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novel-reader · 3 years

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71-80

71 Earning money faster than a money printer After the night, dawn. Luo Feng stood on the balcony of the 12th floor. The winter chill of the morning touched his face, startling Luo Feng's spirit. "It's around 5 or 6 degrees below 0 today" laughed Gao Feng. "It is a bit cold". Luo Feng looked down from the balcony and saw a monster hunting for prey, "But right in the morning, there are already quite a bit of monsters in the area! Look, there are around 12 monsters in my field of vision, and three of them are commander level! Hmhm, #003 city is indeed the camp of the monsters". Gao Feng laughed. Indeed, in a regular city, a commander usually leads around a few hundred regular monsters; they have lots of authority! And in the city that Luo Feng stayed in to train his blade technique, a commander level monster had around a few hundred to even a few thousand monsters under its control! In a city, the fewer the commanders, the more monsters each one can lead! But in #003 city, even in the outskirts, a commander level monster only has around two to three soldiers with it. Sometimes they have none, becoming a leader without any followers. "These are all weaker commanders, they don't have many followers! As for the stronger commanders and even horde leaders, they'll have tens of thousands of followers!" Gao Feng turned his head to look at the others, "Everyone, wake up, let's go hunt the monsters below!". "Let's go brothers, let's earn some money" Chen Gu couldn't help but to laugh as he said. "This #003 city is full of opportunity! Commanders are everywhere!" the eyes of Wei Qing and Wei Tie flashed. #003 city is dangerous! But chances exist together with danger. There are many powerful monsters here, and if you don't have enough skill, you'll easily die. Even if you're powerful, once you get surrounded by a horde, you're also finished..... however! The commanders here don't have many followers, so it's much easier to hunt these commanders! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Luo Feng was in front of the staircase, and after using his spiritual force to scan the corners, waved his hand: "No problem, no monsters in a 20 meter radius". Monsters usually lie in ambush from the corners! And Luo Feng's spiritual force is the best detector. "Being with a spirit reader is fantastic" smiled Chen Gu. "Everyone watch yourselves, don't make a sound. Monsters ears' are very sensitive" Gao Feng glared at Chen Gu, and Chen Gu immediately shut up. Luo Feng was leading while Gao Feng was in the back. Wei Tie and Wei Qing were on the two sides, and Chen Gu was in the middle! "Hm?" Luo Feng's gaze landed on a three horned boars around 100 meters away. One of the horned boars was extremely large and its horn was black. Unlike the usual gray fur, its needle-like fur was black. All of this pointed to its identity--Low level commander! "It's that" Luo Feng said quietly, "I'll take care of that horned boar ahead. Everyone watch the surroundings". Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Luo Feng charged ahead while the four in the back naturally spread out according to the formation. They were watching for other commander monsters, or if there were other human fighters trying to interfere. "HOWL~~" the commander level horned boar saw the human Luo Feng rushing alone and immediately howled. Its speed shot to 100 m/s, which is around 360 km/h. And that horned boar was charging straight at Luo Feng! With its body size, the force of impact would be enough to even smash open a truck. Luo Feng held his ghost blade and kept his regular speed of around 60 to 70 m/s. The two met! Luo Feng's speed instantly rose, and with a step, he accurately dodged to the centimeter. Meanwhile, Luo Feng's blade was drawing up! As the blade went, it increased in speed twice, making the blade blurry! It became a blinding light! The cold light of the blade was like a thunderbolt, and it drew across the neck of the horned boar. The light of the blade was like a mist from a dream, and instantly dispersed! Blade technique--Thunderbolt! First success! PUCHI! PUCHI! The two seemingly simple slashes from Luo Feng's ghost blade instantly slashed across the necks of the other two soldier level horned boars. "RUMBLE~~" the commander level horned boar who lost its life continued to sprint for around 10 more meters before falling to the ground with a rumble. It slid on the ground for a few dozen meters before smashing into a large, tough tree that has been growing on the side for dozens of years, causing the entire tree to shake a bit before stopping. "Hmhm, nice job, destroying a commander level monster with just blade technique alone" Chen Gu and the others huddled around. "You've improved quite a bit" Gao Feng was also happy, and he was already heading over to dissect the corpse of the monster. "My technique, along with my blade technique and bountiful experience, made killing a low level commander so easy" Luo Feng was amazed inside. Since he killed over 10,000 monsters, Luo Feng was able to remain perfectly calm when dealing with these monsters, enabling him to use his blade technique and technique to their maximum. Using the smallest amount of strength to instantly get rid of the opponent! "Alright, dissection complete" Gao Feng let out a smile, "Let's see, we can hunt quite a bit of commander level monsters today". "Go, to the next one" Luo Feng also let out a smile. Everyone in the fire hammer squad were in high spirits. In #003 city, even though they knew that they were going to be able to hunt many monsters, once they actually started fighting, Luo Feng realized..... Holy shit. They weren't killing monsters. They were basically printing money! Even a money printer wouldn't be able to make as much money as Luo Feng and the others were making right now! The materials of a low level commander are worth around 5 million ~ 15 million. The materials of a medium level commander are worth around 10 million ~ 100 million. The materials of a high level commander are worth around 50 million ~ 600 to 700 million. Of course, there are some exceptions, like some extremely rare monster, or some high level commander that's approaching the horde leader level. Naturally, the prices for their materials will be higher. But most of the monsters fit the price range above. The fire hammer squad killed around 10 commanders a day! Of course, most of them were low level commanders! The amount of money they made was simply shocking! After fighting for 10 days, Luo Feng and the others killed 92 low level commanders and 3 medium level commanders. The estimated price for them is probably a billion! Since they fought hard for 10 days, Luo Feng and the others were quite tired, so they took a good day to rest. After that, they kept hunting monsters and oh..... it's just that the monsters in the area have clearly decreased by a significant amount. The 15th day. On the 12th floor of the 18 story apartment building, Luo Feng and the others were resting. "Captain, we rarely see any low level commanders near this area anymore" said Chen Gu hopelessly. "It can't be helped. We've been killing quite cruelly recently" laughed Gao Feng, "But no need to rush, monsters come in groups..... According to my estimations, the amount of monsters here will start increasing within 10 days! All we have to do is quietly defend here, since we're familiar with the area". Luo Feng also nodded. Even though this area was big, Luo Feng and the others memorized it completely these past few days. "Looks like #003 city is still the best for making money" Wei Tie couldn't help but to be amazed. Even though Luo Feng and Gao Feng mainly did all the work, Wei Tie, Wei Qing, and Chen Gu still benefit greatly. After dividing the money, each of them will get over 100 million! Before, in the small cities, commanders were rare. Wei Qing and Wei Tie probably couldn't earn 100 million in a year. But now they passed that amount in just 15 days. Of course-- The bigger the gain, the bigger the risks! In these past few days, Luo Feng and the others also encountered an assault from a flying monster. Thankfully, they hid in the house and relied on Luo Feng's throwing knives to scare them away. "Tons of money? It's not a lot at all" laughed Gao Feng, "It's normal for a spirit reader to earn billions a year. The only reason we're able to stay here is mainly thanks to Luo Feng". "Haha" Chen Gu, Wei Qing, and Wei Tie couldn't help but to start laughing. "Captain, don't say that. It's because of your help that killing these monsters became that much easier". Luo Feng was telling the truth when he said that. It's impossible for one person to pay attention to all of his surroundings. Some squads have three members responsible for keeping watch and to remove potential dangers. And only with the help of an 'intermediate warlord' like Gao Feng will Luo Feng's efficiency be high. Luo Feng and the others talked in a relaxed manner, but their voices weren't raised high. "Hm?" Chen Gu looked down through the laser aimer of his heavy sniper rifle and suddenly said, "****, a big one's here!". "What?" Luo Feng and the others basically immediately came over and looked through their binoculars. Luo Feng looked carefully..... In a apartment building faraway, the corners were filled with vines and moss. And in these vines was a gigantic snake that was 20 meters long and as thick as a person's waist. The snake's body had black stripes and the closer they got to its head, the thicker they became. The very end of the gigantic snake split into two triangular snake heads, and both of these heads had a bulge on their foreheads. "****, is this the snake type monster, 'black striped', that has lethal poison?" cursed Gao Feng under his voice, "And this is even a mutated snake type monster, 'twin headed black striped snake'. And it's almost growing a horn and becoming a dragon". Luo Feng also took in a deep breath. A mutated black striped snake that's almost a dragon? This thing shouldn't be messed with! 72 Twin Headed Black Striped Snake "A black striped snake that's about to become a dragon; it's surely a high level commander and nearing the horde leader level!" Gao Feng's expression was extremely serious, and he said in a small voice, "And since it's a mutated twin headed black striped snake, its venom is many times more powerful than a regular black striped snake! It also has two venom sacs, and each of those venom sacs are worth double the amount of a non-mutated black striped snake". "In other words--" "This twin headed black striped snake is worth the same amount as four black striped snakes of the same level! A black striped snake that's about to become a dragon is worth around 400 million, so this twin headed black striped snake is worth 1.6 billion! The price is comparable to a regular low level horde leader monster" after Gao Feng said these numbers, the heart rate of the others started increasing rapidly...... they have killed hundreds of commander level monsters over the past few days. But all of that is not even close to the amount of money that the twin headed black striped snake is worth! Obviously, killing stronger monsters earns money at a higher rate. "Of course, this twin headed black striped snake is extremely dangerous, once you get bit by it or get poisoned by it in any way, it's certain death!" Gao Feng said lowly, "And it has two brains, so both heads can attack the enemy together". "Are we doing this?" Gao Feng looked towards the other members of the squad and finally laid his eyes on Luo Feng. Everyone was silent as they looked at Luo Feng. Luo Feng was the one to make the decision! A twin headed black striped snake would make them tons of money! But at the same time, it's extremely dangerous! "I'm in!" Luo Feng clenched his teeth, "Captain, what about you?". With his spiritual force, his dodging would be unpredictable! "Luo Feng, help me a bit if there's trouble" Gao Feng clenched his teeth, "Fighters are supposed to walk on the border of life and death. Wei Tie, give me your shield". "Here, captain". Wei Tie had no hesitation as he gave his shield to Gao Feng. And Gao Feng put one of his hammers on the ground. He had a shield in his left hand and a hammer in his right. He laughed at himself: "After all this time, I still rarely use a shield in combat. However, this twin headed black striped snake is just too dangerous. If I don't use a shield, I'll actually be quite scared". "Captain, I'll attack from afar and you attack up close" said Luo Feng quietly, "If something happens, I'll use my spiritual force on your shield or hammer and you can use that force to dodge away". "Understood" Gao Feng nodded. Luo Feng looked at the other three and said: "I'll go down with the captain, you guys stay here. Oh yea, brother Chen, aim with your sniper rifle...... and make sure nobody tries to take advantage of us and steal the kill!". "No worries, I'll keep aiming below" laughed Chen Gu slightly, "If you want me to fire, just notify me directly". "Okay" Through the tactical communications watch, members of a squad can keep in touch any time. "Captain, let's go". Luo Feng and Gao Feng speeded down the stairs. Against a monster of this level, Chen Gu and the others could do nothing to help. Luo Feng and Gao Feng reached the ground and, using their memory, went along a ruined, stony path towards the location of the twin headed black striped snake. "BOOM!" "HISS~" the ear piercing hiss of the snake carried over from far away. Luo Feng and Gao Feng exchanged glances, and the tactical communications watch slightly vibrated at the same time. Luo Feng lowered his head to look, and a line of words appeared on the tactical communications watch--"three people suddenly appeared and are currently in an intense battle with the twin headed black striped snake". Gao Feng also received the news and said quietly: "Didn't think that some other group would get to it first. However, let's go take a look". "Let's go" Luo Feng also nodded. The two of them rapidly got close and quickly arrived at the corner of a residential apartment. Past the corner, Luo Feng caught a glimpse of the three men currently fighting against the twin headed black striped snake around a few dozen meters away. The three men looked like they were from Western or Southern Asia. Their hair was slightly curly and their skin color was slightly dark. The bald man who seemed to be the leader of these three men held a dark, golden bo staff around three meters long. The staff in his hand was like a swimming dragon. Every time the triangular head of the twin headed black striped snake hissed as it flew over to him, the bo staff would always be quick enough to smash the snake. Even if it couldn't smash the head, it would still smash the body of the twin headed black striped snake. Sometimes, the 'point' on the head of the bo staff would connect, causing the twin headed black striped snake to hiss in rage! As for the other two, they both held a rectangular shield in one hand and a gigantic scimitar in the other. These two were close together and attacked as a team: their coordination was amazing. "PENG!" The rusty fitness machines that filled the sector from long ago were all smashed open by the swinging tail of the twin headed black striped snake, and the bald brute also retreated rapidly. The bo staff turned and formed a whirlwind that blocked all of the scrap metal, and the master of the staff retreated rapidly. "Great bo staff technique" Gao Feng couldn't help but to say quietly, "This bald guy is probably an advanced level warlord. The other two are probably medium level warlords". Luo Feng nodded. This brute dared to go head to head with the twin headed black striped snake, so it's easy to tell that he's strong. "SI SI~~" The twin headed black striped snake was enraged, and the cold eyes of the two gigantic snake heads were enough to send chills down your spine. It repeatedly widely opened its mouth as it attacked. Under the attack of the twin headed black striped snake, the three of them retreated rapidly and started to exchange words. After hearing the conversation between the three, Luo Feng and Gao Feng instantly determined--Indians! After the battle, one of the heads of the twin headed black striped snake was bleeding. It was smashed by the bo staff of the bald brute! However, this wound was clearly not fatal. WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! The three Indians swiftly headed towards the direction of Luo Feng and Gao Feng. "Feel free to fight it if you can" the bald brute squeezed out some chinese. At this time, the twin headed black snake was hissing as it charged over. Luo Feng and Gao Feng laughed coldly and didn't say much, and then swiftly dodged to the side. They weren't stupid enough to charge directly at a twin headed black striped snake. The leader of the three Indians, the bald brute, couldn't help but to curse under his voice and then shot his three meter long bo staff at the twin headed black striped snake. "Now is the time" Luo Feng already grabbed his black throwing knife as he dodged, and this was a 9th series throwing knife! He threw it with lightning speed! The throwing knife formed a cold light as it shot towards the left head of the twin headed black striped snake. As an existence that is almost a dragon, the twin headed black striped snake is extremely intelligent. It saw that the insignificant human threw a throwing knife, so its left head swiftly waved. The brain of a snake has always worked extremely quickly! The left head of the twin headed black striped snake instantly became blurred. "Its intellect was used against itself" laughed Luo Feng coldly, "Change!" He purposefully threw his throwing knife to make the wiseacre twin headed black striped snake to think he used hidden weapons. Using common sense, throwing knives can't change direction in the air. Sadly..... Luo Feng wasn't some hidden weapons expert, but was tens to hundreds of times stronger than a hidden weapons expert. When there was just barely a meter left between the throwing knife and the twin headed black striped snake, the knife slightly changed direction. Just this slight change caused the knife to charge towards one of the eyes of the twin headed black striped snake's left head. "HISS~" the twin headed black striped snake hissed out of rage, and in that short moment, actually made an dodging movement with its left head! Know that, Luo Feng's throwing knife was already going at a few times faster than the speed of sound, even faster than a sniper bullet! A distance of one meter and a speed several times the speed of sound, not even a thousandth of a second! And since the throwing knife was moving so quickly, even Luo Feng couldn't be sure that he changed it at 1 meter or 1.5 meters. Since the throwing knife was so fast, a slight delay means that the knife could've moved forward by 10 meters already. Even if he reacts quickly, in that short moment, Luo Feng can only change the knife's direction once! And in just that short moment, not only did the twin headed black striped snake react, but it also dodged! Of course, since it was such a short moment, the twin headed black striped snake dodged under extreme circumstances. "PU!" the throwing knife shot at the mouth of the twin headed black striped snake and drew out a gap, and grazed the twin headed black striped snake's scales. CHI CHI~~ It only left a white mark, and the throwing knife directly reflected into the ground. "Such horrifying defense" Luo Feng was startled, "Such amazing dodging capabilities. It changed direction in such a short distance, and this twin headed black striped snake was still able to dodge? This is going to be a problem!" Luo Feng knew that getting rid of this twin headed black striped snake by himself would be extremely difficult. "Hiss~" the two heads of the twin headed black striped snake both turned towards Luo Feng. Its left head had a huge gap in its mouth, and a deep, green colored blood flowed out continuously. The bald brute who wielded the long bo staff laughed loudly, and as he retreated, he yelled in his awkward chinese, "Team up, split half?". His gaze was on Luo Feng. Luo Feng and Gao Feng exchanged glances. "Alright" said Luo Feng. "OK!" Gao Feng even purposefully made a gesture. The three Indians and Luo Feng and Gao Feng, both groups instantly made their decision to cooperate. The bald brute's strength earned Luo Feng and Gao Feng's recognition while Luo Feng's throwing knives earned the three Indian's recognition! Only with strength can you earn others' attention and respect! And outside of Wan-Ke dream city was a fighter squad of nine that was currently slowly heading forward. In this squad of nine were the members of the tiger fang squad. "Hm? That's the sound of a snake, and an extremely powerful one at that". Out of the nine, a veteran whose hair was white spoke. 73 A steal In Wan-Ke dream city's ruined, barren land was a sound of rumbling. A snake as thick as a person's waist charged like lightning towards the two scimitar-wielding Indians. The two Indians leaped with a 'WHOOSH' five or six meters high and grabbed the window railing of an apartment building. The snake's tail then cruelly smashed into a tree on the side. From around five or six meters up the tree was a 'KACHA' sound as it directly split open and rumbled as it fell. "Haha, trying to kill me?" at this time, Luo Feng was sprinting quickly with a shield in one hand. The two heads of the twin headed black striped snake were crazily chasing after Luo Feng! Whoosh! Whoosh! He swung his arm and two throwing knives came out. It seemed like Luo Feng used his arm to throw them, but actually, the throwing knives were completely controlled by spiritual force right when they were thrown, causing the two throwing knives to accelerate to an amazing speed. An eye would barely be able to see two blurred, cold lights headed towards the twin headed black striped snake! "HISS~~" the twin headed black striped snake roared as it tried to dodge. "Change!" Luo Feng's gaze was cold. The two throwing knives slightly changed direction, but not by a large amount. Since the throwing knives were way faster than bullets fired from a sniper rifle, the others couldn't even tell that the throwing knives changed direction. "PUCHI!" "CHI!" One of the two throwing knives grazed the left head of the snake as it flew by, but the other throwing knife hit the left head. Ever since they started fighting, Luo Feng already let out six throwing knives, and all six of these throwing knives were attacking the snake's left head. At this time, the snake's left head was covered with fresh blood, and its wounds were shocking. "Hu!" Luo Feng's body was extremely light, and his sprinting speed was startling. The bo staff-wielding leader of the Indian group made an excited shout and chased the snake, as if it was a running dog, while it was chasing after Luo Feng. One hit after another, he fiercely shot his staff towards the twin headed black striped snake's right head. The twin headed black striped snake didn't dare to use its head to block the alloyed staff, so it could only dodge. Know that, even though this staff doesn't seem powerful and isn't sharp like a spear... Once it makes contact, all of its power will be focused on the tip. The area of the tip isn't large, so that small tip is like a blunt weapon! "Come on Indian, keep at it!" howled Gao Feng. The other two large scimitar and shield wielding Indian fighters, with Gao Feng, closely attacked the body of the twin headed black striped snake. First, doing this prevented the twin headed black striped snake from using its tail to attack Luo Feng and the Indian leader. Second, they also wanted to attack this giant snake at around 7 inches! The snake's weak point is at 7 inches. Of course 7 inches is an abstract number; the main point is to attack its vital organs.* TL note: Refer to the end for more information. Even though the snake was confident in its defense, it still didn't want to let Gao Feng and the other two aim for its vitals. So the snake retracted its tail and wrapped it..... as it tried to think of a way to deal with Gao Feng and the other two. "Whoosh!" The shield in Luo Feng's left hand was affected by spiritual force and, after Luo Feng exerted force in his foot, he intensely flew straight towards captain Gao Feng's position. When he was near Gao Feng, Luo Feng whispered: "Captain, when you get near the snake to attack, use your hammer and smash right towards this snake's left head!". "Hehe, understood" Gao Feng immediately understood what Luo Feng meant. Luo Feng's movements on the battlefield were strange and erratic. He never got close to the snake; he just relied on his amazing speed to hover around the battlefield. "YA!" The Indian leader suddenly shouted and his face reddened; the blood in his body was pumping to its limit. For a moment, his body looked like a legendary buddhist arhat. The bo staff in his body rapidly and ferociously increased in speed and, as if he was throwing away his life, he charged straight towards the twin headed black striped snake. The speed of the bo staff reached its limit and, in a blink of an eye, dozens of shadows were smashing towards the snake! BANG! BANG! Two of the dozens of shadows smashed directly into the snake's right head. The right head of the gigantic snake couldn't help but to shake, as if it was going to faint. With a rumble, the snake's right head directly fell onto the ground. "HISS~" the left head of the twin headed black striped snake immediately let out a horrifying growl and its large, soft body suddenly moved. It actually shot up and speedily ran in a wavy motion. "Hurry!" the Indian leader, the bald brute, quickly roared. Gao Feng, who always stuck close to the twin headed black striped snake, roared: "Die!". He used all of the power in his body to ferociously swing the heavy hammer in his hand. The heavy hammer was like an artillery shell as it cruelly smashed towards the left head of the twin headed black striped snake. The left head of the twin headed black striped snake immediately dodged away. Luo Feng, who wasn't too far away, saw this and concentrated all of his spiritual force on the heavy hammer, instantly accelerating it by a huge margin! "PENG!" The twin headed black striped snake instantly dodged away. But even though the heavy hammer didn't directly hit its head, it still hit the neck! With Gao Feng's extreme power and Luo Feng's spiritual force as support, the force of impact of this hammer was unrivaled. The left head of the twin headed black striped snake also couldn't help but to fall to the ground with a dizzy motion. But right when it regained consciousness and was going to raise its head back up! Luo Feng let out a smile! "PUCHI!" a black knife instantly came out of the ground, went along the face of the left head of the snake, and directly shot into the head! The left head didn't rise up again. "PU!" The alloyed bo staff of the bald brute Indian leader shot like lightning towards the eye of the right head, destroyed it, and then pierced the right head of the twin headed black striped snake! The twin headed black stripe snake already lost its life, but its gigantic body was still twisting around unconsciously. The movements slowed down and then it never moved again! "Haha!" The Indian leader couldn't help but to laugh loudly. "Beautiful" Gao Feng was also happy as he went to pick up his hammer. Luo Feng was also smiling as he went to pick up his throwing knives. From beginning to end, the Indians probably never realized that their weapons were being controlled by spiritual force! Especially the last hit. Only until the head of the twin headed black striped snake fell on the ground did Luo Feng's throwing knife come out of the ground to pierce its head. "Friend" the bald brute smiled towards Luo Feng and Gao Feng and made a greeting, "Good!