Chapter 125 Ambush

Chapter 125: Chapter 124: Ambush

West of Biyun Resort, amid a vast expanse of ruins.

Old Xie put down his Iron Axe, which was stained with foul blood, and panted heavily. "Thanks to Yu’s scouting, we’ve had quite a haul today. These Black Snake Monsters are significantly larger than the other Black Snakes, and they provide plenty of Energy. I feel like my strength has grown a bit more."

"Not bad, Yu. Hanging out with Mr. Han for a few days has really boosted your skills," a companion praised, patting Yu on the shoulder.

"Haha, not at all." Being praised by the group, Yu scratched his head, feeling a bit shy.

Han Ning hadn’t organized a hunting trip today, so Yu joined Vice President Xie’s team instead. With his high speed, he was responsible for gathering information on surrounding monsters and helping his teammates pinpoint their locations.

The group had just finished a small-scale hunt and was heading back along the ruins of a half-submerged commercial street. The water level here had risen a bit more compared to the previous few days, with a massive amount of garbage floating on the surface.

"Old Xie, tell the chairman later to extend our hunting time next time. The sun hasn’t even set yet, and we already have to go back," a younger team member said, glancing at the sky, clearly wanting more action.

"Chairman Wu is just being cautious. You have to understand that risk and opportunity go hand in hand," Old Xie replied, shaking his head in disagreement.

As soon as he spoke, a shrill, mournful wail suddenly echoed from a fork in the road not far ahead.

"Ah!"

The scream was heart-rending and filled with agony, sounding especially piercing against the monotonous backdrop of the rain.

"That voice sounds a bit familiar. Could it be someone from the association?" one of them asked, furrowing his brow.

"Quick, let’s go check it out!" Old Xie decided promptly. He hefted his Iron Axe and sprinted toward the source of the sound.

The three team members immediately followed close behind. Following the sound, they rushed into an alleyway lined with piles of rubble on both sides.

Deep within the alley, in a slightly more open area of water, floated a twisted and deformed wooden door. A figure lay sprawled on top of it. His abdomen had been pierced by a rust-mottled, thumb-thick piece of rebar. The other end of the steel bar was driven deep into the floating door, pinning him entirely to the wood and rendering him immobile. Blood continuously gushed from the wound, dyeing a large patch of the surrounding water red.

"Old Ma?!" Seeing the man, Old Xie cried out in shock and prepared to rush forward to help.

"Don’t... don’t come over! Stay away!" The Awakened who was impaled by the rebar struggled to lift his head, revealing a hideous face covered in dark, throbbing veins. Seeing Old Xie in the distance, he roared, "Run! It’s a... a trap!"

A sudden change occurred.

"HISS!"

An ear-piercing screech suddenly exploded through the air. From the building ruins on one side of the alley, a Black Snake Monster nearly six meters long lunged out.

At the same time, from the shadows of the ruins on both sides and from beneath the murky water, a dense swarm of Black Snakes surged forth. Three of the Black Snakes tossed three mangled, unrecognizable corpses onto the surface of the water. Each serpent stared fixedly at Old Xie and his group with cold, vertical pupils.

"Fuck! These Black Snake Monsters can actually set traps!"

Old Xie instantly realized what had happened. But it was already too late. He and his companions had been entirely distracted by their critically injured, dying comrade. Restricted by the narrow terrain, they were completely exposed within the monsters’ encirclement.

The space was too small to dodge in time. Old Xie was struck in the waist by a massive snake tail.

An irresistible, overwhelming force smashed into him, and he clearly heard the sound of his ribs snapping. He was sent flying backward, slamming heavily into the broken walls and rubble behind him.

"Ugh..." The intense pain made his vision go dark. He spat out a large mouthful of blood, feeling as though his entire skeletal frame was about to fall apart.

