Chapter 1616: Little Jackals

Chen Ling would not forget that he came to the Cangyun Domain because of that mysterious invitation from the Jinghong Pavilion.

Although there were some twists and turns on the way to the Cangyun Domain, and the way he entered the city was unexpected... Chen Ling didn't intend to waste time in this clinic.

Regardless of Dr. Jia’s inner journey, and whether he had truly tried his best to save him, since the other party had fished him out, Chen Ling naturally had to give something back... Since he liked gold and jewelry, such a large gold brick was enough to repay this favor.

"...Jinghong Pavilion?" Dr. Jia thought carefully. "Not sure, haven't really heard of it."

"Then do you know where Guyu Street is?"

"I know that one. It's to the southwest, quite a distance away."

"Alright, thank you."

Chen Ling responded simply and pushed the wheelchair out of the clinic.

Dr. Jia watched Chen Ling’s retreating back, opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately didn't. He stood quietly at the door of his dilapidated clinic, watching the figure in the wheelchair disappear into the horizon.

……

The streets of the Cangyun Domain were more desolate than Chen Ling had imagined.

This didn't mean the infrastructure of the Cangyun Domain was broken; on the contrary, the streets and buildings of the Cangyun Domain were better than most domains Chen Ling had seen. Like the Nanhai Domain, there were plenty of green belts along the road, but it seemed that because no one had taken care of them for too long, these plants had all withered. Coupled with the fact that almost no pedestrians could be seen on the road, it gave off a sense of withered silence.

Chen Ling’s gaze swept across the surroundings. None of the shops along the street were open, and even most of the storefronts and signs were covered in dust, as if they hadn't been open for business in a long time. The residential area behind the alleys was even more lifeless, as if hardly anyone lived there at all.

Chen Ling pushed the wheelchair, moving steadily toward the southwest as Dr. Jia had indicated. Just then, a familiar figure caught his eye.

"Cut the crap!! Hand over the bread!!"

"Brother Aqiang, we all grew up in the same block. We're really starving... Since you have bread, just take it out and share it with your brothers!"

"The government's relief food hasn't arrived yet. Do you have the heart to just watch us starve?"

“……”

The speakers were a group of twelve or thirteen-year-old boys, the oldest looking only fourteen or fifteen, and the youngest just over ten. Each of them had sallow faces and withered bodies, wearing tattered clothes, and they were surrounding a mother and son.

The people they were surrounding were none other than Aqiang and his mother, who had just come out of Dr. Jia’s clinic. Aqiang held the basket in one hand and protected his mother on his back with the other. His expression was ugly as he looked at these children:

"I... I don't have any bread!"

"You're lying, I can already smell the bread!" a little boy shouted immediately, staring straight at the basket and swallowing hard.

"This... this is our family's last ration! There are three of us to feed, there's nothing extra to share with you." Aqiang retreated while vigilantly watching these wolf-like children.

The old mother on his back saw this, her eyes full of sorrow:

"In broad daylight, you're robbing people on the street? Is this what your parents taught you??"

"Parents? Heh... My dad was forced to go to the Lingxu Domain and was already executed, and my mom died of illness... Now I'm the only one left in my family!"

The tallest fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy pulled a sharp fruit knife from behind his waist, a ferocious look appearing on his youthful face. "If you don't give me the bread, I'll send you down to see them!"

"Give it to me!"

"Hand over the bread!!"

Under the pressure of these children, the young man could only retreat while carrying his mother. Seeing that he still had no intention of handing over the bread, the tallest boy waved his hand:

"Just take it!!"

A pack of young jackals swarmed forward.

Although the young man was older and taller than them, he couldn't fight while carrying his mother, so he could only protect the bread and his mother while dodging. But these children were truly ruthless, each wielding fruit knives or steel pipes, swinging them wildly at the two.

The leading boy saw his chance, veins popping on his neck, and stabbed directly at Aqiang’s lower abdomen. At the same time, another child beside him reached out with lightning speed to grab the bread basket...

Just then, a tiny afterimage tore through the air!

*Clang*——!!

The blade tip, which had already touched the young man's skin, was suddenly struck by a flying coin, emitting a crisp hum. The terrifying force sent it flying from the boy's hand!

After knocking away the blade, the coin spun rapidly in the air, accurately rebounding toward the arm of the boy grabbing the basket, directly sending the child’s body flying, causing him to fall heavily to the ground like a sandbag.

Everything happened too suddenly. In the blink of an eye, two children were on the ground, and the rest were stunned...

*Ding-dang*——

They saw a coin fall to the ground, bounce twice, and then roll backward along the road... finally hitting the edge of a wheelchair, wobbling, and falling to the ground.

Chen Ling raised his hand slightly, and the coin flew back into his hand on its own. His slender fingers played with it casually, the coin dancing between his fingers like a butterfly, making people dizzy...

This coin was a fragment of the Red Star he had brought out from the depths of the Civilization Embers. He was currently relying on the power within it to replenish his mental energy, but to outsiders, this was a blatant provocation and a show-off of skill.

"You... who are you??" The boy who had been knocked down scrambled to his feet, looking at the person in the wheelchair with some fear.

Chen Ling couldn't be bothered to waste words with these children, saying coldly:

"Scram."

This simple word seemed to contain immense pressure, scaring all the children into freezing in place... Just then, several figures came running toward them!

"Hey, what are you guys doing?"

"The City Defense Team is here!" a child said, somewhat afraid.

The leading boy’s eyes rolled, and he lay back on the ground as soon as he had stood up. Then, with a mournful face, he pointed at Chen Ling in the wheelchair and shouted:

"Uncle, help!! This person appeared out of nowhere! He hit us as soon as he saw us! And he tried to rob our things!!"

Once these words were out, the other children reacted, following suit and pointing at Chen Ling, crying out:

"Yeah, Uncle!! Catch him quickly!"

"He seems to have special powers. With one wave of his hand, we all fell down... He doesn't look like a good person at all!!"

"My hand hurts so much... I think it's broken!!"

“……”

The crying of a group of children was always the most effective way to trigger people's protective instincts. The members of the City Defense Team frowned as they looked at Chen Ling, observing him vigilantly for a moment before walking straight toward him.

Watching the group trying hard to act, Chen Ling’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Just as he was about to lose patience and prepare to knock them all down and steal their memories, a familiar figure in green robes walked slowly from behind the arriving City Defense Team... The moment he saw him, Chen Ling froze in place.