《My Monster Fuses Everything》


 Chapter 1: 1 The Eyes in the Mist

    "Thud"


    His heart suddenly leaped as if punched hard. Su Han abruptly sat upright, his hand swinging instinctively, knocking over the water ss on the desk and soaking the entire keyboard.


    He immediately woke up, muttering "damn it" under his breath, then quickly righted the water ss and propped the keyboard against the screen to prevent more water from seeping in, before pulling out heaps of tissues to dry the desk.


    After tidying up the mess, Su Han rubbed the center of his brows, the sleepiness in his eyes finally easing slightly.


    "Either postgraduate studies or switching jobs, otherwise reviewing contracts all night, every day, who can endure that."


    Having saved the reviewed contract and sent it out via email, Su Han finally leaned back in his chair to rest, feeling a bit irritated and still a bit oppressed.


    He had stayed up all night reviewing contracts and had fallen asleep at the desk in his room.


    Indistinctly, he seemed to have dreamt too, with darkness descending boundlessly, he found himself suffocating under the surrounding atmosphere.


    There was clearly nothing, yet it felt like someone was watching him.


    His heart thudded more heavily and deeply each time, as if it were drumming, then suddenly someone seemed to grasp it.


    He woke up abruptly, likely a sign of sudden death.


    Earning money is important, but life is more so, Su Han felt it necessary to schedule a health check.


    He picked up his phone from the desk, intending to quickly search for causes of heart palpitations, perhaps even needing to register at a clinic if there was time.


    [Fog!!!]


    He had just turned on his phone and suddenly noticed that all tforms were tagged with the same trending search that inexplicably just read "Fog".


    "Red fog alert!"


    "The thickest fog in a century!"


    "Fog wall"


    "Seige"


    "Eerie, fog nkets the entire country!"


    ...


    Su Han scrolled through several messages, feeling somewhat astonished, wondering what sort of fog could trend like that.


    He walked to the window in his room, pulling open the curtains that were usually kept shut.


    "Whoosh"


    As he drew the curtains, his eyes were met with a swath of gray-white, thick to the extreme.


    The dense fog enveloped the city like a vast cover, swallowing the edges and nketing everything in a haze.


    Oddly, the gray fog did not invade the city, but enveloped just the edges and several hundred meters above, like a gray heavy helmetid upon the city sky.


    Oppressive, uneasy, just like the boundless darkness in his dream.


    This didn''t seem like fog, but more like an unknown, terrifying monster.


    "No wonder they call it eerie, is this really still a natural phenomenon?"


    Su Han could only see this as an extremely peculiar event, which inevitably led him to recall historical fog-rted incidents.


    The 1952 London "Fog Event", where a fog enveloped London, causing severe pollution that resulted in 4,000 deaths.


    "What is that!"


    Exmations rose one after another; the voices came from his building and the nearby streets.


    Su Han hurriedly looked out, shocked to see a vast red mark vertically spanning the gray fog in the sky, emanating a sinister red.


    ''That must be thousands of meters long at least, what on earth is it?''


    The feeling of unease inside him intensified, and instinctively, he felt a heavy oppression.


    The gray fog began to churn, like boundless ocean waves, descending from above and shrouding the entire city, dwarfing skyscrapers and streets under its mighty presence, swallowed in the haze.


    He wanted to check his phone for information to see if anyone knew what was happening, but when he looked down, he was startled.


    The phone signal was lost, the screen flickered continuously, ck wavy patterns appeared, and in an instant, the screen went dark.


    And at that moment, the red mark in the sky started to move.


    It slowly opened, finally revealing its true form ¡ª a gigantic, eerie red eyeball.


    Blood-red in color, its pupil was vertical like that of a wild beast.


    Cold, indifferent, it swiftly enveloped the entire city.


    Everyone under this presence instinctively felt an indescribable fear, their bodies trembling slightly, yet unable to move.


    The giant eyeball moved, and suddenly, a dazzling red light burst forth, expanding rapidly from the center towards the ground.


    Su Han tried to dodge, pulling the curtain shut, but his body couldn''t move. The red light spread faster than the sprawling fog, reaching him in an instant.


    In a moment, even though he was inside the room, the red light still enveloped his body.


    "Thump" "Thump" "Thump"


    His heartbeat intensified, a severe pain throbbing through him, almost making him curl up and fall to the floor, his face turned red and veins bulging as his heart pounded heavily.


    The giant eyeball nced over the entire city, then gradually closed into a red line, and finally vanished into the mist.


    At that moment, the surging fog finally swallowed the entire city, leaving nothing but a gray haze outside the window, where even a silhouette five meters away could barely be discerned.


    Almost fainting, the red light on Su Han''s body continued to converge, slowly settling on his left hand, transforming into a red page mark.


    His heartbeat slowly returned to normal, Su Han barely managed to pull through, gasping for breath heavily.


    "What the hell is this?!"


    He could feel an unknown power swirling inside him, and his instincts told him that if he couldn''t endure, something terrible was bound to happen.


    Barely supporting himself against the wall, he stood up when suddenly the red page faintly emitted a red glow, countless pieces of information flooded into Su Han''s mind.


    After a long while, the red glow quietly faded, and he only snapped back to his senses, with one thought in his mind¡ªthe situation had escted drastically.


    "The Book of Blood Spirit"


    Su Han looked down at the marking, with the red glow flowing and the bizarre nature hard toprehend, all sourced from the power of a disembodied eyeball scattered around this world.


    A power granted to all those who had survived.


    When he focused his thoughts on it, his consciousness would descend into the space of consciousness.


    In the boundless pitch-ck space, an old, gigantic book of blood-red sheepskin floated.


    The Book of Blood Spirit had only one page, nk without any recorded content.


    It had only one function¡ªContract.


    One page of the Book of Blood Spirit could contract an Angel Envoy, granting the host the power to control the Angel Envoy.


    This was the ''gift'' that the eyeball gave to everyone.


    Su Han withdrew his consciousness from the space of consciousness and then tried to calm his breathing as much as possible.


    The radiation range of the eyeball is at least the entirety of Cann City, but if the grey fog and the eyeball were part of the same supernatural phenomenon, then the whole country might be in trouble."


    The spread of the red glow and the gray fog determined the reaction speed of the officials and whether there would still be a response.


    Severedmunications, fog obscuring vision, the supernatural power of the Book of Blood Spirit, and then there were the monsters...


    The Book of Blood Spirit could contract monsters to be Angel Envoys. The Book of Blood Spirit had already manifested into reality, but what about the monsters?


    Su Han felt an uneasy premonition. The Book of Blood Spirit was likely just the beginning. The grey fog seemed to devour people, and no one knew what was hidden inside it.


    "I can''t just sit here and wait for death. I need to find food and weapons, to ensure I can survive. I must treat this as if it''s the apocalypse."


    Su Han drew the curtains. Though the ss prevented the fog from spreading into the room, the hazy fog still felt ufortable.


    "Crack, crack, crack"


    Just then, a strange noise came from outside his room door, resembling the sound of crushing instant noodles, but deeper, heavier, as if it were not noodles being broken, but human joints.


    The eerie sound made Su Han alert and somewhat hair-raising. He picked up a fruit knife from the table.


    Perhaps this was one of the benefits of sharing amodation¡ªmost of his personal belongings were in his room, such as the stainless steel fruit knife with a de longer than ten centimeters.


    Approaching the door, Su Han''s grip on the knife tightened. He quietly opened a crack in the door and stealthily looked towards the living room where the sound originated.


    The sight startled him, causing his pupils to rapidly constrict.


    In the living room was none other than his roommate, Yang Tian. He was dressed in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, standing in the middle of the living room.


    The "crack" strange noise originated from his body.


    His hair rapidly fell out, his back arched in a bizarre posture, twisted like a worm''s bulge, bending, hunching with his arms elongating unnaturally, hanging down as if being forcibly stretched, full of grotesqueness and mismatch with ws sharp past the knees.


    He looked just like a monster. The cracking noise came from his distorted bones. At that moment, the sound stopped, and a quiet, low rumbling could be faintly heard.


    Su Han held his breath, feeling chilled to the bone. This definitely was no longer human.


    No person could suddenly appear like this, with twisted bones and skin pale as death.


    Swish!


    Just then, ''Yang Tian'' suddenly turned around, his horrifying face directly facing the crack of Su Han''s door.


    It was a face covered in blood-vessel-like purple veins, horrifyingly pale eyes meeting Su Han''s gaze through the crack of the door.


    "Roar"


    He let out a low roar, the sound excitedly showing his sharp teeth as he snarled.


    Having spotted Su Han, the monster rushed over like a beast sensing its prey.


    This is bad!


    A chill rushed to his crown. Su Han immediately tried to block the door, just managing to close it without locking it.


    A massive force pushed the door open three inches, a long pale arm reaching straight in through the crack, wing around.


    How could it be so strong?!


    Su Han desperately held the door closed, armed only with a small knife. If he let ''Yang Tian'' in, his end wouldn''t be far off.


    The struggle, mediated by the door, had begun. The monster desperately tried to get in, while Su Han desperately held the door closed.


    However, in terms of strength, the monster had the upper hand, and the crack in the door gradually widened.


    Su Han could feel his strength draining, and he knew he couldn''t match the endurance of the monster.


    All or nothing!


    With a resolve, he slightly loosened his grip, allowing the crack to widen slightly as the monster squeezed half of its body through.


    At that moment, he exerted force again, wedging his body sideways against the door, trapping ''Yang Tian''. His knife stabbed wildly towards the head.


    Once


    Twice


    Thrice


    ....


    In the life-and-death crisis, Su Han didn''t know where the strength came from, but he pierced through ''Yang Tian''s'' eyes.


    He didn''t know how many times he had stabbed; his hand was cut by the handle and de, the stinging pain sobering him somewhat as his strength also ebbed away at that moment.


    ''Yang Tian'' remained motionless. After Su Han released his strength, he slid through the crack of the door.


    [A meat corpse has been killed. Contract the meat corpse as an Angel Envoy?]


    The Book of Blood Spirit faintly glowed red, and a message reached Su Han''s consciousness.

 Chapter 2: 2 Angel Envoy

    "Contract"


    Su Han quickly reacted, without any hesitation, he directly chose to make the contract.


    In fact, he had no other choice.


    He had no idea what kind of hell this world had turned into.


    Merely being in his shared rental house, just dealing with his "roommate" had made him so wretched, his hands were wounded, he was panting heavily, his heart was still pounding violently, and his whole body was nearly copsing from exhaustion.


    Not to mention, outside this building, in the mist, that one gigantic eyeball.


    Only by seizing every opportunity to be stronger could he survive.


    "I''m sorry, Yang Tian."


    Su Han said softly, Yang Tian was his roommate, they were not very close, but he was a decent person, asionally mentioning that he nned to visit his parents during the National Day holiday.


    He hadn''t gone home for two years, and his parents were already in their sixties, but now he would never be able to return home again.


    The pages of the Book of Blood Spirit opened, and a red glow immediately enveloped the corpse.


    In a few breaths, the corpse''s remains gradually turned into red light, then merged into the pages of the book, bing a human-shaped ck pattern on the page.


    Angel Envoy: Flesh Corpse


    Level: First Order Inferior


    Skills: None


    The panel information that popped up was transmitted into Su Han''s consciousness, invisible to anyone else.


    As the contract was sessful, Su Han felt a surge of strength feedback from the Book of Blood Spirit, merging into his body.


    His limbs and body faintly grew stronger, his muscr sensation became more pronounced, his hand wound suddenly itched, he looked down to see it crusting over, albeit still bleeding.


    Host: Su Han


    Level: First Order Inferior


    Skills: None


    "So contracting an Apostle strengthens the body, and as the Apostle grows stronger, it in turn enhances the host as well, this is indeed good news. However, the Flesh Corpse doesn''t seem very powerful."


    Su Han recovered his strength and then directly summoned the Apostle. A red glow manifested behind him, and the Flesh Corpse appeared beside him immediately.


    It was slightly taller than him, around one point nine meters, with the wound on its forehead no longer visible.


    The body was hunched and twisted, its arms elongated yet resembling beast ws, and its pale skin, together with its creepy white eyeballs, always exuded an eerie chill.


    "Pick up the fruit knife"


    He tried to control the Flesh Corpse with his thoughts, and indeed, the Flesh Corpse moved, reaching for the blood-stained fruit knife.


    The Flesh Corpse was quick to respond, grasping the fruit knife swiftly and then freezing in ce, standing rigidly beside Su Han.


    "Lacking much independent consciousness, this feels a bit like... a tool?"


    Despite being a summoned creature, the feeling was different between those with independence and those without.


    The Apostle Flesh Corpse felt like a robot to him, acting on clear instructions, and otherwise rtively inert,pletely dissimr to cats or dogs.


    However, it had one advantage¡ªit was controlled by telepathy, with no dy in responsepared to his own movements.


    He looked at the fruit knife, nning to have the Apostle Flesh Corpse hand it to him.


    But as his gaze fell on the knife, he was suddenly surprised to see apletely different prompt.


    [Detected fusable material: ordinary metal, would you like to perform fusion?]


    The Book of Blood Spirit did not glow, and the prompt was drastically different from the previous contract prompt, feeling more intimate, as if it were a natural instinct.


    ''Is this my ability?''


    Though it was just a hunch, Su Han felt he wasn''t mistaken.


    He took a deep breath and calmed himself slightly, "Do not fuse for now."


    The prompt disappeared, he took the fruit knife from the Flesh Corpse''s hand, and then controlled the Flesh Corpse to move to the living room.


    He first locked the outside door, then barricaded it with the sofa to prevent any other Flesh Corpses in this building from breaking in.


    Although the likelihood was not necessarily high, it was safer this way.


    The red glow of the giant eyeballs was probably not just for one person, but for everyone. Those who survived would receive the Book of Blood Spirit, which meant that those who didn''t would likely turn into monsters like the Flesh Corpses.


    This was a truly terrifying thing.


    If the mist was merely disruptingmunication, isting the environment, and the Book of Blood Spirit was granting people transcendent strength, both could be seen as mildly disrupting order, still within a controble range.


    But the possibility of monsters appearing nearby could severely impact order.


    To put it bluntly, if the people in charge died, if those enforcing order died, no matter how many, chaos was bound to ensue.


    The likelihood of rescue dropped to almost nil, and all he could rely on was himself.


    Of course, there was also the Apostle Flesh Corpse and his newly discovered special ability.


    He began to search the rental house for various materials. Since the fruit knife had shown up as an ordinary metal that could be fused, it was very possible that other materials could as well, and he wanted to test the extent of this ability.


    The rental house was messy, with no shortage of fusable materials.


    After making the Apostle Flesh Corpse pick up many things, Su Han finally selected four items to ce in front of him.


    One was a fruit knife, a piece used previously as decoration, a goose egg stone, a piece of wood and water.


    The Fusion ability was very powerful; almost all objects that could be controlled by meat zombies and were rtively independent fell within the scope of Fusion, except for those in Su Han''s own possession.


    And the range of Fusion extended to items like paper, stic, and even food, though Su Han had not chosen any of those items.


    He did not currently know what the effects of Fusion were; everything was just spection. Compared to those oundish things, he had merely selected four items out of them.


    "The effects of Fusion are still uncertain, but if it''s about strengthening the Angel Envoy, these three items might enhance its strength, as for water..."


    Su Han pondered, feeling like whatever he chose was a gamble, essentially betting his current means of survival on change.


    "Let''s go with metal."


    In the end, he made up his mind, his gaze falling on the fruit knife.


    [Detectedmon metal material,mence Fusion?]


    "Fusion"


    The meat zombie''s palm gripped the fruit knife tightly, then flesh visibly began to wriggle, slowly enveloping the entire fruit knife and gradually merging it into the flesh until it disappeared from sight.


    It felt as though it had devoured the metal.


    During this process, Su Han felt a slight surge of power reverberating back from the Book of Blood Spirit.


    The Angel Envoy, the meat zombie, was growing stronger, and he was receiving feedback.


    Apostle: Meat Zombie


    Strength: First Order Inferior


    Skills: None


    Fusion: Common Metal 1%


    "So you can only Fuse one type of material at a time, and there''s alsopatibility?"


    With the initial sess of the Fusion, Su Han received more feedback, such as about this Fusion.


    Fusion could enhance an Angel Envoy, but only one kind of material could be Fused at a time, and the higher thepatibility with the material, the greater the increase in the Fusion percentage.


    If thepatibility was very low, then the Fusion rate would decrease significantly, and the amount of material required would increase significantly.


    For meat zombies, metal was just so-so; to achieve 100% Fusion, the iron content needed would be far more than that of a fruit knife.


    How much metal could a two-bedroom apartment possibly have?


    The exterior of the fridge, the inner workings, the range hood, the washing machine, the metal parts of tables and chairs... All objects containing metal that could be taken apart were dismantled by Su Han and the meat zombie.


    In the living room, therey around fifty pounds of metal products; other than that, there were hardly any intact items left in the entire shared apartment.


    "Begin the Fusion."


    Su Han ordered the meat zombie to begin Fusing the metal; this amount of metal was far more than the fruit knife, which should also lead to a higher degree of Fusion.


    The meat zombie mped its palm onto the metal, flesh wriggling like worms, then attached to the metal, starting to slowly Fuse.


    A streak of red light from the Book of Blood Spirit feedback into his body, muscles slightly bulging, and this morning''s injuries were also gradually scabbing over and healing.


    As the host, his strength was also increasing.


    Although it was impossible to be a superhero overnight, sensing the strength in his body, it was already beginning to surpass that of an ordinary person.


    "Gurgle"


    However, as his body grew stronger, his stomach quickly conveyed a sense of hunger; bing stronger required energy, and fromst night to now, Su Han hadn''t had a drop to drink.


    He walked to where the kitchen was; the fridge had already been dismantled by him, and during the earlier search, he had scavenged some food as well.


    Not much, just four or five packs of instant noodles, then some pickled mustard, rice sauce, dried noodles, and a few eggs; not even fruits.


    "The food isn''t sufficient."


    Even for an ordinary person, this amount of food wouldn''tst three to four days.


    While the gas pipeline was still running, he started to boil noodles; pots, pans, and kitchen knives were metallic items that Su Han hadn''t yet Fused, after all, they were still needed.


    After boiling the noodles and gulping down a pack, he didn''t feel full, the hunger remained, and he found his appetite had grownrger.


    So, he boiled two more packs before he finally felt satiated.


    "I need to find a way to get more food."


    One meal had already consumed half of his food supply, which meant he needed to find more resources.


    Fortunately, his meat zombie Angel Envoy was growing stronger; at least he had the strength to go out and explore.


    The meat of the meat zombie had already wrapped around most of the metal, bit by bit devouring it into its body.


    The metal was not small in volume, but under this Fusion process, it was impossible to discern where it all went.


    Only Su Han noticed themon metal Fusion Degree increase as the Fusion progressed, from the initial 1% gradually growing to 50%, and still slowly increasing along with the Angel Envoy meat zombie''s Fusion progress.


    Su Han was in no rush, although there wasn''t much food left, butpared to finding food, the strengthening of the meat zombie Angel Envoy was more important, he could feel his body''s strength increasing.


    Time ticked by, and after about two more hours, all the metal had beenpletely Fused, with the Fusion Degree also gradually reaching 99%.


    Su Han stared intently at thest bit of the Fusion Degree, and as the meat zombie retracted all its wriggling flesh, it finally changed¡ª100%.


    [LV1 Common Metal Fusionpleted, acquired skill w]

 Chapter 3: 3: Scouring the Floors

    As the prompt appeared, Su Han had already noticed the changes in the Angel Envoy''s corpse.


    The pair of enormous, fierce palms gradually turned a dark red after the fusion wasplete, the fingernails became pitch ck, and they started to visibly extend and deform.


    A few breaths passed, and therge palm had transformed into a w-like shape, with sharp fingernails about ten centimeters long that were ck and sharp, shing against each other with a metallic ng as if they were several sharp des interlocking.


    The fingernails were metallic and extremely hard and sharp.


    Su Han turned his gaze to the wood, thought for a moment, and the Angel Envoy''s sharp w directly grabbed it. The wood was mostly severed in an instant, more effective than a typical chopping knife.


    "The sharpness is very high; this w will be very effective against the corpses," he said.


    He was very satisfied with the strength of the w, which meant his Angel Envoy had acquired a handy new weapon.


    No, more urately, it was a skill.


    Angel Envoy: Corpse


    Strength: First Order Inferior


    Skills: [w]


    Fusion: LV1 Ordinary Metal


    The w was a skill, so when not needed, the corpse couldpletely retract it. It was a bit reminiscent of Wolverine.


    It wasn''t about ying possum, but if wanting to ambush someone, skills were indeed more useful than bare hands.


    With this fusionplete, Su Han also gained a repowerment of strength, his body was strengthened a bit more, about equivalent to more than double that of an ordinary person.


    "Fusion materials can increase overall strength, andpleting a fusion now appears to evolve skills, also introducing an LV1 level indicator. This means further fusion is possible," he said.


    Su Han contemted his abilities; since ordinary metal fusion had reached an LV1 level, testing other materials in the short term wouldn''t be as clear-cut as ordinary metal.


    With this thought in mind, he went straight to the kitchen and took out two knives.


    The kitchen knives weremunal; one was a cleaver, and the other was also a cleaver, only differing in thickness and weight, used for chopping bones and slicing meat, respectively.


    He kept the bone-chopping cleaver for himself. Even though he had the corporeal protector, he also needed to have defensive means. Thus, he required weapons.


    The other thinner cleaver, he ced in front of the Angel Envoy, ordering it to grasp it.


    As he expected, a fusion prompt appeared.


    [Ordinary metal material detected, proceed with fusion?]


    "Proceed with the fusion," Su Hanmanded.


    The flesh writhed and slowly enveloped the de, continuously devouring and fusing the metal substance, quickly leaving only the stic handle discarded on the ground.


    "LV1 Ordinary Metal 0.5%, does it require more now?" he mused.


    The fusion was sessful, but the fusion degree had increased differently; however, this was still within his expectations, since there had been a change.


    There was no longer enough metal in the room for the Angel Envoy to devour, and food was also scarce. The only real option Su Han faced was to search for supplies.


    "Neither Ali Convenience Store nor Lihua Supermarket are within the residentialmunity, and with the fog like this outside, it''s very dangerous. It looks like I have to search the building first," he reasoned.


    Su Han, holding a cleaver, found a sturdy backpack in his room and prepared to head out.


    He lived on the seventh floor of Building Ten. The flooryout was two elevators for six apartments, meaning there were six households per floor.


    The poption wasn''t dense on a single floor, so even if some turned into the corpses, it wouldn''t be too many.


    Prepared, he moved the sofa blocking the main door aside.


    The hallway was dimly lit. Ever since the appearance of therge eyeballs, it seemed the city''s electricity and signals were problematic, so the lights in the hallway were off.


    If it hadn''t been daytime, barely pierced by some faint light from somewhere, it would have been pitch dark.


    Since Su Han''s room was thest one on the seventh floor, he wasn''t worried about monsters suddenly appearing from behind. He ced the Angel Envoy at the front, and followed closely behind with the cleaver in hand.


    "Creak...creak...creak..."


    Sudden faint chewing noises arose. Su Han tensed up, clutching the cleaver tightly. He peeked down the hallway from behind the Angel Envoy to see a hunched figure squatting on the ground, shaking slightly, its deformed arm continuously grabbing something in front of it.


    The chewing noise came from it, and with each lift of its arm, a dripping sound followed.


    Suddenly, the figure paused in its movement, sensing something and slowly turned around. Its pale, creepy eyes emitted an eerie chill.


    Su Han finally saw it clearly. Its hair was sparse, its expression ferocious, and its mouth full of sharp teeth¡ªit was unmistakably a corpse.


    It charged fiercely, moving on all fours like a speeding beast, heading straight for Su Han.


    The corridor wasn''t very long, just over thirty meters. In less than a couple of breaths, it had already reached him.


    The corpse leaped high, aiming directly for Su Han''s Angel Envoy, the stench of blood already overwhelming.


    Apparently, the corpses instinctively could differentiate between an Angel Envoy and their own kind, making their assault even more ferocious.


    "Bang"


    The Angel Envoy swung fiercely, lunging out and pressing the corpse against the ground.


    The corpse struggled incessantly, its ws scraping against the Angel Envoy, leaving behind faint scratches.


    However, its size was notrge, only about one meter fifty-six, more like a child transformed into a corpse.


    In terms of strength, it was no match for the now-enhanced Angel Envoy. At this moment, the Envoy''s fingernails turned pitch ck, extending into sharp, knife-like nails.


    A squelching noise echoed as they pierced directly into the corpse''s head, then a fierce wing followed, mangling its brain and silencing itpletely.


    After controlling the Angel Envoy to kill a corpse, Su Han directed his gaze to the end of the corridor, where somethingy in a lump, vaguely humanoid.


    He tossed the small corpse''s body to one side and, under the protection of the Angel Envoy, approached the end of the corridor.


    The security door at the end was not closed; it was stained withrge patches of blood and flesh chunks. A bloody figurey in front of the door, a woman with her chest and abdomen hollowed out.


    Although he was prepared for the apocalypse, the sight of such a bloody scene right before him and the strong smell of blood filling every corner still made Su Han feel ufortable, his face turning slightly pale.


    However, after a slight enhancement of his body, he didn''t feel nauseous enough to vomit.


    "Rest in peace."


    He whispered, then stepped over the corpse, pushed open the security door, and walked in. The entryway was in disarray, items fallen on the ground on both sides, and the smell of blood was also pervasive in this room.


    He looked towards the living room connected to the entryway, where another male corpsey, its neck savagely bitten, although the body hadn''t been torn apart, with a pool of blood surrounding it.


    "The whole family went together, what a pity."


    Su Han sighed, he had already guessed what happened¡ªit must have been a family of three.


    The mutated one was the child, while both parents had received the Book of Blood Spirit.


    When mutations ur suddenly, few can react in time, not to mention that the mutant was a loved one.


    If it weren''t for that room door, he himself wasn''t sure he could handle a roommate who had turned into a flesh corpse.


    And this situation, when faced with a loved one, was even harder, with very few able to act decisively and without hesitation.


    The family of three must have been the same.


    The dad tried to hold off the child who had turned into a flesh corpse, allowing the mom to run for help, but in the end, none of them escaped, they all died.


    He approached the corpse, then pulled a blood-stained nket off the sofa, covering the man''s body.


    If he struggled, the man might have been able to restrain the flesh corpse, but he didn''t.


    "A family of three should have a bit more food left."


    Su Han had the Angel Envoy flesh corpse open all the doors of the rooms, the master bedroom, guest bedroom, and children''s room, including the two bathrooms, wary of any other monsters.


    After eliminating risks, he started scavenging for supplies, starting with the kitchen.


    Pots, pans, spats, including the metal materials in the exhaust hood and dishwasher, Su Han had the Angel Envoy flesh corpse begin Fusion.


    In the fridge and cabs, there indeed were food stores, a 20-kilogram bag of rice with about eleven or twelve kilograms left, arge piece of beef, pork bones, and a bunch of greens.


    He stored the food securely in his backpack and, while the Angel Envoy flesh corpse was still fusing with the metal, continued searching the apartment for other useful items.


    The living room''s furniture was made of wood and had no metal for the flesh corpse to fuse with, but in the storage cab, there was a fishing rod which seemed quite expensive, probably a professional fisherman''s gear.


    If it were a typical apocalypse, it might still be useful for fishing, but now with the mist so thick, it''s unknown what might bite the bait.


    Only heaven knows whether it''s people fishing or monsters fishing for people.


    He didn''t take the fishing rod, but Su Han did take arge bundle of fishing line, not knowing what it would be used for yet, but thread would always have its uses eventually.


    Arriving in the master bedroom, he rummaged through the room, and upon pulling open a small drawer, his eyes lit up, "Home medicine kit, good awareness."


    Inside the small drawer were medicines, standard supplies like fever and cold medications, disinfectant alcohol, iodine, and some gauze, all quite useful things.


    He packed up the medicines, returned to the living room, and by then, had basically scoured through the whole house. Now, Su Han was just waiting for the flesh corpse to finish fusing with the metal.


    The flesh twitched, a good portion of the metal being fused into it, faster than the previous fusion with the kitchen knife.


    The strength of the flesh corpse had improved, and having sessfully fused with ordinary metal once before, this helped increase it a bit.


    From 0.5% slowly growing to 2%, 5%... Su Han waited another hour, finally, the Fusion Degree grew to the 15%-mark.


    "Last time it fused just a few dozen kilograms, and now the same amount only increased it by 15%, the demand really isn''t small."


    The percentage isn''tpletely proportional; the more it progresses, the more it demands. Looking at it now, the second fusion needs several hundred kilograms at least.


    "If it gets too difficult, I''ll just target the elevator."


    Slowly fusing the elevator wasn''t a wise choice; it meant he had to spend more time in the hallway.


    Although he had grown stronger, he wasn''t Superman, and getting attacked by a flesh corpse could kill him.


    Su Han, followed by the flesh corpse, headed towards the second room, its sharp metal ws easily piercing the thin iron of the security door.


    The security door wasn''t thick, so with enough force, the metal ws could break through.


    Although it made some noise, it was still faster than slowly fusing.


    Breaking in, the room was empty of both people and flesh corpses, the homeowner might have gone out.


    Scattered everywhere were women''s clothes and handbags, the kitchen was bare, with only a few packs of instant noodles.


    He didn''t find much in terms of supplies, but what could be used was only the dismantled metal, also a few dozen kilograms.


    This time, however, he didn''t n to continue fusing here, but first decided to bring the metal back to his own room.


    Fusion required time, and so did his search for supplies.


    Building seven had already lost power, or perhaps the entire city hadn''t fared much better.


    If he continued to fuse slowly, by the time he reached the third home, it would be dark, and the hallwaypletely obscured.


    He carried the metal back, including the dismantled security door, and headed straight back.


    Then he continued exploring two more rooms, one had nothing, and the other contained two flesh corpses, likely an old man and an old woman, fierce-looking and bloodthirsty.


    The Angel Envoy flesh corpse fought with them, Su Han hiding behind, and within one round, thanks to the metal ws, the envoy sessfully killed them.


    As time passed, Su Han now stood in front of thest house, aside from his rental.


    Repeating the trick, the Angel Envoy flesh corpse broke through the security door, pushing the door open.


    Suddenly, a figure rushed over, with a nging sound, the flesh corpse pped it, sending the figure flying.


    "Ouch"


    A cry of pain rang out instantly¡ªit was a person, not a flesh corpse.

 Chapter 4: 4 Survivor

    The Angel Envoy''s corpse squeezed in, blocking the entryway, its tall figurepletely shielding Su Han.


    The man lying on the ground cried out in pain, yet he endured the pain and shouted, "Meiyu, run!"


    There was another woman in the room, holding a knife. Although the man urged her to run, she clenched her teeth and threw the knife with all her strength.


    She then went to help the man up, preparing to escape into the room.


    "ng"


    The knife was directly knocked away by the Angel Envoy''s corpse, which bent down and grabbed the man and woman by the hair, pinning them against the wall.


    "Don''t kill them."


    At Su Han''s voice, the nearly desperate man and woman showed shocked expressions. They widened their eyes and hastily said, "You, you''re human, no...no, this is your Angel Envoy... Don''t kill us, it''s a misunderstanding."


    The man was somewhat incoherent. Su Han''s expression remained calm as he simply said, "Stay cooperative and don''t struggle."


    He instructed the Angel Envoy to drag them into the living room. After fusing with a considerable amount of metal materials, the Angel Envoy''s strength had be much greater than that of the average human. The couple, unarmed and powerless, did not dare to resist.


    Su Han shut the front door and then entered the living room.


    The living room was devoid of a table, containing only arge sofa against the wall and a few small chairs, opposite of which hung a wall-mounted TV.


    The man and woman were thrown onto the sofa by the Angel Envoy, which positioned itself in the middle, while Su Han pulled over a chair to sit opposite them.


    He scrutinized the couple, who were curled up on the sofa, their bodies trembling slightly, but their hands were sped together.


    Damned lovebirds.


    The man appeared to be in his thirties, had a square, slightly plump face, sparse hair, and wore sses.


    The woman looked decent, with her slightly blond short hair hanging down to her shoulders, dressed in a white tight top and jeans, clean-cut and fairly shapely.


    "It was just a misunderstanding earlier. You... you''re the young guy from next door, right? We thought you were one of those creatures."


    "What''s your name, what do you do?"


    Su Han cut off the man, suddenly asking.


    "Gan Xinglei,puter engineer."


    "And you?"


    Su Han pointed at the woman, indicating that she should answer the question.


    "Yan Meiyu, an administrative employee in real estate, his girlfriend," she responded.


    Yan Meiyu''s voice was not much steadier than Gan Xinglei''s, but she seemed slightly moreposed.


    "Handsome, there''s still some meat left in the fridge, and a few bags of noodles and rice in the cupboard. If you need them, we can give you half," she tried to soften Su Han with a negotiative tone, which was a smart move.


    After all, the mutation had just urred less than a day ago, and the sense of order, as well as the moral ethics within both the couple and Su Han himself, were still barely maintained.


    She had also noticed that Su Han was out looking for resources, as evidenced by his bulging backpack. That''s why she decided to use the resources to try to defuse the situation.


    However, Su Han simply shook his head, causing Yan Meiyu''s face to pale.


    She feared that, in the next moment, Su Han would say, "Kill you and all your belongings are mine," or something of the sort.


    "I don''t want the meat, but divide half of the rice and noodles with me, and also gather all the ironware from inside your ce. Treat it as my fee for cleaning up this floor," he stated calmly, with a faint smile on his face, though his tone was indubitable.


    He was no madman who would kill indiscriminately; that would be going too far.


    After all, technically, he was the one who had invaded this couple''s home.


    Of course, that didn''t matter much. What was important was that Gan Xinglei had made a good impression on him, since he had protected his girlfriend even in such a critical moment. He was still a decent person.


    The disturbances at night were just asional and brief, a bit annoying, but not deadly, since they didn''tst long.


    Of course, if there were ill intentions, then no one could me him for crushing bones and scattering ashes.


    The two were initially startled, but they reacted quickly, nodding repeatedly, "This, this is necessary, we''ll help right now."


    They didn''t know why Su Han needed metal objects; even if they had some guesses, they wouldn''t ask.


    But Su Han wasn''t worried about his Fusion Ability being discovered, because the transformations of the Angel Envoy would eventually catch people''s attention.


    So there was no need to deliberately hide it, as long as he didn''t reveal the true specifics.


    Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu moved quickly, dismantling the house even more thoroughly than Su Han himself, not only taking furniture with metal frames, refrigerators, and dishwashers, but even nail clippers and eyebrow trimmers were not spared.


    "Handsome, it''s all here. I actually have a Te in the garage, quite heavy. But with this thick fog and monsters in the hallway, I can''t get to it."


    "Help me move it next door, keep it low. I can''t guarantee there aren''t flesh corpses roaming on other floors."


    Gan Xinglei was dripping with sweat, and Yan Meiyu was also visibly exhausted, but upon Su Han''smand, they didn''t dare toin.


    Under the supervision of Su Han and the Angel Envoy flesh corpse, they moved the items to the shared apartment next door.


    The living room was already filled with collected supplies, heaps of metal objects mostly. Food was stored in the kitchen, alongside containers filled with water.


    Yan Meiyu sneakily scanned the room, thinking to herself, "This guy must have collected all the materials from the entire floor. Could this metal be rted to the Contract with the creature?"


    Both she and Gan Xinglei had obtained the Book of Blood Spirit, but only after witnessing the ferocity of a flesh corpse through the crack of the door did they dare note out.


    Without proper weapons, the couple, untrained, would find it difficult to defeat a flesh corpse, and severe injuries without proper treatment could be fatal.


    "Meiyu,"


    Gan Xinglei tugged at Yan Meiyu''s sleeve, bringing her back to reality, not daring to provoke this person.


    The innermost door in the apartment had numerous bloodstains, and from what he remembered, Su Han had roommates, but now they were nowhere to be seen.


    There was only one truth: this handsome guy had ughtered his roommates.


    My goodness, what a ruthless person.


    It wasn''t that a roommate turned monster couldn''t be killed, but the shift in mentality, the decisiveness in action, instinctively made him feel that Su Han was not to be messed with.


    For example, if Yan Meiyu turned into a flesh corpse, he might be able to defeat her, but could he instantly kill her? Absolutely not.


    Therefore, Su Han was a ruthless man, adaptable and decisive, just like those tough characters in the workce, not to be trifled with.


    Yan Meiyu understood her boyfriend''s intention, she shook her head slightly to indicate she knew the seriousness of the situation.


    After moving everything, Su Han didn''t continue to trouble the couple.


    "I''ve cleared the seventh floor, but not the others. Best block the door."


    Gan Xinglei wanted to speak but hesitated; however, the door''s lock was broken.


    "Understood, understood. By the way, handsome, what''s your name?"


    "Su Han"


    The pair left Su Han''s ce, returning to apartment 7705 next door. They closed and secured the door, simultaneously sighing in relief.


    "Meiyu, our food might notst two days,"


    Gan Xinglei looked distressed, and Yan Meiyu held his hand,forting him, "It''s alright as long as we''re fine. And it''s not necessarily a bad thing."


    Indeed, Su Han''s dominance had cost them half of their food.


    Unpleasantries aside, both were adults; it simply was a case of ''might makes right'', and when outmatched, one had to bow down.


    Plus, truthfully speaking, Su Han didn''t seem like a bad person.


    "Old Gan, do you think we have any particr skills?"

 Chapter 5: 5 The Second Fusion

    Su Han locked his bedroom door and propped it shut with the sofa before returning to the living room.


    Encountering survivors was inevitable since not everyone would have turned into monsters or been killed by them.


    What surprised him was that the couple next door, Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu, were unharmed.


    "Keep observing, better not be troublemakers, otherwise I really could take them down."


    Life is not a novel, where would you find normal people ughtering left and right as soon as the apocalypse starts, unless they were psychopaths who already wanted to kill?


    Su Han walked to the corner of the living room, rummaged through a drawer for candles, and lit them, illuminating the dimming living room.


    The fog still shrouded the outside of the building, the lighting was already poor, and now, guessing by the time, it was getting closer to four or five in the afternoon, so the natural light was fading.


    "Continue the Metal Fusion."


    The living room was piled with metal items taken from several rooms today, even including two or three security door panels, which in total should weigh a few hundred pounds, enough for the Angel Envoy''s corpse to undergo Fusion.


    The flesh of the Angel Envoy writhed and then made contact with the metal, slowly merging with it.


    The Fusion Degree on the attribute panel rose slowly from 15%, 15.1%, 15.2%...


    Traces of strength enhancement feedback merged into Su Han''s body, like a warm and smooth stream flowing through him, feeling increasingly evident.


    "The feedback connection feels not only during Fusion but also faintly perceptible at ordinary times, so does the enhancement always continue at a slow pace?"


    The stronger sense of connection prompted Su Han to specte further.


    The Book of Blood Spirit had a connection with the monsters, but the method to be stronger was not made clear, leaving one to grope in the dark.


    But now it seemed that natural enhancement and feedback did exist, and driving the Angel Envoy to a certain extent could increase the strength of this feedback connection.


    In simpler terms, it was about umting experience or energy faster to reach the next level of strength.


    "Other people''s Angel Envoys can also enhance, it''s hard to say at what pace, but the longer it takes, the more powerful people there will be, so I need to speed up the Fusion process."


    While pondering, Su Han went to the kitchen to prepare some food.


    He turned on the gas stove, cut up therge pieces of beef he had found and put them in the pot, along withrge marrow bones and pork ribs, simmering them all into a stew.


    He found plenty of meat, which is one of the most likely foods to be stocked in everyone''s fridge.


    After all, with life getting more convenient, meats can be frozen quickly, but vegetables and fruits are usually bought on a day-to-day basis.


    The flickering light of the stove faintly illuminated the kitchen.


    "The gas pipeline still works now, but it probably won''t be long before it stops; I need to prepare more."


    Su Han looked at the boiling pot of meat soup, his mind full of thoughts. Suddenly plunged into the apocalypse, everything had changed too quickly, with too much missing information, leaving him to take one step at a time.


    The only things he could rely on were the Book of Blood Spirit and the Angel Envoy.


    But even with this bestowed power, he knew too little and still needed to explore more.


    He muttered, "Perhaps it''s possible to have others scout ahead."


    About forty minutester, the stew was ready, a pot brimming with meat. After simply seasoning it, he brought it to the living room.


    The Angel Envoy''s corpse was still merging with arge amount of metal, its flesh enveloping them and then gradually absorbing them into its body, with the Fusion Degree now reaching 23% and still increasing.


    While feeling the power of the feedback, Su Han started to eat his dinner, hungrily consuming the meat to fill his stomach.


    The most direct sensation of body enhancement was actually hunger, a greater demand for energy than he normally required.


    If it were any other time, he would probably have been full after eating just a third of the pot.


    But half an hourter, Su Han had eaten nearly ny percent of the meat, finally satisfying his hunger.


    He threw the pot into the kitchen, leaving only himself and the Angel Envoy corpse in the living room.


    The candlelight flickered slightly, dim and obscure.


    As time went on, it must have been nightfall, and without the candlelight, the entire room would be extremely dark.


    Amidst the shadows, growls and screams arose intermittently from outside the window and between buildings, and even the rms of cars could be heard in the distance.


    This was the first night of the apocalypse, and no matter how slow to react or timid, people were starting to take action.


    After all, in modern cities, where people are ustomed to a fast pace, not everyone has the habit of storingrge quantities of food.


    Some wanted to save themselves, and of course, others thought of hunting monster corpses to activate their "Book of Blood Spirit."


    However, to obtain it, one must pay a certain price, and the price was usually very dangerous.


    There were still roughly three to five hundred jin of metal in the room, and the Fusion process still required a long time.


    Su Han, to preserve the state,pletely blocked the main door, and theny down to sleep, right beside the Angel Envoy corpse.


    The night had nearly passed, the candle had burned out, and Su Han woke up groggily, rubbing his bleary eyes, and the room was faintly bright.


    [LV2 ordinary metal Fusionplete, "Iron Skin" skill acquired]


    The metal in the living room had been fused by nearly ny percent, and when the second Fusion wasplete, the Angel Envoy corpse underwent another transformation.


    The height increased by another twenty centimeters from two meters, reaching around two meters and twenty, the reddish muscles became even more swollen and hard, the metallic ws extending from the fingers became sharper and slightly longer, and the jet-ck metal grew backwards to the back of the hands, even more pronounced.


    Beyond that, underneath the muscles, the ck color began to surge, sticking to the skin as if it were a metallic skin, and in a sh, the entire corpse turned into a jet-ck color, distinctly different and colder than its previous brutal appearance.


    Su Han touched it and immediately felt a cold sensation, seemingly no different from touching iron skin.


    "ng"


    He picked up a kitchen knife and chopped down on it, a faint white mark was left on the surface, and the Iron Skin truly lived up to its name, not harming the muscles underneath.


    He was delighted, with his Angel Envoy''s defense greatly improved and both offense and defense enhanced by a notch, his strength was not to be underestimated.


    Although Iron Skin wasn''t absolute defense, it was naturally much strongerpared to ordinary corpses.


    Angel Envoy: Corpse


    Rank: First-level Intermediate


    Skills: [w] [Iron Skin]


    Fusion: LV2 Ordinary Metal


    The strength of the Angel Envoy on the panel had changed, and the power feeding back into Su Han''s body suddenly increased significantly.


    Bones and muscles resonated, muscles stretched out, his body filled with tremendous strength, a warm current flowed throughout his body.


    Feeling the power in his body, bing more agile and stronger, even without deliberate exercise, he guessed he could easily lift up something weighing two to three hundred jin, and perhaps even more when shouldering it.


    Su Han was just about to move a sofa to feel his strength better when he suddenly felt a strange sensation in his heart.


    His consciousness immediately entered the cognitive space, which was a boundless pitch-ck space, with a blood-red "Book of Blood Spirit" standing in the center.


    A page circled around the Book of Blood Spirit, standing tall and distant, the pattern on it the same as the Angel Envoy corpse.


    The page transformed into the Angel Envoy corpse and suddenly came to life, a stream of red Energy emerging within his body, like flowing meridians.


    A familiar yet foreign memory flooded Su Han''s consciousness, and instinctively he began to circte this power, then continuously modified it to suit his own body.


    Time passed, unknowingly, when suddenly a prompt sounded.


    [Comprehension sessful, "Iron Skin" skill synchronized]

 Chapter 6: 6 A Bowl of Noodles

    Having emerged from the consciousness space, Su Han was still somewhat surprised; he could clearly feel that the synchronization might not necessarily be due to his own abilities, but rather that the skills of the Angel Envoy inherently had the potential to synchronize, provided one could sessfullyprehend them.


    "If that''s the case, the strengthening of humanity will not be limited to physical fitness. As time drags on, there will likely be more powerful individuals emerging."


    After a moment of thought, Su Han realized that this situation was a double-edged sword: the chances of humans surviving would increase, but as individual power grew stronger, the destruction of order would be moreplete.


    However, this was a good thing for him since the presence of Fusion Ability gave him the possibility to acquire more skills.


    Possibly, in this apocalypse, he might even achieve a status beyond his previous imagination.


    "Dong dong dong"


    The room''s door was suddenly knocked on. Su Han''s expression tensed, and he instantly activated Iron Skin, turning his body a dark hue; the Angel Envoy''s flesh corpse also transformed, positioning itself in front of him, facing the entrance.


    "Su Han, it''s me and Meiyu," Gan Xinglei''s voice came from outside the door.


    "What is it?"


    "Meiyu cooked some noodles this morning, made extra, and we brought over a portion for you."


    Su Han was a bit surprised, but after a brief moment of thought, he seemed to realize something, then dispersed the Iron Skin, and ordered the Angel Envoy to go and open the door.


    The Angel Envoy moved the sofa that was blocking the door and then opened it.


    Outside, Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu were both there, Gan Xinglei holding a bowl of noodles in his hands.


    "Come in."


    The Angel Envoy''s flesh corpse led the two past the entrance, always maintaining a distance between Su Han and them.


    Though Su Han''s strength had advanced further, and he had synchronized with a life-saving skill, being careful was still no issue.


    Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu sneaked nces at the living room, noticing that the hundreds of kilograms of metal from yesterday had vanished by nearly ny percent, and thought to themselves: "He really is no ordinary person."


    "These are noodles I just made this morning. The conditions are simple, there aren''t any side dishes."


    Gan Xinglei ced the noodles on the living room coffee table, both of them standing at one side of the sofa, their attitude very humble.


    The noodles were steaming hot, just ordinary dried noodles, freshly boiled, with a bit of soy sauce and some sesame oil, quite good indeed.


    "You two, please sit."


    Su Han sat opposite them, and the two sat on the sofa, appearing somewhat restrained, although Yan Meiyu seemed a bit moreposed.


    "It''s early in the morning yet you made noodles, must have been tough."


    He said it was tough, but he didn''t touch the noodles, his eyes fixed on the two of them.


    Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu, having been in the workforce for a not insignificant amount of time, naturally understood the implication.


    Even in peaceful times, one worries about delivery personnel or kitchen staff spitting in takeout food, let alone now during the apocalypse.


    Of course, the noodles weren''t important; it was the pretext for today''s meeting that was significant.


    "Su Han, you are a clever man, and I''ll get straight to the point.


    We don''t know how many monsters are out there, and rescue might not even be possible, so the two of us want to form a team with you for mutual support," Gan Xinglei stated their intent, adding at the end: "You being a capable individual, teaming up with you is us seeking a chance to survive, whether working as assistants or carrying things, it''s all no problem."


    Although both had the Book of Blood Spirit, actually taking down a monster like Su Han had wasn''t easy.


    There wasn''t just one monster, and even having contracted an Angel Envoy, one''s own flesh envoy might not necessarily be more formidable than a regr one; being surrounded would mean death.


    Having more people, sticking together, that was the most likely way to keep alive.


    Su Han didn''t speak yet, just pondered; gathering resources alone was slow, and some items indeed weren''t easy to move, being with more people had its benefits.


    But with more people, resource distribution and some matters needed extra attention¡ªthere were advantages and disadvantages.


    Seeing him in thought, Yan Meiyu suddenly spoke up, her voice soft yet clear: "Although Old Gan is a software engineer, he often runs outsourced projects, can drive, and has an SUV parked in our building''s parking lot, filled up with gas the day before yesterday, so he can be our driver.


    I used to work in real estate sales, I frequently visited this area, so if we really need to move, I can also be of help."


    Su Han took another look at Yan Meiyu, not because his sister-inw was beautiful, but because this sister-inw indeed had something about her, having been a salesperson who knew how to grasp people''s psychology.


    In a few words, she had rified what she could offer.


    Yan Meiyu paused, then added, "And I also know some news."


    Su Han''s eyebrows moved, "Let''s hear it."


    "There might be survivors gathered in the first-floor lobby, or possibly arge number of monsters."


    Su Han looked surprised and asked, "How do you know this?"


    Yan Meiyu answered, "We are the homeowners. Many people were in the lobby looking at the fog and making a fuss about it yesterday morning."


    With that, Su Han understood. When many people gather together, regardless of the mutation rate, there definitely would be corpses generated.


    If people killed the corpses, naturally survivors would gather. If the corpses killed all the survivors, then there would certainly be a considerable number of monsters.


    After the appearance of the "Big Eyeball" yesterday, the first floor turned into a major battleground.


    "Do you have any backpacks in your room?"


    Su Han suddenly asked the question. Gan Xinglei was initially stunned, then a broad smile appeared on his face as he quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, I always use backpacks when I travel, and I have several, including hiking backpacks."


    "Go back and pack up first, I''ll clean up the corridor. Today, we''re going to clear the floors below."


    Yan Meiyu was startled, then nodded, "Okay, thank you."


    Since Su Han had agreed, it meant he had saved their lives, at least reducing the danger significantly. They were indebted to him now.


    Time was limited, so the three of them decided to form a team and didn''t continue to chat. ording to their roles, Yan Meiyu went back to get the backpacks first.


    Su Han took Gan Xinglei to the end of the corridor on the seventh floor, where they had killed corpses yesterday.


    "Ugh"


    Gan Xinglei nearly gagged as soon as they approached, overwhelmed by the stench of blood and rot, and he leaned against the wall to vomit.


    His face was deathly pale, his stomach churning tumultuously, and his legs trembled uncontrobly.


    Having lived for nearly half his life, it was the first time he had seen a person with their stomach hollowed out.


    Su Han patted his back, "Get used to it, you''ll see this sort of thing a lot more in the future. There''s a corpse over there, try if you can form a contract."


    He pointed to the corpse of a corpse next to the woman''s body, which his Angel Envoy had killed yesterday.


    Gan Xinglei wiped the vomit streaked with saliva from the corner of his mouth, his heart bitter. It was easy for you to say, how could anyone be asposed as you?


    "I''ll try. Su Han, do I need any sort of ritual?"


    "Just call me Su Han, no ritual needed, just give it a try."


    Though Su Han could form contracts with his Angel Envoy, he was still half-knowing about many things, so he also needed a reference.


    Teaming up made searching easier and was also part of this consideration.


    Gan Xinglei gathered his strength, then squat down beside the corpse, whispering, "Sorry about this."


    He ced his hand on the corpse, trying to connect with the red "Book of Blood Spirit" in his hand, but after a long time, there was no response.


    He was puzzled and looked back at Su Han, shaking his head, "Su Han, it doesn''t seem to work."


    ying the corpse didn''t work, and Su Han thought for a moment about his experience with his roommate, then said, "I think I know what''s happening. You need to kill a corpse yourself. Go home and grab a kitchen knife or an iron bar, and you''ll have to do it yourselfter."


    When they returned to Gan Xinglei''s home, Yan Meiyu had already found the backpacks, preparing a mountaineering bag for Gan Xinglei and a regr backpack for herself.


    "You should go to my ce and grab some kitchen knives for weapons, we''ll need to clear some corpsester."


    Yan Meiyu paused, looked at Gan Xinglei''s expression, nodded, and said, "I''ll get ready right away."

 Chapter 7: 7: Gan Xingleis Angel Envoy

    The cleaver wrapped in a book strapped to the forearm looked somewhat ridiculous, but it was undoubtedly more effective than the thin assault jacket.


    Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu were dressed the same, the outfit they had found to be most suitable from both reality and films.


    Although the flesh corpses were not zombies and did not carry a virus, their bites were still lethal.


    The footsteps echoed in the corridor; the Angel Envoy flesh corpse led the way, followed by Gan Xinglei, Yan Meiyu, and Su Han.


    Since it was a team, Su Han didn''t intend for Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu to take the lead as human shields. The flesh corpses would just be senselessly sacrificed.


    As for him trailing at the back, it was merely a bit of caution.


    The corridor was pitch ck, much dimmer than the hallway.


    Gan Xinglei held a shlight in one hand and the cleaver in the other, cautiously following behind the Angel Envoy flesh corpse.


    In the dark corridor, not only footsteps but also breathing sounds were distinctly audible.


    The trio passed the firstnding when suddenly a dark shadow loomed ahead, growling and pouncing like a wild beast.


    Gan Xinglei was startled, the shlight revealed it was a flesh corpse, hunched back, sharp ws and teeth, and a bloody maw.


    Its attack was swift as lightning, but it was the Angel Envoy flesh corpse at the forefront.


    It quickly braced itself with arge hand, grabbed the twisted arm, and smashed it viciously into the corridor wall with a dull thud.


    "Don''t kill it, hold it down,"


    As Su Han''smand sounded, the Angel Envoy flesh corpse moved, not using its ws but activating Iron Skin. ck energy flowed over its skin, then it stepped forward, and the fist covered by ck iron skin mmed into the flesh corpse''s body.


    A dull sound echoed; the just-struggling flesh corpse was hammered back to the ground, likely breaking many of its ribs.


    The fierceness of the beast kept it roaring, but in the next moment, the Angel Envoy''srge foot stomped down, breaking its arms, then it bent down, seized the other w, and pinned itpletely to the ground.


    "Kill it."


    As Su Han''s voice reached him, Gan Xinglei visibly shook, replying, "I am on it."


    Killing, or to say killing a monster transformed from a human, was a challenge for Gan Xinglei.


    But he understood that to survive in this apocalyptic world, such acts were inevitable.


    He had to survive, he had Yan Meiyu to protect, so he must take this step.


    Having Su Han''s help was already a stroke of great luck in some sense.


    "Roar"


    Approaching the flesh corpse, the low growl continuously emanated as it twisted and struggled.


    He took a deep breath, then lifted the cleaver and harshly chopped at the flesh corpse''s head, once, twice, three times...


    The blood of the flesh corpse sshed onto his face, the strong smell of blood made him want to vomit. Chopping its head felt as hard as hacking through a pig''s big bones, difficult to deal with.


    However, as the de continued to fall, the roaring quickly diminished.


    The Book of Blood Spirit in Gan Xinglei''s hand emitted a red glow, and by then he had stopped his action, looking at the in flesh corpse.


    "Contract"


    As he conveyed his intent of the Contract, a red light soon enveloped the flesh corpse, transforming the remains into a stream of red light that merged into the pages of the Book of Blood Spirit.


    Gan Xinglei could feel his body strengthening, his eyes shed with excitement: "Su Han, Meiyu, I seeded."


    Speaking, his mind moved, and the Book of Blood Spirit lit up, then his Angel Envoy appeared before them.


    Standing about one meter eighty, with pallid skin, a fierce twisted face, hunched spine, and terrifyingly elongated ws, it was enough to send shivers down the spine.


    It was much shorter than Su Han''s Angel Envoy and clearly much weaker in strength.


    Su Han asked, "How does it feel?"


    "I can control this creature... Angel Envoy, and it seems my body has gotten stronger. My back isn''t hurting anymore."


    Su Han: ...


    Did I ask you that?


    Gan Xinglei was originally a programmer who worked overtime every day. At only twenty-seven or twenty-eight, he already looked like he was in his thirties, so it wasn''t hard to understand why his body had undergone a transformation to be healthier.


    "Control your Angel Envoy, walk in front from now on," he said.


    Encountering a flesh corpse in the stairwell was unexpected, likely lured here by the noise from the seventh floor yesterday.


    As Gan Xinglei''s excitement subsided, he had no other unusual thoughts. Wiping the blood off his body, he nodded and said, "I''ll control it to go ahead."


    The three continued downstairs, passed through the fire door, and arrived at the sixth floor. As soon as they reached this point, the scent of blood had already wafted over.


    In the dimly lit stairwell the smell was intense, with hints of chewing sounds faintly audible.


    "Tap, tap"


    As footsteps echoed, the chewing sounds abruptly stopped. Flesh corpses at both ends of the corridor suddenly rose, turned around, and growled as they opened their mouths full of sharp teeth, then they rapidly charged at the trio on all fours.


    "Stop them!"


    Having killed a flesh corpse by hand, Gan Xinglei seemed to have gained some courage and wasn''t scared. He controlled his own flesh corpse Angel Envoy and charged forward.


    Although it had be an Angel Envoy, being outnumbered one to two was not advantageous. It crazily held off two flesh corpses, then its ws reached for their heads, leaving trails of wounds.


    Meanwhile, the relentless biting inflicted massive wounds on Gan Xinglei''s Angel Envoy as well.


    "Take action, kill one of them," Su Hanmanded.


    Su Han controlled his own flesh corpse Angel Envoy to step forward, his hand''s sharp metallic ws extended, and with swift movement, he wed at the arm of another flesh corpse that was squeezing by.


    With a nging sound, the arm was cleanly severed, spurting a lot of blood.


    "Roar"


    The flesh corpse became even more frenzied, but what responded was another powerful punch from the Angel Envoy''s Iron Skin, smashing half of its head.


    "Watch the back!"


    Suddenly, Yan Meiyu cried out. Su Han turned around swiftly, only to see a pair of dim red lights appearing at the end of the opposite corridor.


    He shone the shlight over, and with squeaking and grating sounds, a creature appeared¡ªit was a half-meter long rat with rotting skin showing bone on its back, equipped with sharp teeth and ws.


    The giant rat charged at them, its speed even faster than the flesh corpses, and in an instant, it was not far in front of them.


    At that time, both Su Han''s and Gan Xinglei''s Angel Envoys were at the forefront, with some distance between them, and with Yan Meiyu and Su Han standing in between, their reaction came a fraction toote.


    Su Han, staying calm, his eyes cold, thought to himself, "Damn it."


    He instantly activated Iron Skin, his skin turning pitch ck in an instant. The giant rat leaped high, its eyes blood red, about to pounce on Su Han who was closest to it.


    But in this crisis, Su Han remainedposed and stepped forward, shing directly with his bone-chopping knife.


    The knife strike was sharp and decisive, hitting the giant rat''s front paw and severing it, which then fell to the ground.


    The giant rat was hit mid-air, lost its bnce, and crashed to the ground, injuring one of its legs from the pain, wildly fluttering and squealing as if it was insane.


    Su Han was about to step forward, but Yan Meiyu, because the giant rat fell closer to her, moved faster. In the critical moment, she exerted all her strength and fiercely chopped down with the bone-chopping knife. The sound was distinct, and the giant rat''s head, asrge as a sea bowl, was almost entirely severed, spilling pungent blood all over the ground.


    Su Han was stunned, "This woman is so fierce?"


    "Pfft"


    On the other side, Su Han''s flesh corpse Angel Envoy twisted off the head of the flesh corpse controlled by Gan Xinglei''s Angel Envoy, ending the threat.


    "Are you okay, Meiyu?"


    Seeing his girlfriend holding the knife and sitting slumped on the ground, Gan Xinglei was startled and rushed over to support her, his expression anxious.


    After several calls, Yan Meiyu finally gathered her strength and said, "Old Gan!"


    Her voice had a crying tone but she didn''t cry. Even men seeing such a bloody scene for the first time felt ufortable, let alone her.


    Su Hanposed himself and suddenly said, "Form the Contract now, we haven''t seen a giant rat before, and it was you who killed it."


    Since Yan Meiyu had taken the initiative herself, there was no need to catch another flesh corpse for her to form a Contract with.


    Moreover, since the giant rat was indeed something new, forming a Contract would serve as a good reference.


    Yan Meiyu nodded silently, then closed her eyes slightly, beginning the Contract.

 Chapter 8: 8 Survivor

    The red light enveloped the giant rat''s corpse, along with the severed limbs, and then they were all fused into the pages of the Book of Blood Spirit.


    After the fusion wasplete, Yan Meiyu opened her eyes and took the initiative to say, "The contract was sessful, it''s a Rot Skin Rat."


    With a thought, the giant rat, as long as half a meter without counting its tail, reappeared in front of the three of them.


    This Rot Skin Rat was half a meter long, not counting the tail. If you included the tail, it was almost a meter,parable in size to some ordinary dogs.


    "My body has also been strengthened, but the change isn''t particrly significant. However, this Rot Skin Rat seems to have a skill..."


    Yan Meiyu''s gaze stealthily nced at Su Han, thinking, "Su Han must also have skills, which seem to be even more formidable."


    Surprised, Su Han looked at Yan Meiyu and asked, "What skill?"


    Yan Meiyu did not hide anything since sharing information as a team was one of the best ways to build trust.


    "Rot Poison (Weak), its w Strikes and bites carry Rot Poison, which can cause infection and poisoning if not treated properly."


    Gan Xinglei muttered and interjected, "Kind of like the Komodo dragon, huh?"


    Su Han nodded, "You let the Rot Skin Rat scout ahead, my Angel Envoy will follow second, and Old Gan''s Angel Envoy will take up the rear."


    "Got it, I''ll take care of the rear."


    During the simple exploration, Yan Meiyu and Gan Xinglei''s performances helped to establish a basic trust in the team, and such arrangements could enhance efficiency even more.


    On the sixth floor, the doors of three households were wide open, with conspicuous bloodstains and impact marks on them, clearly the work of monsters.


    Yan Meiyu controlled the Rot Skin Rat and approached the nearest door, circumventing the corpses on the ground to reach the doorstep.


    The closer she got, the more obvious the marks on the door became, and one could faintly see the scratches where the paint had peeled off.


    Seeing the broken door lock, Gan Xinglei whispered, "It''s been broken through; I wonder if it was those two earlier."


    A flesh corpse''s strength was greater than that of an ordinary person ¨C a twisted body and rage allowed it to unleash more power.


    In such a situation, a security door cannot withstand the impact.


    The living room was in disarray, the sofa stained red with blood, and a bodyy on it, missing more than half.


    "Look for useful things, and also food."


    The three entered the house, and after confirming there were no flesh corpses in the living room, they began to search for supplies separately.


    With Angel Envoys scouting ahead, even entering the bedrooms wasn''t worrisome, as they didn''t have to fear monsters hiding inside andunching a sneak attack.


    Su Han searched for supplies in the kitchen and living room, Gan Xinglei went to the secondary bedroom and guest bedroom, while Yan Meiyu headed for the master bedroom.


    The kitchen was rtively tidy, with the fridge and cabs still intact.


    But when Su Han opened the refrigerator, a rotten smell immediately wafted out.


    Without electricity for a day and a night, and in apletely sealed environment, everything had gone bad.


    Other than the rice seasoning, which might still be usable, everything else in the refrigerator was likely spoiled.


    As for the contents of the freezer, the ice had all melted, leaving water flowing all over once the door was opened, soaking everything, mainly some ribs and such.


    Although they only seemed to have defrosted and not yet gone bad, Su Han didn''t dare to take any.


    In the current situation, even a case of diarrhea could not be treated by a doctor; it was better to be cautious and avoid risks.


    "Su Han."


    Suddenly, Gan Xinglei''s voice came through, and, on alert, Su Han quickly headed for the secondary bedroom.


    "What''s the situation?"


    Gan Xinglei stood by the door with a grim expression and said in a low voice, "There''s a survivor, but the situation doesn''t look good."


    He pointed in the direction of the wardrobe; the doors were already open. It was arge floor wardrobe, big enough to hide a person inside.


    Su Han, apanied by his Angel Envoy flesh corpse, walked over and looked into the wardrobe.


    Nestled among the clothes was a young woman, pale-faced, with her eyes tightly shut, and her body trembling incessantly.


    "Drip-drop"


    The sound of dripping came, and upon closer inspection, it was blood dripping from the pile of clothes, originating from the woman''s abdomen.


    "First get her out andy her on the bed."


    Su Han had his Angel Envoy carry the woman out, then ced her on the bed, whereupon he heard Yan Meiyu, whom Gan Xinglei had called earlier, hurry over.


    After she examined the woman''s condition, Yan Meiyu stood up and shook her head, her face looking rather bleak, "There''s a hole in her abdomen from a bite, and she''s still feverish; the wound is likely infected, and she''s lost a lot of blood."


    The wound kept oozing blood, and although Yan Meiyu was now pressing down on it with clothes, it continued to bleed slowly; stopping the blood flow was challenging, not to mention the woman was still running a high fever, her skin burning hot.


    A moment of silence fell among the three of them. Su Han spoke, "Give her some water to drink, see if there are any anti-inmmatory drugs you can use on her. If she doesn''t improve by tomorrow, I''ll handle it."


    None of them were doctors, and seeking medical help was not feasible under the current circumstances. Survival was now a matter of fate.


    Yan Meiyu nodded in agreement, "Okay, I found some in the master bedroom."


    After a cursory treatment of the woman, they closed the bedroom door tightly and then regrouped in the living room.


    "I found some snacks and household medicines in the master bedroom, but not much. There are two power banks though, with enough charge to power our shlights."


    Yan Meiyuid out the items she found on the table. Gan Xinglei then added, "There''s not much in the guest and secondary bedrooms, just a fruit knife. Su Han, do we need to dismantle for metal this time?"


    He remembered Su Han was in need of metal, probably for one of his Angel Envoy''s Skills, hence the question.


    The stronger Su Han became, the safer they would be.


    Su Han pondered for a while, still undecided about the materials needed for the third Fusion. Although he could start over with the Fusion process, he could not afford to waste time and materials.


    Fusing with ordinary metal at LV2 had already consumed several hundred pounds; naturally, the material requirement for LV3 would be much more significant.


    To gather that much material, one would need to scour every room in a building, and that would likely still not be enough unless they disassembled load-bearing walls.


    However, no one in their right mind would do that.


    "Not for now," he shook his head and said, "Let''s continue scavenging for resources and try to clear the lower floors. Without a refrigerator, we hardly have any fresh food left. Preserved meat, rice, pasta, canned goods, and snacks are still fine. Anything else will probably be sparse, and sooner orter we''ll have to look outside.


    The sooner we clear the floors below, the sooner we can n our next move."


    He hadn''t found much food in the kitchen either, just a small bag of rice and flour, so he was well aware of the situation.


    "Alright, let''s continue."


    Their teamwork gradually became more in sync as they kept scavenging for supplies on the sixth floor. In another room with its door busted open, they encountered another corpse.


    This time, Yan Meiyu''s Rot Skin Rat acted immediately, leaping forward to exploit its advantage by biting at the neck of the corpse, ripping off arge chunk of flesh down to the bone.


    Then Su Han''s Angel Envoy followed, with its w piercing directly through the corpse''s heart, killing it.


    Compared to the corpse, perhaps the Rot Skin Rat''s strength was not its strong suit, but had it been a person, that attack would have surely been lethal.


    The wound was not only deep, but the Rot Skin Rat''s strikes also carried Rot Poison.


    They cleared one apartment after another. Byte morning, they had cleaned up the entire sixth floor.


    Apart from the woman in the first room, there were no survivors on the sixth floor. One apartment was empty, and two or three showed traces of ughter, aplete mess.


    Three pounds of preserved meat, thirty pounds of rice and flour, five bags of dried noodles, ten packets of instant noodles, and a multitude of snacks made up their scavenged supplies.


    There were also many medications, mostlymon drugs, not much different from what they had found before.


    The haul was meager, to the point where it didn''t even fill three backpacks when divided amongst them.


    After considering the situation, the three of them decided to continue clearing downward to the fifth floor.


    The situation on the fifth floor was not much better than on the sixth. In the hallway, there were three roaming corpses gathered at the end of the corridor, in front of a door.


    "Roar"


    The three twisted figures of the corpses spotted Su Han''s group at the other end of the hallway and charged straight at them.


    They were ferocious, but after the cleaning of the sixth floor, Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu had be more adept at surviving in this post-apocalyptic world.


    Gan Xinglei, using his Angel Envoy, stepped forward and grappled one corpse, while Yan Meiyu''s Rot Skin Rat leapt up and took advantage of the moment to gnaw the controlled corpse''s head to a pulp.


    The two of them worked seamlessly together and quickly dealt with one of the corpses.


    As for the remaining ones, they rushed forward only to be blocked by Su Han''s Angel Envoy, which threw one aside with a heavy punch and then decapitated it with its w.


    The other shrieked and lunged at the Angel Envoy. A grating screech filled the air as Iron Skin blocked the attack, followed by the Angel Envoy''s w piercing its heart the very next moment.


    After cleaning up the corpses and with the hallway stained red with blood, the three had gradually grown ustomed to the sight.


    "Let''s start with this room..."


    "Creak"


    Before Su Han could finish, the door suddenly opened, and a skinny man with sses and a somber expression cautiously peered out, "You... you''re the rescuers, right?"

 Chapter 9: 9 Zhu Xiong

    The house was not inhabited by just the man; Su Han''s gaze shifted to the inside of the room and only then did she notice a woman standing behind him, sporting wavy long hair and thin lips.


    "Are you going to protect us while we go downstairs? Just wait, I''ll pack up some stuff."


    The woman, seeing that the three people hadn''t spoken for a while and vaguely hearing the half-sentence from Su Han earlier, "from this room...", thought they were rescue workers and started talking on her own.


    "We''ve waited a day for someone toe, but at least someone''s here to rescue us now."


    "We are not rescue personnel"


    Su Han interrupted the woman''s non-stop chatter, causing both to be taken aback, and they responded, "Then who are you?"


    "Upstairs neighbors. Have you really not grasped the situation after a whole day?"


    Su Han spoke coldly, their impression of the couple not very favorable, detecting a sense of self-importance in their tone.


    In fact, that was exactly the case. It was only now that the man with sses and the woman took a closer look and realized that though all three were dressed in dark-colored windbreakers, indeed they were not uniforms, only simr in appearance.


    The couple''s expression subtly changed, revealing a hint less reverence.


    The man said, "So you''re the neighbors, then... did you bring these monsters yourselves, not sent by the state? So... is the ''Book of Blood Spirit'' a real thing?"


    He was calcting in his mind, "If these college kids can get a hold of monsters, maybe I could learn how as well. Then I''d be safe."


    "Kill a monster yourself and you can make a contract."


    Su Han didn''t hide this fact; it wasn''t a secret anyway. However, upon hearing this, the man''s face showed difficulty; asking him to kill a monster was asking him to die, wasn''t it?


    His eyes darted around, and looking at Su Han, he suddenly thought, "College students are easy to fool. Rather than doing it myself, why not have him work for me."


    "Young man, asking me to kill monsters is really putting me in a tough spot, isn''t it? I''ll give you five thousand bucks and a gold ring. How about you catch two monsters for the two of us?"


    A cold smile flickered in Su Han''s eyes; call the man smart, for knowing cash might not be as useful as gold, but call him stupid for really not understanding the situation, thinking anyone could be bossed around.


    "Old Gan, let''s do it by the book: collect the clean-up fee."


    Gan Xinglei grinned and said, "Got it."


    He walked over to the man and then said, "We cleaned up the flesh corpses on the fifth floor, ensuring your safety, so ording to the rules, we need to collect a cleaning fee. Hand over half of the food and medicine, and if you don''t have that,pensate with other useful things."


    "What?!"


    The man''s voice suddenly rose by several octaves, his eyes widened in shock, pointing at Gan Xinglei, "You... you''re robbing us! If you won''t help, then don''t, but how can you do this? Such a bunch of..."


    He didn''t dare finish the sentence, but his wife screamed shrilly, "The monsters were killed by you, not summoned by us, what does this have to do with us?"


    The two argued but, sensing trouble, quickly started shoving to try to close the door and hide inside the house.


    "Bang"


    However, at that moment, Su Han''s Angel Envoy, a flesh corpse,nded a hefty punch directly onto the door, indenting a sizable dent in the metal security door.


    The man and his wife cried out in pain, knocked to the ground by the enormous force transmitted through the door.


    "Go inside and take it yourself."


    With Su Han''smand given, Gan Xinglei nodded and, controlling his own flesh corpse along with Yan Meiyu, went in to collect resources.


    This time, having witnessed the Angel Envoy''s strength, the couple fell silent, as quiet as cicadas in winter, yet in the depths of their eyes simmered resentment.


    Although Su Han''s approach was aggressive, the fee he charged was reasonable.


    With the flesh corpses cleared and a safe environment in exchange for half of their supplies, it was clear to anyone with eyes which was the heavier and which the lighter.


    As for offending people, Su Han wasn''t afraid.


    He wouldn''t kill without reason, but if someone was seeking death, he didn''t mind strengthening his courage and then mastering a skill that could crush bones into dust.


    "Click"


    Suddenly, a faint sound of a door opening came through. Su Han''s expression became serious as he turned vignt. The Angel Envoy Flesh Corpse looked toward the direction of the sound¡ªthe door of room 7504.


    Su Han, with the Angel Envoy Flesh Corpse, approached and indeed, he saw a crack in the door of room 7504.


    "Brother, don''t attack, I''m alive too."


    A middle-aged man with a buzz cut poked out his upper body. He was smiling, wearing a ck short-sleeve shirt, about 1.8 meters tall with a square face. Middle-aged plumpness made his face rounder, and a clear scar could be seen on his forearm.


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Brother, my name is Zhu Xiong. I heard everything you guys were talking about just now and saw it all. You are quite capable, brother."


    Zhu Xiong, having seen Su Han and the Angel Envoy''s faces, didn''t show fear but heaped on praise instead.


    Before Su Han could speak, Zhu Xiong continued, "Those who are alive should be grateful for your help. We''ll hand over half of our food and medicine. Though it''s ufortable, it''s what should be done. Those with small sses and his mistress, they don''t know what''s good for them. I''ve got twenty kilos of rice and flour, along with six bottles of Maotai, all of which I can share with you.


    I also have some matters to discuss with you, if it''s convenient."


    Zhu Xiong spoke honestly, with his words exuding the message that though he wasn''t happy about his stuff being taken, he had noints about turning it over.


    ''This Zhu Xiong has got something.''


    The words of Zhu Xiong were pleasing to Su Han. Whether it was insincere or genuinely open, this way of speaking was definitely morefortable than being imperious.


    However, he remained calm and didn''t let it get to his head, asking, "What do you want to know?"


    Zhu Xiong''s face lit up with joy when he heard Su Han''s response. His cheeks quivered with his smile as he said, "I mean no disrespect, brother, please don''t me me. It''s about those Contract monsters¡ªbesides killing them, is there anything else we need to pay attention to? To be frank with you, if there weren''t three creatures in that corridor, I would have already gone at them with a crowbar."


    Su Han: ...


    "What do you do, elder brother?"


    "I used to run transportation when I was young," Zhu Xiong stretched out his hand and pointed to the scar on it. "Later, when I couldn''tpete anymore, I bought two trucks and became a small boss, cooperating with a logisticspany."


    To be able to do long-distance trucking, and especially as a former long-distance truck driver, one really couldn''t manage without guts.


    Su Han revealed a bit of realization, so that was it.


    He also hid the details of the Contract, saying, "Killing them with your own hands will do."


    Having received an answer, Zhu Xiong felt reassured and said, "Brother, I''d like to make a deal with you. I have keys to two trucks, and there are a couple of crowbars and somerge wrenches in my room, which are better weapons than that kitchen knife of yours. I''ll give you one truck and the weapons in exchange for a favor."


    "To kill those Flesh Corpses?"


    "Yes, to kill those creatures. I''m willing to take them on one-on-one, but you never know what might happen. I''m middle-aged now, and even though I take my goji berries daily, I''m not as strong as when I was young. So I''m asking you to protect me while I kill those creatures."


    Zhu Xiong sped his hands together in a salute and said, "I''m not beingpletely honest here; these items should rightfully be yours by half, so using them as a bargaining chip is somewhat underhanded of me. But I have my uses too, driving trucks.


    I know some things about the logisticspanies in the city, bulk goods markets, warehouses, and if you need help gathering supplies, I''m definitely on board without a word."


    "Alright, I''ll find one for youter."


    Su Han didn''t ponder for long. The fairness of the deal aside, the fact that he knew about the bulk goods warehouses and markets alone proved his worth.


    Helping out as a courtesy to retain a connection was no problem at all.


    What''s more, this man was an old hand, not the type to drag his feet easily.


    "Su Han, the stuff is moved."


    Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu came out with the items still in their hands and, with a bang, the man with the speedy sses and his mistress hastily closed their door.

 Chapter 10: 10 Trading

    "Just this stuff?"


    Su Han was somewhat surprised as he looked at the items they were holding, which included neither rice nor flour, just a few bags of bread and dried noodles.


    Gan Xingleleiined, "There''s not much food, but there are plenty of condoms and blue pills."


    Yan Meiyu''s cheeks flushed red as she kicked theining Gan Xinglelei.


    Zhu Xiongughed, "Not surprising, that pretty boy kept a mistress here, it would be strange without these things. The pair was so ''high and mighty'', looking down on everyone¡ªwith their noses in the air, they didn''t see what wasing. They''ve brought it on themselves."


    When Gan Xinglelei saw Zhu Xiong, curiosity filled his eyes, "Who is he?"


    "Zhu Xiong."


    Su Han introduced everyone and recounted the recent events.


    Zhu Xiong said, "Wait here; I''ll get you something."


    He entered the house without closing the door, unconcerned about Su Han and the others following him in. In an empty room, he grabbed a couple of crowbars, severalrge wrenches, metal pipes, and even a sledgehammer beforeing back out.


    True to his work in transportation, these items looked fierce, but once thrown into a vehicle, they became nothing more than perfectly legal tools.


    But whether they are used in legal manners, no one knows.


    These items could fix cars, or they could fix people.


    The crowbar, a Stanley make, was about 1.2 meters long and weighed around 16 pounds¡ªa substantial heft.


    Even a strong man might have difficulty holding it for long, but the weightbined with the length and the sturdy material made it a serious weapon. Zhu Xiong wasn''t joking when he said it could crack open the skulls of meaty corpses.


    Su Han weighed it in his hand and actually found it a bit light. These days, he could easily lift something weighing 300 pounds; thus, wielding such a weapon naturally felt too light to him.


    However,pared to the bone-chopping kitchen knife, the crowbar was much more handy, and its nickname of ''the physical sword of physics'' was indeed deserved.


    The pipes were of simr length to the crowbars, roughly 1.2 meters, but they were much lighter, weighing at most five or six pounds. Nheless, with their solid thickness, they too were formidable bludgeons.


    Wrenches were a bit shorter, less than 50 centimeters, but almost as heavy as the pipes. The thick, heavy head of the wrench clearly made it easier to wield against someone.


    "These are the tools I use for fixing and carrying in the truck, never thought they''de in handy now. Do they suit you, brother?"


    "Not bad," Su Han nodded as he put away the bone-chopping kitchen knife and picked up a crowbar in one hand and slipped a wrench into his backpack, letting the handle stick out by the side zipper.


    "Old Gan, you guys should switch to these weapons too."


    "Sure thing."


    Gan Xinglei immediately grabbed a crowbar but found it a bit heavy upon trying to handle it. Although he had enhanced himself and could carry it, it still felt burdensome, so he switched to a metal pipe instead.


    Yan Meiyu directly took a metal pipe, leaving one crowbar, a few pipes, and wrenches remaining.


    "Let the Angel Envoy carry weapons."


    Yan Meiyu had a sh of inspiration, suddenly recalling the disadvantage they had faced in the earlier fight.


    Although Gan Xinglei had also contracted a meaty corpse as an Angel Envoy, it only seemed to have a little more strength at the moment, and it didn''t have overwhelmingbat power.


    One-on-one was manageable, but against two, it was less effective and struggled to fully protect its host.


    However, with weapons in hand, things would be different.


    "Yeah, give the Angel Envoy a couple of wrenches."


    Gan Xinglei took two wrenches and had the Angel Envoy grasp them. Surprisingly, those huge ws could grip them firmly, turning it into something akin to a wrench-wielding murderer, which was somewhat unsettling to watch.


    "Su Han, do you want one for yours?"


    Gan Xinglei, holding a pipe, asked Su Han.


    Su Han shook his head and looked at Zhu Xiong, "Brother Zhu, get ready. I''ll find you a monster."


    A flicker of joy passed through Zhu Xiong''s eyes as he replied, "Thanks, brother."


    Finding a monster wasn''t difficult. On the fifth floor, there were four other households. Breaking into two of them revealed nothing¡ªa room was even empty, likely because a tenant had moved out and no new one had moved in yet.


    The remaining two households had yet to be entered when faint roars could be heard from inside, obviously harboring something.


    "Brother, I''ll break the door and let that thinge out to the hallway. Be ready."


    Zhu Xiong nodded, his expression grew solemn, and he gripped the steel pipe in his hand tightly.


    "Click"


    Like before, Su Han''s Angel Envoy flesh corpse thrust its sharp metallic w directly into the iron door, creating a hole and then unlocking it.


    With a light click, the door opened, and the flesh corpse inside heard the noise at the door and rushed over quickly.


    Retreating about two or three meters, the Angel Envoy flesh corpse positioned itself just behind Zhu Xiong, separated by no more than the span of one body.


    At this distance, even if Zhu Xiong made a mistake, he could still protect him.


    Zhu Xiong took a deep breath, his eyes wide open as he watched the door, and with a bang, the door was struck open, and a flesh corpse staggered out from inside.


    Its spine twisted, yet its stature was not short, approximately one meter eighty, about the same height as Zhu Xiong, roaring and opening its wide mouth as it rushed towards Zhu Xiong, the nearest target.


    Zhu Xiong''s heart pounded, but his eyes became fiercer, "Fuck your grandfather, sorry neighbor."


    He strode forward without any hesitation, and fiercely smashed the metal pipe down.


    With a heavy thud, the flesh corpse was sent staggering, its form lowering, momentum checked.


    An old hand in brawling, Zhu Xiong knew not to hesitate and swung his metal pipe in a full circle, hitting hard, thud after thud, the pipe meeting flesh.


    Arms were broken, a head caved in with a blow, blood sttered, coating him, yet he did not stop his assault.


    After more than a dozen blows, finally, there was silence, and Zhu Xiong stopped, panting heavily.


    "Damn it, that wore me out."


    The flesh corpse was beaten to death without any hesitation; the Book of Blood Spirit on Zhu Xiong''s arm glowed red, then enveloped the corpse he had killed.


    The flesh corpse turned into a red light, and then bonded with the pages of his Book of Blood Spirit, ultimatelypleting the Contract.


    And in the moment of the Contract, Zhu Xiong felt the reciprocation of power from the Angel Envoy, a warm current flowing toward every part of his body.


    ''This feels better than a footbath''


    Zhu Xiong''s body quivered slightly, that thought subconsciously appearing in his mind, and then, as the warmth passed, he came back around.


    "I cannot thank you enough, in this apocalyptic world, if you need any help, just tell me. If we need to go out and gather resources, and the truck needs driving, count me in."


    Zhu Xiong didn''t harbor wild ambitions because of the Contract; he knew the world was sure to descend into chaos, and that monsters wouldn''t be limited to these flesh corpses.


    Only by working together could they possibly survive, much like when he drove trucks through the chaotic North back then.


    "It''s getting dark, we''ll continue clearing the lower floors tomorrow."


    Hearing Su Han''s words, Zhu Xiong understood and immediately nodded, "Tomorrow, I''ll pitch in too, count on me, brother."


    After clearing the sixth and fifth floors, the hallway''s light gradually dimmed, suggesting it was nearly evening.


    Su Han and the other two retreated back to the seventh floor, moving all the resources they had found.


    "On the fifth and sixth floors, we found roughly one hundred fifty kilograms of rice, thirty bags of noodles including instant noodles, ten cans, four kilograms of cured meat, and various other items like eggs, snacks, and some medicine, mostly for colds and fevers."


    Yan Meiyu voluntarily tallied up the resources, which, added to the previous collection from the seventh floor by Su Han, resulted in no more than three hundred kilograms of supplies in total.


    Normally, a person''s daily intake of rice and other foods, if abundant, would only be about half a kilogram to a little over one kilogram. However now, everyone had been enhanced, and with meat scarce, their consumption of rice and flour would definitely be more.


    Two to three hundred kilograms of rice and flour couldst them one to two months, but cooking rice required water, which was the biggest limiting factor.


    "Tomorrow we''ll focus on clearing the flesh corpses, speed up getting to the ground floor to assess the situation. We''ll continue to gather resources, but that won''t be the main focus; what''s more important is to collect as much water as possible since we might be cut off from water supply before long."


    Yan Meiyu nodded and said, "Got it, I''ll go cook something to eat."


    Su Han instructed, "Make sure to cook plenty."


    Dinner was simple, cured meat with some fresh vegetables they found, and about three to four kilograms of rice.


    The three of them finished their meal inly. Though it looked like a lot of food, nothing was left over.


    As Su Han had significantly enhanced his body far more than Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu, naturally, he ate the most, virtually taking care of the entire meal himself.


    After dinner, the three sat on the couch, and Su Han thought for a moment before asking the two about serious matters, "How fast do you two feel the Angel Envoy power is reciprocating?"

 Chapter 11: 11: Four-armed Corpse

    Gan Xinglei thought carefully, organized hisnguage, and replied, "Since the contract, there has been a constant though somewhat indistinct feedback enhancement, and my strength has definitely improved a bitpared to the morning. However, as for the speed and effect, without aparison, it''s hard for me to say for sure, but definitely not as much as you."


    Su Han''s strength was clearly evident to him, although he had never asked about the specifics of the Angel Envoy''s w.


    In his mind, though, it was a given that it was a skill naturally acquired, and its considerable strength was categorized under the strength enhancement of the Angel Envoy and receiving more power feedback.


    However, only Su Han himself knew what was truly happening with him, with most of his strength stemming from Fusion and natural enhancement, making it somewhat difficult to estimate.


    After thinking for a moment, he changed his question to, "How many days would it take to reach First-level Intermediate?"


    Gan Xinglei thought seriously and said, "Based on my feeling, if nothing unexpected happens, it should take about seven days."


    After the contract, there was a vague sense of the Angel Envoy''s strength, which was a link between them, and naturally, they could feel the advancement of this power.


    However, whether the speed of strength enhancement was consistent every day was something he could not guarantee.


    Su Han looked at Yan Meiyu, who, after a bit of thought, said, "It should take me about five days. When I control the Rot Skin Rat, the gradual increase in speed is not slow; I can feel my constitution slowly improving and my speed picking up a little."


    From morning till afternoon, there had hardly been any rest; previously, when working in sales and running around all the time, she would have been utterly exhausted by now, but today she wasn''t.


    Comparing the two cases, if he put aside the aspect of Fusion, Su Han''s Angel Envoy''s advancement speed was likely close to Yan Meiyu''s.


    ''Looking at it this way, perhaps there isn''t much difference between everyone, the key to elerating strength enhancement still lies in Fusion materials.''


    Having set his mind, he looked at the two and said, "Let''s rest for now. Tomorrow, we''ll call Zhu Xiong and continue clearing the ce."


    Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu didn''t stay at Su Han''s ce, though they had rooms, it wasn''t appropriate.


    Once the two left, the room became empty and silent, save for the light of the electricmp and Su Han himself.


    Themp was part of the supplies found today; connected to a power bank and set to the lowest brightness, it couldst a long time.


    "Fusion with LV2 ordinary metals already takes three to four hundred pounds of metal, and LV3 will likely require even more, possibly over a thousand pounds. Without leaving this building, it will be hard to gather enough in the short term. We need to switch to a different type of material."


    In terms of suitable materials for Fusion, he had previously considered this, eventually choosing metal. Now, if not using metal, the first choice would still be the previous few materials: stone, water, wood, and so on.


    Su Han took out those items and ced them in front of him, thinking, "Let''s first test the material suitability."


    Material suitability determined the speed and efficiency of Fusion, which was very important at this stage, as it rted to the speed of his own strength enhancement.


    [Material detecting ordinary rock: proceed with Fusion?]


    "Fusion"


    As Su Han tested them one by one, when the Angel Envoy''s flesh enveloped a rock and slowly began to Fuse it, his brow furrowed slightly.


    "This speed, it''s a bit slower than metal."


    His hunch was right, and when the Fusion wasplete, the Fusion Degree appeared: ordinary rock: 0.03%.


    A stone slightly smaller than a fist had earned just this little Fusion Degree; toplete LV1 Fusion, he''d need at least a few hundred pounds or more, a quantity he couldn''t manage, and time wouldn''t allow for it either.


    Interrupting the Fusion, the Fusion Degree of the ordinary rock disappeared, and Su Han picked up the next Fusion material.


    A cup of water, Fusion time 3 minutes, Fusion Degree 0.05%, slightly higher than the rock but still slower than metal, requiring arge quantity; his reserved water might not suffice, creating a resource scarcity.


    A piece of wood, Fusion time 3 minutes, Fusion Degree 0.08%, higher than the previous two, but still not as good as metal, and the problem was simr: finding wood in the apartment wouldn''t be much more substantial than finding metal.


    For a moment, Su Han felt frustrated; time could be made avable, but the building''s limited resources were the more challenging problem to solve.


    If only he were in a garage or at a rebar yard, he could satisfy the ordinary metal Fusion to the greatest extent possible.


    "The mostmon items in the apartment now, which should also be avable... wait, the corpses of the Four-armed Corpses."


    Suddenly, Su Han thought of the corpses, weren''t the corpses and monsters the most plentiful things in the building right now?


    Moreover, consideringpatibility, things of the same origin should at least not be worse than metal, as for what attributes would be added, he''d know after trying.


    Su Han stood up, holding a shlight in one hand and a crowbar in the other, and ordered the Angel Envoy corpse to open the door.


    There was a corpse from yesterday''s kill in the seventh-floor corridor¡ªready-made experimental material.


    Arriving at the corridor, the smell of blood mixed with a faint stench, he covered his nose slightly and muttered, "Even if the Fusion isn''t great, this body should be cleaned up; otherwise, it will rot and breed disease."


    Drawing near to the corpse on the ground, Su Hanmanded the Angel Envoy to step forward, grabbing onto the corpse''s body, while he began concentrating mentally.


    [Detected Fusion material: corpse flesh and blood, proceed with Fusion?]


    ''As expected, it can be Fused.''


    "Fusion"


    No sooner had Su Han given themand than he saw countless tendrils of flesh on the Angel Envoy, worming towards the corpse, intertwining and Fusing. The corpse body was disappearing at an extremely fast rate.


    In less than 5 minutes, only a twisted skeleton remained on the ground. The skull deformed, the spine contorted, bearing no resemnce to a human.


    Feeling a power feedback more pronounced than after the previous three Fusions, Su Han was delighted. He opened the Angel Envoy''s attribute panel and saw that it was a sess.


    Angel Envoy: Corpse


    Rank: First-level Intermediate


    Skills: [w] [Iron Skin]


    Fusion: LV2 ordinary metal, corpse flesh and blood 18%


    Just one corpse had achieved a 18% Fusion Degree. How could Su Han not be thrilled? This meant that even if the percentage needed increasedter on, he wouldn''t need more than seven or eight corpses toplete the first Fusion.


    And in these two days, the number of corpses he had cleared and killed on the fifth, sixth, and seventh floors clearly exceeded this number. Tonight, if he followed the trail from the daytime, Fusing along the way, he couldplete the first Fusion.


    With no time to lose, Su Han took his shlight and began entering rooms on the seventh floor with corpse bodies, passing through one after another, continually Fusing the corpses.


    From the seventh floor to the sixth and down to the fifth, after the Fusion of the tenth corpse''s flesh and blood, Su Han had achieved tonight''s KPI.


    [LV1 corpse flesh and blood Fusion, the corpse has achieved an Advancement in form: Four-armed Corpse]


    As the prompt sounded, Su Han looked astounded. When he looked towards the Angel Envoy corpse, he immediately saw beneath the glowing red body, muscles bulging, and bones cracking with a ka-ka sound, stretching incessantly.


    The already two-meter-tall Angel Envoy surged in size again, bing a two and a half meter tall behemoth, with a thick waist and broad back, muscles bulging like a bull. Between its spine and shoulder des, its muscles swelled, the bones twisted and deformed, and in no time, like bamboo shoots sprouting from the earth, two brawny arms burst forth.


    The muscles in the arms swelled with a sense of power, and the ws were sharp, not different from the original limbs.


    Angel Envoy: Four-armed Corpse


    Rank: First-level Intermediate


    Skills: [w] [Iron Skin]


    Fusion: LV2 ordinary metal, LV1 corpse flesh and blood 2%


    The rank remained unchanged, but Su Han could feel that the Four-armed Corpse was two to three times stronger than before, yet the breakthrough was not far off.


    A strong sense of warmth also reflected back to him, providing immensefort to his limbs and joints, as muscles and bones were immersed and constantly improved, making his own strength even greater.


    "The effects are better than expected, and thepatibility is high. Although it''s not a skill, the changes in form are likely even more valuable. It seems that for a while, the goal needs to change, prioritizing corpse Fusion," Su Han said with a smile, having found suitable materials for Fusion¡ªa very good thing indeed.

 Chapter 12: 12: First Floor Gathering Area

    "Captain Cheng, we''ve pushed up to the third floor today, and there''s enough room for everyone to stay, but food is still a problem," someone said.


    In the lobby of building seven, four or five people in ck security uniforms were sitting around a table.


    A dim tablemp was ced on the table, casting a weak light that illuminated the faces of the few people, all of whom appeared restless and frowned heavily.


    The man leading them was in his early forties, sporting a neatly trimmed buzz cut, and had a resolute expression. Although it was hard to tell his height while sitting, his straight posture and broad shoulders suggested he was likely a tall, sturdy man, radiating vigor and spirit.


    "Tomorrow, continue to search above the fourth floor, try to find food, and distribute whatever you can amongst everyone, but control the amount."


    A middle-aged security guard muttered, "Boss Cheng, this won''t work. He Fang''s group is already unhappy; they took an extra portion today when food was being distributed, iming more work more pay. They exerted themselves and shouldn''t be left to starve."


    Cheng Zhenyong furrowed his brows slightly, "More work does mean more pay, but handling monster corpses, organizing items, and reinforcing the doors¡ªothers have put in effort too. It''s okay to give a little less, but giving none at all will cause serious problems."


    He paused, then added, "Just hold on a bit longer, encourage more people who are brave enough to kill monsters to help clean up, and those who can make a contract with the Angel Envoy should do so. Only by clearing the building will it be somewhat safer. If there''s still no rescue by that time, ourrge numbers could also allow us to go out to supermarkets for supplies."


    The team members nodded, "I understand the logic, but...Ah, Captain, I''m just venting, but it''s indeed easy for problems to arise over time."


    Cheng Zhenyong nodded and said, "You guys take turns guarding here, and call others to take turns as well. I''m going to talk to He Fang about whates next. Staying united is the only way to survive; we can''t afford to lose our formation."


    He got up and left the lobby, taking a shlight to head towards the third floor. As he turned around, his expression had be more somber, and his brows were deeply furrowed.


    He certainly knew that things could get chaotic over time; resources were limited, and individuals'' power would continuously grow after making a contract with the Angel Envoy.


    Not everyone had the nature for fighting, nor could everyone quickly be stronger through the Envoy. Eventually, conflicts would surely intensify.


    If they were not ordinary residents but his former teammates before he retired, it would have been a bit easier to manage the team.


    Cheng Zhenyong was lost in thought, recalling his former teammates.


    But he also knew that from the moment therge eyeballs suddenly appeared, and monsters began mutating among the people and starting massacres, everything had changed, and he could only try his best to survive.


    And now, he needed to find the other person who was one of the first to kill a monster on the day of mutation.


    ...


    On the third day of the apocalypse, when Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu came to Su Han in the morning and saw the Angel Envoy turn into the menacing Four-armed Corpse, they were startled.


    "This, such a big change overnight, it''s unbelievable, it shouldn''t..."


    Gan Xinglei knew he had touched on a taboo and immediately stopped himself, as casually mentioning ways to be stronger could offend people.


    However, Su Han didn''t mind and simply said, "A special skill."


    As long as he continued to fuse materials and grow stronger, it would be impossible to keep his abilities hidden, and others might guess to some extent.


    No need to deliberately hide, as long as his specific abilities weren''t clearly understood by others, the advantage would remain his.


    Seeing that Su Han wasn''t concerned, Gan Xinglei breathed a sigh of relief, while Yan Meiyu gave him a sideward nce, thinking, "Always speaking without thinking first."


    The stronger their leader Su Han in the apocalypse, the safer the two of them would be because they were now a team.


    "I''ll go cook some food, eggs with noodles."


    Yan Meiyu called out and then went into the kitchen to cook breakfast, taking advantage of the fact that the gas pipes still had supply on the third day of the apocalypse.


    Gan Xinglei and Su Han then prepared for a bit of exploration; they had already reached the fifth floor yesterday, and it was not much further to the first floor.


    Whether the first floor was all living humans or all monsters, they would find out soon enough.


    After a simple breakfast, they all changed their clothes, and the three of them walked down from the seventh floor.


    Thanks to the safety doors on the seventh floor being closed, there were no signs of higher-floor corpses breaking in during the night.


    But this also meant that there were no signs of survivors from higher floorsing down.


    It was only the third day of the apocalypse, and without special circumstances, people wouldn''t easily venture out, unless they ran out of food.


    The trio descended two floors to the fifth floor, where they knocked on Zhu Xiong''s door.


    The door clicked open, and Zhu Xiong, fully prepared in a camouge jacket, arge backpack, and holding a crowbar, stood ready with the monster corpse that he had contracted with the previous day.


    The corpse likewise held two iron pipes, standing solemnly like a bodyguard, with its split fangs wide open in a terrifying manner.


    "Brother, I appreciate you taking me along," he said gratefully.


    Su Han shook his head slightly and said, "We''re all just trying to survive. We should move down from the fourth floor, and hopefully we can clear it to the first floor by today, then reassess."


    "Okay."


    All four of them released their Angel Envoys, with the Rot Skin Rat in the lead, followed by the Four-armed Corpse, then the four of them, and finally, at the rear, were Gan Xinglei and Zhu Xiong''s Angel Envoy corpses.


    As everyone descended to the fourth floor, the Rot Skin Rat made a noise, and Yan Meiyu cautiously said, "It seems like there''s something."


    No sooner had the voice dropped than dense footsteps were heard in the hallway.


    "Roar!"


    The figure of the Rot Skin Rat was exposed, and instantly four or five corpses lunged towards it.


    The Rot Skin Rat moved rapidly, leaping towards the face of the foremost corpse, and immediately prepared to bite.


    However, as soon as it tore a small hole, arge hand suddenly grabbed its body and harshly flung it away.


    The Four-armed Corpse then arrived, striding forward, and with a heavy punch, it knocked over the corpse, blood flowing copiously.


    Then, one of its arm ws stretched out, reaching directly for the head of the second corpse.


    That corpse, exceptionally agile, dodged with a tilt of the head, and the w Strikended on its shoulder, severing the arm in an instant, causing blood to spurt profusely.


    At this moment, the remaining three corpses had already reached the front, and the shoulders of the Four-armed Corpse¡ªone hand on each side¡ªmped down on the necks of two corpses like the jaws of a python, lifting and smashing them against the wall with a thud.


    With its lower arms free, the five sharp ws converged like a knife, aimed at the head of the corpse.


    "Wait! It''s a misunderstanding! We''re survivors too, not monsters."


    The man''s shout reached Su Han''s ears, and under his mindful control, the movements of the Four-armed Corpse slightly altered. The converged ws nged open, loosely encircling the corpse''s head, the des lightly scraping its skin.


    With just a squeeze, the oue would remain unchanged¡ªthe head would burst.


    Su Han looked towards one side of the corridor, where six or seven people emerged from a room, led by a man with a crew cut, standing upright.


    Behind him was a tall, skinny man with skin tanned and yellow-dyed hair, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with slightly sunken eyes and a cold sweep of his gaze that quickly changed expressions.


    Behind these two were five more people, two dressed as security guards and two others in long-sleeve jackets, all appearing tense.


    "Who are you?"


    Su Han''s gaze was serene, holding a crowbar in his hand, with Yan Meiyu, Gan Xinglei, and Zhu Xiong already standing behind him, all holding weapons and looking vignt.


    The three Angel Envoys protected the Four-armed Corpse, with Zhu Xiong and Gan Xinglei''s Angel Envoy corpses wielding weapons, restraining the corpse previously knocked down by the Four-armed Corpse.


    Cheng Zhenyong and his group looked stunned, for the stature of the Four-armed Corpse was excessivelyrge, and it had effortlessly defeated their Angel Envoy in an instant, an event they had not anticipated.


    "Handsome, I''m really sorry," he said. "We were searching for supplies and thought it was a corpse monster, so we let the Angel Envoy rush out first. It''s a temple flood, truly a misunderstanding."


    He pointed behind him at the security team members and said, "I am Cheng Zhenyong, the captain of the property security team. We don''t see each other often, but my two brothers often rotate through the entrance and exit; you should recognize them."


    Su Han looked at the two men; although he did not know their names, they were indeed familiar faces, being among themunity''s security guards.


    Despite recognizing them, in this apocalyptic world, it isn''t easy to let down one''s guard.


    "Did youe from the first floor?"


    "Yes," Cheng Zhenyong nodded and said, "Handsome, what is your esteemed surname, and do you also reside here?"


    "Su Han."


    "Brother Su Han,"


    Seeing that Su Han was notpletely unwilling to cooperate, Cheng Zhenyong also felt relieved. "Do you mind if we release the Angel Envoy first, and then I can exin properly about the situation on the first floor? There aren''t many of us there; we''re all sticking together for warmth."

 Chapter 13: 13 Heading to the First Floor

    Su Han''s mind stirred, and the Four-armed Corpse threw down the two corpses and stepped back to the front of the group, standing like a mountain, its head not too far from the ceiling.


    The released Angel Envoy corpses also returned to their own side under the control of their host, but behind the blonde man, someone''s face was grim, looking none too pleased.


    "Brother Fang, we''re at a big loss, my Angel Envoy might not recover..."


    "Don''t talk nonsense! It was all a misunderstanding. That handsome guy Su Han didn''t do it on purpose."


    He Fang told his underling to shut up and then shed a smile at Su Han, "My name is He Fang. We were rash just now, my apologies."


    Both offered their apologies one after another, but Su Han could sense something amiss between them.


    Su Han looked at Cheng Zhenyong, "How many people are there in the gathering spot on the first floor? What''s the situation like?"


    "There are currently twenty-seven people, all owners or tenants, who hid from the fog together on the first floor that day. There should have been more, but then that big eyeball appeared, and suddenly some people turned into monsters, harming many."


    That day, it just so happened that the security team was patrolling the area, and Cheng Zhenyong was there. Together, they killed the monster and by a fluke, formed a Contract.


    Otherwise, there might not have been so many survivors on the first floor, and aplete ughter was not out of the question.


    After learning the number of people, Su Han pondered to himself, "There aren''t many people, but if we''re going in and out searching for supplies, we can''t avoid them, and the seventh floor isn''t convenient."


    "Brother, why don''t you guyse to the first floor, too? It would be good to have each other''s back. With such a powerful Angel Envoy as yours, we''ll be able to clear the entire building quickly, making it safer and easier to find supplies."


    Cheng Zhenyong was indeed inviting Su Han to join his thinking, still influenced by his military mindset valuing unity and a strong vanguard to ensure the safety of the entire team.


    Seeing his sincere attitude, Su Han didn''t immediately agree. Gan Xinglei, Yan Meiyu, and Zhu Xiong were all waiting for Su Han to speak.


    He Fang and his people heard Cheng Zhenyong inviting Su Han to join and showed subtle changes in expression, but they didn''t speak up.


    "First, tell me about the situation on the first floor, how you scavenge for supplies, and how you handle new arrivals bringing in items. Do they share or not? You have to talk about it. Otherwise, if we join hastily and you''re unhappyter, and so are we, right, Captain Cheng?"


    The crafty Zhu Xiong spoke with a chuckle, easing the tension considerably.


    Cheng Zhenyong nodded and spoke amicably, "You make a good point, sir. Everyone hase together temporarily on the first floor without many rules. The supplies are your own, and we join together to ensure everyone''s safety and to scavenge, distributing based on contribution."


    He went on to exin the situation in more detail, and Su Han now understood the general circumstances: not many people, not many rules, and as long as you don''t endanger everyone''s safety, many things were negotiable.


    As for bargaining, Su Han understood that it boiled down to one''s strength; if one was strong or reputable, they would have a say.


    Having understood this, Su Han spoke up, "I want three rooms on the first floor. We can cooperate on operations, but we don''t take orders from anyone; we negotiate."


    His tone was calm but left no room for doubt. Talking about joining was a pretense; without trust and leadership foundations, it was merely banding together, and to expect tomand each other was wishful thinking.


    Cheng Zhenyong clearly understood this as well and nodded, "That''s fine, I''ll persuade the others to switch rooms."


    Su Han said, "I''ve cleared out from the fifth to the seventh floors except for a few locked rooms, which they can use at will."


    Cheng Zhenyong''s pupils contracted slightly, looking at Su Han with newfound respect. Truly extraordinary, four people had cleared three floors of monsters.


    The higher floors were different from the lower ones. When the anomaly happened on the lower floors, there were quite a few people in the lobby on the first floor, so not as many monsters were scattered across the floors.


    But on the higher floors, unless people were out, most would be in their rooms, where the number was rtively higher.


    "Let me take you down to see first. We won''t mess with the rooms on your original floor," Cheng Zhenyong said, having interrupted their own exploration upon the sudden encounter with Su Han''s group, he led the four down the stairwell.


    Starting from the third floor, the stairwell was much cleaner. Though there were still bloodstains, they were rare, and most importantly, there were no bodies.


    Even though the gathering spot was just a mutual protection setup, there was coboration in division ofbor. Those who hadn''t gone out to explore were responsible for cleaning up the bodies.


    Fearful as they were, they steeled themselves to handle the bodies of monsters, which was not an impossible task.


    Upon reaching the first floor, there were even more bloodstains, all dried to a dark red. The mutations three days earlier had turned the entire first floor into a battleground.


    Aside from the few who had escaped into their rooms first, many people died near the elevator entrance and in the lobby.


    "Captain."


    Seeing Cheng Zhenyong leading people downstairs, the security guard stationed at the main entrance stood up to greet him.


    Even then, when he saw the two-and-a-half-meter-tall Four-armed Corpse, he couldn''t help but reveal a shocked expression.


    "Brother Zhang had the guys move to a different room upstairs, and those who were temporarily staying on the first floor also gave up two rooms."


    Among the six resident households on the first floor, only one was at home and had narrowly escaped with their lives.


    The remaining five households'' rooms were naturally imed first; the security team took two of them, while the remaining three were temporarily allocated to other survivors.


    "Alright, I''ll handle it right away."


    While waiting for the middle-aged security guard, Brother Zhang, to deal with it, Su Han noticed the sealed state of the Unit Seven entrance.


    The metal gates were tightly closed, and severalrge sofas were used as barricades, making it more secured than the staircase emergency doors.


    "Captain Cheng, you''ve been guarding here the whole time, what''s the situation with the fog, how much do you know?"


    "There are monsters," Cheng Zhenyong said with a serious look: "Two nights ago, a monster mmed into the door, its strength even greater than the corpse''s. Although it was hard to see clearly, Old Zhang said that the creature didn''t look human."


    "There''s also another matter I''m not sure about," Cheng Zhenyong hesitated.


    Upon hearing this, Su Han inquired: "Does it also have to do with the fog?"


    "Yes," Cheng Zhenyong nodded, "That day when the fog came, some people who couldn''t run fast were surrounded by it, just not even ten meters away from this building. They wandered in the fog, and within just a few minutes they started screaming in terror, their voices trembling. By the time they found the entrance, their faces were pale, presumably from fright."


    Su Han asked, "Didn''t you ask them what happened?"


    "I did," Cheng Zhenyong said: "It wasn''t a monster that frightened them, but something about the fog made them feel oppressed and panicked, something wasn''t right with them. They spoke incoherently, not making much sense."


    "Captain, the rooms are cleared out, 7101, 7102, 7103, three rooms in total."


    Zhang Fu came over and greeted Cheng Zhenyong.


    Cheng Zhenyong nodded: "Settle down there first, we can talk about other matterster."


    Cheng Zhenyong took his leave with his men, and Su Han said to the other three, "Let''s talk inside the apartment."


    The three of them arrived at 7101, the door lock was broken, which was not surprising since Cheng Zhenyong and his men weren''tndlords and definitely didn''t have the keys.


    Su Han entered, retracted the Four-armed Corpse back into the Book of Blood Spirit, while Zhu Xiong patted Gan Xinglei on the shoulder, calling him brother, and gave a meaningful look, they without discussing it, ced the Angel Envoy''s corpse at the door.


    Inside the room, it was somewhat messy, with clothes and various items strewn across the sofa and tables.


    Gan Xinglei pushed the items aside, then they all sat down on the sofa, prepared to discuss the current situation.


    "That blond guy and the captain don''t seem to be on the same page."


    Zhu Xiong grumbled, his street smarts running deep, his discerning eye could tell that within this first-floor stronghold, the power seemed to be split between two groups of people.


    "People who came together temporarily, it would be surprising if they were all united."


    However, Su Han shook his head slightly, then said to the three: "To be safe, we''ll go back to our original roomter, bring the supplies down, and keep them here. It''s inconvenient toe and go upstairs, and we can''t keep watch over it, youe too."


    Zhu Xiong was startled and then cracked a smile: "Alright, our three rooms are connected, we can act as one unit, there''s less need to worry."


    He was implying something, and Su Han understood.


    As a team of four, even if the situation changed, with Su Han as the core and the others supporting, they were no weaker than Captain Cheng''s security team or that blond man''s group.

 Chapter 14: 14: Current Status of the Temporary Gathering Point

    After deciding to settle down on the first floor, Su Han began preparing to move supplies to his own room.


    Water was inconvenient to carry, so it was left in the original room, but rice, flour, canned goods, and medicines¡ªthese important supplies¡ªthey couldn''t possibly leave in the original room.


    Even though Cheng Zhenyong had said he wouldn''t touch their original room, such promises were worthless in the face of scarce resources.


    For now, having searched the building floors, they still had supplies and weren''t that desperate.


    But no one could guarantee what the situation would be liketer on.


    Therefore, the supplies had to be kept close at hand.


    The actions of the four of them naturally attracted the attention of the other survivors, but no one interfered. They just watched the four pack up and carry full backpacks from the upper floors down to the first-floor rooms.


    In their eyes was a mix of envy and even a hint of jealousy.


    But order still prevailed, and they dared not do anything out of line, especially since they had seen the Angel Envoy and knew these four were contracted individuals.


    All the survivors had the Book of Blood Spirit, and indeed, after making a contract, they would gradually gain strength.


    However, contracting required personally killing those monsters, and not everyone had the courage or opportunity to do so.


    Two or three hundred pounds of rice and flour, as well as some medicine, were all carried down in one go by the four, with most of the items ced in Su Han''s room.


    A smaller amount was ced in the rooms of Gan Xinglei and Zhu Xiong, just in case.


    -----------------


    Meanwhile, as Cheng Zhenyong was settling Su Han and the others, He Fang was also leading people to continue clearing flesh corpses upward and preparing to search for supplies.


    Only by continuing the search could they obtain more resources, and those who exerted effort would get arger share.


    "Damn it''s cleaned out,pletely scavenged."


    Wu Guang, whose face was a sickly yellow, cursed behind He Fang. They had hoped to find something overlooked but realized there was truly nothing left after entering just one or two rooms, everything had been scavenged clean.


    He Fang gave him a nce and said, "Don''t waste your effort, let''s head straight to the eighth floor. If they came down safe and sound, they surely had the means to clear out the supplies. We''d do the same in their shoes."


    Wu Guang choked at the retort, disying an embarrassed expression, certainly bearing a grudge against Su Han and his group.


    The Angel Envoy flesh corpse had directly chopped off an arm, and even though the wound was slowly healing now, he had indeed lost his arm, which significantly reduced hisbat ability as an Angel Envoy.


    "Brother Fang, howe that flesh corpse had four arms and was so formidable? Do you think he knows something we don''t?"


    At these words, a flicker passed through He Fang''s eyes. He had indeed considered whether there was some secret they were unaware of.


    But if he truly knew such a secret, he surely wouldn''t easily reveal it, and he acknowledged that if he wanted to know the truth, he needed to be more clever.


    "Wu Guang, don''t talk nonsense at the gathering point. Look for an opportunity to cozy up and then slowly ask," He Fang advised softly.


    Hearing this, Wu Guang nodded vigorously, "Got it, Brother Fang."


    Continuing the search this time, the security team members hadn''t followed, so the four people were all He Fang''s men.


    They used to run a street barbecue stall, with He Fang as the small boss. The others were either his younger brothers and helpers or friends with whom he shared rent.


    When the outbreak urred, He Fang was the most ruthless, smashing a newly transformed monster of a brother to death with a fire extinguisher and then bing the first one to make a Contract.


    Lending mutual support, all his followers graduallypleted their Contracts, bing a significant force among the survivors.


    "Click"


    Just as they were about to leave the fifth floor, a soft sound came from room 7502¡ªit was the sound of a door closing.


    He Fang instantly became alert, his gaze locked onto the door of 7502. The door lock had been broken, and through arge hole, a glimpse of white shirt fabric could be seen.


    His eyes narrowed, and he whispered, "Should be a living person, let''s go over there."


    Their group approached slowly, with the flesh corpse leading the way, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the hallway.


    ```


    "Come out!"


    At the door, He Fang called out coldly, gripping the iron pipe in his hand tightly.


    "Don''t, don''t kill me, we don''t have any supplies left, we''ve already been robbed of everything."


    "Open the door!"


    He Fang showed a look of surprise, but stillmanded sternly. Soon there was a click, and the door opened to reveal a frightened man with sses, who was indeed the same person who had encountered Su Han the day before.


    ...


    Although Su Han''s arrival had drawn some attention, not many people actually inquired about him; everyone was still minding their own business, holding onto the thought that there would be rescue in a few days.


    Among the six units on the first floor, three were upied by their group of four, and the remaining three included their left-hand neighbors, the original tenants of the first floor who were two young women in their twenties.


    Su Han had seen them once whening and going and then had watched them hurriedly close their door, their sense of vignce not exactly weak.


    Next to them lived the security team, which was also temporarily requisitioned. Two or three people would be stationed there regrly, taking turns to guard the entrance to the first floor.


    The room at the end of the corridor had its door tightly shut, and there were distinctly piled-up sofas at the door, clearly indicating it was unupied.


    "Something is strange." Su Han pondered and decided to walk towards the hall that served as the entrance and exit of the first floor.


    The middle-aged security guard, Zhang Fu, was standing guard there with a younger security guard. Thanks to the rtively new housingplex, the security guards had not yet be elderly.


    "Little brother Su Han," Zhang Fu saw Su Han and greeted him first.


    "Brother Zhang," Su Han nodded, then pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to the two men: "There''s something I''d like to ask about."


    He had picked up the cigarettes while scavenging for supplies. He didn''t smoke, but he knew they could serve as barter in certain situations, so he kept them.


    Zhang Fu and the young security guard named Xiao Zhao lit up at the sight of the cigarettes. They had been without smokes for a day, and this was timely.


    "You''re too kind," Zhang Fu said with a smile, epting the cigarettes, "What do you want to know?"


    "The blocked room on the first floor, what''s the deal with that?"


    Upon hearing Su Han''s question about the room, Zhang Fu sighed before exining, "That''s where the bodies are dealt with. The bodies of those creatures and the people they killed are all thrown out from there. Though we say they''re thrown out of the room, being so close makes it unsuitable for living, so it''s left vacant."


    So that''s why he had only seen bloodstains but no bodies¡ªthey had all been disposed of uniformly.


    "If you''re feeling uneasy, you could actually move upstairs. Anyway, we''re all mixed together now; no telling how long this willst."


    Su Han did not voice the idea of changing rooms; on the contrary, a thought emerged in his mind: if the bodies were all stored there, didn''t that mean he could have materials for Fusion again?


    After chatting a bit more with Zhang Fu, he gained a general understanding of the operation of the entire survivor enve.


    It was a group-up style enve. Cheng Zhenyong was one of the leaders, with the security team basically on his side, and two or three other people with Contracts also followed him.


    Another significant grouping was He Fang and his people, totaling around six.


    Besides those with Contracts, there were almost 20 people without them, for various reasons.


    The distribution of supplies, as well as the allocation to those participating in exploration or who had dealt with the bodies, varied.


    ''Currently, there''s still a bit of food, but with more people and as time goes on, conflicts are bound to arise.''


    Su Han estimated in his mind. No matter howbor was divided within a building, there was only so much work to be done. Those who couldn''t contribute would inevitably end up without supplies.


    "Brother Zhang, is there a doctor here?"


    Zhang Fu was taken aback for a moment: "Did someone get hurt or sick?"


    "It''s not like that." Su Han did not exin, and Zhang Fu did not press further, instead he replied, "I don''t think so. There were injured people that day too, but they all had to tough it out on their own."


    Su Han thought of the female survivor from the sixth floor. With no doctor around, it seemed she would have to depend on herself.


    ```

 Chapter 15: 15: The Missing Corpse

    Su Han returned to his room, ate something simple, and the time gradually approached evening.


    At night, the entire building quieted down, especially the hallway inside, which was pitch ck and saw nothing.


    Su Han opened his door and quietly stepped into the corridor, holding amp that barely covered its light, and followed the wall to the room at the end.


    Outside the door, the corridor was blocked by tworge sofas ced crisscross from each other, forming a cross that blocked the way.


    Su Han approached to inspect and found that the two sofas were notpletely blocking the passage; a slight move could allow someone to pass through, and the lock on the room''s door behind the sofas was also broken, merely kept ajar.


    He pondered in his mind, but it was not surprising since it was a ce for handling corpses and no one would specificallye here to ''explore''.


    He quietly manipted the Four-armed Corpse to move the sofas aside, trying not to alert anyone else, and Su Han reached the door, quietly pushing it open.


    The room was pitch dark, and as he entered, he immediately smelled a blend of blood and rotten stench infiltrating his nose, which was extremely unpleasant.


    He frowned, then closed the door, and removed the cloth covering themp, illuminating the room with themp light.


    The room was messy, all useful items had already been moved, andrge furniture was pushed to one side, emptying the living room, with traces of bloodstains remaining on the floor, dragging toward the direction of the balcony.


    The balcony was the ce where the corpses were thrown out, and Su Han controlled the Four-armed Corpse to walk there, with thick fog outside the tightly closed balcony window.


    The anti-theft windows in the mist were faintly visible, mostly dismantled, and the remaining parts were also stained with blood.


    "Go out and look," hemanded.


    Su Han gave the order, then the Four-armed Corpse opened the sliding window to the floor, the fog swirling outside, showing no signs of entering, sending out a strange air.


    The Four-armed Corpse flipped out,nding with a thump, and suddenly Su Han''s expression changed.


    Where was the body?


    There wasn''t a single corpse where the Four-armed Corpse hadnded, let alone the remains of a corpse.


    All it discovered in the mist wasrge patches of scattered flesh and remains of limbs.


    Su Han felt a chill at his back, his heart tightened, "There is something in the fog consuming the bodies."


    Within the deep of the night, the fog in his eyes became particrly terrifying.


    "Come back," he immediately called the Four-armed Corpse back, directed it to return to the Book of Blood Spirit through the window, and he too hastily left the house to return to his own room.


    In his room, Su Han cast themp aside, and the light subtly brightened the room.


    The n was disrupted, and realizing that even more terrifying monsters existed around building seven, his mood was naturally not good.


    "Themunity''s issue is not just about the cap on resources anymore, there''s definitely more than one monster in the mist. This iron gate might not hold well."


    Su Han''s expression was serious as he contemted the next n, knowing themunity was not a ce to stay long term.


    He had anticipated this from the beginning, epting Gan Xinglei and his wife, helping Zhu Xiong, the elder brother, were all in nning for a team foundation.


    If he nned to leave building seven, then it was not possible to rely on just one person to forcefully exit.


    However, his n was now interrupted.


    The mist was a barrier, and he dared not venture out easily for a while, let alone now with monsters outside, the risk of going out had greatly increased.


    "Strength," Su Han tapped his fingers on his knee, leaning on the sofa, "Building seven has a total of 20 floors, today He Fang and his team cleared up from the seventh floor, and even at their fastest they wouldn''t reach the 10th floor. There are still 10 floors certainly filled with corpses, probably enough to attempt a Fusion of level 2 corpse flesh.


    Although it would expose some abilities, it''s better than getting killed by monsters."


    ...


    The next morning, Zhu Xiong came early to Su Han''s room, with a serious expression, he said in a low voice, "Su Han, we need to be careful."


    Seeing Zhu Xiong''s expression, Su Han''s gaze sharpened, and he asked solemnly, "What happened?"


    "It''s hard to say," Zhu Xiong shook his head slightly, "Last night, there were faint sounds at my door, very quiet, almost unnoticeable¡ªit was someone deliberately treading lightly. Luckily, I used to worry about fuel theft at night and don''t sleep deeply, so I was able to notice. I suspect it had something to do with yesterday''s supplies being targeted."


    "..."


    Su Han was tense for no reason, and while it turned out to be nothing serious, what Zhu Xiong mentioned was worth considering¡ªprecautions still needed to be taken.


    "We''ll have to take turns keeping watch at night, and make sure the goods are safe for now."


    "I agree."


    Soon, Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu also came over to discuss, and all four agreed to take turns on night-watch duty.


    The four of them took turns; Su Han was first, followed by Zhu Xiong, then Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu.


    Although it was a night-watch, it didn''t mean staying up all night without sleep¡ªthey weren''t in the wilderness, so they could use the Angel Envoy as a substitute, as long as they didn''t sleep too soundly.


    After discussing, they had just finished eating.


    "Thump, thump, thump"


    Suddenly, the door was knocked, and a voice came from outside, "Is Brother Su Han there? As usual, everyone will meet at the first floor soon;e join us."


    The voice belonged to a member of the security team, and Su Han responded, "We''ll be there soon."


    The four of them quickly got ready, secured the door, and then went down to the lobby on the first floor.


    This was the first time Su Han and his group got a good look at the other survivors in the building. In the not-so-spacious lobby, about thirty people of various ages stood in a circle, each with an uneasy and worried expression.


    Three days had already made it clear to them the direness of their situation: monsters and mist had abruptly disrupted their lives, signaling dangers lurking close by.


    "Yesterday, we came across seven survivors; you all can get to know each other a bit, see if you can help each other with anything," Captain Cheng, upon seeing Su Han and his group arrive, announced to the crowd, "We have now cleared up to the 10th floor of the seven buildings; only 10 more floors to go.


    ording to our rule, who''s joining the cleaning today, and then forming a Contract with the Angel Envoy?"


    "Captain Cheng, I''ll sign up, I still have seven bags of instant noodles." A fair arm shot up, contrasting with the brooding, furrowed-brow crowd next to her.


    The speaker was a young woman with short hair, a little over twenty. As she raised her hand, her gaze met Captain Cheng''s, a mix of determination and unmistakable fear.


    Capitan Cheng merely nced at her and nodded, "Alright, you''re in. Anyone else?"


    "Me, count me in; I have a few dried rations left."


    ...


    With one taking the lead, a few more people gradually stepped forward¡ªone a dark-skinned, round-faced middle-aged man with an honest look; another, a tall, thin young man in his twenties with slightly sunken cheeks and a gloomy gaze, although agreeing to join the squad, was clearly disgruntled about the cost; thest two were a middle-aged couple in their early forties, appearing somewhat calmer.


    The short-haired woman was named Xia Ning, the round-faced man was Guo Gang, the young man was Wang Qian, and the couple were Yang Zhi and Xie Hua.


    Five people were set to join the exploration team. After counting the numbers, Captain Cheng sent his subordinates to collect food from them. For those who had no food, they would register and receive an extra day''s rations¡ªof course, deducted from their gains through exploration orbor.


    "Brother, what''s going on here?" Beside Su Han, Zhu Xiong quietly handed a cigarette to security guard Zhang Fu, hugging his shoulder and whispering.


    Zhang Fu appeared surprised, smiled, and said, "It''s a rule set by Captain Cheng; it''s also like everyone''s watching out for each other."


    "What do you mean?"


    Zhang Fu tucked the cigarette behind his ear, not a good time to smoke among many people, but he''d take a drag when things calmed down.


    "That day the eyeball monster appeared, actually not many people took action to kill the monsters. Captain Cheng, I, and Xiao Li, by chance, formed a Contract with the Angel Envoy, as well as He Fang and a few others. Later, when we started clearing the floors, there were too many monsters and not enough people.


    Captain Cheng then let us, who had formed a Contract, help those wanting to form one by subduing the Four-armed Corpse; they would kill it themselves and then form a Contract in exchange for giving three days'' food to the helpers," Zhang Fu exined.


    Su Han and Zhu Xiong understood immediately¡ªit was just like when he had helped Zhu Xiong kill the Four-armed Corpse.


    As they talked, Captain Cheng approached Su Han, "I have something I''d like to discuss with you."

 Chapter 16: 16: Cleaning the Floor

    Su Han asked, "What''s the matter?"


    "About cleaning the hallway," Cheng Zhenyong said gravely, "including you guys, we now have 15 Contractors, and since your Angel Envoy is so powerful, I n to clean up 10 floors today."


    Su Han nced at him and before he could speak, Cheng Zhenyong, with a worried look, said, "The fog hasn''t cleared for three days, and the food inside the building will only decrease, the sooner we clean up, the safer it will be to go out looking for food."


    Su Han nodded slightly, agreeing with Cheng Zhenyong, that no matter whether there were survivors on the higher floors or not, the longer the dy, the less the supplies.


    If they were to be stuck in this building for a few days with scarce resources, who knows what kind of conflicts might arise.


    "We will participate in the cleanupter, but"


    Su Han''s tone changed, presenting his own condition, which immediately made Cheng Zhenyong''s face grow solemn.


    "Apart from the monsters bound by Contracts, all other monster corpses belong to me."


    "This..." Cheng Zhenyong fell silent for a while, as if he had made some decision, and asked in a deep voice, "Is it for your Angel Envoy?"


    "Indeed,"


    Su Han knew he couldn''t hide the Fusion process, so he half-truthfully said, "My Angel Envoy''s Talent is special; it requires these things."


    Cheng Zhenyong''s eyes flickered slightly as he said sternly, "I can arrange for everyone to cooperate with you, but some of these monsters... are loved ones of people here, try to... avoid those."


    Su Han showed a smile and nodded, "I understand that, thank you."


    Cheng Zhenyong sighed and spoke with a hint of bitterness, "Survival is of utmost importance. Your Angel Envoy''s special Talent is actually a good thing for everyone."


    He did not stay long with Su Han, as the five people who wanted to be Contractors needed careful instruction.


    Bing an Angel Envoy Contractor wasn''t as simple as inviting someone to a meal; it required personally killing a monster.


    Even though those already under Contract would help control the flesh corpses as much as possible, there were still many things to take care of when killing them.


    Many people hadn''t even killed a chicken, let alone a monster.


    One careless move could result in injury to oneself at the very least, and worst case, it could endanger others. That was the most troublesome part.


    Cheng Zhenyong could not rest easy and personally went to instruct them, while Su Han and his threepanions temporarily returned to their own rooms.


    "Su Han, what about uster?"


    Upon entering the room, Zhu Xiong immediately asked about their uing ns.


    Su Han said, "Meiyu and I will go clear the floors. Her Rot Skin Rat is quite agile and can react quickly to any situation. You two stay here to watch the stuff and keep an eye on everyone else''s condition."


    Zhu Xiong and Xinglei nodded and said, "We understand, take care."


    They understood the subtext in Su Han''s words; they had all sensed the uneasy atmosphere when they met earlier.


    Although they were all gathered together for shelter, their minds were unsettled. Even with Captain Cheng holding things temporarily together, nobody knew what the oue would be.


    Therefore, they still needed to be cautious about certain things.


    Coming out of the room, they saw Captain Cheng Zhenyong exining precautions to the five followers.


    "The people in charge of clearing the floors will help you control the flesh corpses as much as possibleter, but you must take action yourselves. Those who dare not act or aren''t careful in their work¡ªif you encounter danger, don''t me them for leaving you behind,"


    "Understood, Captain Cheng,"


    They each held weapons in their hands¡ªseveral batons and kitchen knives¡ªwhose origins were unknown.


    Guo Gang and the Yang Zhi couple were rtively calm, as middle-aged adults, they were tense, but they knew the gravity of the situation and held their weapons tightly.


    In contrast, the young Wang Qian grumbled something about "being given food" under his breath, but he didn''t speak it out loud.


    Cheng Zhenyong nced at him but said nothing more. Seeing Su Han approach, he walked over, "Ready to set off? The security team has three people, and so does He Fang''s side."


    "Just the two of us,"


    Su Han replied, his gaze sweeping over the five, not saying much else, just, "Let''s start."


    Although there were 15 Contractors, the hallway was only sorge. Too many Contractors and Angel Envoys wouldpletely block the hallway.


    Now, eight Contractors and five would-be Contractors was already quite a crowd.


    The group began to climb the stairs from the first floor, starting their cleanup operation from the tenth floor, a challenging task given the power outage.


    Creeping up the staircase, there was almost no conversation, only Su Han feeling increasingly oppressive as he ascended, recalling yesterday''s encounter with the injured survivor.


    Upon reaching the sixth floor, Su Han suddenly said, "Wait a second."


    Everyone was taken aback, halting their steps, and Cheng Zhenyong asked in surprise, "What''s wrong?"


    "I need to check on room 7603; there''s another survivor there," Su Han said calmly, his gaze falling on the concealed door of room 7603: "The situation doesn''t look good."


    Cheng Zhenyong froze, his expression darkening. He had realized what those words implied¡ªif the situation were manageable, Su Han would not leave the person behind on this floor.


    "I''lle with you to take a look, everyone else can take a break here."


    With Cheng Zhenyong suggesting so, naturally no one objected, and they sat down to rest nearby in the corridor.


    Su Han and Cheng Zhenyong pushed open the door of room 7603, which Su Han had damaged before, so it was not locked.


    Following Su Han into the house, Cheng Zhenyong saw the untidy room and bloodstains everywhere, knowing that monsters must have entered here.


    "Is it a serious injury?"


    Cheng Zhenyong''s voice was low; he had roughly guessed the situation¡ªthe survivor had survived an attack by a flesh corpse, but had sustained serious injuries.


    Su Han had only found the survivor as well but had no means to help.


    Leading the way, Su Han replied, "There''s a big gash in her abdomen, it''s a serious wound. I managed to tend to it briefly yesterday, but she''s still unconscious. I don''t know if she''ll make it."


    As they spoke, they had arrived in the room and saw the woman covered with a nket.


    The rise and fall of the nket was nearly imperceptible. Su Han approached the bedside, saw the woman''s pallor, and, cing his hand on the side of her neck, felt no pulse.


    "Is she dead?"


    "Dead."


    Their voices fell in the quiet room, followed by a prolonged silence.


    Cheng Zhenyong sighed. Su Han''s eyes flickered slightly, then he calmly pulled the nket over the woman''s head, covering her pale face.


    He turned around and said, "Let''s go."


    He didn''t know the woman personally¡ª at most, they had asionally crossed paths in the elevator in the morning, standing in opposite corners without ever speaking.


    He had never really observed what she looked like. It just suddenly felt regrettable that she escaped the jaws of the monster, only to sumb to her wounds.


    As he walked towards the door with Cheng Zhenyong, he couldn''t help but think that life was sometimes so fragile; to survive, one had to be stronger.


    "Captain, what happened?"


    Returning to the group, someone asked curiously, and Cheng Zhenyong shook his head. Everyone then understood what that meant.


    In an instant, a somber mood fell over the group as another death had urred.


    They continued climbing stairs in silence, reaching thending to the tenth floor. The safety door was closed and blocked with objects, leftovers from the clean-up He Fang and others had done the day before.


    "Captain Cheng, Brother Fang,"


    Two people were guarding the corridor side, vignt for flesh corpses that might rush down from the floors above.


    "Was there anymotion upstairsst night?"


    "A little, but they didn''t hit the door."


    The sudden descent of the eyeballs meant there were not too many flesh corpses in the corridors, so it wasn''t unusual for there to be no massive door-bashing.


    More often, flesh corpses were confined within rooms, and for this reason, many people, although not mutated, were bitten or eaten alive by friends or rtives in no small numbers.


    Together, the group moved the objects aside, and then they opened the safety door. The corridor was pitch ck, eerily quiet.


    They shone their shlights down the corridor, carefully moving forward.


    The sound of their footsteps echoed in the staircase as they made their way to the eleventh floor, rounding thending, and soon reached the safety door to the eleventh-floor stairs.


    No sooner had they exited the safety door than a dark shadow rushed out from the corridor, pouncing right on the leading flesh corpse.


    The strong impact immediately knocked it down, pinning it to the ground while emitting a hissing roar, ceaselessly attacking.


    "Damn, there''s a monster."

 Chapter 17: 17 Contract

    The team was thrown into chaos, but thankfully Cheng Zhenyong and He Fang reacted swiftly, controlling their Angel Envoys to charge forward.


    The two corpses directly went forward and grabbed the skinny assant, who was also a deformed corpse with a mouth full of sharp teeth split wide open, shrieking loudly.


    "Hold it down, let''s go together," Chengmanded.


    The corpses controlled by Cheng Zhenyong and He Fang were not small, and under their control, they pulled apart the assaulting corpse while other Angel Envoys, under the Contractor''s control, rushed up and held down the attacking corpse.


    To kill a corpse, you just had to kill it outright.


    But to control a corpse, it often required more than two Angel Envoys.


    "Roar!"


    However, just during the battle, at the end of the corridor, another dreadful shriek suddenly sounded, and a tall figure charged forward swiftly on all fours, like a speeding beast.


    Cheng Zhenyong was taken aback as the Angel Envoys of several frontline Contractors were already engaged in controlling the corpse on this side, and the suddenly approaching monster seemed too fast to intercept.


    "Su Han, brother!" Cheng shouted.


    Cheng''s voice had barely risen when a thick figure had already blocked the hallway side, stopping the creature''s path.


    The corpse leaped high, aiming for the Four-armed Corpse.


    However, the Four-armed Corpse directly threw a hook punch from the right side, hitting with a muffled thump and smashing the corpse against the wall.


    The Four-armed Corpse moved forward quickly, gripping its neck against the wall, not giving the corpse a chance to react. With its remaining three arms, it grabbed the corpse''s two twisted, blood-red arms and twisted fiercely, breaking them with a crack.


    "Roar"


    Low and painful shrieks continuously emanated from the corpse, sending chills through anyone who heard them, but there was no longer any chance of resistance.


    "Who will take this corpse?" Su Han asked calmly, pulling shocked onlookers back to reality, where most people had never thought Su Han''s corpse would be so strong, let alone in such a formidable form.


    "I... I will!"


    The tall, thin young man, hearing Su Han''s words, hurriedly squeezed out of the team, fearing someone else might snatch the opportunity.


    Su Han merely nced at him and said, "Do it yourself, kill it. It shouldn''t be able to resist now."


    "Okay, okay, I understand," Wang Qian bowed and nodded, unable to hide the joy on his face. If he could contract the corpse, he too could gradually be stronger.


    However, seeing Su Han''s indifference, he couldn''t help feeling a twinge of jealousy, despising those who might be powerfulter on.


    "This one here, Xia Ning, you go first," Cheng said, directly nominating the short-haired woman, sticking to the order fairly.


    The two prepared to act, and as the corpse''s shrieks apanied its struggling, the somewhat dim corridor became even more oppressive.


    It was as if hellish demons were roaring in fury.


    Indeed, they were like demons, with a mix of blood and decay faintly filling the air in the hallway as if countless rotten flesh were piled up.


    Xia Ning and Wang Qian, one holding a steel pipe and the other a kitchen knife, approached the struggling corpse.


    They clung tightly to their weapons, their knuckles turning white from the grip, and their bodies trembled slightly.


    "Hit hard, don''t hesitate,"


    The pair took a deep breath, nodded to each other, and then each targeted their foe.


    "Bang!"


    Xia Ning acted first, closing her eyes and fiercely smashing the corpse''s head, causing blood to stter and the corpse to struggle even more violently.


    Her body shivered, but as if stimted, she grasped the steel pipe with both hands and began to smash violently over and over, her face turning red with the effort.


    "That''s enough," Cheng stopped her from continuing, and Xia Ning, relieved, gasped for breath heavily, then the red glow from the Book of Blood Spirit enveloped the corpse, starting the Contract.


    On the other side, Wang Qian, with his kitchen knife, also acted, chopping fiercely at the corpse''s head, the sharp de cutting deep and blood spurting over him like a fountain.


    "Roar"


    The sudden low roar from the corpse scared him into stepping back, fear written all over his face.


    "Don''t chop at the forehead, aim for the neck."


    Cheng Zhenyong saw this and couldn''t help but frown. Wang Qian panicked, wiped the blood off his body, and hastily nodded, "Okay, okay!"


    A kitchen knife is different from a steel pipe; trying to chop through a skull is more difficult than hitting it, and it might even get stuck.


    With Cheng Zhenyong''s guidance, Wang Qian found renewed determination, then chopped heavily at the neck. With a forceful blow, he almost severed the spine, and blood gushed out. Soon, there was no more noise.


    Contract


    Excited by the contract, Su Han also controlled the Four-armed Corpse to release the corpse and walked back to him.


    Su Han looked towards Cheng Zhenyong and suggested, "Six rooms, leave two people to guard the door, and two people search one room,pleting it in two rounds?"


    Although counting the newly contracted Xia Ning and Wang Qian, they had ten Contractors and could search all the rooms at once, that excluded the people staying behind to secure the stairway door.


    The remaining individuals would end up searching rooms alone, making it highly possible they couldn''t respond adequately to emergencies.


    "That works. Guo Gang and the other two should split up and follow; if they encounter any corpses, engage."


    Cheng Zhenyong quickly agreed with Su Han''s suggestion, so after leaving two people to guard the security door and the corridor, the remaining eight were divided into three groups.


    Cheng Zhenyong and Zhang Fu took Yang Zhi, He Fang, and a man named Chen Jun took Yang Zhi''s wife, Xie Hua; Xia Ning and Wang Qian each followed them.


    Su Han was paired with Yan Meiyu and brought Guo Gang alone. The formidable power of the Four-armed Corpse left regr corpses no chance.


    After the groups were formed, they immediately started the operation. They needed to clear the tenth floor today; if they did not speed up, they would not finish.


    Su Han and Yan Meiyu chose a room near the middle of the right-side corridor, Guo Gang followed behind them with a hammer, still cautious and vignt.


    "Thank you"


    However, just as they reached the door, a calm voice came through muffled.


    Su Han and Yan Meiyu paused, turning to Guo Gang, and saw the dark-skinned man disying an embarrassed smile.


    "Seeing how terrifying those monsters are, just a few days'' worth of food has led you to take risks, sorry for the trouble."


    He seemed honest.


    Su Han smiled and said, "No trouble at all, if there''s a corpse inside, just be careful."


    Guo Gang nodded vigorously. Su Han turned to Yan Meiyu and said, "I''ll open the door, you send the Rot Skin Rat in."


    Yan Meiyu responded, "I got it."


    The ws of Su Han''s Four-armed Corpse appeared as sharp as the day before, easily slicing through the steel of the security door, then reaching to crack open a gap.


    Yan Meiyu controlled the Rot Skin Rat to slip in through the gap, quickly scuttling around the room. It wasn''t long before they heard a snarling sound, like a wild beast.


    "There''s a corpse."


    Yan Meiyu ryed the situation inside to Su Han, who immediately said, "Let''s go in."


    The Four-armed Corpse pushed open the door, and the three followed behind. Indeed, in the living room, the corpse was entangled with the Rot Skin Rat, attempting to devour the Angel Envoy.


    It continuously charged at the Rot Skin Rat, but the rat was faster. Instead, in its dodges, it managed to inflict even more wounds with its sharp ws and teeth on the corpse.


    The living room was in chaos, but the corpse noticed the Four-armed Corpse''s presence and immediately shifted its target, rushing towards it.


    The Four-armed Corpse advanced swiftly, grabbed the charging corpse head-on, and then with all its might, mmed it onto the ground, sounding a deep, muffled thud that shook the floor.


    "Bang"


    The Four-armed Corpse hammered a fist down onto the ground-bound corpse''s shoulder, then pinned it firmly to the ground.


    "Guo Gang, go."


    Su Han called out, snapping Guo Gang out of his shock. He tightened his grip on the hammer.


    The corpse was still struggling, but this honest man erupted with a resolve stronger than before. He said, "Sorry about this."


    As his voice fell, the hammer was raised high, then heavily brought down on the corpse''s head.


    With a crack, the head was caved in, instantly killing it.


    Upon seeing this, Su Han had the Four-armed Corpse release the now contracted corpse''s body, and soon Guo Gangpleted the contract.


    "Thank you, thank you," he said.


    Su Han didn''t offer much in return, only saying, "Search for supplies, look for food, medicine, and other useful items, quick."

 Chapter 18: 18 He Fangs Ambition

    Elsewhere, neither Cheng Zhenyong nor He Fang had the sharp metal ws of Su Han''s Four-armed Corpse, which made it a bit more difficult to break through the security door, so they had to use a crowbar to break the lock and then enter.


    Cheng Zhenyong first broke into the room on the right, and then the two of them entered. It wasn''t long before the sounds of fighting and the Corpse''s hissing could be heard.


    The noise was considerable, but Cheng Zhenyong handled it calmly, controlling his own Corpse Envoy to fend off the monsters while instructing Zhang Fu and Xia Ning to use their Envoys to restrain the Corpse, creating opportunities for Yang Zhi to kill the Corpse. The battle was resolved in a short time.


    The progress on He Fang''s side was simr, but due to ack of synergy and the fact that Xie Hua was a woman, which made her hesitate slightly more when killing the Corpse, their progress was a few minutes slower.


    About half an hourter, everyone had finished clearing the 11th floor and gathered in the hallway. The loot was not too abundant, roughly seventy to eighty pounds of rice, along with some noodles, bread, and a few medications.


    "Let someonee up and move it down, we continue clearing."


    "Okay."


    They had to clear ten floors today; it wasn''t possible to move everything back after each floor, at most it was just about division ofbor.


    The group continued upward, and all thirteen people had contracted with Envoys, greatly increasing the safety of searching for supplies.


    They directly entered the hallway on the 12th and 13th floors, quickly clearing any Corpses that might lunge out, and then paired up to break down doors in search of supplies.


    Like the 11th floor, the 12th floor had no survivors, but the 13th had two survivors who had been hiding in a room without having contracted with an Envoy.


    As they cleared upward, survivors became increasingly rare, and the supplies found, such as food, diminished.


    When there were survivors, their food had usually run out after three days, and there wasn''t much left in terms of supplies on those floors. However, rooms where people were not at home had slightly more supplies.


    Mostly, however, survivors would risking out, only to be killed by Corpses in the hallways.


    On the 17th floor corridor, the number of Corpses suddenly increased. Right as the group stepped out of the safety door, they saw three Corpses charging at them at top speed.


    The Four-armed Corpse led the charge without hesitation. Its sharp ws extended from its fingertips and, with a fierce swipe, twisted off the head of a Corpse.


    Another Corpse tried to attack its body, but the Rot Skin Rat dashed out, leaping onto the head and biting fiercely into the Corpse''s eye sockets, sttering flesh and blood, and soon killed it.


    Having cleared so many floors, Yan Meiyu, who controlled the Rot Skin Rat, had gained some insight and her strength had also improved significantly.


    The two acted decisively. Although they had seen simr situations in previous floors, it still seemed unbelievable to Cheng Zhenyong and his team, as the difference between the Corpses was starkly apparent.


    "It''s probably more than just a First Order Inferior."


    Someone murmured softly, Su Han heard it, but did not respond at all.


    "Gather the Corpses together; there''s just the third floor to finish."


    He Fang responded immediately, "Quickly, let''s get this done for Brother Su."


    The team members all knew that a significant condition for Su Han to take action was needing these Corpses'' bodies.


    Keen to curry favor, He Fang, with Chen Jun and Su Hao helping him, started piling the bodies to one side of the corridor.


    He said cheerfully, as if mentioning it casually, "Brother Su, your Envoy is truly formidable, no wonder you need so many Corpses."


    Su Han''s gazended on He Fang''s face, dead-on and so calm that it made He Fang feel uneasy, knowing that Su Han had seen through the purpose of his question.


    "My Envoy has a special talent that requires some meat, it''s not a big deal," said Su Han.


    "Can''t say that," He Fang squinted, appearing reluctant to give up, "It''s so dangerous now, the Corpses inside the building are just the smaller ones, I fear there are even more formidable things in the fog outside. Brother, if you really have a way to make the Corpses evolve, why not share it with everyone?


    If we can survive, everyone will be grateful, and I''ve also gathered some valuable things these past few days that I can offer you aspensation."


    Although it didn''te to a confrontation, He Fang half-brought the situation to light and involved everyone present, subtly changing the atmosphere.


    "Are you pressing me?"


    Su Han''s gaze hardened, and the Four-armed Corpse stepped forward behind him. He Fang''s face changed, a sh of panic crossing his features. Cheng Zhenyong furrowed his brows, stepped in front of He Fang, and scolded, "What are you trying to do, He Fang?"


    "Captain Cheng, you''re a security guard who meddles too much," Cheng Zhenyong''s interruption had given He Fang the leverage he needed, but he transformed his mingled annoyance and fear entirely into anger targeted at Cheng Zhenyong, sarcastically saying, "Who doesn''t want to save their own life now? Don''t you? I was just asking."


    Having said that, he quietly created distance from Su Han, snorted, and said, "If you''re unwilling, then forget it, just pretend I never asked."


    He Fang led his people away to search the rooms on the 17th floor ahead of Su Han''s group, avoiding them. But the moment he turned around, his face waspletely darkened by the realization that Cheng Zhenyong had supported Su Han instead of being secretly seduced; this was something he hadn''t expected.


    "Brother Su, the things we need to clear out now are important; don''t bother with that guy."


    Cheng Zhenyong was worried about a real internal conflict, which, at that time, wouldn''t just be a fight but could be thest straw overwhelming the order.


    Currently, it was still possible to organize and secure safe floors, not because he was particrly capable or had strong organizational skills.


    Rather, it was because such a catastrophe had just urred, and everyone was still willing to maintain the original order.


    But, this was only temporary.


    Su Han cracked a smile and said, "Let''s focus on the work first; three more floors to go."


    Cheng Zhenyong breathed a sigh of relief, then gradually arranged for people to search the rooms, and soon everyone had dispersed again.


    "Su Han, that He Fang probably won''t let things go easily."


    Within the room they were searching, Yan Meiyu seriously voiced her concern. She could see that He Fang was merely wary of the Four-armed Corpse.


    Four-armed Corpses are strong, but being a powerful Apostle doesn''t necessarily mean the Contractor is also that strong.


    Su Han slightly shook his head, his gaze firm, and spoke in a steady tone, "He''s not important, now the focus is on enhancing our own strength. As for him, let''s sideline that concern now."


    Seeing Su Han''s demeanor, Yan Meiyu knew he wasn''t taking it lightly and nodded, "I understand, but we still need to beware of their sabotage."


    Cleaning the floors, the in corpses would turn into resources to enhance Su Han''s Apostle, while for the time being, He Fang was just like a temporary worker.


    ....


    "Brother Fang, you, you actually n to provoke that Su Han?"


    After He Fang''s group had killed a corpse in the room, Su Hao hesitantly spoke to He Fang.


    He Fang''s face remained stern, "Do you think I want to do this? That kid doesn''t know how to act right, and Cheng Zhenyong isn''t getting with the program, damn fools."


    "But we''ve offended him, I''m afraid..."


    "What are you afraid of? With so many people around, does he dare to kill someone?" He Fang had his own calctions; a fierce look shed briefly in his eyes, "His Apostle is strong; it''s not him who''s strong. The opportunity is here. If you don''t take a risk now, you''ll always just be an unsessful kebab vendor. Are you content with that?"


    Su Hao''s face slightly shifted, "I don''t want to be."


    He Fang''s expression softened slightly, "That''s right, the apocalypse is our chance. As long as we be strong, we can all be above others. If he doesn''t want to share, then we have to find a way."


    Ambition thrived in the apocalypse. From the day therge event started, when He Fang personally killed a corpse with a fire extinguisher, he realized his chance to turn things around had arrived.


    Off to the side, Chen Jun asked, "Brother Fang, what do we do next then? Are we going after that Su Han?"


    He Fang shook his head, his eyes subtly moving, "No rush, let''s get a clear picture first. And besides, I''m close to a breakthrough. Soon, I won''t just be First-level Intermediate."


    Without proper preparation, how could one dare to ascend Mount Liang? In his heart, He Fang had a scale -- his ambition blooming as he felt he was close to reaching First-level Intermediate.


    From the day he contracted with an Apostle, he had been pushing his Apostle, andter on, continued to clear the floors and control the fights; his advancement and reinforcing feedback naturally sped uppared to others.


    However, before meeting Su Han, he had never imagined encountering such a towering Four-Armed Apostle.


    In that moment, he felt jealous.

 Chapter 19: 19: Hidden Monster

    The 17th floor was cleared, with six rooms totaling seven or eight corpses which were all piled together.


    Although there had been a dispute, the reappearance of He Fang seemed to gloss over the matter, only there was no eager conversation anymore.


    The group set off to continue clearing the upper floors, hoping that thest three floors could bepletely cleared before evening, but a strange situation urred.


    The 18th floor was empty, the floor was covered with bloodstains, and the doors of the six rooms were wide open, marked with blood and showing signs of concave impact, with no sign of any living thing.


    "What, what''s going on?"


    The unusual situation made everyone feel a bit uneasy, and Chen Jun, who was next to He Fang, couldn''t help but ask in a low voice.


    Cheng Zhenyong said, "Maybe the creatures have concentrated on other floors, everyone be extra careful."


    No need for Cheng Zhenyong to say it, everyone became cautious on their own. Although no creatures were in sight, the hidden dangers troubled them more than the monsters that had been attacking previously.


    Cheng Zhenyong looked around at everyone and then said, "Let''s split up and check the rooms, be careful."


    The group then split up to explore the six rooms on this floor, which all were simr, with doors wide open. Entering the rooms, they were all in disarray, with belongings scattered everywhere and bloodstains covering the entire living room and bedroom.


    Wang Qian and Chen Jun, who was an assistant to He Fang, were a team. The two of them entered a room and cautiously scanned the surroundings.


    Upon entering, they immediately saw a woman corpse lying face down on the disheveled living room floor.


    Seeing this scene, Wang Qian frowned and made a face of disgust, covering his nose he said, "It''s a woman, not a monster."


    Chen Jun came to the same conclusion, nodding his head. Seeing no monsters, he somewhat rxed, "Let''s find anything useful first; we don''t need to bother with the body."


    Wang Qian nodded and said, "I''ll go check the bedroom."


    The two split up, one heading to the kitchen and the other to the bedroom to search for supplies.


    Wang Qian manipted the corpse as he headed to the bedroom, seeking not just food and medical supplies that were useful post-apocalypse, but also something valuable.


    He had his own judgments about the apocalypse, reasoning that if he could kill creatures like corpses with a knife, then officials with firearms could kill even more, and they would have more Contractors. As long as they were around, order would inevitably be restored someday, and by then, what mattered wouldn''t be food.


    With everyone busy trying to survive, nobody had time to care for gold and jewels, which was perfect for him to help himself to a bit more, better than being needyter.


    Thinking this, he had been discreetly taking jewelry from homeowners during the search. Seeing that the homeowner was a woman, he once again saw an opportunity: Women always have some jewelry.


    "Ah, a gold ne?"


    Wang Qian''s eyes suddenly caught a sh of light from the neck of the woman lying face down on the ground, and upon closer inspection, it was indeed a gold ne.


    The ne, although stained with blood, didn''t conceal its true nature.


    Sorry, prettydy, this ne is mine now.


    Wang Qian thought to himself with a smile, stealthily ncing at Chen Jun in the kitchen who hadn''t noticed him, then boldly tiptoed over.


    He approached the woman''s corpse, crouched down silently, and reached out hisrge hand toward her neck. He grabbed the ne and yanked it hard, breaking it instantly and catching it in his hand.


    A smug smile appeared on his face as he weighed it, pleased: This has some weight to it, worth at least tens of thousands before the apocalypse.


    "Roar"


    His pleasure didn''tst long when a low growl suddenly came from in front of him and he quickly looked down to see the corpse move.


    Instantly his face turned ashen, dark tentacles spread out from beneath the corpse, and in an instant, they wrapped around his wrist holding the ne.


    The tentacles were pitch ck, covered in disgusting slime, and their rough skin tightly gripped his wrist, painfully tight, like a leech stretched dozens of times over.


    Although only as thick as a thumb, the tentacles made his wrist feel almost snapped, and fear surged in his heart.


    Wang Qian screamed, and Chen Jun immediately rushed out, witnessing the horrifying scene.


    The woman''s corpse had slowly stood up, her body upright, her skin so pale it seemed like thin paper. On this bloodless skin, blue-ck veins sprawled across her entire body like menacing centipedes, making it look exceedingly terrifying.


    What terrified Chen Jun even more was that the once delicate and beautiful face was now covered with thumb-sized blood holes, secreting bloody mucus and coating her whole face, making her look like a blood-soaked honeb.


    Blood holes continued to secrete thick blood sma, and dark tentacles stretched out powerfully from them, writhing like cold snakes.


    "Save me! Save me! Quick, kill it, kill this monster!"


    Wang Qian was extremely scared, his body trembling uncontrobly, his face deathly pale.


    He ordered his own Meat Corpse to attack the Tentacle-faced Monster. At the same time, he desperately called for Chen Jun''s help from the kitchen.


    Unfortunately, the distance between him and the kitchen was quite significant, and the proximity of the Tentacle-faced Monster was too close. It was so near that its tentacles could easily pull him closer. The foul smell of sticky mucus was within arm''s reach, and the tendrils that stretched out from the Blood Hole curled up visibly.


    On this horrific face, the only remaining intact feature, a huge gaping mouth, had already opened wide in hunger, revealing a set of sharp teeth.


    The Tentacle-faced Monster aimed its gaping mouth at his neck and bit down hard. Blood spurted out, and the tentacles danced even more vigorously as if they were enjoying their meal.


    Wang Qian gradually lost his breath of life. As he approached, Angel Envoy Meat Corpse, following Wang Qian''s death, ceased its movements and copsed to the ground with a thud.


    Seeing that the situation was bad, Chen Jun immediately wanted to flee. He ordered his Meat Corpse to block the Tentacle-faced Monster.


    Obeying themand, the Angel Envoy Meat Corpse charged towards the Tentacle-faced Monster, pounced on the creature, and prepared to pound it with its strong, powerful ws while its tooth-filled mouth bit down.


    However, before the attack could fully take effect, only a few marks were left when those leech-like tentacles started to move again, crazily extending and coiling around the Meat Corpse''s neck and tightly binding its arms as well.


    The Meat Corpse struggled mightily against the leech-like tentacles, stretching them taut, but it couldn''t break free. At this moment, the Tentacle-faced Monster started counterattacking, biting at Chen Jun''s Angel Envoy Meat Corpse with its sharp fingers and teeth.


    A loud "bang" sounded as the door was forcefully smashed open, and Su Han rushed in with the Four-armed Corpse, immediately spotting the creature, unlike the Meat Corpse.


    "Attack!"


    Su Han issued themand directly, and the Four-armed Corpse immediatelyunched an attack, charging into the living room.


    It grabbed at the tentacles connecting the Meat Corpse and the Tentacle-faced Monster, its sharp ws instantly severing the tough tentacles. Disgusting red mucus dripped down, and the pain caused the tentacles to convulse, instantly staining the entire living room red.


    "Roar!"


    A sharp roar echoed as the Tentacle-faced Monster went mad from having its tentacles severed.


    It faced the Four-armed Corpse head-on, pouncing like a wild beast, attempting to strike the Four-armed Corpse with its gaping mouth.


    However, the Four-armed Corpse didn''t give it the opportunity, delivering a heavy punch like a huge sledgehammer that sent it flying.


    "Crack!"


    The Tentacle-faced Monster was directly fractured, its chest caved in, one arm already twisted.


    The Four-armed Corpse strode forward, then grabbed the Tentacle-faced Monster''s neck, lifting it from the ground and suspending it in mid-air.


    Cheng Zhenyong and He Fang quickly arrived, standing in the corridor with a direct view of the Four-armed Corpse seizing the Tentacle-faced Monster. Shocked, they eximed, "What in the world is this creature?"


    Not expecting that there were creatures dissimr to Meat Corpses, Cheng Zhenyong''s eyes caught a glimpse of Wang Qian''s corpse on the ground, his pupils sharply contracting: someone had actually died.


    "Brother Su Han, what is going on here?"


    Su Han looked at Chen Jun, who was turning pale, "You should ask him about this matter."


    With the crisis resolved and his own Angel Envoy Meat Corpse released, Chen Jun finally started to recover a bit.


    "When we came in, we only saw a corpse and weren''t concerned until we realized it was a special monster. Wang Qian went to the bedroom to look for supplies, probably not paying attention, and that''s when the monster suddenly killed him."


    "It''s likely not sudden but rather greed."


    At this point, Yan Meiyu''s voice chimed in. Everyone followed her gaze to see that Wang Qian was clenching tightly onto a ne in his palm, which was also tightly gripped and bloodstained, evidently a woman''s style.


    Seeing this scene, everyone also understood what had happened.


    Greed had gotten the better of him,nding him in this fatal situation. It was hard to say whether he was clever or just foolish.


    "Wealth is important, but staying alive is even more crucial. Everyone be careful when searching; that''s all I can say."


    Cheng Zhenyong briefly reminded everyone before instructing someone to take care of Wang Qian''s body, covering it with a sheet to deal with itter.


    With no family present, this treatment was the mostpassionate he could offer.


    The atmosphere within the team inevitably became heavier with a death, but the necessary clearing work continued. If the remaining two floors weren''t cleared, more idents might happen.


    Moreover, Wang Qian''s death wasn''t entirely without value; whether it was Su Han, Yan Meiyu, or He Fang, they all noticed something.


    Wang Qian''s Angel Envoy Meat Corpse died too peacefully, almost without any damage. In other words, when a Contractor dies, the contracted Angel Envoy is very likely to die immediately.


    This realization sent a chill through everyone, making them even more cautious about their own safety to avoid sudden attacks from monsters or from some people.


    The group briefly cleaned up the 18th floor and then continued towards the 19th floor. However, even though they did not encounter any more Tentacle-faced Monsters or even Meat Corpses this time,


    the eerily quiet 19th floor exuded a suspicious and unsettling feeling, making everyone uneasy.

 Chapter 20: 20 Spider Monster

    However, havinge this far, it was impossible to simply give up, they could only be more cautious and alert. The group continued their way to the top floor, passing through increasingly dim hallways, stepping out from the safety door when suddenly a patch of yellowed light shone on their faces, fully reflecting their astonished expressions.


    The blood-drenched corridor was covered with dried, darkened bloodstains everywhere, some blotchy, some stainingrge areas.


    Many bodies were piled together, whether they were human corpses, corpses of Four-armed Corpses, or bodies of Tentacle-faced Monsters, stackedyered uponyered in the center of the hallway. At a nce, only seven or eight blood-soaked heads could be discerned.


    All the bodies were a blurred mess of blood and flesh, the decaying flesh and sma sticking together, forming a ghastly mash that emitted bursts of foul stench.


    The corpses were intertwined due to decay, their flesh gradually fusing together, making it impossible to clearly distinguish one from another, vaguely shaping a monstrous flesh mountain, utterly nauseating.


    Yet atop this horrific pyramid of cadavers, there stood a bizarre nt,pletely ck, its branches twisted upward, a leafless whole rooted among the corpses.


    This strange nt was not very tall; Su Han estimated it was only about fifty centimeters tall at most.


    Its roots were ck as ink, and the angles at which its branches were twisted resembled broken bones rather than those of a normal nt. They were eerily simr to the twisted appearance of the corpses below it, and dark red veins faintly flowed over its pitch-ck surface.


    What caught the attention most was the crystal-like fruit growing at the top of this pitch-ck nt.


    The light that shone on Su Han and the others'' faces emanated from this fruit, giving off an incredibly eerie glow.


    "What in the world is going on here?"


    Someone in the group asked, but no one answered.


    The scene before them was beyond their understanding, no one knew the answer, nor how to respond.


    The only guess they could make was that this nt had slowly grown by drawing nutrients from the flesh and blood of these corpses.


    "Everyone, be careful. That thing looks dangerous."


    Captain Cheng had just voiced a warning when suddenly a cricking sound resonated, as if a hard object was hitting the ground.


    The group swiftly turned their heads toward the end of the hallway from where the sound originated, and two red pupils suddenly appeared before everyone''s eyes.


    "Watch out!"


    A towering dark figure slowly emerged from the dim hallway, its presence colossal, heavy, and sinister amidst the intermittent shadows.


    The monster''s body filled the corridor, roughly two and a half meters tall; its upper body was human, muscles and sinews twisted and exposed in raw, ruddy flesh, while its lower body resembled that of a spider, made up of bloody flesh and spider legs.


    Its gaping maw emitted a sharp scream as tendrils, slimy like octopus tentacles, extended from its mouth, wriggling like worms.


    The faces of Captain Cheng and others turned pale, terrified by the monstrous figure.


    Before they could react, the monster, having clearly seen their form, suddenly burst forth with vigorous roars.


    With its spider legs slightly curved, its bodyunched toward the group like a projectile.


    "Stop that monster!"


    Captain Cheng and He Fang, quickly regaining theirposure, loudlymanded their Four-armed Corpses to charge at the monster.


    Stopping it was their only chance of escaping; otherwise, in the even narrower space of the stairwell, escaping from the monster''s pursuit would be impossible.


    Su Han''s Four-armed Corpse tightened its limbs, with sharp metallic ws springing from its hands. Its robust muscles tensed, and a coat of ck stealthily covered it¡ªIron Skin Skill was quietly activated.


    Wait, it''s slow!


    Suddenly, his eyes flickered, sharply noticing that the Spider Monster''s charge stuttered as it approached the range of the yellow light, slowing down just a bit.


    But this action was incredibly subtle, and after a slight pause, it charged toward them again, its eyes turning even redder and more ferocious.


    In the blink of an eye, the monster collided with Captain Cheng and his team''s Four-armed Corpses.


    The strength of the Spider Monster was surprisingly formidable; the moment the Four-armed Corpse charged at it, it was knocked away the next instant.


    First, it was Zhang Fu''s Four-armed Corpse that got mmed against the wall of the corridor, a deep thud echoing as the corpse fell and didn''t get up.


    Then it was Chen Jun''s Corpse that was impaled by a spider-spear, a gaping Blood Hole suddenly appearing on its body, with blood ceaselessly flowing out.


    Captain Cheng and He Fang''s Four-armed Corpses proved slightly stronger, leaping onto the body of the monster.


    Their elongated hands tightly sped the Spider Monster''s body, their big mouths revealing sharp teeth and beginning to tear at the monster''s flesh.


    The remaining corpses took advantage of the Spider Monster being entangled, immediately beginning their attacks, punching intensely, the sounds muffled like dull drums.


    Although the attacks were damaging, leaving gashes on the Spider Monster, such attacks only made it more enraged.


    "Roar!"


    The Spider Monster roared, its tentacles in its mouth wildly thrashing about, then its huge hand directly reached for a Corpse in front of it.


    "Dodge quickly!"


    Captain Chengmanded to dodge, but it was already toote.


    A Four-armed Corpse was firmly seized by the monster''srge hand, thrown aside like a sandbag, emitting a heavy thud.


    The Spider Monster simrly disposed of He Fang''s Corpse, quickly freeing its upper body from its attackers, raging uncontrobly, and continuouslyunching the remaining corpses away.


    The confined space of the corridor limited the corpses'' ability to use numbers to their advantage, ultimately failing to stop the Spider Monster''s advance.


    Now!


    Yan Meiyu seized the moment, controlling the Rot Skin Rat to swiftly maneuver. In the monster''s blind rage, the Rot Skin Rat leaped up, its ws secreting Rot Poison, wing at the monster''s eyes in the dark night.


    Striking sessfully, the Rot Skin Rat didn''t dare linger and swiftly hid into the darkness uponnding.


    The Spider Monster''s eyes were damaged, and it became even more crazed, continuously overturning three to four corpses.


    Thud, thud, thud~


    Heavy footsteps resounded as the Four-armed Corpse rushed over, fiercely mming into the Spider Monster.


    The immense force lifted the upper body of the monster while the lower spider body staggered on its six legs. The Four-armed Corpse''s huge fists went straight for the monster''s head, and with a loud bang, the Spider Monster was struck, causing it to shrink in stature and retreat continuously.


    The monster immediately lunged at the Four-armed Corpse, its sharp spider spears stabbing towards the body of the Four-armed Corpse.


    With a ng, a heavy white mark appeared on the Iron Skin, barely breaking the surface, but this damage was negligible, akin to a mosquito bite.


    The Four-armed Corpse immediately counterattacked, its back-borne hands grabbing the spider legs to immobilize the Spider Monster, then the hands under its ribs embraced the vulnerable upper body of the Spider Monster.


    "Crack"


    The spine twisted under tremendous force, emitting a sound, while the cries from the Spider Monster nearly pierced everyone''s eardrums.


    The Four-armed Corpse roared, exerting force with all four arms, lifting the Spider Monster high, and smashed it down like a meteor to the ground, crashing it against the security door with a loud bang.


    The security door caved in, entrapping the monster which struggled to rise for a moment.


    The Four-armed Corpse moved in closer, the nging sound of metallic ws slicing decisively, and with a ''snap,'' it slit the Spider Monster''s neck, a great amount of fresh blood spurting out, staining the entire corridor red.


    "This monster is too terrifying,"


    Cheng Zhenyong, still shaken, thought that if the Four-armed Corpse hadn''t acted just then, the Spider Monster would have reached them.


    "Impressive, but it''s a pity it couldn''t be contracted..."


    He Fang, still fraught with shock, disyed a hint of greed. How formidable would it be if his Angel Envoy were the Spider Monster?


    "Not just impressive. If it were contracted, it would be a strongbat asset for everyone. But if you ask me, Su Han''s Angel Envoy is more impressive; I didn''t expect it to resolve the monster that quickly,"


    After encountering such a monster and with no casualties other than the Angel Envoy, it was natural for everyone to feel relieved, and some couldn''t help but sing praises about Su Han.


    But Su Han remained calm, nced at the quiet floor, and said, "Let''s search this floor first; it''s gettingte."


    Cheng Zhenyong nodded, calling out to everyone, "Let''s search for supplies first; be careful of any monsters."


    Su Han remained silent, his gaze falling on the odd nts and piles of corpses, thinking, "This floor should only have this one monster."


    The corpses couldn''t have appeared without reason; it must be the Spider Monster''s doing.


    As for why such strange nts are here, perhaps the Spider Monster consciously cultivated them, or they might be unrted and have just grown on their own.


    Su Han didn''t mention this but watched as Cheng Zhenyong organized people to start searching the six rooms, his attention on the nts.


    "Pull up that nt."


    With a thought, he had the Four-armed Corpse seize the nt, its slender roots pulled from the rotting flesh, dripping blood drop by drop, emitting a foul odor.


    The nt was held in the hands of the Four-armed Corpse, but its luminescence hardly dimmed.


    ''Hmm, something is not right; this nt is absorbing the power of the Four-armed Corpse.''


    Su Han soon realized something was off, as the power of the Four-armed Corpse was being slowly drained.


    He frowned, but didn''t immediately discard the nt. The power drain was gradual. Such a loss, recoverable with half a day of rest, was minor.


    More than that, he was concerned about why the Spider Monster acted strangely due to the yellow light earlier.


    ''Could this light have the effect of repelling the monster? No, that''s not quite right, it seemed more like it made the monster ufortable.''


    Recalling the Spider Monster''s reaction, Su Han vaguely began to form an idea.


    If this was the function of the strange nt, then it could exin why the monsters on floors 18, 19, and 20 were rtively fewer, not just due to the Spider Monster.


    "Can this thing be fused?"


