Chapter 430 - 311: First Encounter, Danger Approaches

Chapter 430: Chapter 311: First Encounter, Danger Approaches

Just then, Ding Tao rushed in, a hint of excitement on his face.

"Gang Leader, we have a lead. We’ve just determined that Wu Liangchen has most likely fled here."

As he spoke, Ding Tao opened his handheld computer and marked out an area on it.

Yao Li’s spirits lifted, and she immediately leaned in for a closer look.

She saw that the area Ding Tao had marked was far from the traditional underworld territories—it was even outside Qing Province City’s walls.

"This is..."

"That’s Qing Province City’s landfill, commonly known as the dump," Xue Zhanhu said calmly, an amused expression appearing on his face.

"I never thought the kid could run so far. To think he’d end up all the way out here."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s hurry and catch him!"

At this point, Yao Li cared for nothing else. As long as she could capture Wu Liangchen, she was willing to do anything.

Even if it meant sleeping with Xue Zhanhu, she wouldn’t hesitate, as long as it meant she could go back and report that her mission was complete.

Xue Zhanhu, however, was in no such hurry. He downed the wine in his cup in one go, then ordered Ding Tao, "Send men to lock down the entire perimeter of the dump. Make sure he can’t escape."

"Yes. I already arranged for men to do it before I came. I guarantee not even a bird will be able to fly out."

"Well done." Xue Zhanhu reached out and patted Ding Tao’s shoulder, then strode toward the exit.

Yao Li hurried to follow, using her personal communicator to notify her own men and order them to the dump at once.

This time, Xue Zhanhu wasn’t taking any chances. He directly commanded all of his elite forces to mobilize, determined to capture Wu Liangchen in one fell swoop.

In an instant, the entire Tiger Slayer Gang poured out. The sheer scale of the mobilization drew the sideways glances of other gangs, all of whom turned their attention toward a region they had never before cared about.

The residents of the dump could never have imagined in their wildest dreams that the area where they lived would one day become the center of so much attention.

But at this moment, everyone in the dump was completely oblivious to what was about to happen.

As night fell once more, the people who had toiled all day on the mountains of trash were too exhausted for thoughts and had gone to bed early.

The entire dump grew exceptionally quiet.

The windows of the small building where Zhu Biao once lived were now dark.

But in reality, behind the thick, black curtains, the lights were blazing.

Wu Liangchen sat at the dining table, still eating without pause.

He had lost count of how many bowls of rice he’d eaten; all he knew was that Song Ling’Er had already washed the dishes at least five times.

And now, the bowls were once again piled high.

Wu Liangchen ate the last piece of meat on his plate and let out a long breath.

For the entire day, he had done almost nothing but eat.

By now, all the food Zhu Biao had stored had been completely consumed.

As a result, Wu Liangchen’s massive deficit of Qi and Blood had been greatly replenished.

[Name: Wu Liangchen] [Age: 19]

[Life Fire: -342 Strands]

[Star-Swallowing Meridian Opening Skill (Adept 37/500)]

[Hundred Beasts Skyward Stance (Mastery 499/1000)]

[Eight-Step Wind-Chasing Fist (Mastery 883/1000)]

[Sun-Chasing Archery Skill (???)]

[Jingzhe Saber Technique (Mastery 711/1000)]

[Golden Body Cross Training Skill (Mastery 792/1000)]

[Opening Veins (39%)]

Seeing that his negative Life Fire on the glowing screen had been reduced to three digits, Wu Liangchen finally felt a bit more secure.

He was still a ways off from getting his Life Fire back into the positive, but at least now, Wu Liangchen had the strength to protect himself.

’But why hasn’t any trace of the root of Magic appeared on the system panel yet?’

Wu Liangchen frowned, but quickly pushed the question aside for now.

The most pressing matter was figuring out how to escape the Tiger Slayer Gang’s pursuit.

’As for the root of Magic, I can look into that later.’

Perhaps hearing the sound of Wu Liangchen putting down his chopsticks, Song Ling’Er, who had been dozing off while curled in a corner, immediately perked up. She started to come over to clear the dishes, but Wu Liangchen stopped her.

"The food’s all gone. No need to clean up."

