The leader of the Scar Crew, Scar, was gunned down by Chen Du in his bedroom—a secret that remained undiscovered until the flames engulfed the building beyond control. It was only when the fire began spreading rapidly through the structure that the crew's so-called mastermind advisor finally rushed to fetch their boss for an escape plan. But upon entering the room, he found Scar lying dead, a single bullet wound to the head marking his demise.
This revelation left him momentarily stunned. Yet beneath the shock lay a deeper indifference. After all, with the inferno closing in, saving himself had become his sole priority. Had it not been for the lingering fear of future repercussions, he would have abandoned ship like the rest of the members, fleeing without a second thought. Why on earth would he risk his neck searching for the boss?
Without a trace of reverence, the strategist approached Scar's corpse, crouching down to rummage through whatever possessions might still be left behind. Unfortunately, Chen Du had already seized everything of value long before this point. Immediately after executing Scar, Chen Du had claimed the spoils before heading off to rescue Tian Xiaoyu from the warehouse.
Frustration mounted as the strategist turned every pocket inside out but came up empty-handed. Glaring at Scar's lifeless form, he lashed out with a series of angry kicks.
"You worthless sack of filth!" he spat venomously. "You strutted around like some untouchable kingpin within the Scar Crew, puffing your chest out as if you were untouchable—and now look at you! Shot dead like a dog, unable to protect even your own stash! Pathetic! They called you Scar? Hah! You don't deserve the name; you're less than gutter trash!"
Finishing his tirade, the strategist wiped his palms against his trousers, muttering under his breath about bad luck while shaking off imaginary dirt from his hands. With no further reason to linger, he swiftly departed the scene, leaving Scar's charred remains to the mercy of the encroaching flames.
Following Scar's death, similar scenarios unfolded across various corners of the Scar Crew's territory. Confronted with danger, loyalty dissolved into chaos as each member scrambled for survival. Who among them truly cared whether the Scar Crew lived or perished? To most, membership was merely a means to scrape together enough scraps for another day.
Ironically, moments after the strategist fled Scar's quarters, others crept in, hoping to scavenge overlooked valuables. Each scavenger rifled through drawers, overturned furniture, and frantically searched every inch of the room—but none unearthed anything worthwhile. Frustration boiled over, and like the strategist before them, they vented their anger by kicking Scar's already battered corpse.
Poor Scar—once feared and revered, now reduced to a grotesque spectacle, his face swollen and distorted from repeated blows. His posthumous indignity served as a grim testament to how quickly power crumbles in the face of mortality.
But this macabre parade didn't last long. Soon enough, the relentless fire consumed the two-story villa where the Scar Crew's leader had resided. Flames licked hungrily at the walls, swallowing everything—including Scar's body—in their fiery embrace.
From a safe vantage point nearby, Chen Du and Tian Xiaoyu watched as the entire Scar Crew stronghold burned to ashes. By then, Tian Xiaoyu had shed her combat gear—a symbolic gesture of gratitude for Chen Du risking his life to save hers. The transaction between them was complete.
As the blaze illuminated the night sky, Tian Xiaoyu couldn't help but recall the ancient tale of Zhuge Liang setting fire to enemy camps during the Three Kingdoms era. The parallels were uncanny. Just then, realization struck her, and she gasped, turning to Chen Du.
"Hey, Chen Du," she said, "all those supplies belonging to the Scar Crew—they're going up in smoke right now. Isn't that such a waste?"
Chen Du, who had been observing the progress of the fire, shifted his gaze back to her and chuckled softly.
"No real loss there," he replied. "The Scar Crew is nothing more than a hollow shell. Their people are dirt poor, and all the real wealth belonged to Scar alone. I took care of him first thing, so his resources are already in my possession."
"In a way," he added with a shrug, "killing him was practically equivalent to looting the entire Scar Crew."
Tian Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at her lips.
"Oh, really? So you didn't come straight here to rescue me—you went after Scar and his loot first? How disappointing."
Chen Du knew she was teasing, but he still feigned hurt, pouting dramatically.
"I had to locate you somehow, didn't I? Killing Scar was part of finding you…"
Tian Xiaoyu snorted skeptically.
"Who would've guessed you could pull off the 'innocent puppy' act?"
"All right, all right," Chen Du laughed, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "I admit defeat. Your sarcasm gives me goosebumps."
He slapped her lightly on the shoulder, earning a startled flinch as she instinctively recoiled. Realizing his mistake, Chen Du froze awkwardly.
"Oh… sorry. Forgot you're a girl."
Changing the subject, Tian Xiaoyu tilted her head curiously.
"By the way, earlier you mentioned grabbing Scar's supplies. Did he have anything rare? As the leader of a decent-sized faction, he must've had some decent stuff, right?"
To her surprise, Chen Du shook his head dismissively.
"The Scar Crew is a classic case of glitter on the outside, rot on the inside. For a supposed top dog, Scar didn't even own any firearms. Most of what I found in his bag consisted of basic survival supplies—nothing particularly impressive."
Tian Xiaoyu blinked, momentarily at a loss for words. Was he serious? In this post-apocalyptic world, simply possessing ample food, water, and other essentials made someone wealthy. And yet, Chen Du casually dismissed Scar's hoard as trivial.
"So…" she pressed cautiously, "you said there wasn't much worth taking. Does that mean there was something valuable?"
Chen Du nodded, pulling two items from his backpack: a telescope and blueprints for constructing an underground bunker.
"To be honest, these aren't exactly game-changing treasures," he admitted. "A telescope? Who has time to stargaze these days? And as for the bunker blueprints, they seem pretty useless to me since I already have Fortress Wall and a villa. Why would anyone want to live underground like a mole?"
Tian Xiaoyu's eyes lit up at the mention of the telescope.
"Wait—did you say a telescope?" she exclaimed excitedly.
Chen Du suddenly remembered that back in university, Tian Xiaoyu had founded an astronomy club and tried recruiting him. But growing up in poverty, celestial pursuits had never interested him—it always seemed like a hobby reserved for the privileged elite. Seeing her delighted expression now, however, he smiled warmly.
"I almost forgot—you used to run that astronomy club, didn't you? If you like it, consider the telescope yours."