Chapter 114

Three-story Shang Cheng.

Wang Teng half-dragged a woman's corpse in his right hand as he sprinted all the way, the dense, continuous tapping of fingernails closely followed behind.

He occasionally turned his head to look back, his eyes filled with uncontrollable fear.

They're dead... all dead!

His head felt like it would split, his last self-destruct cicada skill had been used up.

Although its power was not bad, a single self-destruct cicada could instantly kill seven or eight zombies under normal circumstances.

But against the person-faced crab's metal-like arthropod limbs, it had no effect.

Besides making the middle face more painful, it couldn't even block it.

The half-corpse in his hand had delicate skin, and the full thighs showed it was a woman, her pre-death maintenance evidently good.

Why are there still monsters! Why are there two!!

Wang Teng's heart was filled with anger and frustration; he simply couldn't understand why, aside from the things on the top floor, there were still mutants here after the spider was lured away.

If he had known beforehand that there were still monsters here, even if he starved to death, he wouldn't have stepped into Shang Cheng at all!

Just.

The person-faced crab chasing him from behind looked oddly familiar; that face seemed like he had seen it somewhere.

rat-a-tat-tat

The monster drew nearer.

The death‑like jointed sound rang out again; without thinking further, he tore another fresh chunk of flesh from the corpse and flung it behind him.

The woman was his lover, a goddess he once adored.

Her charm remained; he even couldn't bear to share her with others.

When everyone else had been blown apart by his self‑destruct cicadas, only the woman was still being taken along as he fled.

Looking at the half‑corpse in his hand, he inexplicably felt a sudden pang of discomfort.

Why are you struggling?

I just wanted to cut off one of your hands...

It's just one hand; we could both survive...

The corpse dripped blood drop by drop, a puddle of intestines sliding onto the ground.

As if answering his question.

No waste—Wang Teng kicked the intestines farther away with a foot, saving them as the monster's next meal.

The method worked well; he had learned it when he previously encountered the marrow‑sucking spider.

These disgusting monsters had an abnormal craving for fresh flesh and blood; each tossed chunk of corpse could impede their steps.

There weren't many corpses left; he had to use them sparingly.

"Brother Lin, it looks like someone is fleeing!"

Gao Tian held a bow and arrow, following warily behind Lin An, his gaze fixed on the dark interior of Shang Cheng.

"At 9 o'clock direction, one Awakened One, one... mutant."

Under mental scan, Lin An quickly locked onto the source of the sound.

"Clang—"

The shelves were toppled, merchandise scattered everywhere.

Wang Teng gasped heavily, the corpse in his hand reduced to a small half; after bumping into a shelf and staggering, he unexpectedly saw Lin An and another person standing at the third‑floor exit.

There are still people!!

Being an Awakened One as well, he quickly realized.

Gao Tian's bow‑and‑arrow stance left a deep impression; he remembered that each of this man's arrows seemed to possess explosive power.

"Brother! Save me!"

He shouted hoarsely, instinctively hiding the half‑corpse behind his back.

Help has arrived!

No time to wonder why the group he thought had been devoured by the corpse horde would appear here; right now Lin An and his companion were his lifeline.

"Boom!"

The person‑faced crab charged straight ahead, directly knocking over the shelves in its path.

Lin An's gaze swept past Wang Teng, who was running toward him, and looked toward his rear.

Unlike the person‑faced crab seen when the second‑floor hole was blasted open, the monster pursuing Wang Teng was noticeably larger than the previous one.

"Friend! Don't space out—that monster is coming!"

"Shoot it quickly!"

A flash of annoyance crossed Wang Teng's face—why isn't the archer making a move!

Unconsciously, under the heavy suppression of his mental power, the man standing beside Gao Tian was overlooked by him.

"Don't act yet."

"Find a way to capture this monster alive; I have a use for it."

Lin An ignored the anxious Wang Teng.

In his mental perception, the man before him had nearly exhausted his mental power, his whole aura feeble.

0 Fourth Rank, and he had no mental power.

If he wished, a single thought could blast his head apart.

