Zhu Xi Ning was behind Nan Yue, her entire body trembling unnaturally.
Nan Yue stood in front of Zhu Xi Ning, constantly calculating the distance to the forest.
"I'll count to three."
The stifling humidity made it feel like they were smoldering, yet the scavengers felt as cold as ice cellars.
Damp and freezing.
"Run for it."
Nan Yue blinked as sweat dripped into her eyes, causing a slight sting.
"Don't look back."
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
The moment Nan Yue finished her count, everyone bolted.
At this point, it wasn't a matter of trust; it was about grasping even the smallest shred of hope.
Nan Yue ran at the very front as a shroud of black mist erupted from her body like a light veil thrown from her hands. Every ant it touched retreated frantically.
Huo Fuyu followed behind Nan Yue in surprise, not expecting her to possess such an awakened ability.
This level of attack power and range...
And yet, she wasn't even on the Power Rankings.
The swarm was breached, and everyone ran toward the forest with all their might.
The earth shook, and the faint glimmer of hope that had risen in everyone was instantly replaced by a surge of despair.
The Ant God... was here.
"Huo Fuyu!"
Nan Yue's voice was as sharp as a bird's death cry, yet her expression remained exceptionally resolute.
"Block the swarm!"
Huo Fuyu wanted to curse out loud.
Nan Yue turned around and shoved Zhu Xi Ning behind her. She spread the fingers of her right hand, and the black mist, now several times denser than before, manifested in the air like a tangible hand, firmly pinning down the approaching Ant God.
Nan Yue's face turned deathly pale in an instant, as if every drop of blood had been drained from her body. Only her eyes remained, startlingly dark.
She smelled that intense stench of rot again, as if she were encased in decaying flesh.
Boundless pain surged through her body, while waves of uncontrollable cowering and despair crashed through her mind.
Nan Yue didn't move an inch or take a single step back. With a twist of her right hand, the black mist crushed the Ant God to pieces.
In the distance, more Ant Gods roared and howled as they charged. Nan Yue swallowed the blood rising in her throat and stood her ground once more.
Without the black mist holding them back, the ant swarm began to grow restless again.
Cursing under his breath, countless silver threads appeared in Huo Fuyu's hands.
Not far away, a smaller Ant God was instantly pulled apart by the silver threads. He dragged the numerous corpses forward with his lines, forming a thick corpse wall.
The ants were highly corrosive and could dissolve a corpse into white bone in moments. Within minutes, Huo Fuyu's face was ashen as parchment.
Gu Xiang Kai could see clearly that Huo Fuyu wouldn't last much longer, and Nan Yue was already at the end of her strength.
To be honest, even with awakened abilities, the fact that human strength could hold back the Ant God to this extent was already astonishing.
But the Ant God remained, and Nan Yue was about to collapse.
Gu Xiang Kai scratched his head in a frantic panic.
"Xi Ning!"
Wen Xiang Yuan's scream snapped Gu Xiang Kai back to reality. He turned to see that at some point, a swarm of ants hiding behind the stone houses had crawled onto Zhu Xi Ning.
Those ants seemed to possess intelligence, knowing how to use flanking maneuvers.
Zhu Xi Ning reacted with extreme speed, stepping back and brushing the ants off her legs before crushing them one by one under her feet.
However, these ants were incredibly tenacious and seemed capable of self-replication.
The ants on Zhu Xi Ning's arm multiplied into a carpet in the blink of an eye. Zhu Xi Ning let out a sharp cry of pain, and Wen Xiang Yuan rushed forward just in time to catch her as she fell.
Nan Yue was anxious, but she didn't dare divert her attention.
Gu Xiang Kai pushed Wen Xiang Yuan aside to support Zhu Xi Ning. Just as the ants were about to crawl onto him, Zhu Xi Ning suddenly snapped awake.
Her eyes were bloodshot from the pain, yet her gaze was exceptionally calm.
