Hunting Time!

Sometimes, Yi Sha and the others feel that it is a miracle that they have survived until now.

The outside world has become a paradise for the parasites. In order to survive, they can only hide in the dark underground. Except for those who search for supplies, they dare not go to the surface, because they never know when they will be infected.

I wonder if there are any survivors left in this city, or if they are the last survivors?

What has become of Rhône? Why hasn't the nation's army come to our rescue? What is our King doing?!

Honestly, I feel like my future is bleak.

But as dark as it may be, Yi Sha and the others definitely don't want to die!

If every peaceful day is made up of countless miracles, they hope that these miracles can continue forever!

"Yi Sha, how's it going? Are there many monsters?"

The three men who remained at the shelter ran over. Although their faces showed fear and other negative emotions, they gripped their weapons tightly. Their unspoken message was that if the number of infected people was not large, they should go out and deal with them.

Rather than calling them parasites, the survivors preferred to call them monsters directly, as if that would better highlight their difference from other normal humans.

Yi Sha swallowed hard and shook her head at them with a bitter expression.

What does shaking your head mean?

"See for yourselves, and remember to come back and evacuate with everyone after you've finished!"

After saying that, Yi Sha quickly ran into the shelter, calling on everyone to get up and run away as fast as they could.

People looked at each other in bewilderment. Some, unable to contain their curiosity, looked in the mirror while sweating profusely.

"Ahh!"

He only glanced at it before screaming and falling to the ground, scrambling backward and forgetting to take his weapon with him. His desperate look was as if he had seen hell.

Seeing this, the others didn't even dare to look anymore and turned to run away.

Sometimes, ignoring the truth can actually deceive yourself and leave you with a little bit of wishful thinking.

The truth is, the entire above-ground area has been completely surrounded by monsters.

All sorts of parasites wandered this stinking street that they would never normally set foot on. Many of them showed human disgust for the place, yet they seemed to be forced to come here.

Yes, we were forced to come!

There is only one entity capable of forcibly commanding and controlling the parasites inside the body of the host!

"Karakara."

Faint noises came from above the shelter, as if the ruins were being excavated and the parasites had discovered it.

Yi Sha bit her lower lip and pried open the emergency escape route that had been left open beforehand. This route led out of this Fish Market District. The exit was usually not frequented by parasites. Now, it was hard to say whether she would be attacked if she went there, but she had no choice but to bite the bullet and run out.

"Miss Yi Sha, how many monsters are there outside?" the old woman asked before crawling into the escape tunnel.

"Oh dear, please go inside quickly, don't ask any more questions!"

Yi Sha forcefully pushed her inside, then called the three men at the rear to come and retreat together.

There are explosives hidden in the shelter. She plans to detonate them after everyone leaves to buy time and cause the shelter to collapse!

Thinking of the scene she had just witnessed, she clicked her tongue in disapproval.

The reason she didn't tell anyone what the monsters outside looked like, only that they were enormous and that the shelter had been discovered, was because...

She saw the middle-aged, strong men who had gone out earlier among the parasitized people surrounding the shelter.

We didn't see Fan En, but the chances of my brother surviving alone outdoors are almost zero!

Yi Sha, who was already suffering from the flu and had a fever, was able to survive the devastating news without fainting. Her strong constitution and sense of responsibility compelled her to temporarily set aside her grief and lead the people to evacuate.

What she found even more unacceptable was that she seemed to see the middle-aged strong man who was being parasitized directing the group of parasites to dig shelters.

"I've never seen anything like this before."

The street was crammed with parasites, their bodies emitting a foul stench that mingled with the smell of rotting mud and fish.

The middle-aged strong man who had led the people out to search for supplies had now become a victim of the Hidden Blood Parasite.

The infected person will have long, thin parasites randomly sprouting on various parts of their body, which, from a distance, looks like swaying red seaweed growing on their body.

However, the burly man looked quite different from the other ordinary creatures. An incredibly thick parasite had pierced through his skull, its brain matter and other contents swaying in the wind. At the top of his body, a bloodshot eye stared intently at the shelter.

One look is enough to tell that what's attached to him is a mutated parasite, and a very unusual one at that!

