World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others
Chapter 513: Bad people will meet their match

The usual fate for a wandering child is limited to a few outcomes: being kidnapped by traffickers and sold, being caught by beggars to be exploited for money, or being adopted by a kind soul...

But the chance of being adopted by a kind soul is too low.

Moreover, being adopted by a kind person wouldn't provide any positive help to Du Ge's current situation. Theoretically, joining an organization is the best solution.

After so many days, he hadn't awakened a single skill. In this world filled with gods and demons, having no skills to rely on left him with no sense of security.

He needed to find a way to deal with the hidden dangers of this world.

...

The town where Du Ge was located was called Fancheng, a remote county far from the capital. In Iron Head's memory, it had never snowed here, and even during the coldest times, people only needed to wear an extra layer of clothing.

Therefore, Fancheng's geographical location should be subtropical.

"Kind people, please have mercy on me, I haven't eaten in three days."

On the streets of Fancheng, Du Ge begged as he walked, while also observing the distribution of power in the city. The pedestrians on the street were both men and women, and occasionally he saw young couples walking together, as well as warriors or knights with swords at their waists.

So, the customs of this world should be relatively relaxed.

During this time, Du Ge passed by the county office once.

Two stone lions squatted at the entrance of the county office, and there were guards on duty at the door. The guards didn't even glance at him, not noticing anything unusual about this little beggar.

Then, Du Ge wandered around the Earth God Temple and the City God Temple.

The Earth God Temple was a small shrine with a few incense sticks burning, while the City God Temple was much larger, with a temple keeper managing it. People frequently went in to offer incense and pray for blessings.

After worshiping the City God, the worshippers would ask the temple keeper for a fortune stick, and the temple keeper would interpret it for them.

Du Ge eavesdropped on the temple keeper's interpretations, which were all vague and could be explained in any way, more like a scam.

Even someone like this could openly be a temple keeper, indicating that the interference of deities in this world was minimal.

It made sense; if gods and ghosts managed everything, what would be the point of human officials?

To be safe, Du Ge didn't dare to enter the City God Temple to see what was inside.

Currently, his strength was only that of an adult, and if he were discovered, he would be walking into a trap, unable to hide his divine power.

Moreover, gods and ghosts have always been able to remain invisible to mortals. At this stage, Du Ge wasn't confident in facing them.

Therefore, learning immortal arts was still necessary.

But he didn't know if it would be easy to get into an immortal sect. A child's body was too conspicuous, making him stand out no matter what he did. Even without a demon-revealing mirror, his abnormality would be noticed.

If not immediately discovered, he would likely become a subject of close observation.

The most crucial point was that Du Ge had possessed the body of a cowherd who had never received any education. He couldn't read the characters of this world, so even if he joined an immortal sect, he would have to find a way to understand the world's writing first.

Every step was a hurdle; this was the most challenging start he had ever faced on any Alien Star Battlefield, and he had to be extremely cautious in the early stages.

...

His physical condition limited the exertion of his mental power, allowing Du Ge to sense only a little over twenty meters around him. But in this small town, that range was sufficient.

A child's body had an advantage when begging, and after sweeping through a few streets, Du Ge collected quite a few copper coins.

At that time, Du Ge noticed several gazes fixed on him.

A worshipper who had just left the City God Temple, perhaps having received a good fortune stick, saw Du Ge and generously gave him a silver bean. Du Ge could even feel those gazes on him becoming fervent in an instant.

A few beggars with missing limbs occasionally cast sympathetic glances at Du Ge, understanding what was about to happen, yet none of them warned him.

...

What gods three feet above your head?

What good begets good and evil begets evil?

For evildoers, unless punishment truly falls upon them, they won't care about such things.

And for Du Ge, these evildoers targeting him were his entry point into understanding and integrating into this world.

The bustling street wasn't the place to make a move, so Du Ge bought a few pancakes from a roadside stall, tucked some into his clothes, and held one as he ate while walking out of the city.

With so many people in the city, it was inevitable that violence would lead to injury or death. At this sensitive moment, Du Ge wanted to minimize the risk of exposure as much as possible.

But the evildoers were evidently more eager than Du Ge. As Du Ge turned a street corner, two carriages crossed paths, blocking the view of passersby, and a cloth was pressed over Du Ge's mouth.

A pungent smell emanated from the cloth, and Du Ge struggled a few times before his head tilted to the side, feigning unconsciousness.

