Chapter 27: The Pursuit (Part Two)

“Hurry, let's go!” As soon as Liang Jing entered the house, he made a quiet gesture to the others. “Forget the other stuff, just carry the few bags I brought today.” Seeing that the others wanted to gather bedding from their rooms, Liang Jing immediately cut them off—time was of the essence. This was an escape for their lives, and there was no room for hesitation. That creature was even more terrifying than the might of Golden Baroque, and it was still far away; he hadn't even dared to imagine facing Golden Baroque in its full form. Perhaps only with the Fierce Demon Mask and the use of the spiritual blade wave could he do any damage—anything else was out of the question, let alone confronting this dragon-like beast.

Besides, he still had plenty of supplies in his inventory, all brand new. Zhang Hu and Wang Meng—the strong, burly man—and the others had previously lacked bedding and essential items, but now, finding them in the apartment building, they naturally didn't care for cleanliness or hygiene, using whatever they could. Now, as they started to pack, Liang Jing firmly stopped them.

With a metallic screech, under the horrified gazes of the group, Liang Jing dismantled the security mesh from the balcony facing the lake. He gripped the stainless steel bars with both hands, muscles bulging as power surged through him. With a burst of strength, he tore open a gap in the mesh, widening it until it was large enough for people to pass through with ease.

Quickly, he threw down the rope he had tied beforehand. “Wang Meng, you go first! Zhang Hu, follow him—move, move!” Liang Jing’s face was grim. This world was far too terrifying; he couldn't imagine how many monsters humanity would be powerless against. And this was just a small lake! What horrors lay in the oceans, twice as vast as the land?

Soon, everyone had descended, leaving only Ling Qinghe and Liang Jing. Liang Jing felt helpless with this woman. Though she was impressive, he couldn't let his first time be so casually given to any woman. After dinner, she kept tempting him, forcing him to flee to the side awkwardly; his cold, domineering image was totally destroyed, leaving him burning with desire. It took him a long time to fall asleep, only to be plagued by nightmares… Thinking of those nightmares, Liang Jing grew even more anxious.

“Don't move!” Ignoring everything else, Liang Jing dropped his bags so the others below could catch them, then grabbed the rope with his left hand and wrapped his right arm around the woman's slender, soft waist—so thin and elastic, but now was not the time to savor it.

With a swift motion, Liang Jing nearly landed on the ground; holding the rope was merely to reduce the impact and avoid making noise that might attract the dragon-like beast.

“Go!” He reluctantly released his hold, picked up the canvas bag, donned the Fierce Demon Mask, and slung the Baroque’s Sorrow across his back. Ignoring the astonished stares of the others, he took the lead under the starlight, quietly urging them onward.

The stunned group quickly recovered and followed. Wang Meng hoisted Liang Jing’s mountaineering pack, stuffed full of supplies and daily necessities—too varied to fit in the inventory, making it heavy. Previously, Zhang Hu carried it, but now, the tall and robust Wang Meng was better suited. Zhang Hu hung the pouch with the pistol bullets. The others were still reeling over Liang Jing’s incredible strength—tearing apart the steel mesh by hand, nearly injuring Wang Meng, Zhang Hu, and Ah Yao when dropping the canvas bag, which weighed hundreds of pounds. Thinking back to how Liang Jing had carried this bag alone all afternoon, seemingly without effort, plus another person and the huge weapon strapped to his back—how much weight was that?

Earlier, they had been amazed that Liang Jing could carry so much and still run faster than them, thinking the total weight was maybe two or three hundred pounds at most. That was already astonishing; this wasn’t weightlifting—it was fleeing for their lives, and he was twice as fast as they were unburdened. Were all Awakened ones so terrifying? The Fierce Demon Mask looked menacing, but as modern people, they weren’t particularly shocked—there were plenty of zombie parades and masquerades these days.

A monstrous roar echoed.

“Hurry, if you keep this pace, none of you will make it out!” Seeing the others lagging, Liang Jing urged them in a low voice.

The beast’s roar seemed to signal it had discovered their escape. He wasn't sure how it had noticed him—he had been so cautious. It seemed the stronger a monster became, the more special abilities it possessed. Without stopping, he headed away from the water, hoping the beast preferred not to chase them on land.

Another roar resounded, followed by a thunderous crash.

Heavens!

As they ran, the group couldn’t help but look back. A whip as thick as a water tank lashed through the air, emitting a terrifying howl. It struck the building where they had been, shaking it violently with a deafening crash. Windows shattered, dust, debris, and flowerpots rained down. A few more strikes and the whole building would collapse.

Having glimpsed a part of the beast, the group no longer dared to be distracted. Faces pale with terror, they sprinted at full speed. Liang Jing had warned them to flee, but words alone couldn’t convey the horror—seeing the trembling building under the monstrous whip, none dared imagine what would happen if they were caught, or if they had been a bit slower.

Crashes continued.

After two more lashes, the building finally gave way, collapsing in a cloud of dust and rubble. The fleeing group was now far away…

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In the fields dozens of kilometers away from Liang Jing’s group.

“Boss Jin!”

“Little Du, you’re asking for death!”

“Kill!”

Suddenly, one of the men supporting Jia Yujin stabbed him in the abdomen with a knife. Jia Yujin, caught off guard, couldn’t believe that the brother who had followed him through life and death would try to murder him. They’d been hunted all the way from G Province to Jiangnan, and only now did betrayal strike…

“Why?” Jia Yujin gripped the knife handle and Little Du’s hand, refusing to let him escape.

“Let go, you pauper! What future is there with you? You’ve made too many enemies—I’d rather trade your life for my own chance at wealth. Let go, just let me go, do it for your brother!” Little Du hadn’t expected Jia Yujin to be so tenacious; despite over a dozen wounds of varying severity and now being stabbed in the belly, he still had the strength to hold on.

“No, you’re not our brother!” The other man supporting Jia Yujin realized what was happening and swung his steel blade at Little Du’s neck.

“Ah… Let go, Boss Jin, I was wrong! Spare me, Tie Zhu, don’t!” Little Du was seized by terror, recalling Boss Jin’s ruthlessness in prison. Seeing Tie Zhu’s blade flashing toward him, fear overwhelmed him.

A wet, metallic sound followed as Little Du’s expression froze, the blade biting deep into his neck. Under the moonlight, black-red blood sprayed forth…

“Boss Jin, are you alright?” Tie Zhu, who had killed Little Du, ignored his fate and caught Jia Yujin as he nearly collapsed, eyes shimmering with tears.

“Hurry, go! Black Snake is almost upon us—leave me behind, I can't go on, don’t worry about me!” Jia Yujin pressed his hands to his wound, speaking with difficulty.

“No! We can’t do that.”

“If we die, we die together. We will never abandon you, Boss Jin!”

“If Black Snake’s men come, we’ll fight—one death is worth it, two deaths are a bargain.”

The others, having realized what was happening, rushed over, shouting their resolve.

“Sigh… I truly can’t go on. Don’t worry about me—I only regret not seeing my brother one last time before dying. If you ever meet him in the future, give him my regards. Brothers, for life, nothing more needs to be said.”

“If he’s doing well, follow him if you wish—he’ll never treat his brothers badly. If not, just go your own way.” Jia Yujin felt feverish, his head spinning; so this was what dying felt like…