Dark Blood Path
Chapter 22: Departing

Xiao Yu nodded and said, “We are the students and teachers of the Fine Arts School; where are you from?”

A young man with yellow hair interjected with a shout: “Could you give me something to eat first? I haven’t had anything for two days straight, and I’m starving to death!”

Xiao Yu mentioned behind him, and Jin Shi immediately put a fruit basket underneath their feet. All the people there showed surprise. Except for the middle-aged police officer named Huang Jianmin, everyone else seemed to have forgotten their fear and rushed to snatch a piece immediately. Gnawing on the fruits as if they hadn’t eaten for a few lifetimes.

Huang Jianmin didn’t criticize their actions; instead, he just sighed and said: “It turns out that you were students from Fine Arts Academy. Xiao Chen and I are police officers from the XX Police Station in the same city as you. These two were detained for some things at the time and sent out to join our team due to insufficient manpower. At that time, the streets near the police station were suddenly surrounded by a large number of monsters, and a group of us fought to death. We fled originally looking for rescue, but now the situation outside is really… You were right; there will probably be no more rescue.”

“You’re the advance team? Only two people?”

Huang Jianmin shook his head and said: “No, originally, there were more than forty people, but some of us were attacked by monsters and killed on the way. We managed to get here using our pistols, but the ammunition got exhausted in a short amount of time, so we were easily captured by a bunch of green monsters. Every day several people get dragged out by those monsters, and those who were dragged away never came back.”

Hearing this, Xiao Yu realized that the pile of bones they found before should be the leftovers of those people. He nodded slightly and asked him a succession of questions: “How many people are locked in the police station, where is it located, and how much time it takes to reach?”

“The earthquake caused all buildings to fall, resulting in several casualties. Some of us were killed in the monster’s onslaught, but we gathered the two hundred survivors nearby. However, it has already been several days since then, and before we left, everyone got besieged by monsters. So now it’s hard to say how many of them survived.” Huang Jianmin pondered for a moment and continued: “The location of the police station is probably in the southwest direction, and it will take about five hours to reach there.”

Hearing this, the young police officer Xiao Chen immediately stood up and said: “Captain Huang, there are more than a hundred people in the station waiting for us to return. Most of our colleagues are killed. Now you are the spiritual pillar of everyone. Without your leadership now, how can we go back? The gangsters who escaped from the detention center will definitely cause trouble, so we must go back immediately!”

The two young guys eating fruits gave the young police officer, Xiao Chen, a dirty look when he finished speaking. One of the two had dyed blond hair with several tattoos on his arms, while the other wore earrings and had a weird hairstyle. Obviously, they were the same type of people as those “gangsters” Xiao Chen just mentioned.

“Our physical condition is very bad, not to mention the lack of weapons. So we can’t go back in this state….” Huang Jianmin was very calm and looked at Xiao Yu, “What do you think?”

As if he grasped a life-saving straw, Xiao Chen exclaimed, “Yes, you have lots of people, and you also have weapons, so you must send us back to the police station.”

Xiao Yu refused without hesitation: “This is absolutely impossible. The station and our current shelter are in two different directions. Most of our people are injured, and their fighting power has declined. It will take us a period of time to recuperate and recover. Not to mention the distance to the police station is too far away, and it’s also getting late now. Nobody knows what type of danger we’ll face if we don’t arrive before nightfall.”

Xiao Chen’s face turned red in an instant as he grabbed Xiao Yu and roared loudly: “There are more than a hundred people over there, more than a hundred people that are surrounded by monsters. They have no food, no water; they can’t even last for a few days; you have to go and help them out!”

“Please do not speak to me with an ordering tone. You should understand that no one can defend themselves in this world. And we have no obligation or ability to rescue those people.” Xiao Yu let him grab his collar and said calmly, “I will not easily put my teammates in danger!”

Huang Jianmin persuaded: “Calm down, okay? This young friend isn’t wrong at all. If it were me, I would do the same thing. It is irrational to put more people in danger in order to save others. A long-term rescue plan is needed!”

The harsh reality left him utterly deflated as he replied back, “Okay, alright, if you don’t want to go, I’ll go!”

After he finished speaking, he turned around and ran outside the wooden house.

Huang Jianmin gave the crowd an apologetic look, “I’m sorry, Xiao Chen has a hot temper. In fact, there is one precise reason why he is in such a hurry. His fiancée is still at the police station, and they both have a very good relationship. If not for these unfortunate events that befell us, the two of them would’ve married in two months. You are also young men and women so in this matter of young love you… sigh, I hope you understand; I will go and bring him back.”

“We’ll set off in about twenty minutes, so I advise you to catch up.” Xiao Yu responded lukewarmly, then turned around and addressed the others: “Pack up your things, rest a little bit and restore your strength; also help bandage anyone with injuries; we are almost ready to depart. Also, It’s getting late, make sure to hurry up; we don’t have much time to waste.”

Huang Jianmin thanked him and chased after Xiao Chen immediately. The dyed hair and earring hoodlums stayed with them. They weren’t stupid, as they realized they would naturally have a better chance of surviving if they stuck with this large group of people.

Everyone packed their belongings and brought the newly gathered weapons and food, preparing to retreat toward the underground cave. Now, tools, weapons, food, and the like could temporarily meet everyone’s needs. As they were resting, Xiao Yu recovered from most of his injuries thanks to Han Kexin’s treatment.

The two hoodlums with dyed hair and earrings sat together, eyeing everyone with treacherous looks on their faces. Naturally, their eyes frequently fell on Jiang Xiaowen and Han Kexin, as well as other first-class beauties like Yunyun.

