Chapter 260: Chapter 250: Natural Selection

The man’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked up at Tang Mo and the blade resting on his neck.

He realized he had lost.

In Tang Mo’s eyes, this was just a contest. Winning was enough; there was no need to deal a fatal blow and take someone’s life.

Tang Mo withdrew Wind Breaker, resheathed it on her back, and stepped aside.

The man was unharmed, but he didn’t get up. Instead, he dropped to his knees on the ground.

Like a defeated dog, he had lost his last spark of life, all his previous fighting spirit gone.

"What’s your name?"

The competition was over. Qiangba asked Tang Mo.

"Tang... Qi. My name is Tang Qi."

This place was different from the others she had been to. Tang Mo had a strange sense of foreboding, so she gave a fake name.

She hadn’t even used her spiritual power, and she certainly didn’t want anyone to know that she was the number one ranked person in all of Huaxia.

If she planted the seeds of fear and jealousy from the very beginning, her future would be filled with countless overt and covert attacks.

"Alright. Tang Qi wins this challenge. She may join Hulan Base. As for you, Dan Zong, according to the rules, you may no longer return to the base. Leave on your own."

Not being able to return to the base might not sound like much of a punishment.

But most of the people here were nomads who had grown up on the grasslands. Their homes were here, and so were their roots.

Forcing them to leave the base was equivalent to stripping them of everything and casting them into exile.

No home to return to, nowhere to belong.

They couldn’t blend into the cities, and they certainly couldn’t face the grasslands’ greatest natural predator, the bear, alone.

All that awaited them was a path to death, with no way back.

Dan Zong remained kneeling, not getting up for so long that Tang Mo thought she could faintly hear the sound of sobbing.

The row of "weaklings" that Qiangba had pulled out all hid their faces, their emotions complex.

They were relieved not to have been chosen, but they also felt a sense of shared dread for Dan Zong’s fate, knowing they could be next.

For all they knew, they could be the next one kneeling and crying there.

As Tang Mo followed Qiangba and his group of men inside, she passed Dan Zong, who was still prostrate on the ground. She saw a small, dark patch on the dirt where his tears had fallen, and then looked away.

This Hulan Base on the grasslands preserved a more primitive, natural law.

The law of the jungle, survival of the fittest—the weakest were culled and exiled, left to face an unknown fate alone.

The principle of "natural selection, survival of the fittest" was on full display here.

In some ways, it seemed the apocalypse truly intended to push humanity to this extent, and Hulan Base was a perfect example of this principle in practice.

"Once you’re in the base, you have complete freedom and can leave at any time. The base doesn’t provide food or lodging. You have to figure that out for yourself."

The men Tang Mo had first encountered never expected her to actually succeed in the challenge and earn the right to enter the base. They felt a genuine flicker of admiration that a woman could accomplish such a feat.

But a woman like her probably wouldn’t last long in the base anyway, so no one bothered to say much to Tang Mo.

Tang Mo didn’t mind. She was used to going to all sorts of different and unfamiliar places alone.

Adapting to new environments was her specialty.

Tang Mo entered the base and looked at the scattered tents. For a moment, she really didn’t know where to start.

Hulan Base was very small. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but large and small tents spaced at irregular intervals, with hardly a person in sight.

It seemed everyone usually stayed inside their tents.

Suddenly, something soft bumped against Tang Mo’s leg.

Looking down, she realized something inside the neighboring tent had been roughhousing and had bumped into her.

It didn’t feel like a child...

Tang Mo casually probed with her spiritual power, wanting to see what had bumped into her. But upon sensing what it was, her expression turned peculiar.

"Hello, excuse the intrusion."

Uninvited, Tang Mo lifted the tent flap and greeted the people inside.

"Who are you? Get out!"

An enormous man inside the tent immediately shouted when he saw a stranger enter.

The man was only in his twenties, and though his face was still a bit boyish, his height and build were even more imposing than the men Tang Mo had first seen on the grasslands.

"Duoyang, don’t be rude to our guest!"

Then, a gentle and kind voice spoke up.

Tang Mo looked over and saw a white-haired, stooped old woman sitting on a rug, smiling warmly at her.

"Hello, Grandma. I’m Tang Qi. I just arrived at the base today. I was wondering if you might have a spare room I could stay in for a while."

Tang Mo introduced herself politely.

The tents in Hulan Base were huge, with the space inside each one divided into several areas for multiple people.

"Oh, you’re looking for a place to stay. As it happens, we do have a spare room. If you don’t mind, Miss Tang Qi, you’re welcome to stay."

The old woman said with a smile.

"Grandma! Things are so chaotic now. How can we let a stranger of unknown origin stay with us!"

Hearing his grandmother give the woman permission to stay, Duoyang grew anxious.

"Why not? You just said things are chaotic. It’s getting dark soon, where is a young girl supposed to stay? *Sigh*, I know, I’m old and useless now. Duoyang doesn’t listen to his grandma anymore."

The old woman glared at her grandson, then lowered her head in self-pity, looking terribly hurt.

"Fine! If Grandma says you can stay, then you can stay."

Seeing his grandmother’s act, the young man named Duoyang didn’t say anything more to upset her. He just shot a secret glare at Tang Mo.

Tang Mo couldn’t care less. She just beamed back at Duoyang, putting on the face of a sweet, obedient girl.

"This is your room. Don’t wander around, just stay put. Otherwise, you’ll be sorry!"

Tang Mo had to wait a long time in the outer area before Duoyang finally led her to the room.

Tang Mo glanced around. The room was actually quite clean and spacious, but she could detect a faint, strange smell.

"Moved it out so quickly?" Tang Mo asked.

"What?" A flicker of panic crossed Duoyang’s eyes.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you don’t like it here and don’t want to stay, you can still leave."

Duoyang’s reaction was just as Tang Mo had expected. She wasn’t in a hurry, simply seating herself leisurely on the relatively soft pallet.

"Otherwise, you can just leave it here. I can stay with it. I’m not afraid."

Tang Mo stared directly at Duoyang.

’I came in here specifically for that thing. Hiding it away like this is no fun at all.’

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