Chapter 177.2 – Key (20)

◎ Never bully dogs ◎

Ten minutes later, the starship was the first to enter the Fenak city area, and a navigation prompt appeared.

“You have entered the radiation-affected area. Please be cautious, do not stay for an extended period.”

The sky was filled with thick gray fog, murky dust particles penetrated into the respiratory tract. The visibility around was very low, abandoned buildings loomed indistinctly. Lu Xiaoyu switched to manual control, slowing down the starship in the city to avoid accidentally colliding with skyscrapers.

“My awakened energy is more abundant now.” Lin Youyou clenched her fist, sensing changes in the magnetic field within her body.

Low-level radiation could stimulate abilities to some extent. For awakeners A-level and above, Fenak’s current concentration was just right. However, they were still not suitable for prolonged exposure to the air.

The starship landed on the rooftop, V587 changed into isolation suits and masks, jumping onto the main road, patiently waiting.

Duanmu Qi and his group parked the off-road vehicle on the side of the road. After a while, Ada led her kind to arrive. Separated by a hundred meters, the blood-red horde stopped abruptly, filling the streets and alleys, establishing a clear boundary between them and Song Ke’s group.

Ada growled softly, and two small zombies ran towards Song Ke, like cheerful little monkeys.

Xu Xing’s eyes widened. These two zombies, one wearing a small yellow duck sun hat and the other in a brand-name T-shirt, not to mention being quite well-fitted, were both taken from him! The memory of that night when he almost ended up naked was vivid in Xu Xing’s mind.

Thud! The light screen was thrown back in front of Song Ke.

“Ah ah ah ah.” The little zombies squealed and gestured wildly, then turned back to stand beside Ada.

“No need to return it, consider it a gift,” Song Ke generously tossed it back. A screen was something she could afford; Ada was too polite.

Ada’s bright red eyes glanced around, and she did not accept Song Ke’s kindness. With a “snap,” she raised her hand and threw it back. Song Ke wasn’t prepared to catch it, so the screen, having experienced a tumultuous journey, flew backward and landed on the ground with a crack! The screen displayed a spiderweb of cracks.

Song Ke picked it up with a heartache and scolded, “Ada, this is expensive!”

Ada’s uneven facial features moved, vividly rolling her eyes.

Zhuang Qingyan cleared his throat, “Song Ke, there’s a locator in the screen.”

Song Ke was puzzled, “Huh?”

Immediately, she was rendered speechless, “I forgot.”

Ada, worthy of being the leader with intelligence comparable to the Zombie King, was indeed very smart. Keeping this screen would expose their group’s location to humans. Therefore, after reaching their destination, she decisively returned it to Song Ke.

Ada looked up into the distance. There were no towering jungles here, no giant mutated plants. The vast expanse was filled with the ruins of the city, and the air quality was poor. However, her kind seemed fascinated and excited. The constant tingling sensation in their skin, present due to prolonged radiation exposure, diminished. Even the zombies, who were afflicted with radiation sickness and on the verge of death, stood up, marveling at their own veins and limbs.

Undoubtedly, Fenak’s environment was suitable for the Fallen to survive, and humans didn’t deceive them.

It was a new home, a source of hope.

Ada gracefully leaped to the top of an abandoned building, emitting a distant and long howl. All the zombies looked up at her.

Then, as if understanding her command, they dispersed in all directions, blending like droplets into the ocean, disappearing into the depths of the gray mist in an instant.

Treacherous and cunning humans and zombies without intelligence were not their companions.

The remaining journey could only be walked by the Fallen themselves.

“Tha… thank…you” Ada looked deeply at Song Ke and the others, then hoarsely said.

Then, with a leap, her slender figure melted into the thick fog.

“Goodbye, Ada.” Song Ke waved sadly, feeling a sense of loss.

The red dot on the screen stayed in place, and Song Ke lost track of Ada’s location. However, she believed that Ada could lead her kind to survive.

After the last zombie disappeared from their field of vision, Song Ke clicked to complete the mission.

This A-level mission was almost entirely taken care of by V587, and the rewards were astonishing. Their ranking instantly surged to the first place in the entire Alliance.

“Three Grandsons and One Grandpa” also had some soup and earned 110,000 points, far exceeding the threshold of 500,000, securing their place in District B with ease.

“We’re first!” Song Ke happily bounced around, hugging each team member one by one. Finally, she jumped into the arms of Zhuang Qingyan, who held her tightly.

The terminals of Lin Youyou and others started beeping: there were changes in the top ten rankings. An announcement would be made on the mission platform. Now, proudly hanging at the top of the New Asia Alliance leaderboard was “V587,” with a substantial lead in points.

In the Northern Base’s mission group, there was a lively discussion.

Yin Xiao was the first to speak up:

“Please Call Me S Xiao: @Song Ke, the best in the world. Congratulations, Captain Song.”

