Chapter 337: Chapter 333: Defection?

The room was filled with bodies and pools of fresh red blood, which frightened the others. They huddled against the walls, not daring to make a sound.

These people looked weak, their lips pale.

A few women, clothes in disarray, crouched together. Compared to those vicious people, this monk instilled even more terror in them.

A dozen or so Buddhist beads glided through the air, returning to the monk’s hand, stringing together without any thread.

At a glance, the monk noticed that many showed signs of turning into corpses.

However, that wasn’t his goal. His objective was the doll made from dead wood, set up in the middle.

This thing looked simple and crude, hardly resembling a puppet, but in the dim light, a pair of real eyes could be seen.

The monk didn’t know exactly what this thing was, probably some legendary ghost. The task assigned to him by the Doomsday Game was to eliminate this doll made of branches.

A Buddhist bead shot out, piercing through the doll. The dry, black branches scattered apart, and that ominous feeling vanished abruptly.

The monk calmly told these people, “You’d better leave this place before nightfall. The Hunters have already set their sights here.”

[Side quest (God-Stealing Puppet) completed]

[Reward obtained, Enhancing Essence]

Golden light flashed in the monk’s eyes as he took out his phone and glanced at it, finding an announcement from the Security Bureau on the forum.

“No-Man’s Land?”

The monk turned his head to the east of the city, pondering.

The Security Bureau was akin to the previous Dynasty in status. Long ago, they also followed the Commander of the Dynasty.

Their decline began with the fall of the Dynasty. They are relics of the old era, not accepted, and their legacy is nearly broken.

·····

Huang Biao’s hands emitted a green glow, and a wound on Su Changxing’s chest gradually healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

“Amazing, this ability is top-notch for a medic.”

Lin Xiuyu stood by, commenting and praising, feeling that such an ability was extremely important within a team.

Huang Biao withdrew his hands and said,

“However, it rapidly consumes my stamina and energy. At most, I can use it three times in a short period.”

Lin Xiuyu curled his lips, mocking,

“That’s already terrifying, and the time it takes is short. With you around, those surgeons might as well quit and start cooking instead.”

Su Changxing stood up, feeling a bit better all over, and said, “Shen Jinxuan also needs your treatment, though your ability might not be of use for her condition.”

Huang Biao displayed a peculiar expression, asking curiously, “Why is she in the No-Man’s Land? Wasn’t she in our settlement before? How did she come so far out here?”

Su Changxing thought for a moment and said, “What if I said she accidentally wandered into the No-Man’s Land herself, would you believe it?”

“What do you think?”

Huang Biao found the girl’s background peculiar and thought it was remarkable she returned from the No-Man’s Land, but it didn’t seem like it was an extraordinary feat.

As he stepped out the door,

Su Changxing saw Old Shang hurrying over with Xu Wenfeng, seemingly anxious.

Huang Biao frowned and asked, “Old Shang, what happened?”

Old Shang glanced at Lin Xiuyu beside him and said urgently, “Geng Yong and a few others have lost contact. We tried reaching out via phone, but there was no response.”

Xu Wenfeng hesitated for a moment, then chimed in,

“Brother Su, I saw them heading back, but their goal was to clear zombies on the adjacent street.”

“Have they… left?”

Su Changxing raised an eyebrow and said rather calmly, “I ran into them on my way up. They were indeed heading back.”

Although he hadn’t noticed at the time, thinking back now, Geng Yong seemed slightly panicked, and the people with him remained silent.

Huang Biao squinted, seemed about to speak, then paused, turning to Su Changxing, “What now? They might have escaped…”

Huang Biao’s intentions were obvious: whether to let them go or give chase was a tough decision. If Geng Yong and his people got away, surely others would be tempted to escape too.

In a way, Geng Yong and the others were deserters on the battlefield.

In the military, the punishment for desertion was always severe to prevent more from adopting the same mindset.

The instinct for self-preservation makes people avoid danger; greed for life and fear of death is the norm.

As Su Changxing was about to speak, Huang Biao added,

“But they might not have run away, ha, don’t you think?”

Su Changxing nodded, a smile curling his lips, “Indeed, we are all good brothers… But even if one must leave, a notice would be nice, don’t you think?”

In reality, he had already figured it out when he met Geng Yong and the others earlier but had let them go anyway.

He was hesitating.

He used to firmly believe that even if he didn’t save others, he shouldn’t decide their life and death. Everyone has the right to live or the right to choose.

But now, he had to make that decision.

Huang Biao took a deep breath and said, “I’ll bring them back.”

Su Changxing drew out a Steel Saber from his backpack and said assertively, “I’ll go with Zhu Wenwu, since their escape is partly my responsibility.”

Xu Wenfeng glanced at those around, interjecting, “Brother Su, I’ll also go. I can locate them.”

“Hm?”

Su Changxing cast a puzzled look at Xu Wenfeng — this person whom he had saved using “Pastoral Spirit” — and said, “It seems you don’t possess any Perception abilities.”

Xu Wenfeng gritted his teeth and said,

“Actually, I sensed it earlier but wasn’t sure. I’ve marked them with Bone Spirit.”

Lin Xiuyu listened quietly from the side, his face showing a puzzled expression, not expecting such a twist to occur with Su Changxing and the others, nor that this kid Xu Wenfeng could be so sly.

Su Changxing thought for a moment, nodding, “Alright, the two of us will head out now.”

He also noticed Zhu Wenwu’s status wasn’t great; the No-Man’s Land affects people in various ways, and external factors were merely catalysts.

A hint of joy appeared on Xu Wenfeng’s face as he ran outside with Su Changxing, holding a short knife in his hand.

Outside the base, Su Changxing instructed, “Run at full Speed, don’t worry about me keeping up.”

Xu Wenfeng’s combat ability was among the weakest of the original seven, nearly last, but due to his position, his body was incredibly nimble, and his speed swift.

“Okay.”

Xu Wenfeng nodded, his body gradually emitting green light as half of it turned ghostly. In a flash, he sprinted out, transforming into a spectral glow dashing down the street.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep