CHRONICLE GODSFALL

Life on the Base

There will always be a difference between 'fantasy' and 'reality'. Many people will often pursue their dreams vigorously, only to discover when they truly realize those dreams that they are not everything they dreamed of. This is because the best part of the dream all comes from the human imagination itself.

Cloudhawk now completely understood the meaning behind the words. Diggers can eat well, dress warmly, have a place to live, and not have to live in fear, right? That was what Cloudhawk once believed, but upon actually entering the outpost, he realized that diggers do not live an easier life than scavengers at all!

Every day, when they opened their eyes, they would celebrate the fact that they had survived one more night. No one slits their throats when they dream! They will begin their grueling task, with some of them assigned to act as 'partners', also known as human boxing sacks. They also have an endless supply of miscellaneous tasks to perform. Cloudhawk had to be Mantis' maid, feed Woola, repair their equipment, and also engage in other types of hard work.

One could imagine how miserable it would be to live like this!

All of the mercenaries were highly experienced experts, and under their gentle service, Cloudhawk's face became bruised and swollen constantly. Fortunately, his fairly strong recovery ability meant that as long as his injury wasn't too serious, he would be able to recover from most of his injuries after a good night's rest. Unfortunately, the next day the beating will continue.

As time went on, Cloudhawk discovered the secret about himself. His speed, agility, and control seemed to increase every day. Although the rate at which they increased was not that fast, he actually grew stronger by the day. This fact alone was enough to shock and delight Cloudhawk. This meant that the strength he absorbed was not just a recovery power. That meant that the ability ignited within him had far exceeded his expectations.and that he would not just be a useless punching bag for the rest of his life!

This transformation was most likely the result of that mysterious stone. Unfortunately, no matter what Cloudhawk tried, the stone remained a completely inert stone that did not respond to anything. Cloudhawk had no choice but to wear it once more around his neck, keeping it with him at all times in the hope that he would find a way to use the stone actively in the future.

Day after day, night after night, Cloudhawk gradually became accustomed to this difficult and exhausting life in Blackflag Outpost. And to be honest, being treated as a punching bag every day is not entirely without benefits. As the fat Slyfox said, as he repeatedly recovered from his injuries, his recovery ability also began to dramatically increase. The more beatings his body did, the harder it became.

Moreover, Cloudhawk became increasingly familiar with the techniques and tricks mercenaries used when attacking, and he could also sense that his speed and reaction time were increasing. Over the past few sessions, he had been itching to give the mercenaries a good fight. In the end, he still chose to hold back, unwilling to reveal his current abilities for no good reason.

For now, he did not want anyone to know about his secret. After all, neither Slyfox nor Mad Dog were reliable!

Being a sparring partner is just part of his life. The mercenaries were determined to squeeze every last drop of value out of him,

and as a member of the lowest-ranking Tartarus, his duties were to fetch water, carry dishes, sweep the land, wash their clothes, empty the potty, hone their weapons… he did everything.

Mantis often asked Cloudhawk to come to him and become his assistant. Initially, Cloudhawk felt this job was very uncomfortable. Now, he understood the human body like the back of his head, and was able to dissect the body and remove his internal organs with his eyes closed. What does this have to do with Woola? At first, Woola would chase after him and attempt to bite him whenever Woola saw him. Now, after feeding Woola for so long, the relationship between Cloudhawk and Woola slowly became more peaceful.

During this month, Cloudhawk slowly became a real member of this organization. The other mercenaries started to really like the boy. He was stubborn and fierce, and every day he did his job in a very sullen way, but he kept doing what he was supposed to do, and doing it well. With him around, everyone in the mercenary company can relax more than ever. Where would they find another 'slave worker' like this?

Although Cloudhawk still did not have much status in Tartarus and was not allowed to eat with the others, and even though he still had to stay outside in that small room, it was not, everyone's attitude towards him had improved markedly. They no longer treated him with the same humiliation as in the past.

Every day, Cloudhawk takes a beating from the mercenaries, holds Woola chasing him around the yard and biting him, and bears all the dirty work that has been given to him. He was someone who grew up in the ruins. Life there had given him a tenacious and unyielding spirit. He was treated in a way that was impossible for normal people to experience, and he would complain and complain about it every day.

There was only one thing he could not stand anymore. Starve! He's starving! Cloudhawk began to realize that as his body slowly grew stronger, his need for food also began to increase.

As for that stingy and damned Slyfox, he did not improve Cloudhawk's living conditions at all. The two or three slices of bread Cloudhawk gave him every day was not enough to fill his stomach; all Cloudhawk could do was occasionally tidy up some of the leftovers left behind by the other mercenaries. However, it is quite rare. Much more common is that Cloudhawk was ordered around by three captains on an empty stomach.

This kind of life lasts for a whole year. One could imagine how sour Cloudhawk felt about it all! If not for ten more years of life in the ruins that taught him tenacity and patience, Cloudhawk would have blown his gasket and left long ago!

Cloudhawk knows that he can't leave yet. Although life in Blackflag Outpost was difficult, at least it was relatively orderly and safe!

……

For once, he was quite free this afternoon. Cloudhawk's only task is to clean the Woola's cage; with the word

another, to sweep the poop Woola. While working, she pinched her nose in disdain as she said, “Can you stop defecating in the cage? That's so disgusting!”

