"Get out of the way! This area belongs to us. Anyone else, get lost!"
The clash between the Nostrade Family and the Fabino underworld group had caused too much noise. Long before the smoke settled, a group of scavengers from Meteor City had already surrounded the battlefield like vultures waiting for death to finish its work.
After confirming that the Fabino group had completely withdrawn, the scavengers began to move in, swarming toward the bodies of the Nostrade members.
Clothes. Guns. Cash. Even flesh.
In Meteor City, nothing was considered worthless.
However, before anyone could step closer, a rough and loud voice rang out.
Hearing it, the scavengers instinctively stopped.
Anyone who wandered these areas knew that voice too well.
One of them stared unwillingly at the corpses, then turned and shouted back, "Uvogin! You really plan to eat all this alone?!"
Uvogin grinned, his wide mouth splitting open as a cruel light flashed in his eyes.
"Hahaha! What's wrong?" he said loudly. "Got a problem? Then come fight me. Anyone who disagrees, all of you together!"
As he spoke, Uvogin bent his knees slightly and leaned forward, his massive frame radiating killing intent as he locked eyes with the speaker.
Behind him stood two figures.
One was tall but clearly shorter than Uvogin, with samurai-style hair and a katana hanging from his waist. His right hand lightly brushed the broken edge of the sword, his eyes calm but sharp.
The other was a young girl with dark pink hair, calmly twisting thin threads around her fingers as if sewing invisible wounds.
The killing intent released by the three of them did not match their ages at all.
The air froze.
The scavenger who had spoken earlier began to sweat. Greed had clouded his judgment for a moment, making him forget who he was facing.
This was Uvogin of the Phantom Troupe.
And behind him were Nobunaga Hazama and Machi Komacine.
There was no one nearby willing to back him up.
Cursing inwardly, the scavenger slowly backed away while keeping his eyes on them. The others followed, retreating one by one.
In Meteor City, knowing when to retreat was the difference between life and death.
"Tch. Boring," Uvogin snorted, clearly disappointed.
Still, he didn't bother chasing them away. The bodies in front of him were enough to last days.
"Forget it," Nobunaga said, patting Uvogin on the shoulder. "This should keep us fed for a while."
"Hahaha! Then later you can spar with me, Nobunaga," Uvogin laughed, wrapping an arm around his neck.
"Who's scared of you?" Nobunaga replied, breaking free. "Loser buys black cake."
Machi shook her head slightly, already used to their noise, and walked toward the bodies to search for anything unusual.
"Hey, Machi, wait for us!"
Before long, the three of them finished searching the corpses. Meteor City fights were common, so the loot was usually the same.
Weapons. Clothes. Corpses.
This time was no different. Just a cell phone and a small amount of cash.
"Machi, why are you staring at that body?" Uvogin asked. "Hurry up. Let's eat. That phone can get us meat."
Uvogin and Nobunaga walked over and saw Machi standing still, staring at a white-haired boy lying among the corpses.
"He's alive," Machi said calmly.
Uvogin blinked. "Huh? Then he's lucky."
Uvogin didn't think much of it, but Nobunaga frowned.
"Something's wrong," Nobunaga said slowly. "His clothes are full of bullet holes, but his body doesn't have any wounds."
The suit was torn and soaked in blood, yet the body beneath was intact.
People from Meteor City had one rule burned into their bones.
Never touch something you don't understand.
Trash could hide treasure, but it could also hide death.
Radiation. Poison. Strange substances.
They usually wore protective gear when scavenging, but today they came unprepared due to the gang fight.
Nobunaga's survival instinct screamed danger.
"Let's go," he said, reaching for Machi.
"No," Machi replied. "My instinct says we should take him."
Her tone was firm.
Uvogin and Nobunaga stopped immediately.
Machi was only eleven years old, yet she fought alongside them for a reason.
Her stitching skills were already frightening, and her intuition had saved them countless times.
They trusted it completely.
After a moment, Uvogin nodded. "Alright. If you say so."
He picked up the white-haired boy with one hand.
Nobunaga opened his mouth as if to argue, then closed it again.
Time passed.
Rimo suddenly sat upright, gasping.
Cold sweat covered his forehead as he wiped it away with a shaking hand.
A massive set of memories had just crashed into his mind.
They belonged to a boy named Mo, a resident of Meteor City.
Like most people here, Mo had been abandoned.
No parents. No records. No real name.
From the moment he could walk, he had fought to survive.
Stealing. Robbing. Killing. Poisoning.
Anything that brought food or safety was allowed.
Over time, Mo became a known scavenger, a "hyena" among hyenas.
Eventually, the Three Elders of Meteor City noticed him and traded him to the Nostrade Family, granting him a chance to leave and gain a legal identity.
The memories were filled with blood, organs, broken bones, and hunger.
As a modern man, Rimo struggled to handle it.
His stomach churned violently.
Just as he was about to vomit, a calm but cold female voice spoke beside him.
"If you throw up," the voice said, "I'll kick you outside."