Chapter 45

(An additional chapter for the book friend who requested it~~~ Please favorite and recommend~~~)

With a crisp sound, the right leg of the tattooed man, who had kicked out, was stepped on and broken by Nangong Xiong.

The tattooed man let out a piercing scream. Nangong Xiong kicked him in the chest, sending him flying through the air like a dead dog. He landed with a thud, and Nangong Xiong sneered, "So what if you're a Level 2 Awakened? You still have a long way to go before you can show off in front of me, Nangong Xiong."

"Clap, clap..." Sparse applause echoed around, and someone laughed, "Brother Xiong, your skills are impressive, really impressive."

Another person said, "A Level 2 Awakened, and you spent so much effort to deal with him? That won't do. If it were me, I could KO him in one move."

Nangong Xiong laughed and scolded, "Kid, you're just blowing hot air. If you have the guts, come up and let's see who's better."

The other person chuckled but did not come forward.

Shen Mo smiled bitterly, "You guys, you really don't make things easy. Making so much noise here, aren't you afraid of attracting those monsters?"

Nangong Xiong said, "We've cleared out all the monsters in this area. Even if they hear the noise, the chances of them coming here are very small."

"Still, it's better to be cautious." Shen Mo finished speaking and climbed to a high point, focusing his eyes to look around to prevent any unexpected events.

"Tonight, we need to be extra careful. Arrange a few people to keep watch, at least two on the high ground." Nangong Xiong ignored the tattooed man on the ground, who was still screaming in pain. Although he spoke lightly, he was very cautious about matters of life and death.

Chu Nan watched their fight and, based on Nangong Xiong's moves, guessed that he must already be a Level 3 Awakened. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to so easily cripple a Level 2 Awakened tattooed man.

"Stop howling like a ghost. Do you want to attract all the monsters? If you keep making noise, I'll throw you into the pile of mutated monsters."

Seeing the tattooed man still screaming on the ground, someone became annoyed and shouted at him.

Many people looked over, all with unfriendly gazes toward the tattooed man.

The tattooed man felt a chill and immediately stopped screaming, only muttering softly.

Their fight lasted only a few seconds, and the adrenaline rush kept his body from experiencing any aftereffects.

Zhao Yiming and a few others originally wanted to join in the commotion with the tattooed man. Now, seeing how ruthlessly Nangong Xiong had beaten him, they all felt a chill and closed their mouths, not daring to say another word.

That night, Shen Mo brought several more groups of people. Apart from those who did not want to enter the city and planned to leave early the next morning, more than fifty people needed to enter the city for various reasons.

That night, except for those on watch, everyone else rested quietly. Occasionally, the black shadows of birds flew across the sky, but fortunately, they were not attacked by any monsters. Residual Ear had appeared once in the darkness but did not dare to approach within a hundred meters.

Chu Nan watched everything with narrowed eyes. He knew that with so many people gathered together, Residual Ear would not attack recklessly.

However, if they encountered danger, it was uncertain whether Residual Ear would take the opportunity to attack. This feeling of being watched was very uncomfortable.

"This Residual Ear is really cunning." Chu Nan thought of several ways to lure it but found none of them easy to implement. He felt a headache and could only temporarily put aside this thought and close his eyes to rest.

That night passed peacefully without any incidents. As the sky brightened, everyone gradually woke up. The surroundings became active, and Chu Nan, who had not slept deeply, immediately opened his eyes. He looked up, and the sky was already bright, with a light mist covering it. Dewdrops hung on his eyelashes.

He rubbed his slightly painful eyes and stood up. Zhao Yiming and a group of people quietly decided to leave.

Perhaps out of a sense of shared misfortune, the tattooed man with the broken leg was also helped up by Zhao Yiming and his group to leave.

Before leaving, the tattooed man gave Nangong Xiong a venomous look.

Nangong Xiong, with a cigarette in his mouth, ignored him and sat with Shen Mo and others, discussing in low voices.

Zhao Yiming and his group left to find their way out, while the remaining fifty people gradually stood up. Shen Mo clapped his hands and said, "Everyone, please be quiet. We just discussed and decided to split into three groups. By the way, are there any non-Awakened among us?"

After listening to his words, five people raised their hands.

Shen Mo looked at them and thought for a moment before saying, "It's not a problem. Ordinary people can achieve Level 1 Awakening by killing about ten mutated creatures. With our help, it's not difficult."

Nangong Xiong began distributing food, though there was only a little.

"Everyone, eat well. Today, we're going to have a big fight." Nangong Xiong distributed the food while boosting morale.

