Chapter 3: The Heart of a Thug, Section 5

His own puppet bugs, along with all the parts and mechs from the decomposition factory? What a joke!
With wide eyes, OldBuick was completely stunned. What Blackhair had asked for was indeed something he owned. But the demand was far too excessive. Didn’t he know how much wealth those things were worth?
Just that old puppet bug alone had cost OldBuick a fortune over a long period of time—it was the only one in the entire town of Kucaire. It had over thirty carriages, a top speed of 180 kilometers per hour, and enough space to hold a small mercenary group. For scavengers, its value was astronomical. Add in all the parts and mechs from the decomposition factory, and it accounted for most of OldBuick’s possessions.
Good heavens, was he crazy?
“This… isn’t it a bit too much?” OldBuick swallowed hard before tentatively saying.
“Not too much.”
Blackhair shook his head and smiled faintly. The long scar on his temple moved as well, giving him a fierce appearance.
“I’m a practical person. In this world, everything has a price. And my price is naturally different from others’. If it weren’t for our existing relationship, even this price might not be acceptable.”
“Ah…” OldBuick was utterly dumbfounded. He stood there frozen, unable to say a word. After a long while, he nodded firmly, as if crushed by pressure, and managed to utter two words through gritted teeth…
“Deal!”
Watching Blackhair walk out of the room, OldBuick felt like crying but had no tears left.
Actually, there was no rush to take on this task. After all, even an emperor can’t afford to have hungry soldiers, right? Besides, ever since Blackhair arrived in Kucaire Town, he hadn’t taken the time to explore it properly. After this battle, Blackhair would likely discover the unrest in the town. And as the catalyst, OldBuick certainly couldn’t stay.
That was why he wanted the puppet bugs and mech parts.
With dark smoke hanging overhead and the pungent smell of industrial waste filling his nostrils, and looking at the rows of low houses on both sides of the road, Blackhair strolled along the main street of Kucaire Town. The low houses along the street were actually shops, whose owners were shouting their wares loudly. Coupled with the constant stream of people, it created a bustling market atmosphere.

Destroy a stronghold. Sounds so easy. If it were him at the peak of his strength, this task wouldn’t be difficult at all. But right now, he’s not so sure about it. After all, genetic modification is extremely hard to master. It’s like Pandora’s box—something that humans should never have opened. After thousands of years of dormancy, his black-haired body is in much worse condition now than when he was captured for modification. Aside from his left arm, which has been fully modified and allows him to exert strength far beyond that of a normal human, nothing else has changed; on the contrary, age has caused it to show signs of weakening. This isn’t a good sign. Black Hair sighed. Although technology is advancing by leaps and bounds and there are more and more combat methods, the demands on a person’s physical condition have only increased, never decreased. He remembered the time before mechs appeared—ordinary soldiers with decent physical conditions who could handle regular training were sufficient. But with the advent of mechs, everything changed completely. The overload from mech maneuvers, the pressure from intense battles, and the extreme mental and willpower tests from continuous complex operations have pushed the requirements for pilots to an extreme. At certain stages, even humans who hadn’t undergone physical enhancement surgeries couldn’t become fighter mech pilots. Thinking of this, Black Hair sighed again and suddenly stopped in his tracks. Because somehow, his pants leg had been grabbed by a dirty little hand. Looking down, he immediately saw a pair of eyes filled with sorrow and struggle. It was a very small beggar, barely clothed, crawling on the ground. Holding a twisted iron bowl, he tried hard to get closer to Black Hair. His skin, exposed outside his clothes, was already darkened beyond recognition. His body was emaciated, looking as if a gust of wind could blow him away. Behind him, a black bird resembling a raven perched quietly on the roof, seemingly waiting for something. “P-please… sir… give me some food… just a little… I haven’t eaten in days…” Seeing that Black Hair had noticed him, the little beggar struggled to speak those words. Huh? Only then did Black Hair realize he had somehow ended up in a corner of the street. Passersby streamed by him, but none paid any attention to this place, as if it were completely normal.

That’s true. Considering the situation in Kukare Town, it’s no different from a slum. There are countless children begging on the streets. People die every day and are then dragged away by the street cleaners like trash.

Kneeling down, the black-haired man’s voice suddenly became very gentle. Ignoring the dirt on the little beggar’s body, he reached out and gently stroked his head.

“What’s your name?”

“Barton, sir. My name is Barton. Please give me some food, I beg you…” Seeing that the black-haired man was paying attention to him, the little beggar burst into tears.

He had been begging in this corner for three days without getting any food. His disability made people treat him as trash, as worthless. He was so hungry that he could hardly crawl anymore.

“Hmm, a nice name. It’s the same as that of a famous general from the past…” The black-haired man smiled gently. Standing up, he walked over to a nearby food store and tossed in three karis.

“Get me ten lunches, packed.”

“Sure…” The clerk happily agreed and quickly delivered the food. The black-haired man took it and returned to the little beggar right away, ignoring the strange looks from those around them. He handed him the food.

Watching the little beggar gobble down the food, something seemed to appear in the black-haired man’s eyes.

“Eat slowly, don’t choke. There’s more here; it should be enough for you for a while.”

With those gentle words, the little beggar’s eyes filled with tears. Hunger had made him lose all other senses; he didn’t even have time to say thank you. His emaciated body writhed on the ground, desperately grabbing every bite to fill his stomach, without even realizing it. Before he knew it… the black-haired man had already left.