Chapter 2

After an unknown amount of time, the popping sounds in Saibot’s body intensified and a lot of impurities within his body flowed out of the pores of his entire body.

A spark of excitement lit up Saibot’s face. He stood and punched out, making a whooshing sound.

Due to the small size of the cave, he couldn’t test his speed well. But punching made him feel stronger all over. 

"That Loranzo guy was right." Loranzo was a boxer whom Saibot noticed during his j

Then, he rolled up his left sleeve.

When he saw a tiny black dot there, Saibot took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

“So, this is the first level of Qi Condensation!”

He remembered what Yandu said. The dot meant he was starting to use Qi. There would be more dots as he got better.

Touching the dot, Saibot felt excited about getting stronger. He looked outside, eager to try his speed at dawn.

But soon, he felt suspicious. He went closer to the entrance and listened.

It was still dark outside, but there were no strange noises.

That never happened before. Even when the sun rose, there was still the sound of rain.

“Could it be that...” Saibot wondered.

Suddenly, a bright light came through the entrance. It made him feel warm and awake.

“Sunlight...” he said quietly.

After a while, Saibot started moving the rocks blocking the entrance. As more light came in, he squeezed through.

Outside, he saw the bright sun instead of dark clouds. It felt like the world was waking up after a long sleep.

In the group, there were men and women wearing gray coats with pouches. They all had weapons and stood apart. Three had bows, and two had blades, but none turned away. One person wore boxing gloves and stood alone in the center.

"The ones we want are here," the tall, strong man with an ax said, looking at Saibot with a mean smile.

Saibot quickly looked around and saw they weren't friends but had come together. He knew they were scavengers, mean folks who came when the rain stopped. Even though it was risky, they wanted stuff from the empty city.

"Bring it on!" 

Saibot got ready to move when the big man, Captain Litcht, got closer and wanted to hurt him. Captain Litcht looked scary with his big ax.

"I won't run from you!" Saibot said firmly, even though he was scared.

When Captain Litcht threw his ax, Saibot dodged it fast. Then, he tried to hit Captain Litcht but only made a small cut on his chin.

"You think you can beat me, kid?" Captain Litcht laughed, wiping his chin.

Saibot kept going, but Captain Litcht got hurt in the foot. He tried to hit back, but Saibot hid behind something, getting ready to hit again.

"I'll get you for that, punk!" Captain Litcht yelled, mad.

In the flickering light, Saibot looked tough and mean, watching the scavengers. They didn't expect him to attack and were surprised.

"What's happening? Who's attacking us?" one of the archers asked, scared.

The three archers got ready, and Saibot looked at the old man with gloves, who seemed like their boss. The old man looked back but didn't say anything.

Just as Captain Litcht was about to attack again, the old man with gloves spoke up.

"Stop this now," the old man said firmly, tired but serious.

"Enough!"

The stern command halted the burly man's raging advance, prompting him to turn towards the speaker.

The one who spoke was none other than the old man with boxing gloves, whom Saibot had noticed earlier.

"Litcht..."

"That kid must be a survivor from the slums outside. Since fate has spared him, we shouldn't harm him. Let's move on."

"But..." Reluctance lingered in the burly man's eyes. He believed his earlier carelessness had led to this situation. If he had been serious, he was confident he could have subdued Saibot in an instant.

Just as he was about to protest, Litcht cast a calm glance in his direction.

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

The word made the big guy stop and look at the speaker. It was the old man with boxing gloves Saibot had seen earlier.

"Captain Litcht..."

"The kid's lucky to be alive. The gods spared him, so let's go."

"But..." The big guy hesitated. He thought he could've caught Saibot earlier. If he really tried, he could've gotten him.

Before he could say anything, the old man looked at him calmly. "Need me to say it again?"

The big guy struggled but eventually nodded.

As he lowered his head, he glanced at Saibot, his eyes full of anger. Then, he turned and followed the old man, limping.

Saibot sensed the anger and watched the scavengers leave.

But when they moved away, the old man stopped. He turned, looking at Saibot or maybe the fire, and spoke after a long time.

"Kid, you wanna come with me?"

Saibot was surprised by the old man's words. He said 'me' not 'us'.

So, Saibot didn't say anything. He looked at the crowd and then at the old man and the injured big guy.

After a while, Saibot looked at the old man and the big guy, a strange look in his eyes.

He stood up and walked closer to them without saying a word.

The old man smiled and kept walking. The others also looked at Saibot deeply as they left together.

And so, Saibot followed the scavengers, watching as they searched the city for valuables.

He learned that the big guy's nickname was Bam. He kept looking at Saibot, hiding his murderous intent. He was waiting for a chance to act when the old man wasn't around.

Saibot thought about this and decided to help the scavengers. He knew the city well and could help them find more stuff faster.

"That Bam is a greedy son of a bitch," Even though he was hurt and tired, he kept searching for more.

At first, it didn't seem like a big deal. But as time passed, Bam got more tired than the others.

Saibot didn't lead them to the area near the city lord's residence. He remembered how Captain Litcht helped him.