Chapter 87 – When the Roses Bloom (5)
◎ The crystal was stolen!!! ◎
The next morning, V587 and Irene prepared to leave the temporary camp.
To their surprise, this camp not only housed individuals with supernatural abilities but also had many ordinary people: the elderly, children, women… each person was occupied with tasks, and the aroma of cooking and food filled the air, exuding a rich essence of life.
At the entrance, a burly mercenary leader sat on the ground, his upper body bare, with a full-length python tattooed across his back. The snake’s mouth was wide open, its sharp fangs vividly detailed, enough to intimidate anyone. He was assembling an L39 anti-tank rifle, a firearm known for its extreme destructive power. At close range, this rifle could split an elephant into two in a matter of minutes.
Several mercenaries nearby were speaking to him with a respectful attitude.
“Samuel, representatives from the Shaye faction have come again, wishing to meet with you.”
“Hmph, just a bunch of refugees. They think too highly of themselves. I won’t see them.”
As he noticed them approaching, the mercenary who was talking showed a wary expression and fell silent immediately.
Irene nodded slightly in Samuel’s direction.
Samuel cast a sharp glance at Song Ke and the others before nodding in response.
After leaving Samuel’s camp, Song Ke inquired, “Is this Samuel also a freelance mercenary?”
“That’s right,” Irene replied. “The mercenaries in Western Street each have their own influence and generally avoid crossing paths. Samuel refused to comply with admission restrictions and moved out of the city after the apocalypse. During this time, many people sought refuge with him. He might be domineering, but he’s still a man of his word.”
Song Ke had long understood not to judge a person solely by their appearance. Although Samuel looked fierce, his willingness to openly resist the control of the generals and his decision to accommodate the elderly and children indicated he wasn’t a villain. It was no wonder Irene brought them here to spend the night.
The group later killed a few nearby zombies. Irene’s clearer mission progress reached 100%, smoothly completed. Unfortunately, V587’s level 3 crystal remained missing. Song Ke sat on the top of an overturned small car, letting out a long sigh.
In the distance, there was the faint sound of footsteps, quickly passing by. However, everyone present had supernatural abilities and immediately detected the anomaly.
Su Cha retrieved a dagger: “I’ll go check.”
A while later, Su Cha returned: “It was Samuel, leading 17 individuals with supernatural abilities, heading southeast.”
“Are they armed?” Irene asked.
“A.K.47, G36, FAMAS, small cannons, Samuel has the L39,” Su Cha elaborated.
Irene lifted the cannon with one hand and gestured towards Song Ke, raising her chin. “Whatever makes Samuel take action personally isn’t a small matter. It might have what you’re looking for. Want to check it out?”
“Let’s go,” Song Ke made a quick decision, leaping down from the car roof.
With Su Cha around, there was no worry about losing track of Samuel. The group trailed behind them, arriving at the southeast corner of Xiangang Center.
As a precaution, Song Ke found a somewhat distant office building and ascended to the rooftop for observation.
“Wow!” As soon as she got a clear view of the scene, Song Ke couldn’t help but exclaim.
Indeed, it was no trivial matter. In the ruins on the ground, hundreds of individuals with supernatural abilities were surrounding and attacking a mutant zombie.
This zombie was notably evolved, twice the size of an ordinary one, with no visible signs of decay. Its body muscles were robust, with sharp nails, each about half a meter long, capable of deeply scratching the ground. Despite its powerful physique, its head looked relatively small, nestled among its shoulders. Its pupils were jet black, moving swiftly.
Nearby mercenaries hurled their supernatural iron chains, binding it tightly. The zombie roared in anger, breaking free from the restraints, snapping the chains into pieces, and grasping the ends to viciously throw the mercenaries into the collapsed steel of the building.
Several fire-based individuals rushed forward, attacking it with flame guns. The agile zombie swiftly dodged behind a nearby truck, disappearing from view, and leaving the group cautiously surrounding the area. Suddenly, a robust arm extended, gripping one person’s leg, pulling them back and the gruesome sound of the head being crushed echoed: “crunch, crunch.”
The mercenaries quickly encircled the truck, gunfire erupting, yet it was empty; the zombie had already escaped.
