Chapter 199: 199, Jiang Wu! Transcendent!

At this moment, the refugees who had gone two days without food acted as though possessed, hearing the word "food" and rushing toward Jiang Wu and the others like madmen.

Before, everyone had noticed this group—Jiang Wu and Ren Xiaosu’s team seemed to get along, yet there was always some distance between them, wasn’t there? Even their meals were eaten separately.

But they didn’t understand; it was only that Jiang Wu wished to stand on her own, not become a burden to Ren Xiaosu and the others.

When the crowd surged toward Jiang Wu, Chen Wudi had already leaped ahead, for the task his master had entrusted him with—he would guard the camp even against ten thousand troops!

To Chen Wudi at this moment, those refugees were no longer human, but a surging tide of demons.

In his sight, every face in the crowd turned to black smoke, their limbs morphing into claws and fangs.

Yet… before Chen Wudi could reach Jiang Wu, he saw her raise her gun resolutely and fire into the crowd.

Those who charged her wore expressions of shock; some fell, struck down in an instant, their faces frozen in disbelief.

The dead’s blood spurted backward from their wounds, staining Jiang Wu’s pale cheeks a deep crimson.

Still, the students watching weren’t truly afraid—instead, they found the faint bloodstains as delicate as plum blossoms in snow.

The crowd recoiled again at the gunfire, while Jiang Wu stood trembling, gun still raised, as though dazed.

Ren Xiaosu, watching from the side, thought, *This world has driven even someone as kind as Jiang Wu to kill.*

Xiaoyu approached, gently taking the gun from Jiang Wu’s hand. Only then did Jiang Wu regain her senses, and Xiaoyu comforted her: “It’s alright, it’s alright.”

Ren Xiaosu asked, “Are you afraid?”

In the ice and snow, the flickering orange-red bonfire cast a soft glow on Jiang Wu’s face. Her eyes red-rimmed, she turned to Ren Xiaosu and said, “If I don’t descend into hell, who will?”

At that moment, Ren Xiaosu suddenly noticed all the bloodstains on Jiang Wu’s body converging toward Xiaoyu’s hand, forming a blood-red plum blossom.

A single plum branch bore only one flower, its petals sharp as blades.

Then the blossom scattered, its five petals swirling around Jiang Wu, as if shielding her.

A faint breeze stirred around her, and her soft hair seemed to come alive.

Lost in thought, Ren Xiaosu hurled a dry twig toward Jiang Wu—yet the petals, as though sentient, crushed it to splinters.

Now it was Ren Xiaosu’s turn to be stunned; never had he imagined that after that shot, Jiang Wu would become a new transcendent.

The students gathered eagerly around Jiang Wu, and as they drew near, the petals returned to the branch, as if in bud once more.

“Teacher, you’ve become a transcendent too,” they exclaimed joyfully.

At that moment, Wang Fugui drew his gun—this was the one Ren Xiaosu had given him long ago. He stared at the weapon, then at the fleeing crowd, torn by inner conflict…

Ren Xiaosu snapped, “It has nothing to do with guns or killing—it’s purely the result of spiritual willpower elevated.”

“Can I elevate mine too?” Wang Fugui asked eagerly, eyeing Wang Dalong, who constantly doubted his own bloodline. He too longed to prove himself.

Ren Xiaosu chuckled, “Don’t dwell on such nonsense. Not everyone can become a transcendent, and even if you don’t, you can still live well.”

By now, the refugee crowd had fled far away, afraid that Ren Xiaosu might demand further reckoning. Only then did they realize that the moral coercion and public pressure that once worked within the Barrier no longer held sway here.

This was the wasteland, not the Barrier.

Before, they had believed that sheer numbers and audacity would always yield results.

Before, they thought standing on moral high ground meant others must submit.

But the wasteland was different—Ren Xiaosu’s gunfire had shown them they were wrong.

Since everyone was awake now, Ren Xiaosu simply slit open the rabbit and roasted it, letting them taste meat for once.

Earlier, after entering the Barrier, Xiaoyu had discovered that meat there was exorbitantly expensive—even synthesized protein cost a fortune.

So in the Barrier, they had eaten meat sparingly.

Now, on the wasteland, with Ren Xiaosu’s hunting skills, he could easily catch more beasts to make up for their earlier deprivation.

In earlier years, though Ren Xiaosu hunted, his physical limits restricted his prey. Now, he no longer needed to aim only for sparrows.

The plump rabbit, fat with meat, was skewered over the fire. Ren Xiaosu retrieved honey from his storage space, slicing gaps into the meat. Soon, droplets of fat dripped into the bonfire.

The students on the other side drooled so much their mouths nearly watered, but Ren Xiaosu didn’t tell them to eat, so they could only watch obediently.

During their flight, Jiang Wu had repeatedly urged them: rely on yourselves, don’t depend on others’ help.

Suddenly, Ren Xiaosu laughed, “Come eat too.”

The students looked to Jiang Wu eagerly: “May we, teacher?”

Jiang Wu smiled and nodded: “Go on, remember to say thank you.”

With just that bit of roasted meat, Ren Xiaosu earned over forty gratitude tokens in moments—some students blurted out thanks repeatedly, each time sincere.

Ren Xiaosu mused, *These well-educated students are too polite.* “Haha, eat more, eat more!”

The group gathered around the bonfire, and Ren Xiaosu watched the students sit cross-legged nearby, swallowing their saliva.

He saw the surface meat had browned, so he sliced off a small piece to share. The students politely yielded to one another, each taking only a sliver before passing it on.

Truly, Ren Xiaosu thought, *Jiang Wu has raised them well.*

The aroma drifted toward the refugees, who sat dazed in the snow, able only to smell it.

They had never considered that if united, hunting wild goats, chickens, or ducks would be no problem—these wasteland creatures, freed from human control, had multiplied wildly.

But they had never thought to strive for anything through their own efforts.

As the students ate, one suddenly said to Ren Xiaosu, “Could you teach us to hunt, or use guns? We want to secure food ourselves—and protect you in the future.”