*" TL note: He said "good" in english. "You aren't so bad either" laughed Luo Feng as he said. He could tell that the Indian staked his life on his final move. Even now, the bald brute's face was completely flushed and his veins were still bursting. "You guys get half, we get half!" spoke the bald brute. Luo Feng pointed at the left head of the snake and slightly smiled: "The scales are half half too". Both sides felt each other's strength. Whether Luo Feng's squad or the Indian squad, both probably have heated weapons aiming from a hidden area. That, and both parties are powerful. So both of them were in a good mood. Luo Feng and Gao Feng started dissecting the left head of the twin headed black striped snake! And the Indians dissected the right head. "Luo Feng, that blade was cruel" whispered Gao Feng. Luo Feng laughed as he took out the black throwing knife from the head of the snake after dissecting it. It was indeed that strike that killed the left head. Suddenly-- "Hm?" Luo Feng and Gao Feng quickly turned over to look, and the faces of the three members of the Indian squad also changed as they looked. Nine human fighters from not too far away started walking towards them; most of them were yellow. When these nine people came and saw the gigantic snake in front of them, they instantly determined the price of it--a few billion dollars. With such a huge amount of wealth, quite a few people would show their inner greed. "Please go away!" the bald brute leader of the Indian group squeezed out some chinese. "Who would've thought that we'd meet the tiger fang squad here too. You sure linger around us" Gao Feng's gaze scanned across the group in front of him. Luo Feng looked silently. Out of the nine people in front of them, other than the six members of the tiger fang squad, there was an old veteran, a huge white brute, and a mixed youth. "Haha, Gao Feng, you guys actually teamed up with Indians. Hmhm..... but for you guys to kill this twin headed black striped snake, how rare" the captain of the tiger fang squad laughed coldly, "If you're wise, you'd hurry up and **** off. If so, our thunderbolt squad might spare your lives, or else..... hmhm, don't blame us. Oh, senior Liu here is the captain of our thunderbolt squad. Mr. Ka Long here is our vice captain". Senior Liu was that old veteran, and Ka Long was that white brute. Luo Feng's gaze was cold. "This is my first time here in #003 city, this prey is mine. You guys can leave" said the mixed youth as he smiled. The old veteran and the white brute stood on the two sides of the mixed youth as they scanned Luo Feng's group. "Whoever dares to steal my prey..... dies!" said the bald brute leader of the Indian group. The two scimitar wielding Indians beside him were also displaying their killing intent. Do you think killing this twin headed black striped snake was easy? First of all, this valuable, mutated monster was already rare in the first place, and the battle was bitter too. Gao Feng also held his twin hammers with a fearsome gaze. "If you want to steal it, then come" Luo Feng stepped on the head of the snake and gave out a cold laugh as he looked at the group in front of him, "If we can kill this twin headed black striped snake, then your group..... oh yea, our brother's sniper rifle is aimed right at your group!" "Our sniper rifle is also aimed at you!" said one of the scimitar wielding men of the Indian group coldly. "Sniper?" Quite a few of the nine couldn't help but to raise their heads to the surrounding residential apartments, but not even a shadow could be seen in these ruined buildings. But because they couldn't see them, they became even more afraid. The tiger fang squad was clear: the fire hammer squad had Chen Gu as their sniper. And would the Indian group not bring their own professional snipers too? ---- TL note (for the 7 inches part): Okay, for those interested/want more information, this is actually a saying: ߴߴ (if you want to attack a snake, attack at 7 inches). I heard there are variations like 3 inches too, but there are two meanings for this saying. First, don't attack a snake if it isn't at least 7 inches long. Next, 7 inches is the best spot to attack a snake. Refer to the photos below (although I'm not sure if these photos are exactly correct. I'm sure that it varies for different types of snakes). 74 Solo Usually, a heavy sniper rifle can barely threaten a 'low level commander level' monster. But monsters are different from humans. Humans are powerful, but the defense of their skin and muscle is much lower than the defense of the monsters' fur and scales. This is also why human fighters have to wear battle uniforms! If an intermediate level warlord fighter gets shot, even if he doesn't die, he would still suffer a heavy wound. However, a sniper rifle is much less threatening to an advanced level warlord level fighter, and as for a wargod? A sniper rifle can't even threaten a wargod at all. "It looks like the old veteran and the white brute are protecting the mixed youth, so he's the most important member of the squad" Luo Feng's gaze scanned across the thunderbolt squad. Some of the members of the thunderbolt squad were raised towards the residential apartments, searching for the snipers' locations. And some of them exchanged glances. Silence. Luo Feng, Gao Feng, the Indians, and the thunderbolt squad were all silent for a bit. "Senior Liu" the tiger fang captain looked towards the indifferent, balding veteran. This balding veteran frowned and looked at him, and the tiger fang captain immediately shut up. The old, balding veteran then said quietly to the mixed youth's ear: "Young master, since you want to come here to train, you should fight against the monsters personally". The mixed youth looked at the veteran and then turned his head to the white brute. The white brute also slightly nodded. "Alright, let's go!" ordered the mixed youth helplessly. His father has seriously warned him-- After entering the wilderness, he must listen to his two bodyguards. Even though the leader of the squad is technically the old veteran, but the actual leader is this mixed youth. And now that the mixed youth gave his order, the members of the tiger fang squad stared at Gao Feng and Luo Feng with a look of dissatisfaction. Zhang Ze Hu even cursed under his breath: "Luo Feng kid, you got lucky this time!". Zhang Ze Hu didn't even try to hide his hatred for Luo Feng. It has always been clear that the tiger fang squad and the fire hammer squad weren't on good terms. Very quickly, the nine members of the thunderbolt squad left. Wan-Ke Dream city is gigantic in area, and the thunderbolt squad continued to move forward in this small sector. "Pan Ya" as they walked on the road, the old veteran frowned as he spoke. "Senior Liu" the captain of the tiger fang squad neared and lowered himself. The old veteran named Liu spoke solemnly: "Since you tiger fang squad members accepted this mission, you should know that the young master's safety takes priority over everything! That twin headed black striped snake is indeed a treasure, but is not even close to the importance of young master's safety. If something happened to the young master, not only will I not be able to escape, but all of you tiger fang squad members will die too!". The tiger fang squad captain froze, and soon nodded: "Understood!". "Ok, as long as you understand" said the old veteran named Liu coldly, "We'll soon arrive at a ruined JJ liquor chain store. The young master will then kill the monsters in that area. If you guys want to steal others' prey, do it yourselves. Don't drag in the young master". "I understand". The captain of the tiger fang squad replied that, but was cursing in his heart. Which fighter squad in the vicinity of #003 city is weak? If it wasn't for the two 'advanced level warlords', the old veteran named Liu and the white brute, the tiger fang squad doesn't even have the power to steal prey. The tiger fang captain slightly nodded: "I understand. The fire hammer squad dared to enter #003 city, so I understand that their skill has increased". "Captain, we can't delay anymore. Especially that Luo Feng, he just became a fighter not too recently. I heard he's already a beginner level warlord" said Zhang Ze Hu hurriedly. Zhang Ze Hu is clearly the one who holds the most hatred for Luo Feng. "This kid, does have surprising potential". The tiger fang captain said lowly, "Leaving our enemies like that will just make their threat to us larger and larger! Since we met them in the wilderness this time, well good, I'll think of a way in these few days to kill them directly! Or else..... I'll spend some money and ask senior Liu and the other senior to help". On the grass of the residential apartments filled with the scent of blood, Luo Feng, Gao Feng, and the three Indians were dissecting the gigantic snake. Not only did they take out the poison sacs, but they also took out things like the bladder. Of course, they'll have to skin it. The skin of this twin headed black striped snake is worth quite a bit. "Half!" "Half!" The Indian group and Luo Feng's group quickly split apart the large amounts of material. "No matter toughness or hardness, the scales of this snake is amazing" Gao Feng couldn't help but to say as he touched the scales, "These scales are definitely important materials for battle uniform production!". The most important invention by man--Ke Luo Alloy, is mainly made from all sorts of monsters' material. Of course, it was the 'Blue Gold' metal found on the moon that finally made the Ke Luo alloy! Ke Luo alloy allows human fighters to wear battle uniforms with extremely high defense and wield blades that are unrivaled in sharpness! Even some heated weapons gain a huge increase in power. "Cooperate, great!" the Indian leader, the bald brute, squeezed out some Chinese as he greeted Luo Feng and Gao Feng. "Haha, great" Gao Feng also laughed. Luo Feng and Gao Feng both carried their bulging bags and headed upstairs. The snake's scales seemed to have a huge area, but they were actually very thin. Half of the snakes' scales stacked together can't even fill up one bag! And fighter's bags already had amazing elasticity. With the bag's mechanism, you can adjust the size of the bag. At its largest, you can make it as large as a regular man. However, that size isn't needed for these scales. They quickly arrived at the 12th floor of the residential building. Right when they entered, they were greeted with cheering. "Warm welcome, warm welcome" shouted Wei Tie purposefully. "Welcome back, captain and Luo Feng, from your battle" Chen Gu also said purposefully. Of course they were happy. Since Luo Feng and Gao Feng came back successfully, they would get quite a bit of money too. Gao Feng didn't have such a happy look on his face: "You guys saw the members of the tiger fang squad right?". "We saw them" the faces of Chen Gu, Wei Tie, and Wei Qing immediately sank. Chen Gu even grit his teeth: "I even wanted to shoot them in revenge for old Zhang!". Out of the entire squad, Chen Gu was clearly the closest to Zhang Ke, since they were both from Ming-Yue sector. Together throughout the life threatening times, together as they went back home. All these years, they're even closer than brothers! But Chen Gu knew he couldn't fire back them. Even if he was able to kill someone, the thunderbolt squad would certainly immediately take action..... at that point, there's no turning back. "Chen Gu, where's the tiger fang squad right now?" asked Luo Feng. "We've been watching them the whole time" At the northern window, Wei Qing held his binoculars as he looked down, "that group just walked out of the dream city sector and are walking east along that street!". Whoosh! Whoosh! Luo Feng and the others immediately went. Luo Feng first took the binoculars and looked downwards. Indeed..... the nine members of the thunderbolt squad were walking along a street a few miles away. Thankfully, Luo Feng and the others picked a good residential building, a tall building that was farthest up north in their sector. In front of their residential building towards the northern sector were just some short buildings, so they could freely look towards the northern area. "Captain, brother Chen" spoke Luo Feng. "Hm?" the members of the fire hammer squad all looked towards Luo Feng. Luo Feng couldn't help but to clench his fists and say with his teeth clenched: "I'll never forget what they did to brother Zhang. I swore long ago..... once I meet the trash of the tiger fang squad in the wilderness, I'll destroy them!" "Luo Feng, your point is?" said Gao Feng in a surprised tone. "I'll go after them secretly and find a chance to kill all the members of the tiger fang squad! Since they were prepared to kill all of us, of course we have to strike first!". Luo Feng will never forget the two sniper rifle bullets. One of them was barely dodged thanks to his spiritual force. But the other one handicapped brother Zhang! "Luo Feng, I'll go with you. We have to avenge brother Zhang" said Chen Gu with his teeth clenched. "Brother Chen, going alone is best for me" Luo Feng said in a low tone, "With my spiritual force, I can escape even from a wargod just by flying!". This is why spirit readers are horrifying! Even if a wargod fighter is tens to hundreds of times stronger than them, even a weak spirit reader can fly! Other than spirit readers, only existences that surpass the wargod level can fly. "Chen Gu, Luo Feng is right. You'll just be a burden" commanded Gao Feng. Chen Gu clenched his teeth. The captain said it in a bad way, but he knew the captain said it for his own good. "And if we want to destroy the tiger fang squad, then wouldn't they try to destroy us too?" said Gao Feng, "Ever since their scheme from last time, of course they wouldn't want us to live. However, they just haven't met us in the wilderness. Now that they've met us..... they'll take action for sure". Everyone there was surprised. Indeed..... With the way the tiger fang squad handles things, they'll definitely do something like this. "We killed enough monsters this time anyway and our bags are almost full. The other members of the squad will first return to the resupplying base" said Gao Feng, and then looked towards Luo Feng, "Luo Feng, you're a spirit reader. No one knows how many times better you are at escaping than us, but you still have to be careful and not let your guard down". Luo Feng nodded. As they talked, the members took up their binoculars and observed where the thunderbolt squad was headed. "They entered the JJ liquor chain store" said Chen Gu excitedly, "Looks like that'll be their temporary base". "No delay, let's go now" said Gao Feng clearly. Luo Feng also stood up and saw the captain and the others off. This was already the border of the city, so Luo Feng saw the captain and the others off in just two to three miles on the highway. After leaving the #003 city section, there were barely any monsters. It'll be weird if something happens to the fire hammer squad on the highway with their current strength. "Luo Feng, be careful" Gao Feng and the other members of the fire hammer squad looked towards Luo Feng. This time, Luo Feng is going to take up the fire hammer squad's task alone. "Captain, don't worry, none of the members of the tiger fang squad will make it out alive!" laughed Luo Feng, and then he became a shadow and disappeared into the distance and towards the city densely filled with buildings far away. 75 Can’t wait anymore At times, Luo Feng would sprint, and at times, Luo Feng would suddenly hide behind a wall, waiting for the hungry monsters to pass by. Only until they pass does Luo Feng start moving forward again! With his spiritual force scanning the area, Luo Feng can correctly determine whether or not there's danger ahead. "This house then!" like a cannonball, Luo Feng directly flew into the third story's window of a three story villa. Since no one has lived here for dozens of years, the room was long filled with dust. However, a few electronic household appliances could be discerned with just a look. It's just that most of them were already split apart and broken. Luo Feng quickly flipped the Simmons mattress, since the opposite side was much cleaner. After a bit of cleaning up, he can sleep on it. After putting his bag down, Luo Feng took out his binoculars and went to the northern window. The window had tons of dust all over it, making the once transparent window seem like a black window. After opening the window halfway, Luo Feng took his binoculars and looked towards the north. His current position is within Wan-Ke dream city's inner sector. From here, he can clearly see the northern JJ liquor chain store. He can also see the street in front of the liquor store. Since there's only a difference of two miles between the street and his villa, with Luo Feng's eyesight, he doesn't even need binoculars to see what's happening on the street. But with the binoculars, he can see more clearly. "JJ" Luo Feng stood in front of the window and watched silently. 5 minutes later. "Hm?" Luo Feng let out a face of happiness, "It was originally that building!". Through the binoculars, Luo Feng could see two people standing on the rooftop of the six story liquor chain store five miles away. They were both currently holding binoculars, and the two were Zhang Ze Hu and a gunner named Li Xiao. "I have to wait for my chance" Luo Feng put down his binoculars and started his days of observation. At this time, inside the JJ liquor chain store. The tiger fang captain said coldly: "Tiger, Xiao, both of you look closely! We must find out where the fire hammer squad is hiding! Since their team's Chen Gu has to use his sniper rifle, then they must be at a high location! So you guys look towards the higher levels of the tall buildings and search for them". "Yes, captain" Zhang Ze Hu and Xiao stood on the rooftop and, through their binoculars, continuously searched the tall buildings in Wan-Ke dream city. "Pan Ya, the information you told me about the fire hammer squad is correct, right?" the old veteran, whose hair was gray, frowned. The tiger fang captain followed: "There is definitely no problem. The information for these six people are extremely accurate..... only this Luo Feng's info is changing. He was scouted by the Dojo of Limits and is extremely talented. His strength has already reached the beginner warlord level". "Okay". The old veteran named Liu slightly nodded, "If so, Pan Ya, find me after you have located the fire hammer squad's position". "Okay" the tiger fang captain responded as he smiled. Unfortunately, the tiger fang squad couldn't even find the fire hammer squad's shadow. Dawn of the next day. "Young master, according to the plan, young master's goal at dawn today is that low level commander monster. That monster is high in power but low in speed. At that time, Ka Long and I won't help" smiled the old veteran Liu. The mixed youth laughed: "Okay, you and Ka Long watch on the side. I'll take care of it myself". The white brute also smiled. "Pan Ya" the old veteran named Liu turned his head and commanded, "The two members of the tiger fang squad that were on night watch can rest today, the rest of the members will come with us". "Understood" the tiger fang captain, Pan Ya, smiled. As of now, the tiger fang squad consists of two intermediate level and four beginner level warlords! "Steel head, Dong. You two were on watch last night, so rest here today" commanded Pan Ya. Protecting that young master is their first priority, so naturally, the members they leave behind are the weakest two..... and of course, the two are picked from the four beginner warlords. Today it was steel head and Dong. Tomorrow it'll be tiger and Xiao. Taking turns. "Understood" the bald brute and Dong, who was cleaning his gun, smiled. "Let's go" commanded the old veteran named Liu. The mixed youth, the old veteran named Liu, the white brute, and the four members of the tiger fang squad. The seven of them left the liquor store, leaving behind the bald brute and Dong in the spacious room. "Damn, having a powerful father is just great" the bald brute couldn't help but to say, "To gain experience with fighting against monsters, two advanced level warlords can be summoned as bodyguards. Even our whole squad is here to cover him. Hmhm..... when I came out here in the wilderness the other year, I had to bring out everything I had with my life on the line". Dong laughed: "How can we compare with him? Didn't you hear him..... that senior Liu or whatever. He even said in a tone of a butler--'The young master's goal for today is a low level commander monster who is high in power and low in speed'. ****, he even has the training session all scheduled out! Which monster to kill first and which monster to kill next!". In a dangerous place like the wilderness. When does the fighter ever have the chance to decide anything! If you encounter a powerful monster, can you just immediately shout 'I'm not fighting this monster'? If you don't fight, then the monster will chase after you and force you to act. "But that young master is different. If they encounter a powerful monster, then that senior Liu can just take care of it. They'll especially wait for a low level commander monster for their young master to practice on" laughed the bald brute as he shook his head. Luo Feng, who woke up early in the morning and was already squatting in wait, quickly saw the seven members of the thunderbolt squad walk out the liquor store. "Seven? Wasn't there nine in total?". Luo Feng immediately thought, "Then the other two must still be inside the liquor store!". Luo Feng understood his strength well. Against an 'intermediate level warlord', he can certainly wipe the floor with them. However, it's hard to say about what will happen if he fights against an 'advanced level warlord'. For example, he might be able to instantly kill his opponent if he attacks them by surprise, but if that fails..... then there'll be a problem. Since in a frontal fight, an advanced level warlord can immediately dodge away from a sniper rifle bullet. An advanced level warlord's reaction speed is much higher than his own. "Out of the nine members of the thunderbolt squad, that white brute and the old veteran named Liu are most likely advanced level warlords. Or else they wouldn't have been so arrogant and have tried to steal the twin headed black striped snake's corpse". "Let's say that I go alone and face all nine of them! With a surprise attack and some luck, I might be able to succeed. However..... only one of them has to spread the word that I'm the murderer to the world via their communications watch and, once that happens, I'll be in huge trouble". Luo Feng understood that, from the old veteran named Liu and the white brute's attitude towards that mixed youth and how they call him 'young master'..... That mixed youth's background is extremely horrifying! Since that person can get two advanced warlords as bodyguards, then that big person behind the mixed youth is at least a wargod! Or maybe even a position higher than a wargod! "Right now, there are only two people in the liquor store, should I kill them?". Luo Feng hesitated, and then decided against it. "I can't kill them. If I kill these two, then the other seven will be on guard. If so, then it'll be much more troublesome to kill the tiger fang captain and Zhang Ze Hu". "I don't believe that my chance won't come!" Day after day passed, and the thunderbolt squad never found the fire hammer squad. And Luo Feng never found a good chance to strike! Everytime the thunderbolt squad left the liquor store, only the two people who were on night watch remain. First it's steel head and Dong, then it's Tiger and Xiao. And they took turns..... Luo Feng waited for nine whole days! "****!" "They're too systematic!" Luo Feng had a bitter face on, "This thunderbolt squad is just that young master's nanny squad!". Not only did Luo Feng watch the liquor store, but he also watched the seven people that came out to hunt these past few days. He tried to see if he could find a moment where the tiger fang squad was separated from the old veteran named Liu and the white brute. But, not even one moment was found! The thunderbolt squad was always protecting that mixed youth and never strayed too far, giving Luo Feng no chance at all. The tenth day! "If I keep waiting like this, then I'll probably never get a chance by the time they start to return to the headquarter city! I can't wait anymore!" Luo Feng clenched his teeth and a cold light flashed across his eyes, "Today is the tenth day, so it should be Zhang Ze Hu and that gunner Li Xiao guarding the liquor store..... Zhang Ze Hu, hmph, I'll destroy both of you two today!". At the JJ liquor chain store. "Tiger, Xiao, you two haven't slept all night so take a good rest now" said the tiger fang captain and he smiled. "Understood, captain". Zhang Ze Hu and Li Xiao both smiled as they replied. "Let's go" With a command from the old veteran named Liu, the tiger fang squad and the others followed him. A total of seven people left the liquor store. And Luo Feng, who saw that the seven people have left the store, quietly left his own spot and went along another road headed towards the liquor store. 