Abyss Summoner

Chapter 548 - 535: The Curtain Rises

The night enveloped the skies, and for most people in Xiamen City, it was already time to sleep. Even the refugees, after gathering some food, crawled into damaged houses to rest.

After all, their physical strength couldn’t last very long. The daily food wasn’t enough to keep them full, so they could only calculate their energy to go out and scavenge. Once they exceeded that time, their stamina would hit a critical point, and their bodies might not withstand the strain, causing them to fall ill and collapse onto a bed.

In the apocalypse, these survivors dared not fall ill, as being bedridden was no different than waiting for death.

In some corners, a few people would wait specifically for others to breathe their last. These people were like a group of vultures, quietly crouching to the side, watching as others struggled to breathe, slowly... their bodies stiffened, and then they completely died.

In the camp, there were individuals designated to patrol the surrounding survivors every now and then. Once they found a deceased person, they would quickly bury them, as the higher-ups feared disease outbreaks. However, those searchers often returned empty-handed because the corpses had already been cleaned by a group of scavengers before they began their search.

As for the purpose of those people looting the bodies?

This had become an unspoken understanding among the people.

But today, when everyone had already returned indoors and was preparing to sleep, a sudden clamor erupted outside, mixed with some roars, arousing curiosity and prompting them to emerge from their shelters.

"Bang!"

Just as the refugees poked their heads out, a sudden burst of gunfire came from behind. Immediately, a group of warriors they had never seen before approached, shouting angrily, "Get back inside your rooms, violators will be executed without mercy!"

The crowd, having never seen such a scene before, hurried back into their rooms. But there were some old hands, small bosses who used to survive among the refugees, living off petty tricks.

Some of them had experienced bloodshed, and seeing the chaotic camp, they were like a pack of hyenas lured by fresh blood, eager to go forward and speak ingratiatingly.

"Bang!"

Another gunshot rang out, and several refugees at the front were instantly shot dead, blood pooling on the ground, with no signs of life.

"I’ll say it again, get back inside your rooms, violators will be executed without mercy!" The shooter was a warrior wearing an eyepatch over his left eye. Although he wasn’t a professional, he was quite imposing, having followed Chen Feng to battle across two lands. On this expedition, he was the only civilian appointed as the captain of the warship.

He knew his strength was not on par with professionals, so he diligently practiced his marksmanship. Despite having only one eye, his shooting skills ranked among the top three in the entire Order. In past battles, he even achieved the feat of killing a Silver Tier Titan Beetle with three shots.

The man was fierce and, after receiving an appeal for help from those who surrendered, he first dealt with the guards at the port and then organized manpower to storm the power center.

Their mission was to stabilize the situation and eliminate the rebel forces.

Li Hongyi’s forces were uprooted, and besides that, the trusted followers of those ringleaders were slaughtered. In less than two hours, the entire camp had changed hands. It must be said, this was a surprising decapitation move.

...............

"Ah... please spare me... I don’t want to die... I don’t want to die..."

In the silent clearing, thick white fog appeared, and amid it, came some pleas for mercy, as if an incredibly terrifying scene was unfolding inside, making one unable to control their emotions.

Meanwhile, the white fog swayed back and forth, sometimes forming into a beast’s head, sometimes turning into a vague face, like a ghost, shuttling through the mist.

Besides, there were some eerie sounds causing quite some unease.

As the screams intensified, the speed of the fog’s transformation increased, like a group of soul-hooking entities, curiously watching the dying man on the sickbed, sending shivers down one’s spine.

"Help me... help..."

The cries for mercy grew weaker, as if his spirit had been exhausted. Before long, the inside of the mist turned suddenly crimson, as if dyed with fresh blood, and the thick stench of blood wafted to every corner.

Soon after, the mist quietly dispersed, leaving only a pile of white bones on the ground. Who would have thought that the man, who was just begging for mercy moments ago, had been devoured into a heap of bones in mere seconds? Such an ability was simply incredible.

Not far from the remains stood an old man, with white hair and beard, appearing over seventy. He wore a black Zhongshan suit. Rationally speaking, an elderly person of this age should be in their declining years, but he stood upright. Especially in his eyes, instead of the kindness and worldly wisdom of most elders, there was the ferocity and malice akin to that of wolves or leopards.

Who stipulated that the apocalypse was just a paradise for the young?

Lin Tianxiu.

In his youth, he was the village tyrant, committing all sorts of misdeeds against men and women. With his viciousness, he slowly grew stronger, using any means necessary in business, pushing his way through the masses, and became a renowned entrepreneur of his time.

He had courage, insight, and capability.

