Chapter 124: An Uninvited Guest

Lin Yifan, exhausted in body and mind from grinding Instances, had originally wanted to return to the Shelter to rest for a bit.

While the buff from 【Pathfinding Spirit】 was still active, he planned to go find the location of the 【Qingling Fruit】 that Mao Mao had brought back.

And along the way, avenge Mao Mao.

But he never expected that, right at the door of his own Shelter, he would hear the sound of someone talking inside the house.

He almost thought he was hearing things, and only after digging at his ear with a finger did he realize he hadn't misheard.

There really was someone inside.

And from the voice alone, he could tell this guy was eyeing Mao Mao.

That was Mao Mao!

To dare scheme against it was simply seeking death.

Rage instantly flared up in Lin Yifan's heart, and he strode quickly into the Shelter.

The moment he stepped inside, he saw, in the corner where he stored idle supplies and the Cultivation Soil, a burly man about 1.8 meters tall, dressed in a leather jacket, holding an axe in his hand and staring ferociously at Mao Mao.

Mao Mao, meanwhile, had spread its wings, every hair on its body nearly standing on end, its gaze fixed dead on the man before it.

And on Mao Mao's already injured left wing, fresh blood was now seeping out again.

Even the outermost section of that wing was drooping weakly — clearly, it had been hurt again.

Yet even so, it still hadn't retreated a single step, still standing its ground stubbornly in front of those supplies.

It was actually protecting the supplies!

Lin Yifan had never imagined that Mao Mao would actually be helping him guard the supplies.

This made his already furious eyes instantly turn red.

The intruder, however, had eyes and mind only for those supplies, and hadn't noticed Lin Yifan behind him at all.

He licked his lips, stared greedily at Mao Mao, and said:

"You little beast, go to hell!"

He raised the axe in his hand and brought it down viciously toward Mao Mao.

Seeing this, the fury in Lin Yifan's heart instantly reached its peak.

He charged forward without hesitation, and the instant the axe was about to hit Mao Mao, he lashed out with a fierce kick aimed straight at the man's back.

The burly man was caught completely off guard, pitched forward, and the axe flew from his grip, slamming into the ground with a dull thud.

"Who?!"

The burly man scrambled to his feet in a sorry state, turned his head to look at Lin Yifan with shock and fury, and said warily:

"Who are you?"

Lin Yifan didn't answer. His gaze was cold as a blade; he drew his Great Axe in hand, and said in a low voice thick with killing intent:

"Who am I?"

"You've broken into my Shelter, and you actually have the nerve to ask me who I am?"

"Breaking into my Shelter, stealing my supplies, and you still dare lay a hand on my Mao Mao — you're truly tired of living!"

The burly man clearly hadn't expected anyone to suddenly appear. His face changed, but he quickly calmed down again and sneered:

"Hmph, so this is your Shelter, kid. But you think you can stop me with what you've got? Those supplies are mine for the taking, and this dead bird — I'm roasting it today for sure!"

"Take this axe!" Liu Dacheng's face turned vicious, and he snatched up the axe from the ground with a backhand swing, hacking toward Lin Yifan.

Lin Yifan didn't waste words. He dodged sideways with a casual sidestep, easily evading the strike.

"With that little bit of skill, you dare scheme against me? How utterly clueless. Now it's my turn!" Lin Yifan gave a cold laugh, then swung his blade backhanded in a direct slash aimed at Liu Dacheng's neck.

His Life Tier was much higher than Liu Dacheng's, and on top of that, he had accumulated quite a bit of combat experience today in the Instance dealing with those vengeful spirits that had transformed into giant seafood.

Although Liu Dacheng was powerfully built, his movements weren't as agile, and he didn't have as much combat experience either, making it very difficult for him to parry.

But that was also because Lin Yifan didn't want to take his life yet. This was the first time someone had found his Shelter, and if he didn't get to the bottom of this man's origins, he wouldn't feel at ease.

Not to mention, if one person could find his Shelter, there would be a second.

And there was an even more important point: outside Lin Yifan's Shelter, he had set up a home-defense treasure, the 【Illusion Light Dome】.

Yet this man had still been able to enter the Shelter unimpeded — that was truly abnormal.

So Lin Yifan had to keep him alive and get answers to all these questions.

Mao Mao, standing off to the side, had no idea what Lin Yifan was planning.

Watching the two of them locked in combat, Mao Mao anxiously flapped its wings nearby, wanting to jump in and help, but its injuries kept it from taking flight, and it could only let out low, mournful cries.

However, even though Lin Yifan wanted to spare Liu Dacheng's life and was holding back with every strike,

his Life Tier was what it was — even in a war of Physical Stamina, Liu Dacheng was simply no match for him.

As time wore on, Liu Dacheng's Physical Stamina drained rapidly, his axe swings growing slower and slower, and cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.

He hadn't expected that this seemingly ordinary young man before him would possess such formidable combat power.

"No good, I need to test the waters first!"

Liu Dacheng's eyes darted twice, and realizing he was outmatched, he immediately planned to retreat.

But Lin Yifan had been watching him the whole time. Seeing the change in his expression, how could he not guess his intention?

He gave him no chance to slip away. Seizing an opening, he kicked Liu Dacheng right in the knee.

"Argh!" Liu Dacheng screamed and instantly dropped to his knees.

Lin Yifan's Machete was placed directly against his neck, and he said coldly:

"Move again and I'll cut you down right now. Drop the axe!"

The sharp blade cut into the skin of Liu Dacheng's neck.

The cold sting made him realize his life was completely in Lin Yifan's hands.

So he could only drop the axe in his hand unwillingly, raise both hands above his head in a gesture of surrender, force a smile, and say:

"I surrender, I'll surrender right now!"

"And don't get me wrong, I was actually just passing through here, and I happened to discover there's a Shelter here. I haven't seen a living person in ages, so I thought I'd say hello and make a friend."

"I didn't expect the Shelter to be empty. Survival in this world is really tough, so I assumed the Shelter's owner was already gone, and figured I'd take these supplies with me so they wouldn't go to waste, you know!"

"And this bird — if I left it here, it would've starved to death eventually. So I thought I'd take it back too, keep it for company. But this bird wouldn't listen to me, so I just meant to scare it a little, make it behave. I wasn't really trying to hurt it."

"But now that you, the owner, are back, I won't intrude any longer. I'll be going now!"

"Run!"

Lin Yifan heard this and nearly laughed out of sheer exasperation. He said mockingly:

"Did you think this place of mine is somewhere you can come and go as you please?"

"Since you're already here, just stay put! Answer a few questions properly. If your answers satisfy me, maybe I'll even spare your life."

"Of course, you can also try to tough it out. Back when I used to read novels, I happened to pick up quite a few interrogation techniques — I could try them out on you."