Chapter 23: Instinct

Because he lacked restraint from childhood, Chen Mu once spent time wandering aimlessly in remote corners, and he also made many unsavory acquaintances; dealing with those people in those places, fists were an indispensable means of communication.

This is also why he was able to beat Wei Dalei, a guy who was a head taller than him.

But fighting and killing are two different matters.

At first Chen Mu was filled with determination, but after realizing he had actually skewered a person's neck like a candied haw, his heart also sank.

Killing is killing.

Especially the first time, it's not easy to face calmly.

But the will to survive forced him to suppress his discomfort.

He raised his spear and stabbed at the second person.

He originally thought that with one of them dead, the remaining two would surely be wary, and if he could seize the opportunity to take another head, the situation would greatly improve.

However, Chen Mu underestimated them.

These three were clearly not just passing by; they had clearly come prepared.

After one of their own fell on his side, the remaining two didn't even blink before immediately grabbing their weapons and fighting back.

Chen Mu is not much of an expert.

His strength is not particularly great.

At most, after many fights he became somewhat more agile and a bit bolder.

Facing two guys who were also desperate to fight, he indeed couldn't gain much advantage.

But he also knew that at this point there was no retreat.

Turning to flee would only make him more passive.

On a narrow path, the brave prevail.

He lowered his body as much as possible and then lunged fiercely at the person nearest him.

At the same time, his shoulder was struck with a stick.

Taking a blow is a skill.

One must react in the shortest time, maximize avoidance of injury, and effectively counterattack.

Chen Mu had prepared himself to be injured, betting that the opponent's weapon wasn't as sharp as his, because unless someone had a similar ability to his, it was hard to obtain a bladed weapon.

Fortunately, his bet paid off.

That person's weapon was merely a small wooden splinter found somewhere, held in hand like a waist-high staff, with the tip sharpened to a point.

If it struck a person, the damage would be quite substantial.

But this person obviously lacked fighting experience.

In his panic, he just wanted to use force, only knowing how to swing the wooden stick, and completely forgot to thrust.

As Chen Mu's spear pierced the second person's abdomen, his own shoulder and arm were also struck by two sticks.

When he withdrew his weapon,

the opponent only then remembered that his stick had a pointed tip.

Without a word, he thrust it at Chen Mu.

Chen Mu had just retracted his hand; inertia made it impossible for him to counter, and seeing the opponent's spear thrust toward his chest, his body had no time to dodge.

His heart instantly turned cold.

That rough wooden stick, with its sharpened tip, wasn't very sharp; perhaps this blow wouldn't kill him, but injury was certain. In a situation without medical care, being stabbed would likely be half-fatal.

However, in that split second.

He almost reflexively made an unconscious motion to raise his hand and block.

At the same time.

The stainless steel weapon in his hand suddenly turned into a steel plate.

Like a shield.

"Clang!"

Barely blocking the opponent's thrust.

The opponent obviously didn't understand where he suddenly got a shield from, and his expression clearly froze for a moment.

Chen Mu was also very surprised.

This shield was entirely an unconscious control.

Moreover, the speed and precision of this change far exceeded his usual performance; after all, he had never practiced forming a shield.

In his astonishment, he reacted before the opponent did.

The next moment, Chen Mu raised the shield and launched himself forward.

Both fell to the ground.

That person was still struggling to get up, but Chen Mu repeatedly struck him with the shield, leaving him dazed.

Chen Mu was very afraid.

The discomfort after killing grew increasingly severe.

Yet he struck without hesitation.

Each blow he exerted all his strength, only wanting to put the opponent to death.

The next moment.

The shield turned into an iron awl, which he thrust fiercely at the already dazed enemy.

"Pfft!"

The iron awl entered through his mouth, as if piercing the skull and driving straight into the ground.

That person twitched his legs twice, then moved no more.

Chen Mu only now let out a heavy breath.

His whole body went limp on the ground.

Only then did Wei Dalei drag his wolf-tooth club over, having seen Chen Mu kill the three foes all along; he sprinted full tilt to help, but was still a step late.

The fight just now was over in an instant.

Dong Junwei and Tang Jing had run a stretch; seeing Wei Dalei already rush past them to assist, they mustered their courage, stopped, and turned to look.

But what they saw was Chen Mu sitting on the ground, panting, and three corpses no longer moving.

Da Lei was still some distance from the battlefield.

This shows that those three were killed by Chen Mu.

It was just the moment they fled.

"Boss!"

Wei Dalei rushed up, intending to ask Chen Mu if he was hurt, but before he could speak, the bloody scene before him froze him in place, the pungent smell of blood rushing to his head.

"Ugh..."

The next moment, Wei Dalei couldn't help but turn his head and vomit.

This vomit of his.

Made Chen Mu's stomach churn as well.

……

Dong Junwei did not step forward immediately.

She now felt a bit regretful, thinking she shouldn't have abandoned Chen Mu and fled first.

Dong Junwei always thought she was destined for greatness; as for class management, just as Chen Mu believed, it was a kind of tempering through trial. Her strong sense of responsibility was itself a show of confidence.

Even if the apocalypse came; even if she had not yet awakened her abilities, she would still become the strongest person.

Dong Junwei did not disappoint.

This team has made it this far thanks to her indispensable contribution.

She has always taken pride in it.

But at the crucial moment, she let herself down.

Fleeting was purely a reflex.

But this survival instinct not only failed to comfort her, it actually aggravated the wound to her long-held pride and self-esteem.

Because Chen Mu did not flee at that time.

Not only did he not flee,

but he also immediately arranged for her and Tang Jing to retreat, while he stayed behind to cover their retreat.

She followed her survival instinct.

But Chen Mu restrained his instinct.

At the critical moment.

He turned the tide.

Dong Junwei stared blankly at the slumped figure ahead for a long time.

……

Chen Mu still hadn't gotten up.

His mood was somewhat complicated.

Fear, agitation, guilt, sorrow... Even though it was self-defense, the feeling after killing remained unpleasant.

He even felt a little regret.

That last person should have been spared.

At least we should have found out why.

……

Zhu Hao, Chang Junyan, and the others only now arrived belatedly.

Wei Dalei had vomited everything out of his stomach before he could regain his strength.

Zhu Hao and Chang Junyan, having previously experienced Gu Ping's ordeal, were now relatively okay, but still felt something wanting to surge up from their stomachs.

Chen Mu rested a moment, then finally stood up.

"Old Wei, we need to dispose of the corpses quickly, otherwise we'll attract lots of ants, which will be trouble,"

"Qian Fei, you stop the girls from coming over." Seeing Dong Junwei and Tang Jing slowly return, Chen Mu had Qian Fei, who had just finished vomiting, go block them.

However, Dong Junwei had already approached; hearing Chen Mu's words, she said, "Let us help."

Chen Mu blinked: "You're sure? Moving corpses?"