Apocalypse: My Apartment Has Traits - Chapter 171 - 148: Entering the Inner Circle
Chapter 171: Chapter 148: Entering the Inner Circle
Powerful!
Too powerful!
The terrifying power displayed by the Giant Beast-Hunting Bee completely overturned everyone’s perception.
Everyone in the Hunting Group, including Su Qi and Su Can, was left astounded and speechless as they witnessed the bees decimate the bird swarm effortlessly.
The village leaders glanced at Xu Zhong with complex eyes, their jealousy almost palpable.
“Damn! If I’d known, I would’ve risked my life to snatch those blueprints!”
Qingxi Village leader Jiang Mincong smacked his thigh regretfully.
The others quickly nodded in agreement.
If the blueprints hadn’t been tied to the House Title Deed, making them impossible to trade or steal, someone might not have been able to resist their crooked thoughts.
Xu Zhong sneered upon hearing this:
“As if you didn’t risk your lives back then?”
The group was instantly at a loss for words.
The threat from the sky dissipated, and Su Qi swiftly scanned the beast swarm behind him.
Those fierce leaders now hesitated as they gazed into the depths of the mountains, their large bodies painstakingly moving forward, hooves nervously pawing the ground.
Clearly, they had reached the inner circle, stepping into the territory of the Lord.
Feeling somewhat at ease, he dared not relax, immediately shouting a command:
“Stay alert, keep moving!”
Through constant blood battles, the Hunting Group members were already exhausted, but upon hearing the command, they gritted their teeth, dragging their heavy steps, following the team onward.
Su Qi walked up to his father and quietly reminded him:
“Old man, with frequent phenomena in the wild and even mutated bird swarms appearing, although you’ve broken through the First Transformation, don’t underestimate the enemy.”
Su Can drew out the giant sword from his back with a “clang,” the grating sound of metal slicing through the silence, glared at his son:
“You think I’m that type of person?”
“In any case, caution comes first.” Su Qi’s tone was grave.
“Okay, got it.” Su Can nodded sternly, agreeing.
He knew the real battle was about to begin.
Past hunts for Lords, deeper in the outer circle, did not have such dense swarms.
The Hunting Group still had the strength to support him in besieging the Lord after entering the inner circle.
But now, although the Hunting Group hadn’t lost too many people, the Skin Lock, Flesh Lock level members’ energy was almost depleted.
Among the Tendon Lock Martial Artists:
The second team’s deputy leader Zheng Weimin and Zhao Yaxin stayed behind in the village;
Ye Xin’an’s injuries were not healed;
The second team’s sole Tendon Lock Liu Jun had just lost his Giant Axe while saving others and was severely injured;
Luckily, his grandson proved his worth, not only acting as the spearhead for breaking through but also making a significant contribution with the bee swarm.
The third team’s Zhou Long and Chen Feng cooperated well, utilizing Su Lin’s sharpness, remaining fit for battle.
As for other village leaders, except for Chen Xinting from Lanfeng Village working earnestly with his men, the rest were just going through the motions.
Su Can didn’t trust them.
Don’t be fooled by the surface peace and even begging Wuyin for favors.
But if an opportunity arose to trap Su Can, the First-Transformed Genetic Martial Artist, someone might really be tempted.
Even if the cost meant the Lord would ravage the village on the Night of Survival.
Three years into the apocalypse, he’s seen plenty of fools willing to harm themselves just to harm others.
…
Su Lin returned to the first team’s ranks.
Ye Xin’an, with a pale face, sweat beading on his forehead, enduring his shoulder’s pain, gave him a thumbs up, filled with admiration and envy:
“Kid, you’re truly amazing! Back in Black Scale Village, I knew your strength was exceptional, but I didn’t expect it to be this strong! How much of your Qi and Blood is complete? Fifty percent?”
“Twenty percent.” Su Lin shrugged.
“…Amazing!”
Ye Xin’an paused briefly, grimacing and gritting his teeth, raised two thumbs up with his uninjured hand.
