“Vice Leader Jax， it’s not that I won’t let you save them. They’re already dead. Listen… the screaming stopped.” Talan’s forehead was beaded with sweat.

  “Then I’m going to bring their bodies back.”

  Talan fell silent.

  Did the kid not understand a word he was saying?!

  Viper and the others hurried over too， talking him down from every angle， refusing to let him go out.

  Jax sighed heavily.

  He knew he wasn’t going to get to kill any more hyenas and grow his life force today. He turned and left， disappointed.

  The crowd watched his retreating back， and for some reason， it looked unbearably lonely.

  After a long moment， Talan spat a thick glob of phlegm on the ground and snarled:“Lunatic. The kid’s a complete fucking lunatic. You have no idea— if I hadn’t slung him over my shoulder and run， he’d have drained himself dry with that Forbidden Artifact and died out there.”

  No one answered his rant. The men silently threw rocks from the walls to drive off the hyenas below， but their minds were elsewhere.

  They thought Jax was a lunatic too. Because in this Wasteland， only a lunatic would throw his life away to protect strangers.

  They’d heard every word Jax had yelled out on the battlefield. They’d remembered it.

  But they also thought this lunatic was a hundred， a thousand times better than the two leaders they had now.

  These people， born in the Cataclysm， who’d never known civilization， didn’t know there was another name for people like this， a hundred years ago.

  In the civilized world before the Cataclysm， they called them… heroes.

  In a shadowed corner no one noticed， a pair of eyes watched Jax’s back vanish， then slipped away into the dark.

  Jax returned to his temporary quarters， stripped off his shirt， and stood in front of the mirror. His once gaunt， malnourished frame was now lined with lean， defined muscle.

  In the battle， he’d shot twelve hyenas. The Breath of Bone had fed him twelve waves of life force in return.

  With that power， his body， long weakened by malnutrition， had finally bloomed with new life.

  Feeling the raw power coursing through him， Jax smiled. He still wasn’t as strong as the genetically modified Talan， but he’d surpassed the average grown man. And that was just from twelve mutated hyenas.

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  What would happen if he killed the entire hundred-strong pack， and the Hyena King too? How strong would he get?

  But what really excited him wasn’t just the physical boost. It was the time he’d save.

  The math was simple. In one minute of Time Stop， a skinny man could run 300 meters. A strong man could run 500， or more.

  That meant in the same amount of time， he could do far more. He was saving time， indirectly.

  “Not enough! Still not enough power! I need more… so much more!” Wild ambition burned in the boy’s eyes.

  He knew Time Stop was only his ace in the hole， a tool to gain more power. Because his time was limited. Every second used was a second gone forever.

  So he had to trade that limited time for as much power as he could.

  That way， if his time ever ran out， he’d still have the strength to protect himself.

  In the danger-filled Wasteland， power was the only truth.

  There were not just mutated beasts here， but powerful genetically modified warriors， cyborgs， and the even more mysterious Awakened. This was an age where the strong ruled everything.

  From the memories of his body’s previous owner， he’d seen endless bloodshed.

  Murder wasn’t even notable.

  A stale piece of bread， a bottle of murky water， even a wrong look， could be reason enough to kill.

  I’m hungry， and you have food. So you have to die.

  You think you can live peacefully， never starting trouble? When the slave raiders come， they’ll show you what despair really is.

  Knock， knock， knock.

  A soft knock at the door pulled Jax from his thoughts.

  “Vice Leader Jax， the hyenas have pulled back. The leader is holding a victory feast， and he’s sent for you.”

  Jax’s eyes lit up at the mention of food. He was starved after the long battle.

  He opened the door， and his acting skills kicked in instantly. His body went limp， and he leaned against the fighter who’d knocked.

  The man’s eyes went wide.“Vice Leader Jax， are you—”

  “Help me there.” Jax’s voice was weak.

  The fighter looked at his pale， exhausted face， and thought back to his fearless charge in the battle. Respect swelled in his chest， and he quickly helped Jax along， reverent.

  The feast was， of course， at the Tire Tavern. Ashwood Town was too poor to have anywhere else.

  Inside the tavern， dozens of men cheered with cups in their hands. For these Wasteland survivors， living for the moment was the greatest luxury they had. They had no time to mourn the dead— because they could be next. Better to enjoy the moment while it lasted.

  Both Talan and Viper were at the feast， sharing a table， toasting each other with broad smiles and friendly chatter.

  No one could tell how much of that smile was real， and how much was a lie.

  “Jax has stolen the show today. I see the way everyone in both districts looks at him now.” Viper sipped his drink， a faint smirk on his face.

  “Hmph.” Talan grunted. He heard the unspoken words perfectly. After all， your worst enemy knows you better than your best friend.

  “Don’t try to turn us against each other. You see what Jax is as well as I do. That kid’s brain is fried from the toxic mushroom. He’s a lunatic. And lunatics don’t bow to anyone. He won’t fit in my East District， and he won’t fit in your West District either.”

  Viper nodded in agreement. He’d seen it in Jax’s eyes long ago. The kid didn’t care about either him or Talan. At first， he’d thought it was youthful arrogance， that the kid thought he was invincible with a Forbidden Artifact.

  Now he knew it wasn’t just arrogance. It was reckless， unhinged madness.

  “What are you planning to do? Need a hand?” Viper smiled.

  Talan shot him a cold look.“I don’t need your help. The lunatic will work himself to death on his own. I know you’re not here to help. You just want to get your hands on the Breath of Bone.”

  “Don’t be like that. We’re both from Ashwood Town. Infighting gets us nowhere. Haven’t you noticed? The world’s getting more dangerous by the day. Dawnhold City has been sending out armies and slave raiders， seizing people from every town they can find. A war is coming.”

  If we don’t work together， we’ll both end up dead and buried.

  So here’s my thought. Once Jax is dead， and the hyenas are dealt with， we sell the Breath of Bone in Dawnhold City， split the money evenly. You can buy an advanced gene serum， I can upgrade my cybernetics. Only with real strength can we survive.