Apocalypse: My Apartment Has Traits - Chapter 181 - 154: The Final Homecoming

Chapter 181: Chapter 154: The Final Homecoming

Deep in the wilderness, the invisible weight of gravity becomes increasingly heavy, every step feels like dragging legs filled with lead, leaving varying depths of marks on the gray-black hard rocks.

The Hunting Group has fought bloodily to this point, only gaining a moment’s respite, then being heavily wounded by the Black Mud Lord, already at the end of their strength, now relying solely on willpower to support their faltering bodies.

Su Qi was awakened by Daoist Mengyi’s words, suddenly realizing his own abnormal state of mind, a strong sense of shame seized him fiercely.

He took a deep breath of air mixed with the scent of blood and scorched smell, forcibly suppressing the turbulent emotions, he nodded heavily, his voice carrying a hoarse fatigue:

“Alright! Let’s go with what the Daoist said, we’ll talk about it when we return!”

His gaze turned to Su Lin, the weight almost spilling from his eyes:

“Linzi, on the way back, you’ll assist the old man in commanding.”

“Okay.” Su Lin looked at his uncle’s pale face and tightly furrowed brows, nodded in agreement.

…

The suffocating aura of the Black Mud Lord has completely dissipated, this change is like a giant stone thrown into dead water, the ripples must have already spread to the outer circle, captured by those lurking leaders.

The team hadn’t fully stepped out the edge of the inner circle when deep within the thick, unending lead-gray mist ahead, came a disturbing commotion.

Beastly roars, like rumbling thunder, surged from far to near, accompanied by the heavy footsteps that trembled the earth, another large wave of beast herd driven insane by the scent of blood and human life, was crazily pouncing!

Though the Hunting Group has severely reduced numbers and is exhausted, with the inclusion of Mengyi and Monk Dao Guan, this perilous return path unexpectedly gained a bit more confidence.

“Let me do it.” Monk Dao Guan’s lips curved into a faint smile, calm and composed.

His slender fingers drew in the air, a house title deed shimmering with silver radiance appeared out of thin air.

His fingertip elegantly brushed the book page, a long stick, dark red with molten-like fiery flows on the surface, was firmly gripped in his palm.

With a light shake of the wrist, the long stick spun a beautiful flower pattern, the sound of breaking wind was sharp.

“Buzz!”

A soft hum, fierce flames like tangible crimson erupted from the ends of the stick!

Scorching heat exploded instantly, evaporating the piercing cold and dampness, the leaping flames casting Monk Dao Guan’s handsome profile into a blushing red, strikingly vivid against the grey dark background.

His toes lightly tapped the charred black rocks, his white-clothed figure swept into the ferociously roaring beast tide like a startling swan, his posture elegantly like strolling leisurely.

Facing the surging mutant beast herd with drooling fangs, Monk Dao Guan’s expression remained unchanged, like a deep ancient well.

His entire body’s Qi and Blood boiled like a furnace, his hands tightly gripping the long stick raised high overhead, unleashing a forceful power like a collapsing mountain towards the ground!

Boom——!!!

The earth shook, fiery lotus bloomed!

Centered at the stick’s landing point, violent red flames erupted like a suddenly awakened volcano, bursting forth and spreading in layered gigantic lotus petals!

The flames surged instantly and swept, forming a fiery purgatory of tens of meters in diameter, burning everything in its path!

The scorching heat waves roared and spread like an invisible tsunami, evaporating and tearing apart the thick mist in its wake, clearing the view!

The dozens of mutant beasts charging in front didn’t even have time to howl in agony before being burnt into scattering charcoal and ashes under the blinding world-consuming firelight!

Those slightly farther, their fur instantly ignited, transformed into fireballs screeching fiercely and crashing wildly, soon dying and collapsing.

The air filled with a pungent scorched odor, billowing black smoke like ominous wolf smoke soaring into the sky.

Monk Dao Guan stood still in the center of this crimson purgatory, his bald head shining like a mirror under the leaping fiery glow, his pristine white robes fluttering wildly in the violent heat waves.

Devastating flames danced wildly around him, yet couldn’t touch a corner of his robe.

This breathtaking scene of destruction and elegance, ferocity and calmness intertwined, engraved deeply in the eyes of every Hunting Group member, bringing an indescribable shock.

“The Qi and Blood Properties of Fire!”

Su Lin’s eyes were filled with intense surprise, he sensed the overwhelming energy within the flame far exceeding his power of thunder and lightning.

Su Can’s eyes condensed slightly, he spoke in a deep voice:

“Much stronger than me. In the First Transformation Realm, he probably surpasses me by two or three levels.”

The acquisition of property transformation is too dangerous, he hasn’t attempted it yet.

