I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords-Chapter 41 - 0. Every path leads to the Abandoned Capital_1

Chapter 41: 041. Every path leads to the Abandoned Capital_1

Chapter 41: 041. Every path leads to the Abandoned Capital_1

If you could call that a human, then Lu Ban felt something was not right with the world.

Because that was definitely not what a normal modern human looked like. It was somewhat different from an ape, more like some quadruped being forced to stand and run upright, in a bizarre posture that gave an indescribable sense of disgust.

However, it was just a fleeting glimpse, and the creature disappeared into the distance as the bus drove on. Lu Ban didn’t pay it any more mind and turned his head back.

“What do you think that was just now, outside the window?”

He asked the young man beside him.

“Wha…what, what was that?”

The brother was startled, quickly shifting away from the window.

“The thing that looked like a person, didn’t you see it?”

Lu Ban even pointed in the direction.

“No, no I didn’t!!!”

He seemed about to cry, shrinking his neck involuntarily.

“Oh, then I must have seen it wrong,”

Lu Ban responded.

“…It was a Ratman, probably.”

The burly man sitting at the front muttered casually.

“Ratman?”

Lu Ban looked over; the burly man’s arms were muscular, and he had a gun holster at his waist.

“Ratmen, no one knows where they come from, they’ve been on this road for many years. You’re going to the Abandoned Capital for the first time, aren’t you?”

The big man wasn’t averse to conversation, in fact, he seemed quite adept at it.

“Yes,”

Lu Ban acknowledged.

“Those Ratmen, they’ve dug lots of holes underground. Sometimes the holes come close to the surface, and if you walk over them, you’ll fall in and then you can’t climb out. In the end, you’ll suffocate to death and become food for the Ratmen,”

The big man spoke as if he had experienced it himself, quite seriously.

“But Ratmen are very weak, a common person could knock one out with a single punch. They are just like that, not much better than stray dogs.”

“Oh!”

Lu Ban responded again.

He chatted briefly.

Lu Ban found that being good-looking was somewhat useful.

At least, the previously dead-silent bus had some human noises in it now, thanks to Lu Ban’s words.

The name of the big man was unclear, but he was nicknamed “Hunter”. The young man was called Stone and the woman, who didn’t respond, was referred to as “Mary” by “Hunter”.

The three of them looked like they might be of mixed heritage, with yellowish skin but lighter hair, making it difficult to discern their specific ethnicity.

“…Hey, after the prohibition, the Abandoned Capital has gotten messier, but it’s good for us Bounty Hunters; we can make more money. The messier the city, the more expensive things get!”

“Hunter” wasn’t as standoffish as he looked; in fact, once Lu Ban spoke up, he began to talk a lot about the Abandoned Capital.

“Bounty Hunter, that’s impressive,”

Lu Ban played the role of the supportive sidekick, echoing his words.

“Right, I’ve also been in the Abandoned Capital for several years. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me,”

“Hunter” laughed heartily.

“…Does the Abandoned Capital really have a lot of cars?”

The young man, Stone, suddenly asked.

“Yes, they’re everywhere, along with trams. You know, the kind with the antennae on top,”

“And there are balls? Theater shows? And… and singing houses?”

“Yes, all of that. Anything you can think of, the Abandoned Capital has it,”

“Hunter” grinned meaningfully.

“The girls in the singing houses are all top-notch beauties. As long as you win their favor and have enough money, tsk tsk, you can have a wonderful night… Of course, folks like us would just settle for the cheapest street stalls.”

“I, I’m not interested in that stuff!”

Stone sat up straight in denial, revealing the object he was holding.

It was a book. Lu Ban saw it, the title was “Abandoned Capital Old News”, and the author’s name was Ancient Capital.

“Ha, one of Ancient Capital’s books, another one tricked into coming here,”

“Hunter” quickly snatched the book, flipped through a couple of pages amidst Stone’s protests, and then handed it back.

