Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The eastern gate was looking a little worse for wear. The battered iron door hanging loosely by its hinges had clearly seen better days.
The floor was sticky with a layer of dried blood. The evening sun cast a golden hue over an enormous 30-foot-tall duck.
An epic battle had just taken place here. The road leading up to the gates was completely ripped up and slick with a layer of blood that filled the air with a metallic tang.
Without mercy, Goldie casually trampled a couple of water monsters into a fine mince under its foot. There were a couple of huge rocks in its way. With a single kick, Goldie sent them flying miles away.
Every line and curve of its muscular stature was pristinely defined, as though it had been carved out of marble. The tattoos on its chest rippled as it breathed, like waves gleaming brightly in the midday sun.
There were more water monsters out there, but they were all looking fearfully at Goldie.
Some of them even fell trembling to their knees when Goldie caught their eye.
More and more people were showing up at the eastern gate, and the shock was slowly wearing off. They had been around the block enough, especially with the Cataclysm, to be surprised for too long.
While they weren’t exactly living by the law of the jungle yet, these people knew strength when they saw it. Goldie had that. There really were no other words to describe Goldie but “raw power.”
Goldie was surrounded by thousands of monsters, yet the more it fought, the larger it grew. Now, there wasn’t a single monster on the battlefield foolish enough to challenge it.
From a distance, Gao Peng saw a huge cloud of dust out of the corner of his eye. He could also hear the accompanying cacophony of rumbling cars and thundering familiars. Upon closer inspection, he could see a few cars heading towards them surrounded by a veritable army of familiars.
There were silver rats the size of leopards, a 30-foot-long Giant Stick Insect with spear-like forelimbs, a 23-foot-tall, two-headed, four-armed Golden Haired Giant Ape, and Bladed Grasshoppers that could clear a block in a single leap.
In the gigantic dust cloud were even more unidentified creatures…
There was a banner flying proudly in the front showing a ring in the middle of a white flag. It was the banner of the Alliance.
“It looks like the Yang Cheng military,” someone said as he craned his neck to look.
“Seems like it. Those Yang Cheng military goons sure have good timing, don’t they? Arriving just after the battle ended?” someone else said mockingly.
The cars pulled up quite a distance away from the factory. Two men got out of the car in front.
The man on the left was dressed in a garish Hawaiian T-shirt. He had a brown leather belt cinched around his waist and black combat boots on. At his hip was a dagger sheathed in a black sharkskin scabbard. His brow furrowed. “Looks like we were too late.”
“The monsters already broke through?” To his right was a slightly younger man who looked surprised. “No way. I don’t recall there being so many monsters near this new an area.”
“I’m telling you that the monsters have already been taken care of,” the man in the Hawaiian shirt said lightly. One glance at Goldie and the mountain of corpses littered around it told him all he needed to know. He waved at his partner. “We’re no longer needed here. Let’s move on to the factory next door.”
The two of them got back into the car and sped off. Their party of familiars left with them as well.
Gao Peng could see a total of five off-road vehicles. Each of them could fit around five to seven people, which meant that there were probably around 25 to 35 trainers in this squad.
As he saw them leave, Gao Peng was pensive. Maybe the Southern Sky had to form a crack combat squad like that, too. That way, the security personnel could really focus on security, and the fighting would be handled by professionals.
To carry it out would be a different beast altogether. Maybe he could promote some of the ones who had proven themselves in the battle just now.
Something didn’t feel right about the attack. Monsters didn’t just attack humans for no reason. He would have to get to the bottom of this once the dust settled.
“You’re Zheng Tiezhuang?” Gao Peng read off the tag on the man’s chest.
“Yup, that’s me,” he replied a beat later.
“Grab a few men and follow me. Bring the ones who did well in battle just now.”
He knew a good opportunity when he saw one, so he nodded his head and went about it. With a clap of his hands, he had around ten people behind him ready to go.
They were the ten best performers from before.
“Where are your familiars?” Gao Peng asked.
From the gaggle of familiars, 20 or so came hobbling out. Some were still riddled with fresh, gaping wounds. Others had already been wounded for a time; their fur was matted with dried blood, old sweat, and dusty grime all mixed together in an unsightly mess.
There was one that stood out among them. A Yellow-Toothed Direwolf was soaked in blood, some parts of its body hacked open to the bone. It was missing an eye and half a tail. There was also a very noticeable limp as it dragged its right paw awkwardly across the ground.
It wasn’t even the worst off, as one was lying dead on the floor.
Gao Peng stroked its head tenderly.
“This is a true warrior.” Gao Peng murmured softly.
“Warriors should be rewarded for their bravery. Every scar on this body is a testament of such bravery.” His voice rang clear.
“After the battle, every one of you will be rewarded and punished accordingly. ” Gao Peng swept the room with his gaze. “I’ll be fair. But… there’s a chance for those of you that screwed up before to make amends.” Gao Peng pointed at the terrified water monsters outside.
“Every monster you catch alive is worth a point. Everything will be recorded.” Gao Peng pointed at the cameras on the building and the streets.
Those that hadn’t fought earlier and those who hadn’t contributed much hesitated for a bit before leaving with their familiars.
Some of them didn’t care. They had already signed the Blood Contract, so they wanted to see Gao Peng try to fire them.
Everyone made mistakes. Gao Peng didn’t mind giving them a chance as long as they actually took it.
But for those that refused to change… Gao Peng’s eyes narrowed.
