77: The Ultimate Rescue of a Useless Beauty

"Don't look back! Run!!"

Xia Lai's voice was torn to shreds by the gale.

A few hundred meters behind, it could no longer be called fog; it was a tsunami of strong acid advancing.

Wherever the toxic circle passed.

Whether it was towering ancient trees or hard granite, everything melted instantly, emitting acrid white smoke.

"Someone is fighting ahead!" Lin Keke lay on the back of the Ghoul, pointing to the side.

Two groups of people could be vaguely seen fighting to the death over there, every strike drawing blood.

However, the next second.

The green tide mercilessly engulfed them.

The screams lasted only half a second before stopping abruptly.

The world became quiet.

"Damn it! Is this toxic circle using a speed hack?"

Xia Lai carried her shield, her lungs burning with pain, "Study Committee Member! How much further?!"

Li Yaozhi's face was pale; while running wildly, she used coins to divine.

"Come on! It's about three kilometers! But I sense... there is an obstacle ahead!"

"Obstacle?"

Before the words had faded.

The group rushed out of the jungle and slammed on the brakes!

The road was broken.

A rift valley about five meters wide lay before them, with a bottomless abyss below.

But Chen Du's gaze was fixed on a patch of marshland to the front right.

A disheveled figure was there, crawling toward the edge of the cliff using hands and feet.

For Chen Du and the others who had awakened their talents, this was just a running long jump difficulty.

One of her small leather boots had long since flown off while escaping.

Her pair of proud, innocent yet seductive black stockings had been snagged by thorns into a tattered fishing net, and her bare soles were bloody and mangled.

That pretty face, which once outshone all others in nightclubs, was now smeared with makeup, looking like a female ghost that had just crawled out of a well.

Xiao Ai had once targeted Chen Du to please Zhou Qian, but was later pushed out by Zhou Qian to block a blade.

Now the two didn't even say a word to each other.

"I'm not reconciled... I don't want to die..."

Xiao Ai struggled desperately.

Along the way, she ate rotten fruit and drank dirty water, relying on the tenacity of not wanting to die to hold on until now.

But now, her physical strength was overdrawn.

The toxic wall behind was less than ten meters away, and the acid gas dissipating from it had already begun to burn the skin on her back.

That heart-piercing pain made her break down in tears.

...

At this time, ferry no. 0819.

Through the somewhat blurry surveillance footage, the women on the deck were silent.

"It's Xiao Ai..."

Her former best friend Zhou Qian covered her mouth, her eyes complex.

There was schadenfreude, and also sympathy for a fellow sufferer.

"There's no saving her." Wang Jia adjusted her glasses and sighed helplessly, "No awakened talent, physical exhaustion. This is the fate of ordinary people."

"In this game, weakness itself is an original sin."

...

At the edge of the cliff.

Xiao Ai had barely crawled up less than five meters before sliding back down.

"I don't want to die..."

The sickly green toxic fog was like a greedy, gaping maw, descending upon her head with a foul-smelling gust of wind!

"It's over..."

Xiao Ai's legs went soft, and she closed her eyes.

Was she going to die?

If she hadn't hung out with that stupid woman Zhou Qian... If she had clung to the captain's thigh at the first opportunity...

"Hey."

A slightly playful male voice exploded abruptly above her head.

"Want a ride?"

What?

Xiao Ai opened her eyes abruptly.

Before she could react, a powerful hand had already gripped her slender waist!

In that instant.

She smelled a strong scent of blood, and... the aggressive masculine tension!

It was... the scent of Chen Du! That's right, the captain had come!

"Swiftwind Wings—Rise!!"

Chen Du let out a low shout.

Air currents swirled wildly!

Boom!

Behind him, that pair of transparent cyan light wings flapped violently!

The light wings vibrated, generating violent lift!

Chen Du held Xiao Ai with one hand, his whole body like an eagle spreading its wings!

Half a second before the toxic fog closed in, he shot up from the ground!

Sizzling sounds!

The toxic fog missed, only corroding a layer of rubber from Chen Du's military boots.

The wind whistled in his ears, adrenaline surged!

Xiao Ai hung on Chen Du, her mind blank.

She stared blankly at the side profile so close to her.

Firm, cold, with a sharp jawline.

The Golden Wheel Pupils were even more unruly!

Captain... was he a god?

Extreme fear turned into extreme dependence, even to the point of morbid obsession.

"Wuwuwu... Captain!!"

Xiao Ai hugged Chen Du's neck tightly, wrapping her legs around his waist.

Her posture was like a koala, wishing she could knead herself into his body.

"Loosen up! You're choking me!"

Chen Du quickly adjusted his posture in the low altitude!