The Power of Poseidon allowed him to control all forms of water. These guys thought they could knock him out with drugs, but that was wishful thinking. Even if Du Ge inhaled the drugs completely into his lungs, he could expel them perfectly with the help of water vapor.

These evildoers were experienced in such deeds, acting swiftly. As they knocked Du Ge out, they carried him into the carriage, even picking up the half pancake that fell from Du Ge's hand, making it seem as if the little beggar had never walked down the street.

A hand reached into Du Ge's clothes, taking away the copper coins and silver bean he had begged for, and a voice chuckled, "This little brat is lucky, getting three silver coins in no time. Once we break his legs, he'll be a money tree..."

A young man with a scarred face on the opposite side of the carriage turned Du Ge's face around, scrutinizing him carefully, "Old Five, you've misjudged. This little brat is probably from a wealthy family. Though his face is dirty, his skin is smooth and tender, and he looks handsome. If we clean him up and sell him to Longliu Manor, we might make a big profit."

Iron Head, who herded cattle every day, was weather-beaten and underfed, with a sallow complexion and rough skin. But in recent days, Du Ge's mental power had nourished him, along with some attribute modifications, replacing the rough and dull skin with a new layer.

Aside from being dirty, he really did have smooth and tender skin.

The guy called Old Five carefully pinched Du Ge's face with his big hand, his tone filled with surprise, "Brother Niu, you're really observant. This little guy might indeed be a runaway from a wealthy family. We're going to make a fortune this time, though it's a pity his little butt might suffer..."

"Let's not rush to send him to Longliu Manor." Brother Niu chuckled, "Let's have the brothers check if any nearby counties have reported missing children. If the price they offer is high, we might earn more by returning him, and it would save us some trouble.

Otherwise, if a nobleman sleeps with his own son at Longliu Manor, we'll be the ones in trouble. Old Five, in our line of work, we must be cautious and bold to survive long..."

"Brother Niu, you're right. That's why we all respect you!" Old Five took a bite of the pancake, chewing as he spoke, "It's a pity we're not skilled enough. Otherwise, with Brother Niu's brains, we could make a name for ourselves in the martial world."

"Far from it." Brother Niu stroked the scar on his face, "There's always someone better. When we encounter martial artists, it's best to avoid them. Those guys truly don't care about human life!"

"Brother Niu is right..." Old Five agreed awkwardly.

The carriage bumped along, twisting and turning through the city, finally stopping in front of a secluded courtyard. The man called Old Five lifted Du Ge with one hand and knocked on the door.

The carriage didn't stop, continuing down the alley.

Du Ge could sense three people in the courtyard, two drinking under a tree, and one lifting stone locks to build strength.

Hearing the knock on the door, the person building strength dropped the stone lock and hurried to open the door. Seeing Brother Niu and Old Five, he nodded and bowed in greeting, "Brother Niu, Brother Five."

Then, he reached out to take Du Ge.

But before his hand could reach Du Ge, Du Ge's eyes suddenly opened. His hand reached down, grabbing a short knife from Old Five's waist.

In the stunned gaze of the person opposite, Du Ge's knife-wielding hand swung upward, severing Old Five's wrist.

Old Five cried out in pain, releasing Du Ge.

Brother Niu, walking ahead of him, reacted with remarkable agility, leaping forward without looking back to distance himself from Du Ge.

But how could Du Ge give him the chance? Although he only had the strength of an adult, he had fought on many Alien Star Battlefields, and his combat skills were far superior to those of a few lowlifes who abducted children. Moreover, he had the element of surprise.

Brother Niu had no defense against a supposedly unconscious child suddenly attacking them.

Thud!

A dull sound echoed.

The short knife in Du Ge's hand had already stabbed into Brother Niu's lower back.

Another scream, and Brother Niu shot forward, moving even faster than before.

The young man who had come to open the door finally reacted, roaring in anger as he swung a fist at Du Ge's head.

Du Ge tilted his head, the short knife in his hand rising to stab into the young man's abdomen.

The young man seemed never to have suffered such a severe injury, staring at Du Ge in disbelief, his eyes rolling back as he collapsed to the ground, fainting from fear.

At this moment, the two drinking men also reacted, grabbing single-edged knives from nearby and charging at Du Ge. But after taking two steps, they both stopped, their eyes filled with terror as they looked at Du Ge.

Then, one of them fell to his knees with a thud.

The other dropped his knife with a clang.