    Looking at the yellow Crystals on the nt, an idea suddenly came to Su Han''s mind.


    He had the Four-armed Corpse bring the nt in front of him, then reached out to touch it.


    [Found fusion material: Lamp Tree Crystals. Do you wish to fuse?]


    "So this is called a Lamp Tree?" His eyes lit up, then he declined, "Do not fuse."


    He found a sheet, then wrapped up the Lamp Tree, temporarily letting Four-armed Corpse hold it. Anything that appeared after the apocalypse wouldn''t just be ordinary.


    While Su Han collected the Lamp Tree, Cheng Zhenyong and the others moved quickly, searching all six rooms in less than half an hour. The gathered supplies were moved out and simply piled together.


    "Su Han, did you touch that strange nt?"


    Cheng Zhenyong looked surprised, his eyes filled with some confusion. No one knew what the strange nt was or its function; touching it recklessly could be dangerous.


    Su Han nodded, saying, "I''ll be more careful. We can''t just leave this strange thing here, can we? What if it poses a risk?"


    Cheng Zhenyong thought about it and agreed. Keeping such a thing under watch was better than leaving it unattended on the 20th floor; otherwise, any changes would be unknown, and that would be the real danger.


    Still, destroying it was also a possibility, but clearly, Su Han didn''t n to do that.


    So he said, "Then I''ll leave this thing to you."


    Su Han nodded. He looked at the tired group; it was now evening, and the corridor was gradually getting darker due to theck of light.


    He said to Captain Cheng, "Let''s call it a day; we''ll divide the supplies tomorrow."

 Chapter 21: 21 Discussing Strategies

    ```


    Having cleared all the floors, it was already close to 6 or 7 in the evening. Coupled with the fog outside, the floors appeared very dim, and the hallways were dark due to the power outage. The entire building was indistinguishable from night, ck as if an abyss.


    The gloomy environment and their exhausted bodies left no one in the mood to allocate the resources on the spot. After a simple check, Su Han took Yan Meiyu back to the first floor.


    "Su Han, do you really want to keep this nt with you? This thing grew from a pile of flesh and blood; I''m afraid it''s not something simple."


    In the hallway of the first floor, after being left with just the two of them, Yan Meiyu couldn''t help but voice her concern to Su Han.


    Startled, Su Han replied, "I''ll be careful, but I always feel that this Lamp Tree is not as simple as we thought. You noticed it too, didn''t you? That monster''s movements slowed down a bit when it entered the range of the yellow light. I''m not sure if it''s afraid, but at least the yellow light affects it. I want to figure out what use it might have."


    Risk apanies reward, and in a world gradually turning into the unknown, being overly cautious could lead to missed opportunities.


    Reminded by Su Han, Yan Meiyu also recalled the encounter on the 20th floor, and her expression became serious.


    If, as Su Han had said, that thing affected the monsters, even suppressed them, then that was good news for everyone.


    Understanding this, she knew why Su Han was taking this risk, "Then you be careful. If it reallyes to it, Old Gan and I can help keep an eye on the nt''s changes. Everyone could take turns; there''s no need for you to take all the risk alone."


    She paused, her gaze falling on the Lamp Tree wrapped in cloth in the Four-armed Corpse''s hand, and said earnestly, "I always feel that after being plucked, the nt didn''t dim, but its fruits became even brighter."


    "Is that so?"


    With Yan Meiyu''s reminder, Su Han took a look at the wrapped-up nt.


    Through the cover of the bedsheet, he could faintly see the light it emitted, which indeed did not appear dim.


    An idea struck him, "Is it because it''s been slowly drawing power from the Four-armed Corpse?"


    "Su Han, Meiyu, you''re finally here. How''s the situation?"


    Gan Xinglei heard the noise in the corridor and came out with Zhu Xiong, just as Su Han and Yan Meiyu had returned.


    Upon seeing them, Su Han nodded in greeting, then said, "Let''s go inside and talk. Is there anything up with you all?"


    The four entered a room, closing the door behind them. Su Han first instructed the Four-armed Corpse to ce the nt in an empty room closest to a window.


    The room wasn''trge and seemed to be the original owner''s child''s room, containing nothing more than a bed, a desk, and other misceneous items. The desk, ced by the window, was nked by many cluttered books and a withered potted jade nt, which Su Han used to set down the Lamp Tree.


    This room was rtively far from Su Han''s own master bedroom, separated by a living room, so any potential impact would be minimal. Thus, it was the most suitable ce for handling the Lamp Tree.


    After setting down the Lamp Tree, Su Han returned to the living room where the four sat on the couch.


    Gan Xinglei asked curiously, "What was that thing just now?"


    "Lamp Tree, found on the 20th floor today."


    Su Han straightforwardly used the name of the Lamp Tree. Gan Xinglei and the others were not surprised, taking it as a figurative nickname he had coined.


    Yan Meiyu recounted to Gan Xinglei and Zhu Xiong the cleaning from the 10th floor up to the 20th floor and their encounter on the 20th floor.


    Upon hearing that He Fang hade into conflict with them during the exploration, Gan Xinglei and Zhu Xiong frowned, with Gan Xingleimenting, "That group of people really can be quite bothersome."


    Yan Meiyu scoffed, "Bothersome is an understatement. That He Fang, you guys need to watch out for him. He''s looking to probe into the Four-armed Corpse, and I doubt he will let it go easily."


    She was worried; although Su Han''s Four-armed Corpse was formidable, she had seen what happened to Wang Qian that day. If Su Han were not careful and got ambushed, then no matter how strong the Four-armed Corpse was, it couldn''t function alone.


    As soon as she finished speaking, to her surprise, Gan Xinglei and Zhu Xiong exchanged nces, then pulled out two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes from the sofa.


    Zhu Xiong chuckled, "This is quite the coincidence."


    Seeing the two intact packs of cigarettes, Su Han didn''t think that Zhu Xiong and Gan Xinglei had simply found them while scavenging for supplies.


    Su Han inquired, "What''s the story here?"


    Zhu Xiong ced the two packs of cigarettes in the middle of the group and slowly began to recount the day''s events on the first floor.


    "After you guys went out to clear the floors today, it wasn''t long before a couple of guys from He Fang''s group came looking to cozy up with us."


    Su Han raised his eyebrows; the situation was getting interesting. This He Fang seemed to have some schemes, ying both sides.


    ```


    He asked, "What did they want from you two, to dig for information?"


    Zhu Xiong nodded and said, "That kid tried to cozy up to us, calling us ''big brother'' this and ''elder brother'' that. But those little tricks couldn''t fool me."


    He chuckled and then continued, "They want to know what''s the deal with your Four-armed Corpse."


    Gan Xinglei chimed in from the side, "At first, Old Zhu and I didn''t pay much attention. Later, a young guy named Wu Guang, probably couldn''t contain his impatience, directly said that if we were willing to leak some information, they could offer us two gold medals, about 200 grams in total, to split between the two of us."


    The market price for 100 grams of gold was over 40,000, so 200 grams before the apocalypse was a significant amount¡ªat least 80,000 to 90,000 yuan.


    This was definitely not something they originally possessed, showing that He Fang''s group wasn''t too clean in their search through the floors.


    However, that was secondary. Their real cunningy in their two-faced tactics: on one hand, He Fang personally took the initiative to contact Su Han, while on the other, they secretly tried to win over members of Su Han''s team¡ªambitionid bare.


    Despite the crudeness of their method, one had to consider the current state of affairs.


    Everyone on the floor had formed teams on the fly, banding together for survival. How solid could these rtionships be? Most people couldn''t resist such an enticement, not to mention the natural curiosity about the origins of the Four-armed Corpse.


    Seeing the demeanor of Zhu Xiong and Gan Xinglei, it was obvious they hadn''t agreed to anything, so he asked, "Don''t beat around the bush, what did you guys respond with?"


    "Don''t know."


    Zhu Xiong was straightforward, "I told him that I didn''t know why the Four-armed Corpse was like that either. But if they really wanted me to help them lure out this secret, I''d have to think it over more."


    Su Han: ?


    Yan Meiyu: ?


    Zhu Xiong grinned, his face turning serious, "I''m not afraid of thieves stealing, but I fear their coveting. I think we should strike first. They''re ambitious, but shortsighted, and not thorough in their actions. It''s just probing for now, but give it some time and, should chaos ensue, who knows what could happen."


    Gan Xinglei nodded in agreement, "I think so too. That Wu Guang, whose Angel Envoy was severed by you, clearly holds a grudge when your namees up."


    "For now, let''s keep an eye on them. It''s inappropriate to attack without reason, as it may lead to misunderstandings and trouble, especially since Cheng Zhenyong might not just stand by and watch."


    "I understand, we''ll find a reason before taking action."


    "..."


    Bro, we really aren''t the bad guys.


    Su Han looked at Zhu Xiong''s bear-like grin, feeling a bit weary, but the coarse words were not without reason.


    He turned to Yan Meiyu and said, "Let Rot Skin Rat keep an eye on this, and try to gather some information."


    Yan Meiyu nodded, acquiescing, "I''ll find a way."


    "The conflict with them is just a minor scuffle, that''s not the main thing," Su Han reminded the three, "The most important thing is strength. With strength, you can live longer. I''ve discovered today if you control the Angel Envoy to perform a lot of activities, especially fighting, it powers up faster and the feedback of strength is more active. If possible, you should exercise more often."


    Gan Xinglei''s eyes widened, somewhat perplexed, "Is that really possible? I thought just enduring would slowly make us stronger."


    "...."


    Yan Meiyu red at him fiercely, and Zhu Xiong''s expression wasn''t any better. So, your little brother just wanted to lie t?


    Gan Xinglei, noticing the collective irritation, chuckled sheepishly, "I''m just kidding. You all know that programmers are the best at grinding."


    The strength of the Contracted Angel Envoys varied, as did the pace at which their Contract holders grew stronger and the energy feedback they received¡ªthis was already known to them.


    But what Su Han mentioned was something they hadn''t noticed until now.


    "It seems we can''t afford to idle anymore."


    Zhu Xiong looked serious. Driving an Angel Envoy was taxing, and depending on what they were controlled to do and how intense the activity was, the energy consumed differed. This was somewhat simr to exercise, but it wasn''t just physical energy being consumed. Generally, to avoid overtaxing themselves to exhaustion, they''d simply keep their Angel Envoys on alert.


    But now, it seemed, a little tiredness was eptable, as long as it didn''t get to the point where they couldn''tmand the Angel Envoys to return to the Book of Blood Spirit.


    Su Han checked the time and then said to the three, "It''s gettingte today, everyone should head back to rest. Tomorrow, we''ll distribute the supplies and then focus on improving our strength. Although we''re sure to have received plenty of supplies, we need to n for the long term."

 Chapter 22: 22: Superior Materials

    Zhu Xiong and his wife, Gan Xinglei, left one after another, leaving Su Han alone in the room. He didn''t rest but instead summoned the Four-armed Corpse.


    Yan Meiyu and the others could go to rest, but he himself still could not because he had one more matter to deal with. The corpses of the Flesh Corpses from the tenth floor and above had already been piled up in the rooms of each floor. Per his agreement with Cheng Zhenyong, he had to quietly dispose of these things tonight.


    "On average, about three to four Flesh Corpses were killed on each floor today. Even excluding floors neen and twenty, that still leaves about twenty to thirty Flesh Corpses. It''s uncertain whether this will be enough toplete the Level 2 Flesh Corpse Blood Flesh Fusion."


    After mulling over it for a moment, he quietly opened the door and walked straight towards the stairway, silently heading up until he reached the tenth-floor guard post.


    Strictly speaking, since the entire building had been cleared, there was no need for Cheng Zhenyong to maintain the guard posts above.


    But considering that many Flesh Corpse bodies were stacked on the tenth floor and that Su Han needed to quietly deal with them to avoid misunderstandings, two members of the security team were still left on the tenth floor to prevent idents, with Zhang Fu leading them.


    "Brother Zhang, you''ve worked hard."


    Upon seeing the two men, Su Han greeted them and handed over two packs of Zhonghua.


    Zhang Fu didn''t stand on ceremony, happily taking the cigarettes with a smile that was half gratitude and half emotion, "No need for formalities. I should be thanking you. Without you, who knows how many people might have died today."


    Su Han just smiled and waved his hand, showing no intention of taking credit, and Zhang Fu didn''t say much more, only reminding him, "The survivors upstairs have all moved down. There''s no one above the tenth floor."


    As he spoke, he opened the safety door to let Su Han go up.


    Su Han understood Zhang Fu''s meaning, which was simply that there were no living people upstairs so there was no need to worry about disturbing anyone. He smiled and then, apanied by the Four-armed Corpse, strode towards the upper floors.


    Although Zhang Fu said there were no living people upstairs, Su Han was still very careful. The Four-armed Corpse went in front, and he followed with a crowbar in his hand just in case of any unexpected changes.


    First, he went to the eleventh floor, where the Flesh Corpse bodies were stacked in a room near the staircase on the right. The door had been broken, so he pushed it open and entered. The living room, filled with stacked bodies and bloodstains, came into view.


    There were only two Flesh Corpses here. The rest had already been contracted by Xia Ning and her group. Even these two bodies were killed by other Contractors out of concern for being overwhelmed during the exploration.


    "Let''s start, Four-armed Corpse, go and fuse."


    Upon receiving Su Han''s order, the Four-armed Corpse tookrge strides towards the living room, its huge palms grabbing the two bodies from the floor.


    Although these Flesh Corpses were taller than average humans, they seemed small and fragile in the hands of the Four-armed Corpse, like little chicks.


    The Four-armed Corpse''s arms and flesh began to wriggle as strands of flesh, like silk threads, reached out to the two Flesh Corpses'' bodies, gradually weaving into their flesh and slowly fusing together.


    Su Han was patient, holding a tablemp while silently standing by to observe, keenly feeling the changes and feedback from the Four-armed Corpse.


    If on the first day this kind of scene still made him somewhat ufortable, he was now as casual about it as he was about eating and drinking water, feeling no difort at all.


    Thepatibility between the Flesh Corpses'' flesh and the Four-armed Corpse was high, so the fusion proceeded rtively fast. Su Han waited for about ten minutes, and the two bodies gradually turned into pale skeletons. The twisted bones apanied thepletion of the fusion, slowly falling onto the living room floor.


    Following the fusion process, the Level 1 Flesh Corpse Blood Flesh Fusion Degree began to gradually advance towards Level 2, increasing from the original 2% to 11%. Perhaps because the fusion was progressing to Level 2, the increase in Fusion Degree from the same quantity of Flesh Corpses'' flesh was rtively lower.


    "On average, the flesh quality of a Flesh Corpse is around 4.5%. The proportion should gradually decreaseter on, but it should still be enough."


    After making some rough estimates, Su Han found that although there was some discrepancy from his initial estimates, it was at least not as drastic as ordinary metals, which could jump up almost ten times.


    "Firstplete the fusion, then see what the effects are like."


    He left the eleventh floor and continued upward, floor by floor, fusing the stacked Flesh Corpse bodies one by one, as time slowly slipped by.


    Two on the eleventh floor, four on the twelfth, five on the thirteenth, four on the fourteenth, three on the fifteenth, four on the sixteenth, and eight on the seventeenth¡ªa total of thirty Flesh Corpses were fused by Su Han''s Four-armed Corpse.


    Angel Envoy: Four-armed Corpse


    Rank: First-level Intermediate


    Skills: [w][Iron Skin]


    Fusion: LV2 Ordinary Metal, LV1 Corpse Flesh 92%


    Su Han looked at the Four-armed Corpse''s panel and couldn''t help feeling a bit troubled. The corpses in Building 7 had been nearly fully fused, but he hadn''t expected the rate of fusion to drop so drastically afterwards.


    The flesh and tissues of thirty corpses had failed to push the Fusion Degree to LV2, still short by 8%. That was no small amount.


    "Can only check the 20th floor then."


    Su Han headed towards the 20th floor with the Four-armed Corpse, though he didn''t harbor much hope. Inside the pile of corpses on the 20th floor, it was hard to discern how many were human corpses and how many were of corpses.


    They had long since started to decay and were stuck to each other, melding together¡ªit was a question whether they could even be fused.


    Inside the corridor of the 20th floor, a foul stench hit him, seemingly denser than it had been in the evening.


    "Have the Four-armed Corpse try."


    He ordered the Four-armed Corpse to grab a rtively intact piece of flesh from the pile of carcasses, but no prompt for fusion appeared.


    "It won''t work?"


    His brow furrowed slightly. If this didn''t work, he would have to consider the corpses hidden in the mist beyond Building 7. Finding them and killing them wasn''t as easy as merely saying it.


    He had to weigh the feasibility and risks, thinking to himself, "Or should I try fusing new materials, or organize an outing?"


    His eyes moved toward the room at the end of the corridor. The body of the Spider Monster was there, half embedded in the door, with half its head slumped over its chest.


    It had been shorn by the Four-armed Corpse''s metallic w, notpletely severed, thebination of the head and the red tendrils in the fissure was extremely terrifying.


    He Fang had thought about taking the Spider Monster''s body back, unsure of its exact use, but he had a vague answer in mind¡ªthat Su Han was feeding the corpses to his Angel Envoy using the bodies of monsters.


    Although the Angel Envoy could maintain its state simply through the connection provided by the Book of Blood Spirit and the Contract, it did not mean they couldn''t consume things.


    The only possibility He Fang coulde up with was based on the day he met Su Han when Su Han had searched the 5th, 6th, and 7th floors and found skeletons there.


    Therefore, he too wanted to try it, but Cheng Zhenyong hadn''t agreed, and he didn''t dare to say it openly, which left the thing there.


    The reason Cheng Zhenyong did not agree was simple¡ªhe was worried that Su Han also needed it and did not want to stir up trouble unnecessarily.


    This series of actions had, indeed, made things convenient for the current Su Han.


    He made up his mind to first take a look and see. The Spider Monster wasn''t much weaker than the Four-armed Corpse; the differencey in the skills rather than overall quality.


    "Four-armed Corpse, bring its body over."


    The Four-armed Corpse strode towards the Spider Monster''s body and reached out to drag it towards Su Han.


    However, as soon as it touched the body, Su Han, focusing his mind intentionally, suddenly saw a prompt jump out.


    [Discovery: Spider Monster flesh, a higher level materialpared to the current corpse flesh. Would you like to proceed with the fusion transformation?]

 Chapter 23: 23 LV2 Flesh Zombie Meat

    A starkly different notification gave Su Han a big surprise.


    He had thought at most, it would simply rece the current fusion progress bar, and if sessful and highlypatible, it would change to fusing with the Spider Monster''s material.


    Even though it would make the 92% progress of the LV1 corpse flesh vanish, if it changed to Spider Monster, it would be a fusion from LV0 to LV1, which might not need too much material.


    But now, ording to the notification message, the Spider Monster''s material actually belonged to a higher-tier material than the corpse flesh, and could even rece the corpse flesh for fusion upgrades; this was undoubtedly a huge surprise.


    There was no time to lose. With the fusion progress of the corpse flesh nearlyplete, Su Han naturally wouldn''t miss this opportunity, so he made his choice immediately.


    "Initiate fusion transformation."


    Following themand, the Four-armed Corpse''s body began to change, its flesh slowly writhed, turning into strands of rich, crimson thread, pulsating vividly with a hint of eeriness, and gradually creeping towards the Spider Monster''s body.


    The fusion gradually began. Under Su Han''s gaze, the flesh of the Spider Monster''s body started disappearing bit by bit, revealing the contorted, stark white bones beneath the flesh, especially on the Spider Monster''s lower half. This was a section of extremely twisted and deformed bone, a spider-shaped frame made up of many fine or elongated bones interconnecting.


    Therge abdomen wasposed entirely of flesh, and throughout the fusion process with the Four-armed Corpse, one could still see tiny human limbs falling, while apart from the spider-shaped abdomen, the sharp spider legs and the framework that supported the entire body were made of bone, like a sturdy chassis, each segment of bone was exceptionally thick and hard, and it was this body structure that gave the Spider Monster its unimaginable size and strength.


    As the Four-armed Corpse continued to fuse, more and more white bones were exposed on the powerful monster''s fleshly body, as the flesh gradually became less and less.


    What excited Su Han the most was that the fusion progress on the Four-armed Corpse''s attribute panel was continuously rising, ascending faster than when he fused corpse bodies on other floors.


    Within just under 10 minutes, the Fusion Degree had already increased from 92% to 98%. The Spider Monster''s flesh, as a higher-tier material, was clearly much more potent in fusion than the corpse flesh, with a high conversion ratio.


    "Just a little bit more."


    As Su Han watched the Fusion Degree steadily rise, now only 2 points away from reaching 100%, and only half a human torso of the Spider Monster was left, he knew this was a sure thing, the advantage was his.


    As time ticked away, when the Spider Monster''s body was left with only bones, the corpse flesh fusion progress also reached 100%.


    [LV2 Corpse Flesh Fusionplete, obtained Skills Self-healing¡¤Primary]


    With thepletion of the fusion, the Four-armed Corpse''s body began to undergo even more pronounced changes.


    As the Contractor, Su Han could distinctly feel a vigorous vitality emanating from inside out, and under this push of life force, the Four-armed Corpse''s strength was rapidly increasing.


    A powerful surge flowed from the Book of Blood Spirit back into him, a potent force rushing through his entire body, he shuddered as his physical condition improved and strength burgeoned like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, followed by an indescribable sensation offort.


    It took several minutes for this surge of power to gradually fade, from a roaring river to a normal trickle, slowly enhancing Su Han''s body.


    Angel Envoy: Four-armed Corpse


    Level: First Order Upper Grade


    Skills: [w] [Iron Skin] [Self-healing¡¤Primary]


    Fusion: LV2 Ordinary Metal, LV2 Corpse Flesh


    "First Order Upper Grade, it seems that the enhancement from Primary Self-Healing is not insignificant."


    Transitioning from Medium to High Grade, the Four-armed Corpse''s strength has significantly increased, and its aura has be much more powerful. However, Su Han was more curious about the strength of the Primary Self-Healing.


    He found the nearest room and went in, then took out a kitchen knife from the kitchen.


    Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.


    The best way to test the regenerative ability is to take a slice; after all, it''s the Four-armed Corpse that would feel the pain, not him.


    Holding the kitchen knife in his hand, he gestured over the arm of the Four-armed Corpse and then gently cut across it. The tense muscles gave the knife a slight sense of resistance.


    However, without activating Iron Skin, the knife still smoothly slit the skin of the Four-armed Corpse, creating a 10-centimeter-long cut on its arm, from which blood quickly gushed and dripped onto the floor.


    Su Han ced the kitchen knife aside and then carefully observed the wound on the Four-armed Corpse. After an initial rapid flow, the bleeding at the site of the injury significantly slowed down.


    Moreover, at the edges of the wound, one could visibly see the grantion tissue squirming rapidly, and fine lines of flesh, like nematodes, were continuously connecting at the edges. The entire wound was healing at a visibly fast rate. Su Han roughly estimated the time; within about ten minutes, the original wound had diminished to less than a centimeter.


    In a little while, the entire wound healed as if it had never been there.


    "Although it can''tpare to Wolverine, 10 minutes is already quite fast."


    Su Han was not the least bit dissatisfied. For the Four-armed Corpse to possess such a self-recovery ability was a pleasant surprise for him.


    Considering thebat strength of the Four-armed Corpse, after acquiring the Regenerative Ability and coupled with its original defensive skill Iron Skin as well as the offensive skill w, all aspects of the Four-armed Corpse''s capabilities were being graduallyplemented, resulting in a synergistic triad of abilities that significantly enhanced itsbat effectiveness and endurance, achieving the effect of 1+1+1>3.


    If it were to face a creature like the Spider Monster again, the Four-armed Corpse should be able to handle several at a time.


    Besides, Su Han himself is very likely to be a direct beneficiary of the Regenerative Ability.


    One should know that Contractors can perceive certain Skills of the Angel Envoy and thereby achieve synchronization. The previous Iron Skin is such an example.


    The acquisition of Iron Skin gave Su Han strong defensive capabilities; in some situations, Iron Skin is a life-saving skill. Compared to the Four-armed Corpse, Iron Skin is Su Han''s real "shield," and one of the key skills for survival in the apocalypse.


    And now, he had gained an additional healing skill. Although it was currently only in the Four-armed Corpse, Su Han felt that he could put in more effort. If he could synchronize this skill from the Four-armed Corpse, Iron Skin + Self-healing, his life would be much tougher.


    Common external injuries, even if one couldn''t find a doctor or handle them properly, wouldn''t result in a fate like that of the survivor on the sixth floor, who although had escaped the monster''s pursuit, died in the room because the wounds were untreated.


    ''Try to understand how to synchronize after some time.''


    Having made up his mind, Su Han was ready to leave. He did not linger, and after dealing with some traces, he returned to his room. Taking advantage of the darkness before dawn, he went back to the master bedroom for some more sleep.


    The next morning, a pounding sound came from the door.


    Su Han awoke from his sleep, his first reaction was to look towards the Four-armed Corpse guarding the bedroom door; the noise wasing from the outside.


    He got up, opened the master bedroom''s door, walked into the living room, and as the main door kept knocking, he asked, "Who is it outside?"


    Zhu Xiong''s voice came from outside, pressing down his tone, "Su Han, it''s best you wash up ande out to have a look, there might be trouble."


    Su Han furrowed his brows and immediately said, "I''ming out now."

 Chapter 24: 24 Resource Distribution

    Although Zhu Xiong had told him that he could freshen up beforeing out, hearing Zhu Xiong calling at the door meant that there was no time to dawdle.


    He opened the door and saw Zhu Xiong, then asked, "Old Zhu, what''s happened? You seem in such a hurry."


    "Captain Cheng''s team is preparing to distribute supplies, but now they''re surrounded by people. I saw something was wrong and came to get you to take a look. Old Gan and his wife are already keeping an eye on things."


    Hearing this, Su Han furrowed his brows slightly. Had the issue of scarce supplies finallye to a head?


    He immediately said, "Let''s go and have a look."


    As the two of them walked from the room''s corridor to the direction of the hall, they hadn''t yet arrived when they heard a shrill voice: "Captain Cheng, you have to share some of the supplies with us, or how will we survive?"


    "Exactly, Captain Cheng."


    Someone immediately followed up, their voice tinged with a tone ofint: "You''ve cleaned out the entire building. Our rooms were included in that, you can''t just take everything we have, can you? It''s undeniable that you cleared those monsters, and nobody can negate that. But you should at least return what''s ours, right? I''m from unit 1201 on the 12th floor.


    I remember I had 20 pounds of rice and a box of milk that I just bought not long ago. Just give me that bag of rice; I won''t quibble over the rest."


    In the hall, the security team led by Cheng Zhenyong, along with several Contractors, were already surrounded by other survivors.


    There was a back-and-forth exchange among the crowd, a hint of condemnation in their voices, implying they deserved a share of the spoils.


    The speaker was an old hag with graying hair and gaunt cheeks like a fox. Her dry voice was unnaturally shrill for her age and grating to the ears as her eyes roved greedily over the supplies, especially the bag of fresh rice.


    "You''re right, they should at least return what belongs to us." Many who chimed in were residents from the upper floors who had been trapped in the hall the other day, around seven or eight people.


    Previously, monsters infested the floors, rendering household supplies useless because they couldn''t get back to their homes.


    But now, with the supplies cleared out, the situation was different. They did not need to face the monsters and could simply haggle with Cheng Zhenyong and his team. How simple.


    Among the group, there were all sorts of people: some wanted to reim what was theirs; others saw an opportunity to take whatever they could get their hands on, while those who felt guilty stood in the crowd like fence posts, not daring to speak out loud.


    "That won''t do," but this proposal was immediately overturned by a woman''s voice. It was someone Su Han and the rest had seen before, the woman who lived on the 5th floor.


    Bai Yan''er spoke up with an air of self-righteousness, "Supplies should be shared equally. We''re all survivors; why should you get to keep other people''s things?"


    Her logic was loud and clear. If they followed Grandma Zhao''s method of distribution, these supplies would have nothing to do with her, and that was uneptable.


    "Impossible!"


    Cheng Zhenyong rejected it outright. These were the supplies they had risked their lives to obtain, and even if he was a nice guy, he was not about to let them go.


    He said, "Before the cleanup, we had already made the rules clear. These were obtained at the risk of our lives. Those who participated in dealing with the corpses, transporting supplies, and clearing monsters can share ording to their contributions. I can only apologize to the rest."


    With this statement, the noise from the crowd grew louder, like a tumultuous tide, especially the few who were leading the charge. Lin Hong, Bai''s man, yelled, "Don''t listen to him, even if they are powerful, they''re just stinking security guards, acting all high and mighty. What rules are they talking about? My things were stolen, too. Did I see you stepping up then?"


    He red at Cheng Zhenyong and incited the crowd: "Let''s all go confront them and take the supplies; I don''t believe they dare to kill. Charge! Everyone, charge!"


    Lin Hong harbored resentment; he still remembered the young man who, along with two others, had burst into their room on the 5th floor, taking half of their supplies and even had the audacity to call it a ''cleanup fee''. Pah!


    If it weren''t for them, he wouldn''t be in such dire straits that he had to instigate the crowd to im supplies.


    He was inciting the others to take action while he himself was quietly retreating, ready to take advantage of the chaos. The crowd''s emotions were already stirred, and several people showed a readiness to act. Cheng Zhenyong and his team weren''t monsters; they might truly be hesitant to kill.


    Cheng Zhenyong''s expression was ominously somber, but indeed, he found himself in a difficult position, without the resolve to kill or severely injure someone.


    Lin Hong had a fair grasp on Cheng Zhenyong''s psychology; after all, he was previously a corporate executive, skilled in maniption, testing limits, and moral coercion.


    Cheng Zhenyong was an upright and open person. But it was exactly because he was a gentleman that he could be fooled with straightforwardness, and now that Lin Hong had provoked the crowd against him, he was in a difficult position.


    The crowd hadn''t resorted to violence or harmed anyone yet; they were merely scrambling for supplies. The idea of hurting someone¡ªor worse, making an example out of someone¡ªwas something that troubled him deeply.


    But if he didn''t suppress the chaos now, should a riot break out, most of the supplies would surely be stolen, and there would be no way to retrieve themter withoutpletely burning bridges and forcibly taking them back, house by house.


    If he were truly capable of such actions, this settlement wouldn''t be in its current state.


    Lin Hong had hit the nail on the head, but his methods were despicable.


    Just yesterday before they set out, Cheng Zhenyong had already asked who else wanted to be a Contractor?


    Killing monsters to be a Contractor wasn''t a terrible task; at most, it was a bit risky, but ultimately, the Contractors reaped the benefits.


    Not only would they get a share of the supplies from participating in the search, but more importantly, after contracting with an Angel Envoy, they would possess much greater power.


    Lin Hong was among the crowd yesterday, and many other young and strong men were all listening to Cheng Zhenyong''s rallying call, yet they were hesitant or, perhaps, harboring the mindset of reaping without sowing, not wanting to take risks themselves.


    The ones causing the biggestmotion now were actually these people.


    "Captain Cheng, just say the word. We won''t take all the supplies, but you have to give us a share, at least¡ªto help us get by."


    "Wishful thinking, but let''s see who dares to make a move."


    Just then, Su Han''s voice rang out, and his indifferent tone somehow overpowered the crowd''s noise. He stepped forward, with the massive Four-armed Corpse closely following behind him like a small mountain; at 2.5 meters tall, its strong muscles seemed forged from iron, and its four menacing arms made everyone swallow back their words.


    Upon seeing Su Han, Lin Hong''s eyes widened in shock. Not this guy again.


    A sh of resentment in his eyes quickly turned to anger, as if fate had conspired to bring them together. He had been about to sessfully stir the pot when Su Han unexpectedly showed up again.


    Driven by some impulsive fear or folly, he suddenly shrieked, "Don''t be afraid of him; he wouldn''t dare to kill anyone. Let''s just take the supplies. Hmph, we''re entitled to our share of these goods anyway. What''s there to be afraid of? He was the very first to grab the supplies!"


    Su Han let out a coldugh. Truly ignorant.


    "Four-armed Corpse, grab him for me, and that woman too."


    Being singled out by Su Han, Lin Hong''s face instantly went pale, and he panicked, wishing he could p himself.


    What was he thinking just now?


    "Everyone''s watching, what¡ªwhat are you nning to do?!"


    The Four-armed Corpse cared little for Lin Hong''s words. It marched forward, and the crowd instantly dispersed, none willing to stand in the way of this fearsome and gigantic creature.


    Unlike Cheng Zhenyong, they could tell that Su Han was not someone to be trifled with, his stern face a clear indicator that he was no pushover.


    In an instant, everyone fell silent, as Lin Hong and Bai Yan''er tried to leave but were easily snatched up by the Four-armed Corpse as if they were mere chicks.


    The two of them trembled violently, as if struck by fits, their faces filled with fear as they looked at the Four-armed Corpse.


    "You want to steal my supplies?"

 Chapter 25: 25: Demonstration

    "We, we didn''t, we just wanted some food, we didn''t mean to rob you,"


    Lin Hong denied vehemently, his head shaking like a rattle drum.


    He certainly did not want to be crushed to death by this monster. Heaven knows why the Angel Envoy he had seen the day before yesterday, with just two arms, had now transformed into this terrifying form.


    Lin Hong, at least, could still stammer out words, but Bai Yan''er beside him was nearly scared to pee, trembling, her mouth moving but unable to utter aplete sentence, just like a mute.


    The Four-armed Corpse threw the two of them to the ground. Although the creature was not severe, it threw them hard enough to hurt, making them cry out in pain.


    Their screams sounded somewhat abrupt and even a bit ridiculous among the crowd.


    Su Han''s gaze swept over the crowd. There weren''t too many people, about seventeen or eighteen, excluding the Contractors, they only made up half of those at the gathering point.


    He sneered coldly, "Yesterday, there was a chance to help and get supplies. It doesn''t matter if you didn''t appreciate it. Now you think about reaping the benefits without working? How could there be such a good thing? Four-armed Corpse."


    The Four-armed Corpse stirred, tookrge strides to a wall in the hall, its arms turning ck and muscles tensing. Its whole arm bulged like a cannon poised to fire. It then powerfully punched the wall.


    With a "thud," the punch seemingly exploded on impact, creating a huge hole and dislodging bricks from the wall, scattering them inside the hall.


    Dust danced in all directions momentarily.


    Everyone stared in horror at the scene before them as fear involuntarily surged in their hearts.


    The wall was not a sturdy load-bearing wall, but even a mere brick wall shouldn''t have been prateable by a single punch.


    Even a physically strong construction worker wielding a heavy sledgehammer couldn''t have demolished the wall like this in less than ten minutes.


    But now, a mere punch from the flesh and blood of the Four-armed Corpse had caused such destruction.


    They shivered involuntarily, suddenly imagining if that punch hadnded on a person. What kind of horrific scene would that be?


    Would it be a blur of flesh and blood? Or would it split someone into two?


    "I think none of your skulls are harder than this wall, right?"


    Su Han''s voice came again, but the crowd was silent, no one daring to respond.


    Everyone was silent as if chilled, and Su Han merely nced at them before turning to Captain Cheng beside him, "Captain Cheng, distribute the supplies. Have my portion delivered to my room."


    Cheng Zhenyong snapped back to reality and saidposedly, "Zhang Fu, start distributing the supplies. The rest of you can go back first. These next few days, I''ll assess the fog situation and then organize manpower to explore outside. If anyone wants to secure more supplies, they can sign up then."


    "Captain Cheng, it''s been agreed then, just these few days. If it takes any longer, we really won''t be able to hold on," someone immediately took advantage of the situation and quickly left the living room after muttering the words.


    Seeing this, others also hurried away, neither daring to lift their heads nor say any more.


    With no one else around to disrupt, the distribution of supplies sped up significantly. Su Han and Yan Meiyu represented their team in cleaning up the floors above the tenth, having contributed the most effort, and thus, received the majority of the supplies.


    They were allotted over three hundred pounds of staple food like rice and flour, then dried meat, canned goods, various snacks, and even some medicines¡ªa collection that nearly amounted to a third of this batch of supplies.


    Although it was only a third and only two of them had participated in the cleaning, the remaining two-thirds had to be distributed to the security team, He Fang, Xinglei, and Xia Ning based on the effort they put in, so the shares they got were significantly less.


    The security team, along with Xinglei, Yan Meiyu, and Zhu Xiong, helped move the items to Su Han''s room, followed by Captain Cheng organizing the manpower to distribute the remaining supplies to others who were entitled.


    By the afternoon, the noisy and chaotic division of supplies finally came to an end.


    The temporary gathering point then fell into a subdued and oppressive silence, much like stagnant water.


    Most people shut their doors tightly, remaining silent, some worried about how they would survive the future, others anxious and fearful of being held ountable or that contractors like Captain Cheng might turn into a tyrannical ruling ss.


    There were also those who pped themselves, regretting not bing Contractors, making them feel so passive now.


    Everyone was plotting quietly, no longer daring to stick their necks out, their unease spreading through the crowd like an invisible force.


    Everyone was vaguely aware of one thing, the lingering semnce of order was slowly erasing its boundaries.


    -----------------


    Night gradually enveloped all seven buildings; all the rooms were deathly quiet, asionally some abrupt noises appeared, only to quickly vanish again, making the dark corridors seem somewhat frightening.


    "Thump, thump, thump"


    A soft knock resounded on the third floor, subdued enough that only those in and near this particr room could hear it.


    Inside, Lin Hong was startled and asked the door warily, "Who is it?"


    Lin Hong''s tone was quite unfriendly, his eyes full of anger, his ns from the morning not only disrupted by Su Han but also marred by humiliation. His mood was at an all-time low.


    He even thought more than once that if he had the chance, he would eventually reim this situation. Wasn''t it just that someone had be a bit more formidable?


    "Open up, I need to talk to you."


    Instead of answering Lin Hong''s question, the person outside continued in a low, undeniable tone.


    Lin Hong showed a hesitant and frightened expression. Bai Yan''er grabbed his hand, shook it, and her face also bore a frightened look, signaling him not to open the door.


    Could this be that kid sending someone after him?


    Lin Hong worried internally, "If you don''t say who you are, I won''t open the door. Get lost."


    The person outside cursed softly, then threatened in a lowered voice, "Our boss, Brother Fang, is looking for you? If you don''t open up, you''re in for it."


    Lin Hong''s eyes widened, he of course knew who Brother Fang was, having encountered him when cleaning the floors.


    He was astonished internally, "What does Brother Fang want with me?"


    "Bang bang bang"


    The knocking came again, and Lin Hong, jolted by the noise, knew he had to open the door.


    Offending Su Han he was already worried about how to get along in this gathering spot, but offending another, Brother Fang, would really be the end of him.


    Lin Hong quickly opened the door, bowing slightly and nodding, "Misunderstanding, just now I didn''t know it was you."


    He stealthily sized up the man, a slick-looking fellow, indeed the one who had cleaned the floors with Brother Fang, seemingly named Wu Guang.


    Wu Guang merely nced at Lin Hong, his gaze then skipping over him to fall on Bai Yan''er, contemting


    Bai Yan''er''s cheeks were slightly gaunt, giving her a somewhat severe look, but her figure was undeniable, curvy and well-shaped.


    ''Such a waste on this loser.''


    A sh of greed passed through Wu Guang''s eyes, but fortunately, he didn''t forget what he was there for.


    "Come with me, our boss wants to see you."


    Lin Hong blinked, quickly nodding, "I''lle right now."


    Wu Guang was pleased with Lin Hong''s attitude, nodded, then turned and led the two quietly to where Brother Fang''s room was located.


    He pushed the door open, saying as he entered, "Brother Fang, I''ve brought him."


    Brother Fang was sitting on a sofa in the living room, saying to Wu Guang, "Close the door."


    Wu Guang closed the door firmly behind him, which made Lin Hong and Bai Yan''er shudder inwardly.


    Fortunately, Wu Guang just closed the door and did not do anything else.


    The three of them walked into the living room, and only then did Lin Hong see clearly that there was more than one person in the room.


    Those who usually hung out with him were all there, six people including Wu Guang, all gathering in the living room.


    Feeling their gazes, Lin Hong panicked internally, squeezed out a smile, and bowed, apologizing, "Brother Fang, did you have some instructions for me?"


    Brother Fang was different from Captain Cheng and his team, which he knew from the day they encountered each other on the fifth floor.


    Though it was Brother Fang who had informed them about the gathering spot downstairs, letting them go down, his attitude was even worse than Su Han''s.


    Moreover, he hadter sneaked back to the fifth-floor room to check, and most of the jewelry he had bought for his precious Bai Yan''er was gone.


    Time and again, he had seen clearly that Brother Fang and his group were nothing but greedy wolves, so he had always tried to avoid contact with them.


    Brother Fang looked at him, asking him directly, "I remember that day, you mentioned that Su Han had taken your stuff, right?"

 Chapter 26: 26: Probing the Details

    Upon hearing the name Su Han, Lin Hong felt as if his heart was aching.


    Why was it always about this guy?


    He cursed under his breath, but his face showed even more ttery, "Yes, I did mention it, but that was all a misunderstanding, Brother Fang."


    He Fang smirked, seeing right through Lin Hong, who was clearly displeased with Su Han.


    "I didn''t seek revenge on him; rest assured, I was just inquiring about some matters concerning him."


    Not revenge?


    Lin Hong''s eyes brightened, swiftly grasping the implication: If it''s not about revenge yet the inquiry was discreet, that meant there was indeed enmity.


    With that thought, his smile gained a few more degrees of sincerity, "Brother Fang, whatever you want to know, I''ll tell all."


    He Fang nodded in approval, then asked, "I recall you mentioned something about Su Han''s Angel Envoy looking different two days ago?"


    Lin Hong nodded vigorously, promptly responding, "Of course, it didn''t look like this at all. That day he stole my things, I remember vividly. His monster, although taller than others'' and capable of projecting metallic ws, was definitely in human form, not at all with four arms."


    He Fang''s eyes sparkled. This information from Lin Hong corroborated his suspicions and solidified his belief that Su Han must have discovered some method of evolving his monster.


    He couldn''t help but get a bit excited as he asked with more detail, "Did you see anything unusual that night, or hear anything peculiar?"


    "That?" Lin Hong felt a bit uneasy; though robbed that day, he had slept like a log at night, hearing nothing.


    "I... I did hear some noises."


    Just then, a timid voice spoke up¡ªit was Lin Hong''s lover, Bai Yan''er.


    He Fang''s gaze instantly shifted to her, "What did you find out?"


    Bai Yan''er was startled by his forceful gaze and hastily replied, "I... I tend to wake up at night, and that night I thought I heard something moving in the hallway. I... I didn''t dare to look, though."


    He Fang frowned slightly, not fully satisfied with this piece of information, as he couldn''t be sure whether it was Su Han.


    If it was Su Han, then he was very likely devouring the corpses of those corpses in some special way.


    After all, he had found some fleshless skeletal remains in the hallway on the fifth floor that day, all belonging to corpses.


    Moreover, Su Han had specifically requested the clearing of the corpses killed earlier, which more or less corroborated with each other, the only thing missing was concrete evidence.


    Seeing He Fang deep in thought and ignoring them, Lin Hong couldn''t help but feel anxious¡ªit was an opportunity to curry favor with He Fang, one he couldn''t miss.


    Thus, he tentatively asked, "Brother Fang?"


    He Fang frowned slightly and stared at him, "What is it?"


    Lin Hong grew even more nervous, hurriedly speaking, "I also want to contract an Angel Envoy; could I work under you?"


    He assured confidently, "As long as I work under you, I''ll do whatever youmand; I will absolutely obey."


    Lin Hong had realized by now that he might have been an executive before tomand respect, but not anymore.


    Being an executive was useless; he needed to be stronger, which is why he wanted to contract an Angel Envoy.


    "You two go back for now; we''ll talk about contracting Angel Envoyster; it''s not so easy to kill those monsters now," He Fang said.


    Though he didn''t outright agree, he didn''t reject the idea either, his tone carrying a hint of threat, "Tonight''s matter, neither of you must speak a word outside. When I have the time, I''ll help you create opportunities to kill monsters, understood?"


    Lin Hong nodded eagerly, "Understood, we won''t let that bastard Su Han know, thank you, Brother Fang."


    He Fang was pleased with Lin Hong''s attitude and said to Wu Guang standing next to him, "Let them go back."


    Wu Guang stood up and said to the two, "Follow me, you two."


    Lin Hong bobbed his head like a barking dog, all the while maintaining a smile. This act was familiar to him, after all, it was much the same as how he used to deal with superiors in thepany.


    He held Bai Yan''er''s hand, heading towards the door, with Wu Guang following behind, ready to close the door after they stepped out.


    But as soon as he turned around to follow, Wu Guang felt as though he could no longer walk.


    In front of his eyes, Bai Yan''er''s plump figure was as though it was right in front of him.


    A skirt tight around the bottom showcased a graceful and supple body. The slightly swaying slim waist and those generous hips trembled with each step, constantly enticing Wu Guang''s heart.


    The living room was only four or five meters away from the corridor, yet it was just this short distance. Wu Guang felt an unusual heat rising in his chest and without realizing it, reached out and pped those plump hips.


    With that p, the trembling escted.


    The sound of the p wasn''t loud, but in the quiet room, it resonated clearly.


    The woman''s body stiffened, Lin Hong was also stunned, but quickly, Lin Hongposed himself and continued walking while the woman, without a word, just lowered her head and quickened her pace.


    A smile immediately appeared on Wu Guang''s face, as he couldn''t help thinking to himself, "Seems like the apocalypse is indeed not bad."


    Lin Hong and the woman left the room quickly. Wu Guang didn''t follow them, but instead reluctantly nced once more at that graceful body before banging the door shut with a thud.


    Back in the living room, he faced hispanions'' teasing looks.


    He Fangughed and scolded, "You''ve watched too many dirty movies, haven''t you?"


    Wu Guang was somewhat embarrassed, yet felt no guilt, chuckling, "That foxy woman''s ass is really something."


    His eyes twinkled like mes as he lowered his voice and tentatively asked, "Brother Fang, I see those apocalyptic novels and American series... it''s all like that. Do you think we have a chance with this woman?"


    The tentative question seemed to ignite a fire in the hearts of the men in the living room, their eyes twinkling slightly.


    If it had been before the apocalypse, such a woman would have been out of their reach.


    It''s not that she was particrly extraordinary, but they were already doing all they could just to make a living, let alone chase after such frills.


    He Fang''s heart also heated up; his pal was right, the woman''s figure was indeed enticing, but he knew it wasn''t the time yet.


    "Don''t think about any of that damn nonsense. Without stronger corpses, what can you do? You can''t even get past Cheng Zhenyong, understand?"


    He Fang''s words pulled everyone back from their fantasies. He was right, even if they wanted to do something, Cheng Zhenyong wouldn''t just stand by and watch; that guy was tough as nails.


    Chen Jun spoke from the side, "But Brother Fang, we''ve secretly fed them the meat of the Spider Monster and the flesh of the Tentacle-faced Monster, haven''t you said there''s been no change?"


    Although He Fang couldn''t take away the corpses of those mutated monsters under the watchful eyes of Cheng Zhenyong and Su Han


    He''d sneakily taken some flesh and blood. As long as it wasn''t too much, it was doable.


    He had tried early on to nourish his own Angels Envoy with the flesh and blood of these monsters in his room.


    But after consuming it, other than a brief speed-up in the healing of injuries, there were no effects of Evolution.


    His face darkened, "So we need to dig out the secrets from Su Han''s mouth. You''ve heard it. His corpses were hardly any different from ours two or three days ago. Do you really believe it''s because of some special Talent?"


    He Fang didn''t believe Su Han''s excuses, and neither did anyone present.


    "But how do we deal with him? His Angel Envoy''s strength is too great. One punch can shatter a wall like that; we''re no match for him even together,"


    asked Su Hao meekly from the corner of the sofa.


    He had been there during today''s distribution of resources and had witnessed the power of Four-armed Corpse himself; the fear had already taken root in his heart.


    A sharp look shed in He Fang''s eyes, "Four-armed Corpse is formidable, not Su Han himself. You all remember what happened to Wang Qian, right?"


    "Wu Guang, you''ve struck up a conversation with that fat guy in their team, right?"


    Wu Guang hesitated slightly before answering, "That fat guy doesn''t know Su Han''s secret either. But I guess, he wants to know too."


    "Heh, wanting to know is good enough."


    He Fangughed, then said, "Keep talking to him these next few days, promise him more stuff. As long as he spills the information, we''ll give him whatever he wants, got it?"

 Chapter 27: 27: You Need to Pay More

    Two more days had passed since the resource distribution, and the atmosphere in all seven temporary assembly points was very bleak and oppressive.


    Most people chose to stay in their rooms, and even if they had to go out for something, the asional encounter did not involve greetings.


    The disorder during the resource distribution had already shattered the thin facade of order.


    Everyone knew that the current situation was merely maintained with difficulty, and to have a say, one needed significant power. Unfortunately, most people were not Contractors, nor did they have strengths like Su Han.


    Thus, they could only avoid causing additional trouble as much as possible to protect themselves, hoping for timely official rescue.


    As time passed, the disadvantages of the high-rise residential buildings gradually became apparent.


    First, the gas supply was suddenly cut off; there was no gas in the pipes, and creating fire depended on finding burnable waste or things like books and wooden furniture on various floors.


    Due to the limited amount ofbustible materials, to extend their usage time and also for fear of carbon monoxide poisoning from indoor fires,


    most survivors began to selectively eat instant foods or temporarily set up amunal fire under Cheng Zhenyong''s unifiedmand in the lobby.


    The issue of cooking with fire was barely resolved, but on the second day, an even tougher situation arose.


    The entire building began to experience water outages; there was still some water in the rooftop tanks, but the water meter in the supply pipes had stopped moving, no longer supplying the building with water.


    This meant if the water in the tanks ran out, and their previously stored water was also exhausted, there would be absolutely no water source in all seven buildings.


    The situation worsened, but the thick fog outside showed no signs of dissipating.


    In such circumstances, the atmosphere in the entire building grew even more oppressive, and many people fell into a negative state of mind, with despair gradually spreading among them.


    More than once, muffled sounds of crying or breakdowns came from various rooms.


    Su Han and his threepanions had rtively sufficient resources; even if the four of them consumed together, they couldst at least a month or two. Compared to everyone else''s despair, they instead focused on training their Angel Envoys.


    Su Han was right, in such an apocalypse, only strength was the absolute truth and could better ensure their survival.


    Therefore, aside from Yan Meiyu, everyone was training their Angel Envoys in their rooms, even engaging in somebat exercises.


    Although only two days had passed, Gan Xinglei and Zhu Xiong could clearly feel that the strength feedback from their Angel Envoys had indeed increased a bit.


    Su Han did not merely train his Four-armed Corpse, but focused his mind, immersing his consciousness into the consciousness space, facing the Book of Blood Spirit and the image of the Four-Armed Corpse on that page alone.


    He wanted to enhance the connection through suchprehension and synchronize with the newly acquired skill of the Four-armed Corpse, Primary Self-Healing.


    However, two days had passed, and though he had be more sensitive in controlling the Four-armed Corpse and perceiving the Book of Blood Spirit, he made no progress in synchronizing the Self-Healing Skill, clearly not finding the right method.


    Differently from the other three, Yan Meiyu''s training was not confined to her room.


    She secretly sent out the Rot Skin Rat, following Su Han''s instructions to monitor He Fang and his group''s movements.


    Everyone thought this would be a lengthy process, but to their surprise, only two dayster, Yan Meiyu ced a recording before them.


    With a serious expression and anger in her eyes, she said, "He Fang has approached Lin Hong nning to take action against you."


    This statement made the three men present shift their gaze, their eyes filled with dangerous light.


    They had considered He Fang ambitious, but they hadn''t expected him to act so swiftly.


    "He''s really courting death."


    Several people sat around the living room table as Su Han''s gaze remained calm. He spoke, "Let''s hear it."


    "Everything is on this recorder. You''ll know once you listen."


    Yan Meiyu activated the recorder and began to fast-forward, pulling the recording to the point where He Fang and his group were discussing how to deal with Su Han.


    The recorder was secretly carried in by Yan Meiyu''s Rot Skin Rat, entering through the public smoke exhaust duct and then the range hood exhaust of He Fang''s room, subsequently hiding in the closet next to it.


    With its body just half a meter long excluding the tail, the Rot Skin Rat had no trouble hiding in thesepartment cabs, not to mention it only had to ce the recorder before retreating.


    As Yan Meiyu operated the device, voices from He Fang and his group quickly emanated from the recorder.


    The voices were not very clear, after all, the living room was a bit distant.


    However, their specific discussion was recorded, particrly He Fang''s ambitious voice, which shockingly revealed ns to subdue Su Han by decapitation.


    By the time they heard this, everyone''s expressions had turned cold.


    Zhu Xiong sneered repeatedly, cursing, "Damn little sneaks, ying dirty, huh?"


    Su Han tapped the table lightly and suddenly said, "Old Zhu, go see them in a bit."


    Zhu Xiong was stunned, showing a puzzled expression and eximed, "Why should I go see them? What the hell for?"


    Su Han calmly replied, "They want to know this secret, right? You go tell them. It will also give me a chance to take them somewhere secluded."


    -----------------


    In the lobby of Building 7 on the first floor, Wu Guang had been guarding this entrance for two days, smoking one cigarette after another, feeling extremely irritated.


    "Damn it, those four might just stay in their rooms for four or five days straight? Not a single person in sight, and no news at all."


    Normally, the duty at the main entrance is rotated to guard against any monsters rushing in.


    This was predominantly the responsibility of the security team, but for the past two days, Wu Guang had volunteered to stand guard.


    Of course, standing guard was not the goal.


    The goal was to create an opportunity to meet with Zhu Xiong, but he hadn''t seen anyone for two days.


    Wu Guang dared not openly show his agitation, so he turned to a young security officer named Xiao Zhao and said,"You keep watch, I''m going to smoke a cigarette in the toilet. Sitting here so long, I''m almost getting hemorrhoids."


    Without waiting for Xiao Zhao''s response, he took out a cigarette from his pocket, ready to light up, and headed towards the toilet on the first floor.


    However, just as he was about to reach the toilet, someone suddenly grabbed him.


    Instinctively, he was about to summon his Angel Envoy, but then he heard a familiar voice next to his ear.


    "Keep it down. Do you want Su Han to know?"


    Wu Guang focused his eyes and was startled. "Zhu Xiong?" his surprise evident.


    With a sh of realization, he smiled and said, "Big bro, have you figured it out? Did you find anything out?"


    Zhu Xiong wore a cautious face but spoke in a crafty tone, "Don''t get too familiar just yet. Two taels of gold isn''t enough for this information, you''ll need to pay more."

 Chapter 28: 28: He Picked Up a Ring

    "Damn!"


    Wu Guang cursed inwardly. It was already two taels of gold, but they were still not satisfied. That was eighty or ny thousand yuan, an amount they might not earn in a year of running their barbecue stall.


    Although ming Zhu Xiong''s greed, the news he brought undoubtedly shocked him, and he couldn''t let it pass.


    Knowing the urgency of the matter, he then said to steady Zhu Xiong, "I''ll take you to meet our boss, he''ll give you whatever you want."


    Zhu Xiong chuckled, "That''s good, let''s go. Fortunately, Su Han isn''t free to watch us today."


    Wu Guang''s expression changed as he thought to himself, "So that''s why I haven''t seen them these past few days, Su Han has been watching them closely."


    He immediately led Zhu Xiong towards the third floor, close to the end of the hallway, where He Fang and others lived.


    Upon reaching the door, Wu Guang pushed it open and as soon as he entered, he excitedly eximed, "Brother Fang, we''ve got news."


    He Fang was training his Angel Envoy in the living room. Upon hearing the news, he sharply turned his gaze towards the entrance. Seeing Zhu Xiong, he couldn''t help but reveal a look of surprise.


    "Sit, sit down and let''s talk."


    He Fang asked the two to sit down and talk, but his gaze was fixed on Zhu Xiong. To him, Zhu Xiong being brought by Wu Guang was unexpected.


    However, now that he was here, the information he could provide would definitely be more valuable. Besides, with Zhu Xiong taking sides here, stabbing Su Han in the back wouldn''t be an issue.


    Thinking this, He Fang became excited.


    Wu Guang settled down and leaned close to He Fang''s ear, whispering, "Boss, it''s like this¡ª he''s found the secret, but he wants more money."


    He Fang''s eyes flickered slightly, his face remained inscrutable as he thought to himself: No wonder he would betray, this guy really is greedy.


    With a smile, He Fang reassured Zhu Xiong, "The price isn''t a problem, but how much more Brother Zhu can add depends on how much your information is worth, you know this."


    Zhu Xiong sat confidently, his tone very certain, "My information is certainly valuable, but I want more than just money; I want to use that thing first."


    He Fang''s eyes narrowed slightly, a sly glint in his gaze as he caught a key word: that thing.


    He immediately continued, "That thing? You mean Su Han''s secret is tied to some object."


    Zhu Xiong''s expression shifted slightly, appearing a bit unnatural as he vaguely replied, "Don''t worry about that. You have to agree to my terms first, or I won''t say anything."


    He Fang''s demeanor suddenly shifted, adopting an air of having the upper hand, "Brother Zhu, you might as well speak up. I won''t shortchange you, and you''ll get your share first. Besides, you''re already here; you don''t think that Su Han would let you off if he knew, do you?"


    "Damn, are you threatening me?"


    Zhu Xiong burst out cursing, pointing directly at He Fang''s nose, his spit spraying He Fang''s face, his expression menacingly dark.


    ''Damn, spit? Bad luck!''


    He Fang was annoyed internally, but he didn''t show it, instead adopting a cunning smile, staring into Zhu Xiong''s eyes.


    The more agitated Zhu Xiong became, the more confident He Fang felt.


    "Let''s talk about the matter first; you can''t beat me, right?"


    Pushed into a corner, Zhu Xiong took a deep breath, his tone unhappy as he said, "He has a red ring hanging around his neck that he never showed. I only saw it by chance a few days ago."


    "A ring?" He Fang was taken aback, showing a skeptical look, "Are you sure?"


    He knew Su Han had secrets, but suddenly saying it was some magical ring made him skeptical, it sounded like something straight out of a novel.


    With air of annoyance, Zhu Xiong replied, "Believe it or not, as soon as I saw it, he immediately hid it, never intending to show it to me. Though he didn''t say anything, he quickly sent me away."


    As Zhu Xiong described this, He Fang somewhat believed him; Su Han''s behavior indicated that it was no ordinary ring.


    He couldn''t help but fall into deep thought, realizing what that thing was, the job would be much easier: kill Su Han, snatch the ring.


    However, before that, there were still some issues to be resolved, such as how to use the ring?


    He looked toward Zhu Xiong and asked out loud, "Do you know how to use this ring?"


    Zhu Xiong replied irritably, "If I knew how to use it, would I stille looking for you? Just one sentence, the thing is right there, do you want to cooperate or not?"


    A sh of dissatisfaction passed through He Fang''s eyes: Damn fatso.


    Zhu Xiong pressed on step by step, his demeanor one of not knowing who needed whom, which annoyed He Fang.


    But he couldn''t turn on him now because Zhu Xiong still had bigger uses.


    He offered a cunning smile and said confidently, "Of course we need to cooperate, and Brother Zhu, this thing wouldn''t get done without you."


    Zhu Xiong frowned and asked in a deep voice, "What are you thinking of doing? I''m not up for anything too dangerous."


    He Fangughed and said, "This job isn''t dangerous for you at all."


    Zhu Xiong''splexion worsened, "What on earth are you nning?"


    "I need you to tell Su Han tonight that monsters have broken into the seventh floor, Cheng Zhenyong and the others are unable to hold them off, and they need support immediately."


    Zhu Xiong''s frown deepened, his expression growing increasingly ugly, almost steel-blue, "You n to ambush Su Han on the 7th floor?"


    "Not just Su Han, but also his two sidekicks, Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu, right?"


    Zhu Xiong said in a serious tone, "There are three of them, three Angel Envoys. If you guys want to ambush him, you''d better have a solid n. Don''t tell me you can beat a Four-armed Corpse."


    He Fang''s expression darkened; his least favorite thing was others saying he couldn''t beat a Four-armed Corpse.


    Although it was true, he didn''t like it, not one bit.


    He said coldly, "I can''t beat it, but if you just sneak up and stab him, if Su Han goes down, what good is that Angel Envoy? Then I''d just torch it with gasoline, no matter how many arms it has, in the end, it''ll just be a pile of charred wood. What do you think?"


    Zhu Xiong''s pupils shrank sharply, his cheek muscles twitching, and he cursed in his mind: What a treacherous bastard.


    He pondered for a long time until He Fang, growing impatient, tapped on the table and kept his gaze fixed on him.


    Only then did he slowly raise his head, "What time tonight?"


    Seeing Zhu Xiong ask this brought a smile to He Fang''s face.


    "After midnight. We''ll get there first, just bring the people up and we''ll get started. I guarantee the gold will be yours, and once I figure out how to use that ring, I''ll definitely share the benefits with you."


    "It''s a deal. You better call upon all your men. That Four-armed Corpse is far more formidable than you think; you must have seen its punch in the lobby. We can''t afford a mistake, or none of us wille out alive."


    Zhu Xiong''s caution made He Fang''s smile even brighter.


    The more meticulous the caution, the more it proved Zhu Xiong was on their side, beyond the point of no return.


    He responded, "Don''t worry, I won''t hold back on this. Plus, my corpse is First-level Intermediate, not below his Angel Envoy."


    Zhu Xiong looked at He Fang in surprise, the news indeed unexpected.


    He Fang was quite pleased with Zhu Xiong''s expression, thinking: Shocked, aren''t you? Su Han isn''t the only capable one. If not for that ring, who would have the upper hand is still undecided. But soon, that chance will belong to him.


    "Wu Guang, see Brother Zhu off, and be careful not to let Su Han notice."


    "Understood, Brother Fang."

 Chapter 29: 29 He Let Me Stab You

    Wu Guang and Zhu Xiong stood up together, just as they were about to see him out of the room, they only made it to the entrance hall.


    Zhu Xiong stopped him, "We should go separately. If someone sees us identally, I''m afraid they might misunderstand."


    Wu Guang was startled, thenughed and said, "Old Zhu considers everything. You go first then."


    What Wu Guang didn''t expect was that as soon as Zhu Xiong left the room, he went straight from the third floor to the first floor and directly to Su Han''s house.


    He knocked on the door, and soon Meiyu opened it. She and Gan Xinglei had been waiting there already.


    "Come in first, Su Han is in the living room."


    Zhu Xiong nodded, and after entering, he shut the door tight before heading to the living room.


    He plopped down on the sofa, and sitting opposite him was Su Han, with Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu sitting on the sofa to the left.


    Su Han asked, "How are things, Old Zhu?"


    "They want me to stab you with a knife."


    Su Han: ?


    He waspletely baffled when Zhu Xiong slowly exined, "That bastard, as soon as he heard I''d gotten the secret from me, he nned to make a move on you. It''s scheduled for tonight. Lure you up to the seventh floor first, then I''m supposed to secretly stab you, preventing you frommanding the Four-armed Corpse and limiting its effectiveness.


    Then they''ll use gasoline against your Four-armed Corpse and burn it to ash. This bastard is much more sinister than we thought."


    Su Han snorted,ughing coldly, "It''s good that he''s sneaky. Without it, I wouldn''t know how to hit him hard."


    Gan Xinglei asked, "So what''s our n for tonight?"


    "Counter their scheme. Tonight, we go to the seventh floor first, and then we wait for them."


    -----------------


    Time ticked away, and the sky outside the window grew gradually darker.


    The atmosphere in Building 7''s gathering point was still somber. By evening, a few people huddled together in the lobby on the first floor to light a fire and quickly made dinner before hastening back to their rooms.


    The gradual scarcity of supplies made even food a sore point, and though it had not yet caused a scramble, the burning gazes made people instinctively afraid, avoiding them subconsciously.


    Moreover, with the fog spreading, the weather also transformed slightly, as if moving from the height of summer to deep autumn, and the night air carried a bit of chill, quite ufortable. Thus no one stayed outside their rooms, and this silence became exceptionally profound in Building 7 after nightfall.


    As time passed, the entire district grew darker, and soon it was midnight. A soft click echoed down the hallway on the third floor as a door slowly opened.


    Then, a rustling sound emerged from the darkness, as He Fang and his group with weapons in hand quietly made their way toward the seventh floor.


    The leader, He Fang, held a sharp, pointed steel pipe a meter long in his hand, not only good for swinging at people, but its sharp end could stab through a person and leave a hole as if it were a spearhead.


    The others carried simr weapons, either shiny bone-chopping knives or equally sturdy steel pipes.


    Contrary to everyone else, the onegging behind, Wu Guang, was different.


    In his hands, he carried a metal gasoline can, its dark green surface painted ck in the dim yellow deskmp light, marked with "20L," and indeed filled with gasoline.


    He carried a jet-ck backpack on his shoulders, which made a clinging sound of ss bottles colliding as he moved ¨C it was packed with makeshift Molotov cocktails they had fashioned.


    The craft of creating them wasn''t anything special, but they could burn a person to death.


    The group reached the seventh floor and stood in the corridor. He Fang instructed, "In a moment, Su Hao and Chen Jun, hide in the room that used to be Gan Xinglei''s. Wu Guang and I will hide in Su Han''s room, and Li Zijun, you two find a room near the stairs to hide in. Once Su Han arrives, we''ll surround him. Got it?"


    "Got it, Brother Fang. Don''t worry."


    He Fang kept going over his n. The reason for choosing the seventh floor was because it was originally where Su Han and the others lived.


    In this familiar ce, should a monster invasion happen, Su Han would surely pay more attention, and he definitely wouldn''t expect an ambush there, especially oneing from his own room.


    ''That ring will soon be mine.''


    He Fang felt a surge of excitement in his heart; all of his scheming was about to pay off.


    They all summoned their Angel Envoys by their side, not daring to take their ambush against Su Han and his group lightly.


    "Wu Guang, take out your Molotov cocktails and divide them; everyone gets some. Be careful not to burn yourselves," He Fang said.


    In the corridor, Wu Guang opened the backpack slung on his back, revealing the Molotov cocktails inside.


    Big bottles, small bottles, all kinds of ss jars were filled, mostly with beer bottles.


    The Molotov cocktail was filled halfway with gasoline, and a strip of cloth was stuffed into the bottleneck, leaving about half of it exposed for lighting.


    The pungent smell of gasoline made He Fang frown with concern, worried that Su Han, who was rushing over, would notice something amiss.


    But it was toote to worry now. The Molotov cocktail was the best weapon against the Four-armed Corpse, and he couldn''t afford to abandon it, so he could only urge the others to hurry up.


    After distributing the Molotov cocktails, everyone quickly headed to the rooms they were hiding in, as previously instructed.


    Each person was gripping a weapon tightly, and the Angel Envoy Corpse following them felt uneasy as well.


    All the rooms on the seventh floor, except for Su Han''s, were practically doorless, as Su Han had stripped them for metal when he needed it, which made things easier for He Fang and the others.


    Chen Jun reached Gan Xinglei''s former room; he had just entered and hadn''t moved from the vestibule to the living room to hide when his peripheral vision suddenly caught a shadow in the darkness.


    What in the world!


    Startled, he instinctively aimed the tablemp at that spot, but the shadow abruptly moved, pouncing at him and knocking him heavily to the ground.


    "A monster, help...."


    He couldn''t finish crying for help when a fistnded heavily on his face, dazing him and muffling his speech.


    "Chen Jun!"


    Su Hao panicked and immediately tried tomand his Angel Envoy Corpse to go rescue him.


    However, in the darkness, it wasn''t just his Angel Envoy Corpse present. Arge, dark rat shadow burst out from above the hallway cab,nding directly on him, its sharp ws piercing his neck and gripping tightly onto his flesh.


    "Don''t move, or both of you will die."


    In the gloomy vestibule, Yan Meiyu and Gan Xinglei''s figures suddenly appeared.


    They were holding weapons, with the sharp edges already aimed at their throats.


    Chen Jun went pale, immediately realizing what had happened¡ªthey had been ambushed in return.


    Li Zijun and hispanion met a simr fate on the other side; as they just stepped into the vestibule, Li Zijun''s head was struck hard.


    With a ng, seeing stars, a steel pipe cracked his head open, and blood flowed out, causing him to copse on the spot, unable to rise.


    The man following him was too stunned to react before another shadow tackled him, choking his neck tightly and leaving him almost breathless, his face turning a ghastly purple as he was thoroughly subdued.


    Although their Angel Envoy Corpse was not far behind them and was just about tomand a rescue,


    The shadowy figure in the darkness said coldly, "Tell them not to move, or you''ll die." The de''s edge broke Li Zijun''s skin, and the pain, along with the blood flowing, incited extreme fear in him.


    "No, we won''t move; don''t be hasty, brother."


    Li Zijun recognized the attacker¡ªit was Zhu Xiong, who hade looking for He Fang just the other day.


    Elsewhere in the corridor, He Fang, who hadn''t yet broken into the room, suddenly changed color. He heard themotion and shouted, "What''s happened?!"


    But neither Chen Jun nor Li Zijun nor any of their fourpanions answered, and fear instantly surged through He Fang''s heart.


    Panicked, he headed to check on Chen Jun''s room to find out what had happened.


    But behind him, Su Han''s room door clicked open. Frightened, he spun around to see a towering figure emerge slowly from inside, each step heavy and resonating.


    Dim, flickering light revealed the figure, and his face drained of color.


    Because he saw four massive, ferocious arms¡ªthe monster was indeed the Four-armed Corpse.


    He Fang cried out in disbelief, "You, how are you here?"


    "Wasn''t it you who called me here? Then you want to burn me to a crisp here, right?"


    He Fang shuddered, terror spreading within him as he guessed the answer. His eyes bulged, veins popped, and his voice turned hoarse and low, "Zhu Xiong was sent by you! You despicable man, you want to kill us all to be the boss here."


    As he spoke, Chen Jun and Li Zijun were led out by Yan Meiyu, Gan Xinglei, and Zhu Xiong from their respective rooms.


    The Angel Envoy Corpses followed closely beside them but dared not make any move.


    Seeing this scene, He Fang felt his heart sink to the pits. He knew he was finished.


    He waspletely outyed by the despicable Su Han.

 Chapter 30: 30: Putting Useful Value to Work

    "Draw a line, let us leave. As long as we leave, we will nevere back to this gathering point. Whatever you want to do, we won''t stop you,"


    When Su Han heard He Fang''s naive idea, he only found it amusing.


    He chuckled lightly, and said indifferently, "He Fang, do you think this is a game of house? To say let go and let go?"


    He Fang, with a stern face, knew that Su Han probably wouldn''t let him go easily, but he still didn''t want to miss the chance to escape.


    He said coldly, "Do you think your Four-armed Corpse is the only First-level Intermediate? Wu Guang, act!"


    He shouted loudly, and then his ownrge Corpse charged forward, aiming directly at Su Han himself.


    Wu Guang was initially startled when he heard He Fang''s order, but quickly, his Angel Envoy Corpse followed closely behind and rushed towards Su Han.


    They both understood one thing, only by killing Su Han or controlling him could they possibly escape.


    He Fang''s Angel Envoy Corpse, after advancing to First-level Intermediate, indeed differed greatly from two days ago.


    While its body structure remained the same, still a tall humanoid twisted monster, its height had increased from the original 1.7 meters to 1.9 meters. The muscles on its body appeared more bulging and tight, containing more explosive power, especially those elongated hands with about two centimeters of hard bone fingernails growing on the fingertips.


    The Angel Envoy Corpse opened its blood-filled mouth, revealing its sharp teeth coated in mucus, and it pounced towards Su Han with incredible speed.


    However, the speed of the Four-armed Corpse was even faster, and its form moved to block it in a sh.


    He Fang''s Angel Envoy Corpse could not get around it and had to face Su Han''s Four-armed Corpse directly.


    Its sharp ws aimed at the cheeks of the Four-armed Corpse, trying to gouge out its eyes in one strike.


    "w Strike!"


    Just then, He Fang suddenly shouted, and the speed of the sharp ws seemed to increase further, faintly creating a sound as they cut through the air.


    In the blink of an eye, they had almost reached the head of the Four-armed Corpse.


    ''Does He Fang also have skills?''


    Su Han instantly recognized that this was not a normal attack, it must also be a skill, the sudden increase in speed was enough to catch an ordinary person off guard.


    "Four-armed Corpse, stop him."


    Su Han issued the order to obstruct, and He Fang sneered inwardly, thinking it was toote to stop it now.


    He Fang felt he might have a chance to win again, but he hadn''t even begun to rejoice.


    Suddenly he widened his eyes in disbelief, watching the scene in front of him as the speed of the Four-armed Corpse seemed much faster than before.


    The additional arms that had sprouted from its back mped together tightly, forming a fist like a giant hammer, and with a "bang" sound, it fell heavily from above.


    He Fang''s own Corpse''s attack had just barely touched the cheek of the Four-armed Corpse.


    The next moment, only a metallic ng was heard, not only did it not break through the defense of the Four-armed Corpse, but then a dull thud followed as it was smashed down onto the floor.


    He Fang''s eyes burst with fury, "This is impossible!"


    But the foot of the Four-armed Corpse had already stepped up,nding heavily, and with a crisp crack, it broke the spine of his Corpse.


    Shaken to his core, Su Han''s voice then faintly carried over, "First-level Intermediate, I was that no longer."


    He Fang stood there stupefied, while at this time Wu Guang''s Corpse had rushed in front of him.


    The situation had turned dramatically, and Wu Guang felt almost hopeless. He didn''t believe his Corpse could defeat the Four-armed Corpse, but he had no other choice but to see it through to the end.


    "Kill that monster."


    Wu Guang ordered his Corpse to continue the attack, its diving shape reminiscent of a wild beast.


    However, to his surprise, Su Han actually bypassed the Four-armed Corpse, positioned himself in front of it, holding only a crowbar in his hand.


    He swung the crowbar with cutting speed, and with a "bang" sound, he directly smashed the rapidly approaching Corpse to the ground, breaking countless bones.


    Su Han''s strength was almost as formidable as that of the Angel Envoy!


    And as the Angel Envoy Corpse was flipped over on the ground struggling to get up, Su Han had already stepped forward, directing the crowbar straight at the spine beneath its neck, and with a squelching sound, the crowbar pierced through, breaking the spine,


    Wu Guang''s Corpse waspletely disabled, unable to move from the neck down, only continuing to twitch.


    "You, how could your strength be?"


    He Fang was utterly astounded, staring disbelievingly at Su Han. The advancement of the Four-armed Corpse indeed reciprocated strength, which He Fang could feel himself. After his own Corpse advanced, he felt slightly stronger than two grown men put together, but that was just a slight increase.


    Yet, Su Han had effortlessly killed the Corpse, as casually as if tipping over a bereft dog, his strength no longer seemed human.


    "Thud"


    A light sound echoed, and Wu Guang had already knelt on the ground,pletely terrified, crying, "Spare me, it was all He Fang''s doing, this has nothing to do with me, please spare me, I will never oppose you again."


    Wu Guang''s cries for mercy while kneeling on the ground appeared extremely ironic to He Fang.


    His face turned utterly grim, an intense blue steel, as he stared fiercely at Wu Guang.


    Su Han merely nced at them and said calmly, "Everyone stay quiet. Old Zhu, tie them up, and make sure to break the limbs of the corpses."


    The controlled few, including Chen Jun, paled, their calves trembling.


    Realizing their imminent fate, He Fang''s expression darkened before he loudly yelled, "Make your corpses move, otherwise we''ll all be dead once they finish."


    With a smack, before He Fang could finish, the Four-armed Corpse mmed him to the ground, then single-handedly picked him up and pressed him against the wall, deforming his face into a red mess.


    Su Han said indifferently, "Talk again, and you die first."


    Su Han''s actions had terrified Chen Jun and the others; even though they could still control their own corpses, they dared not entertain any further thoughts.


    Zhu Xiong tied up their hands and feet and aligned them on their knees, while their corpses'' limbs were forcibly broken by the Four-armed Corpse.


    After tying up the men, Zhu Xiong, as if prepared, took all the cloth strips found in the room, stuffed them into their mouths, then tightened and securely tied them.


    Chen Jun and the others wanted to beg for mercy, but could only make muffled sounds, failing to utter aplete sentence, and could only continuously shake their bodies.


    Zhu Xiong approached Su Han and asked, "What do we do next?"


    Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu also looked towards Su Han, waiting for his instructions.


    "No rush, let''s pick an Angel Envoy and do some experiments first."


    Su Han was far frompassionate, only interested in learning more about the Angel Envoys and the Book of Blood Spirit.


    Previously, his understanding of the Angel Envoys and the Book of Blood Spirit wasrgely experimental, but some details were impractical to handle on his own.


    Now, with He Fang and the other Contractors present, these experiments, inconvenient for him to conduct personally, could conveniently be performed on them.


    Zhu Xiong nced over He Fang and the others, his gaze settling on Wu Guang, then he revealed a benevolent smile.


    He said in a negotiable tone, "It''s you, contribute to the experiment."


    "Wuu wuu wuu."


    Wu Guang couldn''t speak through his gag, desperately shaking his body, pleading with the four of them.


    However, his pleas were of no use; his limb-broken corpse had already been dragged in front of the Four-armed Corpse by Zhu Xiong.


    Su Han nodded, and the Four-armed Corpse grabbed the corpse''s head, squeezing it with a force that caused a cracking noise, simr to a burst melon, as blood and white, viscous substance gushed out.


    Following the death of the Angel Envoy, Wu Guang emitted a low, agonized groan from deep within his throat, hisplexion instantly turning deathly pale, and he copsed on the ground.


    Zhu Xiong quickly stepped forward, cing a hand beside his neck, checking his pulse.


    The pulse was intense, irregr, the swelling veins horrifying, indicating that Wu Guang was not yet dead.


    "He''s still alive, but he has passed out."


    Zhu Xiong casually flipped open Wu Guang''s eyelids, his eyes dull and rolled back.


    ''Does the death of an Angel Envoy really have such a severe impact on the Contractor''s psyche?''


    Su Han pondered the connection, then said calmly, "Try another one."


    At hismand, the Four-armed Corpse stepped forward to select another corpse, its sharp metal ws slicing through the corpse''s neck, decapitating it.


    This time, the casualty was Chen Jun, his whole body contorting, his face ghastly pale, blood dripping from his mouth and nose, looking even more miserable than Wu Guang.


    Gan Xinglei also stepped forward to check, then stood up and said, "Same as Wu Guang, he has passed out."


    He even pped Chen Jun''s cheeks forcefully, turning them red, but Chen Jun still didn''t awaken, clearly more than just a simple faint.


    Meanwhile, Su Han, unperturbed, had other Angel Envoys act, but this time they didn''t kill, instead inflicting severe injuries¡ªof the sort where nearly no bones were left intact. With such injuries, the Envoy might soon die on its own if left unattended for too long.


    The gruesome torture frightened Li Zijun and hispanion; they wanted to summon the Angel Envoy back into the Book of Blood Spirit but had absolutely no chance to do so.


    Let alone that summoning took time, the moment they saw their Book of Blood Spirit light up, Zhu Xiong had already positioned his de in front of them.


    Choosing to "preserve" rather than "abandon," they had no real choice.

 Chapter 31: 31: Murder

    Su Han no longer continued to experiment, and this action instead heightened the fear in He Fang and the others.


    He Fang had long lost his initial air of arrogance, as he realized thatpared to Su Han, he was far too weak.


    Not only in terms of strength but in their approach to the apocalypse.


    Although everyone was just an ordinary person before the apocalypse, Su Han was able to kill the mutants one by one with suchposure, using them as test subjects.


    Six people knelt in front of Su Han, Wu Guang and Chen Jun had alreadye to their senses, but their faces were pale, and their mental states had declined to an extreme, even somewhat dazed, as if they had been on a wild trip with ice.


    The price of the Angel Envoy''s death was a mental shock, and recovery clearly wasn''t something that could be achieved in a day or two.


    "Su Han, they now..."


    Yan Meiyu nced at He Fang and the others, the experiment was already over, two of the six Angel Envoys had died, and the rest were almostpletely ruined.


    "Take them downstairs..."


    Before he could finish speaking, sudden urgent footsteps came from the staircase, and Su Han and the others immediately turned to look, the Angel Envoys by their side were already prepared.


    With a loud bang, the safety door to the staircase was directly knocked open.


    "He Fang, what the hell are you guys doing!"


    The person who rushed in started questioning loudly, but he stopped abruptly when he saw the scene before him.


    He Fang and his group were kneeling pitifully in front of Su Han and the others, looking more than just miserable.


    "Wuu wuu wuu"


    Seeing Cheng Zhenyong''s security team, He Fang and the others became agitated, struggling and sobbing.


    With Cheng Zhenyong here, they had hope of being saved.


    Su Han looked at the neers and suddenlyughed, the entire security team, led by Cheng Zhenyong with Zhang Fu and four other guards, had arrived, but one person was unexpectedly there, Guo Gang.


    "Su Han, Guo Gang said he saw He Fang take weapons and quietly follow you upstairs, and told me toe to your rescue, but this... what happened here?"


    Cheng Zhenyong''s mind was confused, unable to figure out what had happened, and his expression was also quite serious.


    Although he didn''t know what had happened, the current situation was clearly a fierce conflict between the two groups.


    Su Han looked at Guo Gang, a bit surprised, and he sorted out the cause and effect of the events.


    Guo Gang had noticed their initial ambush, and then detected He Fang and his group''s arrival, suspecting something was wrong, and thus the current scene of calling for reinforcements ensued.


    "Guo Gang, thank you for this."


    Su Han sincerely expressed his thanks, making Guo Gang show an embarrassed smile: "It''s good as long as you are okay."


    Guo Gang was a man who repaid kindness, as Su Han had helped him with the Contract, and naturally, he didn''t want him to be in danger.


    But Cheng Zhenyong was somewhat eager to know what had happened, asking, "Did you guys have a conflict?"


    "It''s not a conflict,"


    Su Han shook his head and smiled calmly: "They were looking for death, and I took care of it, don''t worry."


    Cheng Zhenyong''s expression changed, Su Han''s indifferent tone made him sense trouble, as he had already seen the Angel Envoys lying on the ground, twisted like mounds of flesh with probably broken bones.


    Su Han must have been the one to act, and now it seemed he wasn''t done handling it, which meant that next he might deal with...


    "Don''t be impulsive," Cheng Zhenyong said gravely, "Even if the conflict is significant, we can''t take it out on people. We all can kill mutants, the officials in South City certainly can, and if order is restored and they start settling scorester..."


    "Captain Cheng, I''ve said I''ll take care of it."


    Cheng Zhenyong''s concerns were not only because of his integrity, but he had also encountered the fact that mere mutants like the Rot Skin Rat weren''t enough topletely destroy human order. If there was a day of recovery, taking lives might turn into a target.


    However, Su Han justughed.


    He saw things more clearly; the mutants couldn''t destroy all order, but the Fluctuation could, and if there were more creatures like that, there would be no order to speak of.


    Everything relied on strength alone.


    Su Han simply said, "Give him the recording, this isn''t just a conflict, it''s murder, Captain Cheng."


    Cheng Zhenyong''s expression changed at the mention of the word "murder," and Yan Meiyu had already thrown the recording pen to him.


    The recording pen stopped at thest segment where everyone had listened to He Fang''s schemes, and as soon as it was yed, He Fang''s voice came through.


    From gathering information to nning the move, the most crucial moment was when speaking with Zhu Xiong, that insidious, cruel sentence: "Burn him to death with gasoline!"


    Once these words were spoken, Cheng Zhenyong and his group''splexions had turnedpletely ashen, their anger no longer containable, "Ptui, I was just talking to you, damn blinded me."


    A gob of spitnded on He Fang''s face, initially thinking it was just a pce coup sort of conflict, where if they could avoid killing, they would, everyone should preserve their fighting strength first, survival was the most important.


    But never had he imagined that He Fang would be such a creature, murdering and plundering, burning people with gasoline, could a normal person in modern society think of this, let alone do it?


    For the first time, Cheng Zhenyong felt a fear stemming from his heart, the change in people''s hearts during the apocalypse was so terrifying.


    For people to turn into demons, it was so simple, they didn''t even need the slightest provocation.


    "Brother, I''m sorry."


    These words were for Su Han, filled with guilt.


    "Don''t worry about it," Su Han replied, then looked at his Four-armed Corpse, saying, "Send them downstairs, the fastest way."


    The Four-armed Corpse was his Angel Envoy, immediatelyprehending the order, takingrge strides towards He Fang and his people who were already slumped on the ground.


    Death was closing in on them, they didn''t even have the energy to struggle.


    Sharp metal ws sliced across their necks, deep gashes began to appear one by one on their throats, blood spurting out like fountains.


    He Fang and the others'' eyes bulged, their bodies trembling, like fish gasping for air, gradually losing any sign of life.


    The Four-armed Corpse grabbed their still warm bodies, then marched into a room, approaching the edge of the balcony.


    In full view of everyone, the Four-armed Corpse tossed He Fang and the others one by one down from the building, falling seven floors to the ground, even if they weren''t dead before, they would certainly be a pile of flesh.


    Su Han calmly watched this scene unfold, this was the first time he had killed someone, surprisingly, he didn''t feel fear or unease.


    ''So adapting to the apocalypse is this simple.'' He mocked himself internally, then looked to Cheng Zhenyong, saying, "Captain Cheng, the problem is solved, we''ll be heading back now."


    Cheng Zhenyong had aplex expression, it took him a while to say, "He Fang took a bunch of people and ran off on his own."


    Su Han nodded, whatever the aftermath of this incident would be, it was fine for Cheng Zhenyong to handle it in such a way, after all, it was just to pacify everyone.


    But, he didn''t think anyone would care much about it now.


    Su Han led the three people into the stairwell, vanishing from Cheng Zhenyong and the others'' sight.


    "Captain Cheng," Zhang Fu''s voice rose, sighing, "Let''s seal the security door on the seventh floor, that''s the only thing we can do about this matter."


    Once the seventh floor''s security door was sealed, one could only go to the eighth floor through the sixth, and even if someone became curious, they wouldn''t discover anything there, this was already the best solution.


    "Are we really going to say He Fang ran away on his own? What if people don''t believe it?"


    A youngd from the security team asked hesitantly.


    The excuse that someone quietly ran away on their own truly sounded a bit clumsy, no one would really believe it, at least he wouldn''t.


    "Xiao Zhao, in times like these, who still cares about life or death?"


    Zhang Fu nced at the security door, his voice somewhat low, "Sooner orter we will have to adapt to these things, Su Han and the others have adapted earlier..."


    The older you get, the more things you see, and in past chaos, it was pretty much the same.


    "Zhang Fu, stop talking."


    Cheng Zhenyong shook his head, then said, "Let''s seal the door first."


    The security team got busy dealing with the aftermath on the seventh floor, while Su Han and hispanions walked down the stairwell to the third floor. Su Han paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Do Lin Hong and the others live on the third floor?"


    Yan Meiyu and the others were taken aback, their eyes shifted slightly as if they had thought of something.


    "Yes."


    "Meiyu, let your Rot Skin Rat take action," Su Han''s voice was without fluctuation, as if he was discussing something mundane.


    "They were also a part of this."


    Yan Meiyu silently nodded and answered, "I know, in a moment I''ll..."


    "No need to do it in their room, leave it where He Fang was. If theye, then send them off to join the rest together."

 Chapter 32: 32 The Function of the Lamp Tree

    Lin Hong''s matter was an interlude, and after it was handed over to Yan Meiyu, he didn''t pay much attention to it.


    However, early in the morning when the sky was still dim, Yan Meiyu came to find him and told him the results.


    "Lin Hong and that woman went to look for He Fang before dawn; they were in cahoots."


    Su Han sneered inwardly upon hearing this, going to look for He Fang before dawn was obviously a rush to know whether the action had been sessful or not.


    Unfortunately, He Fang had already be minced meat, first having his neck wiped, with almost half of his neck broken, and then being thrown downstairs, long gone.


    "Let''s put He Fang''s matter aside for now. You three had better train more in the next two days. Once you all be First-level Intermediate, we''ll prepare to head out and explore since we''re running out of water."


    Yan Meiyu nodded and said, "I understand, I should be able to advance tomorrow, but Old Gan might be a day or twote."


    The sudden disappearance of He Fang and his group went unnoticed on the first day, but the deaths of Lin Hong and the other person caused a panic for a while.


    On the second day after their deaths, they were found in He Fang''s room, their necks mauled by a wild beast, dying in horror.


    Most people were concerned about monsters still lurking in the corridors, yet some linked the two incidents together.


    Among the Contractors who weren''t flesh bodies, there was actually one, but they dared not speak of it.


    The more they knew, the less they dared to speak out, fearing they would meet the same fate.


    Panic was deeply buried in everyone''s heart; the atmosphere of the entire Block 7 gathering point became even tenser.


    In contrast to the general anxiety, Su Han''s group of four, after the incident with He Fang, not only became more united but also calmed down, training their Angel Envoys every day.


    Yan Meiyu''s Angel Envoy, the Rot Skin Rat, was the first to break through to First-level Intermediate.


    The Rot Skin Rat''s form didn''t change much, but its size certainly did, growing significantly from its original length of around one meter, including its tail.


    After advancing, its body grew to about half a meter tall and around 1.1 meters long, with its tail also reaching about a meter, covered with fine scales akin to a chain. Its pitch-ck fur was hard as steel needles, and the area of its rotting skin slightly reduced, turning into coarse, blood-red skin. Combined with its crimson eyes, it exuded a dangerous aura.


    The advancement of the Rot Skin Rat made its figure more robust, greatly enhancing its attack power as well. It was now equally matched with Gan Xinglei''s flesh corpse in aspects such as ramming and pouncing.


    "Bang bang bang"


    The door of Su Han''s master bedroom was knocked on, and he immediately opened it to find Yan Meiyu standing outside.


    "What''s wrong? Aren''t you training with Old Gan?"


    Ever since intensifying their training, Yan Meiyu had been controlling her Angel Envoy to practice with Gan Xinglei and Zhu Xiong in turns, all striving to improve their strength as fast as possible.


    As for the training location, it was in the living room of Su Han''s room, where nearly all furniture had been cleared to create an arena-like setting.


    Yan Meiyu looked particrly serious as she spoke, "The Lamp Tree has grown a second fruit, and we''ve discovered its use."


    Su Han''s expression turned to surprise as he quickly responded, "Let''s go and have a look."


    When he and Yan Meiyu arrived at the room where the Lamp Tree was stored, Gan Xinglei and Zhu Xiong had already gotten there before them.


    The light from the Lamp Tree shone like arge bulb, illuminating the entire room with a yellow glow that wasn''t dim but very bright.


    The two stood in front of the desk, casting long shadows as they pondered over the Lamp Tree.


    "How''s it looking?"


    Su Han walked in, and upon hearing his approach, the two turned around. Gan Xinglei reported, "It grew a small one, but it''s only the size of a thumb."


    Zhu Xiong stepped aside, revealing the Lamp Tree on the desk. By this point, the Lamp Tree had been nted in the soil, a task handled by Zhu Xiong and Gan Xinglei.


    After uprooting the withered Jade Tree from another floor, they brought over a pot nearly fifty centimeters tall and ced the Lamp Tree inside it.


    After several days of observation and taking turns supplying energy to the Lamp Tree with their Angel Envoys, they gradually discovered that the light from the Lamp Tree didn''t have any substantial effect on people, which is why it was nted in such a way.


    In fact, both Su Han and Zhu Xiong understood that the Lamp Tree could survive without rooting, so long as it had a sufficient supply of energy.


    Su Han saw that the twisted branches of the Lamp Tree had grown a bit thickerpared to the previous days. On these leafless branches, two crystal yellow fruits of different sizes hung, emitting light.


    "You''re saying you''ve discovered its use?"


    "Indeed," Gan Xinglei nodded, with some annoyance, "Actually, we should have noticed it earlier. Look at the Jade Tree next to it."


    Su Han was startled and followed where Gan Xinglei was pointing. Looking past the haphazardly ced books that almost concealed it, he saw the pot containing the Jade Tree.


    "Damn, how did it get so big?"


    The Jade Tree was already over thirty centimeters tall, its leaves were thick and full, exuding a verdant green color that was very lively.


    Wait, lively...


    Su Han immediately realized that when he had brought the Lamp Tree into the room that day, the Jade Tree had been withered and listless, nowhere near this vibrant.


    "Did you water the Jade Tree?"


    Yan Meiyu shook her head: "It''s not about watering. The entire buildingcks sufficient sunlight, and it must be thetent influence of the big fog. All nts are looking withered and listless, some have even died outright. This Jade Tree is an exception."


    Although the big fog hadn''t prated the interior of the building, itstent influence was always present, and Yan Meiyu had observed that nts were the most affected.


    Even in low light conditions, they shouldn''t have be so withered and listless within a few days, but that was precisely the case throughout the building, which was downright odd.


    Su Han fell into deep thought, "So you''re suggesting that this light can negate the effects of the fog, and might even improve the growth of the nts?"


    "That seems to be the case. We could try it with a few more potted nts to know for sure. But what''s more important is this."


    Yan Meiyu abruptly pulled back the curtains, revealing therge pane of ss behind them.


    Behind the ss was the thick fog, a nket of white, almost pressing against the window.


    However, when the light shone through the ss onto the outside, the situation suddenly changed. In Su Han''s astonished gaze, the big fog at the window began to recede bit by bit, as if the tide was going out.


    In less than half a minute''s time, the fog had retreated around four to five meters at the ce where the light from the window reached, and a few meters beyond that, the fog was considerably thinner and visibility had improved.


    Su Han took a deep breath and calmed down, "Can the yellow light disperse the big fog?"


    "Yes, Old Gan was antsy and drew the curtains to check the fog, and unexpectedly discovered this."


    Since the arrival of the big fog, everything beyond the seventh building had been shrouded in an oppressive fog that was frightening, as if monsters could jump out from the mist at any moment.


    Out of fear, almost all of the windows were kept covered with curtains all the time, and people seldom drew them aside except when necessary to check outside.


    ''Thanks for Old Gan''s restless hands.''


    Internally thanking Gan Xinglei with a nod, Su Han then said, "If this is an ability of the Lamp Tree, then this thing could be a big help to us. Old Gan, grab the map; it''s time to discuss where we should head next."


    Strength and the big fog were two major obstacles preventing them from leaving the seventh building.


    The fog blocked visibility, and a normal person would likely not see further than six to seven meters in such fog. With this visibility, any ident, such as a sudden monster attack, could not be properly responded to in time.


    Even with an Angel Envoy at your side, the oue would be the same, unless you had the Envoy carry you. But that idea was also impractical.


    Moreover, there''s another downside: the fog affects one''s mind, constantly creating a sense of oppression, as if one is locked in a dark room.


    Ordinary people under this fog would gradually lose their sanity due to the feeling of oppression, and might even be frantic or fearful.


    And as for Contractors, he reckoned they were only slightly better off; at least for now, he didn''t feel much stronger mentally than an ordinary person.


    But now, having the Lamp Tree meant having a ''light'' to lead them out, an undoubtedly crucial development.


    Gan Xinglei quickly brought over the map and spread it in front of them. It was a map of South City, a standard civilian version, which gave a rough idea of some important locations and the aquatic and soil conditions around.


    "Our water supply in the seventh building might notst much longer, and both Old Gan and Old Zhu are about to break through. Plus, we now have the Lamp Tree, so let''s n where to go while we can."

 Chapter 33: 33 The Fog Has Cleared

    "Ourmunity is located on the northern outskirts of the city, near the outer ring road. We can only consider nearby ces because the fog is too thick to travel far."


    A map was spread out, and Su Han roughly pointed to the location of the Happiness Community. Themunity was not near the core, but rather near the main road leading in and out of the city to the north.


    Zhu Xiong pondered and then said, "The main concerns are water, supplies, and safety; these three things are critical. In the northern part of the city, other than the two rivers, the only other option for finding water is to dig wells. Otherwise, it''s going to be a hassle."


    He pointed on the map to a small river in the north of the city that flowed from the northeast into South City, passing under the main entrance road, then heading southwest and finally merging into the Xihui River.


    Though South City was situated in the south, with abundant rainfall year-round, it only had three rivers due to being built against a mountain: two small ones in the north and south, with arger one in between.


    The Northern Little River was one of the two rivers in the north of the city, and the Nanxiao River was located near the factory area in the south, also known as the Shanyin River. Thergest river in the middle was formed by the confluence of Donghui River and Xihui River, collectively referred to as the South River.


    In the city, the easiest sources of water to ess were a few rivers or perhaps some wells left from before, but Zhu Xiong did not know about the wells.


    Zhu Xiong pointed to a school situated downstream of the two rivers and said, "South City No.1 Middle School, close to the two rivers and surrounded by its original walls. I think we could go there."


    "Brother Zhu, I don''t think that''s a good idea."


    Gan Xinglei spoke out against the idea, "The ce is secure, but how many people do we have? We just can''t cover it all, and moreover..."


    After a slight hesitation, he added, "There are students inside."


    Zhu Xiong was taken aback, "Survivor students? What''s the big deal about that?"


    Gan Xinglei clenched his teeth and said, "The more people there are, the more monsters there will be. Even if the fog came early that morning, not all the students might be there, but the number is definitely not small. And even if they''re survivors, middle schoolers are just kids. What can you expect them to do? Fight monsters or work?"


    Zhu Xiong''s expression stiffened, and he fell silent.


    A burden¡ªthat was the most troublesome part. Could they really encounter these kids and then drive them away or enve them?


    "Actually, we don''t necessarily have to be at a school."


    Yan Meiyu spoke up, pointing out two ces, one to the east of the Happiness Community and another to the west.


    "About ten kilometers to the east is the Sunshine Community, originally a mid-to-high-end residential area with a selling point of being surrounded by the two rivers, allowing ess to water sources. Even if we don''t draw water from the two rivers, digging a well there should yield water.


    I remember when they were building theplex, there was serious water seepage, and after exploration, it should be close to an underground river."


    Su Han, Zhu Xiong, Gan Xinglei: ?


    What''s this about a mid-to-high-end residential area in such an environment?


    Surely insider information, she knew quite a lot. Su Han then asked, "What about the other ce?"


    The other location was merely a nk space on the map, indistinguishable as anything particr, a drawback of paper mapspared to electronic ones due to outdated versions.


    "Shanhu Vi District, a mid-range viplex built just two years ago, relies on Yunling Mountain and Yunling Lake. Though theke is artificial and made by the developer, it''srge enough and connected to both the groundwater and the mountain''s water bodies, ensuring stable water supply. We don''t have many people, so a single vi would be just right."


    Yan Meiyu suddenly gave two options, both more detailed than the information provided by Zhu Xiong. Su Han thought for a moment.


    The school was not a good choice for the time being. People were one aspect, and on the other hand, South City No.1 Middle School was farther in, leaning towards the central part of South City, with dense buildings and a simrlyrge poption, which likely meant just as many monsters.


    Going there with their current strength could prove to be too much; they might not even be able to clear a single school.


    Although the Sunshine Community did not have a huge surrounding poption, as a residential area, it already had arge number of original residents, and no one knew what chaos it might be in.


    At this point, it seemed that only Shanhu Vi District was suitable. If they set aside the northern part of the city, actually the southern industrial area would be more appropriate.


    That ce had vastnd and numerous factories with the fewest people.


    However, with the fog this thick, traveling from one end of the city to the other was impossible.


    ```


    "Let''s head to Shanhu Vi," Su Han made a decision and circled the location on the map, then said, "But we can''t go directly. We need vehicles, supplies, and people."


    "People?"


    The three of them looked puzzled and turned to Su Han to ask, "Do you want to take others with us?"


    "If there are people willing to go and are ready to work, then we''ll take them."


    Su Han nodded. He had his own considerations and said, "The Lamp Tree needs energy, and just the four of us providing it without damaging the foundation is too little. Besides, there''s too much work to do, and the four of us alone can''t handle it all."


    If it were just about scavenging for supplies, the four of them might barely manage.


    However, as time goes on, things will only get more difficult. Some need to stay behind, handle logistics, and others must go out to explore... Four people simply can''t do all these things.


    Not to mention, in this apocalyptic world, strength is key. If everyone is busy with other things, when will they have time to train the Angel Envoy and increase their strength?


    Does Su Han have time to perform more Fusion?


    You should know, he hasn''t even started his next Fusion.


    "Su Han makes sense. With just the four of us, indeed we can''t do it all."


    Zhu Xiong thought about it and added, "Just the supplies we have now won''t fit in a single SUV. We''ll need people to drive, inside and out. It''s better to get hold of more vehicles."


    Currently, there were still many cars in the open-air parking lot on the first floor of themunity. After scouring the buildings, they also found some car keys. It was fairly easy to locate the vehicles and drive them away using the keys they had.


    But going to a new ce, if you want to get a vehicle without keys, it requires a certain criminal skill.


    Old Zhu couldn''t handle that, and he believed neither Su Han nor Gan Xinglei would be able to either.


    After some thought, Su Han said, "The car is also a problem. Old Zhu, discreetly spread the word these next few days. Whoever has car keys and can point out where the cars are parked can exchange them for supplies with us."


    "No problem, leave that to me," Old Zhu responded.


    After the group briefly finalized their ns, Gan Xinglei continued to be in charge of observing any changes to the Lamp Tree while Yan Meiyu took turns with him. Brother Zhu was leveraging his nature as a social terror, starting by handing out cigarettes to the security team.


    The security team knew a lot of information. Starting with them, it wasn''t long before they could find the cars they needed, making the process of collecting the cars easier.


    A day or two passed, and both Gan Xinglei and Zhu Xiong brought good news. After a lot of training, their Angel Envoys had bothpleted their Advancement, bing First-level Intermediates.


    As they advanced, the strength feedback greatly improved their physical condition, roughly doubling the average person''s build.


    The overweight Gan Xinglei and pot-bellied Zhu Xiong had both lost ayer of fat, their muscles became firmer, and their overall spirit improved significantly.


    "Bang bang bang"


    They had just made their breakthrough in strength, but early that day, someone suddenly knocked on Su Han''s door.


    Zhang Fu''s voice came from outside, "Brother Su Han, get up quick, the fog is thinning!"


    In the room, as soon as Su Han heard this news, he immediately opened the door, and upon seeing Zhang Fu''s somewhat excited expression, he quickly asked, "What''s going on?"


    "I don''t know the reason, but when I woke up this morning, the fog had thinned a lot. You should head to the hall first. Captain Cheng is already there, and we think we might be able to explore the supermarket now."


    "Click"


    The rest of the doors opened, and just as Gan Xinglei and the others heard themotion, they came out of their rooms.


    "You''re just in time. Come with me to the hall."


    ```

 Chapter 34: 34 Parking Lot

    Four people followed Zhang Fu into the hall, where survivors now filled the space, each of them looking agitated.


    "Make way, make way!"


    As Zhang Fu made his way through the crowd, shouting loudly, he managed to lead Su Han to the front of the hall, where Cheng Zhenyong was peering out the window.


    "Su Han, you''re here, take a look at this fog."


    Looking through the window, Su Han saw that the dense white fog had lightened considerably. Although it still enveloped the surroundings, it felt as if the thickness had shifted from a heavy quilt to a thin veil.


    The visibility had greatly improved; from just one nce, he could vaguely make out the greenery of bushes in a residential area seven buildings away, faintly visible through the fog''s veil.


    The limit of visibility was around one hundred meters, where objects could be vaguely seen as shadows, bing clearer as one drew closer.


    ''With this level of visibility, if we add the Lamp Tree, then the difficulty of moving will be much less, and it will also make my next Fusion easier.''


    Fusion required materials, and only with the fog dissipating could he gather more materials conveniently.


    "Su Han, I''m nning to search for supplies at Lihua Supermarket, what do you think?"


    Cheng Zhenyong looked serious, his voice tinged with weariness, a sign of his well-considered decision. As time went on, the food some survivors had was gradually running out, so finding a solution was necessary.


    Su Han pondered as well. Although he was preparing to move, it seemed like a good choice to stock up on supplies before moving.


    "It''s possible, but let''s get this straight¡ªoutside is uncertain, and if it''s dangerous, self-preservation is the top priority."


    Su Han''s words caused the expressions of many to shift subtly, but Cheng Zhenyong understood his meaning and nodded in agreement, "Of course, I''ll make it clear to everyone."


    "Then let''s get ready and set off."


    He went back to his room with Zhu Xiong and the others, leaving Cheng Zhenyong to organize whom would participate in the departure.


    "Old Zhu, where are your two trucks parked?"


    "Right near Lihua Supermarket, at Brother Niu''s Auto Repair Shop. I left them there for welding railings. Both are there, so it''s convenient to get to."


    Zhu Xiong added, "Actually, it''s not a loss for us to go there. I''ve dealt with the owner of Lihua before. Their supermarket should have a high-power generator capable of powering a supermarket, but it''s a bit of a gas guzzler. Plus, Old Niu''s ce has a lot of steel, iron tes, and welding guns that can be used to modify trucks or vis."


    He was well aware of what his friend had in stock. In normal times, those items were not considered precious, but at this juncture, they had be considerably more valuable.


    Modifying trucks or vis was just one use; just by polishing and welding the metal properly, one could create real melee weapons.


    ''Generators and materials, these are pretty useful.''


    Su Han felt a slight surprise and said, "Let''s pick up your trucks first; then take everything we can. If your friend is also there, bring him along."


    Zhu Xiong smiled bitterly, his voice dropping a few notches, "His shop is right by the road; chances are slim."


    A roadside shop,bined with the heavy fog, would likely have little food inside, suggesting a grim situation.


    Old Zhu''s parents had passed away long ago, and although he had many friends, the current circumstances made it uncertain how many had survived, causing him an inner sense of distress.


    Su Han patted his shoulder, saying, "First let''s take care of our own, surviving is what matters most."


    Zhu Xiong nodded gravely, while Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu stayed silent, their thoughts turning to their families, casting a somber mood.


    The two had been working hard in South City, with their parents living even further away in Huiyuan City, making the journey back more of a wishful thinking than a possibility, so they said nothing.


    The four of them didn''t have much to prepare for; one was Gan Xinglei''s own car, which they could retrieve with the car keys at hand, and the other was the trucks that Zhu Xiong had collected over the past two days.


    This would require someone to point out where they were parked, otherwise they could only try to locate them with the keys, but the signal might not be that reliable.


    An hourter, the people in the hall who wanted to go out exploring had registered.


    When Su Han and his group stepped out, they found quite a number of people willing to join, mostly young, with a few in their fifties, a total of 10 people without Contracts.


    "Su Han," Cheng Zhenyong exchanged a greeting with Su Han, who went straight to the point, "We have four people on our end, what about you?"


    Ten ordinary people joined the operation together, and Su Han had no objection, but with so few people, there was no guarantee of safety.


    "Four from the security team, plus Xia Ning and Guo Gang."


    Ten versus ten, making a total of 20 people.


    Su Han nodded and looked over the crowd, saying, "Those who can drive, who have a car, raise your hand."


    With that, a man with a square face raised his hand: "I can, my sedan is parked in the open-air parking lot in front of the building."


    "Me too, but mine is an SUV."


    Immediately, three people raised their hands, two men and one woman. Su Han pointed them out directly: "Later, you will drive your own cars and take everyone, it''ll count as a contribution."


    The three were pleased with the arrangement and nodded right away: "We understand."


    "Let''s set off, head to the parking lot first."


    The sound of "clicking" arose as Zhang Fu slowly opened the steel front door, outside of whichy the white fog. Though it had dispersed a bit, the hazy appearance still sent chills down one''s spine, almost as if it was the gaping maw of some nameless monster.


    Su Han was equally serious in his expression; he knew the fog might conceal more than just corpses like the monsters they had already encountered. He vividly remembered the traces of the monster that had been devouring corpses.


    However, there was no avoiding the issue, whether it was to search for supplies or to relocate, they had to go through the door.


    He held a crowbar in hand and then took out a fist-sized yellow crystal from his pocket, its light immediately causing the fog to recede slightly.


    "What is this?"


    Cheng Zhenyong''s eyes shone with shock, recognizing the crystal in Su Han''s hand as the fruit from the nt.


    ''I didn''t expect him to truly find a use for that nt.''


    He halted his impulse to ask questions, took a deep breath, and asked, "Su Han, do you want your Four-armed Corpse and my Angel Envoy to walk in the front?"


    Cheng Zhenyong''s Angel Envoy had also advanced to First-level Intermediate rank; its strength had improved, and he felt it was his responsibility to scout ahead.


    "Yes, let''s head to the parking lot first."


    The Four-armed Corpse and Cheng Zhenyong''s Angel Envoy took the lead, with Su Han and Cheng Zhenyong following behind, weapons in hand. Only after they stepped outside did the light from the Lamp Tree Crystals begin to serve its true purpose.


    The light spread out to all sides, and with it, the glow from the fist-sized Lamp Tree Crystals illuminated an area of about twenty meters or so, clear of fog. Beyond that range, the light gradually faded and the fog persisted, but visibility was noticeably better, increasing from about one hundred meters to about one hundred and fifty meters.


    With the mist no longer around, the oppressive feeling in everyone''s hearts lessened, and they couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief, especially the ordinary people.


    "Captain Cheng and I will lead the way, Old Zhu, you guys bring up the rear with the corpses nking to the left and right. Don''t fall behind, and make sure not to leave anyone behind," instructed Su Han.


    "Understood."


    The ten Angel Envoys took positions in front, back, left, and right, forming a protective circle around the group, much like security guards would.


    The group walked through the silent fog, searching for the direction of the parking lot with their steps echoing clearly and producing a rustling rhythm, inadvertently causing a sense of nervousness.


    The parking lot was not far from Building No. 7. Due to design reasons, the entire Happiness Communitycked underground parking, with all parking spaces being outdoors.


    They were distributed around themunity next to this set of buildings or that group.


    Building No. 7 was rtively close to the parking lot, and after walking through the fog for over two hundred meters and taking a couple ofrge detours, they began to see the shadows of vehicles emerging through the mist.


    "My car is on the outermost side, I''ll go¡ª"


    "Roar"


    The square-faced man was about to go to his car when suddenly a low roar erupted from within the fog, as if bellowing right into his ear. He stiffened abruptly and looked in the direction of the sound.


    In the haze of white fog, there were numerous distorted figures swaying slightly in the parking lot, uttering low groans.


    All at once, he felt a blood-curdling excitement in the roars.

 Chapter 35: 35 Auto Repair Shop

    "Be careful, it''s a Four-armed Corpse!"


    Although it was just a silhouette, Su Han had already recognized their identity by their posture.


    The Four-armed Corpse in the mist heard the noise and was already charging forward inrge strides, agilely leaping over car gaps and car tops. In an instant, seven or eight dark shadows had already reached a distance of less than thirty meters.


    The figures of the Four-armed Corpses had be clearly visible, their taut and twisted red muscles and fierce ws chilling to the bone. Facing such monstrous creatures made the legs of the ten ordinary people who had recently joined tremble uncontrobly.


    Su Han''s own Four-armed Corpse charged forward in big steps, quickly reaching the front of those corpses. It struck like thunder, delivering a heavy hook punch directly to the head of the first corpse it encountered.


    Then it barged into the group of corpses, grabbing and mming, and within a few moves, it had smashed three or four corpses to the ground, the sounds of snapping bones merging into one.


    Three corpses slipped past Su Han''s Four-armed Corpse and charged towards the group of people, but Cheng Zhenyong''s Angel Envoy Four-armed Corpse had already caught up.


    Cheng Zhenyong''s Angel Envoy Four-armed Corpse was already First-level Intermediate,rge and sturdy. One grab from itsrge hand was enough to flip a corpse onto the ground, continuously pounding its head.


    A dark shadow on the left charged out, directly pouncing on a corpse. Its sharp teeth immediately pierced the brain of the corpse, sshing blood everywhere. It was the Rot Skin Ratunching an attack.


    Zhu Xiong controlled his Angel Envoy Four-armed Corpse to follow along, wielding a bone-chopping knife in its hand, directly plunging it into a corpse with a ''pffft.''


    But in just a few minutes, the battle had already ended.


    "Check the ones that aren''t dead, Zhao Yimin, Ren Changqing, Liu Li, you three contract first, the rest take turns, make it quick."


    Su Han issuedmands calmly, then said to Gan Xinglei, "You and Old Zhu go get the cars."


    "Okay, my car is in the second row."


    Everyone immediately split up to act. Cheng Zhenyong and his team were in charge of keeping watch, while those whose names were called by Su Han prepared to start hammering.


    A hammer was much easier than a bone-chopping knife for ending the lives of these corpses.


    Upon checking, only three corpses remained alive after Su Han''s Four-armed Corpse took action, and the one Cheng Zhenyong dealt with was also alive.


    A total of four corpses, the three called upon as well as the remaining one, came in front of them, took a deep breath, readying to begin.


    Su Han stood beside his Four-armed Corpse, unconcerned with their actions, but rather, observing the entire parking lot.


    "Twenty to thirty cars, it seems that some have been driven out this morning."


    The outdoor parking lot next to building seven, though not the only parking space in Happiness Community, still amodated around fifty cars.


    It was usually packed to the brim, with some residents'' cars even parked outside themunity. Now only half were left, likely coinciding with work hours.


    Su Han quickly calcted, "A family car is about 3000 pounds. Even after excluding other parts, the metal alone should weigh at least a thousand pounds. The amount should be sufficient. Tonight I should perform metal Fusion, to strengthen our forces."


    Right now, they needed to search the supermarket. There was no time to Devour here, but tonight he could totally Devour the unused cars,pleting a LV3 or even LV4 metal Fusion.


    Soon, after nearly ten days facing reality, even ordinary people had resolved to kill monsters. Zhao Yimin and the other threepleted their kills and sessfully contracted the monsters.


    By then, Zhu Xiong and Gan Xinglei had also driven up in their cars, turning on all the headlights, which, however, could not disperse the fog like the Lamp Tree Crystals.


    "You three get your cars out too, then we''ll leave immediately."


    Upon hearing Su Han''smands, Zhao Yimin and the others did not dare dy and quickly found their cars in the parking lot, then swiftly drove them out.


    Lihua Supermarket was located on the street right turn from the exit of Happiness Community, just a kilometer away. If they walked, it might even be faster than driving through the fog.


    However, considering the transportation of supplies, vehicles were necessary, so they all needed to drive.


    Twenty people were divided among five vehicles, with Su Han seated in the co-driver''s seat of the first vehicle, holding a Lamp Tree Crystal to help disperse the fog.


    The speed of the car was not fast, slowly moving along the road. Zhu Xiong drove very cautiously, and the surrounding fog seemed alive, matching their pace, constantly lingering around the group.


    The silence made the fog especially terrifying; the streetlights on both sides, buildings, and dpidated cars appeared and disappeared in the mist like tall or short shadows of various shapes, silently staring at the convoy of five vehicles, appearing extremely eerie.


    A low roar resonated from the deeper parts of the fog, growing fainter, yet it sent chills down everyone''s spine. Although it was not directed at the convoy, everyone knew that other monsters must be within the fog.


    "Watch out for monsters."


    The monsters on the road were not as dense as in the residential areas, but as the vehicles progressed, monsters asionally rushed out from the fog, baring their ferocious mouths, wishing to kill the prey in the vehicles.


    The Four-armed Corpse did not put into the Book of Blood Spirit, rather it quickly followed beside the convoy, stepping forward whenever a corpse rushed towards them, its metal ws decisively and fiercely disemboweling it, showing no mercy.


    Cheng Zhenyong, Yan Meiyu, and their Angel Envoys were all First-level Intermediate; thus, they too escorted the convoy alongside the Four-armed Corpse, matching its pace.


    After about ten minutes, the slow-moving convoy turned a corner on the street and approached the road near Lihua Supermarket.


    "Let''s go to the auto repair shop first."


    Zhu Xiong led the way, not heading straight to Lihua Supermarket but instead to Brother Niu''s Auto Repair Shop, where the quiet street was stained with several patches of ckened blood, emitting a strong smell of decay.


    The vehicles stopped, and Zhu Xiong immediately got out, his Angel Envoy closely following him, while Su Han also got out of the co-driver''s seat, with the Four-armed Corpse right behind.


    Realizing the convoy had stopped, Cheng Zhenyong quickly got out of the second vehicle and, seeing the surroundings, frowned and stepped forward asking, "Su Han, what is Old Zhu doing?"


    "I''m here to get my truck and move some supplies."


    Hearing this, Cheng Zhenyong sighed with relief, "You have a truck? Then we can move even more supplies."


    "Captain Cheng, you stay and guard the vehicles, and I''ll take a few people over."


    "Alright, be careful."


    The vehicles had already stopped by the roadside, a bit further ahead was the auto repair shop. Su Han picked a few individuals, including Zhu Xiong, to explore towards the shop along the street edge.


    They had only walked about ten meters when the light from the Lamp Tree Crystals shone on a red truck, with a metal body and a massive front, the whole vehicle about eight meters long, a medium-sized truck.


    "This is my truck."


    Seeing the vehicle meant they were in the right ce. Su Han immediately said, "Let''s go to the auto repair shop first, where is your other vehicle?"


    The two vehicles were parked together, one a cab-style truck, the other a rail-style truck, simr in size but the body of thetterprised metal frames and a canvas top.


    Upon seeing the trucks, Zhu Xiong, anxious, walked towards the shop, with Su Han following by his side. The shop''s roller shutter door was wide open, fog had already poured inside, and it was terrifyingly silent.


    "Old Niu!"


    Zhu Xiong called out his friend''s name, and immediately a ttering noise resounded within the shop, loud as if something like a steel pipe had been struck.


    "Roar"


    His expression changed upon hearing the roar; suddenly, two dark figures sprang from inside the auto repair shop, lunging towards him and Su Han.

 Chapter 36: 36: Exploring the Supermarket

    ```


    When the monster charged into the range of the Lamp Tree Crystals'' light, its movements became even more violent, but this also allowed Zhu Xiong to make out its appearance clearly.


    It was a robust Tentacle-faced Monster with blood holes all over its face, and long tentacles stretching out about one or two meters, writhing like pitch-ck snakes, making the roaring sound even more terrifying.


    Zhu Xiong''s heart sank, his hands trembling slightly. Although it was unrecognizable, he knew this person¡ªit was his old friend, Niu Aiguo.


    "Roar"


    The roar awoke Zhu Xiong, and the Tentacle-faced Monster that had transformed from Niu Aiguo was already less than five meters away from him, and another Corpse Monster was also charging quickly, almost ready to pounce.


    Su Han saw his expression and signaled the Four-armed Corpse to step forward and intercept the monster.


    "I''ll do it myself."


    Su Han was startled, then watched as Zhu Xiong, gripping a steel pipe, and his Contractor, rushed forth. The Contractor Corpse pounced on the other rushing Corpse, pinning it to the ground, and the cleaver in its hand hacked down continuously, blood and flesh sttering.


    Meanwhile, Zhu Xiong, going solo, faced the Tentacle-faced Monster head-on.


    "Swoosh"


    The tentacles of the Tentacle-faced Monster, like water snakes that had caught the scent of blood, shot straight toward Zhu Xiong.


    "Get the hell away from me"


    Zhu Xiong gathered all his strength into his body and struck hard with the rod. Swinging with great force, it was as though he wielded a sword, severing several tentacles.


    The tentacles fell to the ground, writhing and oozing slime.


    Zhu Xiong stepped forward, almost crushing them underfoot, swinging the steel pipe ferociously down onto the body of the Tentacle-faced Monster, a crack resounding as bones broke and the creature was beaten to the ground.


    "Always bragging, never saw you tough it out once, how did you even turn into a monster?"


    As he rambled, it was as if old friends were catching up, but his blows were heavy, each one heavier than thest, all directed at the head of the Tentacle-faced Monster.


    "No need to boast now. I''ll send you off first, brother. The rest of us won''t have to wait to see who goes next."


    Zhu Xiong struck hard with the steel pipe on its forehead, a dull sound ringing out, and the Tentacle-faced Monster made no further sound.


    With the monster killed, Zhu Xiong stopped moving as if acupoints had been struck, staring at the blood flowing onto the ground.


    "You guys move the stuff, I need a smoke first."


    Zhu Xiong was silent for a while, his voice very low, his hands trembling slightly, whether from exhaustion or sorrow, as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his bosom.


    Su Han nodded, then said to the others behind him, "Move the supplies and load the important stuff onto the truck."


    "Understood, I''m on it."


    Yan Meiyu immediately organized the team, and several people started to scavenge for materials inside the automotive repair shop.


    Food, naturally, there wouldn''t be much. What mattered were tools that could be used for processing.


    Welders, cutters... as well as various materials like steel pipes were quickly loaded onto the truck; these could be used to modify vehicles.


    Zhu Xiong lit several cigarettes, one for himself and another ced in front of Niu Aiguo.


    "Brother, you''re gone."


    It only took a bit more than ten minutes, not a long time. Although therge machines were heavy, the strength of the Four-armed Corpse was immense, and it could easily move them, so loading was swift.


    "Su Han, two trucks, and I can''t drive both."


    But now there was a problem, who could drive two vehicles?


    Zhu Xiong didn''t want to give up either truck, not because he was greedy, but because the trucks'' height, weight, and cargo capacity were far superior to those of a private car, and they were much more useful in this post-apocalyptic world.


    "Let''s try first, and if that doesn''t work..."


    "Actually, I can drive a truck."


    It was then, unexpectedly, that the stocky Guo Gang spoke up.


    He was somewhat shy, smiling with an honest expression: "I used to work in car repair, it''s pretty much my old profession."


    Su Han hadn''t expected Guo Gang to have this skill, so he said, "You drive the other one."


    Zhu Xiong tossed the truck keys to Guo Gang, and then the group split into two, all hopping onto the trucks, turning back to rendezvous with Cheng Zhenyong and the others.


    Seeing Su Han''s return, Cheng Zhenyong finally breathed a sigh of relief, organizing everyone back into the vehicles, and then they headed towards Lihua Supermarket.


    Lihua Supermarket was not far, just about three hundred meters away.


    As the convoy approached, barely discerning the shopfront of Lihua Supermarket through the mist, suddenly a scream rang out, and Su Han''s expression instantly turned grim.


    "It''s a human scream,ing from the supermarket."


    Zhu Xiong''s expression was solemn, and he mmed on the brakes.


    "Get out of the truck, and check the situation."


    ```


    Both of them immediately got out of the car, and the entire convoy behind them promptly disembarked, weapons gripped tightly in their hands.


    "Let''s check the supermarket; there might be something going on."


    Cheng Zhenyong nodded, then quickly called his team to order. The formation was almost the same as when they left, but there were more Contractors now.


    As they approached the supermarket, the light from the Lamp Tree Crystals dispersed the fog, allowing them to see the fa?ade of the supermarket clearly.


    The shattered ss doors and copsed shelves showed the unrest that had urred here.


    Fortunately, there were still supplies left.


    "Be careful, everyone."


    After this warning, Su Han led the group inside, his voice blending with the rustle of merchandise they stepped on.


    There was no light in the supermarket, only darkness, and the only source illuminating the area was the Lamp Tree Crystal in Su Han''s hand. There were disordered shelves everywhere, with goods scattered on the floor.


    "Run! Run fast!"


    All of a sudden, a roaring voice arose, and this time Su Han heard it clearly, "On the second floor!"


    Hemanded the Four-armed Corpse to rush forward with big strides, and the others, not daring to fall behind, quickly followed him toward the staircase.


    The closer they got to the staircase, the more clear the urgent footsteps, screams, and sounds of panic became. As Su Han reached the second floor, he saw an extremely chaotic scene.


    Under the dim yellow glow, arge amount of merchandise was overturned on the floor, scattered around in the mess. Amidst this chaos, a Spider Monster about three meters tall was attacking a group of corpses, and behind it were more than twenty pitch-ck spiders about half a meter tall, their split mouths clicking noisily as tentacles resembling those of an octopus emerged.


    They were besieging a group of people, about twenty or so, including both the young and the elderly. Each of them wielded a weapon, fighting off the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders and desperately trying to prevent being surrounded.


    "Run!"


    The man leading them shouted repeatedly to run, but the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders were already close to encircling them. A middle-aged man with graying hair was caught off guard, and his stick flew out of his hand as he fought one of the spiders.


    Two Tentacle-mouthed Spiders immediately seized the opportunity and pounced on him. Their sticky tentacles wrapped around his arms, and under those tentacles, beak-like jaws sliced through the man''s flesh, causing blood to spurt out.


    Another Tentacle-mouthed Spider aimed straight for his throat, and with one bite, a gash appeared on his neck, blood spraying out and staining the ferocious spider red.


    With an opening created, the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders continued to press the attack, and the group of people suddenly found themselves in crisis.


    They had Contractors among them, but the Contractors'' Angel Envoys were almost all upied with blocking the Spider Monster. Now, the only ones who could fight these spiders were the people themselves.


    Screams resonated, chaos ensued, it was aplete disarray.


    ''Is that a Lamp Tree Crystal?!''


    Su Han''s pupils contracted, his gaze fixed on the leading man, who was clutching a slightly smaller Lamp Tree Crystal in his hand, the faint yellow light emanating from it.


    "Take action"


    Without hesitation, seeing the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders beginning their ughter, he ordered the Four-armed Corpse to move, charging straight at the evenrger Spider Monster.


    Cheng Zhenyong and the others were also startled by the scene before them, but upon hearing Su Han''s order, they immediately made a decisive move. More than a dozen Contractors directed their Corpse Envoys to charge at the swarm of Tentacle-mouthed Spiders.


    More than a dozen Corpse Envoys rushed forward, theirrge hands grabbing the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders and then forcefully throwing them, leaving the spider swarm dazed and disoriented.


    Encouraged by the turn of events, the leading man shouted, "Quick, kill them!"


    With weapons in hand, they immediately attacked the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders with all their might. With theirbined efforts, they managed to kill several of them.


    Cheng Zhenyong, Zhu Xiong, and others joined forces, wielding their weapons to coborate with the corpses in attack. Together, nearly forty-five corpses and people now held the advantage, killing most of the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders.


    "Boom"


    As the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders were forced back, Su Han''s Four-armed Corpse was already wrestling with the Spider Monster. This Spider Monster was slightlyrger than the one on the 20th floor and even stronger, quite formidable among the First-level Intermediate.


    More importantly, it could control creatures like the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders to fight in coordination.


    The Monster''s sharp spider legs came at the Four-armed Corpse like piercing spears with swift speed, casting two dark shadows.


    The Corpse''s dorsal arms opened up and grasped the spider''s spear-like legs tightly, like iron hoops.


    Both exerted their strength at the same time, each trying to overpower the other.


    If it was just a matter of leg strength, the six-legged Spider Monster would naturally have the advantage, with a stable and solid stance.


    However, that was just the addition of four legs, and the Four-armed Corpse was even stronger.


    "ng"


    Sharp ws nged as the Corpse''s lower arms shot out metallic ws and then swung them forcefully, aiming to sh at the Spider Monster''s second pair of legs.


    The Spider Monster attempted to dodge, but its first pair of legs were already held tight by the Four-armed Corpse; there was no escape.


    Its legs were severed in an instant, a painful scream erupting from the Monster as it stumbled, blood dripping onto the floor.


    The remaining dozen or so Tentacle-mouthed Spiders, hearing the Spider Monster''s agonized howls, immediately broke away from the struggle with the corpse envoys and charged at the Four-armed Corpse.

 Chapter 37: 37 People from Building 4

    More than ten Tentacle-mouthed Spiders charged fiercely, causing the leading man''splexion to change as he urgently shouted, "Quick, help! If that monster wins, we''re all done for."


    Seeing the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders attacking the Four-armed Corpse, the leader became anxious. He knew how formidable the Spider Monster was; several of their corpses couldn''t restrain it.


    Even though his Angel Envoy Corpses were First-level Intermediate, the difference in size and strength was too great, and they were easily injured.


    If that four-armed Angel Envoy was defeated, they would once again face the onught of the Spider Monster and the encirclement of Tentacle-mouthed Spiders under its leadership.


    He immediately ordered his Angel Envoy Corpses to prepare to go forward to help, but just as they charged out, suddenly there was a thunderous noise, and a huge shadow swept across the sky and heavily smashed onto the floor.


    "Snap!"


    On that floor, three or four Tentacle-mouthed Spiders failed to dodge in time and were crushingly pinned by the huge body of the Spider Monster, turning into a mash of flesh, and viscous yellow-green blood sshed all over the floor like glue.


    He was dumbfounded as the Spider Monster was so easily flipped over, appearing utterly powerless to fight back.


    After flipping over the Spider Monster, the Four-armed Corpse advanced inrge strides, its sharp metal ws shing left and right. All the nearby Tentacle-mouthed Spiders were instantly cut in two, and foul, fishy blood covered the entire floor.


    The Four-armed Corpse dealt with the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders as if slicing vegetables, and the Spider Monster struggled to get up, ferociously pouncing at the Four-armed Corpse.


    The Four-armed Corpse wouldn''t let it seed. Its left arm behind its back clenched into a fist, hammer-like, and with a hook punch, made the Spider Monster stagger.


    It closed the distance,ing face-to-face with the Spider Monster and grabbing its throat with arge hand, lifting the Spider Monster nearly off the ground with its formidable strength.


    Although the Spider Monster was much taller than the Four-armed Corpse, it was now hoisted up, its spider legs and body controlled by the remaining three arms, unable to move at all for the moment.


    By then, only a few Tentacle-mouthed Spiders remained. After a fierce kill by the Four-armed Corpse, many were dead or injured. Zhu Xiong and others were also cutting them down, having already surrounded them,pletely eliminating their chance to attack.


    Su Han was pondering whether to kill the Spider Monster or give it to someone as a Contract. Killing it was simple, but dealing with people required careful consideration.


    The Spider Monster was not weak. Offering it to someone was no small favor. If not given to someone, it could well serve as Fusion material.


    Wait, Fusion material. If dead, it could be used as Fusion material, but what about a living monster?


    An idea suddenly shed through Su Han''s mind, questioning something he might have overlooked. If metal, water, and rocks could be fused, and dead monsters could be materials, could living monsters be fused?


    He immediately concentrated, focusing on the Spider Monster''s body, just as he had previously fused the flesh of corpses.


    "[Discovery of a controlled, fusible live monster Spider Monster. Initiate Fusion?]"


    Upon concentrating, the familiar Fusion prompt appeared, making Su Han''s heart leap, filled with exhration.


    Monsters could also be fused, meaning there were even more possibilities to be stronger, andpared to mere materials, it surely couldn''t be worse, right?


    ''Do not fuse for now''


    Su Han chose not to fuse yet. Under the watchful eyes of many, it wasn''t a good time for fusion, and most importantly, he had to consider one thing: Fusion Degree.


    The Fusion Degree of a single Spider Monster might not reach 100%. If so, he would need to find more Spider Monsters or convert materials to fill the Fusion progress.


    This process would take more time, and Su Han already had an avable material for fusion¡ªthe metal of the cars under the seven buildings.


    So, first fuse the metal, then the Spider Monster, to increase efficiency.


    He had the Four-armed Corpse pin the Spider Monster to the ground and then said, "Old Gan, Old Zhu, go get some chains to tie it up."


    Everyone was stunned. Not killing the monster, what did he n to do?


    Especially those six people who had not yet made a Contract with a monster; their eyes nearly popped out. The Spider Monster wasn''t being killed?


    If the monster isn''t killed, then they would have no part in this big fellow, inevitably expressing a look of regret.


    Gan Xinglei and Zhu Xiong were also confused, but since Su Han had instructed so, they just followed his orders, nodding and saying, "We''ll go right now. Stay vignt here."


    With almost all the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders already dispatched, the area was not particrly dangerous, so they both went together to find chains and ropes along with Guo Gang and others.


    Su Han nced at those six people who hadn''t made a Contract yet and said, "Find any spiders that aren''tpletely dead and finish them off. I don''t have time to create other opportunities for you."


    "Okay, okay, we''re on it."


    There were quite a few in the team without Contracts, and now, reminded by Su Han, they immediately got ready to search for the killing blow.


    In the course of the fight, some had already contracted with a Tentacle-mouthed Spider by killing it first and were now busy treating their teammates'' injuries.


    "Thank you, thank you so much."


    The leading man came over. He expressed his gratitude to Su Han and the others, still in a state of excitement from their narrow escape.


    If it weren''t for Su Han and his team, at least half of their group would have died.


    The man had short hair, a square face with slightly prominent cheekbones, and thick eyebrows. He was a tall man who stood in front of the crowd like a wall.


    "You must be residents of Happiness Community as well, we''re from Building 4, my name is Zhang Da."


    Zhang Da wanted to bridge the gap between the two groups. He recognized Cheng Zhenyong in Su Han''s team and roughly guessed everyone''s identity.


    "We''re from Building 7, just call me Su Han."


    Su Han''s gazended on the Lamp Tree Crystals in his hand and asked, "Does your building also have Lamp Trees growing?"


    Zhang Da was momentarily stunned before he showed a hint of realization, "You mean that strange nt without leaves, right? Calling it a Lamp Tree is apt. My daughter found it in her room. We were very worried at first, butter discovered it''s quite useful."


    He spoke with a hoarse voice, clearly not a man of few words.


    ''Building 4 has it, and so does Building 7. The origin of these Lamp Trees is indeed a bit difficult to figure out. Is it collections of corpses or because of biological gatherings?''


    "Su Han, we don''t have many chains, but we found some climbing ropes."


    Zhu Xiong''s voice interrupted Su Han''s thoughts. He saw Zhu Xiong with three or four people holding several bundles of climbing ropes. Gan Xinglei had three or four cor chains about the size of a thumb, likely from pet dogs.


    The Spider Monster roared and struggled, the Four-armed Corpsemanded with increasing effort, and Cheng Zhenyong''s corpse also helped, grabbing its two spider legs.


    "Tie it up tightly, both the spider legs and the humanoid arms. I have a use for it."


    Su Han ordered everyone to start working while watching the fierce-looking Spider Monster. The group felt a bit queasy; after all, it was a monster, especially with those dancing tentacles inside its huge gash.


    "Old Guo, get a nket to cover its head and then tie up its spider legs. Don''t worry about it; Su Han is here, what''s there to fear?"


    "Alright."


    Zhu Xiong asked everyone to get started. Once its head was covered, the Spider Monster didn''t look so terrifying anymore.


    Quickly, Zhu Xiong and the others had it tightly bound. Three of its spider legs were tied uppletely, and its body was wrapped with climbing ropes, tightly knotted.


    The climbing ropes had a starting load capacity of one thousand kilograms. With so many loops, to break free, it would probably need a force of several thousands to tens of thousands of kilograms.


    Even the Four-armed Corpse couldn''t escape without using its ws, let alone the Spider Monster.


    With the Spider Monster securely tied, there was no need for the Four-armed Corpse to hold it down anymore.


    "Hey, this thing doesn''t seem so terrifying now."


    Someone mumbled, a hint of pride in their voice since they had helped tie up the Spider Monster.


    Zhang Da and his group watched Su Han and the others with slightly twitching faces. What kind of people were these, ying with catching monsters?


    "Brother, what''s this about?"


    Su Han didn''t respond and nced at Zhang Da. His calm gaze made Zhang Da gulp and speak rashly.


    "No offense, I was just wondering if you''d like to team up to move supplies back. It''s dangerous here, and more people means more safety."


    Zhang Da, the leader of Building 4, thought with over a dozen men out to collect supplies, they would manage fine, as they had around twenty to thirty people including the Angel Envoys.


    But he had not expected that three men had already died, and thinking back, it still sent chills down his spine.


    Seeing how formidable the people from Building 7 were, he started thinking about hugging their![](https://tse2.mm.bing/th?id=OIP.GBvZJhLGwnoBkqBpNaMWBAHaEK&pid=Api "thighs".")\\t


    He seemed afraid of Su Han''s refusal and added, "We drove out in seven vehicles, including two seven-seater vans, which can carry a lot."


    Ten people, seven vehicles, Building 4''s organizational ability was indeed not weak, implying good fortune that many people were alive.


    "We also have seven vehicles, two of which are trucks."


    What? Trucks?


    Zhang Da''s face stiffened,pletely bewildered, never having imagined that Su Han and his people had such wild resources?


    Meanwhile, the remaining six from Building 7 hadpleted their Contracts. Su Han said, "Look after your own, find your stuff and transport it. For now, there are still enough supplies."


    Zhang Da''s expression changed slightly, then he nodded and quickly returned to his own team.


    Su Han then said, "Transport supplies, prioritizing canned goods with a long shelf life, food, medicine, and useful tools. Old Zhu, Captain Cheng, form groups of five to prevent encounters with other monsters."


    "Got it."

 Chapter 38: 38: The Nest in the Storage Room

    Su Han gave the order, and Cheng Zhenyong, Gan Xinglei, Zhu Xiong, and Yan Meiyu immediately began arranging people. Each of them led a small team as the head, and with First-level Intermediate strength, they could handle many things.


    Then, they allocated some of the meat corpses and Tentacle-mouthed Spiders to each team, ensuring the bnced distribution of power. The Tentacle-mouthed Spiders might be weaker than the meat corpses, but they were more agile and could serve as scouts.


    They divided into four teams, each with five people, and began to search the supermarket. Using the supermarket''s trolleys, they transported goods at the fastest speed.


    The supermarket was eerily quiet; although the fog hadn''t seeped in, it was still very dim. It seemed as though after they had killed those monsters, the entire supermarket had been piged.


    But Su Han didn''t dare to let his guard down, since such arge supermarket couldn''t possibly have no staff in the morning. So, where had they all gone now?


    While dragging the Spider Monster from the second floor to the first, and then out the main entrance, Su Han stuffed it into Zhu Xiong''s truck. He chose a van, jammed the Spider Monster inside, and then used climbing ropes to secure it firmly in the corner.


    Even if the truck were to overturn, the Spider Monster had to stay closely together with the truck cabin, eliminating any chance of escape.


    After all this was done, Su Han''s people were already quickly loading the truck, as goods one after another were moved out and loaded onto the vehicles.


    Zhang Da''s group was doing the same, desperately moving goods. However, unlike Su Han''s people, they didn''t dare choose goods in a way that would provoke conflict, fearing a confrontation.


    As they transported the goods, growls came from the fog on the streets, and they saw figures of the Four-armed Corpses running quickly towards them, attracted by the noise.


    However, just a few Four-armed Corpses posed no real threat.


    Before Su Han could act, Gan Xinglei and Zhu Xiong had already taken the initiative, using their superior strength to kill them directly.


    "Su Han, our noise is not small. We need to have someone on guard here; otherwise, more monsters wille," said Gan Xinglei after killing the Four-armed Corpse, approaching Su Han. At the moment, the truck was only loaded with a small portion of the goods. To fully load it, they needed at least an hour.


    This time was enough for more Four-armed Corpses to notice the activity here and pose a threat to those loading the vehicle.


    "Your group stays here to defend and load the truck, and everyone else continues moving things."


    Hearing Su Han''smand, Gan Xinglei replied, "Okay, but we might not be able to load much on the side with the Spider Monster; it''s not convenient."


    With the van upied by the Spider Monster, even though it was bound, the situation remained inconvenient, and he was worried about potential idents.


    "We can load a little less there, focusing on tools primarily."


    Speaking of tools, Su Han asked, "Old Zhu, where is the generator you mentioned?"


    Zhu Xiong came over when Su Han called him and guessed, "That thing is not small, a few hundred pounds. It''s likely in the storeroom, and it''ll take your Angel Envoy to move it."


    "Where is the storeroom?"


    Zhu Xiong shook his head, "I reckon it''s on the first floor; we''ll have to look for it."


    While he knew the owner of the Lihua Supermarket, he wasn''t an employee. Upon hearing this, Su Han said, "Come with me, let''s find it. We need to load up quickly; this ce is not safe."


    Even though there was no noise at the moment, the fog had never really dispersed. Who knew what could suddenly emerge? It was always right to hurry.


    Su Han took Zhu Xiong to start searching on the first floor. Many shelves had copsed onto the ground, and the ce was in disarray. The two searched for the storeroom location while faintly smelling the odor of rot.


    In amunity supermarket like this, most of the first floor was usually filled with fresh food, fruits, and vegetables. As many days had passed, the products had already rotted and spoiled, emitting a strong stench.


    Zhu Xiong, covering his nose and mouth, fiddled with a shelf for a while and pulled out a bag of masks, causing other items to move and make a ttering noise.


    "Put one on; this smell is too disgusting."


    Zhu Xiong handed a mask to Su Han. They both put on the masks, and their voices became a bit muffled. Zhu Xiong said, "It should be up ahead, near the staff area."


    Su Han nodded, and the two continued to navigate around the cluttered counters, moving forward with an Angel Envoy leading and one following, protecting them both.


    The supermarket was quiterge; the further they went inside the first floor, the quieter it became, exuding a chilling silence. The dim, yellowish light from the Lamp Tree crystals and the sound of footsteps contrasted with each other, creating an especially eerie atmosphere.


    "Old Zhu, what time do the supermarket staff start their shift?"


    "Shifts rotate, they start at seven in the morning, but there will definitely be someone on the night shift..."


    Zhu Xiong''s words stopped abruptly, his face subtly changed, and he became serious: "We haven''t seen any living people or corpses in the supermarket."


    Whether they turned into survivors or corpses, if there were people in the supermarket, there should be traces of them, but now, apart from the Spider Monsters and those Tentacle-mouthed Spiders, they hadn''t seen anything else.


    "Shasha shasha"


    Suddenly, at this moment, a fine scraping sound arose, as if some multi-legged creature was crawling by¡ªboth of their expressions tensed, and they got serious immediately.


    "Those spiders."


    Zhu Xiong lowered his voice, indicating the source of the noise. Su Han saw his expression and nodded, making a forward gesture and whispering, "Let''s go have a look."


    The two tread lightly, gripping their crowbars firmly, then rounded a wall and arrived inside an area of the supermarket, where arge rolling door loomed before them, emzoned with the words "Warehouse" above it.


    The noise wasing from inside, not faintly, as many Tentacle-mouthed Spiders were in there.


    "Four-armed Corpse"


    Su Han thought quickly, and the Four-armed Corpse stepped forward, grabbing the slightly ajar rolling door and pulling it upwards, producing a loud rattling sound that almost startled the entire area. The noisy echoes were somewhat piercing.


    The chaotic warehouse was immediately exposed to the two of them, with goods scattered on the floor andrge paper-packaged productspletely torn apart. In the corner, half-meter-high growths like mushrooms clung to the walls, some of which had burst, their viscous tissue scattered on the floor, and others were still slowly swelling, undting as if breathing.


    "Click-ck click-ck"


    Seven or eight shadows moved swiftly, the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders discovering the door wide open and charging toward them with incredible speed.


    They moved quickly, the Four-armed Corpse at the doorway stopping only three of them, while the other four dashed towards Zhu Xiong and Su Han.


    The two of them were unfazed, with Angel Envoy Zhu tackling one, then, wielding crowbars, they charged forward, swinging forcefully, and with a dull thud, they smashed the bodies of the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders.


    Yellow-green viscous blood spattered out, and Su Han, with sharp movements, killed one without a pause, immediately using the curved tip of the crowbar to crush, with a squish, and impale the second Tentacle-mouthed Spider.


    "Roar"


    From inside the warehouse, amidst the stacks of cardboard boxes, a low growl suddenly arose, and the boxes tumbled.


    Su Han''s expression became stern as he immediatelymanded, "Four-armed Corpse, go see."


    The Four-armed Corpse crushed the remaining Tentacle-mouthed Spiders and marched toward the noise emanating from the heap of cardboard boxes, suddenly making a loud rustling sound, and a monster''s visage was revealed.


    Atop a spider''s body was a segment of flesh as soft as meat paste, wearing the employee uniform of Lihua Supermarket on the human torso.


    It let out a low growl, exuding a dangerous aura, but upon closer inspection, this monster''s spider legs were limp as rotten meat, unable to move¡ªanalogous to a shrimp or crab that has just shed its shell.


    Upon seeing this scene, Zhu Xiong''s pupils shrank sharply, and he inhaled sharply: "Is this how Spider Monsterse into being?"


    Below the monstrosity, obvious signs of tissue connection could be seen where the spider body met theid human form¡ªon its back.


    The human torso had not yet taken control; the Tentacle-mouthed Spider below was still in charge, but the bizarre appearance made it hard for Su Han to discern whether it was an Evolution or a parasitic Fusion.


    "Thud thud thud"


    And just then, the other ''growths'' in the warehouse also began to pulsate, cracks appearing, revealing Tentacle-mouthed Spiders inside.


    "Old Zhu, take action. We can''t take these things with us."


    Su Han made a quick decision. One or two could be controlled, but hatching so many at once, it was impossible to capture them all.

 Chapter 39: 39: The Ecology of Monsters

    Before the monsters could break free from their cocoons, the two of them, along with two Angel Envoys, attacked and wiped out all the monsters in the warehouse within ten minutes.


    Not until they started cleaning up did they realize that there were two Spider Monsters that hadn''tpleted their metamorphosis, and there were twenty egg-like flesh lumps.


    If all of them hadpleted the metamorphosis, it would have been a terrifying force.


    During the cleanup, Su Han and his group finally discovered where all the supermarket staff had gone. More than a dozen supermarket employees and security guards were piled up in the corner.


    Most of their flesh had been hollowed out, stacking up like small hills, with the bones showing clear signs of gnawing¡ªthey had be food for the Spider Monsters.


    Seeing this pile of skeletons, Su Han suddenly recalled the bodies they found when cleaning the seventh building, particrly on the twentieth floor.


    ''If the Spider Monsters hadn''t been killed in time, would the entire seventh building also be overrun with these Tentacle-mouthed Spiders?''


    He felt a chill down his spine; the first Spider Monster certainly didn''t originate this way, it must have been a human who mutated. But how much time had passed since then?


    Already, they seem to have instinctively begun breeding in a perverted, thoroughly unscientific manner¡ªthe implications of such an evolution were horrifying.


    He realized a problem: these monsters were not merely mutating, they were gradually forming their own ecosystem, then thriving on thisnd.


    "Su Han, I found the generator here, and there are three hundred liters of gasoline,"


    Zhu Xiong found the generator in a corner of the warehouse, covered in red flesh and dripping with sticky mucus, emitting a foul smell.


    Disgusted, Zhu Xiong scraped off some of the mucus using a cardboard box, then checked the generator.


    "Can it still be used?"


    Su Han approached, and Zhu Xiong knocked on the casing, saying, "No problem, it''s just dirty. It''ll be fine after a cleanup."


    This thing had cost about ten to twenty thousand originally; the quality was still passable.


    "I''ll have the Four-armed Corpse carry it. You take the gasoline, and the corpses of the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders. I''ll have Old Gane overter to move them; they''re useful to me."


    Zhu Xiong was no longer surprised that Su Han needed these monster corpses, saying, "Alright, I''lle over with himter. We can load up that box truck."


    The Four-armed Corpse approached the generator, which took the shape of a rectangr box, about one meter in length and one meter in both width and height, weighing around four to five hundred kilograms¡ªnot exactly a small unit.


    Following his advancement, Zhu Xiong should be able to handle it, but it was inconvenient for him to move around. However, for the Four-armed Corpse, this was a piece of cake.


    It hoisted the generator onto its shoulder and strode out.


    Zhu Xiong and Su Han followed closely, each carrying a barrel of gasoline, making their way to the box truck outside.


    "Old Gan, take some people with me to move some things."


    Zhu Xiong called Gan Xinglei to help move the items. He hesitated, saying, "But who will watch over here?"


    Su Han had previously assigned him to stay here to assist with moving items, but if he left now, there would be no one else here.


    "I''ll watch here, just go with Old Zhu."


    The tbed truck had already been loaded half full, with arge amount of canned food, dried provisions, water, and other resources inside. The trunks of several private cars were also half full, and it wouldn''t take long to finish loading them.


    "Alright, I will go right away."


    Gan Xinglei took people to handle the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders'' corpses, while the people from the fourth building had almost finished loading their vehicles. Zhang Da approached and said, "Brother, should we wait for you guys and go back together?"


    Zhang Da was eager to join forces, as Su Han''s formidable strength impressed him. With Su Han''s help, their chances of survival in this post-apocalyptic world would be greater.


    "The noise from more than ten cars is too much; it''s likely to attract even more monsters."


    As they spoke, low growls echoed from the mist. During their loading process, creatures like the Rot Skin Rats and other monstrous rats hadunched several attacks, all of which were sessfully repelled by the group without any casualties.


    However, a stationary vehicle and a moving one create entirely different sounds.


    Zhang Da''s expression shifted slightly as he understood this principle. He said, "Then, then brother, we''ll go first. We''ll get in touch once we get back to theplex. Looking for supplies isn''t a long-term n. I''m nning to go check out the police station in a couple of days, which should be much safer. You should think about it, brother."


    The police station?


    Zhang Da''s thought process was clear¡ªif ordinary people could have a certain proportion of survivors, then a ce like the police station would indeed be much safer since they are armed.


    But Su Han wouldn''t go there.


    To him, the safety of a police station was a shackle. Until he became stronger, he did not n to expose his abilities under these powers, regardless of their nature, good or bad.


    "I have another destination."


    Zhang Da looked surprised. He wanted to persuade further, but Su Han wasn''t taking the bait, and from the car behind, hispanions were calling him.


    "Old Zhang, hurry up, there are more monstersing."


    Out of the fog, stirred up by the sound of the car engine, three more Four-armed Corpses scrambled over, hands and feet pounding the ground.


    Zhang Da''s expression changed slightly. His Angel Envoy leaped to action, its gaping maw snapping at the neck of one of the monster corpses. Su Han''s Four-armed Corpse moved as well, confronting the two monster corpses before seizing them and twisting their necks with a powerful grasp.


    With another sudden monster attack, Zhang Da knew they couldn''t linger any longer. The noise was too great¡ªSu Han would definitely be alright, but they were not so sure.


    "Thanks, brother, but it looks like we have to leave now."


    Zhang Da''s caravan vanished slowly into the fog, and the low growling of the mist grew distant as their noise drew some of the monsters away.


    Half an hourter, after Su Han and the Four-armed Corpse had killed four or five more corpses, they finally had the truck mostly loaded.


    "That''s enough, time to go back. The monsters areing more frequently."


    Su Han called Gan Xinglei and the others to stop. Compared to when they had first arrived, monsters were approaching more often, and continuing to transfer supplies could attract something unexpected.


    Gan Xinglei and his group were taken aback but quickly entered the supermarket to call everyone out.


    "Everyone, get on the truck in your original ces. First-level Intermediate Angel Envoys do not board, stay on guard at the sides. Old Zhu and I will lead the way, Captain Cheng and Old Guo will drive the truck and cover the rear, Meiyu''s Rot Skin Rat will be on alert."


    "Received."


    Following Su Han''s arrangement, once everyone was aboard, all the vehicle lights were turned on, and they started heading back under the lead of the box truck.


    Because they were now traveling by truck, the noise was evidently louder, but unlike the cautious approach earlier, the truck''s tonnage was evident, and it was also loaded with a lot of stuff.


    Ordinary corpses simply couldn''t stop this ''Road Bully,'' and Zhu Xiong floored the elerator, crushing them and rolling the bodies under the truck.


    Even if they didn''t die immediately, the Angel Envoys on either side of the truck would immediately move in to finish them off. The return trip was much faster than the trip out.


    They drove straight to the base of building seven, and after everyone got off, they breathed a sigh of relief.


    Cheng Zhenyong was getting ready to call people to unload the supplies when Su Han suddenly said, "Let''s leave our share on the truck; there''s no need to unload it."


    Everyone was startled. Cheng Zhenyong''s face shifted subtly, then he said to Zhang Fu and the others, "Do as Su Han said. You guys start unloading."


    "Everybody be careful when unloading. You can ask your family members to help. Those with Angel Envoy corpses can use them. We''ll distribute based on today''s contributions..."


    Zhang Fu began organizing everyone to divide the supplies. Although he didn''t say it outright, the share for Su Han and his threepanions was definitely thergest because it was Su Han who had defeated the Spider Monster and the truck was theirs as well.


    So Zhang Fu first organized the distribution of supplies from the other five vehicles before dealing with their truck, which only needed a slight reallocation of some items.


    Meanwhile, Cheng Zhenyong found Su Han, looked around to make sure no one was within earshot, and asked in a low voice, "Su Han, are you nning to move out?"

 Chapter 40: 40 Taking Sides

    Leaving goods on the truck, even when it''s parked right under Building Seven, is hardly a safe thing to do.


    If Su Han and his group weren''t moving them, it meant they had other ns, which wasn''t hard to guess.


    Su Han nodded and didn''t hide his intentions, "It''s very inconvenient and unsafe inside the residential buildings once the water and gas are cut off. Remember the Spider Monsters?"


    "You''re worried those Spider Monsters wille again?"


    Su Han shook his head and said, "They''ve learned to reproduce. I''ve seen their nests and eggs in the supermarket."


    "Tentacle-mouthed Spiders?!"


    Cheng Zhenyong''s body shook and he looked shocked, "They, they mutated from humans, right? How could they...?"


    It was unimaginable that mutated monsters could reproduce so quickly.


    He immediately grasped the gravity of the situation, if even Spider Monsters could breed, then was it possible for the numerous Four-armed Corpses to also reproduce?


    Or were other, even more terrifying monsters that they''d never seen before silently multiplying in the depths of the mist, quietly taking over the human world?


    He felt a chill rise up his spine, rushing to his head. If the number of mutated monsters could increase, it would be a terrifying prospect for any survivor.


    "Who knows what''s going on? This apocalypse is probably just beginning."


    Su Han was somewhat moreposed than Cheng Zhenyong and thought of the enormous red eyeball that almost covered the entire sky. If that were a creature, and everything stemmed from it, then the end was far from over.


    "I''m going to take some people who want to leave and find a safe ce. Do you and your brothers want to join us?"


    Although Cheng Zhenyong was a bit too idealistic, he was capable. Whether it was the speed of an Angel Envoy''s Advancement, or his personal organizational andbat abilities, he had not tarnished his reputation as a retired soldier.


    What Su Han could not understand was why such a capable, retired soldier from the Armed Forces wouldn''t have stayed on to be a nonmissioned officer.


    Cheng Zhenyong was silent for a long while, "You''re not nning on going to the police station, are you?"


    This was his intuition, and his perspective on the post-apocalyptic world was gradually forming. If the current chaos was just the beginning, then the old order was certain to copse.


    And there would be those who were destined to rise amidst the chaos.


    He had a strong intuition that Su Han was precisely one of those people, without a doubt.


    Su Han nodded and replied, "I''m even more eager to be stronger. Actually, you can too. Advancing to First-level Intermediate so quickly, your Talent must be pretty good."


    The improvement of strength was rted to the Contract with the Angel Envoy, the strength of the creatures theymanded, and their own Talents.


    This was something they had all figured out.


    After all, they were all from the same security team and had contracted around the same time, but Zhang Fu needed a bit more time to be First-level Intermediate.


    "But many people will die, those monsters are too dangerous," Cheng Zhenyong gave a bitter smile. This apocalypse was just like the Armed Forces, where to achieve anything, one had to fight with sweat and risk their lives, "I''m sorry, Su Han, I will take people to the police station. I haverades there."


    Cheng Zhenyong didn''t want his few security guards to be in too much danger. The police station had firearms, which would significantly increase their safety.


    Su Han didn''t insist, "We''ll leave in the next couple of days. If you want to go to the police station, it''s best to get ready, there are a lot of monsters outside."


    Cheng Zhenyong nodded heavily and agreed. He was well aware of this.


    The distribution of supplies was a thrilling event for all the survivors in Building Seven because almost ten days after the apocalypse began, their supplies had been exhausted.


    If it weren''t for Cheng Zhenyong''s prior clearing of the floors and dealing with some supplies, some people would''ve likely starved to death by now.


    In this cleanup, the ten volunteers almost all represented a friend or rtive, which also meant that those who hadn''t gone out got a share too.


    As for those who hadn''t gone out, some found ways to exchange for food, such as their bodies.


    Su Han hadn''t encountered such situations, or maybe those people didn''t dare to provoke him.


    But such arrangements had indeed emerged tacitly, like security guard Xiao Zhao who quietly acquired a voluptuous girlfriend.


    Everyone gathered together and Zhang Fu took charge of distributing the supplies. Those who participated in the operation all received a share, including dry food, canned goods, and some medicines and daily necessities.


    The goods from the private cars hadrgely been allocated. As for those on the truck, Zhang Fu left them almost untouched, by default epting that those were Su Han and his group''s share.


    Although it was obvious that this share ounted for more than sixty percent of all the resources, not a single participant objected.


    They all understood one principle, following the rules means you get something, not following them means you get nothing.


    "Everyone, quiet down, I have something to say,"


    Cheng Zhenyong, seeing that the distribution of supplies was almost finished, stood in the center of the hall and said loudly.


    At the sound of his voice, people looked puzzled, and someone asked, "Captain Cheng, what''s the matter?"


    "Su Han and I have discussed this: The apartment building has no water source and no gas, it''s not a safe ce, and we''ll be moving in a couple of days."


    As soon as these words came out, some people''s expressions changed slightly, and they began to discuss animatedly¡ªthe fog outside might have thinned, but monsters were still present and very dangerous.


    "Captain Cheng, can''t we just stay here and wait for official rescue? The fog has thinned; it should being soon,"


    An older woman asked in a low voice. She was of age, and relocating was not an easy task for her.


    "Yes, Captain Cheng, with you here, those monsters won''t be able to get in. I think we should wait."


    There will always be people who don''t want to take risks, preferring to be the frog in slowly warming water, but Su Han didn''t have the time to y a drawn-out game with them.


    "Are we obligated to protect everyone?"


    His voice rose, still as calm as it had been that day, causing a jolt in the survivors'' hearts as their gazes fell on Su Han.


    Especially those who didn''t dare to take risks, yet expected others to protect them.


    "I will find a new safe zone to settle down. Those with special skills who want to follow me go to Yan Meiyu to register. You can consider it. I will leave in two days."


    Su Han spoke sinctly, not revealing what ce he had chosen as the safe point.


    He needed people at his camp, but he was decidedly not begging for others to join him; that would only tire him with management and hold him back.


    "What do we have to give in return?"


    Looking toward the direction of the voice, Su Han saw that the first to speak up was not an ordinary person but Zhao Yimin, who had previously joined him on the supermarket exploration.


    "Fighting, defense,bor... If you''re an ordinary person, I will try my best to help you form a Contract. If you can''t fight or it''s inconvenient for you to work, let your Angel Envoy do it. My team won''t feed freeloaders; the apocalypse has no use for trash. What I can offer is the supplies acquired by the team and safety,"


    Su Han said seriously, "Within the scope of my ability, I will help you deal with those monsters."


    The implication of his words was clear to everyone¡ªif even he couldn''t resist the monsters, then it was an unlucky situation indeed.


    Zhao Yimin seemed quite satisfied with the answer. He raised his hand and said, "Count me in."


    Having witnessed the formidable strength of Su Han''s Four-armed Corpse at the supermarket, he felt that following Su Han would provide more assurance of safety.


    "Report to Yan Meiyu,"


    Su Han replied, then added, "Everyone can think it over. If you want to join me, registerter."


    After finishing his words, he left the hall, while Yan Meiyu and Gan Xinglei did not. They stayed to handle the registration.


    As soon as Su Han left, the crowd''s discussion became even more chaotic.


    Both Su Han and Cheng Zhenyong were nning to move. Once they left, there wouldn''t be many capable people left in Building Seven. Even if the floors had been cleared, without someone to lead a search for supplies, venturing out was like delivering food to monsters.


    Thus, many had already made up their minds¡ªit was time to pick a side.


    "Captain Cheng, from what you just said, you''re not moving together. So, where will your group be heading?"


    Taken aback by the sudden question, Cheng Zhenyong paused before replying, "I''m going to the Armed Forces headquarters; it should be safe there."


    Some people''s eyes lit up. That''s right, how could they forget about the Armed Forces headquarters? Could those monsters be more powerful than guns?


    "Captain Cheng, I''ll go with you!"


    "Right, right, I''ll go with you guys!"


    In a moment, many people gathered around Cheng Zhenyong. Gan Xinglei nced at his wife and whispered, "Everyone''s going to Captain Cheng''s side, what now?"

 Chapter 41: 41: Reinitiating Fusion

    "It doesn''t matter,"


    Yan Meiyu said with her arms crossed in front of her chest, speaking calmly, "What Su Han needs are helpers, not burdens, and certainly not those who are sly and crafty."


    Gan Xinglei was a bit confused and asked, "How do you know who is being sly and who isn''t?"


    "I don''t know, but I know some people shouldn''t be taken."


    She pointed to the elderly woman tugging at Cheng Zhenyong''s side and said, "Grandma Zhao, who was the most disruptive when distributing supplies in the building, It''s understandable that she didn''t volunteer for the exploration today, but she didn''t contribute when helping distribute supplies either, yet still wanted her share. Can we really take someone like that?"


    As Yan Meiyu spoke, she pointed out a few more people, some of whom were young, all of whom wanted to reap the benefits without working and treated others as fools.


    Gan Xinglei stared at his girlfriend, amazed, and said incredulously, "You, how do you remember all that?"


    "Reading people and situations was the basic skill of my previous sales job."


    Yan Meiyu revealed a smile and said, "I just never mentioned it before, like how you hid the money for the new game console under the console."


    "Cough cough," Gan Xinglei panicked, "Wife, listen to my exnation, that money..."


    Before he could finish exining, suddenly a figure appeared at his side, "Uh, sorry, am I interrupting?"


    "Guo Gang?"


    The two of them looked in the direction of the voice and discovered it was indeed Guo Gang, the honest man, apanied by Zhao Yimin.


    Yan Meiyu reacted quickly and asked, "Old Guo, are youing with us?"


    "Yes,"


    Without any hesitation, Guo Gang said, "Su Han contracted an Angel Envoy for me, I owe him my gratitude. Besides, I feel safer following him. The current situation is such that even going to the police station might not really be effective. It''s better to be useful by his side. I''ve worked as a mechanic, can repair cars, and do welding, I can definitely be of use."


    He was a straightforward person, not one of great talents, but always abided by the principle of repaying favors, and his instincts were sharp¡ªfollowing Su Han would definitely be safer.


    Having witnessed Su Han take action three times¡ªonce cleaning a floor, where the Angel Envoy was powerful and decisive, surpassing other Contractors, the second time tricking He Fang and others and decisively executing them, and thest was skillfully capturing the Spider Monster during the supermarket exploration.


    Each of the three actions deepened his impression: strong individual capabilities, quick adaptation to the apocalypse, decisive and fair. Such a person was more dependable than Captain Cheng.


    Seeing his decisiveness, Yan Meiyu''s smile grew even brighter, and her voice softened, "We are leaving in two days; you better pack some things with your wife, gather all that needs to be taken, there''s still some room on the truck for stuff."


    "I know, I''ll go back and have Zhao Hui help with packing up, won''t hold everyone back," he assured.


    Guo Gang was fortunate, none of his family had turned into monsters. His wife, Zhao Hui, and daughter Guo Huihui were safe. After he became a Contractor, he also had ess to supplies and they were living fairly well.


    "Don''t worry, Su Han should help your wife contract an Angel Envoy, she won''t be a drag."


    Upon hearing this, Guo Gang grinned, showing a simple and honest expression.


    "Sister Yan, I''m also going with you all. Boss Su Han is strong; I feel safer with him,"


    Zhao Yimin changed his form of address, but his expression wasn''t sycophantic, just looking to foster a closer rtionship, being only a year or two younger than Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu.


    "Okay, just like Guo Gang, remember to pack your belongings. You have a car yourself, it will be useful when the timees."


    ....


    The sudden division of teams caught many off guard, but those present who chose to transfer and follow were very few.


    Only those who had initially decided who they would follow or those who liked to take chances were eager to dere their stance.


    Many others were considering their next steps, weighing the pros and cons, determining how to fully protect themselves before making a choice.


    And some, especially those who had be Contractors, needed to find their family members now that they had some power to do so.


    However, the decision by Cheng Zhenyong and Su Han stirred up new waves at the gathering point of building 7, and this time, it wasn''t going to settle easily.


    After delegating the recruitment to Yan Meiyu, Su Han stopped meddling, while Zhu Xiong was responsible for inventory and packing up.


    It wasn''t until night fell and the entire Building 7 once again sank into silence that Su Han finally left his apartment.


    He arrived at the door on the first floor where Zhang Fu was still on guard duty, but his partner was not the young Zhao anymore; it was someone else.


    "Brother Zhang, you''re still guarding the main door. Where''s Xiao Zhao?"


    After greeting him, Zhang Fu shook his head slightly, "That kid, he found a... nevermind, let''s not talk about it."


    He hesitated, seemingly wanting to mention a girlfriend but thought better of it. Was he foolish enough to think exchanging supplies for a girlfriend was believable?


    Whether or not his actions were justified wasn''t for him to say, so he deliberately changed the subject. "Su Han, couldn''t you sleep?"


    Su Han shook his head and said, "Open the gate for me, please. I need to go out for a bit, I have something to do."


    Zhang Fu''s expression froze. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn''t have allowed them to go out, no matter what the issue. Going out at night risked attracting monsters.


    Though they had cleared some corpses during the day, those were only near the parking area. No one really knew how many monsters there were in the entirepound.


    But since it was Su Han who was asking, it was a different matter.


    Coming back to reality, he said, "Okay, but if you need help, just say so. Don''t be shy."


    Su Han was strong and judicious, better at keeping hisposure than most young people Zhang had seen, so naturally, he didn''t inquire further about his business.


    While talking, he opened the big iron gate. Su Han thanked him, took out a Lamp Tree crystal, and then briskly walked out of Building 7.


    The gate behind him cked shut firmly and automatically locked.


    The light from the Lamp Tree illuminated the surrounding area. The dim yellow light made everything around seem distorted,cking the rity of an incandescent light but giving off a deep, eerie feel that was quite frightening.


    Carrying a crowbar, Su Han led the Four-armed Corpse, following this morning''s memory directly to the parking area.


    The fog surrounded them from afar, making their footsteps distinct in the night.


    Perhaps because they had cleared the area during the day, they encountered no monster attacks along the way, and soon he and the Four-armed Corpse reached the parking lot.


    Car after car was obscured in the fog, barely visible as dark shadows. Su Han nced around and noted fewer cars than during the day, obviously some survivors had driven away.


    "One, two, three¡­ twenty cars, should be enough,"


    Su Han counted the cars. Although a few were missing, he thought it shouldn''t significantly impact their situation, andmanded, "Four-armed Corpse, begin Fusion."


    The Four-armed Corpse, following the order, walked towards the nearest car, ced its hands on the vehicle, and its flesh transformed into tendrils that continuously adhered to and fused with the car''s metal frame.


    LV2 generic metal 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%...


    The progression of the Fusion gradually began to rise. Su Han quietly watched on the side as the Four-armed Corpse speedily devoured the car''s metal structure. Compared to the previous two fusions, this time the Four-armed Corpse''s Fusion speed was noticeably faster.


    But at the same time, because it was upgrading from LV2 to LV3, it required significantly more metal, and the entire hood of the car had fused, but the total Fusion Degree had only reached 8%.


    Su Han was patient. While on guard with the crowbar, he attentively sensed the changes in the Four-armed Corpse.


    As time passed, roughly fifteen minutester, the metal framework of a car had almostpletely vanished, leaving only parts like seats and wheels, which piled up like trash.


    "40% Fusion progress, this pace is eptable. Continue," he observed.


    Fusing the metal from a car, about 1800 pounds, in just over ten minutes was tolerable.


    Soon, the Four-armed Corpse moved from one car to another, leaving non-metallic parts on the ground, including batteries and flowing gasoline, which gradually produced an unpleasant smell.


    Normally, this gasoline would also be an important resource, best collected before fusing to maximize efficiency, but Su Han didn''t have the energy for that.


    By the time they reached the fourth car, the Fusion Degree was finally full.


    [LV3 generic metal Fusionplete, "Metal Control¡¤Junior" skill acquired]

 Chapter 42: 42 Metal Control

    "Metal Control¡¤Junior?"


    The Four-armed Corpsepleted the Fusion with LV3 ordinary metals, and its physical appearance did not change much, still around two and a half meters tall, but a new strength surged within its body.


    "It''s not a bodily skill, but with Metal Control, the potential shouldn''t be too bad, right?"


    A sh of joy crossed Su Han''s eyes, then he immediately calmed his mind, carefully sensing the skill whilemanding, "Four-armed Corpse, test the skill on that white car."