The purity and destructiveness of that flame made him acutely aware of the clear difference between them.

Su Qi nodded deeply and said:

“This exquisite property transformation skill shows Monk Dao Guan’s profound foundation, exceptional means, certainly a respected figure in Zhoushan Town.”

Su Lin couldn’t help but curiously ask:

“Daoist Mengyi, may I ask what your identity in Zhoushan Town is?”

Daoist Mengyi tucked his hands into his sleeves and chuckled:

“The monk is the vice-captain of the Second Search Team in the East District of the Inner City.”

Seeing the shocked expressions on the three people’s faces, he mischievously winked and added with a sinister smile:

“By the way, so am I.”

Su Lin immediately got the hint and exaggeratedly displayed a respectful expression, cupping his fists and saying loudly:

“So it’s the vice-captain in person, my apologies! Vice-captain, is there a backdoor we could take in the future? A little help, please?”

“Hahaha!” Daoist Mengyi was amused by him and laughed heartily, pointing at him with a playful finger, “You kid, you know how to please me! Sure, if you want to take the backdoor, feel free to find me.”

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony, Captain!” Su Lin quickly climbed the ranks, promoting the vice-captain to captain.

From Monk Dao Guan’s previous words, it was clear that Daoist Mengyi had a playful spirit.

At this moment, he jested with Su Lin, winking and chuckling, and didn’t correct the upgrade in title.

Su Lin affectionately called him “Captain” over and over, and before long, the two were arm-in-arm like old friends.

Su Can and Su Qi exchanged glances, both baffled yet amused, feeling somewhat out of sync with the young man’s lively rhythm.

For a moment, they felt a bit of a daze: Su Lin was only nineteen, and usually associated with elders like them in their forties or fifties.

Though both Daoist Mengyi and Monk Dao Guan had unfathomable strength, they seemed only in their early twenties at most.

Even though First Transformation Martial Artists’ appearance doesn’t usually indicate age, Daoist Mengyi’s words and actions suggested youthfulness and playfulness.

To Su Can and Su Qi, it seemed like Su Lin had found a rare like-minded peer today, engaging in joyful communication.

…

With the presence of Monk Dao Guan, the scattered beast packs they encountered along the way were easily scared off by a casual wave of his staff, fleeing with whimpers.

With a slight flick of his staff, flames roared, the shadows of the staff raising waves of fire, the scorching airflow blistering their skin even from a hundred meters away, suffusing the air with heat, demonstrating his profound power, making the return journey much faster.

Before long, the team returned to the abandoned school site where they found the animals.

Su Can immediately called for manpower, capturing and taking away all the pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese that were panicking and leaping among the ruins.

Daoist Mengyi gazed at the brightly feathered and plump chickens, his Adam’s apple rolling, salivating, without any objections to the carnivorous action.

Monk Dao Guan, however, put his hands together in a solemn gesture, reciting “Amitabha Buddha,” but his gaze was locked on the few robust yellow cattle, unconsciously licking his lips, sighing:

“Although treasure meat is delicious, having eaten it for a long time, it’s still this mortal fleshy taste that tantalizes the taste buds and stirs fond memories.”

Upon hearing this, Su Lin couldn’t help but twitch his lips a few times.

Too much treasure meat?

What a kind of pretentious problem!

And you, monk… truly eat both meat and vegetables?

Outside the inner circle, resources in the outer circle had returned to their normal refresh pattern.

While capturing animals, the Hunting Group naturally wouldn’t miss the rare resources that could only be found deep in the wilderness.

The end-world rules have always followed the principle that the greater the risk, the greater the reward, with the probability of finding precious resources deep in the wilderness being several times higher than outside.

The “hunt” in Hunting Group means capturing mutant beasts and hunting lords, while “search” naturally refers to searching for resources.

With Monk Dao Guan deliberately slowing their pace and escorting them, the Hunting Group plundered various rare metals, special materials, and more along the way, their rough estimated value totaling no less than ten gold coins.

Adding on the lively pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese, this heavy and lively bounty brought a sense of triumphant return, somewhat diluting the prevailing fatigue and oppressive feeling hanging over their hearts.

Not to mention the four pieces of crystal-clear, uniquely fragrant treasure meat Su Lin had…

If it weren’t for the loss of Ye Xin’an and the many comrades who fought alongside them, this expedition could have been called perfect…

At the entrance of Wuyin Village, the wooden fence was in sight.

The villagers who had been anxiously waiting, eagerly searched the returning team for the silhouettes of their loved ones.

When familiar faces did not appear, no amount of material piled before them could stop the instantaneous outburst of heart-wrenching wails of sorrow.

The cries intertwined, like a mournful requiem, drifting in the wilderness wind, drawing a heavy and desolate conclusion to this pyrrhic victory.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com