205: Chapter 205 Gunfire and Spying

The moment his finger pulled the trigger, time seemed to stretch. Ahead was a hideous, humanoid Mutant lunging forward with bone blades raised high, while behind him, in the window of a high-rise building, flashed the cold reflection of a lens. One was an imminent death threat, the other an unknown observer lurking in the shadows.

Instinct for survival, combat proficiency, and intuition honed on the edge of life and death countless times made the choice in a split second. He did not attempt to deal with both directions at once—that would only disperse his already limited attention and firepower.

Where the muzzle pointed, it had to be the most direct and lethal threat.

As for the peering from behind... if it was a survivor witnessing the firefight, they would either flee or seek help, not posing an immediate attack. If it was an enemy, since they chose to hide and observe rather than attack immediately, it meant they had reservations or were assessing the situation. Therefore, solving the one in front first and then turning to deal with the other was a choice more in line with battlefield logic.

"Bang!!!"

The gunshot exploded again, tearing through the oppressive air of the alley. This time, Ling Ye did not aim for the Mutant's head, which was the hardest part to hit for a lethal blow (difficult to hit while moving at high speed), but instead targeted the center of its relatively large chest, which was difficult to change direction from while charging!

The bullet, carrying a scorching airflow, slammed fiercely into the chest covered in dark brown keratin! There was no expected penetration or explosion; instead, it made a muffled "pfft" sound, as if hitting water-soaked leather. The Mutant's forward momentum suddenly stalled, and it let out a roar mixed with pain and fury. The keratin on its chest shattered, spraying out viscous dark green fluid, but it did not fall! Its movements merely showed a distinct stagger and hesitation!

Such strong vitality! This monster's defense and endurance far exceeded those in the Warehouse!

Ling Ye felt a chill in his heart, but his hands did not pause. As he fired, he had already moved sideways, leaving his original spot to avoid becoming a stationary target. Ejecting the shell and chambering the next round, his movements were fluid. He did not attempt a second shot—the three survivors scrambling over had already reached a very close distance, almost blocking his line of fire, and the injured Mutant seemed to be completely enraged. Its three pale compound eyes locked tightly onto Ling Ye, ignoring the three "appetizers." Dragging its wounded body, it accelerated and lunged again, the bone blade whistling down with a fishy stench!

The distance was too close; there was no time to aim and shoot again!

Ling Ye's eyes hardened. Instead of dodging, he met the descending bone blade, using his rifle like a short club. With all his might, he swung it upward to parry! At the same time, his left hand instantly drew the multi-functional combat knife from his waist. The blade popped out, and in the split second their bodies crossed, he stabbed fiercely into the wound on the Mutant's chest and slashed hard downward to the side!

"Clang!!!"

The rifle body and the bone blade collided violently, sparking a trail of fire! Ling Ye's arm shook violently, the web between his thumb and index finger went numb, and he nearly dropped the rifle! However, he successfully deflected this lethal blow, and the combat knife plunged deep into the wound, tearing through more muscle and tissue! Dark green fluid gushed out, splashing all over his hand.

"Roar—!!" The Mutant let out an even more shrill roar, and the other bone blade swept across!

Ling Ye ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding it. The bone blade grazed his back, slicing a discarded iron trash can next to him into two pieces!

The three survivors had by now scrambled to the back door of the building, huddling in the corner, watching this lightning-fast clash in terror, not daring to breathe.

Ling Ye rolled to his feet, half-crouched on the ground, and raised his rifle again. This time, he aimed at the Mutant's three constantly rotating pale compound eyes, which seemed to be its command center!

"Bang!"

The third shot! The bullet accurately passed through the gap between the compound eyes and drilled deep into its skull!

The Mutant's movements froze abruptly, the raised bone blade stopping in mid-air. Immediately after, its massive body swayed, and it collapsed with a loud crash like a falling mountain, kicking up a cloud of dust. Dark green mucus poured out from the head wound and chest, quickly pooling beneath it. After twitching a few times, it became completely still.

Done.

Ling Ye slowly lowered the slightly hot muzzle, his chest heaving as he quickly adjusted his breathing. His arm was still trembling slightly from the previous parry. He quickly glanced at the corpse on the ground, confirming its death. Then, his gaze, sharp as lightning, suddenly turned to the second-floor window of the building behind him!

There, it was empty. Only the broken glass window swayed slightly in the wind, reflecting the lead-gray daylight. The lens reflection from just a moment ago seemed like an illusion.

