Chapter Fifty-Four: Kill Them All

After discovering that quite a few people had died at the wind and sand gathering point, the other settlements began to check for fatalities among their own. It was soon found that, aside from a few unlucky souls, everyone else had returned safely. The monster world was perilous, but as long as one found a good hiding place, nothing much was likely to happen, and most would be back within an hour.

Shi Jiu and his companions all returned as well; Mu Kui, in particular, seemed exhilarated, though no one knew what good fortune had befallen him. As the instance ended, Li Kuang led them away, which was exactly what Lu Sheng had in mind. Having just slain the leader of the Thunderbird Gang, it was best to leave the scene of the crime at once—even if this “scene” was separated by an entire world.

They wanted to leave, but the members of the Thunderbird Gang had no intention of letting them go. Over a hundred gang members surrounded everyone. “Nobody move! We have some questions for you!” The deputy leader, Zuo Qiang, blocked their way and shouted sternly.

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of Zuo Qiang’s intentions. No one dared resist; the Thunderbird Gang had already drawn their weapons, and any resistance meant certain death. At minimum, these gang members were third-rank, with several fourth-rank among them, and Zuo Qiang himself was late fourth-rank.

“I ask you: did any of you see our leader in the Blood Moon World? Anyone with a clue will be rewarded with a third-rank Green Spirit Fruit.” Zuo Qiang swept his gaze across the crowd, waiting for someone to speak.

People from the various settlements looked at each other in confusion. What did Zuo Qiang mean? Had Meng Yang failed to return from the Blood Moon World? They fell silent, not answering, for they knew Meng Yang’s absence meant he had died—only the dead remained in that world.

Zuo Qiang scanned the crowd, and seeing no response, he sighed and closed his eyes. “Go on, all of you.” As for whether someone among them had killed the gang leader, the thought never crossed his mind. What was the leader’s strength? Fifth-rank! And these people? At best, third-rank. How could they possibly kill him? He must have met his end in the Blood Moon World itself—a world rife with both peril and opportunity, where spirit fruits and treasures abounded, and perhaps greed had brought disaster upon him. Such things were common, and Zuo Qiang was not surprised.

At his signal, the crowd quickly dispersed, fearing he might change his mind and blame them. Lu Sheng and his companions also returned safely to their settlement.

Mu Kui, still brimming with excitement, could barely contain himself upon entering his room. He pulled Lu Sheng aside and said, “Guess what I got in the Blood Moon World?” Lu Sheng, curious, asked, “What is it?” Clearly, Mu Kui had obtained some treasure, else he would not be so thrilled.

Mu Kui eagerly produced a fruit. “Quality Evolution Fruit!” Lu Sheng was speechless—that was the very fruit he had just fed to the pigs. “So, what do you think? Lucky, aren’t I?” “Pretty lucky,” Lu Sheng replied. “Pretty lucky? Do you have one? This is amazing! Not going to talk to you anymore, I’m off to refine it!” Mu Kui shot Lu Sheng a proud look, too embarrassed to admit his envy, and hurriedly returned to his room, locking the door behind him and leaving Lu Sheng amid the disorder.

Lu Sheng chuckled, shaking his head. He, too, went to his room and checked on the Red Fire Ants in the subspace. The day the red sacs within the ants produced red liquid would be the day he broke through to third-rank. He asked the queen ant when this would happen and received the answer: tomorrow night—just one more day. With nothing else to do, Lu Sheng lay in bed, about to fall asleep, when someone called him outside.

Under the night sky, a group approached the Gale settlement. There were ten of them in total, and if Shi Jiu saw them, he would recognize them as the Qi Yuan squad, the very ones who had fought them before—but this time, there was one more among them.

“Qi Yuan, are you sure the target has a second-rank Green Spirit Fruit?” “Brother Ye Yang, rest assured. If he doesn’t, I’ll give you one myself.” Qi Yuan’s face was grim, eyes fixed ahead. Tonight, he intended to kill Shi Jiu. He had seen with his own eyes Shi Jiu take a second-rank Green Spirit Fruit from a small box. Even if Shi Jiu didn’t have it now, as he said, he’d find one for Ye Yang—but Shi Jiu had to die.

This time, he had spent a hefty sum to hire Ye Yang, and also learned that the sixth squad’s Lei Yan and the seventh squad harbored enmity, so he’d managed to rope in Lei Yan as well. The price was a first-rank Green Spirit Fruit for a favor. At first, he had little hope, thinking the offer too low, but to his surprise, Lei Yan agreed, shocking him. At the same time, his contempt for the Gale settlement and for Lei Yan deepened. How could someone help an outsider target their own? In the apocalypse, when such things happened within a faction, it meant that faction was doomed.

Ye Yang smiled. “In that case, I have nothing more to say.” With the second-rank Green Spirit Fruit in hand, his strength would surge once again. The group strode quickly towards the Gale settlement.

Qi Yuan halted. “Wait here. I’ll call out our insider.” He made a strange gesture and placed it to his mouth, mimicking the call of a bird. “Cuckoo~Cuckoo!” “Cuckoo~Cuckoo!” “Cuckoo~Cuckoo!” Three times, each with two calls—the signal he’d arranged with Lei Yan.

Ye Yang was impressed. “Nice trick—no trace of human involvement.” Qi Yuan was smug but didn’t mention that he’d practiced the call while relieving himself. “It’s nothing, really.” He usually called softly, but this was the first time he’d done it so loudly, and now, out of habit, he felt the urge to pee.

As Qi Yuan sent the signal, rustling sounds came from the jungle—someone was approaching, and not just a few. Ye Yang frowned, sensing trouble, but Qi Yuan stood confidently at the front, so he said nothing. Perhaps they were simply here to receive them.

A large squad emerged from the woods. Qi Yuan eyed them closely; leading was a young man, followed by Lei Yan.

Qi Yuan sensed something amiss. “Captain Lei, what’s the meaning of this...?” Lei Yan ignored him, sweeping his arm and commanding, “Surround them!” In an instant, over a hundred people encircled their group of eleven, leaving no escape.

Panic struck the eleven; their hearts sank. Ye Yang’s expression twisted with rage, cursing Qi Yuan inwardly countless times.

Lei Yan respectfully approached Lu Sheng. “Brother Lu, this is the one who wanted to harm Shi Jiu.” Lu Sheng yawned. “Kill them all. They’re disturbing my sleep.”

At that moment, Qi Yuan’s men informed him that the young man before them was a member of Shi Jiu’s squad. Though Qi Yuan couldn’t fathom why Lu Sheng’s status seemed higher than Lei Yan’s, he knew one thing for certain—tonight, he was doomed.