Chapter 245: Harmless to Humans and Beasts

Second floor of the guesthouse.

Creak—

The grating metal deformation sound suddenly rang out in the dark night.

The six men and four women chatting on the second floor heard the sound, panicked, and hurriedly turned to look out the window.

Outside the pitch‑black window, a pair of hands like palm fans reached into the welded iron bars and, as if splitting noodles, pushed the bars apart to either side.

"Mon... monster!"

The man closest to the window stumbled back two steps, trembling all over as he pointed at the pair of hands far beyond human size.

He had welded the iron window himself, reinforcing it with three or four layers of aluminum alloy strips, making it extremely sturdy.

The hall erupted in panic; several people leapt up and tried to flee.

Anyone who saw a monster‑like hand reach through the window at midnight and easily shift the welded bars would surely be terrified out of their wits.

On the ninth floor, the two Awakened Ones who had been at odds twitched their ears, filled with astonishment.

"A monster!?"

The two exchanged a glance and then simultaneously rushed out the door, heading straight for the second floor.

No matter how much they cared about Fan Bing, they wouldn't just stand by if a monster invaded.

In just two seconds, the previously tranquil guesthouse descended into chaos.

On the second floor, seeing the gap widen, several people no longer dared to linger and bolted.

The next second.

A loud, teasing voice suddenly rang out:

"Hey kids, good evening!"

"Boom!"

Perhaps he thought bending the iron window was too slow.

Zhang Tie threw a casual punch, lightly hammering the sealed iron window, and instantly the sealed part flew outward.

"Bang!"

The hammered‑out iron window sliced between the fleeing people and slammed into the hall's wall.

Several people shuddered in fear; the battered iron window nearly grazed their heads.

"A person is speaking!?"

In shock, several people stiffly turned their necks to look behind.

A bald, burly man squeezed out of the breach, then grinned.

"Who's the monster?"

Hearing the voice, the several people dared not move or speak, only watching as a handsome man carrying a girl leapt in through the breach, followed by a young man behind him.

Lin An brought Mo Ling up to the second floor and casually glanced around.

The floor was littered with leftover food wrappers, and a few red tall candles burned in the center of the hall—no one knew where they'd been taken from.

The six men and four women before them were fairly tidy in clothing and in good spirits, aside from being startled by Xiong Hanzi.

This could be seen from the food on the ground.

This group probably hadn't been here long—about three or four days.

The two sides locked eyes; unlike Lin An's group, which remained calm, the people in the hall were filled with suspicion and unease.

A bald, muscular man looked fierce and powerful, likely an Awakened One.

A youth in black combat gear with a composite bow seemed unremarkable at first, but his gear looked high‑end, clearly cutting‑edge technology.

The man in the middle, likewise in combat gear and bearing a longsword, left a deep impression.

That's all.

He was simply too good‑looking.

All ten of them were film crew members, regularly dealing with celebrities and idol actors.

Yet the sword‑bearing man before them was handsome, tall, and possessed an inexplicable charm in his every gesture.

Ancient cold weapons and modern combat gear—two utterly different styles—harmonized surprisingly well on him.

Just who is this person?

Thump‑thump‑thump

Rapid footsteps hurried down the stairs.

The two Awakened Ones, Li Lei and Wang Kun, hurried over and immediately regarded Lin An's group with caution.

After a brief silence, Zhang Tie looked at the hall with a sigh, feeling as if he'd returned to an old stomping ground.

Meanwhile, Li Lei and Wang Kun felt their hearts sink.

They noticed the violently torn‑apart iron window; after a little thought, it was easy to judge.

The bald man's strength definitely reached 1Fourth Rank.

Even a 0Fourth Rank Awakened One, even if a power‑type, couldn't do this so easily.

As for Gao Tian, lacking mental‑power detection skills, they could only vaguely sense that he was an Awakened One.

Meanwhile, Mo Ling and Lin An sensed nothing at all.