    The Four-armed Corpse strode towards the white private car. Junior Metal Control couldn''tpletely manipte metal through the air; its ability only activated when itsrge hand touched the car door.


    The metal car door gradually deformed under the control of the ability. The originally hard metal softened like modeling y, then formed into a metal sphere under maniption.


    With the approximately 44-pound metal sphere in hand, the ability continued to affect the metal, which acted as if alive, continuously transforming, at one moment into metal gloves, and the next into a Long Knife with a de measuring one meter.


    After experimenting for a while, Su Han made a rough assessment of the range of abilities of Junior Metal Control.


    ''Maximum control distance no more than one meter, but the closer, the stronger the ability. The main abilities are metal activation, shape reshaping, and some degree ofpression and strengthening. It is more an auxiliary than abat function.''


    He assessed the current positioning of this ability in his mind, but soon shook his head, overturning this assessment: ''That''s not right, not just auxiliary functions. If shaping and enhancing a batch of suitable weapons, it could also significantly enhance thebat power of both the Four-armed Corpse and ourselves.''


    His mind immersed, the connection with the Four-armed Corpse became even closer, then he deployed the Metal Maniption ability through its body.


    More metal from the white car deformed under Metal Maniption, gradually gathering in the hands of the Four-armed Corpse.


    After about 440 pounds of metal had fused, Su Han had the Four-armed Corpse manipte the metal to deform and used the ability topress the metal, enhancing its strength based on its original foundation.


    He could feel thatpared to simple physical forging andpression, this type ofpression clearly integrated some kind of energy, so that the enhanced strength was significantly greater than mere physicalpression.


    Under his maniption, two sharp des quickly appeared in the hands of the Four-armed Corpse.


    Long handles, long des, and broad sharp edges, the style was somewhat like Pu knives and Horse-Cutting Sabers, but obviously much heavier.


    Although Tang Knives and Miao Knives were more stylish, most of what Su Han and his team faced were monsters, unusuallyrge and formidable like Spider Monsters, so the long-handled broad-ded sabers were more powerful and decisive for chopping; hence, Su Han chose to forge such weapons.


    Su Han''s own Pu knife had a 40 cm handle, a one meter de, and weighed around 66 pounds, a weight he found just right to swing with his current strength.


    The Pu knife of the Four-armed Corpse was evenrger, with a 60 cm handle and a 1.2-meter de, the whole knife measuring 1.8 meters in length and weighing over 220 pounds.


    As Su Han gripped his Pu knife, the weight sank into his hand, tightly held, and swinging it felt extremely smooth; if he faced a corpse, a single strike could split it along with its spine into two halves.


    With one arm behind its back holding the knife, the de long and imposing, the Four-armed Corpse appeared every bit the tyrant warrior, its aura even more fierce. If a Spider Monster were in front of it, a single sh could probably kill it.


    Su Han wore a satisfied expression, thinking, ''This weapon is good, although it''s mainly auxiliary for now, thebat strength enhancement from weapon forging is not inferior tobat skills, and this is just Junior level. If it can be further enhanced, then the controlled weight and range should also increase...''


    He did not underestimate any newly emerged skills but instead, the importance of controlling metal in this world was self-evident.


    After losingrge machine tools and other modern industrial forces, even metalworking posed a challenging task for humans.


    "Four-armed Corpse, continue the Fusion."


    Letting the Four-armed Corpse hold the saber, Su Han then immediately proceeded with the next Fusion.


    There were still 15 and a half cars in the parking lot, and a Fusion Degree of LV4 ordinary metals wasn''t out of the question.


    After obtaining the control over metal, the Four-armed Corpse''spatibility with metal materials evidently improved, speeding up the Fusion of a car''s metal significantly, reducing it to parts in just seven to eight minutes.


    Su Han was carrying a Pu knife by his side, watching the Fusion Degree slowly increase from 1%, 2%... continuously and unhurriedly.


    As time progressively passed, Su Han and the others had gradually reached the back half of the parking lot where a deep roaring sound once again echoed in the night''s mist. Three distorted figures appeared within the range of the Lamp Tree''s crystal yellow light.


    The back half of the parking lot was simrly close to buildings four and five. Earlier this morning, the group hadn''t ventured here at all, naturally leaving the monsters uncleaned.


    In such pitch-ck night, the light from the Lamp Trees immediately caught the attention of the three corpses, whose growls became more vigorous, then they rapidly charged over.


    They didn''t care for any vehicles obstructing their way, even takingrge steps to jump onto the roofs, crushing the windshields beneath their feet, then lunging towards Su Han.


    "Just in time."


    Su Han didn''t show any signs of nervousness but instead smiled, he didn''t even summon the Four-armed Corpse that was merging with the metal but wanted to test the weapon''s strength.


    He stepped forward, met the first corpse head-on, gripping the handle with both hands, his Pu knife dropped from above at high speed like a guillotine.


    "Crack"


    A sh of the knife, the sharp de slit diagonally from the corpse''s shoulder, sshing blood instantly. At the first contact, the de had already cut through the body of the corpse,pletely severing its upper half.


    ''The sharpness is not bad.''


    Su Han became more excited, two more corpses rushed over in session, his movements did not dy a bit, striking left and right chopping off the heads of the corpses as if slicing through vegetables.


    The de covered in blood, he stood with the knife, his face breaking into a smile, thinking to himself, "This is much more convenient than a crowbar."


    After dealing with the corpses, the Four-armed Corpse began merging the metals from thest few vehicles, and the Fusion Degree was gradually nearing 90%.


    The night grew deeper, and the chill of the surrounding mist became more distinct indeed causing a significant change in temperature.


    The bushes in the residential area had visibly turned yellow and withered after more than ten days, emting a sense of destion.


    However, Su Han didn''t have the energy to think about these things at that moment. After merging the metal from thest vehicle, the LV3mon metal fusion progress reached 100%.


    [LV4 Common Metal Fusion sessful, acquired the skill ck Armor]


    With the skill fusion, this time the Four-armed Corpse underwent a significant transformation, its stature continuously elongated, from the original 2.5 meters, it suddenly grew to a height of 3 meters.


    The muscles became more bulging, each muscle like a piece of hard, reddish granite, and on this reddish skin, ck patterns started to appear, spreading from the head across the body, and reaching down to the sturdy legs.


    The ck patterns were faintly visible, looking like dense scales on the front and a ghostly face on the chest, appearing as tattoos but alternately seeming like armor upon closer inspection.


    "ck Armor draped over"


    With a thought from Su Han, he activated the skill, suddenly seeing the ck pattern light up, radiating a cold, dark light, and then the patterns interconnected, creating a set of thick, shiny ck armor with a ghostly face in the front and scaly body.


    This ck Armor didn''t just appear on its body; it also wrapped around its fierce head, the four arms were armored, covering the body without a gap, like a heavy armored warrior, like a can of iron.


    Su Han moved the knife in his hand, directly chopping towards the ck Armor, ng, surprisingly sparking a trail of sparks.


    "Good defense."


    Su Han''s eyes brightened, his mind immersed, carefully perceiving the skills of this ck Armor, and when he opened his eyes, his pupils shimmered with delight.


    This ck Armor was incredible.

 Chapter 43: 43: Scattered Supplies

    Merely by fusing with the ck Armor skill, the strength of the Four-armed Corpse''s body had already surged by a great deal, with a significant increase in power and a substantial enhancement in defense.


    However, this was just a side benefit of the ck Armor, the real effecty in the ck Armor itself.


    Born from patterns, the texture of the ck Armor was simr to metal, fused with the body of the Four-armed Corpse, and could be actively used. But when under attack, it would also emerge automatically.


    Its defensive capability was extremely formidable; Su Han had already roughly tested it once, but hadn''t yet reached its upper limit. Withstanding spears and cannons would definitely not be a problem, it could be called a humanoid tank.


    Aside from its strong defense, the ck Armor was not considered equipment per se, but rather a skill formation inherent to the Four-armed Corpse. Being connected to the body, it worked in conjunction with the Self-Healing Skill.


    If the ck Armor was damaged, it could slowly self-heal, and under full concentration, the speed of self-healing would be extremely fast.


    Even if the ck Armor was broken due to a hit exceeding the limit, as long as some time was given to recuperate, the skill could still be used.


    Iron Skin, Self-healing, ck Armor ¡ª twoyers of defense with oneyer of healing ¡ª the Four-armed Corpse''s ''blood'' and ''defense'' could be said to be excessively high.


    Su Han smiled and thought to himself, "Now I''m much safer. But I also have some busy work to do. Whether it''s the Self-healing, ck Armor, or Metal Control, if I could synchronize with them, their effects could be very powerful."


    Having experienced the benefits of the Iron Skin skill, he naturally wanted more, but this was not something that could be rushed.


    "Four-armed Corpse, let''s go, time to head back..."


    "ng"


    Just as they were about to leave, as the Four-armed Corpse turned around, it seemed to have hit something, and the noise was particrly prominent in the night.


    Su Han looked down and saw a can of c; the pull-tab cans had already scattered on the ground, with one here and one there, appearing quite new.


    He had thought it was a ''part'' left from the car, but as he moved the Lamp Tree Crystals in his hand, preparing to turn around and leave.


    Suddenly, on the road in the residentialmunity that was illuminated by the light, there appeared to be more than just a few cans of c; broken rice bags and grains, scattered canned food... Su Han sharply realized something was amiss: "Are these supermarket supplies?!"


    The familiar packaging allowed him to recognize that these items were part of the same batch they had scavenged from the Yongli Supermarket. If nobody else had been to the Lihua Supermarket after them, it meant that something had happened to the people from building 4.


    Su Han''s expression turned grim as he immediately realized there might be other problems in themunity.


    ''If the situation is wrong, we''ll have to escape early.''


    He controlled the Four-armed Corpse to trace along the trail of scattered items, bing increasingly vignt in his heart.


    This action was indeed risky but necessary.


    This was an internalmunity road leading towards building 3 and 4, only a few turns away from building 7. If something had indeed happened to building 4, then building 7 would not be spared.


    Su Han cautiously traced the path, and under the faint yellow glow, he could already make out the imposing shadow of building 4.


    The mist was thick, and the shadow of the building was indistinct, resembling a silent and lonely monster.


    "Rustle, rustle, rustle"


    At that moment, from within the fog, a whispering sound could be heard. Su Han became alert and shone the light from the Lamp Tree forward, only to discover several eerie figures hanging in mid-air.


    ''What is that?!''


    Su Han was startled and immediately focused his gaze. Among the fog, appearing in mid-air like hanging fruit were, in fact, corpses.


    Slimy ck vines wrapped around their bodies, and the fine branches of the vines had prated thepletely desated corpses, leaving them skin and bones.


    The breeze stirred, and as the hanging corpses gently swayed, they produced a scraping noise, resembling a wind chime made of bodies.


    Su Han was greatly rmed, and he followed the vines upwards, eventually spotting a tall silhouette at the root of the vines.


    It was a weirdly tall and massive treelike figure, approximately six or seven meters high, with a thick trunk and twisted branches that looked like aggressive limbs. The vines binding the corpses were extending from these contorted branches.


    "Click, click"


    The branches moved slightly, and the vines began to tighten. A semi-dried corpse was brought next to the trunk of the tree. Su Han''s pupils narrowed as he recognized the body; the limp head hanging down was none other than He Fang.


    He saw the trunk suddenly open a pair of crimson eyes, and a gaping mouth revealed itself, with squirming red flesh and jagged wooden teeth. The mouth swallowed He Fang''s corpse whole, began to chew, and made a crunching noise.


    Su Han felt an extreme sense of eeriness; this tree was a monster fused with both wood and flesh.


    Not only He Fang''s body, but around the Human-faced Tree, he had already seen overturned vehicles, scattered supplies, and realized that all the people from building 4, including a First-level Intermediate and more than ten First Order Inferiors, hadn''t escaped.


    ''Retreat; this monster is not to be messed with.''


    Su Han immediately controlled the Four-armed Corpse to leave, as the Human-faced Tree was simply iparable to the Spider Monster. The aura it emitted was also stronger than that of the current Four-armed Corpse.


    However, Su Han had only retreated a few steps when that crimson gaze had already locked onto him through the fog.


    In the nighttime mist, the light from the Lamp Tree Crystals was so dazzling, so attractive to the monsters'' gaze.


    "Roar!"


    A hoarse roar echoed throughout the neighborhood as the massive Human-faced Tree began to move. Its tree-like body meant it didn''t move too quickly, its feet, like roots, slowly pulled free, and its twisting tree-branch hands swung towards Su Han and the Four-armed Corpse.


    "Swoosh"


    Vines shot out first, heading straight for the Four-armed Corpse and Su Han, their speed many times faster than the Human-faced Tree''s movements.


    The Four-armed Corpse and Su Han had not gotten far before the vines were already behind them.


    ''Not good!''


    Su Han felt a gust of sinister wind on his back and out of the corner of his eye, he saw several pitch-ck vines just half a meter away.


    His expression tensed, and he made a split-second decision to turn back and raise his knife, swinging it down forcefully.


    The de shed past, a splurch sound was heard, and several vines were severed, but surprisingly, under the bark was not wood but tough flesh.


    The tips of the cut vines writhed incessantly, and dark red blood dripped all over the ground.


    The vines attacking the Four-armed Corpse were more numerous and much thicker, with about ten or so in total.


    The Four-armed Corpse gripped its Pu knives tightly, then turned and shed just as ferociously and swiftly, severing most of the vines in an instant.


    However, there were still too many vines, and three that slipped through the cracks attacked it, wrapping around the hand holding the Pu knives.


    A tremendous force was transmitted instantly, and the Four-armed Corpse staggered nearly, as the strength of the Human-faced Tree was far greater than that of the Spider Monster.


    It steadied itself, the w from under its ribs reaching out, shing upward, severing the entangling vines, and breaking free from the restraint.


    Su Han didn''t hesitate, and after freeing themselves from the restraint, he immediately ordered the Four-armed Corpse to turn and flee. Both he and his Angel Envoy dashed back, trying to distance themselves from the pursuing Human-faced Tree.


    "Rustle rustle rustle"


    The rasping sound became clearer as the ground on both sides of thewn bulged suddenly, and two sharp vines, like ck spears, shot straight toward the back of the Four-armed Corpse.


    These vines had been hidden beneath the ground, whether they had been lying in wait or had stealthily burrowed there. The sudden attack caught both the Four-armed Corpse and Su Han off guard.


    "ng!"


    The fierce collision sent the massive Four-armed Corpse flying, tumbling forward for nearly seven or eight meters.


    The terrifying strength was extreme. Considering that the Four-armed Corpse was now d in ck Armor, wielding Pu knives, and standing three meters tall with a weight of at least a thousand pounds.


    Such a fierce vine assault should have prated the Four-armed Corpse, but the Human-faced Tree miscalcted. The ck Armor on the Four-armed Corpse stopped the attack, the Scale Armor dented, but the flesh was unharmed, and all the force of impact turned into thrust that sent it flying.


    The Human-faced Tree''s strike didn''t achieve its objective, but it sessfully slowed down Su Han and the Four-armed Corpse. More vines surged out from the grass on both sides, like dancing snakes, covering the sky as they approached the pair.


    The Human-faced Tree continued to move closer at a steady pace, not too fast or too slow, around twenty or thirty meters away from Su Han, but the vines were within striking distance.


    A chill ran through Su Han''s heart as he realized they were surrounded.


    His heartbeat became more frantic, but his mind became more settled. Suddenly, a strong scent of gasoline gave him an idea as he caught a glimpse of the parking lot in his peripheral vision.


    Scattered parts, gasoline everywhere, his gaze finally settled on a new energy car battery.


    "Let''s go all out."


    He immediately turned and ran swiftly whilemanding the Four-armed Corpse to rise and block the vines. Itsrge body swung the Pu knives, forming an imprable shield of des, shing away at the vines.


    But it was like putting out a fire with a cup of water¡ªthe number of vines was evidently much greater, and they attacked from all directions intelligently, making it incredibly difficult to fend them off.


    The arms were gradually scaled by the vines. Fortunately, it had four and cut the vines off quickly.


    Meanwhile, as most of the vines were attracted to the Four-armed Corpse, Su Han cut his way through the few that remained, striding toward the edge of the parking lot.


    He spun around, and his Pu knife shot out straight, piercing a new energy battery.


    With a splurch, the battery waspletely destroyed, a plume of blue smoke billowed out, followed by a burst of sparks.

 Chapter 44: 44 Fleeing Overnight

    The sparks that burst from the car battery immediately set the pooled gasoline on fire, and in an instant, mes roared and spread throughout the entire parking lot at an incredibly rapid pace.


    Su Han dashed beyond the boundary of the parking lot. The speed of the fire''s spread hadn''t caught up to him, but the Four-armed Corpse and the vines that were entangled were right at the center of the parking lot.


    In an instant, the fire engulfed them, with mes reaching three to four meters high, almostpletely submerging the Four-armed Corpse. Heat waves rolled out continuously, and under the high temperature, the batteries of the other electric cars began to emit even more ck smoke.


    "Boom"


    One explosion after another resounded, and the Four-armed Corpse, surrounded by fire, felt its body scorched by the intense heat. However, even more helplessly tangled than it were the vines of the Human-faced Tree.


    Just as the mes had sprung up, they had tried to pull the Four-armed Corpse out, but under Su Han''s control, it swung its Pu knives, shing the vines apart.


    As soon as the temperature from the mes rose, the vines could no longer bear it. Those drenched in gasoline caught fire immediately and burned fiercely.


    Under such burning, the vines withdrew quickly, like startled birds, disappearing back into the originalwn, to extinguish the mes on them and avoid the raging inferno of the parking lot.


    "Four-armed Corpse,e back!"


    Once the Four-armed Corpse was free, Su Han immediately controlled it to turn around and bolt from the ze. As it rushed forward, its body already aze with roaring mes, the ck Armor faintly glowed red, clearly very hot, and it sizzled as it moved.


    In the fight that had just urred, its body was already covered in gasoline, and now ignited by the massive fire, it couldn''t escape being burned.


    However, thanks to the protection of Iron Skin and ck Armor, it wouldn''t be charred by the mes in a short amount of time, but the high heat continued to scorch its flesh.


    Without hesitation, Su Han immediately made the Four-armed Corpse roll onto the distantwn, smothering its body with soil and sand, which finally put out the mes.


    By this time, the parking lot had turned into a spreading sea of mes, whichpletely separated Su Han from the Human-faced Tree, as they looked at each other from across the distance.


    The Human-faced Tree, fearing the fire, slowly retreated to the vicinity of the fourth building, its form vanishing into the mist.


    The disappearance of the Human-faced Tree didn''t make Su Han breathe a sigh of relief; his expression remained grave.


    ''This monster is at least of the Second Order in strength. It has taken the whole Happiness Community as its hunting ground.''


    He shuddered at the thought. The Human-faced Tree had been silently wandering within themunity¡ªit wasn''t that it couldn''t break into the seventh building, it simply hadn''t reached this area yet.


    Or perhaps, the bodies that Cheng Zhenyong had thrown out of the building saved everyone''s lives.


    The bodies temporarily sated the Human-faced Tree that passed by.


    But now, the mist was thinning, and the chances of encountering this monster within themunity were exponentially greater. It wasn''t safe to stay here any longer.


    He immediately controlled the Four-armed Corpse and quickly retraced the original path, heading straight to the base of Building Seven.


    "Bang! Bang! Bang!"


    He knocked on therge iron door of Building Seven, and Zhang Fu soon opened it, his expression just as grave, "Su Han, what happened?"


    "Let''s go inside and talk; the situation isn''t good."


    The look on Su Han''s face made Zhang Fu feel that something was amiss. By that time, the hall was already not just upied by the two security guards; almost everyone had been awakened by the explosion and now gathered in the hall.


    When Su Han walked in, everyone was startled. Su Han''s face and clothes were soot-ckened, and the Four-armed Corpse wasn''t in much better shape, with scorch marks on its body and emitting a strong smell of gasoline.


    Their sorry states filled everyone with unsettling doubts¡ªSu Han was already so powerful, what could possibly have happened to leave him in such a state?


    "Su Han, what happened?"


    Captain Cheng''s expression was serious as he looked towards Su Han, his heart hanging in suspense.


    "There''s a monster in Happiness Community, at least of the Second Order. The Four-armed Corpse and I are no match for it. Everyone in Building Four is gone."


    "What!"


    Shock appeared on everyone''s faces, followed by an indescribable terror. There was such a creature in themunity all this time.


    And the distance between Building Four and Building Seven wasn''t far at all.


    "I set a fire to temporarily block it, but it definitely won''t hold for too long, if we want to survive, we''d better leave tonight."


    Su Han conveyed the message to everyone, then immediately turned to Zhu Xiong and said, "Load all the supplies onto the truck, we''re leaving tonight."


    "Okay, everything''s ready to go, it''ll be done in ten minutes."


    Zhu Xiong, understanding the gravity of the situation, immediately responded and then summoned Gan Xinglei, saying, "Old Gan,e help me."


    "I''ll help too."


    Zhao Yimin was also in the crowd. Knowing that the situation was dire, he immediately started to help and followed Zhu Xiong to Su Han''s room to begin moving the supplies onto the vehicles.


    As Su Han''s people sprang into action, Yan Meiyu took the initiative and said, "I''ll organize the folks who are with us."


    Su Han nodded and said, "Be quick."


    He hurried to recover his strength, and as they all started to move, the whole assembly point became chaotic with everyone immediately packing up their things.


    In just over ten minutes, the hall was crowded with people, and Zhu Xiong and his team had all the supplies loaded onto the truck.


    "Su Han, we don''t have enough vehicles."


    In the midst of the pandemonium, Yan Meiyu found Su Han in private and said, "We only have seven vehicles in total. There are 49 people at the assembly point. There are 20 of us and 29 with Captain Cheng''s group, and they don''t have enough vehicles."


    Su Han''s side, including Zhao Yimin, had a total of five vehicles¡ªthree private cars and two trucks. Even though one had the Spider Monster and other monster corpses, and another was loaded with supplies, fitting 20 people wasn''t a problem at all.


    The problem was with Cheng Zhenyong''s group. They only had two vehicles, both SUVs with decent capacity, but even squeezed tight they couldn''t fit that many people.


    "We''ll leave themunity first, and figure it out on the road."


    With Su Han''s order, everyone squeezed into the vehicles. Some people wanted to bring more belongings, but apart from food and the essentials, everything was left behind.


    "Old Zhu and I will lead the way."


    Su Han and Zhu Xiong boarded the first truck, mmed on the elerator, and charged out of the back gate of themunity, not caring for the checkpoint, as this was the only way to bypass Building Four.


    Following right behind them was another truck, along with Zhao Yimin, Gan Xinglei, and their lot.


    Cheng Zhenyong''s group trailed behind, silently rushing out of themunity. After a long drive, circling around to Lihua Supermarket, Su Han eventually stopped.


    The supermarket had been cleared in the morning, but now there were a few monsters wandering about. A Four-armed Corpse wielding Pu knives stepped forward and after a bout of clearing, finally made a safe area.


    "Everyone, get out of the vehicles and rest up in the supermarket."


    After a night''s rush, dawn was gradually breaking, and everyone, dragging their weary bodies, entered the supermarket.


    Cheng Zhenyong had Zhang Fu block the door with shelving units, and, not minding the dirty floor, they all found ces to lean against and sit down to rest.


    "That monster won''t be able to follow us here, right?"


    Su Han, Cheng Zhenyong, and a few others gathered together, and Cheng Zhenyong''s question carried a tone of worry.


    Su Han shook his head and said, "It shouldn''t. That monster is a tree with a human face, it doesn''t move very fast, but its vines are very powerful."


    With those words, everyone let out a sigh of relief.


    "Between spiders and man-eating nts, this damn world."


    Zhu Xiong, frustrated, lit a cigarette, puffing smoke. He even shared one with Zhang Fu beside him.


    "We''lle back to deal with that thingter."


    Nobody takes a beating from a monster and lets it go just like that, especially now that they can fuse with the entire monster. It''s about time they gave that Human-faced Tree a visit.


    What goes aroundes around; don''t mess with an Angel Envoy when he''s down.


    Su Han made a note of it in his little book, then turned to Cheng Zhenyong and asked, "Captain Cheng, do you want to rest up in the supermarket for a bit, or should we leave immediately?"

 Chapter 45: 45: Chance Encounter

    Cheng Zhenyong was taken aback, "You n to leave today?"


    Su Han nodded and said, "We have set our target, and it would be more convenient to leave earlier."


    Cheng Zhenyong thought about it and realized that among those willing to go with Su Han, Guo Gang''s family of three, Xia Ning and her roommate, Zhao Yimin, and other Contractors made up half of them.


    Physically and mentally, they were better adapted to this situation, and leaving did not really pose a big problem for them.


    In contrast, his side had slightly more ordinary people.


    "We should rest for a while, but the supermarket is rtively safe," he said.


    He paused, then added, "Also, we need to find a vehicle."


    Upon hearing this, Su Han called out Old Zhu''s name, "Old Zhu, give him the keys to the car we traded."


    Everyone was surprised, but he said, "We have four vehicles enough for us, if we give you one, it would save you the trouble of finding one."


    Cheng Zhenyong hadn''t expected Su Han to just give away a car. He froze, his gaze solemn, and he said in a deep voice, "Brother, thanks."


    Su Han just waved his hand, without saying much. He had his own calctions. The Human-faced Tree had been his sudden provocation, otherwise there would have been a day or two for relocation.


    Back then, Cheng Zhenyong would have had time to find a vehicle and wouldn''t have been in such a sorry state.


    This was his due; he ought to provide the vehicle and it wasn''t a big deal.


    Zhu Xiong took a drag from his cigarette and said, "The Lihua boss has a Golden Cup van, but it''s usually not parked on this street, it''s near the back alley, you should look for the keys near the staff area."


    The back alley was a street away, and navigating through the fog to get there wouldn''t be easy, but it was better than nothing.


    "I will organize people to check it out."


    ...


    After a brief meeting, they found some ready-to-eat foods in the supermarket, and everyone ate to replenish their energy.


    Then Su Han and his group started gathering, left Lihua Supermarket, and settled into four vehicles.


    In total there were 20 people, with Su Han''s group of four as the core. Besides them, there were six Contractors including Guo Gang, Xia Ning, and Zhao Yimin, and the rest were ordinary people, one of whom was a little girl, Guo Huihui.


    As usual, Su Han and Zhu Xiong led the way in the cars, but this time, in addition to the front of the car, the back seat bed also had two people, Xia Ning and her roommate Bai Xiao''e, along with another man.


    The two private cars and the truck behind them each amodated five people.


    The group was well-prepared and drove directly into the foggy streets.


    The Shanhu Vi District was quite a distance from Lihua Supermarket, about seven or eight kilometers, and that was based on having navigation and knowing shortcuts.


    Now, signals were long lost, and the mobile phones were all out of power, so getting there was naturally much more difficult.


    "Visibility is just over a hundred meters, driving at thirty yards is already pushing it," Zhu Xiongined, his hand steering slowly around the abandoned cars on the street. He also shook the Lamp Tree Crystals outside the window, signaling the vehicles behind.


    In the rear-view mirror, the three vehicles behind him shed their hazards in session, indicating they had received the signal.


    This was their agreed method ofmunication, since mobile phones and walkie-talkies were all unusable, this was the only way to possibly avoid idents.


    Su Han looked out the car window, his eyes slightly focused, "At least we can drive, when is the rush hour traffic the worst?"


    Spattered blood stains, the bloody remains of corpses, and the shattered windows of vehicles... the streets shrouded in fog were far more dpidated than he had imagined, as if the whole city had turned into ruins overnight.


    "The entrance and exit of the second ring road, that ce is the busiest in the morning, it''s impassable."


    Zhu Xiong understood Su Han''s meaning when the crimson orbs descended, it was morning, and the sudden crisis only made the congested areas even more packed; the past ten days likely hadn''t brought any significant changes.


    "Take the small path along the two rivers, that''s the old road. Aside from drivers hauling cargo, private cars don''t go that way."


    Zhu Xiong, who ran transportation, knew many roads. The area was uneven and worn, private cars would get ayer of dust even if nothing else happened, not to mention scraping the chassis.


    Later, as more and more trucks passed through, private cars became even more fearful of scratches and traveled there even less.


    Su Han nodded, trusting Zhu Xiong''s choice of roads.


    He looked toward both sides of the street, where faint growls in the fog made him wary of letting his guard down.


    "Thump thump thump"


    The sound of footsteps quickly arose, and amidst the swirling fog, several more corpses burst out from the shops on the street, aiming to attack the convoy.


    This was already the sixth attack along the way; only this time, there were a few more of them.


    "Here theye again; time to work, time to work."


    Zhu Xiong didn''t slow down the elerator; the Four-armed Corpse guarding next to the convoy had already met them with a de, cutting each one in half with a single stroke.


    Any that slipped through, the Angel Envoy corpses atop the trucks belonging to Zhu Xiong and his group would also leap down, shing furiously with their machetes, swiftly finishing off the corpses.


    "Su Han, the machetes your Angel Envoy produced are firm, much slicker than therge des we used on long trips when we were younger."


    Zhu Xiong saw his corpses quickly resolving the fight, and under his mentalmand, saw each corpse climb swiftly with a de in its mouth to the tops of the trucks ahead and behind.


    "There''s no time now; we''ll get armor once we reach Shanhu Vi."


    Zhu Xiongughed, "That''s great; though these Angel Envoys are strong, they''re still a bitcking. It''s okay when they handle weapons, but controlling them takes more effort."


    Not using weapons, just ordering an attack, the Angel Envoys would attack like wild beasts, which was rtively easy to manage.


    But finely controlling them to attack with knives, even in a slight formation, consumed much more energy and made people tire more quickly.


    It''s like the Angel Envoy is a person''s hands; instinctive swinging is entirely different from doing intricate hand gestures, ying basketball, or dancing.


    The number of broken cars on the main road was increasing; even the blood on the ground hadn''t yet dried. Apart from the monstrous howls in the fog, Su Han and the others could even hear screams¡ªhuman voices.


    There were not a few surviving people, but those who hadn''t turned into monsters had to face even more terrifying creatures.


    For now, Su Han and his group neither had the energy nor the capacity to save so many people; everyone just hardened their hearts and blocked their ears.


    The vehicles on the main road were bing more numerous, and even with the Four-armed Corpse pushing obstacles away in the fog, it was difficult to proceed.


    Zhu Xiong simply left the main road, taking a deserted route, and turned onto the old riverside road; on one side were the twin river waters, and on the other were rtively rundown old houses and asional red brick buildings, which seemed out of cepared to the city''s high-rise buildings.


    "This area was supposed to be demolished to make way for a riverside residential project, but now it''s probably been canceled."


    "..."


    It wasn''t just canceled¡ªthe real estate boss might have well beenpletely finished.


    Su Han''s gaze swept across the Twin Rivers shrouded in the fog; the calmness of the water surface under the fog was terrifying, as if monsters could surge out at any moment.


    Zhu Xiong joked with his words, but his driving became more careful; in this area, turning around was not an option as the road was narrow, and if something happened, they could only back out.


    However, it was precisely the worry that materialized; as the vehicles continued forward, a huge red shadow suddenly appeared in the fog¡ªa truck was stopped on the road.


    "Rustle rustle rustle"


    The truck blocked the road, and on both sides of the truck, suddenly, more than a dozen crimson eyes appeared.

 Chapter 46: 46: Giant Macrophage Dog

    The glow of the Lamp Tree crystals and the noise of the vehicles startled the creatures within the fog. Footsteps densely sounded on the ground, dragging and scraping, not at all like a bipedal animal walking.


    "Everyone, be on alert."


    The crimson gaze already revealed they weren''t human, and at this point, there was no concern about startling the creatures further. Zhu Xiong was shouting at his teammates behind the truck.


    Then, with a plop, everyone instinctively summoned their Angel Envoys, those on the rooftops jumping down to surround the convoy.


    Gan Xinglei, Guo Gang, and Zhao Yimin''s Angel Envoy corpsesnded at the rear, guarding against any creatures that might approach from behind.


    The other corpses, under control, moved to the front end of the truck, closely following the tall Four-armed Corpse.


    "Boss, what do we do?"


    Xia Ning poked her head out, nervously watching the crimson eyes in the fog ahead. The eerie scene frightened her, unlike facing the corpses directly.


    "Here theye."


    As he spoke, the crimson eyes in the fog moved, and one by one, creatures emerged from within.


    One, two, three... a total of seven creatures, lining up with the tallest one leaping onto the truck roof ahead, the crimson gaze overlooking Su Han''s convoy emitting a dangerous light.


    "Big dog?"


    Zhu Xiong was shocked as the creature revealed it''s form, his heart sinking even more.


    The monster in front of them looked somewhat like a giant dog, shoulder height about 1.3 to 1.4 meters and about 2.5 meters in length, muscles bulging, tes defined as if its skin had been peeled away, revealing a dark red hue.


    Its spine was twisted, arching like a dorsal fin, with bone spurs protruding from the spine and sticking out of the body, making it particrly ferocious-looking.


    However, the most terrifying aspect was its interlocking fangs, its enormous maw divided into three sections like a budding flower, with tiny teeth lining each split lip, drooling foul saliva, resembling a hellish hound.


    "Lur~"


    A deep growling sound came, and the seven creatures'' gaze turned even more dangerous. Suddenly, the leading creature leapt down, charging straight for Su Han''s windshield.


    The remaining six ran on the spot, charging towards the Angel Envoys at high speed.


    "Underestimating us, huh?"


    At the thought, Su Han''s Four-armed Corpse had already lunged forward, its knife arcing through the air, chopping directly towards the creature.


    The creature in mid-air seemed instinctively alert, violently twisting its body, halting its charge, barely dodging the de.


    However, a red gash had already appeared on its shoulder, with blood spurting out.


    "Roar"


    The painful roar set off the prelude to the battle, the fierce Giant Macrophage Dog crashing into the many Angel Envoys'' corpses. The Envoys mostly held Pu knives, swinging to strike, but the wide-open maw caught the de instead.


    "ng"


    The de was directly bitten, the sharp edge cutting the tear, but the Giant Macrophage Dog did not relent, instead forcefully ramming into the corpse.


    At this collision, many corpses were almost knocked over, only the Rot Skin Rat and Old Zhu''s First-level Intermediate corpses escaped the brunt.


    Knocked down, the corpses, in their humanoid forms, suffered a disadvantage, unable to pull out their knives, they resorted to direct hand-to-handbat.


    With beast-like biting and scratching, the Giant Macrophage Dog clearly had the upper hand, continuously aiming for the corpses'' necks. If not for the corpses pushing back hard, their necks would have likely been snapped.


    "Not good!"


    Seeing the situation ahead, how could Gan Xinglei still defend the rear? He yelled, "Go up and help."


    The three defending corpses charged forward, directly shing at the three entangled Giant Macrophage Dogs. The thick necks were split open, blood spraying out, which finally made the dogs release their grip.


    The Four-armed Corpse charged towards the Giant Macrophage Dog leader. The leader tried to dodge, buying time, but the Four-armed Corpse wouldn''t give up.


    The Pu knife in its hand was thrown like a javelin. The Giant Macrophage Dog wanted to dodge, but with the truck on its left and the river on its right, it had little room to maneuver. Before it could move, it was pinned to the ground by the Pu knife, whimpering.


    The Four-armed Corpse turned and charged at the other creatures, as the remaining six monsters were fiercely fighting the Rot Skin Rat and eight other Angel Envoys.


    Although they were slightly fewer in number, their burst of strength was definitely superior to that of the corpses, requiring two corpses to hold back one.


    Fortunately, Gan Xinglei, Zhu Xiong, and Yan Meiyu coordinated well, jointly killing off two, and the remaining four were effectively cornered.


    "Don''t be too harsh."


    Su Han''smand suddenly came, and the Four-armed Corpse stepped into the fray, grabbing the struggling Giant Macrophage Dog. With a snap, it broke its spine, beating it half to death.


    With only three left, everyone seized the opportunity. The Envoys rushed up, holding and biting, literally breaking their bones.


    The battle ended, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.


    Su Han and Zhu Xiong were the first to get out of the car. Zhu Xiong wanted to go forward and check on the Giant Macrophage Dogs.


    "Be careful, they are more ferocious than the corpses."


    "I know." Zhu Xiong responded with a heavy nod, indicating his understanding as he swung a steel pipe at each one, finding four that reacted.


    "My goodness, their vitality is really not weak."


    Zhu Xiongmented as he knew if it were just two or three people alone, they would likely struggle to fight even one, which was only about a meter and a half smaller than a tiger.


    "Su Han, there are four still breathing."


    Su Han focused intently on one of them, and the monster''s name appeared: Giant Macrophage Dog.


    "Those without a Contract, four peoplee out and kill them."


    Su Han signaled to Gan Xinglei and Yan Meiyu, both of whom nodded in understanding, "Start with the front vehicle, Bai Xiao''e, Zhou Qishan... you four make the Contract first, using this weapon."


    The weapon was a machete used by the corpses, thick and sharp. Joy shed in the eyes of the four, who hastily nodded, "Thank you, Sister Yan, thank you, boss."


    "Old Zhu, let''s check ahead."


    Su Han pointed to a truck ahead, Zhu Xiong understood that they did not need to watch over the Contracting process, so he said, "Let''s go, I reckon something has happened."


    The two stepped over the body of the Giant Macrophage Dog; the closer they got to its massive body, the more terrifying it seemed¡ªnot a dog, but more like the size of a tiger.


    "With a mouth like that, even a tiger would leave behind a few pounds of meat."


    He spected, "I think it''s a wild dog that mutated, but Su Han, if wild dogs can turn into this, then what about the zoo?"


    Thinking of the zoo animals, Zhu Xiong shuddered.


    "I fear the situation there isn''t good either, but it''s not necessarily aplete transformation."


    Through their journey, he had noticed the corpses of ordinary cats and dogs by the roadside, devouredpletely by monsters, clearly indicating that mutation wasn''t absolute.


    The two men reached the front vehicle. As they approached the driver''s door, which was open, a foul smell wafted out. Half of a body, gnawed down to the bone, dangled from the stepping board.


    The half of the body sticking out of the car door was eaten away, leaving only a bloody spine and a few ribs. The lower half was stuck under the steering wheel, and the Giant Macrophage Dog could not reach it, leaving it rtively intact but already rotting.


    Zhu Xiong spat on the ground and cursed, "Those damned beastly monsters."


    "Been dead for over ten days now, let''s get it out first and let the corpses handle it."


    Zhu Xiong nodded, summoned his own corpse to drag the half-body out, and pulled it to the side of the road where the odor dissipated somewhat.


    Zhu Xiong, unconcerned about the lingering smell, climbed into the truck to take a look and said, "The key is still here, we can start it. Do we want this vehicle? It can carry more than my other two."


    "Can it be driven?"


    Zhu Xiong grinned and joked, "If it couldn''t be driven, would you have traffic management arrest me?"


    "...."


    Got it, forcing it to work, huh? Very criminal.


    Zhu Xiong''s suggestion met no objection from Su Han, though driving it might be problematic since the vehicle''s view, turning radius, and braking distance were different. But in these end-times, those weren''t really issues¡ªas long as you don''t crash into a wall, scratches and scrapes were nobody''s concern.


    So, he brought over the experienced driver Zhao Yimin, and just let him drive the truck alone.


    Zhu Xiong checked the vehicle''s container. It was empty, apparently ready to pick up cargo in the morning only for the fog to set in and leave monsters mutated and stranded here.


    Nothing was found in the cabin or the trailer except for an ornament hanging from the rearview mirror, bearing a family portrait.


    Chauffeurs often away from home, keeping a memento was the best way to endure the loneliness.


    Zhu Xiong knew what it was, but aside from sighing, there was nothing else he could do¡ªthe person was already dead, and whether their family was still alive was unknown.


    He hurriedly buried the bone remains and the ornament, and finally, the Contracts werepleted, taking slightly longer than the corpse''s.


    "How do you feel?"


    "Boss Su Han"


    Su Han approached the four individuals, and they quickly greeted him, not daring to be prideful even though they had made the Contract, aware of their own capabilities.


    "Contracting was a bit painful, but the power fed back is strong," Xiao''e responded in a weak voice to Su Han''s question, and the other three nodded, "Right, it''s like the blood vessels are bursting."


    Su Han raised an eyebrow, was it painful during Fusion?


    He suddenly asked, "How strong are they?"


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 Chapter 47: 47 Shanhu Villa

    "First Order Inferior, called the Giant Macrophage Dog, but it seems it''s almost First-level Intermediate."


    First Order Inferior nearing Medium, indeed this power is stronger than that of an ordinary flesh corpse.


    Su Han continued to ask, but noticed a small detail.


    Bai Xiao''e felt not just the sensation of swollen veins, but a stinging pain from within her body, clearly suffering more than the other three men.


    "Don''t recall your Giant Macrophage Dogs; keep them on guard with the team. Their speed is faster, and their senses are more acute."


    "Yes, Boss Su Han."


    The emergence of such a situation with Fusion was indeed beyond Su Han''s expectations, but after careful thought, it seemed quite normal.


    The Angel Envoy feeds back strength; if the disparity between the Contractor and the Angel Envoy is too great, then the Contract bes a burden and could very likely harm the Contractor themselves.


    Every gift has its price listed; if one wishes to reach the sky in one step and Contract those powerful creatures, then one must see if they can endure it.


    ''It seems I''ll need to be more careful with Contracts and hunts in the future''


    As Su Han pondered, he arranged the manpower, while Zhu Xiong instructed everyone to load the Giant Macrophage Dog corpses onto the newly acquired panel van.


    After everything was settled, everyone followed Su Han''s n and continued to drive slowly out of the old riverside road under the guard of their Angel Envoys.


    Zhao Yimin, although never having driven a cargo truck, was still very steady at the wheel, and with no real curves on the old road, he gradually drove beyond its confines.


    Once they left the old road, Zhu Xiong overtook to lead the way in the first position; this time they encountered no further mishaps.


    Even though they were still attacked by flesh corpses, the response speed of the whole team increased significantly with the addition of four Giant Macrophage Dogs.


    The dogs'' keen senses meant they gave a low warning as soon as the flesh corpses neared the fog, and then they charged forward, their mouth split into three vicious segments mping immediately onto the attacking flesh corpses.


    The bite force of therge mouth was far more terrifying than imagined; it could snap the flesh corpse''s bones in one go. With the Angel Envoys'' help in finishing them off, there was no need even for the Four-armed Corpse to take action to dispose of these monsters.


    As such, their progress speed increased a lot.


    Finally, as they approached noon, the fog began to reveal fewer surrounding buildings, reced by towering, withered street trees.


    "We''re here."


    Zhu Xiong''s truck came to a halt; what entered their field of vision was a towering wall around themunity, much like a small city''s wall, about three meters in height, thick-walled, with climbing nts winding over it, which must be quite beautiful during the blooming season.


    Now, however, with the fog descended, the vines were withered; the wall color was gloomy, projecting a sense of destion and bleakness that felt ufortable.


    In the center of the wall was a massive iron gate nearly three meters tall, styled in a split-hinged design, both opulent and substantial, not some cheap sliding gate. The security booth was right next to it, like a watchtower beside ''the city wall,'' supporting the iron gate on both sides.


    "Let''s get out and see if we can open the gate."


    The gate was substantial, and since it was so securely closed, Su Han preferred not to destroy it; it could still be used for defense.


    Zhu Xiong followed Su Han out of the vehicle, and as they approached the gate, Zhu Xiong felt around, patted the gate, and said, "It''s electric, but it can be pushed open."


    Upon hearing this, Su Han immediately called over the Four-armed Corpse, who pressed arge hand on the gate and then, with a push, the gate slowly opened with a creaking noise, reverberating loudly through the fog.


    "Roar"


    No sooner had they opened a crack in the gate than three twisted figures appeared not far behind it, wearing tattered white security uniforms; they then turned and charged straight at them.


    "Yo, still on guard? How much of the measly sry, eight hundred or so, do you get that you''d still go out fighting after death?"


    Su Han: ...


    Impressive, now even Old Zhu''s opening quips are Hell Level jokes, huh.


    The two were not nervous, as encountering only three corporeal zombiespared to previous experiences could only be described as a routine situation.


    Zhu Xiong picked up his machete, ready to meet them head-on, but Su Han said, "Keep one alive, we still have people who haven''t made a Contract."


    Zhu Xiong obeyed themand. As the corporeal zombies charged forward with him, he saw his corporeal zombie grab one first, then he circled around from the left side and chopped down at the zombie''s lumbar spine with hisrge machete.


    There was a crack, and that corporeal zombie lost most of its ability.


    On Su Han''s side, the Four-armed Corpse had not made a move yet; he had already taken up his Pu knife and was ferociously striking at the corporeal zombie with the back of the de.


    The Four-armed Corpse''s regurgitation ability was originally strong. Now that it was First Order Upper Grade, Su Han''s own strength was nothing to scoff at either.


    With one strike, there was a crack, and the corporeal zombie''s thigh was broken.


    Before the two corporeal zombies could get close, they were already lying on the ground, constantly howling, but unable to approach.


    "Let Old Guo''s wifee over, and then pick two more people."


    The people from the rear vehicle had already gotten out of the car by this time. Hearing Su Han''s instructions, Yan Meiyu immediately began to choose people.


    Guo Gang, upon hearing Su Han''s words, did not expect that at this time, Su Han would still be concerned about his affairs, and he felt grateful in his heart.


    He squeezed Zhao Hui''s hand and instructed with concern, "Ah Hui, don''t be afraid, just think of it as ughtering chickens or ducks."


    "Mhm,"


    Zhao Hui nodded, her tone was quite firm, not showing any weakness, only her slightly trembling hands betrayed the unrest in her heart.


    Although she was a housewife, she supported the family when Guo Gang was not at home.


    She was inherently strong-willed and knew that times had changed; only by acquiring power could she protect her children and family.


    She, along with another man and woman, came to the front, where Zhao Yimin and others handed them weapons, ready for them to kill the monster.


    Meanwhile, Yan Meiyu and others came to Su Han''s side. Su Han asked, "Is the fence of thismunitypletely encircling?"


    Although Yan Meiyu had never handled the sales of Shanhu Vi, as an insider, she knew the structure of this vi district well.


    "It''spletely enclosed; the heights of the surrounding walls are more or less the same. A part of Yunling Mountain is also enclosed within it, along with a golf course. This is the main entrance, and there''s a pedestrian side entrance and a small gate leading up to Yunling Mountain too."


    She pointed at therge iron gate that had been opened. Su Han nced over and said, "The ss doors of the security room need to be fortified, but the gate can be kept."


    "Old Gan, see if there''s a map, and be careful."


    Gan Xinglei nodded, then went into the security room next to the main entrance from the inside. The ss door of the security room had been smashed,pletely open, with no monster in sight.


    After searching around, Gan Xinglei came out with a roll of map saying, "There''s a map, it seems to be a route marked for patrolling."


    While Zhao Hui and the others were contracting, the group spread out the map, and a more detailed structure of Shanhu Vi wasid out before them.


    "There''s a total of 30 vis, and even the closest one to this main entrance is about five hundred meters away. How about we choose number one?"


    Zhu Xiong pointed at the first vi, his reasoning being sound: only by being close to the entrance or the surrounding wall could they maintain a better vigil. Otherwise, if a monster entered within the walls from afar, they would remain unaware.


    Yan Meiyu immediately shook her head, "I suggest we choose near number 10. Even if we choose vi 1, we are still distanced from the main entrance. It would be better to choose the one closest to theke."


    "I think so too," said Xinglei.


    Su Han reviewed the topographic map of Shanhu Vi District; the vis surrounding Yunling Lake were mainly concentrated around numbers 10 and upwards. The single-digit andrger number vis were on the outskirts.


    The entire vi district was iparablyrger than Happiness Community; with the number of people they had, it would be impossible to keep an eye on the whole area, so they needed to narrow the scope.


    "Let''s go to number 10; let''s settle there first and gradually clear the entire vi district afterward."

 Chapter 48: 48: Villa No. 10

    "Zhao Hui, how do you feel?"


    Guo Gang asked, concerned for his wife, stepping forward with his face full of worry.


    Having justpleted the contract, Zhao Hui only felt a sense of relief wash over her body, her usual minor ailments gone. She shook her head and whispered, "I feel veryfortable, there''s nothing wrong, it''s just a little strange controlling it."


    Zhao Hui was somewhat unustomed to controlling the Angel Envoy; it felt like an independently operating puppet, like a tool but also not quite the same, especially since the Angel Envoy flesh corpse was transformed from a human.


    "You''ll get used to it. Right now, only the Angel Envoy can protect us."


    "Has everyonepleted their contract?"


    Su Han had already discussed it on his side and came over after deciding on their next destination.


    Seeing Su Han approaching, the three including Zhao Hui immediately replied, "The contract isplete, and there''s no difort."


    Su Han''s expression subtly changed; the three had sessfully formed their contracts without difort, which confirmed his spection that the difference in strength between the contractor and the monster affected the contracting process.


    "Everyone, get in the car, and then head to Vi No. 10. Old Guo, you lead the team to seal the gate shut afterwards."


    "Roger that."


    The convoy slowly moved into Shanhu Vi District, and after thest truck entered, Guo Gang, together with two men, used the flesh corpses to close therge gate firmly.


    The gate was electronically locked, so it couldn''t be manually sealed, but they found a way. They moved a stone statue weighing nearly three to four hundred kilograms from the entrance, wedging it directly behind the door, securing it tightly.


    They then closed the security room as well. The room had doors leading inside and outside the gate, each with its little door; they would have to seal them all to be safeter on.


    Afterpleting these steps, the group began to slowly drive along the roads of the residential area.


    The greenery of the vi district was very lush, with dense woods lining the way. However, the fog had enveloped the area for so long that most of the garden trees were already dead. Even the taller trees that couldst longer were shedding yellow leaves, the chaotic interweaving of branches left them looking even more eerie.


    It was as if the foggyndscape was a wilderness of withered trees, their twisted silhouettes resembling monsters.


    The light from the Lamp Tree crystals dispelled much of the fog, reducing the oppressive feeling significantly. Although it was still very quiet, at least it wouldn''t drive anyone mad.


    The vi district was not small, but fortunately, it wasn''t heavily popted. Following the road deeper, passing several vis, they finally arrived near Vi No. 10.


    "Be careful, everyone."


    They got out of the cars, and thanks to the light from the Lamp Tree crystals, they were able to make out the appearance of the vi.


    The vi had a front yard and a house in the back, about three stories high, simple and spacious, seemingly with a lot of interior space.


    The yard in front of the house was also sizable, about four hundred square meters, surrounded by a fence more than a meter high.


    The vi was very quiet, with no indication of whether monsters were hiding inside.


    Seeing that everyone had gotten out of the cars, Su Han said, "Old Gan and Zhao Yimin, take a few people and stay behind, the rest wille with me inside."


    Gan Xinglei selected a few who had just formed contracts, including Guo Gang''s daughter.


    In addition to them, two people who had not formed contracts were also taken inside, following at the very back of the group.


    They entered the yard through the gate; it was all quiet, with only the withered yellow grass and neatly arranged tools in the corner, no sign of any creatures.


    Su Han then instructed Zhu Xiong and Yan Meiyu, "Old Zhu, check the second floor. Meiyu, the third floor. Inspect every corner carefully. If you spot a monster, signal us first. If you can''t beat it, run. If you can, keep one alive."


    The group walked through the vi''s main door and immediately started their assigned tasks.


    Zhu Xiong led his team to the second floor, Yan Meiyu to the third, and the two without contracts were each taken by one of them, while Su Han was checking the first floor on his own.


    It wasn''t long after they had gone up that noises suddenly came from upstairs.


    "There are two flesh corpses on the second floor, we can handle it."


    Hearing the confirmation that they could handle it, followed by the sounds of a scuffle, Su Han didn''t go up, as Zhu Xiong could manage flesh corpses on his own.


    He swiftly checked each room, opening all the bathrooms and storage closets, and not even sparing the wall cabs and fridge in the kitchen.


    However, the moment he opened the fridge, a foul stench wafted out, and everything inside had rotted away.


    "Tap tap tap"


    Just as Su Han finished his inspection, Zhu Xiong and the others also came downstairs, and Yan Meiyu had likewise reached the first floor.


    "The second floor is cleared, killed one, contracted with another,"


    Su Han looked at Yan Meiyu, who said, "On the third floor there was a nanny and two kids; the nanny became a Contractor, and the two kids were killed."


    "No monsters on the first floor; let Bai Xiao''e let them inside, this vi is temporarily safe now."


    Upon hearing Su Han finally say these words, everyone couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief, having finally found a safe haven.


    "Boss, should I go call Brother Gan and the others inside?"


    Bai Xiao''e asked, and Su Han nodded, saying, "Let them in first."


    Receiving Su Han''s instruction, she stepped out the door with brisk footsteps to call the others.


    Yan Meiyu then spoke up, "I''ll go bring down the meat corpse for you..."


    "You can bring it down; Old Zhu, go dig a hole in the yard and then bury the meat corpse in it."


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    Zhu Xiong looked puzzled and hesitated, "Don''t you want it?"


    Su Han''s need for monster corpses was an unspoken understanding among them, especially with one of the trucks still loaded with numerous Tentacle-mouthed Spider corpses and a live Spider Monster.


    "Don''t need these few, just find a hole to use them as fertilizer and nt the Lamp Tree."


    It was only then that Zhu Xiong and Yan Meiyu revealed a look of realization, having nearly forgotten about this very thing; now that they were temporarily settled, therger the Lamp Tree grew and the more Crystals it bore, the better.


    That way, they could disperse more fog and acquire more living space.


    "I understand, I''ll start digging right away."


    Taking up a shovel from the yard, Zhu Xiong began to dig a hole. Other men in the team saw this and started to help out, each acting on their own since no one in the team wanted to appear uncooperative.


    With everyone pitching in, and withbor such as the meat corpse, it didn''t take long to dig a pit about two meters deep.


    Yan Meiyu had the monster corpses thrown in, Old Zhu and the others buried them with ayer of soil, and finally, they took down the Lamp Tree from the truck and nted it.


    Although the Lamp Tree hadn''t been nted in soil for a long time, under the energy supply from Su Han and hispanions, it had grown to about sixty centimeters tall. The Crystals that remained on the tree had increased from their initial thumb size to the size of lychees.


    The Crystals emitted a yellow light, dispersing the fog within a radius of more than twenty meters, making the entire front yard much clearer.


    "What a miraculous tree, it can actually disperse the fog."


    Having seen the true form of the Lamp Tree, those who were unaware of the truth finally understood how Su Han hade by the yellow Crystals.


    They, too, felt fortunate that they hadn''t followed the wrong team.


    "This is the Lamp Tree, as you all have seen. This thing absorbs arge amount of energy to bear Lamp Tree Crystals. From now on, every day everyone must hold onto the Lamp Tree''s branches and contribute some energy,"


    Su Han pointed at the Lamp Tree, and upon hearing this, the faces of the group showed hesitation. He calmly continued to speak, "Don''t worry, the energy consumed is roughly equivalent to ying a sport and won''t cause any substantial harm. We four have also been sustaining it for a while."


    It was normal to have doubts, especially seeing the corpses buried under the Lamp Tree; it was enough to make anyone''s skin crawl upon association.


    However, with this exnation, the expressions on everyone''s faces softened, and Zhao Yimin immediately agreed, "That''s only proper. Therger the Lamp Tree, the more Crystals we have, the safer we will be in our actions."


    "Let''s do as Su Han, the boss, says."


    Su Han was quite satisfied with the team''s attitude. Then, he said to Yan Meiyu, "Organize everyone to bring down the items and take a careful inventory."


    "Understood," Yan Meiyu nodded. She then asked, "But what about the Spider Monster?"

 Chapter 49: Chapter 49 Traces

    "I''ll go clean up the neighboring viter, and I''ll drag the Spider Monster over there."


    It was possible for twenty people to live in one vi, but it was not convenient. Vi No. 9 and Vi No. 10 were quite close to each other, separated by a fence wall with nts in between.


    If the fence was opened up, using both vis together would be even more convenient, and Su Han also had his own considerations.


    Since creatures could fuse, he would certainly need to hunt monsters in the future, and he might need to keep them captive first.


    After all, one could only fuse one type of material at a time. If the Fusion Degree wasn''t full, another monster could at most be another fusion material, which would be a pity to waste.


    So he had already made up his mind¡ªif he encountered any special creatures, he would keep them captive and look for an opportunity to fuse themter, just like with the Spider Monster this time.


    And if there were many monsters kept captive, it would be inconvenient to be with everyone else.


    "You guys start moving stuff; I''ll go next door to check."


    After instructing Yan Meiyu, Su Han took the Four-armed Corpse and went towards the vi next door, easily leaping over the fence that was taller than an average person without even using the gate.


    With his current physical condition, at the very least four to five times that of an ordinary person, lifting hundreds of pounds and leaping one or two meters effortlessly were trivial things.


    No sooner had he vaulted over the fence than the Lamp Tree crystals shone, and suddenly he saw a corpse of a flesh body under the bushes at the edge of thewn.


    He looked surprised, called the Four-armed Corpse over, and flipped the body.


    The corpse had no response; lying face up, the spot between its eyebrows had a deep Blood Hole, pierced by a sharp object.


    "The wound is neat, and there''s little blood; it doesn''t look like a gun wound, seems more like an arrow."


    Su Han pondered, his eyes flickering. This wasn''t something a monster could do; it was likely the work of a living person.


    ''Looks like I need to be careful.''


    He quietly activated his Iron Skin skill, then called out to the Four-armed Corpse: "Let''s go, take a look inside the vi."


    Approaching the vi''s entrance one after the other, just as he was about to break in using Metal Control as he had smoothly done before, he barely touched the door, and it slowly opened.


    This further confirmed Su Han''s judgement. He thought, "The question is whether it''s someone from this vi, or from another."


    Cautiously stepping into the vi, his footsteps echoed throughout. Su Han found no other signs of movement.


    He first toured the ground floor and found the second corpse in the bathroom. This flesh body had its neck gnawed apart, followed by an arrow wound, and also had arge hole in the chest.


    "The Angel Envoy should be a flesh body, but this person''s archery is quite precise."


    Su Han examined the corpse of the flesh body, trying to recreate the scene in his mind. The house didn''t show signs of a messy battle; the assant had been decisive, likely someone who had adapted to the apocalypse.


    Having searched the first floor and climbed through the second and third without finding any other traces, it was clear that the person wasn''t at this vi but hade to search for supplies.


    The refrigerator and storage cabs in the kitchen were empty, and some useful medications were also gone. It could be said that aside from the vi itself, almost all of the useful supplies from Vi No. 9 had been taken.


    Su Han wasn''t too concerned; he still had plenty of supplies. What intrigued him more was the survivor, which of course also included a hint of caution.


    In the apocalypse, who knew what could happen.


    Assuring there were no issues with the ce, Su Han took the Four-armed Corpse back to the yard.


    "How is it?"


    Zhu Xiong asked carefully from across the fence, and Su Han replied, "No monsters, it''s already been cleared by someone. Take down this middle fence wall, and move the Tentacle-mouthed Spider''s body down. I''ll handle the Spider Monster."


    Zhu Xiong''s eyes became firm as he nodded and said, "Understood, I will remind everyone to be more vignt."


    With someone active nearby, it''s always better to be safe than sorry.


    Zhu Xiong was cautious, but Gan Xinglei was clearly even more wary. As soon as he heard Zhu Xiong say this, he called two people to join him in rigging up pull-tab cans.


    A rope was strung up, and cans were tied to the fence wall at intervals of one meter. Each can contained a small stone and was suspended by a short string that went through a hole, hanging on a long string underneath, so that the slightest movement would create noise.


    They rigged up a circle of fence walls around both vis, adding an rm system to the properties.


    If a monster attacked the fence or attempted to climb over it, it would make quite amotion.


    Everyone had been busy, as there was indeed a lot to do once they had settled down. Not only did they have to move supplies, but also unload the Tentacle-mouthed Spider''s carcass, the steel materials, and generators brought with the cars, all of which involved heavybor.


    Fortunately, everyone had contracted an Angel Envoy, which enhanced their physique, and their Angel Envoys could work as well. Thus, they managed to unload everything and put it in ce by dusk.


    Zhao Hui, apanied by another woman in her thirties, Yan Qiumei, built a fire in the yard and prepared dinner for everyone, stewing canned meat with rice.


    Before the apocalypse, such a meal might not have seemed like anything special, but now, having just fled from Happiness Community and run all the way here, they started eating in silence.


    Bai Xiao''e, who was more delicate in nature, teared up as she spoke softly under the dim yellow light, "I''m worried about my parents."


    Xia Ning, sitting nearby, felt a twinge in her heart and lowered her eyebrows, hugging Bai Xiao''e. She felt the same way, thinking of her own family.


    Seeing the two like this, Zhao Hui''s heart softened. She gently patted their backs and spoke softly, "Don''t worry, everything is going to be okay."


    All in their early twenties, it wasn''t easy for them, young and striving in the big city when such an event urred.


    Each person had their own concerns. Su Han didn''t try tofort everyone as he wasn''t good at it, and some emotions truly needed to be vented.


    The group remained silent for a long while, quietly eating, with the sound of chewing bing increasingly clear in the stillness of the night.


    Fortunately, Zhu Xiong, the old hand, managed to lift the mood with a few words after a while.


    After some conversation, Yan Meiyu began to arrange sleeping amodations. For safety reasons, she nned not to let people separate but to gather them to sleep on the living room floor for the next few days.


    The vi''s living room was spacious enough to amodate everyone.


    Every two hours, a group would take turns on night watch, with each shift including at least one contractor of the Giant Macrophage Dog and the Rot Skin Rat to ensure a swift response to any disturbances.


    Of course, Su Han was not included in this arrangement because he was to stay in the neighboring vi, where he was going to perform the Fusion with the Spider Monster tonight.


    Back at Vi No. 9, Su Han was not greatly affected by the dinner atmosphere. Alone, with no attachments, he naturally had no sadness or worry¡ªthose concerns had been dealt with years ago.


    Facing the apocalypse, he discovered within himself a desire, not for power, but for Evolution.


    To grow stronger step by step, to possess Transcendent strength, and to survive in such an apocalypse was a peculiar feeling.


    In the yard of Vi No. 9, neither the Tentacle-mouthed Spider''s corpse nor the Spider Monster''s corpse had been moved inside; they were piled up in a corner.


    The Spider Monster was still securely tied up with climbing ropes, its upper body covered with a bedsheet and bound tightly, looking like a wrapped dumpling.


    Strangely enough, if it had been a normal person, they would have been long dead from such restraint.


    But the Spider Monster still had considerable strength and struggled from time to time.


    Su Han never doubted that if he released the Spider Monster, it would be capable of immediately unleashing a deadly attack.


    "Four-armed Corpse, begin the Fusion," he said.

 Chapter 50: Chapter 50 Fusion Spider Monster

    The Four-armed Corpse walked straight up to the Spider Monster, its sharp ws tearing open the nket that enveloped the Spider Monster, revealing its terrifying, pale visage.


    It sped itsrge hand around the Spider Monster, which struggled continuously, but soon many tendrils of flesh and blood spread from the Four-armed Corpse onto it.


    They twitched incessantly and then swiftlynded on the body of the Spider Monster, connecting the two and then beginning the Fusion.


    "Hmm?"


    Su Han''s expression changed slightly, for he could feel that the fusion of individual monsters was vastly different from that of materials.


    Pure materials do not resist, but individual monsters are different, as they do resist.


    It was not just the active resistance of living monsters, but also an innate, instinctive rejection and struggle that had nothing to do withpatibility, merely an instinct not to be erased.


    However, the Four-armed Corpse was far more powerful than the Spider Monster andpletely suppressed such resistance. The Fusion progress could not be stopped by the Spider Monster at all.


    1%, 2%...11%, as the Spider Monster was gradually fused, the Fusion progress also changed on the attribute panel.


    Interestingly, this fusion did not have any rank prefixes, but simply bore a name.


    Su Han waited patiently, the speed of the Four-armed Corpse''s Fusion was not slow. In just half an hour, most of the Spider Monster''s body had disappeared, leaving only a few spider legs and arge, round abdomen.


    The Fusion continued, and after another 10 minutes the entire Spider Monster waspletely absorbed by the Four-armed Corpse, and the Fusion Degree progress halted at [Spider Monster 34%].


    "A single Spider Monster indeed isn''t enough to fill up the entire Fusion progress."


    Su Han had anticipated this, thus he was not too surprised but instead focused his attention on the pile of Tentacle-mouthed Spider and Giant Macrophage Dog corpses.


    [Discovered Tentacle-mouthed Spider (Giant Macrophage Dog) corpses, belonging to the current Spider Monster lower tier materials, proceed with fusion transformation?]


    The prompt sounded again and Su Han felt relieved; indeed, his conjecture was correct. The recement of materials was not only from higher to lower but also from lower to higher.


    "It''s just unknown what the ratio would be," Su Han thought, then he said, "Begin the fusion transformation."


    Following Su Han''smand, thousands of threads of flesh from the Four-armed Corpse spread towards the pile of corpses, quickly enveloping them.


    As these were not living materials, there was no resistance, and the speed of Fusion was slightly faster, with the original progress bar slowly increasing.


    35%, 36.5%...


    The rate of increase,pared to the fusion with the Spider Monster, was indeed slower, but it was nevertheless gradually increasing.


    "The Tentacle-mouthed Spider is clearly weaker than the Giant Macrophage Dog, but the extent of growth from the same volume of flesh is quite simr. Could it be an issue of materialpatibility?"


    Su Han''s face was thoughtful, undoubtedly the Tentacle-mouthed Spider and the Spider Monster were very simr, whereas the Giant Macrophage Dog was further apart.


    Given the current rate of proportional growth, that was the only exnation he could think of.


    "In the future when fusing monsters, it seems I really must annihte them thoroughly to avoid expending more effort on locating materials."


    As time passed, the Fusion Degree eventually settled at 84%.


    Even though he had transformed all the monster corpses into Fusion, there was still a gap in the Fusion Degree.


    Su Han frowned, "I need to gather more monsters, but there''s no hurry, the apocalypse is filled with them."


    .....


    The next morning, when Su Han got up and arrived at vi number 10, Zhao Hui and Yan Qiumei had already prepared breakfast for everyone, consisting of a pot of white porridge and pickles.


    Simple, but the merit was in its warmth. When Su Han arrived, everyone was waiting for him.


    After everyone finished breakfast, Yan Meiyu found Su Han.


    "Su Han, I''ve tallied the supplies. Two thousand kilograms of rice and flour, four boxes of meat in cans, two boxes of fruit and vegetable cans, five boxes of dry rations..."


    "How long will itst for twenty people?"


    Yan Meiyu had intended to enumerate all the supplies in detail, but Su Han interrupted her report.


    She paused for a moment, thought, then said, "If we don''t acquire new supplies and distribute them normally, it wouldst about three to four months."


    Each person''s daily consumption of rice was between half to one kilogram, especially since almost everyone was a Contractor now and their body consumed more. By calcting one kilogram per day, nearly 20 kilograms of rice were needed daily.


    The 2000 kilograms wouldst for 100 days, but of course, with various other things included, this duration could be slightly extended.


    "It''s sufficient for now," Su Han considered for a moment, then said, "In the next few days, let''s first get the water diversion, defensive instations, and car modifications set up. For the supplies, let''s form a capable squad for specialized operationster."


    Yan Meiyu nodded and said, "Old Gan and Old Zhu already checked this morning. Yunling Lake is slightly higherpared to here, so it should be possible to dig a channel andy pipes to bring water down, which would make things a lot easier."


    "Be careful of the monsters, have them bring more people."


    "We''ve taken four people and some Lamp Tree Crystals."


    Only then did Su Han nod his approval. Using Lamp Tree Crystals wasn''t a problem, but having enough people ensured safety.


    "What about Guo Gang?"


    "He''s inspecting three trucks. Hearing that you wanted modifications, he started preparing immediately."


    Yan Mieyu added, "We also found some seeds at the supermarket and I n to try nting them here to test the effectiveness of the Lamp Tree. I wanted to get your opinion."


    "Go ahead and nt them. If there aren''t enough seeds, we can search for more supplies in a few days; we''ll need to resume nting eventually."


    Yan Meiyu and Old Zhu had organized everything properly, which exactly aligned with Su Han''s thoughts.


    The camp was not only for survival as a group but also to ease Su Han''s own burden rather than having him manage everything personally.


    If Yan Meiyu couldn''t manage so many things, then he would have others share the load rather than taking it all on himself.


    He only needed to focus on one thing¡ªmaintaining his own strength.


    "As long as you handle things, it''s fine, but do not neglect the training of the Angel Envoy for you, Old Gan, and Old Zhu. Strength is fundamental."


    Yan Meiyu smiled and nodded, "We all understand, but you gaining strength is more useful than any of us."


    All this effort was to avoid burdening Su Han.


    Su Han said no more, allowing Yan Meiyu to attend to her own tasks.


    He then headed to the back door of the vi, which led to the garage. Although only two private cars were parked inside, three trucks were parked outside.


    At this moment, Guo Gang was outside inspecting the vehicles with Zhao Yimin, with a Corpse guarding them¡ªa cautious setup.


    "Who''s there!"


    At the sound of footsteps, the two men immediately grew alert, gripping wrenches, ready for a fight.


    Checking the vehicles, keeping a wrench handy was quite normal.


    "It''s me."


    Su Han emerged from the mist¡ªthere were no Lamp Tree Crystals here, so for a moment he wasn''t clearly visible.


    But upon hearing Su Han''s voice, they rxed and greeted him.


    "How are the vehicles?"


    "All right. The only issue is that the fuel tanks are half full. We''ll need to refuel after a few more trips."


    Guo Gang pped the wheel of the truck, pleased with the condition of the vehicles.


    "What about the modifications? Any ideas?"


    Having inspected the vehicles since early morning, Guo Gang already had a draft in mind. He said, "Actually, the trucks'' power and durability are almost sufficient. We could weld a reinforced structure at the front to minimize collision damage, and add ayer of metal mesh to the windshield to avoid obstructing the view as much as possible."


    He hesitated, then added, "We currently have a welding machine and a cutter, and that''s about all we can manage. Modifying the frame would require more tools and steel."


    "Zhao Yimin, move the steel over here."


    "Okay, boss."


    Though unsure why Su Han asked for the steel to be moved directly, Zhao quickly opened the cargo van filled with steel harvested from the auto repair shop.


    There were several almost half-centimeter-thick steel tes and many thick steel bars, an adequate amount of material.


    Zhao Yimin had the Angel Envoy Corpse move the steel tes, while Su Han summoned the Four-armed Corpse. With a grasp of his hand, the steel te suddenly began to liquify,pressing and deforming into a metallic liquid coiling around his palm.


    Guo Gang watched, astounded, almost dropping his jaw in surprise.


    Wow, he has this ability?


    He associated this with Su Han''s Pu knives, and the weapons given to each Angel Envoy that day¡ªall forged in this manner.


    ''What kind of monster is Su Han?'' he wondered.


    "Old Guo, you decide how to modify it. I''ll operate directly to save some time."

 Chapter 51: Chapter 51 Half-Fish Monster

    Modifying the heavy truck was an exciting matter for most boys, and Su Han was no exception.


    It truly saved time, but creating an Iron Tyrant was also true.


    Guo Gang came to his senses, pointing to the front of the truck, he said, "Reinforce the front bumper, then weld a low-positioned plow to enhance the ramming power, which also makes it convenient to push obstacles aside."


    He gestured the approximate locations and methods of modification. After hearing this, Su Han, following Guo Gang''s instructions, began to deform the metal and then fused it together, forming a seamless whole, and the strength increased significantly afterpression.


    "Right, just here... Add another beam here, brace the tip to prevent it from breaking..."


    Guo Gang gave detailed guidance, and under the metal control, the metal was manipted with ease, transforming the truck into an extremely domineering full-head protective heavy truck in less than ten minutes.


    The triangr axe-de-like plow was positioned at the front, and the windshield was enclosed by a tight metal mesh, resembling a heavily armored warrior ready for battle.


    "Back in the day, if I had this skill, everyone in South City who modified cars would have called me ''Daddy''."


    Guo Gang, an honest man, couldn''t help feeling excited seeing the masterpiece truck created by Su Han, partly because he himself had been involved in it.


    If the engine could be switched out, then it would be a monster among monsters, capable of flinging aside ten four-armed corpses.


    No, even a hundred would be the same.


    Su Han: "..."


    This was the first time he had seen Guo Gang act this way, but it wasn''t surprising since modifying the truck was indeed an exciting affair.


    "Let''s keep going, let''s modify the other two as well."


    The remaining two trucks were structurally simr, and Su Han, now with experience,pleted their modification in ten minutes.


    However, after modifying the remaining trucks, there was only a fraction of the brought-over steel left - just two steel tes and some steel bars as thick as arms.


    "Tat tat tat"


    Urgent footsteps approached; Su Han and hispanions tensed, immediately looking towards the fog. A figure burst out from the mist: "Boss, something''s happened by theke, Brother Zhu caught a monster."


    The neer was Gu Shaojie, a man about thirty years old, one of the few who had contracted a Giant Macrophage Dog back on the old road.


    "Take me there to see."


    Su Han''s expression was serious as he set off, asking, "Is everyone okay?"


    "No one''s hurt, but the situation might be tricky to handle."


    The four of them talked as they quickly made their way to Yunling Lake. With the 10th vi just 300 meters from Yunling Lake, it only took a few minutes for them to arrive after a brisk run.


    As soon as they got close to thekefront, Su Han saw the dim yellow light had already retreated up to thewn where Zhu Xiong and the others were.


    In front of themy a slimy, green-skinned monster, pinned down by the corpse.


    The creature was about one and a half meters long and crawled at a height of about seventy centimeters. It had a huge, ugly fish head with a gaping mouth showing interlocked, fine, sharp teeth; its body was covered in fish scales and a slimy liquid.


    Below this monstrous head, instead of fins, grew hands with crude ws, and a long tail dragged behind it, conspicuouslycking legs - a very eerie sight.


    "Su Han, you''re here."


    Upon seeing Su Han approaching, Zhu Xiong immediately stepped forward to greet him.


    Su Han reached out to touch the monster while asking, "What happened, is everyone alright?"


    As he focused his mind, the prompt for fusion appeared before his eyes.


    [Discovered a live Half-Fish Monster, can be converted into lower-grade material to enhance the Fusion Degree of the Spider Monster, proceed with fusion conversion?]


    A Half-Fish Monster?


    The name was surprisingly fitting for the creature''s appearance, with the ugly fish monster showing its gills and barbels on the cheeks, looking disgusting.


    "The Giant Macrophage Dogs discovered by Cheng Xiyuan reacted early. Theyunched an ambush from under the water, and we responded right away. We had a fight, injured one of the corpses, but caught this fellow."


    Cheng Xiyuan and Gu Shaojie were part of the same group that contracted the Giant Macrophage Dogs. It was unexpected that they would achieve a feat so quickly.


    "Who''s injured?"


    "Jin Hongsheng''s corpse, but it''s not serious."


    They had juste to thekefront to check for a suitable spot toy pipes and draw water down.


    However, before they could start measuring, the Giant Macrophage Dogs suddenly became alert and barked fiercely at theke surface. Both dogs were equally vignt.


    Then they saw the water break open as several monsters burst forth, all of them ugly Half-Fish Monsters.


    The Half-Fish Monsters had intended tounch a surprise attack, but Zhu Xiong and the others were experienced in battles, bothrge and small, and reacted very quickly.


    The Angel Envoy corpses directly faced the front lines, while the Giant Macrophage Dogs charged from both sides, sessfully holding back four or five Half-Fish Monsters.


    Especially the two First-level Intermediate corpses, their strength was even more formidable, suppressing the enemy''s assault.


    As soon as their offensive was suppressed, Zhu Xiong and Gan Xinglei led their men with knives and charged forward, causing the Half-Fish Monsters to be frightened and immediately turn to jump back into the water, abandoning the Half-Fish Monster that was pinned down.


    "You mean to say there are more of these things in theke?"


    Zhu Xiong nodded, saying with certainty, "Definitely, and who knows if there are only four or five."


    They had thought Yunling Lake was just an artificialke, and being in a vi area at that, the most they expected were ornamental carps, grass carps, and the like. But now, with the appearance of Half-Fish Monsters, that was troublesome.


    "Actually, we can still draw water, just need to be extra cautious."


    Zhu Xiong tentatively said. Su Han frowned slightly, knowing that this wasn''t just a matter of drawing water.


    Monsters that knew how to ambush and also how to flee were clearly not easy to deal with.


    "Release that monster."


    Su Han''s words made Zhu Xiong startle, but quickly, he ordered his corpses to let go.


    "Woah!"


    Once freed, the Half-Fish Monster immediately roared and turned to crawl towards the water at an incredibly fast pace, using both its hands and powerful tail.


    Despite having no legs, it covered a distance of three to four meters in a single bound.


    "Catch it."


    Su Han had no intention of letting it escape; he had let it go merely to test itsbat strength.


    The Four-armed Corpse took a big leap and intercepted it first, eyeing it predatorily.


    The Half-Fish Monster also realized it was in a bad situation. Its tail curved, bursting with immense strength in an attempt to knock over the Four-armed Corpse and flee.


    However, the Four-armed Corpse was not indulgent. Its body covered in ck Armor, it then pushed back with arge hand, firmly grasping its upper and lower jaws.


    "Strong!"


    The violent collision and the nging sound of teeth against the ck Armor shook the Four-armed Corpse''s shoulders for a moment.


    But quickly, the Half-Fish Monster was seized and then thrown out,nding with a thud on the farther grasnd.


    The Four-armed Corpse charged out, and the Half-Fish Monster let out shrill cries, like the piercing wails of an infant, frantically seeking a path to escape into the mist.


    Yet, it was one step too slow, and after rushing out only seven or eight meters, it was caught by the Four-armed Corpse, pinned to the ground with no chance to struggle.


    ''Lesser than the Giant Macrophage Dogs, but not weaker in strengthpared to a corpse. The scales and mucus can increase its defense, and mainly, it''s a fighter in the water...''


    After roughly gauging thebat strength of the Half-Fish Monster, Su Han was not pleased. Such fight capability lurking in the water was not easy to deal with, making Yunling Lake challenging to manage.


    "Old Zhu, lock this thing up first, and continue observing," instructed Su Han.


    "Got it, this thing is easier to handle than the Spider Monster," replied Zhu Xiong as he signaled a fewds to control the Half-Fish Monster with their envoys. He then asked, "Should wey the water pipe or not? Bring over a hose, siphoning the water from tens of meters away won''t be a problem, and also dig a water pool, to avoid these creatures first?"


    Water pipes¡ªthey had obtained two bundles of them from the supermarket. Although they weren''t as long as three hundred meters, they did have several dozens of meters.


    Initially, they had wanted to dig a proper water canal beforeying the pipes to set up the water drawing facility in one go, but now they had to opt for apromise.


    Despite the monsters still being present, using water pipes could indeed allow them to avoid them somewhat; it wasn''t as if there were no options at all.


    "Startying the pipes first, thenter..."


    "Su Han,e take a look at this. This doesn''t seem like your doing, does it?"

 Chapter 52 Broken Arrow

    ```


    Gan Xinglei''s voice suddenly rang out, and when Su Han and Zhu Xiong looked towards the source, they found Gan Xinglei crouched on the grass at one side, staring at something on the ground.


    They immediately walked over, and Gan Xinglei pointed at the mark in front of him, saying, "There''s half an arrow here."


    Indeed, lying not far away on the grass was half a broken arrow made of carbon fiber material, a modern bow arrow, surrounded by several dark green fish scales about the size of three fingers, along with lots of mucus and blood.


    The grass was a messy scene, with a long drag mark extending into the mist in the opposite direction of Yunling Lake, presumably towards the vi area.


    "Did someone fight a monster here and even drag the dead body away?"


    The signs of battle were clear, Zhu Xiong quickly surmised what might have happened, but this also meant that there were still some survivors in the vi area who could not be considered weak.


    "Su Han, what should we do?"


    Zhu Xiong looked at Su Han, who gazed into the mist and said calmly, "Cheng Xiyuan, Gu Shaojie, you guys take the Half-Fish Monster back and lock it in the carriage."


    "Yes, boss."


    With a few people gone, only Zhu Xiong and Gan Xinglei remained, but the strength of the three was at least First-level Intermediate, which would actually make it more convenient to deal with any situations that arose.


    "Let''s go over and check it out; we''ll recon their situation first."


    Armed with their weapons and with the Angel Envoy following, Su Han and the others cautiously followed the marks on the ground.


    The Half-Fish Monster that was taken away must have been injured, as there were mucus and fresh blood dripping along the path, but the time since might not be too short, as some of the marks had already dried considerably.


    Walking about three hundred meters through the mist, Zhu Xiong estimated the distance and said, "Su Han, this seems to be the direction of the seventh building."


    Though they had only seen the map of the vi area yesterday, Zhu Xiong had memorized it well before leaving today¡ªit was part of his skills as an experienced long-distance driver to ensure survival by being familiar with the area.


    "Be careful."


    Su Han packed the Lamp Tree Crystals into an opaque bag and slipped it into his pocket. Crystals emit light, so themon method of storage is to keep a ck bag handy.


    Their light concealed, the mist quickly enveloped them,pletely surrounding the three, and a sense of oppression began to overwhelm them, as if a stoney upon their chests.


    However, as Contractors, such a sense of oppression was not enough to make them lose control; their minds remained steadfast.


    Leading the way, they continued to follow the marks, and in the midst of the mist, the dark silhouette of a vi emerged before them.


    "There''s something on the door."


    Approaching the same courtyard structure, the three immediately noticed the setup on the fence wall: ropes, and bells and cans tied together.


    Gan Xinglei whispered, "There really are people inside, what do we do?"


    "Climb in."


    This was different from before; Happiness Community was just a transition point where all they had to do was not cause trouble, without extra concern for anything else.


    But the vi area was different; this was the stronghold he had chosen, so it was impossible for another group of survivors to remain here.


    As for whether to bury them, drive them away or let them join, that would depend on how they were.


    Zhu Xiong nodded, "I''ll go over first."


    Quietly, he used his knife to cut down the tied bells and cans, then controlled the Four-armed Corpse to scale the fence wall and flip over in an instant.


    A wall over a meter high wasn''t really an effective barrier to monsters, especially the stronger ones.


    However, as soon as hended, there was a nging noise.


    The crisp sound shattered the peace of the entire yard.


    "Damn it, there''s something under the fence too."


    Hearing this sound from outside the fence, Zhu Xiong immediately realized something was wrong, and Su Han quickly stood up as noises began emanating from inside the vi.


    "Whoosh"


    A figure suddenly appeared at the second-floor window with a bow in hand, and aimed straight at the Four-armed Corpse''s head, releasing an arrow.


    ```


    Zhu Xiong reacted extremely quickly, immediatelymanding the Angel Envoy corpse to roll and dodge the iing arrow.


    With a "thud," the arrow stuck in the ground, the very same kind of broken arrow they had seen before.


    Su Han knew the opponents had reacted and immediately said, "Charge straight at them; they don''t have many people."


    The footsteps were rapid but sparse. With keen eyes, Su Han only spotted one person by the window, confirming that there weren''t many of them.


    He immediately stood up, with the Four-armed Corpse beside him already d in ck Armor, charging and smashing through the entire fence and striding toward the vi.


    The people on the second floor were also taken aback and hurriedly aimed at the Four-armed Corpse, beginning their attack.


    Drawing bows and loosing arrows, a swift arrow struck the Four-armed Corpse but nged off ineffectually, the carbon-fiber long arrow shattering without inflicting any damage.


    Don''t miss chapters on m v l e m p y r


    Following the Four-armed Corpse, Su Han and the other two charged ahead, having already crossed the yard and arrived beneath the vi''s main entrance, where the eaves provided cover, depriving the second floor of any chance to shoot from above.


    For a moment, the arrows from the second floor ceased, and the vi fell silent.


    One side was inside, the other outside, separated only by a door.


    "Break the door."


    With a punch from the Four-armed Corpse, the door copsed with a roar, and the Four-armed Corpse charged in, as two dark figures suddenly attacked, lunging directly at it.


    Surprise shed in Su Han''s eyes as he realized there were two corpses. Were there two people here?


    The opponents'' Angel Envoy corpses were exceedingly fast and aimed for the vital areas of the Four-armed Corpse.


    The Four-armed Corpse stood unyielding and swung a heavy punch, colliding with the two attacking corpses.


    There was a snapping sound as the opposing Angel Envoy corpses'' bones broke, flinging them back against the wall with a dull thud.


    The other Angel Envoy corpse received a direct hammering to the chest and was mmed to the ground, its ribs broken, though how many was unclear.


    Su Han didn''t intend to finish them off, so the Four-armed Corpse just used its fists instead of wielding Pu knives, but the impact of the collision was unexpectedly solid.


    They were so resistant to being beaten, and both were First-level Intermediate.


    He looked closer and suddenly his pupils constricted as he noticed scales on the Angel Envoy corpses¡ªan emerald two-finger-wide fish scale on their chests and shoulders, simr to the Half-Fish Monster.


    Something was off.


    With a sharp intuition that something was amiss, Su Han immediatelymanded, "Four-armed Corpse, capture them."


    Following the order, the Four-armed Corpse grabbed the fish-scale corpse that had just stood up, its hand gripping its head like an iron hoop.


    Holding the fish-scale corpse, it strode toward the one nearly cornered against the wall. Just as it was about to be grabbed, suddenly a voice came from the staircase: "We surrender, we''re not monsters."


    The Four-armed Corpse was unfazed, seizing the other corpse, while Su Han looked toward the source of the voice, spotting two women with bows and arrows standing at the staircase, alert, one in front of the other.


    "Put the bows and arrows on the ground, thene over here,"


    Su Han''s gaze settled on the second woman; she was the one who had spoken, and she was clearly the one in charge.


    The woman in front, clothed in ck sportswear, robust in stature with a vaguely protective stance toward the woman in white, was clearly acting on instinct to shield her.


    "Okay, we''ll do as you say. It was just a misunderstanding, caused by your sudden entrance," the woman said calmly, tossing her bow and arrow to the ground without hesitation as she exined.


    Up close and indoors, even a proficient archer couldn''t be effective.


    Especially since they were merely archery hobbyists, not warriors.


    The two women raised their hands and slowly descended the staircase, their eyes vignt as they observed the three intruders, continuously assessing the situation in their minds.


    Su Han sized up the two women. The first, a dignified-looking woman with a serious face and straight posture, was clearly professionally trained with muscles more pronounced than an average girl''s.


    The second woman had long hair tied in a ponytail at the back of her head, was tall, fair-skinned, and wore a long-sleeved sports jacket. Her eyes shifted subtly, showing no panic but rather a sense of liveliness.

 Chapter 53 : 53 Bai Qilan

    "The supplies are in the nanny''s room on the first floor to the left, if you want the supplies, you can take them..."


    "I ask, you answer, and if you cooperate, we won''t hurt you."


    Su Han interrupted the woman in white, as the Four-armed Corpse brought two other corpses to stand beside him, his tall stature, strong arms, and the ck Armor clinging to his skin caused a flicker of unusual light in the woman''s eyes.


    She nodded and said, "I understand."


    "Name, identity, and profession."


    Su Han made no excessive movements, and the actions of the Four-armed Corpse were merely limited to controlling the fish-scale corpses, without further assaulting the two envoys, which made them slightly rx.


    "Bai Qn, Vice President of Bai Yujing Biotechnologies Group, PhD in Biology, in charge of R&D."


    Su Han paused for a moment and involuntarily frowned. He was familiar with Bai Yujing Biotechnologies - a major group in South City, leading in biopharmaceuticals and R&D. Many of his excellent ssmates had joined thispany during campus recruitment.


    But the woman in front of him was only about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old and already a vice president, which seemed somewhat unusual.


    "What is your rtionship with Bai Yujing?"


    "Family business," Bai Qn did not avoid this question. "I think there was a misunderstanding just now. How about we talk after you release us? If the supplies here aren''t enough, I can provide the location of some Bai Yujing medical supply warehouses."


    In the post-apocalyptic world, food, medicine, and weapons are the most critical resources.


    Of course, now that everyone could contract with Envoys, weapons might lose their status, but the former two would not easily fall from grace.


    This was a significant bargaining chip.


    However, Su Han was unmoved and continued to ask, "And you?"


    He pointed at the woman in ck, his expression unchanged, unreadable.


    "Ye Kailing, Zhongnan Security Company, Level One Security Officer, Miss Bai''s bodyguard."


    Ye Kailing''s reply was concise, her voice clear and direct, her gaze steadily fixed on Su Han, showing no signs of fear.


    Su Han waved his hand, and the two fish-scale corpses controlled by the Four-armed Corpse fell to the ground with a muffled thud.


    They struggled to stand up, but neither Bai Qn nor Ye Kailing made any attempt to control them to act out of line.


    Su Han said, "The control just now was to avoid idents, don''t misunderstand."


    Bai Qn nodded, and although Su Han was quite rude, she understood the rationale behind the action, whether it was Su Han or herself, opting to act first.


    It wasn''t to kill, but to protect their own safety.


    The Great Orbs had descended more than ten days ago, and nobody knew what the order had turned into or what the survivors were like over those days.


    Knocking, asking, and slowly extending goodwill might sometimes expose one''s vulnerabilities to others.


    Control, ensure safety, and then deal with it ¡ª that was the most direct approach.


    It could be said to be a kind of forestw of the dark.


    Under the cover of fog, every survivor had be a hidden ind.


    Su Han released the two corpses, showing his goodwill, and then he stared at Bai Qn, his gaze intense, "The Half-Fish Monster in theke was caught by you, right? I want to know about the connection between your corpses and it."


    "Half-Fish Monster?" Bai Qn paused for a moment, surprised as she looked at Su Han, then said, "Good name, it fits their abnormal development stage well."


    Abnormal development stage?


    Su Han stared at Bai Qn, the woman seeming to have a substantial understanding of the Half-Fish Monster: "Continue."


    "I injected extracts of blood and spinal fluid from the Fish-Head Monster, which you refer to as the Half-Fish Monster, into the body of an Angel Envoy to experiment, and induced a certain degree of mutation, advancing it to First-level Intermediate,"


    Bai Qn seemed to have no intention of hiding anything; confidence shone in her eyes, as she knew that this information would safeguard her more effectively than her identity and the medicinal store could.


    Su Han''s eyes narrowed as he questioned, "You''ve discovered a method for evolving an Angel Envoy?"


    Bai Qn shook her head, "Not at all, it was merely a fluke; I made use of their uniqueness, and a slight change urred."


    She looked toward Su Han and asked softly, "Can we sit down in the living room and talk this over properly? I feel that you didn''te here for supplies."


    Bai Qn wanted to take control of the conversation; she acutely felt that Su Han and his group were not particrly desperate for supplies, and even the two women were not the focus of much attention.


    This oversight, in a way, was good news; the opposition valued efficacy more.


    Su Han nodded, "Lead the way."


    Bai Qn''s actions, as well as her identity, warranted his disy of goodwill.


    The group moved to the living room; without tea, they sat facing each other, with the corpses standing on either side, though the atmosphere was not as tense as at the beginning.


    "The things mentioned earlier, are all part of your research?"


    "Not really research, it''s more observation and summarization," she replied slowly.


    Bai Qn continued, "The advent of that eyeball changed many things. Most of my biological knowledge is now useless. I''ve had to try and reobserve and summarize thews... then survive. Sister Kailing and I were fortunate to neither turn into monsters, and we also discovered the Half-Fish Monster."


    "What did you discover?"


    Su Han suddenly became curious and couldn''t help but feel an urgency brewing within him, eager to find out how much Bai Qn knew about those monsters.


    Although he could merge and be stronger, the origin of the Angel Envoys and monsters still should be identified.


    Only with understanding could safety and reliability be enhanced.


    "The cells of the monsters are unusually active, with an unknown factor causing continuous mutation or, one might say, evolution."


    "What factor?"


    Bai Qn paused, then shook her head, "I don''t know. I''m just a PhD, not a top schr like Bai Qiuwen. Besides, my homecks the equipment to find out more, managing to induce change in the corpses was already a fluke. Though, if I had to guess, I suspect it to be some form of energy, unleashed by that red light erupting from the eyeball creature, injecting a different energy into our world."


    "Biological evolution could not ur so rapidly, nor could an ecosystem''s formation and refinement, but take the Half-Fish Monster, do you know what it originally was?"


    Bai Qn paused again, and said earnestly, "It was a carp, ced in Yunling Lake by the property managers, but in a short time, it transformed into this form; it''s merely one stage of evolution. Thatke now houses various fish monsters, including amanding monsterrger than the others, forming a breedingmunity."


    How long does it take for humans to evolve from monkeys to the terrifying form of upright apes?


    Tens to hundreds of millions of years.


    Yet, the carp in Yunling Lake evolved into these fish monsters, possessing great abilities and instinctual intelligence, within how long?


    A mere few days.


    Isn''t that terrifying?


    Bai Qn calmed down slightly before continuing, "I experimented utilizing their highly mutable cells, which is what caused the Angel Envoy''s transformation, but that''s as far as it could go, simple extraction of energy isn''t enough to continue the experimentation."


    "Wait a minute, beautiful, you said theke holds not only this, this Half-Fish Monster, but also numerous others and a monster boss?"


    Zhu Xiong''s eyes widened as he looked at Bai Qn, his expression somewhat painful.


    "Yes,"


    Bai Qn nodded firmly, "While fetching water, we identally encountered them. Fortunately, they didn''t notice the two of us. I am certain they exist in at least three forms: the Half-Fish Monster, a humanoid fish monster with limbs, and the leader, not smaller than his envoys."

 Chapter 54 : 54 Trouble at Yunling Lake

    "That leader must be one of the earliest mutated Fish-Head Monsters, at least of the First Order Upper Grade in strength. They consider Yunling Lake their territory, viewing any creatures that approach as prey or intruders, with a non-negligible level of aggression."


    Bai Qn and Ye Kailing were well aware of the Fish Monster tribe''s behaviors, having stealthily collected water while the group wasn''t paying attention. Despite their efforts, sometimes they couldn''t avoid sneak attacks and had to make quick retreats without time to cover their tracks.


    "Pack up your things, and then follow us back to the camp."


    The information Bai Qn provided was very important, concerning the future water collection, but more than that, he valued Bai Qn herself.


    While the apocalypse had overturned many things and natural rules, inevitably, new rules also emerged.


    People like Bai Qn were not bookworms; using their pre-apocalyptic trained thinking to quickly attempt to understand and apply new rules showed she was no simple person.


    Such a person could be very helpful to the camp.


    Moreover, as Bai Qn said, if she could reach this stage, then those top scientists and schrs were likely doing the same.


    In this regard, Su Han did not want to fall behind. Even with the special ability of Fusion, he couldn''t afford to be careless.


    When Bai Qn heard Su Han''s words, she was taken aback and hesitantly asked, "Are you inviting me to join your team?"


    Su Han nodded, "Your observations and discoveries are important for the survivors. Join my team, and I can assure your safety, but you will also need to contribute to the team. Although both of you are First-level Intermediate, I''m afraid it''s not enough to deal with the Fish Monster tribe alone. It''s better to stick together."


    He made his intentions clear. There was no threat in his voice, but it was undeniable.


    Bai Qn didn''t hesitate much and nodded, "I agree to your terms, but you have to ensure our safety, and the supplies here need to be moved, including some of my experimental equipment."


    "No problem, we''re staying in Vi 10, not far from here."


    Bai Qn stood up and then led Su Han and the others to the basement on the first floor. The basement was specially remodeled, with some rtively simple instruments inside.


    Ordinary researchers would hardly keep these things at home, but Bai Qn was the deputy chief of Bai Yujing Group and it was a family business, so naturally, there were exceptions, and she had set up a smallb.


    When they arrived at theb, they saw the bound Half-Fish Monster.


    This Half-Fish Monster was slightly smaller than the one Su Han and his group had captured. It appeared somewhat listless, with many scales missing from its body.


    "Let''s move the stuff first; we''ll talk once we get back."


    ....


    "Miss, do you really want to join their team? The fog has cleared a bit; Mr. Bai should be able to organize a rescue for you soon,"


    "Sister Kailing, it''s not possible,"


    Bai Qn and Ye Kailing were packing their belongings on the second floor. She spoke calmly, "Whether my father is at the group''s headquarters or the factory, it''s at least half a city away from the vi district. Even if he has obedient people under him, it won''t be that simple to get here. We need to look after our own safety first."


    "But they might not necessarily..."


    "As long as we have value, they won''t hurt us easily, and it''s likely they are just a little wary."


    Although they had shed from the beginning, upon careful reevaluation, considering the strength of the Four-Armed Apostle, it was clear there had been mercy, not even using Pu knives.


    "Sister Kailing, pack your things, they should be about done moving everything."


    ```


    Zhu Xiong called for a truck, and then theboratory equipment and the Half-Fish Monster were loaded up; within half an hour, everything was packed.


    Bai Qn, along with Ye Kailing, followed Su Han and the others back to Vi No. 10.


    Yan Meiyu had received news that there was a change in n and was waiting for them here. When Su Han got down from the truck, he pointed to Bai Qn and Ye Kailing behind him and said to Yan Meiyu, "You arrange for these two to settle in."


    "Okay," Yan Meiyu nodded, then said, "You two, please follow me."


    Bai Qn responded with a smile, speaking softly, "Just call me Bai Qn or Qn, she is Ye Kailing."


    "I am Yan Meiyu. I''m currently in charge of supplies and misceneous affairs in our team."


    After getting to know each other, Yan Meiyu led the two towards the inside of the vi. Passing through the yard, Bai Qn saw many people busy with their own tasks, both men and women, especially when she saw a little girl, she couldn''t help but show a look of astonishment.


    "You have a child here?"


    "Old Guo''s daughter," Yan Meiyu paused, then said, "Guo Gang, the one in our team responsible for repairing vehicles."


    Bai Qn and Ye Kailing exchanged a nce, their minds somewhat relieved, as it now seemed that this team was quite decent.


    "For the next two days, everyone will stay on the first floor. Once we thoroughly check and ensure there are no problems around, we''ll then assign rooms."


    Bai Qn nodded, indicating that there was no problem. Initially, she and Ye Kailing had also always slept by the front door.


    "What was your profession before the apocalypse? And if you have any specialties, please tell me too, so I can assign you work that suits you."


    Bai Qn was taken aback, then replied, "Biotechnology research, but I also understand some basic medical knowledge when it extends out."


    Yan Meiyu gave Bai Qn another look. That impressive?


    "You two rest for now. Su Han will probably look for youter."


    After settling the two of them in, Yan Meiyu went to find Su Han, who then instructed her to clear a room for the experimental equipment; ultimately, these devices were to be used by Bai Qn.


    Su Han then took the two Half-Fish Monsters to building 9, using Metal Control to melt all the remaining steel to create rigorous, tightly fitted iron cages.


    One cage per Half-Fish Monster, they were all locked up.


    Standing in front of the cage, Su Han''s expression was contemtive. What Bai Qn said, although much of it was conjecture, he believed about seventy to eighty percent of it in his heart.


    As his strength grew, his connection with the Book of Blood Spirit became tighter. He could feel that the Angels not only grew stronger through constant training but were also absorbing some energy all the time to enhance themselves.


    And the Book of Blood Spirit, serving as an intermediary, channeled this force back to humans, initiating human evolution.


    If Bai Qn was telling the truth, then under the drive of such energy, more monsters would be born, mutate, andpress human living space, and the situation would only get worse.


    "First, kill monsters to increase strength, bring the Fusion progress with the Spider Monster to max, and then think of ways to enhance the strength of Old Zhu and the others. Alone, I won''t be able to both scout for supplies and deal with monsters. However, with Bai Qn''s method, it shouldn''t be too difficult."


    Thinking through the priorities, Su Han knew that the water source needed to be addressed, but the issue of supplies also had to be tackled, which wasn''t something one person could aplish; it required manpower. Find your next favorite at m vl-em|p-yr


    His gaze fell on the Half-Fish Monster, eyes flickering slightly: "Bai Qn used the monster''s intrinsic mutation traits to induce the Angel''s mutation, but fundamentally, it should still be that energy. Although it may not be as good as my Fusion, the idea is probably correct. If there are monsters stronger than the Half-Fish Monster, could it further enhance Old Zhu and the others?"


    Suddenly inspired, Su Han stride toward Vi No. 10; he needed to ask Bai Qn about the details. If possible, then he would have to find a way to draw out the monsters from Yunling Lake first.


    ```

 Chapter 55 Methods to Enhance Mutation Efficiency

    Su Han arrived at building 10 by the time Bai Qn and Ye Kailing had already settled in and gotten a decent understanding of the camp.


    Though there weren''t many people, the overall atmosphere in the team was good, and regardless of gender, except for the little girl Guo Huihui who didn''t have a Contract, everyone else was a Contractor.


    In a roundabout way, Bai Qn had also learned that this was arranged by Su Han, indirectly proving Su Han''s character.


    "Bai Qn," Su Han called out to Bai Qn, "I have some questions to ask you, can youe over here?"


    She paused, walked over, and said, "What is it?"


    Su Han led her out of the vi to building 9, where two Half-Fish Monsters locked in cages caught Bai Qn''s eyes.


    A sh of surprise appeared in her eyes, and she keenly noticed something amiss about the cage.


    Where would people on the run find such a suitable cage? She had searched building 9, but this thing wasn''t there.


    Moreover, there were no welding marks on the iron cage.


    She couldn''t help but turn her gaze towards Su Han, sensing that this thing and the ck Armor were somehow special.


    "If you had two Half-Fish Monsters, how much extract could you produce to enhance the Angel Envoy?"


    "It''s hard to estimate, I just simply extract their most active tissues and inject them into the Angel Envoy''s body, in other words, drawing blood and marrow. As long as their Regenerative Power keeps up, then it can be drawn continuously."


    Bai Qn looked at the Half-Fish Monsters and said softly, "In fact, these monsters have very strong Regenerative Powers, drawing blood is feasible at about four to five hundred milliliters a day; spinal tissue doesn''t work as well, it takes longer. But if you want to enhance strength this way, it probably won''t work."


    Su Han frowned slightly and asked, "Why is that?"


    Bai Qn exined, "Your Angel Envoy is clearly stronger than the Half-Fish Monsters, meaning the Special Ability inside it is more active, the cells are stronger, the likelihood of inducing mutation in them by the Half-Fish Monsters is very small. In fact, after Ye Kailing and I in our flesh bodies reached First-level Intermediate, the effect of mutation significantly decreased.


    Simply extracted, the energy contained is too little, unless..."


    "A more powerful monster?"


    Su Han interrupted Bai Qn''s words, to which Bai Qn nodded and said, "Yes, ording to my guess, the stronger the monster, the higher the likelihood of inducing mutation in weaker monsters.


    There''s also another method, which is to purify the extract as much as possible, turning it into a real enhancer, but we don''t have the conditions now, not enough equipment, not enough energy, can''t do it."


    The approach of Bai Qn, in essence, was derived from the original method of gic mutation, high-energy radiation exposure, mutagens, etc., that induce gene mutation.


    The special energy present now and strong monster gics are essentially mutagenic factors, and what she needed to do was to enhance these mutagenic factors.


    "What do you think about the fish monster leader?"


    "You want to confront that fish monster leader?"


    Bai Qn hesitated for a moment and said, "Actually, there''s no need to take such a big risk. I heard from Meiyu that you are already preparing to dig a channel. This is actually also a method of diverting water.


    The monsters haven''t contaminated Yunling Lake''s water source, just divert water around them, it should be fine; there are quite a few in their pack, if not properly prepared, it might lead to deaths."


    "I know,"


    Su Han nced at Bai Qn and nodded, saying, "I''ll be prepared, but as for the extract matter, I''ll leave it to you."


    "Understood, I''ll get as much out as possible, but I need two people to help."


    "Ask Yan Meiyu for that."


    -----------------


    "Run fast, they''re catching up!"


    Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Cheng Zhenyong was driving a Dajin cup van, constantly pressing the elerator, his expression tense to the extreme.


    Behind him, there were several other vehicles, all carrying survivors from the supermarket.


    However, whether it was Cheng Zhenyong or the other cars, they were all fleeing as fast as possible because trailing behind them were twenty to thirty ferocious meat corpses.


    Ahead of this group of meat corpses, threerge giant corpses strode towards them, moving much faster than the rest of the meat corpses.


    These meat corpses were nearly three meters tall, their skin a dark gray, eyes blood red, heads enormous, necks almost non-existent, with heads connected directly to their bodies.


    They roared and charged at the cars; each of their stepsnded with a heavy thud, covering nearly two to three meters with each stride.


    "Boom"


    Thest vehicle, in trying to avoid an obstacle on the road, somehow slowed down and was immediately seized by the opportunity of a giant corpse which leaped onto its roof.


    The thin roof couldn''t withstand the pressure of a heavy object falling on it, instantly caving in.


    The giant corpse roared and stretched out its massive ws, reaching into the car window to grab someone''s head, snapping their neck, and dragging the body out of the car.


    "Roar"


    The flesh corpses swarmed forward, devouring the fresh body, and even more flesh corpses surged out from both sides of the street.


    "Ah!"


    The screams inside the car were incessant, and the twisted vehicle finally flipped over, resulting in severe casualties. More flesh corpses gathered around for a feast.


    The three giant corpses left the overturned car behind and quickly pursued the car ahead.


    "Damn it!"


    Cheng Zhenyong saw this scene in the rearview mirror, utterly unable to suppress his anger. This was already the third car.


    They had been targeted by monsters shortly after leaving the Lihua Supermarket, and these were three evenrger flesh corpses with more powerful strength and defenses, at least all First-level Intermediate or above.


    They were no match at all and could only run, desperately trying to shake them off.


    But under the shroud of fog, they dared not speed up, and the debris on the road also made it impossible for them to fully extend the distance.


    A third of the people were dead, but they were still unable to escape.


    "Hold on tight, we''re approaching the police station!"


    The more they ran, the louder the noise they made, attracting even more flesh corpses.


    From twenty or thirty, the number quickly grew to forty or fifty. Despair gradually dawned on them, fearing they were doomed if this kept up.


    "Bang bang bang"


    However, just then, a ck armored vehicle suddenly appeared ahead: "Brake, swerve left and right."


    The sound of the horn made Cheng Zhenyong and the others move their vehicle aside on the street, and the continuous gunfire rained down on the giant corpses.


    Bursts of blood blossomed, and even with their rough skin and thick flesh, these monsters could not withstand the gunfire.


    Cheng Zhenyong''s face showed an excited expression; they had finally arrived. It was the police station''s personnel.


    He immediately moved to the side of the street, making room for the police to attack the monsters. Under the barrage of bullets, the three giant corpses were quickly killed, and many more flesh corpses were also shot dead on the spot.


    "Roar!"


    Amid the monsters'' roaring, they quickly disappeared into the fog, temporarily retreating.


    Cheng Zhenyong breathed a long sigh of relief, his heart finally settling down, knowing they were safe atst.


    "All personnel in the vehicle, get out immediately. We are from the city police station. Now, disembark and report the number and type of contractors you have, and be sure not to make any unauthorized moves. Please cooperate immediately."


    The voice was stern, but Cheng Zhenyong felt no nervousness or fear. He called out loudly, "We are getting out now; we are all civilians, less than half are contractors. I am your station''s Guo Wutao''srade-in-arms, Cheng Zhenyong."


    "Director Guo?"


    There was a slight exmation from the police, and then everyone got out of the car. The leader nced at Cheng Zhenyong and said, "Director Guo is at the station. If you are indeed hisrade, we''ll take you to see himter. We''re here to search for supplies."


    "Thank you."


    Cheng Zhenyong then noticed that there were several other vehicles behind the armored vehicle, mostly buses, each driven by a guard.


    "Captain, the giant corpses are dead and can''t be contracted."


    "Take the bodies back to Professor Bai Qiuwen, then organize the people to get on the buses, and let those among them who are contractors assist in the defense."


    The captain was not surprised that they couldn''t form a contract. The team that came out to search for supplies were all contractors, who couldn''t contract again, and from past experience, killing from a certain distance also precluded contracting.


    The team neatly cleaned up the battlefield and after verifying there was nothing unusual with Cheng Zhenyong and his group, they used the contractors'' abilities to load the giant corpses onto thest vehicle.


    "Everyone get on, follow me. The station is temporarily safe and can protect you."

 Chapter 56 Forming a Clean-up Squad

    After discovering the Half-Fish Monster near Yunling Lake, Zhu Xiong immediately increased manpower. Xia Ning and Gu Shaojie, along with four others contracted with the Giant Macrophage Dog, were all sent out for patrol.


    Then he and Gan Xinglei were in charge of digging ditches to divert water. Perhaps because a previous ambush attempt had failed, the Half-Fish Monster did not appear for the time being, so the ditch digging went rtively smoothly this time.


    By evening, they had nearly finished diverting the canal to a slope several dozen meters away. All they needed to do was to break the barrier between the canal and Yunling Lake and dig a pond at the other end of the canal to form a new reservoir.


    After that, a bit of sedimentation could be arranged, which would temporarily meet their needs.


    In the evening, they still ate in Building 10. After a simple dinner, Su Han called over Zhu Xiong and his group.


    "Has the tally of those who want to fight been finalized?"


    Su Han looked at Yan Meiyu and spoke about the matter of inquiring into the formation of abat squad that morning.


    Yan Meiyu replied, "I''ve generally asked around. Except for Huihui, Zhao Hui, Yan Qiumei, and Old Zhao, who are older, there are 15 able to participate in the fight, including the four of us."


    Fifteen people was not a small number since their entire team had previously only had twenty people.


    "Wait, Sister Kailing and I can also join the fight."


    Bai Qn''s voice came through, drawing everyone''s attention to her. She spoke calmly, "Shouldn''t those involved in gathering resources contribute more? Moreover, I want to study the ecology of those monsters."


    Ye Kailing joining the fight was normal; she was a retired soldier and had received professional bodyguard training, herbat ability probably even higher than that of Zhu Xiong.


    The proactive participation of Bai Qn surprised Su Han and the others; after all, given her current role, there was no need for her to participate inbat.


    "You can join subsequent battles, but right now, it''s more important that you extract blood and spinal fluid from the Half-Fish Monster."


    Su Han rejected Bai Qn''s suggestion. Bai Qn was not discouraged and responded, "I know, I mean in the future since different monsters might have different uses."


    "16 people, split into three groups¡ªone group of five, guarding the two vis; the second group led by Old Zhu and Old Gan with seven people; and thest group I will lead with four people. Tomorrow, we''ll split up and clear the vi area, searching for resources and hunting monsters."


    Hunting monsters?


    Bai Qn looked at Su Han in surprise, especially since he specifically mentioned hunting monsters, which seemed a bit unusual.


    However, since no one else raised any objections, she naturally didn''t say more.


    "Su Han, we''re running out of metal and also a bit short on gasoline. Should we strip the cars parked in the other vis to get the gasoline?"


    In the post-apocalyptic world, cars were an important resource, indispensable for transport and escape. Whether to dismantle cars was also something Zhu Xiong was unsure about.


    "Dismantle those without keys and those with ipatible models. First, bring them here to Building 10, then I''ll take action."


    "OK, I know what to do."


    Zhu Xiong understood implicitly; the useless cars were like sports cars, which, aside from looking good and being expensive, couldn''tpare in load-bearing and impact resistance to more robust vehicles.


    Such vehicles would definitely need to be dismantled for parts and gasoline and then deliver the metal to Su Han. As for other cars withrge carrying capacities and space, they would be preserved.


    "What about the Half-Fish Monster in Yunling Lake?"


    Gan Xinglei hesitated; ording to this division, they would not be able to continue digging the canal tomorrow.


    Although there would be five people on guard, they certainly could not let them dig canals; if they encountered a sudden attack from the Half-Fish Monster, idents could likely ur.


    Su Han had already considered this issue and calmly stated, "That can be postponed. I n to capture the entire tribe of the Half-Fish Monster."


    "What?"


    Upon hearing Su Han say this, everyone was momentarily stunned, showing confusion on their faces.


    Zhu Xiong asked, "This... Su Han, do you have an idea?"


    "Yunling Lake is our important future water source, and now the presence of the Half-Fish Monster has made it a bit tricky for us. It would be even harder to manage if something else were to go wrong in the future. Meat corpses are inconvenient for entering the water, and Giant Macrophage Dogs are even more so,cking aquatic creatures like the Half-Fish Monster."


    After Su Han exined this, everyone began to contemte, and indeed, Su Han was very right; after all, the water source issue could not be ignored.


    "Moreover, keeping them all locked up also makes it convenient for blood extraction and research."


    Su Han''s expression remained calm, but the group had already started to slightly grimace.


    He continued, "Since these monsters recover quickly, it''s better to keep them caged. Regrly drawing their blood can be considered their contribution. If a new member joins the team and has enough merit, it would be just right to kill and ''Contract'' them."


    "I thought about streetmps...."


    Gan Xinglei muttered subconsciously, and everyone''s gaze immediately fell on him.


    Yan Meiyu pinched him, and Gan Xinglei immediately forced a smile, "Cough cough, I mean, the utilization rate is really high."


    Yan Meiyu rolled her eyes dramatically, but Su Han didn''t mind at all. Monsters wouldn''t cry, so what''s wrong with a high utilization rate?


    When Bai Qn was understanding the situation, he was inspired.


    Fusion of monster materials was a one-off deal; once fused, they were gone, but that wasn''t the case with blood extraction.


    Theoretically, the blood and tissues of a powerful monster, as conversion material, have a rtively high conversion rate. If one could continuously extract blood, then the efficiency would increase significantlypared to using meat corpses, not to mention that if kept, they could serve as reserves for fusion materials.


    This method that killed several birds with one stone was naturally something Su Han would not overlook, which is also why searching for resources had been prioritized today.


    "I support Su Han''s method."


    The first one to agree was not Zhu Xiong and his group, but Bai Qn. She raised her fair hand and said in the same tone, "Although monsters are a bit dangerous, I believe they also have value for utilization. It would be best to breed them and use them to the greatest extent, studying their ecology. To some extent, the Angel Envoy is closely rted to monsters in aspects other than ''Contract''.


    Understanding them thoroughly can also help in enhancing ourselves. Of course, there''s a big premise: we must be able to ensure our own safety, otherwise it''s better to give up."


    "I agree."


    With Su Han and Bai Qn both voicing their opinions, Yan Meiyu also figured out the key point and expressed her agreement.


    Zhu Xiong said, "I have no objections. If we are to capture them, we shouldn''t just target the fish monsters. If we encounter any special types during the process of cleaning up the vi area and can handle them, capturing them is also feasible."


    Gan Xinglei added, "I think so too."


    "Then let''s all prepare, and be careful tomorrow."


    The next morning, ording to Su Han''s arrangements, after breakfast, the group''s division was announced.


    Yan Meiyu was responsible for staying behind at the vi, along with Xia Ning and Bai Xiao''e, who were in charge of protecting the vi and coordinating with Bai Qn to extract blood and spinal tissue from the Half-Fish Monster.


    Zhu Xiong and Gan Xinglei formed one team and, apanied by several young and strong men, drove a modified van, tasked with searching vis numbered 1-15.


    Simrly, Su Han and his group also drove another van, headed towards the second half of the vis, tasked with clearing vis numbered 16-30 while also checking for any special changes on the Yunling Mountain side.


    The Lamp Tree''s crystals, two in total, onerge given to Zhu Xiong''s group, and the one just picked, slightly bigger than a lychee, was kept by Su Han.


    The two vehicles slowly drove into the fog, following the nned schedule, and started the clearing work.

 Chapter 57 Giant Claw Zombie

    "Buildings 9, 6, and 8 have already been cleared by Miss Bai and me; there wasn''t much of anything. The homeowners weren''t there, just the maids and gardeners who had turned into flesh zombies. All have been dealt with," he said.


    Ye Kailing and Zhu Xiong were a team, equivalent to three First-level Intermediates, along with Cheng Xiyuan, Gu Shaojie''s Giant Macrophage Dog, and the remaining two flesh zombies, making their seven-person team''s overall strength decent.


    Apart from the flesh zombies wielding machetes, the Contractors also held sharp machetes, all weapons provided by Su Han.


    "That simplifies things. We''ll start from building five and search up to building one, also checking the main gate along the way. If everything looks clear, we''ll head back and search from building 11 to 15. How does that sound?"


    Zhu Xiong gestured over the map and asked Gan Xinglei and Ye Kailing.


    Gan Xinglei shook his head and said, "I have no objections."


    Ye Kailing said, "I have no objections either, but I do have a question. What do we do if wee across survivors?"


    Although the vi district wasn''t densely popted, and Ye Kailing and Bai Qn hadn''t encountered any living people while searching for supplies, she knew this was a problem they couldn''t avoid.


    Zhu Xiong, now experienced, replied, "It depends on the person. If they''re not dangerous, we can absorb them into our camp while ensuring our own safety. However, we might need to control them first if necessary."


    Upon hearing the word "control," Ye Kailing''s eyelid twitched. Wasn''t that precisely how Su Han had dealt with them?


    She was still recovering from her flesh zombie injuries but, fortunately, could move around now.


    "Understood. I''ll provide support with my bow and arrow; the rest is under yourmand," she said.


    The vehicle started slowly and soon passed the sixth vi, gradually nearing the fifth vi.


    Vis 1-5 were closer to the main gate exit of the Shanhu Vi District, also known as the front garden, and Vi 5 was a bit distanced from Yunling Lake.


    As they approached Vi 5, the fog gradually dispersed under the glow of the Lamp Tree crystals, revealing the appearance of the vi.


    "Roar"


    The moment the truck stopped, a deep growl echoed, and flesh zombies'' figures suddenly appeared in the yard, all three grotesque and wing.


    Upon hearing the sound, they turned and charged towards the people, scaling the fence wall with limbs iling like wild animals.


    "Take action."


    The flesh zombies moved fast, but the team was ustomed to these monsters'' attacks. Therefore, just as they pounced, an Angel Envoy flesh zombie leaped off the roof, knocking them down.


    Meanwhile, a newly summoned Giant Macrophage Dog sprang forward, its mouth full of sharp teeth, and bit off the head of a flesh zombie in one swift motion.


    In just two minutes, three flesh zombies were dead, and the group finally stepped off the vehicle.


    "Let''s search the house for items first, and then load the flesh zombies onto the truck afterward," Zhu Xiongmanded while holding a machete, suggesting that since there were monsters in the yard, it was unlikely there were still living people inside the vi.


    Sure enough, when they reached the front door and found it open, they entered to be weed by the stench of decay.


    In the living room, they were greeted by the sight of a nearly gutted, rotting corpse.


    "Look for useful items and be cautious of more monsters," he instructed.


    Without any living people, the search became simpler. From the first floor to the second, the only food that hadn''t spoiled was rice and flour; there wasn''t much in the way of medicine, but there was plenty of alcohol¡ªred wine, spirits, and liquor.


    "Brother Xiong, there are two sports cars in the garage," someone noted.


    "Just log it for now," he replied.


    In less than half an hour, Vi 5 was thoroughly scavenged by Zhu Xiong and his team. Not a lot of supplies were found, but everything was stuffed into the truck. Regarding the three bodies of the flesh zombies, after draining their blood, they too were packed into the truck, kept separately.


    Vi 4 was unupied, having neither maids nor gardeners. Other than some food and alcohol, nothing else was found¡ªit likely had been empty since the outbreak.


    Continuing from Vi 3 to Vi 1, they sporadically encountered one or two flesh zombies but still found no survivors. However, they did collect some supplies and noted the vis with vehicles.


    "Prepare yourselves; we''re heading back, starting with the 11th Vi," Zhu Xiong announced.


    Although Vi No. 11 bore a sequential name with Vi No. 10, it was actually a bit far from it and not particrly close to Yunling Lake.


    A few people drove back, nning to start from Vi No. 11 andplete thetter half of their exploration. If they managed to clear the area this time, the vi district would be much safer.


    "I wonder how Su Han is doing. He should be managing pretty well, right?"


    As Zhu Xiong was driving, he chatted with Gan Xinglei, who shook his head, "Not necessarily. That side is connected to Yunling Mountain. Although there''s a wall separating them, you never know what might be lurking."


    "Don''t jinx it."


    Zhu Xiong arched an eyebrow, but Gan Xinglei didn''t mind. He was telling the truth. However, it probably wasn''t a big issue for Su Han, given his stronger abilities.


    "Wait! Listen!"


    Suddenly, Ye Kailing stiffened and interrupted their conversation.


    Zhu Xiong and Gan Xinglei showed surprised expressions. Without asking for details, they heard roaring and chaotic noises rising from the fog.


    "It''s a monster!"


    Gan Xinglei''s face tensed up, listening to the sounds that were not just from one creature, but from several engaged inbat.


    Ye Kailing confirmed, "It''sing from the direction of Vi No. 13. It could be survivors."


    Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong immediately said, "Let''s go check it out, hold on tight."


    He floored the gas pedal, turning the car toward the source of the noise.


    The car wasn''t slow, and as they drew closer, the chaotic sounds of battle grew clearer. Finally, when they were near, the light from the Lamp Tree crystals dispersed the fog around them, exposing the situation a hundred meters away.


    A giant human-shaped flesh corpse about three meters tall was leading seven or eight other flesh corpses in an assault on Vi No. 13.


    This giant flesh corpse had bulging muscles of a ghastly white color and a pair of crimson eyes exuding savage ferocity. Most notably, its sharp ws were over twenty centimeters long, pale and sharp as if forged from bone.


    At that moment, a group of about five or six Angel Envoy flesh corpses and their Contractors were holding them off, defending continuously by relying on the fence wall. However, the resistance inside the vi was tough; the Giant w Zombie simply grabbed one of the Angel Envoy flesh corpses with a swing of its immense hand.


    Its sharp ws left deep gashes on the body, from which blood surged out like warm springs, staining the body of the Giant w Zombie and the fence red.


    "Boom"


    The flesh corpse was directly smashed and fell onto the sharp ends of the fence, the entire body impaled by rows of spikes, instantly killing it.


    "Ah!"


    A scream echoed as a man fighting the flesh corpses alongside the angels turned pale and copsed on the spot.


    The others changed their expressions. A chubby man shouted, "Retreat! Get back to the house!"


    As they hurried back to the house, the flesh corpses tried to hold off the attack, but then the car headlights and the light from the Lamp Tree suddenly shone over, drawing the attention of both the Giant w Zombie and the survivors.


    Therge red truck glowing in the light suddenly caught the attention of the Giant w Zombie, which turned its head to look over. Its crimson eyes and ferocious face were clearly exposed under the light, nearly visible were the glistening fluids dripping from its mouth filled with sharp intertwined fangs.


    The chubby man''s face changed, instantly overjoyed, "Brother, don''t get out of the car. This monster is fierce, just ram it!"


    The loud shout was like amand erupting among the monsters and Zhu Xiong''s group. Instantly, the Giant w Zombie abandoned the group of survivors at the vi and charged toward the truck.


    Inside the car, Zhu Xiong''s expression turned cold, a fierce glint in his eyes as he muttered, "I had no intention of getting out anyway, let''s go!"


    He hit the gas pedal, and the modified truck charged directly at the Giant w Zombie.


    "Bang"


    Your journey starts at m_v le mpyr


    A massive impact sound resonated as the front of the truck, fitted with a shovel, struck hard against the body of the Giant w Zombie. It violently collided with the reinforced front of the vehicle and then flew backward at high speed.


    The dozens of meters of eleration were not enough to kill the Giant w Zombie on impact. All that could be seen was more than ten meters away, the Giant w Zombie rolling on the ground with both legspletely broken, its arms twisted like pretzels, and its ribs piercing through the chest.


    It struggled and roared, even trying to crawl over, but Zhu Xiong flung the car door open and shouted, "Take action, keep the big one alive, finish off the others."

 Chapter 58 Gathering the Survivors

    Everyone swarmed out of the truck, but Cheng Xiyuan and his team from the rearpartment were a bit disheveled; the crash had shaken them quite a bit.


    Luckily, they quickly got into the swing of things. They summoned their flesh zombies, and the Giant Macrophage Dogs charged towards them, their massive jaws snapping at the zombies.


    With the crunching sound of breaking bones, the remaining Angel Envoy flesh zombies followed suit, plunging their sharp machetes into the bodies of the monster zombies.


    The sharp des pierced through the bodies of the monster zombies, and at the same time, the Angel Envoy flesh zombies opened their gaping maws, biting into the necks of their foes, tearing awayrge chunks of flesh, blood pouring out.


    Seven or eight zombies were overpowered by thebined attack and the people from the vi seized the moment tounch a counterattack, quickly killing them off.


    On the other side, Ye Kailing, Zhu Xiong, and Gan Xinglei''s Angel Envoy flesh zombies strode toward the Giant w Zombie.


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    They pressed down on the Giant w Zombie''s body. Even heavily wounded, the Giant w Zombie still struggled violently, its immense strength almost flipping the three flesh zombies.


    "This thing isn''t First Order Upper Grade, is it?"


    Zhu Xiong eximed in surprise as he watched the Giant w Zombie. Ye Kailing drew her bow to the full and with a swoosh, thepound bowunched an arrow that burrowed into the Giant w Zombie''s shoulder.


    "Roar"


    The Giant w Zombie let out an angry roar due to the pain but, with its arm wounded again, its struggles became weaker.


    "It probably isn''t, but rank isn''t the sole indicator of strength,"


    Ye Kailing replied, and as she spoke, another arrow shot out, this time hitting the other shoulder of the Giant w Zombie.


    After the two arrows hit, the Giant w Zombie had no more strength to resist, held down firmly, its strength ebbing away.


    "Get on it, tie it up with the climbing rope, wrap it several times."


    Zhu Xiong called everyone to bind the monster, agreeing with what Ye Kailing said, indeed there was an example right before them.


    Bai Qn and Ye Kailing''s Angel Envoy flesh zombies were such an example; although both were First-level Intermediate, their bodily defense and strength were somewhat stronger than the zombies of Zhu Xiong and Gan Xinglei.


    Different mutations and skills all resulted in different strengths.


    The level of strength was only a range, with clearer upper and lower limits, but the gap in the middle was harder to define.


    After seizing the Giant w Zombie and securely binding it, Ye Kailing stepped forward to pull out the two carbon-fiber arrows. In this post-apocalyptic world, each arrow was precious, and lost arrows were hard to rece.


    "Brother Xiong, let''s get it on the truck first."


    Cheng Xiyuan''s Giant Macrophage Dog had returned to his side, followed by three otherpanions.


    "Yeah, first load it up, and bring it back for the boss,"


    Zhu Xiong instructed Cheng Xiyuan to load the zombie while he, Gan Xinglei, and Ye Kailing looked towards the vi.


    "Brother, thank you for saving our lives."


    The people inside saw the battle had finally ended and hurried out from the vi, their faces disying expressions of relief from surviving the ordeal.


    "How many of you are there?"


    Zhu Xiong eyed the six peopleing from the vi and asked.


    The Angel Envoy flesh zombies were nearby, subtly separating them and acting as their protection.


    "11... 10 people," the chubby man initially wanted to say 11 but, seeing the man lying on the ground, his expression darkened slightly and he changed to 10.


    Just now, the man on the ground had his Angel Envoy grabbed and killed by the Giant w Zombie, which caused a bacsh, and although his mind was severely disturbed by the incident, he might not have necessarily died.


    However, they were forced back by the monster zombies and simply had no time to carry the man away, allowing him to be ripped open and disemboweled.


    Zhu Xiong looked over the group carefully. The leading man had a height of 1.8 meters, a face covered in pockmarks, unkempt beard, yet there was a slick look about him, and his attire was not at all ordinary.


    Hispanions were easier to identify. Some were in security guard uniforms, others wore short-sleeved shirts that, despite being a bit dirty, didn''t look cheap.


    "Brother, my name is Zhang Dahai, I''ll remember this life-saving grace, Old Zhang has kept it in mind,"


    Zhang Dahai prudently stopped his advance, used the fence as a divide, and with sped fists thanked Zhu Xiong from across the fence.


    Zhu Xiong cracked a smile, "It''s just a simple gesture of assistance, are you guys the property owners of thisplex?"


    As Zhang Dahai''s gaze shifted, he knew Zhu Xiong was trying to feel them out. He didn''t hide anything and frankly said, "A few of us are property owners, and there are a few brothers from the property management. Six men and four women. The women don''t have contracted monsters to assist, so we let them hide inside the vi."


    "Old Zhao, let everyonee out, it''s safe now."


    "Alright, Mr. Zhang."


    Zhang Dahai was clearly the leader of this survivor group. As he spoke, a security guard beside him went into the vi to call people out.


    "Manager, everyone cane out now. The monster has been killed."


    Only then did footsteps emerge from inside the vi, with four cautious womening out.


    Two were cleaningdies or possibly nannies in their forties or fifties, inly dressed, not tall, with a slight plumpness to their figures.


    The other two women were somewhat younger. One looked to be in her thirties, dressed in business attire with short ck hair, likely the manager of the property management.


    The other was dressed in casual clothes, wearing sses¡ªa look of a younger housewife. Despite her disheveled appearance, she carried an air of calm, possibly one of the owners.


    Zhu Xiong''s eyes narrowed and he signaled Ye Kailing and Gan Xinglei with a nce.


    Despite their plight, this group was not too bad.


    Seeing Zhu Xiong''s change in expression, Zhang Dahai felt slightly more at ease and tentatively asked, "Brother, are you here to scavenge for supplies, or...?"


    He was a shrewd man and could tell at a nce that Zhu Xiong and co. were too proficient when they moved to action,pletely different from the makeshift group they were.


    Even the style of their machetes was almost the same, indicating obviously a ''professional'' team.


    Zhu Xiong showed a smile and said, "Scavenging for supplies, clearing the territory. Shanhu Vi District as a whole is quite nice, making it a suitable base."


    Zhang Dahai''s eyes revealed understanding, and he immediately grasped Zhu Xiong''s intent.


    Zhu Xiong did not give them an opportunity to speak further and said, "This vi has a vehicle, right? Gather what you can,e to Vi Number 10 with us, how about that?"


    Zhang Dahai and his group were stunned for a moment, but he quickly took the lead in agreeing, "We''ll get ready right away."


    Though Zhu Xiong didn''t say what would happen if they didn''t agree, Zhang Dahai knew it would definitely be unpleasant.


    The other party had already made it clear that Shanhu Vi was their territory. Could they stay here if they didn''t go along? Besides, truth be told, banding together in the apocalypse wasn''t such a bad thing.


    "Xiao Xi,"


    "Brother Xiong, what''s up?"


    Zhu Xiong called Cheng Xiyuan over, then said, "Go give them a hand, and keep an eye out. Ask for their names and professions, write them down, and hand the information to Sister Yan when we get back."


    "Got it, Brother Xiong."


    With help on the way and being watched, Zhang Dahai and his people had no intention of causing trouble. Being alive was precious enough for them, they had no other thoughts.


    Their belongings were packed up quickly. There were two Jeeps in the garage of Vi Number 13, both Zhang Dahai''s cherished vehicles.


    Powerful and sizable, they were very suitable for the end times, most importantly, they were full of fuel.


    As they packed, Zhu Xiong also learned about their situation from Zhang Dahai.


    Soon after the apocalypse broke out, the fleeing property management staff encountered him. They had been holed up in Vi Number 13 for several days, surviving thanks to Zhang Dahai''s habit of stocking the fridge with food for when his friends visited.


    Along with some provisions prepared for fishing in the past, they managed to hold out for more than a week. Subsequently, monsters started to appear, which they fought off and contracted.


    They had cleared Vis 11 and 12. The trouble started with Vis 14 and 15.


    The Giant w Zombie was disturbed by their search and had been chasing them here. As for the main reason it was disturbed,


    it turned out that there was also a Lamp Tree inside Zhang Dahai''s vi. It was less than thirty centimeters tall and had produced a Lamp Tree Crystal the size of a table tennis ball, which they had used to aid their scavenging for supplies.


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 59 Flesh Villa

    The conversation split in two, with Su Han leading Guo Gang and three others, driving the truck toward Vi No. 16.


    The vis beyond No. 16 were deep within the Shanhu Vi District, so the distance was not particrly close.


    Guo Gang was in charge of driving, moving slowly on the road shrouded in fog, and soon there was amotion within the mist.


    Meat corpses dressed in security uniforms appeared in the fog and, upon noticing the sound of the car, immediately rushed towards them.


    "Old Guo, just drive past them, don''t mind them."


    Su Han, sitting in the passenger seat, simply uttered a sentence, as the Four-armed Corpse, d in ck Armor, charged out from beside the truck before the monster corpse could react.


    It was grabbed by the Four-armed Corpse, and the Pu knives hanging on the ck Armor were not even used; with a squeeze, its spine was directly snapped.


    Then countless streaks of blood spread out, beginning the Fusion with the meat corpse, converting both flesh and bone into Fusion material for the Spider Monster.


    ''84.5%, this conversion rate is decent.''


    Su Han made no effort to conceal it, but Guo Gang and the others in the car wouldn''t ask any questions, as the vehicle gradually entered the fog.


    In less than two minutes, the Four-armed Corpse had caught up withrge strides, stopping with the truck in front of Vi No. 16.


    "Let''s go in and take a look, kill any meat corpses you see."


    The group got out of the car and, after a quick inspection revealed nothing unusual about the vi, they broke through the front door.


    The noise of breaking in alerted the monsters inside the vi, and howls arose from upstairs, as hunchbacked meat corpses leaped down from the second floor.


    Guo Gang held a knife, and his Angel Envoy stepped forward first to meet the attack, with a one-stop service of control and stabbing; in less than half a minute, the meat corpse was killed.


    As the meat corpse died, the vi fell into silence.


    Su Han had the Four-armed Corpse start to Fusion the dead meat corpse, while Guo Gang and the others began to search Vi No. 16.


    There weren''t many things, not even a single body.


    Vi No. 16 was just the residence of an elderly rich man who was a writer, which was the hunchbacked meat corpse from earlier.


    Besides a pile of books and some useless documents, there wasn''t much food; the only somewhat useful item was a car in the garage.


    Su Han instructed Guo Gang to siphon the fuel, then he manipted the Four-armed Corpse to take control, with metal coalescing into a sphere, floating in front of it.


    "Old Guo, bring your meat corpses over."


    The people with Su Han had all contracted with meat corpses, which was different from Zhu Xiong and his group.


    Guo Gang summoned everyone, and the four meat corpses stood side by side as Su Han directed the Four-armed Corpse. The metal continued to transform, gradually adhering to the corpses.


    Moving like mercury, interconnecting with each other, a dark-hued suit of armor gradually appeared on the corpses.


    A heavy helmet adorned their heads, with iron armor enveloping their bodies, almostpletely covering them, except for the joints which were cleverly exposed. Along with previously equipped machetes, the monstrous appearance was mostly hidden, instead resembling armored warriors.


    The armor weighed roughly a few dozen pounds, but the strength of the meat corpses was not weak, so bearing such armor was not a burden.


    Su Han nced at Guo Gang and the others, and just as swiftly, with a thought, he adorned them with armor using the Four-armed Corpse''s Metal Control ability.


    Their armor was slightly lighter than that of the meat corpses but offered simrly strong defense.


    After all this was done, more than half of the metal sphere remained. Su Han ced it on the ground and said, "Load the supplies onto the truck; we''re off to the next vi."


    "Copy that."


    With the iron armor on, the meat corpses''bat power noticeably increased, and although they lost the ability to use their mouths for biting, their ability to withstand damage in the fight against other meat corpses was greatly reduced.


    Closebat ensued, with knives plunging straight into the bodies of the monster corpses, making the fight exceptionally simple and bloody.


    ```


    Starting from Vi 16, Su Han was no longer the main force in action, as Guo Gang led three people and the fully armed corpses to sweep through directly.


    They were responsible for the killing, while Su Han oversaw the rear, with the Four-armed Corpse beginning to use the other corpses as conversion material for Fusion, little by little.


    The Fusion Degree kept rising from 84.5% to 92.5%, and the progress was smooth, with the truck gradually filling up with goods.


    However, when the truck arrived at Vi 20, Su Han felt that something was not quite right.


    The yard of Vi 20 was a mess, the entire man-high fence waspletely smashed through, with bricks, wood nks scattered around, and a huge gap as if it had been hit by a vehicle.


    "Su Han, something''s not right here; corpses couldn''t have made such amotion."


    Everyone got off the vehicle, and Guo Gang''s face had turned serious¡ªtherge section of the fence had copsed, and at the most damaged point, there were clear signs of a heavy impact, spanning three to four meters.


    "Everyone, be careful and don''t stray too far from me."


    Su Han''s expression tightened, realizing there might be a powerful monster.


    The Four-armed Corpse stood by his side, following Su Han towards the courtyard of the vi. There was debris all over the yard, and beneath it all, a reddish trail was particrly noticeable.


    The trail ran from the main entrance of the vi, dragging outwards, with dark red handprints tightly gripping a section of the railing at the entrance to the vi; the railing was dragged and deformed until it disappeared from sight.


    Not only the fence of Vi 20 but the main door was also directly smashed, the big iron door was dented like scrap metal, and the walls on both sides were burst open, with bricks and stones strewn about, covered with blood in a gray haze.


    "Front door smashed open; the strength of this creature is probably much greater than that of the corpses."


    A shiver ran through Guo Gang''s heart¡ªthe creature that could not be stopped by doors and walls had left behind arge pool of blood, as if someone had been violently snatched out from inside.


    "Su Han, should we chase it?"


    The trail was obvious, and the creature was likely a behemoth, dragging a body with remarkably heavy footsteps, with bloodstains and footprints almost clearly visible.


    Su Han''s gaze sharpened: "Chase!"


    With his order, Guo Gang and the others did not hesitate, leaving Vi 20 behind, and followed the trail.


    Bloodstains and mucus asionally dripped between thewn and the road as they continued to track, finding the situation increasingly dire.


    The main doors of Vis 21, 22, and 23 were all destroyed, and there were no survivors to speak of, not even a single corpse.


    With blood and ruins, every vi was a shambles, and the gore seemed to stain everything like graffiti, with varying sizes of bloodstains adding to the horror and weirdness.


    The tracking continued until they reached Vi 30, where from a distance through the fog, terrifying roars erupted continuously, as if originating from the howls of hell.


    Guo Gang, on the truck, clenched the steering wheel tighter; he realized that the direction of the sounds was Vi 30¡ªthe creature that had ravaged the entire vi area must be there.


    "Su, Su Han, there might be more than one, shall we go over?"


    Facing this unknown creature, it was impossible not to feel anxious, but Guo Gang only listened to Su Han''smands¡ªif he said go, there would be no retreat.


    "Drive there."


    Su Han''s expression turned solemn, ready for battle, determined not to let such a creature roam freely in the vi district.


    No matter what, he had to get to the bottom of it.


    Guo Gang nodded heavily and slowly steered the vehicle towards Vi 30.


    The fog gradually dispersed beneath the Lamp Tree Crystals, and the headlights illuminated the scene in front, revealing Vi 30 in its entirety.


    However, what was Vi 30 at this point resembled not so much a house but rather a horror, eroded by flesh and mucus.


    A huge monster sat amidst the carnage and flesh, with two to three dozen corpses surrounding it, baring their teeth and ws, howling at it.


    ```

 Chapter 60: Chapter 60 The Meat Mountain

    Standing atop the ruins of the vi was a massive creature stacked with flesh and blood, standing approximately five meters tall, corpulent in form with dark red muscles coated in a red viscous fluid, making it unclear whether this substance was blood or merely secretion.


    The gargantuan humanoid monster had a stout and fierce head, with a gaping mouth that almost extended to the roots of its cheeks and ears, filled with sharp teeth that lined the entirety of its maw, and its eyes, blood-red and terrifying.


    Above its fat belly, there was another huge gash, stretching from the chest down to the abdomen, opening to the left and right, about a meter long, dark and crimson with teeth filling the entire crevice like densely packed gears.


    With one of itsrge hands, it grabbed the torso of a Four-armed Corpse, its belly mouth wide open like an abyss, blood-red secretions continuously dripping between the sharp teeth.


    The half torso of the Four-armed Corpse was stuffed into the gaping maw of the abdomen, the crunching sound echoing as copious amounts of blood slid from the crevice, dripping onto the slime-covered ruins of the vi.


    Feeling a chill down their spines, Su Han and hispanions finally understood how the ground became so bloodstained.


    "Roar"


    The group of Four-armed Corpses finally couldn''t withstand the terrifying pressure from the Meat Mountain Demon any longer; they raised their heads and let out loud roars, fear and anger intermingled, then simultaneouslyunched an attack on the Meat Mountain Demon.


    More than twenty Four-armed Corpses moved swiftly, like a pack of beasts attacking an invader.


    They used their arms and legs in a high-speed charge, leaping with all their might in an attempt to pounce on the Meat Mountain Demon.


    One after another, they hung onto the Meat Mountain Demon''s body like gourds, their sharp teeth and ws incessantly attacking, just as fierce and brutal as when they had once torn apart human bodies.


    Several Four-armed Corpses prepared to rush at the Meat Mountain Demon, but the Meat Mountain Demon moved.


    Its hand,rge as a millstone, reached out and grabbed a Four-armed Corpse by its spine, the crack of the hapless creature''s backbone sounding off.


    The terrifying might instantly crushed the Four-armed Corpse''s spine, deforming it, and with a muffled thud, sma sttered and the whole Four-armed Corpse turned into a pool of minced flesh at the spot it was grasped.


    The lower half fell down, crashing onto the head of another Four-armed Corpse, the red sma nearlypletely soaking it.


    Meanwhile, the upper half was still in the Meat Mountain Demon''s grasp; it let out a low roar, then opened its head''s gaping mouth and stuffed the Four-armed Corpse''s head inside, crushing it with one bite, like a watermelon.


    The Four-armed Corpses became more wildly agitated, attacking even more fiercely.


    But the Meat Mountain Demon, with its muscr physique and the thick, viscous mucus covering its skin, possessed a defense that the Four-armed Corpses were simply incapable of breaching.


    Their attacks were less a fight for survival and more akin to tickling.


    Shallow wounds were quickly covered by blood and mucus, slowly healing before they could even begin to widen.


    After feasting on the half torso of a Four-armed Corpse, the Meat Mountain Demon, finally annoyed, swung its robust hand, swatting the Four-armed Corpses off itself like flies.


    The immense force, akin to a heavy hammer, was apanied by the crack of shattering bones and sent them flying backward.


    The strength of the Meat Mountain Demon was not only overwhelming, but the speed at which it swung its massive hands was also rmingly swift; although the Four-armed Corpses tried to evade, they could not escape the sweep of those epassing hands.


    ''First Order Upper Grade, absolutely First Order Upper Grade!''


    Just from one confrontation, Su Han and hispanions were able to gauge the Meat Mountain Demon''s power; Guo Gang swallowed hard and asked in a low voice, "What should we do now?"


    "Get the gas cans. Strike while the iron is hot."


    Guo Gang was momentarily stunned, then nodded, "Right, I''m on it."


    In the truck were three gas cans, each holding about sixty to seventy liters, siphoned from cars at the vis they had searched, whose emptied vehicles Su Han had melted into metal cubes and ced at the rear of the truck.


    Su Han saw the Meat Mountain Demon as prey and was not about to let this excellent opportunity slip away.


    He instructed Guo Gang to prepare the gas while he himself strode to the back of the truck, directing the Four-armed Corpse to grab the metal cubes.


    Metal Control!


    Under the influence of the Four-armed Corpse, they gradually deformed, shaping into four harpoons about one and a half meters long, their tips sharp with barbs, the tails connected by a long chain, meticulously interlocked and extremely sturdy.


    "Su Han, the gas cans are ready,"


    All three gas cans had their lids opened and were ced in front of the group.


    "In a moment, I''ll trap that monster, and you guys look for a chance to throw the gasoline barrels over."


    "Okay"


    After Su Han gave the order, the Four-armed Corpse holding a spear rushed towards the Meat Mountain Demon.


    Their location was only a hundred meters from the vi, and within a fewrge strides, the Four-armed Corpse had already charged to less than fifty meters away.


    The Corpse suddenly exerted force with both hands and hurled the spear, reminiscent of a shooting star, with a whoosh sound. One after another, two spears instantly pierced through the body of the Meat Mountain Demon.


    "Roar!"


    A furious roar arose from the tworge mouths of the Meat Mountain Demon, which violently turned towards the Four-armed Corpse, its blood-red eyes filled with rage.


    The sudden move of the Four-armed Corpse drew the attention of the demon, and in a fit of anger, it swiped away obstructing corpses with a swing of its enormous hand.


    Then, moving its thick legs, it charged towards the Four-armed Corpse.


    "Thud thud thud"


    The footsteps were weighty, causing the ground to subtly tremble, like a heavily armored tank.


    "Whoosh"


    However, the Four-armed Corpse grabbed the chain and directly wound it around the trunk of tworge trees nearby.


    Metal Control was activated at the same time, the chain molten and firmly sped around the tree trunk.


    The Four-armed Corpse, holding the remaining two spears, swiftly moved to the side. As the Meat Mountain Demon tried to turn and follow, the movement pulled on the chains and spears lodged in its body. Barb hooks caught in its flesh and bone caused excruciating pain, eliciting a roar that echoed through the vi.


    "Whoosh"


    Having moved to the side, the Four-armed Corpseunched another spear. The Meat Mountain Demon tried to block with its hand, but just as it got in front, the spear pierced through its palm, which was as big as a millstone, and its tip almost prated its chest.


    The Four-armed Corpse pulled hard, and the chains rattled loudly, suddenly taut like a bowstring. It looped around arge tree trunk, forcibly straightening the Meat Mountain Demon''srge hand.


    Following the same method, one end of the chain was fastened to the tree trunk.


    Three chains, one on each side, bound the Meat Mountain Demon. Now, it wasn''t so easy for it to move significantly.


    And thest spear and chain, after the Four-armed Corpse rapidly moved to the Meat Mountain Demon''s diagonally rear side, was alsounched like a shooting star.


    This spear pierced through the Meat Mountain Demon''s back and into its column-like thigh, nailing through the bone, then the chain was tied around a column of the vi.


    "Throw the gasoline!"


    Su Han issued the order calmly. Guo Gang and the others picked up the gasoline barrels and approached the Meat Mountain Demon, about thirty to forty meters away.


    Scattered corpses rushed towards them, Su Han stepped forward, his Pu knives held horizontally in hand, directly chopping down the oing corpses.


    The gasoline barrels Guo Gang and the others forcefully threw onto the Meat Mountain Demon, and arge amount of gasoline spilled from the opening, dousing the Meat Mountain Demon and flowing onto the ground around it.


    "Light it."


    The fuel-soaked ignition material was thrown by Guo Gang, and instantly, a me soared, engulfing the Meat Mountain Demon in fire. Corpses that failed to evade in time were also enveloped by the mes.


    Horrible and gruesome roars echoed continuously from within the mes, the giant Meat Mountain Demon struggling constantly, pulling at the chains which rattled loudly, stretched tight as a string, making one worry they might snap.


    At that moment, about seven or eight corpses rushed towards Su Han and the others. After the Meat Mountain Demon was attacked, they switched their target of assault.


    Su Han, with Guo Gang and the others, went forward with their weapons, unforgiving in their strength and wielding, they were incredibly efficient against the corpses, especially with the support of the Angel Envoy.


    In a single encounter, seven or eight corpses were killed, blood spilling all over the ground.


    And from not far away, the vi aze, the faint smell of burning flesh that wafted over was enough to make one nauseous.


    "Su Han, will this burn it to death?"

 Chapter 61: Chapter 61 Fusion Complete

    "It''s not that easy to die."


    Su Han''s expression remained tense, the vitality of such a monster was beyond the imagination of an ordinary person.


    Although there were sixty or seventy liters of gasoline, it was notpletely concentrated in one ce, and the scattered gasoline caused the mes to disperse too much to burn the Meat Mountain Demon to death.


    As Su Han had said, along with the gradually spreading smell of burnt flesh and the nauseating smell of gasoline, the Meat Mountain Demon''s struggles became even more intense.


    The mes dwindled further, revealing thepletely charred Meat Mountain Demon in front of everyone, its ferocious appearance even more terrifying.


    "Boom"


    The chains on its arms snapped as the Meat Mountain Demon roared at Su Han and the others, its voice like that echoing from hell itself.


    "Four-armed Corpse, go."


    Su Han wasposed and merely ordered the Four-armed Corpse to move forward coldly.


    Covered in ck Armor and activating the Iron Skin Skill, the Four-armed Corpse charged into the mes, which were only waist-high, andnded a heavy punch on the Meat Mountain Demon.


    A dull "thud" resonated as the Meat Mountain Demon''s thick flesh rippled like waves, its figure staggering from the impact.


    But quickly, the enraged Meat Mountain Demon swung its hands, clenched into fists, attacking the Four-armed Corpse.


    The fistsnded heavily on the Four-armed Corpse, shing with the ck Armor and producing a nging sound, causing the whole body of the Four-armed Corpse to shake and involuntarily step back.


    The monster still possessed immense strength despite the damage from the mes.


    The Four-armed Corpse roared and then, with its rear hands clenched into fists, struck the head of the Meat Mountain Demon continuously like a violent storm, left hooks and right hooks, each strike with full force.


    Its lower hands, with metal w ready, shot out and dug fiercely into the Meat Mountain Demon''s body, tearing left and right, the slit in the abdomen instantly widened, with blood pouring out incessantly.


    The Meat Mountain Demon madly pulled at the remaining three chains, attacking the Four-armed Corpse furiously with both hands.


    This time, however, the Four-armed Corpse did not counter forcefully but dodged slightly, exploiting its opponent''s cumbersome movement, and kept throwing punches.


    It did not use the Pu knives because Su Han wanted it alive.


    But the strong impacts were no less powerful than the Pu knives'' attacks, the force prating the thick muscles and striking the bones.


    The sound of cracking continued, and blood gradually gushed out; after ten minutes, the once formidable Meat Mountain Demon was weakened, barely able to swing its thick arms.


    Metal Maniption!


    Seizing the opportune moment, Su Han controlled the Four-armed Corpse to activate Metal Maniption. The chains deformed and wrapped around the Meat Mountain Demon, thicker chains binding its arms together with its body.


    "Old Guo, drive the truck over."


    Su Han''s voice sounded, and Guo Gang, snapped out of his shock, nodded hastily, "I''m on it, but some supplies might need to be unloaded."


    "Hmm?"


    Su Han shook his head and said, "Forget it, let''s go back and have someone bring the tbed truck over, take down the barriers and load this guy."


    Although the box truck could bear the weight of this big guy, it might not fit in the cargo space, but a tbed truck, with its side barriers removed, wouldn''t be restricted in this way.


    "Alright, I''m on it."


    Guo Gang organized a group to return to Vi Number 10 to retrieve the truck, while Su Han controlled the Four-armed Corpse to process the over ten Meat Corpses still capable of fusion on the ground, turning them into Fusion materials and performing Fusion.


    The higher the Fusion Degree required, the more materials it needed; after fusing the bodies of over ten Meat Corpses, the Fusion Degree was raised to 99.5%, only a step away frompletion.


    "0.5%, once Old Zhu and the others return and gather up the monster corpses, we''ll be nearly there," Su Han said.


    His gaze fixed on the Meat Mountain Demon, Su Han made no further moves. Guo Gang and the others would be returning soon, and it seemed more appropriate to handle the breakthrough in the evening.


    Before long, Guo Gang arrived with a truck from which the railings had been removed. The Four-armed Corpse took the lead, assisted by a few other corpses, to load the Meat Mountain Demon onto the truck.


    As Su Han led the Meat Mountain Demon back, he arrived at the vi only to find that Zhu Xiong and the others had also unloaded a Giant w Zombie from their truck.


    "Old Gan, your jinxing is quite something," Zhu Xiong eximed.


    Upon seeing the Meat Mountain Demon, they were bbergasted. The massive Meat Mountain Demon piled in the yard was bound by chains, but its ferocious appearance and mountain-like body still struck fear into them.


    Hearing Zhu Xiong''s tease, Gan Xinglei quickly shook his head: "It wasn''t me, I didn''t, don''t talk nonsense."


    A joke, for what would Su Han think of him otherwise?


    Naturally, Su Han didn''t mind these jokes and curiously asked, "What happened with you guys?"


    "We encountered a group of survivors while clearing the vi..."


    Zhu Xiong highlighted the key points, exining how they encountered the Giant w Zombie and ran into Zhang Dahai and his group.


    At the end of his ount, Zhu Xiong lowered his voice and said, "The monster''s corpses are in the truck, I was worried Zhang Dahai and the others would see them, so I didn''t unload them."


    He was also careful in his actions. Although Su Han seemed not to be hiding much, as a member of the team, Zhu Xiong knew it was always safer to be cautious.


    "I understand. Take care of Zhang Dahai and Meiyu," Su Han said.


    Zhu Xiong nodded and went to find Yan Meiyu. There was a lot to be done, not just taking care of Zhang Dahai and his group.


    They also organized a team to retrieve all the cars that hadn''t been brought back today, needing to dismantle them and prepare the metals for Su Han.


    They were busy until the evening, wrapping up the work with the vehicles and supplies. Several cars were driven outside Vi 9, while Guo Gang and his team had earlier siphoned off the gasoline.


    There were about ten cars, and they managed to extract over 500 liters of gasoline, enough for some time.


    Apart from these cars, the Lamp Trees from Zhang Dahai''s gathering ce were also brought to Su Han''s location. The Lamp Tree was not asrge as the one at their Vi 10, but it was growing well and even had a nail-sized crystal fruit hanging on it.


    For now, Su Han did not touch this Lamp Tree; he simply nted it in the yard of Vi 9.


    The light dispelled the fog surrounding Vi 9. Su Han had the Four-armed Corpse melt the metal from the cars and then reforged it into two cages, each imprisoning the Giant w Zombie and the Meat Mountain Demon.


    The cages had bars as thick as a wrist; one was four meters high and three meters in both width and length, and the other was six meters high and five meters in both width and length, imprisoning the Giant w Zombie and the Meat Mountain Demon respectively.


    After all this, it was almost night.


    At dinner, they had a simple meal and met with Zhang Dahai and his people. The ten individuals were quite well-behaved and hadn''t caused any trouble.


    They were even satisfied with the situation, given the sufficient number of people and Su Han''s unexpected strength.


    Zhang Dahai was a clued-in man; he actively engaged during the meal, openly and covertly expressing his willingness to follow the organization''s ns and humbly set aside his ego.


    As night fell, Su Han returned outside Vi 9 and opened the truck''s cargo area that belonged to Zhu Xiong, revealing over a dozen corpse bodies heaped inside.


    His expression unchanged, he summoned the Four-armed Corpse and ordered, "Continue the fusion."


    One, two... The number of bodies fused was not many, just four, when the Fusion Degree was maxed out.


    [Spider Monster 100% fusionplete, Four-armed Corpse has achieved Advancement: Demon Spider Warrior]

 Chapter 62: Chapter 62 Second Order and Divine Initiation

    The evolution of form began, and the Four-armed Corpse let out a deep roar. Then its already enormous body underwent violent changes.


    The bulky figure became even more robust; the muscles gradually took on a dark red color, the skin membrane toughened, its eyes turned a ferocious scarlet, and its mouth unexpectedly sprouted spider-like chelicerae on either side, fierce and terrifying.


    Its lower body was dramatically deformed; from the waist down, the skeleton melted, and the flesh copsed, turning into a dark red meaty mass.


    Enveloped by the red glow, the meaty mass continually changed shape, growingrger andrger, bones fermenting within, and then one by one, ck spider legs began to emerge, sharp as spears and hard as steel. In the blink of an eye, the lower half of the Four-armed Corpse transformed into a pitch-ck spider''s body.


    Half-human, half-spider, its lower body ck as ink, its upper body dark red and bulky, eyes glowing crimson like a demon ¨C it resembled a five-meter-tall Demon God.


    "Roar"


    A low growl, filled with deterrence, sounded out. The patterns belonging to ck Armor lit up; ferocious ck armor appeared on its body, from the dark red upper half with four arms to the massive lower half that was a spider''s body ¨C the ck Armor was densely packed, like a heavy armored tank.


    The power of the Spider Warrior continuously climbed, breaking through the barrier of First Order Upper Grade in an instant, and the strength around its body surged to Second Order Low Grade.


    In that moment, Su Han''s arm lit up with red light, the Book of Blood Spirit appeared in front of him, and a powerful force surged back into his body. His muscles became stronger and bulged, hard as rock, and his aura was as deep as an abyss, significantly enhancing his spirits and vigor.


    However, at that time, Su Han had no extra energy to feel the changes in himself.


    The red light from the Book of Blood Spirit drew him in, and after a new page was born, it pulled him into a space of consciousness.


    "Is this a new page?"


    The space of consciousness was still an endless expanse of darkness. In this darkness, the Book of Blood Spirit floated in the center, emanating red light.


    On the ancient-looking parchment of the Book of Blood Spirit, there was now an additional nk page, with light flowing around it. The red light fluctuated like flowing rays.


    Su Han stood in front of the Book of Blood Spirit, and suddenly, as if the book felt his presence, a wave of red light engulfed him.


    The light fluttered like a thin veil, gradually enveloping him, and the shadowy images started to emerge before Su Han.


    The mist-like red light also changed in this space of consciousness.


    It was an Angel Envoy in human form, who approached a blood-red altar where monstrous creatures with bared fangs and ws were howling.


    The Angel Envoy stepped onto the altar, and the fighting with the monsters began.


    Fighting to the death, without mercy.


    He was like an onlooker, yet also like the Contractor of the Angel Envoy, his mind fully immersed, almost fusing with the Angel Envoy.


    Finally, the Angel Envoy won.


    He tore the creature apart on the altar, ity before him.


    The Book of Blood Spirit emerged above the altar, and a myriad of red rays enveloped it like a birdcage, enclosing both the Angel Envoy and the monster within.


    Then, the feast reached its climax.


    The red misty semnce of the Angel Envoy began to Devour the monster''s body, from flesh to soul, bit by bit tearing it apart, Devouring it into its own form.


    The endless red light from the Book of Blood Spirit converged onto the gradually merging bodies, and boundless Soul pain began to emanate from within.


    The Angel Envoy started to undergo Metamorphosis....


    "Divine Initiation Ritual!"


    Su Han murmured, and with a boom, all the red light disappeared, leaving only the Book of Blood Spirit still floating in the space of consciousness.


    His brow furrowed slightly, his expression grave, he watched the Book of Blood Spirit, the shock in his heart had not yet fully subsided.


    Just now, the Book of Blood Spirit had transmitted a trove of information to him, that was a part of the Divine Initiation.


    Below the First Rank is merely the beginning of stepping into the Transcendent, but it is just a step, and nothing more.


    A sheepskin page, which could contract only one monster as an Angel Envoy, but after Second Order, every rank would grant a new page.


    The more Angel Envoys one had, the stronger the person would be, but that wasn''t the most important part.


    The most crucial was a new rule, peculiar to the Apostle System ¡ª Divine Initiation Ritual.


    Different monsters had upper limits to their rank strengths.


    Ordinary Angel Envoys like Four-armed Corpses and Rot Skin Rats could never be like Meat Mountain Demons, whose strengths could progressively increase and evolve into Second Order, Third Order, or even higher beings.


    To ascend and evolve, one would either need fortuitous encounters, belong to a rare and powerful monster species, or take the path of the Divine Initiation Ritual.


    Hunting stronger and rarer monsters, capturing them, controlling them, then devouring them; under the control of the Book of Blood Spirit, through battle and ughter, Fusion and Evolution would raise their limits.


    In some ways, it seemed simr to Su Han''s Fusion Evolution, but Su Han instinctively sensed a difference.


    The Divine Initiation Ritual could only be used at a critical moment ¡ª for example, Four-armed Corpses reaching the very limits of First Order Upper Grade and struggling to break through would receive guidance from Divine Initiation.


    Breaking through was not just about fighting; one also had to endure the agony of Evolution. If the spirit wascking or the will insufficient, the attempt would fail.


    But Su Han''s Fusion Evolution was different; it was a natural progression. As long as he had the materials, he could continue the Fusion, raising the upper limit.


    That was his advantage, and it was also why he received formal Divine Initiation after Second Order. It was because neither the Four-armed Corpse nor the ck Armor warrior had limits that were merely First Order Upper Grade.


    His Divine Initiation wasn''t due to reaching the power ceiling of the Envoys, but because he had reached Second Order and officially stepped onto thedder of Transcendent Evolution.


    "Divine Initiation Ritual, I''m not sure if it''s good or bad, but getting stronger at least ensures survival. Anything beyond that can only be dealt withter."


    Su Han''s brows slightly rxed, the strangeness of Divine Initiation reminding him of the human epic myths that included appeasing the gods with sacrifices ¡ª battles and ughter, offering lives as tribute was always a significant ritual in worshipping gods.


    He didn''t believe that the Book of Blood Spirit came into existence by pure chance, nor did he think that the Divine Initiation Ritual was just a trivial game of Evolution.


    Even the Fusion Ability in him must have originated from somewhere.


    Every gift was already marked with a price in the shadows.


    He understood this principle, but what he needed now was to survive and then use the ''gift'' to leverage more resources, making himself capable of paying that future price.


    Returning from the space of consciousness, Su Han finally had the chance to feel the increased strength of his own physique.


    The explosive power contained within his bulging muscles was unimaginable; with just a little effort, his muscles tensed, and then he lifted the cage of the Giant w Zombie with nearly a ton''s weight with ease, startling the Giant w Zombie inside, which let out a deep roar.


    "This will be a good test."


    Su Han became interested, his gaze intensifying as he focused on the Giant w Zombie.


    Then, the Four-armed Corpse, transformed into a ck Armor warrior, brought its sharp spider legs close to the cage. The metal bars bent immediately, and Su Han walked in.


    The Giant w Zombie, as if spotting prey, charged at him with its gaping maw, its vast w striking towards Su Han.


    Su Han hadn''t learned professionalbat, but after evolving to the Second Order Low Grade of a ck Armor warrior, his strength had greatly increased, and his senses had sharpened. At the instant he acted, he captured the motion of the Giant w Zombie.


    He grabbed hold of the Giant w Zombie and the tremendous force burst from his hands, instantly mming the Giant w Zombie against the entire iron bars.


    Closing in, he punched heavily on the Giant w Zombie''s head, staggering it.


    Punches, elbow strikes, knee ms... Su Han''s moves were swift, far beyond ordinary, and the Giant w Zombie waspletely suppressed, no match for him.


    In less than three minutes, the Giant w Zombie couldn''t fight back, with several more broken bones, and having just recovered a bit, now it could only lie on the ground again.


    The ck Armor warrior manipted the metal to open the cage and let Su Han out.


    After warming up, Su Han also had a certain understanding of his body''s strength. Although it wasn''tparable to the ck Armor warrior, it definitely wasn''t worse than some First-level Intermediate or First Order Upper Grade monsters.


    However,pared to these, there was another question before Su Han: For the second Contract position, should he contract the Meat Mountain Demon or reserve it for the fish monster leader in Yunling Lake?

 Chapter 63 The Choice of Revenge

    Angel Envoy: Spider Warrior


    Level: Second Order Low Grade


    Skills: [w] [Iron Skin] [ck Armor] [Self-healing¡¤Primary] [Metal Control¡¤Junior]


    Fusion: LV4 Normal Metal, LV2 Corpse Flesh, Spider Monster


    Su Han looked at the attributes panel of the Spider Warrior, pondering his next Angel Envoy Contract.


    "The Spider Warrior is basically capable of handlingbat onnd. Although the Meat Mountain Demon is strong, it has ovepping roles with the Spider Warrior. The Giant w Zombie also won''t work; not only do their roles ovep, but there is also a significant difference in strength. However, the Fish-Head Monster leader could move in water."


    Su Han''s gaze fell on the Meat Mountain Demon, but eventually, he shook his head and dismissed the idea: "It''s still not enough."


    Just being able to move in water wasn''t a sufficient advantage to be his second envoy, not to mention that the leader of the Fish-Head Monsters hadn''t even been captured yet.


    Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him, recalling a powerful monster, the Human-faced Tree, swaying its endless vines, which had forcefully expelled them from Happiness Community.


    "It''s time for revenge."


    ....


    The next morning, Zhu Xiong and the others sought out Su Han first.


    "Su Han, the vi has been cleaned up; should we deal with those Fish-Head Monsters now? They''ve been dying us, making Yunling Lake unusable and inconvenient for water usage."


    Zhu Xiong was concerned about securing the campsitepletely, as only then would it be truly safe.


    Upon hearing this, Su Han shook his head and said, "No, let''s put the Fish-Head Monsters on hold for now, and besides, you can''t lure them all out."


    Dealing with the Fish-Head Monsters was necessary, but luring them out was not easy, and Su Han also wanted to deal with the Human-faced Tree.


    "Actually, there is a way."


    Bai Qn suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone''s attention to her.


    She slowly exined, "Monsters have an inherent desire to evolve. If we ce higher-grade monster flesh in front of them, they can''t resist it. We captured a Meat Mountain Demon yesterday; its flesh might be worth a try."


    Su Han was startled and questioned, "Can devouring flesh also lead to evolution?"


    Bai Qn lightly shook her head and replied, "There is an effect, but it''s not great. However, for wild creatures, they might not have a better option."


    With that exnation, everyone understood. Extracting and purifying the most active tissues differed from devouring flesh.


    The former was undoubtedly more effective, but for wild creatures, thetter was one of the few methods avable.


    Therefore, driven by their evolutionary instincts, they would certainly be drawn in.


    At this point, Bai Qn sneakily nced at Su Han. If one were to talk about the highest level and strength, it should belong to the Four-armed Corpse, certainly more powerful than the Meat Mountain Demon.


    However, since that was Su Han''s envoy, she could not bring it up herself.


    "If that''s the case, a Second Order monster would work better."


    Everyone was stunned, wondering what he meant by Second Order?


    Quickly, someone reacted, looking incredulously at Su Han: "You, you mean?!"


    "My Four-armed Corpse has advanced."


    At the thought, a red light flickered behind him, and the towering Spider Warrior materialized, its terrifying and grim appearance causing Zhang Dahai, Ye Kailing, and others to step back.


    Fortunately, the Spider Warrior did not continue to move, and just stood there like a bodyguard, allowing everyone to rx.


    Zhang Dahai widened his eyes, utterly shocked: "Damn, I thought our leader was already formidable for capturing that Meat Mountain Demon, but in just one night, he became even more powerful. We must not offend him....."


    Undoubtedly, the sudden appearance of the Spider Warrior not only shocked everyone but also instilled them with even more awe, especially the neers like Zhang Dahai.


    Su Han didn''t conceal the fact about being Second Order. He straightforwardly said, "After reaching Second Order, you receive new pages of the New Blood Spirit Book, which allows contracting a second Angel Envoy. The group of Fish-Head Monsters in theke needs to be dealt with, but for now, we need to change our immediate goal."


    The priority of Su Han''s second envoy undoubtedly took precedence over dealing with the Fish-Head Monsters.


    Upon hearing about the second envoy, everyone showed a stunned expression, and soon, they all thought of themselves.


    If they could advance to Second Order, they too could contract a second envoy, possibly even choose one?


    Although the corpse was formidable, many initially had no choice but to opt for the Giant Macrophage Dog or the Giant w Zombie, both of which had strongerbat abilities than the corpse.


    Bai Qn''s thoughts became more active, and she said, "You don''t want to contract with the Meat Mountain Demon and Giant w Zombie, do you have a new target in mind?"


    Su Han was capable of contracting new Angel Envoys, but as of this morning, both the Giant w Zombie and the Meat Mountain Demon were still around, which indicated that Su Han''s intentionsy elsewhere.


    "There''s a Human-faced Tree in the Happiness Community, and its strength is at least Second Order."


    Zhu Xiong and Yan Meiyu had looks of realization. It turned out it was the creature Su Han had mentioned before, no wonder he chose this one.


    "Right, a gentleman doesn''t take revenge overnight, and now that you''ve broken through to the second order, it''s time to get revenge on that thing."


    Zhu Xiong cracked a smile, reveling in the idea of revenge. Although he hadn''t directly faced the Human-faced Tree before, being pushed that hard had left everyone slightly resentful.


    Ye Kailing was confused and asked, "Can you stop speaking in riddles? Is that Human-faced Tree really that powerful?"


    Gan Xinglei turned to Su Han, and he said, "Well, you should ask Su Han about this; he''s fought with the Human-faced Tree before.


