Master of the End Times
chapter-17

This time, Qin Feng did not go to the wilderness terminal but traveled the routes around the city. Even so, there were also impending dangers on this trip!

The people in the vehicle were mostly combatants among a few twig-skinny civilians.

They headed west and soon left the central area. The surrounding streets gradually became more congested, crowded, and even began to appear dirty. It was increasingly disorderly and lacking from every aspect the further they went.

At some point, the buildings disappeared behind walls that acted as barriers. They arrived at a safe zone surrounded by large plots of lush and green paddies. Watchtowers were erected every hundred meters, tightly guarded by gunners and their submachine guns.

A broadcast began to play:

“Dear passengers, this is the final stop. We will soon be arriving at Chengbei’s west plantation! All combatants, please pay attention! – outside the plantation, you are to hunt and kill the ultra beast. You may bring back concrete evidence of a kill from the corpses in exchange for Chinese currency. The targets for this hunt are herbivorous giant rats, onion mantis, and threadsnakes. During special seasons, if you notice any swarm of rats, please make a report in advance.”

The last announcement, however, caught the attention of the combatants.

“If you are a participant in the battle, you will be awarded the colony’s honor rates, which can be exchanged for any battle machinery or potions at a transfer price!”

Soon, they reached the last line of defense!

This time, it wasn’t walls that crawled all around the city, but instead, there were primitive fences built with wooden planks. Outside of the fences lay numerous traps, and there was one watchtower every hundred meters garrisoned by a countless number of combat vehicles.

The plantations covered a vast land, and in the event of a threat or shifting alliances, fences were a more convenient and budget-friendly method of quickly isolating a section.

The vehicle came to a stop, and its passengers alighted.

Bang!

A deafening gunshot rung from far away, followed by a piercing scream!

An angry voice shouted from the sentry tower, “F*ck! Those rat bastards have been givin’ us one hell of a time recently!”

The guards standing on the towers had an unquestionably monotonous job. When there were no dangers, the days would just creep by slowly and uneventfully. But whenever there was any sort of disturbance, even minor ones, the guards were tasked with neutralizing the threat. The ultra beast would show up every so often, which was a nuisance to everyone.

A soldier in a dark green combat uniform opened the gate to let the passengers pass through.

“You! Yes, you! Go back!” the soldier said, pointing at someone sternly.

Qin Feng paused for a second before realizing that the soldier was not referring to him but a girl next to him.

She was slightly taller than he was, about 175cm, and was as thin as a bamboo shoot, not to mention a chest flatter than a runway. Her growth was clearly stunted.

Not only that, Qin Feng even recognized this person.

Xiao Jing!

Memories of Xiao Jing’s valiant and heroic actions as captain of the army garrison flashed in his mind. This would happen in a few years. She had even helped him on the battlefield. The Xiao Jing he remembered was highly esteemed and commanding. No one would have imagined her to have looked like a malnourished teen long suffering from a famine.

“Why are you asking me to go back? I can fight! I want to go out there and kill beasts!” Xiao Jing blurted nervously.

“You? You better just go home, have some kids, and cook their meals. Why are you fighting?” The soldier sniggered.

Every day, for various reasons, plenty of people came out here to court death. After all, there was also darkness brewing within the colony. Like it or not, to be able to escape a life like this, one would have to fight their way out and become stronger.

But not everyone could simply go out there. Women, by themselves, were valuable resources too, which was why the soldier was pressed on keeping Xiao Jing from getting herself killed.

“You! Who are you to say that women are supposed to stay at home, have kids, and cook?!” Xiao Jing retorted angrily.

The soldier froze. “Look at yourself! So weak and small! How are you going to fight like that?! Do you even have a combat suit? Do you have weapons? Are you planning to kill the beasts with rocks? O’ perhaps yer’ bare hands? If you have none of that, get the hell out of here!”

At the relentless mansplaining, Xiao Jing’s face turned a brilliant red.

She had come out here on a whim. When the soldier called her out, she suddenly felt like taking a step back. For all that was worth, she knew in her heart that she could do nothing to defend herself; it only made her more eager to enter the battlefield.

Just as she decided to return home, a loud voice called out, “I’ll take her with me!”

Xiao Jing froze as she turned to the direction the voice was calling. When she saw the person who had spoken, she cried, “Qin Feng!”

The boy nodded at her, then said to the soldier, “She’s probably going through some hard times right now. I’m her classmate. Let me bring her with me!”

Qin Feng pointed to the energy gun at his waist.

The soldier’s hardened expression softened up a little, relieved to see the energy gun and stellar combat uniform.

“Go ahead then. Remember to come back alive!”

The soldier stepped aside to let them through. He had mistakenly thought that Qin Feng had been awakened in the previous term. What he did not know was that both Qin Feng and Xiao Jing had only just received their awakening injections seven or eight days ago.

Qin Feng led Xiaojing past the gate and followed the path ahead. There were a lot of traps around the area, so it would be an absurd idea to hunt there.

“Thank you so much, Qin Feng!” Xiao Jing said, her eyes welled with grateful tears.

“You don’t have to thank me. We’re old classmates!” he replied, attempting to comfort his friend. That was precisely what the past life’s Xiao Jing had told Qin Feng. Maybe it was because his previous life was so painful that he remembered every little single bit of kindness shown to him.

A drop of water shall be returned with a burst of spring.

“Thank you!” Xiao Jing was so touched by the gesture that she could hold back no further, burst into tears and sobs.

Qin Feng kept quiet. He didn’t have the slightest inkling on how to soothe her. He was a guy and had never shed a tear before even when he bled.

Moreover, he was completely clueless as to what had happened to her.

In the future, she was going to be someone that people would admire most among all her classmates.

“I’m sorry!” croaked Xiao Jing as she quickly wiped her tears away with the back of her hands and forced a smile at her classmate.

“It’s okay. Look. Is there something wrong?”

Xiao Jing fell silent for a moment before replying, “My father wanted me to get married… to a thirty-year-old man!”

COMMENT

Qin Feng fell silent again. These kinds of things were very common, and he had grown accustomed to it, eventually turning somewhat indifferent to the questionable practice.

As the conversation had already gone in that direction, Xiao Jing continued anyway, “I have two younger brothers – you know that already. Next year, the older one will be awakened too. My father is preparing some strengthening potions for him. He promised to marry me off to someone for 80,000 Chinese currency. I didn’t think that there would be a man out there who would want a tomboy like me. That guy already has a twelve-year-old child! If I marry him, I’ll become a stepmother! What a terrible joke.

“I asked my father to give me a month – I might become an ability user or an Ancient Warrior. But they were not willing to wait. He even said that I didn’t need to become anything, so long as his son-in-law was great!”

The more she spoke, the angrier she seemed.

Qin Feng understood now. It was not that Xiao Jing’s father did not want her to become an Ancient Warrior. He was simply afraid that he could not afford to provide for his family. Their family was so impoverished, they were almost always hungry. Right now, especially, her two brothers were growing teenagers with an appetite to match – which explained why Xiao Jing was so skinny. With other mouths to feed, how could they sacrifice what little money they had just so that Xiao Jing could become an Ancient Warrior?!