Lin An calmly gave Gao Tian a few instructions over the team channel: the mission required probing Shang Cheng's secrets, and if they could capture the person‑faced crab alive for investigation, that would be ideal.

Hearing this, Gao Tian nodded heavily; although he didn't know what Brother Lin intended to do, he would obey.

Anyway, it's only first level; it couldn't possibly threaten Lin An.

He lowered the bow he had been aiming, and together with Lin An waited for the monster's attack.

Damn it!

Idiot!

Seeing Gao Tian actually put down his bow, Wang Teng couldn't help cursing.

The sound of arthropods tapping behind him was practically right in his ears!

No time to worry about that; the distance is already too close!

Since you refuse to lift a hand to save me!

Then go die!

"Splash!"

Blobs of bloody flesh were flung out.

With a fierce gaze, he unhesitatingly hurled the last corpse toward Gao Tian's feet.

I'll see whether you shoot me or the monster!

Courting death!

With his extraordinary dynamic vision, Lin An instantly sensed Wang Teng's thoughts.

You want us to be sacrificial pawns?

If only Gao Tian were here, maybe he could really pull it off, but now?

Ridiculous!

"Divine Sting!"

"Boom!"

Lin An stepped forward without hesitation, locking his gaze onto Wang Teng's lower body; the instantaneous mental strike precisely shattered his legs.

With his current mental power, the Divine Sting he unleashed could grind steel plates to powder, let alone flesh and blood.

Like annihilation, the running man's figure suddenly stepped into empty air; before the pain could arrive, his lower half had already vanished into a mist of blood.

"Ahhhhh!"

Wails and screams.

Just as he reacted, when he leapt up and fell to the ground, he horrifiedly discovered his lower half was gone.

The severed nerves hadn't yet transmitted pain; still, no one could see their lower half vanish and remain calm.

Lin An! Be careful!

Gao Tian let out an involuntary cry; the face‑crab drawn by the blood and flesh flew at him, the girl's skull at its center twisted in agony.

Compared to Wang Teng, who only had half a body left, Lin An and the fresh flesh were even more attractive to its attack.

As if he hadn't reacted at all.

In Wang Teng's eyes, Lin An still faced him, while the bow‑wielding Awakened One beside him hadn't had time to draw and shoot, only managing an instinctive shout.

Die! Kill him!

Wang Teng stared fixedly at Lin An, his eyes full of venom.

Not lifting a hand against the monster, but attacking me instead!

Two Awakened Ones! If they had acted sooner they could have stopped the monster!

Die! All of you, go die!

Hatred welled up.

Bluish‑black, the sharp arthropod gleamed like a sword and viciously jabbed at Lin An's head, as if it would burst into a cloud of blood the next moment.

"Clang!"

A sound like metal striking rang out.

Lin An impassively tilted his head slightly; the sharp claw pressed against his crown but couldn't penetrate even a fraction.

Damage enough to pierce steel plates was easily blocked.

One strike, no injury.

Gao Tian, who had only managed to shout a warning, stared blankly at the scene before him.

The lunging face‑crab also seemed to freeze, the face at its core ceasing its twisting.

Lin An's expression remained calm, nothing unexpected.

Even upon entering the third layer he had already acquired the face‑crab's attribute.

Fifteen points of strength— not even his equipped defense could break it, let alone his high vitality bonus.

A white sheen from the mender's shell flashed and vanished, canceling the monster's incoming impact all at once.

Shock, panic.

Wang Teng's eyes widened, unable to believe what he saw before him.

The imagined scene of Lin An's head being pierced did not occur.

How can flesh and blood block this strike!?

Who... exactly... is the monster!?

Fearful and afraid, he stiffened his neck, daring not to move an inch, his eyes full of shock.

How?

Quite unexpected, huh?

Lin An gave a light chuckle, then without looking back instantly reached out with his right hand and seized the monster's limb.

His jade‑like slender fingers clamped like iron pincers, slamming the monster hard to the ground.

Boom!

The ground shattered, trembling.

A mutant capable of slaughtering a squad was in his hand like a toy, kneaded at will.