Chapter 1: The Boy Who Loved Meat

d lightly supporting the blade, and looked at the fire. He narrowed his eyes, a satisfied look on his face, tonight—he was going to eat!...The night of Gaxing was as cold as steel, making people shive...Jixing, belonging to the fourth administrative district of the Xinghe Federation, is the most remote star in the federation's territory. It was originally just a planet with a code name, but due to several brutal battles fought by the defense forces of the federation, it was named Jixing after the highest-ranking general who sacrificed himself there.

Although an exception, it is still forgotten by most people. 。

Thick space junk floated around the planet, the only safe passage being a special channel reserved for planetary administrators. A batch of federally-funded resources below average standards would be transported to the planet every two months.

Most people still struggle to survive above the poverty line. 。District 22, the central district was still brightly lit with bustling crowds. 。As twilight approached, under the gloomy sky, two completely different scenes—bustling activity and deathly silence—coexisted in perfect harmony. 。

Thirty kilometers away from the city, in an abandoned factory, there was a chaotic mess of industrial waste visible everywhere. Battle-damaged mecha fragments were piled high as well. On this resource-scarce planet, those in power didn't have the resources or goodwill to deal with such rubbish. The free labor from the slums would solve these mundane problems for them, saving the government a considerable amount of money. What better way to do it

The surroundings were a silent wilderness, with only the occasional chirps of birds. 。In a corner of the factory, sparks occasionally flew out. A bonfire burned quietly, and a long shadow flickered on the ruins. 。

Mu Fan, 17 years old, didn't know who his biological parents were. His adoptive parents told him that he was found behind a trash can while they were scavenging. It was just dawn, and the stars cast an even and gentle glow on the baby's face as they shone along the horizon. When his adoptive father picked up the child, he discovered two tags hanging from him: one, a deep yellow wooden tag inscribed with "Mu," and the other, a dark metal tag engraved with "Fan."

Without overthinking the order of these two characters, following the principle of what sounds good, his adoptive father, who had the good fortune to have read a few books, named him—Mu Fan.

When he was young and ignorant, he never asked his foster parents about their past. But when he grew a little older, his foster parents went out scavenging during a pirate raid and were killed by a stray bullet. 。Mu Fan then had no more opportunities to ask about the details of the past. 。That year, he was ten years old. 。

Mu Fan wasn't very talkative, but he was very sensible.

After receiving the news, he didn't cry. He returned to his dilapidated shack and found a worn leather glove he had picked up while scavenging. Then, he went out to offer his labor to people he knew and strangers alike. 。Transporting dishes to the suburban restaurant, delivering express mail for formal city residents, and scouring through factory waste for recyclables to sell... With no one else left, I have to survive. 。This is already the seventh year since my parents passed away. 。Mu Fan raised his head to glance at the bonfire before him, then continued to hone a small, cold knife with his attention. 。He wasn't overly concerned with his appearance. His black hair was messy and unkempt, and his frame wasn't particularly strong, but he had above-average height. When he raised his eyelids, his brown eyes seemed ordinary, but if you got closer and looked carefully, you'd notice that the brown held a depth, with a red flash occasionally passing through, like roses or something aged and steeped. 。At this time, Area 22 was getting cooler. Mu Fan was wearing a canvas jacket and work pants stained with oil. 。While taking a break at night, he came out to hone his weapon. The dagger, forged from industrial alloy, 。He was just the right age, and every week he would go out to work. He'd save all the money he earned and then go to the used bookstore market to buy those bundled books. 。The remaining money only allows him to eat the bare minimum, two packets per day, which just keeps him alive. If he doesn't go out to find food himself, he will remain in this state forever. 。One day on his way back, he saw an old eagle taking flight in the distance. Curious, he saw a black shadow falling from the sky. It was half a field mouse. 。In the leaping flames, Mu Fan tasted it for the first time. 。One of the survival standards Mu Fan set for himself was to go hunting outside twice a week. 。No matter the size, whether alive or dead, any harvest is a victory. He needs this energy too much; his cells clearly feel it deep within, craving nourishment of that kind. 。"Shoo!" The last spark flew out, Mu Fan retracted his dagger, his left hand lightly supporting the blade, and looked at the fire. He narrowed his eyes, a satisfied look on his face, tonight—he was going to eat!...The night of Gaxing was as cold as steel, making people shiver from their bones. 。Mu Fan walked through the wilderness, his body covered with crisscrossing scars that looked like badges of honor from countless battles. Though he was lean, his physique still showed an incredibly natural and defined musculature, leaving no doubt about the power hidden beneath. 。

Mu Fan wasn't the kind of cold that his neighbors described. Instead, he felt a coldness that made his brain incredibly calm and clear. This made him very, he didn't know why, he always felt hungry but found his endurance seemed to be several times, or maybe even more, than those around him... He had no concept, and he wasn't interested in asking.

Under the cover of darkness, Mu Fan, unnoticed by anyone, had already run to the edge of a forest fifteen kilometers away from the factory. In the silent night, Mu Fan seemed to merge with this land, only the rising heat vapor indicated his existence. 。There is a river here, at night when people come to the icy water, it's Mu Fan's favorite place to wash away sweat and grime. With good luck, he can even catch a fish in the water, well, the taste of raw food is also very good, as long as!Mu Fan's goal today is to hunt down a large one, he feels himself getting stronger and stronger. The two plant rats from before are now far from enough to satisfy his needs. He wants to eat more 。This jungle was far from the city, and on a remote and impoverished planet like Gaxia, the authorities didn't have the resources to deploy too many satellites for monitoring. 。One of the few human-made cities that stand against nature, this jungle has kept its magnificent appearance. There are stronger beasts here, which for him, also means a richer feast!

With a whoosh, Mu Fan stopped, his bright eyes shining at this moment. He stood at the edge of the jungle, sniffing the pungent scent of wild beasts in the air

There's a mutation! No mistake, that powerful aura, he already smelled the irritability in the mutation, his stomach rumbled. Mu Fan pursed his lips, at this moment, red light surged in his eyes!He wants to eat! It was human primal force, when it met during frantic development, it could make a person release unimaginable power, let alone the familiar taste for Mu Fan!Closing his eyes and reopening them, the faint strange red light in Mu Fan's eyes completely dissipated, but his eyes were incredibly bright. The surrounding darkness seemed to cease to exist, the jungle, insects, birds, all clear in his sight. 。He didn't know when he first discovered that he had the ability of acute night vision. After he accidentally used this ability to find several voles at night, he began to deliberately practice and master this seemingly god-given ability. 。The night sky, thick clouds obscuring the glimmer of stars. 。A "meteor" streaked across the atmosphere, flashing a light across the sky above the clouds...his left hand lightly supporting the blade, and looked at the fire. He narrowed his eyes, a satisfied look on his face, tonight—he was going to eat!...The night of Gaxing was as cold as steel, making...