Chapter 40: Eradicate the Weeds to the Root

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Back on Blue Star, Li Chengdong had at most been involved in group fights. Although he had witnessed some bloody scenes, actually taking a life with his own hands felt completely different. At this moment, his heart was overwhelmed with mixed emotions as he looked at the injured but still living enemy, hesitating to strike.

However, he soon realized that this might be Chen Fan’s test. In this cruel world, useless people could not survive; only by proving one’s value could one persist. With this thought, Li Chengdong gritted his teeth and steeled himself, thrusting his sword toward the nearest enemy. Inwardly, he was determined to earn Chen Fan’s approval.

Zhao Gang, standing beside him, widened his eyes in shock, staring at Li Chengdong with disbelief that he dared to kill someone. “You...” he began.

Li Chengdong glanced at Zhao Gang calmly and said, “If you’re smart, you should be able to figure out why Chen Fan let us stay.”

With that, he walked straight toward the scar-faced man, his gaze now tinged with killing intent, no longer naïve as before. Zhao Gang was momentarily stunned, confused, clearly not grasping the meaning behind those words.

At that moment, the scar-faced man saw him coming and begged tearfully, “Big brother, please don’t kill me. Spare my life, and I’ll do anything for you...”

But before he could finish, Li Chengdong’s eyes turned cold. With a swift motion, his sword cut through the scar’s neck. Blood gushed out as the scar-faced man’s eyes widened in terror and unwillingness. His body weakened and slowly collapsed.

In the next instant, the scar-faced man turned into white smoke, disappearing into the air, leaving behind some food and equipment on the ground. Seeing this, the last man was filled with terror, frantically moving his body and crawling forward with great difficulty.

Li Chengdong approached step by step and ended it with a sword strike. After gathering the items, he pursued Chen Fan’s departing trail. Zhao Gang, meanwhile, stood frozen in place, still unable to recover from the shock.

Elsewhere, Chen Fan chased Gu Feng through the forest. Branches whipped against his face and body, but he was oblivious. His mind held only one thought: to capture Gu Feng and end the threat once and for all.

Gu Feng, like a lost dog, ran chaotically through the woods, his arrogant spirit long gone.

At that moment, Chen Fan drew his bow and released an arrow aimed at Gu Feng. The arrow whistled past Gu Feng’s ear, leaving a bloody scratch. Gu Feng clutched his ear in pain and whispered angrily, “Damn it!”

Chen Fan’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Let’s see where you run now!”

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As Gu Feng fled, a river appeared ahead. The water flowed slowly. His steps suddenly halted as he glanced back to see Chen Fan rapidly approaching, bow drawn again. Chen Fan released another arrow toward him.

Gu Feng’s pupils dilated. In a life-or-death moment, he decisively leapt into the river, narrowly avoiding the arrow. He taunted from the water, “Ha ha, you can’t hit me. Bye now.”

Chen Fan reached the riverbank and calmly assembled a workbench, setting it down. He then crafted a small boat on the bench. Soon, a small boat appeared in his inventory.

He placed it in the river, climbed aboard, and rowed toward Gu Feng.

Gu Feng glanced back and saw Chen Fan closing in. Struggling desperately, he swam toward the shore, almost reaching it. A smile of relief spread across his face; once ashore, escape would be easy.

But as he just stepped onto land, Chen Fan kicked him down. The diamond sword pressed coldly against Gu Feng’s neck. Gu Feng tried to rise but felt the icy blade. Despair and pleading filled his eyes.

“Brother, spare me! I’ll do anything!” he begged.

Chen Fan remained unmoved. Coldly, he said, “If you don’t eliminate the root, the grass will grow back.”

With that, the diamond sword sliced across Gu Feng’s neck, then delivered a final strike to complete the kill.

Chen Fan flicked blood off the sword. “Otherwise, it’ll just keep coming back.”

At that moment, the others arrived, out of breath, witnessing the entire killing. Shock registered on their faces as they silently admired Chen Fan’s decisive ruthlessness.

Among the crowd, some swallowed nervously, feeling Chen Fan’s actions were harsh. Others thought Chen Fan’s approach was commendable—this brutal world demanded such decisiveness.

Chen Fan gathered the items from the ground into his inventory, then took the boat back to the opposite shore.

“Chen Fan, are you okay?” Yang Keli hurried over, cheeks flushed, eyes full of concern.

“I’m fine.” Chen Fan’s gaze swept over the dozen or so people following him. A faint smile touched his lips. “Thank you all for your support.”

“Chen Fan, sir, we’d follow you through fire and water at your command!” one said.

“Boss, you’re too polite. We’re all Chinese here. In this world full of danger, we have to help each other,” another added.

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“That’s right, that’s right!”

Seeing their enthusiasm, Chen Fan raised a hand to quiet them and said, “Thanks for your hard work today. You won’t be left empty-handed.”

He then turned to Ram and Rem. “Ram, Rem, after we return, give each of them three loaves of bread and two fish.”

“Yes, Master,” they said in unison, bowing respectfully.

Hearing this, everyone’s faces lit up with joy, shouting in unison, “Chen Fan, you’re awesome!”

In truth, Chen Fan had called them here primarily to select suitable companions. In this perilous world, fighting alone was a sure path to death.

Only by forming a reliable team could they survive and carve out their own place.

Chen Fan had already identified a few individuals, but it wasn’t yet time; he needed to continue observing.

As he led the group back, Li Chengdong emerged from the woods. Seeing Chen Fan unharmed, he exhaled deeply, then respectfully said, “Chen Fan, boss, I have the three men’s belongings with me. How should I hand them over?”

Chen Fan’s eyes fell on the blood-stained iron sword in Li Chengdong’s hand, a faint smile curling his lips.

From Li Chengdong’s behavior, it was clear he had begun to meet Chen Fan’s expectations for a teammate.

Chen Fan replied calmly and unhurriedly, “No rush. We’ll talk about it when we get back.”

After everyone returned safely, Chen Fan entered the cabin with Yang Keli, Xu Xinjie, and Li Chengdong.

Meanwhile, Ram and Rem began distributing food to those who had fought.

Zhao Gang stood in the middle of the group, watching Li Chengdong enter Chen Fan’s cabin, his hands clenched into fists, eyes flickering with resentment and anger.

“Brother, it’s your turn. Don’t just stand there,” someone called out.

Startled, Zhao Gang snapped out of his daze and stammered, “Oh, oh, sorry.”