"Brother, thank you so much. If you hadn't shown up, we would definitely have been eaten by the monster." The middle-aged man expressed his sincere gratitude.
"Don't be polite. This is a mutated centipede, several tens of meters long. You are no match for it."
"My God, it's tens of meters long, no wonder it's so brutal."
"Brother, I'll leave things here to you. We'll go rest over there. Be careful."
After the middle-aged man finished speaking, he and two women carefully lifted the man in their arms to the side to rest.
The centipede let out a sharp scream and swung its huge tail fiercely, trying to knock down the lord.
The Duke nimbly dodged the attack, then with a backhand slash, severed one of the centipede's legs. The centipede writhed in agony, but still refused to give up its fight.
Junjue scoffed. His level 5 ability was a piece of cake to deal with such a low-level thing. If it weren't for the need to train his physique, he would have sent it to hell with a single use of his ability.
He knew he had to deal with the centipede as soon as possible, otherwise the injured man's life would be beyond saving.
He went all out, striking relentlessly, each blow deadly.
The centipede grew increasingly frenzied; its body was riddled with holes by the lord's longsword, yet it still refused to fall.
The two fought for more than ten minutes. Junjue felt his strength gradually being exhausted, but he stood firmly in place, unwilling to give up.
"You despicable monster! To prevent you from growing stronger and harming more people, I'll send you to hell today!" the Duke roared in a low voice. He knew that only by eliminating the centipede could he protect these innocent people.
Suddenly, the Duke saw an opportunity. The centipede's head was slowly turning towards him, revealing its vulnerable neck. Without hesitation, the Duke thrust his sword into that spot, the blade plunging deep into the centipede's neck.
The centipede let out a heart-wrenching scream, its entire body writhing violently.
The Duke gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, preventing the blade from slipping. He knew that only by completely defeating the centipede could he ensure the safety of the injured man.
After several violent struggles, the centipede finally became unable to move, and a pool of blood slowly spread on the ground. The centipede was completely still.
Junjue breathed a sigh of relief, his body trembling slightly from exhaustion.
He used the knife to forcefully poke the other person's head and saw that it was a crystal core that was even redder than the previous one.
"Level 2? Looks like this thing has eaten quite a few people."
It is important to know that before mutated organisms absorb the energy of the crystal core, they will slowly condense a crystal core as long as they consume human flesh and blood.
The more humans it absorbs, the higher the energy of the crystal core becomes, and the deeper its color becomes.
All the crystal cores of mutated creatures are red, and the higher the level, the darker and more intense the color becomes, from light red to blackish-red.
He threw the secondary crystal core into the space and walked over to the injured to check their injuries.
One of the men was already lifeless, and the Duke closed his eyes in grief.
The other man and two women, though seriously injured, still have a chance of survival.
Seeing a woman clutching a corpse and weeping uncontrollably, Wan'er comforted her with heartache:
"Please accept my condolences. He has simply gone to another world."
That's your husband, right? He certainly wouldn't want you to be so heartbroken over his departure; he only wants you to be happier.
"Waaaah... Thank you all. What's wrong with this world? How could such terrifying things appear?"
"Yes! This world is getting more and more dangerous. Luckily, this young man has martial arts skills, otherwise we would all die here."
"This place isn't safe. Let's leave quickly, or more monsters will appear soon," Wan'er comforted her.
The three survivors nodded, intending to leave with the couple, but one of them was also seriously injured and could not walk for long.
Junjue hurriedly used the spatial bindings to stop their bleeding, gave them medicine, and then carried them to the nearby ruins.
"Hold on, I'll get you to the official shelter in the city center as soon as possible," the Duke encouraged them, then handed them some food.
"This was found in the waste; you'll recover faster if you eat your fill."
The group of people held the bread tremblingly, licking the layers of dead skin off their lips; they hadn't eaten in a long time.
They risked their lives to search for food because they had no other options, and that's why they encountered danger. All their words can be summed up in one simple thank you.
"Thank you!"
After expressing their gratitude along the way, the group wolfed down the bread they had in their hands until they finally felt completely relaxed.
"You are welcome!"
After the group disposed of the dead man and rested for a few hours to regain some strength, Junjue and Wan'er, the two dogs, led the three of them onto the streets of the dilapidated city.
Those behind were filled with anxiety and unease. They knew that more dangers might await them in these ruins.
Junjue knew this, but he couldn't back down. His responsibility was to listen to his girlfriend and protect these innocent people for the time being.
As he continued onward, the Duke sensed a familiar yet eerie atmosphere.
"Roar roar roar..."
"Woof woof woof..."
Hearing the dog's warning bark, the Duke, still worried, gave a few words of advice:
"Be careful, there might be danger ahead."
"Okay!" A group of people followed behind, trembling, and carefully followed the person in front.
They were like blind men. Junjue could see what was ahead. He held Wan'er's hand tightly and led the way. Wan'er held the middle-aged woman's hand, and so did the others behind them.
The two dogs stood warily beside their two owners, following them closely.
It will sound an alarm as soon as any danger occurs.
The Duke looked around and discovered a huge abandoned building.
A row of worn-out dolls were placed in front of the door, which looked very strange.
Junjue carefully pushed open the door and entered the building.
The stench of decay permeated the darkness, causing him to frown.
He heard a faint sobbing sound and followed the sound.
At the end of the corridor, the Duke saw a small room with its door half-open.
He pushed open the door, and the sight before him made him almost unable to believe his eyes.
Inside the room, four children, around six or seven years old, were trapped in a small cage, their eyes filled with fear and despair.
Their fragile bodies were covered in wounds, and each of them was emaciated, like skin and bones. They had been abused to the point of being almost unrecognizable.
"Damn it, which beast is behind all this? How could someone have such a fetish?"
"What's wrong?" Wan'er asked, puzzled, as she couldn't see what was in front of her.
"It's nothing, it's just that four children were locked in a cage, and their bodies were covered in wounds as if they had been abused."
The four people behind him gasped when they heard Junjue's words. They knew the world was becoming increasingly cruel, and they didn't say a word. Their red eyes betrayed them.
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