Chapter 136: Chapter 130 Survivors of Nanwang Lake
Both of them showed responsibility. One of the Angel Envoys looked like a Giant Claw Zombie, slightly aberrant with odd features—as 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-black and curved like claws, and its sturdy hindlimbs crouched slightly, ready to unleash their power.
Both Angel Envoys were quite strong; the Mutated Giant Claw 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 place.
"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 Claw 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 his companion were at a disadvantage, they would place 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 claws, 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's coming!"
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 newcomers, 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—the 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 Qilan to research."
"Yes."
Zhu Xiong immediately became vigilant. 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 you come 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 Claw 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—not 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—but we do have injured people here, could we see to them first?"
Indeed, within the group, there were two people being supported, which explained why their first instinct upon encountering strong monsters was to flee.
"Injured?"
Zhu Xiong glanced over and then said, "You two, help take care of them."
He selected two people who carried first aid kits to come 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—half 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 natural lake 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?
"Explain clearly, what's the deal with the Giant Crocodile Monster?"
Seeing Old Zhu's impatience, Ruan Chao hurriedly explained, "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 the lake, 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 plan to kill a Giant Crocodile Monster with a vehicle and completed 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 particular 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 the lake. 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 that commotion must be a powerful creature. The other monsters in the lake 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'll come back tomorrow to block the remaining breaches."
They had been slightly delayed 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 placed 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 Villa District, the closer they got to the villa 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 villa district, Yan Meiyu had already sent Bai Xiao'e to meet them.
"Brother Zhu, Sister Meiyu asked me to come 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 in combat 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 explained.
Usually, when they went out to scavenge for supplies, they targeted resource points like large shopping centers, supermarkets, and shops, taking survivors back with them if they encountered any.
But now, they were cleaning the streets and blocking pathways. The commotion was louder, and some people had already noticed that there was a strong group in Shanhu Villa.
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.
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