Colonial Suit

That was the stench of corpses…

Looking around, Xhiton immediately saw a hellish scene.【 *】

Everywhere in the once-familiar sewer, floating corpses were visible. They lay haphazardly in the middle of the waterway, having turned pale from being soaked in the polluted water. Many had already begun to rot. Numerous rats scurried over their bodies… emitting squeaking noises.

The rats’ eyes glowed red, clearly mutated creatures.

How could this be…

Xhiton's expression immediately turned cold. He felt a tightness in his chest, as if he had swallowed a fly, making him nauseous. An inexplicable fire of anger rose in his chest, and unknowingly, he clenched his fists.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen corpses before; he had witnessed even more horrific battlefields. But this was different. This was his former home, the place where he had grown up. Every brick, every piece of steel, every person here was familiar to him. Although it wasn't paradise, it held immense significance in Xhiton's heart.

It was the only warmth in the post-apocalyptic world, his past solace.

The stench of decay grew heavier, but Xhiton seemed not to notice. He didn't need to examine the corpses to know they had all been shot to death. Clearly, a horrific massacre had just occurred here before his return.

He recognized many of the corpses. For example, the male corpse by the side of the waterway. Xhiton remembered him as the owner of a weapons shop in the shelter. Xhiton's first hunting knife was obtained from him in exchange for half a bag of ore. And the half-naked female corpse beside him was the most famous prostitute in the shelter, yet she had raised six children. It was said that she loved to boast to others about how clever and capable her children were, unaware that two of those six children would never return.

Even in the cruel post-apocalyptic world, there was warmth, but no matter how rare that warmth was, they were now just corpses.

Water droplets fell to the ground with a 'plop' sound, which seemed extremely crisp in the silent space. Xhiton slowly walked along the corner of the wall, his fingers gliding over the surface. There were many carvings on this cold wall, mostly made by the children of the shelter, including one by Xhiton. In an inconspicuous corner was carved an 'X' symbol, which was Xhiton's former secret stash. The bricks below were hollow, containing weapons that Xhiton had hidden: a few sharpened steel bars, trap tools, and a few rare crossbow bolts.

Xhiton stopped at the secret stash, crouched down, and rummaged around for a few moments. He retrieved these small items from the small hole behind the bricks. Due to the passage of time, these tools had corroded, but the traces of his use were still visible. Especially the crossbow bolts, which still had dried bloodstains of mutated beasts on their tips.

These were all Xhiton's memories… Looking at these small tools, Xhiton's gaze softened. But he only lingered for a moment before rubbing his hands together, destroying all the small tools without a trace.

Then, Xhiton followed the familiar path to his former small house. This was a rare shelter in the sewer. Xhiton had come here often in the past. Here, he and Lier had left their deepest memories. It was the only place that gave him warmth in the post-apocalyptic world. In this small house, Xhiton had his first intimate encounter with Lier, transforming from a boy into a man. It was also here that Black Bear's men brutally took Lier away, ultimately triggering Xhiton's revenge and subsequent departure.

This was Xhiton's place, the deepest part of his heart.

Pushing open the wooden door, Xhiton saw that the furnishings in the house had been changed. Clearly, it had new owners after he left. The house was in a mess, the simple furniture smashed to the ground, with bullet holes everywhere. And amidst the debris, a relatively strong man lay in a pool of blood. The corpse had already rotted.

Xhiton didn't recognize this guy, probably a newcomer after he left. However, judging by his ability to occupy this house, he must have been someone with some capability. It was a pity that his ability couldn't save his life, and like others in the gathering point, he couldn't escape the massacre. However, judging from the direction his head was facing and the way he fell, he had struggled before his death.

Just then, Xhiton's eyes lit up. He picked up a piece of ceramic next to the man's fingers.

This piece of ceramic was very small and seemed inconspicuous, but Xhiton knew it was not ordinary. Because this thing was actually a fragment of ceramic armor. This type of thing was only equipped on standard combat suits. He had worn such a combat suit when he became a high-level hunter.

Anyone who could wear such a combat suit was definitely not weak. At the very least, they had to have the identity of a high-level hunter. Could its owner be one of the members involved in the massacre?

Xhiton's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of disdain and coldness in his gaze. Then he stood up and walked out of the house without looking back.

The sewer was very large, a vast underground network spanning dozens of square kilometers. Before the nuclear destruction, it was part of the city's drainage system. Xhiton knew that even before he left, the sewer network of Shelter No. 9 had not been fully developed. Many areas were infested with mutated beasts. Only a small portion was actually usable by people.