76 Zhang Ze Hu, Die! The dawn of winter was quite cold, and some of the monsters' corpses on the ground were freezing up. Luo Feng slowly walked on this road, and there were two shadow cats enjoyably feasting on a wild boar's flesh. However, right when they realized someone was coming, they quickly hid. Monsters had some intelligence too. In #003 city, all the humans meddling around here were very powerful, so one or two soldier level monsters can't stop them at all. "Those two shadow cats probably went to summon the other shadow cats". Luo Feng swiftly went through the road and continued going forward, going around in a huge circle on purpose to waste some time. He slowly moved forward, and took around half an hour to arrive at the northern door of the liquor store. The door to the liquor store was extremely dirty, and there was some black colored blood that not even rain can wash away on the ground. Luo Feng stood alone there. "It's been half an hour already, so the seven members of the thunderbolt squad have probably walked far away by now". Luo Feng looked at the door in front of him that has been long broken, and immediately focused his spiritual force onto his armbands, the shield on his back, and his blade. This powerful force made Luo Feng's body extremely light; every one of his steps became light. "Upstairs!" He went along the staircase step by step without making even the slightest sound. Luo Feng was extremely careful, but right when he reached the third floor, with a glance, he saw that there was a huge mastiff tiger that was slowly moving forward. That mastiff tiger also instantly found this human fighter, Luo Feng! Both of them practically noticed each other at the exact same time, and Luo Feng was so scared he immediately broke out in a cold sweat! Whoosh! Whoosh! Two black shadows basically instantly drew across the mastiff tiger monster, and its gigantic head fell off before it even had the chance to roar. The two throwing knives flew around in a circle and then landed in the outer pockets of his pants. "Phew, no problem" Luo Feng was relieved, "Thankfully this monster didn't remember to roar. If it attracted Zhang Ze Hu and Li Xiao's attention, then there would be some trouble". Even though killing Zhang Ze Hu and Li Xiao is as easy as killing chickens. But if Zhang Ze Hu and Li Xiao were cautious, then they might be able to contact the other members of the thunderbolt squad right before they die..... once the other members of the thunderbolt squad know that there's a human fighter targeting them, then Luo Feng's next action would be tens to hundreds of times harder to carry out. "Sixth floor!" Luo Feng couldn't help but to let out a smile when he reached the sixth floor, luckily he only encountered one monster on the way to the sixth floor. The thunderbolt squad probably quickly scanned the building the first time they came here, and that mastiff tiger monster probably just entered the liquor store not too long ago. On the hallway of the sixth floor, Luo Feng slowly moved forward. "In the room with the window pointed towards the south, the eighth window from east to west". Luo Feng couldn't be sure as to which room this eighth window corresponded to. "It's probably one of these three or four rooms". Luo Feng held his breath and his light body made no sound. He walked into one of the rooms and stopped, then put his ear near the wall and listened carefully. Indeed, he could slightly hear some chatting sounds, which made Luo Feng determine that those two were in that room. He then quietly walked outside the room. "It should be this room" Luo Feng scanned the situation of the room with his spiritual force. "They're just chatting there?" Luo Feng laughed. Inside the room. Zhang Ze Hu was currently sitting against the broken sofa, while Li Xiao was cleaning the machine gun in his hand. Both of them were nonchalantly chatting. "That fire hammer squad sure has no balls. Last time they met us, they directly ran straight back to the resupplying base. No wonder we couldn't find them no matter how long we searched" insulted Zhang Ze Hu as he said. Li Xiao laughed coldly: "They can escape for now, but not forever. Since we're enemies now, they're dead for sure". Zhang Ze Hu sneered: "They think they can fight against us with just them? Hm?". Zhang Ze Hu's face slightly changed, and Li Xiao's face also slightly changed. "I felt like there was something just now" Zhang Ze Hu looked towards Li Xiao. Li Xiao also frowned as he said: "I also, felt something". Since fighters are always on the border of life and death, they'll have some feeling in their heart when they encounter danger. And they had such an obvious feeling because..... Luo Feng scanned the room with his spiritual force. When this spiritual force spreads out, regular people have a hard time noticing it, but powerful fighters will still have some feeling of it. "Could there be a monster outside?" said Zhang Ze Hu quietly. "Probably" Li Xiao nodded, "Even though we cleaned up all the monsters in the entire liquor store when we first came, there could still be some monster horde that just entered the store". "KA!" Li Xiao held his machine gun while Zhang Ze Hu held his machete. Both of them stood up and headed towards the door. After several dozen years of corrosion, the locks of these doors were long broken. With a light pull from Zhang Ze Hu, the door easily opened. And outside of the door was neither a human's shadow nor a monster's shadow. "Not many sounds" Zhang Ze Hu and Li Xiao exchanged glances. Zhang Ze Hu then took in a deep breath and cautiously started to exit the room. And then! Whoosh! Whoosh! Two eerie, black lights instantly appeared in front of Zhang Ze Hu and Li Xiao. One of the eerie, black lights instantly drew across Zhang Ze Hu's left arm and instantly cut his left arm off. After cutting the arm off, without slowing down, it instantly drew across gunner 'Li Xiao"s neck, causing Li Xiao's head to fly up. And the second eerie, black light instantly drew across Zhang Ze Hu's throat! PUCHI! PUCHI! Fresh blood poured out. "Eh--eh--"Zhang Ze Hu's eyes were wide open, but he couldn't make a sound. These two black lights were way too fast. There was probably only one or two meters between Zhang Ze Hu and the black light, and Li Xiao was only three or four meters away from it. In such a short distance...... against a speed even faster than a bullet fired from a sniper rifle, how could they dodge? Maybe an advanced level warlord would have a chance of survival but, as for them, they didn't even have the tiniest chance. "Eh--"Zhang Ze Hu wanted to speak, but he couldn't make a sound. He wanted to press his tactical communications watch, but his left arm was already cut off and the tactical communications watch was on the ground. "I'm going to die? How, how could I die?" Zhang Ze Hu grabbed his throat with his right hand. As fresh blood crazily poured outside from his throat, he could clearly feel his life slowly fading away, "How could this happen? HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!!!" Suddenly-- A shadow appeared at the door, wearing a fighter's battle uniform, alloyed boots, and had a shield and blade on his back. His two eyes were coldly staring at him. "Eh!" Zhang Ze Hu's eyes instantly became round as he stared, as he couldn't believe which fighter was in front of him! Luo Feng! It was actually Luo Feng! It was actually that rookie Luo Feng who he didn't take seriously at all??? "You go on first, the other members of the tiger fang squad will join you soon enough" Luo Feng's voice rang. Zhang Ze Hu's mouth was wide open, but with his throat slit, he couldn't say anything at all. And as Zhang Ze Hu felt his vision starting to fade, the two eerie, black lights returned to Luo Feng and hovered in front of him. Clearly, they were two throwing knives. The two throwing knives just hovered like this, and then landed inside Luo Feng's thigh's pockets. "Ah, ah!" Zhang Ze Hu's eyes were wide open as if he wanted to say something, but his body froze and instantly, lifelessly fell to the ground. Before dying..... He finally realized Luo Feng's biggest secret--Luo Feng was actually a spirit reader!!! Before dying, Zhang Ze Hu saw the grave, nightmarish future of all the members of his tiger fang squad. Silence! Only the 'DRIP' sound from the blood hitting the ground rang throughout the room; there was no other sound. The two corpses just lay there, and Luo Feng silently stood there as he looked. "Zhang Ze Hu" Luo Feng lowered his head as he looked at the person in front of him. Right from the start, Zhang Ze Hu thought he was a seasoned veteran while Luo Feng was just a rookie. So that's why he didn't lower his head at all when they were discussing about Zhang Hao Bai's case. And it was then that Luo Feng's spiritual force awakened. That argument was just a small case. If you want a reason, then blame the time where the tiger fang squad tried to kill everyone in the fire hammer squad. Thankfully, Luo Feng managed to save everyone in the end, but even so, Zhang Ke still lost his arm. Because of that, the fire hammer squad clenched their teeth as they swore for revenge. The tiger fang squad also feared that the enemy would grow strong, so they tried to destroy them completely! Both of squads wouldn't rest until one side was dead! "With Zhang Ze Hu and Li Xiao's death, there are still four members of the six tiger fang squad members remaining" Luo Feng stood at the door as he thought to himself, "Once they come back here and realize that these two have been killed, they'll certainly get cautious and think about the various possibilities! Then..... I have to decorate this scene and trick them. It's up to the heavens whether or not this works". 77 Making the scene Luo Feng swiftly rushed down the stairs, all the way from the sixth floor to the first floor, to the entrance of the liquor store. "Hm?" Luo Feng looked around the area. "There aren't many large monster packs nearby, how annoying" Luo Feng frowned as he could see a few monsters around with just a glance, but there weren't enough monsters. For his plan, he wants to trick the other seven members of the thunderbolt squad into thinking that Zhang Ze Hu and Li Xiao were killed by monsters. After that, Luo Feng sprinted along the alley towards the outer area. After leaving the alley, with a glance, he noticed a large horde of horned boars. There were at least one hundred of them. If a regular fighter saw this, they probably wouldn't even have time to run away, but Luo Feng let out a smile. "It'll be them" Luo Feng swiftly got closer to them. "HOWL~~" Quite a few horned boars were staring at this human fighter. One enraged roar carried from the horde, which was from the leader of this horned boar horde! Suddenly, all the horned boars spread out and crazily rushed towards Luo Feng. In an instant, the entire street started rumbling. RUMBLE~~ The horned boar horde came rushing! "****, I was going to kill one or two monsters first to make them hate me first. I didn't know it would be this easy to get them to chase after me" Luo Feng turned around and started running away. He quickly headed towards the alley and started running in there. RUMBLE~~ The alley was quite wide, so two horned boars could run in it side by side. Luo Feng was sprinting ahead while the horde of horned boars were crazily chasing from behind. "PUCHI!" "PUCHI!" Two eerie black lights flew around a circle and returned to Luo Feng. The two horned boars in front of the horde instantly died, and another horned boar behind them also had a gigantic wound. At this time, the horned boars' enraged howls became even louder, showing that they were clearly even more enraged. "The angrier the better!" Luo Feng, like lightning, went up the stairs past the backdoor of the liquor store. RUMBLE~~ The horned boars crazily flew up the stairs one by one. The quality of the concrete making up the stairs was pretty good; even after a dozen years, it can still support the running of the horned boars. Luo Feng purposefully ran ahead the horde by around 10 meters and rushed to his destination--sixth floor! After arriving at the sixth floor, under the effects of Luo Feng's spiritual force, Zhang Ze Hu's machete and Li Xiao's machine gun started hovering. The machine gun even dragged along the long, long bullet chain with it. The machine gun floated in front of Luo Feng, and so did the machete. "HOWL~~" the monsters, like a flood, rushed into the sixth floor. Each of them went along the hallway as they crazily charged towards Luo Feng. "Come at me!" Luo Feng sneered and a crazed light appeared in his eye. His spiritual force pulled the trigger, and the large barrel of the machine gun started roaring as it crazily fired bullets out one by one. The force of each boar's charge was absurd, so even though the bullets crazily shot into the horned boars, they couldn't make them stop! Puchi! Puchi! The floating machete started crazily dancing around, drawing across the throats of the horned boars one after another. The bodies of the boars that lost control started slamming into the walls, "RUMBLE~~" , the walls started splitting apart after getting slammed into so many times. With the power of both the machine gun and the machete, dozens of horned boars were killed in a breath. The hallway was filled with corpses. "HOWL~~" an enraged roar came. A huge horned boar with black spots and shining silver fur appeared. However, the machete and machine gun already fell beside the two corpses in the room, and Luo Feng himself has long jumped out the northern window! Whoosh! Luo Feng shot down the window like lightning and, using his spiritual force on both of his arm guards, created an uplifting force which slowed him down. Luo Feng easily landed on the roof of a two story building, sprinted right into an alley, and quickly disappeared. ...... "HOWL~~" The horned boar horde, which lost a couple dozen monsters, madly rammed the insides of the liquor store as they tried to find that damned human fighter. They didn't find that human fighter, but they did find two fresh human fighter corpses. These horned boars then immediately crazily chewed up the flesh of these corpses. To horned boars, the flesh of humans is indeed a delicacy. Even more horned boars went for the corpses of the dead horned boars! For the monsters that live in such cruel environments, they are rarely able to eat any humans, so they mostly eat other monsters' corpses..... for especially savage monsters, eating corpses from the same species is very normal. Whether the human corpses or the horned boar corpses, they quickly became a pile of crushed bones. Luo Feng snuck back to his original spot and watched silently. "The seven members of the thunderbolt squad will probably come back in around two hours". Luo Feng finally saw the seven people in his field of vision, "Well yeah, you could hear the roars of the monsters everywhere in #003 city, and the battle just now occurred in the liquor store..... since the thunderbolt squad is only a few miles away, it'll be weird if they didn't notice". ...... In front of the liquor store, the seven high-spirited members of the thunderbolt squad laughed as they returned. "Young master's blade just now was beautiful, it so accurately drew across the throat of that commander level monster, 'Rapid Wolf'" the captain of the tiger fang squad smiled as he praised, but his expression suddenly froze. "Hm?" The tiger fang captain looked towards the interior of the liquor store, and the other members of the thunderbolt squad did the same. "The scent of blood!" the old veteran named Liu directly walked into the liquor store, and the others followed, "The scent of blood became stronger". "A large scale battle happened here, one or two monsters can't have such a heavy scent of blood" the tiger fang captain frowned, and the one eyed middle aged man beside him immediately pressed his tactical communications watch and yelled: "Tiger, Xiao! Tiger, Xiao, both of you hurry and respond. What happened?". The faces of the four members of the tiger fang squad all changed. "Captain, they didn't reply" the one eyed middle aged man looked towards his captain. "Maybe they didn't notice that their watches were vibrating" the bald brute couldn't help but to say. Fighters are all extremely sensitive, how can they not notice? The tiger fang captain said quietly: "Let's go take a look upstairs". "Go, let's go see" the old veteran named Liu also commanded. Soon, the seven of them all arrived at the staircase, but after seeing the marks on the staircase in front of them, all of their faces changed slightly. Clearly, this staircase was just stomped on by a huge amount of monsters; quite a bit of the concrete was already split open. "Everyone be careful" The seven of them carefully and slowly moved forward. Even though they went slowly, they arrived at the sixth floor without spending too much time. "Hu!" the seven members of the thunderbolt squad all took in a deep breath. The entire sixth floor of the liquor store was clearly a huge mess. The walls of the rooms of the liquor store were smashed to pieces, the floor was filled with marks of blood, and there were large amounts of crushed bones from corpses, most of them being from monsters. All the hearts of the seven members of the thunderbolt squad sank, they knew..... that Zhang Ze Hu and Li Xiao weren't lucky today. "Look, there are even bullet holes on the wall" "There are quite a few bullet shells on the ground. Xiao probably fired his machine gun to try and stop the monster horde. Sadly, there were just too many of them". Everyone quickly found various marks. Soon after, everyone looked at the ripped up battle uniform, the slightly deformed machete, the completely smashed up machine gun, and a few human bones. "Tiger's machete and Xiao's gun" "These two battle uniforms......" The battle uniforms were extremely sturdy. Even though they were chewed up by the horned boars and were in tatters, they could still be made out. They were precisely Zhang Ze Hu and Li Xiao's battle uniforms. "How could this happen?" the bald brute couldn't help but to clench his teeth as he said, "Tiger and Xiao were in their room. How could they be so unlucky to meet a hungry monster horde?" "Go, let's go downstairs!" the old veteran named Liu suddenly ordered. "Downstairs?" the one eyed middle aged man, the bald brute, and Dong were all shocked, and then were slightly angry. The tiger fang captain frowned as he ordered: "Alright, tidy up Tiger and Xiao's remains and then go downstairs!". Since their captain gave an order, of course they wouldn't dare to refuse. ...... Moments later, the seven members of the thunderbolt squad stood in the lobby of the liquor store's first floor. "Everyone should know" the tiger fang captain, 'Pan Ya', said quietly, "With Tiger and Xiao being as cautious as they are, even if a monster horde enters the liquor store, they should have had over a 50% chance of escaping! Even if they couldn't escape, they should have been able to contact us once they noticed danger!". The faces of the other members slightly changed and couldn't help but to nod their heads. "Indeed" the old veteran named Liu nodded and said, "It's suspicious because these two didn't contact us at all before dying. So I'm worried that someone purposefully set up the scene and left a listening device at the scene. That's why I brought everyone downstairs to discuss about this". The other members of the tiger fang squad couldn't help but to respect the old veteran named Liu even more. To be able to instantly find the problem and make his decision, old veterans are clearly more experienced. "This is one possibility, the other possibility is...... the commander level monster in the monster horde! Once they found the traces of those two, they sneakily attacked them. Huge amounts of monsters rushing upstairs...... under such an urgent situation, the two of them didn't have the chance to contact us" the old veteran named Liu continued speaking. The four members of the tiger fang squad exchanged glances. The mixed youth let out a worried expression, and the old veteran named Liu laughed as he quietly said: "Don't worry, young master. Even if someone made this scene, he isn't necessarily targeting you. Wargod fighters wouldn't use such tactics and warlord fighters wouldn't dare mess with you". "Senior Liu, taking the young master's safety into consideration, we should return back to the headquarter city" spoke the tiger fang captain, 'Pan Ya'. 78 Phone call with his little brother The scent of blood that emanated around the liquor store filled the heart of Pan Ya, the tiger fang captain, with anxiety: "Their death could've been caused by monsters. But it's even more likely that a fighter was behind this! And what kind of regular fighter would dare to go against young master Li Wei? They most likely have a grudge against my tiger fang squad!". He was clear of this young master's identity. Even though he's a mixed youth, his father is Chinese. Whether the strength of the young master's father, or his background..... few fighters would dare to anger this young master Li Wei. "No need" the old veteran Liu waved his hand, "With me and Ka Long here, the young master's safety is guaranteed". The white brute also looked at the few members of the tiger fang squad and laughed coldly. "Young master Li" Pan ya couldn't help but to look at the mixed youth. "My training schedule isn't over yet" frowned the mixed youth. Senior Liu slightly frowned as he said, "Fighters always walk on the border between life and death. How can you be so afraid about some uncertainties? If you're always so afraid, how can you ever accomplish anything in the future?". Pan Ya and the others said nothing. "You guys can just keep following us. Wouldn't that work?" when senior Liu said this, Pan Ya and the other members of the tiger fang exchanged glances. All of them abandoned the thought of returning to the headquarter city. They were clear..... that following two advanced warlords was indeed very safe. "Senior Liu is right. If we're always so afraid, can we even be considered as fighters? Even if someone is actually after us, right when we find him, we'll kill him directly" a cold light flashed across Pan Ya's eyes. "We'll listen to senior Liu" the one eyed middle aged man laughed as he said. The members of the tiger fang squad all signalled that they'll listen to senior Liu. "This place is full of the scent of blood, let's switch a location" said senior Liu. Immediately, the seven members of the thunderbolt squad left the JJ liquor chain store. Luo Feng silently watched with his binoculars from his original location. "They indeed left the JJ liquor chain store" the seven members of the thunderbolt squad left the store and went along the street for quite a bit, and then disappeared from Luo Feng's field of vision. "Shit, this villa isn't high enough so I can't see that far". Luo Feng swiftly got his backpack, shield, and blade and flew out the villa like a jaguar. He sprinted at an astounding speed and directly rushed into the tall apartment building across the street. This apartment building was 18 stories tall. With Luo Feng's shield and blade all affected by his spiritual force, Luo Feng's speed was shocking. A shadow continuously dashed up the stairs. