been wanted by the Four Nations at some point, perhaps even having raided their caravans.

His left arm sported a conspicuous red armband crossed with wrenches and a gear skull, all confirming the man’s identity—a Scavenger.

[Costume Name]: Wasteland Punk Series—Scavenger

[Quality]: Practical

[Introduction]: Fashion editors usually look down on such shabby and dirty attire, but to the people of the Outer World, this type of clothing is full of a different kind of lethality, because that’s how the ’Scavengers’ dress.

The ’Scavengers’ are a notorious organization in the Outer World, known for their brutal methods and generally possessing the technology of professional Engineers. In the Outer World, having knowledge is almost like possessing magic, but that’s only part of it.

After that ’war that ended all wars,’ all the industrial cities of the old era were buried by sand, and now, they belong to the Scavengers.

One could imagine, the countless pieces of garbage from the old era—ranging from children’s educational books to space shuttles—buried underground. Countless dogs of the Outer World flock there, eager to unearth a piece of trash, and considering the old era’s excessive production... most garbage, with a bit of fixing, might be of better quality than the current goods.

To become a Scavenger, one doesn’t need to go through rigorous assessment. The profession is akin to that of pirates and bandits; if you dig up, rob, or steal 5 complete pieces of garbage, you can become a glorious Scavenger, swaggering through the Outer World. At a glance, people will know that compared to your junk, their goods are truly ’trash.’

[Price]: 12 Point Tickets

"12 Point Tickets for such a set of clothes and safety, it’s definitely a bargain."

Li Aozi’s [Charm] attribute is quite high, and when he puts on the [Scavenger] fashion, others subconsciously feel that his temperament and image match the impression of a ’Scavenger,’ without any suspicion.

Moreover, the Sikkim Settlement is an area spontaneously formed by Wanderers, with no government, order, or law. They had just stepped into the streets made up of containers, when a group of ill-intentioned Wanderers had already set their sights on them.

Qiu Ran felt the surrounding gazes and grew afraid, subconsciously moving closer to Li Aozi. He, on the other hand, was not concerned at all and skillfully tucked Yawen’s handgun casually into the gun holster at his waist, occasionally patting it. Paired with the ’Scavenger’ outfit, he soon dissuaded some people from their thoughts.

"These containers on the surface seem to have some kind of numbering—hey, this word seems to mean cargo. Could these be containers?" Qiu Ran curiously looked at the surrounding containers and soon made a discovery.

"Of course, this place used to be a sea in the old times," Li Aozi mentioned casually.

"Sea?" Qiu Ran looked puzzled, "What does a sea look like?"

"Blue, with a tinge of ink black, but actually, it’s still just a body of water, so when you scoop it up, you’ll find it’s colorless and transparent. From a distance, the sea appears calm and serene, but it’s actually always undulating, sometimes waves even rise dozens of meters high, shattering metal masts to pieces."

Li Aozi spoke offhandedly, while Qiu Ran, who had never left the Hemisphere City, listened with rapt attention.

"Under our feet... was it all water? That’s too expensive then, 500 milliliters of filtered water costs 2 Derbies."

"Actually, in the past, seventy percent of the land on Azure Star was covered by water, with the deepest trench more than a hundred thousand meters deep, a place even submarines could not reach."

Li Aozi noticed that a group of three to five Wanderers was slowly approaching. They were wearing motorcycle helmets and armed with homemade firearms and bludgeon weapons.

"Hey," the tall, skinny man leading them rasped, grinning at Li Aozi, "Bro, you’re new around here? The chick looks good, how much per pound?"

"Per pound?" Before Qiu Ran could comprehend, a whizzing sound rang out.

Whoosh, crack!

Chains swept through the air, and with a flick of his wrist, Li Aozi struck the tall, skinny man’s temple, causing him to collapse to the ground, splattered with blood and instantly dead.

The other two were still in shock when Li Aozi suddenly kicked the gun-wielder on the right in the knee. The man howled in pain and hastily raised his gun, but Li Aozi swung his chain, wrapping it around the man’s neck and pulling him over his shoulder.

The last one picked up a club and swung it at Li Aozi’s head, but Li Aozi kicked upwards, hitting him squarely in the groin. The sound of shattering made the attacker’s face turn purple, and his body went limp.

"Errghh—"

Before he could react, Li Aozi flipped his wrist again, followed by a punch wrapped with the chain straight to the attacker’s throat, shattering it and knocking him out cold.

At the same time, he yanked the chain, the Wanderer whose neck was ensnared gasped as his airway was compressed above his spine, unable to inhale. He struggled for a while before his head tilted, and he fell unconscious.

Li Aozi, without any sense of guilt, began to search the bodies for loot, collecting 7 military bullets and 6 Fluorescent Bottle Caps from the three men.

"So poor yet out to rob? Wasting my time killing people."

As Li Aozi searched, he deliberately grumbled, his swift actions and words intended for those around him who were itching to make a move.

He took the homemade firearms, which were typical double-barreled shotguns, similar to those used by the Gun Sage on Mount Shang. When the trigger was pulled, the battery ignited the gunpowder, propelling the projectile out.

It was a crude weapon, which Li Aozi showed off purposely, then he kicked the bodies aside for the surrounding Wanderers to deal with.

"Let’s go."

Qiu Ran was a bit dazed as Li Aozi pulled her along, deftly weaving through the container area. She looked back, and in a brief moment, the three lifeless bodies had vanished.

"How much per pound?"

The phrase unconsciously flashed through her mind, coupled with the memory of the quickly disappearing bodies and the green-eyed gaze of the Wanderers on their journey.

Qiu Ran immediately shuddered.

In the absence of law, which is the baseline of morality, the Outer World has neither law nor morality.