83: Chapter 83 What the hell is this?!
"Bo... Boss..."
The Tall Thin Man's teeth chattered, his legs unable to move as if filled with lead.
The Bald Strongman was also stunned.
He had been in the business for so many years and had killed many people, but he had never seen such a clean, indifferent slaughter.
It was like a beast, primitive and savage.
The leader shook the blood off his claws and turned his gaze toward the Bald Strongman and the Tall Thin Man.
There was not a shred of emotion in those amber vertical pupils.
"You are together."
He was not asking a question.
"No! We aren't!"
The Tall Thin Man screamed, snot and tears streaming down his face.
"We were just... just entrusted by someone... We don't know anything! Spare us! Spare our lives!"
The Bald Strongman's heart pounded wildly, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
He realized that begging for mercy was likely useless.
These three "people" before him were definitely not kind, nor were they existences that could be measured by common sense.
He gritted his teeth, his left arm and half his shoulder covered in heavy stone armor, and with a roar, he swung his fist at the leader!
He wasn't trying to kill; he only hoped to open a gap and escape!
However, the leader simply shifted slightly to the side and casually swung his right arm, which was covered in blue-gray scales.
"Snap!"
A bone-chilling sound of cracking echoed.
The Bald Strongman felt an overwhelming, irresistible strange force.
His pride and joy, the stone armor, along with the arm bone beneath it, were easily torn apart and crushed by those sharp claws!
"Ah!"
The excruciating pain made him let out a shrill scream as his body flew backward, crashing heavily into the mud.
The leader didn't even spare him another glance, as if he had merely swatted away a fly.
He walked slowly to the Tall Thin Man, who was slumped on the ground and had lost control of his bladder.
"No... don't... I beg you..."
The Tall Thin Man babbled incoherently, his crotch wet and warm.
The leader leaned over, his stitched, monstrous eyes drawing close to carefully examine the Tall Thin Man's face, which was contorted with fear, as if evaluating something.
A moment later, he straightened up and waved at the two silent gray-robed figures behind him.
"Take this one back. His body strength is too poor, but his neural response is acceptable. Perhaps we can try a leg nerve graft from a 'Mist Shadow Wolf'."
"Yes."
One of the gray-robed figures stepped forward and deftly took out a thick syringe filled with a cloudy purple liquid, plunging it into the Tall Thin Man's neck without a word.
The Tall Thin Man's eyes rolled back, and he instantly lost consciousness.
The other gray-robed figure walked over to the severely injured and unconscious Bald Strongman, checked him, and shook his head.
"This one is too old. His bones and organs are severely damaged; he has no recycling value."
The leader nodded indifferently: "Dispose of him. Leave no traces."
The gray-robed figure nodded, took out a small bottle of black powder, and poured it onto the Bald Strongman.
Upon contact with flesh, the powder immediately hissed, accompanied by acrid white smoke. The flesh dissolved rapidly, and even the bones softened quickly.
In just over ten seconds, all that remained was a pool of foul-smelling black slime that seeped into the swamp, leaving no trace behind.
In the center of the swamp.
Lin Fan panted heavily, kicked the corpse of the last Mud Swamp Crocodile aside, and flicked the slime off his Black Armor Shield.
"The nineteenth one."
He counted, his mouth twitching.
"Are the Armor Beasts in this swamp holding a meeting or something? One wave after another, teaming up to grind me?"
Although these Armor Beasts didn't pose a fatal threat to him, no one could withstand this war of attrition.
Lin Fan sat down on a relatively dry rock, took a water bottle from his backpack, and took a big gulp.
"Seriously, I just wanted to pick a flower, is that necessary? Who did I offend?"
He looked up at the surrounding fog, deep in thought.
"But come to think of it... why are these Armor Beasts coming from such a consistent direction? It's like someone is deliberately driving them toward me."
After deactivating his Armorization, Xiao Zhuang wrapped around his wrist again and hissed twice, seemingly in agreement.
Lin Fan frowned, his left eye heating up slightly as he scanned the distance.
The fog was too thick to see anything clearly.
"Forget it, maybe I'm overthinking it."
He stood up, patted the mud off his backside, and said, "Hurry up and find the phantom spirit stone. This damn place, staying here for one more second will shorten my life."
He stood up, identified the direction, and walked toward the small island.
He hadn't walked many steps when Xiao Zhuang suddenly raised its head and let out a sharp hiss.
Lin Fan paused.
Several figures slowly emerged from the fog.
Three people wearing dark gray cloaks walked at a leisurely pace, as if strolling in a courtyard.
One of them was carrying an injured man on their back.
Lin Fan instinctively gripped his left hand, but quickly let go.
He didn't sense any hostility from these people.
At least, not for now.
The person walking in front raised his head slightly, revealing half a pale face from beneath the shadow of his hood.
Lin Fan glanced at them.
Dark gray cloaks, lowered hoods, ordinary adventurer attire.
The three walked at a leisurely pace, like adventurers who had just come out of the depths of the swamp, still carrying the damp mist on them.
Lin Fan withdrew his gaze, preparing to continue walking.
After all, it was normal to encounter other adventurers in this Secret Realm, and it wasn't strange for someone to be injured, so he didn't take it to heart.
However, just as he looked away, his left eye heated up slightly.
That familiar feeling made him pause.
Lin Fan instinctively looked at the three people again, and the information from his left eye immediately made him feel like he was facing a formidable enemy.
[Special life form detected...]
[Name]: ???
[Rank]: Rank 27
[Body Composition]:
Left Eye: Grafted from a Rank 21 Shadow Leopard, possesses night vision and Stealth-breaking abilities, Fusion rate with the host's nervous System is approximately 73%, with obvious rejection reactions at the eye socket suture.
Right Arm: Grafted from a Rank 23 Swamp Giant Lizard, retains 70% of the original Armor Beast's strength, five-finger joints are mutated, claws can easily tear through the scales of Armor Beasts of the same Rank. Grafted about two years ago, has passed the acute rejection period.
[Danger Level]: Extremely Dangerous
[Combat Assessment]: Measured by standard Armor Master criteria, this person's comprehensive combat power far exceeds those of the same Rank. Mutated organs grant him Armor Beast-like Physical Body strength, and there is no need to consume Spirit Power to maintain Armorization. However, excessive grafting has led to unstable Mental Energy, and long-term combat may lead to a risk of losing control.
Lin Fan's pupils constricted slightly.
He instinctively looked at the other two.
[Name]: ???
[Rank]: Rank 22
[Body Composition]:
Left Leg: Grafted from a Rank 16 Mist Shadow Wolf, extremely fast movement speed, capable of short-distance Stealth in shadows. Grafted about half a year ago, still in the adaptation period.
Right Hand: Grafted from a Rank 18 Poison Swamp Toad, palm has poison glands, can spray paralyzing toxins, has mild rejection reaction.
[Name]: ???
[Rank]: 17
[Body Composition]:
Jaw: Grafted from a Rank 17 Bone-Eating Crocodile, astonishing bite force, possesses the Bone-Eating Crocodile's biting characteristics, but the masticatory muscles have a moderate rejection reaction with human bones, causing facial stiffness and difficulty eating.
The information of the three people was neatly arranged in Lin Fan's field of vision, and every word felt like a heavy hammer striking his heart.
What the hell is this?