Frenziedly Grinding Merit Points

Zhang Meizhu never imagined that Tang Chao could be this ruthless.

To ensure her death, he was actually willing to throw his own life away.

"Gao... Gao Teng, quick! Let's go!"

Zhang Meizhu's hair stood on end; the smell of blood would surely attract many mutated creatures, and if they didn't leave now, it would be too late!

"Still standing there? Run!"

Gao Teng turned and bolted toward the exit. He did want to kill mutated creatures for merit points, but there were simply too many to handle.

Survival was the top priority now!

In just a few seconds, Gao Teng vanished from sight. His flashlight beam swayed wildly in the darkness, rapidly shrinking into a tiny speck of light.

Zhang Meizhu was dumbfounded—he was way too fast!

She immediately pushed off, sprinting in the direction of the exit.

Before long, she had closed the distance to Gao Teng and shouted from behind, "You're running way too fast! Can't you show a little loyalty?"

Gao Teng didn't even look back. "I think you're quite loyal yourself. Why don't you stay behind and cover the rear, giving me a chance to escape?"

"In your dreams!"

Zhang Meizhu spat out the words and suddenly accelerated.

Gao Teng felt a gust of wind whistle past him, and by the time he looked, Zhang Meizhu had already darted five or six meters ahead of him.

"...As expected of a Level 4 martial artist, that speed is no joke!"

Gao Teng sighed inwardly, gritted his teeth, and squeezed every ounce of strength from his body to run faster.

Fortunately, he hadn't ventured too deep into the sewer, and soon he saw the shanties built in a haphazard mess.

"Gao Teng, wait."

Zhang Meizhu didn't escape; she stopped beside one of the shanties and reached out to block Gao Teng's path.

Gao Teng slammed on the brakes, panting heavily as he looked at her.

Zhang Meizhu said urgently, "What about these people? I can't wake them up at all.

If we run, we'll be the death of them!"

Gao Teng raised his flashlight and shone it into the shanty.

The blinding light didn't wake the people inside; their snoring remained thunderous. Clearly, they had been drugged and were in a deep, comatose sleep.

If they were left behind, they would definitely be eaten clean by the mutated creatures, not even leaving a scrap of bone behind.

Gao Teng pressed his lips together and swept his flashlight toward the darkness behind them.

The mutated creatures hadn't pursued them yet; the sewer was deathly quiet.

But that didn't mean they were safe. Stimulated by the scent of flesh and blood, the mutated creatures would surely descend into a frenzy and come charging out sooner or later.

Gao Teng was silent for a moment. Since they weren't far from the exit, why not just stay and hold off the mutated creatures to farm some extra merit points?

If it became too dangerous, he could just turn around and run.

Having made up his mind, he said, "We need to report this to the Public Security Bureau and rally the martial artists living here to deal with the mutated creatures together."

Zhang Meizhu nodded; she had been thinking the same thing.

However...

She said with a troubled expression, "Getting the Public Security Bureau to send support isn't hard, but rallying the martial artists here is. Why would they be so kind?

They'll definitely take a 'not my problem' attitude and just run away the moment things get tough."

Gao Teng said bluntly, "Then don't count on them. We'll rely on ourselves."

"Us?"

Zhang Meizhu had zero confidence, her voice rising involuntarily.

Gao Teng reassured her, "Relax. We clear out the sewer every day, so there shouldn't be too many mutated creatures inside.

If we hold out for ten minutes or so, the Public Security Bureau's support should arrive. Now, hurry up and make the call."

"...O-okay."

Zhang Meizhu took a deep breath, pulled her phone from her pocket, and dialed the Public Security Bureau.

Once the call connected, she quickly explained the situation and gave their exact location.

After hanging up, her expression eased slightly. "They said they can be here in about ten minutes. They told us to hold on."

"Oh."

Gao Teng nodded, his expression remarkably calm.

Zhang Meizhu couldn't help but take another look at him, saying with some surprise, "I didn't expect you to stay. I thought you only cared about saving your own skin and didn't care whether others lived or died."

Gao Teng curled his lip.

He stayed behind to farm more Merit Points, but if his life were truly in danger, he would certainly prioritize survival above all else.

He looked at Zhang Meizhu and asked, "Why did you stay? What good does sacrificing yourself do?"

Zhang Meizhu sighed, "I'm the one who caused this mess. If I let others die because of it, I'd feel guilty for the rest of my life."

Gao Teng sighed deeply, "You're a good person."

Zhang Meizhu looked at him and said sincerely, "You are a good person, too."

Gao Teng shook his head, "I'm not as good as you."

Zhang Meizhu didn't think so; she said earnestly, "Unlike me, you don't have a reason that forces you to stay. You are truly great."

Gao Teng was left speechless, unable to explain away such a misunderstanding.

"Enough talk. The mutated creatures could arrive at any moment. Stay alert."

"Mm."

The two fell silent, focusing all their attention on the deep, dark pipe.

After about two or three minutes, a cacophony of noise erupted from within.

Gao Teng's expression turned solemn. He swept his flashlight beam across the darkness, revealing countless red glints—the eyes of rats.

"They're here!"

Gao Teng gripped his sword hilt tightly. Far from feeling fear, he found himself uncontrollably excited.

A rough glance told him there were only about a hundred rats.

This number posed no real threat; with his and Zhang Meizhu's strength, they could easily handle them.

"I'm going in!"

Gao Teng channeled the True Qi within his body and charged straight out.

His long sword danced wildly, slicing the massive rats in two one after another.

[You have gained 36 Merit Points]

[You have gained 25 Merit Points]

[You have gained 40 Merit Points]

[You have gained...]

As the notifications chimed, Gao Teng grew even more energized, slaughtering with increasing fervor.

Wherever the blade's light passed, rat carcasses flew.

Seeing this, Zhang Meizhu didn't have time to think and joined the fray.

Although they had never fought side-by-side before, there was an indescribable synergy between them.

Gao Teng's sword style was fierce and heavy, sweeping and hacking to handle the rats rushing from the front.

Zhang Meizhu maneuvered at his side, covering the blind spots he couldn't reach.

Their coordination was seamless, and they quickly forced the rat swarm into a retreat, sending them scattering in every direction.

Gao Teng, however, refused to give up. Seeing the rats fleeing for their lives, he immediately gave chase.

"Gao Teng, stop chasing!"

Seeing this, Zhang Meizhu shouted anxiously, "We don't know what's inside! What if you run into a monster?"

[You have gained 38 Merit Points]

[You have gained 25 Merit Points]

[You have gained...]

After hacking down several more rats, Gao Teng came to a halt.

Zhang Meizhu was right; chasing any further was too dangerous. It was better to quit while he was ahead.

He looked down at his long sword. After hacking through dozens of rats, the blade had already developed nicks.

The quality of the weapons issued by the Public Security Bureau was truly abysmal.

"Are you crazy? Why did you chase after them? If you had run into a monster, you would've been dead!"

Zhang Meizhu ran over, unable to stop herself from complaining.

Gao Teng chuckled, "It was just too satisfying. I couldn't control my hands."

Zhang Meizhu's heart stirred, and a teasing look appeared on her face, "You really are a killing machine."

"????"

Countless question marks appeared over Gao Teng's head.

Wait, why was she insulting him?