Chapter 32: The Unlucky Scavenger Squad!

The scavengers emerged from the mire, scraping the muck from their long poles onto the ground and stowing it in their backpacks.

“Boss, it looks like that kid’s about to come out. Where should we hide?” asked a scavenger with a cropped haircut.

Fu Yunsheng frowned, deep in thought. “The hills. Tell the brothers to stay alert and be ready to move and hide at any moment.”

The group scattered, each finding a spot at the edge of the hills where they could conceal themselves. Before long, Wang Chen also walked out of the mire, scraping the mud from his legs as he headed toward the hills.

The scavengers hurriedly stood up, retreating quietly and finding several large stones not far from the hillside, hiding behind them.

Wang Chen sat on the slope, took off his filthy trousers, and replaced them with a clean pair from his storage ring. He then ascended to the top of the small hill, pretending to determine his bearings.

He cast a glance at the stones not far from the hill, secretly amused, and estimated the number of pursuers based on how many could hide behind them.

Once he had a rough idea, he returned to where his discarded trousers lay, carelessly tossing some useless junk aside, and threw the remnants of the Dark Guardian nearby. Then, he set off in a direction that skirted around the mire.

The scavengers, who had been waiting in silence, emerged from behind the stones, stealthily observing. Only after seeing Wang Chen’s distant figure did they dare to move around the hill.

“Did that kid leave these?” The flat-topped scavenger picked up a pair of gloves, inspecting and trying them on. “These are still usable. That kid’s really wasteful.”

The burly bald man said, “Maybe he found something valuable in the swamp? He dropped some items, so he’s clearing space for new ones.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple. Better not touch these things,” Fu Yunsheng said, squinting his triangular eyes.

The flat-topped scavenger laughed, “Boss, it’s not that bad. These clothes and supplies are all still good. See, nothing happened when I put on these gloves.”

The other scavengers picked up items they could use, wearing and using them without incident.

Fu Yunsheng, unable to argue, turned away. “Hurry up, let’s keep chasing that kid.”

The scavenger squad—just by their name—reveals their nature. These individuals had committed various crimes in human society, or harbored secrets that prevented them from returning. Occasionally, those with lesser offenses, or clean individuals with business ties to them, would send essential supplies from the city.

Yet, it was never enough, and easy pickings weren’t available every day. Like everywhere else where resources are scarce, they treasured anything remotely useful.

Taking these decent-quality items might mean swapping out a shirt they’d worn for months without washing. They gathered the goods quickly.

What they didn’t notice was that as they picked up the clothes, colorless, odorless powder scattered and clung to their bodies.

“What’s this? Looks like a sculpture,” one scavenger remarked, discovering the Dark Guardian’s remnants.

“Yeah, but it’s broken. Maybe that kid found some ancient artifact. Might fetch a good price from a collector,” said the flat-topped scavenger.

“Sure, damaged pieces are worth less, but no harm in grabbing it,” replied another, reaching for the remnant.

A hiss sounded—the remnant abruptly released a jet of gas. The scavenger stared, puzzled, as the fragment exploded, splattering him with a foul-smelling liquid.

“Ah—what the hell is this?”

The explosion caused no real harm, but the stench left the scavenger dizzy and disoriented.

“What happened?” Fu Yunsheng hurried over at the sound. “Trouble? Is it serious?”

The flat-topped scavenger explained about the remnant. Fu Yunsheng frowned, prodding it with his knife and then touching the blade.

“This thing’s still warm. The contents probably expanded from the heat and burst. No real danger, just unbearable stench.”

“You’ll walk at the back of the group. Don’t get too close to the rest of us.”

The unlucky scavenger nodded miserably.

“Was this a trap left by that kid? But aside from the smell, it doesn’t do much. Is he warning us he’s noticed us?” Fu Yunsheng pondered, then dismissed the idea.

“There’s no timer or trigger mechanism. The timing of the explosion is random—hardly a trap.”

He tried to rationalize, “That kid probably found it, realized it was useless and smelled awful, so he tossed it aside.”

He hadn’t realized he was subconsciously dismissing anything that might hinder his pursuit.

Though his reasoning seemed sound, he overlooked the role of “luck”—which could be influenced and controlled.

The powder scattered on the clothes was, of course, the reversed Phoenix Spirit Butterfly, which would affect the luck of those it touched, plunging them into misfortune.

As for the Dark Guardian’s remnants exploding, it was due to lingering heat from the Flame Tornado. Wang Chen had placed the fragment in his storage ring, where its temperature never dropped over time, making its explosion perfectly timed—a sign the butterfly powder was working.

On the journey ahead, the scavengers would undoubtedly face more dangers brought by this ill fortune.

After a quick cleanup, the scavenger group resumed their pursuit of Wang Chen.

…

Wang Chen took the long way around, tracing nearly the entire boundary of the Dead Man’s Swamp with his footsteps. Though he avoided encounters with the Dark Guardians, the dangers along the way were far from few.

The bizarre curses lurking in every region were enough to drive ordinary adventurers to despair. Fortunately, Wang Chen possessed the reversal system, turning every curse’s effect to his advantage, so his condition only improved as he walked.

The scavengers trailing him were not so lucky. Not only did every curse work as intended, but any event with a chance of occurring inevitably happened to them.

For example, when passing through an area thick with grassy nests, they might encounter a small vicious beast—the Bucktooth Beaver. While not deadly, its bite was excruciating. Its beaver-like jaws clamped down so tightly that it took several people to pry them open.

Luckily, these creatures were extremely lethargic. Unless you were unlucky enough to meet one in a bad mood after waking, they usually ignored you.

But the scavenger squad, crossing that region, each encountered a furious Bucktooth Beaver and suffered a thorough gnawing. Even with padded trousers for protection, the pain was severe, and several bore deep wounds.