Through his blurry vision, he saw a young team member pierce a Black Snake Monster’s head with a piece of rebar, only to be viciously bitten on the arm by another Black Snake Monster lunging from the side. The young man was dragged to the ground and drowned in the biting frenzy of the snake swarm.

"No!" The remaining team member glared with eyes nearly bursting from his sockets. He tried to rush over, but was quickly surrounded by even more Black Snake Monsters, leaving him to watch in despair as his companion was torn apart amidst agonizing wails.

"Run! Quick... run, go deliver the message..." Old Xie used the last of his strength to shout at Yu and the other survivor.

The gigantic Snake Monster had already slithered right in front of him. Its massive jaws snapped open, mere inches away!

Old Xie’s pupils contracted. The muscles on the surface of his body bulged and knotted as if inflated, with blue veins popping out. His skin flushed with an unnatural scarlet hue. He raised his fist and punched the Black Snake squarely on the head.

A sickeningly heavy thud echoed.

The gigantic Snake Monster’s head was actually smashed fiercely to the side by this berserk strike, causing it to stagger back into the water.

"Yu, go quickly! Head back and deliver the message!" Old Xie roared. With his muscle-knotted arm that had expanded several times its normal size, he directly grabbed a Black Snake Monster lunging at his flank and clenched his fingers.

SQUELCH.

Flesh and bone were forcibly crushed to a pulp.

At this moment, Old Xie was like a demon god, rampaging wildly through the narrow space and frantically intercepting the snake swarm lunging toward Yu and the other team member. His own flesh and blood were disappearing at a visible rate.

The sharp claws of a Black Snake Monster viciously tore open his back, taking a large chunk of flesh with it, but he acted as if he hadn’t noticed. With a backhand punch, he smashed the Snake Monster’s head into a mushy pulp.

"Brother Xie!" Yu cried out, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked at Old Xie’s nearly distorted, burning body and his instantly mangled back!

"Run!"

Old Xie could feel his strength draining rapidly. His eyes had turned entirely crimson due to the extreme strain on his burning muscles.

The only remaining team member was also resisting desperately, but he was already severely injured. He roared, "Yu, listen to Old Xie!"

Yu’s heart felt as though it was being twisted by a knife. He knew they were trading their lives for time. Staying behind would only make his companions’ sacrifices meaningless.

Blinking back tears, he stepped onto the debris floating on the water. Leaving behind a distorted afterimage in the gaps between the chaotic snake swarm, he fled frantically toward the alleyway they had come from.

"You beasts, stay the fuck here!" Old Xie bellowed furiously. His body, pushed past its limits, resembled a furnace about to explode as he punched away a Black Snake that was right in front of him.

...

In a commercial district office building.

Chairman Wu paced around the conference room with a deep frown, a growing sense of unease weighing on him. "It’s about to get dark. Why haven’t Old Xie and the others returned yet? Didn’t I tell them to head back to base an hour early every day?"

Just then, the main doors were violently shoved open. A blood-soaked Yu stumbled into the office area, his face frighteningly pale.

"Chairman Wu!" Yu’s voice carried an uncontrollable sob. "We were ambushed by a Black Snake Swarm...

"Brother Xie, along with Brother Chen and Brother Xu, are still fighting the snake swarm to cover my escape. Everyone, please go help them!

"Those Snake Monsters are incredibly strong. Try to send as many people as possible."

"What did you say?!" Chairman Wu’s expression instantly turned grim. He ordered in a deep voice, "Old Zhao, Long, gather the brothers. We’re going to rescue Old Xie."

"Understood!" The others nodded in agreement, preparing to charge out without even bothering to pack their gear.

"Forget it, I’ll go too," Chairman Wu added, gritting his teeth and following them.

"Chairman Wu, calm down."

Han Ning’s voice suddenly rang out from the next room. He walked up to the crowd, cradling two large flowerpots in his arms.

"I’ll go with you."

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[Author’s Note: Chapter 123 went under review. I have no idea what sensitive words were triggered, sweat.]