"Deputy Commander Bai, the mutant beasts haven't been dealt with yet, and our food supply is really insufficient. How about you save some and start with a Cockroach Protein Bar?"

Tan Jie pulled out a long, black rectangular protein bar.

On this protein bar, you could vaguely see a few cockroach antennae.

This was the daily food of the wasteland residents, the Cockroach Protein Bar!

It even had simple packaging with a rough slogan printed on it:

Cockroach Protein Bar, tastes really great! Meets your daily nutritional needs! — Cockroach Protein Workshop

Bai Ye glanced at the Cockroach Protein Bar and was immediately furious. This thing had appeared frequently in his predecessor's memories as a staple food. Although it looked disgusting, at least it was hard to eat.

The taste... was like someone with sweaty feet wearing short stockings inside snow boots, running five kilometers in the snow, then sealing the stockings in the boots until spring, and finally rubbing the stockings on your tongue.

"Before I became the Deputy Commander, I ate Cockroach Protein Bars every day. Now that I'm the Deputy Commander, I still eat this? Then what's the point of being Deputy Commander?

Take it away! Even dogs wouldn't eat this!"

With a wave of his hand, he knocked the Cockroach Protein Bar off the table, sending it flying into the crowd, causing a scramble.

Tan Jie's face looked a bit unpleasant, and he forced a smile, "But weren't you always eating it before?"

Bai Ye, as if he hadn't noticed, put an arm around Tan Jie's shoulder and said earnestly, "Old Tan, do you know what the first thing a person does after succeeding is?"

"What is it?"

"Of course, it's forgetting where they came from! If you succeed and don't forget your roots, then what's the point of succeeding?"

Tan Jie: "......."

"Old Tan, don't worry, with me here, those mutant beasts are nothing. Once they're dealt with, there'll be plenty of meat. So don't skimp now, bring it all out for me to replenish my strength.

Otherwise, how will I use [Breath of Bones] if my qi and blood are insufficient when dealing with the mutant beasts?"

"Yes, yes, Deputy Commander Bai is right. Someone, bring the meat!" Tan Jie smiled apologetically, but in his heart, he was determined to kill Bai Ye after he dealt with the mutant beasts.

Of course, if Bai Ye died from over-exerting his qi and blood while shooting the mutant beasts, that would be even better, saving him from being blamed.

After a hearty feast, Bai Ye, satisfied, went to sleep in the house Tan Jie arranged for him. He certainly wouldn't return to his previous doghouse, forgetting his roots...

Once he left, the Tire Tavern fell into complete silence.

Tan Jie's face was gloomy, and a hint of murderous intent occasionally flashed in his eyes. His underlings sensed their boss's anger and dared not speak.

At this moment, one of his confidants quietly approached and whispered, "Boss, it seems Bai Ye is a bit disrespectful to you, relying on his Forbidden Item."

Bang!

Tan Jie slammed the table and shouted, "A bit disrespectful? He clearly doesn't respect me, Boar Tan Jie, at all!"

As he grew angry, the hair on his body stood on end, turning black and hard, like the bristles on a wild boar, exuding a fierce beastly aura.

From his nostrils, two faint streams of white gas puffed out.

Seeing this, everyone quickly prostrated themselves on the ground, "Calm your anger, boss, calm your anger. You are a Gene-Modified Human injected with Gene Serum, while that kid is just an ordinary person relying on external items.

Once he finishes shooting the mutant beasts, he'll be depleted of qi and blood and unable to fire again. By then, he'll be at our mercy."

"Hmph!" Tan Jie's expression slightly softened. Although his subordinate's words resonated with him, as the Commander, he couldn't just agree; he had to maintain his image.

"I originally intended to become brothers with Bai Ye and govern the East District together, but who would've thought that after acquiring a Forbidden Item, this kid would become so arrogant? His character is erratic and greedy. If he were to govern the East District with me, it would surely be a disaster for the people.

For the sake of my brothers' future and the future of the entire East District, I, Tan Jie, would rather bear the infamy and break my promise."

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"Boss, you're so noble!"

"We swear to follow you to the death!"

......

In a dilapidated red-brick house, Bai Ye stood naked in front of a mirror after his bath.

He touched his chin, scrutinizing himself, "Not bad, just the right amount of handsome."

In the mirror, the boy's slightly messy black hair hung over his eyes, as if deliberately concealing those sharp and unruly wolf-like black eyes.

A still-unhealed scratch stretched across his high nose bridge, with dried blood at the edges. The wound didn't mar his looks but added a touch of wildness.

His body was tall and lean, his skin a pale shade of malnutrition.

This was Bai Ye's first time truly looking at himself, mainly because water resources were scarce, and everyone in Graysoil Town was usually disheveled, except for a few special workers.

Now, with Tan Jie covering for him, he could comfortably take a bath.

"If I'm not mistaken, Old Tan is probably plotting how to kill me right now, huh? Tsk tsk... Old Tan really is something."

Bai Ye wasn't concerned about the threat from Old Tan. It had taken him ten seconds to contain the Forbidden Item before, and now he had fifty seconds left. Killing Old Tan would be easy, even if the latter was a Gene-Modified Human.

No matter how his genes were modified, he was still a carbon-based life form. Even if his body was covered in bristles, his throat, groin, eyes... were all fatal weaknesses.

Bai Ye lay on the bed, playing with [Breath of Bones], a faint smile on his lips, "Perfect Containment, quite the pleasant surprise."

Ordinary people only knew that Forbidden Items could be contained, but they didn't know there were two modes of containment: Normal Containment and Perfect Containment.

As a Wasteland Hunter, Bai Ye had hunted and survived in the wasteland, encountering many other hunters. These people traveled far and wide, their strength not necessarily great, but their experience and knowledge were extensive. He learned this information from them.

Simply put, Normal Containment is like hiring an employee; the Forbidden Item works for the user after the user meets its conditions. It's like a boss hiring an employee, paying them to work. The employee's body belongs to the boss, but not their heart.

Perfect Containment, on the other hand, is like recruiting a loyal servant, completely subjugated, body and soul belonging to you.

Bai Ye's six bullets perfectly contained the Forbidden Item [Breath of Bones].

The ability of [Breath of Bones] is straightforward: it extracts the user's qi and blood, attaching it to the bullets to enhance their power. Ordinary firearms struggle to penetrate a mutant beast's skin, and even if they do, they rarely cause significant harm. [Breath of Bones] can easily break through defenses and even kill.

Due to the extraction of qi and blood, using [Breath of Bones] is highly damaging to the body. Excessive use could even drain the user of qi and blood, leading to death.

But for Bai Ye, who achieved Perfect Containment, it's entirely different. Although his qi and blood are still extracted, once [Breath of Bones] kills an enemy, it returns the qi and blood it plundered from the enemy to Bai Ye. This way, not only does he not deplete his qi and blood, but he grows stronger with each shot.

After playing with it for a while, Bai Ye lay on the soft bed and fell into a deep sleep. In contrast to his comfort, the treatment of Magic Hand Li You, who had previously gambled with him, was entirely different.