Yet even a life of wealth couldn’t withstand the ravages of time; the years had etched countless marks on his face. According to the original trajectory, he would one day die in solitude.

But the appearance of energy gave him new hope.

Lin Tianxiu could not only control the white mist but also feed on human flesh and blood to increase his power. When he discovered that as he slowly devoured, all his bodily functions, except his face, were gradually recovering, he became addicted to the pleasure of murder.

Live by feeding on life.

He used the lives of others to nurture his own rebirth.

Lin Tianxiu was never an old man who turned evil; he was a bad man growing old. For an ambitious person who resorted to any means to achieve his goals in his youth, he now cared even less about the lives of the innocent in his quest for survival.

Just then, footsteps approached from a distance. A burly man with two heads came over. This man’s awakened ability was quite unique. Originally he had a tumor on his neck and was a terminal cancer patient, but after awakening his power, the tumor inexplicably gained life, gradually transforming into a set of features and independent mind identical to his own body.

"Teacher... There’s a commotion from Li Hongyi’s place, seems like there’s internal strife."

"Kill him... kill him!"

However, compared to the clear thoughts of the original body, that head appeared somewhat ferocious, with a face neither laughing nor crying, and as soon as it spoke, it couldn’t help but mention the word [kill].

The malignant tumor was originally a deadly thing. Even after mutating to have a human face, it remained ghost-like, devoid of any human emotion.

"Oh?" Lin Tianxiu perked up with interest. The entirety of Xiamen City wasn’t a unified block, like five lions competing on a grassland. If possible, who wouldn’t want to expand their hunting territory further?

"Take people to take a look. Those factions will surely make moves too. Remember, without full confidence, don’t take action hastily." Lin Tianxiu was a seasoned player. His power was on par with Li Hongyi’s; as long as he didn’t make a move, it was nothing more than minor skirmishes between a few forces, not a genuine fallout.

But there was one thing Lin Tianxiu miscalculated. The current Li Hongyi could no longer afford such considerations because his head had already been severed, lying alone on the ground, watching his own forces slowly decay.

................

In the beast cage, a brutal battle was taking place.

However, the ones fighting weren’t hunting dogs or fighting cocks, but two human beings. They were ordinary people, without any armor, and the only weapon in their hands was a rusty dagger. Yet they stabbed at each other desperately, like maniacs.

Outside the beast cage was a table laden with fruits, piled with fresh produce, grapes, pears, and oranges galore. Who could imagine that on streets where refugees cherished a moldy bun like a treasure, such a bountiful array of fruits rested atop this table?

The luxury of the wealthy amid the poverty of commoners.

This perhaps is the most distorted portrayal of the apocalypse.

And at this table sat a burly man with an open shirt, his face dark and robust, like a mighty bull, releasing two streams of hot air with every breath through his nostrils.

Chen Ligang.

One of the giant figures of Xiamen City, he enjoyed the battles in the beast cage. Initially with beasts, insects, and zombies, but increasingly disinterested later, until one day he suddenly got the inspiration to throw humans into the cage. Watching them plead, fight, until the victor emerged soaked in blood, it filled him with immense joy.

From then on, his favorite pastime was watching human battles. When those ordinary people drew knives against one another for survival, he derived unparalleled pleasure from it.

The battle was nearing its end.

A skinny young man seized his chance, thrusting his dagger into his adversary’s abdomen, blood splattering onto his face. He hesitated briefly, but to survive, he couldn’t retreat. Gritting his teeth, furrowing his brow, he drove the dagger hard into the opponent’s chest.

The enemy was dead.

The young man became the survivor.

Yet at this moment, instead of joy at victory, the winner knelt, wailing in anguish. He was a person, not a beast, but the world and the man eagerly watching the slaughter forced him into a hard-hearted creature.

Chen Ligang was pleased. He picked up a large chunk of pork and tossed it into the cage. He liked this pet: young, vibrant, though somewhat emotional. But with a few more battles, it would surely be molded into his preference.

Just then, a man with a face full of knife scars entered. His face seemed deliberately disfigured, not by a long knife but like a pencil blade, one cut at a time from top to bottom, completely ruining the cheek, revealing nothing of its original appearance.

The man stopped in front of Chen Ligang and softly reported some situation.

Chen Ligang laughed, popping a strawberry into his mouth, clapped his hands, and said loudly, "Is that so? Haha, go take a look!"

Today was doomed to be a sleepless night.

For those refugees living in fear day by day, or those standing at the pinnacle of Xiamen City, the internal strife that erupted in Li Hongyi’s camp had already swept across the entire Xiamen City like a category 12 storm.