"Waste," an existence devoid of value—since the term was first conceived, it has been a truly derogatory label.

History is replete with those branded with this title, like the strategist Zhao Kuo who failed on paper, or Qin Er Shi Hu Hai, or Ah Dou of the Shu Kingdom; countless people have bestowed the designation of "[Waste]" upon them.

Yet, few have held the complex emotions toward the word "[Waste]" that Du Peng felt.

Once upon a time, this single word was an inescapable raw nerve in Du Peng’s life; anyone uttering it would send him into a rage. But there was one person who, day after day, year after year, kept this word constantly on his lips in Du Peng's presence.

Countless times, Du Peng had yearned to kill the brother who called him a "[Waste]," a relative with whom he shared blood but who never truly acknowledged him.

As time wore on, and the truth was gradually unearthed, revealing a picture he had never imagined, how Du Peng now longed to hear that cold, arrogant, condescending address, "[Waste]"! If only, just one more time.

Alone, Du Peng had looked up at the sky and prayed countless times: If only! Just hearing it one more time, and I would gladly die immediately! “Waste? Go die?

Du Peng’s finger twitched slightly, that simple phrase echoing in his mind. The voice seemed to travel from the Age of Chaos through the Primordial Era, drifting faintly into his ears.

The tone was so familiar, a voice he had dreamt of countless times. Utterly cold, without a shred of tenderness, yet now, knowing the truth, he could hear a profound tenderness within that chilling sound.

“Is this? Am I dreaming? Is that the voice of that bastard Du Zhanpeng?”

The voice, almost ice-cold and resolute, pierced through the heavily injured, semi-conscious cerebral cortex, reviving the brain matter and nerves that had temporarily ceased function.

The Life-Death Pill slid down Du Peng's throat into his abdomen. Du Peng’s fingers twitched violently again, the almost dormant cerebral cortex showing signs of activity once more: Was that really the voice of that bastard Du Zhanpeng? Am I hallucinating… What entered my stomach? Why does it hurt so much? Everywhere hurts? Right! I was just hit by the Night Wanderer… I’m useless! “Waste, are you dead yet? If not, open your eyes and let me see.”

That bastard Du Zhanpeng’s voice again? Du Peng’s fingers twitched a third time. Was this Qin Fen? Trying to wake me up by imitating that bastard’s voice to provoke me?

“Haven’t seen you in years, and you’ve gotten even more useless! You can’t even beat a Night Wanderer, how dare you still be alive?”

Damn it! What business is it of yours whether I live or not! Du Peng’s fingers twitched again, his body suddenly shaking violently. Why does it hurt so much? My stomach hurts fiercely! It hurts worse than the Night Wanderer’s attack! It feels like a volcano is about to erupt! Could it be… the Life-Death Pill? Have I been injured so badly that I need the Life-Death Pill… Does this mean… it failed?

So tired… I think I’ll sleep, I’m too exhausted. Qin Fen, thank you.

Thank you for letting me hear my brother’s voice one last time. Brother… I really want to say sorry to you. I really want to call you 'Brother' to your face. You always wanted to hear me say it, and I truly want to shout it out when you’re right in front of me.

But your little brother is too much of a disappointment. I took your power, inherited everything you had, and I still ended up being a waste. You were right; I truly am a piece of garbage, unable to stop even a Night Wanderer.

Forgive me, Brother… I also really wanted to hear you call me 'Little Brother'… Forgive me, Brother, I wasted your strength… I hope I can see you when I go down there and apologize to you face-to-face… One second… two seconds… three seconds… four seconds… five seconds…

Du Zhanpeng’s initial coldness vanished. The tremor in his right hand gradually spread throughout his entire body, his beautiful lips began to twitch incessantly. His icy eyes watched Du Peng’s lips in his coma slightly part and then close again—it was the lip movement for the word, "[Brother]." The Life-Death Pill—life or death decided in three seconds! Qin Fen stood frozen on the spot, his hand, which hadn't trembled even when facing six powerful masters alone, suddenly convulsed.

Five seconds… It’s been five seconds! Du Peng showed no sign of recovery; his body muscles had completely relaxed, and his rosy lips were rapidly turning pale.

Life-Death Pill… life or death—

Qin Fen stared blankly at Du Peng’s body, at the body whose temperature was beginning to drop.

