That afternoon.

  Xia Li came to the no-tax zone once again.

  And now he had a completely new perspective on this place.

  Between safe zones and danger zones, a large buffer zone was typically reserved—a battlefield for deploying high-lethality weapons in emergencies, avoiding harm to safe zones.

  In Democratic Government, the buffer zone was called the Minefield, preset with numerous weapons ready for combat at any time—a defensive line protecting the safe zone.

  In Corporate Union, it was the no-tax zone—the last stop for the bankrupt, a recycling station for the valueless.

  In sects and clans, the buffer zone became the Trial Area—a bloody trial every member had to face.

  "Search news from three days ago. How many bankrupts died in that match?"

  Xia Li had Heaven Chip check the results of that night. Heaven Chip quickly responded:

  【Total deaths: 243. All bankrupts who chose to oppose you have died.】

  Silver Star Group's armed forces hadn't spared a single one. Or perhaps because none of those bankrupts had been willing to give up their chance to turn things around.

  Speechless...

  Xia Li pulled a pack of spirit cigarettes from his pocket, took one out and lit it.

  He didn't smoke—at least not five hundred years ago. After all, he'd had lung cancer; touching that stuff would've been suicidal.

  But earlier, while discussing follow-up plans with Yagyu Chihaya, he couldn't resist her recommendation and tried one. These spirit cigarettes made from spiritual herbs had no harm, only benefits.

  Relieving stress, refreshing the mind, and even providing radiation resistance.

  Xia Li continued forward, soon arriving beneath the collapsed abandoned high-rise. Around the ruins were arranged some scrap flowers assembled from debris.

  A young girl squatted among the ruins. Before her was a large pile of scrap—clearly she'd made those scrap flowers.

  Hearing footsteps behind her, the girl immediately turned to look at Xia Li.

  A moment of terror flashed in her eyes, but it quickly subsided, as if she knew Xia Li's character—understood Xia Li wouldn't hurt her.

  "Are any of the deceased your family?"

  Xia Li walked forward and asked.

  The girl nodded directly.

  "My father..."

  "What brought you to this place?"

  "Got scammed out of all our assets..."

  "What do you plan to do next?"

  "After I finish making 243 flowers, I'll go die. Nine more to go..."

  The girl had no hope left for living alone.

  Hearing this, Xia Li directly pulled out his blade from his phase ring. After unsheathing it, he pressed the blade tip against the girl's forehead.

  "Then shall I help?"

  Blood trickled down from the girl's forehead. She looked at Xia Li with confusion in her eyes, but showed no sign of struggle.

  Seeing this, Xia Li understood—she truly had given up on life.

  "Boring."

  Xia Li sheathed the blade, then took out a kinetic blade from his phase ring and tossed it to the girl.

  "Finish your flowers, then find a good place to die. Or think it over—what can you do with this blade?"

  "If you sold this blade at half price, it'd still be worth about four hundred spirit stones."

  Without waiting for the girl's reply, Xia Li turned and left. It seemed there were survivors from that night—she hadn't borrowed money and hadn't attacked him, thus escaping death.

  This person could be saved.

  "That night... were you deliberately luring us into a trap?"

  The girl's voice sounded from behind Xia Li. He could hear her standing up—the friction of her joints precisely captured by his prosthetics. He could determine her movements from sound alone.

  "I just didn't want to be tamed by corporations like a dog. Too bad some people were eager to be dogs and bite people."

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  "So what about you? Do you think you're human or a dog?"

  "I..."

  The girl wanted to say that bankrupts like them had no human rights. But at this moment, she seemed to understand why Xia Li had done what he did.

  Xia Li was human and treated them as human.

  Something called dignity became fire, suddenly igniting the girl's frozen heart.

  "Human."

  The girl replied with certainty.

  Xia Li nodded slightly at her words. Finally, someone who could be saved.

  "Then if you still want to die, at least die like a human."

  Xia Li finished speaking and left without further words. As for her fate—that wasn't his concern anymore.

  Even if she died to monsters tonight, that would still be better than killing herself in these ruins.

  One hour later.

  Xia Li crossed the no-tax zone's boundary and entered the danger zone.

  The radiation levels here were high. The sky was gray and hazy; radioactive dust danced in the wind. Compared to the danger zone near Lingguang City, the environmental contamination here was worse.

  Within moments.

  Xia Li was covered in gray-white dust.

  "Here already..."

  "I've been hearing your movements for a while now!"

  Xia Li was walking when he suddenly turned, slashing behind him with his demon blade.

  Nothing was behind him, yet something was struck by the blade. Blue-tinged blood immediately burst forth.

  Following a wail, something thrashed and struggled on the ground before gradually going still.

  A hairless, tailless, eyeless creature appeared before Xia Li, black all over, leopard-sized.

  【Low-level demon detected: Light-Bender】

  【This demon is swift, uses invisibility to approach targets from behind, possesses anti-spiritual-energy divine-sense detection methods.】

  【This demon's hide and blood have salvage value.】

  Heaven Chip automatically began reporting demon information—a feature one could choose to enable.

  Xia Li had enabled it.

  "Under divine sense detection it's about the same as ordinary airflow. These demons do have some tricks."

  They were rapidly evolving mutant creatures after all. In adapting to spiritual energy, they'd also evolved countermeasures against it.

  Too bad humans "evolved" even faster.

  Spirit-Tech had elevated the evolution process to the level of ascension.

  This demon's heartbeat was very faint, but as long as it came within Xia Li's hundred-meter range, he'd hear it.

  Not to mention the indescribable stench on its body.

  Electronic eyes' X-ray and thermal imaging modes could directly detect the demon's outline. Switching to spectral mode revealed even more detail.

  Many creatures chose increased stealth as an evolutionary direction—most demons on this path were hard-countered by prosthetics.

  No shell, no rapid regeneration, no ranged attacks, lacking in both speed and power.

  Though it possessed venomous fangs, if it couldn't bite, they were useless.

  Xia Li used his storage ring to collect the demon's remains—this stuff could be sold for spirit stones.

  Wind howled around him.

  More Light-Bender demons were coming. But with their prized invisibility directly negated, even a group attack was just delivering themselves to Xia Li.

  Before long.

  Demons slain, Xia Li was about to collect his spoils when Heaven Chip suddenly issued a danger warning.

  Xia Li immediately used Wisdom Art: Blade Sheath.

  The next moment.

  A large-caliber bullet flew at Xia Li's head, which he precisely split in two with his blade.