Lord of the Myriad Worlds

Chapter 226: Splitting the Naturals

What a compelling argument. The Flame Duke really was a man of great virtue.

Still, Li Wei asked: "So how many natural humans do I get? If our great Frost Duke finds out I didn't attend such a virtuous event, he'll beat my filthy left cheek with his magnificent fist. But if I go and come back empty-handed, I'm afraid disaster will find me."

The Ability User smiled. "Of course — by the rules of the wilderness, we split evenly. We already have three teams. Once we get to five, we move out. So will you be staying here for the next few days, or meeting us at the designated rendezvous in three days?"

"We'll meet at the rendezvous."

"Excellent, my friend." He produced a map. "Here — this is our position. Head north until you reach this town, then continue north another twenty-five kilometers and you'll reach the natural humans' base. We'll be waiting at the town. You must arrive within three days. Of course, if you can't make it in time, you can go directly to the base — but then you won't be entitled to the even split. Understood?"

"Understood. We have a deal."

Li Wei shook the man's hand cheerfully. The moment the Ability User turned and walked away, several lines of gray text appeared silently before Li Wei's eyes.

[You have triggered a wilderness hunting mission initiated by a native Ability User. Travel to an unnamed base in a deep mountain area, destroy the defensive fortifications of this survivor base, and "split evenly" the one hundred and fifty-two natural humans hiding inside.]

[Upon completion, you will receive 100 Reputation points with the Flame Duke's territory and be granted special entry into the duchy.]

[Note: this is not a mandatory mission. How you proceed is your decision.]——

Interesting. Natural humans hiding in a mountain survivor base, with defensive fortifications — maybe even a Gatling gun with blue fire, rat-a-tat-tat?

Could it be that some weapons buried deep underground hadn't been altered at the atomic level by the magical radiation? Just like some areas were hit harder than others — there had to be places that got off lightly?

But gathering five wilderness mercenary teams — that was a major operation.

The five Ability Users left on their own. Li Wei turned and exchanged glances with his group. Nobody commented on what had just happened. Well — Zhang Jinjun was frantically eating freshly caught mutated river fish. He was genuinely scared.

Not enough magical radiation, can't become a zombie... truly deranged.

Though, come to think of it — didn't everyone have a One-Star Anti-Blood-Plague Potion on hand?

Li Wei found the whole thing oddly suspicious.

In the world of the Rookie Mission, you could pick some herbs and brew a One-Star Anti-Blood-Plague Potion without much trouble. Someone like Hathaway could whip up a Two-Star version without even thinking. Was there really no connection?

Maybe the cure was always within ten steps of the poison.

Could it be that Kakh City's world had deep ties to the Magic Source Out of Control?

That world even had gods.

There was clearly a lot more beneath the surface — but he didn't need to waste too much thought on it right now. The immediate question was: what to do?

"Split" the natural humans — or wipe out the Ability Users and save them?

Either way, Li Wei didn't believe for a second that "even split" meant what it sounded like. It was probably an even split in the most literal, physical sense.

This situation — could be worked with.

"Focus on fishing. In three days, we need at least fifteen hundred kilograms of mutated river fish stockpiled. Move fast. Little Zhang — sorry to ask this of you, but the bigger picture comes first. Stop eating."

Li Wei gave the order. Nobody dared slack off. Even Li Wei waded into the river to help. They swept one stretch of water clean and moved to the next.

Once they had five hundred kilograms, Li Wei ordered a return to the Scavenger Camp. They had to — even mutated vultures had been drawn in by the commotion. Against things that could spray acid from above, the only option was to load up the wheelbarrows and run.

Fortunately, mutated vultures and mutated crows didn't get along. Tossing some fish guts was enough to set them on each other.

As night fell, they made it safely back to the ruined town. From a distance, Li Wei spotted Li Yue — his "little sister," the obsessive type — patrolling beside Farmland No. 5. She carried a compound longbow and wore a quiver at her hip. Thin as she was, there was something striking about her — if you ignored the half-shaved punk hairstyle.

"Brother, it's really you — I'm so glad! I've been dreaming about you for two days."

The obsessive little sister threw herself at him, weeping with joy. The compound longbow — clearly superior to Li Wei's Three-Star War Bow — and the quiver vanished as if they'd never existed.

Rich, and shameless about it.

"Ha, don't cry — I'm back, aren't I? Look — completely in one piece. Where's Auntie? We caught a ton of big fish. Let's have her make braised fish for you."

Li Wei handled it perfectly naturally. Not a single awkward moment — as if she really were his little sister.

The new "Auntie" had already been alerted by the commotion. Seeing the fish on the wheelbarrows, she got straight to work — some into the storage first, then processing: part dried, part salted. They'd found a hundred kilograms of table salt in the underground warehouse, so salt was no concern. Salt-cured fish was excellent food. Once the wheat fields came in — things were looking up.