Shen Mo said, "The biggest problem for Awakened is our limited physical endurance. After maintaining the Awakened state for a while, we will experience severe aftereffects and lose our combat ability instantly. Therefore, we need to split into three groups. The first group's responsibility is to fight. The second group's responsibility is to ensure the safe withdrawal of the first group when they lose their combat ability. The third group is a reserve. If the mutated creatures chase us, the third group will block them, ensuring that all three groups retreat to a safe place intact."

"Then, for the second round of attacks, we will rotate. The second group will attack, the third group will handle the withdrawal, and the first group will block the pursuers."

After that, Shen Mo explained their plan in detail, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Then, they began assigning people. Chu Nan, Su Yao, Tao Zhi, Tang Sanli, Xia Qiu, Zhou Yun, Zhou Hua, and a few unfamiliar people were assigned to the second group. The first group of about ten people was led by Nangong Xiong, and Shen Mo led the third group, also serving as the overall commander. The remaining few had important tasks, such as occupying various high points to act as sentries, always ready to understand the surroundings and retreat immediately if necessary.

This was a matter of life and death, and everyone was very serious and cautious.

"In short, follow orders strictly. Any mistake could lead to our total annihilation."

Shen Mo was very serious.

Everything was ready. After eating and resting a bit, with Shen Mo's command, several scouts sprinted ahead. Soon, one of them climbed to the top of a three-story building, looked around, and signaled to Shen Mo.

These signals were prearranged, and Shen Mo immediately understood. He waved his hand and said, "First group, go."

Nangong Xiong shouted, "First group, follow me," and immediately led the dozen or so people in the first group toward the city.

The second group, led by Chu Nan, Su Yao, Tao Zhi, Tang Sanli, and others, was assigned a middle-aged man with short hair named Zhuang Qing as their leader. Chu Nan had heard him introduce himself.

After the first group set off, Zhuang Qing gave a signal and led Chu Nan, Su Yao, Tao Zhi, and Tang Sanli to follow.

Then, Shen Mo led the third group.

Nangong Xiong's first group moved forward, advancing nearly two hundred meters before encountering the first mutated creature.

A mutated creature rushed out from a pile of ruins but was immediately struck on the head by the steel pipe in Nangong Xiong's hand, splattering brain matter. The creature fell heavily to the ground.

From the opposite direction, a dilapidated building soon spewed out a dozen more mutated creatures.

The leader was an Undead, wielding a kitchen knife.

A fierce battle erupted instantly.

Nangong Xiong let out a low shout, stimulating his adrenaline. As a Level 3 Awakened, he was terrifying. In one swift move, he rushed forward, swung the steel pipe, and knocked the kitchen knife out of the Undead's hand. Then, he kicked the Undead, sending it flying backward.

Nangong Xiong stepped forward, planted his right foot on the Undead's chest to keep it from moving, and, with both hands gripping the steel pipe, swung it down forcefully, shattering the Undead's head.

The dozen or so people in the first group, almost all Awakened, were incredibly powerful. In a blink, they had dealt with the dozen mutated creatures and the Undead leader.

Nangong Xiong led them into the dilapidated building, and soon, three or forty more mutated creatures, including four Undead, surrounded them from all sides.

Chu Nan and the others, led by Zhuang Qing, followed at a distance. Their role was to rush in and help the first group when they were exhausted, while the third group's task was to block the pursuit of the mutated creatures and Undead, ensuring everyone's safe retreat.

Seeing Nangong Xiong and the others fighting inside the dilapidated building, Chu Nan looked at the dozen or so mutated creature corpses on the ground and began collecting the withered pineal glands.

Tang Sanli, knowing Chu Nan's interest in these pineal glands, helped him collect them.

Zhuang Qing, the leader, was taken aback and asked, "What are you doing?"

Tang Sanli explained, "Chu Nan needs these for medicine. They are very precious."

Zhuang Qing frowned, "What are you doing? In this situation, you still have the leisure to collect herbs? Stop immediately. Remember your duties. Everyone, keep an eye on one person. If anything goes wrong, follow my orders and act immediately."

Chu Nan ignored him and continued collecting the pineal glands, quickly gathering five.

Zhuang Qing raised his voice, "Are you disobeying orders?"

Chu Nan looked up at him and said calmly, "Don't worry. When it's my turn to act, I won't delay."

"You—!" Zhuang Qing shouted.

"What's going on?" Shen Mo looked over.

Zhuang Qing pointed at Chu Nan and shouted, "These two are disobeying orders. They are collecting important herbs at a time like this. Don't you know what's important?"

Shen Mo frowned upon hearing this and looked at Chu Nan and Tang Sanli.