The Baptized One

Clang!

The mobile "fortress" formed by the triangular formation had just stepped over the fat man's corpse and moved only a few paces into the room when it seemed to trigger another trap. A sharp arrow shot out from a wall-mounted wardrobe to the side, striking the metal surface of the fortress with a piercing, metallic clash!

"This guy, his vigilance is actually this high! Just how many traps did he set?!"

The leader, positioned at the center of the triangular fortress, wore an increasingly grim expression.

If not for the protection of their outer shells, he and his subordinates would likely have been dead from various traps before even laying eyes on their target.

But the more this was the case, the less he could afford to leave this guy alive!

He did not want his own jurisdiction to be riddled with traps set by someone else.

Because it gave him the unsettling illusion that he was the prey.

This was absolutely unacceptable!!

When they entered the living room with extreme caution, they saw the remains of the Giant Armor Beetle and the still-twitching appendages of the Ghost-Faced Spider on the floor.

It was easy to guess that the person who set the traps must have been fighting the Ghost-Faced Spider, which had been killed not long ago, and the noise was unintentional rather than a deliberate lure.

However, aside from the traces left by the battle, there was no sign of anyone else.

"What's going on? Can he turn invisible or something?"

The leader did not lower his guard in the slightest, keeping his fingertip resting on the trigger of his homemade crossbow. The moment he spotted a target, that bolt would fly straight into the enemy's forehead without hesitation.

In this world, there was no room for negotiation; it was either you die or I do.

"Boss, look! The window is still swaying. Could that guy have jumped out and escaped?!"

Just then, the tall, thin man noticed the rusted glass window, which opened outward, swaying rhythmically with a movement that was gradually subsiding.

It was a windless night, so it couldn't have been the breeze. If one looked closely, they could even see a clear palm print on the dust-covered glass under the crimson moonlight.

Jumping from the third floor wouldn't necessarily be fatal if one landed correctly, but it would inevitably result in a leg injury or even a fracture.

However, in a dangerous apocalypse, a fracture that rendered one immobile was as good as a death sentence.

"Damn it, don't let that guy get away!"

The leader shoved the plywood shield aside, preparing to walk to the window to investigate.

But after taking only a few steps, the memory of the various traps the opponent had set made his pace involuntarily slow down.

His subordinates behind him, however, were not as cautious. Eager to show off in front of their boss, the short man bypassed the leader and rushed to the window first to check the situation.

He had just poked his head out when he saw no sign of anyone on the ruins of the street below.

"Uh..."

Just as the short man instinctively looked down, he saw something so terrifying that his mouth hung wide open, as if he were about to scream!

Shing!

Suddenly!

A sharp bone blade with fine serrations pierced through his open jaw from below before he could make a sound, driving upward into his upper palate and skull, forcing his mouth shut once more!

Xia Leng gripped the edge of the windowsill with his left hand, suspending his entire body at the height of the third floor.

His other hand held the bone dagger high, effectively "shutting the mouth" of the short man who had poked his head out.

Warm blood dripped from the gruesome wound on the man's chin onto his own cold, resolute face. One down, three to go!

If he jumped from here and injured his leg, he would become a sitting duck for the crossbow bolt at the leader's waist!

The others behind saw the short man go still after poking his head out, his throat emitting a rattling sound as if something were stuck in his mouth.

"Hey, what do you see?? Why aren't you saying anything?"

An ugly, hunchbacked man saw this and prepared to walk over, when suddenly, he heard the crunch of grinding bone!

The short man's entire body was pulled out of the window by an external force and plummeted downward!

Two seconds later, the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground echoed up!

At this moment, the tall, thin man also saw four fingers gripping the windowsill.

"That guy hasn't left! He's still hanging onto the ledge!!"

No sooner had he spoken than the four fingers vanished, followed by a dull thud.

Xia Leng had let go and jumped, landing precisely on the corpse of the short man who had fallen first. This significantly cushioned his landing; aside from a slight ache in his ankles, he suffered no injuries that would hinder his movement.

"Boss, let me take him out!! I'll avenge our two brothers!"

The ugly hunchback pulled a crude crossbow from his waist. In this hunting party, his eyesight and marksmanship were considered top-tier.

However, he was more careful this time as he approached the window. He held his plywood shield in front of him, wary that the opponent might have a ranged weapon and be waiting for him to show his head.

But there was nothing. When he leaned close to the window and looked down, he saw the black, lean figure sprinting away at full speed...

"Damn it! Let's see where you can run!"

Feeling toyed with, the hunchback raised his crossbow and instinctively threw the partially open window wide, aiming his crude sight at Xia Leng, who hadn't run far yet.

As his hand touched the other half of the window frame, he suddenly felt a sharp sting in his fingertip. He looked down to see that his index finger had been pricked by small nails on the wooden frame, drawing beads of blood.

The hunchbacked man paid no mind to this minor injury, but as he prepared to raise his crossbow to fire again, he discovered that his hand refused to obey him and could not be lifted!

Thump.

In less than three seconds, he collapsed to the ground and began to convulse violently. Before he fell, he saw that those inconspicuous, sharp spikes were coated in a green liquid—it was the venom of a Ghost-Faced Spider.

The leader watched in astonishment as his third subordinate's body bloated, distended by the fluids melting his insides. The man foamed at the mouth, his eyes bulging wide as if he were enduring unimaginable agony.

Yet, the leader burst into laughter, his grin twisted and terrifying.

"Impressive. To take out three of my useless subordinates in such a short time—I'm almost tempted not to kill him."

The traps Xia Leng had set and his method of escape made the leader uncontrollably desire to recruit this fellow into his ranks.

"Carry that woman. This time, I'm going to capture him myself."

The leader gave the order to the only remaining tall, thin man behind him, then walked to the window and caught sight of the figure moving further and further away.

With a cold snort, he leaped directly out of the third-story window, plummeting toward the ground!

Bang!

The moment he landed, a thick cloud of dust billowed up, and the gravel and bricks beneath his feet were pulverized into powder, yet his legs suffered no damage whatsoever from the fall!

While fleeing, Xia Leng heard the heavy thud behind him and instinctively looked back, his eyes widening in instant shock at the scene unfolding behind him!

He saw the burly leader clutching a steel blade that emitted an eerie red glow under the crimson moonlight. With a savage grin on his face, the man was sprinting in pursuit at a speed of eight seconds per hundred meters, kicking up vast clouds of dust from the ruins in his wake!

"A Baptized One?! How could there be a Baptized One in this godforsaken place?!"