76: The safe zone is accelerating!

The scent of blood in the reed marshes hadn't dissipated yet; as the wind blew, the leaves rustled.

Chen Du had no time for sentimental reflections.

After performing the Sacrifice on Brother Shan, he walked straight toward Xiao Gang's mangled corpse.

This big guy wasn't very bright, but his talent for withstanding a Ghoul's bites was certainly enviable.

Chen Du crouched down and pressed his palm against the still-warm chest.

"Sacrifice!"

Dark red light burst from between his fingers, greedily devouring the essence within the corpse.

Suddenly!

A scalding hot current surged brutally up his arm and into his body.

In that instant, Chen Du felt the flesh and skin across his entire body tightening and restructuring.

[Wow! Such delicious flesh!]

[Sacrifice successful!]

[Obtained one portion of life essence!]

[Reward to host: Special constitution bonus: Bronze Skin and Iron Bones.]

[Skin toughness increased by 200%, muscle density increased by 100%, pain receptors dulled. From now on, say goodbye to damage from ordinary blades and light hand-crossbows.]

[Evaluation: Congratulations, you've finally evolved from a fragile chicken into an iron-clad turtle.]

An item drop?!

Ignoring the Notebook's snarky commentary, Chen Du clenched his fists in excitement.

He casually punched his own chest, and it actually made a sound like striking worn leather.

This abundant defensive power gave him a sense of security as if he were wearing a bulletproof vest, even while bare-chested.

"Hey, Capitalist, what are you doing? Self-harm?"

Not far away, Xia Lai was crouching on the ground, recovering crossbow bolts.

When she looked up and saw Chen Du frantically pummeling himself, her gaze was like she was looking at an idiot.

Chen Du stood up.

In front of this Mechanic, with whom he had shared "deep technical exchanges," he showed off his lean, muscular torso without a care.

"Back in the cave, didn't you complain that I wasn't up to it, saying I was soft?"

"Now, this feel... it's very hard."

"Do you want to try again? Satisfaction guaranteed, dear."

Xia Lai's pretty face flushed red.

Indescribable images popped uncontrollably into her mind.

"Get lost!!"

Xia Lai grabbed a handful of muddy reed leaves and threw them at him, gritting her teeth. "What's the use of being hard as a rock! That's just a stone! It's uncomfortable!!"

"Pervert! Hooligan! Exhibitionist!"

Although she cursed fiercely, her eyes couldn't help but steal glances at Chen Du.

This guy... his skin seems to have become more lustrous?

The lines of his muscles were full of explosive tension; he was practically a walking hormone trap.

"Tsk, women say one thing and mean another. I'll set you straight sooner or later!"

Chen Du shrugged and turned toward the next corpse—Park Young-chang.

This Kimchi Country Necromancer had a fragile build; he probably wouldn't drop anything good.

"Sacrifice!"

This time.

The red light was mixed with eerie green ghost fire, looking quite sinister.

The corpse quickly shriveled into ash, and a plume of ink-black smoke dissipated from Chen Du's palm, darting into the space between his eyebrows with a whoosh.

[Rare class: Necromancer!]

[Sacrifice successful!]

[Obtained one portion of life essence!]

[Special reward: One contracted summon, Ghoul Guard.]

[Traits: Tireless, absolute loyalty, bites wherever pointed.]

[Requires 24 hours to reconstruct after death.]

[Evaluation: Congratulations, you've acquired an obedient hellhound! Starting with a dog, all gear depends on looting!]

Chen Du was stunned.

What's going on? My luck is through the roof today!

"Come out."

With a thought, a golden light flickered in his eyes.

The moist soil beneath his feet suddenly churned like boiling water.

A withered, rotten ghost hand with sharp nails burst out from the ground!

Following that.

The monster, nearly two meters tall and covered in rotting flesh with eerie green ghost fire burning in its eye sockets, crawled out.

It lay prone on the ground.

A purring sound came from its throat as it docilely rubbed against Chen Du's combat boots.

"Ah—!!"

Hearing the noise, Li Yaozhi turned her head and saw this thing, her face turning pale with fright.

Xia Lai even raised her hand-crossbow directly.

Although she was tough, this thing was truly disgusting—a visceral discomfort!

"Don't be afraid, it's one of us... oh wait, one of our ghosts."

Chen Du patted the Ghoul's half-rotten skull.

It felt slimy, a bit like moldy jelly.

"Wow—!!"

