5: Fighting the Crawlers

Under the violent impact, the front of the bus was completely crushed.

The Crawler squeezed between the bus and the wall had its body crushed into a pulp.

Fortunately, influenced by the prevailing martial arts culture, the physical fitness of these passengers was quite good.

Except for the driver, who didn't survive the impact, most passengers at least didn't die from the collision.

Looking at the driver, who was now a bloody mess and didn't even have an intact body left, Li Canglan fell silent.

The driver was just an ordinary person in the Body Tempering Realm.

Willing to give up his own life for the sake of the other passengers—that alone surpassed the vast majority of people.

In this era, no one can protect themselves alone.

No matter where you live, a space wormhole could appear at any moment.

"There is no retreat, no way to avoid it."

To survive in this era, one must become stronger—strong enough that no danger can harm you!

The group helped each other off the bus. Seeing the dense swarm of Crawlers outside the mobile phone store, their eyes were filled with despair.

"A single Crawler was enough to drive the driver to his death."

The person's voice was trembling as he spoke, "With so many Crawlers, how could we possibly break out?"

"Perhaps we can stay here and wait for assistance from the Demon Suppression Division?"

Someone in the crowd pinned their hopes of survival on the Demon Suppression Division.

The Demon Suppression Division is the official organization specifically responsible for dealing with space wormholes.

Once they receive news of a space wormhole, they will inevitably act immediately.

"Stop dreaming."

"Luofeng City is so big; by the time the Demon Suppression Division finds us here, we'll probably just be piles of bones."

"Look at you all, acting like indecisive women. What does this look like?"

A burly middle-aged man in the crowd cursed angrily.

He picked up a fire axe and smashed it against the emergency equipment window of the mobile phone store.

Crack.

The glass shattered completely.

The burly man, Wang Dayong, took out the cold weapons like axes and horizontal blades stored inside and distributed them to everyone.

"If you don't want to die, charge out with me! Staying here is a dead end!"

The mobile phone store had no defensive measures to withstand the Crawlers. Once surrounded, even a Martial Artist couldn't save them.

However, many people had already wet their pants from the terrifying scene outside.

They had absolutely no courage to fight the Crawlers.

Some were even unable to stand steadily.

Just a moment ago, they had seen with their own eyes a Crawler discover someone in the adjacent shop.

Amidst screams, that person was eaten alive!

Having witnessed such a scene, how could they possibly summon the courage to resist?

Bang!

Just then, some Crawlers also sensed the presence of living people inside the mobile phone store.

Seven or eight Crawlers surged toward them like a tide.

"If you want to die, stay here!"

After dropping this line, Wang Dayong grabbed an axe and charged straight out.

"Canglan, what do we do?"

Although Zhang Ganchao was also a bit scared, his legs weren't shaking.

In this situation, Li Canglan had become his pillar of support.

"We follow him."

Li Canglan didn't hesitate for a single second before making his decision.

In such a critical moment, a second of hesitation could lead to life-threatening danger.

Moreover, within a crisis, there also exists opportunity!

Even the weakest Crawler had a very small chance of dropping a crystal core!

A crystal core is a crystal containing manic energy.

It must be processed in a certain way before it can be absorbed by a Martial Artist.

However, Li Canglan had confidence in the ability of Gluttony Desire.

A mere monster crystal core, wouldn't that be easy to obtain?

Wealth and honor are sought amidst danger; how can one become a powerhouse while living in a peaceful environment?

Zhang Ganchao summoned his courage, grabbed an iron rod, and charged out after Wang Dayong and Li Canglan.

A Crawler sensed the scent of a living person and lunged directly at Wang Dayong.

Wang Dayong let out an angry shout, and the sharp axe blade hacked into the Crawler's shoulder.

A harsh, grating sound reached his ears, making one's hair stand on end.

The Crawler seemed not to know pain, as its other arm ferociously grabbed toward Wang Dayong.

Bang!

Just as the Crawler was about to grab Wang Dayong's chest, "Damn it!"

Zhang Ganchao kicked the Crawler in the waist, knocking its body off balance.

At the same time, the horizontal blade in Li Canglan's hand slashed down fiercely.

Splat!

The Crawler's head was chopped clean off.

"Thanks."

This was also Wang Dayong's first time fighting a Crawler.

Previously, he hadn't felt timid only because of the desperate urge to survive.

But just a moment ago, he had still broken out in a cold sweat.

"You're welcome. We still have to fight side-by-side from here on out," Li Canglan said with a smile as he waved the horizontal blade in his hand.

To prevent sudden disasters, the authorities had equipped many public places with sharp weapons.

Among the group of passengers, Wang Dayong, who had the greatest strength, was only at the seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm.

Their strength was naturally inferior to the Crawlers.

Relying solely on their fists would be a dead end.

The equipped weapons possessed great lethality, which was the only way they could help them kill the Crawlers.

Even so, if Wang Dayong had been alone, he probably would have been seriously injured just now.

"Canglan, what about those people who stayed in the mobile phone store?"

Zhang Ganchao took a look; including them, there were only nine people who had followed them out.

The remaining dozen or so had chosen to stay put and wait for rescue.

Li Canglan kicked away a lunging Crawler and said in an icy tone, "We are like clay bodhisattvas crossing a river—barely able to save ourselves. They'll have to pray for their own luck."

He was not God, nor was he a savior.

In this situation, he could only choose to protect himself.

If Zhang Ganchao were in danger, he would not hesitate to rescue him.

But these strangers, what did they have to do with him?

On the street, dense swarms of Crawlers chased after fleeing citizens.

Many moving vehicles were forced into walls, resulting in destroyed cars and dead passengers.

Unarmed ordinary citizens were falling one after another like harvested wheat.

Li Canglan and the other eight formed teams of three, fighting back-to-back against the Crawlers.

With other citizens sharing the pressure, Li Canglan and his group were in a sorry state, but fortunately, they were not in mortal danger.

However, they had already seen that some Crawlers had broken into the mobile phone store.

Screams were drowned out by the tide, and it was unknown whether those people were alive or dead.

Li Canglan slashed off the head of a Crawler with one strike.

"Uncle, did you not master any Martial Skill?"

Crawlers are innately afraid of fire.

If one had mastered a flame-type Martial Skill, they would certainly be able to easily disperse the surrounding Crawlers.

Wang Dayong was stunned. An axe strike carrying a faint electric arc instantly sliced off one of the Crawler's arms.

"Isn't this a Martial Skill, Thunderbolt Slash?"

That... that's it?

Li Canglan only then noticed that every so often, Wang Dayong's strikes would carry an inconspicuous thunder.

The thunder adhered to the Crawler's body, making a sizzling sound of electrical current.

It also caused considerable damage.

It was just that the power was far from the Martial Skill he had imagined.