Woola was relaxing on one side, basking in the sun. After hearing Cloudhawk dare to lecture him, Woola sat down and flexed her six limbs, then stared at the back of Cloudhawk with her red, ape-like eyes. Woola bared her teeth and growled, as if she was about to charge forward and bite down on Cloudhawk.

"Alright fine! Let's just say I didn't say anything.” Cloudhawk's butt clenched involuntarily. He was truly afraid of this grumpy creature, which had caused him pain in the past few days. Woola was actually slightly stronger in battle than most mercenaries, and was probably only the second of the three captains themselves. Although he was not so intelligent, he was easily angered. He is not someone you want to be angry with.

"You can defecate wherever you like, sir."

Woola burped, then once again lay down to enjoy the sun.

This was an indescribable form of torture. Although the scavengers were very good at enduring hunger, Cloudhawk's body slowly improved to the point where hunger was now ten times worse than before.

Cloudhawk licked his dry lips, then raised his head to stare at the clouds in the sky. His mood became complicated once again. He had risked everything to escape becoming a scavenger. Is it all for the sake of bringing water to others and cleaning up their excrement? Do these people want him to be their errand boy for the rest of his life? Was his only goal in Tartarus to be a retaliating human being?

This was a question that Cloudhawk asked himself repeatedly during this past month in Blackflag Outpost. He wanted to go on missions like other mercenaries, because those who went on missions would be able to get more food. However, all he could do was fantasize about it. In the eyes of Slyfox and the other mercenaries, he was nothing more than a useless recovery meta, right?

Cloudhawk touched his dry, dry skin. Instead of just thinking about it, he should go ahead and do something about it. He decided it was time for him to go find food. There was no way he could find anything at the mercenary base, so his only option was to try his luck elsewhere. For example, maybe he could dig up some tubers or find insects to eat. Although he would not be able to replenish himself, he could at least eliminate his hunger. If he could catch some mice, it would be better. It had been quite a while since he had eaten meat.

Cloudhawk is not a bad idea. Unfortunately, it was almost guaranteed he would fail. Blackflag Outpost had a total of twenty thousand people, and most of them were in a state that was just as bad or worse than the scavengers.

As a result, almost everything that could be eaten at the outposts had long been eaten by others. The most likely end result was that he would be exhausted looking for food, with the only reward being disappointment and even more hunger.

Cloudhawk wandered around in a somewhat confused manner, so hungry that he almost fainted. Right at this moment, the notice board in front of an inn suddenly caught his attention. It reads: “Recruiting temporary workers. During two hours of work, you can get five strands of rat jerky! ”

Cloudhawk's heart clenched violently as he stared at those twisted words. He could hardly believe what he was saying. Five strands of rat meat for just two hours of work? In comparison, the Tartarus mercenaries gave him pieces suitable for beggars!

Cloudhawk was somewhat interested, but he was also nervous. His past experiences warned him that nothing in this world was cheap. Whenever you want something, you have to pay the right price.

“Hei boy! You're right there! Yes you!" Right at this moment, a man with a stained red nose noticed Cloudhawk's interest in the sign. The man's eyes twinkled and he got up and exclaimed, "Come on!" Cloudhawk hesitated for a moment, then walked over.

“My name is Rednose. Hear about me?”

Cloudhawk shook his head.

"no? That's incredible!" The fat red-nosed man let out a happy laugh that sounded warm and friendly. “You hungry, Son?”

Cloudhawk nodded.

“Need work?”

Cloudhawk nodded again.

“Ahaha, then you came at the right time. The terms of the deal are pretty clear. You know how to read, right? Then I won't waste time repeating the terms. ” As Rednose spoke, he took out a stack of crumpled paper and placed it on the table. "Just do the fingerprints here."

Cloudhawk was so hungry that his vision became blurred. He could not clearly see all the contents on the paper, and before he could react, the red-nosed man grabbed his hand and pressed it onto the paper, leaving fingerprints behind him!

"You are now in my work, from now on!" Rednose pointed at a black man standing nearby. “Bring me in!”

Cloudhawk was completely confused. He had no idea what was going on, but the red-nosed owner looked like a pretty good man. It's only two hours of work, right? How bad is that possible? Any job is worth five pieces of rat meat!

When he entered the inn, it was like entering a completely different world. All kinds of colored light flashed before him, and hard rock music exploded everywhere along with the screams of the crowd. Everywhere here was dancing wildly, and the air around them was filled with the scent of cheap cigarettes and even cheaper liquor.

What caught Cloudhawk's attention the most was the simple, ugly-looking platform located in the center of the room.

It is a raised platform made of wood and surrounded by hemp rope. It looked like a dueling ring, and the wooden floorboard of the ring was covered in blood. Right at this moment, several half-naked women furiously rubbed the blood.

A while later, a seductive woman slowly started walking towards the platform. Calls and whistles sounded from around him, and the entire area started to become even more chaotic.

Hard rock music, alcohol, smoking, women.all of these stimulate male hormones. Cloudhawk had never been to a place like this before. Everything around him looked fresh and exciting.

He had no idea what he was going to face next.