From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

But in this desolate place, far from the emperor's reach, no one could control him or punish him.

The middle-aged man stood at the entrance of the research station and stretched lazily and comfortably.

Just then, the other door of the pickup truck was suddenly pushed open.

A burly, strong young figure jumped down; he was clearly a violent and ruthless man.

Two people! Two robbers in total!

The young, burly man grinned maliciously as soon as he landed, his tone arrogant and contemptuous:

"Bro, this group has some serious supplies. Enough for the two of us to live it up for a while. Last night when we were stealing things, I was worried they'd wake up in the middle of the night, but I didn't expect these out-of-towners to be so useless."

The middle-aged man smiled faintly, lit a cigarette, and said:

"Trash is the easiest target. Even if we kill them, it's no different than stepping on three ants. With a sandstorm, no one will notice for ten or eight years."

That simple sentence sent chills down my spine and made my scalp tingle.

I was perfectly clear-headed; this was the most terrifying truth about the no-man's-land.

Here, if you kill us, nobody will know.

There was no surveillance, no signal, no people, and no trace.

The laws of civilization have completely failed here; the dark side of human nature has been amplified to an extreme, and barbarity is the only rule.

The two chatted casually as they walked toward the research station.

It seems they plan to move all the stolen goods into the house and use it as their temporary hideout.

That's why we bumped into each other here.

What appears to be a chance for survival in a desperate situation is actually an even more dangerous dead end.

Only two people have been spotted so far, and it is still impossible to determine whether there are any hidden accomplices. We cannot act rashly.

I quickly scanned the entire room, my brain racing, rapidly assessing the situation.

At present, only two robbers can be identified. The biggest unknown risk is whether they are carrying firearms.

Just as I was quickly thinking of a way to break the deadlock, the young, burly man suddenly stopped and his eyes instantly became alert.

"Brother! Wait a minute! Something's wrong, there's something wrong here!"

Upon hearing this, my heart leaped into my throat, and all my muscles tensed, ready to strike at any moment.

The middle-aged robber immediately stopped and asked in a deep voice, "What's wrong?"

"There are fresh footprints on the ground! Someone was just here!"

The young, burly man stared at the snow on the ground and said, "The snow hasn't completely covered it yet; the marks are still fresh!"

I have just been extremely careful and deliberately cleared away most of the tire tracks and footprints.

However, the uneven thickness of the snow on the wasteland left subtle flaws, and the traces could not be completely erased.

At that moment, my heart was pounding like a drum, and my blood seemed to freeze.

Luo Peng, standing beside him, reacted extremely quickly, grabbing a rusty, thick steel bar from the wall with his bare hand, his eyes sharp as torches.

The young, burly man frowned and whispered, guessing, "Could it be those three out-of-towners from earlier?"

The middle-aged robber calmly surveyed his surroundings and slowly shook his head: "Their main route doesn't lead this way, and we can't see their car from outside, so it shouldn't be them."

The younger, burly man was clearly more cautious and immediately said, "Brother, just to be on the safe side, let's check each room one by one, so we don't leave any potential problems."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two walked into the house.

The footsteps grew closer, the crunching sound of their footsteps on the snow and dust like a death knell, striking my heart again and again.

I knew perfectly well that this confrontation was unavoidable, and we had to face it head-on today!

The opposing team has two members, while we have three.

Aside from Su Wan, who needed protection, Luo Peng and I were left to fight two robbers. We had a good chance of winning in close combat!

I immediately turned my head and whispered to Su Wan, "When the fight breaks out, take the opportunity to hide, or just run out and drive away. Don't worry about us."

Su Wan wasn't the type to be indecisive; she nodded very slightly.

But a hint of barely concealed tension finally showed on that usually calm and composed face.

Without saying another word, I bent down and picked up a thick blue brick from the ground, ready to pounce.

Footsteps had already reached the doorway, and the old door was gently pushed open from the outside.

Just as the door was about to be pulled open, I suddenly raised my leg and kicked the door hard!

"Bang!!!"

With a deafening roar, the dilapidated tin door burst open!

The unsuspecting young man outside the door couldn't dodge in time and was hit in the chest by the door that bounced open. He staggered and fell to the ground, where he was instantly pinned down by the door!

Luo Peng and I seized the fleeting opportunity and rushed out swiftly from the left and right!

With bloodshot eyes and a thick steel bar in hand, Luo Peng charged straight at the middle-aged robber behind him!

I held the blue brick in my hand, bent down towards the young, strong man who had fallen to the ground, intending to eliminate the immediate threat!

But in that life-or-death moment...

The middle-aged robber behind them suddenly let out a deafening shout:

"Don't move! If anyone moves again, I'll shoot!"

Luo Peng and I froze in mid-air, all our movements coming to an abrupt halt.

Looking up suddenly, I saw that the seemingly ordinary middle-aged man had somehow acquired a black homemade hunting rifle!

The gun barrel had been sawed short, and the dark muzzle was pointed directly at Luo Peng's chest, exuding a chilling aura!

At that moment, my mind went completely blank.

This is the first time in my life I have faced a real gun, even a homemade and modified shotgun. In this desolate place, it is a deadly weapon that can kill instantly!

Luo Peng and I were completely frozen in place, neither of us daring to move an inch.

The middle-aged man held a gun, his face full of disdain and contempt, a cruel sneer curling at the corner of his mouth:

"It really was the three of you! What a small world! Why did you have to chase me here to your deaths instead of taking a perfectly good road?"

At the same time, the young, strong man who had been trapped under the door got up in a disheveled state. He was not injured, but he looked a little embarrassed.

After standing up, his face instantly turned fierce, his eyes extremely ruthless, and he stared at me intently, cursing:

"Damn it! You scared the hell out of me! You even dared to hit me with a brick? You've got some nerve!"

He strode up to me, his face full of arrogance, deliberately bringing his head close to mine, and roaring provocatively:

"Come on! If you've got the guts, smash it over my head!"

I kept glancing at the shotgun aimed at Luo Peng out of the corner of my eye, my heart pounding wildly.

I knew in my heart that in this desolate and uninhabited place, these people had blood on their hands and no moral bottom line, and they would definitely dare to shoot and kill.

I dare not gamble, much less act rashly.

Seeing that I stood frozen in place and dared not resist, the young and strong man became even more arrogant and unruly. He suddenly snatched the blue brick from my hand and threw it hard on the ground.

The next second, he swung his arm and slapped me hard across the face!

"Snapped!"

A searing pain instantly swept across his entire cheek, leaving half of his face numb. Humiliation and rage filled his chest in an instant.

"Fuck!" Luo Peng roared instantly, "Come at me if you dare! Don't touch my brother!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged robber with the gun glared at him, took a step forward, and suddenly kicked Luo Peng hard in the stomach!

Luo Peng was kicked backwards and fell heavily onto the dusty ground.

The situation was completely under the control of the other side, and we had no power to fight back.

The middle-aged robber's eyes were cold as he quickly scanned his surroundings before suddenly speaking:

"No, there were three of them, but the woman is missing."

"Erwa, go in and search each room one by one, find the person!"