But Ling Ye was certain it wasn't an illusion. Someone was watching. And, very likely, they were still watching.

"Th-thank you! Thank you for saving us!" the middle-aged man spoke with a trembling voice, his face still shaken, his eyes looking at Ling Ye full of gratitude and lingering fear. The other man and woman also thanked him one after another; they were all ordinary citizens, ragged and sallow.

Ling Ye did not respond immediately, still maintaining his vigilance, his gaze sharply sweeping across both ends of the alley and the surrounding building windows. "Was this the only one chasing you just now?"

"Y-yes! Just this one! It suddenly rushed out from the alley entrance over there, and Old Li and the others were too slow to run..." the middle-aged man's voice choked up as he pointed deeper into the alley, where a few earlier bloodstains and scattered items were vaguely visible.

"What's the situation around here? Is there an army or a settlement point?" Ling Ye asked quickly, while listening intently to the surroundings. The gunshot would definitely attract attention, and he had to leave as soon as possible.

"A settlement point? Yes, there is! To the northwest, about four or five streets away, the playground of a small school has been occupied by the military to set up a temporary settlement point. They distribute food, but there are many people, and the checks are very strict..." another younger man said hurriedly, "We just snuck out from there, wanting to go back home to get some things, but we didn't expect..."

"Are there many monsters around here? Besides this kind, are there others?" Ling Ye interrupted him, pointing to the Mutant's corpse on the ground.

"Yes! Yes!" the woman interrupted with a crying tone, "Not just this kind that looks like a person, there are also ones that look like big bugs and big rats. In some places, you can even see blue light at night... I heard that the southeast side, near the Old Factory District, is even more terrifying and you absolutely cannot go there! Our area is considered okay, with these monsters just occasionally wandering around..."

The information was limited, but it confirmed some of his guesses. This area was on the edge of the abyssal eye pollution spread, where sporadic Mutants of different forms were active. The military had established control points, but they clearly couldn't cover every corner, and Order had not been fully restored.

"Do you know a place called 'Dark Nest'? Or have you heard of any place where a particularly special group of monsters, seemingly with a 'core,' has appeared?" Ling Ye pressed, this being the key information mentioned on the radio.

The three looked at each other and shook their heads. "N-never heard of it... 'Dark Nest'? It doesn't sound like a good place..." the middle-aged man said, shivering.

It seemed that ordinary survivors were unaware of information at this level.

Just then, the roar of vehicle engines could be vaguely heard from afar, seemingly approaching in this direction! And it wasn't just one!

Ling Ye's eyes narrowed. Was it the military? Or the "Cleaning" party? Or another survivor convoy? Regardless, being discovered by a large group, especially by someone like him carrying a military rifle and of unknown identity, was definitely not a good thing.

"You'd better return to the settlement point immediately, or find a place to hide. Don't run around." Ling Ye said quickly to the three, then without hesitation, turned and left. He needed to leave this alley immediately to avoid the approaching vehicles.

"W-wait! Benefactor, what's your name? Where are you going? It's dangerous outside, why don't you come back to the settlement point with us? You have a gun, they might..." the middle-aged man shouted eagerly.

Ling Ye did not look back, just waved his hand, signaling them to leave quickly. He couldn't go to the official settlement point; that would be walking right into a trap. His goal was the "Dark Nest," to investigate, to find clues, not to seek shelter.

He quickened his pace through the alley, choosing the direction opposite to the source of the vehicle sounds, while trying to stay close to the shadows of the buildings to minimize exposure. He put the safety back on the rifle in his hand, but his finger did not leave the trigger guard.

The sound of engines behind him grew closer, mixed with the sound of loudspeaker announcements, blurry and unclear, but carrying a cold, bureaucratic tone.

Ling Ye slipped into another narrower, trash-filled side alley. Sewage flowed across it, and the smell was pungent. He had to find a relatively safe temporary foothold as soon as possible, where he could observe and rest, digest the information he had just obtained, and plan his next steps.

The observer on the second floor of that building... who were they? Friend or foe? A random survivor, or... someone who came for him?

And where was the "Dark Nest"? How could he find it?

And this rifle in his hand that had just tasted blood, along with the scent of the Mutant that might be on his body—in this land of disorder, was it a talisman, or... a death warrant?

He looked up at the gray sky, then looked at the cold weapon in his hand, his eyes devoid of any confusion, only a calm determination.

In this blood-stained mortal world, he had returned. And the road ahead was destined to be forged step by step with bullets, blood, and an iron will.