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Within a few seconds, he went from the first floor to the 18th floor! In one of the rooms on the 18th floor, Luo Feng stood beside the northern window and looked down through his binoculars. From such a high location, he was able to see further. He quickly found the seven members of the thunderbolt squad walking along the street. These seven people walked along for quite a bit, and then finally entered a broken residential apartment that was six stories tall. "I wonder if the scene I made had any effect" Luo Feng squinted, "Whether it works or not is up to the heavens". "I'll keep waiting for my chance!". Luo Feng started his days of watching again. As a fighter, you first need enough patience and determination! Without either of them, how could you ever achieve astonishing power? Naturally, Luo Feng was fine with watching alone. On the first day, the thunderbolt squad went hunting during the afternoon. This time, all seven of them left together. The second day, the thunderbolt squad went out in the morning and afternoon, allowing their mixed youth young master to train. Like before, the seven of them left together, giving Luo Feng no chance. The third day, they still went out in the morning and afternoon, and they still went out with all seven members together. "Looks like this tiger fang squad is actually suspicious" Luo Feng sat on the bed that he already slightly cleaned and silently looked through the window. As of now, the sky was dark and filled with stars. The starlight shone into the room through the window. The air was slightly filled with the scent of blood. "What should I do?" Luo Feng frowned. If it keeps going on like this, then that mixed youth young master's training schedule will finish and might return back to the headquarter city. "Ring~~" Luo Feng felt the tactical communications watch on his wrist vibrate slightly. When he looked down, he saw that it was a phone call from his brother. "Recall" commanded Luo Feng. "Beep--beep--beep--Hello, bro!" Luo Hua's voice came from the watch. "Luo Hua, how come you're calling me?" a smile filled Luo Feng's face, as he was extremely happy. Hunting down other people in the wilderness all alone is lonely..... to be able to chat with his family, his entire heart felt warm. "I've just been thinking about you bro" Luo Hua was clearly relaxed and happy, "Bro, I've recently made a ton of money from my stocks again, it feels great". "Oh?" How did you get the money?" laughed Luo Feng as he asked. Luo Hua excitedly said: "Six of the eight stocks that I've been dealing with are quality stocks, while the other two are investment ones. The quality stocks are great and earn me lots of money every year. But out of these six stocks, one of them started plunging in value rapidly! I was so scared and thought something went wrong with the company. After looking into it, I didn't find anything wrong with it! Jeez, if this happened to my investment stocks, then I would probably cut my flesh off". "But I have faith in these quality stocks and I'd rather hold on to them for a long period of time. And since I didn't find anything wrong with the company, there's nothing for me to be afraid of" "If it drops, I'll buy it!" "It kept falling continuously, ****, it dropped for like a dozen days and lost 50% of its value. I virtually took 80% of all my money and threw it at those stocks. Who could've knew that it would start flying up in value these past few days. Within 20 days, not only did it return to its original value, but it even went a bit higher! Jeez, just from this, I basically doubled my money. Haha, feels great". Luo Feng could feel his brother's excitement from the tone coming from the watch. "Nice, way better than your brother" Luo Feng laughed as he complimented, "Don't you have around 100 million right now?". He gave his brother 50 million last time, so Luo Hua should have around 80 million. "Yea, now it's around 170 million" laughed Luo Hua, "Bro, this is all thanks to the money you gave me. If my principal wasn't great enough, how could I earn so much money?". Since he doubled the money. If he only had 10 thousand, he would only have 20 thousand in total. But since he had around 80 to 90 million, he turned it into 170 to 180 million. This is also why people say that your first 100 million is the hardest to earn, while your second 100 million is way easier to earn. "You're good. Your brother has been hunting in the wilderness for around two months, but I only earned around 100 million" said Luo Feng, but in his heart, he was amazed..... Playing around with stocks earns tons of money. You're making money with money; the more money you have, the more money you earn! Of course, you could potentially lose tons of money too. "However, bro, these chances don't come around often" laughed Luo Hua. Luo Hua has been playing around with stocks for years already, so making this much money in such a short time is indeed quite rare. "Hm" Luo Feng thought to himself while he operated his tactical communications watch. He entered his bank account and transferred 180 million to his brother's account. "Ah!" exclaimed Luo Hua in a surprised tone, "Bro, my account....." "Your brother just made a ton of money recently, so that's for you. Work hard and use them in the stock market. If, one day, you reach 15 billion, your brother will give you a huge surprise!" said Luo Feng as he laughed. Luo Feng never told his brother about the 'elixir of life'. Since that thing is too expensive. But according to Luo Feng's plan, if he and his brother both earn money..... He can give some of his money to his brother, and his brother can use that money to make even more money. If they keep making money out of money, then maybe reaching 30 billion isn't impossible! "15 billion" exclaimed Luo Hua. "Don't worry, I'll keep lending you money" laughed Luo Feng. Maybe then, his money and Luo Hua's money combined will reach 30 billion. After he gets the money, he'll think of a way to purchase the 'elixir of life' so that his brother can stand up again! "Okay, bro, I'll work hard" said Luo Hua in a confident tone. "Okay" laughed Luo Feng, "well, you should rest earlier". "Okay, bro, be careful in the wilderness". The two brothers quickly finished their call. ...... Ming-Yue sector, Luo Feng's home. In his brother's room on the first floor, Luo Hua excitedly closed his phone and started chatting on his computer. "Hua, look's like you're having fun" smiled a young girl on the screen. "Hehe, of course I'm happy" Luo Hua excitedly chatted with this young girl on the screen. This young girl's cheeks were like a baby's and had small ears and short hair. She seemed like a very bright and pure girl. She is Luo Hua's girlfriend, 'Xiao Nan'. ...... Since Xiao Nan's college is right here, even if she's a college student, she's still sleeping at home. Xiao Nan was currently in her bedroom chatting with Luo Hua through her computer. And outside of her room, in the living room. A middle-aged couple was currently sitting on the sofas in the living room. Even though they were watching TV, neither of them were focusing on it. "What should we do?" the middle-aged woman said hurriedly, "You know Xiao Nan's temper, if we split them apart by force, she'll surely hate us". "If she wants to hate us, then let her. This is for her own good!". The middle-aged man couldn't help but to angrily say, "She never went through any sort of hardship since she was young. Does she still think she's living in a fairytale? We aren't extremely rich, but we are still living a good life. Our girl has nice looks, so why is she with a handicapped person? That handicapped person's brother is a fighter! But so what if he's a fighter? It's not like his brother is in a relationship with our girl". "No matter what, I can't watch our girl jump into a fiery pit like this!" "If it wasn't for old Li, I never would've known that our girl was dating that Ming-Yue sector's handicapped person behind our backs. I'm so infuriated right now" the middle-aged man's face was livid. 79 Huge Chance The middle-aged woman hurriedly said: "Don't be angry. No matter how angry you get, it's no use. You only have this one daughter, so what can you do? Most importantly, we should think of a way to separate our daughter with that handicapped person, and try our best not to hurt our daughter's feelings". "I UNDERSTAND!" The middle-aged man was then silent with a frown on his face as he smoked. The smoke from the cigarette emanated around the room, and the room remained silent for a while. The only sound was the "Tick, Tock" from the mechanical clock. The second morning, #003 city was filled with a deathly, cold air as usual. And the usual heart-chilling monster roar carried from the city from time to time. If we say Jiang-Nan city is a technologically advanced city teeming with life, then this city that used to be the greatest city of China a few decades ago is now a playground for the monsters. Here, you could see the stains of blood and corpses anywhere and everywhere. This is the monster den! In that 18 story apartment that was filled with dust, Luo Feng, in his battle uniform, held his binoculars as he looked down in one hand and ate a skewer of meat on another hand, taking a bite and chewing twice before he swallowed. Chew, swallow. In the aged room, it was clearly quiet: there was only the sound of Luo Feng's chewing. "Gulp gulp~~" Luo Feng took out his water sack and drank a bit. After a moment, he took another drink. Luo Feng didn't bring too much food and water to the wilderness, so he has to conserve a bit every day. "All seven of them together again!" Luo Feng looked through his binoculars and clearly saw that the seven of them left the six story apartment building together under the morning mist. Luo Feng frowned as he angrily threw his binoculars on top of the bed on the side. Luo Feng massaged his temples and spent the whole day stooping; his eyes were extremely tired. "All seven of them together every day. They don't give me even the slightest chance" frowned Luo Feng, "At this rate, I'll have to keep waiting until that young master finishes his training plan. When that happens, I would've wasted all my time waiting! What should I do?" Luo Feng quickly started thinking, since he hasn't even had a single chance to take action. Is he just going to wait like this? "There are no chances" Luo Feng's eyes flashed and he clenched his teeth, "Since there aren't any chances, then I can make them!" "Aren't they always together? I'll force them to separate!" Luo Feng lightly tightened the cap on the water sack. ...... Around three hours later, the seven members of the thunderbolt squad carefully treaded forward in the old den of the monsters. Sometimes they move forward, sometimes they walk around, and finally they arrived at the six story residential apartment from before. "Time to act!" Luo Feng, who was fully equipped, slightly smiled as he left his room and ran down the stairs like a swift monkey. Even Luo Feng can't be too cocky after leaving this 18 story residential building, so he carefully moved forward while searching the area. Avoiding monsters is hard, but finding them is easy! 15 minutes later, Luo Feng arrived at a dog-type monster horde that had around two to three thousand monsters. This dog-type monster horde was staying in a gigantic factory that manufactured home appliances. Usually, no human fighter would even try to challenge such a horde, since the threat of two to three thousand monsters is too great. "Roar~~" The roars of the large monsters echoed around the factory and the smell of urine emanated around the area. "Heh, what a strong monster horde" Luo Feng looked through the cap of the wall, "Let's begin!". Soon after-- "Roar~" "Roar Roar Roar~~" The monsters in the factory howled madly. The death of a few dozen monsters caused this huge monster horde to become enraged, because they have never suffered such shame before. Even the leader of the monster horde and two high leveled commander level lion mastiffs started howling. The entire monster horde crazily chased after. "They sure run fast!" The hexagonal shield on Luo Feng's back was under effects of the powerful force of his spiritual force; in an instant, Luo Feng became a flying hurricane. RUMBLE~~ Some tiger mastiffs were mixed into the lion mastiff horde. The tiger mastiffs ran just as quickly as the lion mastiffs as they chased after Luo Feng. The ones in the front of the horde were sprinting at a rate of 70 to 80 m/s! Under such astonishing speed, it would take only 30 seconds for them to cover the 4 miles between the factory and the six story residential building! Just 30 seconds! And Luo Feng ran towards the six story residential building like lightning. In one of the suite rooms on the sixth floor of the six story residential apartment, the seven members of thunderbolt squad were resting. Actually, when the entire monster horde was howling as they chased after Luo Feng, the seven members of the thunderbolt squad weren't alerted at all.... because what kind of place in the city doesn't have a monster howling in a four mile radius? But after around 10 seconds. "Seems like a battle has occurred to our east" laughed the one eyed middle aged man. "Who cares, there's always a fight going on between fighters and monster hordes here in #003 city. This time, a fighter probably enraged some monster horde" the tiger fang captain, Pan Ya, was completely calm. Since he has dozens of years of experience as a fighter, he has seen this type of scenario way too many times. But in the time that these words were passed around. "The monster horde seems to be really close to us now!" "Even the building is shaking a bit" Within an instant, the seven members of the thunderbolt squad rushed towards the northern window and looked down, and saw that there were large amounts of mastiff monsters near the entrance to the staircase of the six story residential apartment. Some of the lion mastiff monsters were even charging into the staircase. In just these few seconds, the entire residential apartment started shaking, like an earthquake was occurring. The roars of many monsters also echoed around. "BOOM!" The door to the room where the seven members of the thunderbolt squad were in was blasted open. The lion mastiffs with their SUV sized bodies charged in the room one by one. Not only was the door directly smashed into smithereens, but even the walls were startling to crumble. The over a thousand monsters were continuously smashing the residential building up. It seemed like the building could fall down at any moment. And outside of the residential building were around one to two thousand more lion mastiff monsters. These lion mastiff monsters can't even enter the building, so they just surrounded the residential apartment completely. If you can imagine a scene where one to two thousand SUVs are surrounding a building, then you can imagine how scary it'll be for so many monsters to surround a residential apartment. "WHAT'S GOING ON!!!" the mixed youth immediately started screaming as his face turned pale. Anyone would panic after witnessing the apartment building that has shook so much that it's on the verge of collapse, the large amounts of monsters pouring into the room, and the densely packed horde of monsters surrounding the residential apartment building below. "Protect the young master! Tiger fang squad, protect the rear!" roared the old veteran named Liu. "DADADADA~~~" Dong Zi's machine gun was crazily roaring and the bullet shells crazily flew around. The powerful bullets shot into the bodies of the lion mastiff monsters one by one. The monsters were charging so quickly that even when they were hit by the bullets, they would continue charging forwards. The bald brute, the one eyed man, and the tiger fang captain Pan Ya relied on their cold weapons to smash the monsters to the side one by one. "PENG!" "PENG!" "PENG!" The old veteran named Liu and the white brute already brought the mixed youth along with them as they directly jumped out the window. "Let's go!" The tiger fang captain roared and was the first to follow as he jumped from the window. "Dong Zi, hurry!" roared the one eyed man. When comparing physical fitness, gunners are the weakest. The gunner, Dong Zi, also clenched his teeth as he jumped out the window. Finally, the one eyed middle aged man and the bald brute also jumped out the window. Even if a beginner level warlord fighter is carrying several hundred kg of things on him, they wouldn't suffer any injury from jumping from a height of six stories. However, the thing awaiting them below isn't a flat ground, but over a thousand monsters! ...... The walls of the second floor of the residential apartment were already smashed into pieces. And Luo Feng was hiding in the corner of a room on the second floor! When Luo Feng rushed into this room, he used his spiritual force to control the concrete walls, the stone tables, etc. to completely seal the bathroom he is in, and he even broke the ceiling. After the concrete fell down, the room was completely ruined, so even after the monsters charged in, they wouldn't be able to find Luo Feng. After that, the monster horde spotted the thunderbolt squad on the sixth floor and directed all their attention onto them. Standing beside the bathroom's window, Luo Feng stared outside and his ears were listening closely. "They're fighting!" Luo Feng heard a few faint roars from the sixth floor. After that, three shadows quickly fell from above. "They jumped" Luo Feng's eyes flashed and two black throwing knives immediately hovered beside him. 80 Arrival of the Wargod Out of the three shadows, the first to fall was the old veteran named Liu and the mixed youth, followed by the white brute. Closely following them was the captain of the tiger fang squad, 'Pan Ya'. "HOWL~~" "Protect the young master, charge out!" right when the old veteran named Liu landed, his legs smashed onto two nearby lion mastiff monsters like two war axes. The two lion mastiff monsters howled in pain as they flew away and smashed into seven or eight nearby lion mastiff lion and tigers, causing chaos in the area for a moment. The white brute had a gigantic two handed sword in hand as he crazily charged forward! The tiger captain, 'Pan Ya', supported the white brute beside him. One of them had unrivaled strength while the other was sinister and unpredictable. The two of them combined were like a bulldozer, sweeping away the monsters in front of them. "HOWL~~" A low, thunder-like sound started rumbling. Not too far away, a huge body that was around four to five meters tall and even larger than an average truck appeared. It's whole body was silver and was even slightly reflecting light, since there were some silver scales on it's fur. There was a small bump on it's huge forehead, as if it was going to break it's fur open. This is one of the two high level commander level monsters in the whole horde! A high level commander lion mastiff! "BOOM!" With just a leap, the commander lion mastiff flew a distance of 20 meters like a silver light and shot straight towards the thunderbolt squad. "Pan Ya, you protect the young master and hurry up and run" roared the old veteran named Liu. With a blade in hand, he howled, "KA LONG!". "UNDERSTOOD!" The white brute also roared. The old veteran named Liu and the white brute engaged the commander lion mastiff at virtually the same time. There was no helping it; if they didn't engage it..... then the mixed youth would be in grave danger. "HOWL~~" The commander lion mastiff roared and it's body started to blur a bit as it's claws headed straight towards the two humans in front of it. "QIANG!" "KUANG!" "BOOM!" The clash between the two advanced level warlords and the high level commander level monster caused chaos. The surrounding lion mastiffs were caught in and blown away. Even the surrounding walls and the floor was affected and messed up. With large amounts of lion mastiff monsters supporting, the commander lion mastiff was practically even with the veteran named Liu and the white brute. PENG! PENG! PENG! The gunner Dong Zi, the bald brute, and the one eyed middle aged man also jumped out at this time. However, the one eyed middle aged man, the bald brute, and the gunner Dong Zi were all panicking. The group of the old veteran named Liu, the white brute, the mixed youth, and Pan Ya were able to mess around in the monster horde, but the one eyed middle aged man and the others were clearly having a hard time. "Hurry, let's go" said the one eyed middle aged man. "Hurry!" "DADADADA~~" Dong Zi dragged his machine gun along as he freely fired at the surrounding monsters. At this time-- "HOWL~~" After the heart shuddering howl, another huge body that was also completely silver came jumping down from the six story apartment. Suddenly, the lion mastiff leader that was fighting against the old veteran named Liu and the white brute immediately started roaring excitedly as it conversed with the huge shadow coming from above. Another lion mastiff leader! Also a high level commander! The faces of the old veteran named Liu and the white brute changed drastically. They glanced at the tiger fang captain 'Pan Ya' and the mixed youth who were already far away..... when the two of them were stalling the large amounts of monsters, Pan Ya and the mixed youth were able to get away. "Hurry, go!" "Go" The white brute and the old veteran named Liu didn't dare to delay at all. Even without the monster horde, they couldn't go head to head with two high level commander monsters..... and there's a gigantic monster horde surrounding them! "HOWL~" "HOWL~" The two high level commander level lion mastiff leaders roared as they charged; would they allow these two damned humans to get away? ...... On the second floor of the ruined six story residential apartment, Luo Feng watched what was going on outside through the window silently. The white brute and the old veteran named Liu ran away while the one eyed middle aged man, the bald brute, and Dong Zi were still bitterly charging out, Luo Feng let out a smile on his face. "Now's the time!" Two black throwing knives instantly flew out from the window towards the one eyed middle aged man and the bald brute in the horde of the lion mastiff monsters. It's better like this! If he fought out in the open, then the one eyed middle aged man who has reached the intermediate warlord level could put up a bit of a fight, but under this ambush..... "PU!" "PU!" The brains of the one eyed middle aged man and the bald brute were instantly pierced and blew up like watermelons. Soon after, the two eerie black lights virtually instantly pierced through the head of the gunner Dong Zi, who was currently crazily shooting his machine gun! When the three of them died, they were filled with fear, question, and dissatisfaction. They didn't even know what killed them. "RUMBLE~~" the three human corpses were instantly charged at by the large amounts of monsters. The lion mastiff and tiger mastiff monsters excitedly ripped apart their flesh. In the bathroom on the second floor, Luo Feng quietly watched the two lion mastiff leaders charge after the old veteran named Liu and the white brute. "Out of the six members of the tiger fang squad, five of them are already dead!" "Good, all according to plan. Even though I was the one behind this, they're clueless" Luo Feng was satisfied with what he has done so far, since he doesn't want to hurt that mixed youth. As long as you aren't dumb, you can figure out that..... the power behind the mixed youth is great! So-- Luo Feng didn't attack the members of the tiger fang squad when they were with the young master! However, because of the monster horde's attack, the seven members of the squad split into three. Running in front was the mixed youth and Pan Ya, being chased by the two high level commander monsters was the old veteran named Liu and the white brute, while the last section was the one eyed middle aged man and the others! Because the mixed youth, the old veteran named Liu, and the white brute have ran far away already, they couldn't see what was going on with the one eyed middle aged man and the others at all, which was why Luo Feng chose that time to strike! "However, the young master is probably in big trouble this time" Luo Feng thought to himself. However, suddenly-- A blurry shadow of a human appeared in Luo Feng's field of vision. This human was carrying some type of staff-type weapon. With a flash, he covered a few hundred meters and charged straight into the monster horde. "RUMBLE~~" A shocking blasting sound carried out, and the dozens of lion mastiffs and tiger mastiffs around Pan Ya and the mixed youth instantly turned into piles of flesh. The speed that surpassed the speed of sound caused the blasting sound. The shadow moved again! It directly arrived in front of the two lion mastiff leaders. The two lion mastiff leaders immediately let out an astonished howl and, surprisingly, started to run away! "BOOM!" The staff-type weapon harshly smashed onto the body of one of the lion mastiff leaders like lightning. The silver lion mastiff leader was launched up by around twenty meters, and all the scales on its body completely split open. Fresh blood sprayed around in the air, and while this lion mastiff was launched up by around twenty meters-- "BOOM!" The shadow instantly chased after the other lion mastiff leader and also gave it a ferocious smash! The lion mastiff leader was like a thrown bowling ball as it was launched away and then smashed into the large amounts of lion mastiffs and tiger mastiffs behind it. The lion mastiffs that were near were directly shocked to death, while the other large amounts of lion mastiffs and tiger mastiffs were smashed away. As for the high level commander level lion mastiff leader, it rolled on the ground a few times and then stopped moving completely. Large amounts of blood came pouring from it's nose and ears. "BOOM!" And at this time, the lion mastiff leader that was launched high up into the air came crashing down onto the ground, not moving an inch. In an instant! Two high level commander level monsters instantly dead! "AO WU~" All the lion mastiffs, tiger mastiffs, and some other low level commander level monsters were completely shocked. All of them wailed as they all started running away. Only at this time did the shadow start to take up more of a form.. Luo Feng just saw what the guy looked like: a huge brute that was around 2.3 to 2.4 meters tall and a face that looked like it was sculpted. He wore a completely gray battle uniform and held a gigantic..... mace! One can't help but to shiver after seeing the spikes on that mace! "Too messed up" Luo Feng looked at the two lifeless lion mastiff leaders' corpses and was completely stunned. He was so shocked that he didn't even dare to breathe loudly, "This is a wargod level fighter! It must be! I should be careful. If he finds me here, then there'll be trouble". Even the throwing knives that were originally shot out, under Luo Feng's will, dug into the ground. Luo Feng was too scared to retrieve them. "Uncle Li!" The mixed youth came running over and thanked him repeatedly. "Mr. Lee" The old veteran named Liu and the white brute respectfully bowed. The large brute laughed as he looked at the mixed youth: "Li Wei, when your dad received your SOS signal and found your location, there were two wargods nearby: me and brother Wang. He quickly contacted me first. Luckily, I wasn't too far away..... so I could make it in time". "Uncle Wang is here too?" the eyes of the mixed youth flashed with light. At this time..... As if a wind blew past, a blurry shadow appeared in the vicinity. After stabilizing, a handsome person who seemed to be around 20 to 30 years old wearing a blue battle uniform appeared. "Uncle Wang" The mixed youth yelled. "Look at your shameful self" said the man as he slightly laughed. The white brute and the old veteran named Liu didn't dare to make a sound on the side, while the tiger fang captain Pan Ya was looking around the area. When he saw that there were some battle uniforms, remains from corpses, and a machine gun lying on the ground, his eyes couldn't help but to turn red.