    "Tree-shaped creature, capable of moving, can devour flesh and blood, its strength and vines are extraordinarily powerful, and its attack range is at least several tens of meters. Its weaknesses might be fire and slow movement speed."


    Su Han shared his experience of fighting with the Human-faced Tree with everyone. It was just a description, but the image of vines spreading far and wide and bodies hanging as reserves still sent chills down everyone''s spines.


    "Afraid of fire, well, that''s easy to handle, just get a bunch of Molotov cocktails, give it a tough fight, and if that''s not enough, also send it a truckload of gas tanks," said Zhang Dahai, blurting out.


    "..."


    Everyone''s gaze turned to him, making him feel ufortably scrutinized and giving a dry cough, he said, "I''m just talking, actually, if we could get some explosives from my brother''s mine, wouldn''t that be tough enough to handle it too?"


    Zhu Xiong couldn''t help but ask, "Bro, what business do you run?"


    Although they had previously discussed cataloging professions, it had gotten toote yesterday and the information hadn''t been fully collected; they still hadn''t asked Zhang Dahai about his job clearly.


    "I''m in real estate; I also own a constructionpany,"


    Zhang Dahai, aware of the general distaste for real estate developers, quickly added, "It''s all legal, never dyed wages for too long, never left projects unfinished, just working on projects around South City."


    "Do you have a lot of steel at the construction site?"


    Suddenly, Su Han asked a question that made Zhang Dahai pause for a moment before answering, "It depends on the size of the site and the progress schedule. There are tons of steel lying around¡ªI just brought over fifty tons more to the construction site of the South River Bay Community project recently, and it''s the closest to here."


    Zhang Dahai, catching on, ventured a guess, "Boss, are you thinking of making a cage?"


    He had seen Su Han turning metal into a cage to contain the w Bone Corpse.


    Now talking about capturing the Fish-Head Monster and defeating the Human-Faced Toad Monster, it seemed that metal would likely be used.


    "Exactly, metal is useful in many areas, but let''s deal with the Human-faced Tree first," Su Han said casually. The steel theft could wait for now, as the primary issue was dealing with the Human-faced Tree.


    "Old Zhu, you take charge of making the Molotov cocktails. Didn''t we free up several hundred liters of gasoline yesterday? Don''t worry about wasting it,"


    Zhu Xiong nodded, "Understood."


    "Old Gan, gather everyone, leave only a few here, the rest prepare to set out with me."


    "Understood."


    Because of yesterday''s clearing operation, the number ofbat personnel hadrgely stabilized, thus assembling the fighters was fairly easy.


    As for the six neers, they had no choice but to join the fight by default.


    Zhang Dahai asked, "Should we get some gas cylinders?"


    Su Han: ?


    For some reason, Zhang Dahai seemed a bit fixated on gas cylinders and explosions.


    Su Han shook his head, "Where are you going to find a gas cylinder store near the vi district? Besides, making those things explode isn''t that easy. We could just dismantle a few electric car batteries from the street; those are more fire-resistant."


    Everyone: ???


    Looking back and forth between Zhang Dahai and Su Han, were you guys really running legitimate businesses before the apocalypse?

 Chapter 64: Chapter 64 South City Camp

    "The Northwest Branch has lost contact, but the Southeast Branch, South City Branch, and Industrial Park Branch can still be reached. Currently, there are 869 guards on duty and 500 contractors. The Armed Forces have 400 active-duty members and 359 contractors. The Government Affairs Hall has 432 people and 123 contractors, and the public 532 people and 201 contractors.


    South City Bureau has already reached its limit. We must find another ce."


    In the meeting room of the South City Bureau, a middle-aged man in a ck guardbat uniform was speaking. His cheeks were thin, his hair peppered with gray, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp.


    Guo Wutao, director of the South City Guard Bureau, was also the third most important person in the South City camp.


    "Director Guo, we can actually hold out for a while if we do not continue to take in more people. The fog has not dispersed, and it is unsafe to go out. Besides, there are some matters that are even more urgent..."


    "Urgent my ass, what can be more important than human lives?"


    Guo Wutao pointed at the bespectacled man who was speaking and cursed loudly, mming the table with such force that the sound reverberated through the meeting room like thunder, almost bearing down on the entire space.


    "Guo Wutao,"


    a man in the center seat spoke with a steady, unquestionable voice: "Calm down. We are discussing strategies. You should understand the situation at the bureau as well. Let him finish what he has to say."


    The words of Li Ruikang made Guo Wutao''s expression somewhat ease as he said, "The bureau is too close to the center. The more concentrated the people are, the more creatures there will be, and the more difficult it will be to move them when the timees."


    "That''s why we need to make a n."


    "Old Li, what are you thinking? Tell us."


    A square-faced man in Armed Forces uniform on the left side, with a hoarse voice, started, his keen gaze fixed on Li Ruikang.


    Li Ruikang''s eyes were firm, still poised andposed in his schrly demeanor, years of managing government affairs enabling him to remain calm even in the face of apocalypse.


    "Wen Zhenhui, how many days can west with the food, how many vehicles do we need to move 2233 people at once, and do we have enough gasoline?"


    "The day before yesterday, the special warfare guards brought back supplies from the supermarket. We canst about two months on a rationed distribution. But we need at least twenty buses to move over 2200 people, which is a huge difficulty. We only have 6 buses, and together with the service vehicles, we can move at most 600 people at once. If we squeeze, we can transport seven or eight hundred."


    Although Wen Zhenhui was yelled at, he still disyed ability. He was clear about the details of some supplies, which was also why he could still sit here.


    "But... but moving in separate groups is too dangerous. Even with guns, we can''t protect so many people, and too many haven''t formed contracts yet. Their strength, their constitution..."


    "For those without contracts, then make contracts immediately. This is the apocalypse, not peacetime. Government Affairs Hall has a lot of people, but the least number of contractors. What, do they still expect others to protect them?"


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    Li Ruikang''s eyes narrowed, his presence alonemanding: "Whether it''s the Government Affairs Hall, Armed Forces, guard staff, or the public, everyone except for children and the elderly who are immobile, will be given opportunities to contract by the guard and Armed Forces contractors over the next two days. Everyone will make a contract.


    For those who can''t manage it, their food distribution will be cut to the minimum. If some people don''t want to survive, then we''ll ensure that those who can survive will go on. Also, continue dispatching supply search teams; we must ensure gasoline is avable."


    "Understood, but we''ll need cooperation from Director Guo and Director Yan for this."


    "Zhao Yaqing,"


    "Present!"


    Guo Wutao turned to the woman at the end of the table d in abat uniform and ordered, "You are in charge of coordinating this matter. Create contracting opportunities with the priority of protecting oneself."


    "Duan Jie,"


    Yan Tiejun also spoke up, saying, "Assign three squads to assist in creating opportunities for contracts."


    "Yes!"


    A man in camouge responded loudly, his expression resolute.


    "Wen Zhenhui, organize the contractors among the public to participate in the defense. Same as before, if those from the Government Affairs Hall and the guards can''t cut it, then get lost. Let those who dare to contract step up."


    "Understood, I''ll go and take care of it."


    "You can go down and make the arrangements now..."


    "Hold on."


    Next to Yan Tiejun, a schrly elder with graying hair raised his hand, interrupting Li Ruikang.


    Li Ruikang wasn''t annoyed but instead asked cordially, "Professor Bai, do you have any requests?"


    ```


    Bai Qiuwen nodded and said, "When contracting, be sure to observe the situation, especially the contracting of different types of monsters, as well as the different reactions of the Contractors. Our understanding is still too limited. The more we know, the safer we''ll be."


    "Elder Bai, I understand. I''ll arrange it properly,"


    Wen Zhenhui agreed, then took a few subordinates and left the conference room. Managing the temporary camp of over two thousand people, which kept growing as civilians joined, was no easy task.


    Luckily, he wasn''t the type to sit idly by; otherwise, it would have spelt disaster.


    After people left, Duan Jie and Zhao Yaqing didn''t stay either, following quickly to arrange the matters they had just been tasked with.


    In the conference room, only the five people at the very front remained, who were currently the five core figures of the South City camp.


    "It''ll be chaotic like this,"


    Guo Wutao sighed. He had managed to establish contact with various branches of South City, and the Armed Forces stationed at the Guard Bureau, amidst the unremitting fog. That''s how they secured a certain level of armed force, but their numbers were limited.


    Civilians couldn''t be turned away; setting aside responsibility, humans were a resource. To rebuild order, you couldn''t do without people.


    But the more people there were, the harder it became to manage them, and this kind of forcefulness could also lead to dissatisfaction within their own ranks.


    "But it''s necessary to be like this."


    Li Ruikang''s gaze was deep, "Since that eerie fog spread that day, and our meeting wasn''t even finished before that eyeball appeared, supernatural phenomena have gone beyond our understanding. No matter where these Contractors came from, they are destined to be the mainstream force. Without harnessing this power, humanity has no chance of survival."


    When the eerie mist emerged, the official reaction was quick. Even before it reached the suburbs, they discoveredmunication disruptions, unidentified creatures in the fog, and a few individual cases of it oppressing people''s mental states.


    The Government Affairs Hall immediately convened people from the Armed Forces and the Guard Bureau and held an emergency meeting, even inviting schrs such as Bai Qiuwen, a professor of biology at South City University, and Tian Jiaxuan, a professor of physics, among others.


    But before they could understand what was happening, the situation escted. They were lucky that the City Bureau was next to the Government Affairs Hall; otherwise, the death toll would have been much higher.


    Those present certainly understood the importance of Contractors. They were here not only because of their pre-apocalyptic positions and abilities but more so because they were now Contractors themselves and understood the power of Contractors.


    "Professor Bai, any progress on the evolution and enhancement of the Angel Envoys?"


    Yan Tiejun looked at Bai Qiuwen, who shook his head and said, "Currently, the best method we''ve managed is to inject active tissues. At most, we can use the tissues of monsters that have an evolutionary link to one another to inject and improve the efficiency of evolution.


    As I said, only with aboratory andplete experimental equipment is there a chance to purify a more efficient injection solution."


    With a bitter smile, Li Ruikang said, "We''ll try to sort out theboratory and equipment as best we can, but not right now. Our primary goal is to survive, to secure our footing before we can start rebuilding."


    Bai Qiuwen nodded and replied, "I understand, but the monsters are evolving too. They''re even forming theirmunities and gaining power, gradually taking over higher ecological niches and establishing their ecology. If humans fall behind, they may no longer be the protagonists of thisnd."


    "As long as we''re still here, and our guns are still firing, those monsters won''t have their way."


    Yan Tjieun''s voice was firm, but Bai Qiuwen ignored his militaristic attitude and said with self-mockingughter, "Is that so? A mere First-level Intermediate Contractor like me, an old man, can stride as though in flight, possessing the physical fitness one or two times that of an adult. What about those who are even more powerful?"


    Yan Tiejun''s face stiffened; he certainly knew that Contractors and Angel Envoys possessed transcendent powers. Guns and ammunition could, for now, still cope.


    But with the severance of various supplies, the depletion of South City''s current weapons and equipment, and the advancement of the monsters, it was very possible that the situation would turn around.


    South City wasn''t a fortified city; the Armed Forces weren''t numerous, and they weren''t well-equipped on a regr basis. Moreover, the equipment they were now acquiring was limited.


    Beyond these problems, the fog caused the nts to wither and even die. Although the Lamp Trees could ensure nt life, if the poption continued to grow, the Crystals of the Lamp Trees might not suffice. And what about that eyeball-like monster? Was that truly something humans could contend with?


    And what was the purpose of the Contractors? A gift from the gods or a lure? Nobody knew.


    Noticing the gravity on the faces of the three, Bai Qiuwen''s old friend Tian Jiaxuan shook his head at his side, signaling him to stop speaking.


    The three supported the entire base. In those first few days, a significant part of the armed forces was sent out to make contact with branches and the Armed Forces. When monsters attacked, they even had to fight personally. Now they were also constantly nning for the future of the camp, the burden was so heavy it was suffocating.


    Bai Qiuwen sighed and said, "It''s not without hope. That girl Zhao Yaqing sensed some boundaries of a First Order Upper Grade, and she vaguely saw something. Maybe at Second Order, things will be different. We still have a chance; humanity also still has a chance."


    "Let''s hope so."


    Li Ruikang''s voice was low, then he turned to Yan Tiejun and Guo Wutao, "Set the relocation point to the new park area. There are many factories and warehouses, which can amodate more people and also facilitate the resumption of production. However, the situation there is unclear, and we need to send people to scout it out."


    "I''ll take care of the arrangements," said Guo Wutao.


    ```

 Chapter 65: Chapter 65 Synchronization [Self-healingè·¯Primary]

    The production of incendiary bottles and the disassembly of new-energy batteries were entirely delegated to Gan Xinglei and Zhu Xiong by Su Han.


    He used the remaining metals and his skill of Metal Control to craft a batch of armor, which he distributed to all those who were going out on missions, including the Angel Envoys.


    Under the leadership of Gan Xinglei and Guo Gang, the ''Qie Ge Wa La'' squad managed the task of retrieving new-energy batteries from the road surfaces. Even leaving the vi area for this task posed no great risk.


    Theirbat abilities far surpassed those of ordinary zombies, and when encounteringrger monsters, they could simply run them over with the truck,pleting their mission without any trouble.


    Su Han stayed back at the vi, where he was right in the midst of battling a Spider Warrior in the yard of vi 9.


    He fought hand-to-hand without using weapons, not even donning his ck Armor.


    Although the Spider Warrior was tall, standing at five meters, its eight spear-like legs and four robust upper limbs still granted it rapid response speeds.


    Despite Su Han''s considerable strength, he was defeated time and again inbat,pletely overwhelmed by his opponent.


    Buoyed by defeat rather than discouraged, if he himself couldn''t ovee the Spider Warrior, then the creature''s advancement would have been in vain.


    He immersed his mind, continuously feeling the power of the Spider Warrior, especially focusing on the use of Primary Self-Healing after being struck.


    The deeper his concentration, the more focused his mind became, and the closer his empathetic connection, the clearer he could sense the flow of skills.


    After numerous clearing battles, Su Han finally grasped the technique of skill synchronization¡ªusage.


    The more a skill is used, the more adept one bes, and as a Contractor deeper in perception, the greater the possibility ofprehending and synchronizing with that skill.


    Especially for innate skills like Iron Skin and Self-Healing, the human body already possesses certain conditions needed to achieve these.


    "Bang!"


    Another heavy blownded, and Su Han was sent flying backward. Although he had braced himself beforehand, his arms were still badly bruised from the impact.


    "What''s the difference between this force and getting hit by a car?"


    Despite the pain, he couldn''t help but cry out. Yet, he stood back up, his gaze intensely fixed on his arms as a brilliant smile emerged on his face.


    [Insight sessful, skill ''Self-healing-Primary'' synchronized]


    A warm flow emerged in his body, his strength gently increasing a bit, but the most significant change was the surge of vitality and vigor pouring out from within.


    The bruising was receding at a steady pace, and the injuries from the battle were healing gradually.


    His method was correct.


    Although the process was torturous, it was an effective method. However, he might not personally engage in rough fighting next time, especially since the next skill he wished toprehend was [ck Armor].


    Fighting a Spider Warrior without using [Iron Skin] or [ck Armor] trainedbat skills, but brawling with an armored Spider Warrior was a pointless aggravation.


    He couldn''t breach their defenses himself, so he might as well leave it to other monsters to fight, such as the Meat Mountain Demon.


    Though this creature didn''t wield sharp weapons, its fists, hammer-like when clenched, were effective in striking.


    However, it hadn''tpletely healed yet, so it needed more time.


    "Su Han, everything''s ready¡ªone hundred plus incendiary bottles, over ten small oil drums, and ten new-energy batteries are all loaded on the truck."


    In one morning, Zhu Xiong and his group had everything prepared. Gan Xinglei''s team also came back with several vehicles and more than ten zombie corpses, which were now disassembled.


    As for the zombie corpses, Su Han had no immediate use for Fusion. Some were buried beside two Lamp Trees, while others were used to feed two Half-Fish Monsters, Giant w Zombies, and a Meat Mountain Demon.


    Feeding didn''t require much, as Bai Qn had observed that these monsters could absorb the Spiritual Energy from their surroundings. If it was just to sustain life, then the external energy required would be rtively less.


    A very special bodily mechanism, but undoubtedly bad news for humans.


    That is, even if the monsters haven''t eaten in a long time, they may not necessarily starve to death. Hoping to drag out the monsters until the apocalypse ends is an impossible task.


    Su Han said to Zhu Xiong, "If you''re ready, then let''s set out. We''ll handle the Human-faced Tree this afternoon."


    Zhu Xiong grinned and replied, "Don''t worry, BBQ set meal huh? I''ve definitely got this."


    Su Han smiled, and then nearly twenty people split up and got into cars.


    This time, three trucks and two jeeps were deployed. Twenty people were seated in these vehicles. The middle truck, apart from the driver, didn''t have many people because it was carrying hazardous materials.


    Leaving the vi area, Su Han and Zhu Xiong sat in the lead vehicle and began to closely observe the surroundings, gradually entering the main road. Su Han furrowed his brows slightly and said, "It seems like the fog has thinned a bit more?"


    Originally, with the glow from the Lamp Tree crystals, visibility was about one hundred and fifty meters, but now it had clearly increased somewhat, approximately reaching two hundred meters.


    "There''s a bit of that feeling. Do you think it will all dissipate one day?"


    Su Han sighed and said, "Hard to say, and the real danger isn''t this fog."


    Zhu Xiong fell silent, continuing to drive, but as they gradually passed through the blocks, the environment on the streets rendered everyone in the vehicle even more silent.


    The long street was lined with various storefronts extending from near the truck deep into the fog. Normally, this would be a bustling area with non-stop hawking and plenty of cars parked along both sides of the street, but now everything was in a state of disarray.


    Cars were strewn alongside the road, windows shattered, hoods flipped open, and dark red bloodstains that had turned ck smeared every corner of the street¡ªon cars, storefronts, and the ground. Rotting corpses emitting a foul smell were asionally seen, and nearly all the storefronts were forcefully broken into, it was unclear whether the survivors or monsters had done it.


    The longer the apocalypse wore on, the more widespread the scenes of destion would be, and the situation would get increasingly out of order.


    The fleet slowly drove through the street, following the same road back towards the Happiness Community.


    Monsters attacked from the fog, but this time the strength of the fleet was much greater than before. Not only the trucks had been modified, but Su Han had also upgraded the two jeeps.


    The metal frameworks were sturdier, and the robust plow on the front was enough to break the bones of the attacking monsters, forcing them under the vehicle.


    In this way, after about an hour, they finally arrived at the periphery of Happiness Community.


    "Enter from the back, park near Building 7, then creep over to check out the situation. Be mindful of any unusual movements from the nts."


    After giving these brief instructions, Su Han and the others entered themunity. This time, in order not to alert the Human-faced Tree, they temporarily wrapped up the Lamp Tree crystals and did not use them.


    Themunity had be even more silent, the fog enveloping it made the area seem ghostly, the quietness apanied by an almost uncontroble sense of crisis.


    Everyone moved cautiously, guiding the vehicles to park under Building 7.


    Each person summoned their Apstole to be on guard, while unloading and carrying their belongings.


    The heaviest items were the new energy vehicle batteries, weighing hundreds of kilos. A First Order Inferior flesh corpse could barely carry them, but fortunately, there were several First-level Intermediate flesh corpses and some Warrior Spiders in the team to handle the transportation.


    Footsteps sounded particrly loud in the fog. The quietness of Happiness Community surpassed everyone''s expectations; the whole ce seemed lifeless, void of living people, and even the monsters seemed to have perished.


    Leaving Building 7, they quietly made their way to the nearby parking lot, which was enshrouded in darkness and permeated with the pungent odor of burning. Large swathes of ck extended out, covering almost the entire parking lot, hinting at the enormity of the fire that had urred.


    "Building 4 is over there. Everyone be careful."


    Su Han reminded them once more, gripping his Pu knife tighter. The rest also tensed up, moving quietly closer.


    Just as they got closer, a tall shadow emerged in the fog, and multiple emaciated corpses dangled within it, gently swaying like horrifying wind chimes.


    A chill ran down everyone''s spines, their hearts filled with dread to the extreme.


    Su Han''s eyes hardened; his expression solemn: "There are even more bodies now."

 Chapter 66 Prosperous and Thriving

    "Gurgle"


    Zhang Dahai couldn''t help but swallow his saliva, his voice trembling, "Is this the thing? It''s freakishly scary."


    The dangling corpses appeared intermittently through the fog, giving off an incredibly eerie vibe, especially that towering shadow, casting a sense of oppression over everyone.


    "Get moving, smash the gasoline onto it."


    Su Han knew there was no time to dy and, with a thought, was the first to smash a new energy battery over.


    The several-hundred-pound object, under the terrifying force of the Demon Spider Warrior, was like a small cannonball, thudding dully as it smashed against the trunk of the Human-faced Tree.


    "Roar!"


    The slumbering Human-faced Tree was jolted awake in an instant, its grotesque faces on the trunk contorting as it let out a terrifying roar.


    "Crackle and pop"


    The thrown new energy battery distorted due to the violent collision, spewing out thick smoke and sparks.


    "Keep going!"


    Su Han had no intention of stopping; he even picked up a huge battery and threw it himself, while the Demon Spider Warrior did the same.


    By this time, Zhu Xiong and the others had already thrown their Molotov cocktails directly at the Human-faced Tree. The bottles shattered on its body, and instantly with a whoosh, the sparks ignited the gasoline and the mes roared to life.


    The mes quickly engulfed the trunk of the Human-faced Tree, yet Zhu Xiong and the others didn''t halt their efforts, hurling one Molotov cocktail after another.


    Explosions urred amid the fierce mes, one fireball following another, while the new energy batteries, under the high temperatures, detonated massively.


    "Roar"


    In the surging sea of fire, the Human-faced Tree went berserk, its limbs iling wildly, and countless vines spread out, shooting from the surroundingwn toward Zhu Xiong and his group.


    At the same time, the towering Human-faced Tree charged towards them, a body engulfed in mes, its crimson gaze and ferocious visage made all the more terrifying through the fire.


    "Fall back and attack."


    Su Han was extremely calm, swinging his Pu knives to cut off the attacking vines, while the Demon Spider Warrior extended its w hands to continually sh the vines, all the while its back arms kept throwing the remaining batteries.


    Although Zhu Xiong and the others were momentarily hindered, they quickly took up their knives to fight the vines while another group, led by Gan Xinglei, huddled behind the others, continuing to throw the remaining Molotov cocktails.


    Terrible roars kepting, and the zing mes covered the entirewn in front of the four buildings, the scorching heat making everyone feel the burn.


    In the heart of the mes, the Human-faced Tree''s vines and trunk began to cken, but it was not yet consumed by the fire.


    Thebination of wood and flesh made the Human-faced Tree far more resilient than ordinary trees. It detested the mes, but as Su Han had predicted, it was notpletely restrained by the fire.


    Within minutes, the Human-faced Tree, aze, had charged to the position where the group had initially been, forcing Su Han and the others to retreat back to the parking lot.


    Dragging and burning all along.


    Finally, at the parking lot, thest Molotov cocktail was thrown.


    "Su Han, we''re out of stuff."


    Su Han''s eyes tightened as he said, "Retreat first, keep burning it for a while, then we''ll attack again."


    He chopped off a vine and retreated quickly, Zhu Xiong and the others following closely, without any hesitation.


    Unhindered in their retreat, the Human-faced Tree simply couldn''t catch up; they quickly put a distance between themselves, the mes still licking the Human-faced Tree''s body.


    The terrifying howls echoed throughout the wholemunity, and Zhu Xiong, witnessing the figure within the mes, was stunned, "This fire really can''t easily burn it to death."


    Even though many vines had been burned, the thickest vines at the trunk held firm against the mes; the tree''s flesh-like internal secretions, resembling blood, equally protected its body.


    The more sap secreted, the smaller the mes burned, and the infuriated Human-faced Tree surged towards Su Han and the others with boundless rage, having recovered from the intense ze.


    Everyone was on tenterhooks; Su Han gripped his Pu knife, saying, "Attack!"


    Having burned so many vines, the Human-faced Tree''s greatest reliance had been greatly reduced. The Spider Warrior bent its eight spider legs and suddenly burst forth with strength, shooting out in an instant, leaping over twenty meters high, and with his arms sped behind him, the Pu knife came crashing down from above.


    "Crack"


    The Human-faced Tree''s vines thrashed to intercept, but the Pu knife''s sharp edge was so fierce that it chopped off the vines as thick as a man''s thigh in one stroke, and red blood sttered out as the Human-faced Tree let out a wail.


    "We attack too, focus on harassment, be mindful of safety," one of them said.


    Zhu Xiong and the others attacked the outer vines, while behind the Spider Warrior, many residual roots and vines surged out, attempting to ambush from behind.


    But Zhu Xiong and his group would not allow it.


    They couldn''t deal with the battle upfront, but they definitely wouldn''t drag Su Han down.


    "Let the Corpses be in front, Contractors assist by cutting vines. If anyone gets entangled, call out immediately. Don''t worry too much about friendly fire, we have Iron Skin."


    Zhu Xiong cut through vines while yelling loudly. They all wore Iron Skin, boasting one of the strongest defenses.


    The vines wrapped towards them, initially targeting the Corpses at the front, but were swiftly cut by the Pu knives, and even if the force was too much and struck the Corpses'' Iron Skin, they didn''t care.


    Zhu Xiong''s interference prevented the Human-faced Tree from ambushing the Spider Warrior from behind, leaving it no choice but to engage directly.


    However, the difference between the Spider Warrior of Second Order Low Grade and the Four-armed Corpse of First Order Upper Grade was vast.


    With the protection of ck Armor, the entire Spider Warrior was like a pitch-ck, heavily armored giant monster.


    Vine attacks capable of smashing walls hit the Spider Warrior, causing a nging noise, but they couldn''t inflict any real damage on its body.


    The force was absorbedyer byyer, and the Iron Skin defense was sufficient to withstand such blunt force impact, to say nothing of the self-healing ability.


    The blows from the vines, like a relentless drumbeat, echoed throughout the car park.


    But it was all for naught.


    The Human-faced Tree attempted to change its attack method, entwining to strangle the Spider Warrior.


    But the shing Pu knife cut the vines time after time, and the sharp metallic ws shredded all approaching tendrils.


    Su Han fought too, dodging with agility and cooperating with the Spider Warrior, continuing to cut the vines.


    As the vines thinned, the blood flowing from the Human-faced Tree increased, and the screaming tree began to consider retreat.


    But how could the Spider Warrior let its prey escape? It pounced closer to the Human-faced Tree, its great charge shaking the trunk and cracking the wooden exterior to reveal the bloody inner tissue, from which blood continued to surge.


    The Spider Warrior swung its Pu knife mightily, carving gashes upon the trunk, as blood tracks multiplied, nearly staining the entire Human-faced Tree red.


    The cries grew more piercing, but also weaker, and when the tree''srgest vine was cut, its reaction slowed even further.


    "St"


    Just as the terrifying human face opened its gaping mouth, the Spider Warrior thrust its Pu knife with all its might, the de piercing through the tree''s body.


    The roar stopped abruptly, the Human-faced Tree swayed and finally fell with a thunderous crash, dead atst.


    [You have killed a Second Order Low Grade Human-faced Tree. Do you wish to bind the Human-faced Tree as an Angel Envoy?]


    A piece of information entered Su Han''s mind, and without a moment''s hesitation, he replied, "Contract."

 Chapter 67 : 67: The Second Angel Envoy: Human-faced Tree

    As Su Han''s contract orders were issued, the second page of the Book of Blood Spirit turned, and a red glow appeared from the book, engulfing the corpse of the Human-faced Tree within it.


    It wasn''t just the nearly seven-meter trunk of the main body, but also those scattered,rger vine branches: the red light almost illuminated the entire parking lot.


    "Everyone, be on alert, take out the Lamp Tree Crystals, and be careful of monster ambushes,"


    Zhu Xiong''s expression was grave, fearing someone might disturb Su Han''s contract.


    He and Gan Xinglei protected Su Han from left and right, while Ye Kailing had the others spread out around the parking lot, keeping Su Han and the Human-faced Tree in the very center.


    The contract for the second Angel Envoy was slower than the first. Su Han concentrated his mind, carefully perceiving the entire contracting process.


    He could feel that he was gradually establishing a connection with the Human-faced Tree, perceiving its presence, and threads of reciprocating energy began to flow into his body.


    His body was bing further enhanced: strength, speed, reaction... his senses and the ability to perceive the active Spiritual Energy around him were all strengthening.


    Bai Qn''s guess seemed to be right; this energy that appeared due to mutation was indeed somewhat rted to the mind.


    Su Han could feel this active force through his own mind. His body''s enhancement, contract forming, and monster''s advancement all revolved around Spiritual Energy.


    However, before he could perceive more carefully in this state, the contract was alreadyplete. The Human-faced Tree turned entirely into red light and vanished into the Book of Blood Spirit like a wisp of smoke.


    The red light gradually receded, converging onto Su Han''s body, and then slowly dissipated.


    Su Han opened his eyes, and everyone''s gaze focused on him. They involuntarily held their breath, and no one dared to ask questions first.


    Su Han revealed a smile and said, "The contract was sessful."


    As his voice fell, the red light gathered behind him, and the towering Human-faced Tree gradually emerged.


    Standing over seven meters tall with thick, pitch-ck branches, rough as iron and exuding an air of somber twilight, its extending branches twisted, leaves sparse, seemingly stained with ink like moths symbolizing death temporarily resting on the branches. The vines drooped from the branches, numbering over a hundred, gently swaying, turning like serpents, cold and frightening.


    Yet, what sent chills down one''s spine was a twisted human face that simply grew on the trunk, blood-red eyes staring ahead, eerie and cold.


    Angel Envoy: Human-faced Tree


    Rank: Second Order Low Grade


    Skills: [Fast-growing Vines]


    The Human-faced Tree didn''t have many skills; just one. But it was this single skill that made it incredibly difficult to deal with.


    The multitude of vines gave it many advantages in closebat: entanglement control and vine attack methods far surpassedmon monsters.


    The extension of the vines also made several dozen to hundreds of meters around it its territory, deterring ordinary monsters from approaching.


    ''This skill is not bad, but the shorings still need to bepensated for.''


    Su Han looked at the panel thoughtfully. He wasn''t too worried about supplementing weaknesses because as long as he could fuse materials, there would always be a chance to choose suitable Fusion materials to make up for the shorings.


    Compared to these, the significant increase in strength from having another Angel Envoy was the most important thing.


    "Old Zhu,"


    "What''s up?"


    Su Han looked at Zhu Xiong and said, "Take some people and clean up the remaining buildings to see if there are any survivors."


    Zhu Xiong nodded and said, "Got it, I''ll go now."


    Zhu Xiong led people directly towards the nearby buildings. Su Han did not follow; the Human-faced Tree extended its branch-like hand, lifted him, and ced him onto itself.


    Su Han controlled the Human-faced Tree, patrolling around the Happiness Community.


    Themunity was very silent, and even the growling of monsters couldn''t be heard through the fog.


    Before Su Han and his group had arrived, the Human-faced Tree, as the ''lord'' of the area, had already swept other monsters from the ce.


    Arriving next to the parking lot by building 10, Su Han looked over and saw vehicles scattered and parked everywhere, battered car windows, dented frames, and some cars werepletely overturned.


    The parking lot had clearly seen a fierce battle, and although the ck bloodstains covered the entire area, no corpses were to be seen.


    With the Human-faced Tree present, all corpses would be its sustenance.


    "More than 20 cars, the metal isn''t insignificant, let''s try to adapt first."


    Su Han controlled the Human-faced Tree which then used the Fast-growing Vines skill. The vines quickly extended outward, wrapping around an overturned car.


    From the pitch-ck vines, dark silk threads began to secret continuously, then wrapped around the metal, bit by bit starting to fuse.


    The speed of the fusion was much slower than Su Han had anticipated, and it was unclear whether it was due to individual reasons orpatibility factors¡ªit took over ten minutes for the metal of the first vehicle to bepletely fused.


    "10% fusion degree," Su Han frowned slightly, "This parking lot is probably only enough for one fusion."


    With a thought, he controlled more vines from the Human-faced Tree to spread out, winding around car after car, then extending dark silk threads to begin fusing the metal.


    However, clearly the speed of metal fusion wouldn''t increase by much regardless of the number of vines.


    After two whole hours, the metal of over twenty vehicles was finally fused clean.


    [LV1 Ordinary Metal Fusionplete, skill Metallic Quality obtained]


    With the fusionplete, the aura of the Human-faced Tree suddenly strengthened, its thick trunk growing taller, shooting up to over eight meters, branches extending, and both trunk and vines exhibiting a metallic sheen within the pitch-ck darkness.


    Moved by curiosity, Su Han paid close attention to this new skill, and his eyes lit up, "Does this mean my body now contains metallic substances?"


    Metallic Quality, although not an active skill like Iron Skin forming protectiveyers akin to iron tes, was a passive skill directly amplifying the Human-faced Tree itself.


    Originally, the Human-faced Tree was a monster made of abination of wood and flesh; its vines and branches, though tough, were of a woody nature and its interior even softer, made of flesh.


    But now, whether its woody body or its fleshy body, both had additional metallic elements mixed in. Even though it hadn''t developed an iron body, both strength and toughness had substantially increased.


    If the Spider Warrior were to use Pu knives to strike again, it likely wouldn''t be able to sever the vines as easily as before.


    Moreover, most importantly, a trunk that had be metallic was undoubtedly far more resistant to fire and high temperatures.


    A Human-faced Tree that fears mes and one that doesn''t are simply not on the same level.


    Sensing the changes in the Human-faced Tree, footsteps soon approached, as Zhu Xiong and the others arrived with Lamp Tree Crystals.


    "How''s the situation?"


    Zhu Xiong shook his head, his voice low, "Not good at all. Buildings four, five and six are all gone, without a single body left behind. They were probably eaten by that thing. Buildings one, two, and three are deserted, just corpses and monsters, all killed."


    He looked up at Su Han in the Human-faced Tree and asked, "Do you want those monsters'' corpses?"


    After a brief contemtion, Su Han said, "Take me over there."


    With a thought, the Human-faced Tree lifted Zhu Xiong and the others onto its branches, each one swaying unsteadily, hastily grabbing onto the branches, their hearts hairy with fear.


    They couldn''t help thinking, ''This monster is even more terrifying than the Spider Warrior; just being up here is a challenge ordinary people can''t handle.''


    As the Human-faced Tree carried them over, Su Han continued to ask, "What about the rest of the buildings?"


    "Building seven goes without saying, we rescued seven people from building eight, building nine..."


    Zhu Xiong''s expression darkened as he talked about building nine, "I left no survivors in building nine. There were some scumbags messing with women, driving them mad."


    A flicker of cold light passed through Su Han''s eyes, but his expression remained calm. He wasn''t surprised that such people would appear the longer the apocalypse went on.


    "And building ten?"


    "No survivors, they might have run away."


    In the midst of the conversation, the Human-faced Tree arrived beneath building three, and with a thought from Su Han, countless vines from the Human-faced Tree spread towards every floor.


    The corpses of monsters were almost all piled in the corridors, and with an extension of a vine, they were already touched.


    In just a few minutes, the corpses of the monsters were pulled back by the vines, hanging under the branches in a somewhat eerie fashion.


    Aside from Su Han, the others lying on the tree turned somewhat pale, their expressions strange.


    They felt as if they were ''fellow passengers'' with these corpses.


    Following the same process to clear the buildings of monsters, Su Han and his group finally returned to building seven.


    Ye Kailing wasforting the rescued people, and the arrival of the Human-faced Tree startled them, but they were soon reassured.


    After stuffing the monster corpses into one of the truck trailers, everyone descended one after another, boarding the trucks and jeeps to start heading back.


    The vehicles slowly made their way through the fog, with the light from Lamp Tree Crystals illuminating the streets. They hadn''t left Happiness Community for long when suddenly thest truck quietly turned on its hazard lights.


    Zhu Xiong''s expression tensed, and Su Han looked at Zhu Xiong, asking, "What''s wrong?"


    Zhu Xiong spoke gravely, "Old Guo is signaling. There might be trouble at the back."

 Chapter 68 : 68 The Stalker that Shadows

    The convoy slowly stopped, and Su Han and Zhu Xiong were the first to get out of the vehicle, making their way to Guo Gang''s truck.


    Withoutmunication tools, this was the only way for them to inquire about the situation.


    "What happened?"


    "I noticed some movement behind us, a sh of light,"


    Guo Gang''s expression was solemn as he lowered his voice, "I feel like we''re being tailed."


    In the fog, no one could be seen. His was thest vehicle, and the light from the Lamp Tree Crystals was also the dimmest. But a sharp instinct and a fleeting glimmer of yellow light made him alert.


    "A monster?"


    Su Han''s gaze sharpened before he asked.


    Guo Gang hesitated before responding, "It felt more like vehicle headlights."


    Upon hearing this, Su Han''s expression turned colder as he said, "Don''t move the convoy, I''ll go take a look."


    With a thought, the Book of Blood Spirit lit up, and the colossal Human-faced Tree appeared next to the convoy.


    The Human-faced Tree didn''t move fast, so it couldn''t scout the way like a Demon Spider warrior during the journey. Su Han retracted it back into the pages of the Book of Blood Spirit.


    But now there might be something behind the convoy, so it was the perfect time to put it to use.


    Fast-growing Vines!


    The vines spread quickly, extending from both sides of the street and the ground towards the mist behind. Under the skill''s control, the length of the vines could reach nearly two hundred meters.


    Below the mist, even if someone was tailing them, they couldn''t be further than that distance¡ªafter all, it would be too far to notice any movements.


    "Be careful, they''ve stopped ahead, hurry up and hide."


    Two hundred meters away at a street corner, two men lurked stealthily behind a turn, with a motorcycle that had been turned off sitting beside them.


    One was short and thin, with scruffy whiskers, while the other was slightly taller, sporting a round potbelly, and had a pair of shifty, triangle-shaped eyes.


    "They haven''t noticed us, have they? Zhao Jun went back to call the boss but hasn''t shown up yet. We''re no match for them."


    The short, thin manined, but he didn''t dare vent his frustration directly at the stocky man, only saying, "There are four vehicles in their group. What are we doing messing with them? If we''re discovered, we''re done for."


    The tall, stocky man nced at him and said, "Bai Dongxin, they came from Happiness Community, and they''re the closest to Lihua Supermarket. Guess who cleaned out the supermarket?"


    Bai Dongxin''s eyes rolled around as he said, "Han Ben, you mean the truck is loaded with supplies?"


    Han Ben nodded, "Exactly, that truck is heavy; it must be full. If we can snatch it, not to mention the supplies, even the two trucks and Crystals would be enough for our use."


    Neither of them was opposed to the idea of a robbery; this wasn''t their first time engaging in such acts.


    Though there were still scattered supplies on the streets, there was a significant difference between risking monster attacks while searching for supplies and taking what others had gathered.


    "We''re far enough away that they won''t notice us. Once they start driving, it''d be best to find out first where they''re heading..."


    Han Ben hadn''t finished speaking when he suddenly heard a rustling sound.


    He instantly became alert and turned around sharply, only to see a dark shadow sh by in the mist, like a long snake.


    "Damn it, a monster!"


    Han Ben immediately reacted, his Book of Blood Spirit lighting up as he quickly summoned his Angel Envoy; he had been too preupied with tailing to summon it earlier and was now anxiously regretting it.


    Apanied by a sh of red light, a two-headed rat appeared beside him, about the size of a medium dog, roughly one meter long and half a meter tall, its sparse fur revealing sinister-looking red flesh.


    Bai Dongxin''s movements were slightly dyed, his Angel Envoy was a flesh corpse, hunched and with twisted bones, clinging to the ground, limbs touching the earth, growling like a beast.


    The two were on high alert, and Han Ben lowered his voice and said, "Let''s go, don''t follow anymore!"


    They had just started to back away, but they froze as they turned around to see countless vines in front of them, dark as ink, writhing as though they were cold, ck snakes.


    Their faces turned pale, full of terror.


    "Run!"


    The moment Han Ben''s words fell, the vinesunched an attack, shooting towards them.


    The two-headed rat and the flesh corpse Angel Envoys tried to block them, rushing up asmanded by Han Ben and Bai Dongxin, but they were entangled by the vines in just one encounter.


    Biting and w Strikes were fruitless, leaving only shallow marks on the vines, then they watched helplessly as the vines tightened, gradually breaking off the limbs of the flesh corpse and the two-headed rat.


    The vines rapidly approached Han Ben and Bai Dongxin, and, in a moment of panic, fuelled by desperation, Han Ben shoved Bai Dongxin towards the Fast-growing Vines.


    He then took advantage of the gap to sprint towards the motorcycle. If he could just get on the motorcycle, he could escape far away. As for Bai Dongxin, he could only apologize.


    Han Ben''s n seemed perfect, but suddenly his ankle tightened and, unable to stop his momentum, he fell face-first to the ground, blood immediately seeping from the abrasions.


    The vines had already extended from the ground, binding his ankles.


    In just a brief encounter, whether it was the Angel Envoys or Han Ben and Bai Dongxin, they were all bound up by the vines like zongzi, and then dragged toward the direction where Su Han''s convoy was.


    "Got them."


    Su Han, realizing that the Human-faced Tree had seeded, turned to Old Zhu and said, "Have everyone stay vignt around."


    "Okay."


    Old Zhu nodded, then called for the Contractors to get out of the vehicles,manding their Angel Envoys to seal off the streets around the convoy, guarding against any monster attacks.


    Although this block was much emptier due to the sweep they conducted while escaping earlier and the noise made previously by Cheng Zhenyong and his team that attracted many monsters away, it did not mean that there were no monsters lurking around. It''s always better to be careful.


    Su Han might not easily fall to an attack, but Zhu Xiong and the others might not fare so well.


    As the vines tightened, Han Ben and Bai Dongxin were soon dragged over in the fog, along with the two struggling Angel Envoys.


    Guo Gang''s face turned cold: "There really was someone with them."


    "Big brother, misunderstanding, it''s a misunderstanding, we are survivors, not monsters."


    Seeing that humans were controlling the vines and not monsters, Han Ben was startled, but his instinct to survive made his mind race as he quickly pleaded for mercy.


    "Heh heh heh, brother, that''s not quite right, now is it? Decent folks don''t follow and tail others, right?"


    Before Su Han could speak, Zhang Dahai''s face twitched, wearing a faux smile.


    Having mingled in the construction business in South City, he had seen all sorts of people.


    There was a shifty look in Han Ben''s eyes, tinged with maliciousness, he was no easy mark.


    "No, no, it''s really a misunderstanding."


    Han Ben quickly defended himself, and Bai Dongxin, his eyes turning red with urgency, hastily said, "We... We just heard some noises and came to look, we meant no harm."


    Su Han''s expression remained indifferent as he said, "Old Zhu, Zhang Dahai, one of you take them to the front, the other to the back. You have ten minutes to find out their origins and purposes."


    His gaze fell on Han Ben and Bai Dongxin, and he smiled slightly, "Confess and you''ll be dealt with leniently. Fail to speak up or give the wrong answers, and you''ll feed my Angel Envoys."


    In an instant, Han Ben and Bai Dongxin involuntarily nced at the gruesome Human-faced Tree and its twisted human faces, trembling.

 Chapter 69: Chapter 69 Bucks Gym

    Han Ben and Bai Dongxin wanted to beg for mercy, but after Zhu Xiong and Zhang Dahai received the orders, they led the two separately to the front and back of the convoy. Any extra word would mean a knife to the throat.


    Zhu Xiong coordinated with Ye Kailing while Gan Xinglei followed Zhang Dahai. They formed pairs and began interrogating.


    Su Han waited on the spot for less than 15 minutes before Zhu Xiong and Zhang Dahai came back one after the other to report the situation to him.


    "Spilled the beans just like that."


    Zhu Xiong approached Su Han. Su Han was not surprised by this oue; they were only ordinary people, and not many could keep their mouths shut when faced with a prisoner''s dilemma.


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    Zhang Dahai also said, "That skinny guy was almost the same, told everything he knew."


    Su Han nodded and said, "Old Zhu, you go first. If there''s anything inconsistent, Old Zhang will point it out."


    "The tall one is Han Ben, the short and skinny one is Bai Dongxin. They were out to look for supplies and survivors. There was supposed to be another one, Zhao Jun, but he went back to report."


    As he organized the information extracted from the interrogation, he slowly said, "Their group gathers at Bucks Gym. There are 29 people in total, 25 men and 4 women. Most of them were originally trainers and clients of Bucks Gym. The leader is Nie Rilong, the gym owner. Their Angel Envoy is a creature called Blood Bone Lizard, strength unknown."


    After Zhu Xiong finished, Zhang Dahai added, "The information is almost the same. ording to Bai Dongxin, the Angel Envoy originally mutated from a green-maned lizard that Nie Rilong had in his office. He got lucky during the mutation and killed the "Contract" with a dumbbell. Although its strength is unclear, Bai Dongxin has seen it flip over cars."


    Su Han''s gaze flickered slightly. With so many people in South City, it was normal for some to have great talent and luck, but irritating them was unfortunate.


    "How many times have they done this kind of thing?"


    Zhu Xiong sneered, "Never did before, they said it was a misunderstanding, wanting to pull us into their camp."


    Zhang Dahai grinned and said, "That''s bad luck, that kid''s timid, imed he only did it once, never killed anyone, but I don''t believe it."


    While Bai Dongxin was not as brave as Han Ben, initially iming he had never done it, once Zhang Dahai stabbed a knife into his hand, he immediately cried out that it was just once.


    Even so, Zhang Dahai did not believe it.


    How could they be so skilled if it was just once? iming to search for supplies, but clearly, they were looking for survivors. They incidentally heard themotion from Happiness Community''s battle and stealthily approached.


    "Bucks Gym, right?"


    Su Han''s eyes grew colder as he looked at Zhu Xiong and said, "Old Zhu, you drive the first car and lead the way to Bucks Gym."


    "What about them?"


    Zhu Xiong pointed toward the two men, bound by vines in mid-air. Su Han said calmly, "Kill one, keep the other."


    Han Ben and Bai Dongxin''s faces drastically changed, but in the next moment, the vines had already gagged their mouths, leaving them unable to beg for mercy.


    Han Ben was pulled by the vines to the front of the Human-faced Tree. The twisted human face opened its huge mouth, and under everyone''s watch, he was thrown inside, along with his Angel Envoy.


    "Crunch... Crunch..."


    The sound of chewing came, and blood oozed from the Human-faced Tree''srge mouth, causing even those on Su Han''s side to tense up.


    Bai Dongxin''s face turned deathly pale, his pants wet with urine in fear.


    The vine tightened and knocked him unconscious. Zhu Xiong came back to his senses, quickly bound him up, and dragged him to the cart containing monster corpses and locked him up.


    ....


    "Boss, we''ve found survivors from Happiness Community. Lihua Supermarket was emptied by them."


    Inside Bucks Gym, the yellow light from the Lamp Tree illuminated the spacious gym as a middle-aged man in ck reported to a strong, muscr man.


    "Are you sure?"


    Nie Rilong''s eyes brightened, and behind him, the Angel Envoy Blood Bone Lizard shifted slightly, emitting a low growl that caused Zhao Jun to shiver slightly.


    Zhao Jun hurriedly said, "We heard the noise from Happiness Community and went to see. A convoy, two trucks, two jeeps, no more than a dozen people. The trucks were heavy, probably loaded with stuff."


    He asserted confidently, "Happiness Community is the closest to Lihua Supermarket, the goods were definitely moved by them."


    Lihua Supermarket was the mostprehensive supermarket nearby, and after the fog had cleared, Nie Rilong had organized his people to explore it, but the items were scattered everywhere, leaving almost nothing behind.


    "Where is it?"


    Nie Rilong was clearly intrigued. The resources of a supermarket could be obtained much faster than scavenging convenience stores around or looting from other survivors.


    "Down the small street toward the Second River, Han Ben and his group are on it."


    Nie Rilong stood up, and the voluptuous woman next to him quickly followed suit, her tight sports shirt quivering slightly with the movement.


    "Call everyone over"


    Zhao Jun quickly nodded, "I''ll go right now."


    He immediately left the second floor and headed to the first floor of Bucks Gym to call people.


    Nie Rilong straightened his clothes and then said to the woman beside him, "Tan Xin, go lock those three women up, follow the usual rule: don''t open the door if I''m not back, and no one standing guard is allowed upstairs."


    "Don''t worry, Brother Long, I definitely won''t let them out."


    Tan Xin was very obedient, her eyes coquettishly gleaming as she embraced Nie Rilong''s stout arm and nted a sweet kiss on it.


    Seeing Tan Xin sopliant, Nie Rilong''s face revealed a satisfied smile, and his hand moved unreservedly.


    "Just stick with me, you''re not like them, don''t worry."


    He grinned suddenly, his eyes holding a hint of ill intent, "Join us tonight."


    Tan Xin stiffened, then immediately nodded, "As you say."


    Seeing Tan Xin''s demeanor, Nie Rilongughed heartily as he headed to the first floor, followed closely by the Blood Bone Lizard, a massive creature three meters in length.


    There were four female survivors in the gym, one of whom belonged to Nie Rilong, while the remaining three were for the group.


    This was Nie Rilong''s method. In this apocalyptic world, money had lost its value; what controlled people apart from food was typically desire.


    Whether it was the three women or the looted resources, they were all kept on the second floor.


    The n was to act as a team, those involved in exploration, looting, or doing anything beneficial for the team would get more food and resources allocated.


    Food or resources served two purposes: one for eating and the other naturally for trading for certain things, like doing something venting with the three women.


    The more they did, the more resources they acquired, and naturally, the more they could do.


    Those who disobeyed or performed poorly would receive less of the resources, or even have their food for the day withheld.


    The methods were simple and brutal, but in such an end-of-the-world scenario, they were unusually effective.


    If initially the survivors here obeyed him only out of fear of his forcefulness, then as more people entered the second floor''s room and indulged, the more people willingly obeyed him.


    Even so, some in the team wanted to snatch a few women during their searches.


    However, Nie Rilong vetoed the idea.


    He wanted control of the team. With sufficient resources, he needed to ensure he couldmand the team, rather than just y with women.


    But now, it seemed, if they snatched this batch of resources, the team could indeed expand.


    "Boss"


    Nie Rilong had reached the first floor; the people had already gathered, over twenty muscr, tall men standing in the hall.


    "You all know, right?"


    Nie Rilong scanned the crowd, saw everyone nod, and then spoke, "The goods in two trucks, after we grab them, we can change locations, expand our numbers. At that time, what you guys want won''t be out of reach."


    The men''s eyes lit up, and the atmosphere surged with excitement. Seeing his goal achieved, Nie Rilong said, "Wang Dong, Li Xu, you two stay back. Everyone else, out the door and into the cars. Follow me and chase after them."

 Chapter 70: Chapter 70 Who Doesnt Want to Kill Someone?

    The group moved the objects blocking the entrance of Bucks Gym aside and then cautiously walked out, using a Lamp Tree crystal encased in a cover as antern.


    There were quite a few vehicles parked in front of the entrance to Bucks Gym, about six or seven, all of which wererge-capacity vehicles, parked on either side, perfectly shielding the main entrance of Bucks Gym.


    The monsters on this street had been cleared early on by Nie Rilong and his people, but for safety''s sake, he still chose to park this way, using the vehicles as a cover, which showed that he was a very cautious man.


    Everyone was holding machetes and steel pipes, including Nie Rilong, who held a crowbar. The Blood Bone Lizard did not get in the car but stood next to his.


    "Zhao Jun leads the way; everyone else, follow closely..."


    Humming sound


    However, before Nie Rilong and his men had a chance to get into their cars, a sound came through the fog, and a faint yellow glow pierced the mist to illuminate their figures.


    Nie Rilong''s face changed slightly, then they saw arge red truck slowly emerging from the fog, followed by two jeeps and another truck.


    In an instant, he knew this must be the truck convoy Zhao Jun had mentioned, and the fact that the convoy could track them here meant trouble was afoot, and the neers did note with good intentions.


    He sneered, thinking to himself, "Good that they''vee, saves me the effort."


    "Click"


    The truck door opened, and Su Han and Zhu Xiong came out from the front, while the people from the jeeps got down to size up Nie Rilong and his group.


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    Zhu Xiong nced at the number of people on the other side and then at the fierce lizard monster behind Nie Rilong, his heart suddenly lightened: this was a sure win.


    The Blood Bone Lizard, over three meters in length, stood as tall as a man when it held its head high, its blood-red skin as vivid as blood, and its body adorned with grey-white bones interwoven with red patterns on its spine, cheeks, shoulders, and ws, resembling a hellish demon.


    Zhu Xiong had to admit the Blood Bone Lizard looked ferocious, even more menacing than the Giant w Zombie.


    But as fierce as it was, it mattered who it waspared to.


    "Brother, you think a few guys like this are enough to pick a fight? You''re really underestimating us," said Zhu Xiong.


    Seeing the people who had just disembarked from the truck, Nie Rilong approached them with a fake smile apanied by his own men.


    On Su Han''s side, counting all of them, there were only about twentybatants, and not everyone had fully gotten off the trucks yet. On the other side, Nie Rilong''s twenty or so strong men stood there, indeed making a more imposing presence.


    "You must have captured my people, right? Release them and leave half of the supplies, and I''ll let you go. Otherwise, don''t me me for not being polite," Nie Rilong said with an increasingly fierce look in his eyes, staring at Su Han like a vicious wolf.


    Being able to own such arge gym and gather a group of followers, he was never a pushover, and having gained power in this post-apocalyptic world, he had be even more brazen.


    As Nie Rilong finished speaking, his followers summoned their Angel Envoys, and the monstrous roars echoed one after another.


    The majority were flesh corpses, robust in stature, with twisted spines, opening their bloody maws and sharp ws, which sent shivers down the spine.


    Suddenly having twenty more monsters, Nie Rilong''s side seemed to have the numbers of a few dozen men, truly an intimidating sight.


    However, Su Han just sneered, not at all intimidated by Nie Rilong''s little antics.


    His people had not only cleared the vi of monsters but had recently fought the Human-faced Tree. They might not im to be battle-hardened, but they were certainly no ordinary people.


    Without needing Su Han to say more, everyone immediately summoned their Angel Envoys, with Giant Macrophage Dogs splitting to both sides, opening their fierce mouths and growling threateningly.


    One by one, the Angel Envoy flesh corpses were summoned, d in armor and wielding machetes, not looking like monsters but more like a heavily armored army.


    Nie Rilong''s pupils shrank suddenly, his expression as if he had seen a ghost, and then he immediately changed his tune, "Wait, brother, I think there might be a misunderstanding."


    He stepped forward a few paces and suddenly started to soften his tone¡ªthere was no choice, he was well aware of the difference between monsters d in iron armor and ordinary monsters.


    "Do you think it''s a misunderstanding just because you say so?" Zhu Xiong replied with a cold sneer, making Nie Rilong''s expression even uglier as he said in a deep voice, "Brother, two injured parties is no good in this post-apocalyptic world. You have your iron armor, and I have my Blood Bone Lizard."


    Although it seemed like a threat, the Blood Bone Lizard, like Nie Rilong, moved a few steps forward, stopping just over twenty meters away from Su Han and his group, close enough for them to see clearly the grotesque visage of the Blood Bone Lizard.


    Zhu Xiong was about to snap back with a retort, "I have one, too," when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a triumphant gleam in Nie Rilong''s gloomy eyes.


    His heart skipped a beat, a bad feeling that there was trickery afoot.


    He instinctively pushed Su Han away, but he found Su Han unmoved. The Blood Bone Lizard opposite them suddenly attacked, opening its bloody maw, and a crimson tongue bristling with sharp barbs shot out at an incredible speed, almost too fast to see.


    The crimson tongue stretched across more than twenty meters, charging straight at Su Han, with Nie Rilong never having considered any form ofpromise from the start.


    Even after seeing that the Angel Envoy by Su Han''s side was d in iron armor, he simply shifted from a head-on crushing assault to a stealthy ambush.


    Nie Rilong''s goal had always been crystal clear, to kill Su Han and his group.


    At this moment, his smile finally became utterly unrestrained, confident that with his Blood Bone Lizard''s involvement, sess was guaranteed.


    However, the situation suddenly changed.


    "ng"


    Vines shot out fiercely, entangling the crimson tongue. The sharp barbs scraped against the dark vines, emitting a metallic sound.


    "What is that?!"


    Nie Rilong was startled to see that the ground had, unbeknownst to him, be covered with vine-like tendrils, snaking everywhere, filling both sides of the street, and guarding Su Han so tightly that not even air could pass through.


    The Blood Bone Lizard tried to withdraw its tongue, but more vines bound it, and no matter how much the Blood Bone Lizard struggled, it couldn''t pull its tongue back.


    The pain of pulling caused the Blood Bone Lizard to howl, its appearance growing more ferocious.


    And at this time, as the vines slowly writhed, Su Han''s figure emerged, sneering at Nie Rilong, "You didn''t really think you were the only one wanting to kill someone, did you?"


    Su Han''s words caused a sudden change in the expressions of Nie Rilong and his men, but before they could react, Su Han had already ordered, "Old Zhu, make your move. I''ll handle the lizard; you guys deal with the rest."


    "Got it. I''ll take care of the rest; this is my forte."


    Zhang Dahai grinned, "Not bragging, but I had some experience back in the day. Everyone grab your weapon and go at them, the zombies in front, the dogs to the sides, hit them hard, and keep the formation tight."


    Zhu Xiong pulled out a machete, and Zhang Dahai had somehow switched to a club, the two scoundrel leaders leading their men into the fray head-on.


    Seeing the tide turning against him, Nie Rilong immediately rushed toward his Blood Bone Lizard, hoping to use its power to gain control of the situation.


    ''You backstabbing son of a bitch, I''ll fight you to the death.''


    A fierce look shed in his eyes as he controlled the Blood Bone Lizard to bite off its tongue and break free, blood sttering all over, its agonized roars echoing down the entire street.


    Nie Rilong vaulted onto the back of the Blood Bone Lizard, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Fight them, or we all die!"


    His loud beration had an effect, and the people from Bucks Gym came to their senses, immediately sending the zombies charging at the front lines.


    With everyone already at the doorway, where could they run if they didn''t fight?


    Seeing morale boosted, Nie Rilong felt slightly relieved but his gaze became even more viciously fixed on Su Han. Only by killing him and the mysterious Vine Angel Envoy could today''s issues be resolved.


    The Blood Bone Lizard leaped high into the air, heading straight for Su Han¡ªa distance of over twenty meters closed in an instant.


    ''You asked for it; don''t think you can stop me with mere vines.''


    As the distance narrowed, Nie Rilong could already envision himself breaking through the vines and tearing Su Han to shreds on the ground.


    However, just as he was feeling triumphant, suddenly a dark figure leaped out andnded right in front of him.


    Giant hands grasped the head of the Blood Bone Lizard, the ferocious bone spurs scraping against the ck Armor, producing a grating noise.


    "Boom"


    A thunderous crash resounded as the massive Blood Bone Lizard, along with its rider, was mmed to the ground.

 Chapter 71 Three Lamp Trees

    Nie Rilong crashed to the ground in a mess, his body covered in scrapes and bruises. If it hadn''t been for the strength of the Blood Bone Lizard, which had nourished him and enhanced his physique considerably, this fall would have likely resulted in several fractures.


    Compared to Nie Rilong, however, the Blood Bone Lizard that bore the brunt of the body m was not so fortunate. Its facial bones were nearly shattered, its bony spurs torn through the skin, and fresh blood surged out, making its already crimson skin even more vivid.


    Only then did Nie Rilong get a clear view of the attacking creature, a monstrous being with the body of a human on top and a giant spider on the bottom, standing like a fierce general before him and the Blood Bone Lizard.


    It''s over!


    Nie Rilong felt darkness closing in on his vision; he knew he no longer had a chance.


    The Spider Warrior strode toward the Blood Bone Lizard. Nie Rilong, with a surge of desperation, aimed to fight to the death. The Blood Bone Lizard suddenly lunged forward, its gaping mouth biting at the Spider Warrior''s arm.


    With a ngorous sound, no matter how ferociously it bit, the Spider Warrior remained unshaken¡ªhis ck Armor''s defense was not something the Blood Bone Lizard could prate.


    The Spider Warrior extended his hand into the Blood Bone Lizard''s mouth, grasping the broken half of its tongue with an iron grip. The other three hands seized the points between the lizard''s head and shoulder des, and with a low roar, he lifted the Blood Bone Lizard into the air.


    Hoisting it above his head, he then smashed it onto the ground. The dull thud was apanied by the sound of breaking bone, the hard ground stained with a dark patch of blood and an indentation.


    The Blood Bone Lizard had no strength left to resist, blood continuously spilling from its mouth.


    Thump, thump, thump


    The Human-faced Tree emerged from the fog and, to Nie Rilong''s horror, countless vines wrapped around him and the Blood Bone Lizard.


    Su Han looked over to the crowd, where Zhu Xiong and Zhang Dahai, two burly men, under their leadership, were almost single-handedly dominating the scene.


    It might seem like the gym''s muscr men were not weak in strength, but they couldn''t withstand wearing only one piece of clothing.


    Their weapons nged harmlessly off of Su Han''s men; aside from a bout of pain, there were no other oues.


    But with Zhu Xiong and hispany, a single cut meant, even if not lethal, arge wound was made¡ªhalving their fighting ability.


    The Contractors'' meaty corporeal Angels stood at the forefront, holding off for a while, but once the flesh was killed, the Contractors were doomed.


    Their spirits were struck as if hammered by a heavy fist, and they fell to the ground with their eyes rolled back.


    Of course, some were a bit more resilient and did not faint; but their faces turned pale in an instant, with no fight left in them.


    In Su Han''s camp, there was Ye Kailing, a person wielding a bow and arrow, who killed more enemies than Zhu Xiong and Zhang Dahai by shooting an arrow every time.


    Fear enveloped every member of the Bucks Gym as two massive monster Angels appeared on Su Han''s side.


    They copsed¡ªnot a single person cried out loud to retreat.


    But everyone was desperately trying to flee, mbering onto the nearby cars behind them, then aiming to leave the ce for good.


    Only now they were contemting escape, but it was already toote.


    Vines continued to spread, enclosing from both sides of the street like a birdcage. The dozen or so surviving individuals were soon bound up tight by the vines.


    The cars hadn''t even started moving before the vines pulled at them, dragging the upants out.


    By the time Su Han, with the Human-faced Tree and Spider Warrior, reached the front, all people had been trussed up like rice dumplings, hanging under the trees.


    Su Han counted carefully, including Nie Rilong, there were still 14 people alive.


    "Su Han, how do you want to handle this?"


    Su Han nced at the gym, then said, "There are still people inside the gym; let''s catch them first, and then you, Old Gan, Old Zhang, question them about the situation, and sort out the resources."


    "Alright, I''m on it."


    Zhu Xiong was about to apprehend individuals, but those left behind in the gym, including Wang Dong and Li Xu, had already lost all will to resist.


    The moment someone approached, they opened the doors. Including Tan Xin, with their hands on their heads, they surrendered: "We surrender, don''t kill us."


    Zhu Xiongughed, "Why didn''t you do that earlier, just kneel down and stay put. Zhao Yimin, you go up and search for supplies, Old Gan, we will take turns questioning people."


    The group set into action, but it wasn''t long before Ye Kailing unexpectedly arrived, escorting three disheveled women wrapped in jackets.


    They were attractive and had fine figures, but their hair was messy, and their eyes looked vacant.


    "Boss, there''s a situation."


    Ye Kailing approached Su Han, her expression as cold as steel. She lowered her voice and said, "These women were found on the second floor, they have been..."


    Even with her voice lowered, she couldn''t mask the chill in her tone. As a woman herself, she naturally felt a profound rage for what the trio had endured¡ªthe conduct of Nie Rilong and his gang was truly appalling.


    Su Han''s eyes flickered, a cold light shing through them. Neither Han Ben nor Bai Dongxin had mentioned this bit.


    "From now on, you three will join our camp, and we''ll try to keep this as quiet as possible."


    Su Han called out to the three women, whose lost gazes fluctuated slightly as they looked at Su Han.


    The women hadn''t gone mad; Nie Rilong was using them to control the team, but he wasn''t unrestrainedly treating them as tools for everyone''s use. After all, ''things'' of little value are not cherished and are kept dangling.


    "First, get them in the car, and let''s not bring this up with anyone else."


    Although the encounters in this post-apocalyptic world could arouse sympathy, sympathy isn''t something one can live on, and rescuing them was already a mercy.


    If they still couldn''t adapt afterward, then that was no longer Su Han''s concern.


    "Boss, there''s something on the second floor."


    Not long after Ye Kailing left, Su Han also entered the gym, but as soon as he arrived, Zhao Yimin suddenly shouted excitedly to him.


    Su Han followed the voice to the second floor, where Zhao Yimin was already standing at the doorway of a room, his excitement evident: "They have a lot of Lamp Trees and Crystals."


    Hearing this, Su Han''s eyes brightened, he quickened his pace, and when he reached the doorway and pushed the door open, sure enough, there were three Lamp Trees.


    One of them was nted in arge pot and was quite tall, about seventy centimeters, and the other two were a bit smaller at thirty or forty centimeters.


    Hanging above the Lamp Trees were Crystals, four in total, thergest was the size of a lychee, and the rest were the size of thumbs, their pale yellow glow illuminating the entire room.


    "Pack them up and take them back."


    Su Han felt a surge of joy. After contracting with the Human-faced Tree, his initial thought had been to contract with a Lamp Tree or its Crystals, but they only had two trees suitable for Fusion at the vi, and that wasn''t enough material to start with.


    There weren''t enough for daily use to begin with, let alone for Fusion, so they were really strapped for supplies.


    But now, with three more trees, it was a different story.


    The goods Nie Rilong had looted had inadvertently given Su Han a big help.


    When Su Han came out of the gym, Zhu Xiong and the others had already finished their questioning, and their faces, as well as those of Gan Xinglei and the rest, looked pretty ugly. Find your next read at m_v l|e-NovelBin


    In the past month, Nie Rilong had attacked three groups, with only the first time resulting in severe injuries and no deaths, but on thetter two asions, the leaders were all killed.


    Moreover, the most important thing was that Zhu Xiong had also found out about the matter with the three women.


    The bastard.


    After informing Su Han of the results of the interrogation, Zhu Xiong couldn''t hold back and asked, "What should we do with them?"


    At those words, everyone''s gaze turned to Su Han, especially the people from Bucks Gym.


    They all wanted to live.


    "Please, spare us, it was all Nie Rilong''s doing, we had nothing to do with it."


    "Right, we were forced."


    ...


    Begging for mercy began to rise, from one to a chorus, but Su Han just coldly nced over and said calmly, "Just kill them, no need to bury."


    At that, the faces of the people from Bucks Gym went ashen. Their desire for survival sent them into a panic, and their pleas became increasingly louder.


    However, under control, the vines were tightening, gradually silencing their mouths...


    As more and more of theirpanions were silenced, one of them suddenly shouted in anger, "What''s the difference between you and us if you kill us?!"


    Su Han was taken aback and thenughed. He looked at the man who, though slightly more robust than the others, was a bit less imposing and had a schrly look about him, though he now appeared hysterical.


    Who knew if he was a teacher or some kind of clerk before the apocalypse.


    "There is no difference in killing, no one cares about that in the post-apocalyptic world."


    Su Han seemed to be answering patiently: "However, you provoked me, so you deserve to die. Also, you really are disgusting."


    His words were like a death sentence, as Zhu Xiong and his men, armed with knives, had already approached the group of Contractors.


    They understood Su Han''s intention; of course, the Human-faced Tree could kill, but this time they were the ones who had to act.


    Whether it was adapting to the post-apocalyptic world or uniting the team, they had to do it.


    "Oh, and don''t kill Nie Rilong, keep him and the Blood Bone Lizard to draw blood when we get back."

 Chapter 72 Progress in Injection Preparations

    Execution!


    The sharp knife plunged into the chest of the bound man, blood spraying out and flowing onto the hands of the executioner, warm and emitting a bloodthirsty scent.


    Although it was their first execution, the crowd''s actions showed little hesitation.


    One month was enough for everyone to adapt to this apocalypse; not to mention, they were not exactly killing the innocent now.


    "All seven vehicles are good, and there''s enough fuel."


    Zhu Xiong inspected the vehicles and found that they were usually used by Nie Rilong and his crew, basically in decent condition.


    Even the battle that had just transpired had caused only minor damage to the windows and hadn''t seriously harmed them.


    "Let a few people drive them back."


    After thoroughly clearing out the Bucks Gym, everyone began their journey back.


    This time the convoy was even more significant, with a truck at the front and one at the rear, and nine vehicles following in the middle, all strong and powerful.


    Along the way, of course, there were monster attacks, even hordes of flesh-zombies hunting, but with the trucks leading the way and the support from the Spider Warriors and Human-faced Trees at any moment, nothing dangerous urred.


    Upon returning to Shanhu Vi, Zhu Xiong and the others took charge of settling the neers and organizing the supplies, of course, with Yan Meiyu overseeing the whole situation.


    Su Han used his control over the Human-faced Tree to bind Nie Rilong and the Blood Bone Lizard and dragged them to the courtyard of Vi No. 9.


    Then, using the scarce Metal Control to transform, he turned it into a cage to imprison them, meanwhile extending chains from the cage to bind them.


    Although the Angel Envoy could summon and retrieve the Book of Blood Spirit, it wasn''t something that could be donepletely at will or under any circumstances or in any situation.


    If the retrieval could be done at any time, there wouldn''t be cases of Angel Envoys being seriously injured or even killed.


    To retrieve the Angel Envoy, one needed to focus mentally, and the process couldn''t be too severely disturbed, especially the Angel Envoy couldn''t be in a state ofbat or bondage.


    This was a rule that Su Han and the others gradually figured outter on.


    Of course, the limitations of summoning and retrieving were also closely rted to the strength of the Angel Envoy; being tied up with the same ropes, Old Zhu and the others faced much more resistance and energy consumption when recalling their Angel Envoys, at times even unable to recall them.


    As for Su Han, his Spider Warrior easily broke through such invisible barriers.


    Right now, Nie Rilong was already restrained, and the Blood Bone Lizard was even pierced by chains, so summoning it back wasn''t going to be easy.


    "We''re running low on metal, and it''s not good to fully merge the cars either."


    Aftee locking up Nie Rilong, Su Han once again noticed the issue with metal.


    Metal was needed for reinforcing the defenses of Shanhu Vi, for dealing with the Fish-Head Monster by using it for the cage, and finally for Fusion.


    The Spider Warrior had a clear affinity for metal, and both Metal Maniption and ck Armor had great potential; only if they continued to merge with metal could further development be possible, so Fusion was something that couldn''t stop.


    Although the Human-faced Tree didn''t have a highpatibility with metal, the material could still provide it with significant enhancement; long-term Fusion wasn''t very practical, as the time required and quantity needed would grow exponentially.


    But for a short-term increase in strength and to cover weaknesses, Fusion with metal was essential, meaning more metal was needed.


    Su Han pondered the next step in the n, his brows slightly furrowed; despite being at the Second Order Low Grade, his power seemed trivialpared to the fog that enveloped the entire city and, indeed, the world.


    "Pat, pat, pat"


    Footsteps approached from behind, and Su Han turned his head, "Bai Qn?"


    What was she doing here?


    As he was wondering, he heard Bai Qn say, "The injection has made some new progress."


    Upon hearing this, Su Han became interested and asked, "Tell me more."


    "I extracted blood from the Half-Fish Monster, Giant w Zombie, and Meat Mountain Demon as temporary injections: eight vials from the Half-Fish Monster, five from the Giant w Zombie, and two from the Meat Mountain Demon. Moreover, I discovered that even without purification, the injection liquid retains more activity under the yellow light of Lamp Tree Crystals."


    Bai Qn paused for a moment and added, "I suspect it''s because the Lamp Tree Crystals themselves have the ability to absorb Spiritual Energy and then release it."


    "You want to study the Lamp Tree Crystals?"


    Although Bai Qn was just reporting progress, the emphasis she put on the function of the Lamp Tree''s Crystals was suggestive.


    She didn''t avoid the subject, nodded, and said, "Yes, I feel that the Lamp Tree may be more important to humanity than some Angel Envoys. The fog blocks the sunlight, nts die, and although it won''t cause a dramatic change in Earth''s oxygen bnce that could extinguish humanity quickly, we still need food to live."


    If nts can''t grow, there won''t be a sufficient source of food, and the primary producers of the entire ecosystem would copse¡ªthis is extremely serious.


    Don''t talk about therge grain reserves that can ensure food supply for millions of people for several years or even longer than a decade.


    That is based on the ideal state of proper preservation and regr recement of old and new grains under official control each year.


    Now, with the fog covering and order copsed, it is unknown how long the granaries willst or how many are still undamaged.


    Therefore, the Lamp Tree, which can shelter the growth of nts, is especially important, even a crucial element in filling the broken food chain.


    Su Han knew the importance of the matter and, after a moment''s thought, said, "You and Yan Meiyu can take a Lamp Tree for observation. You can study it and use the tree''s Crystals, but you must not damage the Lamp Tree."


    Bai Qn gave a slight smile, nodded, and said, "Of course, I won''t damage it. If I hadn''t heard that you guys had obtained three more Lamp Trees this time, I wouldn''t havee to you so soon."


    Her eyes shone with purpose as she said, "I''m even more eager to study how this thing grows and reproduces."


    "That''s something I don''t know about; you''ll have to rely on your own research," Su Han replied.


    Su Hancked the research mindset of Bai Qn and believed in leaving professional matters to professionals.


    "The injections can be used directly after injection, right?"


    Bai Qn was startled for a moment, then nodded, "A direct injection is fine. It''s best if injected in ces like the spine, neck, or heart."


    "How many doses are needed to induce mutation?"


    Su Han asked in detail, but Bai Qn was clearly well-prepared and replied, "The data samples are too few to make a good estimate. When Kailing and I injected the Angel Envoy, it began mutating after two doses, while her Angel Envoy required three. It should rte topatibility with the monster, as well as its innate talent.


    Among these injections, the Meat Mountain Demon has undoubtedly the best effect, the strongest one, and a certain connection with flesh zombies. The Half-Fish Monster is the least effective, but I estimate that mutations might ur with around three doses."


    "Hand over the injections to Yan Meiyu; give one from the Meat Mountain Demon to her and one to Zhu Xiong. Distribute the ones from the Giant w Zombie among Gan Xinglei, Ye Kailing, Guo Gang, and Zhang Dahai. As for the remaining injections, let her distribute them based on merit. Better to leave them unused than to give them away undeservedly," Su Han instructed.


    Looking at Bai Qn, Su Han said, "Wait for the next batch of Meat Mountain Demon injections for your dose. Should we be able to produce it within the next couple of days?"


    Bai Qn smiled confidently and said, "Just give them a day or two to recover, and we can."


    She seemed to recall something and mentioned, "Under the light of the Lamp Tree, injectable''s activity can be preserved to some extent. If not immediately used, they can be stored for a while."


    Su Han nodded and then said, "For the newly arrived Blood Bone Lizard, oversee its blood extraction for research. Don''t worry too much about it; it doesn''t matter if it dies in the process."

 Chapter 73: Chapter 73 Fusion Lamp Tree Crystals

    Regarding the injection, Su Han had no intention of using it himself. Firstly, he was already a Second Order Low Grade, and the monsters he could capture at present were essentially incapable of causing his Angel Envoy to mutate.


    Secondly, it was unnecessary. Already possessing a rtively stable method of strength enhancement, he saw no need to risk trying these newly formted substances, even if the risks were small.


    After Bai Qn left, Su Han went to a position behind buildings nine and ten.


    This area was not part of the vi''s small courtyard, but it was also not close to other vis, adjoining a grassy area instead.


    Ordinarily, this would have been a lush greenwn with a slight slope, perfect for post-dinner walks. A few hundred meters further, one could reach Shady Road and the banks of Yunling Lake.


    However, now the wholewn was shrouded in fog. From a distance, one could only see dark shadows flickering in and out of the mysterious, tranquil mist.


    The radiant light of the Lamp Trees in the front yard did not reach here, leaving the area dark and foggy. Closer inspection revealed the withered yellow grass.


    Su Han arrived in this open space, followed by the warrior spider.


    He looked around and, seeing that the area was not small, the Book of Blood Spirit in his hand shed red light as he summoned the Human-faced Tree.


    The towering Human-faced Tree almost blended into the mist entirely, its branches spreading and drooping down, gently swaying.


    "Roar,"


    The Human-faced Tree let out a low roar. Su Han took out a small bag of Lamp Tree Crystals¡ªsix in total,rge and small, all plucked from several Lamp Trees recently.


    He opened the ck bag, and instantly the light from the Lamp Tree Crystals dispersed the nearby fog.


    He picked the smallest crystal from the bag, and under his mentalmand, the Human-faced Tree extended a vine towards him.


    Su Han ced the Lamp Tree Crystal, the size of a pinky fingertip, on its hand and said, "Fusion."


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    Countless dark threads sprawled out, enveloping the tiny Lamp Tree Crystal, hiding its glow beneathyers of threads.


    Then, bit by bit, the crystal fused into the body of the Human-faced Tree until it disappearedpletely.


    "Half a minute?"


    Su Han looked surprised. It took less than half a minute topletely fuse the Lamp Tree Crystal, a speed beyond his expectations, and what shocked him most was the Fusion Degree.


    Lamp Tree Crystal Fusion Degree: 3%.


    Just one crystal so small had already achieved a 3% Fusion Degree, proving thepatibility between the Human-faced Tree and the Lamp Tree Crystals to be not low.


    "Both have nt attributes, no wonder,"


    Su Han smiled, pleased by this news. Without any hesitation, he took out the remaining five Lamp Tree Crystals and ced them on the vine.


    "Continue fusing."


    Thergest of the Tree Lamp Crystals was the size of a fist; the rest were the size of thumbs or lychees, not few in number.


    Apart from the crystals reserved to illuminate the yards of buildings nine and ten, the only one left in his possession was for scouting.


    Soon, as countless dark threads spread out, the Lamp Tree Crystals were rapidly being fused.


    10%, 25%, 40%, 69%....


    Under his gaze, the Lamp Tree Crystals were fused one by one, and in less than ten minutes, only thergest one remained.


    Thisst one fused almost as fast as the others, with the Fusion Degree also rising slowly, until 90% of this crystal was fused, and finally the Lamp Tree Crystal''s Fusion Degree was full.


    [LV1 Lamp Tree Crystal fusionplete, skill "Radiance of the Lamp Tree" obtained]


    As the fusionpleted, the Human-faced Tree suddenly let out a deep roar, and the sound of cracking came from its body.


    The branches were extending, and the already more than eight meters tall Human-faced Tree continued growing. Its trunk became thicker, broad enough to be embraced by seven or eight people together, and its height gradually reached ten meters as countless branches spread from its boughs.


    The vines became thicker and stronger, and also more active, writhing around like a mass of dancing snakes.


    The roots prated underground, flexible like vines and strong, continuously spreading across the surroundingnd, extending up to three hundred meters.


    This three-hundred-meter radius was the domain of the vines, a rudimentary domain.


    What surprised Su Han the most was that both the vines and the trunk emitted a faint luminescence, a pale yellow color, which was sufficient to light up the surroundings within ten meters.


    "Is this the Radiance of the Lamp Tree?"


    Su Han focused and perceived, and information about this skill surged into his mind, inadvertently making his eyes brighter and a smile appear on his lips.


    The Radiance of the Lamp Tree, although it could not condense Crystals like the Lamp Tree, could emit a light virtually indistinguishable from that of the Lamp Tree under the stimtion of the Human-faced Tree itself.


    The light from the Lamp Tree Crystals could disperse the fog and protect or even promote the growth of nts; it could do the same.


    "Radiance of the Lamp Tree."


    At Su Han''s controlled thought, the roots of the Human-faced Tree spread across the ground, piercing through the soil, their tips standing erect just over a meter from the ground.


    The tips lit up, emitting a soft, pale yellow light, and the surrounding fog began to dissipate upon contact with this light.


    Watching the scene before him, Su Han felt even happier, as the fog was essentially absent within the three-hundred-meter radius.


    This also meant that as long as the Human-faced Tree was present, there would be no trouble from the fog, and the entire camp would be easier to manage.


    He calmed slightly and made new ns for the Human-faced Tree,manding, "Extend the vines from the two vis as the center and illuminate the blind spots."


    With a low growl, the Human-faced Tree did as Su Hanmanded, and soon cries of surprise rang intermittently throughout the camp.


    The whole camp quietly lit up, the dispersing fog making it seem as dreamlike as if the lights were zing before the apocalypse.


    "Tap tap tap"


    Hurried footsteps approached, and it was not just one person.


    Su Han looked over and saw Zhu Xiong and the others, each still holding injections and weapons, looking tense.


    "Phew"


    Zhu Xiong rushed in front, followed closely by Gan Xinglei, who sighed in relief the moment he saw Su Han and the Human-faced Tree.


    It''s good that it''s not a monster.


    Well, that''s not right, just that Su Han is the monster is fine.


    Zhu Xiong mulled over this in his mind, looked at Su Han, and curiously asked, "Su Han, has it evolved again?"


    Su Han''s Angel Envoy often changed, each change making it markedly stronger, something Zhu Xiong hade to expect.


    "A new ability, if the Human-faced Tree is present, it can provide lighting and protection, but it''s necessary to reserve a portion of the Lamp Tree Crystals; collect the restter and give them to me."


    Thetter part of his statement was addressed to Yan Meiyu, who nodded and said, "I understand. How far does it illuminate?"


    "Currently, it extends three hundred meters radius around it, why do you ask?"


    Yan Meiyu smiled and said, "That''s perfect, I''ll expand thend a bit more, as just two small courtyards are not enough."


    Besides the original group, there were about forty to fifty people in the camp including those brought back from the recent operation.


    The demand for resources was greater, and there were more people able to work, some allocated tobatants and the rest naturally tobor.


    "You arrange it then."


    He looked at the injections in everyone''s hands and asked, "Were you wanting to inject?"


    Gan Xinglei answered, "We were just about to inject when we noticed something was off and rushed over, but it turned out to be timely, Su Han, would you like to see?"


    Su Han smiled and said, "Then let''s start with Old Zhu. I''d like to see the effects."

 Chapter 74: Chapter 74 Angel Envoy Mutation

    Originally, Zhu Xiong and the others had considered having Su Han and Bai Qn oversee the use of the injection, but they didn''t want to dy Su Han''s affairs, so they didn''t call him.


    Now that they had Su Han, it was naturally better than ever.


    "I''ll do it."


    Zhu Xiong held the syringe, which already contained the blood extracted from the Meat Mountain Demon.


    He aimed at his own zombie''s heart and inserted the needle directly into it. Quickly, a full syringe of Meat Mountain Demon''s blood was injected.


    Where the injection took ce, the zombie''s bright red muscles began to wriggle as if a bug had burrowed under the skin, which looked somewhat nauseating.


    But, without a doubt, the flesh and blood started to take effect quickly after entering.


    Zhu Xiong''s brow furrowed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "It seems like there''s a surge of strength inside it."


    Through the connection they shared, Zhu Xiong focused his senses and could faintly perceive the difference.


    Bai Qn observed carefully, recording and saying, "The blood of the Meat Mountain Demon is inducing the mutation of the zombie, but since the injection liquid hasn''t been purified, the energy is a bit weaker. This process shouldn''t be too fast."


    Just as she said, under everyone''s watchful eyes, a good ten minutes passed, and the flesh continued to writhe, only now it spread from the heart area to other ces.


    Time ticked away, and then a drastic change suddenly urred.


    "Roar"


    The zombie began to growl lowly, its spine protruding fiercely with a crackling sound as if signaling something.


    Soon, the zombie''s body bones began to distort, and its stature started to grow, turning into a little giant over two meters tall.


    The zombie''s muscles bulged, especially the left arm, which became even thicker, growing gray-white, heavy keratin. Its ws extended, five centimeters long, sharp and daunting.


    Zhu Xiong sensed carefully, his eyes suddenly brightening with excitement, "It''s awakened a skill!"


    Everyone: ???


    They thought that the mutation was over and the physical changes were the biggest gain. But were you even speaking humannguage?


    "Old Zhu, exin clearly, don''t leave anything out."


    Zhu Xiong suppressed his excitement and said, "The Angel Envoy remains unchanged, not an evolution, and the strength is still at the First-level Intermediate. But I feel the improvement is not negligible, and reaching the First Order Upper Grade shouldn''t be far off. As for the skill, it just burst out, Power Burst; the left arm can suddenly release two to three times its strength."


    Because Su Han had previously mentioned the Divine Initiation Ritual, Zhu Xiong also knew some details about Evolution and breaking through bottlenecks.


    Without a change in species, even though strength had increased, it definitely hadn''t resulted in a qualitative change.


    Zhu Xiong''s tone carried a bit of regret as he muttered, "It would have been nice to evolve directly."


    When everyone heard this, they gave the chubby man a nce; he clearly had an advantage yet acted coy.


    "Wishful thinking, don''t think about it next time." Your next chapter is on m v|l-e''-NovelBin


    Gan Xinglei''s faint voice came through, with both a skill and a mutation and you still want to evolve? As if such good fortune ever happened.


    Now, in the entire camp, not counting Su Han, only Zhu Xiong and his wife Yan Meiyu had skills, which meant they were already well ahead.


    Zhu Xiong gave a sheepish smile, "Cough cough, I couldn''t help it."


    With Zhu Xiong having thrown the first stone, everybody else followed suit, not waiting for their turn, but directly injecting the solution into the monster''s chest or spine.


    As the injection was administered, Zhao Yimin and others who used the Half-Fish Monster''s injector reacted the quickest. The Giant Macrophage Dog and the rotting corpse simply turned green on the surface before quickly returning to their original state.


    Their strength had increased slightly, but not significantly, just as Bai Qn had expected. The Half-Fish Monster required multiple injections to fully induce a mutation.


    After all, the blood of the Half-Fish Monster did not contain much active spiritual energy and therefore was not highlypatible.


    However, Zhang Dahai and Guo Gang, who were injected with the Giant w Zombie serum, underwent noticeable changes. Although their physiques did not grow muchrger, their Angel Envoys'' arms became stronger and more elongated, their grey-white skin tougher, and especially their hands transformed with more pronounced bone ws.


    Gan Xinglei and Ye Kailing were still at First-level Intermediate, but they were one step closer to advancing to First Order Upper Grade, while Zhang Dahai and Guo Gang hadpleted their mutation and advanced to First-level Intermediate due to it.


    Yan Meiyu''s Rot Skin Rat was injected with the blood of the Meat Mountain Demon. Even thoughpatibility couldn''t be guaranteed, induced by the more active tissue, the entire Rot Skin Rat''s muscles kept bulging and writhing, then swelled up like a balloon.


    The Rot Skin Rat kept growing, from just over a meter in length, it turned into two and a half meters long from head to tail, about one meter tall, with a mass of ck, stiff fur, red glowing eyes, and a fierce gaping mouth. Moreover, it had a new terrifying slit in its belly with crisscrossing sharp teeth.


    The change in the Rot Skin Rat was unexpected,pared to Zhu Xiong''s Angel Envoy rotting corpse, it was no less striking.


    Yan Meiyu, paying careful attention, suddenly looked up at Su Han and said, "The Rot Poison skill has advanced to Intermediate, which can paralyze or knock out those poisoned and be controlled."


    On hearing this, everyone was shocked. However, Su Han''s eyes lit up.


    "Test out your Rot Poison first, flip Nie Rilong over with it so he doesn''t cause trouble; and recall your Blood Bone Lizard."


    "...."


    The crowd looked at Su Han in astonishment; he was ready to make immediate use of it.


    Although not sure what to say about it, considering Nie Rilong was already so constrained, it would be difficult for him to summon his Angel Envoy back, and now with the added poison, it looks like he might never control his Angel Envoy again.


    One could only say that Su Han''s thinking was indeed effective, especially against enemies.


    "I''ll go in a minute," Yan Meiyu paused, then asked, "What about the Giant w Zombie and the Meat Mountain Demon? Should I control them too?"


    Before Su Han could answer, Bai Qn spoke, "It''s best not to right now. The toxicity has not been tested, we don''t know the effects, or if it will affect the effectiveness of the blood, spinal fluid extraction, and the injectable."


    After thinking, Su Han agreed, saying, "There''s no need to bother with monsters; they''re not as troublesome as people."


    Everyone hadpleted their Angel Envoy''s injection-induced mutations. Although those who used the Half-Fish Monster''s injection did not fully mutate, as long as they made enough contributions, they would have no problem getting more injections, even from more powerful monsters.


    Without realizing it, Zhao Yimin, Cheng Xiyuan, and Xia Ning found themselves silentlypeting, wanting to do more.


    After all, in this post-apocalyptic world, the stronger you are, the better you can survive.


    As for Zhu Xiong and others, just the injection itself was enough to improve their strength, not to mention the second Angel Envoy from the Second Order, and the Divine Initiation Ritual for breaking through their Angel Envoy''s limit to trigger evolution¡ªall means for them to grow stronger.


    The desire for power would also drive them to work harder and maintain the camp.


    The deep intertwining of interests made them staunch defenders of themunity.


    Su Han, on the other hand, had gained the contract of seven First-level Intermediate individuals including Zhu Xiong and Gan Xinglei, as well as several First-level Intermediate prospective Contractors like Zhao Yimin.


    With more people at his disposal, he could do more things; it was time to make some preparations and then take action against the Fish Monster tribe.

 Chapter 75: Chapter 75 Preparation and Fusion

    Early the next morning, Su Han summoned Zhu Xiong and the others.


    "Su Han, what''s up?"


    After the Human-faced Tree took root between two vis, Zhu Xiong and the others arrived at Vi 9. It was unavoidable to note that after the fog had dispersed widely, the brightness inside the vi had increased significantly, and there was no longer a need to turn on the lights.


    "I n to deal with the swarm of fish monsters."


    Upon hearing Su Han''s intention, everyone was first stunned, but not too surprised, as this was a problem that had been nned to be addressed the day before yesterday.


    It was just that Su Han had advanced to Second Order and prioritized forming a group to kill the second Angel Envoy of the Human-faced Tree''s Contract.


    Zhu Xiong asked, "What''s the n?"


    As Su Han gently tapped on the table and pondered, he said, "Old Zhu, you and Old Zhang take twenty people to the construction site at Nanwan Residential Area. I need you to transport all the steel reinforcement back here. If the cement, dump trucks, and simr tools are usable, bring them back as well."


    Zhu Xiong and Zhang Dahai were taken aback and somewhat puzzled, "That shouldn''t be a problem, if it''s just metal, there should still be plenty of vehicles and guardrails on the streets."


    Su Han gently shook his head and said, "I will handle that part, but your task is equally important."


    Of course, there were plenty of vehicles, guardrails, and other metal products on the streets.


    But in the fog, even if Zhu Xiong and his team went out to collect them, how long would it take to gather dozens or hundreds of tons of metal?


    Searching for vehicles one by one, either dismantling them or driving them back¡ªnot to mention the time and effort, but the noise alone might attract more monsters.


    Yesterday, as part of the preparations to kill the Human-faced Tree, they had led a team to dismantle vehicles and had managed to collect only ten new energy batteries in a day.


    That was just for batteries; bringing back whole vehicles was truly challenging.


    Therefore, going to the construction site was necessary, the best case scenario would be to make use of the building materials andrge machinery.


    Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong thought it made sense; with such heavy fog, scrambling around the streets was beyond their abilities, but heading directly to one location was feasible.


    "Over at the vi, Meiyu will continue to monitor and send a team to observe the fish monsters'' patterns of activity."


    Yan Meiyu responded, "We are already on it, but we''ve been focusing on surveince the past couple of days. We still need a bit more time to figure out their patterns."


    She was meticulous in her duties, and this task had already been entrusted to Bai Xiao''e, who was watching over the Contract Giant Macrophage Dog. Now, under Su Han''s orders, they would conduct even more detailed investigations ording to the previous methods.


    She was well aware of her role; since she was in charge of logistics, she needed to arrange things properly.


    Apart from monitoring the unsafe factor of the swarm of fish monsters in the vi area, she also arranged for people to cultivate fields. Vegetables and some potatoes were nted in the two yards and surroundingwns.


    "Ye Kailing, you organize a team responsible for patrolling the vi area and ensure safety as much as possible."


    "Understood."


    Ye Kailing responded crisply. Currently, with over fifty people at the camp, they were barely concentrated in Vis 9 and 10, with activities eventually calming down and gradually moving towards Vis 8 and 11.


    Compared to the entire vi area, the range of activities was notrge.


    Without the addition of a patrolling team, it would be easy for something to sneak in unnoticed. Ye Kailing had initially wanted to remind Su Han of this.


    However, Su Had had brought it up before her.


    "Proceed ording to each individual''s n, wait for the metal to be in ce to build the cage, and then start capturing fish."


    Everyone began to take action separately, but Zhu Xiong stopped Su Han, a chubby face beaming with a smile, "Su Han, I have a favor to ask of you."


    Su Han nced at him, stepped back a few steps, goodness, that smile twitching with flesh, that old guy has something up his sleeve.


    "What is it?"


    "I''m looking to get a hammer from you."


    Su Han: ?


    He looked utterly confused as Zhu Xiong exined, "It''s just that I''ve had a Power Burst, and the machete feels too light. It doesn''t really suit me. I was thinking a hammer or an axe would be just right."


    Hearing that Zhu Xiong was talking about getting a weapon, Su Han rxed, having thought it was something serious.


    "How heavy and how long do you want it?"


    "About a meter will do. You know Teacher Xu Jiang, right? Justbine the Hammer of the Thunder God with the Storm Battle Axe. I''m not asking for much."


    Su Han rolled his eyes. The Thunder God, huh? Fat boy Thunder God, and he says he''s not asking for much.


    He said sarcastically, "Should I electrify it for you as well?"


    Zhu Xiong was startled and said in surprise, "You can electrify it?"


    After saying this, he saw Su Han''s rolling eyes and chuckled awkwardly, "Just do whatever is easy."


    The two of them cracked jokes, but Zhu Xiong''s idea was indeed good. After bing stronger, a mere machete really didn''t facilitate explosive power.


    Heavier weapons like axes and hammers were more suitable.


    Making a hammer wasn''t difficult¡ªmore than fifty pounds of metal was fused, and soon an axe-hammer appeared before them.


    One side of the axe had a broad and sharp de, while the other side had a heavy hammer studded with blunt nails, both excellent tools for cracking skulls.


    Zhu Xiong picked up the axe, delightfully went to find Zhang Dahai, ready to start working by stealing steel bars from the construction site in Nanwan.


    After everyone left, Su Han went directly behind the vi to find the Human-faced Tree.


    The Book of Blood Spirit lit up, and a red glow enveloped the Human-faced Tree. Soon, the tree was absorbed into the pages of the book, temporarily entering the Book of Blood Spirit.


    After stowing away the Human-faced Tree, Su Han summoned the Warrior Spider. He leaped onto its back covered with ck Armor.


    With a thought, the Warrior Spider''s eight legs moved swiftly, and soon they had left House No. 9, heading directly to the main gate of the vimunity.


    With a leap, he scaled the surrounding wall and arrived on the street, burrowing deeper into the mist.


    While Zhu Xiong and the others were responsible for gathering materials and handling logistics, Su Han was naturally freed up to hunt more monsters and search for more materials.


    "I really need to find a mount-type Angel Envoy,"


    Standing on the back of the Warrior Spider, covered in ck Armor, there was hardly any ce to rest besides standing.


    It was suitable for short journeys, but for long treks, the heavily armored Warrior Spider was clearly not ideal.


    As Su Han explored through the mist, thoughts flickered through his mind, "Not just the Warrior Spider, the people at the camp with a First Contract or a Second Contract could consider some mount-type mutated beasts; cows, horses, or others, for easier transportation and travel."


    Although cars were still usable for now, who knows what might happen as days go by, be it a special circumstance or not. It''s always good to be prepared.


    The Warrior Spider carried Su Han swiftly from near Shanhu Vi, gradually reaching a street where shops and residential buildings increasingly appeared.


    Sounds rustled in the mist, and the chaotic street loomed through the fog. Damaged cars, vehicles parked by the roadside, and twisted, blood-stained guardrails and streetmps gradually came into his view.


    This was amercial street not far from the vi area. Before the apocalypse, there were definitely not a few people here, and now, monsters were in abundance as well.


    "Ssssh ssssh ssssh,"


    The friction sound kepting. Su Han''s eyes fixed: "Let''s start from here."


    The red light from the Book of Blood Spirit diffused in his hands, then the figure of the Human-faced Tree gradually appeared behind him, and such movement finally made the monsters in the mist unable to hold back any longer.


    Growling noises gradually rose, and one meat corpse after another emerged from the corners, then surged out of the dense fog, fiercely pouncing towards Su Han, vaguely numbering in the hundreds.

 Chapter 76: Chapter 76 Fusion Flesh and Blood Corpse

    "Radiance of the Lamp Tree"


    Monsters emerged from the mist, and this time, Su Han hade out without carrying any Lamp Tree Crystals, having given the remaining ones to Zhu Xiong and the others.


    However, when the Human-faced Tree appeared, this ceased to be a problem.


    The entire Human-faced Tree emitted a faint glow, and then the mist was swiftly dispelled, especially where the vines stretched out.


    The entire street close to Su Han''s end, within a three hundred meter radius, had been cleared of mist.


    It was only then that Su Han could clearly see the number of monsters swarming the streets towards him.


    Figures climbing rapidly between floors, flesh corpses swarming the street like locusts, their hideous faces clearly visible, and their twisted bodies chilling to the bone.


    At a thought from Su Han, the Spider Demon Warrior already charged forward, flesh corpses blocking his advance, but in the next instant, they were sent flying by the Wolf Fang Club he wielded in his hands.


    The hundred-pound Wolf Fang Club swung heavily, the wolf-tooth-like spikes piercing flesh and carrying powerful force to smash every bone in their muscles.


    The crack of breaking bones and the rain of flying blood and flesh formed a tragic and eerie battlefield on the streets.


    After switching from Pu knives to heavy weapons like the Wolf Fang Club, the Spider Demon Warrior''s terrifying Power Burst became even more vividly disyed.


    The flesh corpses could not stop its advance, with each step and sweep, seven or eight were sent flying, their flesh shattered and spines broken.


    Su Han gripped the Pu knife in his hand, his gaze sharpening, as he too met the flesh corpses that leapt at him.


    With every motion of his hand, the knife fell, with the tremendous force transmitted from the de, cleaving the flesh corpses neatly in half.


    Having been nourished by the Spider Demon Warrior and the Human-faced Tree, Su Han''s strength had long beenparable to that of a Second Order Low Grade, although he might not have as many Skills as the Spider Demon Warrior.


    Yet under the augmentations of Iron Skin and Self-healing Skills, he still possessed the ability to ughter indiscriminately.


    The Spider Demon Warrior and Su Han moved together, the vines of the Human-faced Tree stretching along both sides of the street, protecting the two from behind, without directly attacking.


    Su Han wanted to not only hunt monsters, but also to grasp an understanding of the ck Armor of the Spider Demon Warrior through this battle.


    The nging sounds continued to rise, with more and more monsters assailing the Spider Demon Warrior, their attacks incessantlynding on it.


    Sheathed in the ck Armor, it bore all the attacks, solid as a mountain, continuously wielding the Wolf Fang Club in its hands.


    Over a hundred flesh corpses had already been killed by the Spider Demon Warrior in the fray, and through continuousbat, Su Han gradually felt that special sensation of the ck Armor''s attachment.


    "Energy flowing and solidifying into armor, along with the reconfiguration of metallic elements..."


    An unusual sensation surged into his mind, then his skin slightly heated up, and faint lines suddenly appeared on his body.


    His eyes focused, a sh of light passing by: "ck Armor"


    With a soft exhtion, pitch-ck armor tes appeared around Su Han, enveloping him, his body covered in ck Armor, with dark flowing luster, a ferocious ghost-faced chest te in front, a cold ck helmet above, and a Pu knife held in hand, all merging into one with the ck Armor, as if he were a war general who had fought a hundred battles.


    "Not a bad feeling, and it hasn''t really affected the vision either."


    The ck Armor, inherently alive, adjusted subtly with Su Han''s breathing rhythm and frequency of motion, feeling as if it was always a part of his body.


    Therefore, donning the ck Armor not only meant he did not feel suppressed, but contrarily, it awakened a yearning to fight within his heart.


    To fight d in armor, engaged in closebat, was an impulse engraved in his genes.


    In a sh, Su Han, much like the Spider Demon Warrior, burst into the throng of flesh corpses, throwing a punch that exploded a charging corpse''s head.


    Su Han''s movements were swift and decisive, seamlessly executed. Another corpse tried to topple him but was met by a faster sh of de that severed its head.


    With the Angel Envoy warrior shing alongside him, more and more corpses fell, their blood staining the entire street red, until a sense of fear finally engulfed these monsters.


    They began to retreat, more than thirty of them hunching over to flee rapidly, like frightened stray dogs, desperately attempting to put distance between themselves and the Angel Envoy warrior and Su Han.


    Carcasses were not mindless walking zombies; they were savage and bloodthirsty like beasts, but it was also because they were like beasts that they herded together and nheless harbored a semnce of fear.


    The hostility toward the Angel Envoy warrior was ultimately suppressed by fear, then the desire to flee took over.


    "Toote,"


    Su Han had been prepared for this all along. The Human-faced Tree had held back only to let him gain insight and synchronize skills; now that the synchronization wasplete, the real ughter was about to begin.


    "Shasha-shasha"


    Vines burst forth suddenly. Strips of them swept across, flipping the carcasses to the ground and entwined them swiftly, burrowing through their mouths, eyes, and then shredding their organs, killing them one by one.


    Dozens of vines acting in unison, and in just a few short minutes, not a single one of the thirty-plus carcasses escaped; all were in on the spot.


    The blood stained the entire street red. Su Han nced at the Human-faced Tree, then at the Angel Envoy warrior.


    He thought to himself: The Human-faced Tree has yet to try fusing with carcass flesh, it might be worth a try, while the Angel Envoy warrior can continue to merge with metal.


    The street was littered not just with in carcasses but also fallen railings and abandoned cars, all containing a wealth of metal, ideal for the Angel Envoy warrior''s Fusion materials.


    [Fusion Materials Found: Carcass flesh and blood,mence Fusion?]


    "Fusion"


    Su Han gave the order and the Human-faced Tree''s vines immediately sprang to life. Fine threads separated from the vines and started to merge with the carcasses'' bodies.


    Clumps of flesh and bone quickly became part of the Human-faced Tree''s body. Su Han''s eyes brightened; this speed was much faster than the metal, and the required quantity wasn''t as immense either.


    Thepatibility was satisfactory; it made sense since the interior of the Human-faced Tree was already made of flesh, merging with more flesh naturally sped up the process.


    While the Human-faced Tree was busy integrating one carcass after another, Su Han ordered the Angel Envoy warrior to begin fusing with the vehicles on both sides of the street.


    Amercial area mostly frequented by pedestrians wouldn''t normally have many parked vehicles, but with the fog onset and monstrous mutations, panicked people flocked to the streets, inadvertently blocking them.


    As a result, dozens of vehicles of varying sizes were parked along both sides of the street and even across it.


    The Angel Envoy warrior approached one car, began to merge with it, its pace even quicker than the Human-faced Tree''s.


    Su Han watched as the fusion degree of the two Angel Envoys slowly climbed, waiting patiently.


    Though the Human-faced Tree was a bit slower, the material needed for its first Fusion with the carcass flesh was much less than what the Angel Envoy warrior required.


    In contrast, an hourter, after having consumed nearly a hundred carcasses, with only single digits of carcass flesh and blood left, the Fusion degree was fulfilled.


    [LV1 Carcass Flesh and Blood Fusion, Human-faced Tree acquires skill: Anthropomorphic State]


    "Crack-crack-crack"


    As Fusionpleted, spiritual energy converged within the Human-faced Tree. Its ten-meter body expanded further, its eyes bing more blood-red, and its strength increased slightly.


    Su Han''s gaze sharpened as he carefully sensed this newly acquired skill. After understanding it, his eyes lit up, and he stared straight at the Human-faced Tree.


    ''A second form, transformation?''

 Chapter 77 Survivors Trace

    Anthropomorphic State, this was the first time Su Han had seen a skill involving bodily transformation, rather than bodily evolution.


    Under the skill of the Anthropomorphic State, the nature of the Human-faced Tree would not change. However, it would transform from a wooden shell to a fleshy body, merging flesh and wood into a humanoid form, slightly smaller but more human-like and more agile.


    Su Han thought, "Anthropomorphic State."


    He controlled the Human-faced Tree to use the skill, and soon, a red glow enveloped the Human-faced Tree. Countless vines wrapped around it, forming an airtight cocoon.


    The eleven or twelve-meter stature of the Human-faced Tree visibly shrank under the vines'' wrap, the vines bing sparser and the red light intenser.


    In just a few minutes, the appearance of the Human-faced Tree drastically changed.


    Its skull, spine, and bodily skeletal frameworks were made of pitch-ck hard wood; vines and flesh intertwined, forming a special tissue texture, filling its muscles; its branches formed limbs, twisting into shapes like ws, and its oil-green eyes carried a hint of chillness.


    The Human-faced Tree had transformed into a humanoid monster interwoven with wood and flesh, resembling a Treant warrior.


    Previously, the Human-faced Tree was more simr to a tree''s form, whereas this Human-faced Tree''s Anthropomorphic State was closer to a human''s.


    With a thought from Su Han, the Human-faced Tree already moved, striding forward and leaping seven or eight meters,nding heavily on a car and crushing it.


    It extended its wooden arms, and vines stretched out like fingers, wrapping around the vehicle, holding it high in its grasp, then tossing it away.


    The vines in its hands constantly morphed, from a palm shape, they twisted together, forming spikey shapes like awls.


    After controlling for a while, Su Han had a clear understanding in his mind.


    The Anthropomorphic State having a four-meter stature was more agile, and its speed was faster. However,pared to the Treant Form, its strength was somewhat reduced, and there was less vine control.


    "Trading strength for agility, it makes sense," he mused.


    Being more agile meant it was easier to flee, which was particrly evident during Su Han''s fire attacks.


    If the Human-faced Tree had such mobility at that time, it could have easily escaped the mes.


    Upon thepletion of the integration of the Human-faced Tree, Su Han''s gaze then shifted to the warrior of the Tentacle-faced Monster.


    Although the Fusion speed had increased, the required materials had also be more abundant.


    An hour passed, and the Tentacle-faced Monster had integrated over twenty cars'' worth of metal, weighing about ten to twenty tons, yet its Fusion Degree had only reached 56%, which suggested how much more material was required.


    He let it integrate on its own for now.


    At this rate, it would probably take another hour or two toplete the LV5mon metal Fusion.


    Su Han could wait, but there was no need to keep the Human-faced Tree idle. It was better to wander around the area.


    Themercial street was not too far from the residential area, and it was inevitable to get a clear understanding of this ce.


    With that thought, he controlled the Human-faced Tree to walk deeper into the street, where the Radiance of the Lamp Tree gradually dispersed the fog, illuminating the streets on both sides.


    The deeper they went, the more decrepit the scene became, with darkened bloodstains everywhere and gnawed bones.


    When the fog had descended initially, the cars outside were jammed, and more and more people umted inside, inevitably leading to an unimaginable massacre here. Your adventure continues at m v|l-e''-NovelBin


    "Roar"


    Scattered flesh corpses attacked, but before they could reach Su Han, the Human-faced Tree had already moved first. In its Anthropomorphic State, it solidified its arm vines into spikes and instantly pierced through the flesh corpse''s heart.


    As it killed, it continued to move deeper inside. For some reason, there seemed to be fewer monsters in themercial street.


    "Not right, someone has cleared this ce," Su Han finally noticed. Unlike the chaotic vehicles outside, the vehicles here had been dragged and ced as if they were protective barriers.


    Moreover, three rows of ckened vehicle frames appeared in front of him, about four or five vehicles abreast in each row, all burned down to their frames.


    "Fire belt, so are the people in Summer Garden Mall?"


    His gaze fell on the deepest part of themercial building, the core area of the entire business district, where there should have been the most people when the apocalypse erupted.


    Go and take a look.


    Su Han and the Human-faced Tree walked directly towards the Summer Garden Mall, having crossed over the istion strip.


    As they approached, the smell of gasoline and burning filled their noses, and he could also see many bodies that had been burned to cinders, some of them exceptionally twisted corpses.


    Some were human, heads facing the direction of the Summer Garden Mall but they hadn''t managed to crawl out of the istion strip.


    At a nce, there were easily twenty to thirty recognizable charred bodies, which indicated how fierce the battle had been there initially.


    If Building Seven had also been in a populous area, it definitely would not have been so easy at that time.


    Su Han walked through the fog and arrived in front of the Summer Garden Mall.


    The entire building was eerily quiet, its upper half hidden in the fog, while its lower half was illuminated by the Lamp Tree of the Human-faced Tree.


    The main entrance was barricaded, and the broken parts were also blocked by some items, making it strangely silent.


    Su Han''s eyes swept the area and spotted a not-so-small gap at the entrance, signaling the Human-faced Tree to open this door.


    The Human-faced Tree''s hands, resembling vine tendrils, grew rapidly and slid through the gap, expanding and pulling until they created a big opening in the door.


    The noise of the door opening echoed throughout the ground floor of the building. Su Han and the Human-faced Tree walked in, and suddenly, the dim first floor lit up. Seven or eight figures stood in the empty lobby, their backs to the entrance, eerily silent and upright.


    Su Han''s expression tensed as the seven or eight figures, having heard the noise at the entrance, turned around. Their ghastly white faces were full of Blood Holes, and a blood-covered viscous fluid continuously slid down from their faces, with tentacles writhing out of the Blood Holes like worms.


    Tentacle-faced Monsters?!


    Su Han was shocked. Eight Tentacle-faced Monsters were not a small number. Could it be that this ce had been overrun?


    While he was thinking, the Tentacle-faced Monster had already rushed towards them. Not only were their faces full of Blood Holes, but other parts of their bodies also bore Blood Holes. The tentacles had already extended, about three to four meters long, attempting tounch an attack on Su Han.


    This batch of Tentacle-faced Monsters was even more powerful than those encountered before.


    Su Han made a quick judgment, yet his movements did not slow down. Pu knife in hand, he met the attack head-on, the de''s light shing as he instantaneously severed the charging tentacles.


    He charged towards the Tentacle-faced Monsters, Pu knife chopping down, decapitating the first Tentacle-faced Monster at the neck.


    Thud


    The head rolled on the ground, and the body, driven by inertia, moved forward two steps before copsing.


    However, even though it had been beheaded, the Tentacle-faced Monster did not die immediately. Its tentacles continued to il wildly, seemingly trying to drag Su Han down with it.


    The remaining seven Tentacle-faced Monsters drew closer.


    But the Human-faced Tree leapt up, charging directly into their midst. Its two leg-like tree roots stomped heavily on the middle Tentacle-faced Monster, cracking sounds indicating the instant fracturing of bones.


    Vines growing from its feet rapidly extended, directly prating the bodies of the Tentacle-faced Monsters, strangling them.


    The remaining six Tentacle-faced Monsters closed in, but the Human-faced Tree''s hands, like vine whips, grew rapidly. With a left and right swing, its seven or eight-meter-long tendrils toppled them over.


    The tentacles converged like spears, piercing with incredible speed, one after another, through the bodies of the Tentacle-faced Monsters. In less than two minutes, the remaining six Tentacle-faced Monsters were also defeated, barely alive and struggling on the vines.


    [Fusion avable with living creature: Tentacle-faced Monster. Proceed with fusion?]

 Chapter 78 The Lurking Monster

    "Fusion"


    The Human-faced Tree seemed to have a decentpatibility with the flesh corpses, so this Tentacle-faced Monster should be no different.


    As the fusionmand was issued, thin silken threads began to appear on the vines, continuously seeping into the body of the Tentacle-faced Monster, merging it bit by bit.


    Minutes passed, and amidst the Tentacle-faced Monster''s weak resistance, it waspletely absorbed by the Human-faced Tree.


    Tentacle-faced Monster Fusion Degree 4%


    A single Tentacle-faced Monster ounted for only 4%, not high but not too low either; Su Han found this result eptable.


    "Continue."


    Su Han ordered the fusion to proceed, with the Human-faced Tree''s vines extending towards the bodies of the seven other Tentacle-faced Monsters around, slowly merging and devouring them.


    About twenty minutester, the Tentacle-faced Monsters'' corpses on the ground had vanished without a trace.


    Meanwhile, the Fusion Degree of the Tentacle-faced Monster had risen to 28%, with the material required for each percentage point increasing slightly.


    The Fusion Degree wasn''t full yet; Su Han nced at the dim Summer Garden Mall lobby and prepared to continue onwards, exploring and killing monsters to serve as fusion material for the Human-faced Tree.


    Footsteps echoed inside the trade mall; the car showroom and clothing stores on the first floor were already a mess.


    Rustle rustle rustle


    Suddenly, there was a noise. Su Han''s expression became stern as the Human-faced Tree sprang into action, rushing toward the clothing store around the corner.


    "Wait, I''m a human, not a monster."


    A woman''s voice suddenly rang out, and arge cat with six blood-red ws and a bald patch stood protectively behind her.


    "Swoosh"


    The Human-faced Tree didn''t stop its action immediately; several vines shot out, assaulting the woman from both sides.


    The Six-wed Blood Cat tried to pounce in defense but was whipped by a vine and knocked to the ground, then bound by the vines.


    The woman''s expression grew desperate as she attempted to step forward, but vines shot out from left and right, directly piercing the walls and pinning her in ce, leaving her unable to move.


    She stood frozen in ce, too scared to move, knowing this was a warning.


    Only then did Su Han approach, scrutinizing the woman who was under control.


    She was fairly attractive, looking quite bedraggled, with a ponytail, wearing sweatpants and a windbreaker ¨C quite sharp.


    "What''s your name? What were you trying to do just now?"


    The woman sized up Su Han and spoke with some indignation, though she suppressed it and said, "Xu Wenqian. I just wanted to warn you not to go any further inside; there are monsters here."


    Surprised, Su Han raised his eyebrow, "Warn me about monsters?"


    Xu Wenqian nodded and continued, "Not the ones you killed in the lobby; there are even more powerful ones, three meters tall. No one can match them; we only dare sneak in and out to grab supplies."


    Su Han stared at Xu Wenqian, not expecting that the fusion with the Tentacle-faced Monster had been witnessed; this was indeed surprising.


    "Take me to your base, and then tell me about those monsters."


    Su Han waved his hand to have the Human-faced Tree withdraw its vines, then locked eyes with Xu Wenqian and spoke.


    A bitter smile emerged on Xu Wenqian''s face, as she internally cursed herself for acting like a good Samaritan and warning this person. If he had any evil intentions, everyone could be in danger.


    As Su Han had taken action, she and the Six-wed Blood Cat had sneaked into the Summer Garden Mall, intending to find some sanitary pads and medicine.


    It was by sheer coincidence that she witnessed Su Han''s actions.


    It was also Su Han''s skills that had impressed her, leading her to follow him, and even warn him. Enjoy exclusive content from m v -NovelBin


    Hopefully, he could help them all.


    Thinking this, Xu Wenqian nodded, "Follow me first; we''re just outside the Summer Garden Mall."


    The monster in the first-floor lobby was killed, and the exit wasn''t particrly slow, but just as they were passing through the lobby, Xu Wenqian unexpectedly led Su Han into a restaurant next door.


    Around the front end of the restaurant, arge hole suddenly appeared against the ss wall.


    Xu Wenqian exined, "Many people were taking refuge inside the building, butter the monsters took over the mall, and everyone ran out. This hole was left from that time."


    After leaving through the hole, Xu Wenqian led Su Han forward; soon, a small restaurant came into view.


    "We''re here."


    Xu Wenqian knocked on the restaurant''s door rhythmically, and then the blocked door was opened.


    "Wenqian, you''re back?"


    The people inside were relieved to see Xu Wenqian return, but the moment they saw Su Han, they showed a wary expression.


    "Let''s go in first, then talk."


    Xu Wenqian was somewhat calmer, gesturing for everybody to go inside.


    Upon entering the restaurant, Su Han realized there weren''t many people¡ªjust eight, two men and six women.


    The two men were of different ages, one in his fifties and the other in his twenties.


    The women were about the same age as Xu Wenqian, in their twenties, but none were as attractive as she was.


    "We''re all escapees who temporarily took refuge here. It''s been half a month, but there''s no way to run out. There are too many flesh corpses outside."


    Xu Wenqian exined briefly, then the younger man asked, "Wenqian, did you find any fever-reducing medicine?"


    "There was a little mishap; use a towel to cool Xiaolin down for now. I''ll go again in a moment."


    Xu Wenqian frowned slightly beforeforting Tang Bo.


    Tang Bo became visibly anxious, "Should, should I go with you? There are many monsters inside, I can cover you. Xiaolin has a serious fever; I''m afraid it''s going to fry her brain."


    Sun Xiaolin was Tang Bo''s girlfriend. The three of them, along with Xu Wenqian, were all co-workers and got along well.


    But upon hearing this, Xu Wenqian rejected the idea without a second thought.


    "Only you and Uncle Li have contracted with an Angel Envoy. What happens if everyone leaves and those monsterse attacking? Can you really protect Xiaolin then?"


    Su Han frowned upon hearing this; a month into the apocalypse, and only three people had contracted with Angel Envoys¡ªit was quite severe.


    "Tell me about the monsters inside the building."


    Su Han interrupted the conversation, causing Tang Bo to glower with dissatisfaction; after all, he was trying to save someone.


    Seeing where this was going, Xu Wenqian quickly pulled on Tang Bo, patting him firmly, "Don''t mess around, I''ll help with Xiaolin''s situation."


    Tang Bo wasn''t malicious, just frantically confused, "Okay, okay. I''ll go check on Xiaolin."


    After Tang Bo left, Xu Wenqian said, "The Tentacle-faced Monster you saw in the lobby is just their guard. There are a few on each floor. If you go further inside and disturb them, it''ll attract more monsters, including their leader."


    "Have you seen it?"


    Xu Wenqian nodded, showing a hint of fear on her face.


    "Originally, the building was safe. In the beginning, there were many Contractors, and some people organized to defend against the monsters outside."


    Her words made Su Han think of the istion zone outside. Setting up such an istion zone indeed indicated some form of organization.


    "You kept the monsters outside, relying on Summer Garden Mall, you should''ve been able to stay for quite a while. What happened?"


    "You''re right; with dozens of Contractors protecting us, even if some people didn''t have a Contract, it wasn''t a problem at first. Although it was chaotic, but... but it was bearable."


    Her voice paused at this point; ''chaotic'' seemed to be euphemistic¡ªthere was a significant disparity between those with Contracts and those without.


    She continued, "Everyone was waiting for rescue, and couldn''t leave because of the heavy fog. Then, everyone forgot about one ce, the underground parking lot.


    People began disappearing gradually inside the building, more and more went missing, and by the time everybody realized there was something wrong in the underground parking lot, those Tentacle-faced Monsters rushed out from there, like an army, killing many, many people."

 Chapter 79: Chapter 79 Underground Parking Garage

    Underground parking garage


    Upon hearing this name, Su Han knew that if there were monsters there, it would be a terrible thing indeed.


    Even when he was still a Warrior with Spider attributes or a Four-armed Corpse, he had thought about scavenging metal from the underground parking garage.


    After all, such ces had plenty of cars and, consequently, lots of metal.


    But, even a slightly bigger underground parking garage was like a maze. Even when you could see the signs, you might still take a wrong turn, let alone in a post-apocalyptic world without electricity, where an underground parking garage was nothing short of a pitch-ck ce of terror.


    The people of Summer Garden Mall had neglected the parking garage, and in the end, it was no surprise that such a big incident urred and the area fell.


    Inside, there were hundreds of Tentacle-faced Monsters, and outside were hundreds of corpses and thick fog, with ughter awaiting on either side.


    One could only say that Xu Wenqian and the others were lucky to have survived.


    As for the Contract, Su Han hade to understand a bit of it. They didn''t dare to make big moves, afraid to stir up trouble that might snowball out of control.


    "Can, can you take us out?"


    Before Su Han had time to ponder, Xu Wenqian''s faint voice came through.


    Su Han looked at her without responding. Xu Wenqian nced at the restaurant. Other people were at a distance from the two of them, so she lowered her voice and said, "You and your Angel Envoy are so powerful, you can definitely save us. I won''t let you rescue us for nothing. I can be with you, I, I''m still clean."


    Xu Wenqian didn''t know what she was thinking in her heart, staring at Su Han with eyes that looked watery, as if trying her best to prove her cleanliness and make herself appear better.


    She had a good figure, and although she was not as pretty as Bai Qn, she would have had plenty of suitors before the apocalypse if she dressed up a bit.


    It wasn''t that she was belittling herself. When she was inside the Summer Garden Mall, she had never had such thoughts.


    But now it was different.


    Before Su Han appeared, every day she was enveloped by despair. No one knew better than her the danger inside this ce.


    Within the Summer Garden Mall, there were over a hundred restless Tentacle-faced Monsters, and scattered throughout themercial street were no small number of corpses.


    They were stuck inside the restaurant, daring not to light the lights or make too much noise, just eking out a living and rationing the restaurant''s limited food supply.


    But the food was running out, and the monsters outside were bing more active.


    They didn''t know which day they would be dragged out by monsters and turned into food.


    Until Xu Wenqian saw Su Han take action, she felt it was theirst hope.


    "Apart from that woman with the fever, have your people pick up weapons and follow me into the Summer Garden Mall. You lead the way and help me find those Tentacle-faced Monsters, and I''ll let you join my camp."


    Xu Wenqian stood there stunned, her mouth slightly open, showing a look of disbelief.


    "You, you''re going to look for those monsters?"


    Xu Wenqian found it utterly absurd. Su Han and his Angel Envoy were certainly powerful, but there were even more monsters on the other side.


    Two fists can''t beat four hands, not to mention the other side was a group of tentacle creatures.


    She stammered, not knowing what to say, just trying to persuade him, "That Tentacle-faced Monster leader is really powerful, only a bit shorter than your Angel Envoy, but there are several of them, and they can easily flip over cars..."


    Su Han interrupted Xu Wenqian''s words, "I''m only giving you one choice."


    Xu Wenqian''s words were choked in her heart, and after a while, she said, "Give me a few minutes."


    Su Han sat at a table in the corner, watching Xu Wenqian go to tell the other survivors about this matter.


    He didn''t care about the oue. Having someone to guide him was the goal. Joining was just a spur-of-the-moment thought.


    A few minutes quickly passed, and Xu Wenqian came back. She said, "The four of us will lead the way for you."


    Her expression wasplex, hard to tell if it was dejection or fear. Besides her, the remaining three were also women, none with Contracts, just holding kitchen knives in their hands.


    Tang Bo and the middle-aged man chose not to join. In their eyes, this was a suicide mission.


    Su Han nced at them and then said, "Come with me."


    He led them straight out of the restaurant and then towards themercial street. Xu Wenqian was taken aback, as this was the way leading outside.


    She wanted to remind him, but involuntarily stopped herself.


    Su Han continued to the outeryer of themercial street, where a tall figure entered their field of vision.


    Xu Wenqian''s heart skipped a beat, and the Six-wed Blood Cat suddenly sprang to the forefront as she eximed, "There''s a monster!"


    "That is my Angel Envoy."


    Dozens of cars had nearly finished fusing, and the spider warrior was fusing with one more car. Su Han did not wait long as the Fusion Degree was already reachingpletion first.


    [LV5 Ordinary Metal Fusionplete, Metal Control Primary Advancement]


    As the notification sounded, the spider warrior let out a low growl, the power within its body stirring and gradually surging, as its Metal Control ability transitioned from Primary to Intermediate.


    It could control more metal, faster, and the range had increased from the original one meter to ten meters.


    Su Han''s face showed a smile, Intermediate Metal Control, there were now many more things he could do.


    "Let''s go, take me to the underground parking now."


    Xu Wenqian was still shocked that Su Han had two Angel Envoys, and they both seemed particrly powerful.


    Was it First Rank Intermediate or First Order Upper Grade?


    She couldn''t tell, but a surge of relief washed over her, feeling she had made the right choice.


    She immediately led the way, heading towards the entrance of the Summer Garden Mall parking lot.


    Although there were also passages inside the building, no doubt, it''s easier to recognize the directions from the entrance.


    Su Han followed her, the spider warrior and the Human-faced Tree guarded either side, slowly heading towards the location of the parking lot.


    Passing a car, Su Han suddenly said, "Wait."


    With a thought, the spider warrior used its Intermediate Metal Control, swiftly shaping the metallic frame of the car into four long spears that hovered in front of Su Han and the three women.


    The women were amazed by Su Han''s methods, and he said indifferently, "Take one each,ter I''ll give you a chance for a Contract."


    "Thank you, thank you."


    The three women showed expressions of gratitude and bowed slightly out of instinct to express their thanks.


    Having gone through so much, they knew all too well the importance of contracting an Angel Envoy.


    Taking the lead boldly was not only to fight for a slim chance of survival but also to try forming a Contract with an Angel Envoy.


    Now that Su Han was willing to create an opportunity for them, it was their good fortune.


    Armed with weapons, seemingly emboldened, Xu Wenqian picked up the pace as she led the way.


    No monsters emerged from the fog on either side of the street, making her sense a possibility that Su Han had already cleared the area once.


    If he could clear the Four-armed Corpses outside, then even if the monsters inside the underground parking were more formidable, retreat should still be possible if they couldn''t win.


    With this thought, it wasn''t long before the four of them arrived at the entrance of the underground parking garage.


    The entrance''s barrier gate had already been broken andy in pieces on the ground, whether done by monsters or someone crashing through in their car was unclear.


    The security booth was demolished, and a half-rotted skeleton hung by the broken window, emitting wafts of foul odor.


    The pitch-ck entrance exuded bursts of chill, devoid of any light, with a sloping road descending into the interior of the underground parking lot.


    Rather than an entrance, it seemed more like a giant maw leading to the abyss, like a beast lying in wait to devour whoever dared to enter.

 Chapter 80: Chapter 80 Neatly Arranged Corpses

    Xu Wenqian and the others felt somewhat nervous upon witnessing this scene, as fear spread along with the darkness. However, they also knew this was their chance.


    Were they to miss the opportunity for Su Han''s protection, their fate in this post-apocalyptic world would only be more miserable.


    "There are three levels in the underground parking lot of the Summer Garden Mall, not including the stairwells inside the building. There are a total of three car entrances and exits, and this is the closest one."


    "Lead the way."


    Su Han had already activated his ck Armor Skills, the grim ck scale armor covering his body.


    The Human-faced Tree walked in the front, its arms extending vines that unleashed the power of the Radiance of the Lamp Tree. The fluorescence dispelled the darkness at the entrance, seemingly bringing a trace of warmth.


    "Hssssss"


    However, just as the trio followed the Human-faced Tree for barely more than ten meters, from beyond the boundary of light, a cold, hissing sound akin to that of a snake already began to echo.


    "Tap tap tap"


    Frantic footsteps arose from the darkness, apanied by a beast-like roar thirsty for fresh blood and prey.


    One after another, Tentacle-faced Monsters suddenly sprang from the darkness, lunging toward Su Han and hispanions.


    Su Han remainedposed, with a smile on his face, "Here theye."


    The first to charge out was a warrior resembling a demon spider, swinging the Wolf Fang Club in his hand andnding heavy blows on the approaching Tentacle-faced Monsters, instantly breaking their backbones.


    The remaining Tentacle-faced Monsters, not afraid of death and utterly frenzied,shed their tentacles almost within reach of everyone.


    The demon spider warrior swung his Wolf Fang Club fiercely, a sweeping strike pushing them back. The Human-faced Tree''s vines grew from its root-like feet, spreading out along the ground.


    Soon, within the thirty-meter radius that the vines reached, light illuminated everything, exposing the Tentacle-faced Monsters hiding in the darkness, numbering twenty or thirty.


    The arms of the Human-faced Tree danced, splitting into over a dozen tendrils that shot out and seized three Tentacle-faced Monsters.


    Strong and powerful vines bound the limbs of the Tentacle-faced Monsters, locking down their tentacles.


    "Kill them."


    Su Han simply uttered, prompting the three women to pause at first, but their spears quickly drove into the bodies of the Tentacle-faced Monsters.


    Having dared to bring Su Han to the underground parking lot, they had made their decision, so aside from a bit of awkwardness, there was no hesitation in their movements.


    "I''ll help you. Six-wed Blood Cat, kill those monsters."


    As the three women began killing the Tentacle-faced Monsters they were contracted to, Xu Wenqian too came to her senses, immediatelymanding her own Angel Envoy to assist.


    Before the mutation, the Six-wed Blood Cat was just a pet.


    But after the mutation, it transformed into a hairless, blood-colored beast resembling a cat, its whole body blood-red with muscles exposed, six sizable ws, and a pair of feline eyes one-third the size of a cat''s face, shockingly yellow and daunting.


    The Six-wed Blood Cat was about two meters in length and roughly seventy centimeters in height, resembling a blood leopard, and it pounced on one of the Tentacle-faced Monsters.


    Indifferent to the Tentacle-faced Monster''s slimy tentacles, it fiercely bit into the neck, sttering blood that merged with the color of the Blood Cat''s body, followed by the sound of breaking bones.


    The Six-wed Blood Cat was formidable. After pouncing on one monster, it quickly continued its assault on another Tentacle-faced Monster.


    However,pared to the Six-wed Blood Cat, the Human-faced Tree was unleashing its fury.


    Once the three women had killed some Tentacle-faced Monsters, it was free to act, its upper limbs'' vines twisting together, tips sharpened like spears, relentlessly stabbing at the Tentacle-faced Monsters.


    With all tendrils striking together, in an instant, more than half were in.


    Su Han, d in ck Armor, took direct action, and his Pu knives became even more threatening, efficiently cutting down the Tentacle-faced Monsters in rapid session.


    After over ten minutes of fighting, the ground was littered with the corpses of Tentacle-faced Monsters.


    The five remaining Tentacle-faced Monsters that were left fled in fear, attempting to retreat, but the vines had already covered the nearby area, preventing their escape into the darkness.


    The striking vines ensnared and brutally strangled them on the spot.


    The heavy scent of blood filled the underground parking lot as Su Han guided the Human-faced Tree''s vines to extend toward the Tentacle-faced Monsters, without any reservation, to begin the Fusion process of the materials.


    "You all rest for a bit, get used to it. There are many more creatures like this in the underground parking lot."


    Xu Wenqian was the most helpful and adapted the best, yet the remaining three women were struggling somewhat.


    Although they had contracted with their Angel Envoy, the Tentacle-faced Monster, to fight together and had killed two Tentacle-faced Monsters separately,


    the strong stench of blood had already caused their instincts to feel difort, and they were a bit fatigued.


    "Th-thank you."


    A gentle voice sounded, but Su Han paid it no mind. Instead, as the Human-faced Tree was fusing with the Tentacle-faced Monster, he surveyed a corner of the ground-level parking lot.


    Because it was the entrance, not many cars were parked, just over a dozen. And it seemed like someone had tried to break out but met with an ident. An overturned car not far from the entrance was blocking many others.


    Enjoy new stories from m-v l''e|-NovelBin


    The chaotic scene, coupled with bloodstains, made it clear that quite a few people had died here.


    But what caught Su Han''s attention the most were the long blood smears stretching into the deeper parts.


    It didn''t look like injured people crawling, but rather like they were forcibly dragged away by monsters.


    The disappearance of personnel, being dragged into the underground parking lot, this didn''t seem like just searching for food.


    If it was just for food, a ughter would have sufficed, there was no need to be this stealthy.


    As Su Han pondered the clues he now knew, the darkness further away asionally conveyed rustling sounds. There were still monsters moving within.


    He looked in the direction of the sounds, his brow furrowed slightly. If it were in Treant Form, the vines could spread much further; dominating a floor of the parking lot with ease.


    However, due to the height limitations, the Human-faced Tree couldn''t possibly transform into another form here; it had to maintain its Anthropomorphic State.


    Su Han couldn''t help but think that the Angel Envoy contracted should at least have some ability to maintain a flexible form, otherwise, fighting in confined spaces would be quite restrictive.


    Time passed slowly, and the bodies of the Tentacle-faced Monsters were being devoured, raising the Fusion Degree continuously.


    It climbed from 28% to 87%, and with each percentage, the number of Tentacle-faced Monsters needed increased a bit.


    However, in this underground parking lot, everything could be in short supply except for cars and Tentacle-faced Monsters.


    "Let''s keep moving,"


    Seeing her Angel Envoy ''Devour'' those monsters, Xu Wenqian felt an even deeper awe for Su Han.


    "The entrance and exit to the second underground level are at the very back."


    Xu Wenqian led Su Han onwards, the Human-faced Tree''s vines retracted slightly, as they proceeded without rush.


    Behind them, the entrance gradually faded into the darkness, leaving only a faint glow at the entrance.


    As the group advanced from one corner of the first level, the Tentacle-faced Monsters disturbed by their presence would asionally attack from the darkness.


    This time, Su Han didn''t need to take action himself; the Human-faced Tree''s vines would quickly strike, piercing those attacking Tentacle-faced Monsters.


    The vines hung them in mid-air, then continued to fuse them while walking, creating a bizarre sight.


    From the entrance all the way to the second level''s entrance, the frequency of assaults by Tentacle-faced Monsters gradually decreased.


    Silence shrouded the whole parking lot, their footsteps echoing continuously.


    Approaching the sloping corner entrance, it was equally pitch ck, with the rustling sounds moving further away, as if all the Tentacle-faced Monsters had fled down below.


    A chill ran down Su Han''s spine, and he became more cautious, saying, "Let''s go down."


    Slowly walking down along the wall, and after arge turn, the parking lot on the second underground level came into view.


    The Human-faced Tree''s vines extended forward first, and as they spread, the light gradually dispersed.


    One by one, disorderly parked cars appeared in the glow, and beside them, an array of neatly arranged corpses startlingly appeared before them.


    These bodies were positioned squarely and in straight lines, as if enveloped in invisible coffins.


    Their clothes were bloodstained, their faces down, motionless, and their exposed white skin was eerily pale, creating an exceedingly strange sight.


    "What''s, what''s going on here?"

 Chapter 81 Clawed Giant

    The eerie scene made Xu Wenqian and the others shiver involuntarily. If they were facing monsters, they would certainly dare to fight back, but if they were facing ghosts, the fear ingrained in their bones was not so easily ovee.


    Su Han grew even calmer as he suddenly remembered something.


    The first time they encountered the Tentacle-faced Monster was when they were clearing the floors in Building Seven.


    ording to Chen Jun, who survived that day, the Tentacle-faced Monster was originally lying t on the ground, motionless, waiting for someone to approach beforeunching a sudden attack.


    If the situation was the same now, then these were all Tentacle-faced Monsters, just perhaps not as mature as those that moved as swiftly as the wind and continuously charged.


    "Don''t get close to those ''corpses''."


    Su Han warned, then the vines of the Human-faced Tree flew out and violently dragged one of the bodies back, not caring that such dragging could damage the body.


    Blood stained the ground red, but Su Han didn''t care. He ordered the Human-faced Tree to bind the body and then turn it over.


    Because of the rough dragging, the front of the body was already scraped and bruised, but when Su Han saw its face, he sighed in relief because there was no Blood Hole, nor were there any wriggling tentacles like worms. Continue your adventure at m|v-l''e -NovelBin


    "Its, its spine is moving!"


    Suddenly, one of the three women, the one with yellow hair, pointed in horror at the back of the body.


    Su Han immediately followed the direction of her finger and indeed saw a small bulge of flesh on the spine, subtly undting as if something alive was burrowing inside.


    "Step back."


    Without hesitation, Su Han let the vines expose part of the spine, his Pu knife expertly striking it, slicing away arge piece of flesh.


    Immediately, something beneath the skin was revealed to the four of them¡ªit was a pitch-ck object, simr to a leech about twenty centimeters long, covered in mucus, continually churning inside the spine, trying to burrow into and rece the entire section of the spine.


    The sight made everyone''s skin crawl. Su Han''s expression turned grave as he considered a possibility.


    "Drag another one over."


    The vines of the Human-faced Tree moved again, just as quickly, and soon a second body was dragged over.


    This time, Su Han moved even quicker, directly cleaving the spine open to reveal a simrly worm-like creature churning inside, but this one seemed to have grown even more formidable.


    It had branched out another part, much thinner, burrowing from the spine into other parts of the body, almost fusing with the flesh, looking... a lot like tentacles.


    Shuffling sounds


    Su Han''s expression turned stern. "Over there!"


    The vines quickly extended in that direction, the light dispelling the darkness along the way, and Su Han and the others quickly moved in that direction.


    Finally, at the end of the light, beyond this row of cars, two tall figures appeared before Su Han and the others.


    It was a monster over three meters tall, vaguely resembling a human shape.


    Its body was a miserable gray-white color, its torso broad, its arms muscrly bulging, each as thick as two adult thighs, and its palmspletely deformed into huge w-like shapes.


    On this gray-white skin, there were several twisted human faces, eyes hollow, mouths open, with ck tentacles extending from these hollow faces, constantly twitching.


    Especially at the position of the spine, there was a sequence of thickly churning tentacles.


    When Su Han spotted the wed Giant, they were both holding a body, and as their split mouths opened, a tentacle surged out and then inserted into the body''s spine.


    The tentacle swelled and bulged, as if something was being dumped into it.


    Xu Wenqian and the others felt a chill run from their spines to the back of their necks as they understood what this was.


    Why so many people had disappeared, why so many Tentacle-faced Monsters had appeared at the same time.


    Because they were reproducing.


    In a bizarre, iprehensible way, assimting bodies to breed more Tentacle-faced Monsters.


    Su Han''s eyes narrowed as he pieced together more of the puzzle.


    The appearance of the two monsters in front of them, those twisted human faces attached to their bodies, looked like countless Tentacle-faced Monsters fused together.


    They were not only reproducing but also creating materials for Evolution in some way.


    The light illuminated them and also agitated the two wed Giants.


    "Roar"


    A dull roar, like a drum sounding, echoed throughout the second floor. Roars rose and fell, and more and more Tentacle-faced Monsters gathered.


    The wed Giant suddenly seized a car, its tentacles also extending, wrapping around the car, and then it hurled it directly at Su Han and his group.


    The expressions on Xu Wenqian and the others changed. The Demon Spider Warrior shed in front of the group, raising three arms with strength to catch the car.


    The intense shaking shattered the car windows, scattering ss everywhere.


    At that moment, hundreds of tentacle-faced monsters charged like a legion, their approach fierce and unstoppable.


    With a strong grip, the ck Armor warrior hurled the car onto seven or eight tentacle-faced monsters, smashing them into a pulp.


    "You four, take care of yourselves," he said.


    Su Han dropped the remark and, d in ck Armor, charged forward.


    He knew this battle was unlike the skirmish on the first level.


    The enemy not only had leaders, but they had also reached the breeding ground of the tentacle-faced monsters.


    Involving racial survival, it was a war to the death.


    His Pu knife swung continuously, decapitating every tentacle-faced monster that came near.


    Although there were many tentacle-faced monsters, their strength was far inferior, unable to suppress Su Han.


    However, those tentacles always striking from the shadows were a troublesome attack.


    It was then that the Human-faced Tree made its move, its towering figure unyielding, its limbs turning into numerous vines attacking the tentacle-faced monsters.


    The abundance of vinespensated for the numerical disadvantage on Su Han''s side. The powerful vines strangled the tentacle-faced monsters, sweeping over ten of them off their feet and binding them with vines.


    "Roar"


    Su Han and his group withstood the assault of the tentacle-faced monsters, but two wed Giants were already charging at them with big steps.


    The tendrils on their bodies as thick as forearms stretched out over ten meters, striking hard at the ck Armor warrior.


    "ng"


    Caught off guard, the ck Armor warrior staggered but quickly recovered.


    "Not even Lower Grade Second Order, target them first," he reflected quickly.


    Su Han instantly assessed the power disparity, instructed mentally, and the ck Armor warrior blew past the tentacle-faced monsters in his path, striding towards the wed Giants.


    Su Han moved agilely, decapitating a few tentacle-faced monsters, and then leaped onto the tops of numerous vehicles, rapidly approaching the wed Giants.


    The wed Giants swung their massive ws in an attempt to stop the ck Armor warrior, but it wasn''t so easy.


    The heavy Wolf Fang Club swung down with a crack, breaking the arm cleanly.


    The ck Armor warrior pressed his advantage mercilessly, lifting the Wolf Fang Club and aimed it at the wed Giant''s head, smashing down with a thud.


    With a crack, the skull shattered. The swinging Wolf Fang Club resembled a guillotine, smashing from the head to the limbs four or five times, not only mashing the flesh but also causing bones to protrude.


    Some tentacle-faced monsters broke through the Human-faced Tree''s blockade attempting toe to the rescue, but in the next moment were sent flying by the rampaging ck Armor warrior, their flesh and blood bursting into a mist of blood.


    Su Han, naturally not as brutal as the ck Armor warrior, faced the iling tendrils with his Pu knife gripped tightly, shing diagonally to sever them on impact.


    With each step and slice, he cut through the attacking tendrils.


    As the giant ws attacked, he simrly shed with his knife, creating openings.


    Each step brought him closer to the wed Giant, his resolve firm and steady.


    Even though the wed Giant was taller,rger, and more ferocious than Su Han, he, d in ck Armor, forced the wed Giant into a corner step by step.


    "Fall for me!"


    Su Han stood less than a meter from the wed Giant, stepped forward boldly, his Pu knife swung down, and as the de shed, the wed Giant''s thigh was cleanly severed.


    Blood stained the ck Armor, and the strong scent of blood wafted immediately.


    With a stern look, Su Han raised his knife again and fiercely chopped down, severing the other leg.


    In an instant, both wed Giants had been subdued, and both the ck Armor warrior and Su Han turned around and charged back into the group of tentacle-faced monsters,mencing a massacre.


    The few dozen remaining tentacle-faced monsters could hardly withstand such a horrific ughter.


    They thought of running, but the corner was filled with the Human-faced Tree''s vines. Running meant giving up resistance, making it even easier for the vines to strike them down.


    After a good half hour, the battle finally neared its end.


    Xu Wenqian and the blonde woman were slightly injured, but everyone else was mostly unharmed.


    On the groundy the bodies of hundreds of tentacle-faced monsters, and two high-ranking wed Giants with broken limbs, still alive, were bound by the vines.


    Looking over the field of corpses, Su Han immediately issued themand to continue the Fusion.

 Chapter 82: Chapter 82 Floating Pagoda Black Armor

    The third underground parking level had not yet been cleaned, but everyone needed to rest; the exhaustion from the battle was substantial for all involved.


    The Human-faced Tree began extending its tendrils to devour the corpses of the Tentacle-faced Monsters, while the Demon Spider warriors, under Su Han''s control, first forged metal from two cars into chains and secured the two wed Giants.


    The chains bore w hooks that pierced through and locked the skeletons directly, ensuring that even with the wed Giants'' decent recovery abilities, they absolutely couldn''t break free from such confinement.


    After securing the wed Giants, the Demon Spider warriors started using their Metal Control to continually deform the parked cars, forming a massive cubic entity, before beginning the fusion process.


    Although the second level parking wasn''tpletely filled, there were still three hundred cars, providing over a hundred tons of metal for fusion.


    Streams of blood-red tissues and threads were fusing this hefty metal cube while, on the other side, every tendril of the Human-faced Tree extended dark fments, merging with the corpses of the Tentacle-faced Monsters.


    For a time, the second underground level was eerily quiet except for the radiant corner, with darkness consuming the rest.


    As time passed, the Fusion Degree continued to increase.


    After about 30 Tentacle-faced Monsters'' corpses were merged by the Human-faced Tree, the Fusion Degreepleted first.


    [Tentacle-faced Monster 100% Fusion Complete, Human-faced Tree gains Skill: Man-eating Vine]


    As the announcement rang out, the tendrils around the shoulders of the Human-faced Tree swelled violently and then, with a crackling sound, ck tendrils as dark as ink, armed with thorns, burst forth on either side.


    These tendrils were sturdier than ordinary ones, shining with a dark gloss, and at the tips, rather than just simple points, there were intricately intertwined vine heads resembling pythons.


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    They opened into wide gaping maws with wooden teeth interlocking, conveying a chilling coldness.


    Su Han was initially startled, but upon sensing carefully, his eyes flickered slightly, appreciating the Man-eating Vine''s merit.


    With just a thought, the Man-eating Vine shot forth at high speed, almost appearing as a blur.


    The head of the vine python opened its enormous maw, enough to epass a person, and bit off half of a Tentacle-faced Monster''s torso.


    The corpse was swiftly digested, then a surge of energy flowed from the Man-eating Vine, rapidly replenishing the energy consumed by the Human-faced Tree.


    This restorative power was not only for the Human-faced Tree; Su Han could feel his own body gradually recovering, with fatigue quickly dissipating.


    "A recovery skill with an offensive capability, and as of now, its strength surpasses that of other tendrils."


    After a brief test, Su Han even used his knife to chop at the Man-eating Vine, which differed from other metallic-looking tendrils.


    While other tendrils were tenacious, they were not indestructible, but the Man-eating Vine''s strength was noticeably superior; the blows from the Pu knives merely left small cuts and could not sever it.


    The Man-eating Vine''s skills undoubtedly enhanced the Human-faced Tree''s sustainedbat capabilities, and for the moment, were a great aid, speeding up their recovery.


    Su Han nced at the nearly seventy remaining corpses of Tentacle-faced Monsters, ultimately focusing on a living wed Giant.


    He promptly ordered the fusion of the wed Giant.


    The wed Giant, being a higher tier monster among the Tentacle-faced Monsters and more powerful, barelygged behind the Second Order Low Grade Meat Mountain Demon, and even approached it closely.


    Therefore, fusing it seemed like a good choice.


    The Human-faced Tree directly dragged the wed Giant over with two Man-eating Vines and began the fusion despite the creature¡äs resistance.


    Fusing a living subject was as arduous as ever, but a Second Order Low Grade Human-faced Tree clearly was beyond what the wed Giant could resist.


    It could only watch helplessly as its body was gradually absorbed into the Human-faced Tree, its resistance growing feebler by the moment.


    About an hourter, the wed Giant was finallypletely fused.


    wed Giant Fusion Degree: 15%


    The fusion degree of a single wed Giant wasn''t high, but the ground littered with Tentacle-faced Monsters was the best material, and as for the remaining one, Su Han didn''t n to fuse it.


    Capturing a living wed Giant to bring back could allow Bai Qn to produce more injections, gaining more benefits.


    Moreover, he was curious about the evolution methods of Tentacle-faced Monsters¡ªwhether devouring or fusing their own kind?


    The Human-faced Tree didn''t stop, activating all its tendrils to begin the fusion with the Tentacle-faced Monsters on the ground.


    Perhaps it was because the Fusion of the Tentacle-faced Monster had justpleted, thepatibility with the materials had significantly increased, and the speed had also be much faster.


    The bodies of seventy-seven Tentacle-faced Monsters took just over an hour toplete the Fusion.


    The Fusion Degree of the wed Giant soared directly to 82%.


    On the other hand, after more than two hours of Fusion, the progress of the Demon Spider warrior seemed a bit faster, with the Fusion Degree already approaching 98%.


    Almost three hundred cars in the second basement level were almostpletely fused by it.


    Su Han watched as the Demon Spider warrior was fusing thest few cars and couldn''t help clicking his tongue in amazement.


    "At LV5, it was already several tonnes of metal, and now it''s well over a hundred tonnes, the demand is increasing."


    A few hundred tonnes of metal, or even a thousand tonnes, is not a scarce resource for a modern city.


    However, gathering it all in one ce, at one location reduces the options significantly.


    Only veryrge parking garages, steel mills, and steel logistics centers would have suchrge reserves.


    And now, under this dense fog, crossing the entire city to find these ces would not be a safe task.


    "Have Old Zhu and the others gather more clues and prepare. After all, Fusion also takes time. We''ll take it one step at a time."


    Fusing hundreds of cars for more than three hours, and that was when they were all clustered together. Future Fusions would probably need even more time, turning into a grinding effort.


    However, interleaving the Fusion of other materials and monsters wouldn''t pose a big problem then.


    Amidst these thoughts, thest few cars gradually disappeared under the Fusion of the Demon Spider warrior, and the Fusion Degree also reached 100%.


    [LV6 Ordinary Metal Fusion Complete, Skill ck Armor advanced to Floating Pagoda ck Armor]


    Click, click, click...


    The change from thepletion of the LV6 Ordinary Metal Fusion was far greater than Su Han had anticipated. Suddenly, the ck Armor came to life as if on its own, flying out piece by piece, continuously reconfiguring to form a pitch-ck Ghost Face Shield and terrifying de wings appearing behind the Demon Spider warrior.


    The entire suit of armor became more consolidated, more resilient, and more spirited.


    In the constant changes, it finally resumed the form of armor, still fitting snugly to the body of the Demon Spider warrior.


    But the edges were sharper, the ghost face on the front more ferocious, and it exuded an air of majesty.


    "A mutation of the ck Armor and Intermediate Metal Control?!"


    After carefully sensing the skills, Su Han was immensely surprised. This Evolution was not merely about strengthening the ck Armor.


    The ck Armor hade to life.


    Within a ten-meter radius, Floating Pagoda ck Armor not only possessed stronger defense and flexibility, but each armor piece could transform, forming de armor, de wings, or even shields.


    A set of Floating Pagoda ck Armor was like a small arsenal of cold weapons, more powerful than before.


    If they were again facing an army of Tentacle-faced Monsters, besides swinging the heavy Wolf Fang Club, Floating Pagoda ck Armor could also conjure de wings to help the Demon Spider warrior sweep through the monsters.


    Having calmed his emotions a bit, Su Han then turned to Xu Wenqian and others, "Are you well rested? If you are, then let''s clear the third level. It''s getting dark."


    Xu Wenqian and the three others hurriedly got up. Although they were injured, they just had sprained hands and weren''t very serious.


    The group immediately proceeded to search the third basement level.


    Perhaps because it was early morning, there were fewer cars parked in the third basement level.


    But there were dozens of Tentacle-faced Monsters and one wed Giant.


    Upon spotting the wed Giant, Su Han immediately had the Demon Spider warrior take action, with Floating Pagoda ck Armor conjuring two three-meter-long de wings on its back.


    Confronting the charging wed Giant, it delivered a harsh chop that severed its arms and then swung the Wolf Fang Club, breaking its ribcage.


    In less than five minutes, including the Tentacle-faced Monsters, all were defeated by Su Han and his team.

 Chapter 83: Chapter 83 LV2 Man-eating Vine

    ```


    After thoroughly clearing the entire third underground level of the parking lot, Su Han and his team finally let out a sigh of relief.


    Fighting those monsters in the dark, even if the Human-faced Tree and the Spider Monster warriors were strong,


    the constant battle still kept their nerves taut and drained their physical strength and energy.


    Su Han looked at the corpses of the Tentacle-faced Monsters scattered all around, and directly had the Human-faced Tree continue the Fusion.


    Meanwhile, he took the Spider Monster warriors on a walk around the third level, then used Metal Control to extract the fuel tanks and parts from the vehicles, copsing the metal from the car frames into cubes weighing roughly a thousand pounds each.


    There weren''t many cars on the third level, only a few dozen, and such a quantity would not be enough to fulfill the needs of the Spider Monster warrior''s LV7 normal metal Fusion.


    Even adding the vehicles from the first level would only amount to about a hundred tons or so, still a significant shortfall.


    If Su Han were to Fusion now, initiating the LV7 progression, the Spider Monster warrior would need to collect enough metal for a long time toe.


    And the Fusion with other materials and monsters would have to be dyed, or started anew which would waste the absorbed metal resources.


    Therefore, Su Han nned to "gather food slowly to im kingship" by saving up a batch of metal until he had several hundred tons before starting the metal Fusion.


    During this waiting period, the Spider Monster warrior''s goal shifted to hunting other monsters for Fusion.


    Time management was fully utilized.


    Once Su Han had transformed all the cars on the third and first levels into small metal cubes, the Human-faced Tree finallypleted the Fusion progress with the wed Giant.


    [wed Giant 100% Fusionplete, Human-faced Tree''s Man-eating Vine Skill Advancement LV2, acquired Paralyzing Poison.]


    As the Fusionpleted, the Human-faced Tree, which originally had only two Man-eating Vines, suddenly split at the root, and in a short time, they became four.


    The vines became tougher, and along their pitch-ck surface, sharp, dark spikes gradually formed.


    These spikes and the sharp teeth at the tips of the Man-eating Vine were imbued with paralytic toxin; a mere puncture would soon render the victim unable to move.


    The drug was potent; a normal person would need less than a moment to be affected.


    Paralysis, but not life-threatening, perfectlyplementing the hunting skills of the Man-eating Vine.


    "Vine entanglement and paralytic toxin, though the Human-faced Tree is slightly weaker in head-onbat, it''s be more versatile,"


    Both Angel Envoys had their strengths, and Su Han was quite satisfied with the results of the Fusion.


    His gaze fell on the wed Giant next to him, and he revealed a smile, "Let''s test its power first."


    The Man-eating Vine spread quickly before biting into the wed Giant.


    Paralytic toxin was injected, and at first the wed Giant struggled, but after about half a minute, the thrashing tentacles suddenly stiffened and then quickly drooped powerlessly.


    While the wed Giant''s body could still move slightly, it too soon fell into a paralyzed state, unable to move.


    "Xu Wenqian, time it for me, see when it can move again."


    Xu Wenqian, having been called out, snapped to attention immediately and said, "Got it, I''ll remember."


    She discreetly nced at the still-functioningdies'' watch on her wrist: 16:53 was the time shemitted to memory.


    "Let''s go, it''s time to head back."


    From the third underground level to the surface, without monster disturbances, everyone''s pace quickened significantly.


    The Human-faced Tree dragged two paralyzed wed Giants behind it with its vines on the way to the surface.


    Once aboveground and without the obstruction of floors, Su Han released the Human-faced Tree''s Anthropomorphic State skill.


    In an instant, red light enveloped the Human-faced Tree, and under everyone''s watchful eyes, the tree transformed from its humanoid shape into arge, ancient Treant Form.


    Though their Anthropomorphic State did not show much after two sessful Fusions,


    the changes reflected in its physical form were earth-shattering.


    The Human-faced Tree''s height shot up to twenty meters; its thick trunk became even more majestic, with a diameter of about three meters. Its bark was imbued with a metallic quality, shining a dark luster and appearing incredibly sturdy.


    Its branches stretched out, still sparse with leaves, but their span now reached a radius of five to six meters, emphasizing its colossal size even more.


    Vines hung down from the branches at a leisurely pace, with Man-eating Vines spreading from the roots and trunk, concealed among the excess growth, ready to strike at any moment.


    The two wed Giants, pulled by the vines, hung beneath the branches, tightly bound by the vines.


    Xu Wenqian and the others were stunned by the spectacle in front of them, watching the colossal Human-faced Tree with disbelief.


    This, this was the very Tree Envoy that had fought alongside them just moments ago.


    They had thought Su Han was formidable enough, but now they realized that Su Han''s strength far exceeded their imaginations.


    ```


    "Climb up, let the Human-faced Tree take us back," Su Han said.


    "Climb, climb up?"


    Xu Wenqian looked at the towering form of the Human-faced Tree, somewhat at a loss.


    But soon they knew how to climb up as vines extended towards them.


    Gripping the vines tightly, they were pulled up onto one of the thicker branches.


    Su Han did the same, though he stood close to the main trunk.


    The vines spread around him, ensuring that if anything happened, they could protect him immediately.


    The light from the Radiance of the Lamp Tree shone as they left the clearedmercial street, with the Human-faced Tree moving several meters at a step, slowly taking them away from this ce.


    Angel Envoy: Spider Monster Warrior


    Level: Second-order Intermediate


    Skills: [w] [Iron Skin] [Floating Pagoda ck Armor] [Self-healing¡¤Primary] [Metal Control¡¤Intermediate]


    Fusion: LV6 ordinary metal, LV2 flesh-blood of corpses, Spider Monster


    Angel Envoy: Human-faced Tree


    Level: Second-order Intermediate


    Skills: [Fast-growing Vines] [Metallic Quality] [Radiance of the Lamp Tree] [Anthropomorphic State] [lv2 Man-eating Vine]


    Fusion: LV1 ordinary metal, LV1 Lamp Tree Crystals, LV1 flesh-blood of corpses, Tentacle-faced Monster, wed Giant


    Su Han''s attention was on the Angel Envoys'' panels, both of which had advanced to second-order intermediate level, significantly boosting their strength.


    Upon returning, after dealing with the swarm of fish creatures, they would be able to organize the collection of more resources.


    Although the Human-faced Tree was not fast, its massive size meant it didn''t take long to return to the vi district from themercial street.


    Just as they neared the main gate, they suddenly heard a cry of astonishment.


    "Su Han?!"


    From inside the security room, Gan Xinglei''s voice called out, and Su Han responded, "It''s me, open the gate."


    "Wait a moment, we''ll open the gate right now," Gan Xinglei replied, his voice relieved, then he quickly organized people to open the main gate.


    In the morning when they left, how tall was the Human-faced Tree?


    Now they''ve brought back a massive twenty-meter creature. If not for Gan Xinglei being aware of some of Su Han''s circumstances, they might think a monster was attacking the city.


    Everyone entered the vi district, and the Human-faced Tree released Su Han down.


    It was only under the light of the Radiance of the Lamp Tree that Gan Xinglei got a clear view of the entire Human-faced Tree as well as the Tentacle-faced monster beneath it.


    "Tsk, your outing yielded quite a haul, just like Old Zhu and the others," Gan Xinglei remarked.


    Su Han raised an eyebrow and asked, "What happened with Old Zhu and the others?"


    "They brought back quite a few things; there were some survivors at the construction site."


    Gan Xinglei pointed to the small za behind him, "These dump trucks and excavators were brought back by them."


    Following Gan Xinglei''s direction, there indeed were three dump trucks and two excavators.


    "My wife saw you hadn''t returned and made me stay here on watch," Gan Xinglei said with a chuckle. "If you didn''te back soon, everyone was going to go out looking for you."


    Su Han was very strong; nobody worried during the day when there was no news.


    But since it was night and he had not returned, they would have had to go out and find him, no matter what, to ensure nothing had happened.


    "Alright, let''s go back together, we can arrange the watchter," Su Han said.


    "Alrighty"


    Gan Xinglei''s gaze fell on the Human-faced Tree, liking the idea of going back together; he too wanted to try riding the Human-faced Tree.


    "Oh, and the metal you wanted is near building nine, about sixty tons. That should be enough," he added.

 Chapter 84: Chapter 84 Cleaning Yunling Lake

    Su Han had thought that Zhu Xiong, like himself, had only brought back a few people, but unexpectedly, it was an entire construction crew, over thirty strong, more than half of whom were Contractors.


    ording to Zhang Dahai, these were all people from some construction teams and subcontractingpanies under him.


    In the post-apocalyptic world, many people had transformed into creatures like flesh corpses, but at the construction sites, almost everyone''s hand was either on steel rebar and shovels or hammers and pliers¡ªeveryone was armed.


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    In the early stages of transformation into monsters, indeed many were overwhelmed and killed in panic, but once they regained theirposure, a group of hardened construction workers, muscles brimming and with weapons in hand, managed to kill quite a number of the creatures.


    With everyone being either friends or fellow townsfolk, their unity was strong, and with some of the smaller leaders organizing, a small team was formed.


    They took over a building with its frame already erected, making use of barricades and other tools to protect themselves.


    After more than a month, this many had survived.


    Zhang Dahai hadn''t lied; the boy hadn''t really withheld wages and still had some prestige in front of these people. Plus, with the number of people and strength Zhu Xiong''s group had brought, they smoothly incorporated this group.


    They were all people who made their living on the construction site, mostly honest and straightforward, simply seeking to survive.


    Now that such a strong team was formed, naturally, no one opposed.


    Once Zhang Dahai organized them, roughly sixty people got to work together, cleaning out the monsters from the Nanwan Residential Area construction site, then the steel rebar, cement, dump trucks, and excavators were all brought back like ants carrying food.


    When Su Han returned, Yan Meiyu was busy registering these people and assigning living quarters, activating vis number 8, 11, and 12.


    Seeing Yan Meiyu upied, he didn''t bother to ask about the current situation. After instructing Xu Wenqian and the others to report for duty, he headed back to vi number 9.


    The Human-faced Tree had taken root between vis number 9 and 10, extending its root system just as before.


    Compared to before when its roots could only stretch about three hundred meters, the extent of its roots had now experienced significant growth, reaching approximately four hundred meters.


    Although still insufficient to cover the entire vi area, several vis on the side of Yunling Lake nearby were already within the coverage area.


    The Radiance of the Lamp Tree shone bright, the fog gradually dispelled, making everything much clearer.


    Compared to the previous few Lamp Trees, its illuminated range was undoubtedly much wider.


    After dealing with the Human-faced Tree, Su Han, controlling the Demon Spider Warrior, arrived where the steel rebar was.


    The steel rebar had beenpletely unloaded, piled up on the open ground outside vi number 9.


    The tens of tons of steel rebar might sound like a lot, but when stacked up, it didn''t seem particrly conspicuous.


    The Demon Spider Warrior''s Intermediate Metal Control activated, and then about two tons of steel rebar were extracted.


    Within ten meters in front of the Demon Spider Warrior, the metal continuouslypressed and reshaped, gradually forming two cubic-shaped prisons.


    After reaching Intermediate Metal Control, both its ability to control and to strengthen metal had improved somewhat, and the reshaping process was much faster.


    In no more than three minutes, both prisons were formed, with gaps and holes finer than those of the Meat Mountain Demon''s barrier-style prison.


    The wed Giants were not only massive in stature but could also extend countless tentacles.


    Without such a design, their tentacles would likely be able to reach out and cause trouble.


    By the time the wed Giants were captured, they were both still in a semi-paralyzed state.


    The Human-faced Tree''s paralyzing poison was quite effective¡ªit would do the job.


    ......


    Early the next morning, Su Han sought out Zhu Xiong and Gan Xinglei.


    "Su Han, are we going fishing?"


    Zhu Xiong appeared somewhat excited, even eager to try, as he had smashed more than ten ordinary monsters with his flesh corpse''s hammer at the construction site yesterday.


    That battle had be a catalyst for mutation, making him feel like he was only a wall away from bing a First Order Upper Grade.


    Therefore, he was anxious for morebat to achieve his breakthrough.


    Su Han nced at him and said, "I''ll handle the fishing. There''s something else for you and Zhang Dahai to do."


    Zhu Xiong was taken aback and asked, "What? Besides fishing, what else do we need to do?"


    "You''ll go to themercial area, take the trucks over. I''ve mostly cleared the monsters there; you clean up the remainder and bring back the goods," Su Han replied.


    ???


    Zhu Xiong and a few others widened their eyes, seeming not to believe what they heard. Clear an entiremercial street?


    Even if there were few monsters, that would still mean starting from a few hundred.


    Are two Second-Rank Apostles really that fierce?


    "Su Han, I haven''t read much, don''t fool me," someone said.


    Su Han rolled his eyes and replied, "Making jokes will cost you points. No kidding, we need to move everything out of the underground parking lot at Summer Garden Mall. I haven''t cleared the upper floors, but you can take people to deal with that."


    He briefly described the process of clearing out the monsters on themercial street, with special emphasis on the Tentacle-faced Monsters.


    Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong''s face took on a more serious expression, and he nodded, "I''ll bring more people."


    There are over ny people at the camp, with many Contractors among them, so Zhu Xiong could bring quite a number.


    "Take a few non-Contractors as well, let them get their hands dirty."


    Zhu Xiong understood what Su Han meant: "Rest assured, I know what to do."


    After a brief meeting, Zhu Xiong left to lead people on their salvage operation.


    With themercial street almost cleared, if they didn''t head over soon, who knew if someone else would beat them to it and start a fight, which would just waste time.


    "Here, this is for you."


    Not long after Zhu Xiong had left, Bai Qn handed Su Han two sketches.


    One was a simple map of Yunling Lake, with red crosses marked on three bays; the other was a hand-drawn diagram of a hand crossbow.


    Su Han was somewhat surprised as he asked, "What''s this?"


    "A map of Yunling Lake. The marked ces are where Half-Fish Monsters are most active; I suspect that one of them is their nest."


    Bai Qn pointed to a bay near Yunling Mountain on the map and said, "This spot is the most likely, but there''s no way to actually go and investigate."


    "As for the hand crossbow, I had Sister Kailing draw it. Your Angel Envoy can control metal, so with a blueprint, you should be able to make crossbow arrows, right?"


    Bai Qn looked at Su Han, waiting for his answer.


    "I can," Su Han said.


    Hearing Su Han''s affirmative reply, Bai Qn''s lips curved into a smile, and she said, "That makes things much easier. As long as we make the crossbow arrows andbine them with the Intermediate Corpse Poison that Meiyu is concocting, we can definitely create bait to lure and anesthetize the Half-Fish Monsters that get attracted."


    Bai Qn''s n was sinct: use high-level monster flesh as bait at three locations to lure Half-Fish Monsters and Fish Monsters ashore.


    Then, people would ambush and attack with poisoned crossbow arrows, which would paralyze them.


    This idea had already been tested using two captured Half-Fish Monsters, and Yan Meiyu''s Rot Poison had proven quite effective.


    However, Su Han couldn''t help but smile and said, "The crossbow arrows can be used for camp defense, but for this school of fish monsters, we don''t need to go through all that trouble."


    Bai Qn looked at Su Han in astonishment and asked, "What do you n to do?"


    "Anglers may need to chum the water for fishing, but we can just scoop up the fish."


    If it were yesterday, Su Han would indeed choose the baiting method, but now it was unnecessary.


    The vines of the Human-faced Tree had further extended in length, and their number had increased.


    Although Yunling Lake was not small, as an artificialke, the longest diameter was only about four hundred meters, and the nearside was just two hundred meters away.


    This distance waspletely manageable for the Human-faced Tree to do the fishing, and together with the paralytic toxin of the Man-eating Vine, it was entirely capable of dealing with the swarm of fish monsters.


    Moreover, it wasn''t just about Yunling Lake¡ªif the Human-faced Tree continued to grow, eventually the entire Shanhu Vi would inevitably be under its protection.


    At that time, if there was any sign of trouble, the roots and vines could strike, capable of handling most problems.


    The only drawback was that they might have to control how often they used the Human-faced Tree in the future, and that was it.


    Bai Qn''s mouth hung open in surprise for a moment; she had actually forgotten about the vines of the Human-faced Tree.


    Then she said, "If that''s the case, then things are much simpler. I''ll go tell people to get ready right now."

 Chapter 85 The Ecology of Yunling Lake

    Bai Qn moved quickly; after notifying Yan Meiyu, she called over a team.


    Ye Kailing took the lead, with Bai Xiao''e and Xia Ning also in the ranks, making a total of 15 Contractors and 5 ordinary people.


    "Everyone, get your weapons and climbing ropes ready. Once we''ve captured the Half-Fish Monsters, you''ll be responsible for tying them up. Got it?"


    "Understood, Boss Su Han."


    The crowd responded in session, and Su Han nodded slightly before the Book of Blood Spirit''s red glow faintly stirred, collecting the Human-faced Tree.


    The Demon Spider warrior followed by his side, and everyone else summoned their Angel Envoys to guard by their side.


    The weapons in hand were all quite simr, not just machetes, but reced with spears or machetes with extended handles.


    For ordinary people, maintaining a fighting distance was safer than engaging in flexiblebat.


    Bai Qn also summoned her Angel Envoy, the Meat Corpse¡ªa figure about two and a half meters tall, bulging muscles, firm and hard, and with green fish scales growing on shoulders, arms, and chest.


    Her Envoy had also been injected with blood extracted from the Meat Mountain Demon, further inducing mutations, and its strength had almost reached the limit of First-level Intermediate.


    The group reached the vicinity of Yunling Lake ording to the map''s markings, where Yan Meiyu had already prepared settlement arrangements for the water channel and the dug-out pools.


    The water, after settlement, was clear, and there were even simple filtration measures in ce.


    Passing by this water channel, the group came to the edge of Yunling Lake.


    "Stay hidden, everyone."


    Su Han summoned the Human-faced Tree, casting a giant shadow beside Yunling Lake.


