Chapter 46 We're still friends, right?

The night was steeped in silence. A silence so heavy it felt suffocating. There was only the occasional whisper of the wind rustling through the trees. Despite the dense vegetation surrounding the area, there were no sounds of insects and no distant howls of beasts. As if the entire world had been switched to "mute." Darkness stretched endlessly, enveloping everything, making the cold night even more eerie and oppressive. Fortunately, Noan still had some wood left in his territory, allowing him to start a small fire for light. BAM! BAM! BAM! Shattering the fragile stillness like a discordant note in a perfect symphony, suddenly, sharp knocks echoed through the night. Noan frowned and turned toward the door. He stood up, moving toward the entrance, deliberately taking his time, unwilling to open it too soon. BAM! BAM! BAM! "I know you're in there! Open the damn door!" A familiar voice rang out—not exactly familiar, but recognizable enough for Noan to remember. Yes, it was the voice of one of Hawke's subordinates. Noan didn't know what was happening but raised his hand, signaling Skeleton Shielder to stay hidden—but not too far. If anything unexpected happened, or if he sensed danger, Skeleton Shielder would strike immediately. Noan had no interest in unnecessary conflicts, but if these people insisted on stirring trouble, he wouldn't hesitate to fight back. He unlatched the door and pulled it open. Standing outside were Hawke, two of his subordinates, and another young man held firmly in their grip. Noan's brows furrowed. "Caleb?" he murmured. Caleb's face lit up with fear and desperate relief when he saw Noan. "Noan, help me!" Noan's eyes flicked to Hawke, and instantly, he understood the situation. But he maintained his act, feigning confusion. "What do you want?" he asked flatly. Hawke casually shoved his hands into his pockets, a smirk of utter disdain curling his lips as he gazed at Noan. "Hahaha... I'm feeling a little hungry." "How about you lend me some of those fancy Nutrient Pills?" "Don't worry. I'll pay you back later." As soon as Hawke spoke, his two subordinates chuckled, their expressions a mix of mockery and amusement. Noan's expression remained neutral. When he opened the door and saw Caleb being restrained, he had already guessed that his possession of Nutrient Pills had been exposed. After all, no one was supposed to be able to bring any resources into the Chaos Zone. Not food. Not water. Hawke frowned. Suddenly, he swung his fist, landing a punch right into Noan's stomach. Thud! "Ack!" Noan clutched his stomach, falling to his knees, his face contorted in pain. "Your attitude is pissing me off," Hawke sneered as he raised his foot and stomped on Noan's head, pressing his face into the dirt. A bit of dust and sand slipped into Noan's mouth. "Be more sincere. I'm not some beggar!" Hearing Hawke's words, Noan clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Angry?" Hawke let out a loud laugh. "Hahahaha... then hit me!" "What's wrong? Can't do it?" "Hahaha..." Hawke's two subordinates standing behind him also burst into laughter. "This kid is such a coward!" "Yeah, getting humiliated like this and not daring to fight back." "He doesn't even dare to say a word. Looks like he's dumber than I thought, hahaha..." Hawke scoffed, his hands tightening into fists as he anticipated Noan's retaliation. If Noan dared to fight back, Hawke would immediately turn him into a punching bag. However, contrary to what Hawke expected, Noan slowly relaxed his hands and softly said, "Please, take this." Hawke was momentarily surprised, but then he erupted into laughter. "Hahahaha... hahahaha..." His laughter was filled with ridicule and arrogance. "Son of a bitch! Hahahaha... this bastard is obedient. Hahahaha..." "Alright then, since you're so sincere, I'll take it." Still chuckling, Hawke wiped away tears from laughing too much as he reached out and grabbed the bag of nutrient medicine from Noan's hands. "Remember this..." Hawke continued, "You begged me to take it, not the other way around. Understand?" "I understand!" Noan responded, his voice trembling slightly. Zhisse, in the dark, saw this scene with such a huge fear that it was invisible, touching Noan's finger. Noan immediately realized what Zhisse wanted to do. He hurriedly grabbed me, softly saying, "I'm fine, don't worry." "In the future, he'll get back a hundred times what he did today." Hawke smirked, feeling a strange pleasure, an urge to torment Noan even further. However, a hand suddenly gripped his shoulder. He frowned and turned around, only to meet Caleb's gaze. Caleb looked at him and shook his head slightly. Seeing Caleb's gesture, Hawke knew he couldn't continue. Otherwise... Caleb would be angry. "Tsk! You got lucky, but don't think you'll have peace in the next few days, hahahahaha." Hawke left, taking the Rock Rhino and his two subordinates with him. At that moment, Caleb's expression shifted to worry and fear. He hurried to Noan's side, his voice filled with guilt and self-reproach. "I'm sorry, Noan. I am. I... I had to say it because if I didn't, they would've killed me." "I was just trying to save myself. But you're also at fault—you had the nutrient medicine, yet you let it be discovered so easily. You can't blame me." "But don't worry, Hawke said that if you gave him the all-purpose food, he wouldn't bully either of us anymore." "Noan, we're still friends, right?"