Wasteland Development Diary

Akin gasped for breath, his throat and chest feeling like they were being slashed by cold knives.

His body screamed at him to run, but the long sprint had left his limbs unresponsive, and his bleeding right leg was trembling with cold.

At that moment, the morning sun was rising from the horizon.

Darkness was dissipating.

Bathed in the dawn light, the boy's pale face was filled with terror.

Daytime.

Daytime had arrived...

The monsters would awaken.

Not far ahead, the black mist of the Dead Sea was gradually turning into a warm white.

This was the beach east of the oasis, too far from safety; even in peak condition, he couldn't possibly run through the monsters' hunting grounds alive.

Akin felt a deep despair welling up inside him.

A chill ran down his back, and the hairs on his arms stood on end.

Something in the shadows was watching him.

Akin looked around for cover and suddenly spotted a bonfire behind some large rocks to the east.

Could it be a hunting party's camp?

The will to survive drove him toward it.

Reaching the fire, Akin found only one person there.

It was an elder wrapped in a black coat, probably in his late twenties—anyone who lived to that age in this place was a strong individual.

Beside the black-clad man was a large backpack and a strange contraption.

The device was a mottled yellow color, with two wheels, front and back, and horns like a goat; the other parts were very slender.

The black-clad man had a smooth face, free of scars, and his calm eyes met Akin's, making him feel uneasy.

Such pampered, flawless skin, the densely woven exotic clothing, the clean, neat black hair… clearly, he had been raised in a safe, privileged environment.

Akin mustered his courage and asked, "Are you an Enhancer?"

"Enhancer?"

The man's voice was soft: "What's that?"

Akin was stunned.

He didn't even know what an Enhancer was.

"I don't think I am."

The traveler seemed to recall something pleasant: "Are there any cities nearby?"

Akin was anxious; this stranger had no common sense.

"Mister, it's daytime! You need to hide! Are you crazy?"

The traveler turned his face toward the fire: "That's about enough time. Meeting is fate; have one first."

He handed Akin a thin iron skewer with a sizzling, greasy, golden-brown piece of meat on it.

The rich aroma of the meat instantly captivated Akin.

He devoured it.

This was real fresh meat!

Nothing like the worms they raised in town.

Akin had eaten rotten meat before, which had to be boiled into sludge to be edible, otherwise, it would make you sick. It had no texture, just a greasy taste.

The delicious taste was overwhelming for a moment.

But the urgency of death regained control of his mind.

Akin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand: "Don't eat, let's go! Daytime isn't when people come out; hurry, hurry!"

Unsettling sounds were already coming from behind him, along with heavy, powerful breathing and heavy footsteps.

"Have another one."

The man handed him another large skewer of meat.

Akin chewed anxiously.

Although his life hung by a thread, the meat was incredibly delicious.

The boy glanced over his shoulder.

Two monsters had emerged from the shadows.

Their bodies were covered in grayish-black coarse hair, and their thick limbs extended curved, knife-like bone claws, stained with dark brown, congealed blood.

The Hook-Claw monsters drooled from their two rows of sharp teeth, their short snouts exhaling a rancid, rotten stench, their vicious little eyes fixed on the two unarmed humans, already locking onto their prey.

Akin's scalp tingled.

E-Class Light-Nourished species, Claw Swine.

"You run, I'll distract them."

Akin grabbed a tree branch from the ground, brandishing it and preparing to fulfill his last role.

Dying after eating such good meat was worth it.

The traveler ate his meat skewer unhurriedly: "Don't worry, I haven't reached the point where I need a little kid to help me hold the line."

L-Little kid?

Akin froze, his face flushing red: "H-How could you insult someone like that..."

"I know I'm not tall or strong, but I'm already 13 years old, a professional scavenger with 3 years of experience! I'm a grown man! A man!"

The man seemed to realize something and changed his words: "My, fixed thinking really is harmful."

The traveler's words were a little incomprehensible.

But Akin couldn't care about anything else at this moment.

The Claw Swine had already charged over.

Akin raised the branch in his hand, shouting to encourage himself not to run—that would mean a quicker, more miserable death.

