Chapter 72: Good Fortune Comes Knocking
In a corner of the first floor, Zhou Ning's hair snakes had all been severed, and she herself had been kicked flying. The person who attacked her chased after, stepping on her throat in midair and pinning her to the ground.
Zhou Ning's head was engorged with blood, her face flushed red as she pushed at his foot, but her strength was no match. Her hair had been completely cut off during the fight just minutes ago, and new hair couldn't grow fast enough. Without her hair to assist her, she was almost powerless to fight back.
"Useless piece of junk," the man said smugly, grinding his heel into her throat. "You players are only good for scaring people. That guy named Zhou Xiao is your little brother, right? I'll stew the two of you together in a pot later... What are you smiling about?"
Zhou Ning, struggling to breathe, barely lifted her hand to point behind him. The man whirled around, and a dark shadow slammed into his face, sending him flying. Two streams of blood sprayed out. Before he even hit the ground, he was yanked back into the air, his arms and legs seized, and bent backward from the waist.
"Crack!" The sound of a broken spine was crisp and loud.
Yan Jiayu dropped the man to the ground, dusted off her hands, and asked Zhou Ning, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine..." Zhou Ning, ignoring the searing pain in her throat, quickly said, "He's not dead yet. Be careful..."
She had suffered too many losses at the hands of cannibal players today.
"No big deal." Yan Jiayu pulled out a flashlight from somewhere, shone it on the man's face, and asked seriously, "Are you a cannibal player?"
The man with the broken spine couldn't move. He spat out a mouthful of bloody foam and roared in fury, "I'm a member of the Holy Sword Society! Kill me, and you won't get away! I have thousands of brothers—if I shout, they'll all come out..."
Yan Jiayu slapped him across the face. "Young man, you need to tell the truth. Does your Holy Sword Society really have thousands of people?"
The man glared at her, silent.
"Incorrigible." Yan Jiayu shook her head, picked up her stone staff, and drove it down, sinking it an inch into the ground.
The man glanced sideways, then quickly said, "No, only sixteen! Half of them came tonight!"
"Are you a cannibal player?" Yan Jiayu asked again.
"Yes... but I didn't want to become one! I was forced into it! I've never killed anyone—others did the killing. I just took the leftovers..."
"You're not being honest." Yan Jiayu sighed. The staff moved and struck his temple. Within seconds, the man was dead.
Hearing the familiar crack, Zhou Ning couldn't help asking, "What about the other two Holy Sword Society members?"
"There." The flashlight beam shifted. In the left corner lay two mangled corpses. Their shattered heads oozed suspicious red and white fluids, and their limbs were bent at odd angles, as if they had been violently dismantled.
Zhou Ning turned away in distress. "And Mr. Yuan?"
"He's outside throwing up." Yan Jiayu walked over and pulled her up. "Want me to carry you?"
"No, no, it's fine," Zhou Ning quickly said.
"Alright then." Yan Jiayu returned to the bodies, tucked the stone staff into her belt, grabbed one corpse in each hand, and said, "Let's go meet up with the others."
Zhou Ning clutched her chest. Just then, Yuan Yao came in from outside. The two of them supported each other, walking ahead of Yan Jiayu.
Back at the spot where they had split up, Hu Wenhu and Tian Yun had already returned. Both were badly injured—Tian Yun had even lost an eye—but they had successfully killed the Holy Sword Society player they had targeted.
"All five on the first floor are dead." Yan Jiayu counted heads. "Xu Huo hasn't come down yet?"
No sooner had she spoken than her eyes sharpened. She grabbed her stone staff and swung it backward, only to stop mid-swing.
"Don't worry, it's me." Feeling the strong wind coming at him, Xu Huo stepped aside and took a look around. "Looks like you've already handled things."
As he spoke, he tossed out two more bodies.
"All thanks to Miss Yan." Zhou Ning glanced at Huang Junjie, who was looking away from the ground, then shifted her gaze to the unflappable Xu Huo.
"Did you check their numbers?" Xu Huo said as he began searching the bodies' clothes.
"I forgot about that." Yan Jiayu slapped her forehead and went to help. All five killed on the first floor were cannibal players.
"One person is missing from the second floor." After confirming the numbers, Xu Huo stood up and spoke into his earpiece. "Did you find him?"
"It's a bit strange," Liu Jia said hesitantly. "It seems like that woman from earlier came back, and there's a man with her—the one who should be on the second floor."
Xu Huo scanned the area and didn't see the Painting Woman. He tapped his earpiece. "Bring him in."
The others didn't understand what he meant, but soon footsteps came from behind. Yan Jiayu shone her flashlight, revealing a middle-aged man. He raised a hand to shield his eyes, saw the figures in the shadows, and laughed. "So you're all hiding here. Good, saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one. The key members of the Holy Sword Society's Ting City branch are all gathered here. You've got some nerve."
"Key members? You mean these people?" Xu Huo took the flashlight from Yan Jiayu and shone it on the ground.
Seven corpses lay together, their deaths gruesome. Two were so disfigured you couldn't tell what they originally looked like, but their clothes identified them as Holy Sword Society members.
The middle-aged man's knees went weak. Blustering, he said, "They're nothing! Miss Cao is the strongest player in our branch—her body carries poison! Miss Cao? Miss Cao!"
The flashlight beam returned to the man. At his call, someone shuffled out from behind a pillar. A blue dress paired with sneakers, a small bag slung diagonally—she looked pure and charming.
The middle-aged man froze. Who the hell is this?
The Painting Woman, who had lured the man outside, blinked innocently. She hadn't done anything—she just walked out, and this man had followed her like a puppy.
"Who are you?!" the man roared. "The one who came in with me was Cao Yan!"
Xu Huo shot Zhou Ning a look. She immediately used her hair snakes to drag the man over and tie him up.
"What do we do with him?"
"Hand him over to the authorities. First, make him cough up his items." Xu Huo returned the flashlight to Yan Jiayu. "Of the nine Holy Sword Society members who came tonight, one escaped, seven are dead, and one is captured alive."
"As agreed earlier, Zhou Ning and her group won't take any items or potions."
Zhou Ning nodded at Hu Wenhu, who took out the one item and three potions they had obtained.
Aside from the fishing player, they had only killed one of tonight's arrivals, so this was all they had.
Yuan Yao took over.
Xu Huo said to Zhou Ning, "You can go now."
What happened next—whether it was dividing the items or dealing with the Holy Sword Society—had little to do with them. Hu Wenhu and Tian Yun were severely injured, and Zhou Ning, her brother, and Yu Xiaoyu had low combat strength. Staying wouldn't help.
They had only been in a temporary alliance with Xu Huo. Now that the goal was achieved, it was time to part ways.
"Thank you for this," Zhou Ning said. "If you ever need people, feel free to contact me."
Xu Huo nodded. As the four disappeared into the night, he turned to Yan Jiayu and the others. "I need to step out. Wait for me to come back before we discuss dividing the items."
"We'll wait," Huang Junjie said.
"Need any help?" Yan Jiayu asked. "That guy Zhao Sheng must have run back to the Holy Sword Society by now."
"Our goal this time was only to take down the Holy Sword Society members who came for the exchange. That's where it ends. What happens next isn't our business. I'll go take a look and be right back." Xu Huo walked out of the building and looked in the direction Liu Jia had indicated. Sure enough, he saw a balloon slowly drifting over the city. He pulled out his phone and dialed Nie Xuan's number. "Good fortune has come knocking."