The wind howled, and specks of dust were swept up in the air. Under the cover of the night, when the Blood General suddenly appeared, Chen Chong and the other scavengers at the gathering point of Dawn's Haven were all frozen in place.
No matter where they were facing the Blood General, they felt an invisible aura of cruelty locking onto them. It was as if they were being targeted by a top predator, engulfed in a sense of extreme danger.
Each person felt an inexplicable warning in their hearts: Don't move! Whoever moves will die immediately!
Even the captain of the scavengers, the experienced Awakener Qiao Jun, was tense, staring intently at the eerie figure of the Blood General, his face devoid of color.
At this moment, Chen Chong's heart also grew cold. From the scavengers' accounts earlier, it was clear that the Blood General was a leader of an armed organization with extraordinary strength, bloodthirsty and ruthless. It was impossible for a person like him to appear here just to say hello. In this dark and lawless world, where the strong preyed on the weak, it was only natural that they would all become prey to the Blood General!
And judging from Qiao Jun's extreme wariness, this so-called Blood General had already become powerful enough to make him dare not resist!
What should they do?
In the few seconds of stalemate, as Chen Chong's mind raced, the roar of engines suddenly came closer from the wilderness, as if a large number of vehicles were rapidly heading towards the ruins from all directions.
"Impressive, Blood General. Making your subordinates and vehicles stay several kilometers away, then sneaking over alone, making it impossible for us to detect..."
As the roar of the engines grew nearer, the color drained from Qiao Jun's face, and any trace of hope vanished as he watched the Blood General scrutinizing them with a smirk. He said with a bitter smile, "We surrender, but how did you find us?"
Qiao Jun had noticed the Blood General's squad when they were on their way back to the gathering point. Since it was already getting dark, and just to be safe, Qiao Jun deliberately avoided the Blood General and came to this safe spot among the ruins to rest.
However, he didn't expect that fate would play a trick on him, and his decision would plunge everyone into an abyss. With the sound of engines surrounding them from all directions, they were now trapped like dumplings. Moreover, with the Blood General, this extraordinary being, in front of them, breaking free was simply impossible.
Chen Chong's face also turned extremely grim, as he quickly thought of a way out.
"You little mice are smart enough not to make any foolish moves."
Seemingly satisfied with everyone's reaction, the Blood General, with his crimson eyes glowing in the night, carefully swept his gaze over Qiao Jun, his voice hoarse as he casually said, "As for why I'm here, it's just a coincidence. I can only say that your luck is bad..."
The faces of all the scavengers turned pale, silenced by fear. Qiao Jun, on the other hand, let out a sigh, his face full of resignation as he said, "Coincidence? Well, it's true that at a safe spot like this, it's convenient to check if there are any other scavengers nearby. We let our guard down, and we can't blame anyone else. But we don't know if we can trade all our gains for our lives."
"Trade for our lives?"
In the moonlight, the Blood General stood with his hands behind his back, revealing a mocking smile as he said, "In front of me, not to mention your gains, even your lives belong to me. There's no logic in using my possessions as bargaining chips to negotiate with me."
"Blood General, don't push us!"
Listening to the increasingly closer roar of the engines from all directions, Qiao Jun felt anxious, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes as he shouted sternly, "We'll use all the spiritual fruits we've gathered this time as an exchange. Let us go! Otherwise, everything will be smashed to pieces, and you won't get anything!"
"You mean... smashing everything?"
The Blood General chuckled softly, his voice low, "Very interesting. It's been a long time since someone had the audacity to threaten me directly. You seem to be an Awakener too? No wonder you have such courage. But unfortunately..."
Boom! Boom!
Like a bolt from the blue, just as the Blood General trailed off, the decaying bricks and stones beneath his feet suddenly exploded, pulverized into dust. In the midst of the heavy explosion, the air surged with a sense of rising tide, and everyone's ears were filled with the howling wind.
Almost at the same time as the explosion of bricks and stones, Chen Chong's vision blurred, and he lost sight of the Blood General. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Qiao Jun, this Awakener, being hit head-on like being struck by a speeding car, flying backward forcefully, crashing into the dilapidated remnants of the wall, and then falling to the ground!
For a moment, silence enveloped the ruins.