    Radiance of the Lamp Tree


    The light gradually brightened, dispersing the mist bit by bit, and then Su Han controlled the Human-faced Tree, its vines growing rapidly and stretching out into Yunling Lake.


    Everyone fell silent, fearful of startling the fish monsters in theke and causing Su Han''s operation to fail.


    Bai Qn closely observed the changes in the Human-faced Tree, her heart repeatedly shocked by the immense transformation of Su Han''s Envoy.


    "Here theye."


    Soon after the vines extended, there came a disturbance from the bottom of the water, bubbles churning as if monsters were swimming within.


    Although the Human-faced Tree couldn''t see what was beneath, ensnaring the targets was all that mattered.


    The vines stirred in the water, shing with the monsters, turning the clearke into a turbid mess.


    There was more than one monster, but they were far from a match for the vines of the Human-faced Tree.


    The vines bound their limbs underwater while the hidden Man-eating Vines bit into their flesh, injecting them with Paralyzing Poison.


    In just a breath or two, the monsters beneath the water couldn''t move a muscle.


    "Ssh"


    The vines broke the water surface, and then five tendrils dragged the monsters out of the water, revealing grotesque fish-headed creatures.


    "Hm?"


    Su Han''s eyes narrowed as he noticed one of the creatures was different. With his focus intensified, a prompt immediately sounded.


    [A fusible living fish monster has been discovered, do you wish to fuse?]


    ''Do not fuse'' Discover hidden content at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    Su Han did not opt for fusion, discreetlymanded the Human-faced Tree to toss these fish monsters ashore.


    "Tie them up."


    Bai Qn stepped forward to examine the catch, her eyes revealing understanding as she said, "Three fish monsters, two Half-Fish Monsters."


    The Half-Fish Monsters had hands but no feet, sported ferocious fish heads, and though their size wasn''t small, they were clearly more adept at moving in water.


    But the fish monsters were a step further evolved; standing about two meters tall, with fierce heads and bodies covered in scales. They had a pair of strong green legs with webbing between the toes, and their sharp ws were no different.


    The fish monsters, clearly more evolved than the Half-Fish Monsters, represented the next stage as previously suggested by Bai Qn.


    Their strength hadn''tpletely transformed; of the three fish monsters, only one was First-level Intermediate, but even if their strength was only First Order Inferior, their blood contained more active and abundant Spiritual Energy."


    After a brief observation and test, Bai Qn shared her findings with Su Han.


    Su Han nodded, his attention still focused on the Human-faced Tree.


    The vines didn''t extend very fast underwater, but they were still slowly spreading out.


    Before long, there was some disturbance on theke surface ten meters away, this time a solitary fish monster.


    Effortlessly, it was quickly entangled, overturned, and then dragged to shore.


    As time gradually passed, the number of Half-Fish Monsters and fish monsters that were captured steadily increased.


    Thirteen Half-Fish Monsters and seven fish monsters, and that was just one-third of Yunling Lake. The quantity was already not to be underestimated.


    One must know that before this, Bai Qn had witnessed these fish monsters and even a fish monster leader, at least First Order Upper Grade.


    A typical group of survivors would probably be wiped out by them.


    The vines continued to probe deeper, and the Radiance of the Lamp Tree''s light gradually spread to the middle of Yunling Lake.


    Suddenly, Bai Qn''s eyes widened in surprise. She hurriedly said, "Su Han, do you see that? Is that a lotus flower?"


    Su Han followed her gaze and also showed a surprised expression because, in the very center of Yunling Lake, arge patch of lotus flowers and leaves were faintly visible through the mist.


    These were not any withered lotus flowers, but lush, green ones emitting a faint purple glow, clearly living nts.


    Without hesitation, Su Han directed the vines towards the purple lotus. It was the first nt apart from the Lamp Tree he had seen growing normally in the mist.


    Without needing a reminder from Bai Qn, he knew this thing had great research value.


    As the vines extended, the mist was even more thoroughly dispersed, and that cluster of lotus flowers became even clearer in front of them.


    Lush green lotus leaves spread outyer uponyer. Among every few leaves, pale purple lotus flowers would blossom.


    They practically upied the majority of the central area of Yunling Lake.


    If it weren''t for the shrouding mist, these lotus flowers would have been discovered long ago.


    "Ssh"


    However, just then, a sound of sshing came from beneath the lotus leaves, and waves surged.


    Su Han''s expression turned serious: "There''s something under the water."


    The Human-faced Tree immediately controlled the vines to surround that churning patch of water.


    The water currents became more violent, but the vines had already encircled the creature. Several vines wrapped around it, binding it securely.


    The Man-eating Vine followed quickly behind, biting and paralyzing it.


    Theke water was turbid, but it gradually returned to calm. The vines also broke off a small piece of lotus flower and leaf, then slowly dragged them back along.


    Three minutester, the creature caught by the vines gradually rose to the surface of the water.


    "Bind it up..."


    Su Han had thought it was a fish monster but paused, taken aback as he nced over and saw that it was a... carp.


    The carp was one and a half meters long, its scales a pale blue, with arge belly and round head. It was heavy¡ªnot at all like a regr carp.


    However, regardless of how one looked at it, the carp showed no signs of deformity. Its appearance was very regr, and if it had been caught before the apocalypse, it would have been paraded around the city.


    But... this was after the apocalypse, and not having mutated was the strangest part.


    Su Han concentrated and looked at the carp as information popped up.


    [Found a live fish species, Blue-Scaled Carp, suitable for Fusion. Would you like to proceed with Fusion?]


    Blue-Scaled Carp?


    Indeed, it was not amon carp, but the fish didn''t seem to have muchbat capability.


    Su Han vaguely sensed that something was not quite right.


    "What do you make of this carp?"


    Su Han looked towards Bai Qn, who was already carefully observing the purple lotus being held in her hands by her flesh corpse.


    She also noticed the unusualness of the carp. Her eyebrows slightly furrowed. Both the purple lotus and the carp had strange mutations¡ªthey hadn''t changed into monsters, yet they could survive in the mist.


    Suddenly, a thought shed in her eyes, and she proposed a bold guess, "Is it possible that this is just an ordinary evolution of the carp, without it turning into a monster?"

 Chapter 86 Bold Conjecture

    ```


    Bai Qn''s words made Su Han startle, and then he asked, "What do you mean?"


    "Since those eyeballs descended, and Spiritual Energy spread throughout the entire environment, causing so many creatures to mutate, why can''t there be individuals who''ve adapted to this environment without too much mutation?


    To some extent, those of us who haven''t turned into flesh corpses are actually going through an adaptation and evolution process, just a more special one," she said slowly, taking a deep breath before continuing.


    Bai Qn inhaled deeply, then slowly continued, "Perhaps our ecosystem isn''t so fragile, and some species have adapted."


    She kept connecting the clues, considering the school of monstrous fish in theke, which, although they could maintain their lives for a long time by absorbing Spiritual Energy,


    to reproduce and survive, they must still have a food source present.


    And herey the problem, they needed food, but such arge group hadn''tunched anyrge-scale, proactive attacks on their camp.


    Didn''t this imply they had other food sources?


    Now that she had seen the evolved blue-scaled carps, Bai Qn had connected all the clues.


    Inside Yunling Lake, there was a closed ecological system, Lamp Tree bloomed, blue-scaled carps fed on Lamp Tree, and Half-Fish Monsters and fish monsters preyed on these creatures that had adapted to the environment.


    She shared her hypothesis with Su Han in detail.


    After hearing Bai Qn''s spection, Su Han was also extremely surprised because, logically, there was nothing wrong with her hypothesis; it was just missing corroborative evidence.


    Seemingly feeling Su Han''s gaze, Bai Qn immediately added, "Su Han, I need aboratory. If we can understand these carps..."


    "Blue-scaled carps."


    Su Han interjected, "You must have other guesses about these blue-scaled carps, right?"


    Bai Qn was taken aback, seemingly because Su Han could always confidently name the monsters, but she quickly regained herposure.


    If her guesses were correct, Su Han''s anomalies could be entirely exined.


    She nodded and said, "Yes, but I need more evidence. It''spletely different from the food chain inference."


    "If my guess is correct, and the blue-scaled carps and Lamp Trees have sessfully evolved by adapting to environmental changes, then their genes and Spiritual Energy structures might be more stable. This could shed light on the rules of evolution and the injection drugs; but most importantly, they could be a food source."


    Food!


    Su Han stared at Bai Qn, his eyes revealing shock and doubt while Bai Qn smiled and said, "Yesterday, I used Nie Rilong''s method to test the flesh and blood of the Half-Fish Monster, which confirmed some of my thoughts.


    The flesh and blood of mutated monsters have an uncertain mutagenic effect; consuming it can cause adverse reactions in humans, and regr consumption might lead to mutations. The spected reason could be the instability of the genes and the overly active and unstable Spiritual Energy. But if the blue-scaled carps are rtively stable..."


    "Then they could possibly be a new meat source."


    "It might not just be a meat source, as things containing Spiritual Energy could very likely be catalysts for human evolution."


    Su Han took a deep breath, finally understanding why the always calm Bai Qn was so excited.


    "I understand. I''ll discuss theboratory with you tomorrow; for today, let''s deal with the school of fish monsters first."


    Su Han first returned the blue-scaled carp tied with vines back into the water, worried about killing it.


    Then he said to Ye Kailing, "Kailing, go back first and have Meiyu organize people to dig arge pond near building nine and divert water into it."


    Ye Kailing knew this was to prepare for the blue-scaled carps and nodded, "I''ll go right now."


    While Su Han dealt with the blue-scaled carp situation, the vines of the Human-faced Tree stretched towards Yunling Lake without stopping.


    As the vines extended, the full view of the Lamp Trees finally became visible to everyone.


    They upied the very center of Yunling Lake, covering an area asrge as half a football field.


    They grew on the surface, and ording to the vines'' exploration, there were developed root systems at the bottom of theke.


    The vines extended between these leaves and root systems, slowly finding their way out, and soon discovered the ''big fish'' hidden among these roots.


    The small ones were the size of a palm, but slightlyrger ones were identical to the blue-scaled carps, or even bigger.


    Su Han did not capture them all, instead, controlling the Human-faced Tree to ensnare two of therger ones that had collided with the vines.


    One was still a blue-scaled carp, but the other one was a different species, resembling a grass carp but with a fiery red body, added with a few even more eye-catching white lines from eye to tail, called the red-line grass carp.


    The vines continued to extend, but the further out they went, the sparser they became, and the number of caught monstrous fish began to dwindle.


    Starting from three-quarters out from Yunling Lake, only 1 fish monster and 3 Half-Fish Monsters were caught.


    "Something''s not right, be prepared."


    ```


    Su Han controlled the vines to grope under the water, but this time, the movement of the vines failed to detect any traces of the fish monsters at the bottom of theke.


    He didn''t believe that all the fish monsters had been captured, so there was only one possibility left, the leader wasing.


    As expected, not long after he finished speaking, at thest bay marked on the map, the water surface suddenly stirred, and a fierce head emerged from theke.


    In the light of the Radiance of the Lamp Tree, it locked eyes with Su Han and his party.


    "Roar"


    A muffled roar echoed, the water rippled noisily, and then the leading fish monster rushed from the water onto the shore.


    It was over three meters tall, nearly reaching four meters, with a fierce-looking head and angles, a bulky body, and thick, hard scales all over its body, with bone spikes rising along its back.


    Following the leader''sndfall, arge number of fish monsters began toe ashore, at least 10 fish monsters right behind, among which two were particrly tall, and then there were almost 20 Half-Fish Monsters.


    The side where the fish monster leadernded was the same as the location where Su Han and his team were, except that the two were about three hundred meters apart.


    After staring at each other from afar, the fish monster leader let out a roar and charged with a group of fish monsters.


    "The fight is on, get ready."


    Su Han smiled, thinking if they weren''t afraid in the water, what could they do onnd?


    The Floating Pagoda ck Armor warrior stepped up beside Su Han, with Bai Qn, Ye Kailing, and the other Angels Envoys ready in line.


    "Capture them alive."


    The Floating Pagoda warrior charged forward, with the Floating Pagoda ck Armor appearing on its body, undting subtly, coordinating with its movements.


    A distance of three hundred meters was not long, for monsters and Angel Envoys it was merely a matter of a charge.


    Seeing the Floating Pagoda warrior taking the lead, the fish monster leader charged fiercely with its sharp ws aimed straight at the warrior.


    "Thud"


    A heavy punchnded, ck Armor scales flew, forming a shield at one meter in front of the Floating Pagoda warrior.


    The heavy punch came down without causing any damage.


    The warrior''s Floating Pagoda ck Armor suddenly deformed, as pieces of armor from the spine disconnected, interlocking to form two chains of armor swords.


    "Swish"


    The chains of swords danced, instantly shooting out, piercing directly through the shoulders of the fish monster leader.


    Blood sttered out, and the fish monster leader emitted a pained roar.


    But in the next moment, arge hand was already ced on its head, forcibly pushing it down to the ground, followed by a heavy punch to its head.


    The punch was extremely heavy, stunning the fish monster leader for a while.


    Meanwhile, Angel Envoys following the Floating Pagoda warrior rushed forward, charging directly into the fish monsters following behind.


    Bai Qn''s Angel Envoy flesh corpse was at the forefront, almost within a step''s reach of High Grade, so once it made a move, it was extremely fierce.


    First-level Intermediate fish monsters that tried to block it were simply knocked down with a punch.


    Ye Kailing''s flesh corpse, though slightly lesser in strength, was still at First-level Intermediate, pouncing and knocking down another fish monster.


    The battle broke out instantly; despite the number of fish monsters, they were scattered with a single encounter.


    Whether it was fish monsters or Half-Fish Monsters, all were pinned down and hammered.


    If not for the intention to capture alive, their bodies would now be covered in cuts.


    However, it didn''t take long for the battle to draw near to an end, as vines from the water spread up, binding them one by one, and beingced with Paralytic Toxin.


    "Su Han, they''re all caught."


    As the Floating Pagoda warrior hoisted the now poisoned leader of the fish monsters, the battle came to aplete close.


    Su Hanughed and said, "Take two people to the bay area, there''s something in the water, get those out first."

 Chapter 87 Monster Fish Egg

    Having heard what Su Han said, everyone was initially stunned, then listened as Su Han continued, "It''s probably not a living thing, but the vine is difficult to bring up. Find a couple of people who are good swimmers; the vine will protect them."


    "I''m a good swimmer, I''ll go."


    A dark-skinned man stood up, slim and just over fifty, with a simple and honest look.


    He grinned, "Before I worked on construction sites, I used to dive in the sea in the south; I''m still pretty good. Maybe I should give it a try?"


    Surprised, Su Han gave him a nce. It was interesting that he voluntarily stepped forward.


    Sensing Su Han''s surprise, Ji Jichun grinned, "Mr. Zhang and Captain Zhu said that the camp rewards contributions, and I too wanted to achieve something."


    Su Han smiled and said, "Go ahead, the vine will protect you, don''t worry."


    "Boss, we, we''ll go too."


    Having said so, three more stood out ¨C they were the old construction site workers brought in yesterday, and they had not made any contracts yet.


    Su Han nodded for them all to go together. It was a good sign when people took initiative.


    It proved that order was gradually being restored in his domain. Find more chapters on m_v l|e-NovelBin


    A few people took off their shirts, then grabbed a vine and plunged into the water.


    The vine would pull them to where those things were located and, if something was off, would bring them back up immediately.


    Upon reaching the designated location, Ji Jichun and the others took a deep breath and then dove down; it took less than half a minute.


    Ji Jichun soon surfaced and shouted to Su Han on the shore, "Boss, there''s a nest here, full of eggs the size of heads, stuck to the pirs."


    Su Han exchanged looks with Bai Qn, then said, "Bring up two for now to take a look."


    "Okay, hang on."


    Vines cannot see, so they didn''t know what these objects were and were reluctant to move them, but with Ji Jichun and others going down to help, it shouldn''t be a big issue.


    Ji Jichun and the others, in the water, maneuvered the vine around the gaps in the pir without squeezing the Half-Fish Monster eggs; then with a yank, they broke the pir.


    The pir, made of dirt and an unknown sticky substance, had a texture just slightly inferior to stone but could not withstand the force of the vine.


    With the pir broken, Ji Jichun and the others brought the object up, and Su Han and Bai Qn finally saw the true appearance of the pir.


    The entire pir was about twenty centimeters wide and one meter long, presenting a grayish-green color, resembling a stctite with very obvious traces of umtion and concretion.


    Embedded in the pir were about four blue fish eggs, semi-transparent in appearance, clearly showing the floating Half-Fish Monsterrvae inside.


    The Half-Fish Monsterrvae had no limbs, their eyes tightly shut, their bodies a pale blue color, only the hideous appearance of their heads clearly distinguishable.


    "How many of these things are down there?"


    "Seven or eight pirs, and probably around twenty to thirty Half-Fish Monster eggs."


    After a brief consideration, Su Han then said, "Bring them all up."


    Ji Jichun, receiving the order, immediately returned to the water and, with practiced ease, worked with the vine to break the pirs and moved the Half-Fish Monster eggs up one by one.


    It took a full half hour to clear things up, totaling twenty-six Half-Fish Monster eggs, all alive, the movements of thervae inside palpable.


    "The vitality is really strong."


    Su Han couldn''t help but remark, whether through Evolution or mutation, the vitality of these altered creatures was unimaginablepared to Earth''s original species.


    "Move them back; put the Half-Fish Monsters in cages and the eggs, along with the blue scale carps and red line grass carps, in the water pool at Vi No. 9."


    Everyone went back together, and together they moved all the captured Half-Fish Monsters and Half-Fish Monsterrvae back.


    When they returned to Vi Shanhu, those who had stayed were shocked to see the dozens of Half-Fish Monsters brought back alive.


    Clearing out the Half-Fish Monsters was understandable, but capturing them all meant something different ¨C it signified that Su Han and his team''s power was overwhelming.


    "Su Han"


    Yan Meiyu approached Su Han, her eyes widening in surprise as she nced at the blue scale carp and red line grass carp packed in big iron barrels.


    "Are these the monsters newly captured?"


    "Yes, how are the preparations for the pool going?"


    Yan Meiyu replied, "I was just about to discuss this with you. The pool is still being dug, but it''s unlikely to be finished today, and the water won''t be able to settle and could be turbid due to poor waterproofing and settling. However, Vi No. 8 has a swimming pool ready, and I''ve already stored water there. As for the people living there, they''ve been moved to Vi No. 7."


    "A swimming pool? That works. Have them go with you and put the things there. Also, have Ji Jichun and the others Contract the Half-Fish Monsters."


    Yan Meiyu was taken aback, but she quickly agreed, "I understand."


    Not every vi in Shanhu Vi had a swimming pool; it depended on what the owners wanted, so Su Han hadn''t thought of it for a moment.


    There were 18 fish monsters and 46 half-fish monsters, all locked in cages, three fish monsters per cage, all ced on the open ground near building nine.


    The cages were made by Su Han using metal control, specially reinforced, so even the fish monster leader couldn''t break them.


    Moreover, the human-faced tree had stationed back on thisnd, its roots spread underground, and any movement would be directly controlled by injecting poison with the man-eating vine.


    It could be said that this cage was foolproof.


    Su Han and Bai Qn entered vi number nine, and for the sake of researching those monsters, Bai Qn had already moved into vi number nine, albeit living on the first floor.


    "I want to breed fish monsters, what do you think the possibility is?"


    As soon as he entered, Su Han asked Bai Qn.


    Bai Qn seemed to have anticipated Su Han''s question and thought for a moment before answering, "It''s possible to breed them, as long as we know their breeding methods. Yunling Lake provides the food and environment. All you have to do is iste a part of Yunling Lake, confine it with cages, and keep them inside."


    Although breeding fish monsters seemed absurd, they could fully serve as one of the Angel Envoy''s forces, and living fish monsters could continuously provide tissues for making injections, enhancing overall strength.


    "However," Bai Qn hesitated, saying, "whether it''s making injections, breeding, or using them as food, we need aboratory."


    "Whichboratory in South City would be most suitable?"


    "Theboratory at South City University is the mostprehensive, but there should be quite a few people there, and it''s also far away. Alternatively, the Aoke Biological Research Center funded by the Bai Yujing Group in the newly developed area."


    Su Han nodded and said, "I''ll handle theboratory in a couple of days, you first observe the fish monsters and the green-scaled carps."


    "I understand, be careful with theb side, there might be monsters in the biologicalb."


    Biologicalboratories inevitably have various experimental creatures, and with the apocalypse upon us, no one knew what might happen.


    However, the trip to theboratory was already deemed necessary; if not the Aoke Biological Research Center, then another ce.


    Of course, this action still needed nning; rushing out recklessly could be dangerous.


    By noon, Zhu Xiong and the others began to bring things back one after another.


    Though they all went with trucks, the materials they needed to haul were not few, especially the metal cubes that Su Han had specified.


    Each weighed nearly half a ton, so not too many could be hauled in one trip; thus, they had brought these metals back first in the morning.


    Once the metals arrived, Su Han, controlling a magic spider warrior, began processing these metals.


    The blueprint provided by Ye Kailing was very clear; she obviously had received relevant training before.


    The structure of the crossbow body, the bowstring, the winch, and more were allplete, even indicating how many times the bowstrings should be reced to ensure the crossbow''s shooting speed and power.


    Metal strings were not like other bowstrings; they had greater sticity and required more force to draw, so the strings would wear out faster.


    However, she didn''t know that Su Han, with his metal control, could enhance the metals and solve this problem.


    Su Han crafted ten handheld crossbows entirely out of metal, then called over Zhu Xiong who had just returned from the transport.


    "Old Zhu, have someone take the crossbows over and test their power;e back and tell me how it goes."


    "There''s such a good thing?"


    Zhu Xiong, seeing the handheld crossbow made entirely of metal, brightened up; such a thing would have been directly illegal before the apocalypse.


    But for a man, that''s just a speed bump, isn''t it?


    He picked one up, weighing it; it wasn''t light, weighing over ten pounds.


    But to a Contractor, that weight was not considered heavy.


    "Leave it to me, it''s a good chance to test it while cleaning up the area."


    Zhu Xiong hesitated then said, "However, Su Han, Summers Garden Mall might disappoint us; there''s plenty of clothes and jewelry, but the edible food that hasn''t gone bad is much less."


    The camp now had about ny people, needing at least over a hundred pounds of food daily, mostly staples.


    The previously stockpiled food could havested two to three months, but now it definitely would not suffice.


    And the newly nted crops wouldn''t be ready to harvest any time soon, precisely a gap period.


    "First gather everything ande back, then we''ll go out to look for more, especially since I need to make a trip these few days."


    Zhu Xiong was somewhat surprised but immediately nodded and said, "As long as you have a n in mind, that''s good."

 Chapter 88 Southern Prosperous Chemical Plant

    "Group one, upy the high ground at the main gate to cover,"


    "Understood."


    "Group two, left nk; group three, right nk; the remaining teams, frontal assault and sweep, using Angel Envoy for cover during the attack."


    "Duan Jie, Zhao Yaqian, the two of you have the highest level among the Angel Envoys, you are responsible for handling the High Order monsters."


    "Received."


    Outside the Southern Prosperous Chemical nt, a task force of about two hundred armed soldiers had fully assembled.


    They stood uniformly, d in either camouge or ck, their postures erect, each holding a rifle with a serious expression.


    This was the vanguard unit from South City camp, consisting of a mixed group of the Armed Forces and guards.


    Although their names had not officially been changed, Yan Tiejun, Guo Wutao, and Li Ruikang had already secretly resolved to consolidate all forces.


    Whether it was the Armed Forces or the guard troops, including the civilian Contractors, all needed to be integrated for better unifiedmand.


    The mission for this vanguard unit was to establish a new camp¡ªSouthern Prosperous Chemical nt.


    Southern Prosperous Chemical nt, a notable facility in South City, covered an area of 2 million square meters, equivalent to over two hundred ser fields, and employed up to five thousand workers at its peak.


    Because it was a chemical nt, with inherent dangers, its surrounding walls were rtively high, sufficient to serve as camp fortifications.


    Find your next adventure on m_v l|e-NovelBin


    Moreover, and most importantly, this was a chemical nt; its raw materials were enough for schrs like Tian Jiaxuan to devise bombs.


    Despite South City currently having ample firepower, it was only temporary, as intense battles would consume a vast amount of ammunition.


    They were merely the city''s garrison Armed Forces, with plenty of light weapons and, for now, sufficient ammunition; however, high-power weapons were scarce.


    As monsters grew stronger, what used to be one-shot kills now often required an additional shot.


    And for even higher-grade monsters, First-level Intermediate and even First Order Upper Grade, bullets were quickly losing effectiveness.


    A bullet could injure but killing, or just incapacitating, was bing increasingly hard to achieve.


    Thus, Li Ruikang, Yan Tiejun, and Guo Wutao immediately designated this location as the new base site.


    From this center, they would recapture surrounding machine factories, manufacturing nts, and other facilities to swiftly restore production capabilities by leveraging modern industrial power.


    "Begin the operation!"


    Guo Wutao issued the order sternly. Although he could have stayed in the rear, he insisted on joining the battle. This fight had to be won, otherwise, chaos would ensue in the South City camp.


    Team one quickly approached the chemical nt, the team leader carrying a Lamp Tree Crystal, which dispersed the fog with its brightness, soon revealing the guard position.


    "Roar"


    The flesh corpses patrolling the guard position immediately noticed the light and lunged toward them.


    "Swoosh"


    A crossbow arrow shot precisely at their heads, the powerful pration instantly killing them.


    "Clear the guard post; before official action starts, do not use rifles."


    "Received!"


    Group one moved quickly, each equipped with tactical crossbows, all formerly trained in urbanbat, hence their swiftness.


    Within less than three minutes, seven or eight flesh corpses at the security booth and the main gate were killed by them.


    They quickly approached the main gate, ensuring no flesh corpses were left; then, with the help of their Angel Envoys and teammates, they climbed the surrounding wall and took the high ground.


    They stowed away their hand crossbows, then pulled out sniper rifles from behind, preparing to snipe.


    "Fifty meters ahead, one hundred meters, deploy Crystals."


    Following the order, three ground team members poured out Lamp Tree Crystals, the size of ping-pong balls, from their insted sks.


    The Lamp Tree Crystals were enveloped in ayer of transparent material, looking very sturdy.


    They threw the Lamp Tree Crystals toward the left, middle, and right directions respectively.


    The Lamp Tree Crystals formed an arc,nding about fifty meters away, where their light dispersed the fog along the way, immediately enhancing visibility.


    Flesh corpses within the fog instantly detected themotion and lunged at them, but at that moment, their teammates on the wall provided cover.


    Just as the flesh corpses entered the fifty-meter range, crossbow arrows were shot at them, knocking them down.


    The team members throwing the Lamp Tree Crystals didn''t even nce at these flesh corpses; they had already started their second round ofthrows.


    The Lamp Tree Crystals uratelynded about one hundred meters away, intercrossing with the firstnding points, instantly dispersing the fog.


    Two rounds of Lamp Tree Crystal throws,bined with the already thinning fog, created a fan-shaped area of clear visibility extending over two hundred meters.


    "Group one in position, thirty-two flesh corpses ahead, light source detected."


    "All groups, begin the action!"


    The real action began; groups two and three immediately followed group one, quickly climbingup on the wall to take high ground positions, with sniper rifles and rifles alternately set up.


    The remaining four groups drove straight through the main gate in armored vehicles, forming a cross-linked barricade with four vehicles right inside the gate, providing mutual covering positions.


    Rifle-wielding troops quickly entered, using the barricade as cover to set up firing positions, aiming into the depths of the chemical nt.


    "Roar"


    The flesh corpse monsters that had detected the light immediately lunged forward, but this time they were met not by the silent crossbow arrows but by loud gunfire.


    Upon the gunfire, flesh corpses'' heads burst into Blood Holes, then they fell to the ground.


    The gunfire alerted arge number of flesh corpses and monsters inside the chemical nt, and then even more monsters surged forward.


    Not just the dozens already visible, but hundreds more continuously streamed in.

 Chapter 89: Chapter 88: Southern Prosperous Chemical Plant_2

    Continuous gunfire is the best lure, and this visible area is the hunting ground and the battlefield.


    Endless monsters kept attacking, some were First Order Inferior meat zombies, but there were also First-level Intermediate monsters like the Giant w Zombies.


    However, on the side of the South City troops, there was serenity, cool and collected as they pressed their guns and fired, alternating between shooting and covering while reloading.


    Bullets mowed down the monsters'' lives like scythes, killing four to five hundred monsters in less than half an hour.


    "Thump thump thump,"


    At that moment, a colossal figure suddenly charged out of the mist, standing five meters tall with tight muscles and an exaggerated tumor forming on its right arm, which had turned into a heavy, keratinous lump, like a meat hammer.


    With each step shaking the ground, it strode toward the troops.


    Bullets hitting it only caused shallow wounds, and it seemed an impossible task to stop it with bullets before it reached the defensive line.


    "Report, a First Order Upper Grade Hammer Bearer!"


    Upon seeing this, Guo Wutao''s eyes narrowed as he shouted, "Duan Jie, have your Tyrant kill it!"


    "At once!"


    Duan Jie tossed away his rifle, and the light from the Book of Blood Spirit appeared on his left arm, promptly conjuring a tall figure before him.


    Standing five meters tall with muscles solid as a rock, its arms were long enough to reach past its knees, with white bone covering the backs of its massive hands and the protruding knuckles, forming natural brass knuckles.


    As soon as the Tyrant appeared, it strode past the armored vehicle and, taking three meters with every step, charged toward the Hammer Bearer.


    It leapt high into the air. The Hammer Bearer swung its meat hammer, but in the next moment, the Tyrant''s tightly sped fists had already smashed into the Hammer Bearer''s face.


    For a while, the two monsters grappled fiercely, with the Tyrant gaining the upper hand, suppressing the meat hammer arm while repeatedly striking the Hammer Bearer''s head.


    Zhao Yaqian frowned as she watched this, her hand glowing red, and a pitch-ck humanoid monster also appeared behind her.


    About two and a half meters tall and shrouded in ckness, it still bore a vaguely human shape, its muscr legs slightly bent, arms curved, and dark ws sharp as des.


    Zhao Yaqian directed the Shadow w Monster to rush forward with speed so swift it was like a ck shadow, reaching the battleground between the Tyrant and the Hammer Bearer in the blink of an eye.


    Though smaller in stature, it posed a considerable threat to the Hammer Bearer.


    The Hammer Bearer struggled to resist, but in the next moment, the sharp ws came together like a de, piercing through the Hammer Bearer''s skull.


    The Hammer Bearer ceased to move, and the Tyrant stood upright.


    "Move aside!"


    However, at that moment, a dark figure suddenly tackled the Tyrant to the ground¡ªa giant two-headed dog standing four meters long, which overpowered the Tyrant in one fell swoop.


    Startled, Zhao Yaqianmanded the Shadow w Monster to aid, but another shadow quickly pounced from the mist toward the Shadow w Monster.


    Her reaction was swift, the Shadow w Monster sidestepping in time to dodge an attack, avoiding being pinned down.


    Now everyone could see it was a Giant Macrophage Dog, almost as big as thepletely red, skin-bursting two-headed dog.


    "This Giant Macrophage Dog is at least First Order Upper Grade."


    Guo Wutao''s face darkened as his arm Book of Blood Spirit turned red, ready to intervene.


    "Squad leader, I''ll take care of it."


    Arge hand gripped Guo Wutao''s arm, and upon looking, Guo Wutao saw it was Cheng Zhenyong.


    Cheng Zhenyong grinned, "An Angel Envoy and a Contractor are connected by heart and mind. If you have an ident, no one will be inmand."


    "You cheeky kid, I used to lead soldiers too,"


    Guo Wutao chuckled and scolded, but quickly added solemnly, "Be careful."


    There wasn''t much time for pleasantries on the battlefield. Cheng Zhenyong nodded and immediately Summoned his Apostle.


    His Apostle had significantly transformed, now standing three meters tall, its body even more distorted, with protruding spine bones like dorsal fins, its left arm had turned into a massive, sharp w resembling the Giant w Zombie, while the right had disappeared, reced with a thick, dark tentacle.


    As the Apostle joined the fray, it rushed toward the two-headed dog, the tentacle whipping out to bind and pull down the beast.


    Freed, the Tyrant immediately joined forces for the fight.


    Three against two, ten minutester, whether it was the two-headed dog or the Giant Macrophage Dog, both were in.


    The peak of the monster wave also gradually dissipated as the First Order Upper Grade leader monster was killed.


    Atst, after half an hour, the battle ended, and the bodies of hundreds of monstersy on the ground, blood staining the soil.


    "Clean up the battlefield, twenty minutester, we''ll employ small unit tactics, retake the buildings of the Prosperous Chemical Factory. Apostles and crossbows will coordinate; avoid using thermal weapons if not necessary to prevent chemical explosions."


    "Understood."


    The team members summoned their Apostles and began cleaning up the battlefield. After arge-scale monster clear-up, small-scale operations were the most dangerous.


    Fortunately, with the Apostles'' cooperation, the casualty rate would not be too high.


    Stay tuned for updates on m-v -NovelBin


    "Your Apostle sure has changed a lot."


    After a phase of battle, Guo Wutao patted Cheng Zhenyong''s shoulder.


    Cheng Zhenyong grinned and said, "Professor Bai''s injection worked well, mutating into a First Order Upper Grade would have taken a long time without it."


    "That requires talent too."


    Guo Wutao didn''t skimp on praising hisrade, saying, "In the entire camp, how many are First Order Upper Grade? Old Yan, me, Duan Jie, Zhao Yaqian, you, and a couple from the Armed Forces and the Security Bureau. All in all, less than ten.


    Professor Bai Qiuwen said the effects of the injection were one thing, but the Contractor''s Talent and the potential of the type of Apostle also affect the inducement to mutate."


    "My potential?"


    Cheng Zhenyong chuckled, "If I count as having good potential, then what about Su Han?"


    Guo Wutao paused, his gaze firming as he asked, "Are you talking about the Contractor from Happiness Community?"

 Chapter 90: Chapter 88: Southern Prosperous Chemical Plant_3

    "Yes, if he were here, he could have dealt with these three by himself, even though his Four-armed Corpse is just First Order Upper Grade. Compared to me, he is the real monster,"


    "Great heroes emerge from chaos. It would have been great if they hade with you initially."


    Guo Wutao shook his head. Heroes have always emerged from chaos since ancient times, but now it''s not just chaos¡ªit''s the apocalypse. Who knows what kind of heroes or overlords might arise...


    He rallied his spirits and said, "Don''t worry, once we take down the chemical factory, next will be the research center. The injections can still be purified, and by then, the effects will be much improved."


    As long as they obtained enough resources, the South City camp could rely on its strong execution to slowly snowball, undoubtedly being able to kill more monsters and save more civilians.


    This was stated by Guo Wutao!


    -----------------


    Shanhu Vi District, in the afternoon, Zhu Xiong brought back thest truck of supplies.


    142 metal cubes, totaling 71 tons of metal, 40 gasoline tanks, hadn''t pumped out the gasoline yet, approximately still 1000 liters of gasoline left, which could power Vi No. 9 for quite a while.


    The vi hadn''t utilizedrge-scale electricity these past few days because Vi No. 9 is where Su Han lives, and Bai Qn''s research equipment indeed required electricity, along with other rechargeable lightning tools were also charged here.


    However, this was only on a small scale. The equipment needing electricity in Bai Qn''s ownb was minimal, but once the realb waspleted, the electricity consumption would likely increase even more.


    Apart from the metal, automobile parts, and gasoline, Zhu Xiong and his team also brought back food and some other supplies.


    Staples such as rice and flour weighed over a thousand kilograms, while canned goods, sugary foods, etc., weighed no more than a hundred kilograms.


    Summer Garden Mall was originally a business center, not a grain and oil store, and although there were restaurants, those foods could not be stored for more than a month.


    Moreover, the most important thing was that there had been many survivors living there before, so most of the supplies had already been consumed.


    Being able to find so much stuff was thanks to the thorough clearing of monsters this time, allowing them to search slowly; otherwise, they couldn''t have brought back these supplies.


    Of course, apart from food, there were quite a few usable supplies, especially clothing and shoes.


    "After Old Zhu and the team brought back these supplies, based on our current number of people and consumption, the food canst about three months, excluding the consumption needed for raising fish monsters,"


    Yan Meiyu was roughly reporting the ssification of supplies, paused, and then said, "If Evolved Kind fish are edible, then the fish in Yunling Lake could be considered as half a month''s stock."


    Su Han listened to Yan Meiyu''s report, shook his head, and said, "The matter of Evolved Kind fish, let''s discuss it after theb has monitored it. Just relying on the two pieces of meat Nie Rilong ate is not safe."


    "Old Zhu, is the winch crossbow effective?"


    Su Han looked toward Zhu Xiong and asked about the winch crossbow.


    "It has a range of about three hundred meters and can pierce the brain of a Tentacle-faced Monster. The firing speed is a bit slow, it''s a bit difficult for a Contractor to operate without the winch, but it''s very effective,"


    Zhu Xiong detailed his experience using the crossbow. After an afternoon, he truly experienced what it meant to feel exhrating.


    Fighting with Angel Envoy is one thing, operating a winch crossbow is another; being able to kill monsters from a distance feels great.


    Ye Kailing was somewhat surprised and said, "This, how can a metal crossbow be so effective? What about the frequency of use and sticity of the bowstring?"


    "No changes, it works very well,"


    Zhu Xiong didn''t quite understand; the metal bowstring couldn''t have gone bad just after one afternoon of usage.


    He was not a professional, so of course, he didn''t know these subtleties.


    Bai Qn seemed thoughtful and said, "Can your skills also enhance the properties of metals?"


    She had always thought that Su Han had only enhanced the strength of the metal, but she hadn''t expected it to be soprehensive.


    Su Han nodded and said, "Yes. Ye Kailing, based on the current strength of the crossbow, adjust the blueprints and I will produce the final version. You can use it tomorrow."


    At this moment, Ye Kailing also realized that Su Han had adjusted the metal, she hesitated and said, "I can''t achieve that level; at most, I can imitate a bit based on some top crossbow designs."


    She was only familiar with crossbows through training.


    But she didn''t know how to design a new crossbow arrow based on the strength of the metal.


    Undoubtedly, if a new crossbow arrow could be made based on the metal characteristics Su Han had adjusted, it might even be possible to create a super-strong crossbow arrow simr to a sniper rifle.


    Su Han also understood Ye Kailing''s concerns and said, "Just do your best."


    "Okay, I understand."


    Su Han''s gaze swept over the people and said, "Everyone, get ready. Tomorrow we will take a trip to the Aoke Biological Research Center and move all the equipment back. Everyone is aware of the injections and Evolved Kind fish, theb is crucial, so Old Zhu, n the route tonight."


    "Understood."


    "Meiyu, handle the logistics well."


    "Understood."


    Evolved Kind and mutants were the terms Bai Qn used for various kinds of mutating monsters, considered temporarybels.


    Those with stable life structures and spiritual energy structures without severe distortions and showing evidence of evolution from the original species were termed Evolved Kind.


    Blue-scale carps were Evolved Kind, but they were leaning towards stable evolution, without much increase in strength, also referred to as Low-Level Evolution.


    Four-armed Corpse, Spider Monster, and Meat Mountain Demon, these twisted, structurally unstable creatures with high aggression and invasiveness were ssified as mutants, in an unstable condition.


    As for humans and contracted Angel Envoys, they were unknown; Bai Qn had not discovered more clues yet.


    In this apocalypse-stricken world, everything was slowly being explored, even Bai Qn didn''t know if such ssifications were correct or not.


    Rebuilding theb might be one piece of evidence, and also an important way to understand this world.


    Thus, for Su Han, it was imperative.

 Chapter 91: Chapter 89: The Survivor of the Warehouse

    Ye Kailing''s actions were swift; she drew up the new winch crossbow blueprints overnight. Significant improvements were made to the aiming system and the structure of the crossbow itself, increasing the weapon''s power significantly.


    Su Han instructed the demon spider warriors to keep casting metal, and in a short time, they had produced forty winch crossbows, along with one thousand hollow metal crossbow arrows.


    Thirty of the winch crossbows were allocated to those going on the expedition, with the remaining ten handed over to the patrol team staying behind at the camp.


    "Su Han, take a look at this route."


    Zhu Xiong approached Su Han with a map, which not only marked the route to the Aoke Biological Research Center but also highlighted another location.


    "What''s this ce?"


    "It''s a private rice storage. The owner runs a rice noodle workshop. I''ve had goods transported from there before, and it has about 4 tons in reserve."


    Zhu Xiong pondered, "This ce isn''t well known beyond supermarkets, so there should still be rice. Should we make a detour?"


    He pointed to another spot nearby, "There are also two small supermarkets in the vicinity. There should be some supplies there, but I don''t know if they''ve already been taken."


    More than a month into the apocalypse, there were not a few survivors, either lone wolves or small groups. Where there are people alive, naturally, someone would be eyeing the surrounding resources.


    "Let''s go and see; take as much as we can. Bring a few more trucks."


    Su Han thought for a moment before speaking, "You, Ye Kailing, Zhang Dahai, and Guo Gang will lead the team. Take thirty people with you."


    "Got it. I''ll go gather the people now."


    With over ny people in the camp and roughly seventy who had entered into contracts, the rest either wanted to but hadn''t yet umted enough contribution.


    Without needing special instructions from Su Han, those who entered the camp had to work unless Su Han directly permitted a contract. After supplying energy to the Lamp Tree each day, everyone had to satisfy a certain amount ofbor, whether it was tilling the fields, doingundry, or cooking, all to maintain the camp''s operations.


    Only then could they umte enough contribution value to request the opportunity to contract.


    This was the order of the camp, securing more than just safety throughbor.


    Simrly, contractors who wanted to be stronger and obtain more powerful serums needed contribution value.


    Members like Zhao Yimin, Xia Ning, and Bai Xiao''e, who had previously obtained a batch of serums, had developed scales after injecting the Half-Fish Monster''s serum and had officially entered the First-level Intermediate rank.


    Although they were not as strong as Guo Gang and others, they were still useful.


    As Zhu Xiong went to assemble the team, Su Han took the opportunity to modify the dump trucks for the expedition using metal.


    Thanks to the abundant metal, this round of modifications included not only reinforcing the front of the vehicles but also expanding and reinforcing the overall structure and fuel tanks, making it nearly impossible for First Order Upper Grade monsters to easily shake these ''metal beasts''.


    "I''lle with you too."


    Just as he was modifying the vehicles, Bai Qn approached Su Han from behind.


    "You''reing too?"


    Su Han frowned slightly. Bai Qn was the only researcher at Shanhu Vi, and she had achieved significant results. Losing her to danger would be a great loss.


    "If I don''t go, do you know what to bring back?"


    Bai Qn said with a slight lift of her mouth, her bright eyes smiling at Su Han.


    "...."


    Su Han paused, realizing he indeed didn''t know what specifically to bring back; his only thought was to take everything he could. Now reminded by Bai Qn, he felt unsure because what if something was damaged?


    "Youe along too."


    The team was ready, deploying four trucks and two jeeps. Everyone was spread out in the vehicles, all wearing tight, thin iron armor and nearly each person equipped with a winch crossbow.


    Su Han and Bai Qn sat in the lead truck, with Old Zhu driving and Su Han in the passenger seat, while Bai Qn sat in the back row.


    The vehicles slowly left Shanhu Vi. The security booth and main entrance had already been transformed, currently watched over by Cheng Xiyuan and his team.


    They traveled at an even pace, following the nned route, while the crystals of the Lamp Tree continuously dispelled the fog ahead.


    Due to the rush to travel, Su Han did not summon the Human-faced Tree but used the crystals of the Lamp Tree for illumination¡ªone at the front of the convoy, one in the middle jeep, and one with Guo Gang''s team at the end.


    Though Su Han and his group had five Lamp Trees, and more than ny people supplied energy each day, spreading it across each tree meant only about ten people per tree. Therefore, the crystallization was not particrly fast. At that moment, there were only three lychee-sized crystals and four or five thumb-sized crystals still on the trees. Explore more at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    The crystals still on the trees could not be touched for the time being because the crop fields entirely depended on their light. If the glow disappeared for too long, the crops would die.


    ```


    This also meant that Su Han had to temporarily postpone the idea of continuing to fuse Crystals, but it wasn''t a big issue.


    "There are flesh zombies on the left, four of them."


    Zhu Xiong''s eyes were sharp, and he had already spotted the flesh zombies that were stirring beside the street.


    "Keep driving."


    Su Han picked up the winch crossbow, leaned out of the car window, aimed at one of the zombies, and pulled the trigger; the sound of the metal arrow piercing the head with a "thwack."


    Not bad for firepower!


    Before he could reload the crossbow and shoot again, the remaining three flesh zombies had already charged, only to be immediately crushed under the wheels of the truck without making a sound.


    After all, their truck had been modified from a dumper, heavier by several tons. It would be a joke if flesh zombies could cause it any harm.


    As they drove over, there was an attack from a Giant w Zombie, but it was quickly dispatched by Zhu Xiong on the roof of the truck who, with his Strength Burst skill, smashed it with his hammer.


    "There''s the warehouse ahead, but it looks like there are quite a few flesh zombies."


    As the vehicle gradually approached the predetermined location, and the fog dissipated, more shapes of flesh zombies began to appear.


    "Get out and clean them up."


    Su Han''s voice came through, and everyone immediately summoned their Apostles and then attacked those flesh zombies; the Apostles serving as cover, while everyone with winch crossbows aimed at the zombies, one arrow for each, cleaning them up swiftly.


    Su Han did not make a move, but the red light in his hand flickered, and the Human-faced Tree appeared behind him.


    Radiance of the Lamp Tree


    As soon as the Human-faced Tree appeared, its vines extended out, and then branches and vines lit up, illuminating the entire block, revealing the figures of more monsters.


    Flesh zombies, Giant Macrophage Dogs, Rot Skin Rats... The crimson eyes targeted Su Han and his group, numbering more than a hundred. There were quite a few monsters in this district.


    "Zombies in the front, fire the crossbow arrows freely, they''ve all got iron armor."


    Zhu Xiong shouted, and hisrge Apostle had already charged into the crowd of monsters, swinging a huge hammer with each blow apanied by the sound of breaking bones.


    "First Order Upper Grade?"


    A look of surprise shed in Su Han''s eyes, and he smiled. He had not expected Zhu Xiong to have broken through; the strength of his Apostle had clearly increased significantlypared to a few days ago, and his build had be even more imposing.


    "Swoosh swoosh"


    The sound of crossbow arrows being shot continuously rang out. Although there were many monsters, their numbers were rapidly dwindling under the coordinated attacks of the Apostles and the crossbow arrows.


    Su Han watched the dying flesh zombies and with a thought, extended the vines, entwining and wrapping up the zombies'' corpses.


    [Detected fusion material: flesh zombie blood and flesh. Fuse?]


    Fuse


    Over a hundred monsters were not few in number, perfect for adding some Fusion Degree to the LV1 flesh zombie tissue. The monsters they killed in this sortie surely amounted to more than these.


    Thin fments continuously fused the blood and flesh of the zombies, even the blood spread on the ground due to the fighting, as the battle still raged on, with more flesh zombies and monsters surging out from buildings.


    But none could breach the defense line of the group; one after another, they were in. After more than ten minutes, the frequency of the monsters'' attacks gradually lessened, and finally, no more charged out.


    "The grain storage is up ahead, turn left at the end of the street for the supermarket. Old Guo, you and Ye Kailing take people to the supermarket."


    Zhu Xiong assigned tasks, and Su Han did not intervene, instead letting the Human-faced Tree continue fusing the nearly two hundred monsters'' corpses.


    Zhu Xiong and the others split into two groups to act. Their movements were swift and proficient, and even without Su Han''s participation, they disyed the capability to scout and search for resources. This was what Su Han had wanted.


    Zhu Xiong arrived at the warehouse exterior where the metal gate was locked tight. He said to one of his teammates, "Let''s break open the gate together, quickly. If that doesn''t work, we''ll use the truck to pull it."


    "Brother Zhu, rest assured. It''s a small matter."


    The surrounding people responded, ready to move forward, when suddenly a voice came from inside, "Wait, there are people inside, not monsters."


    The surprise at the voice caused Zhu Xiong to pause. People inside?


    "tter"


    With the voice, the rolling shutter door slowly opened, revealing a group of people holding various sticks and kitchen knives, warily watching this side, with their Apostles firmly blocking in front of them.


    ```

 Chapter 92: Chapter 90 Employee of Aoke Biological Research Center

    Zhu Xiong''s gaze hardened, and his fleshy face quivered, "Put down your weapons, don''t let me misunderstand, or you''ll all turn into hedgehogs."


    As soon as his voice fell, more than ten of his team members aimed their crossbows straight at the group, and the corpse monsters d in iron armor also surrounded them.


    And his one First Order Upper Grade huge corpse monster stood in the very front like a small mountain, d in heavy armor, with itsrge hammer still dripping blood.


    In an instant, the people inside the warehouse retreated a few steps, frightened.


    "Wait, we have no intentions of doing anything."


    Under the threat of Zhu Xiong, some people quickly couldn''t hold on anymore. Although they had weapons in their hands and some of them possessed Angel Envoys, with the ring of hand crossbows on the other side, if they acted, they would definitely be the ones to die.


    "ng"


    The iron bar in their hands fell to the ground, and with someone taking the lead, the rest also put down their weapons.


    "Humans crouch on the left, Angel Envoys on the right, spaced five meters apart back to back. We won''t hurt you; we just want to ensure safety. Now pick a leader ande with me to talk about your situation, got it?"


    As the voice fell, there was dead silence; no one dared to respond.


    After hemming and hawing for a while, Zhu Xiong nced and his gaze fell on the man who had been talking earlier.


    "You,e with me. Everyone else stay put and start stating your profession and situation one by one. Someone is taking note, so don''t lie. Those with abilities will be protected first."


    Zhu Xiong left the warehouse with the trembling man, asking as they walked, "Don''t be nervous, brother, what''s your name, and what do you do?"


    "Zhao Kun, I run a small rice noodle factory, this is my family''s warehouse."


    Upon hearing Zhu Xiong''s question, Zhao Kun''s heart pounded anxiously, fearing Zhu Xiong did not have good intentions, "Big brother, there''s still two or three tons of rice inside. If you want it, take it, just spare me, please."


    "You are Zhao Kun?"


    Zhu Xiong was somewhat surprised; his truck drivers had received orders from Zhao Kun, but contact was mostly by phone, and Zhu Xiong had never met Zhao Kun in person; it was the drivers who met with him.


    "Don''t worry, he''s an old acquaintance."


    Zhu Xiong patted Zhao Kun on the shoulder and said, "Zhou Bingwang is one of my drivers."


    "Old Zhou is your driver?"


    Zhao Kun''s eyes widened, and he suddenly felt an immense relief, "Boss Zhu, it''s like a flood washing the Dragon King Temple, our own people, our own family."


    In the past, they contacted by phone or transferred money through WeChat, so he had never met them in person, he really didn''t remember.


    Zhu Xiong cracked a smile, "Tell me honestly about that group of people you''re with, and if there''s no problem, we''re family."


    Zhao Kun felt a chill in his heart, but quickly responded, "Brother, the twenty-three people inside are all who gradually sought refuge in the supermarket and gathered together. They''re merchants from this street, some are customers... oh, right, there are also two who escaped from some biomedical research facility."


    Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong immediately became alert, "Aoke Biological Research Center?"


    "Yes, yes, that''s the one."


    The Aoke Biological Research Center was in fact not far from this location; just one more street over. But suddenly having peoplee from there was unexpected for Zhu Xiong.


    He turned solemn, "Come with me."


    Zhu Xiong led Zhao Kun to Su Han''s side, and the towering Human-faced Tree made Zhao Kun tremble and avert his gaze.


    Actually, they had heard the intense sounds of battle from the neighborhood, screams of those creatures, and the monsters that were blocking the door had been drawn away.


    How could they not have noticed suchmotion?


    It was precisely because of thismotion, and hearing Zhu Xiong and his team''s voices, that they knew someone had ughtered the monsters.


    The vast chasm in strength was the reason they surrendered without a fight.


    But Zhao Kun could never have imagined that Zhu Xiong''s side would have such a massive and terrifying Angel Envoy.


    "There''s a group of survivors inside, including people from the Aoke Biological Research Center."


    Su Han''s gaze fell on Zhao Kun as he demanded, "Let''s hear it."


    "Half a month ago, they escaped here just half a month ago. There were four of them, but two seemed to have been poisoned by some strange creature and couldn''tst even half a day before they died."


    Zhao Kun didn''t dare to conceal anything and revealed everything, "They had been to the night market here and knew there was a supermarket, which is why they ran over here. After that, they defended the supermarket with us until the monsters besieged us, and we had to retreat to my warehouse."


    Su Han listened carefully to the sequence of events and nced at Bai Qn, who said, "It''s normal for the Biological Research Center to do experiments with living beings. If there were poisonous creatures mutating, getting poisoned wouldn''t be strange. However, for the specifics, it might be better to ask the people involved directly."


    "Take us there."


    Zhao Kun led them on, and Zhang Dahai was approaching at a brisk pace, "Boss, Old Zhu found two big fish... "


    "The people from Aoke Biological Research Center, right?"


    Zhang Dahai was taken aback, but immediately nodded, "Yes, two employees. They encountered a monster attack there, and nearly everyone in the center is dead."


    Everyone came to the warehouse, where Zhang Dahai had already taken the two employees aside, and their Angel Envoys were separately tied up with ropes, ced far away.


    Su Han''s gaze was immediately drawn to their Contract Angel Envoys: they were two enormous scorpions covered in pitch-ck, adorned with dark red patterns.


    The scorpions were one meter tall and about 1.5 meters long, with a sinister cyclopean eye set on their foreheads, and their backs sported two curling, barbed scorpion tails, sharp and threatening.


    "Are you two from the Aoke Biological Research Center?"


    Su Han looked at the two and asked aloud.


    "Yes, we are."


    Shu Hongguang and Ji Mingyang quickly nodded. Suddenly, Ji Mingyang caught a glimpse of the woman next to Su Han and hesitated, "Mr. Bai?"


    "You recognize me?"


    Bai Qn looked at Ji Mingyang, a flicker of confusion crossing her eyes.


    Ji Mingyang hurriedly said, "I saw you once when you inspected the research center."


    The research center, invested in and researched by the Bai Yujing Group, naturally had many interactions. As the heir of Bai Yujing and the director of research and development, Bai Qn naturally made inspections.


    "What''s the current situation at the Aoke Biological Research Center?"


    Bai Qn didn''t probe further on this issue but calmly inquired about the situation.


    Ji Mingyang was startled, then quickly said, "Mr. Bai, are you nning to go to the research center? Don''t go, there are two clusters of monsters fighting over territory, and most of our people are dead. Only a few of us escaped."


    "Give me the details."


    A cool voice came from Su Han, causing Ji Mingyang to startle, remembering that Su Han was the true decision-maker here.


    He nodded quickly and said, "At first, when the fog descended, there was arge-scale disturbance among our experimental creatures. Then eyes appeared, colleagues turned into flesh corpses, and some of the experimental creatures escaped their cages, turning into monsters.


    Luckily, the security team reacted quickly; they became Contractors first, leading everyone to suppress many of the colleagues who had be flesh corpses, thus, we were able to hole up inside the experimental building to save everyone."


    "The Aoke Biological Research Center is well-secured, with the doors shut tight; the flesh corpses outside couldn''t get in. We hid for over a week, waiting for official rescue. But soon after, the situation changed¡ªthe Double-tailed Scorpions started appearing inrge numbers, surrounding us; we almost had to fend them off every day, and that''s how I got my Angel Envoy."


    Ji Mingyang nced at his Angel Envoy then sneakily took in Su Han''s expression, unable to decide if there was any change.


    Shu Hongguang interjected, "But we all miscalcted. The Double-tailed Scorpions weren''t our true enemy; it was their matriarch. That super-sized Double-tailed Scorpion suddenly showed up, breaking through all defenses, and all the colleagues, including the security team, became its food.


    It was only because the worms and their matriarch unexpectedly burst forth from the ground and fought with the Double-tailed Scorpion matriarch that we could escape."


    "Yes, the size of the matriarch is much bigger than a car, as much as five or six meters tall; it''s too dangerous."


    Ji Mingyang voiced a warning, "Mr. Bai, you must be going for the experimental equipment. I suggest giving up. If you need equipment, otherbs should have some; the Aoke Center truly isn''t safe."


    As researchers initially from Aoke Biological Research Center, they thought of making injectors from the samples they obtained.


    This was the main reason they could endure in such a dangerous ce for over half a month and why they didn''t leave easily.


    But then, even more powerful monsters appeared and effortlessly vanquished everything, sending them into profound despair and horror.


    "Su Han, do you still want to go?"


    Bai Qn asked Su Han, hesitant. The battle between two ns, both of colossal sizes, left her unsure whether their strength was that of a First Order Upper Grade or Second Order.


    "Let''s go take a look first; it''s not just the Aoke Biological Research Center I''m interested in, but those two monsters as well."

 Chapter 93: Chapter 91 Aoke Biological Research Center

    Ji Mingyang''s heart raced with urgency. "Why won''t this person listen? That ce is dangerous."


    However, before he could further persuade, Zhu Xiong embraced him with augh, "Don''t worry unnecessarily. You''re a researcher, right? A real talent. Just cooperate honestly and we''ll ensure your safety."


    Zhu Xiong was grinning like a jovial tiger, and Ji Mingyang didn''t dare to say another word,forting himself silently: "There are so many of them; they should be able to escape."


    Ye Kailing quickly sent back news as well; the supplies in the two supermarkets were half gone, especially the food, which was almost depleted. This matched the information provided by Zhao Kun and his group.


    Since there was not much left to move in the supermarket, everyone gathered at the warehouse location, together with Zhao Kun and his people, and began transporting the supplies.


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    Although frightened at first, Zhao Kun and his team gradually found that Su Han''s team was very disciplined and eventually let their guard down, vigorously moving the rice.


    Being able to clear out hundreds of fleshy corpse monsters was a feat far more impressive than their disorganized bunch.


    The rice was packaged inrge bags, each weighing a hundred kilograms, so about sixty bags for three tons. With most of the group being Contractors and many Angel Envoys among them, it took less than 15 minutes to load all the supplies onto the truck.


    After disrupting Zhao Kun''s group, Zhu Xiong immediately drove them to the Aoke Biological Research Center in two trucks.


    The research center was not far from their current location. After Zhu Xiong drove another block, the sides of the street began to clear, being mostly upied byrge corporations or office buildings.


    As the fog gradually dispelled, Ji Mingyang and Shu Hongguang, who were in the lead vehicle, grew increasingly nervous.


    "We''re here, just another five hundred meters to the Aoke Biological Research Center. Those monsters must be nearby; we must..."


    "Bang! Bang! Bang!"


    Ji Mingyang''s voice was abruptly interrupted by a series of gunshots, making everyone''s expressions stiffen as they exchanged nces.


    "Gunshots?"


    Zhu Xiong hesitated slightly, being out of practice in discerning such sounds after years of peace.


    "It must be. Stop the vehicles. Everyone be alert. Old Zhu, youe with me to check it out."


    "Okay."


    Zhu Xiong signaled to the following vehicle and after instructing Ye Kailing to stand guard, he pulled out the car keys and led Ji Mingyang and the others forward.


    Being the most familiar with the Aoke Biological Research Center, no matter what, they could not avoid involvement. However, Bai Qn didn''t stay put, but also summoned her Angel Envoy and followed.


    Su Han, along with the Demon Spider warrior, hastily headed towards the source of the gunfire, moving directly through the fog without using the Lamp Tree Crystals.


    Double-tailed Scorpion corpses!


    The group had walked three to four hundred meters on this deserted street, covered with nauseating green blood and spattered with human-sized Double-tailed Scorpion corpses, and bullet casings scattered all around.


    "The casings are still warm; someone is clearing the biological center; it must be official personnel,"


    Bai Qn picked up a casing, the warmth transferring to her palm, not too hot.


    She looked at Su Han, asking, "Shall we still go?"


    "Go!"


    Su Han''s eyes sharpened. That the official personnel were acting so swiftly was beyond his expectation. Yet, with such intense gunfire, it wasn''t certain they had settled everything.


    "Speed up."


    Everyone followed Su Han''s lead and quickly sped up. Entering the confines of the research center, the sounds of gunfire from the main building grew clearer.


    "Hiss, hiss, hiss," Just as everyone was about to cross therge open space in front of the building, a series of soft sounds came from the ground, and a pink figure burst out, heading straight for Bai Qn.


    Bai Qn, startled, immediately turned her crossbow, and with a swift click, triggered the mechanism. The crossbow arrow shot out with a "pfft" sound, piercing the body of the monster.


    Blood sttered, and the creature thudded to the ground.


    "Split-mouth Worm!"


    Ji Mingyang eximed in shock. He was all too familiar with this kind of creature¡ªa worm that had burst from the soft earth to devour many of his colleagues and those Double-tailed Scorpions.


    Su Han focused his gaze. This red fleshy worm was over a meter long, as thick as a bucket, somewhat resembling an earthworm but with a ck beak-like mouth split into three parts, lined with three rows of sharp teeth, and a flexible tongue like a long snake, pink yet covered in barbs.


    Although the Split-mouth Worm had been hit by an arrow, its vitality allowed it to continue wriggling violently.


    "Pfft"


    Su Han chopped off the head and then said, "Watch your step, keep off the grass and stay on the concrete."


    The concrete, having been hardened, was much safer since these Split-mouth Worms could not prate it.


    "Boom!"


    A massive explosion came from one side of the main building, shattering ss windows everywhere. As the group quickly approached, they were met with a shocking sight.


    A seven-meter-tall Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion was engulfed in mes, a heat wave sweeping around, creating chaos all around, the nearby Double-tailed Scorpions being blown away, limbs shattered, blood and flesh flying.


    Yet, in such an explosion, the creature seemed almost unaffected, suddenly lunging and overturning a ck armored security vehicle.


    "Retreat! The bombs have no effect on it."


    An armed squad of about thirty people continuously shot at the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion, rapidly retreating with panicked expressions.


    "I''ll use the Shadow w Monster to hold it off, Captain, you all retreat immediately, abandon thisboratory."

 Chapter 94: Chapter 91 Aoke Biological Research Center_2

    The Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion''s tail struck out like a whip cracking through the air, and the Shadow w Monster blocked it with lightning speed, its ws nging loudly against the scorpion''s tail armor.


    The Shadow w Monster slid backwards, barely able to keep its footing.


    "Zhao Yaqian, you!"


    Wang Hu looked at Zhao Yaqian, wanting to persuade her again, but he was cut off by her resolute gaze, and he bellowed angrily, "Retreat, the mission has failed!"


    Reluctant as they were, now was not the time to act rashly. The Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion was too powerful; only Zhao Yaqian''s Shadow w Monster could withstand it to some extent.


    Without her intervention, none of them could escape, and now, the Double-tailed Scorpions were closing in again, gradually advancing towards them.


    The armed team moved swiftly back, their armored vehicle was not far away, the very one they had arrived in. However, the ground suddenly heaved, and a colossal pink figure burst through the cement, flipping the armored vehicle over and blocking their path.


    It was a blood-colored worm, ten meters long with a girth akin to a water tank, its split-mouth gaping wide, emitting a piercing roar. Its vicious tongue shot out rapidly, with barb-like tentacles suddenly wrapping around a guard, sweeping him towards its jagged maw.


    "Zhao Yang!"


    The team leader''s eyes were filled with rage, and he continuously fired his gun at the split-mouth mother worm''s tongue, but the bullets merely left white marks without causing any damage.


    "Roar"


    At that moment, other team members and their Angel Envoys pounced to rescue theirrade, but with a single sweep, the mother worm sent them all flying.


    Split-mouth worms emerged one after another from the soil on both sides, encircling them.


    Worms in front, venomous scorpions behind, they were trapped.


    Wang Hu made a resolute decision, "Guan Yi, take the lead in holding off the Double-tailed Scorpions, let Zhao Yaqian go!"


    If the whole team couldn''t escape, then the strongest among them must. Zhao Yaqian had the Shadow w Monster, and with her First Order Upper Grade strength, she still had a chance to break through.


    "Yes!"


    Just as Guan Yi was about to turn around, suddenly a dark figure darted forth, shing with a metallic sound, its sharp ws slicing through the split-mouth mother worm''s tongue. In a sh of its de, the tongue was severed, and the guard, who was nearly pulled into its mouth, fell to the ground, narrowly escaping death.


    Wang Hu''s eyes widened, not knowing when a monster d in iron armor had positioned itself between them and the worms.


    Vines surged from the ground, seizing the worms one by one, as the Radiance of the Lamp Tree illuminated the area; the mist dispersed, revealing Su Han and hispanions who were previously hidden from Wang Hu and his team.


    "Reinforcements!"


    Wang Hu felt a surge of relief and immediately shouted, "Brothers, be careful, these two monsters are together!"


    Su Han, d in ck Armor, wielding Pu knives, cut down several worms with the Human-faced Tree clearing the way, opening a path through.


    "Bring your people over!"


    He spoke calmly, and Wang Hu immediately responded, "Quick, cover Zhao Yaqian, let''s all retreat together."


    The Human-faced Tree''s vines also swept towards the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion, entangling its limbs and slowing its movement.


    Wang Hu''s team reacted swiftly, turning back to shoot, disrupting the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion and the swarming Double-tailed Scorpions.


    Zhao Yaqian seized the opportunity, and the Shadow w Monster snatched her up, quickly rushing towards the path Su Han had cleaved. The sudden intervention of reinforcements caught both groups of monsters off guard, allowing Wang Hu and his team to reach Su Han, breaking free from the encirclement.


    The split-mouth mother worm, infuriated, charged towards the Giant Macrophage Dog, its beak-like mouth its hardest weapon.


    However, the ck armor on the Giant Macrophage Dog instantly transformed, tes coalescing into a ck shield that blocked the ferocious impact.


    The warrior moved, swiftly bypassing the mother worm''s blockade, rejoining Su Han, and, together with the Human-faced Tree, held back both groups of monsters, creating a standoff.


    "Thank you,"


    Grateful for the narrow escape, Wang Hu kept thanking Su Han earnestly, "Brother, we''re from the official camp of South City. Let''s retreat together for now, and we''ll return with more powerful bombs to deal with them."


    Their reconnaissance had been insufficient; they hadn''t anticipated encountering such high-grade monsters, and the explosives they carried proved inadequate against them ¨C and there was more than one of them.


    A mission that started with fifty people was now down to thirty-two.


    ```


    "They certainly won''t let us go."


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    ```


    As they spoke, the Split-mouth Mother Worm let out a harsh roar, and to everyone''s surprise, the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion roared back in response. The two groups of monsters, rather than maintaining their standoff, now converged together, ring at Su Han and hispanions with voracious eyes.


    There were only two armed vehicles left, along with two police transport vehicles. With so many people, where could they possibly run to?


    "Prepare for battle. I''ll take on the big one, you all handle the rest."


    Su Han''s eyes hardened as he said, "Old Zhu, get everyone over here, use the trucks at the front line."


    "I''m on it!"


    With a stern look in his eye and fully understanding the gravity of the situation, Zhu Xiong immediately turned around with his Angel Envoy and rushed towards the location of the motorcade, all the while shouting loudly, "Everyone get ready for battle, bring the trucks over here!"


    No sooner had Zhu Xiong left than the Split-mouth Mother Worm burrowed into the ground, intending tounch an attack from beneath, while the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion quickly charged towards them.


    "So you think the underground will do?"


    Su Han was undaunted. With two Angel Envoys as his enforcers, he certainly wasn''t about to retreat without a fight.


    The vines of the Human-faced Tree drilled continuously into the ground, soon locating the uing assault by the Split-mouth Mother Worm.


    The vines entwined


    Beneath the ground, the battle erupted immediately. The gigantic size and the massive worm-like body with no fixed pivot made it challenging for the vines to restrain the worm.


    But likewise, under the meticulous undergroundwork woven by the vines, a surprise attack on Su Han and the others from below was impossible.


    The colossal form of the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion rushed towards Su Han and hispanions, seeking to disrupt the Human-faced Tree''s movements and coordinate with the Split-mouth Mother Worm.


    But by this time, the ck Armor warrior had already stepped forward, and the Floating Pagoda ck Armor shed out two winged des aiming directly at the scorpion.


    The scorpion tails of the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion, swift as whips, shed with the flying des, creating a shing sound that held its own.


    The Double-tailed Scorpion swarm and the Split-mouth Worms were restless, having already surrounded them. Wang Hu and his group red fiercely and immediatelymanded, "Fire cover, hold back those smaller ones!"


    The remaining thirty-two members of the team immediately took up arms and shot at the encroaching monsters, subtly protecting Su Han within their midst. Zhao Yaqian was even more aggressive, controlling her Shadow w Monster to charge into the mob, continuously ying any Split-mouth Worms and Double-tailed Scorpions that attempted to get close.


    Bai Qn''s winch crossbow fired steadily from her hands, each shot taking down a monster, and her Contractor''s Four-armed Corpse was summoned with a towering height of over three meters, covered in tough fish scales of a pale aqua color, its particrly robust dual arms and webbed ws marking it unmistakably as a First Order Upper Grade, no weaker than Zhu Xiong.


    Once her Contractor joined the fray, it fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the Shadow w Monster, killing the encroaching creatures one by one.


    "Boom"


    Just as the fierce battle raged, a thunderous roar erupted, and the entire section of the wall was breached as the trucks burst into the battlefield, crushing the encroaching worms and scorpions as they passed.


    "Front-line warriors with armor up front, crossbowmen on top of the trucks, snipe them one by one, don''t let them disturb Su Han."


    Zhu Xiong shoutedmands as the four trucks that burst into the battlefield instantly separated the masses of Split-mouth Worms and Double-tailed Scorpions.


    Su Han''s people immediately entered the fight, with the iron-d corpses and the Giant Macrophage Dogs taking the lead, their Pu knives and axes falling upon the monsters.


    The Contractors with their winch crossbows targeted the creatures, coordinating with their own Angel Envoys to kill the Double-tailed Scorpions and Split-mouth Worms.


    The sudden arrival of reinforcements left Wang Hu and hispanions dumbfounded. They had expected a fierce battle given the hundreds of monsters charging at them, but now the situation had reversed.


    A glint shed in Zhao Yaqian''s eyes as she caught a critical name: Su Han?


    Captain Cheng Zhenyong had mentioned this name before, but shouldn''t the Contractor in his possession be the Four-armed Corpse? Why did it look like this one?


    As the battle intensified, Zhao Yaqian had no time to ponder further. Her Shadow w Monsters, Bai Qn''s Corpse, and Zhu Xiong''s Hammer-wielding Corpse, all First Order Upper Grade, cooperated with each other, forming three gateways beyond the line of trucks.


    Regr monsters had no chance of breaching theirbined defenses. Coupled with the hordes of iron-d corpses holding the line, more and more Split-mouth Worms and Double-tailed Scorpions were in outside the defenses.


    "Roar"


    The Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion seemed desperate, and unlike themon rabid creatures, the cunning glint in its red eyes flickered, and suddenly, at its jaw, blood gathered and a blood-like projectile violently shot out, striking the ck Armor warrior directly.


    ```

 Chapter 95: Chapter 92 Skills Attack

    The Floating Pagoda ck Armor''s tes cracked instantly, sizzling as the corrupt blood corroded them, with the force piercing directly beneath the Floating Pagoda ck Armor to the Iron Skin.


    The Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion, seeing that its attack had failed to prate the demonic spider warrior, seemed equally shocked. Quickly, blood continued to gather at its jaw before another arrow of blood was shot out.


    The speed was almost as fast as a bullet.


    However, this time the demonic spider warrior was prepared and dodged the blood arrow with a swift sh of its body.


    With a stter, the dodged blood arrow pierced directly through the body of a Split-mouth Worm and into the ground, exploding into a small crater.


    Su Han''s eyes narrowed; this was no longer just a simple blood arrow being shot out¡ªit clearly contained an attack infused with Spiritual Energy.


    As he thought this, countless vines from the Human-faced Tree surged from the ground, sweeping towards the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion in an instant.


    The Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion, suddenly under attack, slowed its movements. The demonic spider warrior, long prepared, leaped forward, thrusting a Pu knife into the back shell of the creature.


    The de sank nearly to the hilt, and greenish blood surged out. The carapace that could withstand bullets stood no chance against such a tremendous force.


    The Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion struggled fiercely, its twin tailsshing out at the demonic spider warrior like steel whips.


    The demonic spider warrior transformed the Floating Pagoda ck Armor into wing des, cutting horizontally to block the attack, then its four back arms with w des shot out, piercing directly into the back of the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion.


    For a moment, the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion struggled more violently, its own kind, the Double-tailed Scorpions, unable to pay heed as they were trampled to death.


    "Roar"


    The enraged Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion roared, calling for the help of the Mother Worm. The ground surged rapidly, attacking towards the direction of the demonic spider warrior.


    The Split-mouth Worm Mother, abandoning its battle with the Human-faced Tree''s vines, leaped from the ground, lunging at the demonic spider warrior on the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion''s back.


    The assault was fierce, the sharp beak-like split mouth glowing with a white light, spinning like a de¡ªsharp as a drill.


    This Split-mouth Worm Mother also had its own Skills, easily capable of Mountain-Splitting Stone-Cracking.


    However, the movements of the Split-mouth Worm Mother were already under the control of the Human-faced Tree''s vines; its sudden attack was anticipated by the demonic spider warrior.


    The left arms of the demonic spider warrior lifted, as the Floating Pagoda ck Armor''s tes coalesced into a ck shield, blocking the Split-mouth drilling attack.


    ng!


    A grating noise of friction echoed as the Floating Pagoda ck Armor''s tes shattered, but the attack of the Split-mouth Worm Mother waspletely repelled.


    Its massive form fell, and the Human-faced Tree had already arrived,nding a crushing blow with a thick branch that flung the Split-mouth Worm Mother into the air before it thudded to the ground.


    Countless vines had long been ready, weaving a tight on the surface of the ground.


    The moment the Split-mouth Worm Mother hit the ground, it fell onto the woven by the vines and roots, tumbling but quickly entangled by the vines.


    The Split-mouth Worm Mother tried to burrow back underground, but it was toote.


    Without the advantage of hiding beneath the ground, even the Split-mouth Worm Mother with its strong Split-Mouth Drilling Skill couldn''t cause real harm.


    The vines bound it tightly, and the long-hidden Man-eating Vines suddenly sprang forth, seizing their moment of harvest.


    The Man-eating Vines bit directly into the Split-mouth Worm Mother''s tough skin.


    Though its pink muscles were exposed, their toughness was no less than that of a carapace, impervious to bullets.


    However, the force contained within the Man-eating Vines was far beyond any ordinary vine; amid the fierce biting and entanglement, the sharp canines pierced into the body of the Split-mouth Worm Mother, as arge dose of Paralyzing Poison was injected.


    The Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion panicked, its tail whipping towards the demonic spider warrior like a whip in the blink of an eye.


    "Crack"


    Yet at this moment, the demonic spider warrior waspletely free to act, grabbing the two tails with its back arms with such force, like iron hoops, rendering the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion''s thrashing futile.


    With all its methods exhausted, the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion, now entangled in vines and held captive by a demonic spider warrior on its back, found itself in dire straits.


    It struggled to turn its body, aiming at the Human-faced Tree which was rooted in ce, unable to move.


    A blood arrow was condensing at its jaw, its preparation time and power clearly more terrifying than thest.


    Nevertheless, the demonic spider warrior took action. Continue reading at m|v-l''e -NovelBin


    Floating Pagoda ck Armor shields formed on both sides, grasped tightly under the rib-like arms, then like heavy hammers, they smashed down on the head of the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion.


    The blood arrow attack was broken...


    The tough skull shell began to crack under the heavy blows, blood flowing out continuously.


    The strength of the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion weakened step by step, its huge pincers limply dropping, as more vines wrapped around it, binding it tightly like a rice dumpling.


    Neither the huge pincers nor the sharp tail could threaten anymore, bound tightly to the massive body.


    On the other side, under the effect of the Paralyzing Poison, the Split-mouth Worm Mother gradually lost the ability to move, slumping powerlessly onto the vine web.


    The battle concluded, the Man-eating Vines turned their attention to the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion''s body, injecting Paralyzing Poison continuously.


    Although the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion itself was a poisonous creature, with a higher resistance to toxins and requiring a longer time to be paralyzed, it no longer mattered.

 Chapter 96: Chapter 92 Skills Attack_2

    After the two leader monsters were controlled, the Floating Pagoda ck Armor warriors, with their wing des wide open, charged straight into the swarm of monsters, continuously sweeping through them.


    Their des sliced through the Double-tailed Scorpions and Split-mouth Worms'' flesh, sending blood and gore flying everywhere, pushing through like a meat grinder.


    The Human-faced Tree''s unused vines immediately joined the battle, binding more monsters, rendering them immobile.


    The battle quickly reached its climax, and without the leadership of their chiefs, the remaining Double-tailed Scorpions and Split-mouth Worms scattered like birds and beasts, and in no time, the leftover monsters vanished into the mist.


    "Everyone be careful, clean up the battlefield, watch out for the scorpions that aren''t fully dead, all are poisonous. We''ll deal with the ones that are bound separately."


    Zhu Xiong and his men finally heaved a sigh of relief, with not many crossbow arrows left in everyone''s hands, but thankfully, they had won.


    In the recent battle, the flesh corpses and monsters both took several hits, and now the wounds were still bleeding.


    As for casualties, one person died and four were injured, the dead one was pounced on by a worm, knocked down and badly hurt, nearly dead, but was pulled back by someone and thus saved.


    However, in such battles, death and injury were unavoidable, and Zhu Xiong had gradually grown ustomed to it.


    Therefore, he could calm down and immediately set about cleaning up the battlefield.


    The group began to move, and Wang Hu and his men also felt the relief of a narrow escape. Discover more stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    Su Han stood beside the Human-faced Tree, the Floating Pagoda ck Armor warrior had already returned to his side, guarding him.


    The Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion was gradually losing the ability to move under the heavy effect of the paralyzing poison, and although it might notst long, it was enough.


    The Human-faced Tree''s additional vines were freed up, starting to use these Split-mouth Worms and Double-tailed Scorpions'' corpses to convert into corpses and flesh to advance its Fusion Degree.


    Previously, at the warehouse, nearly two hundred corpses only allowed its fusion degree of flesh and blood to reach 64%, but now it seemed it should be sufficient.


    "Bai Qn"


    Su Han called out to Bai Qn, who had not spared her efforts in the just-concluded battle, currently holding a winch crossbow in her hand.


    She approached, winch crossbow hanging in her hand, and said, "What''s up?"


    "You take Ji Mingyang and others to move the equipment, take as much as you can."


    "Alright, you deal with the things here by yourself."


    Bai Qn nced at Wang Hu and the others, implying the official team, and she seemed to have no intention of considering switching to the official camp.


    Su Han nodded. Bai Qn called Ji Mingyang and Shu Hongguang, who were still not over the shock, and with Ye Kailing leading 20 people, they entered the main body of theboratory building.


    Although the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion and the mother of the Split-mouth Worms were defeated, it didn''t mean the entire building was safe; Double-tailed Scorpions could still be lurking in every corner of the building.


    "Captain, they"


    As soon as some of the squad members who had just recovered saw Su Han and the others moving, they were about to speak.


    But Wang Hu stopped him mid-sentence, saying, "Don''t talk nonsense."


    It was evident that Su Han''s purpose and their mission objective seemed to coincide, and just now, that person should be the heir of the Bai Yujing Group.


    Wang Hu''s special police team answered directly to South City, and although he was a team captain, his rank was not low. Hence, he recognized some of the important figures in the city, but they were assigned some special tasks.


    For instance, tasks like kidnapping or protection.


    But now, the most significant task was just one: to survive in this post-apocalyptic world.


    "Captain, he might be Su Han that Captain Cheng mentioned."


    Zhao Yaqian approached, speaking in a low voice to remind him. Wang Hu was initially startled, but quickly got the idea and asked, "Are you sure?"


    "It''s just a conjecture, but the likelihood is high."


    In the South City camp, as teams started to integrate, they split into several squads, from dozens to hundreds of people, with the squad leaders at the head of each.


    Wang Hu was one of them, and Cheng Zhenyong, as an outstanding Contractor among the masses, was also one, so the two had interacted before.


    However, Zhao Yaqian and Duan Jie were not among them. Their talents were the highest, but theycked experience, which made leading a team difficult and would drag them down, so both were simply there to train.


    Despite theck of official positions, undoubtedly, they were favored by Guo Wutao and Yan Tiejun, virtually like sessors, making their words quite significant.


    "Yaqian,e with me."


    Having thought about it, Wang Hu called Zhao Yaqian and went towards Su Han.


    "Comrade Su Han"


    Wang Hu saluted respectfully, standing straight and firm, and gratefully said, "Thank you for helping out. Otherwise, we might have suffered heavy casualties."


    Upon hearing this address, Su Han was momentarily stunned, as the word rade" unexpectedly sounded natural from this burly man.


    "No trouble at all,"


    Su Han replied, his gaze falling on thebat suit emzoned with badges, asking, "You''re from an official team, aren''t you? Did youe here for a rescue of important personnel or for supplies?"


    Almost every one of them was wearing a ckbat suit, badges, and police numbers on them, making it easy to identify their origins, to say nothing of the uniform rifles.


    "I''m Wang Hu, captain of the city specialbat police, and this is Zhao Yaqian."


    Wang Hu introduced himself, giving a nod and said, "We came here searching for supplies. If I may ask, Comrade Su Han, are you from the Happiness Community?"


    Su Han frowned slightly and countered, "How do you know?"


    Upon hearing this, Wang Hu smiled broadly, "Then we''re on the same team. We''ve heard about your capabilities from Captain Cheng Zhenyong. Commissioner Guo Wutao has wanted to find you more than once to invite you to join the South City camp, but without a lead, he had to give up."

 Chapter 97: Chapter 92 Skills Attack_3

    "Cheng Zhenyong?"


    Su Han''s brow rxed slightly; it was him, no wonder.


    "Did he find your team and reunite with hisrades?"


    "Yes," Wang Hu nodded, saying, "Captain Cheng was rescued by our search squad en route and joined us. Now he''s leading the team of civilian Contractors in protecting the camp."


    Wang Hu intentionally or unintentionally steered the topic toward the camp, saying, "The camp currently gathers the Armed Forces stationed in South City, the municipal and district police forces, and is now steadily rescuing civilians. There are about two thousand five hundred people, nearly half of which are civilians."


    Upon hearing the number, Su Han was quite surprised. Now, with the fog enveloping everything andmunication cut off, it was definitely difficult to notify the entire city''s popce.


    That is to say, they were able to contact and rescue so many people bit by bit, which certainly wasn''t an easy feat.


    "You guys are not bad, quite impressive."


    Su Han couldn''t help but praise them, then said, "But you must havee for the experimental equipment, right? Do you have schrs in your team?"


    Su Han was sharp, his piercing gaze fixed on Wang Hu and Zhao Yaqian, creating an indescribable pressure, as if facing a predator.


    If they were here for supplies, what else but instruments could be taken from the research center?


    Moreover, such arge official camp suddenly showing interest in the research center was intriguing, especially since there was no sign of survivors, and it didn''t seem like they were here for a rescue.


    Wang Hu cracked a smile and heartily said, "Yes, the day the strange fog arose, we were fortunate to have renowned professors like Bai Qiuwen and Tian Jiaxuan attending a conference. Now the professors already have some leads on their research into these monsters, and they just need the experimental equipment to corroborate the experiments."


    He straightened his gaze and suddenly said, "Comrade Su Han, I sincerely invite you to join us at the South City camp. I can''t promise high ranks and riches, for that''s useless in an apocalypse. But there are many civilians in the South City camp who need protection, and we will shelter even more in the future. We need your strength.


    Plus, if Professor Bai Qiuwen and his team manage to find a way to further strengthen the Angel Envoys, you, with your skills, would certainly be among the first to benefit. I guarantee it with my life."


    The sudden invitation caught Zhao Yaqian off guard, and Su Han too was taken aback, not having expected Wang Hu to be so direct.


    However, upon reflection, both sides knew Cheng Zhenyong, and seemed to have a good impression of each other, and it didn''t appear to be so reckless.


    What a rough man with hidden delicacy.


    Su Han smiled, then said, "Joining is unnecessary; your people have suffered many injuries, take them back. Treat the wounds first."


    Wang Hu''s eyes flickered, showing a hint of regret, yet his face didn''t seem too surprised.


    "Is Miss Qn the one organizing the study on the monsters in your camp?"


    He probed, and while Su Han could guess his motive, Su Han''s own actions also inadvertently exposed some details about his camp.


    "Roughly."


    Su Han nodded, not hiding this point; Wang Hu understood, and then said, "In that case, I won''t force the issue. Our camp is at the Southern Prosperous Chemical nt. If you ever need help, or decide to join us, we''re always weing."


    Wang Hu didn''t say much, he didn''t even actively seek to learn where Su Han''s camp was, or its situation.


    As an official camp, disclosing their location, actively sharing information was necessary; after all, their goal was to gather and save more survivors. Secrecy wouldn''t achieve that.


    But Su Han was different; since he had not volunteered the information, any overly intrusive probing by Wang Hu mighte across as offensive.


    People are wary of deep conversations in brief encounters; it''s much the same between forces, and it''s not his ce to inquire too deeply, anyway.


    "Yaqian" Continue your adventure at mvl


    Wang Hu called out to Zhao Yaqian, and then said, "Get organized and head back immediately, then report Su Han''s situation to Director Guo and the others."


    Zhao Yaqian looked serious, nodded, and said, "I understand. Also... I feel he must be a Second-order Contractor; he knows more than we do."

 Chapter 98: Chapter 93 Dual Form Advancement

    Wang Hu and his team rested for less than ten minutes before hastily leaving the area with their armed and transport vehicles after temporarily stemming the bleeding wounds of the injured members.


    Given their injuries, returning to the camp was the only way they could receive better treatment, and the matters concerning Su Han''s side were naturally handed over to Li Ruikang, Yan Tiejun, and Guo Wutao to handle.


    Su Han did not stop them, and he didn''t even try to prevent them as he saw them loading the corpses of a Split-mouth Worm and a Double-tailed Scorpion onto the vehicles.


    Although Wang Hu and his team belonged to an official camp, there was no conflict of interest at present.


    Beneath the istion of the dense fog, not only did each Survivors'' Camp be an isted ind, but also cities became inds to one another in the truest sense.


    An official camp without external support, though formidable, could not act overbearingly, and thus posed no great threat to Su Han; on the contrary, he had a premonition that it might not be long before contact was established.


    After all, officials in South City were also organizing schrs to study monsters, among them one he had heard about from Bai Qn: Bai Qiuwen, a leading authority in the field of biology.


    "It seems the officials'' buildup will be faster than anticipated, " Su Han mused, his gaze falling on the Human-faced Tree as he smiled: "But at least, our side is almost on pace."


    The officials needed experimental equipment, and so did his side, indirectly proving that everyone''s research progress on certain aspects wasparable, and perhaps even a bit faster on his side.


    Because there were more officials, even with the injection, the widespread application might be slower, after all, Wang Hu''s Angel Envoy was still just an ordinary flesh corpse.


    After Wang Hu and the group left, Zhu Xiong led some people to clean up the entire battlefield, piling up the rtively intact corpses of the Split-mouth Worm and Double-tailed Scorpion near the Human-faced Tree.


    Some half-dead monster corpses also sparked the action among those who had not yet formed a Contract.


    During the recent battle, everyone had exerted effort, and a part of them had alreadypleted kills inbat, warranting the rest the opportunity to im monsters'' lives andplete their Contracts.


    As for monsters that werepletely immobilized or merely paralyzed, they too were being loaded into vehicles, nning to be transported back to the camp together.


    Without specific instructions from Su Han, each new monster was considered a new resource by the people, to be studied before further processing.


    Su Han did not take part in the cleaning; he was waiting for the Human-faced Tree''s Fusion, while contemting during the Fusion process whether to take the Split-mouth broodmother and Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion back with him or to initiate Fusion immediately.


    The size of both creatures was extraordinary, and even arge truck might not be able to load them.


    One was ten meters in length, as thick as a water tank, and the other approximately seven meters tall with a body length, including the tail, of over ten meters.


    Unless dragged by the Human-faced Tree, this indeed posed a significant challenge.


    [You have discovered a Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion ripe for Fusion, would you like to proceed with Fusion?]


    Su Han''s gaze fell on the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion, and then the Demon Spider warrior moved closer.


    Fusion!


    The body of the Demon Spider warrior writhed, countless blood-red threads began sprawling over the body of the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion, gradually fusing with it.


    Remaining true to the core is crucial; since it''s inconvenient to carry the creature back, transforming its strength into his own and conducting researchter if necessary would work too.


    The Fusion continued, yet the Human-faced Treepleted its Fusion first.


    Whether it was the Split-mouth Worm or the Double-tailed Scorpion, the Fusion Degree they provided was not low.


    Thus, after roughly a hundred corpses, the Fusion Degree waspleted.


    [LV2 Fusion of flesh and fleshpleted, Human-faced Tree acquires the skill ''Self-healing¡¤Primary'']


    After the Fusion, the already massive stature of the Human-faced Tree grew an additional one or two meters, modestpared to its current height of twenty meters. Enjoy new stories from mvl


    However, with the integration of the Self-Healing Skill, the vines that had been torn inbat were now rapidly regrowing.


    Under the dual power of Self-healing and Man-eating Vine, the wounds sustained by the Human-faced Tree in thebat were swiftly recovering, and it soon regained its original form.


    The fused flesh and flesh of meat corpses was just an appetizer; the Self-Healing Skill was a nice addition for the Human-faced Tree.


    But the real main dish was still the giant Split-mouth broodmother.


    [Discovered the Split-mouth broodmother ripe for Fusion, proceed with Fusion?]


    Fusion


    While Su Han inwardly affirmed, more vines enveloped the Split-mouth broodmother, with numerous fments adhering andmencing the Fusion process.


    As time slowly passed, it was unclear whether it was due to the Human-faced Tree itself possessing a robust flesh attribute or some other reason, but thepatibility of the Fusion with the Split-mouth broodmother was quite high.


    It didn''t take long after the start of the Fusion for a small section of the Split-mouth broodmother''s body to disappear, and its Fusion Degree rapidly reached 3%.


    This pace was almost on par with that of the Demon Spider warrior beside him, progressing quite swiftly.


    While the Fusion continued, Zhu Xiong and the rest, after clearing the basic battlefield, left ten people to guard the entire first floor of the experimental center, while the others entered the main building to assist in transporting the experimental equipment.


    Due to repeated outbreaks ofbat formerly, the main building was also in a state of disarray.

 Chapter 99: Chapter 93 Dual Form Advancement_2

    ```


    However, the entire experimental center wasn''t just a singleboratory; it housed various instruments,rge and small, differing only in focus and strength of function. Therefore, many instruments were salvaged, remaining undamaged.


    Bai Qn, Ji Mingyang, and Shu Hongguang split into three groups, each in search of usable equipment, and they gradually identified the operable instruments, carefully transporting them downstairs.


    Su Han and the others had brought a total of four trucks, although one was loaded with sixty bags of rice and wasn''t filled to capacity, hence the same truck could still carry people. There were three more trucks avable for transporting equipment, more than enough for their needs.


    As time ticked away, the number of loaded instruments grew, and the Fusion progression of the two Angel Envoys on Su Han''s team wasn''t slow, either.


    In one hour, the Scorpion Spider Demon and the Human-faced Tree eachpleted the Fusion with two Second Order Low-Grade monsters.


    On the Scorpion Spider Demon''s side, after Fusion with the body of the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion, the Fusion Degree reached 30%, while the Human-faced Tree, slightly ahead, achieved 35%.


    Both Angel Envoys, as if by an unspoken agreement, began to Fuse lower-tier materials such as the Double-tailed Scorpion and the Split-mouth Worm immediately afterpleting the body Fusion.


    The pile of corpses on the ground was steadily diminishing as the Fusion Degree climbed incrementally.


    Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion 31%, 32%, 33%...55%


    Split-mouth Mother Worm 36%, 37%...67%


    About three hours passed, and Bai Qn''s group hadpletely moved the items below; two trucks were almost filled to the brim, and protective measures were taken for the instruments to prevent damage during transport.


    Although their work was finished, Bai Qn and his team didn''te to disturb Su Han but instead ordered people to scout the building for other useful materials.


    They all knew what Su Han was doing and naturally didn''t interrupt him voluntarily.


    Zhu Xiong even sent out a squad to clear the corpses of monsters killed earlier by Wang Hu and his team from the streets and dragged them to the vicinity of Su Han''s two Angel Envoys, amounting to more than a hundred bodies.


    After another hour, the Fusion Degree of the Human-faced Tree finally reached 100%.


    [Split-mouth Mother Worm 100% Fusionplete, Human-faced Tree achieves form advancement: Ancient Worm Tree]


    Red light enveloped the enormous Human-faced Tree, from the towering crown to the roots, as it underwent drastic changes, swelling in size.


    In just a few breaths, the tree had transformed into a giant thirty-meter-tall ancient tree with branches reaching to the sky and a thick trunk, its ck bark bing even more dark and ancient, while its human-like face twisted even further.


    Its gaping maw sprouted dense tree fangs inside and out, forming circling rows like gears.


    Upon therger branches, more fleshy tentacles arose, covered in slime and ceaselessly writhing, with the most terrifying change urring at the root system.


    A multitude of tentacle-like roots shot out wildly, their tips resembling beaked mouths, as thick as arms, with a sinister appearance. As they flopped about, they resembled a mass of long, horrifying worms.


    [Ancient Worm Tree advancement sessful, acquired skill: Tree-born Worm]


    A powerful nurturing energy emanated from the Ancient Worm Tree, instantly permeating Su Han''s limbs and body, enhancing his physical attributes and strength while making him more aware of the Spiritual Energy contained within him.


    His eyes intently focused on the Ancient Worm Tree. The sudden form advancement was somewhat expected, but the skill it brought was surprising.


    After a closer sensing, his eyes narrowed with astonishment, thinking, "Is it forming its ecosystem?"


    The Ancient Worm Tree used its own body to nurture worm eggs and fed on tree blood to raise the worms as hunting dogs, harvesting flesh to nourish itself.


    To some extent, the Ancient Worm Tree had be the new Split-mouth Mother Worm, more powerful and, with it at the core, gave rise to a new tribe¡ªthe servant tribe.


    This skill might not be suitable forbat, but it definitely was a territorial skill: in conjunction with Fast-growing Vines and Man-eating Vine, it would be even more difficult to deal with if spread across the ground.


    I''ll test this skill once I return.


    This isn''t his territory, and the skill wasn''t appropriate to use here. Su Han had to suppress his eager thoughts and turned his attention to the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    By now, the Scorpion Spider Demon hadpleted Fusion with thest pile of Double-tailed Scorpion bodies, naturally reaching a Fusion Degree of 100%.


    ```


    [Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion 100% Fusionplete, Scorpion Spider warrior has achieved form advancement: Scorpion Spider Demon]


    A red glow enveloped the Scorpion Spider warrior''s body, a powerful heartbeat thudded loudly, and the sound of flesh and tissue undting was clear and visible. In no time, the entire Scorpion Spider warrior''s body was writhing and metamorphosing.


    The humanoid upper body became more massive and muscr, the four arms were like cast iron, dark with subtle dark red patterns, and the tough skin faintly bore an exoskeleton resembling that of the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion, tough, strong, and austere.


    The lower half of the spider''s body swelled significantly, the front half transforming to sprout a shell and a pair of pitch-ck mandibles, shockingly bing the head of a Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion. The head was eyeless, the mandibles fierce, presenting a gaping maw.


    The spider''s rear was quickly shrinking; a resilient exoskeleton emerged, and from its end, two iron-casted whip-like scorpion tail hooks burst forth, as thick as an adult''s thigh and five meters in length. The tail hooks hovered aloft, swaying side to side, vaguely shimmering with a metallic luster.


    The spider legs didn''t change much, still as sharp as spears, covered in ck Armor, clicking on the concrete floor as if spears were touching down.


    The entire Scorpion Spider Demon stood over six meters tall, its body length reaching seven meters, making it an immense creature with a fearsome and daunting presence.


    [Advancement of Scorpion Spider Demon sessful, new skill Coagtion Cannon acquired]


    The Scorpion Spider Demon''s transformation was immense, feeding back into Su Han''s body, spiritual energy surged within him, nearly erupting from his being, drastically enhancing his physique and strength.


    Su Han was feeling the changes in his body when suddenly this notification appeared in his mind.


    He was pleasantly surprised, and before he could pay attention to it, another peculiar sensation overwhelmed him, and his spirit connected with the Scorpion Spider Demon''s, almost in synchrony.


    The flow of spiritual energy for Metal Control, the maniption of rules, and the way to use skills flooded his mind, and the hidden paths of spiritual energy in his body began to subtly shift at this time.


    [Intermediate Metal Control Skill synchronization sessful]


    Another prompt appeared in his mind, and Su Han finally opened his eyes, a sharp glint shed, exuding a formidable aura.


    Observing themotion, Bai Qn and others looked in astonishment at the transformed Angel Envoy, especially at Su Han, who appeared so powerful, a subtle pressure emanating from him.


    Su Han reined in his aura and couldn''t help but smile at the corner of his mouth, as the rewards from this Fusion far exceeded his expectations.


    Scorpion Spider Demon, Coagtion Cannon!


    Feeling impulsive to test the new skill of the Scorpion Spider Demon, he controlled it with his mind, turning its body to aim at a thick wall a hundred meters away.


    Between the front scorpion mandibles, blood gathered, eventually forming a basketball-sized crimson orb of blood and spiritual energy that shot out violently, like a cannonball, hitting the wall.


    "Boom"


    Instantly, the wall exploded violently, a six to seven-meter sectionpletely shattered, bricks at the center turned to dust, and the impact of the explosion created a moderate-sized crater on the ground.


    Zhu Xiong and others were dumbstruck, blurting out, "Did you copy that scorpion''s skills?"


    The preparatory movements for the attack, the method of attack, were almost indistinguishable from the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion''s blood arrows. Although the shape changed to a blood orb, wasn''t this just a reskin rather than giarism?


    Su Han rolled his eyes at Zhu Xiong, who, feeling somewhat embarrassed, chuckled awkwardly, "A slip of the tongue, the power of your skill, each one''s like a gas cylinder exploding, it might be even more powerful."


    The more powerful Su Han became, the happier they were, because he was the mainstay of the camp.


    "Pack up, we''re going back."


    Su Han didn''t exin much, but he was quite satisfied with the power of the Coagtion Cannon. If he let it gather for a longer time, the power could increase even more.


    However, this wasn''t a skill that could be used indefinitely. The Coagtion Cannon needed to consume blood and the spiritual energy within the Scorpion Spider Demon. Though the Regenerative skills could slightlypensate for the blood loss.


    Yet the activation of the Regenerative Ability itself would consume the Scorpion Spider Demon''s strength and spiritual energy. Therefore, the more it was used, the more easily the Scorpion Spider Demon would be exhausted.


    This skill was a sneaky trick. While engaging in closebat, it could deliver an unexpected Coagtion Cannon right to the opponent''s face.


    Moreover, the Scorpion Spider Demon possessed the Floating Pagoda ck Armor skill, which could act as a shield, concealing the motion of the scorpion mandibles as it prepared, making the attack even more surprising.

 Chapter 100: Chapter 94 South Citys Reaction

    After their mission failed, Wang Hu and his team quickly returned to the South City base, which was now located at the Southern Prosperous Chemical nt.


    Although they retraced their steps on the way back, they still encountered monster disturbances that hindered their swift return.


    When they had set out, they had hurried to their destination, but they had not cleared out the monsters along the way.


    However, fortunately, they had managed to preserve their strength well, so despite the obstacles, there were no casualties or injuries due to the monsters'' disturbances.


    As they approached the chemical nt shrouded in fog, the distant glow of the Lamp Trees finally allowed Wang Hu and his team to breathe a sigh of relief.


    The entrance to the chemical nt was significantly different from before, with sandbags and discarded vehicles piled up into a solid defensive position, and a squad of about twenty fully armed soldiers were on guard, with Angel Envoys summoned around them as sentry vanguards.


    Among them were both Corpse-ss Angel Envoys and canine monsters like the Giant Macrophage Dog.


    "Special Combat Guard Squad, Wang Hu."


    At the sentry post, Wang Hu leaned out of the vehicle window to identify himself. Although they were all driving armed vehicles, such caution was essential.


    The sentry recognized Wang Hu, saluted, and waved his hand to signal his team, "Let them through."


    The convoy slowly entered through the opened gate into the chemical nt and slowly drove along the hardened roads inside towards the interior.


    The fog density within the entire chemical nt was very low, almostpletely dispersed, providing a very broad field of vision. They could see people patrolling from afar, and ordinary people tilling and nting crops on non-hardenednd.


    South City base gathered more people and explored more areas, so the base stockpiled more Lamp Trees than Su Han''s Shanhu Vi District.


    Moreover, aside from a portion of their Lamp Tree Crystals being used for research, the rest were all kept, now amounting to several dozens.


    Apart from the Lamp Tree Crystals used for exploration andbat, at present, within a certain range, a Lamp Tree Crystal was ced as a street light inside the chemical nt, dispersing arge area of fog.


    Relying on the range covered by light, Li Ruikang had already ordered Wen Zhenhui to begin organizing nonbatant personnel within the base to start farming, turning over the soil, and then nting crops.


    It could be said that after relocating the base, the entire South City base had now begun to operate in an orderly and rapid manner.


    "Wang Yi, take everyone to treat their wounds, rest individually for now; Zhao Yaqian,e with me to the office building."


    The vehicle stopped in front of the office building, Wang Hu and Zhao Yaqian got out of the car, and Wang Hu instructed the others inside the vehicle.


    "Yes, Captain Wang."


    Wang Yi responded loudly, and then the team members drove away from the front of the office building.


    The interior of the chemical nt was mainly divided into fourrge areas: the administrative office building, the factory and workshop area, the employee dormitory amodation area, and finally, the area for parking and sports grounds.


    There were several dormitory buildings, originally designed to amodate eight thousand employees, which were now perfectly used as lodging for the base.


    The office building was directly converted for use as the administrative center of South City base, and part of theboratories would also be set up here. Of course, even more might make use of the existing chemicalboratories from the original factory.


    Upon entering the office building, Wang Hu went straight to find Guo Wutao and the other two in the meeting room. His first words were, "The mission has failed."


    Inside the meeting room, Li Ruikang, Guo Wutao, Yan Tiejun, Bai Qiuwen, and Tian Jiaxuan¡ªfive people sitting in chairs¡ªseeing the appearance of Wang Hu and Zhao Yaqian, could somewhat guess that the oue might not be good.


    Li Ruikang spoke in a calm voice, slowly saying, "Sit down and tell us slowly, how are the casualties?"


    Wang Hu''s eyes reddened, and with a heavy heart, he said, "Guan Xiaoqiu, Zhou Yun... eighteen team members sacrificed, we couldn''t bring back their bodies. Li Yun and Wang Shitian are severely injured."


    He pronounced each name clearly and firmly, while neither Li Ruikang nor Guo Wutao interrupted him.


    In this post-apocalyptic world where people died daily, this was the worst casualty event for the Special Combat Guard Squad since the first day.


    "We must record the names of the fallen team members and take extra care of their families in the base. If they''re not here at the moment, when we encounter themter, we must ensure they receive proper treatment," Li Ruikang said with a solemn voice, and Wang Hu nodded heavily before continuing, "The situation at Aoke Biological Research Center was beyond our expectations.


    The ce wasn''t dominated by human mutant monsters like Four-armed Corpses but by mutated creatures¡ªthe Double-tailed Scorpion, and they have already formed a colony effect with a leader that''s several timesrger than average Double-tailed Scorpions, conservatively estimated to be Second Order Low Grade."


    "Second Order Low Grade?!"


    Theplexions of those present changed slightly, and Guo Wutao asked in a serious tone, "Are you sure?"


    Until now in their explorations, the highest-grade monster they had discovered was only First Order Upper Grade. Even Zhao Yaqian was just touching the boundary of First Order Upper Grade and had yet to get a grasp of the Second Order.


    Zhao Yaqian interjected, "At least it''s a Second Order monster; my Shadow w Monster felt a clear suppression in its presence, and judging from thebat intensity, ordinary rifle bullets were almost ineffective, and light bombs also couldn''t inflict fatal damage. We used up all the bombs we brought, but to no avail. And most importantly..."


    She paused, then continued, "This time, we were saved by a Second-order Contractor. The monster was able to fight on par with his Angel Envoys for a short time."


    Zhao Yaqian''s words dropped like bombs, stunning everyone into silence.


    She then detailed the matter of the Split-mouth Mother Worm and Split-mouth Worms, as well as how they made contact with Su Han.


    After Li Ruikang and the others rified the situation and pondered in shock for a long time, he sighed and said, "Wang Hu."


    "Present!"


    "Go and invite Captain Cheng Zhenyong over."


    Guo Wutao looked serious, continuously saying, "It seems the monster my oldrade talked about is truly extraordinary."


    His voice echoed throughout the conference room, and Li Ruikang spoke softly, "After the appearance of Second Order monsters, the fact that humans have a Second-order Contractor is actually a good thing, at least we''re not being left behind. However, we must ensure one thing, and that is what kind of person Su Han is."


    He paused, then said, "As far as we can tell, he harbors no malice towards our officials, and this is very important."


    "Knock knock knock"


    The sound of knocking arose, followed by Wang Hu''s voice from outside, "Report, Captain Cheng has arrived."


    "Pleasee in."


    Cheng Zhenyong was brought in by Wang Hu, still somewhat confused; he had only been told that there was an important matter to discuss.


    As soon as he entered, his gaze fell on his oldrade-in-arms, tinged with a hint of puzzlement.


    Guo Wutao spoke first, "Old Cheng, don''t worry, it''s about Su Han, we just ran into him."


    "Su Han?"


    Cheng Zhenyong was startled, and immediately asked, "How is he?"


    Ever since parting ways at Lihua Supermarket, he had not heard from Su Han, but Su Han''s help in the Happiness Community, and the fact that he pulled Cheng into the fold when he was leaving, were all signs of their friendship.


    "He has already advanced to Second Order, and he even saved our people."


    Upon hearing that Su Han had advanced to Second Order, first he showed a look of surprise, but upon second thought, it seemed like the most natural thing to him.


    Even he had already reached First Order Upper Grade. Su Han was more skilled than him, so what was Second Order?


    Guo Wutao rted the events at the Aoke Biological Research Center to Cheng Zhenyong, sharing both the details and the overall picture, yet rifying the matter.


    "This is indeed his way of doing things. As for the Angel Envoy...."


    After listening, the hesitant look on Cheng Zhenyong''s face immediately made Li Ruikang and the others aware of something.


    "Old Cheng, if you can speak, please do. We inherently have no malice towards Su Han and do not have any conflicts of interest. On the contrary, as the first Second-order Contractor we''ve discovered, it would be of great help to be in good terms with him."


    Li Ruikang keenly sensed that Cheng Zhenyong might be hesitant to reveal too much about Su Han, not wanting to betray a friend.


    But in this matter, there was no question of betrayal, just a desire to understand Su Han better, to make a judgment.


    Cheng Zhenyong said with a wry smile, "He told me about the Angel Envoy, that he has a special Talent, so changes in form and Evolution are not strange for him. So you say that the Angel Envoy''s form is not a humanoid Four-armed Corpse, that''s not a big problem."


    "Special Talent?"


    Yan Tiejun''s expression grew serious, as he honed in on the key point, asking, "What kind of Talent, is it like Skills?"


    "I don''t know, he didn''t borate, and I suppose this isn''t something he would just tell anyone."


    Cheng Zhenyong shook his head, but it was Bai Qiuwen who suddenly spoke up, "Actually, the emergence of special Talents should be the norm."


    All eyes turned to him as if waiting for an answer.


    Bai Qiuwen spoke unhurriedly, "Although it''s just a guess, if animals can mutate due to the mist and the pervasive Spiritual Energy in the environment, then why can''t we humans, as primates? The Book of Blood Spirit originates from that eyeball, but shouldn''t there be some changes in us as well?"


    "Professor Bai, are you suggesting that every one of us might potentially awaken a Talent?"


    Li Ruikang also grasped the key, his tone revealing urgency, for if humans also possessed special Talents, then the situation might be much more favorable.


    However, Bai Qiuwen shook his head, "I don''t know."


    Feeling that this answer might be unsatisfactory, he pondered for a moment before adding, "It might appear, but each individual''s Evolution would likely differ, not everyone will have it, that''s my guess."


    The topics of Evolution and Talent fell by the wayside, and even Bai Qiuwen couldn''t provide an answer, but it did lead everyone to tacitly ept Su Han''s special abilities.


    Li Ruikang looked toward Cheng Zhenyong, asking seriously, "Old Cheng, what do you think of Su Han as a person? This is very important, it affects how we interact with him, what measures we take."


    "Calm but definitely has boundaries."


    A fair assessment, not broadlybeling him as a good or bad person, he added, "He wouldn''t wantonly enve or harm others, but he certainly won''t overlook any offense or threat...."


    He paused, remembering the deceased He Fang and others. Since then, Su Han had be even more calm, decisive, and sharp, more akin to a leader.


    This was what he had witnessed with his own eyes, his personal experience.


    "From my perspective, making friends with Su Han is the best choice, and I can serve as the liaison if needed."


    The voice was firm, meeting the eyes of Li Ruikang and the other two without a hint of cowardice or evasion, upright and forthright.


    Li Ruikang smiled and nodded, saying, "With your words, we now have a good understanding."


    With that, Cheng Zhenyong left the conference room first, leaving only Li Ruikang and the four others behind.


    "Regarding Su Han, what are your thoughts?"

 Chapter 101: Chapter 95 Tree-born Worm

    Li Ruikang looked at two colleagues and two professors.


    Yan Tiejun was the first to speak, saying, "We can interact, and it is best to establish close contact. Separated by fog, unable to connect with higher-ups, acting independently has already be the norm. The biggest threatid before us is just one¡ªsurvival. Since Wang Hu, Zhao Yaqian, and Cheng Zhenyong have all said Su Han is reliable, we can at least be sure that he is a decent person."


    Li Ruikang nodded slightly, finding Yan Tiejun''s words perfectly aligned with his own thoughts.


    Given the current situation, it was not only that Su Han was decent, but even if he were not, he was still gathering survivors and protecting humanity''s vital forces, not ravaging kin. That alone would not make South City take the initiative to make an enemy of him.


    "However, Wang Hu did not ask for the location of Su Han''s camp, so even if we wanted to contact him, we wouldn''t be able to," he said.


    Guo Wutao frowned, somewhat critical of Wang Hu''s overly cautious approach, but that couldn''t be med on him since he was not a diplomat.


    Li Ruikang chuckled and said, "Old Cheng said he headed westward toward Happiness Community. It should be in the northwestern part of the city. With ample water sources, defensive measures, and a sizable area, such a camp shouldn''t be toomon, right?"


    He drew two or three circles on the map hanging behind him with a red pen¡ªone around South City No.1 Middle School, one around Southern City Prison, and thest one strikingly was Shanhu Vi District.


    Yan Tiejun pondered and said, "Southern City Prison is located in the suburbs, and is generally not marked on the map. It''s unlikely that regr people know about it. So the biggest possibilities are South City No.1 Middle School and Shanhu Vi District. Should we send someone to make contact?"


    "No," Li Ruikang shook his head and said, "Sending someone right after making contact can easily cause misunderstandings. Plus, there are two more issues before us. One is our own camp is still a mess, and we can''t spare many people, especially with the urgency of Second Order matters.


    You''ve seen it, ordinary bullets no longer pose a threat to Second Order monsters, and handguns are bing less effective."


    "I''ll lead a team to make as many explosives as possible, the more powerful kinds, but the conditions are limited," Tian Jiaxuan took over the conversation, mentioning that the bombs Wang Hu and his team brought were actually made by him, but due to limited time and chemical nt materials, their power was not very great.


    "That will have to do."


    Li Ruikang offered a word offort, then continued, "The second thing is, what can we use to establish contact with Su Han?"


    Shouting slogans, forming connections, what''s the difference between that and pyramid schemes?


    Either mutual assistance or an exchange of interests.


    With the fog causing istion, and the great distance between the northwestern part of the city and the southern part where they were, it was basically out of the question to help directly and naturally forming a connection was also not feasible.


    Therefore, the emphasis would have to be on interest. What do they have that they could use for exchange?


    Guns? Or perhaps the much scarcer food?


    "Information and injections."


    Bai Qiuwen spoke up, "They are also researching monsters, so they should be interested in the injections, as well as information about the apocalypse and monster research. Exchanging such information is essential, and they would definitely be interested. Besides, there is a natural information gap between you and him, isn''t there?"


    Bai Qiuwen was hinting at something¡ªregarding the knowledge of the entire city, especially confidential information, Li Ruikang and his team knew far more than Su Han about things like oil and food storage.


    Li Ruikang nodded slightly, confirming decisively, "Professor Bai is right, but all this can only happen if we are well organized. Thus, we might have to set Su Han aside for now, giving priority to acquiring experimental equipment and setting up ab to produce real enhancement injections. That would be the real opportunity for establishing exchanges."


    Having both the injections and the apocalyptic research in hand would then provide a solid foundation to establish rtions and even exchange information on enhancements.


    Tian Jiaxuan said, "Besides the Aoke Biological Research Center, there are actually several nicebs in South City, I will mark themter."


    Yan Tiejun said, "Let Duan Jie go along this time, the more people, the more thorough the preparations."


    -----------------


    Once Su Han and hispanions returned to Shanhu Vi, they immediately split up andmenced their tasks.


    Ji Mingyang and the new arrivals were entrusted to Yan Meiyu for registration of information, just like before, recording name, profession, Angel Envoy, skills, etc., and then arranging their amodation.


    Zhu Xiong and others, following Bai Qn''s arrangements, began to move the experimental equipment down and ce it in various rooms of Vi No. 9.


    Though not a dedicatedboratory, under the current circumstances, that was as good as it could get.


    Vi No. 9 was almost entirely upied, except for Su Han''s own second floor and Bai Qn''s room on the first floor.


    Guo Gang organized people to move down rice and other scavenged materials, along with live specimens of a Double-tailed Scorpion and Split-mouth Worm that had been caught, all crammed into iron cages.


    Su Han alone, after the advancement of the Ancient Worm Tree, brought it to the space between Vi No. 9 and Vi No. 10. The Book of Blood Spirit glowed slightly, and the Ancient Worm Tree was summoned forth.


    Tentacles and vines intertwined, particrly the root tentacles, resembling worms, making the entire Ancient Worm Tree appear even more eerie.


    Fortunately, the root system covered the ground only briefly. Under Su Han''s control, it quickly burrowed into the ground, making the whole Ancient Worm Tree appear somewhat normal, aside from the tentacles drooping between its branches.


    Radiance of the Lamp Tree


    The vines spread out, and at intervals, a tip emerged from the ground, its light dispelling the fog and illuminating the increasingly night-bound vi.


    Just like the vines, even the tentacle-like limbs could emit the Radiance of the Lamp Tree¡ªan unexpected phenomenon for Su Han.


    Once he was rooted and ready, Su Han finally shifted his focus onto the new skill he had acquired after advancement.


    ''Tree-born Worm, it''s time to try it.''


    Su Han''s thoughts moved, and he activated the skill. His eyes tightly closed as he tried to deepen the connection with the Ancient Worm Tree. Soon, he felt a response from the Ancient Worm Tree.


    At the roots of the Ancient Worm Tree, fifty vines gradually transformed. At their tips, a pale green translucent egg slowly formed.


    It was shaped like a gigantic cell. The pale green translucent membrane around it was like a cell wall, and inside, a worm-like creature was slowly incubating. It drew energy from the Ancient Worm Tree, growing gradually from the size of a fist to that of a human head in just over ten minutes.


    Su Han''s thoughts moved again, not satisfied with merely sensing through the Ancient Worm Tree. One of the vines slowly emerged from the ground, bringing the egg in front of Su Han.


    Through the transparent membrane, he saw the human-head-sized worm with a beak-like split mouth and wood-like dark skin, strikingly simr to the Split-mouth Worm he encountered at the Aoke Biological Research Center.


    ''The skill actively elerates the incubation and might speed up growth, but if allowed to grow slowly, could the time extend by two or three days?''


    He was carefully sensing the changes in the use of his skill. Now, he was not only actively deploying the skill but also prompting the Ancient Worm Tree to supply more energy for the growth of the egg.


    Another half-hour quickly passed, and Su Han could feel the consumption of the Ancient Worm Tree; the Man-eating Vine had quietly extended out and mped onto some Double-tailed Scorpion and Split-mouth Worm corpses that Guo Gang and others had just discarded nearby.


    Devouring and digesting greatly amended the Ancient Worm Tree''s consumption, and then the egg grew even faster.


    In the blink of an eye, the egg had grown almost the height of a person. The Tree-born Worm inside was clearly visible, its appearance particrly ferocious.


    "Pfft"


    Finally, ten minutester, the worm inside fervidly flipped out, its sharp split mouth immediately tearing through the egg''s outer membrane, the entire Tree-born Worm breaking out of its ''shell''.


    The worm in front of Su Han rolled onto the ground, then approached and ''sniffed'' Su Han, as if recognizing his scent or... psychic fluctuation?


    It was not aggressive but lowered its fearsome head.


    Performing the same action, the remaining forty-nine worms neatly aligned themselves toward the Ancient Worm Tree on the ground, as if they were on a pilgrimage.


    Feeding on flesh couldn''t sustain the Tree-born Worms; only the blood and energy of the Ancient Worm Tree could keep them alive.


    Thus, the Ancient Worm Tree was their life, the pinnacle of their entire lineage.


    Su Han closed his eyes, feeling the miraculous connection between the Ancient Worm Tree and Tree-born Worms. His thoughts moved, "Go hunt."


    The information was conveyed, and all Tree-born Worms stirred into action, burrowing rapidly under the ground and scouting far afield.


    Under Su Han''s intervention, Nos. 9 and 10 vis'' human residents were not within the hunting range, but farther afield creatures were uncertain.


    300 meters, 400 meters, 500 meters....


    Su Han estimated the activity range of the Tree-born Worms and was startled to find that it reached about 600 meters.


    This distance was not trivial; it covered an area more than one hundred times that of a ser field. This was the hunting ground of the Tree-born Worms, extending further than the reach of the Ancient Worm Tree''s vines.


    "Given this distance, fifty worms are too few, but starting slow might also be a good precautionary step."


    Su Han''s eyes narrowed slightly as he considered the additional uses of Tree-born Worms, not only as hounds to nourish the Ancient Worm Tree but also as perfect sentinels.


    "It''s just their intelligence isn''t quite up to the task, but having them coordinate with the patrol team at the first sign of trouble is also a good strategy, though their numbers are too few."


    The sentinel worms would return and signal to the patrol team formed by Ye Kailing when they detected any disturbances, ensuring timely action and enabling the Tree-born Worms to y a more significant role.


    But their numbers were still too few; fifty people scattered over a ser field would seem sparse, much more so for an area more than one hundred times that size.


    However, this was only temporary.


    Su Han waited about ten minutes. The ground rumbled as the first hunting team of Tree-born Worms returned, moving underground, dragging half a carcass.


    It leaped up, depositing the body next to the roots of the Ancient Worm Tree. The Man-eating Vine extended andpletely devoured the body, offsetting the cost of hatching the worms.


    ''The worms are somewhat independent, can''t the sensation reach each individual''s specific movements?''


    With a flicker in his eyes, Su Han approximately tested the condition of the Tree-born Worms. His thoughts moved, and he issued a new order: Regr hunting but stockpile creature carcasses.


    Compared to simple devouring, Fusion was a better choice for the Ancient Worm Tree.

 Chapter 102: Chapter 96: Laboratory Completed

    Although there are currently only fifty Tree-born Worms, it is still too few for the hunting range they patrol. Nheless, Su Han has dispersed them, mainly distributed within the Shanhu Vi District, to guard against monsters infiltrating the area.


    Including Ji Mingyang and twenty-three others, the entire camp had just over a hundred and twenty people, and only a few vis were in use. For a Shanhu Vi District that covers nearly two million square meters, the number was still too small.


    Ye Kailing and Yan Meiyu formed a patrol team that inspected the territory every day, but still found it somewhat strained. Therefore, the worms were also used to supplement the patrols.


    In the two or three days since the Tree-born Worms had been deployed, almost every day a certain number of meat corpses were dragged back, sometimes three or four, sometimes five or six.


    Although the number was notrge, considering that most of the patrolled areas were within the Shanhu Vi District, this was exinable.


    As a safety measure, the monsters around the Shanhu Vi had always been targeted for clearance, which naturally reduced their numbers.


    These numbers of monster corpses were not all stored for the Ancient Worm Tree; the monsters kept in the steel cages also needed a certain amount of food, forming a small cycle.


    On the third day after theboratory equipment was back, Bai Qn brought good news to Su Han.


    "The blood and tissue of the Green-scale Carps have been analyzed. As we had anticipated, their gene structure is stable, and they contain stable spiritual energy structures, making them edible," Bai Qn said, holding a string of data and reports. She had been analyzing various data since theboratory equipment was installed, and she had finally reached the current conclusion.


    She paused before saying, "Long-term consumption of Evolved Kind creatures is beneficial for humans to umte spiritual energy and promote physical enhancement."


    The two were sitting in the living room of Vi No. 9. Hearing what Bai Qn said, Su Han''s eyes flickered as he said, "Does this mean we can start breeding them? What about their food, have we confirmed that it''s Purple Lotus?"


    "Omnivorous," Bai Qn said. "Both Green-scale Carps and Red-line Grass Carps exhibit a certain degree of omnivorous behavior. These past few days, I have fed them a variety of foods. The Purple Lotus works best, but they also consume other meats. They have a broad diet, but you''re not nning on feeding them meat corpses, are you?"


    She smiled slightly, looking at Su Han.


    Su Han immediately shook his head. What a joke! If these creatures were being raised as livestock for the camp, how could they possibly be fed the corpses of mutated human monsters?


    Bai Qn said with a smile, "The Purple Lotus adapts quickly to its environment, especially under the Radiance of the Lamp Tree. In a short time, the nt poption has increased by one-tenth, so it can be used as the main feed for farming.


    Moreover, when the crops we''re currently growing undergo iteration, we should see the emergence of Evolved Kind nts that are adapted to the current environment, which will provide even more feed sources."


    With the increase in poption and the illumination from the Radiance of the Lamp Tree, the progress of the farnd Yan Meiyu was cultivating wasn''t slow; it had expanded to an area equivalent to four or five football fields, about 50 or more acres.


    Although more vegetables and fruits were nted, grains like wheat and corn ounted for only half of the crops, because the seeds were found rtivelyter.


    But as time goes on and more crops are nted, under the influence of the environment, Evolved Kind crops will inevitably emerge, which is a good thing.


    "In that case, we can let Ji Jichun and his team start fish farming tomorrow," Su Han said.


    Not just other people, even Su Han hadn''t eaten fresh meat for a long while and had been relying on canned meat and jerky.


    "Compared to that, I think there is something you should pay more attention to," Bai Qn added.


    Su Han''s expression became solemn as he asked, "What is it?"


    "The Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion and the Split-mouth mother worm should be considered as Evolved Kind monsters," said Bai Qn slowly. "From the tissue of the Double-tailed Scorpions and the Split-mouth Worms, it''s clear that their gene structures are rtively stable and not as aggressive.


    They might not be particrly strongpared to other monsters, but inbat, they clearly demonstratemunication and cooperation. Their intelligence has somewhat increased."


    Su Han''s face turned serious as he realized the severity of the situation: "You''re saying that it''s very likely that some advanced Evolved Kinds will develop intelligence on par with humans?"


    "It''s not just likely, it is an inevitable trend," Bai Qn insisted, putting down the data in her hand and looking directly at Su Han. "We have to admit that if things continue like this, more and more Evolved Kinds will inevitably encroach on human living spaces."


    The Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion and the Split-mouth Worms were only an abbreviation. Humans holed up in the research center had be the targets of being driven out.


    Su Han said in a serious tone, "We''ll cover water with earth; just make sure we''re one step ahead. How is the progress on the serum purification?"


    "The first dose of the Fish Monster leader''s medicine is in the final stages of purification. The process of removing impurities and retaining spiritual energy substances will still take some time," Bai Qn said.


    Su Han had imprisoned many monsters, including First Order Upper Grade creatures like the Meat Mountain Demon, Fish Monster leader, Blood Bone Lizard, and the Floating Pagoda ck Armor that was very close to being a Second Order Low Grade.


    However, when choosing materials for the first injection, Bai Qn still chose the Fish Monster group. One reason was her more in-depth research on the Fish Monsters, as she had a moreprehensive understanding, especially since she could trace the form changes from Fish Monster eggs, Half-Fish Monsters, Fish Monsters, to the Fish Monster leader.


    The second reason was thatpared to Meat Mountain Demons and wed Giants, Fish Monsters were undeniably more stable, closer to Evolved Kind, and thus easier to produce.


    "As quickly as possible," Su Han said.


    ....


    Early the next morning, Su Han assembled a team to transfer some of the Fish Monsters to the side of Yunling Lake.


    The Evolved Kind fish not only needed to be farmed, but as the camp''s only naval force, they were also a target for farming. They were not just used for the management of fish cultivation but also could serve as one of the Contract soldiers.


    "Su Han, where should we put the metal?"


    Arge amount of metal had been transported to theke by Guo Gang in a truck, and Su Han shook his head, saying, "No need to unload."


    He walked up in front of the truck, the Book of Blood Spirit radiating red light, and soon the towering figure of the Scorpion Spider Demon appearedkeside.


    Beneath its colossal stature, even the heavy truck seemed a bit diminutive, being looked down upon by the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    "Everyone step back."


    Continue reading on mvl


    The Scorpion Spider Demon bent down, extending a palm almost the size of an adult''s towards Su Han.


    Su Han stepped up, the Scorpion Spider Demon hoisted him up, and then set him atop its shoulder.


    Floating Pagoda ck Armor connected with Su Han''s ck Armor, almost as if forming one entity, making the Scorpion Spider Demon Su Han''s mount.


    Metal Control!


    Once in position, under hismand, the Scorpion Spider Demon simultaneously employed Metal Control with him, and in an instant, more than a dozen tons of metal floated before the pair and began to melt and transform, gradually shaping into an enormous metal cage.


    The metal cage was massive, not apletely regr cuboid but shaped closer to a corner of Yunling Lake into a fused enclosure.


    Covering an area about the size of a football field, the cage rose about two meters above the water surface, with a mesh pattern made of metal. The iron bars of the fence were at least as thick as two fingers, without the slightest worry about fish monsters breaking through.


    Guo Gang, Ji Jichun, and the others watched in awe, their eyes holding respect ¡ª no matter how many times they saw it, this ability always shook them to the core.


    Although it wasn''t a one-time control of several dozen tons of metal, the very act of manipting and melding metal out of thin air was already beyond belief.


    "Throw the fish monsters into it, and give some of the fish monster eggs back to them," he said.


    "Yes, we will start right away."


    The density of the cage''s mesh was not small, so there was no concern that the young fish monsters would escape once hatched. Soon, Ji Jichun and the others threw more than a dozen fish and Half-Fish Monsters into it.


    They closed the metal gate of the cage from above and locked it tight from the outside.


    "We should be able to hatch the first batch of fish monster spawn within a month. These things are pretty easy to raise," Guo Gangmented. He wasn''t in charge of managing Yunling Lake, and he had never raised fish before, but after seeing the data and predictions about fish monster breeding and growth provided by Bai Qn, he was utterly astounded.


    It had been less than a month since the end of the world and the appearance of fish monster eggs and their entire species; even if the mutation has slightly stabilized, the breeding time should be between one and two months.


    Regarding reproduction, fish monsters had no sex. After reaching maturity in form, they couldy eggs on their own, hatching them as a group.


    As for their diet, it wasplex. Being omnivorous creatures, although flesh constituted their primary diet, nts could also satisfy their hunger, especially in tough times.


    If such creatures proliferated, they would quickly be a dominant species in any body of water.


    Unless there was an even more powerful monster in that water, the situation would reverse, with the fish monsters turning into a source of food.


    "All five of your Angel Envoys are fish monsters. Yan Meiyu should have already arranged your work, right?" Su Han said, turning his gaze towards Ji Jichun and the others.


    "It''s all arranged, boss," Ji Jichun nodded and said, "Later on, we''ll hang a crystal from the Lamp Tree at the heart of theke, dispelling the fog on the water and increasing the breeding rate of the Purple Lotus. We will periodically catch evolution fish, like the Green-Scaled Carp and Red-Line Grass Carp, to prevent them from devouring too many small fish."


    Evolved Kind of fish are omnivorous; if there are too many strong individuals, it would squeeze the space for the rest of the small fish to grow.


    And this was what Ji Jichun and his team were currently set to do. If more Evolved Kind of nts appeared in the future, they would also need to produce feed and carry out feeding.


    But for now, that wasn''t necessary.


    Su Han nodded and said, "Do as they have arranged."


    He left Yunling Lake with Guo Gang, the construction of such a huge metal cage having consumed tens of tons of metal, in addition to the previous remodeling of trucks and creation of metal cages for the Double-tailed Scorpion and Split-mouth Worm, nearly using up sixty to seventy percent of the nearly one hundred tons of metal.


    However, Su Han wasn''t too concerned about it, because whether it was for confining monsters or farming fish monsters, it was all for a greater benefit: to strengthen the camp.


    "Old Guo, in the vicinity of Shanhu Vi district, where else are there construction sites orrge parking lots?" he asked while walking, preparing to gather metal for the Scorpion Spider Demon to continue with Fusion, hopefully leading to an increase in Metal Control.


    "Summer Garden Mall is one, but it''s empty now. If we really have to check, we can search each residential district individually; the closest one is Nanshan Residential Area, and there should be a hotel nearby as well..."


    "Su Han, there might be a matter requiring your attention."


    Mid-conversation, Yan Meiyu arrived briskly and approached Su Han.

 Chapter 103: Chapter 97 The First Hospital

    Su Han noticed her uneasy expression and asked, "What happened?"


    "The patient''s condition has worsened, and Qn can''t handle it."


    Yan Meiyu spoke while leading Su Han, recalling that during the battle at the research center, four people were injured, two of whom were rtively minor and their conditions had been mostly stabilized.


    However, the remaining two were more seriously injured. Although they had been medicated, Bai Qn was not a full-time doctor after all. There had been no improvement for three days, and by now, the situation had exceeded her capabilities.


    Following Yan Meiyu, they reached Vi No. 8, where a room on the first floor had been converted into a temporary hospital ward. When the three of them entered, Bai Qn was examining the patient on the bed.


    "How are things?"


    Upon entering, Su Han looked at the pale-faced patient on the bed and turned to Bai Qn.


    "It''s not good. Even with a Contractor''s stronger constitution, there''s likely significant internal damage that requires surgery, something I can''t perform."


    She could help with simple wound treatment and fevers, but more specialized medical procedures were beyond her abilities.


    The one lying in bed was an ''older person,'' someone who had followed Su Han from the Happiness Community and was currently in aa, clearly not in good condition.


    "Do we need a doctor?"


    Su Han''s eyebrows furrowed slightly, he pondered for a moment, then said, "Coincidentally, I also need to go out. Have Old Guo go call Old Zhu to lead a team; today, I''ll lead an expedition."


    "I''ll go right now."


    Guo Gang hurried out, leaving only the three of them in the room.


    Bai Qn asked, "Are you nning to look for surviving doctors at the hospital?"


    Su Han nodded. It was a battle-inflicted injury, not caused by cowardice or personal provocation, so they should and must be saved.


    "The only hospital nearby is South City''s First Hospital, just a few streets behind that grain and oil store."


    Bai Qn frowned slightly and said, "The hospital is sorge, there should be survivors, but there might be a lot of monsters that have appeared. Some patients might have undergone further mutations."


    Su Han remained calm and said, "We''ll leave it to fate. If we can''t do anything once we get there, then they''ll just have to fend for themselves."


    He had already nned to gather supplies, clear out monsters, and boost his strength, so venturing out was already in the n.


    Visiting the hospital was just incidental; if it was beyond his capacity, then he would simply have to apologize.


    Guo Gang and Zhu Xiong moved quickly. A twenty-person supply search squad was quickly assembled, with two trucks, two jeeps, each person equipped with a crossbow, and d in iron armor.


    This was the standard configuration of the supply search team of the Shanhu Vi Camp and had been the standard for Zhu Xiong and his team on previous excursions.


    Even without Su Han''s involvement, they had managed to find quite a lot of food and gasoline, which they transported back.


    "Su Han, everyone''s here. Do we go now?"


    "Straight to the First Hospital¡ªI''ll have the Scorpion Spider Demon clear the path."


    Though he said it was incidental, once they left the gate of the Shanhu Vi District, Su Han directed Zhu Xiong straight toward the First Hospital.


    Zhu Xiong understood the urgency and stepped on the elerator, rushing the convoy toward the First Hospital.


    Su Han had kept the Ancient Worm Tree in the Book of Blood Spirit as a precaution, and as he had said, he summoned the Scorpion Spider Demon to lead the way for the convoy.


    Its massive body provided unparalleled strength, and no vehicle thaty across the street could block its path.


    With powerful four-armed grabs, it tossed aside the vehicles, stacking them up along the roadside.


    As they progressed, hidden monsters within the fog stillunched sporadic attacks on the convoy. In a face-to-face encounter, they were killed by the Scorpion Spider Demon''s tail hook.


    There was also an attack by a group of Giant w Zombies leading Meat Corpse Demons and Giant Macrophage Dogs. Their numbers were considerable, around thirty or forty, blocking one side of the road, but a single shot from the Scorpion Spider Demon''s Coagtion Cannon obliterated them on the spot.


    With the Scorpion Spider Demon clearing the way, their speed was not slow; within about an hour, they gradually arrived near the First Hospital.


    The entire hospital was shrouded in fog¡ªthe outpatient building and the main hospital building all loomed vaguely in the mist, leaving only a dark outline that was hard to discern.


    "Roar"


    Just as they parked their vehicles, a roar emanated from inside the hospital and it wasn''t just one.


    "I have a feeling there will be big monsters."


    Zhu Xiong muttered, peering into the foggy edge and asked softly, "Shall we deploy the Ancient Worm Tree?"


    "Disembark and start clearing."


    Su Han nodded, and the Book of Blood Spirit lit up. The towering Ancient Worm Tree appeared outside the truck, standing at the entrance of the hospital.


    Radiance of the Lamp Tree


    The light spread from the center of the Ancient Worm Tree, and the source of the roaring sounds immediately became exposed.


    Those were monsters crouched on the ground, with twisted spines and sharp ws, jaws so wide they nearly stretched to their ears, heads fused with their spines, and almost no neck to speak of¡ªa veritable monster.


    The crawlers surged forward rapidly, able to cover seven or eight meters in a blink, and came close to the trucks.


    "Puff"


    The Ancient Worm Tree''s vines burst forth, instantly impaling four or five crawlers. The vines extended into the interior of the hospital, and the light gradually illuminated most of the hospital, clearing out much of the fog.


    "Off the car, off the car, Angel Envoys to the front, crossbowmen to the rear,"


    Without needing Zhu Xiong''s orders, everyone had already developed theirbat instincts through numerous battles and scavenging for supplies.


    They disembarked with lightning speed and quickly found cover, facing the crawlers and Meat Corpse monsters charging out from the hospital and the surrounding streets.


    Distorted figures surged from the edges of the fog, like an undead army¡ªwith their fearless and mad rush, it was enough to make many people lose their courage.


    But Zhu Xiong and the others were different; their eyes sharp as old wolves, they already shot out crossbow arrows with a fwt, piercing through one monster after another.


    "Die, damn it."


    Controlling his own First Grade Superior Meat Corpse, Zhu Xiong charged directly into the fray, his axe-hammer swinging, severing Meat Corpses at their waists, sttering flesh and blood mid-air.


    ''Has that guy''s Meat Corpse grown bigger and stronger?''


    Over the past few days, Su Han noticed that Zhu Xiong''s Meat Corpse had grown slightly and was now nearly reaching three meters in height.


    And more importantly, the muscles hard as stone and the strength that burst forth were undoubtedly stronger than a few days ago.


    While observing, Su Han started to have the Scorpion Spider Demon and the Ancient Worm Tree take action.


    The Scorpion Spider Demon charged towards one side of the street, taking on all the monsters there by itself.


    With the Floating Pagoda ck Armor morphing into wing des, it swept across, cutting all monsters into halves in an instant.


    In his hands, he also wielded a muchrger and heavier Wolf Fang Club that surpassed Zhu Xiong''s Angel Envoy''s axe-hammer. With each drop, blood and flesh flew wildly.


    The tendrils of the Ancient Worm Tree spread across the battlefield, each one acting as a deadly whip that pierced bodies, hindered movement, and the Tree-born Worms hidden within the roots underground continuously dragged monsters into the ground to rip and bite.


    In just a short encounter, the Ancient Worm Tree had dealt with dozens of monsters, and for a moment, the tide of monsters was actually suppressed.


    An endless stream of monsters was stilling, quickly reaching hundreds, but no matter how many they were, they couldn''t break through the defensive line.


    Gradually, the corpses of the monsters piled into a mountain, their numbers thinning, until thumping footsteps could be heard.


    A tall figure emerged from inside the hospital, his heavy steps and enormous size frightening.


    "Meat Mountain Demon!"


    Zhu Xiong''s eyes sharpened, and he shouted loudly, "Su Han, I''ll deal with this one, let me try my hand."


    Su Han nodded, and immediately, his Angel Envoy charged forward, the axe-hammer raised high, leaping with a jump.


    Fwthp


    The de of the axe fell sharply, and as the Meat Mountain Demon tried to block with its arm, arge gash instantly appeared on its limb.


    "Roar"


    The Meat Corpse Demon bellowed in rage and charged towards Zhu Xiong''s Angel Envoy.


    With old strength faded and new strength not yet born, the Angel Envoy couldn''t dodge in time and was sent flying off, staggering.


    "Damn it, Power Burst!"


    Zhu Xiong refused to take that hit lying down. Although smaller in size, he had skills.


    The Angel Envoy''s Meat Corpse quickly approached the Meat Mountain Demon, and thetter tried to repeat its move, aiming to bat it away with its thick limbs.


    However, at this moment, the Angel Envoy''s arm was already swollen as if inted, muscles bulging like solid rock, brutally swinging the axe-hammer.


    With a crack, one of the Meat Mountain Demon''s ws was cleaved off, the sharp and heavy de of the axe sliding across the demon''s chest, opening arge wound.


    Blood spurted out, and the Meat Mountain Demon went almost mad, attacking even more furiously.


    While shooting, Zhu Xiong focused on controlling his own Angel Envoy in battle, his concentration at its peak; he faintly felt he was standing on the brink of a threshold.


    This was his first time facing a High Grade monster alone, the first time he hade so close to a Meat Mountain Demon inbat. A thrilling sensation arose deep within him.


    One after another, the crossbow arrows kept shooting toward the Meat Mountain Demon''s body, burying deep, gradually staining the demon red with blood.


    The Angel Envoy''s Meat Corpse also continued to dodge, counterattack, and sh at the Meat Mountain Demon''s body. The wounds increased, and the demon found it increasingly difficult to harm the Angel Envoy''s Meat Corpse.


    Su Han sensed that something was unusual with Zhu Xiong and was about to step forward when he suddenly saw the Book of Blood Spirit emit red light and enter Zhu Xiong''s forehead.


    ''Is this Divine Initiation?''


    As the Angel Envoy''s Meat Corpse reached the High Grade threshold, information about the Divine Initiation Ritual shed through Zhu Xiong''s consciousness like a movie.


    He suddenly woke up, his eyes full of excitement: "Su Han, my Angel Envoy''s Meat Corpse has reached the threshold; I can perform the Divine Initiation Ritual now."


    The Meat Corpse''s upper limit was already not high, and Zhu Xiong''s Angel Envoy''s Meat Corpse, after undergoing mutation induced by injections, gradually improved to High Grade. But this was the racial bottleneck.


    However, Zhu Xiong was now clearly ready for the Divine Initiation Ritual, with the Meat Mountain Demon as his target. Your journey continues with mvl


    "I''ll protect you. Be careful, though,"


    Thinking quickly, Su Han caused countless tendrils of the Ancient Worm Tree to rise, separating the other monsters and encaging the Meat Mountain Demon with Zhu Xiong''s Angel Envoy and Zhu Xiong himself in a tendril cage. All approaching monsters were ruthlessly strangled by the tendrils.


    Zhu Xiong grinned and said, "Thanks, I''m starting now."

 Chapter 104: Chapter 98: The Glutton

    Suddenly, such an incident involving Zhu Xiong startled the team members, causing them to fumble momentarily.


    However, as Su Han took action, they quickly adjusted and attacked the sporadically approaching monsters with increased vigor, preventing any from getting close to the vine cage.


    In the vine cage, when the red light emerged and hovered over the corpse of the Angel Envoy, the entire atmosphere suddenly changed.


    The Angel Envoy, wielding a hammer axe, heavily chopped down on the Meat Mountain Demon''s knee. A crack sounded, the bone broke instantly, and the obese body no longer had a strong support point, copsing in an instant.


    The Angel Envoy threw away the hammer axe and leapt ferociously onto the body of the Meat Mountain Demon. With a burst of skill-powered strength, he began to frenziedly rip and devour.


    The red light gradually enveloped the Meat Mountain Demon, connecting with the red light on the Angel Envoy''s body, emanating a sinister feel.


    The Meat Mountain Demon wanted to resist, but being severely wounded, it had no room to fight back and could only watch as the Angel Envoy slowly devoured its flesh, organs, and bones.


    A surge of madness entered Zhu Xiong''s consciousness, and in a daze, he found himself standing in a crimson space facing a crazed Meat Mountain Demon.


    This was the will of the Meat Mountain Demon and part of the Divine Initiation Ritual, a process necessary for fusing with a monster.


    His eyes suddenly became sharp, and he collided with the Meat Mountain Demon in this consciousness, battling and shing, being knocked down repeatedly, yet standing up time and again.


    As long as his will was firm, he would not easily fall in the face of the Meat Mountain Demon''s wild mental assault.


    Continue your journey with mvl


    In reality, the red light became more dazzling,pletely enveloping the remnants of the Meat Mountain Demon and the Angel Envoy.


    Through this eerie yet sacred red light, one could faintly see the Angel Envoy continuously devouring the Meat Mountain Demon.


    Gradually, the red light grew more brilliant, and the figures of the two monsterspletely merged within the red light into a mass of flesh, continuously squirming and shifting, with the light itself flickering between brightness and dimness.


    Outside the vine cage, the battle had already ended, and the Scorpion Spider Demon, with its enormous body, stood by the cage next to Su Han, protecting Zhu Xiong and his envoy.


    Not just Su Han, but the other team members also instinctively protected the cage, intently watching the entire process.


    This was the camp''s first person, other than the monstrous Su Han, to undergo the Divine Initiation Ritual.


    They all understood the importance of the ritual''s sess, which signified not only an enhancement to the camp''s overall strength but also a pioneer of advancement through fusion.


    "Roar."


    A dull roar emanated from the tumor-like red flesh mass, and the entire flesh began to move rapidly, the skin membrane being stretched taut from the inside out.


    Rip.


    It sounded like a tear, and the skin membrane suddenly burst open, revealing a tall figure that stood up, covered in sanguine mucus, with a skin texture gray and tough like armor.


    This monster was four meters tall, robust in build, with muscles as firm as marble. It had a particrly ferocious head, with interlocking sharp fangs resembling nails, appearing beast-like atop its burly body, which had two extremely thick arms. One of the arms extended past the knees, with elbow bone spurs sharp as knives and ws as sharp as des.


    The other arm could no longer be called an arm; it hung down to the ground, boneless and looking like arge gray python, with the transformed arm ending not in a hand but a fierce mouth with three to four rows of terror-inducing teeth inside and out.


    "The Devourer."


    After the conclusion of the Divine Initiation Ritual and the disappearance of the red light, Zhu Xiong broke free from the wild will of the Meat Mountain Demon. The Book of Blood Spirit continually fed power back to him, enhancing his physique. Without noticing, his slightly protruding beer belly had also slimmed down somewhat.


    He mumbled to himself, yet his eyes lit up, for he had seen the strength of his current envoy, a Second Order Low Grade Devourer.


    Su Han, seeing that Zhu Xiong was dealing with the situation, controlled the Ancient Worm Tree to unlock the vine-formed cage, releasing him and the Devourer.


    "How''s everything?"


    His inquiry clearly mattered to everyone, as they all set their eyes on Zhu Xiong, unable to hide their envious expressions.


    They were aware of the Divine Initiation Ritual''s advancement matters, as Su Han hadn''t deliberately concealed this information in the camp.


    Even if Su Han didn''t mention it, reaching the current strength limit of the envoy species or breaking through to Second Order Low Grade would also allow one to receive the Divine Initiation and understand these situations.


    However, to initiate the Divine Initiation Ritual like Zhu Xiong, one would need to be at least at the limit of First Order Upper Grade.


    Yet, the enhancement of the envoy''s strength is closely rted to the contractor''s talent, the species of the envoy, and their actions. Moreover, the resources used on the envoy are also crucial.


    At present, among the regr people in the Shanhu Vi Camp, the contractors with the best talent were actually Yan Meiyu, Zhu Xiong, and Bai Qn, whose envoys were clearly the fastest progressing among everyone.


    Certainly, setting aside the fusion abilities, the rate of Su Han''s envoy''s enhancement was actually simr to that of Yan Meiyu and the others.


    The talent was good; even if the species was only a corpse, Zhu Xiong managed because he almost daily led teams to scavenge for supplies, engaged frequently in battles, and due to merits, had ess to better injections.


    It was indeed due to many ovepping factors that Zhu Xiong managed to reach the limit at this time, even ahead of Yan Meiyu and Bai Qn.


    Envy aside, since talent couldn''t be changed, one might as well earn more merits to exchange for injections, right?


    Unknowingly, after witnessing the Divine Initiation Ritual, the members'' gazes grew fervently determined, for everyone likes to be stronger.


    Zhu Xiong heard Su Han''s question, grinned, and said, "Second Order Low Grade now, strength has increased a lot, and most importantly, its Devourer''s strength has increased a lot too, with an additional skill."


    He stopped there and didn''t continue, which made everyone show a look of regret.


    "Teams of three, advance slowly and clear all the creatures in the hospital."


    Zhu Xiong, facing his team, showed a smile, looking rather ''naive'', as if saying he wouldn''t tell you more.


    "Understood."


    The team members really wanted to punch the sturdy fat man, but considering Zhu Xiong''s size and his Devourer, they quietly made a vow for three years in their hearts.


    The group collected their spirits, grabbed hand-held crossbows, and began cautiously heading inside the hospital.


    Although most of the creatures had been killed, this didn''t mean that the hospital was safe.


    "The giant mouth on the right arm gained a new skill: Hardening, which can significantly enhance the strength of skin, bones, and teeth, usable in biting or hammering when the jaws clench together."


    As soon as people walked away, Zhu Xiong told Su Han about the skill information, lowering his voice and saying, "Actually, the strongest part of the Devourer is the right arm, it''s the hardest and can extend. This guy''s regenerative power is much stronger than that of a flesh corpse."


    A look of surprise shed in Su Han''s eyes, "Your Devourer has two skills now, right? Not bad, let''s try it outter."


    Zhu Xiongughed and said, "That''s exactly what I was thinking."


    After saying this, Zhu Xiong quickly caught up with his own team, none of whom were First Order Upper Grade, just in case something happened, that would definitely spell trouble.


    Zhu Xiong strode ahead while Su Han looked at the monster corpses scattered around, with about three to four hundred bodies, among which flesh corpses only made up one-third, the rest were Meat Crawlers and other transformed flesh corpses.


    "Should I fuse flesh corpse flesh or try Meat Crawler flesh?"


    Su Han appeared thoughtful; originally, when he first gained the Fusion Ability using flesh corpse flesh, he hadn''t thought it throughpletely, otherwise, he would have fused the entire flesh corpse.


    Thinking this, he concentrated on the Meat Crawler corpse entangled by vines, silently chanting ''flesh'' when suddenly the prompt sound changed.


    [Crawler flesh detected as fusible material, start Fusion?]


    Just like with the flesh corpse earlier, where his spirit focused more, it would prioritize that part as the primary material for fusion.


    While Su Han was contemting, the prompt unexpectedly changed again.


    [Existing simr flesh material detected, merging materials: Essence of Flesh, initiate Fusion?]


    The sudden change was unexpected for Su Han, but without hesitation, he mentallymanded, "Fusion."


    As themand was given, the Meat Crawler''s flesh began to fuse rapidly, not only the Meat Crawler''s but also the flesh of nearby flesh corpses and Giant Macrophage Dogs was enveloped by fine fments from the spreading vines, quickly integrating into the body of the Ancient Worm Tree.


    He summoned his attribute panel and saw there was a new change.


    Angel Envoy: Ancient Worm Tree


    Level: Second-order Superior


    Skills: [Fast-growing Vines][Metallic Quality][Radiance of the Lamp Tree][Anthropomorphic State][Lv2 Man-eating Vine][Self-healing¡¤Primary][Tree-born Worm]


    Fusion: LV1 Common Metal, LV1 Lamp Tree Crystals, LV1 Essence of Flesh, Tentacle-faced Monster, wed Giant


    Fusing: LV1 Essence of Flesh 2%


    Ever since thest great battle at the research center, the Ancient Worm Tree had fused various flesh and Rift Mother creatures, and its strength had already been elevated to Second-order Superior.


    What was different from thest panel was that the LV2 flesh corpse flesh was gone, reced with LV1 Essence of Flesh.


    The skills hadn''t changed, but it seemed like the fusion materials had been upgraded.


    ''Did the material upgrade or did the process that previously converted them into flesh corpse flesh now turn all flesh into Essence of Flesh?''


    Su Han merely pondered this thought and didn''t delve deeper into the differences; instead, his gazended on the Scorpion Spider Demon, figuring if the Ancient Worm Tree could do it, there was no reason the Scorpion Spider Demon couldn''t.


    Thus, controlling the Scorpion Spider Demon, he picked up the nearby monster corpse, and sure enough, as his spirit concentrated, the same prompt appeared.


    Following the same procedure, he directly initiated the fusion, turning the LV2 flesh corpse flesh into LV1 Essence of Flesh and continuously integrating the surrounding monster corpses.


    "Boss, there''s a situation."


    While the two Angel Envoys were fusing, sudden hasty footsteps came, unmistakably from Zhao Yimin in the team.


    He came before Su Han and quickly said, "Survivors found, they''re all in the cafeteria building, Brother Zhu is currently clearing the creatures, it will be done soon."


    "Let''s go, let''s go and see."

 Chapter 105: Chapter 99: Hospital Survivors

    Su Han was still possessing the ck Armor, holding a Pu knife in his hand, and following Zhao Yimin as they quickly made their way towards the direction of the cafeteria building.


    South City First Hospital was the best third-ss hospital within South City. On a regr day, the number of patients it catered to was countless, therefore, even with the outpatient building, inpatient building, administration building, and other constructions being crammed together, the hospital still covered an extensive area.


    Following the direction of the extending vines, Su Han and Zhao Yimin quickly arrived at the southwest corner of the hospital, where a small building suddenly appeared before them.


    "Be careful not to get ambushed by monsters."


    In front of the cafeteria building, a tall Giant Macrophage Dog was confronting Zhu Xiong''s Glutton, surrounded by the remnants of about thirty Crawlers and Meat Zombies.


    They looked on hungrily, but Zhu Xiong and the others were not the least bit panicked; in fact, the team members had only taken defensive positions and had not yet made a move.


    "Roar"


    The Giant Macrophage Dog let out a fierce growl and rapidly charged toward the invading enemy, but the Glutton was clearly faster.


    Your adventure continues at mvl


    It rushed into the group of monsters, holding the axe-hammer from before, and swept across, severing the foremost few monsters at the waist.


    The Giant Macrophage Dog attempted to rush forward, but the Glutton''s right arm suddenly extended, shooting out like a giant python toward the Giant Macrophage Dog.


    Hardening!


    Spiritual Energy surged into the Glutton''s right arm, causing the flesh-hammer-like limb to be even harder. Its giant maw split open almost to a fan-shaped angle and then mmed into the body of the Giant Macrophage Dog, biting down viciously.


    Large chunks of flesh along with bone were bitten off, leaving arge gap where the Giant Macrophage Dog''s scap had been, with blood continuously spouting out, and the Giant Macrophage Dog staggered to the ground.


    Drops of blood fell from the Giant Maw on the right arm, which chewed on the flesh in its mouth before swallowing it down into the Glutton''s body.


    Eerie, bloody, and extremely brutal.


    The Meat Zombies and Crawlers quickly charged forward, but the Glutton''s right arm, like a chain mace, swept over, knocking them to the ground with a tter, one mouthful taking a head, another gouging out a heart.


    It bathed in blood as it ughtered through the group of monsters, its axe-hammer mercilessly pounding on the ''survivors'' that the right arm had missed.


    "Glug"


    The onlooking Zhao Yimin and others swallowed hard. The formerly ordinary Angel Envoy Meat Zombies had now be so brutal.


    The sparse retaliatory attacks of the Meat Zombies on the Glutton''s body were futile; their w Strikes could not breach its keratinized skin, and the ughter concluded within a few minutes.


    "Click"


    The faint sound of a closing window caught Su Han''s attention. With just a nce, he noticed someone was checking the situation outside.


    "Zhao Yimin, go and ask them to open the door."


    "Yes"


    Zhao Yimin strode towards the main entrance of the cafeteria building; the metal iron door was tightly shut, covered with impact dents and bloodstains, which made it look somewhat terrifying.


    However, the door was still tightly closed, with no signs of forced entry.


    "Bang bang bang"


    Zhao Yimin knocked on the door; the sound was muffled, as if something was blocking behind the door, suppressing the vibrations.


    "Looks like there are still quite a few people in there."


    Brother Zhu stood beside Su Han, his Glutton following closely behind, and also guarded Su Han on both sides.


    He was a bold yet careful guy and noticed that the Ancient Worm Tree and the Scorpion Spider Demon were not currently by Su Han''s side.


    "Having people is a good thing, but this door doesn''t look easy to open."


    While speaking, Zhao Yimin knocked on the door again, raising his voice, "Open the door, we are survivors, not monsters. If you don''t open it, we''ll have to open it ourselves."


    His tone was not at all polite, but in such an apocalyptic world, it was indeed much more pleasant than the roar of monsters.


    Inside the door, there was a rustling noise followed by a long silence, after which a steady, aged voice came through, "Don''t be rash; the door is blocked. It will take some time to open it."


    Zhao Yimin looked back at Su Han and Zhu Xiong, seeking guidance with his eyes.


    Su Han nodded slightly and said, "Give them some time."


    Zhao Yimin no longer urged them, and soon, noise from inside indicated that objects were being moved. After about ten minutes, a click echoed as the door slowly opened, revealing the inside situation to Su Han and the others.


    Several pairs of vignt eyes met with theirs; there were many people, all holding weapons¡ªkitchen knives, cleavers, metal rods, legs of stools, all sorts of things.


    A few Meat Zombies were called out to stand at the forefront, separating the survivors from Su Han and his group.


    Su Han noticed that among the Angel Envoys, one was particrly tall, with a hunchback, likely a First-level Intermediate Crawler.


    "Move your Angel Envoys aside, and stand in the cafeteria dining area; don''t block the door."


    With a calm voice, Su Han''s gaze swept over the Angel Envoy monsters andnded on the survivors behind them, especially on a white-haired old man.


    He thought to himself in astonishment: So it was this old man who was in charge here.


    The old man had white hair, a straight back, broad shoulders, with eyebrows slightly drooping, kind yet stern.


    "Folks, call your Meat Zombies to the side; do as he says. We''re all kin, not monsters," he said with a steady voice, like a calming anchor. Several young doctors and young men promptly summoned their Angel Envoys aside, and then the crowd moved back toward the dining area, opening up a path.


    Su Han took the lead and walked in, with Zhu Xiong closely following behind. The tall Glutton stayed close. Fortunately, the floor of the dining area was high, so after entering, there was no sense of constriction.


    The massive dining area was about the size of four or five ssrooms, with metal tables piled up in disorder. It was clearly these objects that had blocked the door just now, and it was these objects that had saved their lives.


    Although both groups were in the hall, there were several meters between them, and the wariness in their eyes did not fade much.


    "Hello," the old leader''s gaze fell on Su Han, and from his previous actions, it was clear that Su Han was the decision-maker of the team.


    He looked surprised, wondering what the face under the ck Armor was like.


    "I am Cao Yubao, the deputy dean of South City First Hospital. I am very grateful to you for clearing the monsters outside and saving us."


    Cao Yubao started by expressing his gratitude. Su Han nodded slightly, and the helmet of the ck Armor receded a little, revealing his face.


    "How many doctors do you have inside?"


    Cao Yubao was taken aback, hesitated, and then said, "Seven doctors, fourteen nurses, ten support staff, thirty-two patients and their family members, with two in critical condition..."


    He informed them of the survivors inside the dining hall, pausing, then asked with uncertainty, "Are you official rescue personnel?"


    Although Su Han and his team were not in uniform, their coordinated actions and decisive manner made him feel as if he was facing the Armed Forces or the security guard.


    Although there were differences, they did not seem like ordinary people.


    "We are not," Su Han shook his head and then said, "Dean Cao, start packing up. Everyone here will follow me in a while."


    Su Han''s voice was decisive, but such an attitude made people even more hesitant because they did not know what his real purpose was.


    Cao Yubao asked in a deep voice, "Sir, we need to know where you n to take us and what we are going to do?"


    Zhu Xiong grinned and interjected, "Dean Cao, don''t worry, our camp needs doctors, which is why we came here."


    Zhu Xiong''s words made Cao Yubao startled, and he could not help but feel relieved.


    "Are there any patients?"


    "Yes, some need surgery."


    Zhu Xiong nced around and said, "Our camp is very safe and strong, as you''ve seen. It is better to follow us than to cringe here. We wee capable doctors and nurses, and others can earn safety and food by working hard. It''s much better than here."


    Zhu Xiong''s words shook many people. Although there was plenty of food in the dining hall, it had already been almost exhausted over the course of more than a month.


    If it weren''t for the rationing of food from the beginning, it would probably have already run out.


    "Zhao Yimin, take a headcount and then start packing up."


    "Yes, Brother Zhu."


    Cao Yubao nodded and didn''t stop Zhao Yimin''s actions. As Zhu Xiong said, going to a safe camp was a good thing.


    "Xiao Zhou, cooperate with them."


    "Yes, teacher."


    A middle-aged doctor stood up and began directing the survivors to assist Zhao Yimin with the headcount and call down the other survivors from the upper floors.


    Su Han watched everyone''s movements without interrupting, but suddenly noticed several children with pale faces in the crowd, the youngest not more than eight years old and the eldest only about thirteen or fourteen. It was quite a surprise.


    "Are they patients?"


    He turned to Cao Yubao and asked suddenly.


    Cao Yubao was initially startled, then he nodded and said, "The majority of the children are patients. They are small and easier to carry... all saved by their parents'' lives."


    He paused, his tone turning somewhat somber.


    The hospital had many patients, and the sudden apocalypse caught everyone by surprise.


    Especially those in the inpatient department; very few managed to escape.


    But it was a bit different for the children who were sick. Their parents were mostly with them, and if they hadn''t turned into Meat Mountain Demons, the parents did everything they could to secure a chance at life for their children.


    Therefore, there ended up being quite a few child patients here. Some still had their parents, some had be orphans.


    "Are you the leader of the camp?"


    Cao Yubao''s gaze was fixed on the young man before him. Even after hearing about the children, he maintained a calm demeanor, which was somewhat perplexing.


    "Yes, just call me Su Han," said Su Han,


    He nced at the crowd and then added, "It must have taken a lot of effort to save so many people, right?"


    Cao Yubao said bitterly, "A lot of people died¡ªmy colleagues, my students, several of them."


    He was able to be a central figure not just because he was slightly stronger but because he had saved many patients and taught many students, and he had prestige in the hospital.


    "Moreover, the survival of the dining hall isn''t just due to that reason."


    Su Han was taken aback, then asked, "How so?"


    Cao Yubao said, "There must be other monsters nearby that asionally attack those outside. Their disturbances diverted the attention of the monsters, which is how we were able to survive until now."


    He spoke earnestly, "If possible, we should leave here as soon as we can, or it will be troublesome if the monsterse."


    Cao Yubao was genuinely offering advice with everyone''s best interest in mind, but Su Han''s gaze flickered with a different thought.


    "How often do those monsterse, and do they fight with the Meat Mountain Demons that have a split in their chest? Who wins, who loses?"

 Chapter 106: Chapter 100: Monster Tracks

    Cao Yubao was somewhat puzzled by this young man''s thoughts; faced with monsters, he didn''t flee but instead asked about the monsters'' situation.


    All he could do was recall carefully, then he replied, "It''s hard to say, it should be once every three to five days when it fights the biggest monster. I haven''t seen who wins or loses, but I think the unknown monster might be more formidable."


    Monsters frequently attacked the hospital, but none had ever stayed, and the number of monsters inside the hospital was actually decreasing, likely due to the monsters from outside.


    Upon hearing this, Su Han felt somewhat able to judge the situation; if their strengths weren''t far apart, then it would be manageable.


    "Old Zhu!"


    "Boss, what do you need me for?"


    Zhu Xiong quickly approached, and Su Han, giving him a re, said, "Stop joking, let''s go lie in wait."


    "Wait for what?"


    Zhu Xiong was utterly confused, and Su Han said, "To find you a second Angel Envoy."


    "There''s such a good thing?"


    Zhu Xiong''s eyes lit up, while Su Han then said to Cao Yubao, "Dean Cao, youe with us two as well."


    Taking Cao Yubao was merely incidental, conveniently making him a hostage.


    After all, if Su Han and Zhu Xiong temporarily left, then only Zhao Yimin, Cheng Xiyuan, and the others would remain here.


    Though these survivors had crossbow arrows and wore iron armor, their strength was only at First-level Intermediate, so for safety, Cao Yubao stayed close to Su Han''s side.


    Without their leader, this group of survivors naturally wouldn''t cause trouble.


    The three of them made their way to the hospital''s main entrance where two terrifying figures suddenly appeared before Cao Yubao.


    He was exceedingly startled, his body trembling nonstop. These two figures were far more terrifying and unstoppable than the Meat Mountain Demons they had seen inside the hospital before.


    "Run fast!"


    He lowered his voice, grabbing Su Han and Zhu Xiong to quietly leave the ce.


    "Hehe, old man, why run? They''re our monsters,"


    Zhu Xiong, however, firmly grasped Cao Yubao''s arm, and said with a chuckle.


    Cao Yubao didn''t forget to pull them along even when trying to escape; this old fellow was still quite decent, apart from his expensive registration fee, seeming truly to have a hint of a healer''s benevolence.


    Cao Yubao was stunned, "These, these are your Angel Envoys?"


    He looked towards Su Han who was dressed in ck armor; many people had not seen Su Han''s Angel Envoys.


    Su Han merely nodded, then asked, "Do you roughly know which direction that monsteres from?"


    Cao Yubao furrowed his brows, the wrinkles on his face tightly pressed together, contemted for a long time, and said, "Probably from the direction of Mingxin Road; every time there''s noise, it''s from there. We dare not venture out of the cafeteria building, we can only judge by the sounds."


    Knowing the rough direction, Su Han suddenly had a notion, and fifty Tree-born Worms immediately searched in that direction, moving swiftly underground.


    Having deployed the Tree-born Worms, Su Han then checked on the Fusion progress of the two Angel Envoys¡ªthe Ancient Worm Tree had now reached 73%, while the Scorpion Spider Demon likewise wasn''t slow, the Essence of Flesh having reached 65%.


    Cao Yubao, seeing that Su Han had no other actions, spected that there must be some methods he was unaware of.


    However, he did not ask; at his age, having been a medical expert for many years, he naturally had theposure not to pry into others'' secrets.


    He hesitated briefly, then asked, "Can you first talk about the condition of the injured? If it''s urgent, I''m afraid..."


    He had only two concerns¡ªthe condition of the injured, something he indeed wanted to know, and the other was about treating the injuries, a critical time to demonstrate their value. If they aren''t efficient and dy treatment, they could easily be resented by everyone involved.


    When Su Han suddenly heard his question, he paused for a moment, then said, "Combat injuries, external wounds have been controlled, but there might still be internal damage; the person is in aatose state with a slight fever."


    Cao Yubao frowned, Su Han''s description left too many possibilities, he asked gravely, "Severe collisions and fractures, especially in the head?"


    "There should be some,"


    Zhu Xiong inserted himself into the conversation, and said, "That day, they were hit in the head by a Split-mouth Worm. If not for the iron armor, they might not have survived."


    He hadmanded thebat that day and knew the situation better than Su Han.


    Cao Yubao remained deeply troubled, "It''s hard to judge, if there''s cranial damage, surgery might be needed. Luckily, he''s a Contractor; otherwise, an ordinary person might not havested this long."


    "Su Han," Cao Yubao said earnestly, "besides bringing people back, you also have to take some of the medical supplies and equipment from the second floor of the integrated building; otherwise, we won''t be able to treat them."


    "Don''t worry,"


    Su Han replied, then continued, "We''ll take the necessary supplies; we''ve brought two trucks."


    As time passed, the bodies of the monsters on the ground gradually vanished, their bones fusing together with them.


    The flesh directly increased the Fusion progress of the Essence of Flesh, while the bones also transformed into materials and nourishment.


    Finally, after half an hour, the Ancient Worm Tree was the first toplete its Fusion.


    [LV2 Essence of Flesh Fusionpleted, Ancient Worm Tree gains Skill Advancement: LV2 Tree-born Worms, Self-Healing¡¤Intermediate]


    Experience tales at mvl


    Two skills had advanced in session, and the massive trunk of the Ancient Worm Tree had grown evenrger, now standing around thirty-four or thirty-five meters tall with a girth that was terrifyingly robust, and its presence had deepened significantly.


    ''So the effect of the Essence of Flesh falls upon the fleshly body and rted skills, I see.''


    Upon witnessing the advancement of the two skills, Su Han couldn''t help but feel ted; the Ancient Worm Tree''s standalone fighting capability had grown even more powerful.


    Countless vinesbined with an even stronger regenerative ability, the difficulty level in dealing with it had doubled.


    It hadn''t been long since the Ancient Worm Tree had broken through when the Scorpion Spider Demon, after intensively fusing the corpses of monsters,pleted its fusion progress.


    [LV2 Essence of Flesh Fusionplete, Scorpion Spider Demon obtains skill advancement: Self-Healing¡¤Intermediate, LV2 Coagtion Cannon]


    Though it was also the advancement of two skills, the form of the Scorpion Spider Demon had not grown anyrger, but beneath its iron-hard muscles, the strength it contained had certainly increased substantially.


    The aura of brutality and cold-heartedness intensified, making one''s spine chill and feel uneasy.


    Zhu Xiong was used to such sights; after Su Han "devoured" vast resources, the growth potential of the Angel Envoy was simply unimaginable


    He only knew one thing¡ªthat Su Han was going to be more and more formidable. At this moment, either of the two Angel Envoys could easily pin down his Glutton and grind it against the ground.


    However, Cao Yubao''s heart was filled with rm, for it was his first time witnessing such an enhancement.


    No wonder he was so powerful. If given even more time, who knows what he could be.


    "Shasha Sha"


    The ground rumbled, and suddenly, the Tree-born Worm that had gone ahead to scout swiftly returned to the vicinity of the tree roots.


    "There''s some movement, let''s go."


    With a thought, the vines of the Ancient Worm Tree quickly descended, reached for Zhu Xiong and Cao Yubao, and wrapped around their bodies before lifting them directly onto the branches.


    Su Han himself was also hoisted up by the vines, arriving at the main trunk, high above.


    The three of them settled in, while under his control, the Ancient Worm Tree and the Scorpion Spider Demon rapidly headed towards the location where the Tree-born Worm had detected the activity.