Song Ling’Er nodded obediently and looked at Wu Liangchen in silence.

"Why are you looking at me? You should go to sleep. I’ll just sit here and rest for a bit," Wu Liangchen said with a helpless sigh.

He had already been trying to persuade Song Ling’Er to go to her room to sleep, but she had refused, insisting on keeping him company in the dining room and helping him clear away the bowls and chopsticks.

Left with no choice, Wu Liangchen had let her be.

Thankfully, the food was all gone now, so Wu Liangchen was determined to make her go back to her room and rest.

But Song Ling’Er didn’t move. Instead, she stared at Wu Liangchen with a profound look in her eyes.

"What is it?"

Though they had only been together for a day or two, Wu Liangchen had already figured out Song Ling’Er’s personality. He knew that this little girl, despite looking like a child, was actually very strong-willed.

The way she was looking at him now, she clearly had something she wanted to say.

"I’m actually fifteen years old!" Song Ling’Er said suddenly, out of the blue.

"Hm?" Wu Liangchen froze. He looked at the frail girl before him, who looked more like a ten-year-old, and simply couldn’t associate her with a fifteen-year-old teenager.

Song Ling’Er lowered her head and said nervously, "I... I really am fifteen years old."

Wu Liangchen instantly understood what she meant and gave a wry smile.

"I believe you. But it doesn’t matter how old you are. What’s important is that you go to your room and get some sleep. We need to be on the road tomorrow, got it?"

"Oh," Song Ling’Er murmured, then shuffled back to her room.

After the door closed, Wu Liangchen couldn’t help but sigh.

He had known this might happen.

After all, for someone who had lived in hell since childhood, any act of salvation would be treated as the only ray of light in the darkness—something to be clung to, never to be let go.

But at the time, Wu Liangchen couldn’t afford to worry about such consequences.

He couldn’t bear to watch a child be mercilessly devoured by this cruel world.

And so, faced with the current result, there was nothing he could do.

’I’ll have to figure something out later.’

’At the very least, I can’t let her fall any deeper into this.’

’But I can’t just leave her now, either.’

Wu Liangchen knew full well that if he were to just turn and leave now, Song Ling’Er absolutely would not survive.

It wasn’t just because she wouldn’t be able to fend for herself, but because she would believe she had been abandoned all over again.

For her, the blow would be devastating.

It was like someone who was used to living in darkness. If they had never seen the light, they might have gradually grown accustomed to their reality.

But once they had seen the light, only to have it cruelly snatched away, what awaited them would be nothing short of utter ruin.

Just as Wu Liangchen was grappling with this headache, a sudden, intense feeling of danger washed over him.

Wu Liangchen’s body trembled. In one swift movement, he shut off the lights, crept to the window, and parted the curtains to peer outside.

The dump, naturally, had no such luxuries as streetlights.

Outside, there was nothing but the inky blackness of night and the faint, distant glow of the city lights.

But Wu Liangchen was not fooled by the tranquil exterior.

On the contrary, his expression turned grim.

He could sense an immense danger rapidly closing in on him.

Wu Liangchen had first acquired this ability to sense danger in advance when he achieved the rank of Grandmaster.

This ability was also known as attaining divinity through sincerity.

But this ability had severe limitations: it would only trigger when danger was close, and there was no way to predict its activation.

But now, after fusing with Luo Qifeng’s soul, not only had Wu Liangchen’s senses leaped to a new level, but his premonition of danger had also become incredibly acute.

’It’s the Tiger Slayer Gang!’

’Even Xue Zhanhu himself is heading this way!’

When Wu Liangchen intuitively sensed an extremely powerful aura approaching, he immediately came to this conclusion.

’They got here fast!’

In truth, Wu Liangchen had known all along that hiding in the dump was merely a temporary solution. The Tiger Slayer Gang was bound to catch on sooner or later.

He just hadn’t expected them to be this fast.

Fortunately, after a full day of replenishment, while Wu Liangchen was still nowhere near his peak, he at least had the ability to defend himself.

He took a deep breath, the corners of his mouth hooking into a cold smile.

’Since you’ve come all this way, I might as well show you what I can do!’