Above the Galaxy

The old man gripped a butcher knife for a sneak attack from behind, while Tang Fei, with a Red Willow skewer, attacked head-on.

A pincer move, one from the front and one from the back.

Yes, this was the implicit coordination between Tang Fei and the old man.

What is called a meeting of minds? What is called a tacit understanding?

What is called joining hands in mischief (deleted)...

Tang Fei was raised by the old man with spoonfuls of shit and urine, while the old man was supported by Tang Fei with a bucket of rice and a vat of meat... their understanding of each other's nature was just too profound.

When Tang Fei suddenly cursed the old man and shouted that he had a venereal disease, the old man already knew what he was planning to do.

So he pretended to be infuriated by this damn guy and grabbed the butcher knife from the table, lunging towards Tang Fei.

He could not actually intend to kill Tang Fei, how could he possibly kill him?

Sure enough, when his movements suddenly became agile and his body accelerated, the target of his butcher knife was Shadowless's back.

And Tang Fei did not disappoint him, at the very instant the old man made his move, Tang Fei transformed the red willow skewer in his hand into a short spear, aiming for Shadowless's head...

Shadowless had no way forward, no door to retreat, the only thing waiting for him was a dead end.

Bang!

The dagger in the old man's hand had already struck Shadowless in the back, he could feel the blade slicing through...

Something was wrong!

The feeling of the butcher knife cutting through clothes and flesh was not like this, it was soft, smooth, even with a hint of warmth in the cut.

But this time, the touch was unusually hard, like cutting steel or hard stone.

Tang Fei also felt that something was amiss; the red willow skewer in his hand had clearly punctured Shadowless's head, he had already imagined in his mind the red willow branch sharpened to a point penetrating Shadowless's scalp, breaking through his skull, and then the whole red willow skewer plunging into his head...

He liked to stab people in the head because they died quickly.

It's impossible to feign death.

But, the situation was different from what he had anticipated.

The skewer wouldn't go in!

Crack!

The Red Willow skewer quickly bent and then broke into several pieces.

Their strike having missed, Tang Fei and the old man retreated like two startled old dogs.

One of the survival rules atop the ruins is that we can hold back when fighting, but must run with all our might when fleeing.

Then, they sized up Shadowless both front and back, as if studying some kind of endangered rare animal.

Just standing there unmoved, he dissolved their combined lethal strike?

A bit embarrassing!

The old man looked down at the butcher knife in his hand, which had curled up at the blade and, with a puzzled face, asked, "What the hell are you?"

"If you don't understand, just ask. How can you just start cursing at people?" Tang Fei complained; he felt the old man had no manners.

Then he looked humbly at Shadowless and asked, "Why can't my spearhead kill people?"

Shadowless tilted his body to avoid being caught in the crossfire again, his gaze complicated as he looked at the old and young pair before him.

The old one was cunning, the young one was crafty.

His face was covered with a mask, so nobody could see the shock on his face. But he knew well that when these two people suddenly attacked him, his heart was in turmoil.

He had not anticipated that the unassuming old man would turn out to be a hidden expert, all his frivolous steps, his sluggish movements were nothing but a disguise. He also had not expected that the young-looking barbeque boy, who seemed only fourteen or fifteen, would be so ruthlessly heartless in plunging his Red Willow Branch into someone's head.

As soon as they moved to attack, it was to kill, never even considering just injuring or maiming.

Are there such monsters on top of the ruins?

Wu Feng burst into loud laughter upon seeing his companion frustrated.

He walked over to stand shoulder to shoulder with Shadowless, partly to make conversation easier and partly to join him in blocking the doorway, standing together against their enemy.

He realized too that these fellows were not to be trifled with.

Wu Feng nudged Shadowless with his shoulder and asked teasingly, "How about it? Nearly capsized in the gutter, didn't you?"

"Be careful, they are tough to deal with," Shadowless warned.

"I've already seen that," Wu Feng nodded, saying, "I didn't expect that this garbage planet, already so run-down and abandoned, could still harbor such skilled fighters... but it's understandable, in such a harsh environment, there's nothing they wouldn't do to survive."

Behind the mask, those eyes flicked to Tang Fei and said, "Young man, don't you think?"

"How can you look at people through colored glasses? Although we live in Old Land, our hearts are pure... The old man might not look great, looks kind of sleazy, but he's always taking care of the village's young widows and older married women..."

Shadowless and Wu Feng immediately looked around tense, worrying about another surprise attack.

After all, it was Tang Fei who had cursed the old man as being morally corrupt, then that old man, infuriated, had charged at them with a knife...

They had already seen through their tricks and were fully prepared.

Regrettably, this time the old man made no move, merely playing with the curled blade of his butcher knife with a dry smile.

Tang Fei then pointed to Little Fatty, saying, "And Little Fatty, don't be fooled by his chubby appearance; he's really sincere... when he sees others unable to get food, he puts down the bowl he uses to scoop rice from other people's pots..."