"Deputy Commander Bai, it's not that I won't let you save them, but they're already dead. Listen... even the screams have stopped," Tan Jie said, sweating anxiously.

"Then I'll go collect their bodies."

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

Are you damn deaf!?

Wang She and the others gathered around, trying their best to stop Bai Ye from going out.

Bai Ye let out a long sigh, "Ah."

Feigning disappointment, he sighed and walked away.

The crowd watched his departing figure, feeling inexplicably melancholic.

After a long while, Tan Jie spat heavily on the ground, cursing angrily, "Madman! That kid is a complete madman."

You guys don't know, if I hadn't dragged him back earlier, he would've been drained dry by the Forbidden Item outside.

His angry curses went unanswered, as everyone silently threw stones from the city wall to drive away the hyenas outside, while a different thought arose in their hearts.

They also thought Bai Ye was a madman because in this wasteland, only a madman would risk his life to protect strangers.

Bai Ye's furious shouts outside the city were heard and remembered by them all.

But they felt that this madman was a hundred, even a thousand times better than the current commanders.

These people, born in the Cataclysm Era and never having seen civilization, didn't know that a hundred years ago, such madmen had another name.

A hundred years ago, during the Civilization Era, they were called... heroes!

In a shadow unnoticed by anyone, a pair of eyes disappeared along with Bai Ye's fading figure.

Returning to his temporary residence, Bai Ye's face showed no trace of melancholy. Excitedly, he took off his shirt and stood before the mirror. His once skinny and emaciated body had been replaced by streamlined muscles.

In the recent battle, he had shot down 12 hyenas, and the Breath of Bones had fed back twelve strands of qi and blood. With the support of these twelve strands, his long-malnourished body finally regained vitality.

Feeling the abundant strength within, Bai Ye's lips curled into a smile. Although his physique couldn't compare to the genetically modified Tan Jie, it surpassed that of an average adult male. And this was just from hunting twelve mutated hyenas.

If he were to kill the entire hyena pack and the Hyena King, how much stronger would his physique become?

What truly delighted Bai Ye was not just the enhancement of his physique, but the fact that he could save more time!

The logic was simple: with the same one minute of Time Stop, a scrawny person could run 200 meters, but a strong person could run 300 meters, or even more!

This meant that within the same time, his efficiency had greatly improved, indirectly saving time.

"Not enough! The power is still not enough! I need more... more power!" Bai Ye's eyes burned with ambition.

He knew clearly that Time Stop was just a trump card, an aid to gain more power, because time was limited; once used, it diminished.

Therefore, he had to use the limited time to gain more power!

Only then could he prevent a day when time ran out, yet he still had the strength to protect himself.

In the crisis-ridden wasteland, only power was the truth.

Here, not only were there various mutated beasts, but also powerful genetically modified humans, mechanically modified humans, and even more mysterious Transcendents. This was an era where the strong ruled everything.

In the memories of his predecessor, he had witnessed too many bloody events.

Killing? It's nothing new.

A piece of blackened bread, a bottle of murky water, or even a glance could be a motive for murder.

I'm hungry, and you happen to have food, so sorry, you have to die.

You say you live in peace, without conflict with anyone? Wait until the Slave-Catching Squad comes knocking, and they'll show you what despair is.

Knock, knock, knock...

A series of knocks interrupted Bai Ye's thoughts.

"Deputy Commander Bai, the hyena pack has retreated. The commander is holding a victory feast and has called for you."

Hearing there was a feast, Bai Ye's eyes lit up; after fighting for so long, he was indeed hungry.

He opened the door, instantly adopting the demeanor of an actor, and leaned weakly against the subordinate who knocked.

The subordinate was shocked, "Deputy Commander Bai, you..."

"Help me over," Bai Ye said weakly.

The subordinate glanced at Bai Ye's feeble expression and recalled his selfless act earlier, feeling a surge of respect. He quickly and respectfully supported Bai Ye.

The victory feast was naturally held at the Tire Tavern; Graysoil Town was too poor, with only this one tavern.

Inside the tavern, people were celebrating with drinks. For these wastelanders, drinking today was the greatest luxury. They had no time to mourn the dead because the next one could be themselves, so they might as well enjoy the moment.

This time, the victory feast included not only Tan Jie but also the West District Commander, Wang She.

The two commanders shared a table, holding their drinks, smiling and chatting happily.

But who knew how much of that smile was genuine or fake.

"Bai Ye really stole the spotlight this time. I see the people from both districts looking at him differently," Wang She said with a half-smile, sipping his drink.

"Hmph," Tan Jie snorted coldly, naturally hearing the undertone in the other's words. After all, your enemy knows you best.

"No need for your instigation. You know what kind of person Bai Ye is. That kid's brain is fried from poisonous mushrooms; he's already mad. A madman won't submit to anyone.

In other words, we can't accommodate him in the East District, and neither can you in the West District."

Wang She nodded in agreement. He had long seen the answer in Bai Ye's eyes. Neither he nor Tan Jie mattered to him. Previously, he thought it was youthful arrogance, thinking he was invincible with a Forbidden Item.

Now he knew it wasn't youthful arrogance, but youthful madness, craziness.

"What do you plan to do? Need help?" Wang She asked with a smile.

Search "pawread dot com" for the original.

Tan Jie gave him a cold look, "No need for your help. This madman will get himself killed. I think you're offering help as an excuse to get your hands on the Breath of Bones!"

"Don't say it so harshly. You and I are ultimately from Graysoil Town. Internal conflict leads nowhere. Haven't you noticed the world is becoming increasingly unstable? Dawn City is frequently deploying troops, plundering people from various towns. War might be coming.

If we don't unite and cooperate, we'll end up with no place to be buried.

So, in my opinion, once Bai Ye is dead and the hyena pack is dealt with, we should take the Breath of Bones to Dawn City to sell. We'll split the money, you buy the advanced gene serum, and I'll upgrade my mechanical devices. With strength, we can ensure survival."