“Does anyone have plum blossom hairpins in stock? Will pay a high price: @Youyourap trainee, you’re amazing!”

“Zhao Yuqing: Congratulations, congratulations, bringing glory to the Northern Base.”

“Moon.Lin: Congratulations, from me and my brother.”

“Thank you all.”

While Song Ke was replying to each message, Duanmu Qi stepped in front of her. Xiao Chen, Fan Peng, and Qiong Mingcheng also followed, expressing their sincere thanks. If it weren’t for Song Ke leading them on missions and a bit of luck, they might not have reached the required points before the arrival of autumn.

Song Ke remembered something, “By the way, the recommendation letters…”

“Someone is here,” Su Cha frowned slightly.

Dozens of strong-figured awakeners emerged from the corner, surrounding them. The leading man, in his thirties, with a piercing at the corner of his eye, looked fierce. After glancing around, he whistled provocatively at Duanmu Qi.

“Brother, just finished a mission, right? We’re here too, part of the achievement. How about sharing some points with us?”

Points could be circulated in two ways: signing a transfer agreement witnessed by the platform, with the system extracting a certain intermediary fee, or converting them into rewards through private missions. However, the latter couldn’t specify the beneficiary and relied on completing tasks to obtain points.

After V587 had been pushing for the leaderboard for so long, it was the first time they encountered someone directly trying to snatch points from them.

“…Who are you guys?” Song Ke blinked, bewildered and speechless.

The group opposite had varying strengths, from A to D levels. They all seemed to be from the lower-level districts, displaying an unfounded confidence as they brazenly attempted a robbery.

“They are bounty hunters,” Duanmu Qi said solemnly.

Bounty hunters sounded glamorous, but in reality, it wasn’t a favorable term. This label specifically referred to a group of bandits who took risks for points or Alliance coins after the apocalypse. They were ruthless, disregarding any means, and their sole driving factor in all actions was profit.

There was an information gap between B and C districts, and these bounty hunters clearly didn’t recognize V587, who had just risen to prominence. Instead, they arrogantly shouted at Duanmu Qi because he had casually mentioned the words “500,000 points” earlier.

The leading bounty hunter greedily sniffed the air, his expression intoxicated, “I smell the scent of gold.”

Lin Youyou shook her head and chuckled, “Have you guys not been keeping up with the news lately? Even as bandits, you should stay informed about current events.”

“Sorry to have made you laugh. We’ll take care of this,” Duanmu Qi said.

As soon as he spoke, thick thorns snaked towards the group, instantly trapping more than ten people, including the boastful leader.

“Xiao Xing, lend a hand. We’re in a hurry,” Zhuang Qingyan urged softly.

A1-level Xu Xing was quite formidable against this group of novices. He lifted his right hand, and a hailstorm descended. The bounty hunters’ limbs turned icy, and their movements gradually slowed down. Some were pierced by the fierce thorns, while others were swiftly dealt with by Xiao Chen and others, targeting their throats.

In less than ten minutes, dozens of bodies lay on the ground, none left alive.

Fang Zhixu searched around but couldn’t find even a valuable 3rd-level crystal. He sighed in disappointment, taking off his gloves. As he was about to say something, he saw everyone’s expressions change dramatically, prompting a quick retreat.

Fang Zhixu looked puzzled, “What are you guys hiding from?”

The next moment, he suddenly turned around, and the bodies on the ground were rapidly expanding, bursting into a fountain of blood in an instant!

Bang! Bang! Fragments of flesh and organs sprayed out like a fountain, and the strong smell of blood hit them. Song Ke pinched her nose and approached, handing Fang Zhixu a towel because he had unknown intestines hanging on his head.

“You guys are heartless…” Fang Zhixu stared at her for a while before reluctantly taking it.

Just as Song Ke offered a comforting smile, her expression suddenly froze. She turned back, staring in a certain direction with a serious look.

Thump, thump, the clear sound of footsteps came from the depths of the gray mist, echoing in everyone’s ears.

Who could it be this time? Another new bounty hunter?

Amidst the attention of the crowd, on the rooftop of a building across, a middle-aged man with a suit, mixed-race features, and a hooked nose slowly appeared. His eyelids were drooping, and he looked proud as he gazed down on everyone, speaking, “Are you Song Ke? The S7-level strong attack-type awakener.”

Song Ke replied politely, “Yes, that’s me. And you are?”

“Half a year ago, you killed my favorite dog,” the man said.

The man’s shiny leather shoes stepped over the blood pool, leaving half a clear footprint. “I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

Zhuang Qingyan and Lu Xiaoyu exchanged hidden glances, both frowning.

He came for Song Ke? Could it be that all their speculations were wrong?

Song Ke looked innocent, “How is that possible? I never bully dogs.”