Under dressed for the apocalypse

"I was sleeping naked when the gnomes attacked Green city. I had to walk for three days completely."

A middle-aged buff man said while sitting closer to the fire.

"Green city fell after ten days of fighting. Who tf sleeps naked in the apocalypse."

"Green city fell to the gnomes? That's embarrassing."

"Eh! Uncle, I'm from the green city. So you were the one streaking in the streets that day."

Three people spoke simultaneously, making everyone second guess the credibility of the leader of this impromptu team.

Their musing was interrupted by a whimper in their cart. Among the sealed bags of animal carcasses was an unconscious human. Green gems had pierced his skin and green veins radiated from the wounds.

"Don't die, little man. You'll be worth much more when you're alive."

The team leader said while motioning someone to check the chains.

"Maybe we should sell him to the poison palace? Those green gems give out a powerful toxic Qi. They'll pay a good price for that."

The young man from the green city said while tightening the chains around the unconscious human body.

"I'm going to auction him. His body is made for martial arts and his face is good enough for the pleasure palace to snatch him. Joey, you are too inexperienced about this trade. I'll handle him once we get to town. " The leader responded.

Joey looked at the unconscious young man's sickly but handsome face. A trace of pity passed through his eyes for a brief moment.

"Hey Joey, please wait for us to fall asleep before you do anything to him. I'm still recovering from seeing the team leader naked." Another man laughed at Joey while feeding the fire.

...….

"...…. And I screamed 'why is it so small!'..." the campfire laughter continued. Anyone looking would doubt that they were in the middle of the 'quiet' forest. So named as anything brave enough to make a noise in this forest would meet its end. Even the wind and trees were quiet. It never rained on the forest but the plants were evergreen.

Nobody knew what caused this phenomenon. Some believed a powerful beast slept in this forest. But nobody had seen signs of such a powerful beast. This forest acted as a buffer between the peaceful city and the monster-infested wilderness.

Hunters crossing this forest all used noise-canceling formations and talismans.

The middle-aged man was able to become the team leader because of his formation knowledge. Bandits like this team needed someone proficient to cancel the noise of battle when looting hunters. Most hunters would pay the bandits in the fear of making a sound. Some desperate ones would fight. That's when a formation master would activate a preset large-scale formation.

A hunter team exchanged the unconscious young man as a toll for passing through the team's territory.

The Middle-aged leader scoffed at those idiots for hurrying to the town to save the young man. Humanity within people has longed to die in the apocalypse. Some cities like the peaceful city had some good sumatriptan. Even they would succumb when faced with death.

The middle-aged man instructed Joey to stand guard while he and the others went to sleep. He had seen Joey glance at the unconscious young man for a while. As a wise team leader, he knew not to restrain his team members too much. Whatever happened he knew Joey would keep the formation charged. So he drifted to sleep.

...….

As the whole team slept Joey started changing the formation plate. His hands moved with the proficiency of an expert.

Then Joey got the wind trekking beasts connected to the cart and activated the talismans around the carts.

Wind trekking beasts were a type of expensive beasts that looked akin to a mountain goat the size of a horse. They were famous for their ability to run on any surface even on a gust of wind.

They were quiet enough for the bandits to use even if their talisman malfunctioned. Not that it would make a difference as even a labored breath would kill them in this forest. But the bandits were rich enough to afford them.

Joey tightened the unconscious boy on the cart and took off with all the loot the bandits had collected. Betraying a bandit den was akin to a death sentence in a peaceful city. The bandits had a strict hierarchy with every layer having a backer taking a cut of their loot. This bandit feudalism ensured that no one could leave life.

However as Joey got a certain distance away from the campsite, the noise-canceling formation disappeared, allowing the TL's snoring to spread through the forest. Joey kept his eyes forward as a wave of darkness suddenly swallowed the evidence of his crime.