Chapter 13: Eradication

Chapter13: Annihilation

The talk with the Holy Blood squad didn't take long; after confirming their location had been given away, the squad—whose morale and sanity were both fully intact—decisively aborted the plan and, without hesitation, laid down their weapons at Chen Jian's behest.

When they entered the makeshift shelter and saw the four fully armed individuals, they immediately understood one thing:

Xu Lie's capture was no surprise.

It wasn't a feigned retreat; he simply couldn't win.

Although no one could name the gear or know its purpose, a single glance was enough for anyone to sense the 'beauty' embedded in the equipment.

A beauty born of order and power.

These people absolutely do not belong to this world; even in the stronghold of the Machine God Cult, you could not find such 'order'.

Yes, they have guns, and they have cannons.

But they would never stand there like the four before us, giving the impression that they are ready for anything.

——

If they were truly of the Machine God Cult, they'd probably be wiping their rifles with monster blood, praying the barrels won't burst in the next fight.

Compared to the calm, even stern four-man squad, the cultists' so‑called 'ritual' looks like child's play.

Thus, cooperation is indeed the best choice.

The woman at the forefront carefully sidestepped Chen Jian's muzzle, stepped forward to pull the fallen Xu Lie to his feet, checked his wounds, then turned back to Chen Jian and asked:

“We need to treat his wound—may we?”

“Yes.”

Chen Jian nodded in agreement, but his gun never left his hand.

During this interval, Xu Lie briefly introduced the situation of their Holy Blood squad.

One medic, Xie Liu.

One scout, Xu Lie himself.

One shield‑bearer wielding a massive steel shield in his left hand and a huge‑caliber short smoothbore gun in his right, Li Shi.

One fully armored ranger with a pistol at his waist and a longsword on his back, Zeng Yi.

Such a lineup would count as a formidable special‑operations team even in the age of cold weapons, yet from Chen Jian's perspective it feels somehow off.

What the hell, is this Warhammer Fantasy?

Chen Jian felt the veins in his forehead throbbing, wanting to speak but finding himself at a loss for words.

Both sides fell into an awkward silence, until Medic Xie Liu, having finished tending to Xu Lie's wound, finally spoke:

“He’s fine for now. We’re going to take down that monster.”

“Will you come with us?”

Without further exchange, Chen Jian nodded and replied decisively:

“Together.”

Thus, after just two minutes, every able member gathered their gear and left the shelter.

The mother‑beast still thrashed at the subway exit, but half of its body had already slipped into the tunnel, as if trying to retreat to its nest to heal its wounds.

The three Holy Blood squad members would not grant it that chance.

The moment they spotted the target, the three instantly dispersed into combat formation.

The shield‑bearer raised his steel shield and advanced slowly, his right‑hand smoothbore belching fire; the quail‑egg‑sized shot screamed toward the beast's most vulnerable spot on its back and buried itself deep.

Chen Jian felt a chill run down his spine, yet after the first shot the shield‑bearer already slung the smoothbore back to his right side and, with practiced ease, reloaded it one‑handed.

“Flintlock paper cartridges—utterly primitive.”

Chen Jian whispered:

“The pistol Xu Lie holds may be unidentifiable, but it’s clearly a modern handgun with modern ammunition.”

“Technology here is a hodgepodge; we might yet see cavalry charging with laser rifles.”

“I feel the same.”

Shen Yue nodded thoughtfully, about to speak, but his gaze was quickly drawn to the trio approaching the mother‑beast.

After two consecutive volleys, the shield‑bearer had successfully drawn the beast's full aggro.

The remaining tentacles flailed wildly in the air before crashing down with brutal force.

“Bang!” The shield‑bearer took the blow head‑on; his heavy steel shield slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Meanwhile, the ranger strode forward, planted his foot on a solid patch of ground, leapt high, and swung his blade at a tentacle that had not yet retracted.

“Sss—”

Blood spurted forth, and the ranger's sword‑swing grew ever faster.

It was then that Chen Jian realized that, provided one's own speed is sufficient, melee combat can actually be more efficient than ranged weapons.

In just half a minute, the beast's remaining four tentacles were severed.

Its foreclaws, as atrophied as a Tyrannosaurus's, posed no threat to the Holy Blood squad; the ranger darted past the beast's rolling bulk and plunged his blade into the unarmored, vulnerable skin.

The blade sliced, blood gushed out instantly, but the muscle's active contraction soon slowed the flow.

“Medicine!”

The ranger shouted.

Medic Xie Liu hurled a tightly sealed vial of medicine into the air; the ranger snatched it, smashed it against his sword hilt, and shoved the contents straight into the creature's wound.

After a brief wail, the mother‑beast began to thrash violently.

The Holy Blood squad immediately began to withdraw, leisurely retreating to a safe distance.

The blood, which had been slowly staunching, surged forth again, and Chen Jian felt as if they were not hunting a monster but slaughtering a pig.

This is almost too easy, isn't it?

It seemed Chen Jian's expression had not gone unnoticed; Xu Lie, sidelined by injury, volunteered an explanation:

“It's just mopping up now—of course it's simple.”

“Had you not already crippled its legs and inflicted grievous wounds that are hard to heal, even approaching it would be a suicide mission for us.”

“Let alone having to slice its main artery with a blade.”

“All things considered, the bounty ought to be yours; we don’t need much.”

“Twenty percent—how does that sound?”

“We’ll discuss it later, but I won’t let you lose out.”

Chen Jian gave no immediate reply; until he grasps this world's economy, he refuses to commit a single word on the bounty split.

After all, a casual promise could hand over a fortune—perhaps even the very foundation that keeps his squad fed and sheltered.

Seeing his resolve, Xu Lie added nothing more.

By now, the mother body had collapsed completely from blood loss, and through the night-vision goggles Chen Jian could see its core temperature plummeting rapidly.

It's going to die.

Chen Jian glanced at his watch; from the start of the bleeding to death, it took only three minutes and twenty seconds.

Yes, as long as you find the right method, they are easy to kill.

Of course, it's not that easy either.

Xu Lie took a deep breath, then said:

The matter here is basically over.

We should go in now.

Where to?

Chen Jian frowned and asked.

To his nest.

A smirk crossed Xu Lie's face, and he continued:

It's the place you were tricked into entering, but never managed to reach.

The graveyard.

(End of chapter)