Just as the two normal women were thoroughly grossed out, a scream of delight came from the side.

Lin Keke's eyes lit up as if she were seeing a limited-edition figurine.

"This look! This texture! This melancholy yet wild aura of death!"

She circled the Ghoul twice, her pink eye patch getting crooked from excitement, and couldn't help but poke the Ghoul's exposed, pale ribs.

"This is way too cool! This is a real creature of the abyss!"

Ghoul: "..."

If it had any intelligence, it would probably be questioning its existence right now: Why isn't this human cub running away? Am I not scary enough?

"Captain! Does it have a name?" Lin Keke looked up, full of anticipation.

Chen Du's eye twitched. "No, it's fresh off the line. You can call it Wangcai."

"No way! That's too lame! This is an emissary from hell!"

Lin Keke put her hands on her hips, striking an extremely chuunibyou JOJO pose, and pointed at the Ghoul, shouting: "In the name of the Flame Bringer, I grant you your true name—Dark Night Demon King Sebastian!"

An Nuonuo plucked up the courage to approach, her little nose wrinkling.

"But... it has so much green hair growing on it..."

"How about we call it Mao Mao?"

Dark Night Demon King Sebastian Mao Mao lowered its head dejectedly and let out a couple of whimpers.

Chen Du rubbed his temples, speechless.

This team is beyond help.

He handed the Rune Totem dropped by Park Young-chang to Lin Keke.

"Catch."

"This totem should be an air-drop item. You keep it! Practice using it more."

Lin Keke, clutching the wooden stake, was grinning foolishly.

Chen Du sighed. "Although it's a bit ugly, combined with those little incantations of yours... the style actually matches."

"Thank you for the gift, my King!!"

Lin Keke treated it like a priceless treasure. "This must be a magical artifact sealing an ancient evil god! Only I can master the cursed power within it! Hahahaha!"

Chen Du scanned his team.

A violent Mechanic, a prophecy-type healer, a loli who could fire Air Cannons,

And now there was also a Shamanic Mage.

This lineup... in any online game, it would be a T0-tier non-mainstream build, specializing in a bizarre style.

"Stop grinning like an idiot! Hurry up and finish cleaning the battlefield so we can go save my sister!"

Xia Lai had already gathered all the various supplies scattered across the battlefield into the dimensional toolbox.

"These are all good materials! I'll dismantle them later to upgrade my thug one!"

While everyone was taking a brief rest.

The sky turned blood-red without any warning.

Accompanied by the cold, mechanical voice of the Heavenly Dao, it echoed throughout the God-Forsaken Land.

[Announcement! The second phase of circle-shrinking has officially begun!]

[Current number of survivors: 38.]

[Poison mist expansion speed increased by 50%! Center coordinates locked: Golden City Ruins!]

[Countdown: 10, 9, 8... 1]

"Oh no!"

An Nuonuo closed her eyes to sense the air currents, her body trembling slightly.

"Captain! This poison mist isn't right..."

"It's alive! It's surging toward us like a tsunami! The wind is full of the screams of the dead!"

No sooner had she spoken.

In the distance, that wretched green wall of poison that connected the heavens and the earth suddenly accelerated!

Everywhere it passed, towering trees instantly turned into slush, and hard rocks emitted blue smoke, making a scalp-tingling corrosive sound.

That wasn't mist at all; it was an acidic storm devouring everything!

"Run!!"

Chen Du's expression changed abruptly, and he barked a low command.

He scooped up Lin Keke, who had the least stamina, and tossed her directly onto the Ghoul's broad back.

"Mao Mao! Carry her and run! If you fall behind, I'll stew you!"

The Ghoul let out a howl!

Dropping to all fours, it charged out like an all-terrain off-road motorcycle.

"Retreat toward the Golden City! Stick to the edge of the poison circle!"

Chen Du raised his long saber!

Leading the way!

The five people and one ghost began to weave through the dim jungle.

The poison wall behind them was like a constantly widening maw, pursuing them relentlessly.

The distance grew closer and closer!

Five hundred meters... four hundred meters... three hundred meters!

The sulfur smell in the air grew stronger, and they could even feel a faint stinging sensation on their skin.

"Puff... puff..."

Everyone's lungs were heaving like bellows.

Just as they rushed into a flat area of terrain.

Suddenly, a series of stumbling footsteps sounded from the dense bushes ahead.

Accompanied by a girl's desperate cry.

"Help... help me!!"