Adventure

"Thank you, Instructor William," Duke said as he left. William's expression was somewhat complicated. From the school's perspective, he shouldn't have said those things today. 

If Duke took the Yuan-Replenishing Pill, it was very likely that his Force would exceed 100 on the test day. This was something Angus would certainly be pleased with. If word got out that in just ten days of training, a student with 90 Force had been boosted to 100, it would be an impressive record. However, William had still left the choice up to Duke.

"This is a bit tricky," William muttered to himself.

Dragging his slightly exhausted body, Duke tightly held the Yuan-Replenishing Pill. He felt like he was about to rob someone every time he saw someone on the street. But then he looked at his worn-out clothes and chuckled to himself. Even robbers might think he was too poor to be worth robbing.

Thinking about William's words today, Duke furrowed his brow. He had only a small piece of the green crystal left. If he couldn't donate his own blood these days, At least he couldn't let his sister go hungry.

"Where can I get more?" 

Not all corpses produced green crystals, and it required a certain level of Force. As his Force increased, the conditions for producing green crystals also became higher. Otherwise, Duke could just go to the hospital or graveyard.

He made his way from the city wall's exit to the slum area of Zone C. Today, there seemed to be even fewer people on the streets than usual, but Duke, preoccupied with his thoughts, didn't pay much attention.

"brother, you're back," Monica, a petite figure, emerged from the kitchen with a plate of stir-fried potatoes and meat. She was wearing an apron clearly a size too large for her. On the table, three dishes of delicate dishes were neatly arranged, just like always.

Of course, Duke was the only one having dinner, but he was eating absentmindedly.

Monica sat quietly, seeming to sense that Duke was not in a good mood. Her dark eyes flickered as she got up and went into the room, rummaging through something.

In no time, she changed out of her dirty apron and came running back wearing a floral-print dress. Although the dress looked quite old, Monica's beauty was undeniable. She spun around, squinting her eyes into a crescent moon shape.

"brother, this is the new dress I found today. Do you like it?"

It turns out this girl has grown so beautiful, Duke thought somewhat dazed. In his memories, she was still that little girl with a runny nose, clutching that worn-out teddy bear, trying to make a living alongside him.

For three years, she hadn't had new clothes or new toys. When they said they had "found" something, it meant they had scavenged it from the trash bins in the wealthy areas of the city.

Duke  guessed that his sister was still going hungry, and he needed to find ways to make her happy. he suddenly found the food in his mouth less appetizing. Regardless, even if his Force was a bit lower, it didn't matter.

Duke  hadn't told Monica the truth because she would never accept it. He walked to the kitchen, preparing to donate some blood to himself when he heard footsteps outside, as if a large group of people were approaching.

When he came back earlier, there seemed to be very few people on the street, so where did this large group suddenly come from?

Wait a minute... Duke suddenly remembered something. He carefully examined the situation through the kitchen window.

Outside, most of these people were wearing black leather jackets and carrying various types of knives, batons, and other weapons. They were swaggering around, making noise, and using vulgar language.

"Is this a gang negotiation?"

Where there is light, there is darkness, especially after the advent of the wasteland era. Many areas where governments had no control had formed various sizes of gang forces.

Duke had heard that the two largest gangs in J City both had awakened individuals in their ranks. They often had a hand in activities involving gambling, underground fighting, and contraband transportation. Most of the time, they coexisted peacefully. 

However, if one gang recruited a formidable ally or if one of their members became significantly more powerful, upsetting the balance between the gangs, it could lead to intense conflicts. They dared not cause trouble within the city, so outside the walls was the best choice.

"No wonder there were so few people on the streets today."

Many people imagine gangs to be too idealistic, but in reality, Duke is well aware that they are a group of people who thrive on violence and bloodshed. People like Greg don't need to fear them, but small shopkeepers and vendors are different.

While the probability of a full-blown gang war was low, Duke had already changed into a set of black jeans and grabbed a rusty machete from home. He followed them outside.

"Monica, I'm going out for a bit. Don't leave the house. Don't worry; I'll be back soon."

Monica nodded quietly. However, after Duke left, her eyes were filled with deep concern. She knew that her brother was about to go on another adventure.

Duke intentionally followed for a while, then quietly blended into the larger group from a corner. As it turned out, he had been overly cautious; this gang had mobilized more than two hundred people, and his presence didn't attract any attention.

After following for about fifteen minutes and leaving the impoverished neighborhood, Duke listened to their conversation and felt somewhat disappointed. The all out conflict he had anticipated was unlikely to happen. 

This gang was called the Heavenly Dragon Gang, and the one they were about to negotiate with was called the Black Tiger Gang, the two largest gangs in J City. 

Periodically, the bosses would sit down together to discuss business and territory. If they couldn't reach an agreement, they would resort to combat to settle their disputes. 

Today was no different. Each side would send one representative to the arena, and it was a fight to the death. The only rule was that neither side could invite Awakened individuals; the participants had to be members of their respective gangs.

Though Duke was disappointed, he understood. gang  powers like them couldn't afford to engage in unnecessary violence. When they did, it often benefited the smaller factions more. 

The only thing that surprised Duke was the confidence of the Heavenly Dragon Gang's thousand members. It turned out that their confidence stemmed from the fact that the person fighting for them was the son of the Heavenly Dragon Gang's leader, young Glen. 

Hearing this name, Duke suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. "Can it be a coincidence?" 

He remembered that in his sophomore year, there had been a student who, To be rejected after confessing one's feelings, had committed a terrible act – he had rape the a girl in their class, and the incident had caused quite a commotion.

Not only did their schoolmates condemn him, but the police also got involved. They couldn't recall the final outcome, but they remembered that the person had once boasted that he wouldn't shed a single hair. Later, they heard nothing more about him. Duke and his friends had assumed that the student had ended up in prison, so hearing the name again here was unexpected.

After another fifteen minutes, the footsteps of over two hundred people gradually came to a halt. In the forefront, a circular earthen arena with a diameter of about twenty meters appeared.

Amidst the clang of iron and cheers, a slightly sinister and lean man gracefully leaped onto the arena. Duke squinted his eyes; though it had been over a year, he remembered that face well. It was indeed Glen. He was the son of the Heavenly Dragon Gang's leader, which explained why he had remained unscathed.

"Haha, Gerard, you really don't hold back, letting your son personally come to the arena," a thunderous voice echoed through the entire area, and on the other side, a massive group of people appeared.

The one who had just spoken was a towering man, standing at over 1.9 meters tall, with two fist-sized iron rings hanging from his ears.

Duke could clearly sense that the rowdy gang members around him, who had been laughing and joking just moments ago, had become noticeably subdued upon seeing this man.