Chapter Twelve: The Survivor

Because Yang Zhiying was a new addition, if Mu Chen directly stated there were monsters ahead, it would be equivalent to exposing his own abilities. After all, you can never truly know what’s in another’s heart, and before he could judge someone’s character, he didn’t wish his secrets to be revealed. Even friends could betray friends.

After carefully choosing his words in his mind, Mu Chen began deploying instructions to the group.

“The monsters probably haven’t gone far. Most likely, they’re still nearby. Everyone, get ready in advance. When we move, Saad will take the lead.”

With that, Mu Chen pulled a pile of tools from his backpack.

Ropes, bandages, a kitchen knife, and even an iron pot—all were taken out.

Everyone: “...”

“Saad and Lillian, you two wrap your arms and faces with bandages first to minimize injury. Let me stress: infections after being wounded are very dangerous. I’ll also activate my repulsion skill to help extend your field of vision as much as possible.”

“Can’t we just avoid the monsters? Why must we prepare for battle?” Yang Zhiying’s voice trembled, her anxiousness obvious after hearing the plan.

“Because we need to survive,” Mu Chen turned to her, his expression gently calm.

“If the goal is survival, why fight? Wouldn’t hiding... be better...”

Her voice became softer and softer, until finally Yang Zhiying looked down at her toes. Mu Chen did not answer further.

“Jiu’er, you and Saad go ahead and scout the way. If you encounter any danger—especially abominations—just lure them back here.”

He actually knew for sure whether there were abominations or not, but sometimes life was a performance.

Due to the nature of his Repulsion skill, he had to separate from Mu Jiu’er, so the group’s range of activity in the red mist would be greatly expanded; between the two of them, they could clear a forty-meter radius.

Watching Mu Jiu’er and Saad head out slowly, Mu Chen handed a kitchen knife to Yang Zhiying.

“Later, you just need to push me from behind. If necessary, step in and help as well.”

Yang Zhiying responded with a soft “Mm.”

A minute later, Mu Chen’s message channel flashed.

“Brother, there are three juvenile abominations. Saad and I will lure them over right away! Be ready.”

“Lillian, there are three of them. They’ll be here soon. Watch your positioning—you’ll attack from the side.”

“Understood, sir!”

The next moment, three twisted figures appeared at the edge of their vision, arranged in a triangle.

Even from more than ten meters away, a pungent, bloody stench assaulted them.

Seeing the grotesque torsos and distorted legs, a thought surged through Mu Chen’s mind.

“Lillian, you and Yang Zhiying take the rope and trip them!”

“Ah?” Yang Zhiying’s face paled at the command, but Mu Chen had no time for hesitation—he shoved a large coil of rope into her arms.

Lillian was much more decisive; she grabbed one end of the rope from Yang Zhiying and dashed toward Mu Jiu’er and Saad.

Seeing Lillian’s actions, Yang Zhiying followed suit, gritting her teeth as she ran forward.

Though everything happened quickly, Saad and Mu Jiu’er reacted instantly, leaping over the rope as they doubled back.

The juvenile abominations behind them weren’t as quick; the first one was tripped by the rope, and the two behind crashed straight into it.

Opportunity!

Saad was the first to act. Having dealt with juvenile abominations several times already, he plunged his butcher’s knife into the skull of the one who fell first, then quickly withdrew to the side. The two behind were a heartbeat too late, collapsing atop their already dead kin.

[Your servant Saad has slain a “juvenile abomination.” Experience points will be credited to the servant’s master.]

Hearing the ethereal voice in his ear, Mu Chen was delighted. He had always worried about experience points and quest progress, so he often told Saad to hold back the killing blow. It seemed that was unnecessary.

At that moment, Lillian, wielding a paring knife, stabbed another fallen abomination. Her aim wasn’t as accurate as Saad’s, missing the head and plunging into its neck instead, causing the creature to convulse violently.

Although it was their first time working together, Saad and Lillian displayed a seamless tacit understanding.

Yang Zhiying, clearly inexperienced in combat, stood frozen in confusion. Was this really the monster she had imagined? Why did it seem so simple?

Despite her confusion, her hands trembled so much she could barely grasp the knife’s handle.

“What are you panicking for?!”

“If you can’t even handle the lowest level of monsters, you can forget about surviving in the red mist!”

Hearing Mu Chen’s words, Yang Zhiying trembled as she stepped toward the pile of monsters.

[Your servant Lillian has slain a “juvenile abomination.” Experience points will be credited to the servant’s master.]

Level up to lv3.

Lillian’s right arm was now covered in a dark, viscous fluid—abomination blood, most likely.

She then rose and charged at the last remaining abomination.

“Ding...”

The scene froze.

Yang Zhiying, neither too far nor too close, struck the abomination right on its mouthparts. Before it could pounce, she had already dropped the knife and run back to Mu Chen’s side.

Juvenile abomination: “???”

Mu Chen: “...”

Mu Jiu’er: “...”

“Does she have to be a complete flower vase? How did she survive the first five hours?”

[Your servant Saad has slain a “juvenile abomination.” Experience points will be credited to the servant’s master.]

In the end, Saad and Lillian killed the last abomination, marking the end of the skirmish. The whole process took six minutes.

Mu Jiu’er pushed Mu Chen as they began to clean up the battlefield.

“Obtained [Fresh Abomination Fallen Flesh]*8, added to backpack.”

“Obtained [Twisted Bones]*3, added to backpack.”

“Obtained [Turbid Source]*6, added to backpack.”

“Obtained [Dark Matter Soul]*3, added to backpack.”

Luck was on their side—three abominations yielded three dark matter souls!

Including those already in his backpack, he now had a complete set of five.

The recruitment scroll for the Carrion Beast now had all the required materials! A stroke of unexpected fortune.

Only the level up to lv3 had caught him off guard. After the first abomination was killed, he had leveled up once.

Now, after killing two more, he gained just one level.

“So it’s an incremental relationship? I underestimated it,” Mu Chen muttered to himself.

If killing the first one granted a level, next time it would take two, then four to reach level four, eight for level five...

Including the one killed by his servant at lv3, from now until he unlocked his territory, he’d need to kill eleven more juvenile abominations.

Originally, he’d planned that after killing three abominations his level would reach four or even five. If they moved quickly today and reached the provisions depot, he could claim it as his territory. It seemed more effort was needed.

Just as everyone was finishing up, Yang Zhiying’s face grew pale, her eyes filled with turmoil.