    The range of activity of the Tree-born Worm was only within 600 meters of the Ancient Worm Tree, and although it had recently advanced, it had not exceeded 1000 meters, so reaching there with the speed of the Ancient Worm Tree was not a problem.


    Along the way on Mingxin Road, Zhu Xiong leaned over to the still uneasy Cao Yubao and whispered, "Dean Cao, where are we headed in this direction?"


    Cao Yubao shook his head. Along the way on Mingxin Road, he didn''t know where to stop¡ªperhaps amunity area or a subway entrance. How could he answer?


    ''This man doesn''t seem as fierce as he looks, just a bit too talkative.''


    Zhu Xiong naturally had no idea that the old doctor would have such an opinion of him internally.


    He continued to chat with Cao Yubao from time to time, looking at the Scorpion Spider Demon at the foot of the Ancient Worm Tree and the Glutton following closely behind, still keeping up, so there was no need to retrieve the Book of Blood Spirit.


    Minutester, the Ancient Worm Tree came to a halt. Cao Yubao looked at the buildings gradually revealed under the illumination of the Radiance of the Lamp Tree, and a look of surprise crossed his eyes, "It''s actually here."


    "Mingxin Road Market?"


    Zhu Xiong looked around in astonishment and said, "Is this a vegetable market?"


    Cao Yubao nodded and said, "Yes, thergest market nearby with live chickens and ducks. Many patients and their families buy free-range chickens and ducks here to fortify their health."


    Longtime patients often rented homes near this hospital. Naturally, their lives revolved around this area, and things meant to fortify patients'' health were brought here for sale.


    Cao Yubao paused slightly before adding, "It''s not just free-range chickens and ducks; I''ve heard that there are wild animals sold secretly here, but I''ve never seen them... Sigh, most health supplements are the same; it doesn''t necessarily have to be those things, but there are always people trying to exploit the patients, relentlessly doing evil deeds."


    Upon hearing about wild animals, Zhu Xiong and Su Han exchanged nces¡ªdamn, there really were people daring death, bringing such things into the market?


    At the same time, they both considered the possibility that the creatures here were either those live ones like chickens and ducks or, more troublesome, wild animal mutant or evolved kinds.


    "That thing is stopped inside the market."


    As Su Han spoke, he was already controlling the vines of the Ancient Worm Tree, extending them deeper into the entire market, dispelling more of the mist.


    The Tree-born Worm had enveloped the entire market, and through the ground''s vibrations, it had confirmed that a massive creature was indeed inside.


    "Roar!"


    As the vines extended, suddenly a beastly roar resounded, the ground thundering and rumbling, the creature having made the first move against the vines.


    "Over there."


    The Ancient Worm Tree burst into the market, with the Scorpion Spider Demon rushing ahead and finally spotting the monster wrestling with the vines among a pile of stall ruins deep within the market.


    "Such a big pig!"


    Zhu Xiong''s eyes widened; in the middle of the market stood a bizarrely gigantic pig that was asrge as a mountain.


    Four meters at the shoulder, six meters in body length, muscles knotted like rocks, fiercely twisted horns, a pair of tusk-like sharp teeth, especially the pig''s face, covered with ayer of bone armor that extended from its skull along the spine to its tail, bone spikes jutting out like a suit of bone armor.


    "Roar!"


    The Bone Armor Giant Pig, its eyes blood-red, having seen the Ancient Worm Tree, let out an angry roar, its body''s bone protrusions extending, covering its back as it charged forward.

 Chapter 107: Chapter 101: Bone Armor Giant Pig

    "It''s quite fierce."


    The Bone Armor Giant Pig charged forward withrge strides, but the vines immediatelyshed out, knocking it to the ground with their heavy force.


    "Hm? The bone armor isn''t broken?"


    Your next read awaits at §Þ??


    Su Han was somewhat surprised; the bone armor had not shattered, which made this monster somewhat interesting.


    However, before the Bone Armor Giant Pig could struggle to its feet, the vines had already wrapped around it, one after another, springing from the ground and binding it firmly in ce, no matter how much it struggled, it couldn''t break free.


    The Man-eating Vine moved quickly, biting into the thick belly and injecting paralytic toxin.


    In no time at all, the giant pig had lost all signs of movement, emitting heavy snoring sounds.


    Su Han controlled the vines to lower the three of them to the ground.


    "This dude is much tougher than arge Golden Cup."


    Zhu Xiong clicked his tongue in wonder, circling around the Bone Armor Giant Pig, which, although lying on its side, was about as tall as him.


    "Get to work. Although it''s just First Order Upper Grade, it''s definitely worth cultivating a bit more."


    As Su Han''s voice came over, Zhu Xiong was taken aback for a moment, then cracked a wide smile, "Then I won''t be polite."


    Thinking gratefully of Su Han''s kindness, Old Zhu didn''t have a way to bring his brothers along anymore now that it was the apocalypse, but he was ready to take on the task of scavenging for supplies, nning to make more trips to find some metal to enhance Su Han''s strength.


    He let the Devourer go at it, its Hardening skill already applied, sharp teeth were unmistakably revealed, biting furiously at the neck of the Bone Armor Giant Pig.


    The neck of the Bone Armor Giant Pig was particrly sturdy, its mane was ck and thick as if it were cloaked in cotton batting, but these bristles couldn''t stop the terrifying bite of the Devourer.


    After only a moment''s resistance, the sharp teeth broke through the mane and settled on the flesh of the neck, severing blood vessels and the windpipe, a mouthful of fresh blood surged into the devourer''s gaping maw, continuously channeled into its own body.


    The paralyzed Bone Armor Giant Pig couldn''t move at all and could only watch as its life force slowly slipped away.


    Zhu Xiong''s Book of Blood Spirit lit up, new pages emerged, and light slowly enveloped the Bone Armor Giant Pig.


    As Zhu Xiong enacted his Contract, Su Han surveyed the entire market scene.


    Whether it were storefronts or stalls, they were now all in disarray, especially where the Bone Armor Giant Pig had appeared, littered with heaps of bones that were white as snow and giving off a foul stench.


    "These bones are very much in line with the Crawlers and Meat Corpses. This giant pig must have considered them food," Zhao Yimin deduced from the bones; the bite marks on the shattered remains were clearly made by the Bone Armor Giant Pig.


    With a bitter expression, he said, "Who knows if the original form of this monster was a domestic pig or a wild boar. How did it turn into this in just over a month? The life evolution beyond naturalw, humanity..."


    "At least now we can still use Angel Envoys."


    Su Han replied softly, his gazending on Zhu Xiong, "It should be about done."


    Sure enough, as his voice fell, the red light quickly disappeared, and with it the form of the Bone Armor Giant Pig.


    "Sess."


    Zhu Xiong''s face rippled with fat, a happy grin spreading across it, "First Order Upper Grade Bone Armor Giant Pig, and it even has a skill, Bone Armor, made a tidy profit."


    The Bone Armor Giant Pig was massive, and both strength and defense were of high quality, apparent from how it held its own inbat with the Meat Mountain Demon and managed to escape fully-fed numerous times.


    Now that it had the Bone Armor skill, presumably that was the skill that had thickened the spine earlier, its defense was visibly strong, at least strong enough that a casual whip from the Second-order Superior Ancient Worm Tree could not break it.


    "Don''t be too happy yet; remember to let Bai Qn draw a few more tubes of blood after we go back. This fellow is probably an Evolved Kind."


    Compared to the Meat Mountain Demon and Giant w Zombie, this one was rational and not overly bloodthirsty, clearly different from those mutated kinds.


    "Draw, go ahead and draw as much as you want. At worst, it''s just resting a bit longer."


    It was just blood being drawn, after all; it wasn''t him that would feel the pain.


    "Hmm-hmm-hmm,"


    Just as the three were preparing to leave, a low humming suddenly came to their ears, all three looking surprised.


    Zhu Xiong''s ears twitched and he quickly followed the sound, taking a few steps to a ruin piled with waste from many stalls.


    After rummaging briefly, he suddenly eximed, "There are piglets too¡ªwe''ve struck it rich."


    Su Han also looked surprised and quickly walked over, peering down to indeed see seven or eight piglets beneath the rubble, about the size of basketballs, seemingly newly born.


    "Hold on, they don''t quite look like the Bone Armor Giant Pig."


    He raised his eyebrows and focused his gaze. Among these eight piglets, only two had raised backs and enormous heads, along with bony facial armor.


    But of the remaining six, four had dark skin with long manes, while the other two had brown skin with particrly prominent tusks, but neither had any bone armor.


    Focusing, Su Han turned his attention to these different piglets.


    [Discovered live fusionpatible monsters: Giant Mane Wild Boar, perform Fusion?]


    [Discovered live fusionpatible monsters: Tusked Wild Boar, perform Fusion?]


    ''Giant Mane Wild Boar and Tusked Wild Boar, all from one litter?''


    Su Han pondered, confused, but Cao Yubao contemted for a while and said, "Actually, it''s not iprehensible."


    Su Han and Zhu Xiong looked at him, asking, "Dean Cao, what did you figure out?"


    "Although I don''t know if the Bone Armor Giant Pig was originally a domestic pig or a wild one, if it was already pregnant with piglets when the apocalypse came, then this kind of variation, mutating separately, is not unreasonable," Cao Yubao paused, then added with a bitter smile, "After all, their evolution doesn''t make much sense."


    "Looks rather tender, shall we eat it?"


    Zhu Xiong didn''t care how it had evolved, whether the kid could form a contract or if he had anybat power after contracting. Instead, he wondered if it would be better braised or crispy-skinned.


    Su Han nced at him and said, "Take it back and raise it first, see what it''s like when it grows up."


    If the remaining two Bone Armor Giant Pigs could breed intobat monsters, that would be best, and the one Zhu Xiong had was a First Order Upper Grade, and might even be able to advance further.


    As for the Giant Mane Wild Pigs and Saber-toothed Wild Pigs, it would depend on theirbat power when they grew up.


    "Alright."


    Zhu Xiong scooped up two in one hand and then handed them to Cao Yubao, "Dean Cao, don''t be shy, take two."


    Cao Yubao was dumbfounded, holding a pig in one hand while the two piglets struggled continuously. Fortunately, he was strong enough to hold them down.


    Zhu Xiong wanted to hand over two to Su Han, but Su Han looked disdainfully at the pigs and casually grabbed some metal scraps. Using Metal Maniption, he formed arge iron cage.


    All eight piglets were locked inside, then carried away by the Glutton.


    "Let''s go."


    After dealing with the Bone Armor Giant Pigs, the three of them didn''t make any other moves and immediately went back to South City''s First Hospital.


    By then, Zhao Yimin and the others had finished counting the people, and the remaining supplies had also been sorted out. It''s worth mentioning that there was also a Lamp Tree in the cafeteria building, just not as big.


    It seemed that the Lamp Tree always appeared in ces where living beings gathered, especially humans.


    "Dean Cao, and the drugs and medical equipment on the second floor of theprehensive building, right?"


    Leading everyone out of the cafeteria building, Su Han called Cao Yubao over to ask about the medical equipment.


    Cao Yubao nodded and said, "Yes, if the camp has a decent number of people, these medical supplies should be very useful."


    "Then let''s go over there."


    Su Han asked Cao Yubao to lead the way. Within the hospital, they didn''t have to go far, just around a corner and they were at theprehensive building not far from the entrance.


    "Roar"


    The building had not yet been cleared, and there were faint monster roarsing from inside.


    "I''ll take people in."


    Zhu Xiong was ready to lead the people in when Su Han shook his head and said, "I''ll clear the area first."


    The Ancient Worm Tree approached theprehensive building withrge steps, its height of about thirty-four to thirty-five meters nearly matching that of the ten-plus-story building.


    Fast-growing Vines!


    The vines extended their fangs and ws, rapidly spreading across the entire building from all directions, whether through corridors or windows and reaching into the building before them.


    Everyone couldn''t help but swallow their saliva as a chill ran up their backs and straight to their scalps.


    Despite being their own leader, the vines and fleshy tentacles of the Ancient Worm Tree were like an Evil God, devouring the building.


    One terrifying roar after another rang out, apanied by sounds of battle; first there were fierce roars, then helpless wails as killing ensued on every floor.


    Wherever the Radiance of the Lamp Tree illuminated, wherever the vines reached, the monsters were overwhelmed by the vines.


    In ten minutes, the vines had covered every nook and cranny of the entire building.


    The dark vines and tentacles nketed the building, as if they had grown there over decades and were now one with it.


    "Old Zhu, lead the people in to move things, everyone lend a hand."


    "Understood."


    Zhu Xiong looked at the people and said, "Except for the patients and children, everyone follow me, especially those without a contract."


    A group of dozens of people led by Zhu Xiong entered theprehensive building. As soon as they stepped into the lobby, they saw the bodies of monsters all over the floor, prated by the vines, and blood slowly dripping out, pooling on the ground.


    The stench and the twisted faces of the monsters filled everyone''s heart with unease and a vague feeling of nausea.


    "Zhou Ziqing, lead the way. Move the useful stuff first."


    Zhou Ziqing was Cao Yubao''s student and a doctor here, very familiar with theyout of theprehensive building.


    He led everyone directly to the second floor where the medical supplies were stored, and then everyone, including the corpses, started moving things.


    The stock of medical supplies exceeded Su Han and his team''s expectations. Although some drugs were unusable due topromised storage conditions,


    the remaining drugs, masks, gauze, and other supplies were far more than what two trucks could transport.


    With no other choice, Zhu Xiong and the others had to select the most important supplies and those needed for surgery to move first.


    In one hour, with the help of the vines, everyone finally finished loading the trucks.


    Everyone boarded the vehicles, and those who couldn''t fit even sat on the backs of Zhu Xiong''s Bone Armor Giant Pigs, then quickly departed back the way they came.


    However, not long after they left, the roar of vehicles could be heard again as another convoy rushed into the hospital.


    The vehicle came to an abrupt stop, and a tall man with a square face furrowed his brow, murmuring, "Something is wrong, the hospital has been cleared."


    "What should we do now?"


    At the driver''s seat, a muscr ck man holding a pistol and shing the hazard lights as a caution to the convoy, asked.


    "First get off and search, see if there''s a doctor. The development of the camp can''t do without a doctor, that''s the boss''s orders."

 Chapter 108: Chapter 102 Wan Yuzhou

    Zhou Ji ordered everyone to get out of the cars. They had a total of three vehicles: the front one was an off-road vehicle, and the two behind were business vans. In an instant, twelve people got out.


    Leading the group was Zhou Ji himself, with his deputy Yu Shaokui by his side. Their expressions were indifferent. As soon as they got out of the cars, they quickly scanned the surrounding environment, and the Angel Envoy was summoned to their side in an instant.


    A group of twelve, almost half of them armed with guns, had a grave look. They were not the kind to be trifled with.


    "Brother Zhou, what do we do now?"


    Someone asked, casting a vignt nce at the gradually dissipating fog, while in Zhou Ji''s hand was a fist-sized Lamp Tree Crystal.


    "Search for traces of the hospital, it would be best if we could find survivors."


    The silence of the hospital, along with the residual signs of battle, made Zhou Ji realize that the area had already been scavenged.


    But one must always be prepared for the unexpected.


    Zhou Ji and his deputy Yu Shaokui split up, each leading a team to search for clues within the hospital. Soon they found something amiss and quickly converged back at the parking area.


    "There are traces of recent activity in the canteen building, but it''s empty now. They must have left just a few days ago."


    Yu Shaokui shared his findings with Zhou Ji, who had arrived, paused, and then said, "It''s not just a few days ago; it must have been within the past day or two."


    Zhou Ji''s words made Yu Shaokui freeze, then revealing a puzzled look: "Brother Zhou, what did you find?"


    "Theprehensive building has just been cleared, some of the monster''s blood hasn''t even dried."


    He paused for a second, his gaze cold, and the corner of his mouth slightly upturned: "However, there''s still a good amount of medical supplies in the storeroom on the second floor."


    "A''Kui, load the stuff onto the vehicle, as much as we can. We''ve got our next target."


    Although Zhou Ji and his group only had three vehicles, not as many as Su Han''s team''s trucks, there wasn''t especially much left after Su Han and his team had finished loading their vehicles.


    And after they randomly loaded some more, even less remained.


    asionally, monsters would sporadicallye to attack them at the parking spot, but Zhou Ji didn''t even fire his gun. Pulling a dagger from his waist, he dodged the corpse''s lunge with sharp movements and then stabbed it upwards through its chin into its head.


    His actions were extremely skillful, and his response was very quick. He was a Contractor of no low level.


    About an hourter, they had loaded everything onto the vehicles, and then they got into the cars one after the other and drove off into the distance.


    Zhou Ji and his people sped along, heading north, passing through the overpass and buildings, and gradually reached the outskirts.


    Between the fog and the withered trees, a tarred road unexpectedly appeared. The three cars drove onto the road, and after just a mile or two, Wanzhou Manor came into view.


    A metal gate blocked the entrance, and above this iron gate hung Lamp Tree Crystals, their light dispersing the surrounding fog.


    At the entrance, several sandbags blocked the way, and a team of about five or six people were on guard, all armed with guns. The Angel Envoys were by their sides, and among them, one person''s Angel Envoy was actually a Giant Macrophage Dog.


    "Roar!"


    As soon as the vehicles approached, the Giant Macrophage Dog reacted, and the guards became very alert, immediately turning their gun barrels around.


    "It''s me."


    Zhou Ji''s car stopped, and he leaned out, signaling that they were allies.


    "Brother Zhou," the long-haired man in charge came over with a smile. He bowed slightly and then said, "ording to the boss''s rules, you need to get out and open the trunk."


    Zhou Ji did not get angry at his words. He just nodded, calmly saying, "I know the rules, turn off the engine and get out, open the trunk."


    He had been with the boss the longest, not just as a bodyguard but also as a brother who had started from scratch with the boss. Naturally, he was aware of his boss''s caution.


    Everyone got out of the cars, allowing the guards to open the doors and the trunk. Boxes filled to the brim were inside the vehicles.


    A few people opened the boxes, checked that they were filled with medicine, and confirmed no one was hidden, then they stopped.


    "Brother Zhou, all clear."


    Zhou Ji did not say much more and drove straight into the interior of the manor after getting back into the car.


    Wanzhou Manor, one of thergest vacation vis in South City, was built by Bai Lake, featuring hot springs, golf courses, shooting ranges, and otherrge entertainment facilities. With lush woonds and flowers blooming all year round, it covered an extensive area.


    However, since the arrival of the mist, the surrounding woods had be withered, and few could survive.


    This gave the vi, which should have been very attractive, a touch of destion amidst the mist, only adding to its dreariness.


    But as the vehicles continued to drive inward, suddenly lights appeared at the edge of the fog. Lamp Tree Crystals were ced high on poles in the ground.


    About every hundred meters or so, they were arranged in a circle around the vi''s buildings, illuminating not only the structures of the vi but also the ground.


    Many people were turning over the withered grass and preparing thend for crops.


    Among those working, there were individuals in suits and others in shirts, both men and women, with a wide age range from the fifties to the twenties, which seemed a bit odd.


    If they had anything inmon, it was that very few possessed Angel Envoys.


    Zhou Ji paid no attention to these people, driving directly to the luxurious vi buildings.


    Soon as the vehicles stopped, guards immediately approached.


    "Brother Zhou."


    "Unload the stuff and take it to the warehouse. It''s all medicine, so be careful."


    "Understood, Brother Zhou."


    Zhou Ji paid them no further heed and strode into the vi. Inside the hotel, there was no shortage of people - most of them robust in their youth.


    They greeted Zhou Ji as they saw him, but Zhou Ji headed straight to the top floor inside the hotel.


    There were only a fewrge rooms on the floor, all luxury suites, yet of all these rooms, only one was upied.


    "Knock, knock, knock"


    As soon as the knocking started, a deep voice came from inside the room: "Come in."


    Zhou Ji pushed the door open and entered the spacious living room, where a middle-aged man in ck clothes was reclining on a sofa.


    He had a pair of narrow, eagle-like eyes, deep and sharp, with gaunt cheeks casting a somewhat sinister air.


    Seeing Zhou Ji enter, he finally showed a smile, but this smile was far from warm and it was hard to tell whether it was genuine or fake.


    "Zhou Ji, have all the survivors from the hospital been brought back? How many doctors are there?"


    Zhou Ji stood up straight and shook his head, "Boss, we were toote, the people were probably taken by other survivors."


    "Hmm?" Wan Yuzhou''s eyes narrowed slightly, "Other survivors, have their traces been found again? Tell me about it."


    Finding survivors banding together wasn''t a big deal. Wanzhou Vi had not only its original surviving staff but also the people under hismand, those who were farming; weren''t they all ''survivors'' collected from around?


    It was just that the process was a bit more intense, eliminating some of the resistors.


    They too had acquired arge amount of resources in this way, especially things like Lamp Tree.


    "By the time we got there, the people were gone, but there was still some inventory left in the pharmacy, which I''ve brought back. If we search around the hospital as the center, we should be able to find their trail, and then..."


    Although the fog enshrouded the entire city, making tracking extremely difficult, the monsters'' attacks would still leave traces of battle.


    Bloodstains, or even the corpses of monsters... these were all potential markers.


    "You''re wrong."


    Wan Yuzhou''s gaze intensified, "Since they didn''t take everything, there''s a high probability they wille back. You shouldn''t have touched those things."


    Zhou Ji''s brow furrowed as he immediately realized, "Boss, are you nning to lie in wait for them?"


    He had moved those things and left traces, so when the others came back, they would surely notice that there were other survivors nearby, which would certainly make them more cautious.


    "Tail them first. If they don''te back in the next few days, search the area. A camp that thinks to recruit doctors wouldn''t be a small one."


    Wan Yuzhou smiled, but his eyes remained cold, with no signs of worry.


    He didn''t believe any camp other than the official one could be stronger than his; after all, he had over four hundred people, with not just onebat team.


    As for the official survivor organization, he figured it would only be in the south, where the Government Affairs Hall, the city bureau, and the factories were all located in the southern district, so it was unlikely they''d appear here.


    Plus, not being able to move an entire pharmacy didn''t seem like something officials would do.


    Going over the situation in his mind, Wan Yuzhou slowly said, "If they''re difficult to follow, you know what to do."


    Zhou Ji nodded, "Take out any threat, keep the obedient ones."


    "Mhm."


    Wan Yuzhou nodded, trusting Zhou Ji to handle the matter, and said, "Go to the storeroom, take a few more rifles."


    "Understood."


    -----------------


    Su Han and his group quickly returned to the camp. As soon as they arrived, Cao Yubao and several doctors were taken to the infirmary for treatment.


    The rest, as usual, were registered by Yan Meiyu, who also assigned their amodation. Find more to read on §Þ??


    However, this time there were several children alone, whose parents had sacrificed their lives to save them. Cao Yubao and the others had taken care of them back in the hospital.


    Now it was somewhat problematic to arrange for them; they couldn''t possibly leave them to Cao Yubao and his colleagues again, right?


    After pondering for a moment, Yan Meiyu decided to have Guo Gang''s wife Zhao Hui and Yan Qiumei take care of them together. They didn''t necessarily have to work, but they must be obedient.


    Zhao Hui was already looking after her daughter Guo Huihui, and Yan Qiumei had children herself, so they both knew how to care for children, which posed no issues.


    Su Han waited in the living room for Cao Yubao and the others, who soon came out, their wrinkled faces serious.


    "How is it?"


    "We need to operate. They''re all Contractors, so their physique should be able to withstand it."


    Operating outside of a surgery room without the aid of equipment was very risky, but luckily, Contractors were tougher than ordinary people.


    "Then go ahead with it, save them. If you need anything, talk to Bai Qn or Yan Meiyu."


    "Understood."


    With Su Han''s permission, Cao Yubao and his students started preparing for the surgery. Even though it wasn''t in a hospital, the more prepared they were, the less risk it posed to the patients.


    "Su Han," After Cao Yubao had been gone a while and the vehicles were unloaded, Zhu Xiong found Su Han, "I''ll take a team back to the hospital to bring back the rest of the medical supplies, as well as the meat corpses in the integrated building. You still want those, right?"


    "Bring them back to feed the monsters and the Lamp Tree."


    Without much thought, Su Han agreed as the quantity of meat corpses and monsters in the integrated building was only over a hundred, definitely not enough for LV3 Essence of Flesh. However, they could be of use for both the Lamp Tree and the confined monsters.


    Zhu Xiong, hearing this, smiled and said, "Alright, I''ll bring more people."

 Chapter 109: Chapter 103 Ambush

    Zhu Xiong directly called on Guo Gang, Zhao Yimin, and the others. A group of thirty people set out in four trucks and two Jeeps.


    The hospital had already been cleared once before, and this time they were just moving stuff, so as usual, Su Han didn''t follow.


    Zhu Xiong''s task was to transport all the metals that Su Han had melted into metallic cubes along the way, as well as any usable supplies from the hospital, back to base.


    This time, leading the way was the Bone Armor Giant Pig that Zhu Xiong had just contracted.


    Although it was only First Order Upper Grade, its huge stature was nearlyparable to the trucks, and its formidable defense and strength meant it had a unique talent for paving the way.


    Upon nearing the hospital, crawlers that had gathered from God knows where spotted the convoy andunched an attack on the Bone Armor Giant Pig.


    More than a dozen creatures charged at once, but the gigantic Bone Armor Giant Pig stood unshaken, stepping forward with heavy strides. Its ferocious fangs swept through, overturning many of the creatures.


    With its bloody maw opening wide, it could crush the hard skeletons of its prey as easily as if they were crisp snacks, offering no resistance at all.


    In just a moment of confrontation, the hordes of monsters were ughtered.


    "Roar!"


    The creature let out a low growl, and those monsters lucky enough to survive scattered like birds and beasts.


    "Heh, they really do run fast¡ªcrawlers and Giant Macrophage Dogs alike. It''s just the flesh corpses that can''t move fast, right?"


    Zhu Xiong chuckled as he watched the monsters vanish into the fog, then continued towards South City First Hospital.


    -----------------


    "Brother Zhou, they''re here."


    Inside South City First Hospital, ackey hustled over, looking grave. "My Giant Macrophage Dog ran back from East Street. There''s a powerful creature at that intersection."


    Scouting wasn''t solely the job of humans; Angel Envoys also partook, and it was less suspicious when monsters appeared in the fog.


    Although, the information garnered was not as precise as that from a human, enough judgment could be made to discern between human or beast.


    "Get ready, everyone hide."


    Zhou Ji sneered coldly. They really are quick on their feet, he thought, wondering how long had they been guarding the ce. It seemed their base was nearby.


    He had rushed back as soon as Wan Yuzhou gave the order, not spending much time either way.


    He had expected a long surveince, but to his surprise, they arrived so quickly. Explore stories on §Þ??


    The quicker their arrival, the closer their base, which was good news for him.


    Zhou Ji''s smile grew colder as the forty people he brought with him hid throughout the hospital, especially within the main building.


    Out of the forty people, twenty-five were armed with rifles, and the remaining fifteen with handguns.


    Having the means to run a shooting club, procuring these items was natural for them. Their only limitation might be the quantity of ammunition at hand.


    But this would certainly suffice against ordinary survivors.


    "They''ve arrived."


    The fog at the entrance of the hospital gradually dissipated as light poured in, signaling the arrival of neers.


    In this post-apocalyptic world, only humans walked with the light of Lamp Tree Crystals.


    However, when he saw the figure emerging from the fog, his pupils narrowed sharply.


    The oing figure turned out to be the colossal Bone Armor Giant Pig¡ªits vast body akin to a truck, every step causing the ground to tremble slightly.


    Compared to a truck, such a behemoth was undeniably more intimidating.


    Close behind the Bone Armor Giant Pig were the heavily modified trucks, their robust front shovels almost entwined with mesh, making them look like metal fortresses.


    Zhou Ji''s expression turned solemn; his deputy, Yu Shaokui, hesitated, "Brother Zhou, they look formidable by the looks of it."


    Four trucks and two Jeeps, all heavily welded and armored, were beyond what ordinary survivor enves¡ªusually holed up in residential blocks, convenience stores, or markets¡ªcould manage to gather and modify.


    Not to mention the front''s creature was probably a First Order Upper Grade, and their Contractor wasn''t weak either.


    "They will get out of their cars eventually. A First Order Upper Grade creature may stop bullets, but Contractors cannot," Zhou Ji''s eyes turned frosty as he hardened his resolve, speaking quietly. "Howe? Were you frightened even after raiding the police station?"


    Yu Shaokui''s face stiffened, and then with a ruthless shine in his eyes, he responded, "I understand, Brother Zhou."


    Yu Shaokui might not fully grasp his boss, but didn''t Zhou Ji understand the man? Wan Yuzhou had always been domineering, with a strong desire for power and the capability to match it.


    During peaceful times, heid the foundations of a vast empire through shady dealings, epassing real estate, hotels, resorts, clubs, and more. Not just the variety but the fact that his minions were hidden among his employees made it unclear who was who.


    That was the limit of what he could achieve in a peaceful society, but now it was the apocalypse.


    The power of the Angel Envoys had stoked his ambition, leading to the theft of firearms from police stations and armories. Raiding with a group, killing monsters, contracting Angel Envoys, gathering more underlings...


    Wan Yuzhou didn''t just want to survive; he wanted all of South City¡ªwhat if the camp wasrge, what if it was official? Sooner orter, he would face them.


    To not grow big and strong would mean ying the underling in someone else''s camp, wouldn''t it?


    It wasn''t just Wan Yuzhou who thought this way; Zhou Ji shared the sentiment. Being in power now felt good.


    "Wait until they get off and approach, then open fire."


    Surprise always has the advantage. This wasn''t their first time doing something like this. At the police station, they sneaked through the heavy fog, pretending to be ordinary citizens.


    In fact, who could guess that these ''ordinary citizens'' had handguns from the club tucked in their belts?


    With the illumination from Lamp Tree Crystals, the thin fog couldn''t obstruct their vision, making aiming fairly easy.


    As soon as they get out of their vehicles, those people would be live targets.


    ''First, find the monster''s Contractor and kill him; then fewer will dare to resist.''


    Zhou Ji''s finger rested on the trigger, looking through the slowing vehicles, and finally settled on the leading truck.


    The Lamp Tree Crystal was on the lead truck, and it seemed natural to him that the leader would be too.


    "Hmmph,"


    But at that moment, the Bone Armor Giant Pig suddenly became restless. Its nose twitched, and abruptly it raised its head, looking straight at the second floor of the main building.


    "Roar"


    A deep roar suddenly erupted, startling Zhu Xiong who was just about to drive away in the vehicle.


    Something was there!


    He jerked his head up and locked eyes with Zhou Ji, who was taking aim at him.


    "Ambush! Don''t get out of the car!"


    Zhu Xiong shouted as he immediately ducked down in the driver''s seat.


    "Bang!"


    Realizing he had been spotted, Zhou Ji fired immediately, but he was a step toote; the bullet shattered the window and hit the seat inside.


    Zhu Xiong, a Contractor, had reflexes too fast and had already dodged out of the way.


    "Damn it, backstabbers."


    The sense of triumph Zhu Xiong had just experienced from a breakthrough was reced by anger as he floored the gas pedal and turned the steering wheel sharply, sending the truck crashing through thepound''s gate.


    "Ratatat"


    Bullets poured incessantly onto the modified vehicles, which were even armored to the wheels, making them not so easily breached.


    One by one, all six vehicles charged into the lobby of thepound building.


    The once spacious lobby for patient services now felt incredibly cramped.


    Zhou Ji and his men immediately moved from their original window positions to the interior railing on the upper levels, positioning themselves to continue sniping from above.


    "Keep shooting, send the Angel Envoys after them, his monsters can''t climb upstairs."


    The hospital stairs were wide but still a tight squeeze for the Bone Armor Giant Pig to go up, so the advantage was still on their side for the moment.


    As he fired, his flesh corpse already leapt down and charged towards the truck.


    Although his Angel Envoy was a flesh corpse, it was clear that it wasn''t weak; the massive flesh corpse was nearly nine feet tall with muscr build and sharp ws, roughly equivalent to a First Order Upper Grade in strength.


    Leading the way, more than twenty other members'' flesh corposes, Giant Macrophage Dogs, and other Angel Envoys charged down with incredible speed.


    "People in the vehicle, surrender immediately or think about the consequences."


    The threatening words continued alongside uninterrupted gunfire, their usual tactic:ply and pay ''tax,'' resist and kill the troublemakers until others learned to obey.


    Clearly, Zhu Xiong with his First Order Upper Grade Angel Envoy was seen as a natural troublemaker in their eyes.


    "Go to hell."


    Zhu Xiong''s face twitched with a cold smirk.


    Thinking they were tough with their guns? He summoned the Glutton with a sh from the Book of Blood Spirit, appearing instantly before him.


    The Glutton charged towards Zhou Ji''s direction, its right arm stretching out enormously and reaching the second-floor height in an instant.


    Zhou Ji was stunned as bullets rained upon the arm, leaving only white specks and failing to break the skin.


    Not only was the skin of the right arm thick, but it also possessed a Hardening skill.


    The wide mouth on the right arm bit onto the railing, and with a leap, leveraging the force, the Gluttonnded heavily on the second floor.


    The sweeping arm flung a row of armed underlings through the air, the sound of breaking bones ringing out nonstop.


    As the gunfire waned, the people on the ground hastily summoned their Angel Envoys, d in iron armor which nged at the impact of bullets.


    The group opened the vehicle doors and, wielding hand-held crossbows, joined the fight, aiming and shooting upwards without hesitation.


    The sound of bolts piercing flesh echoed; some couldn''t react in time and were impaled by crossbow arrows.


    The distance to the second floor was well within the crossbows'' range.


    The Bone Armor Giant Pig was even more ferocious; it had difficulty ascending to the second floor, but the Angel Envoys on the ground floor were perfect prey.


    With the Bone Armor Skill activated, armor equipped, it charged through most of the gunfire straight at Zhou Ji''s Angel Envoys.


    A single swipe sent four or five Angel Envoys flying, their tendons and bones snapping.


    Zhou Ji''s flesh corpse tried to wrestle the moment it approached, grabbing the Bone Armor Giant Pig''s tusks, but was thrown away with a single heave.


    "Spurt"


    As it tried to get up, an enraged Zhu Xiong arrived and shot an arrow through its knee.


    The struggling Angel Envoy flesh corpse received another arrow to its other knee, and the Bone Armor Giant Pig stomped on its body, breaking its bones outright.


    Zhu Xiong sneered, retracting his crossbow, not delivering the killing blow since he wanted to capture someone alive to dig into the opposition''s roots.


    "Capture them alive!"


    The tide of the battle had turned, and Zhou Ji had never imagined that despitecking handguns, the enemy would suddenly pull out so many hand crossbows.


    Knowing these were contraband, how could ordinary people have such a number of them?


    Run!


    Zhou Ji knew he had to escape, not just due to the hand crossbows but also the Angel Envoy monster rampaging on the second floor, which was far beyond First Order Upper Grade.


    He turned around, ready to flee, seizing the only chance to escape while his brothers were entangled in the melee.


    If he could just get out and reach the car, he''d be able to report back, regroup, and seek revenge.


    He spun on his heel, rushing to escape in the direction of the distant exit, but as soon as he dashed down the stairs, he realized Zhu Xiong was already there waiting, crossbow in hand, wearing a cold smirk.


    "Kid, you think you can shoot from the shadows and run? Wishful thinking."


    "Let me go, and we..."


    "Spurt"


    A crossbow bolt pierced Zhou Ji''s knee.


    "Distraction won''t work. Come clean, understand?"


    Before he could draw his pistol, he was met with Zhu Xiong''s contemptuously sneering face.

 Chapter 110: Chapter 104: Revenge Must Not Wait Overnight

    Zhou Ji endured the bone-piercing pain, but endurance was of no use since his legs had been transpierced by crossbow arrows and he had no chance to flee.


    Not just him, even the minions he had brought with him couldn''t escape.


    The second floor of theprehensive building was a good spot for an ambush, but Zhu Xiong and his men blocked the first floor, catching them one by one with ease.


    After just a few minutes, the sound of gunfirepletely stopped.


    Out of forty gunmen, half were torn apart by Frenzied Eaters, and another seven or eight were shot dead by crossbow arrows.


    "Old Zhu, we''ve caught them all, aside from this leader there are 13 alive, but four of them are seriously injured with arrows stuck in their bodies."


    "Don''t pull them out, they''ll die if you do."


    Hearing this, Zhu Xiong immediately offered a very ''sensible'' suggestion, "First, drag those four aside... Right, they can all talk, can''t they?"


    Guo Gang was somewhat dazed by Zhu Xiong''s pace and said, "Two of them have been constantly vomiting blood, but the other two are okay."


    "Vomiting blood, huh," Zhu Xiong''s cheeks trembled, and he raised his eyebrows, "Pull out the tubes... spit, pull out the arrows from those vomiting blood; saving them would be a waste of medicine. Drag the ones who can talk aside for interrogation first. Save those willing to talk, and as for those who aren''t, I am sorry. By the way, when you pull out the tubes, let them watch first."


    Guo Gang took a sharp intake of breath. The thick-browed andrge-eyed Zhu Xiong was indeed ruthless¡ªhe really knew how to y the game.


    He hadn''t thought of these things, but like him, ambushed and holding anger inside, he nodded firmly, "I''ll go do it right away, what about the others?"


    "Seal their mouths, put hoods on and tie them up, take them back for interrogation to rify their background."


    Zhu Xiong sneered, "This bunch, obviously seasoned criminals, won''t leave us in peace if we don''t root them out."


    Su Han and his team were also searching for supplies, a process that wasn''t without encounters with other survivors.


    They, too, would take control of the situation first, but control was one thing; they wouldn''t rush to kill. They would take control, assess, and then decide whether to include them.


    A part of the survivors joined Su Han''s side in this way.


    But clearly, Zhou Ji and his group were not like that.


    Guo Gang led his men to tie them all up. Zhu Xiong then instructed Zhao Yimin and the others to quickly load the remaining medicines onto the vehicle.


    While loading, the nearly empty storage room made Zhu Xiong realize how these people discovered their tracks¡ªit was obviously the traces of the hospital being cleared and the materials in the storage room not yet fully moved.


    "We need to be more careful next time. If we can''t move everything at once, we have to hide it."


    Zhu Xiong muttered, wiser for the next time. It was because they had not finished their search that they were preemptively discovered and others took the advantage.


    If it weren''t for the keen sensory perception of the Bone Armor Giant Pig, which smelled the scent of living humans, Zhu Xiong himself might have been severely injured.


    Even as a Second Order Low Grade, taking a bullet unawares would definitely result in injury.


    The strength of human bodies is notparable to monsters, of course excluding Su Han.


    With ck Armor''s passive defense, Su Han wouldn''t be easily injured by surprise attacks, though no one knew this fact except for himself.


    Guo Gang had just killed two of the severely injured. Although it was just removing the arrows, as they began, blood sprayed out, and the person convulsed and then died.


    Although the two with lighter injuries were terrified, their mouths were tight, and nothing was extracted from them for the moment.


    Guo Gang didn''t indulge them, instead, he threw the injured directly into the carriage, especially into the carriage with the monster corpses, and then closed the door without paying any more attention to them.


    If they were afraid, drag it out and let their psychologypletely copse. They would talk in time.


    Everything was loaded onto the vehicles, and about thirty tons of metal cubes from the hospital parking lot had been moved.


    Zhu Xiong let the Bone Armor Giant Pig charge recklessly to destroy any traces, then the group drove back, even faster than when they came.


    When they arrived back at Shanhu Vi, Zhu Xiong instructed Zhao Yimin to handle the unloading, and Guo Gang imprisoned the captives separately. He then went straight to find Su Han.


    "Su Han, we were ambushed at the hospital."


    Zhu Xiong''s words made Su Han frown. He immediately asked, "How are our people?"


    "Just a few grazed hands from bullets, nothing serious."


    Zhu Xiong told Su Han everything about the ambush in detail, especially about capturing the prisoners, informing him all at once.


    Su Han''s expression was calm, with a slight coldness in his eyes, "Pry open their mouths. I want to know where their camp is, how many they are, and what the situation is. If they''re unwilling to speak, call those several doctors over, get some sedatives or hallucinogens or something. That should be manageable, right?"


    The essence of Truth Serum was basically an anesthetic inducer, although the effect might not be as good. If that didn''t work, then they''d resort to torture followed by adrenaline injections.


    After all, Contractors could take a lot, they shouldst quite a long time.


    Zhu Xiong''s face twitched, his eyes also held a cold glint as he spoke, "We''ve already started."


    He was the one who had been ambushed; the anger in his heart might even be greater than Su Han''s.


    After reporting to Su Han, Zhu Xiong fetched Zhang Dahai to join the interrogation. Both old hands at surviving, they knew many ways to break a person, and even if they hadn''t done it themselves, they certainly had heard of them.


    Zhu Xiong had not been gone for long when Cao Yubao and Zhou Ziqing finally emerged from the ward, appearing a bit weary. Yet, there was a rxed look in their eyes.


    "The surgery was very sessful,rgely thanks to the Contractor''s physique."


    Smiling, Cao Yubao said, "In a few days, he should be able to get out of bed and move around slowly."


    "Dean Cao should rest now," Su Han nodded and then turned to Zhou Ziqing beside him, "However, Doctor Zhou might still need to assist with treating a few minor injuries, gunshot wounds on their arms."


    Though Su Han''s tone remained calm, the expressions of Cao Yubao and Zhou Ziqing subtly changed.


    Gunshot wounds? Had there been some kind of conflict?


    They dared not ask more, merely nodding in agreement, "I''ll head there right now."


    Cao Yubao added, "I''ll go too, having more people would speed up the treatment."


    Without taking time to rest, the two left immediately to find Yan Meiyu, for she was in charge of arranging where the wounded were.


    After returning to Vi No.9, Su Han was visited by Zhu Xiong and the others as night fell.


    Zhou Ji remained silent, but his deputy, Yu Shaokui, the two injured men, and others were not as disciplined.


    Under separate but relentless questioning, they shared everything they knew about the situation at Wanzhou Manor.


    "We''ve got it all clear now. The camp is located in the northern suburbs at Wanzhou Manor, with over 400 people. Among them, there are approximately 150batants. The leader is Wan Yuzhou, a well-known entrepreneur from South City."


    Zhu Xiongid out the information he had gathered, while Zhang Dahai interjected with a coldugh, "Entrepreneur my ass. He started by engaging in the underworld and never reallyundered his way out, just hid his people within thepany and yed dirty in the real estate business."


    Zhang Dahai, who had been in the real estate business before, had experienced many dealings with people like Wan Yuzhou, and not without loss.


    It was only because Wan Yuzhou had somewhat restrained his methods in recent years that Zhang Dahai had likely only suffered in business terms.


    "Over 150batants, does that refer to Contractors or his henchmen?"


    "Both," Zhu Xiong replied. "All these people are Contractors, most of whom are Wan Yuzhou''s henchmen from the past. Some are hispany employees, and some arebatants he''s taken in. Within Wan Yuzhou''s camp, there are four ranks: the leader Wan Yuzhou, thebatants, ordinary people, and ves."


    Mentioning the four levels, Zhu Xiong''s expression turned serious. Unquestionably, this was a terrifying aspect of Wan Yuzhou.


    Compared to Nie Rilong, who used women''s bodies as bargaining chips for rule, Wan Yuzhou imposes a hierarchical order, forcing everyone to submit to such a system.


    Ordinary people barterbor for food and safety, and evenbatants cannot oppress them easily. In the post-apocalyptic world, this nearly mirrors the pre-apocalyptic employment model, a rarity indeed.


    Combatants enjoy privileges, ess to more resources and authority, governing ordinary people and ves. With their greater resources and privileges, they can easily gain more from the other two levels.


    As for ves, they are those who neither submit nor have the power to resist.


    They receive the least resources, do the most work, and apart from not being killed arbitrarily, they face beatings and confinement.


    Under strict order, Wan Yuzhou stands as the supreme leader, inplete control of the entire camp.


    With a grave voice, Su Han said, "This Wan Yuzhou indeed has his ways. Do we know his strength?"


    "At least First Order Upper Grade," Zhu Xiong answered. "Since establishing the camp, Wan Yuzhou rarely gets involved personally, but he is surely more formidable than Zhou Ji. Moreover, he has four scavenging teams under him, each with thirty to forty people, taking turns to go out for supplies and preying on survivors. Zhou Ji is one of the team leaders.


    Another leader, Cao Yu, is also First Order Upper Grade, while the remaining two are First-level Intermediate."


    The intelligence was roughly as such. Wan Yuzhou had apparently been deliberately concealing his true capabilities.


    "Old Zhu, gather forty men." Stay updated via §Þ??


    Though Su Han''s voice was calm, everyone understood what he intended to do.


    Old Zhu looked surprised, "Just forty? They have over four hundred."


    "It''s enough," Su Han nced at Yan Meiyu, Bai Qn, and several others, speaking slowly, "We only have just over a hundred people here ourselves. We need to keep manpower here. Besides, no matter how many they are, theirbatants number only a little over a hundred, which you''ve already reduced by forty."


    Wan Yuzhou''s strict control over the rankings, his gathering ofbatants, and fostering loyalty was a clever move.


    However, beforepleting his snowball effect, his cadre ofbatants also amounted to just over a hundred. Handling them was not a problem, even if they had guns.


    "Understood. I''ll start rounding up the men now."


    Zhu Xiong stood up and left. Though the fighting force of the camp hadn''t formally divided into teams, it had naturally organized into three groups: two scavenging teams and one patrol squad, each roughly containing 15 to 20 members, taking turns on their assigned tasks.


    The scavenging teams'' main task was to search for supplies, but they also patrolled every two to three days. The patrol squad did the same.


    The three teams were nearly identical in equipment, with armor, hand crossbows, and either spears or machetes¡ªtheir three-item kit providing a formidablebat capability.


    Ye Kailing, a retired female soldier who had also undergone training from a private securitypany, was conducting ongoingbat training for the crew, including in hand-to-hand and shooting, which enhanced their fighting strength gradually.


    So, when rounding up the troops, calling up two scavenging teams was sufficient.


    "Old Gan, Old Guo, Meiyu, and Qn stay to guard the camp. Everyone else will join this mission."


    "Understood."


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 111: Chapter 105: Night Raid on Wanzhou Manor

    Zhu Xiong kept the few people who were injured today and pulled a few from the patrol team. Besides their few leaders, a total of forty people were assembled.


    Xia Ning, Zhao Yimin, Cheng Xiyuan, and several other current First-level Intermediate middle management personnel were almost all included.


    Su Han led the team out, all of them already d in close-fitting armor, with a hand crossbow and quiver at their waists, and a sharp machete in hand.


    Su Han swept his gaze over the group and said, "I won''t say much. Tonight, we are going for revenge. Suppress all resistance. Understood?"


    "Understood!"


    The crowd responded loudly, and Su Han nodded, then ordered, "Get in the vehicles, Old Zhu will lead the way."


    Everyone quickly boarded the vehicles, and Su Han also got into the first truck with Zhu Xiong, then led the way out of the Shanhu Vi District.


    Three or four Lamp Tree Crystals were hung on the front, middle, and rear vehicles, their light dissipating the fog and illuminating the road at night.


    The monsters of the night were clearly more active and terrifying, their low growls from within the fog stirring a sense of unease.


    Su Han had the Scorpion Spider Demon lead the way, swiftly killing any monsters that charged out of the fog, attracted by the light of the Lamp Trees.


    Zhu Xiong, the Glutton, stood firmly on the roof of the truck, his right arm extended and coiling like a huge python, his massive maw also attacking the monsters emerging from the fog.


    There were obviously more monsters disturbing them at night, but the speed of the convoy did not slow down at all, driving straight to the road leading out of the city.


    Zhu Xiong and Zhang Dahai both knew the way to Wanzhou Manor, and although they hadn''t visited often, leading the way was not an issue.


    About half an hour passed, and the convoy gradually entered a narrow path, where Zhu Xiong slowly brought the vehicles to a stop.


    He said in a deep voice, "Not far ahead is the manor. Our lights..."


    "Turn them off, everyone disembark," Su Han decisively instructed the team to get off the vehicles. Zhu Xiong and a few others ced the Lamp Tree Crystals into sealed containers. The light vanished instantly, and fog and darkness swarmed in, bringing a suffocating pressure.


    "Summon your Angel Envoys. We willunch our attack following the guidance of the Ancient Worm Tree."


    A night attack poses difficulties for any survivors'' force due to fog and monsters being the biggest obstacles. Furthermore, the glow from the Lamp Tree Crystals would reveal their location.


    But Su Han was different. He had the Ancient Worm Tree and the Tree-born Worms lurking underground.


    With a slight flicker of red light, the Ancient Worm Tree had already appeared next to everyone.


    "Follow the Ancient Worm Tree, prepare to attack."


    Under his mentalmand, the Ancient Worm Tree began to spread its roots and tendrils towards Wanzhou Manor, with the vines capable of extending three to four hundred meters, and the manor now within that range from their position.


    Soon, the underground vines reached the gatehouse. The number of guards at night was clearly higher than during the day, with as many as ten people, all armed with guns, vigntly listening for any rustle under the illumination of the Lamp Tree Crystals.


    "Brother Liu, did you hear something?"


    The barely discernible rustling sound alerted one of the guards, who looked around warily at the pitch-ck surroundings, with the fog piling up at the edge of the hundred-meter light radius, dark and oppressive.


    The man called Brother Liu took a fierce drag of his cigarette, scanned the surroundings, and said, "You must have heard wrong. If it were a monster, it would have pounced on us by now."


    Just as his words fell, a rustling sound suddenly escted. Liu Zi''s face changed, and he turned around sharply, only to find a vine had already pierced through his body.


    "Not good!"


    The rest of the guards just wanted to cry out, but as their mouths had just opened, the vines had already appeared silently beside them, and in an instant, all were bound to the ground.


    Under the guidance of the Ancient Worm Tree, Su Han and his group quietly arrived at the guard post. The guards tried to whimper, but in the next moment, they were taken down by the Man-eating Vine.


    "Make your move."


    The vines continued to spread, but the manor was toorge to bepletely covered. However, as long as they could reach most areas, it was enough.


    Zhu Xiong and Zhang Dahai, leading their men, quickly followed, tracing the vines to locate the patrol teams within the manor. Bound by the vines and struck by crossbow arrows, the patrols were silently taken out, one by one.


    The night grew deeper.


    Su Han and hispanions continued towards the central buildings of the hotel in Wanzhou Manor, with the Radiance of the Lamp Tree''s crystal streetlights gradually appearing before them.


    "There are quite a few Lamp Trees."


    Su Han smiled, and Zhu Xiong, grinning with his facial muscles trembling, said, "In a while, they will be ours. It''s not easy to infiltrate from here."


    Throughout the cluster of buildings were Lamp Tree Crystals, not a few by any count, with at least a dozen or more enveloping the area in light, making it difficult to hide.


    "Then, let''s take direct action."


    By now, they had taken out roughly four patrol teams, five in each team, and the rest were inside the hotel, be theybatants or civilians.


    "Tap, tap, tap"


    Before they could make a move, suddenly a series of urgent footsteps echoed inside the vi, with cries rising and falling, as arge number of people began to assemble.


    "Our movements have been detected."


    Zhu Xiong nced around with wide eyes, instantly aware that either a shift change or a fortuitous discovery had exposed something amiss.


    With a smile, Su Han said, "Then, let''s just go ahead and take action."


    Radiance of the Lamp Tree


    The skill that the Ancient Worm Tree had not used until now was instantly activated. The vines had extended to all parts of the manor, and the Tree-born Worms had surrounded the entireplex of buildings.


    In an instant, a great burst of lightpletely dispelled the area''s fog and illuminated the darkness.


    "They''re at the main entrance, hurry! Go take them out!"


    Shouts rose within the manor, and Su Han waved his hand lightly, saying, "Make your move."


    "Roar!"


    As his voice fell, everyone summoned their Angel Envoys, each d in armor, their forms as towering as iron towers.


    With deep roars, they charged under the lead of the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    With a grim expression, Wan Yuzhou tookrge strides, leading his men to the entrance of the vi''s building. However, what faced him was a terrifying horde of monsters.


    "Fire!"


    He made a decisive call, immediately opening fire, with his men sparing no mercy as they joined in. The gunfire lit up the night, but when the bullets struck the Angel Envoys, even brighter sparks erupted.


    ```


    ng and tter, the bullets failed to prate the iron armor.


    Wan Yuzhou''s face changed dramatically, but there was no solution at the moment, as the Angel Envoy monsters had already charged to within thirty meters of his team.


    "Use the Angel Envoys."


    He shouted loudly, and his panicked subordinates finally came to their senses, summoning their Angel Envoys one by one, with numbers reaching fifty or sixty.


    The monsters shed fiercely, and the sounds of battle and low growling were incessant.


    Their Angel Envoys were mostly flesh corpses, too, but were unarmored. They stood no chance against Su Han''s side in the collision, with several Angel Envoys in in the first exchange.


    Seeing this, one of Wan Yuzhou''s lieutenants, Cao Yu, immediately summoned his Angel Envoy, a Giant Macrophage Dog towering three meters tall.


    "Kill them!"


    Cao Yu was a ruthless character, who had never cleaned up his act working for Wan Yuzhou, dealing with all the dirty work such as murder and kidnapping.


    His chilly gaze swept over the entire monster army, knowing that if he could kill the Contractors, these monsters could be dealt with.


    Under his control, the Giant Macrophage Dog charged forward, attempting to leap over the obstructions and strike from behind.


    However, just as it leaped up, a terrifying arm, akin to a giant python, suddenly stretched out into midair, its mouth gaping wide to reveal sharp, dense, terrifying teeth, and bit into the abdomen of the Giant Macrophage Dog.


    A chunk of flesh the size of a human head was directly swallowed, and the Giant Macrophage Dog was mmed heavily to the ground, creating a deep crater.


    The Glutton leaped onto the Giant Macrophage Dog''s head, its three-part lips and sharp teeth crushed out of shape as the right arm''s giant mouth tore chunks of flesh from the dog.


    Zhu Xiong watched his Angel Envoy''s action and couldn''t help but sneer at the attempt to behead his opponent, finding it amusing.


    He nced and saw the Bone Armor Giant Pig had already charged into the enemy Angel Envoys, trampling and knocking down countless Angel Envoys under its feet.


    "Surrender and you shall not be killed."


    Zhu Xiong cried out for surrender, and his loud voice drowned the chaotic noise of the battlefield, causing some to pause and instinctively look towards Wan Yuzhou.


    Wan Yuzhou''s face was gloomy, with arge Angel Envoy already standing behind him, unexpectedly in the twisted shape of a Tyrant.


    Its muscles were coiled like ck rocks, with two thick arms transformed into sharp ws. Behind it, there was even an arm resembling a tentacle.


    "Brother, give me a way out. I''ll give you everything in the Vi, and I''ll leave immediately with my men."


    His eyes were dark as water, but his face had be calmer, his gaze as sharp as a hawk.


    The sudden night attack caught him off guard. Given that the opponent''s strength was clearly superior to his, the only option was to retreat.


    His shout gave his subordinates a brief respite to back off and regroup by his side, although their numbers were now fewer than thirty.


    "Are you waiting for the sniper to take action?"


    The slow voice of Su Han came along, and suddenly vinesshed out, dragging half a corpse from a distant high-rise building and dumping it bloody in front of Wan Yuzhou.


    His face changed drastically, as the sniper was hisst card to y.


    "A misunderstanding," Wan Yuzhou said gravely, "that was just a sentry post...."


    Doom doom doom


    The Scorpion Spider Demon tookrge strides up to Wan Yuzhou, its terrifying presence enveloping him and his subordinates.


    "The rest of you, put down your weapons and kneel on the ground, and you will not be killed."


    Su Han''s voice was indifferent, the dreadful pressure of the Scorpion Spider Demon, along with the fearsome figure of the Ancient Worm Tree behind Su Han,pletely overwhelmed Wan Yuzhou''s subordinates.


    Click


    Guns were dropped on the ground one after the other...


    Suddenly, Wan Yuzhou raised his gun and aimed at Su Han from a distance while the Tyrant charged, smashing into the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    He knew everyone could surrender, except for him, who could not survive.


    "Snap"


    The Scorpion Spider Demon''s tailshed out instantly, sending Wan Yuzhou flying. His shoulder shattered, bone spurs piercing through his body, as he thudded to the ground.


    He struggled to get up, but the severe pain made it difficult to move, and no one around him dared to help.


    The unwitting Tyrant was also speared by another tail of the Scorpion Spider Demon, impaled in midair, left to roar in vain.


    The Coagtion Cannon gathered its power, sting arge blood ball at it. With a thunderous noise, half of its body vanished, leaving the Tyrant barely alive and discarded on the ground.


    "Damn it, who the hell are you? Are you from the authorities? Why are you attacking me!"


    Wan Yuzhou was hysterical, his eyes nearly bursting as he red at Su Han. All his ns, his ambition to dominate South City, were destroyed by the man before him.


    "Arrest them all."


    Su Han took a slow walk forward with his people, nced over, shook his head slightly, "Wouldn''t it be better to save some energy and not ask such pointless questions?"


    Wan Yuzhou''s eyes bulged even wider, but in the next moment, he was overturned by the Man-eating Vine.


    Su Han did not feel like he had vindicated the Survivors'' Camp, which had been destroyed by Wan Yuzhou, by merely exacting revenge and eradicating his roots, and naturally, he did not find it worth boasting in front of someone like Wan Yuzhou.


    "Zhang Dahai"


    "Yes"


    "Half of the men will watch over the nonbatants. Any troublemakers will also be shown no mercy."


    "Understood"


    "Old Zhu, take the other half to search the entire manor and ensure it''s secure."


    "Received."


    The two split up to take care of their respective tasks. Su Han controlled the vines of the Ancient Worm Tree and the Tree-born Worms, spreading out and enveloping the entire area with the hotel building as the core.


    However, shortly after extending out, the vines detected something wrong underground.


    Beneath the hotel, there was an underground dungeon, and it was holding monsters.


    ```

 Chapter 112: Chapter 106: Arena Monster

    Hotels having underground storage rooms simr to parking spaces isn''t anything out of the ordinary.


    However, it was evident that this underground prison was located even further down and there were clear signs of movementing from within, indicating the presence of a strong monster.


    Wan Yuzhou had already been paralyzed and would likely struggle to awaken; moreover, getting clear information from someone like him wouldn''t be easy, even with coercive tactics.


    Su Han decided to check it out alone. He retracted the giant Scorpion Spider Demon back into the Book of Blood Spirit and then strode into the hotel.


    "Everyone maintain your current positions, hands where I can see them, and don''t make any sudden moves, or you''ll be treated asbatants, understood?"


    Inside the hotel lobby, Zhang Dahai had already gathered the nonbatants together, some of whom were already hiding in the lobby, while others had just been ushered down from their rooms.


    Zhang Dahai''s group was about twenty people or so, but with the Angel Envoys by their side, overseeing these two hundred-plus people was not a big issue.


    Su Han walked in wearing ck Armor, and upon seeing him, Zhang Dahai hurried over to greet him.


    "So far we have found a total of 264 nonbatants, among which 43 are ves who were just released, another 216 are civilians, and 5 are managers."


    Civilians was the term Zhang Dahai used to distinguish ordinary people because among these nonbatants, some also had Angel Envoys; their strength was just not formidable, their talents insufficient, and they either did not dare join Wan Yuzhou''sbat ranks or had no desire to.


    As for the managers, they were Wan Yuzhou''s people, butpared tobat, their duties were more focused on maintaining the logistics and management of the camp.


    Su Han nodded, his gaze sweeping over the people. Although he didn''t exert any pressure intentionally, his appearance in ck Armor made his eyes seem even more piercing.


    "Those who understand the hotel''syout, raise your hands."


    Upon Su Han''smand, four people tentatively raised their hands.


    They looked frightened, yet hopeful, as if wanting to make a good impression on Su Han, who seemed like a leader.


    Su Han knew there must be more than these four who were familiar with the hotel''syout, but he didn''t care.


    "You, speak."


    Su Han pointed to a well-presented man wearing a ck shirt and asked, "What else is there underground in the hotel besides the parking lot?"


    "Yes!


    The man immediately nodded, hurriedly saying, "There is a basement used for storage, where most of the supplies are now kept. There''s also an underground boxing club... it was for providing guests with more thrilling performances, but... when the scrutiny became tighter it was closed down andter became the ce where the boss and Yu Ge... Cao Yu dealt with the dirty work."


    The man spoke candidly, hesitating before adding, "After the apocalypse, the boss didn''t let others enter, just periodically putting monsters inside."


    "What is your role in the hotel?"


    Su Han''s abrupt question made the man jolt, and he quickly replied, "I... I am the hotel manager. After the apocalypse, I started managing people... but I didn''t dare mess around, didn''t have the nerve..."


    "Take me to the underground boxing ring."


    Su Han didn''t wait for more of his prattle and had him lead the way. Upon hearing this, Zhang Dahai grew concerned and suggested, "Su Han, why not take a few more people with you?"


    Ordinary underground boxing rings would be fine, but that manager had clearly stated that Wan Yuzhou had been stuffing monsters inside, so who could be certain of what strangenessy there.


    After thinking for a moment, Su Han decided it would be good to have Zhu Xiong join, since he was already checking various parts of the hotel.


    He nodded and said, "Call Old Zhu over."


    Zhang Dahai nodded, "I''m on it."


    Zhu Xiong was quickly summoned, apanied by Cheng Xiyuan and several teammates.


    "Let''s go."


    Once everyone arrived, Su Han got the manager to lead the way, and the group headed to the underground parking area via the staircase.


    As a high-end resort vi nned for a small number of visitors, the entire underground parking area had only one level.


    The storage room was on the second basement level, and originally the most convenient way would have been the goods elevator, but now they had to take the stairs.


    Passing through the dim underground parking, they reached the storage room on the second basement level, where a heavy door was tightly locked and secured with chains.


    "The entrance to the underground boxing ring is inside the storage room."


    The manager took out a key from his pocket, and, being in charge of logistics for the camp, naturally he had the key to the storage room.


    Click


    The iron door opened, leading into a vast storage room filled with all kinds of supplies piled up inside, a motley assortment, clearly the result of their collection efforts in recent times.


    The hotel actually has a cold storage, but due to the power outage, it has been out of use, and now it''s hardly storing much inside.


    There is a generator in the hotel, but the cold storage consumes too much electricity, so it hasn''t been used.


    The manager led Su Han and the others to the very back, and indeed, behind the obstruction of the shelves, there was an incredibly thick door.


    "What are you dawdling for? Open it."


    When Zhu Xiong saw the manager hesitate, showing a troubled expression, he pped him on the shoulder.


    "This... Only the boss has the key to this ce."


    "Alright, move aside."


    Su Han aimed his palm at the metal door, activating his Metal Control ability. The thick metal door quickly melted and then gradually deformed, revealing the passage beyond.


    "Roar!"


    As soon as it opened, a deep roar rang out, terrifying and profound.


    The expressions of everyone changed slightly. Su Han strode in, with the rest following closely behind. The light from the Lamp Tree crystals illuminated the entire area.


    It was a fighting arenapletely enclosed, with a circle of red leather seats for the audience, neatly and circrly arranged in rings, the swathes of red somewhat ring, like curtains of blood.


    In the very center, surrounded by the stands, was the recessed field¡ªconcrete-poured circr walls, nearly five meters lower than the stands, forming a ring, with a t surface. And in the very middle of the field, there clearly stood two huge metal cages, nted into the ground.


    Square, with metal bars as thick as one''s forearm, each cage measured about five meters in length, width, and height¡ªa true metal prison.


    Before it was sealed, this was where underground fight clubs were held, with extremely rough setup, devoid of any design.


    It wasn''t that Wan Yuzhou had cut corners, but rather such a raw and simple battleground was where the ultimate violence and bloodshed took ce, life-and-death struggles, and not just between humans.


    After it was sealed, this became the ce where Wan Yuzhou executed disobedient people, many of whom had been locked up in these two cages.


    They could be his subordinates, opponents, or even some who were just an eyesore.


    Now, both cages were covered in bloodstains, with the gray concrete floor long since stained red. The old bloodstains had even turned ck, and the smell of blood pervaded the entire arena.


    One of the cages was empty, while the other contained a terrifying, towering figure.


    The monster was covered in blood-red mucus, its form resembling a small hill, filling most of the cage. Its head and body were nearly fused together, with three jet-ck eyeballs the size of fists, scattered across the upper half of its torso, greedily watching Su Han and the others.


    Its gaping maw was just below its eyes, nearly as wide as its body, drooling saliva, as if it were a deep abyss ready to devour everything.


    "Roar"


    It let out a low, terrifying roar, with five or six twisted, human-like arms constantly reaching out from behind. Two arms on its sides were especially thick, almost two meters long, and below its form was a row of robust legs, like pirs.


    "What... what kind of monster is this?!"


    The manager who hade with them went weak at the knees. Although he had seen the monsters of the apocalypse, the one before him was exceedingly repulsive, continuously emanating malice towards humans.


    Those messy, dense arms and row upon row of pir-like feet seemed to indicate it had indiscriminately devoured countless humans, its bodypletely fused, leaving only this huge, twisted form and the distorted limbs.


    Zhu Xiong swallowed hard and muttered, "Is this guy raising monsters for fun?"


    Su Han''s eyes narrowed slightly, and he shook his head, saying, "It''s probably his second Angel Envoy he''s preparing. He should be close to a breakthrough."


    Wan Yuzhou was not weak; even against another First Order Upper Grade, his Tyrant could easily suppress Cao Yu''s Giant Macrophage Dog.


    It was entirely possible for him to have reached the limit of First Order Upper Grade and gotten a glimpse into Divine Initiation.


    However, Su Han was more inclined to believe that this guy had deduced the possibility of a second, third, or even more Angel Envoys from the start, based on the corrtion between the Angel Envoys and the pages of the Book of Blood Spirit.


    You should know that the strength of the monster before him was clearly higher than First Order Upper Grade. This is not something that can be restrained just by wanting to.


    At least, not by Wan Yuzhou.


    "The second Angel Envoy," Zhu Xiong sneered, "This guy sure dares to dream. But looking at these bloodstains, I''m afraid it''s not just a matter of a few days."


    Su Han nodded and said, "It must have been kept here from the start, and back then, it might not have had this form."


    He looked at the manager, and as Zhu Xiong''s handnded on the manager''s shoulder, the already weak-kneed manager nearly fell to the ground.


    With a look of despair, he quickly said, "At the beginning of the apocalypse, this ce was closed off by... by Wan Yuzhou. He locked up a bunch of flesh corpses and other monsters here, as an execution ground. Many disobedient people were thrown in here by Cao Yu and Zhou Ji, it really wasn''t my fault."


    Zhu Xiong''s face creased into a smile that was not quite a smile as he tightened his grip and said, "Continue, what happened after that?"


    "After... after some time, for reasons unknown, Wan Yuzhou only allowed himself and the two men, Zhou Ji and Cao Yu, toe in here. But monsters were still regrly brought in by them, mostly alive."


    He pondered carefully, then hastened to add, "And sometimes, Wan Yuzhou would stay for quite a long time."


    Confused, Zhu Xiong said, "Should we wake that guy up and ask? All this secrecy."


    "No need," said Su Han, recalling the strange form of the Tyrant, and suddenly understanding the critical point. He slowly said, "Wan Yuzhou is breeding a gu. I have to say, the guy is quite talented."

 Chapter 113: Chapter 107: The Nest of Flesh Corpses and the Blood Feast

    Zhu Xiong was taken aback before blurting out, "He knows this stuff too?"


    Su Han''s expression darkened, he knew Zhu Xiong was probably misunderstanding and said, "Don''t jump to conclusions, don''t you know him already?"


    Zhu Xiong gave a sheepishugh, then listened as Su Han slowly said, "That monster was bred, don''t forget that although injections are an effective way to induce mutations, devouringrge quantities of monster flesh and umting Spiritual Energy is also a feasible way to mutate, just less efficient."


    He looked at another cage, his eyes settling on the mottled bloodstains covering the floor, and calmly said, "It isn''t just that monster, Wan Yuzhou is probably also practicing with monsters, allowing his Angel Envoy to devour other monsters. A lot of devouring; there''s a reason his tyrant looks that way."


    Zhu Xiong''s expression grew more solemn, "So this guy has real skills. If he has also dealt with a number of doctors..."


    He too thought of the reason Zhou Ji and others went to the hospital, his expression turning solemn, and said, "Su Han, this guy must not be left alone."


    Su Han gave Zhu Xiong a look, knowing that Old Zhu understood the principle of cutting weeds and digging out the roots.


    Brother, steady.


    "Bang, bang, bang"


    As they spoke, the creature caged inside became even more agitated, as if this time it had not been fed, its voracious bloodlust could no longer be contained.


    Everyone was startled, the cage rattling loudly as the arm-thick steel bars began to twist more severely, nearly on the verge of copse.


    "It''s about toe out!"


    The manager shivered uncontrobly, worried that the monster would break out of the cage.


    Su Han''s mouth quirked up, calmly stating, "It won''t get the chance."


    The Book of Blood Spirit glowed red, and the towering Scorpion Spider Demon immediately appeared in front of him, its six-meter-tall stature nearly touching the underground arena''s ceiling.


    As soon as the Scorpion Spider Demon appeared, it moved, stepping into the arena, itsrge form looming over the monster.


    The monster, sensing the threat, became more violent and rattled the cage.


    The Tail Hook directly entered the cage and struck it, immediately flipping the monster onto the ground.


    Its frenzied behavior was suppressed, followed by the activation of Metal Control by the Scorpion Spider Demon; the cage gradually deformed, the hard steel bars immediately creeping towards the monster''s body.


    The monster struggled fiercely, but in the next moment it was directly impaled by two scorpion tails, hung mid-air, its blood dripping like a fountain.


    The monster''s huge arm tried to grab onto the Scorpion Spider Demon, but its sharp ws only scraped the Floating Pagoda ck Armor, making merely a nging sound.


    A Second-order Lower-level Monster, far from being a match for the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    The metal morphed into chains, ropes twining around the monster''s body, not just the original cage but also the metal from another nearby cage turned into chains.


    In just a few minutes, the entire monster was tightly bound by the chains, forming a spherical monster wrapped in chains.


    The chains interlocked, their intersections merging to form a much more imprable metal web.


    [Detected a fusionable living body monster flesh nest, proceed with Fusion?]


    Hmm?


    Surprise shed briefly in Su Han''s eyes; the monster''s name was actually called the Flesh Nest.


    For a moment, his gaze flickered, pondering deeper.


    No Fusion


    He chose not to fuse, saying unassumingly, "Old Zhu, prepare a truck, we''re hauling this thing back soon."


    "Understood."


    The underground arena incident was just an interlude; the Scorpion Spider Demon used the Coagtion Cannon to st the door wider, then tossed the Flesh Nest out.


    Although the Ancient Worm Tree did note in person, its vines had already silently spread down, taking over from the Scorpion Spider Demon to pull out the Flesh Nest.


    As daylight began to break, Zhu Xiong and Zhang Dahai, along with their subordinates,pleted the cleanup of the entire Wanzhou Manor.


    "There are 45bat personnel left, half of them are injured, and the severely injured have been dealt with. Nonbat personnel, 264 in total, are currently all staying in the hotel lobby on the first floor, overseen by Old Zhang. Haven''t had time to inventory supplies, but there are about 30 rifles, 43 pistols, and roughly 3000 rounds of ammunition."


    Zhu Xiong grinned, saying, "His shooting club probably hasn''t been shy about hiding private goods."


    Wan Yuzhou''s business isn''t clean, even having a shooting club, but besides legal guns, there are quite a few illegal ones too; that''s also why he rose up so quickly.


    Of course, another reason is because he robbed the North City police station, not only seizing the equipment but also eliminating the official force in North City that was most likely to gather arge number of survivors.


    "The guns must be strictly controlled," Su Han instructed, "Even if Second Order Lower Grade monsters can withstand a pistol, you might not be able to, so this thing can''t be casually handed out now."


    Zhu Xiong nodded earnestly, saying, "I know, these things are even less useful than a hand crossbow when searching for supplies."


    The power of guns isn''t small, especially against humans.


    But in terms of scavenging supplies, in dealing damage to monsters, aside from shooting distance and speed, the hand crossbow isn''t much worse.


    But the noise is a serious w; the loud sounds can alert many monsters, nowhere near as useful as a crossbow arrow.


    Zhu Xiong asked, "What about the other supplies? The vi isn''t small, and the defense works are also quite decent."


    Su Han shook his head and said, "Move everything back; we can''t manage the ce for now. Aren''t there quite a few nonbat personnel? Let them handle loading the vehicles."


    Zhu Xiong looked at Su Han with questioning eyes, "What about thebat personnel, all killed?"


    "Not a single one from the Wan Yuzhou direct lineage survives; those who resist fiercely shall not be spared," Su Han''s eyes flickered slightly as he stated calmly, "As for the others, it depends on their behavior. There are so many ordinary people at the camp, this can''t be hidden."


    Zhu Xiong nodded heavily. With Su Han''s input, dealing with the situation became much easier.


    Kill some, capture some; they didn''t want to engage in actions that wasted their fighting force for no good reason.


    Zhu Xiong pulled a group from the nonbat personnel, started listing all the materials, and pointed out which vehicles from Wanzhou Manor could be utilized.


    Vans, coaches, and even sedans¡ªthe manor had quite a variety of vehicles to use. Excluding those without gasoline, there were still over thirty vehicles that could be operated, including coaches.


    This made transporting so many people not a problem at all, and more efforts could be ced on the materials.


    Wanzhou Manor itself had plenty of supplies, and the Wan Yuzhoubatants, divided into four squads, were continually looting supplies and plundering other survivors in the vicinity.


    Therefore, the storeroom had a lot of assorted materials. Talking about a rough estimate of total amounts, there were nearly 10 tons of rice and flour, as well as various canned goods and dry food¡ªa truly ample supply of resources.


    Just the current stock alone, without considering storage consumption, was already enough for over four hundred people for about two to three hundred days.


    But now, those goods belonged to Su Han.


    It took an entire day of transporting people and continuous vehicle trips to move all the materials to Shanhu Vi District.


    Therge influx of materials and personnel almost overwhelmed Yan Meiyu, but fortunately, she had the help of Bai Xiao''e and others to barely cope.


    Materials were temporarily stored in a vi nearby, with a patrol team deployed to guard them.


    Newly joined personnel were sorted based on their previous status and behavior in Wanzhou Manor and were dispersed into various areas.


    They were dispersed into several areas, livingmunally in the vis, with focused patrols keeping an eye until it was certain that no disturbances would ur.


    As for thebatants, under Zhu Xiong''s methods, the situation was roughly rified.


    Out of 45 people, 23 were originally Wan Yuzhou''s underlings¡ªeach and every one was dealt with.


    Among the remaining 22, seven wereter recruits who had misbehaved andmitted various acts of tyranny. As unstable elements, they were all executed as well.


    Along with Zhou Ji''s batch, after processing, only twenty people survived and were temporarily detained, awaiting further arrangements after some time.


    As for Wan Yuzhou, Zhou Ji, and Cao Yu, they were not counted among them.


    As Angel Envoys who had reached First Order Upper Grade, they held higher experimental value for Bai Qn, who had numerous ideas and tests to conduct on them. Therefore, their lives were spared for now, but the oue might not be morefortable than death.


    Having handed over the tasks to Yan Meiyu and others, Su Han then turned his attention to a newly captured Second-order Lower-level Monster¡ªthe Flesh Corpse Nest.


    The name wasn''t solely reflective of the monster''s abilities, but it certainly rted, and based on thebat power of the Flesh Corpse Nest, it might not be much stronger than Zhu Xiong''s Glutton.


    But given its significance to Wan Yuzhou and such a name, it intrigued him.


    Su Han kept it imprisoned next to the Ancient Worm Tree, setting up a massive metal cage specially for it.


    Then, he approached the slightly recovered trio from Wanzhou to initiate a leniency for candor.


    Wan Yuzhou, however, was stubbornly tight-lipped, attempting suicide more than once regardless of the consequences.


    Su Han was unrelenting, administering a dose of Paralyzing Poison before calling Cao Yubao and others to perform a minor surgery that made himpletely docile, hardly different from a vegetable.


    Faced with Su Han''s methods, Zhou Ji and Cao Yu were finally frightened and confessed everything they knew about the Flesh Corpse Nest.


    The Flesh Corpse Nest was the idental result of an execution.


    When they dropped disobedient individuals as food into a cell filled with flesh corpses, what should have been a scene of monsters feasting on living flesh spiraled out of control.


    The flesh corpses not only devoured the living but also madly consumed all surrounding monsters.


    Initially, Zhou Ji and Cao Yu wanted to kill the increasingly mutating monster, but Wan Yuzhou stopped them and watched the transformation unfold.


    Then, a brand-new monster appeared before them, the very predecessor of the Flesh Corpse Nest.


    Having realized that devouring monsters facilitated evolution, Wan Yuzhou began practicing on his Tyrant by feeding it after arena fights.


    Feeding the Flesh Corpse Nest never paused until it matured into a Second-order Lower-level Monster.


    It was during that metamorphosis that Wan Yuzhou witnessed it produce a half-meter-tall flesh orb from its split abdomen.


    From that flesh orb, a horrendous monster resembling a flesh corpse hatched live.


    The Flesh Corpse Nest could propagate monsters.


    And what Wan Yuzhou wanted was precisely an army.


    That was the secret of the Flesh Corpse Nest. Sadly, Wan Yuzhoucked strength, just barely breaking through to Second Order Lower Grade, and now all the benefits went to Su Han.

 Chapter 114: Chapter 108 Skeletal Corpse

    Wan Yuzhou wanted to contract the Flesh Corpse Nest as his second Angel Envoy and use its characteristics to breed his own monster legion.


    It was indeed a very ambitious idea and it had a certain chance of sess.


    However, the strength, growth potential, and controbility of the monsters bred from the Flesh Corpse Nest were still unknown factors.


    Especially in terms of control, absolute control and group control werepletely different concepts.


    If it were like the Angel Envoy, under absolute control, it would undoubtedly be a very terrifying legion, fearless and possessing absolute execution ability.


    On the other hand, even a control simr to that of the Zerg would be absolutely horrifying.


    But if it were only like the control over the Half-Fish Monstermunity, then theirbat effectiveness would be greatly reduced, though it would still be a formidable force.


    The abilities of the Flesh Corpse Nest piqued Su Han''s curiosity, prompting him to activate the Tree-born Worm skill of the Ancient Worm Tree.


    After reaching LV2, the range of the Tree-born Worms not only increased to 1000 meters but also the quantity of worm eggs increased by 100.


    However, he had just advanced in skills and immediately faced the incident of Zhou Ji ambushing Old Zhu, so he had no time to breed new worms, and now was the perfect time to use them.


    While using his skills, Su Han consumed arge amount of energy to elerate the breeding of the Tree-born Worms, and then swarms of them began attacking the monsters within their activity area.


    One by one, monster corpses were brought back by the Tree-born Worms, bing sustenance for the Ancient Worm Tree, while the remaining monster corpses became food for the Flesh Corpse Nest.


    ording to Zhou Ji and Cao Yu, only after consuming arge amount of flesh and blood would the Flesh Corpse Nest reproduce monsters.


    Over three days, Su Han did not rush to hunt more monsters or collect more metals; instead, he observed the feeding changes of the Flesh Corpse Nest.


    He observed that the Flesh Corpse Nest, after consuming arge amount of food, did not use much energy to maintain its vital signs; the excess flesh was used for reproduction, and he could visibly see subtle changes in the giant maw.


    During these three days, the operation of the entire camp also gradually stabilized.


    The neers at the camp breathed a sigh of relief, for they found that the order at the Shanhu Vi Camp waspletely different from Wan Yuzhou''s camp.


    There was no ve ss, and even though there were divisions such as search teams and patrol teams that were simr tobat personnel, the underlying principles were different.


    The core of the order was not based on terror, but on Contribution Value and resources.


    Contribution allowed for more resources, not just basic resources like living and medical supplies, but also resources for bing stronger.


    Evolved Kind fish, injectables, and the qualification and opportunity to contract monsters¡ªall required contribution.


    And all the resources were controlled by Su Han; he was the core of everything.


    After understanding the situation at Shanhu Vi District, their worries gradually subsided, reced by a desire to earn Contribution Value and be stronger.


    Naturally, they gradually integrated into Su Han''s camp.


    During these three days, Zhu Xiong did not lead anyone to further search for other materials but instead worked with Zhang Dahai to establish a warehouse.


    Houses in the vi district were for living, which was not a problem, but to storerge quantities of materials, the space utilization waspletely inadequate.


    Especially for food items like rice and flour, if they were not properly stored, the loss rate would not be low.


    Eventually, an area was demarcated, and Zhang Dahai organized people to build a warehouse, using cement and other materials from the construction site and the wilted trees from the entire vi district as materials.


    Three days passed and the basic form was already up.


    On the fourth day, the Flesh Corpse Nest finally changed.


    Su Han stood in front of the cage of the Flesh Corpse Nest, where the belly of the Flesh Corpse Nest had begun to bulge and was continuously moving, and its giant maw, normally for devouring flesh and blood, was constantly opening and closing.


    Gurgle...gurgle...


    Strange muffled sounds emerged from the body of the Flesh Corpse Nest, then a flesh egg-like object was spit out from its throat.


    It hit the ground with a thud, covered in mucus and a thin membrane, standing about seventy or eighty centimeters tall; the membrane kept expanding and deforming as if something was tampering inside it.


    The flesh membrane was quickly torn open, and a hideous monster broke through it.


    Its head was grotesque, its face like a skeletal corpse, barely showing any flesh, and extremely horrific. The head was nearly a third the size of its entire body, with a blood basin-sized mouth nearly reaching its ears, filled with chaotic, sharp teeth.


    Its body was hunched, crawling on the ground, and its skin was ashen. Its hands and feet were like sharp ws, with backward-pointing nails over ten centimeters long.


    Upon its emergence, it voraciously devoured its own centa-like flesh membrane and theny prostrate in front of the Flesh Corpse Nest.


    ''Active submissiveness, it seems not merely amunity anymore, but it is worth a try,'' thought Su Han.


    With a thought from Su Han, the vines of the nearby Ancient Worm Tree moved, extending toward the cage.


    "Roar"


    The Flesh Corpse Nest let out a low growl. It sensed a threat, and as it growled, the little monster immediately turned around to face the vines.


    As soon as the vine approached, it lunged forward, but the next moment, it was knocked to the ground by the vine and then tied up.


    The little monster struggled continuously, its sharp shrieks echoing, and its sharp ws tried to scratch at the vine, but left only a white mark.


    [Detected a live creature for Fusion: Skeletal Corpse. Proceed with Fusion?]


    Skeletal Corpse?


    Su Han''s mind stirred, "This monster indeed has a distinct appearance, but there are some differences from the Flesh Corpse Nest. If it''s evolution, it''s hardly likely; it is probably just a minion and not truly of the same kind."


    He was intent on testing it. Suddenly, the vines extended and whipped against the Flesh Corpse Nest with considerable force.


    The Flesh Corpse Nest was struck hard, emitting a painful roar; it struggled violently, much like the Skeletal Corpse, seemingly trying to rescue its progenitor.


    Su Han kept the Skeletal Corpse in a cage on the side; the test needed some time, and he was not particrly in a rush.


    The next day, Su Han did not only conduct the test himself but also had Bai Qn help, and together they roughly reached a conclusion.


    The strength of the Skeletal Corpse was approximately at the First Order Inferior, of thetter kind, slightly more formidable than the Half-Fish Monster, with the limitation being onnd.


    If adults were not frightened, they could defend against it as its individualbat strength was not strong.


    However, they would act collectively and could be somewhatmanded by the Flesh Corpse Nest.


    The extent ofmand did not reach full control; it had independent instincts, but under the Flesh Corpse Nest''s control, it would fight fearlessly to the death, simr to the Tree-born Worm, but with weaker control.


    As for the reproductive capacity of this Flesh Corpse Nest, as seen so far, it was not considered low since after feeding well the next day, it spawned another meat egg, birthing another Skeletal Corpse.


    This might not be its limit, but this pace was already sufficient to rapidly produce a tribe.


    It could be said that Wan Yuzhou''s n might actually be achievable.


    Bai Qn and Su Hanpleted the tests, recording the blood samples and data.


    "Ji Mingyang, take these items back to theb."


    Bai Qn instructed Ji Mingyang to take the items back, to which Ji Mingyang gave a pause, then nodded, saying, "I''ll go right away."


    After Ji Mingyang left, only Bai Qn and Su Han remained.


    Su Han looked at Bai Qn and asked, "Did you send him away because there''s something else you want to test?"


    Bai Qn nodded slightly, her eyes flickering as she said, "There''s another important test, and it''s rted to injection enhancement."


    Hearing this, Su Han showed a puzzled face and asked, "How are these two rted? Are you nning to use the blood of the Skeletal Corpse to make the injection?"


    The enhancement injection required arge amount of blood and tissue to purify substances within; if Skeletal Corpses could be cultivated inrge numbers, they would also serve as a source of materials.


    However, Su Han was rather reluctant to keep the Flesh Corpse Nest, as this thing always posed a hidden danger.


    If Skeletal Corpses proliferated too much, they could easily incite a revolt by the Flesh Corpse Nest, whose capabilities he did not wish to fall into the hands of others in the camp.


    No one capable of contracting a Second Angel Envoy had yet appeared, and neers were not worthy of this Second Order Low Grade creature,cking the matching strength and qualifications.


    "No," Bai Qn shook her head, "Contract, I want to know how the Flesh Corpse Nest affects it if someone contracted the Skeletal Corpse; this is very important."


    Su Han frowned, indeed this was something he hadn''t considered.


    He thought for a moment, then said, "I''ll call someone, and you try itter."


    In the camp, there were quite a few people who had umted enough Contribution Values and had good performances.


    Upon mentioning it to Yan Meiyu, she provided a person, a male intern doctor saved from the hospital batch, exactly Zhou Ziqing''s student, Cao Yubao''s grandstudent, named Lu Yu.


    "Boss Su Han."


    He greeted Su Han and Bai Qn with a restrained manner.


    Su Han handed him a crossbow, then said, "Kill the Skeletal Corpse, contract the Angel Envoy, then assist with some tests. Your contributions from helping your teacher with treatments have also umted enough."


    "Thank you, boss."


    Lu Yu''s face showed delight. Being able to contract was certainly a good thing, though it also involved testing, but he deeply understood that this was a rare opportunity.


    The constitution after contracting differed quite significantly from that of an ordinary person; even just after contracting, one could possess a physique slightly stronger than that of a healthy adult.


    He held the crossbow, aimed it at one of the Skeletal Corpses that was bounded by the vines, and with a puff, the crossbow arrow prated through the skeletal-like head.


    The Skeletal Corpse was instantly killed, and the contract process immediately began.


    The process wasn''tplicated, and soon the Skeletal Corpse transformed into a red light entering Lu Yu''s Book of Blood Spirit, bing his Angel Envoy.


    "Summon the Skeletal Corpse and thenunch an attack on the Flesh Corpse Nest."


    Bai Qn''s chilly voice came, which made Lu Yu pause, his gaze subconsciously turning towards Su Han.


    For all incarcerated creatures, only Su Han had the ultimate decision-making power.


    Su Han nodded and said, "Do as she said."


    Only then did Lu Yu feel relieved, allowing the Skeletal Corpse to enter the Flesh Corpse Nest''s cage and made itunch an attack.


    The Flesh Corpse Nest roared in anger, but it had already been bound by the vines and could not attack its Angel Envoy Skeletal Corpse.


    It had sharply sensed that the Skeletal Corpse was different now.


    Lu Yu made a move, and immediately initiated an attack. The moment the Skeletal Corpse rushed towards the Flesh Corpse Nest, Su Han and Bai Qn''s expressions subtly changed.


    The speed of the Skeletal Corpse had slowed down.

 Chapter 115: Chapter 109: The Cost of Injections

    The Skeletal Corpse not only moved slower, but its attacks on the flesh nest were clearly weaker, far from how it performed against the Half-Fish Monster.


    "Stop."


    Bai Qn called Lu Yu to a halt, and he paused in confusion before stopping.


    "You go back first."


    Su Han told Lu Yu, his gaze flickering slightly, clearly not as calm as he seemed.


    Lu Yu immediately recalled his Skeletal Corpse, bid farewell to Su Han, and left the area.


    "Have you anticipated what this is all about?"


    He looked toward Bai Qn; she shook her head slightly, her gaze fixed on the flesh nest: "It''s just a guess, but now it''s even more confirmed."


    "The Skeletal Corpse is being suppressed by the flesh nest. Although it''s not controlled, its overall strength has weakened a lot."


    "Race or rather, kin."


    Bai Qn spoke slowly: "The Skeletal Corpse is a creature created by the flesh nest, a subordinate continuation of its bloodline, even after bing an Angel Envoy through a contract. Despite having gained independent control, the bloodline remains unchanged¡ªthe flesh nest still holds a superior bloodline, and that''s the source of the suppression."


    "Like cats and mice?"


    Bai Qn shook her head, "It''s not the same. Mice are not inherently afraid of cats; it''s more about fear of certain characteristics¡ªsounds, images, movements, etc., and it''s not entirely hereditary. This is different; these are not inherited but are inherent in the bloodline, with fixed ranks and racial disparities, an unchangeable suppression."


    Monsters are not animals; the power they epass ispletely different, resulting in hard-to-understand effects.


    Take the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion, for instance; scorpion species have no concept of a hierarchy, yet the Double-tailed Emperor Scorpion can still dominate the Double-tailed Scorpion.


    Simrly, the Spider Monsters, Split-mouth Spiders, Split-mouth Broodmothers, and Split-mouth Worms Su Han encountered before, as well as his Ancient Worm Tree and Tree-born Worms, all follow this pattern.


    In their bloodlines, the disparity between the higher and lower ranks is profound.


    Su Han somewhat understood, but his eyes suddenly narrowed: "You''re saying this has something to do with serums; could it be that mutations induced by monster blood are also influenced by bloodlines?"


    "Yes," Bai Qn nodded, "If an Angel Envoy is more influenced by the serum from a single monster, whether it''s the number or quality of injections, it will endow the Angel Envoy with more traits simr to that monster''s bloodline. Unless at a level not weaker than the source monster, such suppression will persist.


    My Angel Envoy was initially injected with the Half-Fish Monster serum, and there was a slight suppression when facing the fish monster leader, but it disappeared after a breakthrough in strength."


    Su Han thought about Bai Qn''s words; the suppression existed, but it didn''t seem to be an issue for now.


    The purpose of injecting the envoy with the mutating serums was to enhance their strength¡ªshould they rise above the source monster or reach the upper limits of their racial rank, then undergo Divine Initiation Ritual fusion and evolution, the influence of the bloodline would likewise be negated.


    It seemed that this wasn''t a significant problem after all.


    Moreover, not all hostile monsters are superior monsters, to say nothing about mixing different serums.


    "If serums from different stages are mixed, the influence of the bloodline should be much weakened, right? This shouldn''t be a significant issue?"


    He asked, looking for confirmation, but Bai Qn''s smile turned even more subtle as she replied with a slightugh: "For a Contractor, of course, it''s not a big deal. But for you, this matter is very important."


    She extended her pale hand, holding a vial of crimson injection liquid.


    "The fish monster leader serum was actually ready the day before yesterday, but I had a new idea."


    She looked at Su Han and said with a lightugh: "What if most of the serums used your Angel Envoy''s blood, or if every serum contained a bit of your Angel Envoy''s blood? Would all the Contractors'' Angel Envoys in the camp then be your kin?"


    Madness!


    This idea was too mad!


    Su Han looked at Bai Qn in shock; her face wore a faint smile, and she met his gaze without flinching.


    He didn''t believe that Bai Qn didn''t understand what her n implied.


    While it wouldn''t usurp other Contractors'' control, if the serums contained blood from Su Han''s Angel Envoy, particrly with significant enhancement effects, it would mean any Angel Envoy, when facing Su Han''s Angel Envoy, would be suppressed in strength.


    Moreover, as his Angel Envoy grew stronger, the suppression would be even more profound.


    Unless someone had entirely surpassed him in strength, a collective uprising would be utterly ineffective.


    "Your idea is mad."


    "But it''s very advantageous for you," Bai Qn''s smile broadened slightly: "Not only would you control the enhancement serums, but also form a bloodline suppression. The camp would be as secure as a fortress, and you would be not just a leader, but perhaps a bloodline... king?"


    Su Han''s Angel Envoy was not only powerful, but Bai Qn was certain that in terms of bloodline strength, it was stronger than other monsters of the same rank.


    After all, Su Han''s Angel Envoy had evolved many times.


    "My Angel Envoy can''t be giving blood every day," Su Han said, shaking his head, but then added: "However, we could give it a try."


    "Not every injection serum has to contain your Angel Envoy''s blood, just the higher-level rewards would suffice," Bai Qn suggested slowly: "After umting so many contributions, for both the camp and for you, such individuals ought to be rtively significant yers."


    "Then go ahead with it. When do you need it?"


    Su Han had no reason to oppose the n, one that would elevate his power and rule to a higher tier.


    She smiled lightly and responded, "Tonight, I would like to request the first serum."


    Su Han was slightly taken aback before breaking into a smile, saying, "Okay, choose one, Ancient Worm Tree or Scorpion Spider Demon."


    Bai Qn came forth to pledge allegiance and, of course, there was no doubt that using the potion made from the blood of Su Han''s two Second-order Superior Angel Envoys would be more powerful, but the suppressive power would be even greater.


    His Angel Envoys all had regenerative abilities, so drawing a bit of blood would not greatly diminish their strength. With proper control, it waspletely feasible.


    Bai Qn answered with a smile, "Scorpion Spider Demon."


    Half an hourter, Bai Qn returned to Vi No. 9 with threerge tubes of Scorpion Spider Demon''s blood. She was eager to make the Scorpion Spider Demon potion.


    Having sessfully made the Half-Fish Monster leader potion, she had a good idea of how to refine and make monster potions. This time, she wouldn''t need several days; one night would be enough.


    After Bai Qn left, Su Han remained where he was, his gaze falling on the Ancient Worm Tree. He appeared thoughtful and then suddenly smiled.


    If the effect of the monster potion could deepen his own Angel Envoys'' control over their territory, what about the Contractor who directly formed a contract with the Tree-born Worm?


    An affiliate or even a servant species belonging to the Ancient Worm Tree, how great would the repression be?


    One must know that the Tree-born Worm wouldn''t be gone just because it died; the Ancient Worm Tree couldpletely consume energy to breed new worms¡ª the real source of troops.


    And to take it a step further, if the Ancient Worm Tree underwent Fusion with the Skeletal Corpse Nest, might there be more possibilities in terms of affiliates?


    Su Han''s thoughts stirred, and the vines wrapped even tighter around the Skeletal Corpse Nest; his spirit concentrated on it.


    [Discovery of a viable monster body to Fuse, the Skeletal Corpse Nest. Begin Fusion?]


    Fusion


    This time, Su Han did not hesitate. He was very much looking forward to the changes this Fusion would bring.


    Countless fments spread from the vines and then touched the Skeletal Corpse Nest, slowly merging its flesh and blood.


    The Skeletal Corpse Nest let out a terrified roar, almost hysterical, but to no avail.


    It could only watch helplessly as its body disappeared; resistance was of no use against the Ancient Worm Tree.


    As time ticked by, an hour passed, and the entire Skeletal Corpse Nest had vanished.


    Angel Envoy: Ancient Worm Tree


    Grade: Second-order Superior


    Skills: [Fast-growing Vines] [Metallic Quality] [Radiance of the Lamp Tree][Anthropomorphic State][Lv2 Man-eating Vine][Self-Healing¡¤Intermediate][LV2 Tree-born Worm]


    Fusion: LV1 Common Metal, LV1 Lamp Tree Crystals, LV2 Essence of Flesh, Tentacle-faced Monster, wed Giant, Split-mouth Broodworm


    Fusion in progress: Skeletal Corpse Nest 23%


    Su Han looked at the panel and furrowed his brows slightly, "Only 23%? Looks like I''m in for an all-nighter."


    His Book of Blood Spirit glowed red, and the Ancient Worm Tree was soon summoned into the pages of the book.


    He leaped up,nding on the back of the Scorpion Spider Demon, and then guided the demon to stride out of the camp, disappearing into the evening mist.


    After leaving the Shanhu Vi District, Su Han headed straight to a nearbyrge residential area¡ªNanshan Residential District.


    Bursting into the vicinity of the residential district, the Ancient Worm Tree was summoned, illuminating the whole district and the streets outside with the Radiance of the Lamp Tree.


    In the fog, countless monsters were exposed to the light, and the dazzling radiance attracted even more monsters. They charged bravely, besieging the Ancient Worm Tree.


    But the Scorpion Spider Demon charged out, d in Floating Pagoda ck Armor and plunged into the throng of monsters, beginning the massacre.


    The Ancient Worm Tree''s vines kept spreading, and beneath its roots, a hundred Tree-born Worms burrowed underground to begin their killing and hunting.


    Monsters roared on and off, and the entire area became akin to a ughterhouse. Blood soaked the ground and was gradually absorbed by the vines of the Ancient Worm Tree.


    As it fought, it fused; the powerful Man-eating Vine seized monsters and bit into them, swallowing voraciously, replenishing its own energy.


    A thousand monsters, including many of First-level Intermediate and even First Order Upper Grade were in, which was no small number.


    The fighting drained Su Han''s physical strength and energy, as well as that of the Battle Scorpion Spider Demon and the Ancient Worm Tree.


    However, they were all able to endure. Their strong regenerative powers yed their role at this time.


    Not only did the Ancient Worm Tree and Scorpion Spider Demon dominate the ughter, but Su Han also took up his Pu knives, d in ck Armor, ughtering the lives of monsters.


    For four hours, nearly two thousand monsters were ughtered near the Nanshan Residential District, with the blood-stained ground giving off an overwhelmingly pungent stench.


    The Fusion Degree of the Skeletal Corpse Nest grew gradually, and finally, in thetter part of the night, no more monsters dared to approach. The remaining scarce monsters and the corpses on the ground slowly dissolved.


    A sense of exhaustion from his body surged up as the battle ended, but Su Han revealed a pleased smile, feeling no fatigue at all.


    Because the Fusion Degree was finally full.


    [Fusion with Skeletal Corpse Nest sessful, Ancient Worm Tree has gained skill: Tree Womb]

 Chapter 116: Chapter 110: Tree Womb and Companion Beast

    After the fusion was sessful, a powerful energy surged back from the Ancient Worm Tree,pletely dispersing the fatigue in Su Han''s body, and his physique was rapidly strengthening.


    At that moment, the flow of energy in his body, the changes in muscle tissue... numerous rules suddenly flooded into his mind, and instinctively, Su Han perceived the metamorphosis of self-healing.


    [Perception sessful, skill ''Self-Healing¡¤Intermediate'' synchronized]


    With double happiness, the originally primary self-healing skill took a step further, making his physique even more formidable and his vitality even stronger.


    The Ancient Worm Tree became evenrger, its stature elongating, and its branches thickening, having reached a height of forty meters, towering next to high-rise buildings like a giant creature.


    Though it hadn''t advanced yet, it undeniably approached the limits of Second-order Superior, its aura growing even more formidable.


    However,pared to the changes in its size, Su Han''s gaze focused on the canopy of the Ancient Worm Tree, on a greenish-transparent Tree Womb, resembling emerald jade.


    The Tree Womb was supported by branches, and four blood-red vines clung tightly to its greenish exterior walls, resembling blood vessels wrapping around a heart, tight and pulsating with it.


    Concentrating his mind, Su Han soon broke into a smile, "Devour monsters, hatch guardian beasts, this is what it truly means to be a leading monster."


    The function of the Tree Womb became clear to him, simr yet fundamentally different to the Skeletal Corpse Nest, but the focus was precisely opposite.


    If the Skeletal Corpse Nest''s dependent serviles relied on numbers, spawning countless skeletal corpses as its minions,


    Then, the Tree Womb was to incubate its own guardian beasts for the Ancient Worm Tree, possessing rtively formidablebatants.


    The Tree Womb in front of him was just at its initial stage, capable of nurturing only one guardian beast, but the strength of this guardian beast was at least Second Order.


    "Guardian beast plus tree-born worms, this makes the Ancient Worm Tree a self-sustaining ecology."


    Its own strength, the wrapping vines, the epassing tree-born worms, and the guardian beast as a leader, if the Ancient Worm Tree wasn''t his own Angel Envoy, it would certainly be a terrifying lord monster.


    His gaze swept over the few dozen monster corpses left on the ground, not many and mostly lower-grade creatures with broken limbs.


    In order to increase the Fusion Degree quickly earlier, First-level Intermediate and First Order Upper Grade monsters had been prioritized for absorption, now therecked materials for nurturing in the Tree Womb.


    "Why not produce and consume ourselves?"


    A thought crossed his mind, and he suddenly considered the tree-born worms, though only First Order Inferior, they were still his own creation, it seemed worth trying.


    Tree Womb!


    Thinking this, he activated the Tree Womb''s skills, and then the blood-red vines on the Tree Womb immediately danced, quickly spreading toward one of the tree-born worms that responded to the call.


    The vines wrapped around it instantly and then pulled it up to the canopy, bit by bit pulling the whole tree-born worm into the emerald-like Tree Womb.


    The green liquid stirred, and after entering the Tree Womb, the tree-born worm ceased moving, as if it had sunk into a womb-like slumber, with only slight body fluctuations.


    Fine vines like blood vessels interconnected its body with the Tree Womb, continuously supplying it with nutrients.


    "One month?"


    With a quick sense of perception, Su Han frowned unwittingly. If he did nothing, it would take at least a month to incubate it, and he couldn''t possibly wait that long.


    Thus, his gaze fell on the few dozen broken monster corpses on the ground, "How about using these as nutrients first, treating it as an experiment?"


    The nurturing of a Tree Womb wasn''t just about nutrients, but about extracting traits of monsters to incubate the affection beasts within, meaning the type of monsters absorbed could likely determine the type of creature created.


    The monsters on the ground were mostly flesh corpses now, and it was uncertain what changes would ur.


    The red vines spread towards the ground, quickly gathering those corpses together and, like blood vessels, continuously digested and absorbed the essence of this flesh.


    As the absorption began, the green Tree Womb started to show hints of red, gradually absorbed by the worms inside.


    The body of the tree-born worms slightly bulged, undergoing changes, bing more solid, a shell gradually forming, and arms beginning to take shape.


    Su Han felt the changes, the incubation time shortening as resources were injected, but it would still take at least ten days, which was the shortest time possible.


    "Ten days, not too long."


    One month was too long, but ten days were bearable.


    When Su Han returned to the camp, the sky had gradually brightened. Although it appeared very dim under the dense fog, everyone in the camp had already started their work routines.


    When he arrived back at vi number 9, Yan Qiumei had already delivered breakfast there, fresh Green Scale Carp soup, and also fish porridge.


    There were two portions, one for Bai Qn and one for Su Han.


    Evolved kinds of fish reproduced and grew quickly, so, when controlled properly, some of the excessivelyrge evolved kinds of fish had been caught and ced in swimming pools, serving as one source of meat.


    However, as evolved kinds, they required a significant amount of Contribution Value to exchange, currently only avable to core figures like Su Han, Bai Qn, Yan Meiyu, and Zhu Xiong.


    Others with Contribution Values could also exchange them, butpared to the long-term consumption of evolved kinds of fish, Zhao Yimin and his group were more inclined to wait to exchange for injections.


    Su Han finished breakfast, and Bai Qn was still holed up in theboratory, grappling with the challenging task of purifying the Scorpion Spider Demon blood into a potion.


    He did not go to inquire but decided first to find Zhu Xiong, who was overseeing the construction of a warehouse.


    "Old Zhu, take some people and clear out the area near the Nanshan Residential District, and gather the materials."


    Zhu Xiong was momentarily stunned. Su Han exined, "I went therest night."


    Realizing the implications, Zhu Xiong said, "I''ll take people there right away."


    Since Su Han had been there, it meant that the monsters might have been cleared out, and the area was temporarily safe. If they didn''t move quickly to clear the area, someone else might get there first.


    After quickly organizing a team, Zhu Xiong left. When Su Han reached Vi No. 9, he found Bai Qn hade out and was eating in the living room.


    Upon seeing Su Han enter, she looked up, smiled, and said, "It''s ready."


    "Let''s try after finishing the meal, there''s no rush."


    Bai Qn paused for a moment, then nodded and continued eating.


    Though Su Han said there was no hurry, she finished her breakfast in a few bites, evidently more curious about the effects of the injection she had prepared herself.


    After eating, she immediately went into theboratory, retrieved the Scorpion Spider Demon injection, and they both went out into the yard, where Bai Qn summoned her envoy.


    Bai Qn''s flesh corpse still stood over three meters tall, of a pale blue color, its body covered in scales, resembling abination of a fish monster leader and a flesh corpse.


    It was a solid First Order Upper Grade, but because it hadn''t been exposed to many injections before, the mutations were rtively few.


    After summoning the envoy, she plunged the syringe containing the purified Scorpion Spider Demon potion directly into the envoy''s heart and injected the medicine.


    As soon as the Scorpion Spider Demon injection entered, fine scales began to ooze blood, and the muscles all over the body rapidly writhed.


    The blood didn''t fall to the ground but quickly formed a crusty scab shell. The entire envoy''s flesh writhed and gradually shrunk into the huge scab.


    The thumping sound of a heartbeat came, and subtle changes could be heard through the scab.


    Bai Qn looked serious. She closed her eyes to sense it, then slowly opened them, somewhat helplessly, "It seems it will take some time."


    Su Han was startled. The previous mutation, like that of Zhu Xiong''s envoy, had concluded in just over half an hour. He hadn''t expected that after purification, it would take even longer.


    Bai Qn exined, "After purification, the enhancement is much greater than before, and your Scorpion Spider Demon is a Second-order Superior, both its gic structure and the content of its spiritual energy are iparable to those held captive."


    They waited for several hours until finally, a cracking sound urred. The huge blood scab started to split.


    Su Han and Bai Qn watched breathlessly, and before long, a monster about three meters tall broke through the blood scab and stood before them.


    The creature was half human, half spider, strikingly simr to the Scorpion Spider Demon, though slightly smaller in size, with clearer lines and covered in fine scales.


    The human part was a long-haired female demon in appearance, sinister in looks, with a fierce face adorned with three eyes. The vertical eye was particrlyrge and located on the forehead, emitting a dark red glow.


    The arms were slender with sharp ws. Along the inside of the wrists were shell-like bone spurs, simr to wrist des.


    Its spider half was pitch ck, with eight slender spider legs standing like long spears on the ground, sharp as des, moving very swiftly.


    Bai Qn held the Book of Blood Spirit in her hand, which emitted a red glow, a strong power nourishing her body, rapidly enhancing her physique.


    Her eyes lit up in surprise as she eximed, "Demon Eye Spider Woman, Second Order Low Grade, it broke through?!"


    Su Han was startled by her words, carefully sensing it. Indeed, the subtle oppressiveness of this Demon Eye Spider Woman was not inferior to that of a Glutton.


    He hadn''t expected that the injection''s mutation effect could also mimic the Divine Initiation Ritual.


    However, thinking about it, it seemed natural as it was intended to induce mutations in monsters. Apart from the increase in strength, further advancement wasn''t out of the question.


    The red glow from the Book of Blood Spirit receded as the strengthening phase ended, and Bai Qn gradually came back to her senses.


    She sensed carefully, her mouth curling in a smile as she said, "There are two skills, one Demon Eye, and one Spider Thorn."


    Su Han asked, "What do they do?"


    "Spider Thorn is what she has under her wrists, the bone spurs that can shoot out and grow rapidly. Its range and power should be significant. Compared to that, the Demon Eye seems to be a psychic attack."


    Su Han was taken aback, "Psychic attack?"


    "Yes," Bai Qn didn''t hide it, nodding, "It can bewilder and impact units with lower spiritual power, though it can''tpletely control them."


    "Let''s head to Old Zhu''s ce, and try it out on some monsters on the way."


    Su Han was interested since it had broken through, it was a good time to test this Demon Eye Spider Woman, especially considering it was a Second-grade Monster that had metamorphosed using the Scorpion Spider Demon injection.

 Chapter 117: Chapter 111 Demon Eye Spider Woman

    After leaving Shanhu Vi District, the two hurried toward the nearby Nanshan Residential District.


    Before they could reach the residential district, they encountered a group of zombies blocking the road, led by a Giant w Zombie.


    Although Su Han had ughtered throughout the night, the noise and the radiance of the Lamp Tree equally attracted the nearby monsters.


    Clearing the core area, but having monsters scattered around wasn''t something unusual.


    "Roar"


    The Giant w Zombie lunged at them, followed by more than thirty other zombies.


    Bai Qn, calm andposed, summoned the Book of Blood Spirit in her hand, and the Demon Eye Spider Woman appeared in front of her, charging towards the Giant w Zombie like a shadow.


    The speed of the Demon Eye Spider Woman was incredibly fast. Suddenly, the Demon Eye on her forehead lit up, its scarlet light flickering. The roaring Giant w Zombie''s movements abruptly stiffened, along with the zombies watching it, as if they were frozen stiff.


    "Swoosh, swoosh"


    The Spider Thorns shot out from the wrists of the Demon Eye Spider Woman. In a few breaths, shadows flew out, and with a ''puchi'' sound, they brutally prated the Giant w Zombie''s head.


    The zombies behind the Giant w Zombie couldn''t resist either; their heads were prated by the Spider Thorns and then copsed to the ground.


    While charging forward quickly and shooting Spider Thorns, she had killed half of the group of zombies in an instant.


    "Roar"


    As the impact of the Demon Eye faded, the zombies roared again, but the Demon Eye Spider Woman had already reached them. Her sharp ws swept across their necks, effortlessly breaking their spines and dropping their heads to the ground.


    In just over ten seconds, the remaining zombies were all dead.


    "The effect of the Demon Eye''s Mental Shock seems quite brief,"


    Su Han said slowly as he looked toward Bai Qn.


    However, Bai Qn''s expression remained calm as she responded, "It''s due to ack of practice. Sometimes, a split second is enough in truebat."


    Her words were indeed not false; after all, a moment of distraction could give the enemy a chance tounch a deadly attack.


    "Su Han, summon your Scorpion Spider Demon and try its suppressive effect. There''s nobody else around here."


    Su Han chuckled, slightly surprised by Bai Qn''s straightforward approach, nodded, and said, "Alright."


    The Book of Blood Spirit shed, and the Scorpion Spider Demon appeared on the street, its terrifying figure over six meters tall,paring to the Demon Eye Spider Woman like a hill to a mound.


    Bai Qn''s brow slightly furrowed: "It''s suppressed, by at least thirty percent, let me try something."


    As a Contractor, she could clearly feel the oppressive aura the Scorpion Spider Demon cast over the Demon Eye Spider Woman as soon as it appeared.


    Su Han nodded slightly, and Bai Qn immediatelymanded the Demon Eye Spider Woman to attack.


    The Demon Eye Spider Woman bent its spider legs and leaped forward, raising its hands and shooting Spider Thorns.


    Although its speed was still swift, it was significantly slowerpared to its previous shadow-like flicker, now slowed by at least thirty percent. The shot Spider Thorns were swept aside by the tail of the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    The Demon Eye suddenly lit up, its red light shing, but at the next moment, the Scorpion Spider Demon roared, and the Demon Eye Spider Woman instinctively stiffened, causing its lit-up Demon Eye to dim immediately.


    The motion stopped abruptly, and Bai Qn didn''t continue controlling the attack.


    She shook her head, smiled, and said, "It''s not just a thirty percent suppression. At least forty percent of her strength is suppressed. She can''t perform fully, even with focused control. But, our hypothesis should be correct."


    From her perspective, the suppression on the Demon Eye Spider Woman didn''t seem to bother her much; in fact, she was pleased to confirm this thought, not just as an experimental advance.


    "If we periodically extract some blood from both your Angel Envoys to make injectable solutions, split into 1 to 3 phases, it won''t be long before everyone''s strength improves by a notch, and most importantly, they will all be suppressed."


    Su Han''s eyes flickered slightly. Bai Qn''s idea was undoubtedly correct, but something still felt... odd to him.


    After all, she too was one of those under control.


    But Su Han was not one to waver; he naturally agreed to her approach, "We''ll do as you said, but let''s include one more thing: part of the camp that is to be contracted canter contract the Tree-born Worms."


    Bai Qn looked surprised, then instantly understood Su Han''s method and smiled, "If we use the Tree-born Worms as a foundation to induce mutation and evolution, that would truly create a n."


    From the initial bloodline toter enhancements, alle from Su Han''s Angel Envoys; with such suppression, there was no thinking about opposing him.


    Moreover, this wasn''t necessarily a bad thing. Having stable Angel Envoy manpower, stable enhancement routes meant that the camp could steadily producebat personnel, and their quality was assured.


    She appeared thoughtful and said, "I''ll go back and try to induce the Tree-born Worms to see if I can work out a stable path, but you''ll have to match someone who has a contract with the Tree-born Worms..."


    Before she could finish, Bai Qn shook her head and said, "It''s not quite appropriate. I''ll handle it myself. I still have one contract slot left."


    She suddenly remembered this matter; although it was to strengthen the Angel Envoys, the insides of it were to enhance the control over the camp, and it wouldn''t be good for too many people to know about this.


    For the majority of people, knowing the result was sufficient; they didn''t need to understand the process.


    She decided it would be safest for her to handle it during this period.At the thought, her beautiful eyes slightly moved, and she nced at Su Han. If it were him, he should be able to ascend to a higher step earlier than those monsters.


    "No need."


    However, Su Han''s response left her with an astonished expression, "Why?"


    "Keep your second Contract slot for contracting the Ancient Worm Tree''s creature."


    Bai Qn''s approach surprised Su Han, but he immediately dismissed this secretive approach and behavior, akin to submitting an oath of allegiance.


    "Secrecy can''t be maintained forever, and such a path of enhancement simply requires choosing sides."


    Su Han spoke calmly, aware that with so many intelligent people around, those studying the injectors would eventually discover the rtionship between bloodlines and suppression, something that couldn''t be hidden.


    On the contrary, what he needed was to publicly choose sides and loyalty.


    By choosing to contract Angel Envoy and follow the bloodline injector''s path of enhancement, it was natural to be a member of his faction. What he needed was loyalty.


    y both sides, and you''ll just end up beingpletely eliminated, that''s all.


    "My Ancient Worm Tree breeds a creature that is higher than the Tree-born Worm. You contract that one."


    Su Han smiled, jokingly said, "Using that, the suppression power should be stronger."


    "That would be perfect for submitting an oath of allegiance and picking the right side, right?"


    Bai Qn''s lips curled up as she spoke, "However... this allows for a change in adjustment methods. If most of them are creatures belonging to your Angel Envoys, then I might try designing injectors for corresponding levels."


    Different strength injectors correspond to different stages of Angel Envoy, advancing step by step, also suppressingyer byyer, with the hierarchy bing more severe, and Su Han standing at the highest position.


    "First, let''s find Old Zhu."


    Su Han rode with Bai Qn on the back of the Scorpion Spider Demon, as the Demon Eye Spider Woman was obviously not built for carrying people.


    The two headed directly to Nanshan Residential District, encountering wandering monsters along the way, but all were killed by the Demon Eye Spider Woman following closely beside the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    The range of the Spider Thorn was further than expected, effective within about three hundred meters, with a speedparable to a regr bullet.


    The rapidly regenerating bone spurs were not self-healing, but clearly had simr characteristics.


    Thus, their journey was extremely fast, and it didn''t take long before they arrived at Nanshan Residential District.


    Several transport trucks were parked on the street, and Zhao Yimin was leading people in guarding them. Upon hearing the noise, he had already aimed his hand crossbow at the foggy area.


    Seeing the Scorpion Spider Demon rush out of the fog, he finally rxed; he recognized it as the boss''s Angel Envoy.


    "Boss."


    Zhao Yimin came up to greet them, and as Su Han and Bai Qn got down, he asked, "Where''s Old Zhu? Are the things almost ready?"


    "The search for the items is almost done, but we encountered something bizarre."


    Zhao Yimin''s expression was grave. Su Han''s eyes sharpened as he asked, "What happened?"


    "The entire residential district, the whole street, not a single person, all empty, only some scattered monsters roaming."


    "Isn''t it quitemon to find no one when you guys search for supplies?"


    Bai Qn was somewhat puzzled, but Su Han''s brow was already furrowed because he had clearly sensedst night while cleaning up monsters that there should have been living people nearby.


    Some floors had obvious signs of activity, but now Zhao Yimin was saying there were no living people.


    Zhao Yimin hesitated slightly, then said in a low voice, "There are no signs of life, all the people are gone¡ªit''s normal, but there are signs of people having lived in several ces, yet the supplies are still there, and the people are missing."


    "Tap, tap, tap"


    Footsteps sounded as Zhu Xiong hurried over, apanied by Guo Gang, his expression grave, "Su Han, I was just about to send someone to look for you."


    "What''s going on?"


    "The people are missing, and they might have left by themselves. One household even had just opened a can of food, not yet finished."


    The can of food was new, just opened not long ago, next to it were a pot for boiling water and an open bag of rice.


    Everything indicated that there were people here, and very recently, but now there was not a single person in sight, making the situation quite eerie.


    Zhu Xiong looked at Su Han and asked, "What should we do?"


    Su Han pondered. Last night, when he was killing monsters, he hadn''t encountered such a strange situation. If there had been any, he would''ve noticed itst night.


    So the most likely scenario was that something strange had been drawn here.


    "Zhao Yimin, take people and move the supplies back first."


    "Understood."


    "Old Zhu, Old Guo, leave ten good men with me to handle this."


    The Nanshan Residential District wasn''t far from Shanhu Vi, and this situation couldn''t be ignored; otherwise, it would turn into a disaster sooner orter.


    His mind made up, he immediately summoned the Ancient Worm Tree, and the Tree-born Worms along with their roots, took root underground, rapidly spreading out to the surroundings.

 Chapter 118: Chapter 112: The Monster Hunter

    The territory of the Tree-born Worms spanned a thousand meters. Though not vast, if measured in a straight line, it was enough to search a certain range of the neighborhood.


    Zhao Yimin followed Su Han''s instructions and drove the big trucks back, leaving three jeeps for the team.


    Zhu Xiong and the others were amazed at how the Ancient Worm Tree seemed to have grown stronger, but Bai Qn was more perceptive, noticing the presence of the Tree Womb.


    She approached Su Han and asked softly, "Is that the thing, the new ability?"


    Su Han''s ability to fuse with monsters to gain new abilities and even evolve was no longer a well-kept secret.


    Since the Flesh Corpse Den had been fused, it would inevitably bring about new changes.


    "The Tree Womb, it can nurture contracted beasts by absorbing enough monster materials."


    "Only one?"


    Bai Qn''s implication was clear¡ªif there was only one, it might be better to let her contract the Tree-born Worm instead, so as not to weaken Su Han''sbat capabilities.


    Su Han shook his head: "Like the Tree-born Worm, it can give birth to contracted beasts again, but it requires time and resources."


    Each birthing process needed time, which meant there was currently only one spot for a contracted beast. If there were several positions like with the Tree-born Worm, losing one wouldn''t matter as much. There would be other recements avable during the excessive birthing period.


    Despite Su Han''s hundred Tree-born Worms hunting every day, there would be casualties. Losing one or two asionally would be gradually replenished over the course of two or three days.


    While they were talking, the Tree-born Worms suddenly reacted, quickly returning to the roots of the Ancient Worm Tree.


    Su Han immediately sensed it and looked towards the east: "Get in the cars, there''s activity on Wufu Road."


    Everyone immediately got into the vehicles, and the Ancient Worm Tree swiftly changed into an Anthropomorphic State, transforming into a three-meters-tall Treant Form and then striding quickly towards Wufu Road.


    Now that all the Tree-born Worms were outside, it was convenient to summon the Ancient Worm Tree directly. However, those Tree-born Worms wouldn''t return out of thin air; such a loss was not insignificant.


    In its Treant Form, the Ancient Worm Tree''s speed was no slower than a typical vehicle, and in this fog, it was extremely agile, like a lighthouse.


    The Tree-born Worms exploring in that direction were also swiftly following the Ancient Worm Tree, converging like an army.


    .....


    "Run, these monsters are tough!"


    On the street, a ck modified car was crashing through the fog at high speed. Around the vehicle, several dark figures were sprinting through the fog, with ck tendrils waving on either side.


    The four people in the car were bing more anxious and scared, with fear involuntarily covering their faces.


    Damn, they shouldn''t havee here to hunt those monsters, foolishly trying to devour the flesh and blood for evolution.


    "Swoosh"


    Suddenly, a dark figure kept pace with their car, and with a fierce motion, a tendril shot out, reaching into the car window.


    No, no!


    The face of the man driving changed drastically, but the tendril had already reached the side window.


    At the tip of the tendril, a red light shed, and the driver''s gaze turned dazed in an instant. Then, he forcefully twisted the steering wheel, and the vehicle rolled over on its side.


    "Boom"


    The sound of the vehicle was thunderous. Thankfully, all four inside were Contractors, who instantly kicked open the doors and burst out.


    The Book of Blood Spirit in their hands emitted a red light, and four Angel Envoys were summoned, all towering in stature¡ªthree resembling Flesh Corpses while one was in the form of a Giant Macrophage Dog.


    "Dammit, they''re swarming us. We should never have hunted this kind of monster."


    The short-haired man leading them had an ashen face. The Angel Envoy in front of him stood two meters tall, with one hand resembling a huge w and the other like the tentacles of an octopus. The creature was massive, and its strength was evidently First Order Upper Grade.


    The other three were slightly inferior, but still boasted the power of First-level Intermediate. The Angel Envoys showed clear signs of transformation.


    However, all three were wounded, especially the muscr man who had been driving, whose forehead was bleeding, his face darkening to an extreme.


    "Roar"


    The dark figures chasing them in the fog had now cornered them; these were canine creatures nearly two meters long, with a single eye and a red vertical slit below which their mouths split. On either side of their heads were tendrils, with red patterns resembling eyeballs at the tips.


    "Be careful of their tendrils, don''t look directly at those patterns."


    Guo Du''s face was steely as he watched the Eye Beasts, one of which had shoulders reaching one and a half meters high and a body that was three meters long, its strength clearly matching his own. But the tendrils were the most terrifying.


    "Charge!"


    Guo Du charged forward, his Angel Envoy keeping pace beside him as it attacked the leading Eye Beast with its tendrils.


    "Boom"


    The Eye Beast was incredibly agile, leaping away as the tendrils struck heavily on the ground with a thud.


    As it dodged, the leading Eye Beast''s tendrils struck towards Guo Du''s Angel Envoy, the tips glowing crimson, ready to use its Skills.


    Guo Du''s expression changed. He averted his gaze as the Angel Envoy stepped across and batted the tendril aside with its own.


    The red light dimmed, interrupting the skill.


    But the five remaining Eye Beasts had already surrounded them, entwining in the fray.


    The Eye Beast''s tentacles seemed to have a certain range of control, and they didn''t strike frequently. Guo Du and his three teammates worked together in battle, and the Contractors were also taking action, which barely kept them going.


    For a few minutes, Guo Du and the four fought back and forth against the Eye Beast, until the one whose forehead was injured, Zhao Qian, became momentarily distracted by the bleeding, causing his movements to falter.


    Seizing the opportunity, the Eye Beast''s tentacle struck, with a smack, flinging him away.


    "Zhao Qian!"


    Guo Du wanted toe to the rescue, but the leading Eye Beast had already swept its tentacles from side to side with the violence of a whip.


    His face changed color, and he could only use his weapon for defense, with the Angel Envoy assisting in protection.


    With no one to save him, the fifth Eye Beast took advantage of the moment and pounced, biting at Zhao Qian''s neck.


    In the face of life and death, Zhao Qian exerted all his strength to dodge and put out his hand to block, but the Eye Beast''s gaping maw bit off his entire left arm.


    "Ah!"


    His agonized howl echoed down the street. Just as the Eye Beast was about to continue its attack, suddenly, a whizzing sound of something piercing the air rang out. A Spider Thorn shot out from the mist and rapidly struck the Eye Beast, piercing through its body. The roar of engines sounded as three jeeps burst through the fog, arriving on Wufu Road.


    "Brothers, save me, watch out for their tentacles, they can control people."


    Guo Du instantly became excited, knowing that with people''s help, they could escape these monsters.


    However, his face changed dramatically the next moment as several huge monsters burst out of the fog, the foremost of which was six meters tall, with a body covered in ck Armor, half-human, half-spider, and towering like a demon.


    The remaining monsters were also of considerable size: a three-meter-tall Spider Woman, a massive pig monster bigger than an off-road vehicle, andstly, arge Treant Form with a fierce human face and terrifying vines.


    For a moment, he couldn''t tell if the neers were monsters or Angel Envoys.


    "Roar!"


    The Eye Beast sensing the crisis, roared angrily and turned to face the Scorpion Spider Demon and the others, its tentacles swinging and a red glow appearing.


    But the Demon Eye Spider Woman''s crimson Demon Eyes opened simultaneously, unleashing a Mental Shock. The glittering tentacles painfully twisted in response.


    The Eye Beast let out a mournful cry, its form arching in agony.


    At that moment, the Ancient Worm Tree''s hands shot out vines, instantly binding them, tentacles and body alike, tightly wrapped.


    The ferocity of the onught left Guo Du and his group stunned, standing frozen in ce. Fortunately, Guo Du came to his senses and immediately rushed to Zhao Qian''s side.


    "Hang in there, Zhao Qian!"


    Zhao Qian''s arm had been severed at the upper portion, with blood flowing nonstop. He pulled out his belt, wound it tightly around the wound, and secured it firmly to stop the bleeding.


    "Click"


    The car door opened, and Su Han and his team stepped out. Guo Du and his team showed astonished expressions, because the leader turned out to be a young man in his early twenties.


    "Hey, you guyse here."


    Zhu Xiong looked at Guo Du and the others, signaling them toe over.


    Guo Du was momentarily stunned, a flicker of wariness crossing his face, but he quickly became verypliant, supporting the pale-faced Zhao Qian as they approached.


    "Thank you," he expressed with a grateful look, knowing that saving a life was no small feat, "If it weren''t for you, we might have been captured by these monsters."


    "Captured?"


    Su Han''s face showed a hint of curiosity. Clearly, these guys knew something, so he said, "Tell me about these monsters, and about yourselves."


    "Yes"


    Su Han spoke calmly, making Guo Du''s heart tighten with nervousness. He assessed the Angel Envoys behind Su Han and the others getting out of the cars, equipped with standard crossbows, and felt even more anxious.


    These people were not just strong, they were part of a substantial force.


    "I was hunting monsters when I found these creatures, just one of them, about First-level Intermediate, preparing to feed it to an Angel Envoy. But unexpectedly, I was ambushed by them during the chase, and the people in the other vehicle all died."


    Guo Du''s eyes lowered slightly, clearly having suffered significant losses, and then said, "If it hadn''t been for your rescue, we might have..."


    Hunting monsters?


    This was the first time Su Han had seen survivors employing such tactics, and the purpose of hunting was obviously to induce Evolution through Devouring, to enhance their strength, much like Wan Yuzhou.


    They were not doing this for the first time, but an apocalypse had been going on for more than a month, nearly two, such actions were not unjustifiable.


    However, it was clear that Guo Du and his team had met with disaster.


    Zhu Xiong''s face turned cold, and he snorted, "Don''t beat around the bush. Which camp are you from, and where did you encounter the monsters? Speak clearly. If you''re honest, we won''t make things difficult for you, otherwise, we''ll be sorry."


    Guo Du''s face stiffened, knowing vagueness wouldn''t do, and hastily said, "I didn''t mean it like that. We are survivors from Changlin Street, and we encountered these monsters nearby. Seeing their ability to confuse and control survivors, that''s why we wanted to hunt them."


    "Hmm?" Su Han''s gaze intensified as he said, "How do they control? With that tentacle? Which direction did they go?"


    "Yes, with the tentacles," Guo Du quickly nodded and said, "The red light from the tentacles can make a person''s mind wander. Slightly stronger Contractors can resist a bit, but ordinary people get bewitched. We saw ordinary people being bewitched and then bound and kidnapped by the tentacles, which is why we had the idea to hunt them."


    A skill that could control, even if devouring it wouldn''t necessarily induce a mutation, was still worth a try.


    "We were originally sessful, wounding one of them, but when we chased them near South City No.2 Middle School, we were ambushed instead."

 Chapter 119: Chapter 113: Eye Beast

    South City No.2 Middle School?


    Su Han and Zhu Xiong exchanged nces. Wasn''t that the gathering point Zhu Xiong had initially suggested?


    Back then, due to theirck of strength and resources, they were worried that the surviving students would be a burden, which was why they hadn''t taken over. But now, there were actual Eye Beasts active in that area.


    "Are you saying that the Eye Beasts took captives in the direction of South City No.2 Middle School?"


    Guo Du immediately nodded. He said, "Yes, I should have thought of it earlier. Since it took people towards that direction, its den must be over there. We should not have pursued them."


    Regret shed across his face. If not for his greed, if he hadn''t rashly given chase, perhaps they wouldn''t have suffered the losses they did now.


    "Guo Gang, get the first aid kit and treat his wounds."


    Suddenly, Su Han gave the order. Guo Du looked at him in surprise and quickly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, thank you so much."


    "Get in the car," Su Han was not rescuing them for nothing. He calmly stated, "Then guide us there."


    Guo Du''s expression changed, "Wait, wait a moment, that ce¡­ there are more than just those monsters there. I heard many more sounds¡­"


    "I said guide us, understand?"


    Su Han spoke every word clearly, causing Guo Du to shudder and dare not say another word: "...I¡­ I understand."


    Su Han wasn''t asking butmanding¡ªamand beyond question.


    Even if Su Han and the others might know the way, they had to follow him.


    After quickly treating the wounds, everyone got into the vehicles. Four people spread across three cars, with Zhao Qian and another squad member in thest car.


    Su Han''s face revealed contemtion while Zhu Xiong drove beside him. He said, "Be cautiouster on; we might be dealing with Second Order monsters."


    Zhu Xiong nodded heavily, responding, "I know."


    The Eye Beast that took away so many survivors from Nanshan Residential District certainly captured more than just these few.


    The current Eye Beast had already a First Order Upper Grade and a First-level Intermediate strength. Even if there were weaker Eye Beasts, their numbers were likely not few.


    The one capable of ordering these monsters around had to be a more powerful being, namely the Second Order.


    If we are talking about distance alone, South City No.2 Middle School was some distance away from Shanhu Vi, and they didn''t have to consider it for the time being.


    However, since the Eye Beasts'' range of activity had reached this area, rather than letting them slowly discover Shanhu Vi District, it was better to strike first and see what the situation was like.


    On their side, Su Han had two Second-order Superior Angel Envoys, Zhu Xiong had a Second Order Low Grade Glutton, Bai Qn had a Second Order Low Grade Demon Eye Spider Woman. At the very least, even escaping wouldn''t be a problem for them.


    So, they could take a chance to probe the situation.


    The vehicles approached the direction of South City No.2 Middle School. The fog still shrouded the surroundings, but this time, the Ancient Worm Tree did not withdraw; it remained in its Anthropomorphic State. Tree-born Worms followed underground.


    Its Radiance of the Lamp Tree illuminated the surroundings, guarding the convoy like a lighthouse.


    Scorpion Spider Demon, Demon Eye Spider Woman, Glutton, and Bone Armor Giant Pig did not withdraw, maintaining a steady speed to escort the vehicles on both sides.


    About half an hourter, a burning wrecked car suddenly appeared on the mist-covered road, its frame almost burned ck.


    "This, this is our car."


    Guo Du''s low voice came through, tinged with sorrow: "It was here that we were suddenly attacked by a stronger Eye Beast."


    This ce was within the range of Eye Beast activity, just over a thousand meters from South City No.2 Middle School.


    Su Han and the others did not respond; they simply became more alert. The Tree-born Worms had spread out like feelers, encroaching towards the surroundings and gradually converging towards South City No.2 Middle School.


    "Keep driving."


    The vehicles continued forward, but oddly enough, not a single Eye Beast that they had anticipated appeared. The entire street, the entire fog-covered surrounding, was eerily quiet.


    An uncanny feeling enveloped everyone, especially Guo Du, who was already sweating from anxiety on his forehead.


    "Bang bang bang"


    A series of gunshots suddenly came from within the fog. Everyone''s expression changed, and Su Han''s eyes sharpened.


    Gunshots.


    And so dense. He couldn''t help but think, could it be the people from South City camp?


    "Drive faster, it might be the people from the South City camp."


    Zhu Xiong nodded and immediately sped up. Soon, they neared South City No.2 Middle School. The gunshots became more intense, and so did the sounds of battle and the roars of giant beasts.


    The vehicles quickly arrived at the street before the school''s main gate. The fog dissipated under the light of the Radiance of the Lamp Tree, merging with the glow of the crystals of several other Lamp Trees by the main entrance.


    "A fight at the gate?"


    Zhu Xiongmented as he saw the scene unfold before him.


    The street outside the school was brightly illuminated, relying on the school walls. A clear fight erupted at the entrance.


    On the outside were about 20 police officers, armed with rifles, and numerous opaque bottles at their waists, about the size of a fist with a strange structure. They were being thrown over the wall by the fighting squad members into the fray, instantly exploding.


    On the other side were those Eye Beast monsters. asionally, Eye Beasts would leap over the wall, attempting a nking attack, but they were quickly beaten back by the fast-arriving Angel Envoys.


    The battle at the main gate was the most intense, with two monsters, about six meters tall, locked in terrifying hand-to-handbat, roaring as they shed.


    The monster on the police side was pitch-ck, with a thick carapace shaped like an armor, covering its humanoid body from head to toe.


    It had a fierce horned head and three gruesome arms, two of which were wed with talons like curved sabers, and one burly arm protruded from under its left rib, enveloped in ayer of ck.


    Its body was robust, yet not bulky; on the contrary, it was incredibly agile with swift movements, and from behind trailed a barbed tail,shing out like a whip.


    The opposing monster was even more terrifying, standing over six meters tall, close to seven meters, with a head fully fused to its body, and nearly a hundred eyes on its gray-white skin, eerily simr to human eyes. The eyelids were not fringed withshes, but lined with sharp teeth, which made for a horrifying sight as dozens of eyes blinked in unison.


    Its shape resembled a toad, with four legs bracing against the ground. Among those hundred eyes, it grew numerous tentacle-like appendages of varying lengths, and particrly two thick tentacles sprouting from its sides, which served as its mainbat limbs.


    "Director Guo, there are too many monsters, we can''t hold them back for much longer."


    Zhao Yaqianmanded the battle, her sniper rifle aimed at those hundred-eyed monsters, every open eye a target for her.


    Chapter Stay:


    With a bang, another eye was shattered.


    But this was only temporary, for as soon as an eye was damaged, it would quickly close up. Before long, the bullet would be ejected, and the eye would heal as if nothing had happened.


    The regenerative power of the monster''s eyes was far stronger than that of its body.


    Guo Wutao''s expression turned solemn as he said in a deep voice, "Prepare to retreat, get the sh grenades ready, throw them when the monster uses its skills."


    With a rifle in hand, he shot urately at the Eye Beasts trying to break out, while not far ahead, a giant canine with bony spikes was tearing at creatures attempting to get over the fence.


    They had not expected such terrifying monsters in South City No.2 Middle School. If Zhao Yaqian hadn''t reached Second Order Low Grade, they might have all been annihted.


    During the fight, several team members quietly took the remaining sh grenades into their hands.


    As soon as the sh grenades were utilized, and the monsters'' engagement briefly eased, they would immediately retreat.


    "No need to retreat!"


    Suddenly a loud voice came from the end of the street. Guo Wutao looked in astonishment towards the sound to see three off-road vehicles charging their way quickly.


    Apanying the vehicles were several terrifying monsters from the side.


    He instinctively tightened his grip on his weapon, but in the next moment, the tallest monster had already charged in front of them, d in ck Armor, half-spider, half-human, resembling a Demon God.


    Wait, are they Su Han?!


    Guo Wutao identified the monster, and just then, the Scorpion Spider Demon bent its spider legs and leaped powerfully from the ground, jumping over ten meters, and swept seven or eight Eye Beastsing from inside the gate with a sh.


    The other Angel Envoys moved simultaneously, all charging towards areas swarming with Eye Beasts, be it the main gate or the walls at the verge of being scaled.


    Su Han and his group emerged from their cars, and with a sweep of his eyes, he spotted Cheng Zhenyong and smiled.


    "Su Han!"


    Cheng Zhenyong, of course, noticed themotion and showed a look of joy on his face.


    He shouted out, and Su Han replied, "We''ll talk after we catch the monsters."


    Seeing the Scorpion Spider Demon enter the battlefield, the monsters grew desperate. A hundred eyes flew open as a surge of scarlet light instantly red up.


    Guo Wutao and Zhao Yaqian saw this and their faces changed instantly. They shouted to Su Han, "Don''t look directly at it, the Hundred-Eyed can assault your mind."


    "sh grenades!"


    Guo Wutao shouted for the sh grenades, but as they were deploying them, the Demon Eye Spider Woman had already rushed forward before them.


    The Demon Eye burst open with a ze of crimson light.


    The Hundred-Eyed Monster stiffened in its motion, losing its edge. The Scorpion Spider Demon stepped forward, grabbing its body with four arms and body mming it heavily to the ground.


    Two scorpion tails, like spears, shot forth, piercing the creature''s body and prating two of the eyes, blood spurting out.


    The monster, enraged, exploded with bted crimson light.


    Most of it focused on attacking the Scorpion Spider Demon, but after a brief pause in motion, the Scorpion Spider Demon seemed utterly unharmed.


    "Pfft."


    The Scorpion Spider Demon''s wed arms extended, stabbing directly into the body of the Hundred-Eyed Monster, and in a moment, the Coagtion Cannon at its mouth gathered.


    The massive Coagtion Cannon sted onto the body of the monster with a deafening boom, injuring half its body and damaging twenty to thirty eyes, which couldn''t be repaired in a short time.


    Zhao Yaqian was stunned by this sight, not expecting that the mental-shaking scarlet light would have no effect on the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    After all, even those not hit directly by it, those who caught a glimpse with their eyes, would feel a sense of dizziness, if only for a fleeting moment.


    However, she quickly realized that Su Han''s Angel Envoys were far more powerful than the monster.


    "Roar!"


    Just as the Scorpion Spider Demon was about to fire another Coagtion Cannon, suddenly from inside the school, the uniform roar of Eye Beasts echoed, easily a hundred in number.


    Everyone''s expression turned to shock, but in the next moment, the snipers assigned to high vantage points at the gate changed color dramatically.


    "The Eye Beasts are bringing out the survivors they''re controlling."


    As the voice fell, the Eye Beasts attacking the gate withdrew, revealing the sight inside: hundreds of Eye Beasts were binding the survivors, threatening them.

 Chapter 120: Chapter 114: Russian Style Threat Neutralization

    Zhao Yaqian and the others were stunned. They all knew there were living people here, but for the monster to use threats to rescue its leader was truly inconceivable.


    However, Su Han sneered.


    Hostages, you say, threats, you say?


    The Scorpion Spider Demon moved abruptly, and the Floating Pagoda ck Armor converted into chains, capturing the Hundred-Eyed Monster right in front of it, the scorpion tail piercing through, and four arms gripping its massive tentacles.


    The Coagtion Cannon became even more gigantic, almost pressing against the body of the Hundred-Eyed Monster.


    Despite the body of the Hundred-Eyed Monster almost merging with its head, it still possessed a core brain, located at the front where the eyes were most densely packed.


    This, instead, panicked the Eye Beast. Low growls resonated, but it dared not to immediately kill the hostages.


    Just then, the Ancient Worm Tree in its Anthropomorphic State released its form, swelling into a towering ancient tree. Vines surged like a tsunami towards the Eye Beast.


    Buried beneath the ground, the Tree-born Wormsunched a violent assault. In a blink, the tide of attack and defense switched, and the threatening Eye Beasts were directly in, while the rest prepared to attack.


    But in the next moment, the Scorpion Spider Demon sted off one of the Hundred-Eyed Monster''s arms with a Coagtion Cannon, and its cries of pain were piercingly harsh.


    The Eye Beasts that were ready to strike hesitated, as the Demon Eye Spider Woman and Zhu Xiong''s Devourers broke in immediately, deploying the Demon Eye Skill again, and a Mental Shock stunned them.


    Then the Spider Thorns shot precisely through the eyes of these Eye Beasts, bursting out the back of their skulls, while the Devourers'' right arm swept like a whip, and its massive jaw mped down, biting off the headspletely.


    Upon seeing Su Han and their Angel Envoys springing into action, Guo Wutao''s side hesitated no longer. Those upying elevated positions like car roofs immediately opened fire.


    Bullets weren''t effective against the Hundred-Eyed Monster, but they were still a significant threat to the Eye Beasts.


    Chapter Read:


    Ten minutester, when the rescue of the Hundred-Eyed Monster proved hopeless, and the dominating presence of the Second-Rank Apostlespletely suppressed the battlefield, the remaining dozens of Eye Beasts were utterly overwhelmed by fear and scattered like birds and beasts.


    The battle had ended, but escape was but a vain hope, because the Ancient Worm Tree, now in its true form as a terrifying giant tree, had spread its vines across most of the battlefield.


    The vines formed a cage, instantly making escape impossible. All were bound on the spot, and then the Man-eating Vines attacked one by one, quickly rendering them all paralyzed.


    Although the Hundred-Eyed Monster had stronger resistance, its severely injured body couldn''t fend off the paralytic toxin, and it tumbled to the ground.


    "Old Zhu, check if there are any survivors; tend to the injured, bury the dead," said Su Han.


    Such a sudden rescue operation would incur some casualties, but overall, not more than ten.


    "Wang Hu, take some people and help out," Su Han continued.


    Guo Wutao holstered his weapon, then immediately instructed his subordinates to help out.


    "Yes, Director Guo," Wang Hu responded.


    Wang Hu, along with Zhu Xiong, quickly entered the school to search for and rescue survivors.


    Guo Wutao, Zhao Yaqian, and Cheng Zhenyong approached Su Han.


    "Hello Su Han, I am Guo Wutao, the chief of the city police. Fame is one thing, seeing is believing; your strength indeed leads us all. If not for you all this time, the losses would have been severe," Guo Wutao greeted him with a cheerful voice, his eyes bright as he examined Su Han.


    Cheng Zhenyong grinned, "Su Han, long time no see. I didn''t expect such a transformation."


    Cheng Zhenyong had changed his outfit to a policebat dress, which he only wore during missions, but it made him appear even more robust.


    "Long time no see, you seem to be doing well," Su Han responded with a smile. Cheng Zhenyong, standing beside his own flesh corpse, which now appeared bigger and more formidable than during their time in Happiness Community. Its spine was rugged, one arm a w and the other fleshy tendrils, its presence fiercely domineering, evidently a High Grade First Rank monster.


    Cheng Zhenyong simply smiled awkwardly and said, "Can''tpare to you."


    He was never one to lie; Su Han''s progress surpassed his imagination.


    "Director Guo is too kind,"


    Su Han looked at Guo Wutao and smiled politely. The tough stance Guo Wutao took in the fight, standing beside his Bone Spur Giant Dog who was still bloodstained, undoubtedly earned Su Han''s favorable impression.


    This was a man of action.


    "Have you guys already searched for supplies over here?"


    Su Han was curious, his gaze mostly on Zhao Yaqian, who was followed by two towering Apostles, one of which was the Shadow Armor Monster that had dealt with the Hundred-Eyed Monster. Now one of its arms hadpletely transformed into a normal human arm, the dark energy gone, indicating that it had used a skill previously.


    The other Apostle, resembling a tyrant, though not as powerful as the Shadow Armor Monster, clearly possessed the strength of a High Grade First Rank.


    ''So quickly reached Second Order Low Grade, impressive talent, it seems the authorities have experts; they must have developed the injection too.'' Su Han thought to himself, but then Guo Wutao''s response took him by surprise.


    "We came looking for you, just took a wrong turn on the way," Guo Wutao replied.


    "Came for us?"


    Su Han''s gaze sharpened, an unexpected development, but government officials looking for him was indeed intriguing.


    "Su Han,"


    Before they could ask, noises suddenly erupted from inside the school. Zhu Xiong hurried over with a serious expression and said, "We found many¡­ mummified corpses."


    Su Han frowned, then turned to Guo Wutao and said, "Director Guo, shall we go take a look first?"


    "Right, let''s go together."


    Guo Wutao had also received the report from Wang Hu and his face was even more serious than Su Han''s because many people had died.


    The group quickly entered the school, the vines of the Ancient Worm Tree had dragged the captured Eye Beasts and their corpses to a spot by the tree roots.


    The ground was stained with blood, and the stench mixed with the smell of gunpowder lingered in the air.


    When the group reached the deepest part of the school, the teaching building had a huge crater in it. The first floor''s walls and ceilings were prated, and the ground was also dug into.


    Inside this crater and the empty ssroomsy stacks of hundreds of bodies, their skin deathly pale, their faces frozen in terror, varying in size but mostly students.


    Their muscles seemed to be drained, creating a terrifying appearance. Beyond them, even more scattered bonesy around, with not even thestyer of flesh remaining.


    What should have been a ce of enlightenment and nurturing had morbidly turned into this pile of dead bodies.


    "Damn those creatures!"


    Guo Wutao''s face turned livid¡ªhow could he not realize that this horror was the monsters'' doing.


    "More than ten people were rescued alive, but... there are no students, and half of them have gone mad."


    Zhu Xiong''s voice lowered: "The survivors said that the monsters devour not just flesh and blood¡ªthe Hundred-Eyed Monster uses its tentacles to devour the fear of living creatures as energy for its evolution."


    Zhu Xiong recounted what the survivors had told him: The Hundred-Eyed Monster''s tentacles and every eye plunged people into boundless fear. Then, the emotion of this fear was devoured, transforming into the power of the Hundred-Eyed Monster.


    This process was relentless until they were scared to death, and then their flesh was consumed by the tentacles, leaving behind corpses that were nothing but skin and bones.


    Even the remaining flesh and bones were consumed by the Eye Beasts outside, leaving only these bits of bone.


    Students, being physically weakest and without food, sumbed to endless fear and died first.


    The survivors now alive were all captured by the Eye Beasts.


    No one knows when the Eye Beasts and the Hundred-Eyed Monster appeared, or how much suffering the people here endured.


    "The powers of emotions and mind..."


    Guo Wutao intoned those words solemnly, Su Han''s eyes flickered slightly, and Guo Wutao, sensing his reaction, said, "Professor Bai Qiuwen and Professor Tian Jiaxuan theorized that the new kind of energy found in the Lamp Tree, the environment, and the monsters'' bodies, which is called Spiritual Energy, is rted to the minds and emotions of creatures."


    Guo Wutao did not shy away from discussing thesetest findings, as his original intent in seeking out Su Han was benevolent.


    Su Han took note, ncing at Bai Qn standing beside him; Bai Qn had mentioned the name Bai Qiuwen before.


    A leading authority in the field of biology within the country, as for Tian Jiaxuan, he was not aware, but given the context, he must not be a mere academic.


    "Let''s deal with things here first."


    Su Han said to Zhu Xiong nearby: "See if anyone can be saved, if there''s no hope of recovery, then give them a quick end."


    Guo Wutao''s expression shifted slightly but he merely sighed.


    Like wounded soldiers on a battlefield who couldn''t be saved; to aplish a mission, sometimes one had to make the painful decision to leave behindrades.


    In front of them was not a mission, but the survival of humanity; any resource might give others a chance to live.


    As difficult as it was, Zhu Xiong nodded in understanding and replied, "Understood."


    The human corpses needed to be handled; the school actually didn''t have many resources. Su Han''s visit had fulfilled its intent, which was to eliminate the potential threats to Shanhu Vi District.


    He left the school''s subsequent matters to his subordinates, growing more curious about his earlier conversation with Guo Wutao.


    "Director Guo traveled across half the city to find me, may I know the reason?"


    Su Han initiated the query, to which Guo Wutao replied straightforwardly: "We came to seek coboration."


    "Seeking to coborate with us," Su Han chuckled, "Director, you are officially the authorities, while we... may well be considered an illegal assembly, right?"


    "Just kidding," Guo Wutao shook his head. "In the current situation, what illegal or not? With your ability, setting up a survivors'' camp, killing so many monsters, saving so many people, you''ve taken on the responsibility we should have borne, we ought to thank you. If anyone tries to pressure you with this, just deal with them, they count for nothing."


    His words were resounding, yet being an old hand at this, there wereyers to what he said, rifying Su Han''s facetiousment.


    Would Su Han actually care about official or non-official matters?


    Su Han smiled, as Guo Wutao continued, "We are here to request coboration, your strength is the strongest and your talent is the best, pushing you ahead of everyone else, even better than our South City camp. The rate of the monsters'' evolution is unimaginably fast.


    Moreover, professors Bai Qiuwen and Tian Jiaxuan have predicted that the fog might not recede and could potentially attack like tides. The Spiritual Energy in the environment is still increasing, no one knows what will happen next. So, only by coborating... no, more precisely, it will allow more human beings in South City to survive."


    Guo Wutao brought the topic to the forefront, and Su Han nodded, impressed by his guts, yet how to coborate remained a question.


    "Let''s discuss in detail back at my camp, this isn''t the ce to talk, how about that?"


    There were capable people in his team, he hadn''t revealed much information, yet they found him here, so there was no need to hide the location of Shanhu Vi anymore.


    Moreover, his strength had grown, ordinary firearms were much less restrictive for a Second-order Superior, and he now had more weight in discussions.


    Thus, talking it over was indeed a good idea.

 Chapter 121: Chapter 115: What You Have, We Have Too

    Su Han and Bai Qn drove back, while Zhu Xiong and his team stayed at South City No.2 Middle School to clean up the ce.


    Although there weren''t many supplies, the hundreds of monster corpses, dozens of live Eye Beasts, and the Hundred-Eyed Monster all needed to be transported back.


    All the way back to the Shanhu Vi District, Guo Wutao and Zhao Yaqian had been sizing up the entire camp.


    Large swathes of wastnd had been reimed, and crops were now nted on them, mostly staple foods like corn, potatoes, and wheat, with the remaining portion being vegetables and fruits.


    Counting the previous umtion from the Lamp Trees and after integrating Wanzhou Manor from Wan Yuzhou, the camp now had a total of 23 Lamp Trees.


    Lamp Trees were nted one per inhabited vi, while the rest were distributed near the cultivated fields, illuminating the fields and supplying the nts with the light and energy needed for growth.


    Thanks to the continual nurturing of the Lamp Trees in Shanhu Vi District, each tree bore Lamp Tree Crystals, and together with the crystals seized from Wan Yuzhou''s camp, the camp now had about 40 crystals or so.


    Twenty of those Lamp Tree Crystals were in use, with eight in constant use for patrolling and searching for supplies, while the remaining twenty-plus were stored in the warehouse, or more urately, as Su Han''s fusion materials.


    However, he hadn''t had the chance to continue with the fusion yet.


    It was precisely because of the existence of the Lamp Trees and their crystals that even without the Ancient Worm Tree, the whole of the Shanhu Vi District wouldn''t bepletely engulfed by the mist.


    Guo Wutao looked at the scenery before him in surprise because the development of the entire camp was not much worse than their own at Southern Prosperous Chemical nt.


    ''Basic agricultural production has been established, and if the fields are sessful, they can fully support a thousand or two thousand people, and based on the size of the Shanhu Vi District, many more fields could be expanded.''


    In his heart, he calcted the situation of the Shanhu Vi District; even though the post-apocalyptic fieldscked fertilizer and selective breeding, the environmental Spiritual Energypensated for these deficits.


    Even the estimates of Tian Jiaxuan and Bai Qiuwen suggested that, under the intergenerational Evolution of the nts, the yields could be even higher.


    Thus, one acre ofnd could support more people.


    But the prerequisite was being able to fend off monsters'' invasions and those raiders.


    However, Guo Wutao clearly wasn''t worried about this, as Su Han alone was more than capable of repelling most crises.


    ''However, this is a good thing.''


    The stronger the Shanhu Vi District became, the better the effects of cooperation and mutual benefit.


    At present, they still held an advantage. Apart from not being able to catch up with Su Han in terms of individual strength, they should be superior to the Shanhu Vi District in areas like research and Industrial Recovery, such as injectors, Evolved Kind research, and so on.


    The group arrived at Vi No. 9, where Wang Hu and others did not follow, but were arranged by Yan Meiyu to rest in another vi temporarily.


    Some of thebat team members had sustained minor injuries on the way and it was a good opportunity for Cao Yubao''s medical team to take care of them.


    Once everyone had settled down, Yan Meiyu had tea brought in, and for a moment, the living room of Vi No. 9 bore a striking resemnce to the pre-apocalypse days.


    Only three people were on Su Han''s side: himself, Bai Qn, and the chief steward, Yan Meiyu.


    Guo Wutao''s side also had three people: himself, Zhao Yaqian, and Cheng Zhenyong.


    Of course, Cheng Zhenyong was just a mediator, mostly there to ease the atmosphere, with Guo Wutao making the decisions.


    "You mentioned wanting cooperation, which is a good thing. Under such circumstances, lending a hand to each other is beneficial for both sides,"


    Su Han was not against cooperation, he took a sip of his tea and then spoke slowly, "However, there must be a protocol. We need to rify in what aspects and how we''ll cooperate."


    With the conversation being on the table, Su Han dropped much of the unnecessary courtesies, appearing somewhat less polite.


    But Guo Wutao smiled, undisturbed by the formality, "Information exchange, trade of supplies, mutual support."


    "In the post-apocalypse, for any one of us, much remains unknown. In exploring this post-apocalyptic world, we are willing to share information as much as possible, including dangerous areas, monster information, monsters'' active regions, etc. Of course, this does not include new technologies, Evolution insights, cultivation knowledge, and such; those would be part of the trade of supplies."


    He looked at Su Han, who nodded and said, "Fair, secrets should indeed hold some value."


    "Let''s talk about the second point," Su Han said calmly, "In terms of supplies, you guys should be more in need of supplies than us, so there shouldn''t be much that we can trade."


    When supplies were scarce, even self-sufficiency was a struggle, making the feasibility of trade uncertain.


    "Ordinary biological supplies are indeed difficult to trade at the moment, as everything is self-sustained. For you, these are probably not necessary,"


    Guo Wutao affirmed Su Han''s suspicion: "However, cooperation in Evolution resources, weapons, and equipment is still necessary, and we are also working hard to rebuild the industry. Yaqian, take out the stuff."


    "Yes, Director Guo,"


    Zhao Yaqian took out three items from her backpack.


    A vial of injector, a design blueprint, and a stack of documents.


    "This is the Tyrant Injector, a strength-enhancing drug made from the purified tissue taken from live Tyrant-type monsters, which can induce changes and enhance the strength of Angel Envoys. Old Cheng''s flesh corpse has used this, and he''ll soon reach the limit of First Order Upper Grade."


    Guo Wutao said with a smile, "This is a gift for our initial meeting and also one of the items we''ll trade with each other in the future. What do you think?"


    Initially startled, Su Han chuckled and said, "What a coincidence, we have serums too."


    Bai Qn got up with a smile and then turned around to fetch the still-unused fish monster leader''s serum from theboratory, cing it in front of everyone.


    "Fish monster leader, First Order Upper Grade creature."


    Guo Wutao couldn''t hold back. What the hell, they had only brought it back to theboratory not long ago, and they didn''t have Bai Qiuwen, so how did they manage to produce it so quickly?


    Fortunately, Guo Wutao''s ability to control his emotions was decent. He sighed and said, "Miss Qn''s talent is truly extraordinary. I didn''t expect you to achieve results so quickly."


    Since both parties had serums, the value in trading them naturally diminished.


    However, Bai Qn just smiled lightly and said, "Having them doesn''t mean we can''t trade. Sharing resources is helpful for research. I believe Professor Bai Qiuwen holds the same view. Nevertheless, not only enhancers are to be traded, but also special monster trades and material exchanges should be considered. Director Guo, what do you think?"


    Guo Wutao''s eyes flickered slightly, not expecting things to take such a turn. He looked at Su Han, who nodded and said, "Let''s do it her way. Director Guo, what do you think?"


    "Of course, that''s fine. However, as for the specifics of trading serums, how about we designate someone to take care of itter? Unless it''s something especially rare, we exchange same rank for same rank; no one suffers a loss, and it''s all for the sake of our subordinates'' evolution."


    Guo Wutao was an outspoken warrior, and this regtion was fair, unless a monster had specific skills like the Eye Beast. Otherwise, they would trade based on rank.


    However, what he didn''t know was that there was a calction behind Bai Qn''s proposal. If some of the serums traded included Angel Envoy''s serums, it meant setting a contingency in ce.


    If both sides cooperated well, there would be no issue, and they would promote mutual progress. But if they turned against each other, then apologies would be in order.


    As for whether South City''s camp would do such a thing?


    Setting aside the fact that their strongest were currently Zhao Yaqian and Duan Jie, and their Angel Envoys were stillcking in strength, Su Han naturally wouldn''t use them. On the side of Shanhu Vi, Bai Qn, Zhu Xiong, and Yan Meiyu exceeded them in strength, so the likelihood of needing the serums was small.


    Moreover, mass production was an issue.


    The existence of the Ancient Worm Tree, as well as the Eye Beasts and Tree-born Worms, gave Bai Qn a glimpse of the possibility for mass production, which the other side didn''t possess.


    Once the topic of serums was settled, Guo Wutao handed over a blueprint to Su Han, saying, "This is designed by a student of Professor Tian Jiaxuan, a new model of crossbow arrow blueprint, entirely made of metal, with a strength twice that of regr crossbow arrows.


    If we can produce it, the range should be between 300-400 meters, its powerparable to a rifle, and the firing speed also improved over regr crossbows."


    He revealed a subtle smile and said, "The blueprint can be updated. If the metal properties can meet the standards, they can design even stronger items. What do you think?"


    He''s seen my metal control.


    Su Han realized inwardly. He had used metal control in front of Zhao Yaqian and others before, along with those all-metal standard crossbows. Clearly, this piece of intelligence had been deciphered by their people into useful information.


    It meant that the metal controlled by Su Han couldn''t be ordinary metal. Its ductility and strength must have changed to create such crossbows.


    Guo Wutao and his colleagues were certainly tempted. Right now, with great difficulties in manufacturing firearms, they must still maintain some control over weapons as a transition before a strong survivor force is fully cultivated.


    Without a doubt, metal crossbows were transitional weapons, pioneers for new territories.


    "I can make it. How many do you want?"


    Su Han smiled slightly, looking at Guo Wutao. With full understanding between them, Guo Wutao tentatively said, "A thousand crossbows, thirty thousand arrows?"


    "You''re asking for a lot, Director Guo. Just for a blueprint, you want all this?"


    Seeing that Su Han didn''t agree, Guo Wutao was not embarrassed but simply said, "If we''re talking about that quantity of crossbows and arrows, what else would you like in exchange? We can trade serums for them, and what about chemical bombs, equivalent in power to hand grenades."


    "A thousand bombs, plus an additional blueprint, arge city-defense crossbow arrow blueprint, which can also be mounted on vehicles."


    "I''ll ask Professor Tian and his students. If possible, we want to add ten city-defense crossbows."


    "Deal."


    Su Han didn''t make any further conditions. Metal maniption was a matter of moving his hands, as simple as it could get.


    Pushing for advantages was to secure benefits, but not going overboard solidified the foundation of cooperation. At least from the current perspective, Guo Wutao was sincere.


    "The third aspect of our cooperation," Guo Wutao took the lead in the conversation before Su Han, "as the name implies, is mutual support within our means, preserving the seeds of survival. Actually, we have another purpose foring here, which is to ask for your assistance in attacking a ce."

 Chapter 122: Chapter 116 Bei Qing Grain Warehouse

    The most important matter was left forst, and it was evident that Guo Wutao''s final point was the most critical.


    Without a certain basis for cooperation, he might not have mentioned this matter.


    Su Han became interested and said, "Which ce? If I remember correctly, you have several thousand people, at least a few hundredbat personnel, and plenty of firearms. Is there still a ce you can''t take down?"


    Even if there were quite a few Second Order monsters, with sufficient numbers and at any cost, usingrger explosives, they should be able to conquer it.


    Even for the Ancient Worm Tree and Scorpion Spider Demon, though they are among the strongest of the Second-order Superior, if one fights to the death, with enough attackers and a barrage of bomb-based attacks, even they will run out of steam eventually.


    Therefore, there couldn''t be many hard nuts to crack that the Southern City Encampment couldn''t chew through.


    Of course, it''s also possible that taking down a tough target alone would result in too heavy a loss, making the effort not worth the rewards.


    "Bei Qing Grain Warehouse"


    Guo Wutao uttered four words, and Su Han''s gaze shifted slightly.


    A grain warehouse, every city would have official emergency grain reserves, enough to satisfy the food needs of the city''s residents for three months.


    This amount wasn''t fixed and was estimated based on the local poption, varying from tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand tons.


    However, these grain warehouses were ssified facilities, generally not marked on maps, and even if marked, they would be only a portion of the total.


    And this Bei Qing Grain Warehouse was clearly one of those not widely known to the public.


    "What''s the situation with Bei Qing Grain Warehouse that even you can''t take it down?"


    Su Han was also curious as to how a grain warehouse had stymied Guo Wutao and his group.


    "Bei Qing Grain Warehouse has a reserve of fifty thousand tons of grain, one of the few grain reserves of South City,"


    Guo Wutao took a sip of tea and then slowly said, "Our intention was to seize the grain warehouse, then shelter more survivors, and rebuild South City as quickly as possible. But there is arge number of rodent monsters entrenched there, at least a few thousand. After Yaqian and Duan Jie advanced, we organized an attack, but we still failed."


    "Are there monsters inside stronger than Second Order Low Grade?"


    Zhao Yaqian and Duan Jie both have Second Order strength, and even if their second Apostle might not be Second Order Low Grade, it would definitely not be easy to deal with.


    "We''ve discovered there are likely two Second Order Low Grade rat monsters, but that''s not the biggest problem. We found underground tunnels; they are burrowing, and we can''t be certain how many rodents are down there, nor is it possible to fight them underground."


    Even if they had weapons of mass destruction, they wouldn''t use them considering the food inside the granary, much less now when theycked weapons capable of destroying the underground.


    Undergroundbat, especially on the monsters'' home turf, would be incredibly challenging.


    "You want my Ancient Worm Tree to take action?"


    Su Han immediately understood Guo Wutao''s intention, wanting to minimize losses, the only method was to ask for Su Han''s assistance.


    The tendrils of the Ancient Worm Tree could certainly drive out the pack of rodent monsters underground.


    Guo Wutao nodded, "Right, with the help of your Ancient Worm Tree in driving out the rodents and joining forces in the attack, we canpletely take down Bei Qing Grain Warehouse. We''ll split the grain inside, half and half."


    "The value of asymmetrical information, huh?"


    Su Han chuckled, Guo Wutao seemed to be trying to get something for nothing, but sometimes information was the most valuable asset. If they didn''t mention Bei Qing Grain Warehouse, almost no one on Su Han''s side would know about it.


    Unless one day he happened to rescue someone from the storage unit, or someone who had transported grain there before.


    But betting on such odds, it was likely that the grain would have been ruined by monsters, or already spoiled due to improper storage.


    He shook his head slightly and said, "Add two more conditions. The vast majority of the monster corpses should be my spoils of war, and I also want the location of an oil depot ¨C that information should be in your possession too, right?"


    Oil depots were not all ssified facilities, but they were mostly unsearchable on the map. Given the current situation, the number of people who knew the location of an oil depot was very few.


    None at Su Han''s encampment knew this; the gasoline they were using was all collected from gas stations.


    But the quantities were notrge, and other potential survivors in the cities were also scavenging the gas stations.


    Guo Wutao showed a contemtive expression and after a long silence said in a deep voice, "Okay, the majority of the monster corpses can be taken away by you, but we need to retain a portion for research. As for the oil depot, let''s continue to cooperate, attack together, develop together. Even a minor oil depot has more gasoline than one encampment can use up.


    Moreover, the ce is at the outskirts, unsafe."


    "Deal."


    Su Han smiled and agreed, too much of a good thing could be harmful, and pressing too hard wasn''t good for either camp or the survivors.


    "Let''s prepare for battle. Meet at South City No.2 Middle School in 10 days, then head out to Bei Qing Grain Warehouse."


    Guo Wutao nodded, "Okay, we will bring over chemical bombs and such supplies to trade for crossbow arrows and get ready before we set off. Those rat monsters, even the lowliest, are not worse than the flesh corpses."


    Coboration achieved, Su Han had Guo Wutao and his people stay for a meal at the vi, treating them with a dish of Green-Scaled Carp, which left Guo Wutao and his group baffled.


    They had thought that nting crops was already a fast-paced way to resume production, but they didn''t expect Su Han to have started fish farming.


    And they only found out after asking that this wasn''t just an idental catch but a nned cultivation.


    Somehow, Guo Wutao felt aplex emotion for the first time, realizing that besides the number of people, South City camp seemed to only have a slight edge in schrly research.


    And it wasn''t a lead in research but a lead in research fields.


    In terms of monster research, Bai Qn''s demonstrated abilities might not be inferior to Professor Bai Qiuwen''s, except there was also Tian Jiaxuan, who paid more attention to the study of changes in Spiritual Energy, which provided even more data.


    "After returning, we need to intensify the search for Evolved Kinds. Canned meat will run out."


    After eating, Guo Wutao immediately left Shanhu Vi District with his people. Although the next attack on Bei Qing Grain Warehouse was scheduled for ten dayster, there was just too much to prepare.


    The trade of weapons, the production of injections, the transportation of food, and storage¡ªall needed to be ready. Ten days weren''t that ample, not to mention that they had to be responsible for further reconnaissance of Bei Qing Grain Warehouse during these ten days.


    Although he didn''t mention it to Su Han, if he couldn''t help in this regard and wasn''t significantly useful in the counterattack, the rtionship between the two camps might gradually be delicate in the future.


    ''The officials can''t be worse than you, can they?''


    Guo Wutao was determined. If they couldn''tpare now, the gap would only widen as the Apostle System became stronger and Contractors more mainstream.


    "Yaqian," Guo Wutao suddenly called Zhao Yaqian''s name while in the car, "What has your Talent perceived about Su Han''s strength?"


    Zhao Yaqian, who always spoke little and maintained an expressionless face, nevertheless kept observing.


    "Very strong, be it the Scorpion Spider Demon or the Ancient Worm Tree, they are stronger than thest time we encountered them. I''m afraid they''re already Second-order Superior."


    Zhao Yaqian''s eyes flickered slightly as she spoke softly, "My sense of danger tells me they''re very dangerous, including Su Han himself. He... he''s not weaker than a Second Order monster."


    There were only four people in the car: Wang Hu driving, Cheng Zhenyong in the passenger seat, and Guo Wutao and Zhao Yaqian in the back.


    All were high-level members of the camp and trustworthy, so Zhao Yaqian and Guo Wutao didn''t hide much while discussing the topic.


    After reaching Second Order, Zhao Yaqian felt she gained something extra, which could be described as a Talent.


    Her perception became sharper, and it wasn''t limited to her senses like before but evolved into a sense of danger.


    The greater the danger, the more oppressive the feeling in her spirit, even fear.


    They had managed to infiltrate South City No.2 Middle School without any real casualties, and they took countermeasures so quickly because Zhao Yaqian sensed the danger around them beforehand.


    Professor Bai Qiuwen''s theory was correct; aside from the mysterious Apostle System, humans had the potential to evolve in such an environment, and this evolution was most prominently manifested in some extraordinary Talent.


    However, most people would only slowly evolve and improve their physical fitness, and without a Contract with an Angel Envoy for feedback, this improvement might not be especially noticeable.


    For several days or even months, there might not be a noticeable difference.


    Still, there would always be outstanding individuals among humans who receive special natural gifts, such as Zhao Yaqian''s danger perception and Duan Jie''sbat instincts, which emerged at the Second Order.


    But Su Han, it seemed, had the ability to devour monsters for Evolution early on, and thisplemented the Apostle System.


    Professor Bai Qiuwen even wondered whether such an exceptional Talent was truly a Talent.


    Fortunately... regardless, Su Han was still on the side of humanity.


    Hearing Zhao Yaqian''s response, Guo Wutao murmured in a low voice, "Second-order Superior, this gap is much bigger than between First Order Inferior and First Order Upper Grade. But that''s good, at least it makes this operation more secure."


