Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Three Lamp Trees
Nie Rilong crashed to the ground in a mess, his body covered in scrapes and bruises. If it hadn't been for the strength of the Blood Bone Lizard, which had nourished him and enhanced his physique considerably, this fall would have likely resulted in several fractures.
Compared to Nie Rilong, however, the Blood Bone Lizard that bore the brunt of the body slam was not so fortunate. Its facial bones were nearly shattered, its bony spurs torn through the skin, and fresh blood surged out, making its already crimson skin even more vivid.
Only then did Nie Rilong get a clear view of the attacking creature, a monstrous being with the body of a human on top and a giant spider on the bottom, standing like a fierce general before him and the Blood Bone Lizard.
It's over!
Nie Rilong felt darkness closing in on his vision; he knew he no longer had a chance.
The Spider Warrior strode toward the Blood Bone Lizard. Nie Rilong, with a surge of desperation, aimed to fight to the death. The Blood Bone Lizard suddenly lunged forward, its gaping mouth biting at the Spider Warrior's arm.
With a clangorous sound, no matter how ferociously it bit, the Spider Warrior remained unshaken—his Black Armor's defense was not something the Blood Bone Lizard could penetrate.
The Spider Warrior extended his hand into the Blood Bone Lizard's mouth, grasping the broken half of its tongue with an iron grip. The other three hands seized the points between the lizard's head and shoulder blades, and with a low roar, he lifted the Blood Bone Lizard into the air.
Hoisting it above his head, he then smashed it onto the ground. The dull thud was accompanied by the sound of breaking bone, the hard ground stained with a dark patch of blood and an indentation.
The Blood Bone Lizard had no strength left to resist, blood continuously spilling from its mouth.
Thump, thump, thump
The Human-faced Tree emerged from the fog and, to Nie Rilong's horror, countless vines wrapped around him and the Blood Bone Lizard.
Su Han looked over to the crowd, where Zhu Xiong and Zhang Dahai, two burly men, under their leadership, were almost single-handedly dominating the scene.
It might seem like the gym's muscular men were not weak in strength, but they couldn't withstand wearing only one piece of clothing.
Their weapons clanged harmlessly off of Su Han's men; aside from a bout of pain, there were no other outcomes.
But with Zhu Xiong and his company, a single cut meant, even if not lethal, a large wound was made—halving their fighting ability.
The Contractors' meaty corporeal Angels stood at the forefront, holding off for a while, but once the flesh was killed, the Contractors were doomed.
Their spirits were struck as if hammered by a heavy fist, and they fell to the ground with their eyes rolled back.
Of course, some were a bit more resilient and did not faint; but their faces turned pale in an instant, with no fight left in them.
In Su Han's camp, there was Ye Kailing, a person wielding a bow and arrow, who killed more enemies than Zhu Xiong and Zhang Dahai by shooting an arrow every time.
Fear enveloped every member of the Bucks Gym as two massive monster Angels appeared on Su Han's side.
They collapsed—not a single person cried out loud to retreat.
But everyone was desperately trying to flee, clambering onto the nearby cars behind them, then aiming to leave the place for good.
Only now they were contemplating escape, but it was already too late.
Vines continued to spread, enclosing from both sides of the street like a birdcage. The dozen or so surviving individuals were soon bound up tight by the vines.
The cars hadn't even started moving before the vines pulled at them, dragging the occupants out.
By the time Su Han, with the Human-faced Tree and Spider Warrior, reached the front, all people had been trussed up like rice dumplings, hanging under the trees.
Su Han counted carefully, including Nie Rilong, there were still 14 people alive.
"Su Han, how do you want to handle this?"
Su Han glanced at the gym, then said, "There are still people inside the gym; let's catch them first, and then you, Old Gan, Old Zhang, question them about the situation, and sort out the resources."
"Alright, I'm on it."
Zhu Xiong was about to apprehend individuals, but those left behind in the gym, including Wang Dong and Li Xu, had already lost all will to resist.
The moment someone approached, they opened the doors. Including Tan Xin, with their hands on their heads, they surrendered: "We surrender, don't kill us."
Zhu Xiong laughed, "Why didn't you do that earlier, just kneel down and stay put. Zhao Yimin, you go up and search for supplies, Old Gan, we will take turns questioning people."
The group set into action, but it wasn't long before Ye Kailing unexpectedly arrived, escorting three disheveled women wrapped in jackets.
They were attractive and had fine figures, but their hair was messy, and their eyes looked vacant.
