After more than one and a half hours, Shen Miao finally returned, holding a dim, ancient-looking lamp in one hand while clutching a worn notebook in the other, her steps slow as if weighed down by hesitation and thought.
Li Xuan had already finished his meal long ago and was calmly waiting near the entrance, his expression indifferent, as if time itself had no meaning to him anymore in this broken world.
He had already inspected the bow and arrow earlier, recognizing it as an unranked strange artifact that merely increased accuracy for a few shots, but came with a cost of numbness, making it barely useful in real combat situations.
As Shen Miao approached, the flickering light from the lamp revealed her conflicted expression, and without saying much, she first handed him the notebook he had given earlier before reluctantly passing him the broken lamp.
"This… is a Nether Lamp," she said slowly, her voice carrying reluctance, "it can isolate human aura within a three-meter radius for thirty minutes, but it requires one hundred milliliters of fresh blood each use, and it can only be used twice a day."
Li Xuan took the lamp without hesitation, and almost instantly, detailed information about it appeared clearly in his mind as if it had always been there.
He quietly reviewed its effect and limitations, his eyes slightly narrowing when he noticed it only worked against Level 2 and below, which meant it had little use against stronger threats like the snake creature he had encountered before.
Even so, a faint smile appeared on his face, because to him, this artifact meant increased survival chances in cities filled with unknown dangers and hidden threats.
"The cost… is not a problem," he muttered inwardly, already thinking about how he could easily obtain fresh blood from enemies who dared to target him in the future.
Shen Miao hesitated for a moment before introducing herself properly, saying she was a sequencer on the Fire Mage path, and she extended her hand as a gesture of goodwill.
Li Xuan glanced at her hand but made no move to accept it, instead calmly saying, "You can call me Boss."
His tone was flat and unquestionable, as if names held no meaning to him, and indeed, he had already decided long ago that he would not reveal his identity until he had enough strength to resist curse-based abilities.
Shen Miao's hand remained suspended awkwardly in the air for a brief moment before she slowly withdrew it, forcing a small smile that barely hid her discomfort.
She then invited him to officially join the convoy, explaining that someone of his strength would naturally be given a high position and better treatment among them.
"I am not interested in joining," Li Xuan replied without hesitation, his voice cold and steady as he looked at her.
"I just want to live peacefully, and I don't like working under others or being bound by unnecessary rules," he continued, making his stance completely clear.
"I will continue paying the thirty percent supplies as before, and I will remain an ordinary member of the convoy, but if anyone tries to cause trouble for me again…"
His voice turned colder, and the air around him seemed to grow heavier.
"They will die, no matter who they are."
Shen Miao felt a chill run down her spine as she heard those words, realizing that this man was not someone who spoke casually or made empty threats.
She could only nod slightly, disappointment evident in her eyes, as she understood that he had no intention of forming alliances or building connections.
Just as she turned to leave, Li Xuan suddenly spoke again, stopping her in her tracks.
"Where are those people… and Ye Fan?" he asked calmly, though there was a faint hint of killing intent hidden beneath his tone.
Shen Miao was momentarily confused before answering, "They were expelled from the convoy and are preparing to join another group."
Hearing this, Li Xuan's lips curved into a faint smile, though there was no warmth in it.
"That makes things easier," he thought, as he no longer needed to worry about unnecessary complications or witnesses within the convoy.
He had originally planned to use them as scapegoats if needed, but now that he had Aril, a Level 2 entity, his confidence in escaping dangerous situations had increased significantly.
More importantly, he had no intention of leaving behind potential enemies who might return in the future seeking revenge or bringing stronger threats upon him.
"Forgiveness is for fools," he thought coldly, his decision already made.
After Shen Miao left, Li Xuan instructed the girls to stay inside the building and not step out under any circumstances, his tone leaving no room for argument.
The once-crowded building was now almost empty, as others had chosen to move away rather than stay near someone as dangerous and unpredictable as him.