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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 4 years

Text

[checkmate] [3]

Summary: After ten years of fighting and surviving their way through the apocalypse in search of their son, Hugo and Isabel Sulieman finally find Ericson’s Boarding School for Troubled Youth and are ready to reunite with Louis.

Notes: After many hours of writing and rewriting this story, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s going to be way longer than I anticipated [what else is new]. I want to keep the all chapters around the same length [about 5k] so there’s a lot of splitting being done. I think it’s safe to say that there will be more than four parts to this like I had originally planned.

Anyway, I hope y’all enjoy it! Thank you for reading and for all the positive feedback!

As I’ve said before, this is a part of the contest prize story for @bluebutterfly1!

Read on AO3

---

Through the crack of the walker’s skull, blood oozes dark, dripping down the handle of the hatchet and onto his hand. Cold, clotted, and disgusting.

Hugo pushes the dead walker down with a huff just as Isabel finishes off the last one a few steps away.

They’re repulsive, the walkers. Even now, Hugo can’t over their decaying stench and peeling flesh. These walkers, in particular, are more disgusting- fresher walkers usually are.

Older walkers- years and years older- are slower, nothing but leathery skin and bone, weak from muscle deterioration and perhaps even hunger.

Newer walkers are what scare Hugo. Not only are the remains of a humane appearance more present, but they’re stronger, quicker, hungrier.

Killing them is such a normal thing now, he thinks. It’s easier when he considers it as a prevention of more chaos with every walker he kills. One less fresh walker. One less to wander around and devour innocent, unsuspecting survivors. There’s been too much of that.

“All clear,” Isabel says, wiping her knife off on the dirty rag attached to her belt. “Can we make this quick?”

Up close on the pier, the boat is an absolute wreck. Stray pieces of wood jut out of the water, metal stuck swaying with the waves, knocking into the boat. From what he can see, there isn’t a safe enough way for him to climb inside.

“Yep, it’s terrible. A real mess,” Isabel says. “Worst boat I’ve ever stood before in my life.”

Hugo raises a brow, elbowing her with a smirk.

“Worse than The Nauti Buoy?”

Isabel wrinkles her nose. “Ugh. I hated that damn thing.”

The Nauti Buoy was the clever name of his brother’s boat, one Stephen prided himself on, even though he stole the name from another boat he came across in his travels to pass off as his own.

Hugo used to say, “You know how people end up looking like their animals? Well, Stephen looks like his boat.”

Gaudy decor inside and out, painted a terrible antique gold color, much bigger than necessary.

Well, he thought so at the time. After Stephen’s second divorce, he ended up living in the damn thing. Oh, how proud their mother was. At least he was able to keep his prized watch collection safe and secure, because that’s all that really mattered.

Hugo only ever brought his family onto that boat once. Isabel grew so sick an hour in that they had to turn the damn thing around and head back to shore.

Not Louis, though.

Louis loved being on that boat. Not once did he ever get sick, except Hugo had to warn him about leaning too far over the railing to get a better look at the dolphins he spotted. Nearly fell overboard and gave Hugo a heart attack.

Seeing Louis’ glowing face as he marveled at the waves and salty air was what inspired Hugo to invest in a boat of his own.

Louis named it Gus.

Didn’t really have a reason, he just thought the boat looked like a Gus.

Hugo smiles.

“It wasn’t that bad, just ugly,” he says. “What do you think happened?.”

“I told you, someone blew it to shit,” Isabel says. “What exactly are you expecting to find?”

“Something useful,” Hugo kneels down, pressing a hand against the boat to steady himself as he leans in through a gaping hole. “Clothes, weapons, maybe food.”

“Hey, careful-”

“Look, through there? I can see a couple of crates floating inside. Worth checking out. Here, why don't you go check along the shore, I’ll see if I can grab one.”

“How about I stay right here and help you? I know you’re gonna fall in and I’ll have to fish you out.”

“I’m not gonna fall in,” Hugo rolls his eyes. “Have some faith in me.”

“It’s not that I don’t have faith in you, Hugh,” Isabel frowns. “I’d just rather prevent a disaster than try and fix one. Who knows what’s lurking around in these waters.”

“What, you think a shark’s going to gobble me up?”

“No, a walker,” Isabel kneels down beside him. “They can move under there much better than we can, and they don’t gotta breathe. If this ship crashed, odds are there were people on it who were thrown into the water. Hence, walkers.”

Well, damn, he hadn’t thought of that. Leaning over the edge, Hugo squints. The water’s pretty mucky, so he can’t tell how deep it is or what the bottom holds.

“I could out swim a walker, but to put your mind at ease-,” Isabel scoffs “-I’ll look around here some more and see if I can find something to pull the crates closer while you go search the shore, then we can pull the crates out together.”

“Y’know there’s probably nothing in them but useless, sodden supplies, right?” Isabel says, “I mean, I doubt this was some sort of battleship that carried weapons and first aid. Hell, it probably carried toy cars or something.”

“Toy cars?” Hugo laughs. “If that’s the case, then your little friend won’t need to ride around in your bag anymore. He can drive right beside us.”

“You’re not funny.”

“No?” Hugo smirks. “I’m a little funny, c’mon. Geoff driving around in a little car? Honking at the squirrels? Flippin’ me the bird every chance he gets? Hilarious.”

With an exasperated shake of her head, Isabel turns on her heels towards the shoreline, saying, “Fine, I’ll walk around. Don’t touch those crates until I get back because I swear if you fall in-”

“I’m not going to fall in,” Hugo calls after her. “I’m as coordinated as the most athletic breed of... cat!” Cats are coordinated, right?

He wouldn’t know, he never owned one.

He wishes he owned a cat, but Louis insisted on a damn turtle.

Isabel snorts a chuckle. “Yeah, okay!”

“You doubt me?”

“I doubt you.”

“Madam, now you’ve wounded me!”

“You’ll live.”

“Hey, while you’re over there, let Geoff go for a swim, too! He hasn’t done that in a while. He can scout for water walkers.”

That earns him Isabel’s lovely middle finger. He presses a hand against his chest, pushing his lip out in a pretend pout.

“Once again, she chooses the turtle over me.”

That makes Isabel laugh, shaking her head and giving a dismissive wave. “We meet back in five!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Hugo watches her briefly, taking in the sight of her walking along the shore, stepping over pieces of broken wood and rocks. Her loose top flutters with the rustling wind against the curve of her waist and a strange tingle of emotion cause him to pause.

A lifetime ago, Hugo and Isabel walked along a beach.

Much cleaner than this one with a much prettier sight. Along the shores of Makena Beach, they walked together barefoot. Isabel wore a dress she bought in one of the shops, one that fluttered in the wind the same exact way her shirt does now.

She was young, her hair long, curls big and windblown.

Pregnant, about seven weeks along.

“Shit,” Hugo mumbles.

He wonders what the state of Hawaii is, if their walker population is great or not.

Not that it matters.

There’s no way he’ll make it to those shores ever again, much less walk along them with Isabel and Louis.

He always thought about bringing Louis back there, too.

After he graduated high school, Hugo wanted to bring him to look at the colleges. He’d get into the best school they had to offer, of course, because Louis was a straight A student- when properly motivated- and there he’d get his degree while studying the culture and history of Hawaii and its people, land a damn good job and make a name for himself.

He can just see his boy now. Tall and handsome with his mother’s eyes and a beautiful smile... happy and satisfied with his life.

Louis would fall in love with a pretty girl, propose to her, and have a gorgeous wedding on the beach. They’d have a handful of kids, too. Hugo would be more than happy to become a grandfather.

A grandfather... babysitting Louis’ children while he and his lovely wife went out on date nights...

Hugo rubs his eyes along the sleeve of his shirt, sighing.

Nostalgic for what never was, he supposes.

They need to find that school, Hugo thinks. No matter what, once they’re done here- after they’ve scavenged some useful supplies- they’ll head back to the train station to look for a map.

They couldn't find one earlier, but maybe they didn’t look hard enough. They only really looked around to make sure it wasn’t someone else’s home, then headed back this way to check out the wreckage Hugo spotted.

They have to be close, closer than they’ve ever been. From the faintest part of his memory, he remembers the road being long and yet hard to find. He had to pay attention to the road signs, but his concentration was more than unfocused with Louis silently fuming in the backseat.

“You’re only staying for a year, or until we can... until we can sort some things out.”

“...”

“You’ll have a dorm with a roommate. Mr. Davidson told me he’s a good kid, he just... fell down a wrong path, so I don’t want to get any calls about you mistreating him.”

“...”

“This isn’t going to be like your other school. You will be respectful to your roommate, your classmates, and your teachers. No excuses, no exceptions. Understand?”

“...”

“Louis, answer me when I’m talking to you.”

“...”

Hugo glances back at the boat.

He hopes there’s something to gain from doing this, but at the very least, he got to see an old-timey riverboat like this up close. Little things..

Hugo pays another look to Isabel as she inspects a piece of soggy wood before pushing away from the boat to move along the pier. Over the edge, the corner of what looks to be a crate sticks up. Dropping down to his knees with a slight wince- damn leg!- Hugo rolls up his sleeves, sinking his hands in the chilled water.

Thoughts of the cool waves crashing against the shores of Makena Beach haunt him, memories of swimming and laughing and kissing-

“Shit,” Hugo finds a good grip on the crate and yanks. “Knock it off-”

It barely budges, caught on something.

He tries again, grunting at the horrible pull in his back. A shock jolts through his bad leg, making him bite the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from yelping. Letting go, he adjusts his position.

“There’s nothing over here!” Isabel calls. “Just garbage!”

With a better, firmer grip, Hugo pulls. The crate loosens, lifting up out of the water.

“Damn it…” Hugo gives an exasperated sigh.

It’s empty and broken, it’s bottom missing. Whatever goods filled it are nowhere to be found.

“Damn, damn, damn,” he mutters, standing to rub his dripping hands along his pants, kicking the useless crate back into the water. “Double damn.”

He opens his mouth to shout out a complain, but sees Isabel down closer to the water, her open bag beside her. Grinning to herself, she holds onto Geoff as he moves through the water.

Hugo thinks to make a joke both to tease her and make himself feel better about his lack of findings, but decides against it. Instead, he soaks in the sight of her content smile.

Moving along the pier, he calls out, “Hey, got a question for you!”

“No!”

Hugo laughs.

“You ever think about growing your hair out again?”

Isabel’s face scrunches up in a way that tells Hugo that’s a dumb question, nearly losing her grip on Geoff.

“You seriously asking me that?” she shakes her head. “Hair like that is nothing but a death trap! Remember back in Peach Creek? Damn walker nearly took a chunk out of my neck! Not only that, but it got its nasty fingers all stuck in it and there was skin and puss and-ugh!”

“Oh shit, that’s right,” Hugo grunts, bending back down along the hardwood to fish out a piece of clothing- a sleeve of a denim jacket. “That was a nice place.”

A nice place, indeed, but one of many that almost killed them.

One of the worst moments in their lives happened while staying with the group at the Peach Creek Clinic.

The people there were sympathetic to their dire situation. After losing their vehicle to a bunch of selfish assholes, barely having anything to their names aside from pictures of Louis and his clothes, the group took them in.