“This author is somewhat well-known in the Abandoned Capital. He’s a high society figure who often mingles with married women and likes to write scary stories. He’s also fond of writing about women, something that only young people like you would fall for, sheesh. The Abandoned Capital is not as comfortable as he makes it seem,”

“Hunter” sighed, then looked at Stone again.

“Can you understand this book, can you read?”

“A little,”

Stone nodded dumbly.

“That’s good, being literate means you can do some lighter work in Abandoned Capital, you know, most of the young people who go to Abandoned Capital end up doing hard labor. With your physique, three months would be enough to wear someone out. Those who can’t move halfway through are just thrown to feed the dogs. Life is cheap there.”

“Hunter” sighed and patted Stone’s frail shoulders.

“When the time comes, I can find some work for you. Don’t worry, I have some reputation in Abandoned Capital, nobody will dare to cheat you.”

“Impressive!”

Lu Ban echoed, then asked another question.

“Speaking of which, it’s so dark outside, how does the driver know the way?”

The greasy driver hadn’t spoken since earlier, staying out of the conversation. Lu Ban was asking “Hunter.”

“Don’t you know? Every man-made road leads to Abandoned Capital.”

“I see, so as long as nothing happens on the way, we just drive smoothly, and we’ll reach Abandoned Capital by tomorrow morning, right?”

No sooner had Lu Ban finished speaking than he saw the middle-aged woman Mary, who had kept her mouth shut until now, stand up.

“Don’t say such things.”

Her voice was slightly hoarse, and the wrinkles on her face were deeper than her age, her eyes profound, like the night outside.

“Oh…”

Could this person also know not to jinx things?

Lu Ban took a second glance at her, and at that moment, a loud bang came from the front of the bus.

Bang—

The whole bus abruptly stopped, throwing everyone forward.

Lu Ban held onto the seat, “Hunter” was heavy enough to stay put, and Mary was as solid as Mount Tai. Only Stone, tumbling around, nearly fell off his seat.

“What’s… what’s going on?”

The frail youth Stone asked in a terrified voice.

Th𝗲 most uptodate novels are published on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.

“There’s a bit of an issue.”

It was not until then that the driver spoke, his voice hollow.

“Can you handle it?”

“Hunter” walked over.

Even without an explanation, everyone knew that a bus stopping here in the midst of night was not a good sign.

“I’ll try.”

The driver tried to start the car, but only a hoarse sound came out, as if the engine couldn’t move anymore.

“Is it a mechanical problem or…?”

“Hunter” glanced outside, the shadows in his eyes growing darker.

“Don’t know, need to check it out.”

The driver stood up, his bulky body struggling to bend over and take out a toolbox, then opening the door.

It was very dark outside, only the car’s lights provided illumination.

The driver and “Hunter” got out of the vehicle, leaving the rest inside.

“Is everything okay…”

Stone was curious, yet didn’t dare to look.

Mary didn’t say a word, only pulled her clothes tighter around herself and moved away from the windows and doors.

Lu Ban remained silent.

If it was a high-difficulty task, it surely wouldn’t be that simple. It was normal for the bus to have a malfunction.

He looked out the window, the thick night concealing everything, turning even the silhouette of the driver and “Hunter” hazy.

The repair continued, and during the long wait, in the dim light outside the window, where the light and shadow interlaced, Lu Ban stared intently there.

At the edge of the light, it seemed something was lurking, squirming, twisting, peering at the bus.

If humans weren’t careful for just a moment, these fiercest of creatures would immediately emerge from the shadows, tearing apart every person they saw.

At that moment, a sharp, piercing, heartbreaking screech came from a distance.

In the midst of the howl, Lu Ban faintly saw something sweep beneath the lights, swiftly passing by the driver and “Hunter.”

Bang—

“Hunter” immediately drew his gun, and after a loud report, the world fell silent.

“What was that?”

Lu Ban asked casually.

The next instant, right next to the glass by his face, something slammed into it!

*

Thank you all for your votes, rewards, favorites, and support!

A new week continues, keep the votes coming!