“Damn, I had no idea we’d be able to escape and survive in this disaster! But in a shitty world like this, even if we remain alive, we have to worry about our survival all day long. I don’t want to remain here even for a single day.”

“Some say good fortune will fall upon you if you survive a disaster.” The hoodlum with earrings swept his eyes over the crowd, “Look, there aren’t many people on this team, yet there are quite a few beauties around, and some of them are so attractive that even TV celebrities can’t compare. We got lucky this time, and we shouldn’t waste such an opportunity. Since we may die, why not have some fun first.”

His friend with dyed hair nodded in agreement, “The two girls with purple and pink hair, in particular, are truly out of this world. It’s strange since their hair doesn’t seem to be dyed; how could it be like this?”

The guy with earrings responded: “Be careful, though; the members of this group don’t look to be easy to deal with.”

At this time, Xiao Yu glanced sideways at the two of them. Although they were far away, he could still hear their conversation clearly, but he didn’t give this much attention. Those two hoodlums were much weaker than goblin slaves, let alone Han Kexin or Jiang Xiaowen; even Yunyun’s strength was far superior to theirs. They would be seeking their own death if they dared to try anything with the girls.

These two were your typical hooligans. They were held in the detention center due to violence. They survived the earthquake at the beginning of the disaster, and they were fortunate to survive the monsters’ onslaught. After exploring this world, they quickly got rid of their fear. However, they still had some lingering worries after escaping from death’s door, and they didn’t dare to be as brazen as they used to be; otherwise, based on their original temper, the two might not be this docile.

Ten minutes passed before Huang Jianmin returned to the crowd with a slumped Xiao Chen.

“Let’s go.”

Xiao Yu saw that everyone had recuperated, and he got up and started walking back toward the cave.

Every time they entered the woods, it became a matter of life and death for them. Even someone as powerful as Xiao Yu could not ensure that he would return to the underground cave alive. The woodland was far too large. There are numerous creatures hunting for food in the deadly forest, as well as many beasts that roam around in an erratic manner. Death will come anytime while you are here, and the longer you stay, the more dangerous it will be.

Xiao Yu originally led the crowd toward the goblin village because it was a gathering place for same-race monsters, making the surrounding environment relatively safer. Fighting here was easier since it was difficult to catch the attention of other kinds of monsters.

Furthermore, the goblins’ strength and intellect weren’t that high, making it unquestionably one of the best options for honing and improving the humans’ side strength.

Xiao Yu and Han Kexin walked in front of the team, opening up the way, while Wang Chao, Jin Shi, and Jiang Xiaowen were in charge of guarding their rear. The party moved slowly towards the underground cave, retracing the same way they came from. The lush forests felt quiet, which was surely not a good omen. Everyone was tense, although there were a few people who remained oblivious.

The hoodlum with the earrings walked for more than an hour as he gradually got used to the surrounding environment. When he saw Xiao Yu, the leader, walking far away in the front, he became more courageous and approached Jiang Xiaowen bit by bit.

“Little beauty, what’s your name? Where are you from?”

Jiang Xiaowen frowned but did not answer.

The dyed hair guy was hesitating at first, but at the sight of his companion’s actions, he walked over, not to be outdone, “You’re such a boorish guy, don’t scare the little sister. Hey, don’t be afraid, we just want to make friends. Now that it’s dangerous everywhere, knowing a few more people may help you in the long run.”

The dyed hair hoodlum’s appearance wasn’t bad. He had good skin and was once loved by several young ladies. To him, changing girlfriends felt like changing clothes.

Jiang Xiaowen was disgusted and said, “I don’t need your help, thank you.”

Dyed hair didn’t feel discouraged at all; instead, he continued with a smile: “Little sister, you are too wary. This is a different era, where we human beings are definitely doomed. We all live day by day, and maybe one day, we will also succumb to death in the end. Just think about it, many wonderful things in the world are left unenjoyed, so why not have it easy before you die, especially for a weak girl like you who will replace it hard to survive in the future, though if we become friends, we’ll try to protect you.”

Jiang Xiaowen became a little angry, “Don’t talk nonsense, Xiao Yu will undoubtedly lead us to safety, and I don’t need your protection!”

The hoodlum with the earrings laughed. “Don’t joke around.”

Jiang Xiaowen glanced at the figure at the front of the group, “He will, definitely.”

“Little sister, don’t be like this…”

When the second guy reached out to put his hand on her shoulder, a large arm gripped his wrist. In an instant, he felt as if large iron tongs were clamping him, and he nearly fainted from the pain. A giant bald-headed man standing two meters tall appeared in front of him, his forehead shining like a light bulb.

“Ah, what are you doing? Let go!”

“Hey, Jiang Xiaowen, for this kind of people, you only need to shut them up with your fists. Since you look so weak, if you don’t act at all, others will think you’re easy to bully.” Wang Chao also came over to their side, reached out, and patted stone’s back, “Stone, this guy is really treacherous; just break his flailing arms to help him remember what happened today.”

The two hooligans were taken aback. Those two were far away before, yet they came to their side in the blink of an eye. What terrifying speed!

Jin Shi nodded, “Good idea.” Then, after speaking, he suddenly exerted some force on his hand.

“aah–!”

The dyed hair guy let out a painful cry, and the sound startled everyone immediately, but at the moment of the scream, something else was alarmed, and there was a faint strange noise in the surroundings. Although weak, the sound couldn’t hide from a seasoned hunter like Xiao Yu.

He felt a sense of crisis looming almost instantly, his eyes grew blood red, and just then, he spotted a green shadow flashing by in the forest at an astonishing rate. Even his eyes could not perceive the entire thing.

That speed… was too fast!

“Danger! Everyone get down!”