After all the bustle, the new "Auntie" put together a hearty dinner for everyone. Once they'd all eaten their fill, Li Wei spoke up suddenly. "In three days — Little Zhang, you stay here with Auntie. Guard the camp, patrol the fields. Little Sister, you come with us. We found a natural human survivor camp. I want to talk to them."

At those words, both Liang Yuzhi and Li Yue's eyes flickered. As experienced high-level players, they knew exactly what this implied. They probably each had a plan — or several — already prepared. If Li Wei had activated a Conspiracy Card right then, he might have gotten the optimal answer out of them.

In fact, Li Wei was hoping one of them would activate a Conspiracy Card and come talk to him.

But neither of them said a word. Li Yue just sat beside him, the picture of a sweet little sister — 'whatever you say, Brother, I have no objections, I know you'll protect me.'

Oh, good. Then don't blame your brother for not giving you a chance.

Li Wei let out a long, heavy sigh — as if making a painful decision.

"Little Sister, following me around has really made you suffer. This Scavenger Camp isn't actually safe. Every day we're exposed to that strange mutant radiation. The natural human camp I found is a base deep in the mountains — fully equipped with living facilities and defenses. There's even an official military force maintaining order inside. Over a hundred natural humans..."

"Little Sister, I'm beyond saving. But you can still live well. You deserve a better future — marriage, children, or at the very least a longer life. Maybe in ten or twenty years, this strange mutant radiation will weaken and fade."

By this point, Li Wei was weeping openly — tears streaming down his face. What a piercing, heart-rending pain. But as her brother, all he wanted was for his little sister to have a better life. She was his own flesh and blood. He was making the right choice.

"Brother—"

Li Yue looked up in shock, unable to believe what she was hearing.

Almost simultaneously, a line of text appeared silently before everyone present.

[Head of Household Li Wei has found a suitable justification and is initiating a Plot Kill — Sweep Out the Door. This Plot Kill is reasonable and justified, and will take effect in thirty minutes. Family Member Li Yue will be swept out the door.]

[Family Member Li Yue has used a Five-Star Item Card — Change of Heart. Head of Household Li Wei suddenly realizes that even sending her to the mountain survivor base won't change the tide of events. His little sister just turned eighteen. Without his protection there, who knows what suffering she might face. Better to stay together. We'll die together if it comes to that.]

"Brother! Don't drive me away — I'll be good, I promise."

Li Yue burst into loud sobs, as if she'd been deeply wronged.

Li Wei was crying just as hard. 'What was I thinking? How could I make such a stupid decision? I'm the worst. Little Sister, we'll never be apart again.'

They clung to each other and wept for a full ten minutes. Li Wei and his "little sister" Li Yue were now closer than ever.

"Brother, your spear is damaged — I can fix it for you." Li Yue offered sweetly. The camp now had an Iron Smelting Furnace and a Blacksmith Shop, so repairing the damaged Bloodthirsty Spear was no problem at all.

Li Wei had originally planned to have Zhao Xuanxuan handle it, but since Li Yue volunteered, it didn't matter either way.

After that, everyone slept. The next morning, it was business as usual — back to the river to fish. Zhang Jinjun continued his role as live bait. The crooked fishing method was extremely effective, but the supply of mutated river fish was finite. Li Wei had hoped for fifteen hundred kilograms; in the end they got about another five hundred before the fish stopped coming.

Well. Farewell, river. Until we meet again.

[Under your leadership, the camp has secured one resource point and accumulated a total of 1,225 kilograms of mutated river fish. Though these are lightly irradiated mutated creatures, they have temporarily resolved the camp's food shortage. You still need to continue leading expeditions to find more food — enough to sustain seven people for four months. Current progress: 46%.]

The month's main storyline mission wasn't complete, but it was no longer critical.

On the morning of the third day, Li Wei set out with Li Yue, Leon, Thomas, and Zhao Xuanxuan. Zhang Jinjun was left at the Scavenger Camp — not because his combat ability was lacking, but because he'd only been there for five days. His accumulated magical radiation wasn't high enough. If he ran into those Ability Users, there was a real chance he'd be identified as a natural human — and then he'd be the one getting "split evenly." What would Li Wei do then? He couldn't exactly start an internal brawl on the spot.

No choice.

As for bringing Li Yue — that wasn't about actually sending her to the survivor base. It was about having a backup. She was a top-tier player after all. If things went sideways, having someone powerful to fall back on was never a bad idea.

The five of them loaded three wheelbarrows and pushed hard along the road for forty kilometers until they found the fork. Following the concrete road inward, they soon spotted the small town — modest in scale, maybe thirty to fifty households. Most of the buildings were still intact, with only a few destroyed.

The town was completely silent. Li Wei was uneasy. He sent Adai up to scout.

Adai barely cleared the rooftops before pulling a sharp, frantic climb and bolting. Almost simultaneously, a flaming arrow shot into the sky and exploded in midair — nearly turning Adai into a roasted bird.

Then — a rush of movement.

Dozens of mutants of every shape and size poured out of the abandoned town.