The battlefield was reduced to ruins, dead silent. It seemed even the distant screams could not pierce the stillness here. A profound sense of desolation enveloped this small world.

There was no wind here, only the direct glare of the sun, yet the air felt like an ice-cold forest.

This kind of reunion between brothers… Du Zhanpeng had never imagined it. He had fantasized countless times about the surprised expression his brother would wear upon seeing him alive and standing before him after his supposed death. What would he say?

"Kid, not bad! Your Star Rank strength is much higher than I expected! Now, you might actually have a chance to achieve what you once thought you could—that is, landing a solid punch on my face. Interested in trying?"

"What? Surprised I’m alive? Who do you think I am? I am Du Zhanpeng! Your brother! I can’t possibly die before hearing you call me 'Brother' with your own mouth. Even Yama won't take me yet."

"I'm hanging out with Qin Zhan now, you know, Qin Fen’s older brother. It's quite interesting for us brothers; we've paired up perfectly with their brothers."

Of the hundreds of fantasies, this was the one scenario he never conceived! Du Zhanpeng was alive, but Du Peng was dead, unable even to open his eyes to look at the brother he had yearned for. The man was right there before him, yet he had no chance to see him.

Life-Death Pill: life or death! It seemed Lü Dongbin had used up all the good luck associated with the Life-Death Pill.

Death always descends when people are least expecting it. No one had ever thought that the outcome of Du Peng taking the Life-Death Pill would be death.

Du Zhanpeng held the convulsing Du Peng in his arms, his arms shaking nonstop. A sound started escaping his mouth without him realizing it: “Waste, you need to wake up… I said, you need to wake up. Do you hear me?”

“Du Peng… It’s me, Du Zhanpeng… Did you hear me call you? You need to wake up. You took the Life-Death Pill; you must wake up now.”

“Little Brother… It’s me… It’s your brother. Do you hear what I’m saying? You have to wake up.

“Wake up! You can’t die like this… You still have so much you haven’t done. Don’t sleep! His soft murmurs turned into furious roars: “Damn it, do you hear me? Don’t sleep! You still haven't caught up to Qin Fen’s strength! You haven't proven to the world that you haven't disgraced the power I gave you! Wake up! Do you hear me! You worthless life! Don’t people say that a wretch’s life is long? Your life is worth less than anyone else’s!”

“Du Peng! You haven’t called me Brother yet! You haven’t heard me call you Little Brother! How can you sleep? Wake up quickly! Didn't you always want to punch me in the face?”

Du Zhanpeng grabbed Du Peng’s fist and viciously struck his own face, pa-pa sounds echoing. Without his protective aura active, the force smashed the corner of his mouth, splattering blood: “Get up, hit me.”

Pa-pa… pa-pa… pa-pa… Fists slammed against Du Zhanpeng’s handsome face, which was instantly swollen high.

“Qin Fen!”

A roar, mad as a raging tiger, erupted as Du Zhanpeng leaped up from the ground. That fist landed precisely and powerfully on Qin Fen’s left cheek. The right cheek, untouched even by the six masters, was struck violently for the first time today. His body, which hadn't moved an inch, was sent flying high and crashed onto the ground.

“Do you remember what you promised me?”

Du Zhanpeng stared at Qin Fen, who was slowly climbing up from the ground with a grim expression, holding Du Peng with one arm, and rushed in front of him. His fist struck Qin Fen’s cheek again.

No blocking, no counterattack, not even using his protective aura. Qin Fen’s body floated up again and landed. Endless self-reproach crashed into his heart. If he had killed the Night Wanderer in the battle, none of this would have happened. If he had restrained the Night Wanderer when it passed by, this result wouldn't have occurred. Regardless of how Du Zhanpeng had come back to life, Du Peng had truly died under the effects of the Life-Death Pill. Yin Zhaoluo had once boasted that the Life-Death Pill was incurable!

Qin Fen slowly stood up, bracing himself on the ground, and watched as Du Zhanpeng roared and charged, punching him flying again.

“Do you remember! You promised me! You promised to take good care of him, and this is how you take care of him?

“Answer me! Is this how you take care of him?”

“Do you know, all these years, how many times I saw him struggling alone? Where were you then? Where the hell were you? Do you know how much I wanted to appear before him and tell him, ‘Kid! Your big brother is doing just fine!’?”

“But I didn’t! I endured it all! I endured it! I knew the timing wasn't right! I believed, I trusted that you could help him!”