    "Yaqian, in ten days, you and Duan Jie need to advance your second Angel Envoy as much as possible. If you''ve hit a bottleneck with your species, thenplete the Divine Initiation Ritual as soon as possible to achieve Evolution and breakthrough. Southern City Guards will look for transportation vehicles while simultaneously searching for monster information, to assist you with your breakthroughs."


    Guo Wutao paused, feeling slightly apologetic, and said, "ording to Professor Bai Qiuwen''s concept, since Evolution involves devouring in the ritual, we should select more suitable monsters for it, but for now, we must focus on the bigger picture."


    Since Angel Envoys are not just one, there will inevitably be a focus on function and different concepts for Evolution, making a Contractor''s overall strength stronger and covering weaknesses.


    For instance, the positioning of Su Han''s two Angel Envoys is quite different, undoubtedlyplementing each other.


    But for now, both Duan Jie and Zhao Yaqian have significant oveps with their first and second Angel Envoys; strong in singlebat butcking somewhat in various other aspects.


    Normally, the Divine Initiation could evolve andpensate for this, but there''s no time for choice now.


    "Director Guo, I understand, everything for the greater good," Zhao Yaqian nodded. "And now that monsters have generally grown stronger, it''s not so difficult to find those of First Order Upper Grade."

 Chapter 123: Chapter 117: The Invaluable Collection of Data

    The sudden visit from South City Camp undoubtedly also impacted some ns at Shanhu Vi Camp.


    The collection of supplies was temporarily slowed down, reced by three urgent tasks.


    The first task was to enhance strength; not only did Guo Wutao and his team need to improve their strength, but Su Han also needed to enhance the capability of everyone at his end.


    A granary with thousands of rat monsters was unclear how many monsters were still inside; the stronger they were, the smaller the risk.


    Zhu Xiong''s second Angel Envoy, the Bone Armor Giant Pig, was still First Order Upper Grade; Yan Meiyu''s Rot Skin Rat had been at First Order Upper Grade for a while, not far from the racial bottleneck.


    Now that the official version of the injectors had been developed, it was naturally time to reward and boost everyone''s strength, and of course, the people in the second tier like Zhao Yimin, Xia Ning, and Cheng Xiyuan needed enhancing as well.


    The second task was to intensify the construction of storage facilities; this was tens of thousands of tons of food, even if some was lost, it was still far more than the current warehouse supplies.


    The storage facilities had to berger, and their preservation capabilities stronger, to amodate this food.


    The third task was naturally the issue of transport; the few trucks they currently had were nearly useless for transporting food, thus they needed more trucks.


    Zhang Dahai was assigned the second task, while Guo Gang was sent to search for usable trucks for the third task.


    Everyone split up to carry out their tasks; Qn carefully reviewed the data left by Guo Wutao and his team.


    Having only read through it once, she couldn''t wait to find Su Han.


    Inside Vi No. 9, Qn handed the data to Su Han to review and said, "Professor Bai Qiuwen and Professor Tian Jiaxuan''s data is a bit more precious than imagined."


    "It mentions four aspects of discovery: one, monster information, recording monsters encountered or heard from survivors at South City Camp since the apocalypse, including names, guesses at mutated prototypes, strength levels, main attack methods, and so on, with both detailed and brief information."


    "The information we organized should also contain this, right?"


    Su Han slightly raised his head, looking at Qn, and asked.


    "It does, but it does not involve the Angel Envoy monsters,"


    Qn replied, then continued, "The second aspect is about the evolutionary talent of the human race. Professor Bai Qiuwen mentioned that among humans, the elite can awaken extraordinary talents at a certain stage."


    Her gaze flickered, staring at Su Han''s face, but then she slightly shifted the topic, "Professor Bai Qiuwen''s wording seems very certain. I guess there must be someone who has awakened their talents in South City Camp, and that woman today is very likely."


    Zhao Yaqian was the only Second-order Contractor from Guo Wutao''s group, unarguably, she was the most suspicious.


    However, Su Han seemed thoughtful, but he wasn''t focusing on Zhao Yaqian, but rather on himself.


    Did his Fusion Ability count as a talent?


    He felt that it seemed a bit different from what was written above.


    He slightly raised his head and asked, "What about you? Do you feel anything?"


    Qn''s qualifications were not bad; if there were any talents being awakened, she was likely included.


    However, she shook her head and said, "I don''t feel much, except for feeling a bit spirited, but that may be due to the side effects from the Demon Eye Spider Woman."


    She seemed not to care whether she had any talent, simply saying, "This can be noted. If a Talented One appears, we can study it, perhaps we can artificially stimte evolution, such as with human body enhancers."


    Su Han was taken aback, thinking, well, perhaps that''s your talent, you research fanatic?


    "You can decide on matters of research, and report back if you need support. What about the other two aspects?"


    "The other two aspects seem to be connected,"


    Qn responded with a more serious expression, "Not just from Professor Bai Qiuwen''s conclusion but also from Professor Tian''s research, it''s about spiritual energy and Lamp Tree."


    Upon hearing this, Su Han became serious and quickly flipped to the fourth section of the materials, asking, "Go on."


    "Professor Bai Qiuwen figured out the growth and development mechanism of Lamp Tree; rather than being a nt, it should be defined as a special monster.


    The Lamp Tree''s devouring of flesh and energy supply from people is just on the surface; its essence requires two types of energy, one is spiritual energy, and the other, the most core, is the emotional power of living beings, simr to the recently captured Hundred-Eyed Monster."


    Su Han''s expression showed shock. Was the Lamp Tree actually considered a monster? This... this was truly unexpected.


    "Actually, if we follow Professor Bai Qiuwen''s hypothesis, we can verify it on our side as well."


    Su Han''s expression shifted, asking, "What have you discovered?"


    "The Lamp Tree near the women''s rooms on the second floor of the Bucks Gym ced by Nie Rilong has good growth; the same is true for the Lamp Trees near Wan Yuzhou''s ve prisons and arenas, and the Lamp Trees inside our vis where more people live grow better than those near theke."


    Qn connected the dots and said, "I used to think it was just an issue of human energy supply, but the deeper reason should be the greater emotional fluctuations, such as fear, joy, hatred, etc., which are the best nourishment. Moreover, Lamp Trees are born in ces where people gather, which is also proof of this."


    Su Han showed a realization, finally understanding the reason for the Lamp Trees chasing after crowds, and asked, "Can we use this to cultivate Lamp Trees?"


    Qn shook her head and said, "So far, no. Moreover, if there is already a Lamp Tree in a certain area, the chance of a natural urrence is very minimal, so we can only nurture and harvest the Lamp Tree Crystals.


    Lamp Trees absorb emotional power and spiritual energy for growth and evolution, and meanwhile, they also transform these into the energy light they emit, which is a part of the process of nt growth; we might start from this aspect."


    Although that is said, there doesn''t seem to be much change in the usage, the energy provided remains the same, at most the nting locations might need slight adjustments.


    "Actually, the most important information isn''t about the Lamp Tree, but about Spiritual Energy."


    Bai Qn extended a hand to help Su Han flip to thest page of the document, where the first line was in bold ink: "Spiritual Energy, closely associated with Emotional Power, may essentially rte to the Soul, constituting an energy substance of the Mind.


    This certainly is not an original material from Earth, but its source is unknown; tracing the source of the fog and the source of eyes might provide some clues¡ªProfessor Tian."


    There were noplex arguments on the whole page, but the information it contained was undoubtedly more crucial than before.


    "It''s a bit... hard to believe."


    Su Han slowly closed the document, pausing for a moment: "If it doesn''te from Earth, could it possiblye from outer space?"


    Bai Qn slightly shook her head, only replying with three words: "I don''t know."


    She paused slightly, then thought for a moment before attempting to say: "Whatever it is, it implies that the level of this apocalyptic impact might be extremely high, we may face more problems."


    "There is always a way out when we get to the mountain, let''s take it one step at a time."


    Su Han ced the document beside Bai Qn, saying, "You record a copy, in the information you organize, remove any confidential parts about the monsters, and then have Meiyu distribute it to thebat members, knowing the information about monsters is useful for exploration."


    "I understand," Bai Qn replied, "I willpile our monster data into a catalog and hand it over to her."


    "Also, about the matter of the injectors, we might have to work overtime these few days."


    "Don''t worry."


    -----------------


    After Bai Qn left, Su Han rubbed his forehead and muttered to himself: "There are indeed capable people in the team, but if Spiritual Energy is so mystical, then these times really might not be easy to navigate."


    Earth''s own mutations and crises from space or perhaps even more unknown threats all seem safer than the first.


    In a straightforward way,peting in the city district is better than in the regional, national, or global ones, right?


    But no matter what the crisis is now, we can only grit our teeth and face it.


    Let the scientists untangle the mystery; I''d better focus on enhancing my strength. The harder the fist, the more solid the backbone.


    He stood up from the sofa, then strode out of the vi to thergewn behind Vi Nine.


    This area was exclusively for monster containment, with rows of iron cages ced here, and in the center was the rooted location of the Ancient Worm Tree.


    At the moment, the empty space nearby was already piled with corpses of monsters.


    Several hundreds of them, all Eye Beasts killed today, almost piled up like small hills, the smell of blood nearly lingering in the air.


    On the other side, there were neatly arranged metal cages, containing about a hundred Eye Beasts, although they were all still unconscious.


    The Hundred-Eyed Monster was also contained within, but in a solitary cell, its body bound by vines, enjoying superior treatment.


    After all, the Hundred-Eyed Monster was not just a mere melee attacker; under the impact of those crimson eyes, anyone approaching could be affected.


    But now it naturally had no way tounch an attack, still paralyzed.


    With a sh of red light in his hand, the Book of Blood Spirit trembled, and then the Scorpion Spider Demon appeared before him.


    With a thought, the Scorpion Spider Demon strode toward the Hundred-Eyed Monster, the metal bars began to bend, and with a swipe of its four arms, the Hundred-Eyed Monster was dragged out.


    [Detect live creature Hundred-Eyed Monster suitable for Fusion, perform Fusion?]


    Fusion


    Su Han did not hesitate, decisively instructing the Scorpion Spider Demon to perform Fusion, since it would be difficult to control the Hundred-Eyed Monster if it stayed, and since Bai Qn had already confirmed the second Angel Envoy, the only result for this Hundred-Eyed Monster was to be used as material for Fusion.


    Numerous blood-red threads spread towards the Hundred-Eyed Monster, soon covering most of its body, the Fusion slowly progressing.


    The process wasn''t very fast, given the Hundred-Eyed Monster''s strength, but Su Han was not in a hurry; he had plenty of time.


    After the Scorpion Spider Demon performed Fusion on the Hundred-Eyed Monster, Su Han naturally did not forget the Ancient Worm Tree. He took out a small bag.


    Opening the bag, light shone through, and it was the Lamp Tree Crystals.


    Under the control of the Ancient Worm Tree, a vine came before Su Han. He ced the bag on top of the Ancient Worm Tree, allowing the vines to prate inside.


    [Detect material Lamp Tree Crystals suitable for Fusion, perform Fusion?]


    Fusion

 Chapter 124: Chapter 118: Crimson Demon Eye

    The Radiance of the Lamp Tree had an excess of over 20 crystals, and Su Han was waiting for the opportunity to fuse them all at once with the Ancient Worm Tree.


    Although the skill from the Radiance of the Lamp Tree mainly manifested as supportive rather thanbat effects, there had been no significant improvement in power for the time being.


    However, Bai Qn''s reminder today made Su Han ce more importance on one aspect.


    "Everything originates from spiritual energy, which is closely linked to emotions, the soul, and the mind. Hence, the ability of the Lamp Tree to absorb emotional power should not be underestimated. It seems I need to pay more attention to collecting the Lamp Tree''s crystals in the future."


    Su Han''s eyes flickered slightly as he continuously pondered how to collect more Lamp Tree crystals¡ªperhaps he could even trade for them, if there were excess Lamp Tree crystals in South City.


    That''s not right. If I have something that South City needs, then requesting some Lamp Tree crystals in exchange wouldn''t be excessive, right?


    Old Guo, it''s not that I want to manipte my teammates. It''s just that I''m too eager to progress.


    ....


    Time passed bit by bit, and the fusion of the materials by the Ancient Worm Tree was slightly faster since it was only its second time fusing with the Lamp Tree Crystals.


    As the quantity of materials required wasn''t yet exorbitant, about an hourter, the Fusion Degree gradually reached 100%, leaving only a crystal the size of a thumb out of the more than twenty Lamp Tree Crystals.


    [LV2 Lamp Tree Crystal Fusion Complete, Ancient Worm Tree Gains Skill: Ancient Tree Crystal]


    With thepletion of the fusion, the Ancient Worm Tree''s overall size surged by a few meters from its original height of around 40 meters,  its trunk became more robust, and its presence grew slightly stronger.


    Its strength had increased, but it was evident that this skill was not focused on attack. There was a faint shimmering color between the branches, strikingly simr to emerald diamonds.


    The Ancient Tree Crystal, utilizing the body''s spiritual energy to transform into a light simr to the Lamp Tree Crystal, disperses fog and can promote nt growth. Moreover, it is gentler and more likely to induce evolution.


    A mature Ancient Tree Crystal, at least the size of a fist, could be used for about a month; unlike Lamp Tree Crystals, it has an energy decay period.


    But this was enough, as Su Han smiled, seeing it as a perfect substitute and a support for major pioneering ventures.


    "With the fields cultivated using the Ancient Tree Crystals instead of Lamp Tree Crystals, the leftover Lamp Tree Crystals will all be mine. Now I''ve just gained the ability to transform spiritual energy into crystals. Maybe after further fusions, I''ll acquire the ability to absorb emotional power or even transform into a more powerful ability?"


    Su Han pondered the possible developments in his mind, but regardless of the specifics, the birth of the Ancient Tree Crystal would greatly elerate the pioneering progress.


    After all, it could take seven to eight days to produce a chicken egg-sized Lamp Tree Crystal even with everyone''s contributions.


    Of course, the size of the Lamp Tree Crystals varied with different environments and circumstances.


    But the speed was still a bit slow.


    With twenty-three Lamp Trees in the camp, ording to Professor Bai Qiuwen''s theory, the natural urrence of a Lamp Tree was very unlikely.


    Since I can''t cultivate them myself, I am dependent on the existing Lamp Trees to produce crystals. It could take half a month or even more to umte enough for the next wave of fusion.


    Because the camp''s pioneering also required Lamp Tree Crystals.


    But now, having a substitute means umting speed can be increased, and this thing is key to strengthening control over the camp.


    Maintaining the production cycle needs the nts to be enveloped in the Lamp Tree''s radiance; if most Lamp Tree Crystals are reced with Ancient Tree Crystals, and with a decay period of one month, it means a monthly recement.


    If there isn''t a continuous supply, then production will cease.


    Undoubtedly, the status of the Ancient Worm Tree in the territory has risen again.


    The fusion of the Ancient Worm Tree was done, but the fusion speed of the Scorpion Spider Demon posed some issues.


    It took three hours toplete the fusion of the Hundred-Eyed Monster, achieving a Fusion Degree of 31%. One could imagine, though it was only a Second Order Low Grade.


    However, the strength of the Hundred-Eyed Monster was very close to a Second Order Intermediate, and its natural instinct to resist during the fusion process was very strong.


    This resistance wasn''t just a matter of strength; inherently, in terms of spiritual and mind power abilities, the Hundred-Eyed Monster was undeniably stronger than the average monster.


    This was also the direct reason for the longer fusion time; the living Hundred-Eyed Monster resisted even more.


    Once the fusion with the Hundred-Eyed Monster wasplete, it was gradually approaching evening, and Su Han didn''t continue to wait. Instead, he let the Scorpion Spider Demon go directly to fuse the bodies of the Eye Beasts.


    The Eye Beasts, being of the same kind as the Hundred-Eyed Monster, their flesh was the best material for transformation.


    A whole night passed, and finally at dawn, the Scorpion Spider Demon hadpletely fused the bodies of several hundred Eye Beasts; the progression of the fusion finally reached 100%.


    [Hundred-Eyed Monster 100% Fusion Complete, Scorpion Spider Demon Gains Skill: Crimson Demon Eye]


    As the fusionpleted, the bulky frame of the Scorpion Spider Demon suddenly began to sprout crimson eyeballs.


    One on the left shoulder, another on the right shoulder, strikingly crimson, with pitch-ck round pupils, reminiscent of the mournful eyes of the wrongfully dead. Within these eerie, mournful pupils, there was also a fierce, brutal killing intent.


    Once the Crimson Demon Eye appeared, it moved about on the body of the Scorpion Spider Demon like a living creature, seemingly monitoring everything around, as though targeting any potential prey.


    Su Han carefully sensed it, his eyes suddenly lit up slightly, and he smiled: "A psychic attack, using brutal shock to intimidate the mind, or even to kill the soul?"


    He was unsure whether the Scorpion Spider Demon could directly kill a soul, but the powerful shock was certainly no lesser than that of the Demon Eye Spider Woman and the Hundred-Eyed Monster.


    Crimson Demon Eye!


    With a thought from Su Han, the Scorpion Spider Demon sprang into action. Its thick arm lifted, the Crimson Demon Eye moved to his hand, and suddenly a red light shot out swiftly, striking an imprisoned Eye Beast.


    Without sound, only the red light moved as fast as lightning.


    The next moment, the eye beast struck by the red light howled in pain, its body stiffened, and it twitched uncontrobly before falling to the ground as if struck by a heavy blow.


    "The scent of fear."


    Through the Crimson Demon Eye, Su Han sensed the fear emanating from the eye beast. The brutal killing intent and psychic attack of the Scorpion Spider Demon inflicted severe mental trauma on the beast, plunging it into extreme fear.


    Fighting was out of the question, let alone trying to flee; it couldn''t even control its own body.


    Another one


    With just a thought, Su Han sent another beam of red light from the Crimson Demon Eye, striking the half-dead eye beast once more.


    "Boom"


    This time, the psychic attack broke through the threshold; the eye beast''s eyes congested with blood, and its head thudded, revealing a bloody fissure.


    If the psychic attack is strong enough, it can cause physical damage as well.


    It is known that the power of the mind and soul is inherently linked to spiritual energy.


    "It adds another method of attack, and it''s ranged too. Combined with the Coagtion Cannon, it makes for even richer tactics. Plus, it can be concealed beneath the Floating Pagoda ck Armor."


    The Crimson Demon Eye moved across the body of the Scorpion Spider Demon, covering all four human arms within its range. Once shielded by the ck armor, those unaware of its details would never anticipate an attack from the Crimson Demon Eye.


    The leveling up of two Angel Envoys not only enhanced strength but also provided immeasurable reciprocal benefits to Su Han.


    Although there wasn''t much change in his physical appearance, only Su Han knew the terrifying power contained within his human form¡ªstrong enough to lift tons, with tough skin and muscles, making him nearly immune to ordinary bullets without even needing the ck Armor.


    In a sense, Su Han was like a second-order intermediate monster in human form, or perhaps even stronger.


    For he also mastered skills such as Intermediate Self-healing, Intermediate Metal Control, Iron Skin, and ck Armor.


    .......


    "Su Han, the people we brought back yesterday want to leave."


    Having just finished processing the Angel Envoy''s Fusion, Yan Meiyu had already made her way ahead of time to Vi No. 9 to find him.


    "Guo Du and his threepanions?"


    "Yes, those four. Guo Du and the others want to leave, but they''re worried, so they tentatively asked me about it. However, Zhao Qian, who lost his arm, wants to stay. Even if he can''t fight, he still wants to contribute somehow."


    Yan Meiyu reported truthfully, having already seen through the thoughts of Guo Du and the others.


    "Should we force them to stay? They''re still abat force after all."


    She tentatively asked, knowing that aside from Guo Du, the remaining two were merely first-level intermediate, but still somebat power.


    "Is first order upper grade that strong?"


    Su Han asked rhetorically, thenughed and said, "Old Zhu told me that before the apocalypse, Guo Du was just a white-cor worker. By luck, he survived the apocalypse and became the leader of a small survivor enve, kept three women, and livedfortably. Being a big fish in a small pond is not an umon desire."


    Su Han''s Shanhu Vi District was naturally powerful and very safe, capable of resisting threats whether from second-grade monsters or groups of monsters.


    But, for some individuals who had gained some power, they were not content to be subordinate to others in the post-apocalypse world.


    Yan Meiyu slightly shook her head, her tone carrying a hint of indifference, "He has some strength, but it''s insignificant. With his power, he barely could fend off monsters a few times."


    Is first order upper grade strong?


    Before the official injections, in the Shanhu Vi District, aside from Su Han, those with first order upper grade strength included Bai Qn, Zhu Xiong, and Yan Meiyu. Following them were Zhang Dahai, Gan Xinglei, and Ye Kailing, who were also gradually stepping into first order upper grade.


    And regarding the reserve members, there were many others like Guo Gang, Zhao Yimin, and Xia Ning, among others.


    Now that the official injection had been developed, the entire camp''s strength was set to rise a notch after the exchange.


    First order upper grade could only be considered decent fighting power, a transitional backbone strength at best.


    Su Han nodded and said, "Have Old Zhu go with them, collect some ''tax,'' and since we saved their lives, let''s barter for materials. If they want to trade with us in the future, they can, but they''ll need to exchange goods as well."


    He paused slightly, then said, "For those unwilling to join and not yet within our expansion area, let''s gradually turn them into tributary camps. Let them collect materials which we can reim through trade."


    Yan Meiyu''s eyes brightened, immediately understanding Su Han''s intent. Establish order through military power and use trade as a means, turning these unwilling survivor enves into forerunners, gathering important materials such as cultivating Lamp Trees and nurturing crystals.


    As for disorderly gangs and those within the expansion area of Shanhu Vi, Yan Meiyu knew what to do without Su Han needing to say more.


    The former, eliminate.


    Thetter, forcefully subdue or move them further away, continuing as tributaries.


    "I understand how to handle this, I''ll go call Old Zhu now."


    "Wait,"


    Su Han stopped Yan Meiyu, saying, "Your Rot Skin Rat has reached its racial bottleneck, right?"


    Yan Meiyu was startled, then nodded, "Yes."


    "After you find Old Zhu, head over to the Ancient Worm Tree and perform the Divine Initiation Ritual on a first order upper grade eye beast."

 Chapter 125: Chapter 119: Rotpoison Ratman

    Yan Meiyu, although contracted with a Rot Skin Rat and not engaging in frequent battles like Zhu Xiong, progressed swiftly due to her talent in enhancing her Angel Envoy.


    Moreover, she had been controlling the Rot Skin Rat to roam around the entire Shanhu Vi District, both as a covert agent monitoring every change and as an additional patrol force.


    It was because of her talent and her use of the Angel Envoy that she was able to maintain her strength.


    Althoughter than Zhu Xiong, over the past two days, she had indeed felt that the Rot Skin Rat had reached the racial bottleneck, which was the limit of First Order Upper Grade.


    With rewards and penalties in ce, Yan Meiyu, who was responsible for the overall operation of the camp, naturally received priority to undergo the Divine Initiation Ritual to advance.


    She had been considering using captives like a Meat Mountain Demon or a wed Giant, all of which were of First Order Upper Grade.


    But now, with several live Eye Beasts in the expansive backyardwn, some possessing First Order Upper Grade strength, the choice was clear.


    Yan Meiyu showed a smile, nodded lightly, and said, "I understand."


    She first went to find Zhu Xiong to convey Su Han''s instructions; Old Zhu immediately understood this meant extracting value.


    Puffing out his chest, he indicated he knew a thing or two, saying a mix of stick and carrot tactics would squeeze out a percentage and then set up a steady flow, having people like Guo Du work for them.


    With Su Han''s side offering injections, weapons, and more as rare goods, there was no worry they would refuse to trade.


    Besides, there were always fists, right?


    Therefore, set to lead a team out to search for supplies, Zhu Xiong included the willing-to-depart Guo Du and his twopanions, ''warmly'' preparing to send them back while also scouting the camp location to gather some supplies.


    After arranging everything, Yan Meiyu wasted no time calling Gan Xinglei to thergewn area.


    Her own man was a bit behind, barely touching the racial bottleneck of a flesh corpse, but her breakthrough would at least give him some sense of involvement.


    Seeing Gan Xinglei, Su Han smiled; the fellow had slimmed down a bit, not solely from fighting.


    But whenever Yan Meiyu called him to work, he had to go; whenever Old Zhu needed help, he had to assist too, being one of the workhorses of the camp, truly befitting a programmer.


    "Summon your Rot Skin Rat, let Old Gan watch by the side, just to umte some experience," Su Han said.


    "Alright, I''ll stand aside," agreed Gan Xinglei cheerfully.


    Gan Xinglei approached Su Han with a smile, while Yan Meiyu''s Book of Blood Spirit lit up and the grizzly form of the Rot Skin Rat appeared before them.


    Yan Meiyu''s gaze sharpened as she looked at the cage in front of her, which held an Eye Beast of First Order Upper Grade.


    Su Han had not paralyzed the Eye Beast; at that moment, the Eye Beast emitted a threatening growl, its gaze firmly fixed on Yan Meiyu and the Rot Skin Rat.


    The tentacles on either side of its head cautiously wriggled, ready to attack at any moment.


    "Begin," he said.


    Su Han''s Metal Maniption acted instantaneously, the metal cage twisted, revealing arge gap big enough for the monster to pass through.


    "Roar"


    The Eye Beast charged forward, almostpletely frenzied.


    Having witnessed the tragic death of a Hundred-Eyed Monster and seeing many of its kind devoured, fear tormented this Eye Beast, driving it into utter madness.


    The glowing red at the tips of its swaying tentacles was already apparent, ready to use its skill should it get close to the Rot Skin Rat.


    However, Yan Meiyu remained calm, and the Rot Skin Rat darted forward with great speed.


    Its sharp tail swept through, knocking the tentacles away before they could reach the Rot Skin Rat''s head.


    Having handled the monster manual, she clearly knew the attack methods of the Eye Beast in front of her, especially those tentacles that could cause mental disturbances.


    With its skill interrupted, the Eye Beast opened its huge mouth, prepared to fight the Rot Skin Rat.


    But as it came close, the agile Rot Skin Rat seized the opportunity and its sharp ws struck the Eye Beast''s body.


    The battle ended the moment the Rot Skin Rat''s ws tore through the Eye Beast''s body.


    The Rot Skin Rat showed no signs of further struggle; the Rot Poison spread rapidly, and after a few dodges, the Eye Beast fell to the ground, no longer able to continue the fight.


    "Divine Initiation Ritual"


    With the timing ripe, Yan Meiyu did not hesitate and immediately initiated the Divine Initiation Ritual.


    Like Zhu Xiong''s Divine Initiation Ritual, the Book of Blood Spirit emerged, a red light enveloping the Rot Skin Rat and the Eye Beast gradually.


    The surrounding Spiritual Energy seemed to change under the pull of the red light, and in the center of the red glow, the gaping wound on the Rot Skin Rat''s abdomen was tearing and biting into the body of the Eye Beast.


    The Fusion gradually proceeded, the red light growing brighter and eventually forming a cocoon of concentrated light.


    Metamorphosis was happening, and Yan Meiyu''s expression was solemn, her eyebrows asionally furrowing.


    In her mind, the will of the Eye Beast was battling with her, the fighting within the sea of consciousness being particrly perilous. If she wavered slightly and could not resist, she would likely be eroded by the will of the Eye Beast.


    Gan Xinglei clenched his fists tensely, his fingernails turning white, but he was utterly unable to help in this aspect.


    As time slowly passed, finally, Yan Meiyu opened her eyes, her expression bright and vibrant, and major changes had also urred within the red light.


    The red light faded, revealing the figure of an Angel Envoy.


    Standing over two meters tall, with the head of a rat and the body of a human, the figure was robust, covered in jet-ck long hair, with both arms being ck ws that faintly glowed green. Along its spine, it had four or five tentacles.


    The tentacles retracted into the spine, slightly stirring, appearing like dormant predatory insects.


    "Whoosh,"


    With just a thought, a ck shadow enveloped the rat man, and then it moved swiftly to Yan Meiyu''s front in an instant.


    The speed was so fast that only a blur was visible, even Su Han unconsciously showed a look of surprise.


    "Advanced Rotpoison and Shadow Strike, two skills,"


    Yan Meiyu then slowly spoke of her Angel Envoy''s new abilities, smiling as she said, "A Second Order Low Grade Rotpoison Ratman, specialized in speed and poison attacks; its strength may be slightly lesser than Old Zhu''s Glutton."


    Shadow Strike was thatyer of shadow, which significantly boosted the Rotpoison Ratman''s speed and strength while Advanced Rotpoison was its fundamental skill. Not only were its ws embedded with poison, but the Rotpoison Ratman could also envelop its entire body with poison if it wished.


    Under Yan Meiyu''s control, the tentacles on the spine of the Rotpoison Ratman were also fully disyed, pitch ck without much mucus, but hidden under the flesh were fine poison thorns, which were also potent offensive tools, extending out sharp as knives.


    Su Han nodded slightly, saying, "Not bad, quite suitable for you, after all, what you handle is different from Old Zhu."


    Zhu Xiong was in charge of scavenging supplies, and almost daily he had to battle numerous monsters.


    The stronger one is, the more monsters they can sweep aside, making it easier to move outside.


    Yan Meiyu, undoubtedly, was more of an assassin; she might not have the advantage against arge number of monsters, but in one-on-one fights or in covert assassinations, the Rotpoison Ratman in front of her was an absolute terror.


    "You first get ustomed to the evolved Angel Envoy; don''t rush for the second one, let''s prepare to capture the Bei Qing Grain Warehouse then n further,"


    Two Second-order Lower-level Monsters had already been discovered at the Bei Qing Grain Warehouse, and there was no doubt that the area had many monsters, choosing a second Angel Envoy wouldn''t be a problem.


    As for the contract with familial beasts, Su Han''s familial beast needed time to develop, so naturally, this time wasn''t ideal to have Yan Meiyu contract it, nor was there any necessity yet.


    Having signed the contract, Yan Meiyu immediately returned to her post to deal with her duties, Gan Xinglei also being dragged along.


    Poor guy couldn''t beat his wife before, and now he''d probably getpletely drained by her.


    With only ten days to prepare, especially when both camps were eagerly gathering everything.


    Three days after Guo Wutao left, Zhao Yaqian and her team arrived toplete the preliminary ammunition trade¡ª1,000 handheld crossbows and 30,000 crossbow arrows, along with a brand-new blueprint, approximately three meters long for a fortress crossbow and 2,000 chemical bombs.


    Su Han did not disappoint, delivering the metal-manufactured handheld crossbows and arrows, and even the newly-obtained fortress crossbow blueprint was crafted ording to design, directly producing twenty units and hundreds of additional arrows.


    The fortress crossbow''s power was impressive; a single test was enough to shoot through walls, and even a car if put in front of it could be easily prated.


    For manyrge monsters, this tool was already stronger than bullets, not to mention that alterations could be made to the arrows, turning them into hooked barbs with added poison¡ªentirely reasonable.


    And over at Bai Qn''s site, they worked overtime on extracting organs from Scorpion Spider Demons, Ancient Worm Trees, Tree-Born Worms to make into injections.


    Based on previous contributions, this opened up the current exchange.


    Zhu Xiong was the first to exchange, using the injection from the Ancient Worm Tree. One vial propelled his already First Order Upper Grade Bone Armor Giant Pig directly into Second Order Low Grade, with portions of its skin turning woody, and its bodily strength and defense capabilities were significantly enhanced.


    He was the most advanced person; the remaining Gan Xinglei, Ye Kailing, Zhang Dahai, and others followed suit, based on their requirements.


    The First Order Upper Grade team, while not yet breaking through, saw their Angel Envoys drastically gain strength through the injection-induced mutations and were now not far from their species'' bottlenecks.


    Meanwhile, Zhao Yimin, Xia Ning, Guo Gang and others took advantage of this injection-induced mutation to advance to First Order Upper Grade over the next few days.


    This significantly raised the power of the Shanhu Vi District camp, with Su Han, Bai Qn, Zhu Xiong, Yan Meiyu making up the Second Order individuals, with reserve Second Order members including Gan Xinglei, Ye Kailing, Zhang Dahai, and approximately ten individuals at First Order Upper Grade.


    Adding those who had explicitly joined thebat sequence, there were now 150 people total, including several squad leaders at First-level Intermediate, whose overallbat power was not to be underestimated.


    In essence, thebat forces of Shanhu Vi District had now initially taken shape.


    And on this ninth day, the first familial beast of Su Han''s Ancient Worm Tree finally matured sessfully.

 Chapter 126: Chapter 120: Alien Thorn Worm

    It had been ten days since Su Han had bred his monster, and each day, the embryos in the Tree Womb underwent significant changes.


    The embryo''s body grew increasingly gigantic and fierce-looking, with its aura bing stronger as well.


    By the tenth day, the breeding monster was ready to take shape.


    Su Han and Bai Qn took the Ancient Worm Tree to the outskirts of the Shanhu Vi District, near a residential area behind themercial street.


    The mist enveloped the surroundings, but Su Han did not let the Ancient Worm Tree release the Radiance of the Lamp Tree, as the main focus this time was not it.


    On the Ancient Worm Tree, among its branches and some vines, grew various-sized Ancient Tree Crystals. There were about twenty or thirty the size of fists, and at least a hundred as small as thumbs, all growing gradually under the transformation of Spiritual Energy.


    In the very center of the canopy, the green Tree Womb had turned a deeper shade of emerald. One could only vaguely see the shadow of arge, fierce-looking monster,pletely different in shape from the previous Tree-born Worm embryos.


    "Thump, thump"


    The Tree Womb emitted a regr low sound, like a heartbeat, and vigorous vitality radiated from it. Su Han''s eyes fixed intently, then he thought: "It''s starting."


    The Tree Womb began to pulse violently, its red vines swelling like blood vessels, and the monster inside started moving, its sharp ws tearing through the Tree Womb''s barriers.


    With a splurch sound, the barriers of Tree Womb split like jelly and then the moist monster broke out, its wet exterior revealing a dark green skin, resembling abination of old tree bark and insect armor.


    It moved its body, emitting a harsh hissing sound, then leaped swiftly down from the canopy, arriving in front of the Ancient Worm Tree, and knelt down.


    "An Alien Thorn Worm?"


    The monster''s head still vaguely resembled that of a worm, but its jaws were fierce, vaguely resembling a human-faced skull.


    Its upper body was covered with thick insect-like armor, dark and greenish, with elongated arms on both sides, the limbs tipped with w-like keratin, sharp as des. In itsrge palms, there was also a tooth-like slit, with a piercing thorn vaguely visible inside. The position of its spine was simrly bulging, adorned with many bone spines of varying lengths, each as sharp as a de.


    The lower body was like that of a huge, elongated worm, not as rounded as the Split-mouth Worm, but its muscles were morepact and sturdy, somewhat resembling a snake. The creature''s back was covered with thick, dark green armor, at least a couple of centimeters thick, with edges that were serrated like sharp saws.


    The whole monster stood about three meters tall, but with its worm tail coiled on the ground stretching about two to three meters long. If it raised its body, it was indeed a massive creature.


    "Second Order Low Grade, its strength is not bad."


    Su Han was quite satisfied with the monster''s strength. Although it required resources and time for breeding, having an additional warrior of Second Order Low Grade for ''free'' was certainly not a loss.


    "If contracted, does it need to be re-bred?"


    Bai Qn was sizing up the Alien Thorn Worm, observing its form, trying to discern the differences between its breeding and the monster''s mutations.


    Su Han slightly shook his head and said, "For different womb breedings, just once is enough. After that, it remembers, and further cultivation only needs plenty of energy and time."


    After breeding the Alien Thorn Worm, even if it was killed,


    as long as there was arge supply of flesh, the Ancient Worm Tree could breed another Alien Thorn Worm directly without a womb, since their genes and constitution had already been recorded.


    Su Han nced at the mist, catching fleeting glimpses of the monster''s low roar, as nearby monsters gradually noticed the noise.


    He then said to Bai Qn at his side, "Let''s test itsbat ability first, then you can contract it."


    The Ancient Worm Tree''s vines dipped to the ground, and both grabbed the vines as they leapt up to the branches of the Ancient Worm Tree.


    Near Bai Qn were several Ancient Tree Crystals. She nced at them and said, "Just a few days and there are so many fist-sized crystals already. The yield is much higher than the Lamp Tree Crystals, and Meiyu is already preparing to propose an expansion n to you."


    Su Han focused on improving his strength, but whether it was Bai Qn or Yan Meiyu or Zhu Xiong, they all stood from Su Han''s perspective, wanting to expand the camp, help Su Han do more things, and build a stronger force.


    "Let''s umte some more. Ancient Tree Crystals have an energy decay period, and the speed of expansion needs to match the output. Also, the poption is a bit low."


    There were only a few hundred people in the entire camp, even if they wanted to expand, they needed to gather more people first.


    Radiance of the Lamp Tree


    As they talked, Su Han had already controlled the Ancient Worm Tree to intentionally release the Radiance of the Lamp Tree. The light spread around, illuminating several nearby streets as the vines extended.


    The mist was dispersed by the light, and the massive shape of the Ancient Worm Tree was also exposed in the area.


    Soon, monsters came swarming in, hundreds blocking the street intersection, and rushed like a surging tide.


    "Hiss"


    The Alien Thorn Worm let out a shrill hiss from its jaws, then raised its body and charged towards those monsters.


    Its tworge hands targeted the monsters, the tooth-like slits in the palms firing keratin thorns, sweeping rapidly. A single sweep killed twenty or thirty flesh zombies and crawlers.


    While rapidly firing thorns, its strong back and worm-like body were slightly bulging, obviously breeding arge number of keratin thorns there as reserve ''ammunition.''


    After killing the monsters in the front row, the speed of firing thorns slowed down, and by then, the monsters had already reached the front of the Alien Thorn Worm.


    The Alien Thorn Worm''s tail swept across, its powerful force directly overturning the approaching flesh zombies and Giant w Zombies.


    "Crack"


    The keratin des on its arms and ws grew a bit longer, then it bent down and swept across, its sharp carapace slicing through the monsters'' life like the jaws of an insect.


    Hundreds of monsters besieging it failed to hinder its advance; each one was cleaved into two, their blood nearly drenching its body.


    The Alien Thorn Worm moved swiftly, and its shell defense was not low; the monsters'' attacks could hardly prate its defense.


    On the few parts of its body not covered by the shell, as soon as it was hit by a First Order Upper Grade monster, it was slightly injured, but soon began to slowly heal.


    "The rapid regeneration of keratin spikes and the overall regenerative ability. The Alien Thorn Worm inherited some traits of the Ancient Worm Tree, forming its own skills."


    Su Han made this judgment, and Bai Qn''s eyes flickered slightly, "Not just that, skills are just skills, what''s most important is that it entirely resembles a natural life form, with harmonious body structure and natural body functions.


    The shell''s defense, long-range attack with spikes, and self-healing and regeneration, all theseplement each other, it does not seem like a piecemeal monster."


    "A piecemeal monster? Is there a difference?"


    Su Han was somewhat puzzled, but Bai Qn pointed out, "If the nurturing process is like the natural evolution of life, then wouldn''t the Ancient Worm Tree have the capability to breed new species? Before the apocalypse, that was a capability only creators possessed."


    Bai Qn''s eyes brightened slightly, a bit excited. For someone studying biology, if provided a womb and the trait of devouring other creatures, it could breed a new species, a capability beyond imagination.


    Even more so than inducing mutations with injections or Divine Initiation Rituals... it seemed more natural, at least that''s how Bai Qn saw it.


    Su Han was just stunned for a moment, not delving deeper into the topic, and redirected his attention back to the Alien Thorn Worm.


    The ughter continued. Ten minutester, it had ughtered about four hundred monsters, their bodies and blood staining the ground, and hundreds more were still mobbing it, their roars echoing incessantly.


    This was already most of the nearby monsters, and the frequency of new monsters arriving had greatly decreased.


    The Alien Thorn Worm had stopped firing spikes from its palms, both its strength and speed had significantly declined, and its carapace showed numerous cracks while the speed of some wounds healing had drastically slowed.


    Fighting hundreds, even thousands alone, prolongedbat had consumed a great amount of its physical strength and its body''s spiritual energy; its strength was weakening.


    ''Endurance inbat can only be considered passing, butpared to her Demon Eye Spider Woman, it''s already stronger, different specialization.''


    Su Han silently made this judgment; not every Second Order Low Grade monster could possess such a strong physique and endurance inbat, different species naturally have different focuses.


    If it were Old Zhu''s gluttonous creatures and Bone Armor Giant Pig, then in terms of stamina and defense, they would certainly be superior, but they would have weaknesses in long-range striking and agility.


    "Go make the contract."


    As Su Han''s voice fell, Bai Qn nodded slightly. Vines caught the two and brought them down, and at this moment, vines hidden underground burst out at an extremely fast speed, sweeping across the entire battlefield.


    Monsters were swept up by the vines, their bodies twisted by the constriction, but no matter how much they struggled, they could hardly escape.


    Su Han and Bai Qn approached the Alien Thorn Worm, which, having stopped fighting, was slowly regaining its strength and spiritual energy, its wounds beginning to heal very slowly.


    The Book of Blood Spirit in Bai Qn turned red, and the Demon Eye Spider Woman immediately appeared at her side, raising its palm aimed at the head of the Alien Thorn Worm.


    "Pfft"


    The Spider Thorn shot out, piercing the head of the Alien Thorn Worm, blood sttering, the Alien Thorn Worm''s body convulsed instinctively, but it still did not resist.


    The Demon Eye Spider Woman showed no mercy; the Spider Thorn continuously attacked, until not even its regenerative ability could save the Alien Thorn Worm, whichpletely lost its life.


    The moment it lost its life, through the Ancient Worm Tree, Su Han could feel this contracted beast''s death.


    Tree Womb!


    But Su Han had already prepared for this, Bai Qn was contracting the Alien Thorn Worm nearby, while the crown of the Ancient Worm Tree moved, emanating a dim green light, blood-red vines sweeping toward the corpses on the ground.


    Devouringmenced, life material slowly secreted from the vine-like extensions of the Tree Womb, then gradually gathered into a new embryo.


    Even smaller than the initial Tree-born Worm, resembling an indistinguishable meatball.


    However, this was only temporary.


    Nearly a thousand monster corpses turned into nutrients, enough to let the Ancient Worm Tree nurture another Alien Thorn Worm after ten days.


    The contract process was not difficult, and in less than a few minutes, the dead Alien Thorn Worm had be Bai Qn''s second Angel Envoy.


    Having received the reciprocal feeding, Bai Qn''s physical condition visibly improved, her aura bing even stronger.


    Though contracted as an Angel Envoy, Bai Qn had the highestmand authority.


    But undoubtedly, Su Han and Bai Qn''s prediction was correct, as the contracted beast cultivated by the Ancient Worm Tree waspletely suppressed by it in terms of bloodline.


    The Ancient Worm Tree, without actively targeting with its aura was fine, but if it suppressed without restraint, its overall strength could be suppressed by more than half.


    After the contract waspleted, Su Han had the Ancient Worm Tree clean up all the monster corpses, taking around six to seven hours, finallypleting ingestion, forming a slightly smaller model of the Alien Thorn Worm within the Tree Womb.


    Everything was ready, just waiting for the gathering the next day.

 Chapter 127: Chapter 121: The Team from South City

    The next morning, the team set to raid the Bei Qing Grain Warehouse had already assembled.


    A total of ten trucks, all modified by Su Han''s metal control ability, featured heavy bulldozer des and metal frameworks over their bodies, elevating their defensive capabilities by more than a notch.


    This time, not only Su Han, Bai Qn, Zhu Xiong, and Yan Meiyu, four Second-order Contractors, were participating in the operation, but most of the First Order Upper Grade members including Zhang Dahai, Guo Gang, and Zhao Yimin also joined the battle, with the remaining eighty members being ordinary fighters, a quarter of whom were First-level Intermediate.


    Gan Xinglei and Ye Kailing were two people staying behind, and Su Han also left more than ten city defense crossbows, enough to ward off most monster attacks.


    "Su Han, everyone is ready, shall we set off?"


    The team stood in neat lines, Angel Envoys were not summoned yet, but everyone wore iron armor, looking very organized and formidable.


    "Let''s go, first to South City No. 2 Middle School."


    Upon Su Han''s order, the team immediately boarded the trucks, with each truck carrying around seven to eight people, and an Ancient Tree Crystal hanging from the front of each one.


    The light dispelled the fog around the convoy, and then the entire fleet headed quickly toward South City No.2 Middle School.


    On the way, the frequency of monster appearances had, in fact, decreased somewhat.


    In recent days, Zhu Xiong had led search parties out continuously; as soon as monsters attacked, they were immediately killed, and back and forth, the number of monsters cleared was not small, which also brought some stability to the surrounding area.


    Without any obstructions on the way, Su Han''s convoy soon approached South City No.2 Middle School.


    As they neared it, they saw the light of Lamp Trees about two hundred meters away, with two armored vehicles blocking the road, forming a defensive line.


    People were on top of and beside the vehicles, holding guns, keeping watch, and scrutinizing the approaching convoy.


    "Is that Mr. Su Han''s convoy?"


    A deep voice came forth as a man with a gun approached the sentry, turning out to be the familiar Wang Hu.


    Old Zhu leaned out, grinning and said, "Old Brother Wang, you got here so early?"


    Wang Hu and Zhu Xiong naturally knew each other, and he replied with a heartyugh, "Arrivedst night, and we''ve rested here all night."


    The camp in South City was a bit farther away, though it was still within the city limits, but with the current enveloping fog, arge-scale convoy''s movements would inevitably rm many monsters.


    Defending and clearing monsters simultaneously required more time to get here.


    So, to avoid dys, Guo Wutao and his group had toe over early to make preparations.


    After all, South City No.2 Middle School had already been cleared once, and not many monsters would gather here for a while, so it could serve as a temporary camp.


    Wang Hu said to Su Han inside the vehicle, "Director Guo and Director Yan are inside, just follow me for the convoy."


    He waved his hand to let his subordinates drive the armored vehicles away, opening up a path, then led Zhu Xiong''s truck into South City No.2 Middle School.


    Upon entering South City No.2 Middle School, the fog was mostly dispelled by the Lamp Tree Crystals, thus most of theyout was revealed before Su Han and the others.


    The neatly arranged trucks were parked on the ser field of No.2 Middle School, one after the other, the first few trucks clearly of the same military model, with the ones behind being various colors, all heavy trucks capable of carrying a lot of cargo.


    It wasn''t just the trucks; inside the school, there were many people bustling about. At a nce, there were groups beside the vehicle lineup, under the trees¡­ each busy with their duties, numbering several hundreds.


    Su Han asked Wang Hu, who was next to the front truck, "How many people did you bring?"


    "500 Southern City Guards."


    Su Han raised his eyebrows, Southern City Guards?


    This name didn''t belong to the Armed Forces'' ranking, nor could it possibly belong to the police''s. Clearly, they had restructured their organization.


    Everyone dismounted, and Wang Hu intended to take Su Han to find Guo Wutao, but he nced back at the people Su Han had brought, and after thinking, he suggested, "Director Guo probably has ns to discuss with you, so how about having your guys wait here?"


    It was unlikely that more than eighty people would be taken into the meeting room, so it made more sense to have them rest on the spot, especially since it was only going to be about half an hour.


    Su Han nodded and said, "Old Guo, take the others and stay here, we''ll go and meet up."


    "Understood."


    The people didn''t get off the trucks, choosing to rest on them instead.


    Only then did Wang Hu lead Su Han and his group toward the direction of the school''s main building, which served as the temporary office.


    The arrival of the new team quickly attracted the attention of the other Southern City Guards, but among them, the original Armed Forces members maintained strict discipline. Although curious, they refrained frommenting.


    Those from the police background disyed a simr demeanor, while some of the civilian Contractors they had gathered began to murmur.


    Just a few dozen people, not even a fifth of their own numbers, could they really handle those monsters?


    Doubts took root in their minds, but with the Armed Forces and police keeping watch, ordinary Contractors were not in a position to stand out. The exchanges were just a bit colder and less friendly, with not much closeness.


    ...


    Su Han strode into the makeshift office, following Wang Hu as he pushed the door open. There were already quite a few people sitting inside.


    A resolute man with a square face, dressed in a camougebat uniform, sat beside Guo Wutao, their seats positioned towards the interior of the office.


    Next to them sat an elderly man. Meiyu''s eyes flickered slightly as she recognized the old man to be Bai Qiuwen.


    Besides these three, there were Zhao Yaqian and a tall, young warrior, Duan Jie.


    "You''ve arrived."


    Seeing that Su Han hade, Guo Wutao greeted him with a smile, "This is Old Yan, Yan Tiejun, head of the Armed Forces department, and that''s Professor Bai Qiuwen."


    He pointed to Bai Qiuwen, slightlyining, "We three originally disagreed with hising due to the danger, but he insisted, the stubborn old man. However... he also said he wanted to meet Miss Bai Meiyu."


    Bai Qiuwen chuckled, not at all offended by Guo Wutao''s words. He knew the refusal was for his own protection.


    "Some things are better observed and studied in person. Moreover, Miss Bai''s observations and research on the apocalypse have also inspired me greatly."


    Meiyu''s expression remained calm, nodding slightly, "You tter me, Professor."


    Within her data exchange material, she emphasized distinctions between Evolved Kinds and mutants and the rtionship between monster colonies and ecology.


    Though she hadn''t mentioned much about bloodlines and suppression, these two aspects were both rted to bloodlines, which gave Bai Qiuwen considerable insight.


    In the post-apocalyptic world, some discoveries surpass mere umtion of past knowledge ¨C what''s more important is the inspiration and observation akin to genius.


    Clearly, Meiyu was such a person.


    "You already know Yaqian, next to her is Duan Jie, a warrior from the Armed Forces department, a Second Order Low Grade Contractor."


    "Hello, I''m Duan Jie."


    Duan Jie stood and saluted, his voice resounding firm and clear, the epitome of an Armed Forces warrior.


    Su Han nodded slightly and said, "Su Han."


    After the pleasantries, he nonchntly pulled over a chair to face the ckboard. The people present were either security personnel or from military backgrounds, not inclined to bother with unnecessary formalities.


    "We arrived a night early, integrated the intelligence gathered these past days, and now it''s just the right time to make an operation n."


    The ckboard disyed a map, on which Guo Wutao drew a small circle. Su Han looked surprised, "Is that the Bei Qing Grain Warehouse?"


    The circle Guo Wutao drew was near the northern suburbs, meaning close to the exit of the city''s north side, not too far from Shanhu Vi District and South City No.2 Middle School, and much closer than their location at Southern Prosperous Chemical nt.


    "Yes, it''s in the northern suburbs, near your territory," Guo Wutao said frankly, smiling like a cunning old fox.


    That is the charm of the information gap ¨C the grain warehouse is in the northern suburbs, closer to Su Han, but if one is not aware of its existence, it remains hidden.


    Moreover, if the rat creatures were to overflow, the first to be affected would be the people of the northern suburbs.


    "What''s the current situation? Did you rify the new intelligence?"


    Su Han quickly regained hisposure and asked aloud.


    Guo Wutao, with a serious expression, replied, "Old Yan''s people did the reconnaissance, let him exin."


    Yan Tiejun''s husky voice deeply resonated, "Based on reconnaissance feedback, we''ve spotted about 5,000 rat creatures active on the surface, with single creatures possessing First Order Inferior strength,parable to flesh corpses, but notcking First-level Intermediate and a number of First Order Upper Grade rat creatures that are nearly humanoid, or should we call them ratmen."


    "We couldn''t get a clear measure of the range of the underground tunnels, but judging from the rat creatures'' activity traces, it spans at least the area around the grain warehouse and extends three hundred meters beyond. There is an evident tendency for the tunnels to stretch southward.


    The overt activities of the rat creatures also show a trend of southern expansion, and if not controlled and exterminated, ording to Professor Bai''s estimates, within one to three months, a tide of rat creatures will sweep over the city''s north."


    "Have you figured out the reproduction of these rat creatures yet?"


    Su Han looked at Professor Bai Qiuwen with a querying gaze.


    Bai Qiuwen said, "We''ve captured a living rat creature, but it was too weak to deduce anything substantial. However, judging from the changes and expansion trends over these ten days, their poption growth could indeed achieve this level. The omnivorous nature provides them with more opportunities for development, and that''s a grain warehouse."


    With the warehouse storing five million tons of grain, enough for one million people to eat for three months at a rate of one pound per person per day, that vast amount could well serve as a pantry for the rat creatures.


    "ording to Miss Bai''s findings on colonies and bloodlines, for such a huge swarm of rat creatures to maintain such orderly activity contained within an area, with expansion not being all too apparent, there must be quite a few high-order rat creatures acting as the core. The two Second Order Low Grade rat creatures discovered are certainly not the only ones; everyone must take extra caution."


    The situation was clearly more severe than described a few days earlier, and Su Han''s expression grew more serious. He turned to Guo Wutao, "Director Guo, what''s your n for the attack?"


    "It''s a two-step process, first start a fire to clear the rat creatures at the front, then deal with those in the caverns."


    He pointed to a spot on the map, a short distance outside the Bei Qing Grain Warehouse, "There''s a small hollow over here, more than a thousand meters from the warehouse. The caverns shouldn''t reach this position. We can lure the rat creatures here first for a fight to eliminate their forces. That will make our mission to clear the area much lighter."

 Chapter 128: Chapter 122 Bai Qiuwen Gives Advice

    The battle n was simple, set up defensive fortifications and lure the rat monsters over, to exterminate them on arge scale.


    ording to Yan Tiejun''s thinking, if only there was air support, they could simply provide firepower coverage. It wouldn''t matter if there were three thousand or five thousand, even ten thousand would turn into "roasted duck necks".


    Of course, the military''s armament department couldn''t possibly have air power, and even if they did, it wouldn''t be possible to use it in such foggy conditions, not to mention that the fog not only obstructed visibility but also interfered with signals to some extent.


    But none of these were problems, as long as they had enough personnel. A simple umtion of fortifications waspletely sufficient to deal with these monsters.


    Although they had lost heavy firepower, the physical condition of the Contractors had also be much stronger.


    After finalizing the n, all of South City''s military personnel were quickly assembling, picking up weapons and supplies, and promptly returning to the designated transport vehicles. The assembly waspleted in less than 10 minutes.


    Su Han''s group, already resting near the vehicle, immediately enteredbat mode.


    Guo Wutao did not interfere with Su Han''smand, so he simply had to cooperate in sniping the rat monsters. Once they reached the grain warehouse''s underground cave battlefield, that''s where Su Han would truly take action.


    One by one the vehicles left South City No.2 Middle School and then headed towards the northern suburbs.


    South City''s camp dispatched over five hundred people, using military vehicles and trucks as transport vehicles, totaling nearly thirty. On them were not only people but also weapons and ammunition.


    It was evident that they were indeed making a significant investment in this mission. Without any supplementary ammunition, this battle would undoubtedly consume most of their bullets.


    The convoy advanced swiftly through the fog, with any monsters that approached being sniped from afar by the sharpshooters positioned at the windows.


    Soon the entire convoy had moved from South City into the suburbs, where fog enveloped both sides of the highway, eerily silent except for the muffled noise of the cars.


    The number of humanoid monsters decreased in the suburbs, contributing to an unusual quietness, but no one let their guard down.


    Although there weren''t many people in the suburbs, there were significantly more animals there than in the city.


    Not every animal turned into a monster, but once they mutated, they usually possessed considerablebat power.


    Along the way, they encountered several attacks from mutated monsters, mostly serpentine creatures, as well as Giant Macrophage Dogs and double-headed dogs.


    Bai Qiuwen was not in the same vehicle as Guo Wutao but was with Su Han, seemingly for the purpose ofmunicating with Bai Qn.


    "Corrupt Head Snake, Double-headed Split-Mouth Snake, Giant Macrophage Dog, double-headed dog, and the Human-Faced Toad Monster... these are all animals that mutated after the fog descended. ording to your theory, they should all be considered mutated kinds.


    After returning, Old Tian and I pondered over it and realized that this kind of mutation probably originates from the disorderly evolution caused by the distortion of Spiritual Energy."


    Bai Qiuwen pointed to the outside at the in monsters and spoke slowly to Bai Qn. His voice was calm and gentle, as if he was guiding his own student.


    Bai Qn listened intently and showed the same respect to the schr, asking, "Disorderly evolution? Unstable structure, unstable Spiritual Energy, does that also count as evolution?"


    "How do you define evolution?"


    "The change in the frequency of a species'' genes, when traits that adapt to the environment bemon within a species, it implies that the species has adapted to the environment,pleting evolution."


    "Right, that''s one biological perspective."


    Bai Qiuwen spoke meaningfully, "However, that''s just the normal scenario. Even though these mutated kinds have unstable structures and might not even be able to reproduce when inherited, I think the definition should be revised, for example, to the ascent of life ranks."


    "Are you suggesting that both Evolved Kinds and Mutated Kinds can be considered evolution?"


    "There''s nothing wrong with that from the perspective of life ranks."


    Bai Qiuwen continued, "Spiritual Energy is closely rted to the Mind, Soul, and other forces. It''s different from physical rules, and although it has specific manifestations in our world¡ªpresent in the environment, in the bodies of monsters, and our bodies¡ªregardless of its form, this type of energy inherently possesses a degree of disorderliness, just like...


    like the thinking of living beings, the chaos and leaps of the Mind... uh.. chaotically and abruptly. Those that adapt to this energy and control it well will lead the evolution of that life form."


    "An Evolved Kind?"


    "Correct," Bai Qiuwen nodded, "This evolution is simr to natural evolution, a selection of self-advantage, although the progression is faster than natural selection. Moreover, if Spiritual Energy dominates, distorting mental energy, erroneous guidance will ur, resulting in disorderly, chaotic evolution.


    The life rank will still evolve, but it might lead to anomalies like two mouths, extra arms... and so on, also bing more bloodthirsty and aggressive, even insane."


    Although research on phenomena like the Soul or the power of the Mind was virtually non-existent, as an authority in the field, Bai Qiuwen indeed had encountered too many things and records that defy modern scientific exnation.


    Although they might not seem as miraculouspared to the apocalypse, recordings about the soul that exceed ordinary perception have always been kept in the shadows.


    This was also why, when Spiritual Energy descended on the world, he and Tian Jiaxuan could quickly make the connection and verify that this power was rted to the Soul and the Mind.


    "Of course, the process isn''t important. But rtive to us humans, the will is the true self. For us, the former kind of evolution is essentially a monster."


    The instinct to survive, to be stronger, isn''t much different for mindless animals.


    But humans are different. Can one still be considered human without reason?


    Bai Qn suddenly had a moment of rity. Bai Qiuwen was giving her pointers, and as she looked at him, the kindly old man smiled warmly, his eyes shining as he nodded slightly, "Your research approach is more flexible than mine, you could definitelye up with something like human body enhancers, so be sure to take care."


    "We''ve arrived."


    At that moment, the vehicles at the front of the convoy stopped near a depression in the hills.


    "Set up the Lamp Tree Crystals, dispel the fog."


    Yan Tiejun''s orders had already been issued, and the Southern City Guards began to move, one after the other getting out of their vehicles, taking out the umted Lamp Tree Crystals, and setting them in metal rods before nting the rods into the ground.


    The light dispelled the fog, and Yan Tiejun and Guo Wutao immediately directed the Southern City Guards to start constructing defensive fortifications.


    Without any fancy fortresses, all that was needed was to roughly encircle the mountain pass and repel the monstrous rats¡ªthis would fulfill their assigned task.


    Su Han didn''t lift a finger, but Zhu Xiongmanded his men to help; all of them were Contractors, and it was not at all difficult for them to chop down withered trees and dig up soil to pile up the fortifications on-site.


    By noontime, the basic fortifications had been constructed. There were two ridges built on the slope, one taller than the other, and in front of the ridges were trenches dug from the earth.


    The first ridge served as the initial shooting point. Before the monstrous rats approached, that was where they would be shot and ughtered. Once the rats neared the first ridge on the slope, the defenders would withdraw to the second shooting point, while the Angel Envoy would join the battle, relying on the first ridge to obstruct the rats in coordination with the shooting.


    With everything ready, Guo Wutao and Yan Tiejunmanded the reconnaissance squad to drive towards the location of Bei Qing Grain Warehouse.


    Everyone watched as the vehicles gradually moved away; expressions turned serious, and they gripped their weapons tightly.


    Time ticked by¡ªroughly twenty minutes passed¡ªand finally, the roar of engines sounded; everyone heard it.


    "Report, the rat monsters have arrived!"


    The speeding vehicle burst through the fog, kicking up dust, and behind them, the roaring gradually got drowned out by a wave of shrieking that resembled an iing tide.


    From within the fog surged a terrifying ck tide, each pitch-ck and vicious rat the size of a leopard pursuing wildly, their ws, asrge as human hands, rapidly scraping the ground to increase their speed as much as possible.


    Their eyes were blood red, and their sharp teeth ovepped outside their mouths, emitting piercing screams; each was the very image of brutality¡ªfrenzied, violent, with an intense desire to devour everything at all times.


    "Boom!"


    A scout leaned out of a car window, then tossed out a chemical bomb. The click of the ss was heard as it fell among the rat horde, and instantly, mes erupted, sending more than a dozen rats flying with a powerful st.


    This caused a brief pause in the tide of rats, creating a small gap.


    At that moment, the vehicle''s driver mmed on the elerator and surged to the side of the mountain hollow, reaching the designated point of egress.


    They swiftly disembarked, without any hesitation, and hurriedly escaped up the side of the hollow.


    The swarm of rat monsters soon arrived at the bottom of the slope, a mere three to four hundred meters away from the people. Looking down from above, there seemed to be thousands of rats.


    "Fire!"


    Yan Tiejun issued the coldmand, and then gunshots rang out. Rifles spat out mes as the bullets rapidly swept downward towards the mountain base.


    Blood sttered from the rat monsters as they toppled to the ground, and the ones behind them surged forward even more viciously.


    The sound of gunfire was incessant. Rows of rat monsters fell to the bullets, and crossbow arrows joined the battle with their powerful prative force, killing the creatures.


    One hundred, two hundred, three hundred... hundreds of rat monstersy dead, and before long, there were already over a thousand corpses.


    However, the short distance of a little more than three hundred meters had already been breached by them, with only a few dozen meters separating the two sides.


    "Light the fire, the second line of defense, Summon Apostle."


    Yan Tiejun issued orders withposure, but his face didn''t look good. He cursed under his breath, "Damn it, what are the scouts doing? Is this 4,000?"


    The swarm of rats was still a dense ck mass, pouring in through the fog. The more than a thousand rats they had previously killed seemed to be less than a tenth of their number.


    "The fog is thick, and we can''t go in there. Should I give up my life to scout for you?"


    Guo Wutao, however, spoke the blunt truth. He said solemnly, "Don''t worry, we can still deal with this."


    Exceeding their numbers was part of the n. Following Yan Tiejun''s orders, everyone pulled out chemical bombs and tossed them into the rat horde even more frantically.


    Boom...


    Explosions thundered one after another, and the firelight almost brightened the entire area. A multitude of rat monsters became minced meat amidst the bomb sts, leaving the front line momentarily cleared.


    This bombing killed at least a thousand or two thousand rat monsters.


    Taking advantage of the lull, everyone rapidly moved back to the second ridge, two hundred meters away, and the Angel Envoy was summoned, taking position behind the first ridge.


    The trench in front of the ridge, now poured with gasoline, was set aze, igniting a fierce fire, forming a barrier like a wall, cutting off the rat monsters and momentarily preventing their advance.


    Meanwhile, bullets continued to pour down on them.


    "Roar!"


    But just then, a terrifying roar sounded, and a towering figure burst out from the fog.


    The advanced monsters among the rat horde had arrived.

 Chapter 129: Chapter 123 Rat-Type Abomination

    The monsters were four-headed, each reaching a height of five meters, their bodies covered in pitch-ck mane, with ferocious, barrel-sized rat heads, blood-red eyes, and an extremely brutal demeanor.


    These Rat-Type Abominations differed from the usual rat monsters. They didn''t crawl on the ground but stood upright in a ratman form, their bodies bloated, with thick, pir-like arms. On their massive bodies, twisted limbs and fierce, small rat mouths... were twisted onto their bodies.


    Even more bizarre was their lower half, which had two rows totaling six legs, all resembling rat ws, looking very strange.


    As soon as the Rat-Type Abominations appeared, their blood-red gaze immediately turned to the people on the slope, and with a sh of their brutal light, they let out a deafening howl.


    The rat monster horde immediately sprang into action, fearlessly charging at the ming trench and then engaging inbat with the Angel Envoys on the other side.


    "Bang bang bang"


    The Angel Envoys were engaged in closebat, with Giant Macrophage Dogs and flesh corpses among them, controlled by the Contractors, starting to fight with the rat monsters that had crossed the firewall.


    In terms of purebat strength, the rat monsters were undeniably weaker, getting furiously torn apart when grabbed by flesh corpses.


    But the rat monsters were numerous, with each Angel Envoy facing several rat monsters, making the fight extremely brutal.


    Fortunately, the Contractors wielding weapons continuously cooperated with their own Angel Envoys to kill rat monsters, and the number of in rat monsters kept rising.


    Moreover, First Order Upper Grade and First-level Intermediate Angel Envoys were breaking through points, sweeping the rat monsters in these areas, aiding the surrounding Angel Envoys in jointly exterminating the rat monsters.


    Among all the battling Angel Envoys, Su Han''s team was the most striking, with Zhu Xiong, Bai Qn, and the others yet to make a move.


    But the Angel Envoys in iron armor wielding cleavers were fierce enough; like an iron wall, they blocked all the rat monsters trying to break through, their des rising and falling to chop off their rat heads.


    This was an army of iron-skinned monsters. Even creatures like the Giant Macrophage Dog were d in iron armor, with spiked iron cors around their necks.


    Even when besieged by rat monsters, they were not easily injured.


    Although Su Han''sbatants weren''t wielding rifles, the crossbow arrows in their hands were still powerful. While controlling the Angel Envoys, they shot at the rat monsters, and in just a moment, there were already two to three hundred rat monster corpses on the ground.


    "Roar!"


    Failing to advance, the four Rat-Type Abominations became even more ferocious, charging forward withrge strides, followed by thousands of rat monsters.


    Yan Tiejun and Guo Wutao''s expressions darkened slightly. These four monsters were clearly of Second Order strength, two more than what the scouting had revealed.


    The defensive line couldn''t possibly stop them; if they managed to break through, the current battle against the rat monsters would undoubtedly be disrupted.


    "Yaqian, Duan Jie, have your Angel Envoys take action," they said.


    "Yes!"


    Army against army, general against general, facing the rat tide like a wave, the two had stayed put to conserve strength and focus for potentially enormous monsters.


    "Roar"


    A low roar resounded, and the Shadow Armor Monster and Shadow Armor Tyrant instantly appeared on the battlefield. The Tyrant was Zhao Yaqian''s second Angel Envoy; just ten days prior, it had been just First Order Upper Grade.


    But now, with heavy resource investment and the injections given to the Shadow Armor Monster, it had finally undergone Metamorphosis and be a Second Order Inferior Apostle.


    The Shadow Armor Tyrant, like the Shadow Armor Monster, stood at about five meters tall, even more colossal in figure, with one hand being a huge fist covered in pitch-ck thick armor, while the other arm was like a de, sharp to the extreme.


    "Thump thump thump"


    As soon as the two Angel Envoys entered the battlefield, they charged in, crossing the first earth ridge and plunging into the mass of rat monsters, attacking relentlessly, crushing any rat monster that blocked their path.


    Duan Jie also summoned his Angel Envoys simultaneously, and two tall humanoid Tyrants immediately appeared on the battlefield. Though called Tyrants, their appearance had dramatically changed.


    One was a Bullhead Tyrant with a pitch-ck bull''s head, ovepping sharp teeth resembling a demon, standing nearly seven meters tall, and covered in pitch-ck bull hair, with robust legs.


    In its hands was a terrifyingly huge axe, sweeping away the rat monsters in front of it as soon as it appeared, then charging at the Rat-Type Abominations.


    The other had a twisted spine, a bent body, and a triangr head like that of a mantis, with grinding jaws like des and curved arms like scythes, the horny substance and bones forming sharp des.


    As soon as the de Mantis Tyrant appeared, with a leap, it surpassed the Bullhead Tyrant,nding amid the rat monster horde.


    The rat monsters squealed in panic, attempting to cling to it and bite at its flesh, to kill this monster.


    But then, a sh of de light, the sharp scythe-like arms swept horizontally, cutting all rat monsters within two meters in front of it in half.


    The momentum of the rat monster horde was directly disrupted, and the four Rat-Type Abominations, too, noticed the appearance of formidable enemies, roaring as they went forward to erupt in a fierce battle.


    The four Angel Envoys wereparable in size to the four Rat-Type Abominations. In a struggle against each other, they quickly crushed the surrounding rat monsters, exchanging blows and umting more wounds on their bodies.


    The rat monsters were still assisting, especially the First Order Upper Grade rat monsters asrge as oxen, drawing near to besiege the four Angel Envoys.


    Guo Wutao''s expression shifted slightly, knowing that relying solely on their power, even if they defeated the four Rat-Type Abominations, they would likely be injured.


    "Su Han, we might need you to make a move first," they said.


    It wasn''t yet time for the granary, and Su Han joining the fray would also mean a consumption of resources, but they had no other choice.


    But Su Han merely smiled and said, "Don''t worry, we have many people."


    Guo Wutao and Yan Tiejun were taken aback, but in the next instant, the Book of Blood Spirit on Zhu Xiong''s arm lit up, and both the Devourer and the Bone Armor Giant Pig appeared on the battlefield.


    Bai Qn and Yan Meiyu also summoned their Angel Envoys¡ªDemon Eye Spider Woman, Alien Thorn Worm, and Yan Meiyu''s Rotpoison Ratman.


    Suddenly, with five additional Second Order Inferior Apostles, both Yan Tiejun and Guo Wutao were stunned.


    ''Truly concealed abilities.''


    Guo Wutao''s heart was shocked. Although he had previously seen Zhu Xiong and Bai Qn make brief moves against the Hundred-Eyed Monster, they were not dual Second-Rank Apostles at that time.


    Not to mention, that young woman who seemed to be the head steward was also a Second-order Contractor.


    As soon as the three people''s Apostles appeared, they immediately rushed to aid the battlefield.


    When Bai Qn''s Demon Eye Spider Woman broke into the battlefield, a sh of red light from its Demon Eye instantly impacted the minds of most of the rat creatures in front of her, causing them to stiffen and convulse.


    The Alien Thorn Worm continuouslyunched stabs, its sharp ws slicing through the bodies of the rat creatures, shredding them and carving out a bloody path.


    Zhu Xiong was even more direct¡ªthe Devourer''s right arm elongated, sweeping across like a whip, and its gaping mouth devoured one rat creature after another, ughtering them at an rming speed.


    The nearby Bone Armor Giant Pig used its skill, Bone Armor, and, d in its armor, it charged and rammed with full force, shattering any rat creature that stood in its way.


    Yan Meiyu''s Apostle was undoubtedly "gentle," with Shadow Strike enveloping its body. The Rotpoison Ratman, like an assassin beneath a ck robe, sliced its sharp ws across the bodies of the rat creatures.


    Even a slight superficial wound would quickly bring the rat creatures down, where they would sumb to poison and perish, the ck blood they spat out even causing nearby rat creatures to fall in a drowsy death.


    With each rat creature in, several more around them would die.


    Fortunately, this was only the Rotpoison Ratman''s Advanced Rotpoison, not an unattenuated spreading gue; otherwise, not just thousands but tens of thousands of rat creatures would not be able to withstand the toxin.


    As the Second Order Inferior Apostles charged into the battlefield, they killed no less than a thousand rat creatures along the way, and such an assault also impeded the rat creatures'' movements, slowing their offensive momentum.


    The Rat-Type Abomination sensed the appearance of more powerful opponents and suddenly became frantic. Its fighting noises grew even more berserk as it exchanged blows for wounds in an attempt to deal with Zhao Yaqian and Duan Jie''s Apostles.


    Seeing the situation gradually stabilizing, Yan Tiejun and Guo Wutao were reassured, while the Southern City Guards were dumbstruck, having not expected the people of this camp to be so fierce, boasting as many as three Second-order Contractors.


    No, not just three.


    Many cast surreptitious nces at Su Han, wondering what kind of monster he could be,manding Second-order Contractors as subordinates and speaking to people like Guo Wutao and Yan Tiejun.


    The battle continued. The first Rat-Type Abomination was sought out by Zhu Xiong''s two Apostles.


    At that time, the Shadow Armor Monster was entangling with it, its sharp hand des continuously slicing through the Rat-Type Abomination''s body, but each time it did so, the thick skin would slowly heal.


    The Rat-Type Abomination didn''t have many shy skills, but its strengthy in its Regenerative Ability and sheer power.


    Although it was no match for the Shadow Armor Monster, it had no problem dragging out the fight.


    And with the aid of rat creatures, dragging out the fight would put the Shadow Armor Monster at a disadvantage instead.


    But as soon as Zhu Xiong''s Apostles burst onto the scene, the Bone Armor Giant Pig mercilessly rammed into it.


    Like a heavy-duty truck, it sent the Rat-Type Abomination flying with a thud, crashing down onto a swath of rat creatures.


    The Devourer cooperated seamlessly, leaping up and immediately stepping on the Rat-Type Abomination.


    Its twisted limbs and mouth tried to attack the Devourer, but the Devourer was far more brutal than it had imagined. Its right arm split open, and it bit off one of the Rat-Type Abomination''s small, twisted rat heads in one go, blood sttering and the crunching noiseing from the maw was chilling.


    Without the slightest mercy, the mouth pounded down on the Rat-Type Abomination again and again, tearing at flesh with each bite, and after digging through the chest muscles, it suddenly burrowed in, soon ripping out a beating heart.


    The Rat-Type Abomination was dead!


    With one in, the scales of the battle naturally tipped more rapidly.


    Bai Qn''s Demon Eye Spider Woman and Alien Thorn Worm worked together, targeting the Rat-Type Abomination''s mind with Mental Shock, driving it into madness, followed by continuous stabs to the head.


    The stabs pierced the skull, blood sttering out. The Rat-Type Abomination grew even more violent,pletely losing its guard.


    And in that moment, the Alien Thorn Worm and the Shadow Armor Tyrant, one attacking the head and the other slicing its sharp de across the body, chopped it into three pieces.


    Su Han watched the battlefield. After Bai Qn and Zhu Xiong took care of the Rat-Type Abominations, they turned to ughter the remaining rat creatures.


    At this time, the rat creatures were still flowing in endlessly, far beyond a mere few thousand or ten thousand.


    The in count had already surpassed 5,000, but the masses remained densely packed.


    Su Han felt something was amiss. The Blood Spirit Book in his hand shed red, and the tall Ancient Worm Tree appeared at his side, starting its protective duties.


    At the same time, following his mentalmand, the Ancient Worm Tree''s vines and roots immediately burrowed into the ground, extending towards the distance. As the roots spread, they began absorbing the bodies of the rat creatures, fusing and enhancing the Essence of Flesh.


    The Lamp Tree''s light illuminated more areas of the battlefield, and as the fog slightly dissipated, heavier footsteps could suddenly be heard.


    Looking towards the distance, Su Han saw the ground swell, the noise thunderous, and he warned, "Something big ising."

 Chapter 130: Chapter 124: Mountain Corpse Giant Rat

    The horde of rat monsters quickly dispersed, no longer attacking with full force but swiftly retreating outward, as if waiting for something.


    Finally, a terrifying figure emerged from the mist, stepping out from the edge of the fog.


    It was tall, standing about ten meters high, with limbs sprawling on the ground, and a body length of nearly twenty meters. It was covered in pale long hair, coarse like spears, on its backbone, skull, beast ws... almost all joint areas were adorned with pale bones, exuding an extremely strong gloomy aura.


    "What... what kind of colossal beast is this?!"


    Among the Southern City Guards, warriors of civilian origin couldn''t help trembling in fear, as this massive beast was not mentioned in their intelligence.


    Yan Tiejun and Guo Wutao had solemn expressions and asked in a deep voice, "Could this...be the Rat King, can we take it down?"


    Thetter part of the question was directed at Su Han who was nearby. If the Angel Envoy couldn''t handle it, then they might need to use a lot of chemical bombs.


    Not to speak of whether this process was controble, restraining such a monster would likely require more sacrifices.


    Su Han''s eyes were fixed on this suddenly appearing huge rat monster, saying, "There should be no problem, let them try first."


    While the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat was extremely imposing, it was not overwhelmingly so. The problem shouldn''t be too significant.


    "Old Zhu, you guys go at it together."


    Su Han instructed Zhu Xiong, who nodded seriously, "I''m going in now."


    By now, four Rat-Type Abominations had been dealt with, three had been resolved while one was still battling with the Rotpoison Ratman and the de Mantis Tyrant.


    The de Mantis Tyrant closed in fast, its de-like forearms slicing swiftly, cutting a big gash across the Rat-Type Abomination''s front.


    At this moment, the Rotpoison Ratman executed his Shadow Strike, swiftly rushing in front of the Rat-Type Abomination, shing with numerous ws.


    A dark purple color spread across the body of the Rat-Type Abomination, with rapidly rotting cuts almost engulfing its entire body.


    This was the Rotpoison Ratman''s Advanced Rot Poison, constantly eroding the Rat-Type Abomination''s body since the battlemenced.


    Eventually, the umtion of toxins reached a limit and soon, the Rat-Type Abomination staggered and finally fell to the ground.


    "Captain Duan, your Bullhead Tyrant is the biggest, go help Old Zhu face that creature first. I''lle and help you soon."


    "Alright"


    Duan Jie agreed decisively, and the Bullhead Tyrant and the de Mantis Tyrant quickly charged towards the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat.


    As the gully had been previously filled with rat monsters, although all present were Second-order Contractors boasting notablebat strength, no one had entered the fray in person, thus all were remotely controlling their Angel Envoys.


    Thus,munication among them was much facilitated, and after reaching a consensus, all Second Order Lower Grade Angel Envoys quickly rushed toward the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat.


    Zhu Xiong''s Bone Armor Giant Pig charged the fastest, already reaching five meters in height and about seven meters in body length after ranking as Second Order Lower Grade; its charge was like a small mountain moving.


    It mmed fiercely, its sharp tusks piercing through the skin of the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat, instantly sinking in and sshing out bright red blood.


    "Roar"


    The Mountain Corpse Giant Rat roared angrily, its huge bone w striking towards the Bone Armor Giant Pig. With a muffled thud, the Bone Armor Giant Pig was knocked flying and heavily mmed to the ground.


    The Bone Armor Giant Pig staggered up, the bone armor continuing to spread and repairing the cracks caused by the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat''s impact.


    However, at that moment, the bone ws of the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat were already pursuing to hit the Giant Pig while it was down.


    The Glutton surged forward suddenly, its right arm lengthening. Once it activated its Hardening Skill, the whole arm swung like a chain hammer brutally against the bone w of the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat.


    The heavy thud sent the bone w flying.


    The Glutton swiftly moved, leaping over ten meters in an instant, jumping directly onto the back of the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat.


    Its whirling right arm quickly switched direction, biting into an unprotected spot on the carcass, instantly tearing off arge chunk of flesh.


    The Mountain Corpse Giant Rat, infuriated, shook its body trying to throw the Glutton off, but the Glutton''s right arm was already wrapped around the spinal bone spikes, as steady as Mount Tai.


    After several shakes failing to dislodge the Glutton, the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat roared angrily, the bone spikes trembling and then making a whizzing sound as they shot out.


    The Glutton hastily dodged, but the bone spikes were incredibly fast, piercing its shoulder and causing it to fall to the ground.


    Thud, thud, thud


    Just as the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat was gaining the upper hand, heavy footsteps were already approaching. The Bullhead Tyrant was charging headlong at the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat.


    The bone w of the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat reached out towards it, but in the next moment, it was firmly opposed by the Bullhead Tyrant using both handed strength, staunchly resisting.


    Its movement was temporarily constrained, and in that moment, the de Mantis Tyrant, Shadow Armor Tyrant, Shadow Armor Monster, and Demon Eye Spider Woman arrived one after another.


    The Demon Eye Spiderwoman directly used her Demon Eye, a crimson gaze charged with Mental Shock, assaulting the mind of the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat.


    Like a hammer striking at its spirit, the mind vibrated sharply, its actions bing sluggish.


    Had the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat not been slightly stronger, it likely would have been unable to move in a short period.


    However, even though the Demon Eye did not cause fatal damage, the fate of the defeat of the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat remained unchanged.


    The remaining Angel Envoys began to encircle and attack, a single or a couple of Angel Envoys might not be a match for the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat, but now there were fully eight Angel Envoys, and after Yan Meiyupleted the Contract, two more Angel Envoys joined the battle.


    One against ten, it wasn''t long before the gravely injured Mountain Corpse Giant Ratpletely lost its life.


    As the body of the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat fell, the swarm of rat monsters seemed frightened and retreated toward the outskirts of the mist, hurriedly like a receding tide.


    They were retreating, after all the leader-like monsters had been killed, they couldn''t stand against the creatures they were currently facing.


    About three to four thousand rat monsters frantically fled, and Su Han''s eyes narrowed, revealing a smile.


    They couldn''t all escape.


    The vines of the Ancient Worm Tree suddenly sprang from the ground, sweeping across the horde of rat creatures, strangling one after another, while Zhu Xiong and others, recovering from the exertion, also immediately controlled their Angel Envoys to join the massacre.


    The charge of ten Second Order Lower Grade Angel Envoys, like a row of meat grinders, continually reaped the lives of the rat creatures.


    In less than 20 minutes, there were hardly any rat monsters left on the battlefield, and at most, only a few hundred escaped.


    "Finally¡­it''s over."


    Guo Wutao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn''t expected such a drawn-out battle to attract so many creatures, at least ten thousand rat creatures, and even five Second Order monsters.


    Especially that Mountain Corpse Giant Rat, its strength was unexpectedly formidable.


    "That one wasn''t even the leader."


    However, Su Han''s voice came, causing Guo Wutao to look astonished, "What?!"


    "Su Han is right, the leader might still be at the granary."


    The voice of Bai Qiuwen slowly came, "Those rat monsters even maintained some semnce of order during theirst escape, it wasn''t aplete scattering. Moreover, from its form, that giant rat doesn''t seem like a breeding female."


    The rat creatures could breed so rapidly, there were only two possibilities, one was a breeding queen simr to a bug hive, like queen ants or queen bees.


    Another possibility, there was a corresponding scale of a mother group, with many specialized breeding females.


    However, in this battle, no distinct breeding females were found, therefore, it''s likely not the ultimate monster.


    Guo Wutao''s expression turned serious, he said in a low voice, "If that''s the case, we need to be careful. Let''s rotate recalling Angel Envoys for rest, and head to the granary after three hours."


    Battles with Angel Envoys also consumed the physical and mental energy of a Contractor, especially the Spiritual Energy inside their bodies. Unless one was a monster like Su Han, prolongedbat carried significant stress.


    Upon receiving the order, everyone immediately began to take turns to rest.


    Meanwhile, at Su Han''s location, the Ancient Worm Tree''s vines continuously spread, and then persistently devoured the bodies of these rat creatures, one after another.


    Three Rat-Type Abominations were not spared by Su Han either, he directly initiated Fusion, incorporating their bodies into the Fusion progress of Essence of Flesh.


    This significantly raised the Fusion progress. After an hour, having fused over three thousand rat creature bodies and a Rat-Type Abomination, the Fusion progress of Essence of Flesh was filled.


    [LV3 Essence of Flesh Fusionpleted, Ancient Worm Tree gains Skill Advancement: LV3 Tree-born Worm, LV2 Tree Womb.]


    Su Han''s eyes lit up, his spirits slightly calmed, sensing the change in skills, he couldn''t help but smile.


    With LV3 Tree-born Worm, the number of worms increased to 300, with a range of 1500 meters; both the number and range had significantly increased. Following such an expansion strategy, forming an army like the rat creatures was not impossible.


    And the changes to LV2 Tree Womb excited Su Han even more, because the quota for Tree Womb Bred Beasts had increased.


    The original single allocation upied by the Alien Thorn Worm had been increased by one, meaning that Su Han could now either raise two Alien Thorn Worms or breed a new Bred Beast.


    As the Ancient Worm Tree''s skills advanced, the size of the tree gradually increased as well, its presence bing even more imposing, and the Radiance of the Lamp Tree seemed to brighten a bit.


    Everyone, especially the Southern City Guards, watched the transforming Ancient Worm Tree in amazement, deeply shocked in their hearts, just... to have grown stronger so simply?


    They had only seen the Ancient Worm Tree ''devouring'' the bodies of those rat creatures, thinking such devouring was less effective than serums, even considering it a waste.


    After all, so many monster bodies could refine quite a few serums, even if they''re not as good as living bodies, but now it had all been devoured.


    Yet, the sudden increase in strength was entirely unexpected.


    "It''s gotten stronger again, such a talent is really outrageous, and it even works on Angel Envoys."


    Guo Wutao''s face remained calm, but his heart was equally shocked, wondering if every Angel Envoy could devour and evolve; the more they advanced, the more Angel Envoys there were, the stronger they became, the more creatures they could fuse.


    How could such a mode of getting stronger not be envied?


    "At least, the stronger his power, the more solidly he can secure the granary."


    Old friend Yan Tiejun also nced at the towering Ancient Worm Tree, speaking softly.


    Guo Wutao nodded his head, just about to speak, when suddenly he saw Wang Hu quickly running up the hillside.


    "Director Guo, Director Yan, while cleaning up the battlefield, we discovered arge hole, the direction points toward the underground cavern."

 Chapter 131: Chapter 125 Nest

    Guo Wutao heard the news and immediately linked all the information together, no wonder there had been such a sudden increase in rat monsters.


    He found Su Han, who was controlling the Angel Envoy to fuse with the corpses of rat monsters, and told him about the tunnels.


    Su Han''s eyebrows furrowed slightly as he said, "Let''s go and see."


    The group walked out from the mountain hollow to a wastnd about three hundred meters away. Crystals from the Lamp Tree had been ced nearby, dispersing the fog, and illuminating the area ahead.


    The ground was littered withrge amounts of soil piled into ridges, with traces of being trampled by something huge, and right in the center of the soil was the tunnel that had been found.


    More than ten meters wide, pitch-ck, it was impossible to see how deep it was at a nce.


    At this time, around the tunnel, footprints were scattered, and there were many bloodstains. Some of the rat monsters that had escaped had fled from this tunnel.


    "Is this an existing tunnel or was it recently dug?"


    Yan Tiejun''s expression was solemn. If the tunnel had been there all along while they ambushed in the hollow, it was no less than setting an ambush right in the enemy''s main camp¡ª a serious and grievous intelligence failure.


    Su Han examined the surrounding soil, which was damp and fresh, appearing to have been dug out not long ago.


    "If the rat monsters'' den has already spread here, we were attacked before we even had the fortifications ready."


    He exined briefly, then thought for a moment and added, "However, their ability to dig tunnels is much stronger than we anticipated. I''m afraid the burrows not only spread throughout the grain warehouse underground but some of them have just run back there."


    Guo Wutao and Yan Tiejun''s expressions tightened. It was impossible to prevent a portion of the monsters from escaping in such a battle.


    Even though Su Han had many Fast-growing Vines of the Ancient Worm Tree, they were somewhat insufficientpared to tens of thousands of rat monsters.


    "Director Guo, Director Yan, dys can lead to unexpected problems. Gather your people and let''s get started. We need to go now."


    Whether rat monsters could send signals through the air, or what the situation underground was like, no one could say for sure at the moment.


    Although many rat monster corpses had not been Devoured,pared to the entire grain warehouse where even more powerful rat monsters could exist, Su Han felt it would be okay to postpone the Fusion slightly.


    After all, ording to the Contract, the bodies of these rat monsters all belonged to him.


    Although they had only rested for an hour, everyone had somewhat recovered and were able to fight again.


    Guo Wutao and Yan Tiejun exchanged a nce, nodding and saying, "Okay, let''s go now. But this time, we may all rely on you to take action."


    Naturally, it was impossible for humans to explore burrow situations. A few Second-Rank Apostles might attempt it, but the previous battles made them realize that doing so was very dangerous.


    Because if a Second-order Intermediate monster appeared again, a single Angel Envoy would not be able to defeat it.


    And in a space like a burrow, it was difficult tounch a group attack, only 1v1, which was not good at all.


    The order to move was sudden, but both the Southern City Guards and Su Han''s people immediately made battle preparations.


    Those who dared to join the battle sequence, even if they were only ordinary civilians before the apocalypse, had the tenacity, execution, and awareness of the apocalypse.


    If they didn''t fight, they would inevitably die sooner orter.


    Everyone got into the vehicles and rushed towards the grain warehouse a kilometer away, all holding their breath, ready for the uing battle.


    As they approached the grain warehouse, everyone became more vignt, as this was now the area pervaded by the burrows, and rat monsters could erupt from the ground at any moment to attack them.


    The nerves of the people in the car were increasingly tense. Anthropomorphic tree people followed closely outside, while Tree-born Worms rushed under the ground, detecting the underground conditions ahead of time.


    As soon as the worms detected any movement of rat monsters, they would immediately return to ry the information.


    However, as they arrived at the entrance of Bei Qing Grain Warehouse, something strange happened; they didn''t encounter a single rat monster.


    Under the shroud of mist, the vast Bei Qing Grain Warehouse stood silently,pletely silent.


    After getting off the vehicles, Guo Wutao and Yan Tiejun immediately had a meeting, with Yan Tiejun asking in a heavy tone, "Su Han, have you discovered anything?"


    The situation was highly abnormal; even after a battle of attrition, the numbers of rat monsters here could not have decreased to such an extent.


    Were they holing up temporarily to avoid them, or lying in wait preparing tounch a surprise attack?


    Su Han shook his head and said, "No movement of rat monsters was detected in the peripheral tunnels. It must be deeper down. Get ready, I am going to take action."


    As Su Han spoke, the Ancient Worm Tree shifted from its Anthropomorphic State to a towering tree, its vines rapidly extending towards the entire Bei Qing Grain Warehouse.


    After several sessful Fusions, the spread of the Ancient Worm Tree''s vines had reached five hundred meters, sufficient to illuminate the entire area.


    The mist waspletely dispelled, and the whole view of Bei Qing Grain Warehouse was exposed with its towering walls and the vague outlines of tall granaries visible.


    But even then, inside the granary, no movement of rat monsters was found.


    ''Are they all underground?''


    After searching the surface, the roots and vines of the Ancient Worm Tree immediately extended underground.


    50 meters, 100 meters, 200 meters... Finally, movement was detected through the vines.


    "At a location two hundred meters underground,"


    Su Han informed everyone of the situation, and Yan Tiejun immediately ordered, "Use the vehicles for cover and be ready for battle."


    The Ancient Worm Tree''s vines writhed frantically,unching an onught on the rat creatures within the cavern.


    The tunnels of the cavern were five to six meters wide, yet they still seemed somewhat crampedpared to the swarming hordes of rat creatures.


    They, too, had detected the traces of the vines and sought to mount an attack, but the vines struck from all directions within the tunnel, ensnaring and strangling.


    Thus, the moment they noticed the vines, the constrictive assault was already underway.


    One after another, the rat creatures were strangled to death in the tunnels while the Tree-born Worm shuttle through the underground, coordinating with the vines in their attack.


    For a time, a one-sided massacre unfolded within the underground cavern.


    The vines extended deeper, nearing the three hundred meter mark, with no fewer than a thousand rat creatures in.


    Blood soaked into the soil, mingling with the damp scent of the earth, creating an unpleasant and pungent odor.


    In the process of strangtion, quite a few vines were bitten through.


    However, the self-healing ability worked in conjunction with the fast-growing vines, aided by the Man-eating Vine devouring the flesh and blood of the rat creatures to restore the spiritual energy of the Ancient Worm Tree.


    Thus, the energy consumption was reduced to the bare minimum, and the onught remained unrelenting.


    About half an hourter, those who waited dared not rx, for although the surface remained quiet, the ceaseless squirming of the Ancient Worm Tree''s vines indicated that a fierce battle was erupting underground beyond imagination.


    "Roar!"


    Suddenly, a dread-filled roar resounded, the ground vibrating mightily, changing everyone''s expressions.


    Su Han perceived more clearly that the rat creatures were retreating; they ceased their suicidal attacks that hindered the vines'' deadly stranglehold.


    Instead, they headed in one direction in unison, their speed remarkably fast¡ªthey felt the call.


    Su Han''s face grew stern, as expected, the next moment the ground shook even more intensely, something huge moved rapidly underground.


    "Rumbling..."


    From three hundred meters below, it shot straight towards the surface, tearing apart several of the Ancient Worm Tree''s roots.


    The main gate of the Bei Qing Grain Warehouse suddenly crumbled, the concrete road copsed, and a hole over ten meters wide appeared before everyone, from which a colossal being burst forth.


    Shrouded in ck, it stood eleven or twelve meters tall with massive ck horns atop its head, its crimson eyes fierce and wild.


    It bore not the usual appearance of rat monsters with a rat head and humanoid body, but rather a robust form with two arms on each side, the upper arms ck and muscr, ending inrge hands with sharp ws.


    Beneath the ribs were another two limbs, not fingers but serpentine tentacles, with sharp tips sheathed in ayer of bone-like keratin, resembling drill heads.


    Upon its arrival, its cold gaze immediately locked on the Ancient Worm Tree, and its bellowing roar echoed through heaven and earth.


    Behind it, the rat creatures streamed out neatly, flocking around it with utter subservience.


    "This monster is very dangerous!"


    Zhao Yaqian''s temples throbbed as her sense of danger warned her of the immense threat posed by the creature, far more dangerous than the previous Mountain Corpse Giant Rat.


    Suppressing the sting of the danger perception, she ryed the information to Su Han.


    In fact, the moment this colossal creature appeared, everyone knew it was not to be trifled with.


    However, just when everyone was preparing for battle, the ground began to stir again.


    Everyone''s faces changed as the earth bulged, forming arge hole from which another towering rat creature burst forth.


    It resembled a flesh mountain, nearly twenty meters tall, entirely rat-like in form, muscles exposed in pink flesh, bereft of fur.


    Its lower bodyy prone on the ground with six limbs, while its upper body slightly elevated in an erect posture, its head rat-like, and its limbs, unlike the slender arms of a typical rodent, were sharp and fearsome.


    At the junction of its lower and upper body, there was a writhing orifice whose purpose was unknown.


    Following the appearance of this giant rat, several morerge and round rat-like beings emerged, each standing four to five meters tall.


    "Roar"


    The Troll Mouse King let out a furious roar, following which all rat creatures charged toward Su Han and hispanions. Although totaling only in the thousands, fewer than before but seemingly fiercer under itsmand.


    Especially on the side of the broodnest queen, the towering Birthing Rats, despite their round shapes, were not slow in charging, and their overall strength was at least of the First Order Upper Grade.


    The waves of rat creatures moved forward in an imposing array. Su Han sneered, "Finally showing true desperation, everyone attack. Second-Rank Apostles take the lead in breaking their ranks, followed by the First-Tier Apostles, while the Contractors provide sniper support. Leave the two lead creatures to me."


    Unlike the previous Mountain Corpse Giant Rat, these two creatures would not be swiftly taken down even if Zhu Xiong and their Second Order Inferior Apostles worked together.


    They were at least Second-order Superior, and with theirbined efforts, they would undeniably be more formidable.


    His Book of Blood Spirit gleamed red, and the Scorpion Spider Demon''s towering figure charged out, heading straight for the Troll Mouse King.


    Swinging the Wolf Fang Club in hand, any rat creature that blocked the way was turned into minced meat.


    Behind the Scorpion Spider Demon, the remaining ten Second Order Inferior Apostles lined up side by side, keeping a ten-meter interval, charging through the waves of rat creatures.


    First Order Upper Grade Apostles filled the gaps, acting as a dam to hold back the surging tide of rats.

 Chapter 132: Chapter 126: The Great Battle

    When the Scorpion Spider Demon charged towards the Troll Mouse King, thetter was also rushing towards it, its boneless tentacle-arms shooting forward first.


    The bone tips, aimed at the Scorpion Spider Demon''s body, struck with fierce speed and immense force.


    The Scorpion Spider Demon swung its Wolf Fang Club to meet the attack, shing with a metallic ng. The bone tips were knocked away but were quickly controlled by the Troll Mouse King and aimed right back at the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    This probing attack marked the beginning of the battle, with the Troll Mouse King''s movements being extremely sharp, and every attack carried tremendous force.


    When the attack from the tentacle bone tips failed, it immediately closed in for hand-to-handbat; its massive beast ws struck with powerful force upon the Scorpion Spider Demon, colliding with the Floating Pagoda ck Armor with a resounding ng.


    Two tentacles from beneath the ribs alsounched an attack, attempting to snatch the Wolf Fang Club from the Scorpion Spider Demon''s grasp, but the Floating Pagoda ck Armor on its body was not just for show.


    Armored tes from the Floating Pagoda ck Armor formed chains, battling the tentacles. Although slightly weaker in strength, they did not give way an inch.


    The two massive creatures constantly attacked each other, trading blows with thunderous impact, each hit felt profoundly. Under such attacks, any rat monsters that came close became casualties.


    Elsewhere, just as the battle between the Scorpion Spider Demon and the Troll Mouse King erupted, the nest-mother rat started stepping forward with massive strides wanting to help the Troll Mouse King.


    However, as it started moving, countless vines already burst from the ground, binding towards its body.


    "Roar"


    The nest-mother rat got its beast feet entwined by the vines and immediately began to struggle and roar, its forelimbs and sharp ws reaching out towards the vines.


    Its sharp ws sliced through, and with a strength not inferior to the Troll Mouse King''s, the vines broke one by one.


    Su Han watched the vines break and contemted, "The strength of the vines is stillcking, could the metallic quality be insufficient?"


    Previously, he had mostly fought weaker monsters, and few could tear the vines apart.


    Even some somewhat stronger monsters could not escape the density of those vines, which now served as a reminder to him.


    With a thought, he continued tomand the Ancient Worm Tree to attack, reasoning that if one vine could be broken, then let ten vines entangle it.


    With Fast-Growing Vines and Intermediate Self-Healing in hand, Su Han had enough confidence to wear it down.


    As Su Han controlled the Ancient Worm Tree to burst forth, more vines surged like a tide, especially entwining around the two hind legs furthest from the forelimbs.


    The nest-mother rat swung its massive forelimbs to break free, but at that moment, four thicker tentacles suddenly surged from the ground, unmistakably the Man-eating Vines.


    No sooner had the Man-eating Vines appeared than they rapidly wrapped around the two forelimb beast ws and bit into the nest-mother rat''s body.


    A significant amount of Paralyzing Toxin was injected, and the nest-mother rat immediately realized the bad situation, swelling up and emitting a piercing roar.


    The terrifying roar, with its powerful sonic force, caused some nearby rat monsters to have intracranial bleeding and copse on the spot.


    Many vines weakened in their movements due to the roar, loosening their grip on the nest-mother rat.


    Seeing the hope of escaping, the nest-mother rat struggled even harder, attempting to break free from the vines'' bondage.


    If it managed to break free this time and join the Troll Mouse King, then the vines could never bind it again.


    But it was celebrating too soon.


    After withstanding the initial impact, the Ancient Worm Tree quickly reacted and intensified the vines'' bondage.


    From afar, Su Han''s eyes narrowed, then he shouted, "Old Zhu, where are the city-defense crossbows?"


    Zhu Xiong was currently controlling his Angel Envoy to sweep through those monsters, and had himself entered the fray with an axe, each swing taking down a monster.


    Hearing Su Han''s shout, he responded loudly, "On top of the red truck!"


    Upon hearing the reply, Su Han''s gaze immediately fixed on the red truck, and he leaped directly onto its roof.


    The city-defense crossbow and huge crossbow arrows were anchored there. He unlocked the restraints, grabbed a crossbow arrow, and loaded it onto the city-defense crossbow.


    Under Metal Maniption, he immediately turned the direction of the city-defense crossbow, aiming it at the nest-mother rat.


    Su Han cranked the winch, the crossbow string tense, and then pulled the trigger to shoot.


    The two-meter-long huge crossbow arrow shot out like lightning, soaring over the monster crowd and directly hitting the body of the nest-mother rat.


    Blood sttered out, the entire crossbow arrow embedding in the nest-mother rat''s body. Its roaring was interrupted, and more vines wrapped around at that moment, even sealing its mouth.


    Su Han chuckled, but his actions didn''t stop; he already set up the second crossbow arrow on the city-defense crossbow, aiming at the nest-mother rat.


    Although the city-defense crossbow couldn''t cause fatal injuries, the nest-mother rat was now bound, with no ce to dodge. A little assistance in weakening it was sufficient; after it was weakened, the Ancient Worm Tree couldpletely control it.


    "Swoosh"


    The second crossbow arrow shot out swiftly, the nest-mother rat struggling mightily to dodge, but its body, already bound by the vines, couldn''t move at all and was quickly hit.


    The vines entered through the two blood holes, continuously widening them and churning its innards.


    At this point, the nest-mother rat had no means left to resist the vine intrusion, its ears, nose, and eyes all pierced by the vines.


    The nest-mother rat let out a deep mournful cry. Before long, the paralyzing toxin injected inrge quantities by the Ancient Worm Tree had taken effect, and its huge body began to wobble, then heavily crashed to the ground.


    "Roar"


    The Troll Mouse King let out a terrifying roar. Seeing the nest-mother rat brought down, it immediately realized that the n''s peril had reached a critical moment.


    Suddenly, a terrifying red light burst from its body, and the scent of blood permeated its surroundings as sharp beast ws reached out for the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    This time, the sharp ws even had a red glow to them.


    The Scorpion Spider Demon was struck by this attack, and the tes of its Floating Pagoda ck Armor immediately shattered, and even the Iron Skin beneath the armor couldn''t withstand the assault.


    The sharp beast ws tore through the body of the Scorpion Spider Demon, and blood instantly gushed out like a fountain.


    "Crack"


    The Scorpion Spider Demon, a ferocious creature, despite taking a heavy blow to the chest, immediately thrust its metallic ws from under its ribs into the beast ws of the Troll Mouse King, locking it down.


    A swing of the Wolf Fang Club came crashing down hard on the beast w, instantly breaking the bones, and the sharp metal ws even sliced off the front paw.


    The Troll Mouse King roared in agony, but the Scorpion Spider Demon charged forward, fiercely colliding with the Troll Mouse King and grabbing its body with both arms.


    The Floating Pagoda ck Armor shifted, and the exposed Crimson Demon Eye on its shoulder fired a st of red light, mming heavily into the Troll Mouse King.


    With just one st, the Troll Mouse King''s body shook violently, as if it had taken a heavy blow to the brain, and it started trembling uncontrobly.


    However, before it could recover, a second st from the Crimson Demon Eye wasunched.


    This time, blood immediately flowed from the nose and mouth of the Troll Mouse King, and its crimson eyes dted, nearly bulging out.


    Coagtion Cannon!


    The Troll Mouse King, caught off guard, was severely wounded, but the Scorpion Spider Demon didn''t n to let up; a blood sphere quickly gathered in front of its scorpion mouth, then struck the defenseless Troll Mouse King heavily.


    Boom


    A huge explosion sounded, and arge hole immediately appeared in the stomach of the Troll Mouse King, with blood continuously spurting out.


    After a series of heavy hits, the Troll Mouse King could no longer resist.


    Meanwhile, the wounds previously inflicted on the Scorpion Spider Demon had already mostly healed, slowly closing up.


    [Detected a fusion-capable living monster, the Troll Mouse King, proceed with fusion?]


    [Detected a fusion-capable living monster, the Broodnest Mouse Queen, proceed with fusion?]


    Prompts for fusion simultaneously appeared for the Scorpion Spider Demon and the Ancient Worm Tree.


    Su Han''s eyes lit up, exactly what he had been waiting for; without any hesitation, he immediately thought to himself, "Fusion."


    The two Angel Envoys started fusing unrestrainedly, while the surrounding rat monsters tried to interfere and rescue their king.


    But fusion didn''t stop them from acting, the Scorpion Spider Demon continued its fusion with one hand, while sweeping away rat monsters with the Wolf Fang Club in the other, keeping them from getting close.


    Even more terrifyingly, the Crimson Demon Eye, after a brief rest, burst forth again, sweeping over a crowd of rat monsters before it.


    Although the power was somewhat reduced since it wasn''t a one-on-one attack, it was still a formidable attack for the rat monsters.


    At the Ancient Worm Tree, Fast-growing Vines covered the ground and underground, strangling approaching rat monsters or turning them into nutrients for the Man-eating Vine.


    The Tree-born Worm had already been recalled to its side, and although there were only a hundred hatched worms currently,bined with the vine attacks, they were enough to trouble these rat monsters.


    "Kill!"


    The defeat of the Mouse King and Queen plunged the rat monsters into chaos, weakening their assault considerably; Guo Wutao and Yan Tiejun seized the opportunity tounch a final attack.


    This time, not only the Angel Envoys fought, but the Contractors also began to push forward.


    d in ck Armor, Su Han gripped a Pu knife and charged into the rat monster swarm, leading the charge in the general attack.


    With every movement of his hand, a rat monster was cleaved in two; though in human form, Su Han''s strength was greater than that of a typical Angel Envoy, and in just a few short moments, he had swept through hundreds of rat monsters.


    Such sweeping continued for half an hour until the rat monsters werepletely scattered, gradually being exterminated; even those few that escaped numbered only over a hundred and could only struggle to survive in the caves.


    With just over a hundred rat monsters left, it was unlikely that they could evolve to such scales again.


    Especially since there was no longer a stockpile of food, they would need to continuouslypete with other monsters to secure resources for growth.


    "We finally won."


    Guo Wutao wiped his blood-stained machete, his body and face already sttered with blood, the smell so familiar to him now.


    Having retired from the front lines a while ago, it had been a long time since he had fought in earnest, and Guo Wutao felt somewhat nostalgic.


    Yan Tiejun, however, was much calmer; his Angel Envoy, a Giant Macrophage Dog, also of First Order Upper Grade, had killed many rat monsters in the fight.


    "Days like this will be plenty in the future," he paused slightly, "but at least we finally have this stockpile, which means we can do so much more."


    Guo Wutao nodded, understanding Yan Tiejun''s meaning; with the stockpile secured, they could shelter more people, expand the base, save survivors... each of these required food as a backbone.


    Otherwise, just waiting for crops to grow would take at least two or three months, by which time most people would be dead.


    "Old Yan, you take some people to clean up the battlefield, and I''ll go with Su Han to check the warehouse, see what the situation is,"


    "Okay."

 Chapter 133: Chapter 127: The Situation of the Granary

    Although there was a prior agreement with Su Han, the majority of the rat monster corpses on the battlefield had to be handed over to him.


    However, aside from the rat monster corpses, the casualty situation of the Southern City Guards, wound treatment for their personnel, and other matters also needed to be tallied and addressed promptly, which required the oversight of a person of significant authority.


    On Guo Wutao''s side, he found Su Han apanied by the two Angel Envoys.


    At this moment, Su Han was still d in ck Armor and had no intention of removing it; the Pu knife in his hand was stained with blood, and his aura was so chillingly cold that it put people on edge.


    "Su Han, we need to clean out the warehouse next. Are youing over personally, or...?"


    Guo Wutao originally intended for Su Han to join him, but his words changed upon seeing that both of his Angel Envoys were "devouring" the Troll Mouse King and the Mother Nest Queen, so he altered his approach.


    It was clear that the two Angel Envoys could not stray too far at the moment, which was why he sought out Su Han now.


    Even though Su Han himself was essentially an ''anthropomorphic monster'' and had the strength to protect himself,


    Since he did not want Su Han to misinterpret a sudden invitation, what was meant to be an invitation turned into an inquiry.


    After some thought, Su Han called out to Zhu Xiong in the distance, "Old Zhu, Meiyu, you two go and check the condition of the grain warehouse."


    Upon hearing Su Han''smand, Zhu Xiong immediately responded, "No problem, we''re on it."


    Seeing that Su Han had called upon Zhu Xiong and Yan Meiyu, one a representative of military strength and the other the head of logistics, both of whom were influential, Guo Wutao nodded in agreement and said, "Alright, then we''ll go on ahead, and you tell me if anythinges up here."


    Guo Wutao and Zhu Xiong''s teams entered the Bei Qing Grain Warehouse. Although the rat monster army had been defeated, including the death of their king and queen at the hands of Su Han, that did not guarantee the absence of rat monsters or other creatures within.


    One can never be too cautious; after all, everyone has but one life, and once it''s gone, everything is lost.


    Meanwhile, Su Han waited silently for the Fusion of his two Angel Envoys. Compared to the monsters he had encountered before, the difficulty of this Fusion was undoubtedly greater; the resistance of both the Troll Mouse King and the Mother Nest Queen was extremely fierce.


    The Fusion process was bing increasingly prolonged. After well over half an hour, just as Guo Wutao and his team hadpleted a round of inspection and returned, the Fusion had onlypleted a quarter of their bodies.


    "What''s the situation inside?"


    Seeing that Guo Wutao didn''t look too pleased, Su Han spoke up and asked.


    With a slightly grim expression, Guo Wutao said, "At most, there are a little over twenty thousand tons left. The rat horde has consumed a lot of the food, and there''s also a fair amount that has been contaminated."


    Half of the fifty thousand tons of grain had been consumed, no insignificant figure.


    It must be understood that, given a fifty thousand-ton reserve, even if the two camps were to divide it equally, the food could supply one million people for one and a half months.


    Although factors such as poor reserves, greater consumption by Contractors, and other reasons may slightly shorten this duration, it still represents a three to four ten-day period of consumption for a million people.


    However, ten thousand tons would only be enough for two hundred thousand people for three months under ideal conditions. In reality, the actual duration of use would be somewhat shorter.


    Of course, two hundred thousand is a significant number, and the Survivors'' Camp in South City currently has only a few thousand people, which seems more than enough.


    But this is under the current circumstance where South City has not fully expanded and has not conducted an active search for survivors, maintaining a poption of just a few thousand.


    If they were tomence a full search, the number of people would quickly rise, and the consumption would increase by the day.


    Moreover, it''s the post-apocalyptic era, and there are no other channels for supplies. Without establishing corresponding production and with only several months'' worth of reserves, it''s equally a perilous situation.


    "Ten thousand tons is not a small amount, after all."


    Su Han appeared calm, understanding Guo Wutao''s concerns and said, "There are not a few who have survived in South City, scattered in various ces. But even when you begin your rescue operations, not all of them may join you, so ten thousand tons should be enough. You could even consider trying to feed the Evolved Kind."


    Guo Wutao''s expression changed slightly as he frowned, "You mean, like a small group?"


    Su Han nodded and replied, "Yes, so ten thousand tons will be enough."


    In a way, Su Han''s Survivor''s Camp was akin to a ''small group,'' yet their formidable strength meant that South City regarded him as an equal.


    However, it was a different story for other small groups, whichcked the capability to protect civilians and instead relied on their own power to dominate.


    Undoubtedly, such groups woulde into conflict with the current camp in South City since they would not be content to submit to others.


    "We''ll y it by ear."


    Guo Wutao shook his head slightly, then said, "Well, ording to our agreement, let''s start moving the goods."


    Su Han nodded and said, "We''ll each take half, and I''ll leave it to Old Zhu and his team to handle my share."


    The two reaffirmed their agreement, with no hint of reneging.


    Su Han immediately instructed Old Zhu and Yan Meiyu to organize personnel to move the goods, while Bai Qn returned to the camp after collecting enough samples to stand guard.


    As for himself, he remained here, continuing to monitor the Fusion process.


    Two and a half hourster, as a group of people began to transport the grain, Su Han''s side finallypleted the Fusion of the two monsters.


    The Ancient Worm Tree''s fusion progress with the Mother Nest Rat Queen reached 34%, while the fusion progress of the Troll Mouse King with the Scorpion Spider Demon reached 32%, nearly one-third.


    However, this was just the beginning of the fusion.


    Su Han''s two Angel Envoys began to work on the piled-up rat monster corpses, with the Ancient Worm Tree being moved by Su Han to the mountain hollow battlefield to integrate the rat monster corpses there.


    Meanwhile, the Scorpion Spider Demon stayed at the grain warehouse battlefield to fuse on the spot.


    For a full day and night, the Scorpion Spider Demon first integrated the thousands of bodies on this side, and then joined Su Han at the mountain hollow to continue the fusion process.


    In both battlefields, nearly 10,000 rat monster corpses were needed for one Angel Envoy to gradually bring the fusion progress topletion.


    [Troll Mouse King 100% fusionplete, Scorpion Spider Demon level breakthrough to Third Order, acquired skills: LV1 Blood Qi Blessing, skill advancement: LV3 Coagtion Cannon]


    The Scorpion Spider Demon was the first toplete its advancement, its size surging past the ten-meter mark, the carapace of its lower half, which was scorpion-shaped, became pitch-ck and shiny, even more resilient, while its upper body''s muscles bulged like boulders, unyielding and sturdy.


    A blood-red color of vital energy surged through its body, interspersed with Spiritual Energy. With a thought, vital energy enveloped its scorpion tail, and with a whip of the tail, it was as if a Pu knife had shed, instantly creating a five-meter long fissure in the ground that was two meters deep.


    Su Han''s eyes lit up. This Blood Qi Blessing seemed not only to temporarily enhance strength and speed but also served as a means to extend attack range.


    Remembering the w strike of the Troll Mouse King that not even the Floating Pagoda ck Armor could withstand, he could imagine how strong this attack was.


    "No anthropomorphic state advancement, but it broke through to Third Order. Next, it can start addressing the weak points. Enhancements for Floating Pagoda ck Armor, Iron Skin, and also Self-healing..."


    Su Han wasn''t disappointed that the Scorpion Spider Demon hadn''t undergone a morphological evolution. The enhancement of strength was the key point; the evolution of form was just a manifestation.


    The increase in strength of the Third Order Scorpion Spider Demon was undoubtedly immense, yet Su Han was still somewhat unsatisfied, as the battle with the Troll Mouse King had also exposed shorings.


    [Mother Nest Rat Queen 100% fusionplete, Ancient Worm Tree level breakthrough to Third Order, acquired anthropomorphic state advancement: Mother Nest Ancient Tree, acquired skills: Tree-Born Vine Giant Rat, Sound Wave Tree Fruit]


    Unlike the Scorpion Spider Demon, the Ancient Worm Tree''s advancement was apanied by a morphological evolution. The entire crown of the ancient tree grew rapidly, the trunk thickened considerably, the branches became more massive, the vines spread unchecked, and the bark''s color became even more ancient. The tree''s aura grew even deeper.


    In just a few minutes, the entire tree shot up to sixty meters, a veritable Sky-Piercing Giant Tree.


    Among its massive branches, pouch-shaped objects resembling fruits hung down, about ten meters above the ground¡ªsome higher, some lower¡ªemitting a faint green glow.


    The pouches throbbed slightly as if possessing life.


    Su Han felt the changes in the Mother Nest Ancient Tree. It seemed there wasn''t much mutation in appearance, but the tree''s entire aura was more vigorous, with the fresh sensation of life.


    Although this feeling was a little twisted, as creating life also involved a sense of eeriness, there was no doubt the Mother Nest Ancient Tree was now powerful.


    The Tree-Born Vine Giant Rat was apparently of the same type as the Tree-Born Worm, a nesting-abilities skill that could incubate creatures like Vine Giant Rats from the pouches.


    Strength roughly between First Order Inferior and First-level Intermediate, appearance unknown. However, Su Han could sense through his skills that there were 50 Vine Giant Rats, with an activity range of about 1000 meters¡ªnot a small distance. Yet, much like the Tree-Born Worm, Vine Giant Rats required the tree sap of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree to survive for extended periods.


    The other skill was interesting, as it resembled the piercing screech of the Mother Nest Rat Queen.


    With a thought from Su Han, a vine suddenly came before him, Spiritual Energy gathered upon it, and then a red fruit began to form.


    The vine whipped out, flinging the Sound Wave Tree Fruit away,nding it around 100 meters on the ground.


    As soon as the Sound Wave Tree Fruit hit the ground, it exploded instantly, and the piercing sound of the st was unnerving, making one''s scalp tingle.


    At the site of the explosion, a hole about a meter deep appeared in the ground, the power outstripping that of a standard hand grenade.


    Most importantly were the effects of the Sonic st Attack. At a hundred meters away, it was already jarring to the ears and could cause tingling sensations. If closer, it could be lethally effective, simr to the roar of the Mother Nest Rat Queen.


    And that was just one Sound Wave Tree Fruit.


    If a series of Sound Wave Tree Fruits were to explode together, they could form a terrifying wave of sound and exert widespread suppression.


    Of course, one could also be directly blown to death.


    "Now we have bombs. How could weck mass-destructive skills?" Su Han murmured. In terms ofbat power, the Mother Nest Ancient Tree''s singlebat strength was actually weaker than that of the Scorpion Spider Demon, because as long as the vines could not effectively restrict, the Mother Nest Ancient Tree could only engage in closebat in its Anthropomorphic State.


    In that state, it couldn''t possibly match the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    The role of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree was as a territorial Angel Envoy,manding monster armies, cultivating dependent beasts, vine control, and other means, making any monster entering its territory fall into a ''monster'' tide.


    However, as vital as groupbat was, it wasn''t sufficient without having a trump card for critical situations, because there would always be powerful individuals that could pose a threat.


    Therefore, the Sound Wave Tree Fruit was a good start, controlbined with bomb strikes¡ªequipped with such a setup, the fight for the Mother Nest Rat Queen wouldn''t require Su Han''s help.


    "Next, first enhance the strength of the vines, and let''s see what the new dependent beast looks like."


    While incorporating the fusion materials, the supply of the dependent beast had alsopleted absorption, with the womb being that of the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat, and all materials sourced from the corpses of rat monsters.


    Su Han had a hunch it would still be a rat-type creature, but to what extent it would develop was indeed something to look forward to.

 Chapter 134: Chapter 128 Vine Giant Rat

    Both Angel Envoys had broken through the Third Order, and the power they fed back to Su Han was immensely strong. His physical qualities further improved, with significant enhancements to both his muscle and skin strength.


    Even without using the Iron Skin and ck Armor skills, bullets fired at him would likely only injure the epidermis, or perhaps not even cause noticeable harm.


    After briefly adapting to his newfound strength, Su Han did not continue to stay at the grain depot. He entrusted the matters there to Zhu Xiong before preparing to leave.


    Taking down the Bei Qing Grain Warehouse wasn''t too difficult, but to transport ten thousand tons of grain, it would be absolutely impossible without several days.


    And that''s assuming there were enough vehicles.


    The load limit of a dump truck is around 20-30 tons. Considering the overload that would not affect driving, the total capacity is about 40-50 tons. You can''t fit more than that.


    Factoring out the time on the road and loading and unloading, a truck could make 3-4 trips a day. Even with 20 trucks working together, it would take four to five days.


    That''s under ideal conditions, so Su Han couldn''t possibly stay here that long. He could only leave it to Old Zhu and Yan Meiyu to oversee.


    With two Second-order Contractors present, they could handle most emergencies, and even if they encountered a powerful monster, they could ensure an escape.


    As the post-apocalyptic time extended, the strength of the monsters and the scale of theirmunities were also growing, hence the need for caution.


    Zhu Xiong didn''t just call on the original ten trucks; heter increased it to twenty, and also had Guo Gang haul back a tank of oil from a gas station, which was barely sufficient.


    At the Shanhu Vi District, apart from the several hundred-ton surface warehouses, the primary grain storage was done using excavated basements.


    Zhang Dahai ordered someone to dig a deep pit, and then Su Han and the Scorpion Spider Demon initiated Metal Maniption to form the bottom and walls of the warehouse out of metal. The grain was poured inside, and then they sealed it with metal. Before sealing, they burned candles to consume the oxygen.


    This was the most suitable storage method that Su Han could implement. Although it consumed most of the metal umted during this period, it was worthwhile as it would keep the grain fresher for longer.


    In these five days, not only did the Mother Nest Ancient Tree restore the LV3 Tree-born Worms to their fullplement of three hundred, distributed in the surroundingnd for reconnaissance,


    but the Vine Giant Rats were also replenished in the tree pouches.


    In the vastwn behind Vi No. 9, fifty tall Vine Giant Rats stood in orderly rows in front of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree.


    Su Han and Bai Qn were observing the characteristics of these Vine Giant Rats.


    The Vine Giant Rats, covered in long fur, were a pale green color with a shoulder height of two meters and a body length of three meters. A few vines that could move grew on both sides of their backs, and even their tails resembled vines. Looking at the four paws of the Vine Giant Rat, they had turned woody, resembling the ws of an old tree.


    They resembled both gigantic rat monsters and living beings made of nts.


    "The Vine Giant Rats and Tree-born Worms are somewhat simr. Their main bodies contain the genes of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree, but are also mixed with the genes of rat monsters,"


    Bai Qn said as she recorded data, speaking to Su Han: "Out of the fifty Vine Giant Rats, only about five are First-level Intermediate, reaching four meters in length, which is roughly 10%. However, even the First Order Inferior Vine Giant Rats have decentbat abilities, with a carrying capacity of around one ton, and their vines can be used for binding."


    One ton, two thousand pounds¡ªordinary private cars can''t carry that much under normal circumstances. After all, they''re monsters from the post-apocalypse.


    After a moment''s reflection, Su Han said, "They could indeed serve as an alternative to vehicles, but most importantly as mounts."


    There were still vehicles in the base camp, but the major concerns were part wear and tear and fuel consumption.


    Andpared to these consumptions, the main issue was that if abat situation arose, unless it was a heavily-equipped off-road vehicle or truck, it stood no chance in the face of monsters.


    "They''d make good mounts," Bai Qn looked at the Vine Giant Rats in front of her and continued, "There are nearly six hundred people in the camp now, with thirty vis basically full and temporary housing being constructed. The patrol team needs to cover arge area every day, and walking takes a lot of time."


    Despite it being just a residential district, this was the Shanhu Vi District,parable to a park in size, hence walking patrols were highly inefficient.


    Moreover, with Zhu Xiong and the others venturing out for supplies, the Vine Giant Rats were undoubtedly even more essential.


    Mobility was one aspect; if danger arose and arge number of Vine Giant Rats perished, Su Han at the camp would instantly notice and could dispatch a rescue team.


    "Then distribute them, assign some to the patrol team for Meiyu, and equip some for the search teams with Old Zhu."


    A one-thousand-meter distance to further urban areas was somewhat of a stretch, so Old Zhu''s group would have to make do for now.


    "How is the progress with the injection serum?"


    Su Han looked at Bai Qn, inquiring about the injection serum.


    "Two batches have been made, one with eighty doses,prising Vine Giant Rat and Tree-born Worm serums, and another with twenty doses of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree serum, divided into No. 1, 2, 3, equivalent to the strength of First-level Intermediate, First Order Upper Grade, and Second Order Lower Strength, injected ording to their strength levels."


    Bai Qn was quick, especially since Ji Mingyang and Shu Hongguang started assisting her, the serum was produced rapidly within five days without stopping the purification process.


    Of course, one reason for the speed was the strength of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree. Extracting its blood to create the injection serum, they further diluted it into three kinds of serums, saving a lot of effort.


    Su Han''s eyes flickered slightly as he said, "Get it organized, and while you''re at it, call Old Zhu and the others for a meeting."


    "Alright."


    As Bai Qn went to fetch the medication, Su Han gestured for the Vine Giant Rats to move around the Ancient Worm Tree and returned to Vi No. 9 himself.


    With arge stockpile of food now umted, there''s much more that can be done around the camp.


    Both the personnel and the territory need to be expanded to form a better cycle, and with more people, we''ll be able to collect even more materials.


    Monster flesh, metals, and other materials are all required by the two Angel Envoys, not to mention that a page in my Book of Blood Spirit is still empty, and the third Angel Envoy is also being sought out.


    In the midst of contemtion, Bai Qn quickly took out the injection and called over Yan Meiyu and the others.


    Since it was a meeting personally called by Su Han, almost all the core members were present.


    Zhu Xiong, Yan Meiyu, Gan Xinglei, Zhang Dahai, Guo Gang, Ye Kailing, Cao Yubao, and others.


    Everyone was seated around the living room, with Su Han at the main seat. He nced around at everyone and said, "Taking down the grain warehouse cost us a lot of effort. Let''s start with the matter of the injections."


    Getting straight to the point, Su Han didn''t butter anyone up, and everyone immediately understood that it was time for rewards. Their ears perked up, and they listened even more intently.


    "Old Zhu, you led the assault on the grain warehouse and made a significant effort. Afterwards, you were also responsible for overseeing the transportation, so this time you''ll get one No. 3 Mother Nest Ancient Tree injection, which is equivalent to Second Order Lower Strength."


    Zhu Xiong grinned and said, "I won''t be bashful then."


    "Meiyu, your situation is about the same as Old Zhu''s, also a No. 3 Mother Nest Ancient Tree injection."


    "I have no problem with that."


    "Zhang Dahai, you participated in the battle and also led the team to build the warehouse; you''ll get a No. 2 Mother Nest Ancient Tree injection."


    "Thank you, boss."


    "Old Guo, you took part in maintaining the convoy, transporting with the vehicles, and fighting at the grain warehouse, so you also get a No. 2 injection."


    "Old Gan and Ye Kailing, the two of you stayed behind to guard the camp. Although you didn''t fight, your contributions are counted at the same level as Old Guo''s, a No. 2 injection."


    "I have no problem"


    The two replied in unison; a No. 2 injection was already quite good. If absorbed properly, it should allow them to reach the racial bottleneck.


    Su Han looked at thest person, his voice softened slightly as he spoke, "Master Cao, you''ve been leading the medical team tirelessly, treating the wounded and the camp members. Your contributions are also significant. I''ll give you a No. 3 injection, and it''s best if you use it yourself to enhance your strength."


    Cao Yubao''s old face froze for a moment as he shook his head subconsciously, "I''ve not been on the front lines; what I did was only my duty. Reduce it by one grade, reduce it by one."


    Cao Yubao was an old-fashioned doctor, benevolent by nature, with a strong sense of collectivism.


    He rambled on, "You kids are on the front lines fighting monsters, risking your lives. You should receive what you deserve first. As for someone like me who''s in the rear..."


    Su Han revealed a smile and said, "Master Cao, the stronger you are, the sturdier your body will be, and the more people you''ll be able to save."


    Cao Yubao paused, and upon hearing this, he nodded and fell silent.


    "Meiyu, the authority for the No. 3 injections will be limited to just a few of you. The remaining No. 2 and No. 1 injections, as well as the Vine Giant Rat and Tree-born Worm injections, will be opened for exchange. You assess the specific Contribution Values needed and bring me the regtions," said Su Han.


    Yan Meiyu looked at the box next to Bai Qn and nodded, "I will work out a n as soon as possible and have it to you by the afternoon."


    The exchange system had already been gradually perfected, so it wouldn''t be a problem toe up with specific exchange values.


    After the injections were distributed, Su Han spoke seriously, "Let''s move on to the matter of expansion. Meiyu, how are we currently doing in terms of personnel and materials at the camp?"


    "The camp has a total of 632 people, including 423 Contractors and 160bat personnel, which consists of patrol and search teams. The rest are nonbat personnel. As for materials, thanks to the recent Bei Qing Grain Warehouse supplies, food will be plentiful for a long time.


    In fact, the number of people might not keep up with the storage losses, so I suggest expanding the breeding of evolved kinds, using some of the food storage."


    As she spoke, Yan Meiyu nced at Zhu Xiong and said, "Currently, the main evolved kinds at the camp are the fish from Yunling Lake, as well as a litter of evolved piglets we rescued earlier: two Bone Armor Giant Pigs, four Giant Mane Wild Boars, and two Tusked Wild Boars, all of which can be raised. They are cost-effective whether used as a meat source or as work animals."


    Using lifesaving food to raise evolved kinds is an extravagance for many post-apocalyptic groups, but Yan Meiyu spoke calmly.


    She even added, "Evolved kinds grow quickly; the investment and returns are very cost-effective."


    Zhu Xiong muttered to himself, why are they looking at me, those are the Bone Armor Giant Pig''s offspring, not my Angel Envoy''s.


    After bing an Angel Envoy, the Bone Armor Giant Pig had long let go of "family ties."


    "That''s feasible."


    Su Han nodded in agreement and then indicated for Yan Meiyu to continue.


    Yan Meiyu said, "In addition to food, we need to collect as much gasoline, generators, and especially medical supplies as possible."


    It''s better to prepare for a rainy day; while there is enough at the moment, going forward, the shortage of materials will only grow, so it''s better to start collecting early.


    "About medical supplies, I have something to say."

 Chapter 135: Chapter 129: Pioneers and Survivors

    Cao Yubao''s voice came through, and everyone looked over.


    The old man spoke in an unhurried manner, "One thing is to stockpile medicines, but what I''d like to suggest is trying to cultivate medicinal herbs. We should nt those medicinal seeds and see if they can, just as Miss Qn has inferred, yield evolved kinds of medicine."


    He paused before adding, "Stockpiled drugs will eventually run out, and we need to prepare for that ahead of time."


    Cao Yubao''s suggestion was sensible, and Yan Meiyu quickly took note of this point, her gaze also turning towards Su Han.


    Su Han nodded, saying, "Leave this matter to Meiyu to handle. As for how much to nt and what can be sown, Master Cao, please pay close attention. However, it may not be possible to find that many medicinal seeds under the current circumstances."


    "I understand," Cao Yubao said with a bitter smile, "It''s just that if we can save one more person, we should save one more."


    "Boss, I have a question."


    Zhang Dahai raised his hand, and his burly frame made his gesture appear somewhatical.


    However, he wore a serious expression; he wasn''t at the meeting to joke around.


    "Speak."


    Zhang Dahai asked, "How are we going to expand?"


    Su Han was taken aback, and Zhang Dahai realized that his question was too general, so he borated, "The Shanhu Vi District already has a perimeter wall, which naturally serves as a barrier against monsters. This ce is easy to defend, but it has a limited capacity for people. If you say we''re going to expand, there will definitely be more and more people.


    When it''s time to extend outwards, there won''t be any protective walls. How are we going to arrange this?"


    Even without actively rescuing, just through Zhu Xiong and their search for supplies, they had been bringing in a few survivors, only differing in the number.


    If expansion began in earnest, the number of people would only increase, and housing would be a problem.


    Zhang Dahai was in construction and was clear about the ins and outs of the matter. Building houses couldn''t keep up with the increasing poption, and constructing walls of sufficient perimeter would be no small undertaking.


    His words left everyone deep in thought; it was a problem. How to defend after expanding?


    This ce was not like South City''s new industrial park, which itself had a certain level of partitioning, with eachrge factory surrounded by high walls.


    The South City Camp only needed to capture a factory, clear out the monsters, and then it could amodate thousands or even tens of thousands of people, all with employee dormitories and factory buildings for sleeping.


    "Do we need to change locations?"


    Zhu Xiong muttered, immediately shaking his head. The crops were growing taller, and the number of evolved fish in theke was increasing¡ªmoving now would be like destroying one''s home.


    Su Han''s eyes flickered as he looked at the map on the table. After pondering for a while, he said, "Summer Garden Mall, Nanshan Residential District, North Ridge Road, Riverside Avenue¡ªseal these exits and rely on the surrounding buildings to form partitions. Although it will not be as secure as the Shanhu Vi District, it will suffice for now.


    Once the poption increases, we''ll gradually set up proper walls."


    Everyone looked at the map, and indeed, as Su Han had said, if the exits to these ces were sealed off, it would form an outer ring on the east side of the Shanhu Vi District.


    The size of the camp would expand with some defensive capability. These ns were entirely feasible, and there was no need to build new residences, as there were already buildings avable for use.


    "However, it''s going to be tough to clear the area."


    He had been to Summer Garden Mall and Nanshan Residential District before, clearing several areas and searching for supplies, but not entirely. There were bound to be omissions.


    And for the other locations that remained, there was the need to clear them floor by floor, which was no simple task.


    "Clear them gradually, gather the survivors, and collect supplies. I will have the Tree-born Worm and Vine Giant Rat help you," Su Han stated.


    The areas within this circle were mostly within a straight-line distance of a thousand meters, within which the Tree-born Worm and Vine Giant Rat could offer support.


    "We should also take control of Yunling Mountain," Bai Qn''s voice chimed in, "If we expand towards the city, there''s very little arablend avable unless we overturn buildings and roads, but that''s not realistic. Therefore, we need a nting backup, and Yunling Mountain is a good choice."


    Bai Qn''sment was to the point, and Su Han nodded, saying, "Then let''s include Yunling Mountain as well."


    -----------------


    With the n set, Shanhu Vi Camp, like a giant machine wound up, began to operate.


    First, Zhao Yimin, Xia Ning, Cheng Xiyuan, and other mid-levelbat members exchanged their merits for a wave of injections to further enhance their strength. Then they immediately signed up with Zhu Xiong, volunteering eagerly for the cleanup work.


    This cleanup operation was aimed at thoroughness, so it would not be easy, but nobody backed down.


    Only through battle, contributing to the camp, was it possible to exchange for more powerful injections and acquire greater strength.


    No one was without a thirst for power, so they all wanted to improve.


    Zhu Xiong, Gan Xinglei, Zhang Dahai, Guo Gang, each leading a team, began to clean up from four different directions.


    The cleaning n was straightforward: first locate a suitable intersection to serve as a blockade point, then use the scattered, abandoned cars on the streets as initial barricades.


    With the wreckage of cars blocking the influx of external monsters, Su Han and Scorpion Spider Demon wouldter use Metal Control at the checkpoint to form metal doors,pletely sealing off the entire area with the car wreckage.


    Zhu Xiong rode the Bone Armor Giant Pig with twenty people rapidly approaching North Ridge Avenue. Within the pioneering team, his strength was the highest; hence, this area that had not yet been cleared naturally fell to him to manage.


    The twenty people behind him didn''t drive this time but instead, paired up on the Vine Giant Rats, equipped with a ck bag at their waist containing Ancient Tree Crystals.


    "ce the Ancient Tree Crystals, disperse the fog to start clearing the monsters; find a suitable position to seal first."


    "Got it, Brother Zhu."


    Zhu Xiong and his men took out the Ancient Tree Crystals from their waists and ced them along the path towards both sides of North Ridge Avenue intermittently. The light dispelled the fog but also attracted the attention of the monsters.


    "Roar"


    A multitude of monsters began to swarm in, with a First Order Upper Grade Giant Macrophage Dog leading the charge at the forefront.


    Without waiting for Zhu Xiong to speak up, Zhao Yimin, who was apanying them, had already summoned his Angel Envoy and rushed forward to engage.


    Zhao Yimin had participated in the battle at Bei Qing Grain Warehouse and had also been involved in the transportation of food supplies; his Contribution Value had always been high. Therefore, after the new round of exchanges for the injection was made avable, he had exchanged his Contribution Value for No. 2 injection and hadpleted the inoction.


    At this moment, his Angel Envoy had transformed from a corpselike figure to a more than three-meter-tall humanoid monster. Half of its body was covered with a wood-like skin,plementing the metal armor it wore. On one arm it had wed hands and on the other, a hand formed by the twisted vines, its fingernails sharp and extendable.


    Itsbat strength was formidable, and it ranked among the best within the First Order Upper Grade.


    As soon as the Giant Macrophage Dog charged in, it got struck by Zhao Yimin''s corpselike Angel Envoy''s vine arm, then wrapped around its neck. Closing the distance, the Angel Envoynded a heavy punch on the dog''s head.


    The Giant Macrophage Dog took a heavy blow and fiercely rammed forward, but Zhao Yimin''s Angel Envoy only tightened its grip and continued to assault it relentlessly until before long, it had been overpowered and pushed to the ground.


    "Whoosh"


    Zhao Yimin, cooperating seamlessly, raised his hand and shot a crossbow arrow straight into the head of the Giant Macrophage Dog, severely wounding it with a single strike.


    "Everyone engage, give it your all; these are all Contribution Values."


    Upon Zhu Xiong''s call to arms, the others also called out their Angel Envoys to charge at the wave of oing monsters.


    Far from being afraid, they were actually a bit excited, because bringing back the bodies of the monsters was indeed counted toward Contribution Value. Whether it was for their own leader or the crops and monsters at the camp, they all required flesh and blood.


    With the Angel Envoys quickly taking the front line, Zhu Xiong''s two Second-Rank Apostles took the most pressure by positioning themselves at either side of the street, while the rest of the people''s Angel Envoys coordinated in their offensive.


    This time, those who had joined the cleaning mission were allbatants who had previously used injections. The strength of their Angel Envoys was generally not weak, with half of them being at First-level Intermediate, and they exhibited clear characteristics of Tree-born Worms or Vine Giant Rats in their physical forms.


    In addition to the fighters'' Angel Envoys, ten Vine Giant Rats had joined the battle.


    What was a docile appearance when serving as mounts had significantly changed now; their massive bodies plunged into the horde of monsters, immediately sending many corpselike creatures tumbling.


    Their vine-like tailsshed out, wrapping up corpselike creatures or other monsters and smashing them around, their sharp ws shing open abdomens like knives.


    The battle was akin to a one-sided ughter, with over three hundred corpselike creatures, Giant Macrophage Dogs, and crawlers posing no threat to the cleaning squad members.


    Soon the ground was covered with bodies and blood flowed everywhere.


    "Finish them off, then we move forward."


    Zhu Xiongmanded everyone to finish off the enemies, and after more than ten minutes, the group continued to push forward.


    "Brother Zhu, the shops and buildings on both sides of the street lead up to the bend ahead. Beyond that is Nanwang Bridge, which leads directly to the upper stream of two rivers and Nanwang Lake; it''s too open, we can''t hold it."


    Zhao Yimin ryed the situation to Zhu Xiong, who frowned decisively and said to pile up vehicles at the mouth of the road ahead.


    As they made their way down the street, they dropped Ancient Tree Crystals and periodically killed monsters that burst out. The Vine Giant Rats became the biggest workforce, pulling vehicles one after another to the mouth of the street.


    Stacked up like a small mountain, close to a dozen and a half vehicles were piled high, touching the buildings on either side and sealing off the intersection tightly.


    "To the next alleyway."


    There was more than one intersection, and of course, this one was undeniably the biggest one.


    Zhu Xiong and his team had hardly stopped all morning; the three other squads were also making good progress, having blocked off half of the intersections.


    "There are three more intersections, near the two rivers."


    Zhu Xiong cleaved a suddenly emerging monster with his axe, then checked the direction.


    It was already the afternoon. Once these intersections were blocked, the work for the day would temporarilye to an end.


    They would be able to start cleaning inward tomorrow, aiming to clear out this belt in a few days.


    "Hold them back!"


    Just as they stepped into the entrance of a small path, the Ancient Tree Crystals had not yet beenid out on both sides of the road when suddenly urgent footsteps were already approaching.


    Zhu Xiong''s eyes shifted to the direction of the sounds,ing from the end of the street.


    Was there someone outside?


    On their way here, they had indeed found traces of survivors, mostly hiding inside buildings.


    Zhu Xiong and his team were focused on their mission and had temporarily left them be, nning to deal with them when cleaning inwardly, but now the situation was different.


    "Let''s go check it out."


    Zhu Xiong and the others quickly made their way there. The Ancient Tree Crystals dispelled the mist and soon they saw another group of people fighting a blood-red monster at the end of the street.


    The monster waspletely crimson, without skin, resembling a bull in shape but full of sharp teeth, with pitch-ck eyes and a fearsome appearance.


    "I''ll hold it off, you all run first!"


    Among a group of more than twenty people, two men were controlling their Angel Envoys to block the monster''s path.

 Chapter 136: Chapter 130 Survivors of Nanwang Lake

    Both of them showed responsibility. One of the Angel Envoys looked like a Giant w Zombie, slightly aberrant with odd features¡ªas if it had devoured the flesh and blood of many monsters; ugly carapaces had grown on its back.


    The other Angel Envoy was a massive crocodile-like monster, with its hulking body, spiny armor protruding from its back, and limbs that were stronger and more elongated than those of an ordinary crocodile. Its forelimbs were pitch-ck and curved like ws, and its sturdy hindlimbs crouched slightly, ready to unleash their power.


    Both Angel Envoys were quite strong; the Mutated Giant w Zombie was a First Order Upper Grade, while the Armored Crocodile was a First-level Intermediate, also close to reaching First Order Upper Grade.


    No sooner had the two Angel Envoys appeared than they rushed towards the blood-red monster, attempting to stop its attack.


    As long as they could hold it off for a while, their group would be able to leave this ce.


    "Roar"


    However, the monster was incredibly savage and charged at an even more ferocious speed, colliding with the two Angel Envoys.


    After the violent collision, the Armored Crocodile was sent flying, while the Mutated Giant w Zombie barely wrestled with it, but its body kept retreating.


    "Let''s help them."


    The remaining twenty or so people didn''t flee. Seeing that Ruan Chao and hispanion were at a disadvantage, they would ce them in danger by escaping, wouldn''t they?


    Four or five people summoned their own Angel Envoys, all ordinary First Order Inferior flesh zombies, and joined the battle. But they had barely made a move,


    when rustling sounds came from the edge of the mist. Suddenly, four or five blood-red monsters sprang out, human-shaped with elongated ws, and their skinless bodies were crimson red, with eyes as dark as ink.


    The crowd''s faces were filled with shock, but the monsters had already charged over, leaving no chance to escape.


    "Make way, the car''sing!"


    Just at that moment, a rough voice rang out, and the ground shook with a rumble as Zhu Xiong rode in on a Bone Armor Giant Pig, with the Glutton following beside him. His right arm had already elongated and swept across.


    With a dull sound, the blood-red bull monster was knocked away. As the arm swept through, the blood-red flesh zombies were knocked over, one of them having its head bitten clean off.


    Ruan Chao was astonished, but Zhu Xiong had already started to fight. The Bone Armor Giant Pig followed closely and arrived in front of the blood-red bull monster. Its fangs thrust forward, piercing through it with a squelch.


    Zhao Yimin and the others arrived soon after, their crossbow arrows already firing, piercing through the remaining blood-red flesh zombies'' heads with a squelching sound.


    "Brother Zhu, something''s wrong."


    Just as they were about to inquire about the neers, Zhao Yimin suddenly pointed at the blood-red flesh zombie whose head was bitten off and yelled in shock.


    Zhu Xiong looked intently and his expression changed too¡ªthe blood-red flesh zombie whose head had been bitten off was melting.


    Flesh and bones quickly turned into a pool of red substance, sticky and mushy, like minced meat.


    Not only the blood-red flesh zombies but also the killed blood-red bull monster and the remaining blood-red flesh zombies were rapidly fusing after death, leaving behind nothing but a puddle of bloody paste.


    "Find something to collect it in, take it back for Qn to research."


    "Yes."


    Zhu Xiong immediately became vignt. In this apocalyptic world, there were all kinds of strange monsters, and now that they''d seen something different, they needed to be cautious.


    Zhao Yimin dealt with the bloody paste while Zhu Xiong dismounted from the Bone Armor Giant Pig. The Glutton followed closely, as he approached Ruan Chao''s group.


    "What are your names? Where do youe from? How did you encounter these monsters?"


    Zhu Xiong''s gaze was fixed on the man at the forefront, which was Ruan Chao controlling the Mutated Giant w Zombie.


    In this group of people, only seven or eight had contracted Angel Envoys, the rest were ordinary civilians, with many women among them carrying bags of all sizes, looking rushed¡ªnot like a squad searching for supplies.


    "My name is Ruan Chao." Seeing that Zhu Xiong was serious but his men were well-organized and their look at people appeared normal, Ruan Chao felt somewhat relieved.


    "We''re from a camp near Nanwang Lake, but it was scattered due to a monster attack, so we ran here. We encountered these monsters on the street ahead, and we only saw the bull monster,"


    he said with a wry smile, "We don''t know what''s going on either."


    Having already been in such a sorry state whilst fleeing, they were suddenly attacked by such monsters; how could they know about these creatures?


    Zhu Xiong stroked his plump chin, his beard scruffy and a bit prickly. After thinking for a while, he asked, "Your camp was near Nanwang Lake before, right? What''s the situation there? What size was the camp, and what kind of monsters forced you to run like this?"


    The barrage of questions overwhelmed Ruan Chao, who replied with a wry smile, "Big Brother, let me address them one by one¡ªbut we do have injured people here, could we see to them first?"


    Indeed, within the group, there were two people being supported, which exined why their first instinct upon encountering strong monsters was to flee.


    "Injured?"


    Zhu Xiong nced over and then said, "You two, help take care of them."


    He selected two people who carried first aid kits toe forward and help. Then, turning to Ruan Chao, he said, "Take your time."


    "Thank you," Ruan Chao expressed his gratitude. "We were staying inside a hotel near Nanwang Lake, with about a hundred people¡ªhalf of them Contractors. We were doing well, living off of the big fish hunted in Nanwang Lake by the Armored Crocodile, and the camp had been on the right track.


    But we didn''t expect that not long ago, the Giant Crocodile Monster in Nanwang Lake suddenly went berserk with the Armored Crocodiles, attacking our camp."


    Nanwang Lake was vast, a naturalke formed near South City, rich in fish resources; the emergence of an evolved kind of fish was not strange.


    But what was this sudden Giant Crocodile Monster that appeared?


    "Exin clearly, what''s the deal with the Giant Crocodile Monster?"


    Seeing Old Zhu''s impatience, Ruan Chao hurriedly exined, "There''s a group of monsters in Nanwang Lake that have likely mutated from crocodiles. They have crocodile heads on human bodies, standing three to four meters tall, and their strength is terrifying. Our leader was able to contract one by chance and that''s how we learned the name of the creature.


    We''ve always kept to ourselves, stealthily avoiding the territories of these monsters, but who knew..."


    Ruan Chao and his group had considered how dangerous it was to have such creatures right next to them in Nanwang Lake.


    But danger also came with opportunity, the evolved kinds of fish in Nanwang Lake weren''t just a source of food, they were also quite beneficial to their bodies.


    If they could continue to eat this meat and secretly contract the Armored Crocodiles in theke, they would gather strength over time, and once their leader reached Second Order, they could definitely take over Nanwang Lake.


    "Actually, the uprising wasn''t sudden."


    However, at that moment, Liu Tingyue spoke up in some agitation, "I''ve long told Hu Shan that a powerful monster entered Nanwang Lake. Didn''t you hear how loud the roars were at night, and how the water churned? But he wouldn''t listen, always saying he was close to the Divine Initiation Ritual, about to break through to Second Order. And now he''s gone."


    "Old Liu, let''s not talk about it," Ruan Chao said with a somber face. Having stuck together for over a month without too many disastrous events had undoubtedly created some bonds of fellowship.


    But what was there to say now that the man was dead?


    "Was Hu Shan your leader?"


    "Yes," Ruan Chao nodded. "He devised a n to kill a Giant Crocodile Monster with a vehicle andpleted a Contract, and he was the first to advance to First Order Upper Grade. He even sensed the Divine Initiation... only, he died this time."


    Was there a powerful monster in Nanwang Lake?


    Zhu Xiong paid particr attention to this piece of information. Su Han was already Third Order, and they still hadn''t found any monsters. Expanding the camp and gathering survivors also meant searching for traces of monsters.


    This was undoubtedly valuable information at the moment.


    "You said a big monster came into theke. Do you know what it is?"


    Zhu Xiong pressed for more details, fixing his gaze on Liu Tingyue.


    Liu Tingyue shook his head. "I didn''t see it, but whatever made thatmotion must be a powerful creature. The other monsters in theke are all afraid of that noise."


    Zhu Xiong was somewhat disappointed, but at that moment, Zhao Yimin had also collected the blood muddle on the ground into a container.


    "Brother Zhu, it''s done," Zhao Yimin said.


    Zhu Xiong nodded and said, "Let''s go back for now. We''lle back tomorrow to block the remaining breaches."


    They had been slightly dyed by Ruan Chao''s group, so it was already getting a bit dark. The mist was surging, and they could have continued sealing the entryways, but the risk was much greater as the monsters would be more active, and dealing with Ruan Chao''s group wasn''t easy either.


    A First Order Upper Grade survivor leading around twenty people had no other option but to be personally escorted back.


    Even if Zhao Yimin went, he might not be able to keep these people in check.


    Of course, this was a judgment made based on the worst-case scenario.


    Zhu Xiong began to pack up, retrieving the Ancient Tree Crystals he had ced along the way. The Vine Giant Rat was responsible for carrying the load, with three to four people on its back.


    With its body three to four meters long, it could manage to carry these people, though it did seem a bit crowded.


    On the way back to Shanhu Vi District, the closer they got to the vi area, the fewer monsters there were. The peaceful stretch of road astonished Ruan Chao and his group.


    Because this meant that the area was very safe.


    Entering through the main gate, the guard checked their identities before letting Zhu Xiong in while sending someone to notify Yan Meiyu.


    By the time Zhu Xiong and his group arrived at the vi district, Yan Meiyu had already sent Bai Xiao''e to meet them.


    "Brother Zhu, Sister Meiyu asked me toe over for the registration," Bai Xiao''e said.


    Bai Xiao''e, who had always assisted Yan Meiyu with managing the camp''s affairs, might not have been involved inbat like her best friend Xia Ning, but her contributions were certainly significant.


    Zhu Xiong smiled and said, "Thank you. But is Meiyu very busy?"


    He asked casually, but to his surprise, Bai Xiao''e nodded and said, "Yes. Before you came back, Brother Lei, Brother Guo, and Uncle Zhang all returned. And they brought back quite a few survivors. Sister Meiyu has been busy registering their information, and that''s why she sent me to help."


    Zhu Xiong was taken aback. "How many people altogether? It''s gotten this busy?"


    "All together, there are over a hundred people, and with the ones you''ve brought, it''s almost two hundred. Some of them came voluntarily, so there''s more this time," Bai Xiao''e exined.


    Usually, when they went out to scavenge for supplies, they targeted resource points likerge shopping centers, supermarkets, and shops, taking survivors back with them if they encountered any.


    But now, they were cleaning the streets and blocking pathways. Themotion was louder, and some people had already noticed that there was a strong group in Shanhu Vi.


    They were too timid to expose themselves recklessly, but through covert observation, they learned some information about the camp and joining voluntarily was nothing out of the ordinary.


    "Alright then, record the information for these people. I''m going to find Su Han," Zhu Xiong decided.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 137: Chapter 131: Monsters Emerge

    Zhu Xiong had not expected that even reporting on a task would involve a queue, as not only he but also Gan Xinglei, Zhang Dahai, and Guo Gang had discovered different situations.


    Of course, they were mainly traces of monsters.


    As the days in the apocalypse passed, the concentration of spiritual energy on Earth was also increasing, with monsters growing stronger.


    With their expanding exploration, the more areas they explored, the more powerful monsters they discovered, which waspletely different from the surroundings of Shanhu Vi District.


    Near Shanhu Vi, Su Han had imed the title of the ''strongest creature'' in that area, so other monsters were naturally driven away by the activities of the people from Shanhu Vi.


    However, in areas they had not touched, other monsters were vying to be the top predators of their territories, much like nurturing poisonous insects.


    Gan Xinglei had encountered a Blood Thorn Ape Monster, First Order Upper Grade, strong-bodied, tearing apart corpses as easily as eating and drinking, notably more formidable than usual First Order Upper Grades.


    Although he killed it, more traces were discovered on the outskirts of the nned area, clearly not the work of a lone monster.


    Zhang Dahai simrly found a huge blood-red snake skin, about one meter thick and approximately twenty to thirty meters long, a shed from a giant snake monster, which in size alone might rival a Second Order.


    However, the snake skin had been shed some time ago, leaving its current whereabouts unknown.


    Guo Gang''s side was the strangest as monsters were rare, and he encountered almost nobat, but that area was clearly not a ce where Su Han and the search team often operated, likely concealing powerful monsters.


    All three had encountered issues, but fortunately, the abnormalities were found a certain distance from the designated area, and the nned checkpoints could still iste a safe zone.


    As for potential dangers, they could only be addressed when the time came.


    In such an apocalypse, living was a constant struggle. A step back might mean having your head bitten off by a monster, so even with some risks, the ns were not to be abandoned.


    When it was finally Zhu Xiong''s turn to enter, Su Han had already been sitting inside Vi Number Nine for over an hour.


    "It''s finally my turn."


    Zhu Xiong sat on the sofa, almost slumping into it.


    Su Han poured him a ss of water and asked, "Old Zhu, what''s the situation on your side?"


    "I encountered a group of survivors near Nanwang Lake," Old Zhu became serious when he talked about the business, "More than twenty people, led by a First Order Upper Grade Contractor. Their camp had been dispersed by monsters..."


    He gave a detailed ount of his day''s encounters to Su Han, highlighting the monsters in Nanwang Lake and several peculiar blood-colored creatures.


    "Bring me the samples to take a look."


    Out of nowhere, Bai Qn appeared beside them and suddenly spoke.


    Zhu Xiong nced at Su Han, who nodded, then took out two jars and said, "The one on the left is blood paste from that blood-colored ox monster, and the one on the right is from a blood-colored corpse."


    Bai Qn first retrieved masks from theboratory, gave one to Su Han, and put one on herself, before carefully opening the lids.


    Zhu Xiong''s eyes widened, "What about me?"


    He thought about asking Bai Qn for a mask, but since he had alreadye into direct contact with those substances, wearing a mask now seemed toote, so he simply watched with wide eyes.


    Su Han smiled, also opened the jar, and focused on the blood paste. Suddenly, his eyes shifted slightly as a notification popped up.


    [Detected Fusible Material: Chang Beast Blood, proceed with Fusion?]


    Chang Beast?


    Su Han, without changing his expression, passed the jar in his hand to Bai Qn, who hesitated before taking the jar and, reflexively, passed the other jar to Su Han.


    Su Han nced and, sure enough, the notification appeared again.


    [Detected Fusible Material: Chang Beast Blood, proceed with Fusion?]


    He immediately became suspicious, as it was strange that tissues from two different monsters could be the same material¡ªthere must be something unusual about it.


    "Old Zhu, can you borate more on that monster?"


    "It''s my first encounter; if you really want me to be detailed, there isn''t much to say. However, if I think about it, that blood-colored corpse felt somewhat... weaker."


    Zhu Xiong spoke thoughtfully, his words tinged with hesitation, "Though it also looked like a corpse, it clearlycked the ferocity of one, and seemed to have less strength."


    With limited information, Su Han frowned slightly. Bai Qn looked at Su Han and said, "I''ll go do some tests, and let you know if there''s anything."


    "Alright, you go ahead, be careful."


    Su Han didn''t reveal the fact that both substances had the same name to Bai Qn; instead, he waited for the results of Bai Qn''s observations to understand what exactly was going on.


    "Old Zhu, we''ll continue clearing the perimeter tomorrow, but be even more cautious and keep an eye out for the blood-colored monsters."


    Zhu Xiong nodded firmly, "I know, but... do you want to take a look at the monsters in Nanwang Lake?"


    He knew that Su Han''s third Angel Envoy had not yet been contracted, hence he said more, recalling what Ruan Chao and Liu Tingyue had shared, as it seemed that, at the very least, a Second Order monster was involved.


    However, he felt it might be stronger given that it was Nanwang Lake, which had an average depth of seven to eight meters and a maximum of twenty meters, far surpassing any man-madeke.


    After thinking, Su Han slightly shook his head, "Let''s see how it goes, keep an eye on the situation."


    "Understood."


    Zhu Xiong left Vi No. 9, and Su Han summarized today''s intelligence in his mind, surrounded by monsters that were rapidly growing.


    As initially expected, if the pace in the evolutionary climb were a bit slower, humanity''s status might no longer be safeguarded.


    "Giant snake monster, the creatures in Nanwang Lake, both should conservatively be at Second Order in strength, specifics still need a closer look. However, the whereabouts of the giant snake monster...."


    As Su Han nned in his mind, the giant snake monster''s exposed form visually disyed its condition. However, unfortunately, its exact whereabouts were unknown¡ªGod knows if it was still in the north of the city.


    "It''s hard to find the snake monster, but it''s possible to go to Nanwang Lake, just not now."


    After a brief contemtion, he had a n in mind¡ªNanwang Lake was a destination, but the ring wasn''t isted yet; naturally, he couldn''t leave easily. Handling too many things at once, as easy as it sounds, could mess up the whole operation.


    Moreover, the exact nature of the creature inside Nanwang Lake wasn''t clear yet, thus things had to be done one at a time.


    Su Han sat for a while, then got up and headed towards the Mother Nest Ancient Tree.


    The Mother Nest Ancient Tree rooted in the soil with its trunk soaring high, and atop its canopy, two Tree Wombs were gestating Chang Beasts.


    It would only be a few days until the Chang Beasts hatched, and their shapes could roughly be discerned.


    The Alien Thorn Worm was easily recognizable, while on the other side, a massive entity was forming, though not yet distinctly visible.


    Su Han''s visit, however, was not for the two Chang Beasts, but for the mountainous piles of carcasses umted beneath the roots of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree.


    Although Zhu Xiong and others had not set out to clear the monsters today when clearing the ring, the monsters they killed during the process were definitively numerous.


    After the killings, their bodies were all piled by the roadside, left for the Tree-born Worms lurking underground to drag away, bringing them back to the Mother Nest Ancient Tree.


    The nearby ones, especially within a 700-meter radius, which was currently the limit of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree''s vines, were directly dragged back by the vines.


    By the end of the day, the ordinarynd below was piled with two thousand monster corpses, resembling a chaotic burial mound.


    As Su Han focused his thoughts, the roots of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree intricately prated the bodies of the monsters.


    [Discovery of fusible monster flesh, fuse now?]


    Fusion


    He mentally chose fusion, and the essence of the flesh began to be fused by countless fine threads, gradually transforming into the fusion progress of the Essence of Flesh.


    LV3 Essence of Flesh 1%, 2%, 3%.....


    The progress bar slowly increased, and one hourter, the flesh waspletely fused, with the fusion progress stopping at 71%, still a significant discrepancy from reaching LV4 of the Essence of Flesh.


    "The materials needed for fusion are increasing."


    The higher the fusion level, the more materials required, and naturally, the longer the fusion took. He had been aware of this reality for a while.


    However, this also meant that he needed to hunt more monsters.


    After pondering briefly, Su Han''s eyes shifted towards Yunling Mountain. ording to the intelligence provided by Yan Meiyu, there were also quite a few monsters there.


    ...


    The next morning, after breakfast, Zhu Xiong, Gan Xinglei, Guo Gang, and Zhang Dahai continued leading teams to block the remaining crossroads and meanwhile, gather more information about the surroundings.


    Apart from them, this time Ye Kailing also joined the scouting team, paired with Guo Gang to prevent any unforeseen incidents.


    Although Guo Gang was slightly weakerpared to the other three, he too was at the bottleneck of First Order Upper Grade, but he was indeed a bit weakerpared to Zhang Dahai and Gan Xinglei.


    And from yesterday''s situation, it was Guo Gang''s area that was the most puzzling¡ªthe fewer the monsters, the stranger the situation, so more people were added to his team.


    After everyone set off, Su Han didn''t stay long at camp and arrived near Vi No. 30 in Shanhu Vi District, which was just a wall away from Yunling Mountain.


    Vi No. 30 was closest to Yunling Mountain, and fewer people lived in this area; it was stationed by some members of the patrol team.


    Before the vines of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree had spread to this area, monsters asionally breached the perimeter wall from outside, immediately discovered by the patrol team, thus preventing them from threatening the residential area.


    Later, as the strength of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree increased, and the vine''s reach extended to hundreds of meters, the residential area became safer. After the Tree-born Worm''s activity radius reached 1,500 meters, parts of the outer perimeters of Yunling Mountain finally began to be included in the patrolling zone.


    Thus, the number of monsters had significantly decreased, likely driven beyond the walls to deeper areas.


    When Su Han arrived, the patrol members at the side gate had already seen him and immediately saluted, "Leader."


    "Open the gate; I need to go through, and prepare a team toe here in the afternoon, await mymand."


    Su Han instructed, then added, "Not allbat personnel is necessary, Contractors will do."


    "Yes, Leader."


    Although Gu Shaojie, who was guarding this area, didn''t know why Su Han issued such an order, he, havinge from Happiness Community along with Cheng Xiyuan and Zhao Yimin and knowing how formidable Su Han was, held immense respect in his heart.


    After noting down Su Han''s orders, he opened the reinforced thick iron gate and watched Su Han stride into Yunling Mountain.


    As Su Han entered the pedestrian mountain trail in Yunling Mountain, the Book of Blood Spirit in his hand shed red, and the Scorpion Spider Demon immediately appeared by his side.

 Chapter 138: Chapter 132 Yunling Mountain

    Su Han did not bring the Mother Nest Ancient Tree with him; most Vine Giant Rats and Tree-born Worms were dispatched to carry out tasks. If he were to use the Mother Nest Ancient Tree, it would definitely affect thend remation efforts.


    After weighing the options, Su Han decided not to use it for the time being. After all, the vines of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree could spread about seven hundred meters, already reaching the southern edge of Yunling Mountain, and the Tree-born Worms had a range of about fifteen hundred meters, which could also cover part of the area. Overall, it was still satisfactory.


    Yunling Mountain, a small mountain in the city, is officially known as Yunling Mountain Park. It was developed by the Government Affairs Hall and the developers of Shanhu Vi District in ordance with the original vegetation and terrain to create an oxygen park.


    The park was open to the public for their enjoyment, with the Government Affairs Hall intending to use the park to improve surrounding infrastructure, enhance the livelihood of residents, and increasend value.


    The developers, of course, had their own aim, which was to increase the property value of Shanhu Vi District.


    Yunling Mountain, with an altitude of three hundred meters and an area of about 5 square kilometers, is several timesrger than the total area of Shanhu Vi District. The distance between its north-south and east-west ends is approximately 2-4 kilometers, featuring high ovepping trees and lush vegetation; it should have been a great ce for leisure and exercise, brimming with greenery.


    However, now, because of the fog, the vegetation had almostpletely died off. The bare branches twisted upwards, stretching eerily like bizarre monster hands.


    The ground was covered with a thickyer of dead leaves, and the smell of decay was pervasive. Stepping on the sinking rotten leaves unconsciously caused a sense of panic in people''s hearts, and the cold feeling was also extremely ufortable.


    "The environment is a bit poor, but with more people, we should have no problem with the remation."


    Su Han slightly frowned, as ck Armor gradually emerged on his body, covering him from head to toe in imposing ck armor.


    He leaped onto the back of the Scorpion Spider Demon and then controlled it to move deeper into Yunling Mountain.


    He did not follow the winding mountain path but instead used the massive body of the Scorpion Spider Demon to walk directly inward.


    In the initial distance of over a hundred meters, it was eerily quiet around, and the fog enveloped the dimly visible trees, pressing down ufortably on the mind, but no monsters attacked.


    This was close to the side of Shanhu Vi District, and at this distance, the Tree-born Worms patrolled frequently, thus often attacking the monsters.


    Those monsters that could not defeat the Tree-born Worms had already be food; even the stronger ones, bothered by them, had left the area, so not many monsters were active here.


    Su Han did not linger for long and continued to walk deeper, about three hundred meters away, noises began toe from within the forest.


    "Rustle"


    Dry leaves rustled quickly and arge red centipede, over a meter long with a stinky red shell and sharp edges, burst out with a particrly ferocious pair of jaws.


    The centipede, hidden under the dry leaves, attacked very fast, but in the next moment, the scorpion tail struck fiercely and pierced it instantly.


    [Discovered fusible live monster, Blood de Centipede, would you like to fuse?]


    Do not fuse


    Su Han did not fuse, driving the stinger deeper and instantly killing the Blood de Centipede.


    Blood dripped onto the rotting dry leaves, and the smell of blood seemed to activate the entire forest as rustling sounds began, apanied by low roars continuouslying closer, with monsters surging toward this side.


    Su Han looked over; there were seven or eight Blood de Centipedes like the one before, oddly shaped insect monsters, and six-eyed ck Horned Toads... dozens of various monsters were swarming in.


    On Yunling Mountain, humanoid monsters were scarce, but those mutated from insects, toads, and other animals were particrly numerous.


    "Not too few."


    Su Han''s expression was calm; then, he got off the back of the Scorpion Spider Demon, holding Pu knives in hand, and charged at these monsters along with the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    He came to Yunling Mountain to hunt monsters. Not only did the Mother Nest Ancient Tree need flesh and blood, but Yunling Mountain needed clearing, and Su Han himself wanted to stretch his muscles and test the strength brought to him by his two Third Order Angel Envoys.


    Su Han, wearing ck Armor, was not particrly noticeable among the group of oddly shaped monsters as their bodies were muchrger than his.


    However, the hundred-pound Pu knife in his hand was not to be ignored.


    With each sh of the de, multiple monsters were shed in half, their blood dyeing the ground red, only to be devoured by the surrounding monsters.


    Su Han frowned as this was his prey; if the monsters ate it all, it would have been work for nothing.


    Thus, he swung his Pu knife even faster, the strikes bing more fierce and many more body-snatching monsters lost their heads.


    The imminent danger made them instinctively turn Su Han into their prey.


    More monsters rushed over, but their attacks couldn''t even reach him.


    His movements became more agile, and his senses more acute. Monsters attempting to attack were quickly noticed by Su Han and met with merciless de strikes.


    Su Han unleashed a ughter, with hundreds of monsters unable to hinder his advance, whether they were First Order Inferior or First Order Upper Grade; he could easily kill them with his strength.


    Scorpion Spider Demon kept pace by his side. As the monsters smelled the strong scent of blood, thousands more began to flock in.


    Vital Energy Blessing!


    Crimson Vital Energy began to swirl around the body of the Scorpion Spider Demon, and especially around the terrifying Wolf Fang Club.


    "Boom"


    The Wolf Fang Club swung powerfully, smashing directly into the crowd of monsters. Monsters in front were turned into meat paste, and those around them were severely damaged by the force of the blow, nearly bursting apart.


    Under the blessing of Vital Energy, the attacks of the Scorpion Spider Demon became even more powerful.


    As time gradually passed, Su Han and the Scorpion Spider Demon delved deeper into Yunling Mountain, leaving behind a trail of monster corpses.


    Within the range of their activity, the tree-born worms underground had begun to transport themselves, little by little, bringing them back to the mother nest ancient tree.


    The more the two of them killed, the fewer the number of monsters became, not because they had been wiped out, but because their terrifying strength had deterred the other monsters.


    Su Han nced at the bodies of thousands of monsters they had passed along the way, among which First Order Upper Grade monsters were not few, and yet, he did not feel fatigue even now.


    "It seems I''ve improved quite a bit, but Blood Qi Blessing is still more convenient."


    Su Han pondered the battle just had, he had thought of synchronizing this skill during the fight, but the fight was too short, it was just a glimpse of an idea, but it was not enough.


    Blood Qi Blessing was not only the power of blood, but more importantly, the use of Spiritual Energy within it.


    "Let''s go further inside...Hmm?"


    As he was pondering, a sharp roar suddenly erupted at the center of Yunling Mountain.


    His expression changed, revealing a smile, this level of deterrence might be of the Second Order, right?


    Could there be Second Order monsters in Yunling Mountain?


    If it were the early days of the apocalypse, Su Han might have doubted it, for back then the concentration of Spiritual Energy was not sufficient, and unless one had exceptional talent, the Second Order was quite a threshold.


    But now it was different, the battle at Bei Qing Grain Warehouse had already seen six or seven Second Order monsters, and with the expansion of the camps, traces of high-grade monsters had also been discovered nearby.


    In a ce like Yunling Mountain, with ovepping forests and lush vegetation, it would be strange if there were no high-grade monsters.


    With a thought, Su Hanmanded the Scorpion Spider Demon to quickly head deep into Yunling Mountain, and before long, in the middle of a deadwood forest in Yunling Mountain, he saw two huge monsters facing off.


    One was a more-than-ten-meter-long Crimson Centipede, its massive body raised up nearly a third, its head topped with whip-like tentacles constantly swinging, its head bearing four eyes and huge, sharp mandibles, which also contained fine, gear-like teeth within itsrge mouth.


    Its body was entirely crimson, its shell thick, and its edges were like dark de cuts, with thousands of ck centipede legs, sharp as spears.


    It hissed sharply, the sound being piercing and terrifying, sending chills down one''s spine.


    More unsettling was the fact that its surroundings were full of Blood de Centipedes, with no fewer than four to five hundred of them, eachrger than those that had previously attacked Su Han.


