Chapter 14: The Bronze Treasure Chest

“So, what do you think? Isn’t it well written? It clearly states the main principle of Earth Village—‘good food and drink’—while also making it clear we’re not to be trifled with—‘making deals with the devil.’ It’s both a warning and an enticement: the stick and the carrot! I’m sure people will be joining Earth Village in no time.”

Yun Qimu beamed with confidence.

Yun Xiaoyu lifted his head to look at her, his little face full of inner conflict—especially when those bright, sparkling eyes turned to him, silently asking for approval...

Should he nod and go against his conscience, or should he resolutely criticize her overconfidence?

⊙﹏⊙ It was just too hard!

“Look, a berserk beast!”

His gaze landed on something charging toward them from the garbage heap. Yun Xiaoyu’s eyes immediately lit up. He pointed with his little hand, secretly relieved, and quickly dashed forward to stand protectively in front of Yun Qimu.

Though small, he stood with his back to her, gripping a dagger, one foot forward, the other braced behind, body crouched, his dark eyes serious and alert, ready to strike at any moment.

Yun Qimu’s smile faded as she looked up as well.

The berserk beast was covered in coarse, gray-black fur, with a rabbit’s head and a pig’s body, caked in mud and filth. Its eyes were blood-red, crazed and bloodthirsty, as it barreled toward them in a frenzy.

She’d never seen this kind of mutant beast before, but she could tell its impact force was definitely above B-class. If it hit her or Yun Xiaoyu’s small frames, they’d be seriously injured if not killed.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, golden light flickering in her ink-black pupils. Her mental power rippled out silently like waves, quickly penetrating the rabbit-headed, pig-bodied berserk beast.

Suddenly, the beast seemed to get dizzy, its whole body swaying. Its four hooves tangled, and with the force of its own momentum, it tumbled forward, rolling over three times in confusion.

But it quickly scrambled back up, its rabbit eyes still crimson, charging at them even more recklessly.

Yun Qimu pressed her lips together, the corners of her eyes tilting up slightly. Her long lashes shadowed her eyes, which were fixed darkly on the berserk beast. This thing was even crazier than she’d expected—and harder to control.

Her mental power was strong, but her frail body couldn’t handle much. Just that small exertion had already made her dizzy.

The beast was getting closer, the stench of blood and rot filling the air. Yun Xiaoyu gripped his dagger, about to rush forward, but Yun Qimu quickly grabbed him, snapping, “Don’t go! Use the silver crossbow you got yesterday!”

Yun Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up. He quickly switched weapons and fired the silver crossbow at the oncoming beast.

A flash of silver shot out, sharp as lightning.

“Screee—!”

The beast was struck in the eye, black blood trickling from its socket. It howled in pain, pawing the ground, even more enraged.

A wave of violent, fetid energy radiated from it, making their hearts pound.

Yun Xiaoyu’s little face was full of panic. Yun Qimu pulled him back, and as he fumbled to load a second bolt, a tall figure strode past them.

He covered the distance in just a few steps.

“It’s Dad!” Yun Xiaoyu shouted excitedly, quickly taking his finger off the trigger.

They watched as Dad placed a large hand on the beast’s forehead, effortlessly stopping its charge and pinning it in place.

The massive berserk beast looked like a chick in his grasp.

Then, with his other hand, he formed a fist and brought it down with unstoppable force.

Boom.

The rampaging beast’s head was smashed flat with a single punch, its huge body collapsing to the ground.

It twitched twice, then lay still.

“It’s dead! It’s dead! Yay, Dad is amazing!” Yun Xiaoyu broke free from Yun Qimu’s grip and ran over, eyes shining with adoration as he hugged his father’s leg, head held high.

Dad slowly unclenched his fist, the intimidating aura from before vanishing instantly.

He grinned foolishly, lowering his head to ruffle his son’s hair with his bloodstained, stiff hand.

Yun Qimu stopped him, exasperated. “Dad, your hand’s still dirty. Don’t touch Xiaoyu—go wash up first.”

“Oh.” Dad withdrew his hand, looking a bit dejected. He hung his head and muttered, “That was my mistake.”

“It’s good to admit your mistakes and correct them.” Yun Qimu smiled approvingly. “Go wash your hands.”

“Okay!” Dad cheered up again and strode off, long legs moving with a little bounce as his two children watched him go.

The siblings turned their bright eyes to the rabbit-pig beast on the ground.

Yun Xiaoyu’s eyes shone with hunger, and he drooled. “Qimu, we have meat! We have meat!”

Yun Qimu rested her hand on his shoulder, smacking her lips—she was craving meat too.

But—

The beast’s brains were splattered everywhere, its fur filthy and matted, and there were three huge gashes on its hindquarters, the flesh already rotting and stinking, with flies buzzing around the decaying meat.

Her appetite vanished instantly.

And there was another hidden danger on this exile planet: dark matter.

No one knew when it started, but a substance called dark matter had infiltrated every corner of the galaxy. When the level of dark matter in a human or beast’s body reached a certain point, it would cause uncontrollable rage, madness, and intermittent loss of reason, eventually leading to self-destruction.

This berserk beast was clearly overloaded with dark matter. If they ate it, the dark matter would enter their bodies too.

She pressed her lips together, not wanting to dampen her little brother’s enthusiasm directly. Instead, she said, “Take out the dark matter detector and check if it’s safe to eat.”

“Oh.” Yun Xiaoyu froze, suddenly remembering something, and his face fell.

He took out the detector, and when it started flashing red and beeping warnings, his face fell even further.

“The dark matter’s too high. We can’t eat it.”

He pouted, looking utterly aggrieved.

Yun Qimu silently patted his head in comfort. But the next moment, Yun Xiaoyu was no longer the dejected little brother—his attention had been caught by a wild chicken flying with its whiskers.

“Look, there’s a flying chicken!”

He pointed with his little hand, instantly perking up. “It’s a chicken that flies with its whiskers instead of wings!”

“Huh?” Yun Qimu blinked in confusion and looked up. Sure enough, in their little yard was a chicken with a long tail and golden feathers, a beard around its neck, soaring proudly through the air by flapping its whiskers.

[Ding dong—New species discovered: Danghu. Please defeat the monster promptly. After defeating it, a treasure chest will be dropped at random.]

The system’s voice sounded, and the siblings’ eyes lit up with excitement."