"Boss, there's a situation."
Ye Kailing approached Su Han, her expression as cold as steel. She lowered her voice and said, "These women were found on the second floor, they have been..."
Even with her voice lowered, she couldn't mask the chill in her tone. As a woman herself, she naturally felt a profound rage for what the trio had endured—the conduct of Nie Rilong and his gang was truly appalling.
Su Han's eyes flickered, a cold light flashing through them. Neither Han Ben nor Bai Dongxin had mentioned this bit.
"From now on, you three will join our camp, and we'll try to keep this as quiet as possible."
Su Han called out to the three women, whose lost gazes fluctuated slightly as they looked at Su Han.
The women hadn't gone mad; Nie Rilong was using them to control the team, but he wasn't unrestrainedly treating them as tools for everyone's use. After all, 'things' of little value are not cherished and are kept dangling.
"First, get them in the car, and let's not bring this up with anyone else."
Although the encounters in this post-apocalyptic world could arouse sympathy, sympathy isn't something one can live on, and rescuing them was already a mercy.
If they still couldn't adapt afterward, then that was no longer Su Han's concern.
"Boss, there's something on the second floor."
Not long after Ye Kailing left, Su Han also entered the gym, but as soon as he arrived, Zhao Yimin suddenly shouted excitedly to him.
Su Han followed the voice to the second floor, where Zhao Yimin was already standing at the doorway of a room, his excitement evident: "They have a lot of Lamp Trees and Crystals."
Hearing this, Su Han's eyes brightened, he quickened his pace, and when he reached the doorway and pushed the door open, sure enough, there were three Lamp Trees.
One of them was planted in a large pot and was quite tall, about seventy centimeters, and the other two were a bit smaller at thirty or forty centimeters.
Hanging above the Lamp Trees were Crystals, four in total, the largest was the size of a lychee, and the rest were the size of thumbs, their pale yellow glow illuminating the entire room.
"Pack them up and take them back."
Su Han felt a surge of joy. After contracting with the Human-faced Tree, his initial thought had been to contract with a Lamp Tree or its Crystals, but they only had two trees suitable for Fusion at the villa, and that wasn't enough material to start with.
There weren't enough for daily use to begin with, let alone for Fusion, so they were really strapped for supplies.
But now, with three more trees, it was a different story.
The goods Nie Rilong had looted had inadvertently given Su Han a big help.
When Su Han came out of the gym, Zhu Xiong and the others had already finished their questioning, and their faces, as well as those of Gan Xinglei and the rest, looked pretty ugly. Find your next read at m_v l|e'm-p| y r
In the past month, Nie Rilong had attacked three groups, with only the first time resulting in severe injuries and no deaths, but on the latter two occasions, the leaders were all killed.
Moreover, the most important thing was that Zhu Xiong had also found out about the matter with the three women.
The bastard.
After informing Su Han of the results of the interrogation, Zhu Xiong couldn't hold back and asked, "What should we do with them?"
At those words, everyone's gaze turned to Su Han, especially the people from Bucks Gym.
They all wanted to live.
"Please, spare us, it was all Nie Rilong's doing, we had nothing to do with it."
"Right, we were forced."
...
Begging for mercy began to rise, from one to a chorus, but Su Han just coldly glanced over and said calmly, "Just kill them, no need to bury."
At that, the faces of the people from Bucks Gym went ashen. Their desire for survival sent them into a panic, and their pleas became increasingly louder.
However, under control, the vines were tightening, gradually silencing their mouths...
As more and more of their companions were silenced, one of them suddenly shouted in anger, "What's the difference between you and us if you kill us?!"
Su Han was taken aback and then laughed. He looked at the man who, though slightly more robust than the others, was a bit less imposing and had a scholarly look about him, though he now appeared hysterical.
Who knew if he was a teacher or some kind of clerk before the apocalypse.
"There is no difference in killing, no one cares about that in the post-apocalyptic world."
Su Han seemed to be answering patiently: "However, you provoked me, so you deserve to die. Also, you really are disgusting."
His words were like a death sentence, as Zhu Xiong and his men, armed with knives, had already approached the group of Contractors.
They understood Su Han's intention; of course, the Human-faced Tree could kill, but this time they were the ones who had to act.
Whether it was adapting to the post-apocalyptic world or uniting the team, they had to do it.
"Oh, and don't kill Nie Rilong, keep him and the Blood Bone Lizard to draw blood when we get back."