NOVEL NEXT chapter 268 - Orc Bear (Two in One)
All the slaves locked in the same room as Qin Tian were male, and at a glance, most of them were muscular or burly.
According to Poison Widow, most of these slaves would be sent to the Bloody Arena after entering the Hundred Hunt Star Pirates’ base ship, where they would fight and kill other slaves to satisfy the Xingdao (Star Pirates)’s twisted entertainment needs.
The Hundred Hunt Star Pirates revered violence and gore; they enjoyed watching slaves struggle on the brink of death—screams, broken bones, and splattering blood were the best entertainment for these thugs.
Slaves who survived would either be trained as pawns for the Xingdao (Star Pirates) or thrown into an even more brutal “Purgatory-level” arena.
Those who were crippled were directly thrown into the laboratory to serve as experimental consumables, while the bodies of those who died would be recycled and processed, their last bit of value squeezed out.
Among these slaves, there were also a few whose appearances were more outstanding, either handsome or delicate; they were meant to satisfy those Xingdao (Star Pirates) with special tastes.
However, the most eye-catching one was still the man in the corner.
This behemoth almost occupied a corner of the cargo hold, standing nearly three meters tall, making the other slaves look like children. His thick body was covered in dense brownish-black fur, and his muscled neck was almost as thick as his head. His rough face still retained human features, but his protruding brow bone and wide jaw made him look more like an upright walking beast.
What was most astonishing were his hands—his swollen, thick palms were covered in calluses, his five fingers were short, thick, and powerful, and his nails had an unnaturally sharp curve, just like a pair of real bear paws.
“Beastman.”
Qin Tian’s brow twitched slightly. Beastmen were a rare hybrid born from the union of humans and beast-folk. They were neither as wild as beast-folk nor as rational and intelligent as humans, instead existing on the fringes of both races, becoming “outcasts” that neither side wished to acknowledge.
In the eyes of beast-folk tribes, Beastmen were “inferior breeds” with impure bloodlines, lacking true wildness, and unworthy of being called warriors; while in human society, they were seen as dangerous “beasts,” and even if they did nothing, they would be met with wary and disgusted glances. Inside the room, everyone tried to stay as far away from the Beastman as possible. However, this Beastman was also very quiet, sitting alone in the corner, staring blankly at the ground, not saying a word.
The room was silent. Everyone knew their current predicament and could guess their future fate, with various emotions like pain, sorrow, despair, and numbness flickering in their eyes.
Time passed bit by bit. After an unknown period, the door suddenly opened.
At this moment, the iron door of the cargo hold was suddenly kicked open violently, and a Xingdao (Star Pirates) wearing a black hat strode in. He had a crimson mechanical eye in his left eye, a stun baton tucked into his waist, and suspicious dark red stains on the soles of his boots.
“You bastards, it’s mealtime.” He grinned menacingly, casually overturning a metal supply box. Colorful energy bars clattered onto the floor, some even rolling next to a filthy metal barrel.
“Remember, this is your entire ration for the next three days.” The Xingdao (Star Pirates) crushed a purple energy bar with the tip of his boot, and thick synthetic nutrient fluid immediately splattered onto the face of the nearest slave.
“First come, first served. Those who are late… will go hungry.”
With the dull thud of the hatch closing heavily, the cargo hold instantly erupted into chaos. Dozens of slaves pounced on the scattered energy bars like hungry wolves, the thud of fists and elbows resounding one after another. A scrawny slave had just grabbed two when he was immediately grabbed by the neck by a burly man from behind and pressed against the wall.
Qin Tian subtly shifted his feet, precisely stepping on two high-energy bars that had rolled into a corner amidst the chaos. As he bent down, he easily dodged a sneak attack elbow, and as he stood up, he tripped the attacker, sending him sprawling.
Seeing this, the attacker knew Qin Tian was a tough one and dared not provoke him, so he ran off to snatch other energy bars.
The struggle intensified, with fists meeting flesh, and some even bleeding, losing a few teeth.
At the other end of the cargo hold, the Beastman remained curled up in the corner, with two orange energy bars rolling forlornly in front of him, which no one dared to snatch. It wasn't out of kindness from the slaves, but rather that no one wanted to get close to this dangerous individual who could go berserk at any moment.
Just as the struggle was about to escalate into a fight to the death, the iron door of the cargo hold was suddenly slammed open with a deafening crash.
“Everyone, stop your damn hands!” The black-hatted Xingdao (Star Pirates) had returned, his stun baton crackling and flashing with dangerous blue light, and his mechanical eye glowed crimson in the dim cargo hold.
“Anyone who moves again, I’ll throw him into the reactor as fuel.”
