112: Chapter 112 The Death of Wang Yan
At four o'clock in the morning the next day.
Before dawn, a team had already assembled outside the North Gate of Jiang City.
The 1st Squad of the Mobile Bait Post.
Of course, aside from the captain and vice-captain, these people were all temporary conscripts.
Using the word 'conscripted' might not be accurate enough; it would be better to say they had all just been released from prison.
Seven people, all of them convicts who had committed crimes.
Wang Yan stood at the very back of the line, wearing an ill-fitting, worn-out combat uniform, clutching a rusty standard-issue War Blade in his hand.
Jiang City wasn't cold during this season, but his arms wouldn't stop shaking.
He hadn't closed his eyes once from last night until now.
As soon as he closed his eyes, Lin Mo's cold gaze appeared before him.
"Stand the hell up straight!"
The stubble-faced captain walked over and kicked Wang Yan in the ass.
Wang Yan stumbled and nearly fell over.
"New here? Don't you know the rules?"
Wang Yan clutched his backside, not daring to make a sound.
The captain sneered:
"People like you are basically all criminals. To put it bluntly, your lives are worthless. Don't expect me to be polite to you."
He pointed toward the gray, hazy wilderness in the distance.
"See that? Today's mission is to go to that wasteland and set up Detectors. There are a total of one hundred and forty points, which means twenty points per person. You must finish today!"
Someone in the line muttered softly, "Twenty... that doesn't sound like much..."
The captain heard it and laughed even louder.
"Not much? It's not much, but each point is half a kilometer apart. Doing one round is at least fifteen kilometers."
"Keep your wits about you. This is a special period; the density of ferocious beasts is at least several hundred times higher than before. Don't get snatched away by a beast halfway through, because I sure as hell won't be collecting your corpses!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the line went silent.
The captain nodded in satisfaction, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
"Very good, it seems you're all sensible. Then I'll say the rules one last time: follow orders, complete the mission, and we're brothers. If you don't follow orders or if you get any bright ideas about running away halfway..."
He patted the chipped War Blade at his waist.
"Then we'll be brothers in the next life."
Just as he finished, someone at the back of the line suddenly took a step back.
The man was in his early thirties, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a ruthless look in his eyes.
"Fuck this, I'm out."
He threw the Detector in his hand onto the ground.
"What kind of bullshit mission is this? It's clearly sending us to our deaths. I'd rather go back to rot in jail."
The captain turned his head and looked at him.
The smile on his face didn't change one bit.
"You're out?"
"Yeah! I'm out! What can you possibly do to me?"
The man stiffened his neck and took two steps back.
"Even if I'm going to die, I'll die inside the city—"
Before he could finish, an afterimage suddenly lunged forward.
With a muffled thud, the man's head was driven into the ground.
His entire face was buried in the gravel, blood flowing from his forehead. The man's body twitched twice and then stopped moving.
The captain brushed the dust off his hands as if he had just swatted a fly.
"Anyone else want to quit?"
Silence fell.
The captain scanned the group, his gaze passing over each person's face.
"I know what you're thinking. The bait squad is just for dying. Run if you can, hide if you can, and if you're lucky, live one day at a time."
He smiled.
"But you need to understand one thing—"
He pointed at the man still twitching on the ground.
"If you run into the wilderness and meet a beast, you might still get away. If you run toward me or back into the city, you'll die even faster."
He turned to walk back.
After a few steps, he suddenly stopped and said without turning around:
"I almost forgot to tell you. I'm a peak Rank 4 Awakener. Weigh the odds for yourselves: are you more likely to escape from me, or complete the mission and come back alive!"
The sound of sharp intakes of breath rippled through the group.
Wang Yan looked down at the patch of dirt beneath his feet, his legs feeling even weaker.
The captain strode away.
His voice drifted from the distance:
"Move out!"
"Everyone carry a bag of Detectors. They must all be set up before dark."
"For every point missed, there will be one less person tomorrow."
"Figure it out for yourselves."
The group began to move.
Wang Yan was swept forward by the flow of people.
He glanced back.
No one was tending to the body still lying on the ground; it was left there like a piece of trash.
Wang Yan suddenly understood.
Once you entered the Mobile Bait Post, no one cared if you lived or died.
There was no logic, no law, and no humanity to speak of.
If you could come back alive, you'd have a life tomorrow. If you couldn't, tomorrow you'd become beast excrement.
He lowered his head, looking at the heavy bag of Detectors in his arms, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Was Lin Mo... also forced to go to his death like this back then?
He thought of Lin Mo's angry eyes when he stood on the podium reading out the list two months ago.
Back then, he had felt satisfied.
Back then, he was high and mighty.
But now, he just wanted to live, even if it was just for one more day.
...
The squad ventured five kilometers into the wilderness.
The surroundings grew quieter and quieter, with only the sound of the wind and the occasional bird call.
Wang Yan relaxed slightly, thinking that maybe he'd be lucky today and wouldn't run into any ferocious beasts.
Just then—
"Roar—!"
A low roar came from ahead.
Immediately following that, the ground began to vibrate.
"Beast tide!"
A veteran's voice came from behind:
"Run! Run fast!"
Wang Yan froze for a second, then began to run back frantically.
His luck was relatively good; because he had been walking at the very back of the squad, he was now running at the very front.
Soon, he heard the roars getting closer and closer behind him.
He heard the shrill screams of his teammates.
He didn't dare look back.
He just ran with all his might, ran with all his might...
In the next second, a sharp claw pierced through the back of his heart.
Wang Yan looked down at the blood-stained claw protruding from his chest.
...
That morning, the beast tide struck again.
But this time, Jiang City's reaction was much faster.
Chu Tianye stood on the city wall, looking at the swarm of ferocious beasts surging in the distance, and sneered.
"These brutes are finally here!"
"Pass down the order, everyone prepare for battle!"
Thirty Beast Battle Armors roared to life, and on the city wall, thousands of Awakeners stood ready.
Chu Tianye stood on the wall, commanding calmly.
"Report!" An adjutant came running over.
"A beast swarm has appeared on the western line, numbering over ten thousand!"
"A beast swarm has also appeared on the eastern line, numbers currently unknown!"
"The southern line has the largest number of beasts, requesting backup!"
Chu Tianye nodded.
He glanced at the mountain forest in the distance.
"Where is that giant ape? Which side, the southern line?"
The adjutant nodded.
"Good, go quickly and invite Lin Mo!"
...