Chapter 68: Chapter 62: Sneak Attack

If Shen Xiaodong hadn’t mentioned Tiegen’s relationship with the other villagers, Tang Mo would have assumed Aunt Lin had some kind of grudge against him.

Tang Mo also noticed that it wasn’t just Aunt Lin. None of the other people they encountered on the road came forward to offer a single word of concern, a stark contrast to the village’s usually harmonious and friendly atmosphere.

"Is Tiegen okay?" Tang Mo asked Shen Xiaodong.

Tiegen was the one who had guided her to Taoyuan Village, and he had also built the house she was now living in. She felt a sense of gratitude toward the good-natured, burly man.

"My daughter-in-law is still waiting for water, so I must be going." Aunt Lin quickly excused herself and turned to head home, as if she were trying to escape the answer to Tang Mo’s question.

Shen Xiaodong, however, showed no surprise on his face, as if he had expected it all.

"He was injured by a mutant beast. More and more of them are wandering out of the forest these days. It’s getting hard for Tiegen to hold them off all by himself."

Shen Xiaodong and one other young man who stayed in the village would also go out to help fight the mutant beasts, but they were both very weak and often more of a hindrance than a help. Eventually, they could only rely on Tiegen.

"Do you have any medicine for him? I have some anti-inflammatories."

"Really? Thank you so much!" Shen Xiaodong’s eyes lit up.

The village had run out of medicine long ago. Anyone who got hurt had to just tough it out, especially Tiegen, who was injured the most often.

He was injured quite badly today, so having medicine would be for the best.

After all, if Tiegen couldn’t fight, Taoyuan Village would be like a field that had lost its scarecrow, left without even a final line of defense.

"Okay. I’ll take this water home, then I’ll find you at the village chief’s house."

Carrying the water, Tang Mo thought about the reactions of Aunt Lin and the other villagers as she walked home.

’Their reactions weren’t those of people who didn’t know why Tiegen was hurt.’

’This was a far cry from how Aunt Lin had described the mutant beasts as docile and their lives as peaceful.’

’It was as if... they were pretending.’

’But they weren’t deceiving others. They were deceiving themselves.’

In truth, life in Taoyuan Village was like a small space carved out of Hell, walled off by paper screens painted with scenes of happiness and tranquility.

Everyone knew it was fake.

Yet some were willing to tear through that paper wall, to charge into Hell and bravely face the stark reality of life, ready to fight for three hundred rounds.

Others huddled carefully behind the paper, closing their eyes and covering their ears, content to live according to the scenery painted on it, terrified that it might tear.

Everyone was perfectly lucid. It was just that some chose to face this clarity, while others chose to abandon it.

No one was in the wrong; everyone was simply choosing the way of life they preferred.

If cowardice could make someone happier, if it could help them go on living, then it had meaning—more meaning than anything else. No one had the right to criticize it.

Tang Mo had one great virtue: empathy.

With the sudden onset of the apocalypse, every living thing in the world was struggling to survive.

Therefore, as long as a choice didn’t harm others, Tang Mo could understand it.

By the time she arrived at the village chief’s house, Shen Xiaotang was already cleaning the wounds on a shirtless Tiegen.

Tang Mo drew in a sharp breath at the sight of the deep, staggered, and bloody claw marks covering Tiegen’s body.

’Tiegen’s Strength Attribute isn’t his only high stat; his Life Attribute must also be terrifyingly high,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, with wounds like these, a normal person would have collapsed long ago, unable to stand. Yet Tiegen managed to stagger home on his own.’

’It’s really not easy, being a heroic Guardian.’

Seeing Tiegen with his eyes squeezed shut in silence, even Tang Mo, who wasn’t from Taoyuan Village, felt inexplicably moved.

"Here are some anti-inflammatories and bandages. Once the wounds are clean, apply the medicine and wrap them up. It should help him recover faster."

Tang Mo handed over the medicine. She had plenty of it.

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However, ever since her spiritual power had reached a certain level, her own regenerative abilities meant she rarely needed medicine. It was safe to say she’d prepared these supplies for others.

"Thank you so, so much."

Shen Xiaotang took the medicine from Tang Mo’s hands, pleasantly surprised. When Tiegen was hurt, no one’s heart ached more than hers.

"The mutant beasts might start coming more frequently. Everyone should be careful."

Tang Mo didn’t know if the village chief had mentioned the Mutant Beast Group to his family, or how much he had said, so she could only offer a tactful warning.

The situation outside the village was clearly becoming grim. Their days of living peacefully were numbered.

This sense of crisis spurred Tang Mo to train even harder, making the most of the little time she had left.

Tang Mo was becoming more and more adept at using her spiritual power, and she had become quite skilled at using it to sense her external environment.

One ordinary night, Tang Mo was performing her usual routine: extending her spiritual power beyond the fences of Taoyuan Village to survey the surroundings.

Suddenly, an image of two uninvited guests entered her mind.

Tang Mo was very familiar with these uninvited guests. They were wolves from the forest.

’Are they attacking tonight?’

Tang Mo was startled.

’But if this were a large-scale attack from the Mutant Beast Group, there wouldn’t be only two of them.’

Tang Mo mulled it over as she continued to observe the two wolves’ movements.

In the end, Tang Mo confirmed that these two were just minions—scout wolves sent by the Wolf King to gather intelligence.

’It seems the Wolf King hasn’t awakened yet,’ she thought. ’But it will be soon.’

Tang Mo got dressed, opened her door, and headed to the village perimeter. She found a convenient section of the fence and vaulted over it.

Her position was very close to the two wolves. They noticed her quickly, whirling around with bodies tensed as they bared their sharp fangs at her.

’Two Basic-level Mutant Beasts. Perfect for testing the results of my recent training.’

This was why Tang Mo chose to confront them head-on.

This was her first time fighting two opponents at once. Her hand tightened on Wind Breaker as she awaited the wolves’ attack.

After a standoff of about ten seconds, the wolf on the left moved. It shot forward, lunging at Tang Mo’s neck with its mouth wide open, revealing a set of sharp fangs.

With her enhanced vision, any attack she saw in battle seemed to unfold in slow motion.

She took a small step to her right and a slight step back, then swiftly swung Wind Breaker in her right hand toward the wolf’s belly.

The blow landed squarely on the wolf, and a large amount of blood gushed out.

The wolf let out a pained YELP and tumbled to the side. It scrambled back a few feet, its eyes still locked fiercely on Tang Mo.

’Finish it while it’s down!’

Holding Wind Breaker, Tang Mo charged the injured wolf, this time aiming for its neck.

The injured wolf didn’t dodge. Instead, it charged right at her.

At that exact moment, the other wolf charged from Tang Mo’s flank. The two beasts attacked simultaneously in perfect coordination.

Tang Mo had been keeping an eye on the second wolf and noticed its move, but she didn’t alter her own attack. Instead, she quickened her strike and put even more force behind it.

The blade met flesh, and the body of the wolf before her went limp.

Almost simultaneously, Tang Mo’s right leg lashed out in a spinning side kick, sending the wolf that was pouncing from her flank flying.

’So painful...’

A jolt of pain shot through Tang Mo’s leg. Compared to the wolf, her Strength was clearly still a bit lacking. The force of the kick had sent a numbing shock up her entire leg.

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