As the people in the villa recovered from the sonic shockwave, they saw the spider woman lying dead by the window.
How did he do that?!
The official Walkers were both shocked and delighted.
The spider woman had incredible vitality and self-healing abilities. Normal attacks barely worked on her—she could only be worn down over time.
Yet their colleague had taken her down in just a few blows.
Wasn't he a rookie? How is he this strong…?
While excited, the Level 2 Walkers couldn't help but be confused.
"Good, very good!" Li Dongze shouted, clutching his shoulder and leaning on his cane, hiding near the kitchen.
"Guan Ya, go all out to support White Dragon and Muscleman. Forget about the others. Yuan Shi, coordinate with Captain Qingteng to kill that insectoid. Tang Guoqiang, hold on a bit longer!"
As expected of a Scout—already commanding things from behind the scenes.
Upstairs, White Dragon and Muscleman, and downstairs, Captain Qingteng and the others were all greatly encouraged. If they weren't so preoccupied, they'd be showering Yuan Shi Tianzun with praise.
He might be a rookie, but his combat power was legit—way more reliable than their squad leader.
Tang Guoqiang, who was tightly entwined with the serpent's tail and constricted by its body, finally let out a breath of relief and focused on wrestling the beast.
Enchanting Demon… a profession born for slaughter.
Zhang Yuanqing felt the strength fed back from the Bloodthirst Blade as it drank deep, stirring up his fighting spirit and killing intent. He immediately charged toward the insectoid.
Once the Bloodthirst Blade drinks blood, it extracts the essence and feeds it back to the wielder. The Enchanting Demon has a similar passive—it only grows stronger as the fight goes on.
Guan Ya slid past him and flashed a smile as they passed each other. "Nice job."
As they crossed paths, the experienced dominatrix swapped magazines and unleashed a barrage of bullets into the second-floor hallway, riddling the walls with craters and putting tremendous pressure on Horizontal Tyrant.
The latter glanced down but ignored the serpent. He shouted to his companion:
"Get up here!"
The official Walkers were trying to split the battlefield and pick off enemies one by one. Horizontal Tyrant had the same idea—but the spider woman died far too quickly, which threw things into chaos.
They couldn't afford to fight separately anymore.
As for why he didn't head downstairs himself—it was simple. Too many official Walkers down there. If he descended, the Fire and Water Ghosts would follow, and he'd be surrounded.
Hearing the call, the insectoid bent his reverse-jointed knees and sprang up, shattering the floor tiles beneath him. His tall body shot forward like a speeding car and crashed into the voluptuous woman in a qipao.
Zhang Yuanqing, who had been rushing in, quickly sheathed his blade and spread his arms to catch the airborne beauty.
But he underestimated the force. Their bodies collided with a loud smack and rolled until they crashed beneath the TV stand. Zhang Yuanqing could almost hear the crack of his own bones—his heart skipped a beat.
The insectoid leaped again, its carapace wings spreading mid-air. Thin as cicada wings, their furious buzzing stirred a violent gale.
In Zhang Yuanqing's arms, Captain Qingteng summoned a vine from the air and lashed it out.
The brown vine shot forward and wrapped around the insectoid's ankle, hanging him mid-air like a kite.
Is a Wood Nymph really this strong?
Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but glance at the ageless woman. During the collision, one of her buttons had popped open. Her collar tilted slightly, revealing lacy black lingerie lifting pale, creamy curves—an intense visual impact.
Captain Qingteng, your collar's open…
Zhang Yuanqing reminded her silently and averted his gaze. He was still a kid. No peeking at indecent sights.
"Burn his wings!" she shouted.
Still leaning against him, Qingteng pulled tight on the vine, straining her arms to keep the insectoid suspended.
The two Firemasters inhaled deeply in response.
But just then, the insectoid's groin hissed—pfft pfft—releasing a dark yellow gas that engulfed the Firemasters.
The two muscle-bound men stiffened instantly, then collapsed like drunken men, foaming at the mouth.
Even from a distance, Zhang Yuanqing caught a sharp acidic stench that numbed his tongue. He quickly held his breath. Fortunately, the pill he had been sucking on earlier activated, rapidly neutralizing the mild toxin.
The insectoid struggled in the air, but the vine held firm—until he looked down and remembered something.
A second later, everything below his knees turned to flowing water.
The vine couldn't bind water. He slipped free and fell.