However, Lin An's attire and bearing were not to be underestimated.

At a glance, the most striking figure in the group was Lin An, expressionless and stern.

Especially upon closer inspection, Li Lei couldn't help but feel a jolt in his heart.

Black‑red gauntlets, a silver‑white sword sheath on his back, two rings on his fingers, a crystal pendant around his neck, and a thin belt at his waist.

Every item looked extraordinary, especially the gauntlets and the crystal, whose invisible aura of pressure made his heart flutter.

Six pieces of equipment!

Even seven pieces!

Although the black dragon chain on Lin An's wrist showed no abnormality, it looked just like an ordinary accessory.

But in his view, he didn't think so.

With so much equipment on him, having one more isn't surprising.

Who the hell is this person?! How could he have so much equipment?!

Breathing was disordered.

A flash of indescribable shock and jealousy crossed Li Lei's eyes.

How strong the equipment is and how hard it is to drop, every player knows.

Not to mention seven pieces.

He and Wang Kun fought desperately, and despite constant lucky encounters along the way, they only had three pieces.

Strictly speaking, it should be two pieces.

Each had one piece, and both were white equipment.

A spirit-energy handgun with added damage, and a pair of tiger-finger fists that add one point of strength.

Even so, while browsing the chat channel during this period, they both found themselves to be quite lucky.

99% of players at this stage, let alone two pieces of equipment, many haven't even seen equipment at all; they just know such things exist.

As Awakened Ones, their thinking speed is not slow.

In just a second, Li Lei and Wang Kun quickly gave their judgment on Lin An before them.

The man before them must be very strong!

Even without sensing any aura, just based on so much equipment, he shouldn't be underestimated.

Being cautious, Wang Kun, a middle-aged man who has struggled in society for many years, spoke first:

"Friends who have come from afar, what brings you here?"

"If you're looking for a place to stay, we welcome you wholeheartedly."

They dared not mock or show hostility.

The two forcibly suppressed their greed, not daring to reveal even a trace.

They're not brainless idiots.

Although Lin An and the others violently broke the window and came in, their completely indifferent attitude annoyed people a bit.

But without figuring out the situation, Wang Kun wouldn't be so stupid as to show hostility.

After forcibly suppressing his greed, he smiled and waved his hand, signaling others to clean up the broken window.

Zhang Tie couldn't be bothered with Wang Kun's earnest expression, swaggering between the two.

Damn it, staring at Captain Lin for half a day, those little glances—do you think I didn't notice?

Team voice chat.

Zhang Tie gave a hehe laugh:

"Captain Lin, want to crush these two little rabbit bastards?"

"I see them constantly staring at your equipment."

Lin An neither affirmed nor denied, somewhat helpless:

"Having greed is normal."

"There's no need to kill them now; if they make a move, we can kill them later."

"Killing anyone I see—I'm not that brutal."

Lin An secretly sighed, wondering if he looked like a bloodthirsty person.

He only kills with purpose; killing anyone he sees would make him a monster in human skin.

On the system panel, the progress of Fearful Body had reached 18%.

When he entered the city, he had seriously considered that the only thing likely to affect the progress bar was killing other players.

Releasing his malice wantonly, cold-hearted ruthlessness will inevitably speed up the maturation of Fearful Body.

Although it won't reach the point where the progress bar restricts his actions, even a slight delay is still something.

Moreover, he also plans to chat with some outside survivors.

After all, these survivors should have been staying in the city all along; they might have special information.

Current players haven't yet formed the habit of sharing information in the channel, after all the chat channel opened too early.

Many people haven't adapted, not knowing how to survive in the apocalypse.

Xiong Hanzi gave a hehe laugh, planning to go straight upstairs.

Captain Lin isn't brutal?

Then I, Zhang Tie, am just a little white rabbit.

Just as they reached the stairwell entrance, a figure in a cheongsam, graceful and lovely, suddenly appeared.