It seemed secure at the time, with a small group and plenty of medical supplies. Scarce food, though. Hugo and Isabel might’ve stayed there longer but anxiousness about getting to West Virginia sent them back on the road after another incident with walkers breaking in.

Half the group perished during that attack. They’re both lucky Hugo was there to take care of the walker before it got to her, but he couldn’t stop it from getting it’s fingers stuck and tangled in Isabel’s curls.

She was hysterical, tears dripping down her bruised cheeks as Hugo cut out chunks of hair to get the damn hand out. Bodies of their fallen friends surrounded them, and he thought they both might pass out.

When he tried to pick out the remaining pieces of rotten flesh and bone all while attempting to comfort her, Isabel insisted that they just cut it all off.

One of the survivors- shit, what was her name? Yolanda, maybe? Rhonda?- did a nice, clean shave of her head. Short and close to her scalp, nothing for anyone to grab.

They left the next morning. The survivors at the clinic were understanding and kind enough to send them with a bag of medical supplies they were able to spare, and fish food for Geoff, since all the fish within the lobby tank was no longer around.

Through the shallow water closer to shore, the falling sunlight gleams off of something stuck in the sand.

“Ah-ha!” Hugo grins, ignoring the pain in his knee as he shifts into a better position. Rolling up his sleeve, he reaches in to dig through the mushy sand. His thumb brushes something firm.

“Why?” Isabel asks, kicking at another piece of wood on her way back towards the pier. Geoff drips in her hands, merry after spending time in the water. “What brought that on?”

“Was thinking about Hawaii,” Hugo winces, leaning further down into the water, fully submerging his arm.

“Hawa- Hey! What are you doing-?”

“Ah!” Hugo flings himself back, victorious with a muddy knife in his hand. “Ah-ha! Got it!”

“Huh, look at that,” Isabel says.

“Told’ja we’d find something useful. You can never have too many knives,” Hugo grins, pulling a rag from his pocket to wipe the mud away. With a dull, scratched to hell blade, the knife will be just as effective in killing walkers as any other weapon.

“Well, I’ll give it to you,” Isabel says, “a knife is much more than what I found over there.”

“Maybe you weren’t looking hard enough,” Hugo smirks, which dies when he notices Geoff's perpetual glare fixated on him. A childish impulse to stick his tongue out at the damned creature overwhelms him. He bites it back and returns the glare.

“That’s not long enough to help us grab the crates.”

“There wasn’t anything over there?”

"A couple planks of wood,” Isabel shrugs.

“We don’t need anything fancy, just something long enough to push the crates towards us.”

Isabel looks to the bright sky, searching for any sign of evening coming upon them. They have plenty of daylight left, but Isabel’s patience is running out, replaced with anxiety. She sets Geoff down on the ground.

“Watch him, I’ll grab the one I was looking at.”

“Watch him?” Hugo frowns, pointing at Geoff with his brand new knife. “Where’s he gonna go?”

Geoff glowers up at him, beady black eyes slitted and neck extended up towards him.

Hugo leans down, whispering, “Hey buddy, have you ever heard of caouane, by chance?”

---

They’re a cheery duo, ain’t they?

Thomas smirks.

Hidden among the greens with a shoulder leaning against the sticky bark of a tree, Thomas listens to their bickering. Can’t make out much, unfortunately, but he’s got the gist. Almost reminds him of how he and Julie would talk long ago. Julie was meaner than the girl- what the hell is that she’s carrying?- but that don’t matter now.

Julie’s dead and it’s just Thomas and the beauty in his hand, fully loaded and itchin’ to be fired.

Not that he’s going to go up and shoot the strangers.

They ain’t dangerous from what he can tell- the girl’s got a fire in her but the man’s got a limp.

He don’t know what they’re looking for in the wreckage. Maybe they’re hoping to find some of the kids, but there’s no way this is where they’d hide. No, those kids got ‘em selves a school around here somewhere, even if he and these two don’t know where it is.

But, from the sounds of it, they got an idea and sometimes, that’s enough.

Thomas knows that if he scours these woods long enough, he’ll find the school. The problem is would he find it before these two did? He don’t know how many kids there’ll be, but he knows that if they got two capable adults on their side, then things won’t go as smoothly.

Especially if these two actually find their kid.

Thomas scoffs.

Bunch of twits.

What makes ‘em think they got a chance of seeing their kid again? He’d bet his lucky dollar that their kid is roaming around here as one of the dead if he’s not already in a shallow grave.

Hell, maybe they will find him. Their little baby boy, gaunt, rotten insides with hollow eyes and a hunger for flesh… charging at them with not an ounce of recognition… and even as they’re begging him to stop, screaming, “Stop, it’s us! It’s your mommy and daddy, son! Remember us? Remember us-”

No, he don’t remember nothing. The dead don’t remember.

The kid’ll just keep scurrying towards ‘em… arms held out and jaw slack.

Maybe they’ll be so distraught that they just let their kid chew ‘em both up.

Together. Undead.

The gun is heavy in his hand.

Quiet laughter.

Thomas, fingers wrapped painfully tight around his gun, squints back over at the pier.

They’re trying to get something out of the wreckage, using a long chunk of wood to do so. Thomas leans up, attempting to get a better look at ‘em. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out an old pair of glasses. Not his prescription, but he ain’t the picky type. Though they’ll bring on a mean headache later, they help him get a better look at the couple still struggling to get something out of the boat.

Down on their hands and knees, they work together to fish out whatever’s in there all while engaging in jovial chatter.

Pretty girl, Thomas thinks. Real nice shape.

Times like these he wishes he’d find himself a pair of binoculars.

Raspy groans emit from his right. A pair of walkers trod along, interested in all the commotion being made along the shore.

Just in time.

More’ll be coming here pretty quick- he saw a whole handful of them about a mile away, mingling together in search of something to tear their teeth into. He whistled at ‘em, then took off back to where he is now. He’s lucky these two ain’t quick in their accomplishments.

A walker- male, wearing a heavy coat and missing his left eye- hisses through his unhinged jaw as he crawls closer to where Thomas hides.

He ain’t worried about it. The more walkers that come, the better.

Ducking down lower, ignoring the age-old ache forever lining his back, he moves closer. Already the strain of his sight through the glasses brings on a fuzzy twinge behind his right eye.

“I got it, just need to-”

“Careful-”

Behind this tree, he can actually make out most of what they’re saying now.

“On three, alright?” the man says.

Together, they grunt out, “One… two… three!”

Thomas almost applauds. They managed to find something in the wreckage, and from the looks of it, that something is a crate. Well, he’ll be darned.

What else could be floating around in that thing? Thomas never paid it much mind upon first discovery- he wasn’t ever going to explore it. Not worth getting his boots wet, that’s for damn sure.

Also, he ain’t the best swimmer.

Let ‘em do the grunt work. He can come back and look through it later.

“See?” The man says, resting a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Fully intact.”

“Don’t celebrate until we get it open.”

“Really eager to see these toy cars, huh?”

“If there are actually toy cars in here, I’m going to strangle you.”

The man laughs, throwing a playful elbow towards the girl’s shoulder.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Thomas raises an interested brow.

“Don’t be gross,” the girl laughs.

“You’re right, sorry. I wouldn’t want to talk dirty in front of Geoff.”

Geoff? There ain’t no one else around...

“As if we haven’t scarred him enough in the past,” the man adds.

“Just shut up and open the damn thing so we can go.”

Another gurgle, this time closer. Thomas slinks back further into the bushes, breathing slowly, silently. He’s confident none of the walkers’ll find him. They’re as stupid as dirt with no actual hunting skills, thankfully.

Thomas can’t imagine anyone would’ve made it as far as they have if the damned dead were smarter than the living.

Then again, lots of folks are dead.

Grabbing a heavy-duty rock from beside his foot, Thomas eyes the walkers moving past him. They’re foul, both in appearance and odor. Looks like they got torn apart real good when alive, too, given their shredded clothes and chunks of flesh torn from their arms and waist.

The one-eyed walker crawls past.

What a way to go, Thomas thinks as he chucks the rock towards the shore, sending it crashing into one of the larger boulders with an echoing crack.

It draws everyone's attention, the walkers practically wheezing with glee- well, Thomas likes to imagine they’re gleeful to have something to sniff out.

The couple jumping to their feet.

“Ah, fuck!”

“What the hell was- Oh shit-!”

The walkers approach the shore, quicker now that they have a meal to pursue.

Thomas checks the chamber of his fully loaded gun.

---

Hugo almost had it.

With his knife jammed along the side of the lid, he was ready to pop it off victoriously.

A startling crack broke his concentration, causing him to lose his grip. The knife slips from the crack and jerks, slicing into the muscle below his thumb.

“Ah, fuck!” Hugo cries out, dropping the knife to cradle his bleeding hand. Blistering pain shocks through his fingers and up his arm.

“What the hell was- Oh shit-” Isabel reaches out for his arm, holding on with a death grip. “Walkers!”

“What?”

The crate before him forgotten, Hugo whips around.

A group of walkers head down the shore, each groaning and moving as fast as their decaying bodies can carry them.

What?

Where the hell did they come from? They made sure to scour the woods from the train station to the boat and take care of any straggling walkers that stood in their way. There weren’t that many. The most they had to deal with were along the shores.

“There wasn’t a single walker for miles,” Hugo exclaims. “Where the hell did they come from?”

“Don’t know,” Isabel says, staring up at him with wide eyes. She does a double-take when she notices the blood dripping from his hand. “Oh my god, Hugh, what the hell?”

“I’m fine, I slipped. It's just a scratch-”

“A scratch? Seriously?” She grabs his hand, inspecting the wound with wide eyes. "Bullshit, a scratch!"

“Forget it,” Hugo grabs the rag from his belt and ties it around his hand. “There’s only five of them. Nothing we can’t handle-”

“There isn’t only five, look!”

She’s not wrong- on their right, more come hobbling out of the woods.

Hugo looks from the approaching walkers, down to the unopened crate, down to his bleeding hand. He winces, picking his knife back up.

“We can handle them.”

“We could handle them if they didn’t already see us!”

“I’ll take the ones on the left-”

“Hugh, we gotta go! Forget the damn crates, they’re not worth dying for. Not now!”

Damn it...

"We're not risking everything!"

She pulls him forward with her down the pier, their boots clanking loudly against the worn wood, making the walkers perk up more.

Isabel jumps over the side, splashing in the shallow water in hopes of cutting across the shore and into the woods before the walkers get any closer. An easy plan Hugo could follow if it weren’t for the three walkers emerging from their intended destination, blocking their path.

A nasty growl from his right sent Hugo whipping around. A walker- a woman with an exposed neck and chest cavity, missing clumps of hair from beneath her hat- hurries towards him.

Fuck it.

Hugo surges forward, grabbing the sticky bones of the walker's throat. The knife plunges through the side of its head with ease, and the walker falls to the ground. Hugo lets out a shaky breath, grunting out at the searing pain throbbing in his hand, painful enough to cause spots in his vision.

“Hugo, I swear to Christ- don’t you dare get that hand-” Isabel kicks the shin of another walker. It falls to its knees, the perfect height for her to stab it through the head before sending the limp body crashing into yet another walker. A chain reaction of the force causes three of the walkers to fall back.

“Use your gun,” Isabel tells him, attacking those fallen monsters as fast as she can.

“That’ll just attract more!”

“So what? Kill these bastards so we can make a run for it!”

That’s assuming that he can successfully kill all of them, which he can’t with his last five bullets.

There’s more than five left.

More than ten, maybe.

He can’t count.

Where the fuck did they come from? He knows they weren't loud enough to attract this many.

A walker with one eye crawls along the sand, grabbing at his ankle to gnaw on his boot. This knife breaks its skull with a sickening crack, the odor enough to churn his stomach.

“Hugo, now!” Isabel shouts, stabbing another walker and pushing through.

Hugo tries to follow.

Even in its final death, the walker's grip remains strong on his ankle. He stumbles right into the grip of a heavyset walker, this one much younger, fresher compared to the decaying monsters- stronger.

A full set of rotten teeth snap at him. With his forearm pressed firmly against the chest of the monster, Hugo reaches back to grab his gun from its holster.

The shot rings in his ears, rattling his brain as gore explodes through the back of the walkers head. The earth swerves beneath his feet, acids in his stomach rise into his throat. He coughs, spitting into the dirt.

Through nausea, Hugo aims.

Another two shots- two walkers fall to the ground, motionless.

A third.

A fourth- fuck.

Hugo lets off his final shot, hitting a walker struggling with Isabel. Seeing it’s no longer a threat, Isabel grabs onto it, heaving it towards another and sending them crashing. She’s by his side again, huffing, “Let’s go!”

Hugo nods.

He has no idea where the fuck these things came from, or how they showed up so suddenly, but he knows she’s right- whatever the hell is in that crate isn’t worth there lives, not when they’re so close-

“Shit!”

A hand grabs his backpack, jerking him backward. The foul stench of the walker's breath warms his ear and everything within Hugo runs cold. He throws an elbow, twisting himself around in the walker's embrace.

He doesn’t see the fallen walker behind him.

They both tumble to the ground. The gun slips out of his grip.

“Hugo!”

A sixth shot.

The walker's blood splatters across Hugo’s face, and for a moment, he thinks he’s dead. The body slouches over him, unmoving.

A seventh shot- an eighth-

Isabel grabs the walker by its shirt, hauling it off of him before dropping to her knees. Her hands move all over him as she gasps out, “Holy shit, please, oh please, tell me you’re okay!”

Several more shots fire, and one by one, the remaining walkers fall.

Then there’s silence.

Hugo reaches for his gun, scooping it up from the dirt before Isabel helps him up. He falls forward onto his bad knee.

“Augh!”

“Sorry- c’mon-!”

Finally on his feet, Hugo surveys the area.

All the dead are just that- fallen on the ground.

“Are-” Hugo coughs “-are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Isabel shakes her head, narrowed eyes darting all around the forest. “Pissed off, but fine.” Without taking her sight off the forest, she slips her backpack off to glance inside. “Geoff’s okay, too.”

Terrific.

Because Hugo was so worried.

Isabel leans down, whispering, “Hugh… someone’s here.”

He assumed so.

The walkers didn’t shoot themselves.

“Give me your gun.”

Hugo cocks his head to murmur in her ear, “We’re out of bullets.”

“He doesn’t know that.”

The snapping of wood and rubber against rocks turns their attention back to the woods where a man walks out, waving over at them with a grin.

“Howdy!” he calls out, voice gruff and accent thick.

Isabel snatches the gun from his hand before Hugo has a chance to protest, pointing it and stopping the man in his tracks.

“That’s close enough!”

“Woah, woah,” the man holds his hands up in surrender, though keeps his grip on his gun just as tight.

“Belle-” Hugo warns, but the man chuckles lightly.

“Didn’t mean to scare ya. I mean no harm! Heard the gunshots and saw y’all were havin’ some trouble, thought I’d lend a helpin’ hand. You folks alright?”

Isabel doesn’t lower the gun, keeping her eyes fixated on the man as he cautiously continues to walk over.

“We’re fine,” Hugo answers. “Fine, no bites, just a little startled. Thanks for the help.”

“We could’ve handled it,” Isabel adds. “Thanks.”

The man nods, saying, “No, you look plenty capable, didn’t mean to say ya don’t. Just didn’t want to see any more folks die, y’know? Not when I could do the decent thing and help.”

He’s close now, close enough for Hugo to better make out the details of his graying, ginger beard and bald head. He pulls his glasses off and pockets them with his free hand, blinking rapidly as he grins.

“Name’s Thomas,” he greets. “Nice to meet’cha.”

#[checkmate]#twdg louis #twdg clementine #twdg clouis #clouis #twdg louisentine #louisentine #twdg hugo #twdg isabel #twdg tenn #twdg geoff

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angvs · 4 years

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❛ ✶ ( LUKE HEMMINGS , CISMALE , HE/HIM ) — did you see ANGUS DONNELLEY walking around campus earlier ? i hear a lot of people talking about the TWENTY TWO year old JUNIOR . from what i know , they are studying NEUROSCIENCE and are a part of DELTA PSI BETA . they come across as + EMPATHETIC but also - PERNICIOUS , which makes sense because on their instagram ( @gusdonny ) it says they are a TAURUS . when i see them , i think of dropping your coffee on the pavement , tattered crewnecks & denim , sitting in some hole in the wall restaurant at 2am , omw texts while still laying in bed , & chipped bitten nails . the most interesting thing i’ve heard about them though , is the fact that [ REDACTED ] , but don’t tell anyone i told you that .

wow y’all really went hard in your intros i am not worThy !!! hi everyone !! i’m cj and i’m from the true north , strong and free .. aka canada bby . i’m out in mountain time , which is why i am SO LATE , i was at work today :~( i’m super excited to write with you guys though !! i brought one of my favourite boys .. this is my big dummy angus , but pls if u love the boy at all call him gus .

tw : drug mention below

╰ ˚･ﾟ & some 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒔

full name: angus elijah donnelley nicknames: gus age: twenty two date of birth: april 27th hometown: malibu , california preferred pronouns: he/him orientation: pansexual occupation: n/a , currently studying at beaumont language(s) spoken: english , swedish ( very rusty ) pets: bulldog-terrier mix named cleo ( aka … luke hemmings irl puppy , i couldn’t help myself ok ) , but ... it’s a family dog , so ... she’s back at home and he misses her EVERY DAY .

PINTEREST BOARD !!

born and raised in malibu , angus grew up with strict , ambitious parents . his father a neurosurgeon , and mother an architect . it was very early on that they instilled their high expectations for the boy , teaching him the importance of discipline and responsibility . their intentions were good of course , as every parent wants to raise their child right , though angus wasn’t truly equipped . in actuality the couple came off as overbearing and their high expectations deemed unreachable in the male’s eyes . as he grew older , the feeling grew stronger that he would never quite live up to their standards – 97% on his mathematics test ?? well , why wasn’t it 100% ??

family time was scarce in the donnelley household . with both parents working full time and lots of time spent working extra hours , angus became independent quickly . his mother was flying to dubai for work quite frequently , gone weeks at a time . some weeks if felt like his father LIVED in the hospital . but he was saving lives , and how could angus be so SELFISH to want him at home . it meant he grew extremely close to his two younger sisters , often opting to spending the weekends entertaining them rather then out at parties . the family had a nanny to help , so he didn’t HAVE to , but his sisters always came first to him and being the eldest he has a serious case of protective older brother syndrome .

after graduating high school , he somehow managed to convince his parents to allow him to head abroad for the year . with promises of coming back home and hunkering down into his pre med degree . the couple really wanted angus to head straight into uni , but with tons of begging , they sent him off , bank account full . the year was spent travelling and honestly , just having FUN – a few months over in paris , london , italy , greece … some places he’d been before with his family , but not in the way he got to experience them now . angus continued his travels to japan , korea , new zealand , australia … never staying in one place for too long . but the fun had to come to an end .

as promised , angus attended beaumont upon returning back to the states studying neurosciences , getting his pre med classes under his belt . he is a legacy kid -- his father having been apart of delta psi beta when he attended the university . becoming a doctor has never quite been his dream , so much as it was his parents . while the male continues his undergraduate degree , he wonders if he should change his path , though that’s not a conversation he can have with his parents . angus has always wanted to leave an impact on others , in what way , well he’s never been sure .

