Chapter 8: Brotherhood
The defense of the front line continued. Under the alternating defense of Su Xiao and Blood Rose, wave after wave of giants were repelled.
After Blood Rose killed a giant, the creature gradually turned into a large cloud of steam, and a faint green light emerged within it.
"A green chest."
The contractors in the distance exclaimed in surprise, their eyes full of greed.
"We've been really unlucky today. Killing so many giants and only getting one green chest."
Blood Rose picked up the chest and said something that left Su Xiao speechless.
"This is normal."
Blood Rose looked at Su Xiao in surprise.
"How could it be normal? I can't even count how many giants you killed today, and I killed some too. Under normal circumstances, we should have gotten five or six green chests, but only one dropped."
Su Xiao coughed dryly, thinking to himself that if his kills were removed, the drop rate would indeed be normal.
"Although I got this chest from my kill, I won't keep it all to myself. Everyone here gets a share."
After saying this, Blood Rose exchanged glances with Su Xiao, Chen, En Tu, and the others.
The other contractors were overjoyed at this news. They could actually get a share too. Their gazes toward Blood Rose visibly changed.
This woman was very good at winning people over. Su Xiao was curious about what she would do next. Splitting it equally was nonsense. Not to mention whether he agreed, Chen and En Tu wouldn't agree either.
Those other contractors were just freeloaders. Apart from firing their guns wildly, they had no other contributions. Giants couldn't be killed with guns.
As the sky darkened slightly, the giants' assault gradually weakened. By around seven in the evening, their attack had completely stopped.
Giants only moved during the day. At night, they became lethargic and no longer attacked humans.
The first day's defense battle ended, and all the contractors breathed a sigh of relief.
...
Su Xiao's ranking had jumped directly from 120th to first place, showing how many giants he had killed during the day.
He killed giants very quickly, usually finishing them off in two strikes.
...
Zone 1. A bonfire was built, the wood crackling as it burned. Some flying insects circled around the flames, occasionally getting scorched and falling into the fire.
Dozens of female contractors sat around the bonfire. The firelight illuminated their faces, creating a scene of blooming flowers.
"Boss, someone actually took first place from you. Who is this guy?"
"We tried to let you kill as many giants as possible during the day, and I checked all the contractors' rankings earlier. His rank was outside the top hundred."
A female contractor with black-rimmed glasses bit her nails. She was the brain of the Red Spider Lily Adventure Group, loyally assisting the leader Leng Yue, but she was a top-tier schemer.
"Schemer, stop calculating for now. Making Boss the first is the most important thing. She really needs those soul crystals."
A female contractor with a cigarette in her mouth looked troubled. She wore jungle combat gear and carried at least six guns of various sizes.
"Don't stand so close to me. The smell of gunpowder affects my thinking, and secondhand smoke contains... in short, it affects the brain."
The schemer muttered to herself for a while, mumbling something under her breath.
"Rose just reported to me. He's a very strong contractor, and there's something that bothers me."
The speaker was a woman in a pure white mage robe. Her appearance was breathtakingly beautiful, and her voice, though gentle, carried a cool detachment. She was the leader of the Red Spider Lily Adventure Group: Leng Yue.
"That contractor is male, around twenty years old. His main weapon is a blade, and his combat experience is exceptionally rich. He once killed a not-weak contractor with a single slash. One hit, instant kill. And Rose said that man probably doesn't have large-scale skills. He fights purely with that blade."
Leng Yue's delicate brows furrowed, her bright eyes fixed on the schemer.
"Xiao Hei, what do you think?"
The schemer rolled her eyes. Only Leng Yue dared to call her Xiao Hei.
"Call me Xiao Hei again, and I'm quitting the group."
The schemer glared angrily at Leng Yue.
"Alright, I won't call you Xiao Hei. Tell me your thoughts, Xiao Hei."
The surrounding female contractors covered their mouths, stifling laughter. The schemer sighed and spoke seriously:
"If even Sister Rose thinks he's strong, then his strength might not be inferior to yours, Boss. Using a blade... killing a not-weak contractor in one hit... still being strong without large-scale skills..."
The schemer bit her nails, the firelight reflected in her pupils, flickering continuously.
"Boss, it's best if we don't provoke that man. Remember that freak from the Phantom Troupe Adventure Group? The one with the revolver.
If I'm not mistaken, they might be on the same development path, and this blade user might be even more freakishly strong. What Sister Rose saw couldn't have been his full strength.
If we're in PvE mode, those two are in PvP mode. They're better at killing contractors than creatures in derivative worlds."
After the schemer's words, the women of the Red Spider Lily Adventure Group all looked alarmed.
That revolver-wielding man had left too deep an impression on them. His draw speed was terrifyingly fast, every bullet could break shields, making defenses meaningless against those mithril bullets, and his attacks occasionally carried true damage, almost driving people to despair.
"Hey, hey, hey, schemer, don't make it sound so scary, okay? I almost died last time, and now you're saying we've run into another even crazier guy? I feel like jumping into a river."
A petite healer shrank back. Last time she encountered the revolver man, she was his primary target. If not for her leader's cover and the Queen blocking a shot with her shield, she would have been a corpse.
"Xiao Hei is exaggerating a bit. That man can't be compared to the monsters of the Phantom Troupe. Besides, this world is in peace mode. Killing contractors doesn't drop scarlet cards, so the chance of hostility is low."
Leng Yue comforted her members and sent a private message to the schemer: 'Don't dampen morale.'
The schemer sighed. This might be why she couldn't be the leader. Although she was clever, she didn't consider the feelings of the weak.
In the schemer's view, everything required thorough preparation. If she were the leader, she would never recruit weak members. Weakness was a sin.
The schemer's loyalty was only to Leng Yue.
...
Zone 2. Another bonfire.
From a distance, the aroma of grilled meat and the smell of strong alcohol could be detected.
A group of bare-chested men sat around the fire, drinking heavily and eating meat. Occasionally, they would burst into laughter, some even slinging their arms around each other's shoulders. The atmosphere was very lively.
Some contractors who were clearly newcomers couldn't help but smile when they saw the laughing veterans around them. In the cruel paradise, being able to join the Brotherhood was a stroke of luck.
This was the Brotherhood. Once you joined, everyone was family, sharing life and death. Those with ulterior motives were never recruited.
"Boss, come have a drink with us."
A burly man, his face flushed red from drinking, approached Adam. Reeking of alcohol, he handed Adam a half-empty bottle of spirits.
Adam was reviewing battle records. He wasn't annoyed by the interruption. Instead, he took the half-empty bottle and drank deeply, letting the liquor drip from his chin without any sign of disdain.
"Lie, how's the RC cell fusion going? Still have that urge to eat human flesh?"
Adam's tone was calm, but from his earlier unrestrained drinking, he was clearly a bold man, even if it wasn't obvious on the surface.
"Where did you get those two things? The effect is amazing. My sense of taste has returned to normal, but I still have a bit of a craving for human flesh. It should disappear completely soon."
Lie's bare upper body was covered in crimson patterns. Occasionally, he would take a big bite of the meat in his hand, as if he hadn't eaten grilled meat in a long time.
"Coincidentally, the guy who sold me those things also entered the giant world. He's in Zone 3 with Chen now. But that friend isn't very friendly. I hope Chen is okay. Chen might be a bit arrogant, but he's a good prospect, and he never acts proud in the group."
Adam sighed, vaguely worried about Chen.
"Don't worry, Boss. If that guy dares to touch Chen, the whole group will go fight him to the death. Let him try to kill us all."
Lie laughed loudly and took a few more gulps of his drink.