Chapter 35 – Ambush

Volume 1: Apocalypse Beginning

Guan Tao and the other three looked at Wen Yu with complicated expressions, until Wen Yu turned his gaze toward them.

"Uh, Brother-no, Big Brother, you really are unbelievably strong," Guan Tao forced out a smile, showering Wen Yu with flattery.

To say Guan Tao didn't feel any envy, jealousy, or resentment deep down would be unrealistic.

"Yeah, I'm strong, I know that. By the way, did you enjoy watching the show? Want to leave a review?" Wen Yu saw that the group was still lingering, clearly wanting to say something to him.

"No need for that. We just wanted to admire Big Brother's style up close. Your fight just now was mesmerizing, and our admiration for you is as boundless as a river…"

When it came to flattery, Lin Li was clearly a notch above Guan Tao.

"Enough, just say what you want. Don't waste everyone's time." Wen Yu finished organizing his spoils and, hearing Lin Li's endless flattery, couldn't help but grow impatient.

"Heh, Big Brother really is a master," Lin Li's face stiffened for a moment, then he quickly put on a sycophantic smile.

"We wanted to ask you, Brother, do you need any teammates? We may be far behind you, but we can still serve tea, fetch water, and clean up the small fry you don't care to deal with," Wan Ping said seriously to Wen Yu.

"No need for that. I'll be honest with you-it's not that I look down on you, but our strength gap is just too big. If you follow me, you won't be able to contribute at all. I won't keep teammates who can't keep up with my growth," Wen Yu bluntly cut off their hopes.

Guan Tao and the others' expressions froze, a bit embarrassed.

"So arrogant, refusing help that comes to him. If you ask me, this guy just got lucky. We might not be worse than him in the future," Wan An muttered quietly to his teammates, unable to hold back his irritation at Wen Yu's blunt rejection.

Wan Ping glared fiercely at Wan An, noticing Wen Yu's amused glance at Wan An, and realized Wen Yu had overheard the whisper.

"My brother's a bit immature, please forgive him. Since you don't want us, we'll take our leave."

Wan Ping, worried that his brother had offended the powerful Wen Yu and fearing he might attack them, forgot about the rule in Treasure Land that forbids attacking survivors under Wen Yu's overwhelming pressure.

"Oh? Perfect, I'm done here too. Let's head out together," Wen Yu said, following the group as they walked out.

Seeing their stiff expressions, Wen Yu couldn't help but chuckle. "Relax, I'm not going to do anything to you. None of you have anything I'm interested in. We'll just leave Treasure Land together and go our separate ways. Don't be so tense-I'm not a bloodthirsty killer."

Guan Tao and the others all breathed a sigh of relief, nodded to Wen Yu, and were the first to step out of Treasure Land. Wen Yu watched them exit, then shouted loudly into the empty Treasure Land, "Da-Ge, I'm leaving. See you next time if there's a chance."

"Hmph." Alkada let out an angry sound.

Seeing that Alkada obviously didn't want to see him off, Wen Yu simply shrugged and stepped out of Treasure Land.

…

Outside the Treasure Land, One-Eye had already been lying in wait at the entrance for an hour.

As time went by, One-Eye gradually lost his patience, pacing restlessly around the entrance of the Treasure Land. The pressure this place gave him was simply overwhelming-if that terrifying presence were to return and trap him inside the park, even if he had ten lives, it wouldn't be enough.

Seeing that the Silver Vortex hadn't changed at all, One-Eye was just considering whether to retreat when the spinning Silver Vortex began to slowly come to a stop. The gentle silvery-white light was fading, and the once-massive vortex was steadily shrinking. One-Eye immediately turned his head-he had witnessed this scene before.

Then, when it had shrunk to the size of a little finger, the vortex suddenly burst open with a blinding silver flash. Luckily, One-Eye was prepared. As the silver light exploded, he had already dodged the glare. He snapped his head back and saw several figures abruptly appear at the site of the vortex. Fixing on one of them, he lunged at lightning speed.

…

Wan An had not yet recovered from the dizziness of being transported from the Treasure Land. In a haze, he saw a huge gray shadow lunging straight at him. The speed was so fast he had no chance to react, and then he felt the world spinning as a searing pain shot through his waist. His body was turned sideways by the immense force, and Wan An realized he had been bitten by some unknown creature.

"Ahhh! Help me! Brother, Tao-Ge, help me!" The intense pain and the threat of death at such close range made Wan An roar out.

Guan Tao and the other two had just come to their senses when they heard the desperate cry for help. The sight before them made their eyes nearly burst with shock.

Wan An was being gripped in the jaws of a giant wild dog. Its sharp teeth were deeply embedded in Wan An's waist. The wild dog's single eye glared fiercely at them, and then it suddenly shook its head violently.

The enormous strength made Wan An, still in One-Eye's mouth, wail in agony. As One-Eye shook his head faster and faster, Wan An was tossed around like a rag doll, blood spurting rapidly from the wound, even splattering onto Guan Tao and the others' faces.

At last, Wan An was flung away.

Most of his waist had disappeared, intestines and organs scattered across the ground. The tenacity of a Class Holder's vitality kept Wan An from dying immediately, but the huge wound only made his suffering worse.

Bloody foam poured continuously from his mouth. The pain was so excruciating that Wan An couldn't say a word; he could only stare at his teammates not far away, until his body grew colder and the breath of death drew near. Wan An slowly closed his eyes.

"Wan An, Wan An!!!"

Guan Tao and the others stared, stunned, at everything unfolding before them. Everything happened so fast that they hadn't even had time to react before it was already over.

Watching Wan An's eyes slowly close, Guan Tao's eyes instantly turned red.

Since childhood, the few of them had agreed to share both fortune and hardship. They had vowed to carve out a future in this era of great change, and more than once dreamed together at night about the life to come.

Now, it was all gone.

"Damn you, beast! I'll kill you!"