Due to inertia, Captain Qingteng crashed into Zhang Yuanqing's arms again. Her face paled. "Damn…"
Suddenly, just as the insectoid prepared to rush to the second floor to assist Horizontal Tyrant, he began dodging mid-air as if fighting an invisible foe.
Qingteng whipped around—Zhang Yuanqing's eyes were flooded with thick, black fluid.
Illusion magic!
She understood instantly.
Without hesitation, Qingteng whipped her vine again, entangling the insectoid's ankle.
Instinctively, the insectoid dissolved everything above the knee again, trying to escape.
"Now!" Qingteng shouted.
The two Earth Monsters dropped to one knee and slammed their palms into the floor. Cracks spread, and a wave of mud surged through the tiles, swallowing the insectoid.
Earth Subjugates Water.
The insectoid dropped from the air, his legs missing below the knees. A murky puddle of muddy water writhed nearby, trying to rejoin his body—but the mud prevented reintegration.
Seizing the moment, Qingteng twisted her waist and launched herself forward, landing with both knees atop the insectoid.
Two Earth Monsters and two Wood Nymphs pounced in unison, pinning the insectoid's limbs.
Qingteng pulled back her right fist, chest thrust forward, upper body tight as a drawn bow—and slammed her fist down.
Like a drunk man beating a tiger.
Boom boom boom…
Fist after brutal fist crushed the insectoid's skull into pulp. Brains, blood, and a stinking green fluid sprayed across the floor.
Another one down. Victory is ours...
Zhang Yuanqing felt elated.
The enemy had lost two monsters, while the officials only lost a Level 3 Scout and two Firemasters. Unless something went terribly wrong, the tide had clearly turned in their favor.
It was a close battle, but not dire. He wouldn't even need to use his trump card.
Just then, a shadow shot across his field of vision and crashed into Qingteng's curvy frame like a cannonball.
It was Tang Guoqiang, still wearing his miner's helmet. The two were sent flying, smashing furniture as they went.
"Pfft…"
Qingteng coughed up a huge mouthful of blood, her face pale.
What the hell? Did the foreman finally lose to the serpent?
Just as the thought crossed Zhang Yuanqing's mind, his throat itched. He broke into a coughing fit, and his limbs grew sore and weak—like he'd just run a marathon.
His legs buckled, and he collapsed, completely baffled.
Then he heard Guan Ya let out a soft moan, slumping down against a pillar.
Almost simultaneously, Li Dongze in the kitchen, the elite members near the insectoid's corpse, and the injured Tang Guoqiang and Qingteng—everyone started coughing and growing limp.
Even the serpent that had thrown Tang Guoqiang—its tail now hung limp over the second-floor railing.
"We've been poisoned… cough cough…"
Captain Qingteng's face turned pale.
Poisoned? When did that happen? Zhang Yuanqing's heart sank. Until now, he hadn't sensed anything unusual in his body. As a Night Wanderer with immense vitality, he would've noticed any intrusion of toxins immediately.
Moreover, the dryads from the Hundred Flowers Association possessed abilities in the domain of life itself—they should be the most sensitive to poisons.
Yet none of the three dryads, including Captain Qingteng, had detected anything out of the ordinary.
Crack!
The second-floor railing snapped. Bailong, dressed in a racing suit, plummeted down along with her black longsword.
Immediately afterward, a ball of flame drifted down and rapidly expanded into a staggering figure clutching his abdomen—it was Big Muscle Bro.
A horrifying, gaping wound pierced through his stomach, and blood poured out uncontrollably. His burly body was marked with deep, bloody claw wounds.
Both captains looked drained, their limbs trembling, weak and unresponsive.
A towering shadow leapt down from the second floor, shaking the ground upon landing.
It was Hengxing Wújì. His scales were chipped and bleeding, but he still charged straight at Big Muscle Bro.
Crack! With a burst of strength from his knees, he leapt up, delivering a vicious rising kick like an upward-slashing blade.
If this hit landed, the Level 3 Fire User's jaw would explode like a watermelon.
In a desperate move, Qingteng, though barely conscious, flicked her wrist, and a vine coiled around Tang Guoqiang's ankle, yanking him with a whoosh in front of Hengxing Wújì.
The kick was redirected into a whip-like strike.
Boom! Tang Guoqiang flew off like a football.
Apparently, Hengxing Wújì had held a grudge from the earlier fight. He ignored Tang Guoqiang completely, lunging again toward Big Muscle Bro with fists that sliced through the air, intent on delivering the killing blow.
The squad leaders' faces twisted in horror. They could only watch helplessly as their comrade faced death.