It was only when the figure of Qiao Jun, like a cannonball hitting the wall and being buried under soil and rubble, disappeared from sight, that the Blood General, who had vanished and reappeared in his original position, wearing a cruel smile on his face, spat out unfinished words, "The fish will die, but the net won't break..."
Terrifying power, incredible speed. Was this what it meant to be an extraordinary being?
Struggling to glimpse what the Blood General had done amidst the turbulent wind, Chen Chong's heart trembled intensely. He felt a sense of crisis where life and death was no longer in his control. Even Qiao Jun, an Awakener in that posture, had no resistance at all. Chen Chong believed that even if he were in Qiao Jun's place, nothing would change!
"Captain!"
Finally realizing what had just happened, the scavengers yelled in horror. They knew how formidable the Blood General was, but they never imagined that in the blink of an eye, without witnessing anything, their own captain was sent flying with no chance to resist!
The scavengers pointed their homemade guns at the Blood General from all directions, but their arms trembled slightly due to intense fear.
No one dared to shoot, and no one dared to run away.
They hadn't even seen the Blood General's movements just now, and as Awakeners, they didn't believe their crude guns could harm this notorious extraordinary being. The roaring engines all around indicated that the Blood General's subordinates were closing in from all directions. They were now trapped with no way out, facing a desperate situation!
"Get up. I know exactly how much force I used just now. With your physique as an Awakener, you won't be affected much. No one can threaten me in front of my face. That was merely a small warning for your foolish behavior."
Ignoring the scavengers surrounding him with guns aimed at him, the Blood General looked towards the pile of rubble burying Qiao Jun, and with a sneer, he said, "Awakeners are rare assets in any territory. How can I bear to kill you?"
After the Blood General finished speaking, with a sound of rushing wind, Qiao Jun, covered in rubble, spit out a mouthful of blood, propped himself up with both hands, and slowly and with great difficulty stood up.
At this moment, Qiao Jun's body was covered in bloodstains, breathing heavily as if it was extremely difficult for him to even stand. Under the moonlight, with his sharper-than-average vision, Chen Chong immediately noticed a grim palm print on Qiao Jun's chest, as if it had been branded there with red-hot iron.
Indeed, as General Blood had said, the Thunderstrike just now was already controlled by General Blood, so although Qiao Jun was injured, it was not too serious and far from being life-threatening.
Although the scavengers dared not move recklessly, seeing that Qiao Jun still had some strength left, they breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked, "Captain, how are you?"
Qiao Jun coughed violently a few times, spitting out a mouthful of blood foam, and looked at General Blood with fear in his eyes. "Don't make any reckless moves..."
Before Qiao Jun could finish speaking, the sound of vehicles roaring had already arrived, followed by the engine shutting off, and the sounds of footsteps surrounding them from all directions. Chen Chong's eyes turned cold as he saw about twenty to thirty dark figures climbing over the ruins and rushing in, grinning under the moonlight.
This was a group of thugs with blood-red camouflage on their faces and various bone accessories, wielding weapons such as spears, crossbows, and machetes. They emitted an air of madness, and when they saw Chen Chong and the others, they immediately shouted in excitement:
"So General Blood is formidable after all! There are indeed rats hiding here!"
"Hahaha, General is mighty!"
"Let me see who these unlucky guys are..."
"Hmm? This fellow... isn't this Qiao Jun from Dawn Gathering Ground?"
Facing a group of thugs who outnumbered them and had better weapons, the scavengers trembled as they held their guns, their faces devoid of color, completely despairing. Some of the thugs quickly recognized Qiao Jun, and then a tall, ferocious bald man stood out from the crowd, scanning Qiao Jun and the others and sneering, "What? You useless bunch think you can use these broken scraps to deal with General? Take their weapons away!"
A dozen or so thugs immediately swarmed forward and disarmed all the scavengers. At this point, no one dared to resist. Chen Chong remained calm and allowed a lackey to take away the tactical knife in his hand.
Based on Qiao Jun and the others' conversation about General Blood earlier, it seemed that this group led by General Blood would capture any scavengers they encountered in the wilderness and forced them into labor. As long as they endured for now, there would be no immediate threat to their lives. Although the feeling of having one's life controlled by others was terrible, Chen Chong had no better choice in the current situation.
