129: Clear the stairwell

The stench of ruptured pig intestines was so overwhelming it made one's scalp tingle.

Anyone with even slightly weak nerves would probably have vomited up their dinner from the night before.

"Whew..."

Chen Du exhaled a puff of turbid air, his golden eyes appearing somewhat intimidating in the dim light.

He raised his right hand, palm down, and pressed it against the crown of the Pig-headed Man at the top of the pile of corpses.

It felt cold and lifeless.

"Sacrifice."

Buzz—!

Deep in his mind.

The dark and ancient sacrifice notebook seemed to have caught the scent of a top-tier feast.

The pages flipped on their own without any wind, making a loud rustling sound!

Red light erupted!

Like a greedy giant net, it directly enveloped the entire stairwell!

Sizzle... Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, the sturdy corpses of the Pig-headed Men rapidly shriveled and collapsed.

It was as if some indescribable existence had drained their flesh and blood essence.

A light breeze blew.

Hundreds of corpses turned into ashes that scattered through the air.

The entire stairwell suddenly became empty.

Only in Chen Du's mind did rows of blood-red notification messages flash frantically:

[Sacrificed Common Gluttony Variant Remains x220...]

[Quality Assessment: Inferior to Common.]

[Sacrifice Successful!]

[Obtained: life essence x220!]

"Over two hundred..."

Looking at this number, Chen Du could not suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth.

Satisfying.

So satisfying.

This is what you call getting rich overnight!

Before, killing a boss with all his might only gave a few dozen points; this wave was like a monster spawner, making the numbers soar!

At this rate, synthesizing the next card would be just around the corner.

"Cap... Captain..."

A weak call came from behind him.

Chen Du composed himself and looked back.

He saw the girls looking at him as if he were a monster.

The scene just now was too shocking; with a wave of his hand, a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood turned to ashes.

These methods were a hundred times more terrifying than man-eating monsters.

"What? Scared?"

Chen Du casually brushed the ashes off his shoulder, his tone flat.

"N-no!"

Unexpectedly, the first to answer was the Crab Claw Man.

His intact large claw kept trembling, his desire to survive at its peak.

He had seen Lao San mutate with his own eyes, watched him be brutally killed, and finally saw these pig demons leave not even a scrap behind.

The man before him... was definitely a devil in human skin!

"Boss is mighty! Boss is awesome!"

"This kind of clearing method is so clean and hygienic, you're practically the light of apocalyptic sanitation!"

The Crab Claw Man bowed and scraped, his face full of flattery.

He looked just like a eunuch who had just entered the palace.

Chen Du gave him a faint glance.

Although this kind of sycophant was disgusting, he could still do some manual labor.

"Enough, stop the flattery."

Chen Du looked at Xia Xin and the others behind him, who were already somewhat exhausted.

"Combat personnel, rest where you are for five minutes to rehydrate and recover your strength."

"Everyone else, get moving."

He walked to the edge of the corridor and pointed at the metal door deep in the first-floor hall.

A sign saying [Cold Storage] hung there.

Although it was splattered with blood, the biting cold seeping through the door cracks could still be felt.

"There are tons of frozen meat stored inside, as well as a large amount of high-calorie food."

"Li Yaozhi, Ye Qiu, you lead the others down."

"You don't need to move them far. Just unload the supplies from the shelves, pack them up, and stack them at the door."

Hearing the words 'tons of frozen meat,' the girls' eyes turned green with greed.

In this apocalypse where human life is like grass, food is dignity!

"Don't worry, Captain! We guarantee the task will be completed!"

The girls stopped being squeamish.

Even some couldn't help but swallow their saliva, full of energy.

Chen Du turned around, his gaze sweeping over the Crab Claw Man.

"You."

"Ah? Boss, at your command!" The Crab Claw Man tensed up and stood at attention.

"You're responsible for keeping watch and carrying heavy loads. You're a Talented Player with great strength, so don't think about slacking off."

As Chen Du spoke, his gaze drifted toward the man's large crab claw.

His tone was chilling:

"If they lose a single hair, or if I find out you've been stealing food..."

"I'll rip off this claw of yours too. It'll make for a good charcoal-grilled crab claw."

"I wouldn't dare! Absolutely not!"

The Crab Claw Man was so scared his legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the spot.

This ruthless man had slaughtered hundreds of pigs; would he care about slaughtering one more crab?