╰ ˚･ﾟ & 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚

a big dumb softy !!

what if i left it at that …. !! no but , honestly … he’s definitely chaotic neutral . he’s a big empath , and will usually feel for you to his core .

i have some tiktoks to link , because our beautiful admins inspired me !!! and if you do anything ... please watch these : ONE , TWO , THREE , FOUR , FIVE ( tag urself , angus is the idiot that makes the entire thing go down )

it could be sometimes annoying , because angus can’t really ‘ pick sides ’ , this boy can see the validity in all sides ��( in most cases ) . he’s definitely loyal to you , but he’ll be that friend that brings up the defence just to make you really think . because of this he can be either really good with advice … or really bad , there’s no in between . he’ll hit you with a million different solutions , confident that every one is good … “ it just depends what vibe you wanna go for ”

he … gets distracted easily . he dabbles in a bit of adderall , with his course load ... it’s just kinda how he copes . definitely known to pop some pills during night study sesh’s , essays & finals week .

he doesn’t LIKE to party a ton , like … he’s just not into big crowds really ? but if he tells you he doesn’t want to go out , it’s VERY EASY to change his mind , because he has Big FOMO . but he’s 22 yanno and he’s in a big party frat so , catch him getting drunk and probably high every weekend , off to the side with a few less people , or in the smoking pit at the clubs fawning over ur outfit or smth . after he’ll drag your ass to some hole in the wall restaurant and order way too much shit .

he’s lowkey v self destructive . it’s something he doesn’t even realize he’s doing most of the time , but he’s genuinely surprised when a friend sticks around . the ones that do stick , have definitely had to deal with him fucking about and being overdramatic in an attempt to protect himself . idk why this is so important to me , but he FOR SURE made a few tik toks w that whole …. “ if i was a worm … would you still love me ? ” AND if you told him no , would be pissed for days .

very affectionate !!!! with !!!! everyone !!!!

╰ ˚･ﾟ & 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔

attended a semester abroad in sweden . is very rusty now , but can hold a basic conversation in swedish .

cleo , his pup , is his absolute pride and joy . he talks about her as if she’s his daughter ok . misses her sm while away at school .

he’s so messy , but will defend himself by saying they always had a maid , and then realizes how DUMB he sounds .

sk8er boi ~~ nah , but he actually does skateboard , and is trying to perfect his kickflip rn .

loves pizza pls

is always attending live shows , he loves the music scene and frequently supports locals

will “ thrift ” the dumbest shit for hundreds of dollars …

plays guitar , but doesn’t think he’s very good

╰ ˚･ﾟ & 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔

i made up a page HERE , but PLS i LOVE brainstorming , so don’t hesitate to come to me for some brainstorming !!

#bu.intro #☠ ! ─── 𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓾𝓼 𝓭𝓸𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓮𝔂 // intro.

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runningwhilenotdying · 6 years

Photo

So! This is quite late but I’ve been crazy busy with school and I knew typing all this out would be A Task. This race was about 10,000 times harder than I thought it would be. I thought that I respected the marathon distance going in but it turned out I absolutely did not. My time was quite a bit slower than I was expecting even though I didn’t have an exact goal in mind and my splits were ridiculously positive (pic 7). I’m honestly not disappointed at all though. The marathon is a mean, tough race but I’m even meaner and tougher and that is absolutely something to celebrate. Full race recap under the cut because it’s almost as long as the marathon itself.

- The day before the marathon was pretty much ideal actually. Did my 3 km shakeout run in the morning, made pancakes, lounged around my house, and picked up my bib. My super old family friend/honorary sister was in town to run the half and my mom was running the 5k, so we all went out for delicious pasta the night before along with my boyfriend and my friend’s mom.

- I slept AWFULLY the night before. I lay awake for ages, then slept in short little bursts that probably added up to like 3 hours overall. My cat also woke me up at 5 by biting my feet and I almost tossed him out the window.

- Woke up for real at 6:15, miraculously not tired and not particularly nervous either. I had a bagel with PB and a cup of coffee, put on a huge pile of throwaway clothes over my race outfit, and took an Uber to the start

- I was paranoid about road closures so I gave myself a ton of extra time, but we ended up not having any trouble at all. That meant I got to the start just over an hour early, which was a big problem considering the temperature was a degree or so above freezing

- I waited for my friend to show up, walking around in aimless circles to keep warm. She showed up about 20 minutes early, we took some nice pictures in our 5000 layers, and got into our corrals right around when the gun went off for the elite corral

- This is a FAST race, so my corral was pretty far back and it took about 15 minutes from there to actually cross the line. I was planning on throwing away my fleece, hat, and two pairs of mittens at the start but I ended up keeping them on. I got rid of the mittens and fleece by kilometre 4 and kept the hat until around kilometre 24

- By the time I started, my feet were completely frozen. I spent the first few kilometres wiggling my toes trying to get the feeling back, but I was basically running on ice blocks until the 5k mark

- Other than that though, I felt awesome for the beginning of the race. The energy of the crowd and the other racers were infectious. I was checking my watch every kilometre, and my splits were a bit faster than planned but I didn’t worry too much about reigning it in. I’d been having a bunch of random pains all down my right side all through taper, but I wasn’t feeling anything

- I decided not to count down kilometres or even think about the overall distance until 10k, and I actually did a pretty good job of that. I started having a dull pain in my right hip around 8 km, but other than that I was feeling awesome and determined to enjoy the race for as long as I could

- Between 10k and the halfway mark, things gradually got a bit harder, but I generally still felt in control. My breathing was still good and I was sticking to my schedule for taking energy blocks. But my hip was still nagging and my left hip flexor had joined in as well. The pain was super mild, but I was anxious about it getting worse and that started affecting my mental game in general

- The last time I felt genuinely good was probably around 19 km, right before the half-marathoners split off. We went past a huge cheering station where they were blasting Abba and giving high fives. I was so psyched I actually sang along to most of the chorus of Mamma Mia as I ran past

- Once the half-marathoners split off it got quiet fast. Less than one third of the racers were doing the marathon, so suddenly there were a lot fewer runners and barely any spectators. I was starting to feel sick and my hips were still hurting and I was grappling with the idea of running the complete distance I’d already ran again

- This is where it started getting hard. I’d brought headphones to listen to music, but I wanted to put off using them until I absolutely NEEDED a power-up, so I was pretty much alone with my thoughts until I gave in at 28 km. At this point finishing seemed completely unfathomable and I was starting to wonder what the hell I was doing this for

- The race basically just got harder from here. I was feeling sicker and I started putting off my scheduled energy blocks. I was supposed to take a Gu at 24 km, but I couldn’t even imagine putting it in my stomach. I don’t remember when I started worrying about DNFing again, but it was probably around this point. 28ish km to 32 km was probably the hardest part of the race mentally

- When I finally hit the 32 km mark, things turned around a bit. 32 km was the point last year where I slammed headlong into the wall and dropped out because I couldn’t walk in a straight line or carry a train of thought. So when I got here this time, I realized that even though I felt like absolute shit, I was doing 100 times better than last year. This is when I realized that I probably actually was going to finish

- Even though my mental state improved a tiny bit, my physical state was getting worse and worse. Starting at 32 km, I let myself walk the first minute of every kilometre. This 100% saved me mentally because it gave me something to look forward to every kilometre. It also let me stretch my hips out a bit, which definitely helped physically

- Even with the walking breaks, I was in the absolute worst pain of my life for the last 8 km or so. The only thing stopping me from walking the rest of the way was my desire to be finished the fucking marathon as soon as possible. I wasn’t checking my pace anymore, but I was probably down to around 6:30/km not counting the walking breaks

- Every 900ish metre stretch between walking breaks felt impossible and never-ending, and once I was walking, starting up again after 1 minute was the worst kind of mental challenge. The last few kilometres are pretty hazy in my memory, but I distinctly remember thinking “am I actually going to DNF with less than 2 km to go? IDK. Maybe”

- Finally, finally, I hit 41 km and took my last walking break. That was when I remembered that the total distance was 42.2 km, not just 42. It sounds ridiculous, but the thought of that extra 200 metres was almost more than I could bear as I finished my last walking break

- Every step of that last 1(.2) kilometre was a fight. I was checking my watch every half block and counting down the individual metres. With 600ish metres to go, I saw my mom cheering on the sidelines and almost broke down. She started trying to run with me down the sidewalk, but I discovered later that I’d somehow averaged 4:59/km for the last 800 metres of the race, so she couldn’t keep up with me

- I started seeing signs counting down the last 400 metres and finally accepted that I was definitely going to finish. I took out my headphones to hear the crowd for the last moments, and heard the announcer call my name as I came up on the finish line

- Stepping across the line was the most overwhelming moment of my life. I’d felt so awful for so long, but I’d fought through it. The fact that I DNFed last year and left feeling like such a failure made it even more powerful. As soon as I crossed the line I started full-on weeping, hand over my mouth, sobbing at full volume. Some of it was pain, but most of it was pride and astonishment

- My friend and her mom started calling my name and I walked over to them. Opened my mouth to say hi to them and instead threw up twice directly at their feet, so I guess I can really have no doubt in my mind that I gave the race everything I had

Anyway, this is by far the longest tumblr post I’ve ever written and I’m sure no one’s still reading, so I’ll wrap it up. Four days later, I’m still walking on air over this. My right knee and hip still hurt like a bitch, but I’m happy, and proud, and I ran a FREAKING MARATHON

#runblr #rcoctober2018 #2018runclub #race recap #marathon #fitblr

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awol-newt · 6 years

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our family of choice AU masterlist

sunbeams will soon smile through (good morning)come on and play (what do ya say?)This is the masterlist for my “our family of choice AU” series.

In chronological order, titles only:

we will rise above all the ash

the darkest country road

take me home (mommy, i’m coming home)

two of us (riding nowhere)

they say that time's supposed to heal ya

love and security and family and maltesers

friends and allies

this isn’t oliver twist

chase the monsters away (don’t be afraid)

i’ll play my fight song

come on and play (what do ya say?)

it’s a brand new day (i know i’ll be okay)

there’s dirt on our uniforms

blue eyes, blue eyes

fox in the snow (where do you go?)

driving away from the wreck of the day (and it’s finally quiet in my head)

after the bombs

we fight those demons (day in and day out)

kodachrome

beaches, music, family, and love

all will be well

it's rock and roll (kind of love)

something is fishy in this here town

calamity jane isn’t bulshar

sunbeams will soon smile through (good morning)

it’s not about your scars (it’s all about your heart)

with a little help from my friends

can i be the kid for your soul to keep?

soon the fog will clear

Chronological order with summaries after the cut.

In chronological order:

we will rise above all the ash

Summary: everybody thinks about family a little differently. the scooby gang is no different. here are six brief character studies on thoughts on family.

part of 'our family of choice au' but can also stand alone - the darkest country road

Summary: One revenant left.There’s only one revenant left to make his peace before they finally, finally, end this godforsaken curse. Before they can breathe a little easier. Before they can begin to heal after so many years of fighting, fighting, fighting.

Before Alice can come home.

They just have to find him first, and that's easier said than done. - take me home (mommy, i’m coming home)

Summary: It takes them four years to break the curse.

Four years to succeed where previous generations of Earps had failed. Four years of fighting tooth and nail for a future without fear, without the weight of the curse bearing down on them, all the while wondering if they’ll come out of this alive.But they do it.

Alice is finally coming home and family means everything. - two of us (riding nowhere)

Summary: Nicole and Waverly are nervous about possibly taking on the responsibility of a child. Both of them share fears and anxieties. If only the two of them actually talked to each other about them.

Neither Nicole nor Waverly wants to worry the other, so they play a broken record for a couple of their friends. - they say that time's supposed to heal ya

Summary: Wynonna isn’t good at apologizing. Honestly, she’s pretty awful at it if her encounter with flipping August Hamilton is any indication. It also made at least one other thing perfectly clear — Wynonna has hurt a lot of people and she won’t ever win a popularity contest in Purgatory.

She isn’t good at apologies. But she needs to get this one right. She needs for this one to be real and good and honest and genuine. Because she needs Alice to know.

She’s sorry. - love and security and family and maltesers

Summary: Nedley always said that there will be one case that really gets to you, that crawls beneath your skin and makes a home there, nagging and ever-present from that moment forward. It’s the case that will change your life in some way or another. The case that could make or break you as a person.

For Nicole, it's a case that leads her to a little girl named Belle and a heart that doesn't know how to do anything but love fiercely. - friends and allies

Summary: It’s been three days since the fight. Since she heard more screaming and hollering from her ma and papa than she ever heard before — and that was a lot. Sometimes they’d shout so much that she’d hide somewhere other than her room just so they couldn’t find her easily and start in on her, too. Three days since everything changed.

And today — today Waverly and Nicole ask her if she would like to meet some of their family this weekend. Because Sunday dinners once a month are a thing because family is important and so is the reminder that you aren't alone in the world. Except Belle just isn't sure what all this means for her when she doesn't have a family anymore.

It's time for Belle to meet some adorable psychos. - this isn’t oliver twist

Summary: Nicole doesn’t notice it at first. The way that food seems to go missing like the sleeve of crackers from the brand new box that she bought over the weekend. Or the last bagel from the cupboard. She figures it’s Waverly taking snacks into the office for Alice and Belle on the days that Gus can’t look after them.She doesn’t notice that food keeps disappearing until Lonnie barges into her office holding the brown sack lunch that she knows his wife puts together for him every morning. - chase the monsters away (don’t be afraid)

Summary: There's a monster under Belle's bed. It comes for her in her nightmares, and she wakes up crying, "Nicole! Nicole!"

Nicole just wants to be a good foster parent and protect and love the little girl in her care. Because she made a promise of love, security, family, and maltesers. - i’ll play my fight song

Summary: Nicole's radio crackles and the dispatcher's voice sounds through the static. "Sheriff?"

"Go for Haught."

"Purgatory elementary called, ma'am."

It's Belle's first day of kindergarten and already Nicole is hearing from the principal before the day is over. - come on and play (what do ya say?)

Summary: “I thought it’s supposed to be a sexy cop outfit.”Wynonna leans against the doorway to the kitchen, already gnawing on a Tootsie Pop that has turned her lips cherry red. The hood of her rainbow onesie is pulled up around her head and she has her creepy horse mask in the hand not holding onto her third lollipop of the night.

It's Belle's first Halloween with all the crazy that is her foster family and its adorable psychos. - it’s a brand new day (i know i’ll be okay)

Summary: “You know that you need to stop being dumb and go help your girlfriend, right?”

Nicole shakes her head and explains, “She got mad when I didn’t cut the crust off the sandwiches the ‘right way’. I’ve been instructed to ‘keep the peace’ until everything is ready and the girls are here.”

Wynonna snorts. “Yeah. She’s in full panic mom mode.”

“This is important to her, Wynonna,” Nicole chides, feeling protective even though she knows it was said in jest.

It's a found family picnic/party because an occasion such as this is worthy of celebration. -

there’s dirt on our uniforms

Summary: Violence is never the answer, except when sometimes it is. Like when it comes to punching Champ Hardy's evil spawn in the schnoz. Nothing like punching Champ Hardy's evil spawn in the schnoz while sporting some sick Buzz Lightyear light-up sneakers. - blue eyes, blue eyes

Summary: “So. Wanna tell me why your cousin broke Chump Jr.’s nose?”

Wynonna wants to know why Belle sucker punched Bradley James in the schnoz, and she asks Alice for the answer.

A follow-up ficlet to there's dirt on our uniforms. - fox in the snow (where do you go?)

Summary: Belle pulls at the knit toque on her head, trying to tug it over her ears, which are starting to sting in the cold. She waits, kicking at a pine cone on top of the snow. It sails down the hill, broken apart by the force of her kick and already brittle from the wintry weather.

She isn’t particularly sure that they should be doing this. Her mama told them to stay out of trouble because she had to run into town to drop something off at the station. She said she trusted them not to do something that Wynonna would do because they’re smarter and more responsible than that.

Does building a toboggan obstacle course on the steepest hill on the homestead count as smart and responsible?

(Probably not.) - driving away from the wreck of the day (and it’s finally quiet in my head)

Summary: The scene is familiar. The two of them, sitting on the floor and passing a bottle of whiskey back and forth. Both of them more than a little drunk. This time, however, they’re in Nicole’s office with the blinds closed and the door shut and locked, leaning with their backs against the couch.

Silence settles on them like a blanket. It’s suffocating, oppressive, and too damn heavy. They sit like that for a while, pensive and languishing under too much weight on their shoulders and on their souls.

“Today was hard,” Nicole whispers, peeling back the quiet just enough to breathe a little easier. - after the bombs

Summary: Nobody would say that Wynonna Earp doesn’t know how to cope.

They just wouldn’t say that she knows how to cope well.

Especially when she drives out to the outskirts of town with a bottle of whiskey, a box of ammo, and a long-standing quarrel with the Welcome to Purgatory sign. - we fight those demons (day in and day out)

Summary: It’s been three weeks since Wynonna turned up at the house with her arms wrapped protectively around Nicole, both of them smelling like cheap whiskey and looking like a rough night personified. Three weeks since Nicole ran into a hostage situation like a brave idiot, only to watch an entire family cut down in less than a minute. Three weeks of being distant and stubborn and stupid. They need to talk.

Nicole is pretty awful about admitting that she needs help. - kodachrome

Summary: Focus, click, wind.It's Belle's birthday and time to play hooky with a trip to the big city. All she wants is a camera, a trip to the park, a nice dinner, and maybe some ice cream for dessert.

Nicole thinks that she can make most of those things happen. - beaches, music, family, and love

Summary: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We've been cleared to land at Jose Martí International Airport where the local time is 2:40pm. It's currently a balmy twenty-seven degrees celsius with sunny skies and no rain in the forecast. We know you have lots of options when it comes to flying these days, so we thank you for choosing to fly with Air Canada and we hope to see you again soon.”

A Wayhaught family honeymoon. - all will be well

Summary: Wynonna is turning forty. This year, that means a party at Moose Lake.

For Nicole, it means everything.

Nicole loves her found family and everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. - it's rock and roll (kind of love)

Summary: Belle waits patiently, watching the grin spread across the older girl’s face. More than a minute passes and Belle’s patience wanes. “What is it?” she finally asks.

Alice grins even bigger and belly flops onto Belle’s bed. “We’re going to start a band.” She says it like it’s the best idea that she’s ever had. Her blue eyes hold a glimmer of excitement, waiting for her cousin — her best friend — to say something.

a tribute to the 80’s mixtape AU by gilligankane and thegaysmurf - something is fishy in this here town

Summary: “Harriet the Spy,” she reads the title aloud.

“Like that really old movie?” Vanessa asks and she’s leaning forward over her tray of meatloaf and mixed vegetables — because school lunches never change — to get a better look at the cover.

Belle opens it to a random page and reads the first thing that catches her eye. She looks up. “I think it might be,” she tells them. She thumbs through it to another page, green eyes quickly skimming over the text with practiced ease. “Yeah. I think it is.”

Belle and Alice are inspired to become spies. - calamity jane isn’t bulshar

Summary: “No,” Nicole says firmly. “Absolutely not.”

“But, mom, where else will she go? Look at her face!”

Belle pouts and lifts the cat as high as she can to try to shove its face into Nicole’s.

Belle finds a cat on her way home from school and of course it turns into more trouble than any of them expect. - sunbeams will soon smile through (good morning)

Summary: “Hey! You gonna help me or not?”

“That depends. Do you have a fire extinguisher this time?”

“That was one time and you were supposed to be in charge of the waffle maker.”

“It had faulty wiring.”

“You almost burned down my moms’ house.”

“Shoulda has a fire extinguisher handy.”

Belle wants to make breakfast for her moms and enlists Alice's help. She's not sure if she would have been better off with or without it. - it’s not about your scars (it’s all about your heart)

Summary: "Why did we think a bar fight outside of Shorty's was a good idea?"

