Why did you provoke me?

Xiao Wen led Yu Meng and Niannian around his territory, talking as they walked.

Yu Meng looked at the clear boundary at the edge of the woods. "What would happen if we went over there?"

"You'll be robbed." Xiao Wen's words were blunt. "There have been several major battles over the Bone Painter before. The Bone Painter at the exit charges too much, and as you've seen, her skills aren't good enough; sometimes she can't remove the aliens completely."

One of them mutated the day after the alien was extracted. The entire team was injured by the mutant; it's a dog-eat-dog world here. After being injured, they couldn't even hold onto their most basic necessities. Getting out would require a huge expense.

"What happened to those people in the end?" Niannian asked, having been listening intently. Seeing that Xiao Wen had stopped talking, she asked.

"People were snatched up by various small groups."

"Why would you want to snatch someone?" Nian Nian looked at Xiao Wen in surprise.

"We're taking people back to work. If you don't, we'll beat you. If you want to live, you have to submit and do the dirtiest and hardest work. If someone has an Xenomorph outbreak, he'll be the next parasite."

Niannian muttered to herself, "An alien outbreak... does that mean the aliens are at their largest?"

Niannian looked at Yu Meng with bright eyes.

Yu Meng glared at her, "When something like this happens, get as far away as possible."

Yu Meng did not cross that line; she is not someone who seeks trouble.

But the three of them standing there still attracted a lot of attention. Some people slowly approached.

Yan Lei caught up from behind, weapon in hand, pointing at the approaching crowd. "Want to die? Come on then." His attitude was ruthless and arrogant. His inhuman gaze truly intimidated many.

"In the past, the alien battlefields were mostly fought by soldiers from the base. They didn't know each other, but they were at least somewhat familiar with each other. It wasn't as chaotic as it is now." Xiao Wen's face was grim. Although they had a large number of people, their energy expenditure was also high. Because they didn't have any external forces to rely on, their time outside was also restricted.

"Can't you people control the situation here?" Yu Meng was a little skeptical.

"We have the numbers and the weapons, that's fine. But we don't have a Bone Painter to back us up. It's not worth getting our hands dirty for these ants."

"I'm not famous at all, using my name is completely useless."

"As long as you stand here, we dare to do anything. As long as we know your power, that's enough. If your reputation is too great, it probably won't be up to a small group like us." Xiao Wen was telling the truth. They were all just sticking together for warmth. Compared to those truly powerful families and forces, they were just ants a little bigger than each other.

Niannian tugged at Yu Meng's hand, "Fourth Sister, look at that person over there, he looks like he's about to mutate."

Following the direction of Nian Nian's finger, a person was curled up on the ground, hands covering their head and legs bent, trying to curl up as tightly as possible. Next to them, someone held a wooden stick, raised it high, and lashed it down hard.

Niannian shouted, "Three, two, one. Done!"

Xiao Wen hadn't even reacted yet. The person who had been curled up on the ground suddenly sprang up and pounced on the person holding the wooden stick. Without hesitation, they bit the person's neck. A scream rang out, and the two of them grappled together, rolling on the ground.

Chaos erupted instantly. Everyone grabbed whatever weapons they could find, attacking indiscriminately regardless of who had mutated. The screams continued for a long time until the two people on the ground lay motionless.

Niannian hid behind Yu Meng in fear. "Fourth Sister, they seem to have gone mad." Her little head peeked out from beside Yu Meng.

Xiao Wen looked at Niannian with a complicated expression, then looked at Yu Meng.

Yu Meng's face was expressionless. She wore a smiling mask, and the upturned corners of her mouth showed that she was happy.

Although Niannian said she was scared, her body language showed that she was just pretending to be scared.

"This is the fastest way to eliminate potential hazards," Yan Lei explained from the side.

Yu Meng looked in the direction of the exit. "If people like this enter humanity's rear, will anyone bear the consequences?"

"I received some news that it seems the four alien battlefields have been divided up by four major forces." Du Wenhe also appeared here at some point.

Yu Meng's heart skipped a beat. "The four major powers? The four great families?"

Du Wenhe shook his head. "Three families in Kyoto have joined forces and occupied one of them. There are also three mysterious families that have divided the remaining three. Right now, it's just the families affiliated with them handling these matters. Therefore, things are very chaotic right now. I estimate that the order might improve after a while. But whether they will be friendly to us is another matter."

Yu Meng looked at Xiao Wen, "My decision seems hasty. Competing for resources among these powerful forces, I fear I'll be reduced to ashes."

"It's dangerous, but what if all the soldiers from all the bases were standing here?" Xiao Wen threw out a heavy bombshell.

Yu Meng looked at him and said, "There are people with special identities here."

Xiao Wen shook his head. "It was Hu the charlatan's scheme. He clearly told all of us squad leaders that if we wanted to survive and not be used as blood bags by those forces, only you could lead us to fight our way out. Those were his exact words."

Yu Meng repeated softly, "Fight your way out. You really figured me out of the woods. I was naive."

Xiao Wen and the others exchanged glances, looking at Yu Meng with some concern. "Don't worry, we swear we'll protect you with our own flesh and blood. As long as any of us are alive, we won't let you get hurt."

Yu Meng nodded. She wasn't the type to go back on her word, and since she had already promised Xiao Wen, she wouldn't go back on her word. However, she would do things according to her own wishes from now on.

Yu Meng knew that if someone compiled data on mask-revealing professionals from various regions, she would eventually have to appear in public. Thinking about it, perhaps the current outcome wasn't the worst.

Du Wenhe's words made her realize that the world's格局 (geju, a concept encompassing both structure and overall situation) was changing. Ordinary people like her, if even slightly affected, might face utter destruction.

Yu Meng could only sigh. She thought of the dream she had again. Perhaps her coming into this world was also a scheme by some people.

Yu Meng wanted to go back. She might as well have rested in the tent; coming out had only made her feel worse.

A commotion arose in the distance. "Make way, make way, everyone make way!" Yu Meng didn't turn around; she had already realized that human life was worthless here.

Niannian held onto Yu Meng's hand, her little head constantly turning back to look. "Fourth Sister, it looks like several people are running this way."

Xiao Wen also saw clearly who was rushing towards him. "Old Chen, what happened?"

"I heard you have a bone-drawing master here. Quickly, take a look at this kid. He suddenly fainted, and his limbs are curled up towards his heart. I suspect it's a heart-roller worm. He's the leader of the Seventh Base. If something happens to him, the Seventh Base will fall apart."

"Quickly, bring him over!" Captain Tian ran over from a distance. "Take him to Yu Meng and tell her this person is very important." Du Wenhe grabbed Captain Tian. "We're begging her to save him, don't let your emotions get the better of you."

"Captain Tian, ​​you wait here. I'll go beg Yu Meng. You mustn't act rashly." Xiao Wen ran forward with Old Chen. "Old Chen, you stay at the door. If there's any hope, Yu Meng will definitely save you. She respects life; I guarantee that."