224: abducting women

The joint Demon Hunting Squad formed by Dawns First Light and Sword of Hope finally crossed the complex hilly terrain after more than a day of trekking and entered the territory of Hongdu. Their first stopping point was a small town on the edge of Hongdu that appeared somewhat deathly silent and dilapidated.

As soon as they stepped into the outskirts of the town, everyone instinctively tensed up. A faint mixture of rot and gunpowder smoke permeated the air, and the streets were littered with debris and unidentified stains.

No one dared to conserve their strength at this time, except for the support-type Evolvers—Li Yiyi with her Healing Staff and Miao Lili with her Magic Fruit—the other combat members activated their Superpowers one after another, entering a state of battle readiness.

On the Dawns First Light side: Captain Zhu Lingyun wore Magic Swordsman light armor etched with strange runes, and the broad greatsword in his hand, surrounded by demon flames, glowed with a red and black energy halo. Vice-captain Wang Kai's skin took on a granite-like gray-brown color and hard texture, his muscles bulging as he tightly gripped a massive, terrifying long-handled battle axe.

Long-range fire support Yan Xin already held her ornate, entirely crimson Flame Longbow in hand, the invisible heat from the bowstring causing the air to ripple slightly. Light Shield Warrior Zhao Dun guarded the two support members. Summoner Ma Tianfeng rode on the back of his life-bound summoned beast—a magnificent Gale Warhorse whose four hooves seemed wrapped in breezes—holding an alloy longsword. The other Summoner, Niu Jinshui, had already summoned his partner—a massive Rampaging Water Buffalo with menacing horns and heavy breath—to guard his side.

In comparison, although the Sword of Hope Demon Hunting Squad's lineup was equally elite, it was slightly inferior in terms of "perfect" professional matching: Captain Li Xueli summoned her massive Polar Ice Bear. Yang Yiyu had a clear water spirit that constantly changed shape sitting on her shoulder; this was her Azure Water Spirit Beast, capable of both healing and crowd control. Wang Sheng had already completed his Paladin transformation, his body covered in a full set of silver knight's armor, with a majestic knight's horse beneath him. Additionally, there was Liu Yan holding a longsword burning with fierce flames, Liu Lin holding a shield leaping with electric arc energy, and others... "Something's happening!" Zhu Lingyun suddenly stopped, thrust the demon flame greatsword into the mud beside him with a "clang," and crouched down to examine the ground closely.

On the dust-covered ground, there were many clear bullet holes and a messy but powerful set of hoof prints.

"Could the troops have already advanced to this point?" the burly Niu Jinshui scratched his buzz cut and asked naively.

"Jinshui, use your brain!" Ma Tianfeng rolled his eyes helplessly and patted his Gale Warhorse. "When has our Red Alert Legion ever had an organized cavalry unit?"

"Oh—right!" Niu Jinshui realized and smiled sheepishly.

"That's strange," Li Xueli frowned slightly, looking at the hoof prints. "Why are there so many hoof prints? Is it a herd of mutated horses? But how do you explain these bullet craters?"

"Strange, too strange..." Wang Sheng also felt confused; this combination was too unusual.

As they went deeper into the town, they found the number of zombies was unusually sparse, and they encountered almost no survivors. This abnormal silence made the experienced members of the Demon Hunting Squad increasingly suspicious... Inside a self-built building within the town.

A young man with glaringly dyed yellow hair, wearing metal light armor, was crudely tearing at a girl's clothes.

The girl had a delicate face and maintained a rare, clean temperament even in this post-apocalyptic environment, but now she was covered in tears, struggling desperately and using her torn clothes to tightly cover her body.

"Little girl, don't be ungrateful! I am a noble 1st-tier Evolver! Follow me, and I guarantee you and your old man will live the good life!" The yellow-haired youth seemed to have had enough of the cat-and-mouse game, and his tone became impatient, though there was still a hint of hesitation deep in his eyes.

After all, the iron law established by the two "Great Marshals" explicitly forbade the private coercion of women, with severe punishment for violators. They could only be distributed uniformly by the base. But the quality of the girl in front of him was too high; he really couldn't suppress the evil thoughts in his heart. In the apocalypse, women were a scarce resource, and someone as delicate and lovely as her would never fall to a 1st-tier like him once taken back to the base.

"In your dreams! I'd rather die than follow you!" The girl's voice carried a sob but was exceptionally firm.

"Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit!" The yellow-haired man flew into a rage and shouted toward the door, "Bring that old thing in!"

A youth with dyed green hair, also wearing simple light armor, pushed a middle-aged man in his fifties—covered in blood and looking exhausted—into the room.

"Daughter! My daughter! You beasts! What have you done to my daughter!" Seeing his daughter's disheveled state and tear-stained face, the middle-aged man's eyes nearly split with rage. He struggled to rush over but was held firmly by the green-haired youth, unable to move.

"Behave! Move again and I'll cripple you!" The green-haired youth sneered, forcefully twisting the man's arm.

"You bastards! Lawless! Aren't you afraid the government will catch you and shoot you?!" the middle-aged man roared, his voice filled with despair.

"Hahaha! Government? Those officials in Hongdu have to act according to our Great Marshal's whims now! Who dares to mind our business?" The yellow-haired man laughed triumphantly, as if he had heard the funniest joke.

He turned to threaten the girl again, his tone sinister: "Little girl, I'll ask you one last time, will you submit? If you don't agree, I'll go find a zombie right now to bite your dad. Once he mutates, I'll kill him myself and take his crystal core! You choose!"

"You... you're not human! You'll get what's coming to you! *Sob sob*..." The girl completely broke down, crying hoarsely. She crawled to her father's feet, tightly hugging his legs, her body shaking violently with fear and grief.

"Enough, stop crying!" The yellow-haired man crouched down, his rough fingers playfully stroking the girl's smooth cheek as he smiled lewdly. "Hurry up and take off your clothes yourself. Once we've had our fun, you'll obediently follow me back. Seeing how fresh and pretty you are, I'll make you my first wife when we get back! That yellow-faced hag the base assigned before can go drop dead... Hahaha!"

The girl only cried in despair, without any response. The green-haired youth held the middle-aged man in a death grip. Watching the yellow-haired man pawing at his daughter and stroking her exposed skin, the middle-aged man's eyes became bloodshot, filled with hideous veins. A beast-like rasp came from his throat, but he was powerless.

Just then, a man wearing light armor and holding a spear ran in hurriedly: "Captain! A group of people has arrived outside, all Evolvers! There's quite a lot of them!"