INSIDER Chapter 64

Two hideously ugly monsters roared loudly at the group, their legs bent backward as they leaped towards them. One monster charged at Lu Chu, while the other targeted the seemingly weakest member, Luo Qi.

Luo Qi bent down, her eyes blazing, adopting an attack stance. She instantly leaped forward, raising her shovel, and with swift precision, plunged it into the monster’s neck. The monster howled in pain, emitting a piercing and unpleasant sound. Luo Qi flipped onto its back, impatiently saying, “Damn, you’re noisy,” before fiercely thrusting the shovel into its neck again. Yuan Kejie seized the opportunity to thrust her weapon into the same spot Luo Qi had attacked. The monster’s neck was now halfway severed, and with a seemingly effortless motion, Luo Qi pried the shovel upward, causing the monster’s horse-like black head to roll to Song Gui’s feet, oozing black, viscous fluid.

Song Gui stepped back and said to Luo Qi, “Little girl, no need for personal vendettas.”

On Lu Chu’s side, his physical training from the previous “round” was proving effective.

He deftly dodged the monster’s attack, gripping one end of the iron rod with a reverse grip, and stabbed a sharp boning knife into the monster’s eye. As the monster roared, Lu Chu swiftly pulled out the knife, dodged, and stabbed it into the other eye. The now-blind monster swung its dark claws aimlessly, becoming increasingly agitated when it couldn’t hit anyone. Lu Chu’s makeshift weapon seemed short against the towering monster, so he nimbly avoided its long-clawed swipes, leaving the battlefield to Qian Zhen. Qian Zhen, holding an iron rod attached to a firefighter’s axe, leaped in front of the monster and swung down forcefully, decapitating it. The head rolled a few times before stopping at Song Gui’s feet.

Song Gui looked at the two heads before him and shrugged helplessly. “You guys are playing dirty.”

Luo Qi, gently wiping her shovel clean with the villa’s curtain, glanced sideways at Song Gui. “Why are you so relaxed?”

Song Gui smiled and spread his hands. “They didn’t come for me. My inaction is a sign of trust in you, my comrades.”

Seeing the others ignore him, he turned to Lu Chu and winked. “Isn’t that right, Little Chu?”

Lu Chu didn’t respond to him or his nickname but instead seriously observed the two beheaded monsters on the ground. “These creatures are highly corrosive.”

The spots on the floor where the monster’s saliva and thick black blood had landed were sizzling.

Yuan Kejie fanned the air in front of her nose with her hand. “This smell is indeed terrible. But Lu Chu, your sense of smell is quite keen to detect it from so far away.”

Lu Chu replied, “Not really, just that their odor is too strong.”

Typically, even with his heightened senses, Lu Chu wouldn’t be able to smell the monsters’ stench from such a distance. But these creatures’ odor was overwhelming, like garbage fermenting in a sewer for years.

Lu Chu’s senses, excluding vision, were much sharper due to his childhood blindness. Since escaping the city of sensory deprivation and becoming a player in the “game,” his hearing and smell had become even more acute, allowing him to detect the presence of ghostly entities. These monsters, though grotesque and filthy, had muscular, agile limbs and uniquely constructed feet, making them light on their feet. Thus, Lu Chu detected their rotting stench before their sound.

The others also looked thoughtfully at the two monsters’ corpses.

Yuan Kejie said, “If this level of difficulty is considered ‘safe,’ reaching the black squares on the dice could be a real problem.”

Luo Qi lazily shouldered her now-clean shovel. “These things are pretty easy to kill.”

Yuan Kejie disagreed. “We had a five-to-two advantage. It was easy. What if there’s a whole group?”

Lu Chu nodded. “These monsters seem like they move in packs. With just our current weapons, we can handle two or three, but any more would be a challenge.”

After a brief discussion, they decided to search for more usable weapons and find a house with sturdier doors and windows.

They gathered some usable items, wrapped thick cloth around their exposed skin, and left the house. As dusk approached, they carefully headed towards several nearby villas.