Without wasting time, Li Xuan moved toward the southeast direction, his steps steady and purposeful as he navigated through the quiet village.
Thanks to his enhanced memory from the Sage ability, he easily located the two-story building where Ye Fan and his group had been staying.
As he entered the building, he saw around thirteen people inside, most of them injured and resting, while a few others were taking care of them.
One of them immediately shouted, "How did you enter without permission?" clearly annoyed by the intrusion.
Another person quickly recognized Li Xuan and immediately covered the speaker's mouth, whispering in fear, "Do you want to die? He's the one who beat them like this!"
The atmosphere instantly turned tense, fear spreading among the group as they realized who had just walked in.
Li Xuan did not waste time with unnecessary words, his figure suddenly appearing in front of two of them before they could react.
In a swift motion, he grabbed their necks with both hands and strangled them without hesitation, their struggles ending within seconds.
Their bodies disappeared into his space storage immediately after, leaving the others frozen in shock and terror.
Within two minutes, every single person in the building was dead, their bodies and supplies completely taken by Li Xuan as if they had never existed.
He even stored their vehicles, including one SUV and five bikes, without the slightest change in his expression.
Some people outside who witnessed this were stunned by his storage ability, while a few brave ones who entered the building later found it completely empty, causing panic and confusion to spread quickly.
Li Xuan then moved toward the house where Ye Fan was staying, his pace calm yet filled with silent killing intent.
Inside, several people were eating and chatting, unaware of the danger approaching them.
Using his ability, Li Xuan quickly located Ye Fan on the second floor and used Space Leap to move directly in front of the room.
Before anyone could react, he broke the door with a single punch and entered, startling Ye Fan awake.
"Y-you…" Ye Fan stuttered, his face turning pale as he recognized Li Xuan.
Without giving him any chance to speak further, Li Xuan grabbed his neck and lifted him into the air effortlessly.
Regret filled Ye Fan's eyes, but it was already too late, as his life ended within seconds, his body disappearing into storage like the others.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xun had been observing everything from a distance, and upon realizing what had happened, he immediately rushed toward the captain's building.
"He's killed Ye Fan… and he might come for us next!" he shouted, his voice filled with panic.
Xu Ming's expression changed drastically, and he quickly called Shen Miao, asking her what had happened earlier.
As she explained the situation, the atmosphere inside the building grew heavy with fear and tension.
At that very moment, Li Xuan walked into the building casually, as if he was merely visiting rather than confronting them.
Everyone froze, cold sweat forming on their backs as they faced the man who had just eliminated multiple people without hesitation.
"What happened was a misunderstanding," Xu Ming said cautiously, trying to calm the situation, "please let it go, they won't cause trouble again."
Li Xuan chuckled softly, his eyes cold as he replied, "If I were weak, who would have suffered? Would you have given me justice?"
He then added, "If someone attacked your wife and daughter because of a misunderstanding, would you forgive them?"
Xu Ming fell silent, unable to answer, as he already knew the truth in his heart.
After a moment, Li Xuan spoke again, "Enmity has already been formed, and I don't leave enemies alive to come back later."
Others present could not argue, as they understood that they would act the same way if they were in his position.
However, Li Xuan had not come to kill them, but to establish control and ensure his safety in the long run.
"I will give you two choices," he said calmly, his aura slowly spreading and pressing down on everyone.
"Either all of you die along with your families, or you work under me and follow my rules."
His words sent shockwaves through the room, as everyone turned pale, trembling at the weight of his decision.
"All supplies, artifacts, and resources will belong to me, and some of your family members will stay with me as hostages," he continued coldly.
Silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of heavy breathing and pounding hearts, as they struggled to decide between survival and submission.
Just as the tension reached its peak, Li Xuan suddenly sensed multiple powerful auras approaching rapidly.
A faint smile appeared on his face, as he realized that things were about to become even more interesting.