The two monsters were like heavy tanks, reaching him in the blink of an eye, their sharp claws raised like curved blades.

Swish, swish, swish!

Sharp spikes suddenly protruded from the ground, piercing the bellies of the two monsters.

The Claw Swine, charging at high speed, immediately tumbled over, their bodies writhing in pain from the sharp weapons that had pierced them, blood gushing out.

Large blue crabs with silver crosses on their shells emerged from the sand. They wielded pointed iron spears in their large pincers, surrounding and stabbing the wounded prey, piercing the Claw Swine all over with blood-soaked holes in a few rounds of attacks, until they stopped moving.

The bodies of the dead monsters emitted a faint light, gradually forming two small orbs of light, which were directly swallowed by two oversized crabs.

The battle ended in a flash.

Akin watched, somewhat dumbfounded.

The latest novel is first published on Liu Jiu Shu Ba!

They were Samurai Crabs.

They had ambushed and killed the Claw Swine, which seemed to offer no resistance.

But even though they were both E-Class, was the difference really that big?

Samurai Crabs could use spears and formations?

Weren't they the kind that just used their pincers to fight to the death, regardless of whether they could win or not?

When did they become so smart?

The Samurai Crabs cut up and collected the prey, gradually carrying it into the Dead Sea not far away.

They showed no reaction to the two humans beside them.

This was also strange.

Akin had a guess and looked at the mysterious traveler: "This is a trap?"

The man wiped his mouth with a piece of white paper: "You could say that."

But Akin still couldn't understand: "How is it possible for a group of Light-Nourished species to cooperate with humans? And these are Samurai Crabs in broad daylight; they wouldn't allow humans to be within their territory."

The traveler said: "They're my employees."

"..."

Akin wondered if he had heard wrong.

Samurai Crabs, when could they be hired?

The traveler didn't care: "As long as it's profitable, enemies can become friends. As long as I give them enough, cooperating with me is far more profitable than attacking me."

Akin calmed down and thought about it.

Although the Samurai Crabs had a numerical advantage, their movement speed on land was completely incomparable to the Claw Swine.

In a head-on fight, the Claw Swine could simply avoid their sharp edges and escape.

These land monsters had extreme endurance, explosive power, and were good at continuous running and protracted battles, coming and going as they pleased. Hunting them in open terrain was an impossible task for the Samurai Crabs.

Without the traveler's trap using himself as bait, there would be no victory.

Could it really be as he said?

However.

Just the attitude of facing the monsters' charge head-on, remaining calm and composed, showed that this uncle was no ordinary person.

A Samurai Crab placed several cut meat patties on the stones of the bonfire.

They gradually burrowed into the sand and lay in ambush.

"This is my share," the traveler pointed to the steaming fresh meat.

Akin's eyes glazed over for a moment: "The meat skewer from before, was it Claw Swine..."

"Yes."

The traveler said: "Come on, have some more; I can't eat that much by myself. It takes time to dry the meat, and with the Samurai Crabs here, it's very safe."

Akin swallowed.

The meat of Light-Nourished species was an extremely expensive luxury, even in the city.

He obediently sat down and volunteered to start grilling the meat.

The traveler gave a simple self-introduction: "My name is Zhou Yi, from a distant place to the east. My profession is the same as yours, a scavenger."

"My name is Akin, from Maogu Town in the west... Thank you, I owe you my life."

Akin devoured the meat, feeling like his wounds weren't hurting as much, and he had strength all over his body.

He thought to himself that the other party must be a master-level scavenger.

He had to ask for advice.

...

Zhou Yi stretched.

Samurai Crabs were born warriors, daring to fight and willing to take risks, obeying orders and prohibitions, but they weren't the smart, clever type, so forcing them to perform complex disguises was asking too much.

In this wasteland world, it's best to show off your strength.

It would reduce a lot of unnecessary trouble.

This was Zhou Yi's experience.

If the people nearby were xenophobic or couldn't accept his monster team, he would just move on to the next place.

Anyway, there were many places to choose from for settlement.

Investigate first.

New book, new story, please support it a lot~ Still two chapters every day, 8 am and 5 pm