Chapter 299: Problem, Salvation

Chapter 299: Chapter 299: Problem, Salvation

At that moment, all three of them were suffering from prolonged exposure to the instance’s intense ultraviolet rays and radiation.

Without any effective protection, their exposed skin was already red, swollen, and itchy—it was even beginning to ulcerate.

Plagued by internal and external threats, the three of them were trapped in a desperate situation.

"What the hell is this shit!"

Samson Sharp couldn’t help but curse, his face a mask of exhaustion and despair.

"Screw this damn side quest, I’m done with it! If we can find a place to hole up and survive these seven days, we can thank our lucky stars! The difficulty of this instance is just insane!"

He muttered curses as he activated his Talent again.

He was trying to find a relatively safe hiding place within the treacherous ruins around them.

’Where... where would be a little safer?’

The instant his Talent activated, before the information had fully registered—

BOOM—!!!

RUMBLE—!!!

Two deafening, earth-shattering explosions suddenly erupted from the direction of the Native People’s settlement in the distance.

Even from so far away, they could feel the ground tremble slightly beneath their feet and see thick smoke and a faint glow of fire rising in that direction.

The sudden, massive boom made Larry Olsen jump.

He stared uncertainly toward the explosion. "Samson! What... what happened over there? Isn’t that the stronghold of the Native People who captured Lily Holloway?"

Samson Sharp froze.

His Talent was now clearly telling him that the area, once a beacon of extreme danger, was now... different. While the danger level remained high, it was strangely mixed with a hint of... chaos... and... opportunity?

"Something big must have happened over there!"

Samson Sharp snapped back to his senses, a decisive glint in his eyes.

"Someone must have hit the Native People’s lair! It’s chaos over there now. This might be... this might be our best chance to rescue Lily Holloway!"

Charlotte Carter, who had been lying on Larry Olsen’s back and trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, immediately lifted her head.

Her face filled with reluctance and another, unreadable emotion. She hastily tried to talk him out of it. "Mr. Sharp, don’t... let’s not go, okay? It’s too dangerous! We barely managed to escape. Lily... she might already be..."

Before she could finish, Samson Sharp whipped his head around. His icy gaze cut into her like a knife, silencing her.

"Shut up! Don’t think I don’t know why Lily was captured! When those bald-headed freaks charged, *you* were their first target! But Lily was the one who got taken."

Charlotte Carter froze, pinned by his all-knowing stare.

The color drained from her face, leaving it as white as a sheet. She couldn’t utter another word.

In that critical moment, to save her own skin, she had secretly shoved Lily Holloway, who was standing right beside her, making Lily take the fall... She thought no one had noticed...

...

At the epicenter of the explosions.

The Native People’s settlement was now a wreck, a gruesome mixture of severed limbs and shattered buildings.

Brandon Barton stood in the middle of the ruins, his gaze sharp and vicious, radiating a chilling killing intent.

His [Guaranteed Cutting Blade] activated again and again.

Wherever his gaze fell, any bald-headed Native Person who tried to resist or flee was instantly dismembered by an invisible blade, no matter where they hid.

Blood stained the ground red.

Heath Summers stood a short distance behind him, biting her lower lip.

Her young face was a complex mask of anger and revulsion.

She watched the Native People wailing in the ruins, her gaze drawn especially to the female survivors locked in cages, their eyes numb with despair.

There weren’t just Players here; it seemed there were also local women from this world.

She was shaking with rage.

"These people... they’re disgusting! They don’t even deserve to be called human! Treating women like... like breeding tools and slaves! They all deserve to die!"

Victor Sharp stood silently beside her and Brandon Barton, not saying a word.

His only action was to focus all his effort on maintaining a massive [Energy Shield].

It protected the four of them, as well as the rescued women, from the occasional stray attack.

Sean Chandler stood quietly at the edge of the battlefield.

He wasn’t taking part in the slaughter, but his eyes scanned the surroundings, watching for other potential threats. In a way, he was covering Brandon Barton as he "cleared the field."

He watched the killing field created by Brandon Barton’s fury, his expression placid, as if observing some ridiculous drama that had nothing to do with him.

Sean Chandler’s gaze swept over the rescued, terrified women of The Crypt Folk.

It finally landed on a relatively quiet woman named Lily Holloway.

He frowned slightly, but not because of her looks.

Rather, it was because he caught a faint yet familiar aura from her... ’Is that... the lingering scent of Seraphina Sullivan?’

This gave him pause.

"That’s enough, Heath," Brandon Barton said, taking a deep breath to suppress his own killing intent. He reached out and steadied Heath Summers, who was trembling with anger.

"We can’t save everyone in this world, but when we run into scum worse than animals, we kill every last one we find!"

As the youngest member of the team and still in high school, Heath Summers was naturally sensitive and pure-hearted. Faced with such a blatant violation of human decency, her anger burned like a wildfire.

She nodded emphatically. Her eyes were still a little red, but her gaze had grown much more resolute.

Victor Sharp pushed up his glasses and added, "The information Sean Chandler just extracted from those Native People, combined with what we’ve seen, proves that the collapse of this world is directly tied to these vermin who abuse radiation Power and trample on all ethics. Anger is fine, but don’t forget our primary objective: survive, and gather as many useful resources as possible to make ourselves stronger."

"I understand, Mr. Sharp."

Heath Summers took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

Just then, the rescued Lily Holloway began to recover from her initial terror.

She saw the clean, efficient movements of Brandon Barton’s group and their gear, which was completely out of place in this world.

She immediately understood who they were—Players, just like her!

Lily Holloway rushed forward, her voice still trembling in the aftermath of her ordeal. "Thank you! Thank you so much for saving me!"

At that moment, Samson Sharp, Larry Olsen, and Charlotte Carter arrived on the scene, panting for breath.

When Samson Sharp saw that Lily Holloway was unharmed, his face lit up with disbelieving joy. "Lily! You’re alive! This is great!"

Brandon Barton’s team had already noticed the approaching group but had dismissed them as a minor threat.

The moment Sean Chandler saw Samson Sharp’s trio, however, he made an instant judgment. He could sense that same familiar aura on them, fainter than Lily Holloway’s, but from the same source.