“ε=(´ο｀*))) Agh, comparisons can be painful.
“You kid, handsome and with strong skills, a homeowner with a powerful Tier One Mechanism, even your tenants are exceptionally beautiful.
“As for me, I’m ugly, my skills are lacking, although my Qi and Blood are also at twenty percent, facing the beast swarm, I got severely injured immediately, only dare to select strong tenants, yet my safe house is still not upgraded to level four…”
He sighed half jokingly and half self-mockingly.
Su Lin wrapped his arm around his shoulder with an exaggerated expression:
“What are you saying, Captain Ye? With our Wuyin Village thriving now, are you still afraid of not attracting beautiful tenants? Once we triumph in this hunt, the fame of Wuyin Village’s Hunting Group first team captain will make beauties line up from the village entrance to the wild center!”
“Hahaha!” Ye Xin’an burst into laughter, his wounds aching again, causing him to inhale sharply, dissipating much of the subtle bitterness he felt.
Thinking carefully, Su Lin’s words made sense.
With Wuyin’s current momentum, indeed, his position was attractive enough.
But a sense of urgency also arose within him.
If the hunt succeeded, many would flock to Wuyin Village, and he would need to train even harder to maintain his position, at least… can’t let outsiders take over.
Thinking thus, he gazed at Su Lin with growing fervor.
The team slowed their pace, cautiously advancing deeper into the inner circle.
Ye Xin’an, while vigilantly scanning the surroundings filled with dense fog and rugged rocks, seized the chance to pass on more battlefield command and deployment experience to Su Lin.
Su Lin observed, nodding silently.
It seemed Ye Xin’an had let go of his jealousy towards him.
…
At the foot of the mountain, the remnants of the park were faintly recognizable.
Broken, rotting wooden walkways, half-collapsed pavilions, crumbling rusted fitness equipment scattered everywhere.
Besides the walkway, a dry koi pond half-collapsed, filled with sand and garbage.
The gray mist here was thicker and more viscous, like indissoluble lead-gray gauze, even Su Lin’s enhanced vision barely spanned a hundred meters.
At the mountain path entrance, a stone tablet half-buried in black soil bore the weathered inscription “Dragon Head Mountain.”
Looking up, amidst the fog, the outline of a collapsed mountain path could faintly be seen.
“Here marks the deep inner circle.” Ye Xin’an whispered solemnly.
“A deathly silence.” Su Lin whispered back, keenly sensing that the air was filled not just with fog but also a suffocating stillness.
“Yes.” Ye Xin’an nodded, “The living things have been driven away or devoured by the mountain’s Lord.”
“Will we fight it in the mountain? The terrain isn’t favorable for us.”
“Wait for Second Grandfather Su’s decision.”
During the conversation, Su Qi had already called Chen Xinting over, asking solemnly:
“Captain Chen, please detail your encounter with the Lord. Where did it happen? What was that thing… exactly?”
The accompanying village leaders immediately held their breath, listening intently.
Chen Xinting’s face turned extremely pale, as if drained of blood.
His remaining left hand instinctively touched his empty right sleeve, fingers trembling slightly, as if feeling again the agony of being torn apart, and the fear rooted in his bones.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke with difficulty, his voice carrying a barely noticeable tremor:
“At that time… I led my team into the inner circle for scouting. Our inner circle wasn’t in the mountains but in a district’s ruins… I was about to step into a hospital building…”
His voice suddenly heightened, filled with terror:
“…The entire building was suddenly collapsed by that thing!
“As for the type…”
Chen Xinting’s eyes were filled with horror, lips trembling, he spoke word by word:
“It wasn’t any mutated animal we know!”
“Not a mutated animal?!”
Everyone felt a chill, an inexplicable coldness rising.
Su Qi’s brow furrowed tightly, he pressed on:
“Then what was it?”
Chen Xinting’s Adam’s apple moved with difficulty, he answered with great effort:
“It was… a gigantic, writhing… black mud monster.”
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
