Chapter 2358

2358 - Oppression - 3

“Hmm hmm hmm hmm~~” The human child walked through the narrow alleys, barely visible among the garbage and sick animals. He himself looked like a small kitten trying to carve his way through the world.

But this kitten was carrying something large behind his back. It was a tablecloth filled with items, which he dragged behind him with great effort, yet the smile never left his face.

Especially when he saw a certain scene in the corner, “Hehe.”

Not far away, several humans were lying against the walls, their bodies emaciated and their gaunt faces showing the contours of their skulls. Their bodies did not move, and their eyes were almost devoid of any signs of life… but their smell was not that of corpses.

“…” Among those present, one had long hair and a way of dressing that indicated she was a girl, and her eyes, even if weak, suggested she was barely in her early twenties.

That girl slowly turned toward the approaching child, and then her eyes began to open wide with intensity, “Qa…run…”

“Qarun?”

“Qarun!!!”

Movement stirred within them, and life was injected into their bodies once more. Each one of them gathered every last shred of strength in their body and began to stand up; some crawled toward the child.

“Rest!” The little boy, Qarun, quickened his steps and *thump* dropped the tablecloth in front of them, spilling its contents.

“Ah, by the heavens!”

*Sniff* *Sniff*

"Ah..."

Men and women, elders and children—their eyes began to well up with tears as they saw the massive amount of food spilling out before them.

Of course, this *massive* amount of food was something a five-year-old child could carry on their back, but for them, this quantity would last another month.

"Qarun..." The girl paid no attention to the food itself; instead, she slowly reached her hand toward the child. "Are... you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." Qarun patted his frail chest. "Sorry I can't come to you every week. There are other groups that need help, as you know."

"..." The girl stepped forward a little and, *with a kiss*, placed a peck on Qarun's forehead. "If I were a bit prettier, I would have given myself to you when you grow up. But you deserve better, little Qarun."

"What are you saying?!" The child blushed, then pointed at the food. "Come on, come on, take your share before they finish everything."

"..." The girl smiled with difficulty, then went to sit with the rest.

"Hmm." Qarun waited until he was sure the mouths had started moving, then nodded, and left again through the alleys, taking a completely different route.

"Hmm?" Finally, Qarun passed by a broken mirror and stopped, looking at himself with a smile. Though he was gaunt, he was not like those others—he still appeared human, not one of the Living Dead.

Especially his long, soft hair and his eyes, which carried a blend of childlike innocence and piercing intelligence.

*Click* The next moment, Qarun pulled the knife from his pocket, grabbed his hair, and began to shave it from the roots.

*Shhhh* *Shhhh* Shaving his hair with an unsharpened knife and without any lubricant turned his head, once full of soft hair, into a fountain of blood.

Qarun did not pause for a moment, nor did he show any expression of pain until he had cut off the last strand of hair from its root. Then he wiped the blood from his small face and stared at himself for a little while longer. After that, he raised the knife and began to cut himself from above the eyebrow down to the mouth. "Ugh..."

This time, a small cry of pain escaped him.

"Hoo~" After he finished, Qarun let out a breath, then began gathering dust from the ground and pressing it onto the wounds to stem the flow of blood.

"Impressive."

"Huh?!" Qarun flinched at the sound of that unfamiliar voice. Quickly, he raised the knife and retreated two steps backward, looking toward the source of the sound. "Hmm?"

But soon, he lowered his small weapon. "You scared me, uncle." Then he looked him up and down. "You seem to be in good shape."

In front of Little Qarun stood a human man who appeared to be in his fifties. His clothes looked like those of the other humans in the city, but his body was strong and healthy, and his features...

Qarun rubbed his eye and tried to look again, but it was useless... It was completely blurred.

"I am always in good condition, my boy. No matter how much my adversaries try to mess with me." The old man approached the child and leaned toward him, "Won't you tell me why you're hurting yourself, little one?"

"..." Qarun took a step back, beginning to raise his defenses slightly against that suspicious person. "I have something I need to do. I'll be going..."

"Why not let me answer?" The old man smiled. "You're trying to change your appearance so you can revisit those restaurants, cafes, and shops again, right? That's what you always do. You go to an area in the city, carry out your operations until they recognize you, then you go to another area, and another, until you become wanted. Then you change something in your appearance, the way you speak, and your walk, and start the cycle all over again. And what helps you is that you're a child and you grow quickly."

Then he laughed, "Haha, how old are you exactly? Five years and ten months? How many times have you raided all over the city, and how many times have you succeeded? You're amazing, little one." Then he looked at him with a big smile, "Although the average energy level in this city is 5 or 6, and it's exclusive to the green Beeko race, you yourself have reached level two on your own?!"

"...Are you spying on me?!" Qarun stepped back, "I don't raid; I reclaim our rights. All we want is to live!"

"Haha, our rights? We want?" The old man laughed again, "You, a child who hasn't even turned five, have appointed yourself as the official spokesperson for humans on Planet Pont?"

"...." Qarun furrowed his brow tightly and took a step back, "Allow me to leave now. I'll go summon the leaders of the humans and come back to you."

"As if I'd believe that." The old man straightened his back, standing upright, and placed his hands behind him. "Boy, this isn't your arena, and this level doesn't suit your talents... Do you want a real opportunity?"

"An opportunity?" Qarun took another step back, "To do what exactly?"

"Since you love humanity this much." The old man smiled, "I'll give you a mission that will let you serve humanity across the entire universe."

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Present Time–

"...Why?!"

Qarun shouted loudly, then *BAM* he struck the massive table, turning it into rubble.