Alice and Belle end up in the drunk tank at the sheriff's station. No regrets, though. They'd totally do it again. - with a little help from my friends

Summary: Officer Paten rests her hands on her duty belt as she saunters toward them. Her eyes look pointedly at the cling wrap box still in Wynonna’s hands to the mickey of Jameson that Nicole is holding. Behind them is a truck wrapped almost completely in plastic wrap.

“Sheriff,” the deputy drawls.

“Officer Paten,” Nicole greets as if they haven’t just vandalized somebody’s property. - can i be the kid for your soul to keep?

Summary: Sometimes sadness creeps up on you like a looming shadow that you don’t notice until it towers over you, blocking out the warmth and the light. Sometimes you can see it coming from a mile away, slow and steady like an impending storm that is set on a collision course for your heart and mind, ready to devastate you whether you're ready or not.

Belle isn't ready for it. She doesn't expect it. It knocks her on her ass and leaves her there to cope. Her family reminds her that she doesn't have to do it alone. - soon the fog will clear

Even though she knows that this, too, will pass, her dark days linger. Sadness still wraps its way around Belle's heart and mind and soul, and even if her family can't make things magically good again, they can make things better. Little by little.

A follow-up to can i be the kid for your soul to keep?.

#our family of choice au #nicole haught #waverly earp #wayhaught #wayhaught fic #my fic #send me prompts if you want a ficlet #especially if you're a writer for the fandom #because you're awesome #wynonna earp

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sarahcreatesstuff · 3 years

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Trion Alpha Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Fire, Air, Water, Earth

The long grasses scratched gentle across the plain fabric trousers that Jack wore but he did not really notice them anymore. His entire focus was on the pressed down circle in the centre of the field where he would learn his fate. Nerves were playing throughout his body, a sense of anticipation but also a high degree of worry present as well, but he had been told that this was perfectly normal. No one could predict what sub gender they would present as, though those older sometimes had a fair clue about it in advance. Though no one had any idea about which of the four potential sub genders that Jack would present as, but generally it was presumed that he would follow the trend of most Trion’s and present as either an omega or delta.

When he had first come into the wolf society, it had been very confusing to learn about the four sub genders and the roles that they played within a pack but now at the age of maturity he knew and understood them all pretty well.

Deltas were the lowest rank but were never really looked down upon as they were the secret protectors of the packs. They were silent movers, able to blend into the world around them, scout out the best hunting grounds and kept the borders checked. They could be fast and sharp in their movements, making fighting them tricky as they seemed to almost dance around their intended targets but when it came to hunting, they were swift and precise in the kill. Most Delta’s were quiet by nature, slightly introverted and rarely wanting to be the centre of attention unless they felt that it was absolutely necessary and were otherwise the chief artisans of the pack, seeming to take their slight solitude as an opportunity to create all sorts of different crafts that could be worn, or displayed to show the pack off to the best of its abilities. In the Jurisa pack there were three Delta’s sisters, who spent their nights patrolling the borders of the territory with frightening precision and then spent the day making or mending clothes, setting up their own brand of ‘protection symbols’ which took on the form of dolls and tending to sick cubs, as the youngest had a flair for medicines and had become the pack healer with little formal training. Jack always liked their Earth based scents, reminding him of the quiet little glades that could be found in the middle of summer and knew that all Delta’s had an undercurrent of Earth and nature as their primary scent which always mixed pleasantly with their personal and pack scent.

Which was why he always found that omega’s having water scents was a little strange but refreshing. Mostly they smelt like the freshness of the land after a good shower of rain or else the clear river water that ran through their lands. Two in the pack had unique scents, one a male omega by the name of Gus who smelt like a raging storm and the other a female by the name of Kira who smelt like the ocean. Jack had come to learn that omegas were probably the most diverse of the sub genders and whilst they all shared some traits, they were all unique in their own way. Omegas were soft and delicate but built with bodies that could sustain young through to term with little to no problems. They were the true mothers of the pack, able to be gentle and caring in times of need but were fierce as hell when they felt that one of their own was in danger. Some of the strongest fighters in the groups were omegas, which had confused Jack no end when he was younger but now, he came to accept that omegas would die for those that they cared about. In the past they had been nothing more than breeding machines, seen as the only ones who could be bred and with their yearly heat cycles that made them extremely fertile for around two weeks, but they were also at their most vulnerable and weakest during this time. Now that mentality had generally been wiped out, with the exception of a few cases, and omegas could choose to be whatever they wanted in a pack. Though most stuck with more traditional roles on account of them actually being particularly good at them. They all still went through heats, but only true mates were allowed to be with them or else mated omegas who could help sooth the ache until mates came along. Only once had Jack come across someone in heat, which was around a year ago and he had been praised for simply helping the omega to the correct hut and stepping away. He was still underage, but the smell of heat had affected him as his wolf began to mature but sense won out over everything else. Male omegas could also carry cubs and were treated no different because of this little situation.

The Head Beta of the pack had patted his head, after going up on his tiptoes in order to do so correctly and had praised his good sense. Betas were essential for a pack to run correctly, at least when it got big enough to be a full pack, as they were the most level headed of the sub-genders and always seemed to know exactly what to say and do in any situations. Primarily they were healers, or liaisons between packs or else enforcers of the rules and in some of the more human city based packs, they took on jobs as lawyers and shop owners to provide for their living expenses and ensure that no one got screwed over. Betas were the least violent of the four sub-genders, despite being sharp with their tongues, and had more lean builds that made them surprisingly good for dancing and performances of all kinds. Jack had always presumed that this was something to do with their air based scents, which was hard to explain as all betas smelled like the wind blowing something around or else in the case of the Head Beta, like a hurricane landing unexpectedly in the middle of a corn field. It probably explained why his mate had a scent of a rainstorm. Secretly Jack wanted to be a Beta, as it meant he could provide for his pack in some form and already he had spotted an area of land which he thought would make for an excellent farm. Yes, it would be going back to his human routes but if he could get it going and maintain it, then he would be able to take the produce to the city markets and get things the likes of which he had not seen for years.

Though he was aware that the city had probably hugely changed since he was last there. Whilst on the surface he looked no older than eighteen, Jack’s wolf had literally grown from being a tiny cub to a mature adult inside a human body. Wolves aged slower than humans, typically having a lifespan of two hundred and fifty to three hundred years, and the old saying about dogs ageing seven years for every one year had applied to Jack. Just in the reserve. So, for every seven years that Jack lived in human terms, his wolf only aged one year in turn which slowed him down considerably. At last track he had worked out that in human terms he was actually around twenty five, but he looked eighteen, so it was not so bad. Apparently, he would slow down further in the aging process once his wolf matured, and Jack was pretty much at the point of just giving up trying to work out the age difference because it would probably drive him insane.

But it was a dream to present as a Beta for Jack. Most Trion wolves like him only ever presented as deltas or omegas, as their intended mates typically did not turn them until they were at an age where they could cope with it all. Jack was a rare case, as no child was supposed to be turned, willing or not as they feared what would happen. There had been children turned into vampires before and the results had been horrendous put mildly, so there were strict rules. Many considered it a miracle that Jack had survived as long as he had, especially with the way that his body transformed every full moon.

About the only gender that Jack knew he would not present as, was an Alpha. They were the strongest, the fighters, the brawlers and the start of any pack. In the past they were always the ones in charge, the absolute rulers who could get away with anything and with their fiery undertone of brimstone to their scent it was a fool who took any of them on. Most had been brutes, deadly and power hungry with little or no regard for anything when they ruled with iron fists. They had dictated everything and caused so much misery that Odin himself had come down to smack several shades of sense into the alphas and teach them the correct ways. Or so the legends went of course. Alphas were still strong and a bit head strong, but they could also be goofy, adorable and some of the best playmates for cubs. They protected everyone in the pack, not caring for rank or position and it was rare these days for an alpha to even be in the highest position of power. Michael and Hazel were because they had formed the pack from the remains of their old one, but they had an odd balance between all sub genders, and each had their own Head. Jack found it strange that they ran everything by committee, but it worked for the pack. He had met outside alpha’s before, and they were all a mix of old, new and unique thinking. To become an alpha meant leaving the family you came from, because fighting for land and rights to pack mates between family always ended badly. Female alphas were as common as male alphas, and it was more than possible for them to impregnate their mates regardless of gender or sub gender.

Multiple Alphas could form a pack together, but it was rare that blood relations ever stayed in the same pack once they matured and presented. They stayed close sometimes or were always just around then corner at the next glen but generally they broke off to form their own place in the world. Jack loved his pack so much and wanted to do whatever he could to give back to them for everything that they had done but he knew that the choice was not in his hands.

The Goddess of Night, Nyx, choose the sub gender that each wolf would become whilst Odin, God of Wolves, would be there to guide through the initial change to ensure that all accepted what they were to become.

Reaching the circle with the rest of the six who were maturing tonight, Jack found himself letting out a sigh as he glanced up at the black sky and seeing the full moon begin to peak out from behind the clouds. His wolf was present in his mind, watching also but not desperately stretching at his skin to be released and Jack lowered his eyes, “You really want to present, don’t you?” the whisper was only meant for him to hear and if anyone else heard it they did not comment aloud.

Michael smiled softly to the six gathered and opened his arms wide, “Take a place where you see fit, this is a moment only for yourself and we have given you all the directions that you need to know. We will be here for you when you come out of the other side.”

The six unpresented wolves seemed to pause for a moment, each taking their time to remember everything that had been said. Suzanne was the first to step forward, looking strong and confident as she hugged her father and then lay down on her back near to the centre of the grass circle. Her eyes closed and she exhaled once before taking on a serene look of someone who had slipped into a trance. Jack cast his eyes around the remaining four who were beginning to move into position, not copying Suzanne and not lying close enough to touch one another. They were all soon on their backs, tranquil and at peace with themselves as they exhaled.

Jack looked up towards Michael, suddenly feeling very small and very alone. “What do I do if I don’t present.”

“You will present Jack,” Michael smiled, “I’ll be waiting for you, when you do.”

Gulping a little, Jack thought of stepping closer to the others but instead found himself falling to his knees and looking back up at the full moon one more time. He closed his eyes, clasped his hands together and sighed, “Please…guide me correctly through the night.”

A call of an owl made the cub turn his head to the side and he blinked at finding himself at the bottom of a driveway which led to what could only be described as a mansion. It was old stonework with multiple layers and several different colours to suggest that it was a place which had been revolted over the years. The smell of wood fires brought a strange calmness to his slightly panicked mind and the meticulously kept gardens made him think of someone who tendered to their lots in life with a devotion that very few would have ever been able to master. There were many large windows in the building, some ancient looking with thick iron edges and the more up to date ones probably being some kind of carbon fibre copy. There were several neatly trimmed bushes and a pruned hedgerow that circled around the wooden gravel that provided a barrier. A couple of large outhouses that were probably a garage and some other kinds of storage were off to the side, but Jack only felt a gentle familiarity with the place despite having never seen it before.

Turning his head away from the house, he found he was no longer in the glade where he had been and, in the distance, there were the lights of a city that seemed to sprawl for miles. It was only around a mile away, but it must have been a grand sprawling metropolis with cars rushing around and so many humans that it was almost mindboggling to behold. Faintly he could see the coastline and knew that there were ships coming in and out too, but Jack had to take a step back from it all as this was just a touch overwhelming.

Whatever he was expecting from the presentation haze, it certainly was not this.

His dark ears swivelled around at the sound of a door opening and Jack turned abruptly, feeling his senses go onto high alert. Instead, he was met by a smug expression of a male vampire who could be no older than himself in terms of appearance. He was slender and tall, not quite yet finished going through a growth spurt as of yet but it would come with time. There was a surprising amount of light in the electric blue eyes and his honey-comb blond hair was worn in a style that was probably supposed to be a mullet, but it had been styled back into a more period style of framing the face. Bow shaped lips completed the look, along with a ruffled sleeved white shirt over a pair of stylish white trousers and black shoes. “Well met we are tonight, Jack, even if our destiny is a long way into the distance,” Lucan spoke softly though with just a hint of a tease to his words, “Come in, before your tail freezes off in the bitter wind.”

Jack had not even noticed the bitter wind which was blowing around them and he nodded aimlessly before shaking his head and then letting out a confused sound, “I don’t understand…”

Lucan laughed at him, “Yeah, when they told you that presentation is personal to each and every one of you wolves it really is. Come on, you’re safe here. Or you will be one day.”

“Who are you?” Jack asked, stepping forward regardless and blinking towards the vampire, feeling nothing but an urge to hug the youngster even if part of him was fully against the idea.

“I’m Lucan, but you instinctively know that” Lucan replied, guiding Jack through a series of lavish rooms to what appeared to be a grand office with a large desk, shelves teaming with books and paperwork that had yet to be sorted properly and just a general mess that suggested someone who worked way too hard. “I think we’re…friends or allies or something…a while from now but for some insane reason they chose me to be the one to guide you to the presentation so here I am. Coffee?”

An old, chipped mug appeared next to Jack who took it gingerly in his hands and took a long sip out of the drink. It was exactly the way he liked it, though it had been years since he had actually drunk coffee. Smiling, he set it back on the table, “Here was me thinking that I’d just go into the trance and then come out on the other side knowing what I am.”

“What are you Jack?” Lucan asked with a curious head tilt, a knowing smile on his lips, “Or more correctly, what can you surmise about your presentation from all that is around you?”

The werewolf blinked, taking in the room with it’s too stuffed contents and the familiarity of the house and the location of the city. It was far away from where he had originally come from, it was also far away from the pack but here he knew was safe. Here he knew instinctively that he was home. There were many memories tied up in this old building, in the gardens, in the woods around the area, though they were only hazy shadows of what possibly could be and there were so many scents and smells that he wasn’t entirely sure where to even begin. He knew that if he went out of this office and down the left, he’d be in the kitchen where there was a mixture of meats and blood packets available, including the ones he had to hide from their little baby otherwise she would be bouncing off the walls for hours.

If he went upstairs, he knew that the second floor held Lucan’s master bedroom, the baby’s one right next door and his own personal but he rarely slept there as he preferred to be in the lodge with the pack or in his own private cabin just on the edge of the woods where he maintained a farm that not only brought in fruits and vegetables but animals to help with the feeds for everyone and visitors who would pay good money for experiences the likes of which only his farm could provide. The money was put into the upkeep of the main house, for paying for school fees for cubs and kindree alike and for a multitude of other purposes.

There were selected times of the year when everyone would bundle up and head into the city, for interaction sakes with everyone and to shop for essentials that couldn’t be purchased easily online. Plus, Lucan and Jack had to attend the council meetings which were generally dull and boring, but it was always worthwhile coming home to find his mate standing on the doorstep, smiling wildly and waiting to greet them.

Jumping back slightly in shock as he pulled himself out of whatever visions he was having, Jack turned his attention back to Lucan, a little surprised to find himself unable to recall any of the images that he had just seen moments ago. But that did not matter because as he looked at the young kindree vampire opposite him, his sharp eyes picked out a mark on the others neck. It was not a bite mark, nor was it a drawing. It looked like some kind of tattoo, similar to the kind that would cross his body when he matured and presented. The mark looked something akin to a circle with two crescent moons in the centre that touched at the tips of each end, one was the colour of blood, the other the colour of the moon and the surrounding circle a dark black. Instinct had Jack raising his hand to his own neck, in the same area as Lucan’s mark where he could just feel the slightest of changes. He knew already that there was a mark of a black moon with two crescent moons either side of it, one the colour of blood, the other the same colour as the moon. Nyx’s inverted mark, which meant that he was bound to protect the vampire who held the Odin’s inverted mark.

All mature wolves had marks on their shoulders and arms to show packs and family lines but only one of the sub genders ever had a mark on their neck.

Jack stood up abruptly, knocking the chair over but not really caring, “What?”

“Yes, Jack,” Lucan replied, “Though you’re not the only one who will be surprised.”

“But…it’s impossible,” Jack stated, shaking his head, “I’m human! I was born of human parents, I come from a human linage, I was turned at the age of elven, I had to learn everything about being a wolf…I’m not…I can’t be…”

Lightly Lucan laughed, “Well you’ll have to accept it because you are. That is the only reason that this place exists, that we are marked as we are. As only an Alpha can join forces with a Vampire Master to make the running of a Clan.”

Shaking his head, Jack thought about denying it all again and just turning and running away but he took a moment to just settle down a little bit and think logically. Everything was there, it was all plainly in front of him, and it was just a big scary feeling that was driving him insane right now. Slowly he exhaled and looked up towards the boy, “How do I even begin to walk away from them? After everything they’ve done for me?”

“With your head held proud like you know what you’re doing,” a smile, genuine and soft was sent his way, “Because that is half the game, showing the outside world one thing when you’re quaking in your boots. But the outside world will not know that if you don’t show them, Jack.”

A snort came from the Trion’s nose, “Why do I get the feeling that I’ll be saying that to you one day?”

“Maybe because you will,” Lucan replied, grinning again, “Though not yet. It’s time to go back.”

Letting out a breath, Jack nodded and sighed, “Guess I’ll be seeing you then?”

“Guess you will,” Lucan replied.

A blade of grass brushed against his cheek, immediately waking Jack up and he sat bolt upright in the field that he had gone into trance in. For a moment things were a little disorientated, the world coming back into focus, into the present but he was more aware of the surroundings. Of the lingering scents, of the lack of the other five who had presented with him. Of Michael standing watching him, a bag at his feet with enough supplies to get him started on whatever path was going to force the newly presented alpha to take.

Jack took stock of the area around him, taking in the various grasses and trees before pulling himself up from his seated position and staring at the other alpha across from himself. He could feel the tension between them, the natural sizing up that occurred between alphas from different packs and realised that he could not feel the pack bond anymore. For a moment he was scared and wanted to turn back into the frightened little cub but the words that the figure in his vision had said came back to him.

Straightening out his shoulders, Jack stepped towards Michael with all the confidence that he could master and grabbed the bag at his feet, almost casually throwing it over his shoulder. He looked up at the older alpha and found that the feeling of threat had gone, instead he was staring at a man who had given him the best possible start into a life that he had no right to really claim as his own.

Without thinking, Jack threw his arm tightly around the other alpha in a hug, smiling when it was returned with two strong arms in what could be best described as a bear hug but for once it did not hurt. “Follow the river to the south,” Michael said as he pulled back, “It’s your best chance and finding land that you can claim as your own.”

“Tell Hazel I said goodbye,” Jack said and then glanced to the place where he had seen Suzanne laying before. A gentle whiff of a waterfall caught his nose and he looked back towards Michael with a raised eyebrow.

“She is safe and will go to the Summer Solstice with everyone else,” Michael replied, stepping closer, “Though my little wildling may want to journey far herself…She’s like the running river that one, never staying still.”

Jack nodded, allowing Michael to walk away from him back into the pack territory. He waited until the wolf’s footsteps had faded away and then turned to look at the last place, he had seed him. Walking back to the spot where Suzanne had been, Jack lent down and gently brushed his fingers over the area, a smile on his face when he came across the thin chain of tarnished gold that instinctively he knew would be there. Pulling it up, he found himself staring at a pendant of a crescent moon made out of polished white gold and on the back was the letter S. He already knew that the girl had the conjoining disk of the full moon which he figured would be jet black like his wolf though with the little white tip on the edge of his ears and tail. Slipping the pendant over his head, Jack stood up, took one final look over the lands which he had called his home before sending a final prayer of thanks towards those who had taken him in.

He turned around and headed away, finding the river more by muscle memory than anything else and began following the flow of it south. He knew when he crossed the pack border and entered into the unmarked territory, but he did not falter, instead continuing on down the edge of the river in the hopes that he would eventually find something. Though he had no idea what that something would be.

#wolfau #werewolf #writing #novella #alpha/omega

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