On the way, Song Gui and Yuan Kejie searched for suitable locations to settle, Luo Qi led the way, Qian Zhen brought up the rear, and Lu Chu, with his heightened senses, took on the role of lookout.

Lu Chu had to admit, working with Song Gui and the others was much easier both mentally and physically. As “players,” they were fully aware of their role and purpose, experienced in combat and survival, and accustomed to tight situations. They wouldn’t panic or lose their minds like the uninformed civilians he’d previously teamed up with. They were capable of effectively handling various ghostly threats.

Under these conditions, they avoided the unpredictable factors that plagued his previous “rounds.”

After passing a few houses, Song Gui and Yuan Kejie found a suitable destination.

“The second house on the southeast side,” Song Gui pointed. “The walls don’t seem as sturdy as cement, but it’s taller. From here, it looks like some windows on the second floor have security bars. We can’t see much of the first floor, but if the second floor has security bars, the first floor probably does too. We should check it out.”

They quickly agreed and carefully approached the house Song Gui pointed out.

As they neared their destination, they found the villa’s yard gate and front door were open. The overgrown yard carried faint sounds of chewing.

The others looked at Lu Chu.

Lu Chu nodded. “The sound and stench are obvious. There are probably three or four monsters inside.”

For them, dealing with one monster was a piece of cake, but three or four would be tougher.

They examined the house and found that the first-floor windows were indeed equipped with what looked like reinforced iron shutters, sturdier than regular security bars. With plenty of time before the 24-hour mark, the house’s sturdy defenses and proximity to the vanished tower made it too good to pass up. Without speaking, they all understood and quietly approached the villa.

As they stepped inside, they immediately smelled the monsters’ foul stench mixed with the rotting odor of human corpses.

Turning the corner past the entrance, they saw four monsters crouched on the ground, tearing flesh and organs from a corpse with their claws, stuffing the rancid meat into their mouths, and spilling bits onto the floor.

Alert to new prey, the monsters quickly raised their ugly heads and charged at the group, roaring and waving their claws.

Without needing discussion, the five worked together seamlessly. Luo Qi, small and agile, wielded her shovel and was the first to clash with the nearest monster, bashing its head. Qian Zhen swung his firefighter’s axe to engage a second monster. Lu Chu intercepted a third monster trying to sneak up on Luo Qi, slashing its left leg with his boning knife. Angered, the injured monster turned its attention to Lu Chu. Yuan Kejie, less skilled in combat, teamed up with Song Gui to fight the last monster.

They couldn’t afford to waste time, fearing more monsters might be attracted by the noise. The fight didn’t last long; Lu Chu and the others swiftly dispatched three monsters, and Song Gui finished off the last one.

Catching their breath after the battle, they surveyed the gruesome scene.

The first-floor battleground was a mess, with four monster corpses and a dismembered human body scattered on the floor, monster fluids and blood sizzling everywhere. Thankfully, they had wrapped their exposed skin beforehand to avoid the corrosive liquids.

Lu Chu scanned the chaotic scene. “We’ll be sleeping here tonight. Let’s bury these bodies outside.”

The others agreed, and they quickly divided tasks, burying the bodies in the yard.

They were pleased with the villa’s doors, which consisted of an ordinary door and a layer of steel-like protection outside.

After securing the first-floor doors and windows with the steel shutters, they moved upstairs.

The second floor opened to a small living room surrounded by four rooms. One of the windows in the living room was open.

Yuan Kejie hurried over. “Close this. We need to make it a habit to shut doors and windows behind us, or we’ll regret it later…”

As she spoke and approached the window, a dark figure swiftly leaped in.

The group, on alert, grabbed their weapons.

After the recent battle and rest, the sky had darkened. The dark figure crouched in the dim light, appearing human.

As they prepared to engage, the figure stood and lifted its head.

Song Gui lowered his weapon, astonished. “Qi…Li?”

Lu Chu froze in place. He hadn’t expected Seven to stand so boldly in front of someone who had seen him before.

Author’s Note: Seven: First, strike a pose for my wife.