CH 8

|Near one of the few entertainment venues in the Outpost Base|. 

Although a bar, it only served officers. More precisely, it only served officers with high social status.

So, when Tianyang approached, he was stopped without surprise.

Since the bar was located in the residential area of the base, there was no need to wear protective suits. After leaving the diagnostics center, the young man changed into civilian clothes, and the physician in charge kindly gave him a black eye mask.

Tianyang also found a pair of fingerless gloves to cover his level emblem.

After being stopped, he took out a silver card with the Night Walker logo and the word "Ling" on it.

This card represented Ling Feng's will.

It was sent to Tianyang by Ling Feng's adjutant after he completed the eye removal surgery. With this card, the young man's rights were ensured.

Tianyang used it to get the information he wanted.

Seeing this card, the bartender who worked part-time at the bar quickly saluted Tianyang and led him in.

The bar was very lively, with groups of officers with high social status occasionally bursting into laughter.

Because it was a base (ED: Inside the military base) bar, there was no music or dancing girls.

The bartender asked Tianyang his choice of drink, but the young man refused. He was not here to drink.

He was here to find someone.

As he walked into the bar, he spotted his target.

Qin Wu!

That ruthless captain was sitting with two friends at the bar, boasting shamelessly.

"...The state of affairs was extremely dangerous, with prowlers, about twenty or thirty of them. They were swaying and crawling through the corridor, so I had to stay behind to cover my men and let them go first. Unfortunately, one of them was still martyred."

Qin Wu sighed, 

"It was a new recruit, only seventeen years old. It's a pity."

While bemoaning the loss, he smiled and raised a toast.

"Did that really happen? I heard that Captain Qin Wu deliberately shot the new recruit to attract the prowlers' attention, so that his hopeless self could escape."

Suddenly, a voice interrupted him.

Qin Wu, who was already a little drunk, turned furious, 

"Who the hell is talking nonsense here!"

Then he noticed Tianyang sitting next to him.

Qin Wu was stunned, 

"It's you! You're not dead!"

Tianyang smiled, 

"Thanks to you, captain, I'm back."

The two officers next to him exchanged a look and stepped back slightly, leaving enough space between the young man and Qin Wu.

Qin Wu's face darkened, 

"How did you get in? Since you're back, take a good rest for two days and don't wander around. Especially, watch your mouth!"

Tianyang reached into his pocket and took out a small chip, which he placed on the bar.

"Captain, you should know that our helmets have recorders. Coincidentally, it just recorded what you did. If I give it to the Base Committee, I wonder if I can get justice?"

Qin Wu's face changed, and he quickly reached out and grabbed the chip.

He crushed it!

"Now get out of here!"

Qin Wu pointed to the door.

Tianyang stood confidently, even pouring himself a glass of water, which of course the bartender behind the counter didn't dare to give him.

It was evident to all witnesses that the young man was provoking the senior military officer.

"If you're not going to do this the easy way, we'll have to do it the hard way." the officer threatened.

Qin Wu waved his hand, and someone closed all the doors and windows of the bar. For no outside witnesses, probably.

Qin Wu sneered, 

"Kid, don't try any tricks with me. I'll give you two choices. One is to leave and do whatever you want. Then I can pretend nothing happened."

"The other choice is to leave with a little souvenir, probably a few months in the hospital. Then I'll throw you in jail. Don't doubt my ability. Oh, by the way, you have a mother who came to see you when you joined the army. She's still young and pretty, maybe she'll be willing to make some deals she wouldn't normally make for the sake of her poor son." (ED: So is our 1st villain, dear readers)

With that, Qin Wu sneered and exchanged a nasty glance with two of his friends.

Tianyang's eyes glinted with anger, and snorted, 

"Qin Wu, you violated the rules of the battlefield, shooting your own teammate and left me to die! Now, not only do you not plead guilty, but you also threaten me. Don't you have any respect for the laws of the fortress?"

Qin Wu mocked, 

"It seems you haven't quite grasped the concept of the fortress's laws. They exist to protect those of us from the upper city. You, on the other hand, are just a rat in the gutter, a cockroach in the trash can! When have you ever heard of the law protecting rats and cockroaches like you?"

"You're nothing but a lowly commoner, not even worthy of a surname, yet you dare to lecture me about the law? What a joke. Let me tell you, all of your hard work and efforts in your lifetime are just to make our lives better. Your sacrifices and the value you create will ultimately become the foundation for elevating our status."

"You can be angry, furious, and even vent all you want. But I'm sorry, no matter what you do, none of it will change the fact that your fate was sealed from the moment you were born!"

"So, are you still planning on discussing the law with me?"

The bar fell silent.

Some officers' faces weren't exactly friendly, obviously not agreeing with Qin Wu's superiority complex.

But no one would stand up for a lower-class soldier. It was the game's rule.

Tianyang examined the smug face and felt even a prowler was cute relative to Qin Wu.

The boy jumped off the high stool, hands in his pockets. 

"Originally, I thought that if you were willing to admit your fault and accept the punishment of the law, it would benefit both of us. It seems that I was too naive. Indeed, the weak have no right to speak. Thank you for showing me that. I won't make the same mistake again."

Tianyang walked toward the door, eyes slightly raised, looking at a recorder in the corner of the bar.

"Stop!"

As he expected, Qin Wu shouted behind him.

Pulling out a pistol, Qin Wu walked up to Tianyang and pointed it at his forehead. 

"Did I say you could leave?"

"Oh, can't I leave?"

The boy's face showed no fear, making Qin Wu uncomfortable.

A mere commoner dares to oppose me!

"You can leave, but..." Qin Wu said.

The expression on Qin Wu's face twisted. 

"Kneel down and lick my shoes clean, and I'll consider letting you go."

Tianyang's lips curled slightly. "You're insulting my dignity."

Qin Wu laughed, "If I wanted to, I could throw you into the cell, and the psychopaths in there would show you what real hell is like!"

The boy lifted his chin. 

"I'm glad you said that."

"What?"

Qin Wu was stunned.

A faint light drifted out of Tianyang's silver-gray hair.

"I wonder if you've ever heard of the three basic laws of the fortress?"

"That is the rule that overrides the fortress law, and one of them says, 'Ascenders shall not be violated! No matter who you are, individual or group, no one is allowed to attack Ascenders in any form, including provocation, harm, or verbal abuse.'"

"And when their lives are threatened, Ascenders have the right to retaliation!"

As Tianyang finished speaking, a cold light flashed across Qin Wu's wrist.

The latter's pupils dilated slightly in disbelief as his gun separated from his body.

Tianyang's hand now held a dagger.

Only then did Qin Wu notice that the boy was emitting a faint glow all over his body, a sign of his star energy manifesting externally.

The dagger slashed horizontally again.

Qin Wu felt a chill on his neck and reached up to touch it, then opened his palm.

It was stained with blood!

"You..."

He stepped back, his throat gurgling, unable to say a word.

Finally, he collapsed, his eyes wide open, as if he couldn't believe that Tianyang dared to kill him!

The boy then said, 

"Let me correct you. Life is full of infinite possibilities, and no one's fate is predetermined."

This time, Qin Wu couldn't refute.

As Tianyang turned to leave, something blinked in his mind. He suddenly received information about levels, and experienced a subtle change...