Chapter 43 – Desperate Escape

Volume 1: Apocalypse Beginning

Watching as Simba's massive figure drew ever closer, Wen Yu immediately tore open the Spatial Movement Scroll in his hand.

Teleportation direction: ten meters ahead.

The power of the Spatial Movement Scroll landed Wen Yu solidly on his feet. Wasting almost no time, he broke into a mad dash again, all the while slashing his Steel Blade across his upper body, leaving streaks of blood in his wake.

Simba's explosive speed had taken Wen Yu completely by surprise. At his current speed, Wen Yu knew he could not outrun Simba's pursuit.

Simba watched as his seemingly inevitable pounce was deftly avoided by Wen Yu. The immense force sent Simba stumbling, his speed faltering for a moment.

Raising his head again to look at Wen Yu, Simba saw blood constantly splattering from Wen Yu's body, but his speed was only increasing.

Simba's fury had already drowned out his reason. With a furious roar, he lunged at Wen Yu once again.

Hearing Simba's panting grow ever closer, Wen Yu's anxiety mounted. Steeling himself, he plunged the Steel Blade directly into his abdomen.

A wave of agonizing pain shot through his belly; the sharp edge of the Steel Blade even severed Wen Yu's intestines. He wielded the blade skillfully-on one hand inflicting tremendous wounds upon himself, but on the other hand not impeding his own running speed. As for the internal injuries, as long as he made it out alive, there would be ways to heal them.

Watching Wen Yu run faster and faster, Simba chased relentlessly behind him. Man and beast disappeared at breakneck speed at the end of the road in front of the park gates.

…

Inside the park, calm returned once more. Beside the entrance to the Treasure Land, Wan An's corpse lay quietly on the ground. The blood pooling across the ground and scattered organs beside it lent the scene an indescribable sadness.

A group of three slowly approached from a distance-Guan Tao and the others.

After escaping, the three had not actually left far. Seeing Wen Yu already engaged with One-Eye, and being familiar with Wen Yu's strength, they were confident in Wen Yu's combat abilities. Their plan had been to let Wen Yu severely injure One-Eye, then pay a certain price to take One-Eye's life from Wen Yu, and finally avenge Wan An with their own hands.

But the situation had changed suddenly. First, the big dog had grown stronger and stronger, making it seem impossible for them to get revenge. Then, the terrifying giant lion had returned to its lair, chasing Wen Yu and One-Eye far into the distance.

The three had watched most of these events unfold from the sidelines.

After Simba and Wen Yu left the park, the trio returned once again.

Wan Ping quietly walked over to Wan An and looked at his lifeless younger brother. Tears fell one by one.

Taking off his Protective Suit, Wan Ping bound up the huge wound at Wan An's waist, making sure his organs would not spill out, and then hoisted Wan An onto his back.

Guan Tao and Lin Li watched Wan Ping's busy movements in silence. Neither stepped forward.

This was a simple funeral, and also a simple act of mourning.

Wan Ping, carrying his brother on his back, walked up to Guan Tao, accepted the cigarette Guan Tao handed him, and took a deep drag.

The cigarette glowed brightly at the tip; with the lung capacity of a Class Holder far exceeding that of an ordinary person, a third of the cigarette vanished in a single breath.

"It won't just end like this, will it?" Wan Ping muttered to himself.

"Absolutely not. Wan An can't die in vain. Someone has to go down with him, even if not right now," Guan Tao said, tossing away his cigarette butt, quietly gazing at Wan An's blood-stained face. He gently wiped away the blood, but no matter how he wiped, it would not come clean.

"Hoo." Wan Ping exhaled heavily, wiped away the tears at the corner of his eyes, and shifted the weight of his brother higher onto his back.

"Let's go."

Guan Tao led the way, and the three slowly walked in the direction from which they had come. No one said another word, but the oppressive atmosphere seemed to be brewing an imminent storm.

Three men, carrying a corpse, slowly disappeared into the pitch-black night.

…

"Huff, huff…"

Wen Yu was gasping violently, blood streaming continuously from the wounds on his body. He could sense the murderous intent behind him, always lingering within a hundred meters, never letting up. Wen Yu dared not relax for even a moment.

His judgment had been correct.

Once the Fate Struggle ability was activated, as Wen Yu kept injuring himself and losing more and more blood, his physical attributes rapidly improved, even surpassing the peak of a Level 2 Class Holder.

With one of Simba's claws injured, Wen Yu's speed gradually matched Simba's.

Unfortunately, Simba never gave up the pursuit.

Wen Yu could only keep running forward without pause. Any Zombies he encountered along the way were sent flying by Wen Yu's immense strength. Some survivors and mutated creatures, upon hearing Simba's terrifying roar, had long since fled far from Wen Yu's path.

As Wen Yu lost more and more blood, his mind grew heavier, but correspondingly, his speed increased.

After running for an unknown length of time, Wen Yu stumbled. The massive blood loss had severely diminished his coordination, making it impossible to maintain his balance. Only then did Wen Yu come to his senses.

Looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings-a straight highway, huge farmlands, and scattered small factories nearby-

"I must have run out of Mudanjiang City." He glanced behind him; Simba's figure was nowhere to be seen.

Enduring the intense pain and dizziness from blood loss, Wen Yu spotted an abandoned factory district nearby and darted inside. He didn't bother to think about why Simba had stopped chasing; if he kept running, Wen Yu feared he would eventually bleed to death.

"Soul Pet Empowerment." Wen Yu silently recited his ability, then deactivated Fate Struggle and chose One-Eye's other skill: Strong Healing (B-level).

Seeing the vast, empty factory district, Wen Yu staggered into the gatehouse at the entrance.

The room was small, with no bloodstains and no signs of life.

Turning around, Wen Yu locked the gatehouse door and collapsed onto the single bed inside, feeling utterly drained, and immediately lost consciousness.

As the Strong Healing ability activated, Wen Yu's wounds gradually stopped bleeding. The effect of the B-level skill even greatly enhanced his blood regeneration. Wen Yu's complexion visibly grew rosier as he lay unconscious.

Meanwhile, on the road Wen Yu had fled, a massive lion was circling restlessly at the Mudanjiang City highway toll station.

Simba had lost Wen Yu's trail.

Normally, with Simba's sense of smell, Wen Yu wouldn't have been able to escape his pursuit, even to the ends of the earth.

But when Simba chased Wen Yu to the Mudanjiang City highway toll station, an overwhelming sense of danger ahead made Simba stop instinctively.

Beyond lay the territory of another powerful creature. Simba could sense it, just as One-Eye could sense that the park was Simba's domain.

If Simba were weaker, he could freely enter and exit this unknown creature's territory.

Unfortunately, Simba was extremely strong, almost equal to the unknown presence he sensed. When two creatures of similar strength invade each other's territory, it's an act of provocation, and the consequence is a fight to the death.

To hunt down two bugs and risk a life-or-death battle with another equally powerful creature-such things only happen to mindless beasts.

Simba was not one of them.

With an angry roar, Simba unleashed a Flame Flow at the toll station. The billowing smoke eased some of the fury in Simba's heart.

Sniffing hard, Simba memorized the scents of Wen Yu and One-Eye.

If the opportunity arises, Simba will never let those two bugs escape.