Du Ge didn't pursue Brother Niu. Instead, he pulled the short knife from the young man's abdomen, slicing downward to disembowel him, and then yanked out his intestines, flashing a sinister smile at the two charging men.

Cutting hands, stabbing kidneys, piercing the abdomen...

A series of actions completed in the blink of an eye, each one accompanied by a spray of blood, and Du Ge's attributes soared.

His short stature meant he couldn't avoid the blood splatter, and with his expressionless face as he pulled out intestines, he looked like a vengeful ghost, terrifying anyone who saw him!

Moreover, they had committed countless evil deeds, harming many children. Seeing Du Ge, they instantly thought of a ghost seeking revenge, too scared to resist.

Brother Niu, seeing the scene of intestine-pulling, let out a scream and, ignoring his back injury, struggled to climb over the wall to escape. Old Five, who had lost his left hand, turned and ran out of the courtyard.

Du Ge hooked a foot, tripping Old Five, and with a flick of his hand, threw the blood-stained short knife.

Thunk!

The knife embedded in the wall, scaring Brother Niu into sitting on the ground with a thud.

"Think you can escape after offending me?" Du Ge glanced around the courtyard, sneering as he stepped on Old Five, turned to close the courtyard door, and latched it before bending down to drag Old Five and the young man with exposed intestines to the center of the courtyard, as easily as dragging two dead dogs.

Behind him, a long trail of blood was left.

This terrifying and incongruous scene left the two unharmed men trembling, tears and snot flowing as they begged for mercy.

"Spare us, ghost lord, spare us. Every debt has its debtor, and it's Brother Niu who wronged you. He led all the evil deeds. You should seek revenge on him, not us!"

"Ghost lord, spare us. It's all Brother Niu's doing, we were forced!"

Brother Niu glared at them fiercely, swallowing hard as he looked at Du Ge, then knelt on the ground, stammering, "Senior, I didn't recognize Mount Taishan and offended you. Please, senior, spare me for my ignorance. I'm willing to offer all the silver I've saved over the years to you..."

His keen observation told him that Du Ge had a shadow, indicating he wasn't a ghost. Hearing him refer to himself as "I," he naturally assumed Du Ge was a martial arts master, possibly a body-possessing demonic cultivator or monster. In legends, evil cultivators defeated by others could possess others to be reborn.

"You know me?" Du Ge sneered, sitting down grandly on a stool, looking at Brother Niu. His ruthless actions of disemboweling and pulling intestines had caused his attributes to soar.

"..." Brother Niu was stunned, shaking his head, "I don't know you."

"If you don't know me, why say you didn't recognize Mount Taishan?" Du Ge snorted, kicking the knife at his feet over, "Which hand touched my face earlier? Cut it off yourself..."

"..." Brother Niu hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, picked up the knife, closed his eyes, and cut off his right hand. He didn't dare to scream, dropping the steel knife and tightly gripping his wrist, forcing a smile, "Please forgive me, senior."

"Though your deeds are despicable, you have guts. It's not in vain for me to cultivate you." Du Ge looked at Brother Niu with approval, chuckling.

Cultivate?

Brother Niu was taken aback, cold sweat dripping from his forehead as he asked with difficulty, "What does senior mean?"

"You're quite good. Follow me and be my servant boy!" Du Ge snorted, "Killing one is a crime, slaughtering ten thousand makes you a hero, slaughtering a million makes you a hero among heroes. In life, one must seek revenge and settle grudges, killing gods if they block your path, killing Buddhas if they stand in your way. I can't stand bullies like you. If I weren't regaining my power, you wouldn't be worthy of serving me..."

"Thank you, senior." Brother Niu was stunned again, kowtowing, "I'm willing to serve you, senior, until your power is restored."

"Insincere." Du Ge snorted.

"Senior, I'm sincere, not a word of falsehood." Brother Niu knew this was his last chance to live, kowtowing fervently.

"You don't resent me for cutting off your hand?" Du Ge asked.

"I don't dare." Brother Niu hurriedly said, "I offended you, senior. Your punishment is deserved."

"Coward." Du Ge snorted, "If you don't even have the courage to seek revenge, you're not fit to be my servant boy. You should die!"

"..." Brother Niu was stunned, thinking, "Are you insane?"

"If I were you, and someone cut off my hand, I'd pretend to be friendly, waiting for the chance to kill them. That's the true spirit of a man." Du Ge glanced at him, lecturing.