But he had no interest in exploring other areas. He already had a target destination.

It was one of the most dangerous areas in Shelter No. 9, a deep-level wastewater treatment plant. The nuclear contamination there was five times higher than in ordinary places. In the past, it was a forbidden zone rarely visited by people. But Xhiton had accidentally entered there once while scavenging for garbage… That one time changed his life. Even now, Xhiton still clearly remembered that there was a terrifying skeleton next to that unit. But he had fainted due to the invasion of strengthened cells and didn't know what happened to that skeleton.

Now that he thought about it, that skeleton might have been the owner of the colony.

In the silent sewer, Xhiton walked seemingly slowly but actually quickly, and in a short while, he passed through a long area. Along the way, he saw many corpses, all residents of the shelter. But not a single corpse of the invaders was found. They had obviously been taken away by the other party.

This showed that the invaders were a disciplined team, completely different from common bandits. In Xhiton's understanding, only the armies of some cities had such qualities. But he couldn't imagine why an army would attack here.

But this was not important… In Xhiton's heart, he had already sentenced these invaders to death. And for the dead, any reason was meaningless.

Time passed bit by bit. Fifteen minutes later, Xhiton finally arrived at a large downward pipe, with a large amount of wastewater flowing into the pipe, making a rumbling sound. The smell here was extremely foul, and the air was filled with highly polluting molecules. Xhiton knew that this was the end of the shelter. Further ahead was the wastewater treatment plant. In the past, no one would come here, but Xhiton had accidentally found a way. He could barely pass through this wastewater treatment pipe.

It was a ventilation pipe, only passable by a child. But Xhiton didn't need to take that route anymore. He just flashed slightly and drilled into the wastewater treatment pipe. A powerful force field immediately repelled the wastewater to the side, without even a trace touching him.

Xhiton flew at high speed, and in a short while, he passed through the winding wastewater treatment pipe. As soon as he rushed out of the cave, he felt his eyes open up, and a huge factory appeared before him.

This was a vast space, covering an area of ​​approximately several thousand square meters. The ancient wastewater treatment machinery had stopped running. Wastewater could only be discharged through other pipes. It was filled with large and small filter pools, and rusty steel pipes were everywhere. The air was filled with green mist, with a faint sour taste.

The mist here was poisonous. Xhiton had barely avoided its harm by crawling in the past. But now he didn't need to worry about these. He flashed through the dense pipes like a steel jungle, and quickly found the place where he discovered the colony unit according to his memory. After bypassing a huge water storage tower, he suddenly froze…

Because at this moment, he saw an unexpected figure.

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A figure who shouldn't be here, but made Xhiton feel that it was taken for granted.

The Bandage Merchant.

At this moment, the Bandage Merchant was standing at the location where Xhiton discovered the unit, his back very thin, giving Xhiton a very special feeling, an indescribable desolation and loneliness. At his feet was the terrifying skeleton.

He had his back to Xhiton, seemingly muttering something. Strangely enough, even with Xhiton's current mental sense, he couldn't tell what he was saying. He just vaguely felt that he seemed to be mocking…

Xhiton landed behind the Bandage Merchant, startling him. He then turned around and glanced at Xhiton indifferently. At this time, Xhiton realized that there was no surprise in his eyes, as if he had known that he would return here.

“You've come…”

The Bandage Merchant said softly, his tone extremely ethereal, as if it came from another world.

“You're faster than I imagined. I thought it would take you at least two more years to think of this place. Unexpected to see me here, right?”

“It should be unexpected.” Xhiton replied. He slowly walked over and stopped next to the skeleton. Looking at the terrifying shape of the skeleton, a flash of understanding flashed in his eyes.

“But after seeing it, I suddenly didn't find it unexpected anymore. Remember? Back on the Soft Cloud Planet in the Golden Paradise Star Territory. You told me you had countless clones. I didn't pay too much attention to it at the time. But now that I think about it, there is a question. That is, even if you have many clones, you should have a main body. But you never mentioned it to me from beginning to end…”

“What does that prove?” The Bandage Merchant smiled and asked softly.

“Of course it doesn't prove anything.” Xhiton replied. First, he glanced at the Bandage Merchant, then turned his gaze to the skeleton at his feet. “But when I saw it, I suddenly had a bold idea. Maybe… it's not that you didn't tell me, but that you really don't have a main body. Your main body is already dead. Or rather… this skeleton is your main body.”

“Are you right? My dear debugger, or… the legend of Crodir…”

“Lord Reyar?”