The entire cargo hold instantly became eerily quiet. The slaves froze in place in various twisted postures, even their breathing becoming cautious.
A burly man with a bloody face still maintained his punching posture, but dared not even wipe the blood from his fist.
The Xingdao (Star Pirates) scanned the room with satisfaction, his gaze lingering on the Beastman in the corner for a few extra seconds.
“All of you, sit down obediently. If I hear even a peep…” He deliberately drew out his words, a cruel arc forming on his lips: “You will regret being born into this world.”
With that, he slammed the hatch shut, but this time everyone heard the sound of locking from outside—clearly, someone would be monitoring them from out there.
The slaves slowly released each other and silently retreated to their respective positions.
Those who had snatched energy bars clutched their spoils tightly, warily looking around; while those with empty hands had red eyes, staring at the food in others' hands, but dared not make another move.
In the corner, the Beastman picked up the two orange energy bars, tore open the packaging, and squeezed them directly into his mouth.
Idiot!
Seeing this, the other slaves couldn't help but think to themselves, for the next three days, everyone would have to rely on the energy bars in their hands to survive. If you eat all your energy bars now, what will you do for the next few days?
A Beastman is indeed a Beastman, truly brainless. The room returned to its previous quiet. As time passed, the slaves, tired from the day, successively fell into slumber.
“Has the Hundred Hunt Star Pirates sent the coordinates for the rendezvous point?”
“Master, I just tentatively asked, and currently, they’ve only sent a route. The exact rendezvous location is still uncertain. Oh, and Master, how’s the environment on your side? Do you want to come to my room?”
“No need. You won’t be able to sleep if you’re next to me.”
“Hehe, is it because a beautiful woman is by your side, and you’re too excited to sleep?”
“You’re thinking too much. It’s mainly because you snore, and your snoring is louder than my grandfather’s.”
“I! Do! Not! Snore! (Angrily)”
“Call ended. Hanging up.”
Qin Tian opened his eyes and chuckled.
This woman, her wicked heart is still alive. “Grumble—”
A rumbling sound like muffled thunder suddenly exploded in the cargo hold, causing several nearby slaves to involuntarily shrink their necks. Qin Tian looked in the direction of the sound, only to see the Beastman Moro painfully curling his three-meter-tall body, his thick bear paws pressing firmly against his abdomen.
“Grumble…”
“Grumble—”
One after another, the rumbling sounds grew louder, creating an eerie echo within the metal cabin walls. An unnatural flush appeared on the Beastman’s rugged face, and large beads of sweat rolled down his thick fur. He lowered his head in embarrassment, yet he couldn’t control the protesting sounds emanating from his body.
That hungry?
Qin Tian raised an eyebrow slightly. He had checked the energy bars distributed by the Xingdao (Star Pirates); one bar contained 10,000 calories, enough for an ordinary adult male to sustain himself for two to three days. Even with the Beastman’s massive body, two bars should have lasted for more than half a day.
But now… less than three hours had passed since the food was distributed.
The giant in the corner was already curled up from hunger, his eyes fixed on the unfinished energy bars in the other slaves’ hands, a suppressed gulping sound coming from his throat, scaring those people into quickly gripping their own energy bars tighter.
This metabolic rate…
Qin Tian thoughtfully rubbed the energy bar in his hand. To consume such a large amount of heat without moving for several hours, it seemed this Beastman’s physical structure was far more special than it appeared on the surface.
Crack—Qin Tian suddenly stood up and walked towards the Beastman amidst the astonished gazes of the others. He casually tossed two energy bars, which arced through the air and landed steadily in the Beastman’s broad, thick palms.
“Take them.”
The entire cargo hold instantly became eerily quiet.
The slaves widened their eyes, staring at Qin Tian as if he were insane—in this dog-eat-dog cage, someone was actually giving life-saving food to the most dangerous monster?
The Beastman slowly raised his head, his thick fingers carefully pinching the two energy bars, as if afraid of crushing them accidentally. His yellowish beast eyes trembled slightly, as if trying to deeply imprint Qin Tian’s face onto his retina.
“Tha… Thank you.” The voice sounded as if it was squeezed from deep within his chest, with a rough, sandpaper-like quality.
“Don’t misunderstand.” Qin Tian waved his hand indifferently, “Your stomach is too noisy, it’s disturbing my sleep.”
The Beastman paused, then suddenly grinned, a smile that, despite its intent, appeared somewhat clumsy on his furry face:
“Bear… I’m called Bear.”
Indeed.
Qin Tian glanced at the paw pads on his palms and the abundant fur all over his body—this naming was so simple and crude it was amusing.
As he returned to the corner, countless gazes felt like daggers in his back.
