That was Tang Ling's secret.
Even his closest sister and grandmother did not know that there was a devil hiding in his heart.
As a matter of fact, Tang Ling did not know if it was right to treat the hunger that would strike him every once in a while as a real existence.
It would sound ridiculous if he said it out loud.
However, Tang Ling firmly believed that there was nothing wrong with his body. There was another existence hiding in his heart.
Tang Ling had suspected it since the first time it happened when he was 11 years old.
It was the first time he went out. He wanted to do something for his poor family, but he accidentally got lost and was surrounded by five black-toothed rats.
In the desperate situation, Tang Ling risked his life to kill a black-toothed rat, but he still failed to escape the rats' encirclement.
However, in the moment of life and death, the hunger struck for the first time.
The hunger that devoured everything was still fresh in Tang Ling's mind. It did not feel like he was hungry. Instead, it felt like there was something else in his body that was hungry and kept urging him to find food. Otherwise, he would be devoured as well.
Tang Ling was confused and frightened. He even forgot about the fear of being surrounded by the black-toothed rats.
Unfortunately, where was he supposed to find food in the desperate situation? In the midst of his escape, the immense hunger really started to devour Tang Ling. In the extreme helplessness and panic, Tang Ling fainted without realizing it.
What happened after that? It was a riddle that Tang Ling had always wanted to find out but was also deeply afraid of.
When he woke up, he realized that there were three intact black-toothed rat carcasses beside him. Other than the crushed heads, there were no other wounds.
He was inexperienced back then. Now that he thought about it, it was a fatal punch to the head, the toughest part of the body.
Out of the five black-toothed rats, he killed one and three died mysteriously.
Where was the last one?
In the next moment, Tang Ling realized in a panic that half of the rat was gnawed off in his hand.
Who did this?
Tang Ling was terrified once more, but he soon realized that there was a torn black-toothed rat skin beside him. He wiped his mouth and it was filled with blood. His mouth was still reeking of blood and the disgusting taste of the black-toothed rat meat.
It was him!
Now that he thought about it, it felt like a dream. It did not feel like it had really happened.
However, the hunger that struck him every 20 days reminded him that it was real.
Of course, Tang Ling dared not believe that he was the one who killed the black-toothed rat that day. Killing it with a single punch to the brain? Only someone who was close to a Purple Moon Warrior could do that.
What kind of mysterious person was following him?
Unfortunately, such a situation only happened once because he was able to find food in time every time he felt hungry.
"But you're getting more and more greedy." Tang Ling's slightly cold fingertips caressed his chest. The fear and doubt in his eyes were replaced by calmness.
In this era, it was a luxury to be alive.
As long as he was alive and able to support his mother-in-law and sister, he didn't have to figure everything out.
However, Tang Ling was troubled because the monster's appetite in his chest would grow every once in a while.
There was a pattern to this.
It was just like how it would usually flare up once every 20 days or so. If it didn't flare up for more than a month, then the next flare up would definitely be abnormally violent, and it would definitely require more food.
Just like this time, he ate a whole half-dried black-toothed rat meat! One thing worth noting was that dried meat had more weight than fresh meat.
He was afraid that he might not be able to find that much food in the future.
Tang Ling tore away the bite marks on the dried black-toothed rat meat and strode forward with the rat in his hand.
Nothing else mattered. The only thing that mattered was the reserved warrior assessment tomorrow.
He hoped that he could walk out of this dark underground and bring his mother-in-law and sister to live in a beautiful and safe aboveground.
**
In the Fifth Camp of Settlement No. 3 of Safety Sector No. 17.
It was where Tang Ling lived in the settlement. It was not the best place in the settlement as there were many so-called 'rooms'.
It was just a relatively wide empty space in the underground sewer. No one knew what the old civilization's goal was to leave such a place.
Therefore, the place was designated as the Fifth Camp.
The empty space was now occupied by tens of thousands of people. Therefore, this place was densely packed with all kinds of messy sheds, forming a complicated and narrow path.
The air was heavy and dirty, but it was still decent.
At least, there were no underground sewers that reeked of foul, purplish dirty water that flowed through the path.
Tang Ling shuttled through the narrow path with half a black-toothed rat in his hand. Along the way, he purposely ignored the greedy, jealous, malicious gazes, and some friendly gazes.
None of them dared to covet the resources that he traded from Quark.
"Tang Ling, not bad." A familiar voice sounded in Tang Ling's ears.
Tang Ling looked up. It was Uncle Zhang with a big beard, the man who taught him how to hunt. Tang Ling had always been grateful and respectful to him.
Tang Ling showed a smile but did not reply. He was not good with words to begin with.
Uncle Zhang did not mind either. He tapped Tang Ling's shoulder and said, "Go quickly. You've been out for three days. Your family will be worried."
Tang Ling looked at Uncle Zhang gratefully and hastened his steps.
Yes, there was only his mother-in-law and sister at home. Before he could take care of the whole family, his family relied on his mother-in-law to scavenge in the Safety Zone and search for valuable items left behind by the old civilization.
However, as time went by, how many so-called valuable items could she find?
Even so, his mother-in-law insisted on scavenging because she wanted to lighten Tang Ling's burden.
It would be great if he could be stronger. Tang Ling pursed his lips.
As for his sister, she was only five years old!
Tang Ling's heart ached and warmed when he thought of his sister.
The cute little girl did not seem to be affected by the cruelty of this era. She was so pure, innocent, and soft. Looking at her was like looking at the pure sky.
He felt sorry for her because not long after she was born, her parents passed away during a hunting trip.
As a matter of fact, San San's parents were Tang Ling's adoptive parents.
Tang Ling was adopted by them when he was four and they treated him like their own.
They were good people, but unfortunately, they were devoured by the cruelty of this era and did not receive any good results. However, Tang Ling must repay their kindness.
Unfortunately, he only remembered that he was adopted. His memories before he was four years old were blank.
But so what if he remembered? Did he have to remember the person who abandoned him? Even though there were a lot of abandoned children in this precarious era, Tang Ling still remembered the number of abandoned children.
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