Chapter 227 Kristen’s Blood Power


    "Oh? With that mysterious look, you are making me curious. Tell me the details of the mission," Ricky


    asked, his eyes lighting up.


    "There is an area called the ck Marsh. A gang named the Rats has recently appeared and is


    growing rapidly. It''s likely, warriors who go to the ck Marsh for toughening and improvement would


    be their targets. Going by their aggressive activities, they would fancy taking over the area, and they


    would kill with abandon anyone who ventures into their territory. Besides, the mob also preys upon


    organizations and ransack their treasures, resources - whatever they have," Kristen started to


    borate the mission.


    "A few groups of warriors havebined force and gone to the Sky Manor, requesting for the


    destruction of this mob and hoping the Sky Manor would help. Our Chief was d to ept their


    request. Now the second phase of the n has been assigned to Tyson and me. The purpose of the


    mission is to exterminate the Rats within half a month.


    Now that you are a member of this team, the task ahead lies on our shoulders. Of course, this is a


    rewarding mission. The bonus is one-tenth of the treasures of the mob, and each of us will receive two


    thousand gold coins from the Chief!" Her excitement was palpable as she spoke of the reward part.


    "You said that this gang killed lots of warriors and robbed quite a few many organizations of their


    resources. Oh, there must be tons of treasures in their hands. One-tenth of the treasures, and two


    thousand gold coins… Hmmm, that''s quite a generous offer! I''m in, guys!" Ricky replied, doing a quick


    math of the benefits in his head.


    If the Rats was some kind of righteous faction, probably Ricky would think twice about the offer. But


    after hearing what they had done, he inferred that it was a wicked gang of robbers. In that case, he


    would show no mercy. Besides, the task was a great deal. He could not only improve his skills by


    fighting against them, but also harvest a great deal of wealth.


    "You are right, buddy! They have amassed quite a fortune! You know what? Even if the Chief would


    only give us one-tenth of those treasures without the gold coins, I''d still dly join this mission!"


    Tyson was itching to have a go.


    "That''s cool! So do you have any idea about the gang''s strength? Like how many people they have?"


    asked Ricky with a serious look.


    "Sure. Our men have already dug out some crucial information about the group. The leader is a guy at


    the sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement, and has two assistants to deputize him. One is at the fifth


    grade of Bone Reinforcement, while the other is at the fourth grade. We take down the three guys, we


    take down the Rats. We have three, and they have three; perfect matches! What''s your thought?"


    Kristen exined in details.


    "So I''m going to deal with the one at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement, right?" Ricky inquired,


    delighted at the prospect. "Hope he is strong enough and won''t disappoint me!"


    "I''m d to hear such confident words, Russell! I know you must be eager for a fighting chance against


    a strong, established warrior to reinforce your skill! I can assure you that this particr deputy at the


    fourth grade would not disappoint you. As far as I know, he is stronger than Rupert, the man you


    defeated in the Water Fire City," said Tyson, beaming a delighted smile.


    "If you are disappointed at him and feel that he''s not enough of a challenge to improve your skills, then


    my opponent, the deputy leader at the fifth grade, is yours!" he promised.


    "You can also choose to fight against the ultimate opponent, the leader at the sixth grade!" Kristen


    chimed in withughter.


    "Thank you for your offer. Let me deal with the guy at the fourth grade as scheduled. I won''t feel


    disappointed whether he is strong or not. Both of you are so kind to me!" Ricky replied, feeling touched


    by their generous offers. He understood how precious the chance was for a warrior to fight against


    someone at the equivalent level, yet they still made such a selfless offer. Their gesture of kindness


    really touched him.


    "The only condition is that youe closer to us, and stop working in istion. We are a team now.


    Team members are supposed to support each other,"


    Tysonughed, patting Ricky on the shoulder. Then he turned to Kristen and suggested, "Let''s move!"


    In agreement, Kristen smiled and nodded. The team of three then set off for the ck Marsh, chatting


    andughing heartily as they went.


    The ck Marsh was a rtivelyrge and dangerous ce this side. It was a perfect ce for


    warriors at the inferior stage of Bone Reinforcement to improve their abilities. Organizations of warriors


    at the intermediate stage of Bone Reinforcement also gathered near this region.


    The emergence and growth of the Rats in the area was now increasingly bing a threat to those


    organizations. The mob conducted itself with impunity, killing and maiming at will, while on their never-


    ending looting spree. Gradually, all the organizations had weakened, losing more and more ground to


    these heinous creeps.


    Various groups had once cooperated in fighting back. However, they got the worst of the battle. Some


    of the organization leaders died in the process. Because the leader of the Rats was at the peak of the


    sixth grade of Bone Reinforcement, there never was anyone in the ck Marsh to match him.


    Left with no alternative anymore, the surviving leaders in the area had turned to the Sky Manor, hoping


    that the Royal Sky Guards could wipe out the infamous gang.


    ...