The middle-aged strong man's body was also extraordinary. Those who had gone out with him to search for supplies now had their faces deeply embedded in the parasites, staring blankly ahead.

Their mouths opened and closed, uttering sounds that only parasites could understand, as if they were giving commands.

All sorts of traps and mechanisms along the street have been triggered.

A large hole appeared in the ground, swallowing several parasites.

The building suddenly collapsed, and the rubble crushed and injured countless people.

Arrows shot out from the window, slowing the monsters' advance.

The bags of blood were thrown into the distance, and the clever design that had once worked so well to lure away Yi Sha was now useless in the face of the massive tide of parasites.

Quantitative change has truly led to qualitative change; even if her traps were doubled in number, the situation could not be reversed!

There was no other way; the materials needed to make traps were already severely scarce, and the fact that she could make even what she had so far was already a testament to her exceptional talent.

"Ugh, ugh!"

The middle-aged man suddenly roared, and the parasitized person who was digging the shelter most vigorously suddenly swelled up all over.

"Bang--"

He exploded, successfully blasting apart the ruins that were supporting the ceiling of the shelter!

A gust of wind came from underground, bringing with it a strong human scent. Anyone who smelled this scent became instantly agitated, the parasites wriggling wildly, some even bursting out of their bodies and turning into a scarlet torrent that rushed into the crack.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, flames erupted from the ground, and the intense heat forced the nearby parasites to retreat. The parasites that had burrowed in earlier were reduced to ashes in the explosion, becoming the first victims.

Underground, Yi Sha frantically wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, mixing the remaining Heat Stone with oil and throwing them at the entrance of the collapsed shelter, using the raging fire to block the enemy.

"Damn, they're moving much faster than I thought."

The people in the escape tunnel hadn't gone far when it seemed to be blocked by soil, and a group of people were digging at full speed.

Even more despairingly, she couldn't activate the explosion magic scroll she treasured no matter how much magic she poured into it. Without this as a catalyst, the power of the expired explosives she stored would be greatly reduced. In that case, let alone collapsing the shelter, it might even blow up a bigger hole and hasten her death.

Left with no other choice, apart from the man who was digging the tunnel, she and two other men picked up weapons and, braving the scorching flames, stabbed wildly upwards through the cracks. Fortunately, there were enough enemies to hit them no matter how much they stabbed.

But this also illustrates the despair of the situation.

The flames didn't last long; as the fire gradually weakened, the parasites lurked in the crevices of the ruins, ready to pounce!

Just then, a voice as beautiful as heavenly music came from the escape tunnel.

"It's dug up, we can go now!"

Yi Sha immediately showed a delighted expression, grabbed the iron rod that was so hot from the flames that she could barely hold it, and told the other two to run away.

It was a close call! They actually made it in time at the last minute!

Life is truly full of drama!

As she crawled into the escape tunnel, she glanced back at the shelter where she had lived for dozens of days, and a wave of sadness washed over her.

If life is truly full of drama, could I see my brother at home after this disaster subsides?

The thought that Fan En might be dead overwhelmed Yi Sha with grief, and her already strained body suddenly went limp.

When the two men who arrived later saw that she was in bad condition, they immediately carried her inside. The shelter behind them had been dug out more than halfway, and the parasites were sparsely crawling in.

They had to run faster, much faster, before they were caught—

"Ahhh!"

Terrified screams came from ahead of the escape tunnel, and both the man and Yi Sha were stunned.

The sound of hurried footsteps grew closer and closer. Those who had been running at the front were now running back in terror, panting and shouting:

"The exports are full of monsters!"

"What!?"

If the middle-aged strong man who was parasitized was able to lead the parasitized person to a shelter, how could he possibly have missed the escape tunnel?

"Wait, don't come back, the monster has already entered—"

Yi Sha's attempts to stop them were met with no response amidst the screams of the crowd; they were practically pushed out of the escape tunnel.

Here, they saw several parasitized creatures that had crawled in earlier.

"Ah!"

An even louder scream erupted from the crowd.

People are caught in a dilemma!

