Boom! Boom!
In a city of utter silence, the sound of an engine starting was particularly noticeable.
Accompanied by a loud roar, the black speck in the distance grew closer and finally took the form of several armored vehicles. On their hoods were specially mounted machine guns, giving them a fierce appearance.
“Who’s over there?”
They had clearly spotted Shelf’s group and drove straight toward them, shouting clearly from the vehicle.
“We are survivors of this city!”
Shelf got out of the car, deliberately keeping his hands empty to show goodwill, and watched the people getting out of the opposing vehicles.
Most of them wore camouflage uniforms, but the insignias on their uniforms were very unfamiliar, not resembling those of any previously known nation.
“Are you… soldiers?”
Shelf inwardly groaned but still forced himself to ask, “May I ask where you’re from?”
“Hmph, we belong to the Hermit Society! The most powerful organization in the world today!”
The leading figures exchanged glances and all emitted meaning-laden laughter. “Never thought we’d be so lucky today to find a shelter!”
“The Hermit Society? I’ve never heard of this organization. Is it a religious institution like the Church of Redemption?”
Shelf’s palms began to sweat, but he still feigned calmness while trying to gather information.
“Redemption Church? No, we’re not religious!”
The leader laughed even harder. “Nor are we a nation, but the rulers of the entire world! Because we are the evolved new humans!”
“Evolved… new humans?”
Shelf immediately thought of the changes that had happened to his group.
He hadn’t expected the other party to seem equally aware, if not more so.
“Alright, take us to your shelter. I’ll reward you!”
The leader said in a casual tone.
“A shelter… that’s quite far…”
Shelf’s sense of foreboding deepened. He secretly made several hand gestures behind his back.
“Hey! You’re being very disobedient!”
A cold gleam flickered in the leader’s eyes.
Bang!
He didn’t even move his hands, yet Shelf clutched his stomach and knelt on one knee, as if punched hard by an invisible enemy.
“See that? That’s my special ability!”
The man shoved the gun barrel into Shelf’s mouth, clearly enjoying the explorers’ reverent and alarmed expressions.
“Now… tell me where your shelter is, or I’ll blow your brains out!”
Seeing their leader use his special ability to subdue Shelf instantly, the soldiers behind him also showed obvious envy in their eyes.
But only the leader himself knew that his special ability was limited to this extent. After each use, it required a long recovery period. In reality, it was roughly equivalent to that of a Level 1 reincarnator—barely qualifying as a supernatural ability, and only just placing him beyond the realm of ordinary people.
Don’t underestimate this little bit. In the Hermit Society, which valued special abilities above all, this was enough to distinguish his status from ordinary members and allow him to hold important positions.
Because the Hermit Society had prepared in advance, they were the faction that had preserved their strength most intact in the real world. They had already begun reshaping the world according to their philosophy, preparing to implement their elitist ideology of special ability supremacy.
“Don’t forget, even if you don’t talk, any of your teammates behind you might betray you!”
The man laughed as he stepped forward, nearly shoving the gun barrel down Shelf’s throat. “Think carefully, are you willing to risk this hard-earned life for that?”
Actually, his actions were more playful than serious.
After all, in his current state, even if Shelf wanted to give in, it would be extremely difficult.
“Stop! I’ll take you there!”
Lancôme, seeing Shelf’s pained expression, finally couldn’t bear it anymore and shouted out.
“See? Wasn’t that easy? Why make things so complicated?”
The leader exaggeratedly smiled, then nonchalantly added, “But as punishment, I should still give you a lesson you’ll never forget!”
He pulled out the gun barrel and replaced it with a military knife, brandishing it near Shelf’s face. “Speak up, what kind of mark do you want?”
Shelf stared into the man’s eyes.
The man’s expression was ferocious, with red veins of excitement in his eyes. Clearly, this wasn’t a disciplined army, but rather a mercenary force driven purely by animalistic instincts and desires.
From this, it was evident that the Hermit Society behind this man couldn’t be anything good either. If they were led to the shelter, it would undoubtedly result in a catastrophe!
“I really don’t like your gaze!”
The leader sneered, the blade already touching Shelf’s eyelid. The cold, sharp sensation made every hair on Shelf’s back stand on end.
“Sssss!”
“Sssss!”
Just then, a strange hissing sound came, making the leader immediately change expression.
“Boss, the mutated beast is here!”
From inside the armored vehicle, a young mercenary shouted loudly.
“I know. Prepare the machine guns. This time we can’t let it escape, or we’ll be punished when we return!”