Two seconds later, it leaped out of a broken window in another high-rise building, instantly killing another mercenary. This zombie not only possessed intelligence but also conducted guerrilla warfare, shamelessly toying with humans.
Hurriedly arriving at the scene, Samuel joined the battlefield, leading his people in a rapid, continuous barrage of gunfire.
Observing from the top floor of the office building, Zhuang Qingyan, after a moment’s observation, concluded, “Mutant zombie, conservatively estimated to be level 2 or above.”
“Why are there so many people?” Song Ke was puzzled, wondering if everyone was participating in the Hero Banquet.
“It’s not just because of the Hero Banquet. It’s more likely for money or resources,” Lu Xiaoyu said. “I just checked casually. In the black market now, the value of a Level 3 crystal has been driven up to over ten million.”
Song Ke gasped; she had never seen ten million in her life!
Meanwhile, the mutant zombie continued its massacre, with mercenaries falling one after another. Ambushers were being exposed, and Irene swiftly reported their positions.
“Target in position 3, left 10-70, close to 23, enemy mortar position.”
“Target in position 6, right 10-40, depression, enemy grenade assault formation.”
Suddenly, Irene paused, her voice turning more serious. “Coordinates X6742, Y5878, Ruan Wenjun’s people are here.”
Ruan Wenjun, one of the three major warlords of Mu City. If Mu Qin is sly and crafty, and Miao Lun is reckless, then Ruan Wenjun is a complete war maniac. He commands the largest private army and is passionate about the sensation brought by gunpowder and destruction.
Song Ke looked around in confusion—3, 6, depression—where were they?
With a soft sigh, Zhuang Qingyan wheeled closer, gently placing a hand on Song Ke’s head, turning it 30 degrees to the left. “Here, position 3.”
Then, adjusting it 70 degrees to the right. “Position 6.”
Next, he directed Song Ke’s whole body towards himself, almost hugging her. “Look forward from here, Ruan Wenjun’s people are there.”
“See clearly now, hmm?” Zhuang Qingyan asked, close to her ear, his tone ambiguous.
Feeling uncomfortable, Song Ke shrugged. “Um, yes.”
Finally, she saw it.
Irene’s cold voice unexpectedly sounded, “Ruan Wenjun’s side has made a move.”
Song Ke snapped back to attention, witnessing a massive tank convoy slowly entering. The sounds of gunfire and engine roars were deafening. While the mutant zombie continued its killings, it lost the best opportunity to escape due to the overwhelming number of people; its defeat was only a matter of time under such a sea of tactics.
Excitedly, Song Ke asked, “Shall we… snatch?”
Zhuang Qingyan pondered for a moment. “We can try.”
“How do we snatch?” Song Ke inquired.
“We’ll play it by ear, but we only have one shot. Whether successful or not, we retreat immediately,” Zhuang Qingyan replied.
With only eight of them, seizing and killing the zombie was an extremely risky endeavor. Being assaulted by numerous individuals with supernatural abilities wasn’t a fun prospect. Additionally, being recognized midway could pose trouble for participating in the Hero Banquet later.
Zhuang Qingyan created a group chat on Song Ke’s device and assigned tasks to everyone.
“Irene, switch to incendiary rounds. You’re responsible for distracting the enemy, disrupting their sight. Remember, the more chaos, the better.”
“Understood,” Irene’s microphone representing her lit up, and her composed voice came through.
Incendiary rounds were highly destructive bullets that could also create explosive dust clouds, particularly effective in underground tunnels and densely built areas.
“Lin Youyou, do you have a debuff that temporarily blinds the enemy?”
Lin Youyou’s ability was song-based and she swiftly scanned her mental lyric database, “Yes.”
“What’s the duration?”
“20 seconds at most.”
“20 seconds, one shot, can you do it, Captain?”
Song Ke contemplated for a moment. “I’ll try.”
“Su Cha, you’ll stealthily move ahead. If successful, grab the crystal immediately.”
“Okay,” Su Cha’s figure vanished, blending seamlessly with the surroundings.
Once the team was in position, Zhuang Qingyan softly encouraged, “Ladies, let’s go for it. It’s up to you.”
…
In the midst of the ruins, the mutant zombie, subject to a series of heavy weapon assaults, sensed danger and swiftly retreated.
Suddenly, countless shells rained down from the sky.