Yi Sha clutched the explosion magic scroll tightly in her hand, her gaze shifting between the two parasitized individuals, and asked, "Are there many monsters in the escape tunnel?"

If there are only a few scattered ones, then fight your way out; you can't just stay here and wait to die.

Those who barely escaped were too terrified to speak, only nodding repeatedly. The number of parasites blocking the escape tunnel might not be as large as on the surface, but it was enough to tear them apart.

Yi Sha fell silent. The people, surrounded by the ever-approaching parasites, were like harmless infants.

"Ouch!" A parasitized creature lunged at the old woman, who was screaming. The next moment, an iron rod was suddenly thrust into the parasitized creature's mouth, slamming it against the wall.

It was Yi Sha who made the move!

"Haha." Her face was already flushed red from the illness, and she was panting heavily with the slightest movement. But in this critical moment, not putting up any resistance meant total defeat.

What's the use of resisting? In the end, you can't escape being completely taken advantage of.

"At least let these damned bugs know that we won't just stand there and get killed!"

With her last ounce of strength, Yi Sha shouted it out.

The parasite slapped the iron rod out of Yi Sha's mouth, and the impact caused her to lose her balance and fall backward.

However, she did not fall to the ground, but was caught steadily by the survivors.

"Kill them, everyone!"

The survivors roared, and all those who could still pick up a weapon stepped forward!

The man, who had previously appeared exhausted, now charged at the parasitic host with a broken wooden plank as a shield, using his last burst of strength to push their invading steps back by a large margin!

Sticks, kitchen knives, brooms, and even iron spoons—people took up any usable weapons and fought against the parasites, displaying their last shred of courage.

However, this small flame was no match for the massive wave of disaster.

With a loud "boom," the entrance to the shelter was completely ripped open, and a tall figure jumped down. Everyone stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

Because the one who jumped down was the middle-aged strong man who was being parasitized.

With a flick of his arm, which had mutated into a long whip, he sent the man who had transformed into a shield charging in front flying, and cut several parasites in half at the waist along with him!

Some survivors rushed forward, but in the blink of an eye, they fell down before they could even see what the other side was doing.

The disparity in strength was terrifying. Everyone present was an ordinary person, and many of them were even infected with the plague, which further reduced their combat power. How could they possibly withstand such a mutant?

As the middle-aged strong man approached, new bad news arrived: footsteps echoed from inside the escape tunnel, getting closer and closer, as if the parasitized creature inside could no longer contain its desire for a feast!

Despair intensified, and no one on the field could resist anymore. The parasitized middle-aged man grabbed a survivor and began to bite him hard, biting down on his shoulder. A scream and blood erupted together.

Yi Sha's body trembled, and the scroll of burst magic in her hand finally responded, ready to detonate at any moment.

With no hope of escape, she stared intently at the hordes of parasitic inhabitants writhing in chaos, at the culprits who had destroyed her homeland, and suddenly ripped open a magic scroll—

The footsteps in the escape tunnel suddenly quickened, and a loud whooshing sound rang out beside Yi Sha.

Something large and heavy seemed to fly past her, cutting off a strand of her long hair.

Immediately afterwards, cold blood splattered on her face. Whose blood?

"Awooooo!"

The middle-aged man let out a scream as his strong body was knocked down by the sudden force. However, what truly made him scream was something else:

A Saw Cleaver deeply embedded in his chest!

The Saw Cleaver mercilessly ripped open his chest, and the explosive force caused blood and bone fragments to spurt out of his body!

Saw Cleaver?

Yi Sha's action of activating the magic scroll stopped halfway. Something unexpected happened. As if sensing something, she looked at the escape route behind her as if possessed.

A figure emerged from the tunnel.

His black trench coat was stained with blood, and his tricorn hat seemed to be damaged from the fierce battle, but it only added to his fierceness.

"We rushed as fast as we could and finally made it."

Is this... is this a living person?

A parasitized person lunged at him, and the next second, Hunter Pistol was shoved into his mouth.

"Bang!"

The gunshot rang out like thunder, and Yi Sha was so frightened that she trembled all over. With the help of the muzzle flash, she finally saw the face under the tricorn hat.

"Elder brother!?"