The only reason he didn't make a desperate move right now was because of the presence of General Blood. He already realized the huge gap between him and General Blood and knew that there was no opportunity to turn the tables. Otherwise, he would have drawn his sword long ago!
His gaze discreetly swept across General Blood and the others, his heart cold. With his three extraordinary occult arts, he had an unprecedented advantage over the awakened beings in this world. As long as he stayed alive, he had infinite possibilities, even against General Blood!
"Wait, wait a little longer, I need time!"
No one present knew what was going through Chen Chong's mind. In fact, he was inconspicuous and didn't attract much attention.
When all the scavengers had their weapons taken away, the bald leader glanced at Qiao Jun, who was barely holding on, and quickly walked up to General Blood respectfully, saying, "General, this person is Qiao Jun from Dawn Gathering Ground. He is a senior awakened being with outstanding perception and tracking abilities. He has some fame. I once fought him in the wilderness, and his abilities are quite good..."
A few lackeys behind him flattered and knelt down. General Blood sat comfortably on the makeshift seat made up of his lackeys and casually said, "Since he's a senior awakened being, he deserves some special treatment. Qiao Jun, I'll give you a chance to serve me."
General Blood's words were simple and straightforward, but they carried an unquestionable cruelty and dominance. Qiao Jun gave a bitter smile and his voice trembled, "General Blood, aren't you afraid that I will deceive you and pretend to agree before secretly escaping?"
Under the moonlight, General Blood raised an eyebrow, and his crimson eyes swept over Qiao Jun, slowly revealing a cruel smile, "I'm not afraid of your betrayal because no one dares to betray me!"
Before his words could fall, General Blood suddenly opened the collar of his clothes, revealing half of his chest! Under the moonlight, everyone saw that a piece of flesh resembling a tumor was growing on General Blood's chest, with blood vessels wriggling like snakes, giving it a grotesque and disgusting appearance that made people shudder!
Chen Chong's pupils involuntarily contracted, then he saw General Blood lightly scratching the surface of this fleshy mass with his fingernail, and a strange blood-red worm slowly crawled out and onto his finger.
All the thugs around showed extreme awe and fanaticism in their eyes, while Qiao Jun and all the scavengers who witnessed this bloody and eerie scene were horrified!
The leader next to him handed over a bottle cap, and General Blood let out a breath. He seemed a little tired and gently put the blood-red worm into it, then smiled at Qiao Jun, "Eat it."
Under the moonlight, looking at the blood-red worm in General Blood's hand, Qiao Jun's face turned pale as ashes.
What is this? Some kind of worm that can control others?
Looking at the smiling General Blood under the moonlight, an indescribable chill surged in Chen Chong's heart.
Obviously, General Blood was demonstrating a means of controlling others. Anyone who swallowed this worm would be controlled by him, becoming his puppet. However, what puzzled Chen Chong was that most of General Blood's subordinates did not show fear in their eyes when they looked at the worm, but rather envy and fanaticism, as if it was some great reward.
The bald leader next to General Blood sneered when he saw Qiao Jun's pale face, "Qiao Jun, you should feel honored instead of being so arrogant. Do you think anyone has the privilege to make use of General's precious Bloodline Worm? As long as you listen to General, the Bloodline Worm will not harm you but instead gradually enhance your physique and increase the strength of your life field. Right now, you are only a mid-level awakened being, but with the General's reward, you have the chance to reach high-level and peak-level, much stronger than being a scavenger in Dawn Gathering Ground, right?"
Qiao Jun's chest heaved violently as he struggled fiercely in his heart.
There was no doubt that once he swallowed this worm, he would become General Blood's puppet and henchman forever, completely under his control.
However, at this moment, not swallowing it meant immediate death! It was either facing death head-on or living in abject misery, with no other choice!
"I... I'll eat it!"
He chose the latter.
Qiao Jun opened his eyes, staggered towards General Blood, and tremblingly took the still wriggling blood-red worm from him. All the other scavengers watched him with a look of fear, pain, and helplessness, witnessing Qiao Jun swallow the blood-red worm in one gulp and bowing deeply to General Blood.
Chen Chong silently watched Qiao Jun's figure and felt as if everything that happened in the ruins had taught him a vivid lesson once again.
He realized even more fully that in this bizarre, cruel, and crumbling world, where people's hearts turned into demons, hell was other people!