The Great Merchant in the Cataclysm

Chapter 143: Wait And See

Zhang Mu was resting in the middle of the empty market. He was contemplating whether should he gave the remaining soul crystals for Yuan Rui to consume. However, he felt that the amount was not sufficient for a person to break through at once and learned a new ability.

If she could not break through at once, then it was solely used to increase her psychological defenses only. Zhang Mu felt it was a little reckless to waste the most prominent function of the soul crystals. Hence, that was the reason why he had not given Yuan Rui the soul crystal to consume this time. As for the psychic attacks, he was not afraid of them anymore since he had the psychic barrier. Since Yuan Rui would be at his side at all time, then she would not encounter any danger too.

Suddenly, he noticed that the ground was shaking slightly. At the same time, the Obsidian Beetle also raised its head immediately and looked at the direction of the corner of the street. But it glanced at it briefly before lowering its head as if that was something not worthy of its time.

At this moment, Zhang Mu saw the appearance of the stranger too. It was a child that was dirty from head to toe. It stumbled and ran towards Zhang Mu and the others.

It was too strange for a child who was in good condition, to appear in such a place with no signs of human habitation.

At this point, Yuan Rui also saw the child’s figure and felt a knot in her heart. She wanted to get up and welcome the child over but was pulled by Zhang Mu instead, pinning her in place.

Zhang Mu gradually responded after he saw the puzzled look on her face, “Everything is different now. Do you know that what you saw might not be the truth? Your kindness will only bring you fatal disaster in this Cataclysm.”

Yuan Rui saw the solemn look on Zhang Mu’s face, so she kept quiet. She felt that she had overlooked the dangers a little. Likewise, she had been through various situations occurred for these past few days too. Therefore, she chose to trust Zhang Mu and returned to her place.

Zhang Mu stood up and stared at the child directly. He did not consider him as a regular child at all. Taking out his Obsidian Beetle dagger, he was preparing for a confrontation. Although he did not find anything wrong with the child, he had appeared out of nowhere abruptly. Hence, he had exhibited a trace of strange behavior too.

“Stop your footsteps, or you will die.”

Zhang Mu’s unfriendly voice could be heard around the empty market sharply. Despite that, the little boy with a face full of blood did not appear to understand anything and continued to advance towards Zhang Mu’s direction.

“You should be able to understand my words. I don’t care who you are, but I can guarantee that you will die.” After he ended the speech, the skin on Zhang Mu’s left arm split open instantly, and a vine of the Bloodvine Lotus swiftly pierced the ground in front of that little boy. Only then did that little boy stopped his footsteps and raised his head to let Zhang Mu examined his face.

The emotion in his eye was no different from any regular person. Likewise, Zhang Mu did not saw any abnormalities on his face too. So after the little boy stopped his footsteps, he did not continue to take action.

“For now, I can’t determine if you are a human or a monster. But if you still pretend that you do not understand my words, then come closer. Your life, will be taken away from me.” Zhang Mu’s voice did not have any hint of sentiment in them. Yuan Rui was tugging his sleeve from behind, but he said them as if he did not felt anything from her.

The suspicions in Zhang Mu’s heart was getting stronger and stronger. This little boy, was not simple. When he saw the attack of the Bloodvine Lotus from Zhang Mu, he did not have any reaction at the first moment, even though there was a sense of panic flashed in his eye.

But this panic, was too sheer. An average child would have been scared and ran away immediately.

Nevertheless, this presence was indeed human, and his intelligence also seems to be normal.

Zhang Mu pondered for a long time. But after the incident, the little boy sat on the ground immediately.

“Big brother, big sister, please save my mother. She is about to die.”

The little boy cried out suddenly and said such a statement, causing Zhang Mu to froze in place.

He could talk, and the expression he had was proper. Therefore, there wasn’t a psychic evolver controlling him. Then this matter was a little more complicated and confusing now. Zhang Mu believed that his observations and intuitions would not go wrong.

This little boy, definitely had a problem.

However, Yuan Rui could not control herself anymore, as her motherly instinct took over. She rushed over to the little boy and hugged the little boy in her arm.

Meanwhile, the Obsidian Beetle dagger in Zhang Mu’s hand was aiming at the little boy’s head, ready to go at any second.

At such a close distance, after he released the Obsidian Beetle, he could use his psychic power to block the dagger from harming Yuan Rui when it penetrates through the little boy’s head.

Yuan Rui was stroking the little boy’s head and seemed to be saying something to comfort him. Meanwhile, Zhang Mu asked the Obsidian Beetle in his mind if it had smelt any details using its keen sense that he did not notice.

“Little black, did you sense something different? I feel that there is something wrong with this child.”

The Obsidian Beetle replied to Zhang Mu in an arrogant voice, “You couldn’t sense this? There is a rotten smell on this little human child’s body.”

“You’re saying he is a walking dead?” Zhang Mu asked the Obsidian Beetle questioningly as he did not feel like it.

“Of course not! A walking dead or human being, can’t you see it for yourself? How should I phrase this? Overall, he is still a human being. If not for the rotten smell that was faintly emitting from his body, I would not be able to detect any difference too. This rotten smell, is not attached to him by any foreign object on his body but is flowing out from the deepest part of his body. If that stupid dog is awake, its senses would be more acute than mine.”

“Then what is he precisely? Do you know?” Zhang Mu searched carefully in his memory and could not find any relevant information. He could only ask the Obsidian Beetle to see if it was aware of this matter.

In the end, the Obsidian Beetle straightaway replied and no longer care about him, “Who knows?”

As Zhang Mu was turned down by the Obsidian Beetle, he continued to stare at the little boy. Despite that, he still could not figure out anything. He could only follow the development of this matter to wait and see how it goes.

But fortunately, the little boy did not act recklessly until now, so Zhang Mu was slightly relaxed. The blood on his face had been wiped away by Yuan Rui using her sleeve. Unexpectedly, he looked cute, causing Yuan Rui to dote on him more as she continued to wipe his tears.

“Tell me, what happened exactly? If you continue to cry like this, I’m afraid that it would be too late if your mother truly encountered any danger.”

Zhang Mu’s voice lightly called out. He kept having the feeling that this little boy was acting and was hiding something from them.

In the end, he received a sour look from Yuan Rui. He stopped talking and just stood within the one-meter range from Yuan Rui.

Yuan Rui softly asked the little boy, “Hao Hao, tell sister what happened exactly? Sister and this big brother behind me will help you. Although he might look a bit fierce, he has a good heart.”

That little boy had told Yuan Rui that his name was Hao Hao in their previous conversation. He stopped sobbing and sneaked a glance at Zhang Mu’s emotionless face. He immediately retracted back into Yuan Rui’s arm with fear and stuttered, “Hao Hao is very scared. My mother is going to be eaten by those monsters that eat human. Sister, quickly go and help my mother. Hao Hao begged you.”