Chapter 174 Another Link, Desperate Encirclement

"Ah—!"

A shrill scream instantly pierced the deathly silence of the corridor.

Su Ze's hand, pressed against the man's shoulder, exerted only a slight amount of force.

"Crack! Crack!"

A series of scalp-numbing sounds of bone fracturing rang out.

The man's entire arm twisted at an angle that defied human anatomy; jagged white bone shards even pierced through the skin, exposed to the air.

The intense pain caused his face to contort instantly, and cold sweat poured down like a waterfall.

"I was wrong! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Please... please spare me!"

He no longer had any of his previous arrogance, his entire body slumping to the ground; if Su Ze hadn't still been holding him, he would have completely collapsed to his knees.

Su Ze released his grip, letting him slide to the floor like a pile of limp mud.

The two girls watched this scene, their pale faces filled with shock.

The expression with which they looked at Su Ze had changed from the initial suspicion to complete awe.

This man... just what kind of monster was he?

"Be honest, how strong is your boss, Liao Long, exactly?" Su Ze looked down at the man on the ground, his voice flat.

"I... I don't know..." The man clutched his ruined arm, trembling all over from the pain.

"I only know that Long-ge's depth is unfathomable! We... us core members, we can't even last a single move against the five core members under him!"

Su Ze's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Then what's the deal with there being no settlement rewards here?"

Hearing this question, a look of obvious confusion and bewilderment appeared on the man's face.

"Settlement? What settlement?"

Seeing that his expression didn't seem faked, Su Ze understood and changed the question.

"Then do you know why you are so much stronger than ordinary players?"

This question seemed to touch upon something key; the man hurried to speak, fearing his life would be forfeit if he was too slow.

"This... I'm not sure about this either! It was Long-ge and the others... they said they were promoting us, and then they gave us some free attribute points. Our group of a hundred just... just became stronger!"

"It's true! What I'm saying is true!!"

As he spoke, he wailed for mercy with tears and snot streaming down his face. "I really don't know where they got them! I'm telling the truth! Please, don't kill me..."

However, before he could finish speaking—

"Then you're useless."

"Snap!"

With a crisp sound, the man's wailing stopped abruptly.

Su Ze cleanly and decisively snapped his neck.

Looking at the additional corpse on the ground, Su Ze's brow furrowed slightly.

It seemed this secret was only known to Liao Long and the five core members around him.

He turned around and looked at the two girls who were now completely stunned.

They were still carrying injuries, but at this moment they couldn't feel any pain, only staring blankly at the decisive young man before them.

"You... you know Zhuang Qianhao? Are you his friend?" One of the girls finally found her voice and spoke tremblingly.

Su Ze nodded. "Yes."

Receiving an affirmative answer, a flicker of hope instantly ignited in the two girls' eyes.

Su Ze looked at them and gave a calm explanation.

"At first I wasn't sure of your identities, and since Liao Long's group was all there, I wasn't clear on their actual strength, so I was unwilling to take the risk of intervening."

These words were extremely composed, even somewhat cold, yet they were undeniably realistic.

Su Ze was simply that kind of person.

Hearing this, the two girls shared a bitter smile and nodded.

They could understand.

In the apocalypse, who would risk their life for a few unrelated strangers?

Moreover, even they themselves didn't know just how powerful that man named Liao Long had become.

The next moment, they seemed to suddenly remember something, and their expressions instantly became incredibly anxious and urgent.

"We beg you! Please!"

"Xiao Xin! Our little cousin is still outside! She's currently running toward Jinghai University!"

"Liao Long's people are definitely chasing her! She's all alone... it will be extremely dangerous for her to try and escape! Please save her!"

They struggled to kneel, but their injuries were aggravated, causing them to hiss in pain.

Su Ze looked at them and didn't immediately agree, only speaking calmly: "I'll see what I can arrange."

After speaking, he took two emergency revitalization potions from his backpack and dropped them at their feet.

"Treat your wounds yourselves."

With those words, he didn't linger, turning and heading downstairs, his figure quickly disappearing around the corner of the stairwell.

...

Meanwhile.

On the other side of the Taoyuan Residential Area, a small, thin figure was running desperately.

Zhuang Xiaoxin's lungs felt like they were about to burst, and her legs were as heavy as lead.

Tears had long since blurred her vision.

But she didn't dare stop, only gritting her teeth and mechanically moving her legs toward Jinghai University.

Mom, the aunts, and her cousins... she absolutely could not waste the opportunity they had created for her with their lives!

"Over there! That little girl!"

"Quick! Catch her! Long-ge will give a huge reward!"

The shouts coming from behind were like death warrants, making Zhuang Xiaoxin's heart leap into her throat.

She glanced back to see a dozen or so players closing in on her from different directions, their faces wearing greedy and sinister smiles.

Zhuang Xiaoxin panicked, suddenly veering off and ducking into a patch of low shrubs.

But in the end, her Stamina couldn't keep up; the prolonged fear and running had exhausted all her strength.

"Thud!"

Her legs gave way and she fell heavily to the ground, her knee striking a stone with a piercing pain.

It's over...

Looking at the players surrounding her from all sides, a look of deep despair appeared on Zhuang Xiaoxin's small face.

In the distance, Liao Long, who had just rushed out of the residential building, happened to see this scene as well.

The corners of his mouth curled into a confident, cold smile as his heart relaxed.

It seemed the little girl wouldn't be escaping.

Just as he was preparing to personally go forward and claim this final prey, a private message arrived.

"Long-ge! It's bad! Zhuang Yi... Zhuang Yi has been rescued!"

"What?!" Liao Long's face instantly darkened.

"A crazy woman charged into the detention room like a suicide bomber with explosives, forcing us to give up the keys, and then she freed those men from the Zhuang family! They're almost out now!"

"Fuck!"

Liao Long cursed fiercely, his eyes terrifyingly dark.

There was actually another one that slipped through the net!!

He glanced at Zhuang Xiaoxin, who was already surrounded with no hope of escape, and then toward Villa No. 1, a flash of ruthlessness crossing his face.

"You guys, capture that girl for me!"

He barked orders to several subordinates nearby, "If you can't even manage that, then you can all go die!"

In his view, for a young girl who had just reached adulthood, the outcome was already decided against such a large number of players.

The urgent priority was to go back and suppress Zhuang Yi's group!

He no longer hesitated, his body moving as he returned toward Villa No. 1 at extreme speed.

On the other side, seeing Liao Long leave, the Dragon Gang members surrounding Zhuang Xiaoxin grinned even more unscrupulously.

Every one of them had the strength to one-shot a Level 4 Zombie; they were powerful, and dealing with a young girl was simply child's play!

So they were in no hurry, closing in step by step with playful smiles on their faces, as if admiring their prey's final struggle.

Zhuang Xiaoxin curled up on the ground, watching the circle close in, the last light in her eyes gradually fading.

I'm sorry... Mom...

I'm sorry, everyone...

I... still couldn't escape...

She closed her eyes, waiting in despair for her final fate.

"Hehe, little sister, don't be afraid, your uncles will be very gentle..."

One of the men was the first to reach out with a sneer, grabbing for Zhuang Xiaoxin's shoulder.

However, at the very instant his hand was about to touch Zhuang Xiaoxin—

Swoosh!

A sharp sound of something breaking through the air rang out from the shadows without warning.

A metallic-colored streak of light shot forth!

The smile on the reaching man's face was still sinister, but in the next heartbeat, his head was instantly pierced by the streak of light, bursting open like a watermelon!