"Help me clear the swarm."
Gu Xiang Kai looked in the direction Zhu Xi Ning pointed. Knowing he wasn't the brains of the operation, he didn't ask questions. His earring flashed as he threw a straight punch, the force of the blow blasting a hole through the ant swarm.
Zhu Xi Ning didn't waste a second. She snatched the sleeve blade from Shang Xi's hand and charged out of the swarm.
Outside the swarm stood the only one still upright: Ga Ya, wearing an ant mask.
Zhu Xi Ning lunged forward, her blade flashing as a spray of blood erupted from Ga Ya's neck. In almost no time at all, Zhu Xi Ning charged back, clutching Ga Ya's head.
Gu Xiang Kai was speechless.
"You... you..."
Gu Xiang Kai was momentarily at a loss for words. Killing wasn't uncommon for scavengers, but when did Zhu Xi Ning develop such ruthlessness and efficiency?
And... why did she bring the head back?!
Zhu Xi Ning's left hand was already covered in black ants. The pain made her break out in a cold sweat, but she gritted her teeth and endured it.
"So annoying!"
She tore the black ant mask off Ga Ya's head, tossed the skull into the ant swarm, and put the mask on.
"It's about to rain."
Zhu Xi Ning's voice sounded strangely eerie coming from behind the mask.
Almost as soon as she finished speaking, thunder rumbled in the sky, and a torrential downpour began moments later.
Gu Xiang Kai's brows shot up in alarm. The straw raincoats he had collected! He hadn't brought them when they ran!
However, it was clearly too late to go back for them. Fortunately, the acid rain only affected humans who had entered Antswamp Village and eaten the roots.
It was even more effective against the Ant God.
The Ant God, which had previously held the upper hand, suddenly let out a cacophony of mournful wails.
It was a sound composed of the agonizing cries of countless people.
To the naked eye, the bodies of the villagers making up the Ant God began to rot.
They retreated several steps, screaming, struggling, and twisting in agony.
Nan Yue spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground. She wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve and glanced at Gu Xiang Kai.
Gu Xiang Kai pulled out his windproof lighter, flicked it on, and hurled it toward the largest Ant God.
Flames roared toward the sky as the stench of charred human flesh spread.
The massive Ant God collapsed into its surroundings, taking a sea of fire with it.
In a matter of moments, this village, which could have been called primitive and unique, was swallowed by a wall of flames.
The ants had a higher tolerance for the acid rain; they merely scattered slightly and scurried around aimlessly, but they did not disperse.
Nan Yue rushed to Zhu Xi Ning's side. Her nearly transparent black mist barely managed to stop the ants from crawling toward Zhu Xi Ning's torso.
However, Zhu Xi Ning's left arm was already little more than white bone.
Zhu Xi Ning looked at Nan Yue with a blank expression, her gaze unfamiliar.
"Nan Yue, you can't leave me behind."
As the words left her mouth, her blade rose and fell. Zhu Xi Ning hacked off her own left hand.
The severed arm, covered in ants, was kicked into the sea of fire by Wen Xiang Yuan.
Nan Yue took off her outer garment to bandage Zhu Xi Ning's wound. Both of their faces were equally ghastly; both looked as if they were on the verge of death.
"Don't worry."
She hoisted Zhu Xi Ning onto her back while Shang Xi and Wen Xiang Yuan supported Huo Fuyu. With Gu Xiang Kai guarding the rear, the group took advantage of the ants' confusion and bolted toward the forest.
Behind them was a soaring stench and dense, overlapping wails. It was like hell on earth; even a single backward glance was enough to shatter one's mind.
"There's a vehicle in the forest."
Her vision was blurred by the thick, warm acid rain, and Nan Yue's stomach began to growl with hunger at an inappropriate time.
The original stench had become something that made her mouth water uncontrollably, and even Zhu Xi Ning, carried on her shoulder, began to emit a fragrant scent.
Rate on N.U.
