CHAPTER 109: CHAPTER 104: TAKE ACTION! WHEN THE SMALL ONE IS HIT, THE BIG ONE COMES

Belia poked her head out from behind Chen Pingchuan. She wanted to hear what he was going to say.

To her, the people here were like humans facing ants—nothing more than amusing trifles, utterly worthless. This group was even worse than the paupers from the Outer City District. At least those lowlifes could provide some value, but this trash living on the wasteland had only one fate: to be disposed of.

Belia was in a good mood and didn’t want to deal with these people for fear of spoiling it.

"A rule of survival in the wasteland: when facing a stronger opponent, never play clever tricks. Especially not stupid ones."

"Oh!"

Belia easily understood Chen Pingchuan’s meaning. It was the same kind of clumsy deceit her own subordinates used to fool her. In her eyes, their acting was laughably bad. Belia obediently nodded, showing she agreed with him.

Immediately after, Chen Pingchuan’s figure flickered. To Hu Laosan’s horror, he instantly appeared right in front of him. A single uppercut sent the man flying several meters, along with a few of his teeth.

Chen Pingchuan’s actions didn’t just shock his opponents; the surrounding vendors were stunned as well.

"Doesn’t this newcomer know the rules of our camp?"

"Of course not, otherwise he wouldn’t have attacked like that. When the guards arrive, he’s going to be in for a world of hurt."

While the two vendors were whispering, a burly, bearded man who was browsing goods grumbled, "Every time a new person shows up, Hu Laosan pulls this same stunt. I wonder how many newcomers have fallen for his scams."

"If you ask me, the base should punish him. The reputation of our Doomsday Bunker is being ruined by scum like him."

Hearing the bearded man, a person next to him quickly tugged his sleeve.

"Shush, shush! You can’t say things like that! Are you insane? Don’t you know Hu Laosan’s sister is the leader’s sixth mistress? If word gets back to her, the guards will make your life miserable. Don’t say we didn’t warn you."

The bearded man’s face paled instantly. He had only spoken up because he’d been swindled by Hu Laosan when he first arrived, so he shared the newcomer’s grievance. But hearing about Hu Laosan’s connections, his courage evaporated. He quickly lowered his head, covered his face, and slipped away, terrified of being seen.

Hu Laosan’s two underlings saw their boss get kicked several meters away. They exchanged a glance. Even though they knew they were no match for Chen Pingchuan, they gritted their teeth, their legs trembling as they charged forward.

The outcome was predictable. Chen Pingchuan kicked them away as well, leaving them lying on the ground, spitting up blood and gasping for air.

Chen Pingchuan hadn’t held back this time. He didn’t want to waste any more time here. The reason was that his old, chronic headache had flared up inside the live simulation—something that had never happened before.

"Make way, make way! Patrol on duty! All bystanders, clear out!"

The commotion naturally attracted a nearby patrol squad. The captain was all too familiar with Hu Laosan and his connections. After all, a single step up in rank was enough to crush someone. The captain usually just pretended not to see, following the principle of ’out of sight, out of mind’ to avoid getting disgusted.

But today seemed different. The newcomer was fearless, not only ignoring the no-fighting rule but also beating that annoying pest half to death. Seeing this, the captain quickly led his squad toward Chen Pingchuan.

From the moment he acted, Chen Pingchuan had been monitoring his surroundings. He naturally noticed the approaching squad, but his expression changed dramatically when he got a clear look at their uniforms and features.

What was he seeing? A captain with boar’s ears, wearing a standard-issue combat uniform. The squad members behind him also had various animal features, and every one of them was holding a laser weapon. This clearly wasn’t equipment that typical wasteland wanderers should have. Combined with their appearance, which matched the description of peripheral members of the Blood Beast Ban, he had to admit his own carelessness. He’d been misled by the simple equipment of the gate guards and hadn’t even considered the possibility of a setup. Still, it didn’t matter. What annoyed him was his own oversight, not any lack of options to deal with the situation. After all, he was the man with the killer lolita. This was just a minor hurdle.

The pig-man roughly pushed aside the gawking bystanders. Feeling his brute force, the surrounding crowd was furious but dared not speak, lowering their heads for fear of attracting trouble.

The pig-man led his men to stand before Chen Pingchuan. Seeing Hu Laosan’s miserable state, he sneered inwardly before speaking to Chen Pingchuan with contempt, "Another newcomer exiled from the city. Judging by your clothes, you haven’t been out here long. Let me give you some sincere advice: change your clothes, blend into the wasteland, and shove that city pride of yours away. This is the wasteland, and it has its own rules."

The pig-man’s tone was irritable. He was annoyed that someone in this wasteland was more handsome than him. For that reason, he spoke with disdain, adopting the air of a seasoned veteran.

To this, Chen Pingchuan remained indifferent.

The pig-man took Chen Pingchuan’s silence as a sign of intimidation from his own sharp words, but he still wasn’t satisfied. Facing such a quiet newcomer, his anger flared, and he began to deliberately make things difficult.

"Newcomer, are you?"

"Got a permit?"

Chen Pingchuan’s expression remained cold. He stayed silent, curious to see what kind of stunt this guy would pull next.

The pig-man looked at Chen Pingchuan’s expression and complained internally. Damn it, why do all the newcomers have this same look? They never learn until you beat them into submission.

An idea came to him. The pig-man grinned and said softly, "It’s been a while since I’ve seen a newcomer with so much character. Since you won’t talk, I’ll talk for you. If I say something wrong, feel free to correct me, but whether I accept your correction is up to me.

"First, the permit. Since you’re not talking, I’ll assume you don’t have one.

"Second, the brawl. Our camp expressly prohibits fighting. All troublemakers are fined 50,000 Federation Coins. These men are locals, so I know them. They might have provoked you, but they definitely wouldn’t have thrown the first punch. They know the rules.

"So, that brings us to the question: how do you plan to pay this fee?"

The pig-man’s words sounded fair and just, but his actions were the height of injustice. By treating the victim and the aggressor the same, he was clearly siding with Hu Laosan.

Just as the pig-man finished speaking, he suddenly noticed Belia standing behind Chen Pingchuan.

Belia had initially felt shy about Chen Pingchuan’s actions, but as the commotion died down, she realized they seemed to be in trouble. She quietly peeked her head out from behind him, wanting to see who was ruining her fun.

And that was when the pig-man spotted her.

"Well, well! And you brought a little girl along?"

The moment he saw Belia, desire surged through the pig-man. In a place like the wasteland, a fair-skinned, sweet-looking girl like this wasn’t just rare—she was practically an extinct species. Only the Inner City Districts of the great cities could nurture such a budding beauty.

"Alright, since there are two of you, that’ll be two fines. Fifty thousand for the man, and two hundred thousand for the girl. However, I, Master Zhu, am a charitable man. If you don’t have the money, then..." He feigned contemplation, rubbing a thick hand over his greasy face. "You can pay with the girl!"