    The ck Marsh was only slightly over half an hour''s distance, and soon enough, they were in the


    gang''s territory.


    The moment they stepped into the area, Ricky felt a dark and moist atmosphere, a typical characteristic


    of a marsh.


    Thanks to the moisture in the air, the spiritual energy in this area was rtively thicker than it was in


    most ces.


    This was a suitable ce for Treasures from Heaven and Earth to grow, which attracted warriors here


    in their droves, all year round.


    The area used to be a hive of activities before the gang took over.


    Back then, today, like any other day, would have seen several new arrivals as well as departures.


    However, what greeted Ricky and his team now was a far cry from the former glory. Far worse than


    Ricky had expected. If anyone ventured here, the gang would have no scruples about killing. And the


    few who survived would lose all their treasures. Gradually, warriors stopped exploring this region,


    leaving it deste.


    At the edge of the ck Marsh, sat huge forest, sealing off the rest of the marsh. Until they entered the


    forest, Ricky and his team did not know what to expect.


    Once inside, the very first thinging to wee them was a sprawling wend covered with ck


    sludge.


    Small bushes, a few hills, or giant ck trees scattered here and there littered thendscape. Some of


    the trees were so massive that they obscured everything on the horizon.


    "You see those massive ck trees? They emit a certain odorless, colorless but highly poisonous gas


    into the air. To keep safe, you have to stay at least a hundred meters away from them. Even a warrior


    at the advanced stage of Bone Reinforcement can hardlyst fifteen minutes if he crosses that limit,"


    Tyson cautioned.


    "Okay, I got it. Didn''t know some trees can be so highly poisonous!" Ricky nodded in acknowledgment.


    "Exactly! Also, there are two more natural dangers here. Dangerous animals roam the expanse of this


    ce, stealthily lurking in the shadows. You lose concentration or wander off only once and the next


    thing you know, you''ll be anxious, face to face with the grim reaper," Tyson continued.


    "The other danger is that there are many unmarked ck spots, which are not easily noticeable in the


    marsh. These are known to suck people in. Once engulfed, you may end up there, dying a slow, painful


    death. Only warriors with the power of demi-immortal could fight their way out.


    And thest threat is the Rats, our target. We are kind of at a disadvantage for the time being because


    we have no idea where their main camp is."


    "It seems that this is by no means an easy job! We are going to have a serious fight to im the


    bonus," Ricky warned, his face turning more somber now.


    "Yes, you are right. If this is an easy job, those organizations would not have suffered crushing defeats,


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    one after another. Otherwise, they wouldn''t seek help from the Sky Manor, and we wouldn''t havee


    here for this mission,"


    Tyson replied with a slight smile.


    Then he continued, "Do you know how many professional spies died in order to dig out some of the


    information we are relying on?"


    "Well, that''s a big question. How many, please?" asked Ricky.


    "Well, we lost a good five warriors at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement, and ten at the third. Yet,


    despite the heavy price we paid, the Rats'' base camp is still nowhere to be found," replied Tyson, his


    heart growing heavier as he recalled hispanions.


    "Oh, Jesus Chris! Can I regret it now? Can I quit and leave?" Ricky blurted out in great shock.


    Five professional spies at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement lost their lives for merely trying to


    sniff out the Rats'' camp. That sounded like a bad-ass gang for a team of three to on. Besides, Ricky


    had merely thebat power of a warrior at the fourth grade of Bone Reinforcement at most! Was this


    a safe bet to take? Ricky was not sure whether he wanted to be a part of this mission at this point.


    "Of course you can!" Kristen nodded.


    Tyson added the next second, "Sorry to say this, but right now as we stand, there''s no turning back.


    You just have to grow balls, coz there''s no other way about it. If you don''t man up, I''ll either throw you


    into the restricted circle around one of the trees or force you into the sucking ck spots where you''ll


    meet your slow torturous death. Which one would you prefer?"


    "Uhm. I think I''d better go with you and try to work at my best to take the Rats down!" Ricky made the


    choice immediately. He knew that they were friendly to him, but he also knew they would be merciless,


    if he decided to quit and abandon them at this very crucial moment.


    "Ha-ha. That''s what a smart guy would do!" Tysonughed out again.


    "How will we tell which part of the marsh is safe? How will we avoid those dangerous ces where we


    may be sucked in?" asked Ricky. From his keen assessment, he noticed that both Tyson and Kristen


    did not appear to be shaken about the dangers, at all.


    "That''s a good question! It all depends on her!" Tyson replied before he turned to Kristen. "Show him!"


    he said.


    "Oh?" Immediately, Ricky turned his eyes to Kristen, curious.


    Kristen, on the other hand, let out a confident smile. She looked rather different with that proud face.


    She looked so dignified, radiating spiritual energy around her halo.


    Soon, something began to change around her eyes. The meridians near the canthus gradually stood


    out, and then her ck pupils suddenly turned red!


    Ricky almost dropped his jaw at her change. In an instant, he felt the blood power emitting from


    Kristen.