The leader shouted loudly, then glanced at the Shelf in front of him. “Good… we’ll use you as bait. Hehe… very fitting for you!”
“Bait? Mutated beast?”
Shelf felt he had narrowly escaped having his eyes gouged out, but the crisis hadn’t passed. Then, amidst Lancôme’s loud screams, he was knocked unconscious by a punch from the enemy.
…
Sssss!
Sssss!
Shelf felt like he was having a terrible nightmare, falling into a vortex full of tentacles and slime, unable to break free no matter how hard he struggled.
In his ears, the hissing sound continued unabated, making him feel extremely agitated.
“Sssss!”
This time the sound was even louder, directly ringing in his ears.
He shivered all over and suddenly opened his eyes, then his pupils widened, unable to utter a word.
Right in front of him was a giant snake, at least ten meters long! Its mouth was wide open, almost big enough to swallow him whole. It was now flicking its crimson, forked tongue, staring at him with vertical pupils, clearly filled with the desire to eat.
As for himself…
He struggled a bit, but couldn’t move at all because his hands and feet were bound, and even had a layer of blood splattered on him.
Around him, the other adventurers, except for Lancôme, had suffered the same treatment.
“We… are bait, used to capture this monster snake?”
Shelf immediately fell into despair. “What’s happening to this world? Why has everything become so unfamiliar in such a short time?”
“Sssss!”
This monstrous creature apparently didn’t like dead meat. After confirming its prey was alive, it immediately coiled forward, its foul-smelling tongue licking Shelf, as if deciding where to bite first.
“Now! Attack!”
Suddenly, a loud explosion rang out around them.
Da-da! Da-da!
The machine guns on the armored vehicles spat fire, an astonishing barrage sweeping across and immediately creating fist-sized holes in the snake’s body.
Bang!
A stray bullet unfortunately hit one of the adventurers near Shelf, blowing open his chest and splattering blood all over Shelf.
“This isn’t right. What kind of snake is this?”
Shelf, who had been waiting for death with wide eyes, was lucky enough to avoid being hit. Seeing the giant snake’s injuries weren’t serious despite being riddled with bullets, he opened his eyes even wider.
“Sssss!”
Injured and even more enraged, the monster snake directly abandoned its nearby prey and charged toward the armored vehicles.
A blood-red glow emerged from its body, its wounds quickly healing and even forming a protective membrane-like layer. It roared and swung its tail.
Crack!
The armored vehicle struck by the tail violently shook and flipped over, with the combatant at the machine gun position letting out a scream before being swallowed whole by the monster snake.
“Damn it, this mutated beast has intelligence!”
After seeing an extremely human-like mocking expression in the snake’s vertical pupils, the leader finally realized. “Be careful, it knows this is a trap!”
Sssss!
Unfortunately, this realization came too late.
Another shadow of the same size, though slightly more slender, suddenly emerged from behind the armored vehicle formation.
“Another one?”
The leader roared. “Retreat! Retreat!”
Bang!
Unfortunately, as soon as the words left his mouth, his own vehicle was struck by the snake.
One giant snake was already terrifying enough that dozens of men armed with firearms struggled to deal with it. Now with another one added, it was simply a massacre.
“Shelf, I’m here to save you!”
Just as Shelf was despairing, he suddenly saw a figure crawling toward him. Taking advantage of the armored vehicles distracting the giant snake, the figure arrived at his side—Lancôme.
“Hurry, let’s go!”
Lancôme pulled out a dagger and cut Shelf’s bindings. Shelf immediately grabbed her hand and quickly disappeared behind a building.
“Pant… pant…”
They only stopped after running through two streets, gasping for breath.
“What exactly was that monster snake?”
Lancôme asked with a face full of fear. Even from here, they could hear the distant sounds of machine guns and the snake’s roars.
“Probably an animal that underwent radiation mutation?”
Shelf shook his head. “But none of that matters. Perhaps they might threaten humanity’s living space in the future, but not now. Did you hear what that man said earlier?”
“I heard—the Hermit Society…”
Lancôme gave a bitter smile. “I can’t even imagine what kind of force they belong to.”
“Whatever it is, they definitely won’t be friendly to ordinary people!”
Shelf curled his lip. “We must quickly return to the shelter and let everyone prepare in advance!”
“The Hermit Society—I’ve never even heard of such an organization. When did our country allow these forces to ride over our heads?”
Lancôme said indignantly.
“There must be something going on that we don’t know about!”
Shelf stated firmly.
After all, even in a city like Morel, tens of thousands had survived. As for the royal high-ups who controlled more resources and possessed greater power, there was no way they should have been completely wiped out.
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