“But look at what the hell you’ve done? Du Peng had no friends since childhood; you were his only friend! Look at what you’ve done for him! Have you fulfilled the responsibilities of a friend? Is this how you treat your friend?”

“I… I haven't had time to call him Little Brother, and I haven't heard him call me Brother! How could you let him die? How could you let him die?”

Punch… punch… punch… Du Zhanpeng’s rain-like fists landed on Qin Fen’s face. Qin Fen lay on the ground, allowing Du Zhanpeng to strike him. This surface pain was nothing compared to the pain of losing a loved one, losing a friend.

“Right, Seven Star Immortal Thunder Saint-Grade Wheel!” Du Zhanpeng had lost all semblance of the elegant noble youth; his demeanor was nearly manic. He grabbed Du Peng’s hand, slicing open Du Peng’s palm with his finger and touching his own: “Du Peng also has the Seven Star Immortal Thunder Saint-Grade Wheel! A transfer of energy… transferring the energy might help him…”

The vast surge of human aura flowed out, but Du Peng’s complexion showed no return of color.

A roar, followed by a chilling and powerful wave of sinister energy, swept over the entire battlefield, frantically assaulting the quiet grief lingering in the ruins.

Lü Dongbin’s injuries had partially healed. The Level Four Biochemical Beast regained its status, and joining He Xiangu, they jumped to Qin Fen’s side, warily watching the newly appeared monster.

This was the creature described in the Projection Afterimage! Skin like metal, shining with an indescribable luster. About two meters tall, it possessed arms and legs, standing upright and walking. Its massive feet were proportionally half again larger than a normal human’s. The 'hands' on its arms had only four fingers, and each finger gleamed with a chilling, razor-sharp edge. Red and white bloodstains dripped down from the tips of its fingers, and there were traces of blood still smeared on its lips, which its tongue licked away.

Lü Dongbin had never seen such aggressively attacking eyes—no white visible at all, like polished obsidian, containing nothing but aggression and an arrogant, condescending gaze of one playing with its prey.

It was the gaze of intelligence! A gaze filled with wisdom! Lü Dongbin shuddered. Even gorillas, whose brains closely resemble the human brain, do not possess such a look! Because this signifies true intelligence! It is the unique gaze of the intelligent species—humanity.

A tail, as thick as a normal person's lower leg, dragged behind the monster on the ground, swaying gently left and right. Its metallic-sheened skin reflected the sunlight from the sky.

The monster tilted its head slightly, looking at Du Zhanpeng not far away, then scanning Qin Fen, and then Caesar. Its lips slowly parted, uttering syllables that almost no one present could have anticipated: “Why… aren’t… you… running?”

Spoken language! Lü Dongbin felt every hair on his head stand on end! Since humanity entered the near-space age, they had seen countless mutated creatures, but never one that could speak! Or perhaps, this thing couldn't even be called a mutated creature; was it another species entirely?

“Why… didn’t I appear sooner… Why wasn’t I here earlier…” Du Zhanpeng stared only at Du Peng in his arms, seemingly oblivious to the bizarre scene, mumbling continuously: “Why? Didn’t I want to see you so much? Didn’t I want to hear you call me Brother? Does Star Rank strength really matter? Does unlocking one’s own psychological barriers truly matter? Even if you had zero Star Rank strength, you would still be my brother, Du Zhanpeng’s sibling! Why, why did I insist that you had to unlock your own barriers?”

“You…” The monster slowly raised a finger, its blade-like nail pointing at Du Zhanpeng. That sharp, sinister aura directly pierced the atmosphere of grief in the clearing: “…Are… Boss.”

Du Zhanpeng abruptly lifted his head. The sorrow in his eyes slowly shifted, transforming into a dazzling sharpness. His pale teeth were bared, emitting a chilling coldness that made scalps tingle: “Get lost! I’m in a terrible mood right now!”

“You… hunt me?” The monster pointed at itself, the corners of its lips twitching upward—an expression that looked like a smile, yet its face, smooth with almost no nose bridge, only nostrils, looked incredibly grotesque.

“Zhanpeng Ge…” “Zhanpeng Ge…” A series of Jungle Rangers appeared near the battlefield.

“Yes… I came to hunt you.” Du Zhanpeng rose slowly, still holding Du Peng in his arms: “I came to hunt the bastard who set up this trap using the so-called new energy and new metal.”