Just then, Zhang Yuanqing, whose recovery ability was astonishing, managed to summon a burst of strength. Staggering forward, he caught the airborne Tang Guoqiang and used him as a human shield, planting himself in front of Big Muscle Bro.
Boom boom boom! Hengxing Wújì's fists rained down on Tang Guoqiang.
Zhang Yuanqing held up the "shield" while stumbling backward from the force.
"You… you're going too far…" Tang Guoqiang coughed blood as he spoke.
His thick skin kept him alive, but the experience was undeniably horrible.
Zhang Yuanqing muttered, "It's an emergency defense tactic."
No sooner had he spoken than a sweeping whip kick sent both him and Tang Guoqiang flying.
"Last-ditch resistance," Hengxing Wújì sneered, his amber vertical pupils sweeping over the exhausted official Walkers. He opened his hideous maw and uttered human words with a twisted grin:
"I never said those three idiots were my trump card. Do you really think they could defeat fifteen official Walkers? Even modified, they wouldn't stand a chance.
"Haha! They were nothing but bait, a smokescreen to distract you. My real killing move is a secret item—one that emits a colorless, odorless poison. Even Saint-level Walkers are affected by it.
"Of course, it has its limitations. It needs a sealed environment and sufficient time. Like I said—this is a slaughter feast prepared just for you. Do you like it?"
Captain Qingteng, Bailong, and the others looked even paler.
From the moment they stepped into the villa, they had walked right into a carefully laid trap.
The Level 2 Walkers looked at each other in despair.
Hengxing Wújì turned his gaze to Zhang Yuanqing, his eyes resting on the Bloodthirst Blade at his waist. He clicked his tongue and said:
"Isn't that Ou Xiangrong's item? Heh, I've wanted it for a long time. Thought I'd never get the chance after his death, but here you are—bringing it to me."
Then he looked toward Tang Guoqiang's miner helmet, Bailong's black longsword, Guan Ya's pistol, Qingteng's vines, and Li Dongze's staff...
"What a harvest. Boss was right—killing and looting is the fastest path to riches. As a thank-you gift for your contributions, I'll give you a quick death. You three don't have to die."
His amber pupils locked on Guan Ya, Qingteng, and Bailong. His gaze roamed their bodies, lingering on every curve. The evil Gu Master made no effort to hide his perverse desire and chuckled:
"I'll remodel your bodies, strip away your minds, and turn you into bitches begging with your asses up."
Captain Qingteng's expression shifted. If that were to happen, she'd rather die.
"Pah!" Bailong spat a mouthful of blood and sneered. "If that day comes, I'll make sure to bite off your dick first."
Hearing Hengxing Wújì's words, Guan Ya, who had shown little fear of death up to now, shivered. A deep wave of nausea and dread surged in her chest.
Suddenly, she turned to Zhang Yuanqing, a sliver of hope in her beautiful eyes.
She knew he had a rule-based item.
He still had a trump card left. If anyone here could turn the tide, it was him.
Evil professions… most of them deserve to die a hundred times over. Zhang Yuanqing curled his lips into a grim smile and met Guan Ya's gaze. Forcing his weak limbs to move, he stood up and summoned the red bridal veil from his inventory.
After weighing all options, he realized only the Ghost Bride could take this bastard out in one move.
He hadn't wanted to reveal this card so early—but now that the time had come, he wouldn't hesitate.
"Hm?" Hengxing Wújì had been arrogantly talking, but never dropped his guard. He immediately noticed the movement and looked toward Zhang Yuanqing.
His eyes locked onto the red bridal veil embroidered with golden thread.
The reaction drew attention from the other squad leaders as well. They all turned to look at Zhang Yuanqing—then stared at the veil in his hands with mixed confusion and anticipation.
What is that? Does he still have something up his sleeve? Qingteng, Bailong, and Big Muscle Bro were bewildered yet hopeful.
Li Dongze and Guan Ya, however, looked startled—and disappointed. This wasn't what they had expected.
Zhang Yuanqing met Hengxing Wújì's gaze and flashed a strange smile.
"Wanna know what it feels like to be a groom?"
His Elvis-style speaker hissed to life with static, then blasted a chilling suona melody:
♪ "She laughed while crying, can you guess why she laughed while crying… Crying… Do you see how she cried while laughing…" ♪
The piercing, eerie suona music echoed in the air.
Whoosh! He flicked open the red bridal veil and, under everyone's stunned gaze, pulled it over his head.