“Boom—Boom—”
Irene lay in a sniper position, her supernatural abilities bursting forth. One explosion followed another; the incendiary rounds she fired were extraordinarily powerful. They exploded upon hitting the ground, launching debris and smoke into the air. The air was consumed by burning gases, causing the mercenaries in the area to clutch their throats in agony, desperately scrambling to flee.
As the firepower descended, Irene’s position became exposed, and several individuals with supernatural abilities swiftly rushed towards her.
“Irene, retreat,” Zhuang Qingyan promptly commanded.
“Understood.” Irene dismantled her cannon, turned, and ran, deftly navigating the winding paths, soon vanishing without a trace.
Amidst the smoke and debris, Lin Youyou’s melodious and gentle singing echoed, “Why can’t you see, can’t see this red and black dryness, allowing wickedness to sleep peacefully, untroubled hearts~”
The mercenaries were suddenly blinded as a result of Lin Youyou’s song. Unable to see or breathe, the chaos intensified under the dual effects.
“Song Ke, one chance.”
Zhuang Qingyan turned back, his deep eyes looking at her, exuding complete trust.
Song Ke’s fingers brushed across a stone slab; in an instant, the slab disappeared, replaced by an enormous longbow in her hands.
Raising the bow, pulling the string, setting the arrow, the flexible bow arm slowly extended. A deep blue arrow materialized, accumulating energy. With exceptional dynamic vision, Song Ke had firmly locked onto the mutant zombie’s position even before Irene’s bombardment. With the assistance of her mental power, she tracked its movements, quickly aiming the arrow.
“Ahh!!”
A thunderous roar echoed as the enraged zombie went on a killing spree, instantly taking down two more people.
However, its roar exposed its position. With a focused gaze, Song Ke released the arrow!
“Swish—” The arrowhead, moving at super-high frequencies, rapidly oscillated through the mist and smoke, flying straight toward the mutant zombie.
“Thud—” The metal arrow, formed by supernatural ability, accurately pierced its forehead.
The arrowhead fragmented the next second, dispersing hundreds of smaller needles that pulverized its brain. With its vulnerable head fatally penetrated, the zombie’s eyes widened in rage, and with a “thud,” its body crashed heavily to the ground.
“Direct hit!” Song Ke shouted in joy.
“Quick, let’s retreat.” Zhuang Qingyan grasped her wrist, pulling her along.
“Cough, cough, cough. The zombie’s dead!” The nearest mercenary shouted instinctively, without thinking.
The others first appeared bewildered, then crazily surged towards the direction of the corpse.
Amidst the crowded crowd, a vague wisp of green smoke drifted over, lingering at the zombie’s head for two seconds before swiftly dispersing.
As those individuals excitedly rummaged through the body, the zombie’s brain was squashed like a rotten melon—no trace of the crystal to be found.
“Damn it! Who the hell stole the crystal?!”
…
V587, successful in their chicken steal, ran wildly, stopping only after running a good ten kilometers, finally able to catch their breath.
The group looked at each other and burst into laughter, even Fang Zhixu couldn’t help but smile faintly.
This was precisely the legendary “hit and run.” Ah, so frustrating to be unable to catch up.
Song Ke couldn’t wait and urged, “Su Cha, check the crystal.”
Su Cha opened his palm, and a luminous, translucent azure crystal appeared slowly.
“Sister, it’s a Level 3!” Xu Xing, sweating from the run, danced with joy in place.
Song Ke’s cheeks dimpled slightly; this whole escapade wasn’t in vain.
“What about Irene?” Lin Youyou looked around. “Why isn’t she with us?”
At the right moment, Irene’s voice came through the group chat, “I’ve completed my task, and you’ve got what you wanted. Consider the deal even this time. I’m off; I’ll contact you if necessary.” After speaking, she exited the group.
Lin Youyou couldn’t help but sigh; Irene’s personality was indeed carefree.
“Let’s return to the city,” Zhuang Qingyan suggested.
After a lengthy wait at the city gates and intricate security checks, the group finally returned to their apartment well past midnight.
At this time, they had 12 days remaining before their admission period expired and only two days until the Hero Banquet.
Zhuang Qingyan tapped the table with his slender fingers. “One crystal corresponds to one slot. Let’s discuss now who will attend the Hero Banquet.”
