Chapter 259: Chapter 249: Battle Over

Hulan Base was clearly different from the others Tang Mo had visited. Namely, it had no fences, high walls, or any other protective measures.

Semicircular tent-like houses of all sizes were just left exposed on the open plains.

What kind of confidence did these people have to make them think they didn’t need any defenses against mutant beast attacks?

But considering the attitude of those people toward the bear earlier, and the rules for entering this base, Tang Mo began to understand.

The people here worshiped strength above all else and were insufferably arrogant.

’We are the sole rulers of this prairie.’ They must have held such a belief to be so brazen.

The men carrying the bear went inside first. Soon after, a taller, stronger man, nearly two meters in height, walked out.

Seven or eight other men and women followed him. Every one of them was well-built; not a single person looked frail. They all appeared strong and powerful.

Yet, their faces were filled with terror, and their bodies were slightly hunched.

"So you’re the one who wants to enter the base?"

The two-meter-tall giant looked down at Tang Mo, his eyes full of contempt.

This woman was even scrawnier than the weakest people in his base. Her Strength was practically negligible.

From the other men’s words earlier, Tang Mo already knew that this arrogant man before her was Qiangba, the leader of Hulan Base.

"Defeat any one of them in a challenge, and you can live in the base.

You have two chances."

Qiangba pointed his whip at the group behind him. These were the weakest people in the base.

The weak must be challenged. They have no right to stay here.

Hulan Base does not accept the weak.

The people Qiangba had pointed to, men and women alike, all puffed out their chests and put on ferocious expressions. They hoped to appear more imposing and stronger, so the challenger before them wouldn’t choose them.

Tang Mo’s gaze swept over them. Most were women, with only a few men. They were clearly much smaller than the men from Hulan Base who had been hunting the bear.

’Qiangba is surprisingly fair,’ she thought. ’A challenger only has to fight the weakest members, and they even get two chances.’

"I choose him."

After her eyes scanned the group several times, Tang Mo finally pointed to a man.

Everyone looked at the man she had indicated. He was the most robust man in the group; a single glance was enough to tell he was the strongest among them.

"Are you sure?" Qiangba asked.

Previous challengers had always chosen the weakest person to fight.

It was an elimination of the lowest-ranked, a system that was, in its own way, fair. So, they never had any objections.

But now, this frail-looking woman had picked the one who was clearly the strongest. It left everyone confused.

"I’m sure."

Of course, Tang Mo was sure.

In truth, it made no difference to Tang Mo who she picked.

To her, everyone present—even Qiangba—was just a big brute with immense strength. None of them posed a real threat.

But for the people standing before her, her choice could be a life-altering decision.

She didn’t know what would happen to the loser of the challenge, but Tang Mo suspected it wouldn’t be anything good.

’It’s better to pick someone stronger. If he does lose, at least he’ll have some ability to protect himself.’

Tang Mo didn’t even realize it herself, but after having been to so many bases, large and small, and witnessing so much kinship, love, and friendship among real, living people and families, she had softened considerably compared to when she first returned to this apocalyptic world.

Of course, it might also be because her own power had grown. Only the strong had the luxury of mercy.

"Good! It’s him, then."

Seeing Tang Mo’s decisiveness, a look of admiration appeared in Qiangba’s eyes.

People with courage were as worthy of praise as the strong. Of course, he hoped this courage wasn’t just blind arrogance.

The chosen man clearly didn’t react at first. Although he was considered weak, he was at least the strongest among this group.

When he came out, he had thought that with several women in the group, there was no way he would be the one chosen.

But nothing was ever certain...

The man stepped out from the group. He looked Tang Mo up and down and then breathed a sigh of relief.

’Just some woman who doesn’t know her own limits.’

However, the man’s relief was short-lived. As he stepped forward, Tang Mo advanced to meet him.

The man held a long spear, the same type of weapon those other men had used to surround the black bear.

For the sake of fairness, Tang Mo drew her Wind Breaker from her back.

She could tell that Hulan Base revered strength. Only by winning a fair and decisive fight would her life here be easier.

Besides, she still hadn’t gotten a full grasp of this place.

Therefore, she wasn’t prepared to reveal her spiritual power, her trump card, so soon.

Everyone except Tang Mo knew this was a momentous battle, one that would directly determine a person’s fate.

"Let’s begin," Tang Mo said to the man.

"Then don’t blame me for what comes next!"

In a situation like this, everyone was desperate to win, fighting like their lives depended on it.

A long spear wasn’t advantageous in close combat, but the man clearly had no intention of abandoning his only weapon. He took a few steps back, then charged at Tang Mo with his spear raised.

The spear’s sharpest point was aimed right at Tang Mo’s throat.

There was no room for retreat; Qiangba’s people had already formed a tight circle around them.

Tang Mo had no intention of retreating, either. She raised her Wind Breaker. For once, she didn’t infuse it with spiritual power, nor did she use spiritual power to enhance her arms.

This time, she wanted to see if she could win this fight relying solely on her Strength Attribute and her natural physical abilities.

Unsure of her opponent’s strength, Tang Mo didn’t meet the attack head-on. Instead, she swung her blade from the side, intending to knock the spear away.

The Wind Breaker crashed against the spear, producing a sharp, ear-piercing shriek of metal on metal.

The spear was knocked aside, its trajectory altered so it missed Tang Mo. The man, however, staggered back a few steps before regaining his footing.

But the moment the first strike missed, the next one was already on its way.

The spear shifted its position, this time aiming for Tang Mo’s eyes.

After that first exchange, Tang Mo already had a measure of their respective power. Her Strength Attribute could easily overpower the man before her.

There was no need to continue the fight. Tang Mo sidestepped the attack and kicked the side of the man’s knee. As he stumbled, she landed another kick on his back.

The man had put all his force into the spear thrust and immediately fell to his knees. Before he could even think of getting up, the woman’s blade was already at his neck.

Two moves. The battle was over.

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