Volume 1, Chapter 31: How about you take this snake?

Upon hearing Zhang Tao’s startled exclamation, Zhang Wei nearly turned around and slashed him with his blade.

"What are you making such a racket for?" Zhang Wei asked nonchalantly.

Zhang Tao was right behind him, and Lin Qianying was not far away, busy contending with mechanical birds atop a four-story building; there was no immediate danger. As for Zhang Wei, who had just finished destroying a rat nest, he was certainly not in any peril either. Why the panic?

"A group of people broke into our place and specifically asked for me," Zhang Tao said, sounding rather agitated.

"A group?" Zhang Wei was puzzled. Thanks to his family’s industrial background, Zhang Tao could be considered the most powerful force in the early stages of Chuan City. Who would dare cause trouble for him?

"Well, not exactly a group—it’s three people with a pack of mechanical beasts. The most dangerous one is a ten-meter-long snake. Big Brother, what do we do?"

Zhang Wei replied with a hint of mockery, "They aren't looking for me, so what does that have to do with me?"

Zhang Tao’s eyes widened at this. What kind of heartless words were those?

"Big Brother, you can’t treat me like this." Zhang Tao had figured out Zhang Wei’s temperament by now; as long as one didn't try to snatch Source Crystals from him, Zhang Wei was quite reasonable and even had a sense of humor. He could tell that Zhang Wei was definitely joking.

"Do you know who they are?" Despite the teasing, Zhang Wei wouldn't actually abandon Zhang Tao. Both Zhang Tao and his subordinates had their uses.

"The butler said he didn't recognize them—two men and one woman."

Zhang Wei glanced at the underground pipe entrance he had forcefully dismantled, then turned and called out to Lin Qianying, "Let’s go, we’re heading back."

The mechanical rats in the pipes had been wiped out, yielding three hundred common Source Crystals—a decent haul. If he continued clearing the underground pipes, his mechanical body level should reach level 30 by the end of the day. However, since his "home" was under attack, he had to go back to resolve it. Besides, a ten-meter-long steel snake would surely drop a high-grade Source Crystal, right? There weren't many high-end mechanical beasts around, and since one had appeared, he had to secure its core. The common beasts weren't going anywhere; he could finish clearing them later.

"Got it!" Lin Qianying, who was still firing at the sky from the rooftop, replied. She jumped down and quickly vanished; she still needed to collect the crystals dropped by the mechanical birds.

Before long, Lin Qianying returned. "Hey, guess how many Source Crystals I got?"

"One hundred?"

Lin Qianying shook her head. "Not that many, but I got over a dozen intermediate ones. Here, take them." She handed the crystals to Zhang Wei. He knew what she was doing—she was paying off the debt for the freeze gun.

"Keep them for your own evolution. Pay me back when you’re better off later." After a moment’s thought, Lin Qianying nodded and stored the crystals in her mechanical inventory.

"By the way, are we heading back now? What’s going on?"

"Someone is raiding the house. Let’s go see," Zhang Wei explained casually.

Soon, the three of them left the battlefield. The people they had indirectly saved watched them depart, tears of gratitude in their eyes. When they returned to the villa district, they immediately sensed a tense atmosphere. The area was eerily quiet, as if even the wind had ceased to breathe.

Just as they approached Zhang Tao’s house, a scream shattered the silence.

"That's him!"

Zhang Wei doubted his own hearing. If he wasn't mistaken, that was Han Xiao’s voice. Why was she here?

The next moment, a steel snake came into view—a massive creature whose size rivaled Zhang Wei’s own.

"Nice. This looks much stronger than that steel tiger," Zhang Wei’s eyes gleamed. A more powerful mechanical beast meant a better Source Crystal.

"Why go out of your way to court death?" Zhang Wei sighed inwardly as he saw Han Xiao glaring at him. It was truly a case of "no glove, no love." He had been planning to let Han Xiao experience the harsh reality of the apocalypse, yet here she was, jumping back into his life on only the second day. It was a true test of his patience; suppressing the urge to kill was agonizing.

"So, you’re Zhang Tao? You’re the one who bullied my woman?" Wang Sheng stepped forward, pointing at Zhang Tao. He considered himself the protagonist and felt the need to display some imposing authority. As for why he picked Zhang Tao, well, Zhang Tao’s mech was the largest and looked the most intimidating.

"This woman, she really is..." Lin Qianying tugged at Zhang Wei’s arm, unable to finish her sentence. As a woman with clear moral principles, she didn't know how to describe someone like Han Xiao. It hadn't even been half a day, and she had already gone through three men: starting with Zhang Tao, then Zhang Wei, and now this middle-aged man.

Zhang Wei offered no comment. Thinking back, Han Xiao had been exactly like this in his past life. It was only because he had been deceived by Han Xiao and Han Xu, and because of his own lingering feelings for her, that he hadn't looked closer. Looking back now, he had been far too naive.

"Silent? Big Flower!" Wang Sheng, annoyed by being ignored, decided it was time to show them who was boss.

"Wait a second. I am Zhang Tao, but I didn't bully your woman. The one who did is my Big Brother." Zhang Tao pointed at Zhang Wei. His mech looked powerful, but it was just for show; aside from the war scythe in his hand, he had no other decent equipment. He wasn't about to tangle with that steel snake—he hadn't lived long enough for that.

Wang Sheng looked at Han Xiao with suspicion. Sensing his gaze, she immediately clung to his arm. "Brother Wang, all three of them were involved."

Wang Sheng didn't press the matter. He was here to cause trouble anyway, so what did a few extra targets matter? "You heard her. All three of you are involved. Hand over your equipment and come over to apologize."

Zhang Tao was stunned. He couldn't beat the snake, but it was questionable whether the snake could even handle Lin Qianying. Was this guy actually trying to challenge his Big Brother? Was he tired of living?

"Big Brother, is this guy a comedian?"

"Leave the big one to me. Don't fight me for the small ones," Lin Qianying said to Zhang Wei. None of the three took Wang Sheng seriously.

Zhang Wei scanned the area and nodded at Lin Qianying. "Fine."

"What about me?" Zhang Tao pointed at himself, clearly dissatisfied with the arrangement.

"How about you take the snake then?" Zhang Wei turned to look at him.