Chapter 161
Chapter 161
Night.
High in the sky, parachutes suddenly blossomed one after another.
“They’re here.”
In the snow, Qingshui, Ye Que, and Wu Wujie all straightened at almost the exact same moment. Their gazes locked onto the descending specks, their breath turning to white mist in the frigid air.
Thud.
A splash of vivid yellow landed on the road not far from them.
The three exchanged a look. No words were needed. They lowered themselves and, under the cover of darkness, crept silently toward it.
The road was blanketed in pristine white snow, with the yellow supply crate sitting all alone in the middle. But just as they were about to approach, several eerie figures staggered out from behind the trees lining the road.
They wore tattered padded coats and walked like marionettes, swaying unsteadily with every step.
Qingshui’s pupils contracted. She grabbed her two companions by the shoulders and forced all three of them flat into the snow.
Madmen!
Several Madmen circled the crate, low growls rumbling from their throats like wild beasts guarding their food. The twisted smiles on their faces were even more excited than when they saw living prey.
“Hee-hee-hee… Found the crate… catch the piggies… Find the crate, catch the piggies…”
“Come on, piggies… Come on, piggies… There’s a crate here… Hahahahaha!”
One of the Madmen abruptly grinned, pulled down its pants, and began venting some primal urge at the crate, disgusting, panting noises spilling from its mouth.
Qingshui held her breath, her gaze icy. She pointed to a tree off to the upper right and made a series of silent hand signals.
I’ll lure them away. You ambush them.
Ye Que and Wu Wujie frowned but nodded.
Qingshui drew a deep breath of freezing air, then slid along the ground and silently rolled beneath the tree. Using both hands and feet, she scaled the trunk like an agile cat.
The snow piled on the branches shook loose and fell with a soft rustle.
The revelry in the middle of the road abruptly ceased.
The Madmen froze as though someone had pressed pause. Then, in unison, they cocked their heads and stared fixedly at the tree.
Above them, Qingshui’s figure was hidden among the branches. She lowered her eyes, tensed the muscles in her calves, and kicked hard against the trunk.
Crash–
The branches shook violently, sending a mass of snow cascading down.
The noise completely unleashed the Madmen’s vile urges. Their minds, already clouded with filthy thoughts, were instantly consumed by the idea of prey. Roaring uncontrollably, they swarmed toward the base of the tree.
“There! She’s there!”
One of the Madmen raised its head, its murky eyes catching sight of Qingshui.
Looking down from above, Qingshui curled her lips into a cold smile. She raised her left hand and casually crooked a finger at the empty air.
A blatant provocation!
The Madman let out a shrill, piercing cackle. With a flick of its wrist, it sent a kitchen knife stained with dark brown blood hurtling toward Qingshui’s face.
Qingshui remained expressionless and merely tilted her head.
Whoosh!
The knife skimmed past the ends of her hair.
Meanwhile, two Madmen had already wrapped themselves around the trunk and begun scrambling upward. Behind them, the Madman clutching the crate panted heavily, its face contorted with savagery.
“Catch… don’t kill… catch alive…”
Before it could finish, it suddenly felt a chill bearing down from behind.
It turned around blankly, only for a sharp, icy shovelhead to fill its vision.
Squelch!
Ye Que’s pointed shovel pierced cleanly through its eye socket. Without sparing it another glance, she used her clothing as a barrier and snatched the yellow crate off the ground.
Up ahead, the other two Madmen had not rushed to climb the tree. Instead, they pulled down their pants and frantically rubbed their lower bodies against the trunk, making sounds that sent chills down the spine.
“Catch her! Catch her!!”
“Come on, come on, come on! Hahahahaha!”
Disgust flashed through Wu Wujie’s eyes. He sidestepped a Madman whose pants were still down, and his pointed shovel transformed into a streak of cold light. He drove it straight through the creature’s gaping mouth, using the force of his charge to pin it firmly to the tree behind it!
“Hee hee hee…”
The Madman’s eyes bulged, violent sounds of ecstasy bubbling from its throat.
Another Madman had nearly reached Wu Wujie when Ye Que lunged at it, seized its ankle, and yanked it to the ground.
Wu Wujie immediately crouched. A cold gleam flashed from his other hand and pierced the Madman’s brain.
“Hello hello hello hello… Hahahahaha!”
The other two Madmen had already climbed into the treetops. Their heavy bodies strained the branches, sending accumulated snow cascading down.
“I’m so happy… You bitch! You bitch!”
One of the Madmen brandished a dagger and lunged at Qingshui with a twisted expression.
Rather than retreat, Qingshui surged forward. Her left hand clamped around the Madman’s wrist and twisted sharply.
“Crack!”
The sound of breaking bone rang out. A cold gleam flashed from her right hand an instant later as her sickle plunged through the Madman’s jaw and into its brain!
Before the corpse could even fall, the last Madman was already upon her. Qingshui drove a vicious kick into its chest, knocking it out of the tree.
Without the slightest pause, she leaped after it, plummeting alongside the falling Madman.
Using the momentum of her descent, she drove the sickle’s pointed tip straight through the back of the Madman’s skull, pinning it to the ground!
Qingshui pulled out the sickle and casually wiped the blood on the Madman’s tattered clothes. She straightened, her voice terrifyingly calm. “Move.”
The three of them wasted no time, retreating into the depths of the dense forest like ghosts.
Only after confirming they were safe did Qingshui raise a hand. “Stop.”
Ye Que and Wu Wujie immediately halted and surveyed their surroundings warily.
Qingshui deftly opened the crate and quickly distributed the supplies inside.
Ye Que and Wu Wujie immediately wolfed down the compressed biscuits, though their eyes remained vigilant the entire time.
“There are clothed Madmen in this area,” Qingshui said, brows tightly furrowed as she voiced her conclusion. “They’re organized. There must be a highly intelligent Madman leading them.”
Ye Que lowered her voice. “And they’re searching for airdrops too. Their goal is to capture humans alive.”
“Then could they open the airdrop crates too?” Wu Wujie suddenly asked.
Qingshui and Ye Que fell silent.
If the Madmen could open the airdrop crates, then surviving in this area had just become twice as difficult.
But they couldn’t give up on staying alive.
“This round of airdrops only started a short while ago.” A ruthless glint flashed through Qingshui’s eyes. “We can’t give up. We have to get the red crate before they do.”
“Right.” The other two nodded firmly.
…
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest…
An Xiaolin lay atop the thick trunk of a tree, resting with her eyes closed. Then a faint tremor carried through the wind, and her eyes snapped open.
She rolled over and jumped down from the tree.
Looking up at the sky, she saw airdrops of various colors reflected in her pupils. An instant later, a white crate landed right beside her.
She crouched and ran her fingers over the crate’s latch, only to abruptly freeze. In the end, she leaned her head closer.
There was no movement.
An Xiaolin remained in that position, kneeling in the snow. She stayed there for so long that it seemed as though she were locked in a standoff with some invisible presence.
At last, the corners of her lips slowly curved upward. She raised her head, her darkening pupil locking firmly onto a red parachute still descending in the distance.
“Find humans… form a team.”
Her hoarse voice was barely a murmur.
If they behaved themselves, she wouldn’t mind… protecting them until they reached the shelter.
She picked up the white crate, casually tossed it into her backpack, then turned and retraced her steps. The nearest red crate was that way.
Amid the wind and snow that night, the paths of the two girls’ destinies were gradually converging.