    Opposite the Blood de Centipede leader was a group of Cyclopean Toads, their heads sharp as triangles, with a single eye across the center of their foreheads, a massive mouth split into three sections, teeth sharp, and a long barbed tongue that moved like a tentacle, their gaze firmly fixed on the Blood de Centipede leader, their bulging bellies emitting thunderous roars.


    The leader of the Cyclopean Toads was thergest, measuring seven or eight meters in length, with the ones following it considerably smaller, but still about one or two meters in size, each looking fierce and fearsome.


    Their numbers were slightly fewer, but also around two to three hundred, their deep roars echoing continuously, making one''s scalp tingle.


    "Competing for territory?"


    With one nce, Su Han had a guess in his mind.


    The arrangement of the two monster groups was clearly antagonistic, and their target was not Shanhu Vi District, which further illustrated the issue, they were simply rivals.


    "Gugu!"


    The sudden appearance of Su Han broke the standoff, and both groups of monsters fiercely fixated on the Scorpion Spider Demon, sensing the threat.


    "Puff"


    The Blood de Centipede was the first to strike, unexpectedly spitting out a stream of red liquid, like an arrow shot toward the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    The Floating Pagoda ck Armor on the Scorpion Spider Demon fluctuated, immediately transforming into a shield, positioned in front, blocking the liquid.


    "Sizzle"


    The liquid seemed to possess strong corrosive properties, corroding the ck armor slightly.


    "Seeking death."


    Su Han''s eyes turned cold, he hadn''t even made a move, yet the monsters attacked first.


    With a thought, the Scorpion Spider Demon charged forward, and the Blood de Centipede leader immediately acted, hissing loudly, its fellow Blood de Centipedes immediately surrounded the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    However, when the Scorpion Spider Demon got serious, the armor tes on its shoulders floated out, revealing the Crimson Demon Eyes within, instantly emitting a piercing red light.


    The powerful mental shock assaulted the group of Blood de Centipedes, their pain twisted their forms, and for a moment, they couldn''t advance.


    At that moment, the Scorpion Spider Demon raised its Wolf Fang Club high, under the enhancement of Blood Qi, the Vital Energy-wrapped Wolf Fang Club fell heavily, creating a booming sound as it swept the Blood de Centipedes in front of it away.


    Seeing this, the Blood de Centipede leader coiled up, its sharp tentacles whipping toward the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    ng


    The Scorpion Spider Demon was not about to dodge such an attack and caught it with both arms behind its back.


    The Blood de Centipede leader struggled to pull away, but the Scorpion Spider Demon brought the Wolf Fang Club down on its head, cracking the shell and causing blood to drip.


    The Blood de Centipede leader was dazed by the blow, weakening its struggles considerably, evidently stunned.


    However, Su Han wanted to keep it alive, so the Scorpion Spider Demon lifted it high and then mmed it down onto the ground with a great m, creating a huge pit and crushing the approaching Blood de Centipedes into a bloody pulp.


    Seeing the sorry state of the Blood de Centipede leader, the Cyclopean Toad leader immediately thought of fleeing, but Su Han blocked it.

 Chapter 139: Chapter 133 Blood Qi Blessing

    ```


    Second-order lower-level monsters are good choices for fusion materials, for research purposes, or even as the fetal matrix for the Mother Nest Ancient Tree''s tree wombs.


    Su Han wouldn''t let it slip away, not to mention that only after clearing out the high-order monsters could thebat personnel of the Shanhu Vi District enter and clean up more effectively.


    The one-eyed toad leader, intercepted by Su Han, immediately grew desperate, shooting out its barbed tongue toward Su Han.


    The speed was incredibly swift, like an arrow.


    However, in Su Han''s eyes, that speed seemed to slow down. His keen perception and strong reaction ability allowed him to fully capture its trajectory.


    He held a Pu knife in a reverse grip, the tip pointing down, and thrust it hard into the ground,pletely piercing the giant tongue.


    The one-eyed toad shrieked in pain, trying to pull its tongue back with all its might, but Su Han simply twitched his Pu knife, severing arge chunk of the tongue.


    "Gugug"


    The enraged toad swarm surrounded him, and Su Han stepped forward with a sneer, his Pu knife rising and falling in his hand.


    Every one-eyed toad that tried to pounce was bisected with one stroke of his knife, blood sttering, and their eerie single eyes staring straight at Su Han, giving people goosebumps.


    "Spiritual energy externalization, attachment condensation."


    Su Han shed down one-eyed toads as he made his way towards the leader, leaving more bodies behind with each step.


    Seeing this, the leader was driven purely by the instinct to flee. Its belly made growling noises, and its powerful hind legs suddenly thrust it over a hundred meters away.


    Su Han''s eyes widened, a sharp light crossing his gaze, "Still trying to run?"


    He closed the distance in just a few steps, pushing through the obstructing one-eyed toads without hesitation.


    ck Armor cloaked his body, his robust physique bulldozing through. Even the monsters couldn''t withstand such immense strength.


    Moreover, a hint of red Vital Energy began to emerge on the surface of Su Han''s body, with spiritual energy faintly visible, the Vital Energy clustering without dispersing.


    [Perceptive Skill sess, Synchronized Skill: LV1 Blood Qi Blessing]


    Perception shot through his consciousness like lightning, naturally urring. Strong Vital Energy surged through his body, mingling with thetent spiritual energy to form Blood Qi Blessing.


    After perceiving the skill, the smile on Su Han''s face grew even wider.


    Thought you could avoid getting sliced by running fast?


    He gripped his Pu knife, Vital Energy blessing it, energy shrouding the de, and then he aimed it straight at the fleeing one-eyed toad leader.


    The knife flew swiftly, tinged with a deep red, sinking into the hind leg of the one-eyed toad leader just as it was about to leap again.


    The de was sharp, and with Vital Energy enhancement, its power terrifyingly increased, cutting through the bone in an instant.


    With its power out of bnce, the massive body copsed to the ground, falling no lighter than the Bloodde Centipede Leader.


    Su Han, having realized Blood Qi Blessing, and additionally nourished by the Third Order Scorpion Spider Demon and the Mother Nest Ancient Tree, felt filled with strength, attacking as if he was just warming up.


    He turned his gaze to the remaining two hundred one-eyed toads, and then the figure d in ck Armor stepped forward, punching with a force that went through flesh and bone, shattering the bodies of the one-eyed toads.


    His strikes were wide and satisfying, the initial grasp of the Blood Qi augmentation bing more proficient by the moment, red swirls curling around his body.


    ck and red intertwined, turning him into something akin to a deity of ughter, his aura umting and transforming into something even sharper.


    However, as he continued his violent assault, the remaining few dozen one-eyed toads quickly copsed.


    Their instinct to preserve their species couldn''t ovee the fear of death. They scattered like birds and beasts, even the one-eyed toad leader didn''t dare attempt a rescue anymore.


    Su Han nced over at the Scorpion Spider Demon''s battlefield next door, where the ground was already stained blood-red, and the Blood de Centipedes stood no chance against the terrifying Wolf Fang Club.


    The shells that could withstand ordinary bullets shattered under a single strike from the Wolf Fang Club.


    Several hundred Blood de Centipedes were already over half dead, and the survivors were quickly burrowing into the leaf mold to escape.


    The most miserable was the Blood de Centipede Leader, now bound by the Scorpion Spider Demon''s Floating Pagoda ck Armor chains, dragged along without the capacity to resist. Its status was so poor that nobody knew how long it would live; its legs had been broken by the hundreds.


    The one-eyed toad leader, with a broken leg, was still trying to escape, but Su Han walked up to it, his fists enveloped in Vital Energy; one powerful punchnded on it, breaking another leg.


    It struggled and resisted, but boom, boom¡ªseveral punches struck, continuing until it was severely injured and couldn''t fight back.


    Physical anesthesia


    This was Su Han''s best approach at the moment, since the vines from the Mother Nest Ancient Tree couldn''t extend this far.


    Su Han looked at the dead bodies of monsters around him, a few hundred from two different groups, along with the thousands previously ughtered, which should be enough.


    Controlling the Scorpion Spider Demon, he dragged two Second-order lower-level monsters back towards the Shanhu Vi.


    Seeing Su Han pulling the two monsters back, Gu Shaojie and the others were profoundly shocked, their eyes filled with awe and fear as they hurriedly opened the iron gate.


    "Leader, the gate is too small, they won''t fit through."


    After opening the iron gate, Gu Shaojie suddenly realized it was too narrow to allow passage for the two gigantic creatures.


    Mainly the one-eyed toad leader and the Scorpion Spider Demon¡ªas they were not onlyrge in size but also quite wide, and with the gate being just three to four meters in width, there seemed no way for them to fit.


    This was just a side gate for thendlords to conveniently enter and exit Yunling Mountain for leisure, without much consideration even for vehicle pass through.


    "No worries, have people behind the gate step back a bit."


    If they couldn''t be dragged in, then there was an easy solution.


    ```


    The Scorpion Spider Demon''s four arms grabbed the One-eyed Toad and threw it behind the gate. The One-eyed Toad fell heavily in a parabolic trajectory, producing a hefty thud.


    Already heavily injured, more fresh blood gushed from the One-eyed Toad''s gaping mouth, but it was just a trifling amount of blood.


    For these monsters, such a height was negligible.


    Gu Shaojie and the others shed looks of shock, swallowed hard, feeling that the Scorpion Spider Demon seemed excessively violent.


    ''Hasn''t it grown two or three times the size since the Happiness Community?''


    "Gu Shaojie"


    "Present," Su Han nced at the No. 31 vi nearby and saw many more people. They must be the manpower Gu Shaojie had requested in the morning following his orders.


    "How many people did you request?"


    "A total of forty people. If that''s not enough, Sister Meiyu can still dispatch more. The team is led by Cheng Xiyuan, with twentybat personnel for patrolling and the other twenty are capable Contractors."


    He paused for a moment and added, "All of them are in the prime of their youth."


    "Hmm."


    Su Han nodded. Although the camp was divided intobat and nonbat personnel, they were all Contractors. Aside from some children and the elderly, basically everyone hadbat capabilities.


    Of course, the differencey in personality andbat consciousness.


    But if people were truly needed forbat, at least three-quarters of the camp could be consideredbat-ready.


    Yan Meiyu had specifically selected individuals in their prime, naturally taking into ount the dangers of Yunling Mountain."Lead the people along the road, gather the materials from the monster corpses, and move them to the edge of the wall. The rest will be dealt with by the Mother Nest Ancient Tree''s vines."


    Gu Shaojie immediately nodded and responded loudly, "Yes!"


    Apanied by the Scorpion Spider Demon and two Second-order Lower-level monsters, Su Han continued toward the location of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree. However, upon entering the Shanhu Vi District, they were in the area covered by vines.


    So the Man-eating Vine had quietlye over and injected the two creatures with Paralytic Toxin again, leaving them utterly incapable of resistance.


    The assistance of the vines quickly resulted in the two Second-order Lower-level monsters being dragged to a position near the Mother Nest Ancient Tree.


    The cages were ready, and because they were Second Order, they could not be treated specially even if they were badly beaten.


    Thus, the cages were reinforced, and the Bloodde Centipede Leader was given a tortoise shell-binding package, implemented personally by the Mother Nest Ancient Tree.


    Both monsters were caged while on the other side, Gu Shaojie and his team began transporting the materials from the corpses.


    Vines hidden underground continued the fusion process that was unfinished from the previous day.


    Time passed, and by the afternoon, Gu Shaojie and his team had finished transporting all the materials from over two thousand monster corpses.


    The flesh and blood were indistinguishably mangled, bones shattered as though they had been run over by a heavy truck.


    Without the help of the Tree-born Worms, the forty of them would not have managed to transport such an enormous quantity in one afternoon.


    Moreover, what unsettled Gu Shaojie and the others was the fact that only Su Han and the Scorpion Spider Demon had gone up the mountain, not even bringing the Mother Nest Ancient Tree that illuminated everyone in the camp.


    A single person and an Angel Envoy easily in so many monsters without a hint of fatigue. Just how terrifying was the strength of their leader?


    This question was somewhat unimaginable to him.


    The afternoon wore on, and as the monster corpses were continuously fused, the LV3 Essence of Flesh, initially at 71% integration, gradually climbed and finally waspleted by evening.


    "[LV4 Essence of Flesh fusionplete, Mother Nest Ancient Tree gains Skill Advancement: LV3 Tree Womb, LV2 Vine Giant Rat]"


    The sessful fusion caused the Mother Nest Ancient Tree to slightly increase in size and was not very noticeable. However, the two skillspleted their advancements one after another.


    This brought a smile to Su Han''s face, especially with the LV3 Tree Womb.


    A new Tree Womb had grown in the canopy. An additional creature was added to the flock, and the range of activity for the creatures had also increased significantly from before, reaching a distance of 3000 meters.


    The strength had also fluctuated. If the birthing body was suitable, it could reach a Second-order Intermediate level, which was another significant advancement.


    After the advancement of the Vine Giant Rat to LV2, the enhancement was also quite considerable. On one hand, the number of Vine Giant Rats doubled to 100, and their range of activity extended even further than that of the Tree-born Worm, reaching 2000 meters.


    "The breeding speed of the Vine Giant Rats isn''t slow. With a hundred of them, a few can be allocated for production."


    Su Han''s eyes reflected his contemtion. His gazended on the two recently captured monsters: "Should I treat these two as breeding bodies for Contracted Angel Envoys?"


    Both monsters were Second-order Lower Grade. Their strength wasn''t particrly formidable, but they were still passable to be Contracted. It would just require more time for fusion and upgrading, incurring a cost in resources and time.


    If they were developed into creatures of the flock, it would take time as well, but with sufficient resources, it was just about ten days to see effective results, and they would have long-term preservation.


    "Creatures of the flock then. Second-order Lower Grade is a bitcking, and their abilities are not outstanding," he concluded after some thought. If the abilities weren''t exceptional, raising them would be more bothersome.


    Crimson vines descended from the canopy, wrapping around the two paralyzed monsters, slowly devouring them.


    "Tramp, tramp, tramp."


    However, at this moment, a series of footsteps hurried over. Su Han turned and saw that it was Zhu Xionging back.


    "Su Han, there''s a situation at Nanwang Lake. A new survivor said that someone seems to be hunting the Giant Crocodile Monster leader there."

 Chapter 140: Chapter 134 The Situation at Nanwang Lake

    Zhu Xiong''s news caught Su Han by surprise, he asked, "What happened?"


    "Nanwang Lake is still not safe. Today I went to block the remaining passages and found a group of survivors who had juste over, not from Ruan Chao''s camp."


    Nanwang Lake is vast in area, and there are actually quite a few survivors'' camps that depend on such a water source to survive. It''s just that within the fog, one might not know of the others'' existence.


    What Zhu Xiong was talking about was another group of survivors.


    "How many people ran over?"


    "13, all injured."


    As they walked toward Vi No. 9, they kept talking, "Their camp wasn''t big, just over 40 people at its best, but they were recently attacked."


    "Attacked?"


    Su Han''s gaze turned serious, and Zhu Xiong nodded, "Yes, attacked. Suddenly a group of people appeared out of nowhere and raided their camp, taking away many women and supplies, and capturing some of the men."


    "How did they escape?"


    Su Han immediately spotted the loophole; the entire camp couldn''t defeat the attackers, yet so many managed to escape.


    "They were part of a search party," Zhu Xiong answered, "I checked, and they all had supplies on them. All Contractors, and their Angel Envoys had clear roles for scouting andbat."


    Their statements were only one factor. Zhu Xiong, an experienced guy, would cross-check their stories from different angles when listening to the survivors'' descriptions.


    There is a distinct difference between the configuration of a refugees'' squad and that of a search party.


    Moreover, when Zhu Xiong met the survivors, he would intentionally separate one or two of them and let people casually broach subjects with them.


    Although not mandatory, the direction of these casual conversations were rtively consistent. It was all about seeing if their answers would corroborate each other.


    "They weren''t all injured by that group, but by the Giant Crocodile Monster grouping in Nanwang Lake."


    Zhu Xiong detailed the information he had gathered to Su Han, "When they returned with supplies, they found their camp had been breached, and some people had been turned into bait for killing the monsters."


    "When they tried to stealthily rescue people they were discovered by the attackers. There was a sh, and they were no match. If it hadn''t been for the creatures from Nanwang Lake suddenly attacking and causing chaos, it''s likely they wouldn''t have escaped."


    Zhu Xiong paused briefly, then said solemnly, "Moreover, ording to their intelligence, among the group that attacked them, the leader should be Second Order."


    Su Han''s eyebrows raised, "Second Order, seems like the Talent is not bad. Tomorrow I''ll join you. Let''s get the metal door up first then head over to Nanwang Lake."


    -----------------


    Nanwang Lake, Nanwang Guild Hall.


    Gao Song came out of the third-floor room holding his trousers, only half-dressed, his bare upper body and trousers not properly fastened.


    He buttoned up his shirt as he walked, and through the ajar door, one could vaguely see two women on the disheveled bed.


    "Brother Song!"


    The moment he appeared, the other men outside immediately greeted him.


    He patted their shoulders with a smile and asked, "Where''s my big brother?"


    "Brother Bin is downstairs, setting up today''s hunt. We''re a bit short on bait, and he''s not too happy about it."


    Gao Song frowned, waved his hand, and gestured for his men to leave, "I''ll go down and find him."


    He descended from upstairs and strode over to arge hall. Along the way, many people were busy with their own tasks.


    Males dominated the poption, each carrying a weapon, with fierce looks in their eyes, not the kind you''d want to trifle with.


    Once he reached the ground-floor hall where there were the most people, guards stood at the main entrance, and supplies were piled up there.


    Gao Bin was dealing with matters on the first floor, not in the main hall, but in thergest private room. Gao Song knew this, so he headed straight for that location.


    The opulent corridor glittered with gold, but the bloodstains had yet to dry.


    Before the apocalypse, this ce relied on the scenery of Nanwang Lake and had always been a well-known entertainment club in the area.


    Luxury cars came and went in an endless stream.


    After the apocalypse, it became a gathering point for a group of survivors. The tall walls and sturdy doors provided excellent cover, and there was some food storage.


    However, everything changed not long before.


    The brothers Gao Bin and Gao Song figured out the situation of this camp and then decisively took it over.


    "Big brother," Gao Song said, pushing the door open. Inside the room, there were three or four men; one was kneeling on the ground, covered in wounds, with blood continuously flowing from his nose. He was groaning in a low voice, clutching his twisted arm¡ªclearly, it had been broken.


    "Ah Song," said the man on the middle leather sofa with a stern face, waving his hand, "You two, take him out."


    "Yes, Brother Bin."


    The subordinates dragged the man out like a dead dog, then closed the door.


    Now alone in the room with only his brother, Gao Song took a bottle of liquor from the table, took a swig, and casually sat on the sofa.


    Beatings, interrogations, and forcing out clues had be second nature to Gao Song in the isting mist. Without a doubt, it was an effective means of gathering information.


    Sometimes, they would even try the more direct approach of immediate punishment, which made for a more satisfying interrogation, but Brother Bin did not like it.


    It wasn''t out of kindness but rather... There were too many people, and it was slow.


    Gao Bin frowned slightly, his eyes narrowing triangledly as they settled on Gao Song. He said, "Don''t drink while you''re working."


    Gao Song showed little concern, only reacting when he noticed his brother''s expression and then putting the liquor down, "With a Contractor''s constitution, it''s not easy to get drunk."


    "But some monsters are very sensitive to smells, even more so than to sight."


    Gao Song stiffened slightly; he knew his brother was right, "I was wrong, Brother Bin."


    Gao Bin nodded slightly. Although his younger brother could be reckless, at least he was obedient.


    The two were blood brothers, ordinary people before the apocalypse, with Gao Song in sales and Gao Bin supervising some night venues, a minor figurehead.


    When the apocalypse came, both brothers were in their rental, fortunate to not have turned into monsters but instead became Contractors.


    United as brothers, they hunted and killed monsters and, with their ruthless aggression, were able to pull together a team.


    In a world devoid of order, Gao Bin''s ruthlessness allowed him to quickly secure a foothold.


    Of course, it also allowed Gao Song to be increasingly indulgent, as in such a world, he could enjoy even more.


    "Brother Bin, what did you find out?"


    The person they had just interrogated was one of the survivors they had caught in the area.


    "There are quite a few survivors at Nanwang Lake. I''ve gotten a few leads on where there might be survivors. After today''s hunt, we can send people to check them out."


    Gao Bin''sposure remained unshaken as he spoke slowly.


    Hunting had be their habit.


    They would use bait to lure monsters into traps, then surround and kill the monsters, controlling Angel Envoys to Devour the corpses of the monsters, thereby inducing mutations in the Envoys.


    This method helped them to rapidly strengthen their own Angel Envoys, thereby increasing their power and swaying hearts.


    "I heard we''re running low on bait."


    Gao Song looked puzzled and asked his brother, "Why don''t we use those women as bait now? We''ve had our fun anyway."


    There were quite a few people in their group, around a hundred, but women were scarce. To control the women''s ability to resist, except for a few core members whose women were Contractors, the rest were considered expendable.


    When needed, they were everyone''s toys.


    When not needed, they were bait.


    When Gao Song stated this, there was not a hint of pity in his calm demeanor, sending shivers down one''s spine.


    Gao Bin shook his head, "We''re not far from Shanhu Vi District. Once we set up camp there, we need to keep some women around, otherwise, the guys underneath won''t have an outlet for their urges. Constant moving isn''t a solution."


    "Who knows if there are any survivors in the Shanhu Vi District. If the ce is really that convenient, there are probably quite a number of them."


    Gao Song''s brow furrowed slightly, sensing potential risks.


    "If we''re stronger, we''ll rob them," Gao Bin had clearly considered this, "If not, we''ll hole up in a subway station like those rats from the Subway Gang, building up strength."


    "Like those rats from the Subway Gang?"


    The subway stations, with their excellent closure, had only a few entrances and exits aside from the tracks where the trains moved through.


    Once the entrances were sealed, a subway station could amodate hundreds or even more than a thousand people.


    The concrete-built subway stations were a hard bone for monsters to chew on, offering great security, though not so convenient for water supply. But it was bearable.


    Such ces, therefore, became camps for some survivors, the ''rats'' as Gao Song referred to them.


    "Being ''rats'' is better than being dead, and they''re not weak."


    Clearly, there had been conflicts between the two groups, and Gao Bin had suffered minor losses.


    "Get ready for the hunt today," Gao Bin''s fingers rhythmically tapped his crossed leg, speaking slowly, "We will stay around Nanwang Lake for a while, seizing resources and people. That is how we will secure our footing and expand our influence. Just over a hundred people isn''t enough."


    To be even more powerful, it wasn''t enough to have individual strength; production had to recover, resources had to be gathered, all of which required manpower.


    He was no longer satisfied with this hyena-like hunting method and desperately wanted a stronghold, a stable base, not one they''d be chased out of.


    Gao Song nodded, understanding his brother''s thinking, "I got it, Brother Bin."


    "Good you understand," Gao Bin said, "Nanwang Lake is home to creatures like the Giant Crocodile Monster and Armored Crocodile. Devouring them should yield better effects than consuming flesh. There are also some fish that haven''t turned into monsters, eating them can enhance the body''s strength.


    So we need to stay here for a while, to build up our power, especially you, if we are to take down the Shanhu Vi District."


    Gao Bin had ns in mind. Nanwang Lake had to be thoroughly scavenged, and it had to be done quickly.


    Not too far from Shanhu Vi District, if they didn''t clean up this ce thoroughly, there was no telling when someone else might swoop in for the spoils.


    Strike first to gain the upper hand, that was Gao Bin''s rule of thumb.


    "Alright, let''s prepare for the hunt. Take the remaining ten people out, bleed them by theke, let them loose alive."

 Chapter 141: Chapter 135: Number Two Pet Beast Bonestead Rat Demon

    Shanhu Vi District, in the grasnd behind Vi No. 9.


    The tree womb of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree suddenly became active, approximately ten days had passed. The number one tree womb Alien Thorn Worm had gradually taken shape and, just likest time, broke through the barriers of the tree womb, leaping out from inside.


    Its appearance was still ferocious, and its strength was simr to the previous time, Second Order Low Grade.


    Along with it, the number two tree womb''s dependent beast had also sessfully gestated.


    This was a form taller than the Alien Thorn Worm. After absorbing the Mountain Corpse Giant Rat as the embryonic body, it gradually became enormous.


    Now having sessfully gestated, that huge beast also broke through the embryonic body and heavily fell from the tree.


    "Boom"


    The massive creaturended heavily, its seven-meter-tall body creating arge crater in the ground.


    Su Han looked at the monstrous figure, rat-headed human-bodied, massive in size, with muscles bulging like hard rocks, radiating a sense of power.


    Bonestead Rat Demon, that was the monster''s name, and true to its appearance, heavy bony shells nearly enveloped its entire body. Bone spurs sharp as des grew on its spine, elbows, heels, and other ces.


    Even the slightly exposed areas were covered with thick, dark tree bark-like skin, obviously not low in defense.


    This was a monster armed to the teeth, with a powerful body, sturdy arms, solid legs, and a vine-twisted tail, all disying tremendous defensive power. Only its pale green eyes, slightly visible, but their oily green gleam was equally chilling.


    Su Han was very pleased with the Bonestead Rat Demon. Though only Second Order Low Grade, its presence was almost as formidable as the previous Mountain Corpse Giant Rat.


    Such a dependent beast was already quite impressive.


    Although it was not an Angel Envoy and had limited potential, as long as resources were sufficient, it could continue to gestate given enough space, and it would eventually be arge army.


    "The damage-bearing unit of the legion, and also the charging unit,plementing the Alien Thorn Worm,"


    Su Han nodded slightly, then with a thought, the Ancient Worm Tree began to use its Anthropomorphic State skill, and soon the Ancient Worm Tree had transformed into a three-to-four-meter-tall tree person.


    From over sixty meters, it had transformed into three to four meters, this Anthropomorphic State skill was indeed something more significant than what Su Han had imagined.


    Though its strength was suppressed, the convenience it provided, especially in legion mobilization, was undoubtedly a very potent skill.


    Who among those ignorant of the details could imagine, under the sweep of a monster legion, among a group of tall dependent beasts, the inconspicuous tree person was the core of the legion?


    And who could imagine, when they try assassinating the tree person, after facing immense dangers and passing throughyers of dependent beasts, to reach the assassination target,


    only for the tree person to transform, pulling out a form several timesrger than their own.


    Su Han did not dismiss the dependent beasts and headed towards the outside of Vi No.9, the gestation of the two dependent beasts was a bit sudden, he had thought it would happen at night or a bitter.


    But now that they had hatched, it was a good time to see the strength of the Bonestead Rat Demon.


    Outside Vi No.9, Zhu Xiong, Gan Xinglei, Zhang Dahai, Ye Kailing, and Guo Gang had already brought people to wait outside, and there were even more people than two days ago.


    Although there were incidents yesterday, and they were gathering survivors, both Zhu Xiong and Guo Gang hadpleted blocking the intersections.


    Therefore, today was a major operation. Su Han would first turn the metals at various intersections into solid gates to block them, and then all teams wouldmence the clearing of monsters.


    This time, it was not just dealing with the monsters attacking on the streets, but a floor-by-floor cleaning, which was higher in danger andrger in workload, hence naturally needing more people and needing the help of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree.


    "Chief!"


    As Su Han appeared, neat greetings rang out. As the camp expanded, survivors who joinedter contributed more, and the personnel joining the battle ranks also increased.


    The title for Su Han also changed along with the camp. Old Zhu and a few others were the closest ones, both subordinates and friends, so they still called him Su Han.


    Those from Happiness Community who joined early, like Zhao Yimin and others, often called him Boss.


    Lately, those who joined the camp due to rescue operations, breakthroughs of the camp''s defenses, and who had witnessed the camp''s formidable strength, or even seen Su Han''s terrifying power, thus held more reverence in their hearts, preferring to call Su Han Chief.


    With the Chief present, order was present, and the camp would be sturdy as a metal bastion, and that meant safety.


    This was a consensus among everyone.


    Especially the territorial army, subtly affected by a different kind of fervor.


    "Act ording to the n, ensure your own safety while cleansing every monster, and if you encounter Evolved Kind, those who need controlling should be controlled. How much Contribution Value you can umte, whether you can be stronger without me, depends on your own effort. Understood?"


    "Understood!"


    The formidable team set off. This time it wasn''t just fifty Vine Giant Rats but also over ten trucks.


    Weapons supplies, medical supplies were all in the trucks, and likewise, materials and survivors discovered this time would be transported back in trucks,pleting a major cleanup of the entire ring area.


    Su Han did not ride in a truck, but rather stood on the Tree Person''s shoulder, he did not summon the Scorpion Spider Demon, but was followed by the Alien Thorn Worm and Bonestead Rat Demon.


    If not for the test necessitating the Mother Nest Ancient Tree to keep the Vine Giant Rat, Tree-born Worm, and dependent beasts from going offline, Su Han might not even have let the Mother Nest Ancient Treee out.


    The two massive, fierce-looking creatures instilled awe in the apanying people.


    With two more monsters added, although they were not Angel Envoys, they had no doubt that these two monsters could tear their envoys apart.


    Su Han''s might had already sunk deep into people''s hearts, but those with a keen mind also thought of Bai Qn''s second Angel Envoy.


    They knew well that only Su Han''s Mother Nest Ancient Tree could gestate the Alien Thorn Worm, and the situation within that wasn''t hard to guess, wasn''t it?


    If they also put in some effort, couldn''t they also receive a reward from the Chief when breaking through to Second Order, like contracting such an Angel Envoy?


    At that time, would I be part of the leader''s direct lineage, or perhaps his elite guards?


    People always fantasize, and if they see a chance for advancement, many will push themselves harder.


    The team moved toward the ring area at a steady pace, still enveloped in the fog, but undoubtedly quieter than two days before.


    Most of the intersections in the ring area were blocked, though the piles of vehicles were only three to four meters high and had a rtively steep gradient.


    But generally, monsters would not easily climb such things; without foreign monsters invading, naturally, there wasn''t much noise on the streets.


    Near the entrance to Summer Garden Avenue, the team slowly stopped.


    "Su Han, we are at the midpoint here. Each intersection isn''t too far away, within one or two kilometers."


    One or two kilometers isn''t a very long distance, but for streets, it means a lot of twists and turns, so the entire ring area is actually not small.


    Su Han nced around¡ªhe saw tall buildings rising gradually. Moving forward would lead to themercial streets of the Summer Garden Mall, where there were even more structures and many shops suitable for living around.


    Su Han nodded, then said, "Let''s get moving."


    He jumped down from the Mother Nest Ancient Tree, canceled his Anthropomorphic State Skills, and the terrifying tree trunk rapidly erged; its massive, hard roots burst through the cement on the surface, rooting into the ground below.


    The roots spread beneath the vines, gradually spanning hundreds of meters, breaking through from both sides of the street periodically, emitting the Radiance of the Lamp Tree, dispersing the fog.


    With Summer Garden Avenue at the center, the fog was quickly driven away, clearing the sky, and the huge trunk stood tall like a deity of old.


    "Magnificent!"


    Someone spoke in a low voice, many others were somewhat dazed by the sight, as the dense white fog that had been heavy like cotton was now being lightly dispersed.


    The buildings on both sides, standing solemn and tall, slowly revealed their true faces, standing naturally awe-inspiring.


    Stretching over seven hundred meters, it nearly illuminated arge part of the area; some vines even quietly spread over some buildings, making the brightness even more apparent.


    Below the ground, Tree-born Worms had begun to spread, bringing the entire area under surveince.


    Though breaking through the cement floor isn''t easy, there are plenty of flower beds around, which serve as their entrance and exit.


    "Lead the team to clear out the monsters, where the vines reach, don''t bother there; outside the vines, dump in the flower beds, as for the survivors, control them all, deal withter,"


    "Yes, leader."


    About clearing and rescuing, in fact, Su Han didn''t need to emphasize; their search team already had aplete process, assessing threat level, nature of the team, followed by inquiries, investigations, and finally eptance.


    With aplete process, even a little bit of trickery won''t cause a stir.


    It didn''t take long for the four teams to start moving separately, with Zhu Xiong slightlygging behind, following Su Han.


    "First we''ll go your way, then I''ll set up the metal gates one by one,"


    Zhu Xiong grinned, "That''s great, it''s easier to work without foreign monsters."


    Zhu Xiong led the way; within his responsibility range, there were seven intersections, including a main road towards North Ridge Avenue, which had the widest road surface. However, Zhu Xiong had also piled up quite a few scrapped cars going back and forth, totaling over a hundred vehicles.


    The rest were mostly pedestrian ways and inter-building roads, mostly dualne roads, with some singlene, not difficult to manage.


    Su Han arrived in front of the pile of scrapped cars, and Metal Maniption was directly initiated; arge quantity of metal melted and then, under his control, began to reshape.


    Metal columns were driven meters into the ground, pulled horizontally like rebar, embedding into the walls of buildings on both sides.


    It took over ten minutes¡ªnearly all the scrapped cars were used, and then, at this across-the-road junction, a metal barrier about four meters high was erected.


    Eight pirs, with only the twones in the middle forming the actual metal gates, about three centimeters thick.


    "Won''t four meters be a bit short? Shall I bring some more cars? I reckon if we encounter somerger monsters, this thing couldn''t stop them."


    Zhu Xiong smacked his lips, airing his concerns, having seen the fight at Bei Qing Grain Warehouse; he had a high sense of crisis and knew about those terrifying creatures among the monsters.


    "The ring area is just temporary; it will expandter. Besides, the wall is to prevent those most numerous small monsters. Bigger monsters cannot hide their bodies, and someone will deal with them when the timees,"


    If it can''t resist, whenrge monsters attack, then it must be left to people to defend, and such a wall is to guard against those numerous but extremely annoying creatures.


    "That makes sense,"


    Zhu Xiong nodded, and Su Han had already said, "Take me to the other six intersections; we''ll find a chance to strengthen this er."


    Su Han ran through four areas, which took about two and a half hours, and only then could the closure of the whole ring area be consideredplete.


    Once the worry was minimized for the four teams, they immediately began to clear the monsters between buildings and within constructions.


    Roars rose again; where the vines of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree reached, the presence of monster corpses had begun to be detected.


    [Monster flesh detected. Proceed with Fusion?]


    Fusion


    Su Hanmanded the Mother Nest Ancient Tree to continue Fusing; he knewpared to those metal gates, the Mother Nest Ancient Tree was truly the monumental pir of his territory, so it had to keep Fusing.


    Looking at the Mother Nest Ancient Tree,parable in height to a high-rise building, Su Han showed a satisfied smile; even though it now required more material, clearing the ring area should help in upgrading the Essence of Flesh.


    He shifted his gaze, then led the Alien Thorn Worms and the Bonestead Rat Demon towards Nanwang Lake; he needed to see the situation there personally.


    And to let the Bonestead Rat Demon try its strength.

 Chapter 142: Chapter 136 Bait Cage

    Su Han did not bring Zhu Xiong and the others, for the camp clearance needed manpower, and within Nanwang Lake, the true nature of the monsters remained uncertain.


    If he brought too many people, there would be fewer hands to work.


    If there were danger, escaping would not be as smooth either.


    He, apanied by only his two beasts, rapidly made his way towards Nanwang Lake.


    Knowing there was a raiding team nearby, Su Han did not use the Ancient Tree Crystal to dispel the mist.


    Move into the vige quietly, no need for gunfire.


    The Ancient Tree Crystal could clear the fog, but its light would also expose Su Han''s whereabouts, so he decided not to use it for the time being.


    Without the dispersal of the Ancient Tree Crystal, fog shrouded the environment, reducing visibility to a mere hundred meters, veiling everything in a hazy dimness, making the enormous Nanwang Bridge appear as if cut off halfway, vanishing into the mist.


    Su Han, with his beasts in tow, stepped onto Nanwang Bridge, where vehicles nearly choked the entire surface; some cars werepletely smashed together, their fronts ttened, with only half a skeleton remaining inside them.


    In the midst of this fog, too many people failed to escape the bridge; at the onset of the apocalypse, monsters relentless tore apart defenseless humans.


    On the deadly silent bridge, the sound of footsteps seemed starkly out of ce, the three figures appearing like shadows cast upon a chalkboard formed by the white mist.


    "Roar"


    A low growl traveled through the fog, followed by sporadic, frantic running sounds that nged and banged against many vehicles.


    Monsters charged in, mostly consisting of flesh corpses, among which were several Giant w Zombies of different species.


    Su Han''s pace wasn''t fast as he navigated between the vehicles, mentally counting them; there were at least a hundred cars on the bridge.


    ''The Scorpion Spider Demon might not have enough for a Fusion upgrade, but it would suffice to bolster the metal reserves of the base.''


    While pondering, the monsters had already closed in to less than thirty meters; Su Han did not start moving, but the two beasts behind him had already broken through the obstructing cars and charged out.


    The Alien Thorn Worm continually fired stabs from its paws, ughtering creatures like flesh corpses, Giant Macrophage Dogs, and Six-wed Blood Cats incessantly.


    The Bonestead Rat Demon, evidently more ferocious, confronted a Giant w Zombie head-on, remaining unscathed, its towering body steady, then with one sweep of its paw, its bone spurs sliced through, severing the monsters before it in two.


    The creatures on Nanwang Bridge were few, and they were swiftly eradicated, the scent of blood dispersing some of the fog''s dampness.


    Su Han stepped over the monster corpses, finally making his way towards the other end of the bridge, with Nanwang Lake just a short distance from the descent.


    ''Nanwang Guild Hall and Lakeside Hotel, these two ces aren''t far from each other; I should check them out first.''


    Su Han had extracted plenty of information from the survivors, not only regarding their original location but also potential areas where survivors might exist.


    However, Su Han was more curious about the changes at the aforementioned two locations than about thetter.


    He arrived at theke''s edge, where the moist and cold mist lowered the temperature by several degrees, chilling to the bone.


    "Ssh"


    Just as he approached the water, the surface roiled violently, and a massive Armored Crocodile lunged forward.


    The Bonestead Rat Demon caught the Armored Crocodile with one grasp; the beast had no chance to react before it was crushed to death.


    Bones snapped audibly, its form contorted, blood streaming from its mouth and nostrils.


    Su Han nced at the Armored Crocodile, which resembled a crocodile to a certain degree, but its robust limbs, particrly the arm-like front limbs, made this Armored Crocodile even more ferocious.


    "ng ng"


    Just as the Bonestead Rat Demon tossed aside the corpse of the Armored Crocodile, a heavy nging sound resonated from afar near thekeshore.


    It was as if something was striking against a metallic object, the sound loud and particrly jarring.


    Su Han''s eyes flickered slightly, knowing that abnormal urrences harbored dangers, and he headed towards the source of the sound.


    The closer he got, the louder and more frequent the noise became.


    The intense nging, apanied by the intermittent roars of monsters, echoed through the fog.


    Su Han finally reached the origin of the sounds, to find a huge metal cageing into view.


    The cage was cubic, approximately two meters in length on each side, constructed from welded steel bars, secure and firm, but smeared with bloodstains.


    Outside the cage, a group of Armored Crocodiles eyed their prey hungrily, at least a dozen in number, and leading them were tworger humanoid crocodile monsters, who were battering the cage, incessantly shaking it, creating a morous din.


    There was surprisingly a living person inside the cage, covered in blood, limbs broken, whimpering faintly, nearly nine-tenths on the way to meet Yama.


    The monsters circled their quarry, growling lowly, awaiting their meal; once the cage was torn open by the Giant Crocodile Monsters, the person inside would undoubtedly be their food.


    Upon witnessing this scene, Su Han''s eyes turned icy, detesting those who trapped a person in a cage to attract monsters.


    "Roar"


    The monsters took notice of Su Han and immediately redirected their attack towards him.


    The Alien Thorn Worm took position in front of him, plunging into the crowd of monsters, its stabs fiercely slicing through them, while the Bonestead Rat Demon swung its massive hand, seizing the two Giant Crocodile Monsters.


    Letting their attacks fall upon its body, it then twisted its gigantic palm with a snap, and simrlyrge Giant Crocodile Monsters met their demise.


    "Get the hell out of here."


    Su Han''s frosty voice echoed throughout the area, and amidst the rustling sounds, several dozen figures, draped in camouge and dark-colored clothes stained with blood¡ªthough not much, some faded¡ªstood up at the edge of the fog about a hundred meters away to conceal their scent.


    Nearby, there were bait cages and lures, their faint scent of blood just enough to mask his own smell, but not strong enough to upstage the bait.


    The group approached Su Han, led by none other than Gao Bin, followed by two imposing monsters.


    One was an Armored Minotaur with a single horn, and the other a Double-headed Giant w Corpse with fierce skulls, their split mouths nearly reaching their ears, teeth sharp, and snake-like tongues asionally flicking out. Their ws were massive and sharp, hanging down past their knees.


    "Brother, you''re trespassing, this is our hunting ground,"


    Gao Bin''s narrowed eyes conveyed a shady light as he warily scrutinized Su Han''s two beasts, exposing his greed.


    Such powerful Angels Envoys, if consumed, would they yield even better effects?


    He was not afraid of Su Han; he too was a Second-order Contractor, and with his group of brothers, he was not worried about losing to the man before him.


    "Hunting ground?"


    Su Han''s eyes filled with even colder intent, and he said icily, "Kill them."


    Without unnecessary words, the two horrifying monsters erupted with astonishing killing intent and charged directly at Gao Bin and hispanions.


    "Swoosh, swoosh"


    Stabs shot out instantly, piercing through two Contractors who hadn''t managed to summon their Angels Envoys in time.


    Madman!


    Gao Bin''s face twisted with anger as Su Han''s calm and indifferent demeanor infuriated him.


    Foolish creature, then die.


    He sent his Angels Envoys to charge at Su Han. The Armored Minotaur rushed at the Alien Thorn Worm, its thick carapace resisting the stinging attack, which prated only a third into the heavy armor, barely piercing it.


    "Bang"


    The Armored Minotaur''s fistnded on the body of the Alien Thorn Worm, the powerful punch sounded muffled against its shell, making the Alien Thorn Worm''s body sway.


    However, in the next moment, the Alien Thorn Worm retaliated, its sharp ws striking toward the Armored Minotaur, producing a metallic ng and leaving deep gouges on the Armored Minotaur''s body.


    The two beasts thus fought, with an intimidatingly massive show of strength.


    Meanwhile, the Double-headed Giant w Corpse confronted the Bonestead Rat Demon, with its limbs already emanating a faint white glow.


    Gao Bin had great confidence in his first Angel Envoy; although only four to five meters tall and considerably smaller than the fearsome Bonestead Rat Demon.


    But the Double-headed Giant w Corpse possessed skills, and the de w was his reliance.


    No matter how powerful the creature, under the de w, none could escape being cleaved.


    This is the consequence of opposing me.


    The Double-headed Giant w Corpse pounced on the Bonestead Rat Demon; its attack striking the target, the shrill sound of friction filled the air.


    The sharp ws had been gripped by the Bonestead Rat Demon, and though they were indeed sharp enough to grind notches into the bony hands, they were still a distance away from the flesh beneath.


    Gao Bin''s expression froze, his eyes widening in shock as his trump card failed to harm the opponent.


    "Attack, kill that man!"


    He reacted quickly, immediately targeting Su Han¡ªknowing that if the Contractor was killed, his strong monsters would be useless.


    Everyone summoned their Angels Envoys and in that moment, charged towards Su Han.


    Gao Bin struggled to control the Double-headed Giant w Corpse, desperately trying to escape the Bonestead Rat Demon''s grasp.


    But then Su Han let out a coldugh. In an instant, the Bonestead Rat Demon went berserk, mming the Double-headed Giant w Corpse to the ground. Its massive fists pounded down relentlessly, heavy blows stained with blood.


    In desperation, Gao Bin clenched a sharp steel rebar in his hand and hurled it toward Su Han like a spear.


    This was their usual hunting tactic¡ªlying in wait from a distance of dozens to a hundred meters, attacking when the number of monsters near the bait cage was sufficient, or when the baited brethren inside were about to give out.


    Everyone would throw their steel rebar spears, trying to pierce the bodies of the monsters, and then the Angels Envoys would rush in for the kill, wiping out all beasts.


    This method was efficient and safe¡ªfar better than a head-on clearing andbat¡ªit allowed them to target strong monsters and achieve victory with minimal sacrifice.


    As for the likelihood of the bait in the cage being impaled by the steel spears, that was not their concern.


    Except this time, the tactic was ineffective.


    Su Han caught the flying steel rebar spear in his hand effortlessly as if it were immobile, while behind him, a red glow faintly emerged, and an evenrger monster appeared before everyone.


    The Scorpion Spider Demon appeared.


    Its body was enveloped in thick Floating Pagoda ck Armor, with a terrifying and fierce scorpion-spider lower body, a robust humanoid torso with four arms, and a weighty Wolf Fang Club in hand.


    Gao Bin''s people felt an icy chill in their hearts.


    Damn it, how can this guy have three Angels Envoys?!


    They still believed that the Alien Thorn Worm was Su Han''s Angel Envoy, not realizing it was just an ordinary beast.


    "Brother, we were wrong!"


    Gao Bin cried out, but the Scorpion Spider Demon had already struck, sweeping its Wolf Fang Club across with cracking sounds. The first wave of monsters charged forward only to be cast into theke by the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    Some were sent flying horizontally, others directly having their midsections broken with spines protruding, blood staining the surface of theke.

 Chapter 143: Chapter 137: Flying Monsters

    The sudden appearance of the Scorpion Spider Demon made Gao Bin and his group retreat, but it was of no avail.


    From the moment they used people as bait to kill monsters, Su Han had decided not to spare a single one of them.


    Being decisive in killing was one thing, butcking any moralpass was another matter entirely.


    They could have used something else as bait, but they chose to use humans for ease and a reign of terror.


    It was a method, but one Su Han did not like.


    So, this group of people had to die.


    The shoulder tes of the Scorpion Spider Demon floated, exposing its crimson eyes. The Crimson Demon Eye was activated, and a terrifying red light instantly assaulted the Contractors'' minds.


    It was as harsh as being fiercely stabbed in the brain; the intense pain made them wail and almost copse on the ground.


    The Scorpion Spider Demon strode forward, hammering the remaining Angel Envoys with its heavy Wolf Fang Club, sttering blood and flesh all over the ground.


    The Contractors were frightened and wanted to run. They simply couldn''t handle this.


    But could they escape?


    The Tail Hook of the Scorpion Spider Demon keptshing out, swiftly piercing through the heart of a Contractor, skewering four or five people on its twin tails in just a few steps, with blood pouring down and not even dead yet.


    "Let''s fight him!"


    Some tried to risk it all to kill Su Han, but with Vital Energy Blessing, merely swinging a stolen rebar spear was enough to split the attacker in two with its sharp blood-red edge.


    Death, inescapable death, in just a few minutes, dozens of people were reduced to just a handful.


    Gao Bin''s expression was grave, but the two Angel Envoys were barely holding on, or rather, the Double-headed Giant w Corpse had already had its bones shattered.


    "A Song."


    He immediately looked at his lieutenant. Gao Song''s expression was equally grim: "I know, big brother."


    Gao Song carefully backed away, nearly reaching the edge of the mist, when suddenly a red light shed, and he summoned his Angel Envoy.


    "Swoosh"


    A towering figure suddenly lunged out, sweeping through the air swiftly,unching itself directly at Su Han, extremely fast, and gaining the aerial advantage, surpassing the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    Damned guy!


    With a fierce expression, Gao Song fixed his gaze on Su Han; this was a severe loss for them.


    Among the Contractors were several High Grade experts, but now all was lost.


    He had to avenge them, had to kill this man.


    Su Han, detecting the movement, narrowed his eyes, clearly identifying the approaching beast, and showing a look of surprise.


    The monster was entirely crimson, elongated in shape, with a pair of wings extremely vast, its face fierce, and its ws sharp, clearly resembling a gigantic bat.


    The monster flew incredibly fast, and capitalizing on the element of surprise, it zoomed like a red shadow right in front of Su Han.


    This was the trump card of the Gao brothers¡ªthe Bat Wing Beast.


    A Second-order Monster capable of flying, this was a beast Gao Bin had risked his life to contract for his brother.


    Initially just First-level Intermediate, but as one brother fought overtly and the other covertly, Gao Song always took advantage of tense moments to let the Bat Wing Beast strike from the air.


    Thus, their team finally came together.


    This time, the reason they had to stop at Nanwang Lake for a while was that they were eyeing the monsters in theke, intending to contract a second Angel Envoy for Gao Song.


    But now, they had only one goal¡ªto kill Su Han.


    Watching the Bat Wing Beast rapidly approach, Gao Song revealed a cruel smile. With just a few meters of distance, even you, a Second Order Contractor, definitely could not dodge.


    Su Han''s eyes turned cold, his body covered with ck Armor, facing the onught of the Bat Wing Beast directly.


    He turned the rebar spear in his hand, aiming it at the Bat Wing Beast.


    Vital Energy Blessing!


    Red light enveloped the spearhead, and then with a swoosh, the entire rebar spear was thrust forward.


    Ha, think this could bring down the Bat Wing Beast?


    Gao Song sneered, for the Bat Wing Beast had devoured many monster corpses to enhance its defense.


    Especially those that consumed monsters with tough outer skins and shells, under the fine fur of the Bat Wing Beast, there were many scales; breaking through its defense would not be easy...


    Confident in his thoughts, Gao Song''s face abruptly fell the next moment, as the rebar spear enhanced with Vital Energy Blessing pierced straight through the body of the Bat Wing Beast.


    Struck heavily, the Bat Wing Beast lost its bnce and rapidly plunged toward the ground, its aim nowpletely off.


    Su Han quickly moved to intercept the Bat Wing Beast, Vital Energy Blessing on his fists, and with a crushing blow, shattered most of its bones.


    The Bat Wing Beast tried to struggle, but Su Han raised his hand invoking Metal Control.


    Metal chains from five meters away began to transform, arriving in front of him, sharp-ended, piercing into the body of the Bat Wing Beast and binding it securely.


    By this time, the Scorpion Spider Demon had already ughtered all Contractors, leaving only the Gao brothers, while the Double-headed Giant w Corpse had been beaten to a lifeless state.


    The Armored Minotaur and the Alien Thorn Worm were evenly matched, their bodies filled with stabs and their movements bing increasingly slow.


    The Bonestead Rat Demon, after finishing the Double-headed Giant w Corpse, strode over and grabbed the arm of the Armored Minotaur.


    The Armored Minotaur struggled fiercely, but the Bonestead Rat Demon firmly blocked it, and the Alien Thorn Worm stepped forward with a w strike to the heart, severely wounding it.


    Su Han stepped up to Gao Bin, whose spirit had been shocked by the death of the Double-headed Giant w Corpse, his face frighteningly pale.


    "You are from the Nanwang Guild Hall, aren''t you?"


    Su Han merely asked tly, and Gao Bin gritted his teeth: "You, you''re here for revenge?"


    "Let me go, it was all my brother''s doing, not... it was Gao Bin''s doing."


    Gao Song was breaking down, unable to recall his proudly owned Bat Wing Beast,pletely bound.


    He was afraid, afraid that after Su Han killed the Bat Wing Beast, he would be an idiot.


    In the past when dealing with Contractors, they specifically killed Angel Envoys before using them as bait.


    Gao Bin looked at his younger brother incredulously. He was kneeling on the ground, wagging his tail, begging for mercy, and hysterically pointing at himself.


    "Bastard!"


    He cursed his brother, and veins bulged on his forehead.


    Betrayal!


    He had been betrayed by his own brother, even though he had never mistreated him.


    "It''s not my fault, really, it''s not my fault."


    He dared not face Gao Bin''s ferocious gaze.


    Everything big brother did was for my sake. As long as I survive, he would want that, andter...ter I would help him take revenge.


    Su Han found it somewhat amusing; brother turned against brother so quickly.


    The metal in his hand transformed, forming a knife. He gripped the long knife, the de shed, and instantly cut off two of Gao Song''s fingers.


    "Ah!"


    A painful wail erupted, and Su Han said indifferently, "Scream again, and I''ll cut off your hand."


    Gao Song''s body shivered. A chill ran up his spine to his brain, and he desperately covered his mouth, not daring to make a sound no matter how painful it was.


    However, the resentment in his eyes was hard topletely hide. He could only desperately lower his head.


    Su Han didn''t pay attention to these things. People were going to die, and they needed to make themselves useful before they died.


    "Tell me where you contracted this Bat Wing Beast."


    "Don''t tell him!"


    Although Gao Bin really hated his thankless younger brother, he hated Su Han before him even more.


    He knew what Su Han''s calm expression meant. They were definitely going to die today.


    "Pfft"


    The sharp scorpion tail pierced through Gao Bin''s shoulder, suspending him mid-air, causing him to continuously wail in pain.


    But this time, Su Han didn''t tell him to shut up.


    Killing the chicken to scare the monkey; it''s necessary to let the chicken scream a bit.


    Gao Song trembled like chaff. Fearpletely overtook his mind, and under Su Han''s control, the Scorpion Spider Demon hung Gao Bin above his head.


    The warm blood flowing out continuously dripped on his head.


    "I... I want to live, let me live, I''ll tell you everything."


    "Pfft"


    The knife shed, another finger gone.


    The intense pain hit instantly, but Gao Song''s eyes widened and he desperately covered his mouth, not daring to scream in pain.


    "Speak."


    "I''ll speak, I''ll speak!"


    Gao Song didn''t dare set conditions anymore: "At Riverside East Garden, there... there''s an unfinished building, it''s full of bat monsters! Gao Bin captured the Bat Wing Beast there for me, but... but they multiplied too quickly, and we were forced to change locations."


    He exined everything in detail, from where his team originally hid to how many people they had killed, how many things they had robbed, and what monsters they encountered... he spilled everything.


    He was terrified of omitting something that would provoke Su Han to kill him.


    Gao Bin wanted to interrupt Gao Song, that idiot, more than once, but just as he was about to shout, the scorpion''s sharp tail hook slowly pierced into his shoulder and then slowly pulled out.


    Time and again, the pain made him continuously wail.


    And the more he wailed in pain, the faster and more thorough down below, the blood-soaked Gao Song rambled on.


    He waspletely terrified; now he just wanted to survive.


    As time ticked by, there were fewer and fewer things Gao Song could ramble on about, after all, apart from following his brother around for fun, this guy never really took care of the raiding team''s affairs.


    The dripping sound of blood slowed, and suddenly Gao Song violently realized that the wailing had stopped.


    He slowly looked up; Gao Bin hanging from the scorpion''s tail was now silent.


    Dead!


    Really dead!


    Panic surged in his heart, Gao Song knocked his head on the ground, "Let me live, I can be your dog. The Bat Wing Beast can fly, I can be useful to you. I... I am best at sneak attacks."


    Su Han smiled and nodded, leading Gao Song to think he had a chance to live, only for Su Han to say, "Also good at biting back, right?"


    The de shed, and kneeling Gao Song was split in two from head to foot, blood gushing out.


    The Scorpion Spider Demon swung its tail, flinging a string of bodies into theke, dyeing the water even redder.


    Having ughtered so many Angel Envoys and Contractors by theke, plenty of blood had already flowed into it.


    "Whoosh"


    Theke water suddenly churned, and suddenly pairs of terrifying red eyes emerged in the water, and arge number of Armored Crocodiles and Giant Crocodile Monsters surged over.


    They were attracted by the food, numbering in the hundreds. Their eerie eyes all stared at Su Han.


    Su Han gripped his long knife, his expression unchanged. Since they had alle, he might as well kill a round of crocodiles.


    However, just at that moment, theke water churned violently, and a terrifying roar erupted.


    Su Han''s expression tensed, and he sharply turned towards the center of theke. A terrifying wave was surging towards him.


    "This doesn''t look like Second Order!"

 Chapter 144: Chapter 138 Crocodile Dragon Monster

    Su Han''s expression grew serious, and his ck Armor covered his entire body. At this moment, the Scorpion Spider Demon was already standing in front of him, nked by two protector beasts, the Alien Thorn Worms and the Bonestead Rat Demon.


    The three monsters guarded him closely, their gaze firmly fixed on the creature in theke.


    The waves in theke became more turbulent, rushing rapidly toward the shore, where some of the Armored Crocodiles and Giant Crocodile Monsters had already begun toe ashore.


    Their movements were very synchronized but also very restrained. They didn''t attack Su Han but instead moved toward the direction of the water waves, bowing their heads.


    Su Han watched in surprise, even more certain that the creature approaching must be strong and likely a higher rank within its species.


    "Roar"


    With a terrifying roar, a massive figure appeared beneath the surface of the water.


    The beast''s pupils were orange-yellow, and its pitch-ck pupils emitted a cold hue, captivating.


    This was a terrifying Alien Giant Crocodile, with most of its body submerged in the water, but just the head that was exposed was several meters in size, possessing fierce backward-pointing horns, with red tips, and the exposed part of the head was covered with ck scale armor, looking ferocious and emitting a terrifying aura.


    There were also two Second Order Giant Crocodile Monsters in the water, each of their bodies bigger than the average Giant Crocodile Monster, with more pronounced scale armor and muscles.


    "Roar"


    The Crocodile Dragon Monster poked its head out, its breath firmly locked on the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    If the Armored Crocodiles and the ordinary Giant Crocodile Monsters gathered here because of the scent of blood, the Crocodile Dragon Monster before them was entirely because a monster of the same level had appeared within its territorial range.


    Su Han''s eyes flickered slightly, instantly understanding the situation.


    Since it felt threatened, that made things easier.


    At the thought, the Scorpion Spider Demon stepped forward, its Wolf Fang Club enveloped in a red glow, and swept directly across the Armored Crocodiles and Giant Crocodile Monsters in front of him.


    The terrifying attack suddenly fell, and those monsters didn''t have a chance to evade, instantly smashed into meat pancakes.


    This sudden action undoubtedly posed the greatest threat and provocation.


    The Crocodile Dragon Monster in the water roared, and then all the Armored Crocodiles and Giant Crocodile Monsters immediately charged towards Su Han and his monsters.


    Su Han smiled and thenmanded the Alien Thorn Worms, the Bonestead Rat Demon, and the Scorpion Spider Demon to start ughtering these Armored Crocodiles.


    There were many Armored Crocodiles and Giant Crocodile Monsters, the former not less than four or five hundred and thetter also having dozens, charging mightily from the water in a formidable array.


    But it was useless.


    The gap in strength was too vast to be bridged by their numbers.


    Even though several of the Giant Crocodile Monsters were of First Order Upper Grade strength, they were no match for the Bonestead Rat Demon and were easily dealt with a single punch.


    The disparity in strength was ring, especially on the side of the Scorpion Spider Demon. As the Wolf Fang Club swung, no monster could withstand its blows.


    The deaths and injuries undoubtedly enraged the Crocodile Dragon Monster, and it suddenly opened its massive maw, a ck current condensing within.


    The Scorpion Spider Demon sensed the danger, and immediately part of its Floating Pagoda ck Armor flew up, forming a massive ck shield in front of it.


    No sooner had this been done than the ck shockwave mmed into it.


    Boom


    A massive sound erupted, and the ck shield was shattered by a third, the pieces fractured, not scattered.


    To recover, it would need to rely on its Regenerative Ability.


    ''Such a powerful attack.''


    Su Han''s eyes gleamed, the stronger the Crocodile Dragon Monster''s attack, the more excited he became because with the right handling, it could be his.


    Retreat.


    He first had the Scorpion Spider Demon gather the Coagtion Cannon and fired back at the Crocodile Dragon Monster, the blood ball impacting against it.


    The Crocodile Dragon Monster submerged most of its body into the water, the blood ball exploded on the surface of the water, sshing waves several meters high, but the force was reduced, and it failed to harm the Crocodile Dragon Monster.


    After just one strike, Su Han rapidly retreated with the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    The Crocodile Dragon Monster, having seen its kin injured and also being attacked, was not about to let this group go.


    Its massive body churned through the water, then swiftly charged onto the shore.


    Its huge ws shattered the bank, leaving deep footprints, allowing Su Han to finally witness the full appearance of the Crocodile Dragon Monster.


    The Crocodile Dragon had backward-pointing horns, a slightly short neck, but its body was exceptionallyrge, about ten meters tall and more than thirty meters long, even bigger than the Rat Queen from the other day.


    Its body was covered with uneven ck armor, thorns positioned at its joints, especially its four robust limbs that were even more sturdy and shaped like beastly feet with sharp ws, unlike a crocodile''s.


    As soon as it appeared, it immediately chased after the Scorpion Spider Demon, with icy beastly pupils full of rage. Beside it, the two Second Order Giant Crocodile Monsters also followed swiftly after Su Han.


    The lower-ranked crocodile groups couldn''t keep up, and after the heavy casualties just now, the Crocodile Dragon Monster knew these kin couldn''t match the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    So it resolved to tear these intruders to pieces itself.


    In a chase and retreat, they had already moved hundreds of meters away from Nanwang Lake, arriving at one end of Nanwang Bridge on the street.


    Su Han stopped, and the Scorpion Spider Demon turned around to confront the Crocodile Dragon Monster.


    Although it was only a distance of a few hundred meters, the tremendous creature''s speed was evidently not slow.


    "Roar"


    The Crocodile Dragon Monster didn''t know that Su Han had onlye here to lure it out of the water, interpreting the Scorpion Spider Demon''s turning around as a challenge.


    Thus, it charged ferociously, its massive ws swinging toward the Scorpion Spider Demon, ck liquid flowing over them, forming sharp edges.


    At that moment, the Scorpion Spider Demon''s Regenerative Ability had quickly restored the Floating Pagoda ck Armor, covering its body in the ck armor.


    Enhanced by Vital Energy, red energy also swirled around its body and the Wolf Fang Club in its hand.


    Without retreating, the Scorpion Spider Demon burst forth, mming the huge Wolf Fang Club onto the Crocodile Dragon Monster''s ck w.


    It roared like thunder striking down a city street.


    The immense strength of the two Third Order Monsters caused destruction far beyond that of ordinary bombs with just simple movements.


    The impact was a stalemate.


    Immediately following, the two colossal creatures began close-quartersbat, theirrge motions were terrifying.


    Being the predominant aggressor, the Crocodile Dragon Monster attacked with w Strikes, charges, and bites, leveraging its horrific body to unleash especially terrifying power, outmatching the Scorpion Spider Demon by a margin.


    The Scorpion Spider Demon, half-human, half-spider with four arms, mainly used strikes from the Wolf Fang Club, defense with the Floating Pagoda ck Armor, arm pounding, and w Strikes, its movements more agile.


    Beneath the brawl of the two monsters, the entire street became a mess from the repercussions, the concrete pavement shattered, and nearby shops and buildings copsed in heaps.


    Both were wounded, but the Scorpion Spider Demon''s Regenerative Ability gave it an edge inbat.


    Two Second Order Low Grade Giant Crocodile Monsters arrived to assist, but an Alien Thorn Worm and a Bonestead Rat Demon caught them, one on each side.


    The two guardian beasts shed with the monsters. The Giant Crocodile Monsters, true to their crocodilian nature, boasted strong defenses and immense strength.


    Onepletely overpowered the Alien Thorn Worm, trying constantly to engage in closebat. However, the Thorn Worm was quicker and continually stabbed at it, hitting the Giant Crocodile Monster''s body.


    On the other side, the sh of strength between the Giant Crocodile Monster and the Bonestead Rat Demon was entirely different.


    The Bonestead Rat Demon''s strength and defense far surpassed that of the Giant Crocodile Monster. Just at their first engagement, a fist armed with bone spurs smashed into the Giant Crocodile Monster''s body, shattering bones.


    The Bonestead Rat Demon then grabbed the Giant Crocodile Monster''s head, gripping the upper and lower jaws before tearing it apart, splitting the head in two.


    "Roar"


    Seeing its subordinate killed, the Crocodile Dragon Monster roared angrily, its huge maw opening as ck water gathered within, preparing to strike at the Bonestead Rat Demon.


    Crimson Demon Eye!


    The Scorpion Spider Demon wouldn''t let the Crocodile Dragon Monster attack its guardian beast at such a time. The Crimson Demon Eye moved into its palm, the palms aiming at the Crocodile Dragon Monster, firing a red light.


    Under the Mental Shock, the Crocodile Dragon Monster contorted in agony as a powerful st of ck water hit the buildings beside the street.


    The st roared, dust rising, and the two-story building was directly reduced to rubble.


    The Scorpion Spider Demon charged forward, smashing the Wolf Fang Club onto the Crocodile Dragon Monster''s head.


    Wrapped in Blood Qi Energy, the attack was potent and heavy, shattering many of the Crocodile Dragon Monster''s fierce horns.


    The Crocodile Dragon Monster fiercely turned and mmed into the Scorpion Spider Demon, but the next moment, it was blocked by the Scorpion Spider Demon''s tworge hands holding its upper and lower jaws.


    "Plunk"


    Meanwhile, the other Second Order Giant Crocodile Monster had been caught by the Alien Thorn Worm.


    Sharp stabs pierced directly through the eyes and into the brain, killing the Giant Crocodile Monster.


    Suddenly, the Crocodile Dragon Monster thought about retreating.


    The Scorpion Spider Demon was stronger by a margin, and if it dragged on, it might be the one to die.


    It charged at the Scorpion Spider Demon, then abruptly turned and rushed toward Nanwang Lake; once it entered theke, no one could bother it.


    "Think you can run?"


    Upon seeing this, Su Hanughed, and suddenly the surrounding fog violently dispersed, countless vines burst out of the ground, surging like waves.


    On the vines, numerous Sound Wave Tree Fruits condensed and were thrown at the Crocodile Dragon Monster, numbering over a hundred.


    The Crocodile Dragon Monster realized the danger and tried to hasten back to Nanwang Lake, but as it just lifted its foot, it found itself entangled by the vines.


    Breaking free would take time, but the hundreds of red fruits had alreadynded around it.


    Boom, boom, boom


    The explosions nearly merged into a single loud burst, strong shockwaves sweeping across the street.


    Luckily the Crocodile Dragon Monster had run fast, now two to three hundred meters from Su Han and the others; this shrill noise was slightly lessened.


    But the Crocodile Dragon Monster at the center of the explosion suffered greatly, its scale armor shattered, its head as if crushed by something heavy, in agonizing pain, blood stained everywhere on its body.


    The Scorpion Spider Demon leaped onto the Crocodile Dragon Monster, Blood Qi Energy enveloping the Wolf Fang Club, which under Metal Control had morphed into arge sword.


    "Plunk"


    A satisfyingly crisp sound as the sword pierced through the broken shell into the Crocodile Dragon Monster''s head, and the Scorpion Spider Demon, gripping the sword, stirred it, mashing its brain thoroughly and killing it outright.


    [The Crocodile Dragon Monster has been killed; do you wish to contract the Crocodile Dragon Monster as your Angel Envoy?]

 Chapter 145: Chapter 139 Bat Wing Beast Invasion

    Contract


    Su Han didn''t hesitate. The Crocodile Dragon Monster''s strength was firmly at the Lower Tier of the Third Order, and its Dark Water Cannon and Dark Water de attacks also suggested its skills wouldn''t be weak.


    Moreover, in terms of positioning, the Crocodile Dragon Monster''sbat power in water was undoubtedly a powerful addition.


    Su Han never forgot that on Earth, the ocean, not thend, covered thergest area and was the most terrifying breeding ground.


    Although the fiercepetition in that ecosystem wouldn''t affect thend for the time being, it was only temporary.


    As the contractmenced, the third page of the Book of Blood Spirit lit up, red light enveloping the enormous body of the Crocodile Dragon Monster.


    The Scorpion Spider Demon, Alien Thorn Worm, and Bonestead Rat Demon all guarded the vines beside him, also scattered around to protect Su Han.


    The Mother Nest Ancient Tree was already on the other side of Nanwang Bridge; it had quicklye from the central location andid vines in ambush all around.


    This was also why Su Han lured the Crocodile Dragon Monster over here for battle.


    One reason was to remove the Crocodile Dragon Monster from its home field in the water, and the other was to ensure it was captured.


    Although the Scorpion Spider Demon appeared to have the upper hand, if the Crocodile Dragon Monster decided to flee regardless, the best they could do would be to inflict heavy damage.


    "Thump thump thump"


    Zhu Xiong led his people from the direction of Nanwang Bridge, speeding along on Vine Giant Rats, rushing like mad until seeing the Scorpion Spider Demon and Bonestead Rat Demon guarding Su Han, finally heaving a sigh of relief.


    "Everyone, spread out and be on guard."


    "Yes!"


    Zhu Xiong didn''t approach Su Han and muttered as he looked at the huge monster shrouded in red light, "Wow, this monster is huge; Nanwang Lake must be really deep."


    While heined, he seriously set up a defense. When he sensed the movement of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree and the Vine Giant Rats heading this way, he immediately realized something was wrong and rushed over.


    Not just him, a few minutester Gan Xinglei, Zhang Dahai, and others also arrived one after another. Everyone was setting up defenses, almost as if they were taking over the entire street.


    "No need."


    Just then, the Crocodile Dragon Monster had turned into red light and was absorbed into the page, bing an Angel Envoy for Su Han.


    He opened his eyes and nced at the people around him, the Book of Blood Spirit in his hand flickering with red light, then immediately summoned the Crocodile Dragon Monster back out.


    Its massive bodynded on the street, its fearsome and ferocious face looking down at the people below, its aura not diminished in the slightest.


    Angel Envoy: Crocodile Dragon Monster


    Level: Lower Tier of the Third Order


    Skills: Dark Water Cannon, Dark Water de


    Su Han nced at the panel and showed a satisfied expression. Indeed, the Crocodile Dragon Monster had two skills of its own, which made itsbat power much more formidable than that of ordinary monsters.


    "Su Han, how could there be such a big creature in theke?"


    Zhu Xiong had thought it was a Second Order beast, but he never expected such an immense creature.


    "Probably ran over from somewhere else."


    Su Han replied. Nanwang Lake was a scenic spot in the city, without creatures like Yangtze alligators or crocodiles, so such arge group of crocodiles could only be from somewhere else.


    Didn''t Guo Gang and the otherse?


    Su Han noticed that of the four teams, only Guo Gang''s team hadn''t arrived, causing him to frown.


    "Old Zhu, take your men and tten Nanwang Guild Hall. There are dozens of people there; apart from the captives who were taken hostage, don''t leave anyone else alive."


    Zhu Xiong was stunned at first, then agreed without hesitation.


    "Old Gan, Old Zhang,e with me to find Old Guo. Something''s wrong over there."


    The area where Guo Gang''s team was exploring was Riverside Avenue, which wasn''t exactly the Riverside East Garden area, but it wasn''t too far distant either.


    ording to Gao Song''s ount, Riverside East Garden was home to arge number of Bat Wing Beasts. If they were out on patrol, it was very likely they had already encountered some.


    Su Han jumped onto the back of the Crocodile Dragon Monster and then immediately led the team back. Their formation was magnificent, especially with the Crocodile Dragon Monster clearing the path, it was an impressive sight.


    ....


    "Why did so many flying monsters suddenly appear? No wonder there were so few beasts on the road."


    Riverside Avenue, Guo Gang and Ye Kailing and the others all hid in an office building, the Vine Giant Rats took cover on the first floor, and they went to the second-floor windows to observe.


    The Ancient Tree Crystals set up on the street hadn''t been retrieved in time, but precisely because of their presence, most of the street''s fog was dispersed, allowing them to observe the fast-moving red figures across the street.


    "Flying monsters have a wide range of activity; this ce is probably just one of their hunting grounds, otherwise, we wouldn''t have encountered them yesterday."


    Ye Kailing watched as several Bat Wing Beasts on the ground devoured the carcasses of creatures that Guo Gang and the others had killed.


    Guo Gang saw their form clearly, the giant bat-like beasts with bodies entirely red, likely mutated from bats.


    Besides the Bat Wing Beasts on the ground, there were many more moving among the buildings nearby, searching for monsters in this area.


    Low growls sounded from time to time; one Bat Wing Beast picked up a carcass, pulled it into the air, and then mmed it down hard.


    The carcass couldn''t withstand the fall from such a height and died instantly, followed by more Bat Wing Beasts rushing in, starting to feast.


    "We can''t go on like this; we have to find a way to break out. There''s movement at the Mother Nest Ancient Tree; Su Han might need help."


    Ye Kailing also knew the situation was serious and said solemnly, "Crossbow arrows ready. They are at most First Order Upper Grade. Kill those blocking the door, then immediately ride the Vine Giant Rats back."


    "Understood."


    With the n set, the two of them led their men quickly downstairs, crossbow arrows already loaded in their crossbows.


    "You take the one on the left, First Order Upper Grade, I''ll take the one on the right, everyone else pick your targets."


    They were cautious, aiming at their respective targets.


    The bat-winged beasts, thoroughly engrossed in their feast, failed to notice someone had them in their sights.


    "Attack!"


    "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh"


    Following themand, crossbow bolts were fired from the windows of the office building, aiming for the bodies of the bat-winged beasts.


    With squelching noises, most of the bat-winged beasts were hit and toppled to the ground, while some were merely grazed and had already taken off into the sky.


    Thud, thud, thud


    A horde of Angel Envoy meat corpses and Giant Macrophage Dogs rushed out¡ªtheir target being the floundering bat-winged beasts that had not yet died.


    They tore into them frantically, each quickly dispatching their own opponent upon contact.


    "Let''s go!"


    Inside the office building, Guo Gang and the others, two per Vine Giant Rat, rushed out and hastened towards Summer Garden Avenue.


    These bat-winged beasts were only a part of the whole; they had to leave the area before the beasts regrouped and reacted.


    "Captain Guo, monsters are catching up from behind."


    Having rushed out a couple of hundred meters, it didn''t take long for a group of bat-winged beasts to regroup and follow at their heels.


    "One to steer, one to shoot."


    Guo Gang made a snap decision, and the person at the rear immediately took out a crossbow bolt, aiming at the pursuing bat-winged beasts.


    Crossbow arrows whirred through the air, attacking the bat-winged beasts.


    Over a dozen bat-winged beasts agilely dodged; they were fast, and hitting them in the air was no easy task.


    However, as long as they could slow down the pursuit, that would be sufficient.


    As one side fled and the other gave chase, they quickly arrived near Summer Garden Avenue, where the Mother Nest Ancient Tree was no longer present.


    The faces of Guo Gang and his party changed, "Not good, Su Han must have summoned it away, we continue southward to find Old Zhu..."


    "Roar!"


    Just then, a terrifying roar tore through the air, piercing and sharp. A vast red silhouette suddenly swept through the mist, causing the fog above to roll and surge.


    "Not good, they have a leader!"


    The monstrous creature had a wingspan of twenty meters, and its body, nestled between those wings, measured seven to eight meters long, utterly iparable to the bat-winged beasts giving chase.


    "Take cover in the buildings on both sides, quickly!"


    This was not a monster they could withstand; everyone immediately dashed into the nearby high-rise buildings to take cover.


    Crash!


    They''d scarcely taken refuge in the high-rise when the bat-winged beasts broke through the ss and swooped in after them.


    "Kill them."


    Guo Gang and the rest reacted extremely quickly, immediately engaging the bat-winged beasts that had burst in.


    The space on each floor was cramped, and even though the first floor was somewhat taller, it was enough to restrict the bat-winged beasts'' movements, allowing the Angel Envoys to fight them.


    Thebat unfolded within the tight space, while that massive creature had alreadynded on the street.


    The Bat-winged Beast King roared, drawing more bat-winged beasts to the airspace above Summer Garden Avenue, ready to snatch their prey and devour them.


    It did not make a move, as its ecological role was that of the pack''s king. The hunters below it naturally took on the hunting duties.


    All it needed to do was observe this hunt.


    "Squelch"


    Guo Gang killed another bat-winged beast, but his gaze caught sight of even more monsters gathering outside.


    His expression darkened and he suddenly said to Ye Kailing next to him, "There are too many monsters outside; I''m afraid this group of us won''t be able to escape."


    As soon as they hit the street, they would surely be overtaken by these monsters. Although they were not weak, they could not withstand such an onught.


    Not to mention, there was a leader among them that clearly was not First Rank.


    "I''ll cover the rear. You take the Vine Giant Rat and find Su Han to rescue us."


    Ye Kailing''s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Guo Gang, who was decisively saying, "You''re the strongest among us, the most likely to break through alone, and less likely to be caught when by yourself."


    "Okay"


    Ye Kailing nodded firmly, her military background not allowing her to hesitate over such decisions, knowing that if she could locate Su Han, she would definitely be able to save herpanions.


    She raised her hand crossbow and took down a bat-winged beast charging at her, then quickly sprinted towards the Vine Giant Rat, preparing to head to the second floor.


    She nned to break out from another direction to escape the monsters'' pursuit.


    Thud... Thud...


    But at that moment, heavy footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the mist, causing a slight tremor in the building.


    Guo Gang and Ye Kailing abruptly turned to look out the window. The circling bat-winged beasts swiftly ascended, and on the edge of the mist, a horrifyinglyrge figure emerged.


    With a crocodile head and inverted horns, the creature was massive and its presence was terrifying.


    Both their faces changed dramatically, shock flooding their minds: "What''s happening? How could such a monstere from that direction? How are Old Zhu and the others?!"


    Shaken and at a loss, their thoughts were in turmoil, especially since Old Zhu had cleared that area and even Su Han had headed towards Nanwang Lake from there.


    Amidst their shock and disbelief, the monster had already opened its gaping maw, conjuring Dark Water and aiming at the Bat-winged Beast King.

 Chapter 146: Chapter 140 Bat-winged Alligator Dragon

    ```


    The powerful ckwater Cannon sted directly toward the Bat-winged Beast King, but the Beast King was not weak. Suddenly, its wings stirred,bining wind power and Spiritual Energy to form several huge Wind des to attack.


    When the two attacks collided, the Wind des neutralized part of the ckwater Cannon''s assault, but the rest broke through the des and struck the Bat-winged Beast King directly.


    The Bat-winged Beast King was too slow to dodge and was sted into a high-rise building, its body smashing through the floors and bing embedded within.


    On its wings, a giant Blood Hole had been torn open.


    Despite the Bat-winged Beast King''s wings not being the feathered wings of birds but bat wings, after evolving, the flesh membrane of the wings had be not only muscr but was also covered with fine fuzz and tin scales. An ordinary bomb might not even cause substantial damage.


    However, now the Bat-winged Beast King had sustained very serious injuries.


    At this point, hundreds of Bat-winged Beasts in the sky could not sit idle any longer, immediately turning to attack the Crocodile Dragon Monster.


    A massive swarm of Bat-winged Beasts struck out, with the Crocodile Dragon Monster showing no reaction whatsoever, radiating a terrifying presence. With its gaping maw opened wide, the ckwater Cannon quickly condensed and then, with a st toward the heavens, was fired off.


    Hundreds of Bat-winged Beasts were shattered by the ckwater Cannon, their flesh turning to raindrops that fell to the ground, with limbs dropping amidst the chaos¡ªa truly horrific sight as the scent of blood permeated the entire street.


    "Old Guo,e out from the back, don''t go over the street."


    Just then, a voice rang out from behind Guo Gang. Gan Xinglei and Zhang Dahai had entered through the rear window, which actually led to a different street.


    "Old... Old Gan, what''s happening?"


    "Let''s get going. The Bat-winged Beast King ising out."


    Before he had finished speaking, the semi-copsed building opposite began to make noise, and the Bat-winged Beast King that had been mmed into it struggled to its feet, letting out a sharp roar that stabbed at everyone''s eardrums.


    "Go!"


    Guo Gang decisively led everyone to follow Gan Xinglei and Zhang Dahai out of the other side of the building.


    Outside on the street, the Bat-winged Beast King''s wing, with a big hole, was dripping with fresh blood. Its form was unsteady, and with great force in its legs, it attempted to p away from the ce.


    Though its membranous wings were punctured, such a massive creature could not only rely on the pping of its wings to stay in flight. The special Spiritual Energy structure within its body was also key to its ability to fly.


    Thus, amidst its wobbly form, it managed to take off.


    However, the Crocodile Dragon Monster would not let it escape so easily. Its massive form lunged forward with its huge jaws open, biting down on the other wing of the Bat-winged Beast King.


    There was a crackling sound as the huge bones were instantly severed, and blood dripped to the ground.


    The two colossal creatures fell together onto the concrete road, smashing the ground into a giant deep pit with cracks all around.


    Now deprived of the advantage of the air, the Bat-winged Beast King began to struggle, trying to use its hind legs and the ws on its wings to attack the Crocodile Dragon Monster.


    But its attacks on the Crocodile Dragon Monster merely caused a few minor wounds, and that was all.


    The Crocodile Dragon Monster''s sharp teeth were fully embedded into its body, and with ferocious tearing, the membranous wings werepletely shredded.


    ckwater Sharp de!


    ck sharp edges emerged on the creature''s ws, then wed onto the body of the Bat-winged Beast King, tearing open a huge gash as fresh blood flowed out incessantly.


    The Bat-winged Beast King, severely wounded, struggled with greatly reduced strength, as the Crocodile Dragon Monster stepped on it, its huge mouth opening again to tear into it. With this powerful strike, the Bat-winged Beast Kingpletely lost the ability to resist.


    [Detected fusible living monster Bat-winged Beast King, proceed with Fusion?]


    Fusion


    Witnessing this scene, Su Han showed a smile and agreed to the Fusion by default.


    The strength of the Bat-winged Beast King had also reached Third Order, and although it seemed to have just broken through recently, with powers like Wind de and flight, its strength was not weak.


    Therefore, Fusion was undoubtedly a good choice.


    As the Fusion began, countless blood threads from the Crocodile Dragon Monster spread toward the Bat-winged Beast King, slowly enveloping parts of its body.


    Seeing the Bat-winged Beast King thoroughly defeated, the group of Bat-winged Beasts were thrown into panic, trying to fly away.


    Su Han''s gaze flickered, and numerous vines shot into the sky at a rapid pace, hurtling toward them.


    The Mother Nest Ancient Tree struck decisively as dozens of Sound Wave Tree Fruits were tossed into the air.


    Piercing explosions sounded. Although it was impossible to hit the targets urately in the air, the shockwaves from the sts directly stunned the Bat-winged Beasts senseless, causing most to plummet.


    The vines were already prepared and, at the moment the Bat-winged Beasts fell, they entwined them tightly, injecting them with the Paralytic Toxin from the Man-eating Vine.


    Thus, the vines managed to catch several dozen Bat-winged Beasts, while the remaining ones entered the mist and escaped from there.


    "Leader!"


    Gan Xinglei, leading Ye Kailing and the others, came toward Su Han quickly. He looked at everyone and asked, "Is everyone okay?"


    Guo Gang forced a smile and said, "It was a close call, but no one died."


    Although there were no deaths, most people in the group had sustained injuries during the fight with the Bat-winged Beasts.


    ```


    "Treat the wound."


    Su Han looked at Gan Xinglei and Zhang Dahai, "Old Gan, Old Zhang, you two control those Bat-winged Beasts and bring them back to be detained."


    "Yes"


    Su Han stayed by the Crocodile Dragon Monster while Guo Gang and Ye Kailing led people to treat the team members'' wounds, treating minor injuries on the spot and immediately taking those with severe injuries back to the camp.


    The Crocodile Dragon Monster didn''t fuse with the Bat-winged Beast King particrly fast; more than two hours had passed, and it had barely managed to fuse one-third.


    It was also around this time that Zhu Xiong returned to the ring area with arge amount of supplies and a dozen survivors.


    After not seeing Gao Bin return for a long time, the remaining several dozen people in the Nanwang Guild Hall also sent people out to look for Gao Bin and their whereabouts.


    They just happened to encounter Zhu Xiong, and after a probe, Zhu Xiong took them down.


    What followed was much simpler. When they reached the guild hall, Zhu Xiong led his men to attack directly, killing all who resisted and saving all the captured survivors.


    Among the more than ten survivors, there were mostly women, many of whom had been bullied by Gao Bin''s group. It wasn''t particrly umon in the apocalypse for those with insufficient strength to encounter such things.


    Zhu Xiong had encountered simr situations while searching for supplies, and those who did such things had been executed by him.


    This time was no exception, they buried those who needed to be buried and saved the survivors, bringing them along with the supplies.


    After Zhu Xiong''s return, the clean-up on the battlefield undoubtedly speeded up a lot. After the survivors were taken away, the remainingbat personnel began to clean up the battlefield and concentrated on clearing the monsters around Summer Garden Avenue.


    Several hours passed, and with the cooperation of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree and its pets and ve species, the corpses of the monsters soon piled up like mountains.


    Although the clean-up operation of the four teams didn''t go very thoroughly due to Su Han''s situation, the umtion of killed monsters also numbered four to five hundred, indicating just how many monsters were hiding inside the buildings.


    The Crocodile Dragon Monster had by thenpletely fused with the entire Bat-winged Beast King, settling at a Fusion Degree of 34%.


    The Fusion Degree wasn''t very high, and the speed of fusion had be even slower.


    With the advancement in strength, especially when fusing with stronger live monsters, more time and material were needed.


    Su Han had already prepared himself for that, so he had no regrets and directly controlled the Crocodile Dragon Monster to fuse with the corpses of the monsters.


    Among the corpses of the monsters, some were parts of Bat-winged Beasts. They shared the same origin as the Bat-winged Beast King, so the conversion of Fusion Degree was rtively better. However, the rest of the monsters were either flesh corpses or crawlers of some sort, which made the conversion rate drop again.


    Overnight, the Crocodile Dragon Monster hadpletely fused with the hundreds of monster corpses, and the Fusion Degree was growing, reaching 46%.


    The progress in fusion wasn''t too high, so on the second day, Su Han had Ye Kailing lead an additional team of people to directly participate in the cleanup operation of the ring area.


    The speed of cleaning by the five teams was no doubt enhanced a lot, especially since Su Han was personally stationed on Summer Garden Avenue. The two pets of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree were dispatched in turn to help, and with continuous hatching, the Vine Giant Rats that had been added before were gradually hatched as well.


    The number of Vine Giant Rats joining in the entire cleanup action reached 100, doubling the number from before, naturally, the efficiency was higher.


    On the first day, the five teams cleared 40 buildings, killed more than 2000 monsters, found over 100 survivors, and killed 20 unstable individuals.


    The Crocodile Dragon Monster hadpletely fused with the monster corpses, taking the Fusion Degree to 75%.


    On the second day, they cleared 42rge and small structures, killed over 1500 monsters, and found over 40 survivors, mostly families, with no looting gangs.


    They were also well-hidden, hunkering down in small family units; otherwise, they would have been discovered long ago.


    The ring area was being rapidly cleared, and by the second day, the Crocodile Dragon Monster''s Fusion Degree had reached 87%.


    On the third day, most of the ring area had been cleared, but what surprised Su Han even more was that Gan Xinglei and Ye Kailing had made breakthroughs.


    Both of them had used the Mother Nest Ancient Tree''s No. 3 injections a few days earlier, and during these days, their Angel Envoy bodies were in the stage of digesting the injection''s energy, their bodies still undergoing gradual changes.


    Three to four days of battle had stimted the effects of the injection, and now they had just reached the racial bottleneck,pleting the Divine Initiation Ritual in the process of hunting monsters.


    The sacrificial monster for Gan Xinglei was a tyrant hidden in a small underground parking garage.


    Without any hesitation and without shaking up others, he let his Angel Envoy charge up.


    Although racially speaking, Old Gan''s Angel Envoy was still a flesh corpse, the degree of mutation had gone up after several injections of enhancement, bearing the name of a flesh corpse but having the stature of a strongman.


    With the strength at the limit of the First Order Upper Grade, he hammered down the tyrant, then started the Divine Initiation Ritual.


    After the ritual, hepleted the fusion advancement and became a Tree Armor Tyrant close to five meters tall.


    The Tyrant''s entire body was covered in ck woody armor, with a burly physique and strong muscles, especially the arms that could swell into vines for attack. Its ability was not bad.


    And it also possessed a skill, Primary Self-Healing.


    Ye Kailing''s situation was much the same, but she fused with a Red Scale Gecko. Although it was also First Order Upper Grade, it had extremely fast reflexes, simr to Nie Rilong''s Blood Bone Lizard from before.


    After the Divine Initiation Ritual, she became a Second Order Low Grade Red Scale Lizard Monster, a humanoid monster that was just over three meters tall but extremely fast. She also possessed the Self-Healing Skill, albeit at an Intermediate level.


    With both people breaking through in session, naturally, it was a good thing, and the speed of killing monsters increased greatly.


    Su Han''s Crocodile Dragon Monster also pushed the fusion progress to one hundred percent on the afternoon of the third day.


    "[Bat-winged Beast King 100% fusionplete, Crocodile Dragon Monster has achieved form advancement: Bat-winged Alligator Dragon, Bat-winged Alligator Dragon has acquired the skill: Wind de]"

 Chapter 147: Chapter 141: Above the Mist

    With its form''s advancement, the massive body of the Crocodile Dragon Monster began to transform.


    At the position of its spine, muscles bulged and emitted a wriggling sound before two huge lumps broke through the thick hide, with crimson tissue surging out.


    Red light enveloped the Crocodile Dragon Monster''s body, and the flesh lumps grewrger. Bones rapidly formed inside, and after just a few minutes, a pair of terrifying wings unfurled with a skyward force.


    "Roar"


    The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon unleashed a thunderous roar, its body became more muscr, its skin tougher, and its presence spread out, striking awe in anyone who sensed it.


    "Whoosh"


    Its wings pped, stirring up a massive current of air. A uniquely structured force of Spiritual Energy infinitely enveloped its body, allowing its massive form to lift off the ground.


    Seeing this, Su Han''s eyes sparkled momentarily, and he couldn''t contain his smile. A flying monster had an undeniable advantage over those on the ground.


    Angel Envoy: Bat-winged Alligator Dragon


    Rank: Lower Tier of the Third Order


    Skills: Dark Water Cannon, Dark Water de, Wind de


    Fusion: Bat-winged Beast King


    He nced at the panel of the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon. It was simple, but that also meant it needed to merge with more things.


    Although it did not require the varied materials of the Scorpion Spider Demon or the Mother Nest Ancient Tree, some basic ones were still necessary for fusion before focusing on its own strengths.


    Each monster was unique in its characteristics andpatibility with materials, naturally requiring focused enhancement, which also rted to their roles.


    However, now Su Han wanted to try out the flying ability.


    The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon swooped down, and Su Han leapt up and climbed onto its back.


    He grasped hold of the horns, steadying himself: "I should get a saddle for this; it''s not safe like this."


    The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon''s back was very wide. Excluding the tail area, the space from its head downwards stretched at least ten or more meters, and was five to six meters wide,parable to the living room of a typical house.


    But flying in the air, powerful currents constantly swept over it, and just standing there, grasping the horns, would be impossible for the average person.


    Moved by a thought, the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon immediately pped its wings and surged into the sky. Air streams violently buffeted Su Han, causing his clothes to p loudly and his hair to be disheveled.


    Yet, he stood very stable, his eyes fixed intently on the misty white fog ahead.


    Given the speed of the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon, it wouldn''t take much time to leave the entire city behind.


    ''If it flies high enough, can I see the whole scene of the fog?''


    Flying through the fog was just a white expanse with nothing visible but the oppressive mist.


    Su Han had the Ancient Tree Crystal, but it was only useful for low-altitude flight. Below that, its range of clearing could reveal the ground items a hundred meters away.


    But with several ps of the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon''s wings, they were now hundreds of meters in the air.


    No matter how much he dispersed the fog, it only extended the view a little further, beyond which was the undispeble fog.


    Not knowing how thick theyer of fog was, Su Han felt an urge he couldn''t contain.


    Go!


    He controlled the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon to soar higher into the sky.


    Su Han had a n in mind; normal fog might extend a few hundred meters, but the density suggested it was no ordinary mist.


    ''I''ll ascend to around five thousand meters. If it''s still like this, then I''ll have to go back.''


    Exploration is exploration, but not at the risk of one''s life. Most high mountains span only five to six thousand meters, and this distance was already the limit of exploration. If there was still fog up there, the source might have to be sought in the clouds or even beyond, in space.


    Estimating the ascent, Su Han could only guess roughly. Without the increased sensitivity to temperature changes and the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon''s stable flying distance after his advancement in strength, he would have likely gotten lost in the fog.


    It was about one to two thousand meters now; a few more ps, and he should reach three thousand meters.


    Su Han had now reached over two thousand meters in altitude and was just preparing to continue upwards, when suddenly an eerie feeling arose, the chill on his back shooting up to his crown. He sharply looked towards the highest point.


    At this altitude, the Spiritual Energy suddenly surged a lot, but so did the chaotic, eerie, oppressive, and manic feelings, as if somethingy dormant even higher.


    It wasn''t this fog, not these over two thousand meters, but something much farther, much deeper, like... space?


    With a strong resistance to the mental disturbances from the fog, Su Han quickly directed the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon to fly downward swiftly.


    The wings drew back, and its body plummeted down like a cannonball with tremendous speed.


    Within ten seconds, the altitude was less than a thousand meters from the ground, and the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon suddenly spread its wings and glided down,nding heavily on the street.


    The huge noise even caught the attention of Gan Xinglei and others who were resting near Summer Garden Avenue, and they quickly came over.


    Under the Radiance of the Lamp Tree, they saw Su Han looking towards the fog-filled sky, his eyes filled with profound wariness.


    It was the first time they saw Su Han with such a heavy expression.


    "Su Han, what''s wrong?"


    With slight hesitation, Gan Xinglei looked up at Su Han and asked with concern.


    "It''s nothing."


    Su Han shook his head and did not tell Gan Xinglei about what had just happened. He only said, "You all continue clearing in the afternoon,e back to me after regrouping in the evening."


    "Okay."


    Gan Xinglei just nodded heavily without asking further, nced at his team members, and said to Ye Kailing, "Kailing, stand up and clear the belt area as soon as possible to prepare for any unexpected situations."


    "Alright."


    Ye Kailing nodded, although she didn''t know what had happened, the grave expression on Su Han''s face indicated that it definitely wasn''t something trivial.


    What they could do was only to enhance their own strength, clear the obstacles at the camp, and help Su Han as much as possible.


    The resting team soon set out again. Su Han''s mood then gradually stabilized a bit, and he controlled the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon to fly towards the Shanhu Vi District, flying low.


    Fog always had a suppressive effect on the mind, something Su Han had always known.


    ording to what Bai Qn said, the fog contained a lot of Spiritual Energy, and Spiritual Energy itself, being the power of the mind and will, naturally affected the mind.


    Not to mention, this fog wasn''t just a simple spiritual substance.


    They still hadn''t thoroughly studied the fog, and Su Han''s powers were ineffective when used on the fog.


    Because he couldn''t effectively capture or control the physical entity of the fog.


    Just like how one couldn''t control electricity or mental energy, some things exist, but indeed there wasn''t a tangible physical manifestation.


    The fog, obviously, was even stranger.


    Usually, though, the interference from the fog only had a significant impact on those with weak wills. Contractors with strong wills, unless in poor condition or enveloped in dense fog for extended periods, would experience limited impact.


    But just now it was different; even Su Han, a Third Order Contractor, felt that chaotic, turbulent mental oppression in an instant.


    An indescribable fear and unease surged, as if facing some terrifying entity concealed further within.


    Instinctively, Su Han decisively gave up. The entities in the high skies were not something he could probe at present.


    At least not now.


    This secret, he wouldn''t tell anyone else, especially within the camp.


    If he could feel such unease and fear, then for others in the camp, it could likely mean despair.


    After all, such a terrifying existencey above.


    ''Could it be that ocr demon creature?''


    An idea shed through Su Han''s mind, only for him to shake his head, suppressing the spection.


    Whether it was or wasn''t wasn''t what he should be probing into now.


    "Strength"


    He sighed, his brows slightly furrowed. The Bat-winged Alligator Dragonnded on thewn behind Vi Number Nine, but Su Han remained sitting on its back.


    "The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon could try an initial fusion with metal to enhance defense, the sources of the Dark Water Skill and Wind de Skill are hard to judge, but trying with the monster flesh might work.


    The Mother Nest Ancient Tree''s third kin-beast should be able to breed in a few days, but there aren''t enough servitors yet, and the range isn''t wide enough; flesh fusion remains the main concern. As for the Scorpion Spider Demon, the metal aspect should be enhanced; improving Metal Control would be best."


    Running through the list in his mind briefly, the three Angel Envoys definitely required more resources, so there was much to be done going forward.


    Su Han got off the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon and then returned to Vi Number Nine.


    Bai Qn had juste out of theboratory. Seeing Su Han arrive, she was momentarily stunned, but she sharply sensed that something was off about Su Han.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "It''s nothing," Su Han paused briefly, then said, "If possible, we could use more observations about the fog."


    Bai Qn, puzzled, slightly furrowed her brow but she didn''t ask further, only nodding and responding, "I understand. But the fog isn''t that simple; it might take some time to yield any results."


    "Making some preparations is always better than having something unexpected happen without any at all."


    Su Han replied, then said, "I''m going to take a shower. Let Old Gan and the others wait for me if they return."


    Gan Xinglei wouldn''t be back so soon, but Su Han also needed some rest.


    During the fusion of the Crocodile Dragon Monster, Su Han had been constantly nearby without much rest, and his body now reeked strongly of blood, naturally ufortable.


    Fortunately, they had the best facilities here; the camp had drawn water from Yunling Lake, so they were rtively free in terms of water usage.


    Su Han went upstairs. Bai Qn took a deep look at his retreating figure, wanting to speak but stopped herself, then pressed down her thoughts, deciding to speakter.


    After Su Han bathed, he went to his room to rest and woke up again in the evening.


    He came down from his room, the lights of Vi Number Nine shining, and saw Gan Xinglei, Ye Kailing, and Bai Qn drinking tea.


    "Have you been here long?"


    Su Han asked as he walked over and sat down on the sofa, taking the tea Bai Qn handed to him and sipping it.


    "Not long, we just finished clearing up to the edge; tomorrow we should be able to clean up mostly."


    Su Han nodded and said, "You''ve all advanced to the Second Order; you can contract a second Angel Envoy. I have two kin-beasts being incubated now; each of you pick one andplete the contract. The camp needs the power now."

 Chapter 148 Chapter 142 Ye Kailings Choice

    Beasts of affection could be cultivated again, and using these beasts in exchange for rapidly enhancing the strength of his subordinates was not a disadvantage for Su Han.


    Moreover, to some extent, it could save time for Gan Xinglei and the others to continue cultivating a second Angel Envoy.


    Currently, there were no second-grade monsters imprisoned in the camp, so contracting a second-grade monster would require further searching, or contracting a First Order Upper Grade and then continuing to cultivate it.


    Although it might be because of the Book of Blood Spirit, the second Angel Envoy, even if only a First Order Upper Grade, did not absorb Spiritual Energy as slowly as the first one in reaching its racial limits.


    They could reach their racial limits faster under sufficient resources, or even directly break through to Second Order if their racial limit was high.


    Just like Zhu Xiong, whose second Angel Envoy, the Bone Armor Giant Pig, had a higher racial limit than First Order Upper Grade, thus it quickly broke through to Second Order once the resources were in ce.


    Su Han gave the choice to the two of them, his gaze resting on them.


    "I choose the Bonestead Rat Demon,"


    Gan Xinglei seemed not to hesitate much, scratched his head, and said, "My wife''s Angels are all of the rat type, might as well make it a family. Plus, I want to focus on defense."


    Su Han almost couldn''t keep a straight face, thinking that the reason was too casual.


    But after hearing thetter half, he understood; Yan Meiyu''s Angels focused on speed, and though the Rat-Type Abomination was also sizable, it seemed Gan Xinglei still wanted moreplementarity.


    "And you?"


    Su Han looked at Ye Kailing; the remaining one was the Alien Thorn Worm.


    But Ye Kailing shook her head, "I want to contract the Bat Wing Beast."


    Su Han was taken aback, then said, "There''s no Second Order among the captured Bat Wing Beasts."


    "I know," Ye Kailing seemed to have already considered this issue, "but the aerial advantage of the Bat Wing Beast is very beneficial, and the camp needs aerial strength."


    Having experienced an attack by monsters once, Ye Kailing was more aware than ever that if it hadn''t been for Su Han''s sudden arrival, she and Old Guo''s team might have suffered great casualties, even possibly leading to her and Guo Gang''s death.


    Thus, whether to enhance strength or to ensuremunication within the camp, she wished to choose the Bat Wing Beast.


    "The Bat Wing Beast huh?"


    Su Han had not expected Ye Kailing to make such a choice. The Bat Wing Beast forces, Eye Beast forces, and Fish Monster forces were all part of his nnedbat personnel.


    These were also part of the ns secretly passed on by Yan Meiyu, although the initial n was for Fish Monster squads, Eye Beast squads, and Vine Giant Rat squads.


    While these monsters might not bepletely overpowering the flesh corpses in terms of strength since each had its strengths and weaknesses,


    they each had their unique functionalities inbat.


    Fish Monsters, primarily for underwaterbat, though not particrly strong, were extremely useful for managing aquatic bodies.


    Now, not just Ji Jichun was contracting aquatic monsters, but also the remaining four or five people, who were all assigned to the fish farming squad to manage the Evolved Kind fishes in Yunling Lake.


    Eye Beasts were sessively contracted into the patrol squads to join the exchange sequence, as they were more agile than Hunters, and their tentacles also had binding and control capabilities, inherently making them more suited for patrol squads.


    Some people in the camp had yet to contract, not because theycked contribution, but because they wanted to umte enough to exchange for more powerful monsters and then sign up for patrol squads.


    Especially those who were supported by friends or families, already having someone contract flesh corpse Angels, naturally could afford to wait and help each other.


    Su Han''s camp was very secure, which encouraged teamwork among people.


    The addition of Vine Giant Rats and Bat Wing Beasts would undoubtedly add two new types of troops to the camp, the former mainly for transport, and thetter naturally for aerial power.


    After pondering briefly, Su Han said, "Okay, then exchange another injection, one for the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon with your contributions. Let Qn help you with the new injection."


    Ye Kailing quickly thanked, "Thank you, chief."


    Her contribution was still some distance away from another No.3 injection; at least she would need more pioneering to umte.


    Since Su Han said so, it was equivalent to giving her a discount, and allowing the contracting of the Bat Wing Beast was a reward.


    "Later, some Bat Wing Beast exchange quotas will be progressively opened, and you will lead those people, and don''t fly too high."


    Ye Kailing was a bit puzzled, but then she suddenly remembered Su Han''s appearance that afternoon and shuddered, nodding, "I understand."


    With the second Angel Envoy decided, Su Han took them to the backyard of Vi No.9, where all the Bat Wing Beasts were confined; their strengths varied.


    Those slightly stronger had already been imprisoned individually in separate cages.


    The strongest among these Bat Wing Beasts was about First Order Upper Grade, more than one, but this did not represent the bottleneck of their species would be that low.


    On the contrary, the racial bottleneck of the Bat Wing Beasts converted into Angels should be Second Order, somewhat simr to the Bone Armor Giant Pig.


    Otherwise, the Bat Wing Beast that Gao Song had wouldn''t have broken into Second Order so easily.


    "Pick one."


    Su Han pointed at two gigantic Bat Wing Beasts in the cages in front of them. Both Bat Wing Beasts had a wingspan close to seven meters, and their bodies were about three meters long, quiterge in size.


    However, at this time, their paralyzing poison had not yet dissipated, so now they could only make minor movements, even unable to make much noise.


    "The one on the left."


    Ye Kailing did not hesitate much, both Bat Wing Beasts looked simr, Su Han nodded and said, "Go ahead."


    He waved his hand to open the iron bar, revealing the two Bat Wing Beasts inside.


    Ye Kailing''s crossbow arrow shot out, piercing through its head, and it soon lost all sound.


    The contract began, and before long, the Bat Wing Beast entered into Ye Kailing''s Book of Blood Spirit.


    After finishing, the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon took Gan Xinglei directly to the Mother Nest Ancient Tree on Summer Garden Avenue, where the Bonestead Rat Demon was summoned to kill it.


    After the contract waspleted, starting the next day, the cleanup progress in the ring-belt area significantly increased, with all lurking monsters being forced out by Old Zhu and his team, and one by one, they were killed and their bodies were piled up under the Mother Nest Ancient Tree.


    [Found monster flesh that can be fused. Do you wish to proceed with the fusion?]


    There were over three thousand bodies umted, representing thest wave of monsters in the entire ring-belt. After Zhu Xiong and his team hadpletely finished the cleanup, there would hardly be any monsters left in the ring-belt.


    Fusion.


    Su Han''s eyes flickered slightly, then he silently initiated the fusion, and the roots prated into the flesh, distributing fine threads, bit by bit fusing with the monster flesh.


    He looked at the Mother Nest Ancient Tree and began to ponder. Most of the ring-belt had been cleared, and next would be the dispersal of the poption to take over and manage this area.


    The Mother Nest Ancient Tree was a crucial step in this process, yet the distance of the vines, and the numbers of Vine Giant Rats and Tree-born Worms still seemed insufficient.


    Thus, enhancement was necessary, only with the vines reaching the entire area would this region be as solid as a golden fortress.


    "Su Han,"


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    Zhu Xiong came to Su Han''s side, looking at the increasingly majestic Mother Nest Ancient Tree, his heart couldn''t help but feel surprised. It changed every day, as if there were no limits.


    "The ring-belt has been cleared. In the past two days, the number of survivors has also increased significantly, by several hundred. Shanhu Vi can no longer amodate them."


    "How many people in total?"


    "Total poption fifteen hundred. I didn''t expect that so many survivors were hidden in the ring-belt area."


    One cleanup added almost a thousand people. Who would have thought that there were so many survivors in just a few blocks?


    Su Han nodded slightly, not finding it strange. The fog isted everyone, unless one specifically searched this way, carpet style, otherwise, survivors would inevitably be missed.


    "Relocate a portion of people here, assign them to the surrounding buildings, and then start patrolling and reiming."


    Reiming essentially meant searching for useful things, morebor needs to be focused on Yunling Mountain, a lot of wastnd needed to be cultivated, nting more crops.


    "Understood, I''ll go talk to Meiyu about it, ask her to arrange it."


    "You let Old Gan go there."


    Zhu Xiong paused for a moment and asked, "Then what should I do?"


    Su Han nced at Zhu Xiong and said, "Come with me to Nanwang Lake."


    Nanwang Lake?


    Zhu Xiong was even more puzzled. Nanwang Lake''s powerful monsters had mostly been wiped out by Su Han. Are they still going now for the survivors?


    "I''ll go with you, how many people should I bring?"


    Su Han said indifferently, "20 people, just responsible for searching the surroundings."


    Soon, a team of Vine Giant Rats appeared in front of Su Han, equipped and ready, two per ride.


    Su Han nodded his head and led them out from the direction of North Ridge Avenue, heading straight for Nanwang Lake.


    Nanwang Lake wasn''t far away, and Su Han didn''t even have the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon take flight, but rather ran directly there.


    The fog still enveloped the surrounding environment, and the faint growl of monsters could be perceived.


    "Old Zhu"


    Su Han called Zhu Xiong''s name, and a red light shed, as the Scorpion Spider Demon appeared behind him.


    "You take the Scorpion Spider Demon out for a round, kill more monsters, and bring their bodies back to the Ancient Tree. Take the cars on the road for Scorpion Spider Demon, and then get a clear view of the surroundings by the way."


    It was then that Zhu Xiong realized that Su Han had actually brought him here to hunt monsters, but he thought again.


    That doesn''t seem right, if it were just for hunting monsters, the Scorpion Spider Demon would be enough.


    "What about the survivors?"


    "Nanwang Lake is so close to us, we''re not keeping others here. They either join us or leave."


    Su Han paused slightly and said, "Also, Nanwang Lake is useful to me."


    Zhu Xiong blinked and immediately said, "Then be careful yourself, I''m going ahead now."


    He rode the Bone Armor Giant Pig into the fog, while Su Han sat on the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon, his mind focused, the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon immediately entered theke water.


    Concentrating his spirit on theke, messages soon came through.


    [Found fusible material water. Do you wish to fuse?]


    Fuse


    Su Han wanted to try and see what thepatibility of the water was like. If possible, then strengthening the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon would be rtively simple.


    1%, 2%.....12%


    Time passed by, and arge amount ofke water was fused into the body of the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon, gradually increasing the fusion progress.


    Though the required amount was not small, the speed of fusion was not too slow.


    Su Han smiled, seeing this as a good thing. Then, in the time toe, he would just slowly continue the fusion.


    The Essence of Flesh from the Mother Nest Ancient Tree, the metal of the Scorpion Spider Demon, and the water from the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon. Under the crisis, Su Han desperately wanted to be even stronger.

 Chapter 149 Chapter 143 Changes in the Camp

    The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon''s fusion speed is currently the fastest among the three Angel Envoys.


    After fusing with arge amount ofke water throughout the morning, the fusion progress reached 100%.


    [LV1 Water Fusionplete, the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon has acquired the skill: LV1 ck Water Shield]


    Su Han''s eyes lit up as he saw the newly acquired skill. Shield skills weren''t special, but the words ''ck water'' delighted him.


    Because, he knew what materials needed to be fused to enhance the ck Water Cannon and ck Water Edge.


    Water was the main ingredient.


    The ck water controlled by the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon was not like ordinary water. It wasposed of energy, mostly spiritual energy, and contained special structures, thus its explosive power was much stronger.


    ck Water Shield


    With a thought, Su Han had the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon expel ck water rapidly from its back, which then converged in front of it into a circr shield, pitch-ck and dense. Though it didn''t cover the whole body, the thickness indicated its high durability.


    His hands imbued with vital energy, Su Han swung his Pu knife down onto the ck Water Shield, creating a sshing sound.


    The de prated it, but instead of breaking through, it was dissolved by the shield.


    The vital energy-formed de was eroded by the shield''s power, merely neutralizing a part of the ck Water Shield''s force.


    ''Not a bad defense, suitable as an auxiliary approach. However, its utility would likely increase with further enhancements.''


    Su Han continued to control the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon to fuse with moreke water, and this time the process continued until evening beforepleting the second fusion.


    [LV2 Water Fusionplete, the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon has acquired the skill: LV1 Waterflow Control]


    Theke water flowed rapidly, and the moment it acquired this skill, Su Han felt the waters around the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon be extremelypliant. Although it was only a radius of 10 meters, the effects were a pleasant surprise to him.


    "Whoosh"


    The water streamed, and under the control of waterflow, the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon swiftly dashed across theke, doubling its speedpared to before.


    Under the control of waterflow, the waves surged and vortexes formed. Despite the limited range of ten meters, the infused power was enough to smash the bodies of ordinary monsters.


    "Now theke has really be the main battlefield, although it consumes quite a bit of water."


    The water body of Nanwang Lake was plentiful, but after just two levels of fusion, theke''s water level had already decreased by half a meter.


    Although half a meter might seem negligiblepared to Nanwang Lake''s average depth of over ten meters, this was only the beginning, and the requirements would only increase over time.


    "It''s fine to wait for it to umte water slowly, and we can continue tomorrow."


    The sky grew dark, and Su Han proceeded to find Zhu Xiong and the others, a group of merely twenty people.


    But in one day, they had cleared out no less than a thousand monsters from around theke, most of which were flesh corpses. If the Giant Crocodile Monster hadn''t holed up at the center of theke and stayed out of sight, probably more would have died.


    The corpses of over a thousand monsters were all brought back for the Mother Nest Ancient Tree. As the area around Yunling Mountain was being reimed, by the time Su Han returned to the vicinity of Summer Garden Avenue, he was greeted with piles of corpses.


    By the end of the day, the majority of the monster flesh had been fused, but there were still nearly two thousand carcasses left, the smell of blood almost uncontainable.


    Fortunately, the roots of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree were actively working, pulling them underground before the fusion, minimizing the impact as much as possible; otherwise, the scene might have been more horrific.


    LV4 Essence of Flesh 79%


    In one day''s time, the fusion progress had only reached 79%, andpleting 100% would likely require a significant amount of time and flesh.


    The Scorpion Spider Demon was in a simr situation, even falling a bit short: LV6 Common Metal 35%.


    It had been fusing with metal vehicles along its path, but as the demand increased and the fusion time grew, the progress naturally slowed down.


    However, Zhu Xiong and the others had dragged back quite a few vehicles, which should allow for a significant increase by evening.


    The next day, Su Han resumed his systematic material fusion. As time passed, the demand for materials increased, an unavoidable journey.


    At the camp, Yan Meiyu, following Su Han''s instructions, began to coordinate and improve theyout of the vi area and the surrounding belt as much as possible.


    The patrolling personnel expanded to 100 people, divided into two groups for patrolling.


    One group patrolled the surrounding belt area, equipped with Eye Beasts, Giant Macrophage Dogs, and flesh corpses, focusing on guarding the various entrances.


    The other group remained unchanged, patrolling the vi area and maintaining order. However, Cheng Xiyuan led some people into Yunling Mountain to protect the remation efforts.


    The search team also grew in number to 300 people.


    Gan Xinglei led a group into Yunling Mountain to clear out monsters, which was the reason for therge number of monster corpses supplied to the Mother Nest Ancient Tree from the previous day.


    The other part was led by Zhu Xiong, who, along with arge group, methodically cleared the buildings around Nanwang Lake, primarily killing monsters while also searching for useful materials.


    The number of people had increased from the previous day, with about a hundred people mobilizing in a procession that resembled a grand shopping trip.


    The increased number proved to be effective, and after half a day of relentlessbat, they had in two thousand monsters, quieting down the area around Nanwang Lake considerably.


    The monster carcasses were delivered to the Mother Nest Ancient Tree, nourishing it.


    As for the survivors discovered, most were recruited into the camp as per Su Han''s instructions.


    This also increased the camp''s poption to around one thousand six to seven hundred people.


    [LV5 Essence of Flesh Fusionplete, Mother Nest Ancient Tree has achieved Skill Advancement: LV4 Tree-born Worm, LV3 Vine Giant Rat]


    With the massive supply of flesh, after fusing with nearly ten thousand monster corpses, the Mother Nest Ancient Tree finally achieved the fusion level of LV5 Essence of Flesh.


    Vines extended continuously, spreading out to a distance of eight to nine hundred meters, further dispelling the fog within the belt area, and the presence of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree enveloped the entire region.


    "Four-hundred fifty Tree-born Worms at level 4, with a quantity reaching 500, and the distance is three thousand meters? And Vine Giant Rats, 300 of them, with their range also increased to 3000 meters."


    The increase in numbers brought a smile to Su Han''s face, meaning his control over the surrounding area would greatly increase, further stabilizing the buffer zone.


    "Next up, the Scorpion Spider Demon."


    Muttering to himself, Su Han looked towards the top of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree. It wasn''t just the Scorpion Spider Demon due for a breakthrough; the third beast under his care was also nearing its gestation period.


    The breakthrough of the Scorpion Spider Demon had gone much more smoothly today than yesterday, especially after Zhu Xiong took more people out, leaving the Scorpion Spider Demon to not venture out at all.


    Arge number of discarded cars were dragged back by the Vine Giant Rats, and the Scorpion Spider Demon focused solely on the area where the vehicles were piled up, slowly merging with the metal materials.


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    It took a lot of time, but the results were remarkable. By the next day, the fusion wasplete.


    [LV7 Ordinary Metal Fusionpleted, Scorpion Spider Demon''s skill advancement: Advanced Metal Control, LV2 Floating Pagoda ck Armor.]


    Two skills in session, and the metals around the Scorpion Spider Demon began to levitate as its skills broke through.


    The strength of Metal Control saw a significant boost, with metals within a hundred-meter radius now under the Scorpion Spider Demon''smand. Even though the controlled metals may not possess the same powerful force as the Scorpion Spider Demon''s own body, its means of attack became much more diverse.


    The advancement of the Floating Pagoda ck Armor was beyond Su Han''s expectations, but after advancing, its appearance hardly changed, though its defense climbed more than just a notch.


    The armor pieces danced, leaving no gaps, and even the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon''s dark water cannon would likely not break through so easily.


    With an increase in offensive tools and defensive measures, the Scorpion Spider Demon''sbat power undoubtedly soared.


    "Lord."


    Footsteps approached rapidly from behind, Su Han turned to see a member of the patrol team.


    "What''s up?"


    "There are a few people outside the iron gate who im to be old acquaintances. Captain Ye has already gone there. However, she asked me to find you."


    "Old acquaintances?"


    Su Han looked puzzled, and the arrival said, "The name seems to be Guo Du, heard he was once caught by Boss Zhu."


    Su Han''s face twitched; so it was him. But why had hee?


    Not one of the South City camp''s people, but Guo Du, whom he previously saved. Su Han contemted then said, "Take me there."


    The two made their way to the vicinity of the Summer Garden Mall. Summer Garden Avenue was in the central area, and naturally, the Summer Garden Mall was chosen as one of the living quarters and as a resource transit point.


    Walking briskly into the building, it didn''t take long for Su Han to arrive in the reception room.


    It was called a room, but it was actually more like a shop, repurposed from a furniture store, filled with numerous sofas.


    Guo Du sat ufortably on a sofa, nked by two men who looked about as tough as him, with strengths around the First Order Upper Grade.


    All three seemed rather uneasy because Ye Kailing sat casually in front of them, watching with a slightly vignt gaze.


    A subtle pressure weighed upon them, and Zhao Jijun and Chen Hushan were secretly cursing, wishing they hadn''t let Guo Du talk them intoing.


    Knowing full well the strengths of the people here, who had already cordoned off streets, how dared they show up?


    Was it really for that injection serum? For a breakthrough?


    They must have been foolish, allowing Guo Du''s words to sway them and leading them here.


    Yet, before they could even meet the person in charge, they faced a woman who was already a Second-order Contractor.


    "Tap, tap, tap."


    The sound of footsteps immediately caught the attention of the three men. They looked up and, upon seeing Su Han, felt a lurch in their hearts, a rush of panic, and instinctively stood up.


    "Lord Su Han."


    They spoke with great respect as, under his calm exterior, they faced a pressure far greater than the scrutiny from Ye Kailing, as if confronting a monster.


    "Sit down."


    Su Han took a seat on a sofa, with Ye Kailing beside him.


    He eyed the three men, turned his head, and asked, "Just the three of you dared toe?"


    "There''s another three cars, about thirty people in total. Not bad growth," responded Ye Kailing, praising them rarely, considering that not long ago, Guo Du had suffered significant losses.


    Thement from Ye Kailing left the three men somewhat embarrassed; if this was considered ''not bad'', then what would one call Shanhu Vi''s status, or the developmental pace of Xia Country?


    "Guo Du, you tell me, what do you want to do?"


    People don''t just show up uninvited without a reason; Su Han was curious about what Guo Du wanted.


    "It''s like this, Lord Su Han," started Guo Du, organizing his thoughts before speaking cautiously, "Last time, you had Captain Zhu Xiong ry a message that injection serums could be exchanged here to enhance Envoys. I''ve hoarded some things and would like to exchange some with you, if possible?"


    Su Han had mentioned this, but Guo Du couldn''t guarantee whether it was true; all he could do was try it out.


    "Injection serum?"


    Su Han nodded and said, "Depends on what you''ve got to trade."


    "Lamp, Lamp Tree Crystals."

 Chapter 150 Chapter 144 News of the Chang Beast

    Lamp Tree Crystals ¡ª these were the most valuable items Guo Du could think of for an exchange. They were also specifically mentioned by Zhu Xiong thest time he took half of Guo Du''s supplies.


    For him, the Lamp Tree Crystals were just as useful, after all, they were crucial in dispersing fog and sustaining nt growth.


    However, unlike Su Han, his camp''s expansion rate was limited, his own power was only at the First Order Upper Grade, and he had barely touched upon Divine Initiation. But, he was still a bit away from the racial limit.


    Thus, there was a surplus of Lamp Tree Crystals, and with his strength being insufficient, he thought of exchanging items with Su Han.


    Of course, to a certain extent, this was also to probe Su Han and his group''s intentions.


    If they wanted to continue expanding, they could only leave this area. If they didn''t join, they could only hide.


    Guo Du felt a bit nervous as he looked at Su Han.


    "How many?"


    Finally, he heard Su Han''s response and breathed a sigh of relief, "Over twenty, the biggest are the size of a fist, the smallest the size of a longan."


    The number was not small, but it was not umted by Guo Du alone, but by the three of them.


    Guo Du, Zhao Jijun, and Chen Hushan were all leaders of small camps with simr strengths. Thus, after making contact, they could only choose peaceful exchanges, which led them to band together eventually.


    Their respective camps each had dozens of people;bined, they formed a camp of about one or two hundred people, upying the area previously emptied by Su Han and his group, which was South City No.2 Middle School, and they had gradually stabilized.


    "Not bad, how many injections do you want?"


    "We want three doses of the injection, enough to reach the limit of First Order Upper Grade."


    Devouring monsters could umte Spiritual Energy, but the process was undoubtedly longer and more dangerous.


    Now, Guo Du and his group wanted a shortcut.


    "Not enough."


    Su Han''s gaze flickered slightly as he said, "I have the injections, but 20 Lamp Tree Crystals are not enough, not to mention they vary in size. Two doses of injections, or you add something extra."


    Guo Du''s expression changed slightly, three people sharing two doses of injections ¡ª this really could mess up their ns.


    There were many items that could be exchanged, such as monster corpses, metals, daily necessities, medications...


    Guo Du himself was somewhat aware, especially since he had been ''robbed'' by Zhu Xiong before, but this time he hadn''t brought that much with him.


    "I..." Guo Du looked troubled, then suddenly said, "I want to trade with information. I know some details about monsters, as well as some survivor bases."


    Information, in such a fog-shrouded environment, sometimes carried more value than materials, because whether it''s avoiding monsters or acquiring resources, information was indispensable.


    Su Han''s expression remained calm. He simply gave Guo Du an extra nce without speaking, until Guo Du said, "Lord Su Han, we don''t build up steadily like you. We move around more, so we have information from other areas of the city''s northern parts."


    What Guo Du said wasn''t false. After all, they weren''t capable ofpletely clearing an area. Thus, they had to be selective, which meant they moved around more.


    And Guo Du knew very well that the Shanhu Vi District in the northern part of the city was Su Han''s territory, so he generally wouldn''t expand in that direction. The ces he roamed were exactly where Su Han was less active.


    "Let''s hear it," Su Han signaled Guo Du to continue, immediate delight shing across Guo Du''s face.


    "My main activity range includes Changlin Street, South City No.2 Middle School and the like. After partnering with Old Zhao and Old Chen, we started moving a bit toward the north, around Happiness Road, May Day Department Store, and those ces," exined Guo Du.


    While stating his areas of activity, Guo Du didn''t mention every ce he visited, as they were too scattered to listprehensively.


    "Changlin Road Subway Station has a group of survivors. We haven''t made much contact, but there are many young people. May Day Department Store also has a group, about a hundred or so..."


    Guo Du shared his knowledge with Su Han. Upon hearing these key pieces of information, Ye Kailing, who was nearby, immediately took out a map and started marking it.


    There were three locations in total, one being the Changlin Road Subway entrance, another the May Day Subway entrance, and finally, the May Day Department Store, where there were traces of survivors.


    "Actually, there''s another subway entrance, the Happiness Road Subway entrance. It''s filled with monsters, and we dare not explore it, not worth it."


    For people without a stable camp, a subway station is definitely a decent shelter.


    With concrete enclosing the space, fixed entry and exit points, and a sturdy structure, if one could block the vehicr tunnels and guard the subway entrance, the entire area could be said to be impregnable.


    But Guo Du didn''t need that because South City No.2 Middle School was already a decent shelter for him.


    Su Han, after listening to Guo Du, simply said, "Anything else?"


    "Yes, two more pieces of information."


    Guo Du paused briefly before saying, "Monsters are gradually forming groups, whether they are beast type or flesh corpses; they''re starting to gather, the only difference being the size of the groups. Also, we encountered a kind of monster that can''t be contracted. Once killed, they turn into a pool of gore. They don''t just hunt people; they also attack other monsters."


    The grouping of monsters and the appearance of special monsters were the pressing reasons for Guo Du''s group to urgently be stronger.


    If their pace of bing stronger slowed down, under the monster groups, everything they had might cease to exist.


    "Hmm?"


    Su Han finally reacted, lifting his gaze slightly, and asked, "Completely blood-red?"


    Guo Du was startled and immediately nodded, "Yes, that''s exactly it, with pitch-ck pupils. Although it''s also like a monster, it feels noticeably different from other monsters."


    "How many times have you encountered a Chang Beast? Where?"


    "Three times, the first was on the edge of Happiness Road, and then these... Chang Beasts just felt like they were getting closer and closer, and there were more of them. The second time was on Changlin Road, the third time was near the streets around South City No.2 Middle School."


    Guo Du said with a worried look, "Where exactly theye from, I don''t know."


    Having shared what he knew, Guo Du couldn''t help but turn his gaze to Su Han, his decision would determine if they could acquire the third injection.


    "Kailing, take them to Qn and get three injections, First Order Upper Grade."


    "Understood."


    Ye Kailing nodded, then got up and looked at the three men, "Come with me."


    Guo Du and hispanions immediately showed joy and hastily got up, "Thank you, thank you."


    The three men quickly followed Ye Kailing out, to exchange outside, which was a n Su Han originally had.


    Bai Qn was thus already prepared, with injections made from the blood of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree and its Chang Beasts, the strength of which was not low.


    What was more important, they all contained the bloodline of Su Han''s Angel Envoy.


    As soon as Ye Kailing left, Su Han leaned against the sofa, his brows however slightly furrowed.


    The matter of the Chang Beasts was clearly not so simple,pared to ordinary monsters, they were more ordered, more... purposeful.


    The previous assay by Bai Qn confirmed Su Han''s hint, it was clearly blood paste from two different bodies.


    But the results of the assay were highly simr, as if they were from the same monster.


    Su Han had already suspected that the Chang Beasts might be the familiars of some powerful monster.


    -----------------


    Guo Du and his party followed Ye Kailing riding the Vine Giant Rat back to Shanhu Vi District, on the way both sides were covered with vines extended from the Mother Nest Ancient Tree, and on these vines, Ancient Tree Crystals grew.


    The brightness dispersed the surrounding fog, apart from the street being in disrepair, bloodstains dried up, and the surrounding shops deste, there was not much difference from before the apocalypse.


    At leastpared to the ever-looming fog and monsters that could burst out of the milky fog at any moment, this ce seemed like heaven.


    The three men looked around in wonder, especially Zhao Jijun and Chen Hushan, who had never been here before, looking at Guo Du with eyes full of shock and inquiry.


    But where would Guo Du dare to speak? Thest time he was here, it had not been like this.


    The journey ended outside the iron gates of the Shanhu Vi District, which was likewise guarded by a patrol post.


    "Wait here."


    Ye Kailing didn''t let them follow her in, bringing them here and showing them the secure environment, strong armed forces, and the servile giant rats, was enough to intimidate them.


    To put it more precisely, it was to further expand influence.


    "Thank you, Captain Ye, you''ve really helped us."


    Guo Du quickly took up the conversation, not showing any bad grace, and followed Ye Kailing into the Shanhu Vi.


    Zhao Jijun nced at the members of the patrol and then whispered, "Guo Du, was it like this already when youst came?"


    "Last time?"


    Guo Du chuckled bitterly, saying, "Outside certainly wasn''t like this, but inside was a hundred times better... no, perhaps even more. How long do you think we''d need to develop to create injections?"


    Zhao Jijun and Chen Hushan shook their heads, saying, "Impossible, we don''t have any scientists... nor equipment."


    They wished it were possible, but theycked the capability to gather those people and equipment.


    Guo Du, of course, knew it was impossible, aside from Su Han''s strength, just from what Guo Du knew about the entire camp, there was research, medical treatment, breeding, agriculture... basically, production was starting again.


    "With their progress, might Lord Su Han be able to reim South City?"


    Chen Hushan asked in a muted tone, shocking Guo Du and Zhao Jijun into silence for a while before saying, "Who knows."


    Zhao Jijun said, "If that day reallyes, we''ll just surrender..."


    "Who would ept us by then?"


    Chen Hushan said self-mockingly, Zhao Jijun''s expression changed slightly, he said in a low voice, "So are you willing to give up power? Or give up those women?"


    Even if no surrender was needed, who wouldn''t want a bit more freedom, control over one''s fate?


    This is the apocalypse, an era without any order, and there were many things one could do.


    "Let''s not think too much."


    Guo Du quietly stopped the two, speaking seriously, "Making a trade is a good thing, let''s see the situation at Happiness Subway Station once we break through, if we can make a Contract, great, otherwise, just understand what kind of monsters they are. Monsters, might also be tradable."


    "If it reallyes to trading, it''s not just monsters and Crystals. If they can sustain those evolved animals, we can also think of some ways; these things are worth more than Crystals, and then we can exchange for more injections."


    Even if they had never used the injections before, they had already assumed that it was more formidable than them devouring monsters.

 Chapter 151 Chapter 145 Centipede-mouthed Blood Toad

    Guo Du and his twopanions had sessfully obtained the injection. They intended to thank Su Han in person, but to their surprise, they didn''t even get to see him and were sent away by Ye Kailing.


    They had a chance to meet Su Han because they arrived unexpectedly; however, next time, in line with Su Han''s way of handling things, their trades would not go through him.


    They would directly deal with Yan Meiyu, Bai Qn and the duty manager; only important clues would be escted to Su Han.


    Not long after Guo Du''s group left, Su Han arrived at the location of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree.


    The third Tree Womb was pulsating rhythmically at this point, harboring a creature using the One-eyed Toad Leader and Bloodde Centipede Leader as fetal bodies, which was now ready to hatch.


    Standing under the tree, Su Han watched the movements of the creature within the dozens of meters high Tree Womb, as it suddenly breached the confines of the womb and fell from the sky.


    "Boom"


    The huge red figurended heavily, producing a dull thud; Su Han fixed his gaze on it.


    Before his eyes appeared a monstrous creature nearly ten meters in length, a terrifying One-eyed Giant Toad.


    The monster resembled a toad, with a crimson horizontal eye on its forehead that, at a nce, looked like an erged human eye, extremely eerie. Its entire body was covered in carapaces like that of a centipede, fiery red as if aze, with a bulging red underbelly.


    "Hiss"


    The Giant Toad opened its wide mouth full of sharp teeth, its crimson tongueshed out instantly, but around this tongue, there was a circle of pitch-ck centipedes simr to tongues themselves.


    These tentacle-like appendages, bizarre as centipedes, were part of it, with sharp mandibles glistening ck, able to shoot out even from within its gaping maw, slicing into the ground like sharp knives, nging deeply into the soil.


    "Centipede-mouthed Blood Toad, defense and toxicity, huh?"


    Su Han sensed the Centipede-mouthed Blood Toad''s condition, but by appearance, it wasn''t any more impressive than the One-eyed Toad Leader.


    However, its might depended on its power.


    With a Vital Energy Blessing, he casually unleashed an attack. Although it was not as strong as a de aura, it was still infused with considerable force.


    "Boom"


    The powerful Blood Qi Energy struck the carapace, eliciting a muffled sound like a drumbeat.


    The Centipede-mouthed Blood Toad''s form swayed slightly, but there was not the slightest sign of injury; not even the carapace showed any cracks.


    ''The defense is good.''


    His eyes flickered as he thought, ''Next should be the toxic attack.''


    He mentallymanded the Centipede-mouthed Blood Toad to attack a nearbymppost, opening its jaws wide and spraying green mist from within.


    "Sizzle"


    The moment the mist touched themppost, it emitted a hissing sound, and then, with a ng, themppost snapped in half and themp head fell to the ground.


    After a faint sound, corrosive noises soon followed, as the toxic fog continued to eat away at themp head.


    Secondster, all that was left was an unrecognizable pool of liquid.


    The corrosiveness of the toxin was beyond Su Han''s expectation, but such an attack already qualified for a specialized role.


    For instance, in conjunction with the Bonestead Rat Demon; one as a tank, the other for area attacks.


    After testing the Centipede-mouthed Blood Toad, Su Han gained a better understanding of it. It boasted Lower Grade Second Order strength, almost on par with the Bonestead Rat Demon, possessing formidablebat abilities, although with different focuses.


    In the days following the hatching of the creatures, the construction of the settlement and the cultivation of Yunling Mountain became the focal points within the camp.


    Zhu Xiong continuously gathered discarded cars, and with Su Han''s Metal Control, these were used to fortify the checkpoint gates, increasing their height and thickness considerably.


    The patrol team also identified several points of ingress and egress during their sweeps, closing each one in turn.


    The people who had moved in organized under Bai Xiao''e''s leadership, working alongside Zhang Dahai and his team to clean up the perimeter belt.


    Useless garbage was piled up to be cleared away by the Tree-born Worms or Vine Giant Rats.


    Bare ground was nted with cultivable crops, primarily with fruit tree saplings transnted from the Shanhu Vi District.


    A portion of the enclosed area was designated as a future breeding ground.


    Although currently, the only pig species among the evolved kinds are Giant Bristle Boars and Fang Boars, there will certainly be more in the future.


    Everything was developing in an orderly manner. Su Han''s Bat-winged Alligator Dragon also hit a minor bottleneck.


    Several days passed, and the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon merelypleted another integration with theke water, reaching LV3 water and obtaining the Skill Advancement LV2 ck Water Shield.


    The water level of theke dropped by another meter. The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon''s need for water was growingrger andrger.


    Of course, this was not a problem, as theke water could be umted¡ªthough it would require more time.


    At LV1, a few hours of integrationpleted 100%, at LV2 it already took a day or two, now at LV3 it almost took four to five days, and the time needed would only increase from there.


    By the shores of Nanwang Lake, the towering Bat-winged Alligator Dragon climbed out of the much shallowerke, its lofty stature standing around Su Han.


    Its aura had grown much stronger, especially the ck Water Shield skill. It had evolved from merely covering a small area to now being able to envelop an area the size of a head, offering multi-directional protection.


    Although it had not broken through the Lower Tier of the Third Order due to insufficient strength umtion, itsbat power had certainly increased significantly.


    "We should divert the water there and also capture the evolved kinds."


    Su Han looked at the surface of Nanwang Lake, where Old Zhu and the others were already waiting nearby.


    Nanwang Lake was a good location, but it was a bit distant from the ring belt, which was inconvenient.


    "Old Zhu, has the artificialke over at Old Zhang''s ce been excavated yet?"


    "It''s done. The length and width are roughly over three hundred meters, almost the same size as Yunling Lake."


    In just a few days, while Zhang Dahai was organizing the cleanup of the ring belt, he also mobilized the Tree-born Worms to start excavating the pit. Not just the Tree-born Worms, but also excavators, Vine Giant Rats, and many Contractors.


    In a short time, a deep pit the size of an artificialke appeared on the site of some old buildings.


    Su Han nodded, then with a thought, arge number of Tree-born Worms began to excavate underground. The vines of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree followed closely, twining around each other andpacting the soil where they dug.


    The excavation was carried out underground, reaching a depth of about ten meters.


    One was excavating, another was continuously fortifying, and at this time, Su Han and the Scorpion Spider Demon both acted, deploying Metal Control.


    A massive amount of metal was controlled into mid-air, then began to melt and reshape. First, it formed into an enormous iron spike, which with a thrusting sound, pierced ten meters underground.


    Then, separated by a thickyer of earth, the Scorpion Spider Demon continued to manipte the metal, quickly forming segments of metal pipes within the underground tunnel.


    Half an hour passed, and the pipeline had already extended from Nanwang Lake into the artificialke.


    The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon controlled the water on the Nanwang Lake side, the currents surged, but there was still a thinyer of soil that had not been breached.


    With the underground water channel formed, Su Han finally issued the finalmand. The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon no longer kept the water still but actively surged towards the water channel.


    Theke surface instantly roiled with currents. Under the control of the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon, the water quickly flowed through the channel''s inlet and then propelled the current rapidly into the artificialke.


    The water level was dropping rapidly, on par with the integration achieved by the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon.


    "Roar"


    The Giant Crocodile Monsters and Armored Crocodiles that were hidden in theke''s waters could no longer conceal themselves and let out furious roars.


    While theke was not going to dry up, they no longer had as good a ce to hide as before.


    "Old Zhu, get ready to fish."


    "Leave it to me."


    Zhu Xiong rubbed his hands eagerly, looking at the Giant Crocodile Monsters and Armored Crocodiles already showing their backs in theke. He carefully counted, and the number was not small¡ªthere were one to two hundred of them.


    "Hmm, wait, what''s that?"


    Exposed along with the Giant Crocodile Monsters was a patch of pitch-ck carapace, buried in the mud, a massive expanse over ten meters in size.

 Chapter 152 Chang Resentment Tiger

    Su Han''s team halted their footsteps, confronting the vast army of Chang Beasts head-on.


    Heavy footsteps resounded as giant monsters emerged withrge strides from within.


    Double-headed Blood Wolves, Blood-Colored Bone Spur Giant Bulls, and the fearsome Blood Bears... There were numerous Second Order Monsters, but the most eye-catching were the five or six Blood Giant Tigers that followed them.


    Each Giant Tiger was seven to eight meters in size and about four meters tall, with blood-colored fur that was so vivid it almost dripped, interwoven with ck stripes, giving off an oppressive aura.


    Their eyes were pitch ck, staring intently at Su Han and his group, each emitting an aura of Second Order.


    However, they were not the main attraction.


    "Roar"


    With a terrifying roar, a more fearsome figure emerged from the mist, standing about seven to eight meters tall and over twenty meters long, clearly a muchrger Blood Giant Tiger.


    Unlike the other Giant Tigers, its eyes were sharper, and at the forehead, where a king-like pattern interwove, there was a fearsome vertical eye in a dark red color, slightly glowing.


    Between its shoulders, a pair of blood-red membranous wings emerged, vast and swirling with scarlet light.


    "Roar"


    As soon as the Chang Resentment Tiger King appeared, it roared furiously at the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon. Although it couldn''t speak like humans, its threat was clear.


    Two Third Order Monsters, the Chang Resentment Tiger King''s significant intelligence had it already thinking about retreating, but now reliant on the thousands of Chang Beasts around, it aimed to push Su Han back.


    Enjoy new tales from empire


    "Thinking you can attack when you want and retreat when you feel like, are you joking?"


    Su Han merely scoffed, sneering at the notion as if the world operated that conveniently. Even if they were not enemies, just because of such a tribe, Su Han had no intent of letting them go.


    The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon''s ck Water Cannon immediately condensed, then sted directly towards those monsters.


    The sudden action took the Chang Beast hordepletely by surprise, the ck Water Cannon collided with the group like a ck pir, exploding violently andpletely shattering a Blood Spiked Giant Bull and tearing apart the surrounding Chang Beasts at the same time.


    "Attack!"


    Once Su Han made his move, the Chang Resentment Tiger King already started roaring furiously, and Zhu Xiong and the others also prepared to join the battle simultaneously.


    Apostles stood in a horizontal row at the front, with Second-Rank Apostles at the forefront forming the first line of defense, followed by other Apostles, while the Contractors wielding Crossbows were at the very rear, assisting in defense.


    Even considering the number of Apostles, Su Han''s group only hadbat power in the thousands, but they showed no trace of fear against the enormous army of Chang Beasts because Su Han was at the front.


    The mighty Chang Beast Legion surged forward, the broad street unable to amodate so many monsters, hence they converged into a torrent that filled the street.


    The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon pped its wings, condensing Wind des that continued to sweep across like a scythe.


    Arge number of Chang Beasts were torn apart by the Wind des, and the few lucky ones that managed to charge through met the Apostles of Zhu Xiong, Gan Xinglei, and Guo Gang, as well as the obstructions from two contracted creatures, followed by a brutally vicious ughter.


    The blood dyed the entire street red, countless Chang Beasts ripped apart, turning into blood paste scattered on the ground.


    The Chang Beasts began to swarm the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon, roaring andunching every possible attack like a tidal wave.


    The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon''s ck Water Shield condensed in front of it, making the attacks fall upon it to no effect, especially since many of the Chang Beasts were bloody corpses, rendering the attack even more futile.


    The huge body yed its role fully in the war, the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon didn''t even need to attack specifically; merely rolling over was enough to crush most Chang Beasts that couldn''t resist.


    Its forelimbs glowed with the light of ck Water des, sweeping out each time, inevitably shredding dozens if not hundreds of Chang Beasts.


    "Roar"


    The High-Level Chang Beasts couldn''t hold back any longer and lunged forward, especially the Double-headed Blood Wolves and Blood Bears, two massive creatures, each standing multiple meters tall, towering over the other Chang Beasts around.


    They moved incredibly fast, charging in front of the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon, their attacks hit the ck Water Shield, causing the thick ck Water to ripple.


    But the next moment, the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon simply pped them down to the ground with one swipe of its w, pinning the Blood Bear underneath its paws, the ck Water Cannon condensed in its mouth, and in the next moment, it blew the bear''s head apart.


    The monsters were being ughtered, and in just a few minutes, over a thousand Chang Beasts had died.


    Half were caused by the attack of the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon, the other half by the attacks from Zhu Xiong and his team.


    However, as the battle progressed, Su Han noticed that the Second Order Monsters had begun to charge collectively, bypassing the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon and directly attacking Zhu Xiong and his team.


    The Glutton met a Crimson King Kong, and the rest were up against the Chang Resentment Tiger, matched inbat. Between their massive bodies wrestling, they asionally crushed any nearby Chang Beasts.


    The Second-Rank Apostles were mostly tied down, shifting more pressure onto the Vine Giant Rat and the First-Tier Apostles.


    The Vine Giant Rat soon saw casualties, as did the Contractors.


    Su Han''s eyes narrowed, his hand lighting up with the Book of Blood Spirit, and the Scorpion Spider Demon immediately appeared on the battlefield, its terrifying body blocking the surging beast tide.


    Lashing out with its Twin-Tailed Wolf Fang Club imbued with Vital Energy, it swept clean the approaching Chang Beasts.


    "Roar"


    The Chang Resentment Tiger King roared with its eyes concentrated on red light, then the Scorpion Spider Demon attacked, the red light incredibly fierce.


    However, the Scorpion Spider Demon''s Floating Pagoda ck Armor''s tes surged, immediately forming a ck shield that blocked the attack.


    The violent explosion sent the surrounding Chang beasts flying, but the strength of the second-grade Floating Pagoda ck Armor was undoubtedly higher, only partially cracking.


    After the attack failed, the Chang Resentment Tiger King leapt up, its vital energy condensing, ready to continue the assault.


    Su Han jumped off the back of the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon, d in ck Armor, and charged into the horde of Chang Beasts, while the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon had already taken off with a p of its wings and fiercely charged at the Chang Resentment Tiger, pinning it to the ground as it prepared to attack.


    The violent collision was like a mountain copsing.


    The two massive creatures smashed the zoo''s structures and heavily mmed into the ground, creating a huge crater.


    The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon raised its sharp ws, equipped with ck water des, and heavily smashed them onto the Chang Resentment Tiger King. Even the tough tiger skin couldn''t resist such an attack, and a huge wound immediately appeared.


    Blood continuously poured out, but the flesh was rapidly healing, revealing that even the Chang Resentment Tiger King possessed regenerative abilities.


    The Chang Resentment Tiger King roared with effort and suddenly flipped the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon to the ground, its sharp ws attacking.


    The ck water shield promptly protected its body, blocking the attack, and the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon pped its wings, sending wind des directly at the tiger.


    For a moment, dust and smoke billowed, and the ground cracked open. The battle between the two monsters was brutally violent, shredding any Chang beasts that came too close into minced flesh.


    With the Chang Resentment Tiger King no longer interfering, the Scorpion Spider Demon invoked metal control energy, and nearbympposts, street barriers, cars... Metals within a hundred meters uprooted and floated into the air.


    The Scorpion Spider Demon swept his Wolf Fang Club at the Chang Beasts while manipting these metals to morph, forming sharp metal spikes in the air like metallic raindrops. Then, under itsmand, they rapidly fell towards the ground.


    The sharp iron spikes, powered by metal control, instantly nailed hundreds of Chang beasts to the ground,pletely piercing their bodies as blood sttered out.


    The entire street emptied, then, with a wave of its enormous hand, the Scorpion Spider Demon immediately extracted the metal spikes, then directed them towards the Chang beasts that were pouring into the street.


    It strode forward, plunging into the monster horde, swinging the Wolf Fang Club while controlling the iron spikes tounch a further attack, piercing through the bodies of Chang beasts with lethal speed.


    "Follow up, kill!"


    Zhu Xiong and the others forcefully suppressed their opponents and then ordered their troops to coordinate a charge, swiftly advancing and ughtering the Chang beasts.


    The entire team, led by the Scorpion Spider Demon, ughtered the Chang beasts at an extremely fast pace.


    The second-order Chang beasts initially had a bit of resistance. However, after Su Han spotted them, hemanded the Scorpion Spider Demon to attack.


    Some Iron spikes fused into chains, directly piercing through the brains of second-order Chang beasts, killing them and then immediately heading towards those Chang Resentment Tigers.


    The Chang Resentment Tigers wanted to resist, but theycked the power of their leader, the Chang Resentment Tiger King.


    Just as they were about to act, they saw a Crimson Demon Eye emerge on the arm of the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    A horrifying red light struck them, the Crimson Demon Eye''s mental shock causing excruciating headaches and stiffening their figures, allowing the chains to pierce through their shoulders, spines, and other areas,pletely restraining them.


    Some were killed, others subdued. Su Han''s side had five second-tier Apostles and two pets, totaling seven second-orderbat powers, utterly overwhelming the opposition.


    Although there were still thousands of Chang beasts, ferociously charging at them, they no longer posed a threat.


    On such a street, seven second-order monsters lined up, forming the tightest defensive line. Any who charged were mostly killed, and the few that fortuitously slipped through became the prey of the Apostles behind.


    "Roar"


    Seeing the situation turning against it, the Chang Resentment Tiger King became agitated and continuously attacked the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon.


    It traded wounds for a chance to suppress the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon and then pped its wings intending to fly away from the ce.


    Even though the Chang beasts were its umtion over more than two months, survival was now the most important.


    Under Su Han''s control, the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon wouldn''t miss this opportunity, its sharp ws with ck water des reaching for the Chang Resentment Tiger King''s wing membranes.


    With a ripping sound, a massive wound appeared on the vast wing membranes, even slicing through the wing bones, causing the Chang Resentment Tiger King''s form to plummet suddenly.


    The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon stomped over, its gaping maw opened wide, with the ck water cannon forming inside, its power growing even more formidable.


    Feeling the crisis, the Chang Resentment Tiger King struggled fiercely, continuous roars emitting from it, even its eyes turning a consolidated red.


    "Bang"


    The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon gave no quarter, its beast w fiercely grabbing, then pressing the head of the Chang Resentment Tiger King into the ground.


    "Boom"


    The ck water cannon shot out, causing a violent explosion, and a terrifying blood hole immediately appeared on the body of the Chang Resentment Tiger King.


    Severely wounded, even with the Chang Resentment Tiger King''s strong regenerative abilities, it couldn''t quickly recover now.


    The battle was decided. The Scorpion Spider Demon controlled the metal spikes to y the remaining Chang beasts, while Su Han focused his mind beneath the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon, on the Chang Resentment Tiger King.


    [Discovery of a live monster, Chang Resentment Tiger King, avable for fusion. Do you want to proceed with fusion?]

 Chapter 153 Phantom Beast Infection

    ```


    Fusion


    Su Han silently chanted in his heart, and then fine threads began to spread out from the body of the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon, moving toward the Chang Resentment Tiger King.


    The Chang Resentment Tiger King growled softly, issuing itsst threat. It knew these threads were more deadly than any previous attack.


    But unfortunately, it no longer had the strength to resist.


    The threads made of flesh and tissue were the first to surge into the blood hole near its neck and began to slowly fuse with the flesh around the wound. Healing the wound was nothing but a pipe dream, and a restoration of strength now even more impossible.


    As if controlled by the Chang Resentment Tiger King, the remaining three to four thousand Phantom Beasts turned around and charged toward the Chang Resentment Tiger King.


    They wanted to stop the actions of the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon and save their host, the Chang Resentment Tiger King.


    But how could the Scorpion Spider Demon allow them to disrupt the fusion process?


    With a leap, it had already crossed over the crimson tide of beasts, standing in front of the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon and the Chang Resentment Tiger King. Swinging the Wolf Fang Club infused with Blood Qi Energy, it swept across, and dozens of Phantom Beasts were instantly cleaved in two.


    Seeing this, Su Han moved as well, jumping to their side, his Pu knives also enhanced with Blood Qi Energy. Every swing was guaranteed to y arge number of Phantom Beasts.


    With one man and one Angel Envoy, they managed to hold back the Phantom Beast Legion.


    Zhu Xiong and the others charged and killed from the rear, forming a pincer attack on both sides.


    Without the Chang Resentment Tiger King and other High Order Phantom Beasts and monsters, the Phantom Beast Legion was now just meat on the chopping board, to be handled at will.


    As time slowly passed, half an hour went by, and under the ughter, thest blood-soaked corpse had its head severed.


    "Phew, finally done with them, tougher than dealing with the Bei Qing Grain Warehouse."


    Zhu Xiong wiped the blood off his hammer. He had exerted a lot of effort in the fight and naturally felt exhausted.


    However, there was still work to be done. He nced around, then said, "Old Gan, take a hundred people and control the surrounding area, and handle the casualty situation. Old Guo, you and I will take a team each and sweep the zoo to check for threats."


    "Alright."


    They quickly agreed and began to act ording to their tasks.


    Although they had the upper hand in the battle, it did not mean there were no casualties. Fifteen people had died, and thirty were wounded. In the apocalypse, no battle could ever bepletely safe.


    Both Gan Xinglei and Zhu Xiong had gradually adapted to this post-apocalyptic world.


    For the dead, if they had rtives in the encampment, the Contribution Value would be fully transferred to them, and they would receive an additionalrge constion Contribution Value.


    If they had no friends or family, their bodies would be brought back, and the encampment would oversee the aftermath, their names preserved.


    Compared to those who died silently in the apocalypse, they had at least left a trace of their existence.


    Su Han watched as Zhu Xiong and the others went about their tasks, not interfering. Zhu Xiong was already very experienced in post-battle management.


    About an hourter, the wounds of the injured had been tended to. They were all Contractors, and unless the injuries were particrly severe, they were generally not a problem.


    On the side of the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon, the progress of the fusion wasn''t fast; it had only fused about a quarter so far.


    The more powerful the monster, the slower the fusion.


    ''Looks like I might have to stay here tonight.''


    Su Han estimated the time. After the fusion wasplete, the progress wouldn''t be full, so he''d have to further fuse other lower-grade materials. The time it would take could be long or short.


    "Tap tap tap"


    Footsteps approached. Su Han looked in the direction of the sound to see Zhu Xiong and Guo Gang, each followed by a small team.


    "Did you find anything?"


    Su Han looked at Zhu Xiong, who nodded slightly and said, "We found something that seems to belong to the tiger king. Do you want to take a look?"


    Curiosity piqued, Su Han asked, "What is it?"


    "Meat Mountain."


    Zhu Xiong''s answer made him even more curious. Together with Zhu Xiong, Su Han walked deeper into the zoo. Along the way, the mist had been somewhat dispersed by the Crystals of the Ancient Tree that Zhu Xiong''s team had ced.


    This skill of the Mother Nest Ancient Tree had lifted the usage restrictions on the Lamp Tree crystals, providing the encampment''s expeditionarybat personnel with greater visibility and security.


    They passed many iron fences, which still contained the remains of white bones and dark bloodstains.


    Before the apocalypse, there had been many animals in these cages. Now, they were all gone.


    Many of the cages were even reduced to scrap, with copsed walls and remnants of countless battles.


    The battles in the post-apocalyptic zoo were no less intense than any corner of the city, perhaps even more brutal.


    Some mutated monsters didn''t escape and became nourishment for the Chang Resentment Tiger King within the zoo, which resembled a breeding ground for pests.


    Others were luckier and managed to escape. Where they might be in the city now was anyone''s guess.


    Finally, they arrived at the Tiger Garden. Thebat personnel were on guard, and amidst the fog, a giant meat mountain, two to three stories high, appeared before them.


    The flesh piled into a mountain, all interconnected, moving with a rhythmic pulse as if a heart was beating.


    This Meat Mountain appeared to be alive, and upon the undting flesh, several not-yet-devoured monsters were howling softly, while some being spat out after being devoured were already blood red and emitting sharp roars.


    Su Han''s gaze sharpened, focusing on one blood-soaked creature struggling amidst the mountain of flesh.


    "So this is how the Phantom Beastse into being?"


    ```


    ```


    Devouring monsters, assimting them, and ultimately transforming into Chang Beasts¡ªthis seems to be the secret of the Chang Resentment Tiger King''s army.


    No wonder they never thought of fleeing but were determined to resist to the death, directly shing with Su Han and his group.


    Of course, given the ferocity of Su Han''s assault, their chances of escape were slim.


    "What about the Ironback Alligator Turtle? Did it manage to escape?"


    Zhu Xiong was somewhat perplexed, but there were only a few wounds on the Ironback Alligator Turtle''s body, with no signs of it being devoured.


    After pondering for a moment, Guo Gang suddenly said, "Is it possible that the monster has two transformation methods? One for quantity, and one for advanced monsters?"


    "I think it''s likely."


    Su Han agreed with Guo Gang''s opinion, as this was the only way to exin both the situation of the Ironback Alligator Turtle and the origin of the Chang Beasts.


    "So how do we deal with this meat mountain now? It doesn''t look that simple."


    "Shoot the Chang Beasts on top, then keep watch. I''ll have the Angel Envoy take care of itter."


    "Alright."


    Zhu Xiong ordered his men to take action, and then he returned to the entrance of the zoo with Su Han.


    Upon inspection, they found no danger in the surrounding area.


    With the Chang Resentment Tiger King here, other monsters had either been captured for assimtion or eliminated¡ªthere was no way they could hold out for so long.


    "Guo Gang"


    "What''s up?"


    Su Han stopped Guo Gang, which caught him off guard.


    "You contract the Chang Resentment Tigers."


    He pointed to the four constrained Chang Resentment Tigers, which were clearly from the same species as the Tiger King, each possessing the strength of a Second Order Low Grade, their fighting capabilities no weaker than the Double-headed Blood Wolves.


    Of course, it was uncertain what Skills they possessed. During the previous battle, they had not fully demonstrated them.


    Guo Gang scratched his head and nodded, "Okay, I''ll go right now."


    He hadn''t expected the second Angel Envoy to arrive so quickly, but he would do as Su Hanmanded.


    It was yet to be seen how much Contribution Value this would convert to; that would have to be assessed by Yan Meiyu once she got back.


    This was the rule of the camp. Only with rules in ce could the camp operate better.


    However, generally speaking, the gear that Su Han pointed out directly usually had a rewarding nature.


    Therefore, when Yan Meiyu made her estimates, she would strike a bnce based on Guo Gang''s existing Contribution Value, ensuring a fair and reasonable oue; hence everyone respected it.


    Guo Gang strode towards the Chang Resentment Tigers. The restrained Chang Resentment Tigers roared menacingly as he approached, but their menacing roars carried a tone of pain. The chains pierced through their bones, and not just in one spot¡ªtheir agony was unimaginable.


    Had they not been Second-grade Monsters with tenacious vitality, they likely would have already died.


    "It''s going to be you."


    Guo Gang fixed his gaze on one of the Chang Resentment Tigers as the single-eyed giant Angel Envoy appeared beside him. Its neck twisted bizarrely, looking down at the Chang Resentment Tiger with its one eerie eye fixed on the beast.


    "Damn, Old Guo''s Angel Envoy is creepy enough."


    The strange movements sent shivers down Zhu Xiong''s spine. No matter how he looked at it, the fist-sized single eye was odd.


    Gan Xinglei rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, ''Your Glutton isn''t any better.''


    Amidst the conversation, the single-eyed giant''s eye emitted a crimson glow, and the roaring Chang Resentment Tiger immediately showed a pained expression and became stiff.


    The giant''s tentacles beside its head moved swiftly like spikes, and with a ''pfft'' sound, pierced through the Chang Resentment Tiger''s eyes, then directly into the brain from the hollow behind the eyes.


    In an instant, the Chang Resentment Tiger quickly fell silent, its body hanging limply on the ground, dead beyond doubt.


    The Book of Blood Spirit appeared, the red light began to envelop the Chang Resentment Tiger''s body, and the contract began.


    Guo Gang concentrated, and as time progressed, soon the Chang Resentment Tiger''s body turned into a red light and entered the second page of the Book of Blood Spirit.


    Guo Gang''s eyes snapped open, a glint shed within, and the force of feedback made his whole body feel as if it was basking in a warm current.


    Chang Resentment Tiger


    He immediately summoned his newly contracted second Angel Envoy. A red light emerged behind him, and the massive figure of the Chang Resentment Tiger appeared.


    The interwoven blood-red fur and ck stripes gave off a repressive aura from the Chang Resentment Tiger, as if the creature was a demonic spirit in existence.


    The Chang Resentment Tiger let out a low roar, but Guo Gang''s gaze turned sharp as he immediately sensed the Skill on the Chang Resentment Tiger: Phantom Beast Infection.


    "Old Guo, your Angel Envoy looks good, how is it?"


    Su Han and others came over, with Zhu Xiong even thinking of extending his hand to pat the Chang Resentment Tiger. Having a tiger as an Angel Envoy was a desire of many men.


    Of course, Zhu Xiong still thought that the Bone Armor Giant Pig looked cooler, and its broad back made for a morefortable ride.


    Guo Gang looked towards Su Han and said earnestly, "It has a Skill called Phantom Beast Infection, but... it doesn''t seem to have that terrifying effect."


    ```

 Chapter 154 Advancement

    Guo Gang''s words made everyone pause, and Zhu Xiong asked in confusion, "Are you talking about the skills to control those monsters?"


    "Yes," Guo Gang nodded, "Phantom Beast Infection can also be spread by infecting the monsters, allowing them to be gradually assimted, and then turned into puppet-like Phantom Beasts, but... my ability can only control 10 units of monsters, and they must be one rank lower than the Chang Resentment Tiger itself.


    Moreover, the process consumes the Spiritual Energy and physical strength of the Chang Resentment Tiger."


    A Second Order Low Grade Chang Resentment Tiger could only infect and control ten units of First Order Monsters, and although it could extend to First Order Upper Grade, it was far from sufficient to build a Chang Beast Legion.


    Su Han furrowed his brows, surprised by the significant gap.


    "However," Guo Gang hesitated before saying, "These ten units should be considered a part of the Chang Resentment Tiger''s body and can be transformed into a blood-paste that gets absorbed into the body of the Chang Resentment Tiger."


    Upon hearing this, everyone looked surprised; this was something they had not anticipated. The separation of flesh and blood, turning into Phantom Beasts.


    No, it was not entirely about the separation of flesh and blood, as the blood of Phantom Beasts and the flesh and blood of monsters were still different. It was more apt to say it was a special state of existence.


    "That''s not bad either, having 10 lower rank units on hand. They can be of use in many situations."


    After forming the Contract, Guo Gang continued to set up defenses around the surroundings while searching for resources that could be taken back.


    Su Han, on the other hand, kept his eye on the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon as he pondered the connections between the flesh mountain, Chang Resentment Tiger King, and Phantom Beasts.


    If Chang Resentment Tigers possessed the skill of Phantom Beast Infection, then surely the Chang Resentment Tiger King also had it, yet the gap between the two was substantiallyrge, which puzzled him.


    There must still be some unclear aspects about it. An army of tens of thousands of monsters was not a small matter.


    Amidst pondering, suddenly Guo Gang and the others rushed over with even more urgent footsteps, "Su Han, the flesh mountain has copsed."


    Su Han slightly furrowed his brows and immediately said, "Let''s go take a look."


    They hurried over, and sure enough, when they arrived, part of the flesh mountain''s tissue had peeled from its surface, turning into a sticky blood-paste, starkly different from the previously vibrant flesh.


    Visibly, the scale of the flesh mountain had diminished slightly, and it was still faintly pulsating.


    "What, what''s going on? Could it be that after the Chang Resentment Tiger King was killed, this thing also couldn''t survive?"


    Zhu Xiong was utterly confused, but his words reminded Su Han.


    "It''s the Chang Resentment Tiger, not Chang Resentment Tiger King."


    Su Han''s voice interrupted Zhu Xiong, and everyone looked at him in astonishment.


    After a moment of thought, he said, "It''s possible that this is their species'' collective ability, a joint construction for proliferation and expansion. The flesh mountain is not only made up of the Chang Resentment Tiger King''s Phantom Beast mother units, it should be that every Chang Resentment Tiger contributes something.


    However, since Old Guo just killed one, some part of it began to disintegrate."


    "This..."


    Xinglei and the other two looked at each other, having never considered this conjecture and finding it somewhat...incredible.


    Su Han pondered for a moment and said, "Old Zhu, go back and report this, and bring Old Zhang here to Contract a Chang Resentment Tiger."


    Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. To verify this hypothesis, they just need to test it.


    Zhang Dahai, who also possessed Second Order strength, could Contract an Angel Envoy.


    Zhu Xiong was quick, and in less than an hour, he returned with Zhang Dahai.


    After exining the situation, the corners of Zhang Dahai''s mouth almost reached heaven. Sitting at home, fortunees falling from the sky. In just a few days, he could Contract a second Angel Envoy, truly wonderful.


    Zhang Dahai, just like Guo Gang had earlier, chose a Chang Resentment Tiger and then had the Crocodile w Giant Demon kill it."


    But at the moment of the kill, the answer already began to reveal itself, for the massive flesh mountain was slowly copsing.


    More of the flesh turned into blood-paste and then slid down slowly, just like the other Phantom Beast blood."


    Su Han''s guess was correct; this thing was a convergence of the entire Chang Resentment Tiger poption, though the leadership was undoubtedly with the Chang Resentment Tiger King.


    "What do we do now?"


    Zhu Xiong was still a bit lost, assuming the Chang Resentment Tiger King would definitely be killed soon.


    Then the flesh mountain would surely end, no different from that blood-paste.


    "Let''s cut it open and take a look."


    Su Han looked at the flesh mountain, his emotions hardly fluctuated as it was destined to copse, so they might as well dissect it on the spot to see its structure and record it."


    With a thought, he summoned the Scorpion Spider Demon and controlled the metal to form a sharp de, plunging deep into the flesh mountain."


    After two copses, the flesh mountain was only about twenty meters high, though still much taller than the Scorpion Spider Demon, it wasn''t so difficult to handle.


    With one slice, blood flowed out like river water.


    The appearance inside was revealed to everyone, looking unremarkable with just pulsating flesh tissues."


    However, that was just the outeryer. As the Scorpion Spider Demon continued to cut deeper inside, soon, at the very center, something was found.


    A blood-red object, covered with blood vessels, shaped like a heart."


    The thumping wasing from it; this was the core of the thing."


    [Discovered material suitable for Fusion "Phantom Beast Seed", proceed with Fusion?]


    No Fusion


    Su Han did not allow the Scorpion Spider Demon to fuse but controlled it to chop down the Phantom Beast Seed, causing blood to stter out, and despite being severed, the Phantom Beast Seed still pulsed.


    "This thing couldn''t possibly be the Chang Resentment Tiger King, right?"


    Just as Zhu Xiong finished speaking, the rest of the flesh mountain started to melt into what looked like the blood of the Phantom Beast.


    "Old Zhu, you and the Scorpion Spider Demon make a trip back and deliver this stuff to the Ancient Tree."


    Zhu Xiong was startled and immediately nodded solemnly, "Okay, I''ll go right now."


    The Phantom Beast Seed, serving as the core of the flesh mountain, was quiterge, at least four to five meters in diameter and extremelypact. After bleeding for a while, it was gradually healing and its beating had stabilized.


    Although both the Bone Armor Giant Pig and the Vine Giant Rat could barely carry such a size, it was not easy to secure, fearing it may take too long.


    Therefore, Su Han could only send out the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    Originally, as the Chang Resentment Tiger King was a control-type monster, it might have been more suitable to be given to the Mother Nest Ancient Tree.


    But, a Third Order monster, with regenerative abilities and flight abilities, was not so easy to suppress; if it escaped, the loss would outweigh the gain. Moreover, the Mother Nest Ancient Tree was still holding 76% of Level 1 Phantom Beast Blood, so it wasn''t considered initially.


    But now the situation was different; whether there would be more Phantom Beast Blood was not mentioned, the effects of the Essence of Flesh ought to be simr.


    And the Phantom Beast Seed was clearly a ''limited edition'' thing, trying wouldn''t hurt, right?


    The Scorpion Spider Demon, holding the Phantom Beast Seed, rushed back rapidly, while Zhu Xiong, leading a squad, closely followed behind, responsible for escorting.


    A direct distance of three kilometers, bypassing several streets, they arrived at the ring district within about ten minutes.


    The Mother Nest Ancient Tree had already been controlled by Su Han, its vines spread to the boundary, taking the Phantom Beast Seed from the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    For the control of Angel Envoys, the stronger the power, the further the control range, and three kilometers was far from the limit of Su Han''s control.


    This was why he felt at ease leaving the Mother Nest Ancient Tree at the camp, taking only two Angel Envoys to trouble the Chang Resentment Tiger King.


    He could shake the tree at any time.


    [Discovered fusible material Phantom Beast Seed, proceed with fusion?]


    Fusion


    This time, it was the Mother Nest Ancient Tree that fused with the Phantom Beast Seed; thus, Su Han did not hesitate, especially since if it were too slow and the Chang Resentment Tiger King died, then the Phantom Beast Seed would be lost.


    Both the Mother Nest Ancient Tree and the Bat-winged Alligator Dragon were undergoing fusion, and after the Scorpion Spider Demon returned, Su Han entered a phase of patient waiting.


    Guo Gang and Xinglei Gan did not stay long; Su Han dispatched two hundred people back, those who needed to treat their wounds did so further, and those who needed to rest did.


    Zhu Xiong stayed behind just in case, but overall there wasn''t much to do, simply gathering vehicles and metal objects on the surrounding streets and then having the Scorpion Spider Demon control them, transforming them into metal cubes for easy transport.


    Metal was an important resource for the camp construction and also an important resource for the fusion of the Scorpion Spider Demon.


    As time gradually passed, by the evening, the Mother Nest Ancient Tree and Bat-winged Alligator Dragon had consecutivelypleted the fusions with the Phantom Beast Seed and the body of the Chang Resentment Tiger King.


    Phantom Beast Seed Fusion Degree 32%


    Chang Resentment Tiger King Fusion Degree 37%


    The fusion degrees were only about a third each; Su Han controlled two Angel Envoys to start converting other flesh materials to enhance the fusion.


    At the Mother Nest Ancient Tree, previously it had achieved 76% fusion with Level 1 Phantom Beast Blood, but due to the Phantom Beast Seed''s fusion this time, it had abruptly interrupted, incidentally leaving behind the Phantom Beast Blood scattered around the battlefield.


    Thus, it directly became the nutrient for the Phantom Beast Seed, gradually enhancing its Fusion Degree.


    The Bat-winged Alligator Dragon''s side was simpler; the entire battlefield was covered in Phantom Beast Blood, the bloody paste covered the streets, emitting a foul smell.


    It directly stomped on it and then body tissues squirmed releasing a mass of silk threads, beginning the fusion on the spot.


    The Fusion Degree slowly increased, from 37% gradually rising.


    Over the night, while Su Han slightly closed his eyes to rest, he was suddenly awakened by a notification.


    [Chang Resentment Tiger King 100% fusionplete, Bat-winged Alligator Dragon achieved form advancement: Blood-winged Alligator Dragon, Blood-winged Alligator Dragon receives skill: Evil Crocodile Prison]


    Su Han immediately looked towards the Blood-winged Alligator Dragon, surroundedpletely in red light, currently undergoing a transformation.


    Within the red light, one could faintly see the flesh on its back wriggle, two bulges gradually swelling, then with a faint sound, the growth of bones and flesh resonated.


    Ssh


    In an instant, a pair of dark red membranous wings grew, with a wingspan muchrger and more majestic than the first pair, the aura also much stronger.


    The pitch-ck body now had a hint of dark red, appearing more sharp and menacing, the massive body fiercer, its body lines more robust, muscles and scale armor clearly defined, exuding bursts of a brutal aura.


    Without a doubt, in this breakthrough, the Blood-winged Alligator Dragon had umted sufficiently and advanced to Third Order Intermediate.


    "Evil Crocodile Prison," Su Han observed the changes in the Blood-winged Alligator Dragon, his eyes shifting slightly, yet his attention was focused on that skill.


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