Chapter 80: Desperate End
Shortly after the battle ceased, the Reincarnation Paradise side's group dispersed, leaving only the members of the Arrakawa Adventure Group still within the tent cluster.
Currently, the Reincarnation Paradise side had 125 contractors remaining, over 90 of whom were members of the Arrakawa Adventure Group, with the rest being either individual adventure groups or lone wolves.
Arrakawa's numbers had originally been small, and after this World War, they were reduced to just over 90, which was catastrophic for a large adventure group.
Qing Yan couldn't care less about this; in fact, he saw it as a good thing. The reason was simple: he hadn't founded this adventure group. He had taken over through illegitimate means, and originally, many in the group didn't accept him. However, this guy was far too cunning, and with loyalists like the People's Teacher and Ghost Lady, the old members dared not speak out.
After the previous leader fell, a large number of members collectively quit Arrakawa. At that time, Arrakawa still had over 270 people. Now, only 90 remained after the deaths, showing the brutality of the World War.
But don't forget, these 90-plus people had all survived the initial hot weapon war, then fought against the Apocalypse Paradise in Lubei City, crossed the Hot Rainforest, and later besieged the Sanctuary Paradise.
The contractors who survived to this point on the Reincarnation Paradise side were no ordinary individuals. Even if these 90-plus fourth-rank contractors weren't at the top tier of fourth-rank, they were definitely at the upper-middle level. Having survived the trials of blood and fire, their strength was proven.
And some were even more elite than these adventure group members—the 30-plus lone wolves. They had endured the same trials and survived, and remember, they had no teammates to cover them, no group supplies; everything relied on themselves.
Qing Yan wanted to recruit these people, but unfortunately, these lone wolves would never join them.
Shui Xiao sat before a campfire, with Qing Yan, the People's Teacher, and Yu Mo all sitting nearby.
"You actually joined us—that's quite surprising."
Qing Yan handed over a skewer of roasted beast meat and nudged Yu Mo with his elbow, signaling her to get closer to the new member.
"Um, hello..."
Yu Mo spoke timidly, barely managing to greet Shui Xiao.
"My previous partner died, so temporarily joining an adventure group is a good choice."
Shui Xiao waved her hand, indicating she wouldn't eat meat from an unknown animal. It was lizard meat, and Shui Xiao had seen what those lizards looked like—she had no appetite.
"Wasteful, this is a delicacy."
Qing Yan smiled and ate on his own, looking pleased.
"Captain Qing Yan, how about letting me join you too?"
A female voice came from the darkness. Tangerine Girl, missing an arm, lay on a low tree branch, legs crossed, chewing on roasted beast meat.
Qing Yan immediately fell silent, lowering his head to eat his meat quietly. If Solomon, Su Xiao, Tangerine Girl, and Shui Xiao all requested to join the Arrakawa Adventure Group, Qing Yan would only agree to let Shui Xiao in.
Solomon was a dark-element mage lord, which sounded ordinary, but dark-element mage lords had another name: black mages.
What black mages studied didn't need much thought. Dissecting humans was just a daily routine for Solomon. To cooperate with this guy, you'd at least need to be able to fight him to a draw.
As for Su Xiao, Qing Yan had certainly heard of his infamous reputation. Su Xiao had destroyed no fewer than three medium-sized adventure groups. Decapitation at night meant the start of annihilation, so Qing Yan wouldn't agree to Su Xiao joining. Who knew what horrifying things this guy would do if he had a conflict with group members?
Tangerine Girl was even more ferocious. She had tried to join large adventure groups like Blood Gate and Divine Emperor, but was rejected every time. The reason was simple: Tangerine Girl had stayed in five adventure groups, killed five captains, and then started going solo.
Qing Yan wasn't ready to die yet, so he flatly refused Tangerine Girl's request to join.
"Hey, captain, take in this poor wandering soul."
Tangerine Girl started teasing Qing Yan. The cunning Qing Yan lowered his head and said nothing, silently eating his meat.
"Sigh, I was going to test myself, but it seems there's no chance."
"Figures..."
Qing Yan was speechless. Tangerine Girl's goal in joining was to kill him, the captain. No one knew how she managed to kill her own captain and get away with it, but those five captains had indeed died by her hand.
"The group has scattered. What do you plan to do next?"
Shui Xiao hadn't fully joined the Arrakawa Adventure Group yet; she was only a temporary member. Whether she would join depended on the situation later. This was the difference between Shui Xiao and people like Solomon and Su Xiao—she was used to cooperating with others.
"Just wait and see. Those radicals won't let the Apocalypse Paradise side rest for even a second."
Qing Yan's tone carried some regret. He had originally wanted to lead the Reincarnation Paradise side to wipe out the Apocalypse Paradise side, then implement one of his plans. This old schemer was no soft-hearted person.
Unfortunately, aside from Tangerine Girl, the captain killer, the other lone wolves had all left this temporary team, and Qing Yan's plan came to nothing.
...
The next morning, by a freshwater lake in the rainforest.
With a splash, a figure was thrown into the lake, sending up a large spray of water.
Five figures stood by the lake. Four were covered in wounds, their clothes tattered, while only one woman was well-dressed with no obvious injuries. Under the pursuit of the Reincarnation Paradise side's lone wolves, only six of the Sanctuary Paradise side remained alive, with one captured.
"These bastards, still chasing us relentlessly. Are they trying to wipe us out completely?"
A burly man crouched by the shore, looking at the clear lake water. He instinctively cupped some water and drank a few mouthfuls.
As soon as he drank the lake water, a burning sensation spread through his throat, making him want to drink more. He reached out to scoop more water but found his arm uncontrollable.
"Cough, I... poison..."
The man struggled to utter a few words. A pair of calm eyes looked at him.
"You're beyond saving."
Kanna pushed the man into the lake. Before he even hit the water, he had already lost consciousness. The body they had thrown in earlier was a lone wolf from the Reincarnation Paradise side. Before dying, that lone wolf had dragged an enemy he disliked to death with him.
With another splash, the second corpse hit the water. As soon as it did, the surface churned with large splashes as flat-bodied fish tore at the man's body.
After a moment, the man's skeleton sank to the bottom of the lake, with over a hundred dead fish floating on the surface. Within two hours, this freshwater lake would be filled with poison, to the point where even parasites couldn't survive in it.
"You're all nearing your limits. Anything you want to say?"
Kanna looked at the three severely injured male contractors, her gaze still calm.
"Lady Kanna, I've had a thought for a long time. If I pinned you down... how strong would the sense of conquest and satisfaction be?"
A male contractor smiled, blood dripping from his fingertips.