NABC Chapter 1 Am I Going to Die?
Chapter 1 Am I Going to Die?
Second brain storage site (2)
……
"Am I going to die?"
A boy, covered in blood, his body riddled with bruises and gaping wounds, dressed like a beggar and in a wretched state, lay in the corner of a dilapidated mud-brick house, surrounded by stench-filled ruins.
The boy's body trembled, and bright red blood slowly oozed from the corner of his mouth as his lips quivered. His limbs, numb with pain, lay limp on the ground like a rag doll.
In just a moment, countless complex emotions flashed in the boy's dark eyes.
Resentment, unwillingness, loss, relief...
"Tch... Is this really the end for me?"
The boy stuck out his tongue, the tip sliding across the corner of his mouth, bringing the bright red blood into his mouth. A soft sound escaped his throat, his tone slightly flippant and mocking.
"Cough cough... Damn, this is a huge loss. I've only lived for a little over forty years, and I haven't even tasted the bitterness of love before it's all over?"
The boy, lying on his back, looked at the sliver of setting sun filtering through the cracks in the mud-brick house wall, his face filled with sarcasm.
"Meow...woo..."
A weak cry interrupted the boy's thoughts.
A small white cat, about the size of a corgi, was lying prone next to a pile of garbage a step away from the boy.
It was described as white because it had long, pure white fur, but now, that snow-white color was stained with bright red blood.
The kitten's body was covered in countless wounds, the torn flesh constantly oozing blood, sticking its long white fur together. Its face was especially scarred, with a scar running across its left eye, almost ruining that eye.
The kitten weakly flicked its tail, trying to move closer to the boy, but the intense pain prevented it from moving an inch; it could only whimper softly.
"Damn it...you stupid cat, I told you to run, not to run to that bastard. With your tiny body, you think you can bite people? I could stew you and you wouldn't even fill a pot...cough cough..."
"Meow...woo..."
"Cough... Are you satisfied now? No more fun to be had..."
After a moment of silence, the boy spoke again.
"Tch... You're going to die, you silly cat..."
"Woooo..."
"Heh, is that really it? Sigh... I'm a little unwilling... cough cough..."
The boy coughed violently, the trembling aggravating his wounds, sending a sharp pain straight to his brain.
"Grass……"
"Meow, woof..."
Seeing the boy's condition, the kitten, disregarding its own wounds, struggled to crawl to his side, leaving a trail of bright red blood behind it.
"Pah...cough cough...silly cat...hehehe..."
The boy, who had been coughing for a long time, spat out a mouthful of blood. Feeling the warmth beside him, he slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
"It was worth it. One for three, and I even had a silly cat by my side until the end. It was worth it..."
The setting sun cast its warm glow on the boy's youthful face, making his eyelids feel particularly heavy.
A wave of extreme exhaustion washed over him, and the frail boy finally succumbed to his willpower, closing his trembling eyes.
"Meow meow meow... Waaaaah..."
The kitten's frantic meows gradually faded from the boy's hearing, and then he was plunged into darkness.
……
"Auntie Nuo, you've already packed up your stall, why aren't you home yet? What are you looking around for?"
In the afterglow of the setting sun at the village entrance, two long shadows brushed past each other, followed by a greeting.
"Oh, it's Toshu's father. He's back from fishing. Sigh, every day at this time, Brother Mu and his cat would pass by and greet this old woman. Why aren't they here today?"
Grandma Nuo tightened her apron, her slightly curious eyes constantly glancing towards the direction outside the village.
"Hey, why are you so worried about that brat? He's a wild child, born but not raised. Who knows where he's off playing? Humph, it's better if he doesn't come back..."
Toshu's father's tone was full of dissatisfaction, but a hint of worry flashed in his eyes.
"You heartless bastard, get out of here! What are you saying? All Brother Mu did was take your iron pipe. Is it really necessary to talk to him like that? Have you forgotten that he once saved you?"
Aunt Nuo bent down, picked up the carrying pole beside her, and called out to Toshu's father.
Upon seeing this, Toshu's father quickly apologized and hurriedly left with the fishing net.
"Sigh... Brother Mu..."
Grandma Nuo looked out of the village again; the narrow road was still deserted, and the lively, annoying figure from before was nowhere to be seen.
Grandma Nuo sighed deeply, picked up the two baskets of fruit on a carrying pole, and slowly walked towards the village.
……
"Crazy Pockmarked Man, how's the thing I asked you to do going?"
About five kilometers from the village, on a hillside surrounded by large trees and mountains, stands a grand fortress, enclosed by piles of earth and stones, with faint traces of decay visible on its surrounding walls.
At this moment, in the main hall of the village, a burly man with broad shoulders and a thick waist was speaking to the madman with pockmarks who was bowing respectfully in front of him.
"Boss, that kid definitely won't survive tonight..."
boom……
"What? He won't survive tonight? So, he's still alive?"
Before Crazy Pockmarked Man could finish speaking, he was sternly rebuked by the leader in the main seat.
"Uh, yes, no, no..."
Faced with the boss's imposing aura, Crazy Pockmarked Man broke out in a cold sweat, trembling and speechless.
"Tell me properly, is he still alive or not...?"
The leader in the main seat suddenly stood up, his three-meter-tall body exuding a powerful aura of oppression.
thump...
The first one to be hit was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he knelt heavily on the ground, his forehead repeatedly hitting the ground.
"Boss, boss, spare me, spare me! I hit that kid pretty hard, I beat him half to death, and then... I just left him in the ruins at the foot of the mountain. In his current state, he's probably... he's probably already dead. Yes, that's right, he's already dead... Spare me, boss..."
"Crazy pockmarked man, I told you to kill that kid right now, not to leave him to die in the ruins. Are you a pig-brain? You get down the mountain right now and bring that kid here. Whether he's dead or alive, I want to see him, dead or alive. Get out of here now..."
The burly man's face contorted in a ferocious expression, as if boundless rage was erupting from his body.
"Yes, yes, I'll go right away, I'll go right away..."
boom……
Just as Madman was crawling backward, the doors to the lobby where the two were suddenly flung open, and the dimly lit lobby was instantly illuminated by the afterglow of the setting sun.
Tap, tap, tap...
Immediately, a slightly unsteady figure appeared outside the gate with a thud from the ground; the figure appeared incredibly heavy in the light.
"Who the hell is this...?"
The burly man, already burning with rage, was abruptly interrupted. He felt as if he'd just taken off his pants and was about to have his pleasure abruptly stopped; an overwhelming surge of anger rushed to his head.
boom……
"Go to hell..."
The burly man slammed his left foot into the ground, shattering the stone slab beneath him. Using the rebound force, he sprang into the air, his enormous fist hurtling straight at the figure at the gate. If that punch landed, even a fully grown ox would struggle to withstand it.