There was the mockery of seeing a fool, the schadenfreude of waiting to see him starve to death, and a hint of incomprehensible scrutiny.
Qin Tian ignored these gazes, casually leaning back against the cabin wall.
“Gulp—”
A clear swallowing sound came from behind him. Bear devoured the energy bars ravenously, not even bothering to completely tear off the packaging, his Adam’s apple bobbing violently. As the last bit of synthetic nutrient slipped into his stomach, the annoying rumbling in his abdomen finally ceased.
When Qin Tian inadvertently looked back, his gaze met Bear’s.
Unspeakable emotions surged in those beast eyes, like a warm current suddenly flowing beneath a frozen lake.
The Beastman clumsily nodded, wiped the corner of his mouth with his furry hand, and a smile reappeared on his face.
A few hours later, “Grumble—”
“Grumble—”
Bear's stomach, like an alarm clock, rumbled on time, waking those who were sleeping with its muffled thunder-like growls. They looked at Bear with eyes full of anger.
Damn it, is this never-ending?!
Qin Tian helplessly rubbed his forehead. Indeed, two energy bars could only sustain him for a short while; this guy’s body was simply a bottomless pit.
He truly didn’t know how his father or mother managed to raise him to be so big.
“Poison Widow.”
Qin Tian communicated with Poison Widow using the Soul Imprint.
“What is it, Master?”
A lazy voice came from his mind, as if she hadn’t fully woken up yet.
“I’m coming to your room for a bit.”
“Really, Master? Have you come around?”
“Come around about what? Don’t misuse words.”
Qin Tian glanced at the Beastman next to him, who was curled up from hunger, his eyes starting to turn red, and said:
“Forget it, no time. Send someone to bring some things to my room.”
“What things?”
“High-energy energy bars, compressed biscuits, a lot of them.”
“Why do you need to prepare these? Are you hungry, Master? Come to my room, I can personally cook a big meal for you.”
“It’s not for me, but for a Beastman next to me.”
—“Oh, so my position in your heart isn’t even as good as a Beastman you just met.”
“Stop talking nonsense, go do it quickly.”
Just as Bear’s breathing grew heavier and heavier, and dangerous bloodshot veins began to appear in his beast eyes, the metal door of the cargo hold suddenly emitted a “click” of unlocking.
The heavy hatch slowly slid open, and a man in a Xingdao (Star Pirates) uniform pushed a cart laden with supplies into the room.
His gaze quickly swept through the crowd, and at the moment his eyes met Qin Tian’s, his gaze flickered almost imperceptibly—this was precisely the Xingdao (Star Pirates) who had been implanted with the Soul Imprint.
“This is extra for you all. Take it and eat.”
He dumped the entire box of supplies out.
Whoosh—hundreds of energy bars rained down, and compressed biscuits and high-energy nutrient solutions in various colored packaging rolled across the metal floor. But before anyone else could react, a massive brownish-black figure shot out like a cannonball.
“Roar—!”
Bear let out a nearly bestial roar, his three-meter-tall body displaying astonishing agility. Like a true brown bear pouncing on a school of fish, he plunged into the pile of supplies, spreading his thick arms to their limit, raking handfuls of energy bars into his embrace.
His sharp nails accidentally ripped open a few packages, and sticky nutrient fluid stained his fur, but he seemed completely oblivious.
The other slaves instinctively retreated a few steps.
At this moment, the Beastman had completely entered a food-guarding state, fangs bared, emitting a low warning growl from his throat.
No one dared to step forward at this time—a hungry, desperate beast was ten times more dangerous than usual.
Bear impatiently tore open the packaging, his sharp nails easily slicing through the tough composite film. He stuffed entire handfuls of energy bars directly into his mouth, his canines easily crushing the solid nutrient blocks, making a crisp “crunch, crunch” sound.
Sticky energy gel oozed from the corners of his mouth, which he quickly licked clean with his tongue.
As a large amount of high-energy substance entered his stomach, his emotions gradually stabilized. When the last compressed biscuit was crushed and swallowed by his bear paw, those bloodshot beast eyes finally regained clarity.
“Burp—!”
A satisfied burp echoed in the cargo hold.
Bear awkwardly covered his mouth, cautiously glancing around. Seeing that no one dared to mock him, he slowly retreated to the corner, curling up like a well-fed great bear.
He wiped his mouth with his furry hand, not even forgetting to gather the scattered packaging papers into a pile—this docile appearance was a stark contrast to the ferocious beast guarding its food just moments before.
Everyone noticed that when this three-meter-tall cannibal retreated to the corner, he deliberately stopped at a position closer to Qin Tian.