"Alright, everyone get to work."

Chen Du waved his hand.

The Crab Claw Man, as if granted a grand pardon, rushed toward the first floor.

He pushed against the Cold Storage door with great vigor, showing a strong desire to perform.

After arranging the labor, Chen Du looked at Li Yaozhi.

This cold school beauty's state was a bit subtle at the moment.

Her exquisite, high-class face had a hint of a flush, one hand was pressed against her flat belly, and her brows were slightly furrowed.

The side effects of the ring of gluttony were kicking in.

That feeling of her stomach walls rubbing against each other made her wish she could gnaw on the doorframe right now.

But as one of the women Chen Du had designated for his inner circle, she had to remain elegant and not break character.

"Can you still hold on?" Chen Du walked over and handed her a piece of chocolate.

Li Yaozhi's eyes lit up.

She snatched the chocolate with almost predatory speed.

Then she tore open the wrapper and stuffed it into her mouth.

As the calories were ingested, the pained expression on her face finally eased a bit.

"Whew..."

Li Yaozhi breathed a long sigh of relief, tucked a stray hair behind her ear, and regained her cool, mature aura.

"This little side effect is nothing."

She raised the ring on her hand, a streak of stubbornness in her eyes.

"This ring is indeed useful. Not only is its recovery power amazing, but I feel like my strength now... is greater than before."

She walked up to Chen Du and stood slightly on her tiptoes.

In front of everyone, she gave Chen Du a very charming wink.

"Leave it to me, my Captain."

"I'll keep a good eye on our home."

After speaking, she turned and waved her hand, her long legs moving quickly. "Sisters, keep up! Let's go move some meat!"

Looking at Li Yaozhi's vigorous and resolute back, Chen Du nodded with satisfaction.

This is a smart woman.

She knows when to act cute and when to work, and more importantly, she knows how to uphold a man's authority in front of others.

She's much better than a certain simpleton who only knows how to strike poses.

Thinking of this, Chen Du turned around.

As expected.

Lin Keke was squatting on the ground, using a rag to wipe the "Divine Gold Shield."

She was still muttering strange things like "divine power exhausted" and "need to replenish mana."

Chen Du ignored her and walked straight to a window through which a faint light was shining.

Outside the window.

The main force of the massive beast tide had already surged toward the west, leaving only a few small groups of straggling monsters wandering around.

But this didn't mean it was safe.

On the contrary, without the suppression of the main beast tide, these isolated monsters would become even more frantic and uncontrollable.

Chen Du narrowed his eyes and looked toward the distant harbor.

His ship, No. 0819, was docked there; it was also their final line of retreat.

There were too many supplies in the Cold Storage.

Relying solely on manual labor, even if these girls worked themselves to death, it would take three days and three nights.

He had to go get Xia Lai; only she had the spatial storage ability!

"I'm going to the ship."

Chen Du turned around and said to the resting group.

"I'll bring Xia Lai back and check on the situation at the pier while I'm at it."

Although Xia Mo was an S-rank assassin with explosive combat power, Chen Du still felt a trace of unease in his heart.

That direction... was too quiet.

As he spoke, Chen Du reached into his coat and took something out.

It was a pair of cyan, cicada-wing-thin mechanical wings.

They were only the size of a palm, with a faint glow of wind elements flowing on the surface.

Rare Item—[Swiftwind Wings].

Click.

Chen Du snapped the Swiftwind Wings onto his clothes.

With a flash of cyan light, a pair of translucent wind wings with a wingspan of over three meters slowly emerged!

The surrounding airflow surged, making his hem flutter loudly, like a god descending to the mortal realm.

This scene once again stunned the Crab Claw Man and the others.

What was this now? Was everything he pulled out legendary-tier equipment?!

"So handsome..."

As soon as Lin Keke saw the wings, she immediately stood up.

The red-gold armor on her body made a crisp clanking sound due to her sudden movement.

"I want to go too!!"

Lin Keke rushed over and grabbed Chen Du's arm.

Her hard breastplate pressed painfully against Chen Du's arm.

"Captain! That's so cool! Take me with you! Please take me!"

Lin Keke looked up, her face full of anticipation.

She said in a cutesy, high-pitched voice:

"Second Sister and the others must be so scared on the ship! As a partner of justice, I must go save them!"

"Captain! Let's fly together!"