Chapter 123: Someone must be sacrificed
Translator: Legge Editor: Legge
As Ren Xiaosu was the first to start fleeing, his group was consistently ahead of the other escapees. While getting away, he turned around once to have a look and could vaguely sense there were not as many Experimentals as when he had faced them in the Jing Mountains.
Did the volcanic eruption reduce their numbers?
But that was a good thing. Ren Xiaosu could not wish more for them to die inside the Jing Mountains. The more, the merrier!
As he ran with his group, he shouted at the Qing Consortium from afar, “Don’t open fire. We have to escape together!”
Ren Xiaosu frowned as he was worried the Qing Consortium would start shooting indiscriminately. If the Qing Consortium troops took up firing positions, he would have to use his shadow clone to force his way out of this place.
Chen Wudi suddenly muttered as he looked at Ren Xiaosu, “Master, you have too much aggression in your current life…. But it’s much better than your previous life where you were too indecisive.”
Chen Wudi turned around to look and saw a bloody scene behind them. As the Experimentals murdered their victims, they did so in an exceedingly brutal manner. Blood was splattering everywhere!
The cries and screams sounded like they were all muffled as though purgatory were behind them.
Agony.
This was the agony of the mortal world.
Chen Wudi’s Golden-Hooped Rod materialized in his hand. The idea of subduing evil was stirring in him. But as there were too many Experimentals, he couldn’t possibly defeat them all by himself.
At this moment, a faint golden glow seemed to shimmer around Chen Wudi’s body. Ren Xiaosu did not see it as he was busy protecting Xiaoyu and the others who were fleeing up ahead.
The glow came from the golden chainmail armor and the phoenix-feather cap as recorded in Journey to the West!
But before all of these could fully materialize, a golden band appeared on Chen Wudi’s head! Then the golden armor and phoenix-feather cap 1 vanished at the same time.
Chen Wudi stood still and looked at the ferocious Experimentals.
“Forget it, I’d better go to the Heavenly Palace to request reinforcements! Master, wait for me!” Chen Wudi turned around and ran away!
Ren Xiaosu turned his head and shouted at Chen Wudi, “Disciple, help our guys carry their luggage!”
If Wang Fugui, Wang Dalong, and Xiaoyu got slowed down during their escape, they might not be able to outrun the escapees!
Moreover, Chen Wudi’s strength was even greater than Ren Xiaosu’s, so it was not going to be a problem for him to carry a few of their luggage bags.
By now, the Qing Consortium had realized the chaos. Although the escapees had blocked their field of view, which made them unsure of what was happening, Luo Lan did not hesitate in this time of chaos. He ordered all of the Qing Consortium’s combat troops to quickly retreat.
Even with the escapees rushing towards them, the Qing Consortium was still running ahead of them. As Luo Lan fled for his life, he shouted to those in the vehicles, “You leave first! It’s quicker to get away with the vehicles!”
The wounded soldiers on the vehicles fell silent. Someone said, “We can’t leave you behind.”
Luo Lan panted as he said, “Hurry up and get lost! Why is a group of wounded people acting all melodramatic?”
The wounded soldiers in the vehicles could see from their relatively elevated position that the Experimentals were claiming the lives of the escapees with super high efficiency. Based on their speed, it would be impossible for normal humans to escape from their pursuit even if they ran with all they had.
It would have been good if the Experimentals were attracted by the humans at the back of the group who could not run fast enough. But the Experimentals did not seem hesitant in leaving behind their “food” they’d killed. They were looking to finish off everyone here!
The legendary saying, “You don’t have to run faster than the bear to get away. You just have to run faster than the guy next to you,” was no longer applicable. Everyone here had to die!
The wounded soldiers did not obey Luo Lan’s order to leave, decisively stopping the vehicles and unloading the firearms and munitions to the ground. Luo Lan’s trusted aide, Tang Zhou, ordered the combatants to quickly form a defensive firing line. He shouted, “I need two men to get in a vehicle and escort the boss out of this place!”
Tang Zhou’s decision was the correct one. With so many of them here, only one-third of their total strength could fit into the vehicles, while the remaining two-thirds could not outrun the Experimentals. Moreover, the group of escapees was getting killed so quickly it wouldn’t be possible to buy them much time.
Tang Zhou knew very well they couldn’t kill the Experimentals either. When Qing Zhen first caught an Experimental, he immediately fed the data to Luo Lan.
Hence, someone had to be sacrificed.
“What are you all waiting for? Waiting to die together?” Tang Zhou said coldly. He pointed at two of the younger soldiers and said, “You two, take the boss and leave!”
By selecting these two soldiers, he was giving them a chance to keep living. He picked them because they were still young and did not get a chance to savor life yet.
The other soldiers fell silent. They also knew the consequences of having to stay behind, but no one stepped forward to protest Tang Zhou’s decision.
“Fuck, let go of me!” Luo Lan was carried away by the two young soldiers. He immediately turned anxious as he tried to break free from the two soldiers. He said, “Are you trying to rebel? I, Luo Lan, have never been a deserter before!”
Tang Zhou smiled and said, “Thanks to both you and Boss Qing Zhen for taking care of me over the years.” He then said firmly to the two young soldiers, “Quickly get the boss into the vehicle.”
Ren Xiaosu had just led Xiaoyu and company to the front of the Qing Consortium’s people. Jiang Wu was also following close behind them with her students. However, the Qing Consortium’s soldiers did not care and allowed them and several other escapees to pass through the openings in their defensive line.
Tang Zhou looked calmly ahead as the escapees were chased down by the Experimentals. The Experimentals were getting closer and closer to them but he had to wait for an opportune moment.
“Platoons One through Five, get ready to shoot. Platoon Six, be on standby to replace them on the firing line. The wounded soldiers will be responsible for passing along ammo for reloading.” Tang Zhou’s calm voice echoed in the soldiers’ ears. Then he opened up a box on the ground and took out a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
Tang Zhou smiled happily and said, “Luckily for us, we brought along this thing!”
The escapees were wiped out by the Experimentals in just a few minutes. Tang Zhou knelt on one knee and placed the RPG launcher onto his shoulder.
When the first Experimental appeared in his line of sight, Tang Zhou calmly said, “Open fire!”
With a loud bang, the grenade fired out of the launcher on his shoulder. The momentary burst of power whistled like it had been sent from heaven as the RPG hit hell via Earth!
Ren Xiaosu looked behind him and realized the Qing Consortium’s combat troops were unusually calm and unperturbed in the face of death.
Clearly, this should have been a very touching sight, but there was hardly any drama. It was as though it were a trivial matter.
Luo Lan was dragged into the off-road vehicle by the two soldiers. Then they sped off for Stronghold 109.
But at this moment, a surprising turn of events happened. Ren Xiaosu suddenly saw as many as nine Experimentals approaching them from nowhere on both sides!
The Experimentals had circled around the sides of the Qing Consortium’s defensive line, and four of the Experimentals rushed in from the rear at Tang Zhou. Ren Xiaosu knew it was all over for Tang Zhou and his men!
Footnotes: