Scavenging Luck

No sooner had it spoken than Tu Ran caught a distinct odor.

"Did you... go?" she asked, uncertain.

Fatty lowered its head, looking a little embarrassed.

Tu Ran was in despair.

Heavens! What had she done to deserve this?

She absolutely had to find the time to sew it a pair of pants! If it had to go, it could go in its pants—anything was better than announcing it right in front of her and stinking up the air until she felt dizzy.

She scooted away from Fatty, then gently put on her helmet, sealing off the air and shutting Fatty out.

Outside the bushes, the two aliens who had been bickering like schoolchildren finally worked up enough rage. They both erupted at once and lunged at each other.

Unlike their childish, name-calling spat, the fight itself was bloody.

The Fuzhu, relying on its height, long legs, and hard hooves, stomped all over the Feiyi, hopping on it like a trampoline. Every step drew blood, and the sound of breaking bones filled the air.

The Feiyi, meanwhile, fought like a cornered snake: whenever it caught hold of the Fuzhu's leg, it bit down with everything it had, drawing blood, trying to sever the limb, all while dragging downward, desperately trying to pull the Fuzhu to the ground.

If the Fuzhu fell, it would become the Feiyi's meal with no chance of escape.

From an observer's standpoint, Tu Ran thought the Fuzhu had the upper hand in this nearly bare-knuckle brawl.

Every stomp landed squarely on the Feiyi's body, and the Fuzhu moved with such agility that it always dodged the Feiyi's gaping maw just in time.

It even kept up its verbal taunts: "Didn't you say your Feiyi clan could swallow us whole in one bite? Go on, swallow me! Let's see you try!"

As it spoke, it stomped twice more on the Feiyi's head.

The Feiyi was beside itself with fury. "Stop moving if you've got the guts! See if I don't swallow you in one gulp!"

"Oh, I won't! I'll move all I want!" The Fuzhu was insufferable. "Not only will I move, I'll stomp you, stomp you, stomp you to death, stomp you to death, you ugly freak!"

It bounced around on the Feiyi like a little deer.

The Feiyi was visibly getting flatter under the assault.

Its movements grew sluggish.

The Fuzhu intensified its efforts, leaping with all its might and slamming down with crushing weight.

It intended to kill the Feiyi.

The hatred between their races was irreconcilable.

The skin on the Feiyi's back was already shredded, and its head was pressed so low it couldn't lift it.

Its wings were utterly useless—nothing but decoration.

Even Fatty's wings could manage a meter of flight.

Under the Fuzhu's relentless assault, one stomp finally sank straight into its innards.

Maybe it hit the heart. The Feiyi went still on the spot.

Rain began to fall again.

Tu Ran quickly pulled off her helmet.

Because of the rain, the strange smell had faded considerably.

The Feiyi's death didn't make the Fuzhu stop.

As if it had a taste for desecrating the dead, it leaped high and landed on the same spot again.

Tu Ran heard a wet, squelching sound.

The Feiyi's corpse twitched.

The Fuzhu's once-pristine white legs were now splattered with fresh red blood.

It seemed even more excited, hopping with increasing frequency.

It repeated this seventeen or eighteen more times—until the Feiyi's guts must have been reduced to pulp—before finally stopping.

The rain overhead washed the blood from its body. It cast one last glance at the Feiyi's corpse with those clear, deer-like eyes, then turned and ran off.

The rain followed it away.

After waiting three to five minutes and hearing no more rainfall, Tu Ran scrambled out from behind the bushes.

"Fatty!" she shouted.

"I'm sorry," Fatty said, hanging its little head in sincere remorse. "I shouldn't have pooped in front of the boss."

Tu Ran: "..."

Was there any boss anywhere who had to teach their underling not to poop wherever they pleased, instead of how to kill or how to get things done?!

She had to be the only one.

"Not pooping in front of me is one thing," she said. "But more importantly, in a situation like that, the smell of your waste could've given us away. The consequences would've been severe!"

Fatty kept its head low. "Fatty understands. Fatty won't do it again."

"I'll make you a pair of pants. From now on, pull them down when you need to go—and if you really can't hold it, just go in your pants."

Tu Ran felt like she was a kindergarten teacher.

"Got it," Fatty said, head still bowed.

Tu Ran ignored it and turned her attention to the Feiyi, which was as dead as dead could be.

Where was its inner core?

The Fuzhu hadn't taken it when it left, so it had to still be in the body.

Tu Ran drew her dagger and started searching the most common spot—the back of the neck.

Fortunately, the inner core was right there.

It took her only a dozen or so pokes to find it.

She pulled it out, still bloody.

Every core she'd gotten had looked like this, so she was used to it by now.

She just couldn't believe she'd gotten one by scavenging.

She rinsed it clean with water from her canteen and swallowed it whole.

[Landslide]

When the user's finger touches any object while silently reciting the incantation "Landslide," the outermost layer of the object will crack apart like sun-scorched earth.

Note 1: The spread of Landslide is positively correlated with the duration the user's finger remains in contact with the object's surface.

Note 2: The longer the contact, the more energy consumed. Hopefully, you're prepared to activate it.

Ability Level: Beginner

This ability seemed quite useful. She'd need to study it carefully.

There was a dead Feiyi here, and the smell of blood would attract other aliens. She needed to find a safer place to do her research.

"Let's call it a day," she said. "We'll find somewhere nearby to stay for the night and head out again tomorrow."

Fatty was thrilled. It could rest early today and get a good sleep. Excellent.

"I know where we can rest. Follow me, boss."

Fatty led Tu Ran to a hidden cave, its entrance completely covered by thick undergrowth—you'd never guess there was a cave behind it.

"When Fatty came here last time, Fatty stayed here for two days," Fatty explained.

Tu Ran was deeply impressed that it could find such a well-concealed spot.

All along the way, it was thanks to these safe, hidden caves that she'd been able to let her guard down a little and sleep soundly.

"Well then, Fatty's going to sleep now."

"Sleep well."

Fatty flopped onto the ground, closed its eyes, adjusted its sleeping position a couple of times, and was soon snoring.

Fast sleeper, Tu Ran noted.

She leaned against the cave wall and pulled two wristbands from her backpack.

Holographic recording rings.

They belonged to the two Pioneers.

When the bomb had gone off, both Pioneers' bodies had been blown to pieces, yet these two rings had come through unscathed.

Tu Ran was worried that if other Pioneers found the rings and brought them back to the Federation, the footage inside could be used against her. So she'd been carrying them with her, planning to destroy them once she figured out how.

Now, with the Landslide ability, she could try to use it to ruin the rings.

She held the two rings in her palm and silently recited the incantation.