Feeling the soft pressure on his chest, the corners of his mouth curled slightly: "Good elasticity!"

"But can you not wipe your snot on my clothes? This is new gear."

"I won't let go! I won't let go!!"

Xiao Ai cried like a hundred-pound child, tears and snot streaming down, "I thought I was going to die... Captain, you're so good..."

"From now on, my life is yours; I'll bear your children... wuwuwu..."

"Alright, stop being so sentimental."

The light wings behind him flapped, carrying the two of them across the rift valley.

They landed steadily!

The light wings gradually dissipated!

Chen Du casually slapped the curvy, perky bottom of Xiao Ai in his arms.

Crisp and loud.

"We've arrived, get down."

"Oh... oh!" Xiao Ai finally reacted, sliding down from Chen Du with a flushed face.

Even with her feet on solid ground, her legs were still shaking uncontrollably.

Instinctively, she gripped Chen Du's arm, fearing being abandoned.

"Slow down!"

Xia Lai rushed over in a few steps and grabbed the swaying Xiao Ai.

"Tsk tsk, look at these legs, the stockings are torn to shreds like this."

She squatted down and used a piece of rag to simply bandage Xiao Ai.

"If such top-tier legs were ruined, it would be a waste of a heavenly treasure! I'll take care of them for you later."

"Xia Lai..." Xiao Ai's eyes reddened.

She thought she would be looked down upon as a burden, but she didn't expect to be met with those warm and powerful hands.

"Stop talking nonsense, catch your breath first."

Li Yaozhi also walked over.

She took a bottle of mineral water from Chen Du and handed it to Xiao Ai's lips, helping her tidy up her messy bangs.

"Drink slowly, don't choke."

"Thank you... thank you Study Committee Member..." Xiao Ai held the water bottle, tears falling in big drops.

Chen Du watched this scene, the corners of his mouth curling up.

Although they were usually noisy and had different personalities,

but in this desperate situation, this group of girls was unexpectedly united.

Just then.

A huge black shadow leaped across from the other side of the canyon and landed heavily in front of everyone.

It was a monster nearly two meters tall, covered in rotting flesh, with green flames in its eyes!

"Ah—! A ghost!!"

Xiao Ai, who had just calmed down, was scared out of her wits and screamed while hugging An Nuonuo.

Lin Keke jumped nimbly off the monster's back. "Captain! The mount is in good condition, off-road ability MAX!"

She patted Mao Mao's back, looking proud.

"Don't be afraid, it's one of our own."

Chen Du pointed to the Ghoul and introduced: "Its name is Mao Mao, our team pet and mount."

"Oh, Sister Xiao Ai, your feet are full of wounds!"

Lin Keke only then noticed Xiao Ai's miserable state and immediately suggested: "Quick! You ride Mao Mao!"

"It runs really fast, even steadier than a motorcycle!"

"I was sitting on it just now, not tired at all!"

Looking at the monster dripping with mucus and emitting a strange odor, Xiao Ai shook her head like a rattle-drum.

"No... I don't want to..."

She would rather walk herself than get one step closer to that thing.

Chen Du raised an eyebrow: "Get on. Your feet need rest, we don't have time to wait for you."

"Don't worry, Mao Mao is very obedient. With me here, it won't dare to act up."

Under Chen Du's encouraging gaze, Xiao Ai gritted her teeth and finally climbed onto the Ghoul's broad back.

The cold, sticky touch almost made her scream again, but thinking it was the captain's order, she forced herself to endure it.

"The toxic circle is still shrinking, let's leave here quickly!"

Chen Du picked up his long blade and looked ahead.

They were almost there.

Passing through this jungle, the view suddenly opened up.

A magnificent and desolate ruined city appeared before everyone's eyes.

The ruins of the Golden City.

The broken walls and ruins glinted with an eerie golden light under the blood-colored sunset.

However.

When they saw the scene at the city gate, everyone's steps stopped abruptly.

A chill rushed from the soles of their feet straight to their scalps.

"That... what is that?" Lin Keke covered her mouth, her voice trembling.

They saw two rows of corpses kneeling neatly at the tall city gate.

No heads.

The blood in the neck cavities had long since drained, turning blackish-brown.

And on the city wall above the corpses, a tattered flag hung, flapping in the wind.

That was... a war flag made from torn clothes!

On the flag, a string of English was written in blood, which translated to—【Those who enter the city shall die】.

"Is this... a demonstration?" Xia Lai clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white, "Who did this? Who the hell did this?!"

Chen Du narrowed his eyes, killing intent boiling in his Golden Wheel Pupils.

He slowly drew his long blade and pointed at the blood-dripping war flag.

"No matter who it is."

"Since they made such a big scene..."

"Then we will stir this pool of water... even muddier."