Chapter 35: Son of the Blood God

Chapter 35: Son of the Blood God

From the golf club to the Phoenix Hotel, a straight‑line distance of four kilometers, the eight‑person squad took three hours to cover it.

That was already the limit of their speed, given they were lugging heavy gear and moving through forest terrain; even if they really wanted to go faster, they could not.

Human strength ultimately has its limits, and at this moment Chen Jian could somewhat comprehend why the Holy Blooded used mutation to continually enhance their physiques.

Unfortunately, such mutation acts on the genetic process; even if he wished to embrace evolution, there was no chance left.

——

Bah, what evolution!

Mechanical ascension is the true destination!

Chen Jian spotted a tall building not far off and confirmed it was their target.

After a quick reconnaissance of the surroundings, Chen Jian signaled He Shuo and Lei Jie to launch their drones and begin an aerial survey of the area.

The image stream flowed into their smart goggles, and the few hidden in the thicket instantly spotted artificial traces on the hotel’s rooftop.

They were not relics from before the great cataclysm, but crude constructions bearing a distinct Blood‑Skull style.

Mangled limbs were hung as decorations on the makeshift shacks, walls daubed with blood‑drawn skull motifs, and a steel scaffold bore a long‑rotted headless corpse, its flesh already picked apart by scavengers.

“This building has been taken over by the Blood‑Skulls.”

Chen Jian spoke in a low voice:

“We will establish an observation post on the roof; the drones will lead the way, and we will search upward along the stairwell.”

“Stay alert—do not look back, and do not fire blindly.”

“Once we reach the top floor, we will clear downward, floor by floor.”

“Understood!”

The other three squad members answered instantly, while Xu Lie asked:

“What should we do?”

“Watch our rear and guarantee its safety.”

Xu Lie furrowed his brow and said:

“We should take the lead; fighting the Blood‑Skull horrors in close quarters gives us an advantage, and our reaction speed is faster.”

“But you cannot guarantee you won’t miss one.”

Chen Jian cut Xu Lie off and continued:

“If even one slips through, the squad’s attack rhythm will be broken.”

“If we get bogged down in the hallway and cannot move forward, we are dead.”

“All right, that’s settled.”

“He Shuo, lower the drone’s altitude and enter through the main door!”

“Understood!”

At the command, the four squad members sprang into action.

The Holy Blooded followed close behind, passing through the doors into the hotel’s interior.

Lighting conditions dropped instantly; Chen Jian lowered his thermal‑fusion night vision, made a simple hand signal, and, guided by the drone that had gone ahead, swiftly ascended the side stairwell.

The four squad members split into two fire teams, each spaced two meters apart, hugging the left and right walls as they climbed, their muzzles covering every corner; should an enemy attack from above, they would instantly be exposed to the barrels of four automatic weapons and torn apart in an instant.

Footsteps shifted from chaotic to uniform, and after reaching the third floor, Chen Jian lowered his voice and said:

“Xu Lie, guard the fire door leading inside; if anything emerges from there, take it out immediately.”

“.Understood.”

Without realizing it, Xu Lie had adapted to the squad’s communication style, and this efficient battlefield exchange made him feel something for the first time:

“A truly cohesive squad, where every utterance is the product of long training.”

“By contrast, the camaraderie we pride ourselves on in our four‑man team looks like a joke beside them.”

They pressed upward, the hallway remaining silent all the way.

Only when the squad reached the fifth floor did Chen Jian’s earpiece finally pick up the drone’s warning.

“Human‑shaped heat signature detected! Human‑shaped heat signature detected!”

“Prepare to engage!”

Chen Jian gave the order instantly, and two horrors lurking around the corner burst forth, lunging at Chen Jian, who led the way.

Perhaps within a few tens of milliseconds—far beyond normal human reaction time—Xu Lie had already turned toward the incoming threat, drawn his pistol, and instinctively aimed.

But before he could react further, the guns of Chen Jian and Shen Yue cracked.

“Pop! Pop‑pop!”

“Pop! Pop‑pop!”

The two three‑round bursts merged into one, six shots sounding like only three.

Xu Lie stared, dumbfounded. He suddenly realized that the suggestion he had made before entering the building was laughable.

Reaction speed?

What reaction speed?

These god‑chosen, these wraiths—did they really need to match reflexes with the horrors?

They had established absolute information superiority; it was not they who fired bullets to kill the horrors, but the horrors that flung themselves onto their bullets.

Two corpses twitched on the floor, and Chen Jian issued the next command:

“Holy Blooded, finish them off!”

“Understood!”

Xu Lie replied swiftly, his sharp short sword slicing off the horror’s head.

Meanwhile, noise from the stairwell above began to grow.

The horrors’ howls, chaotic footsteps, and the thunder of objects hitting the floor.

These sounds echoed and intertwined in the narrow corridor, and even Xu Lie felt a prick of dread rise in his chest.

Yes, he would never fear battling a gigantic monster.

Yet in such an environment, the instinct ingrained in humanity from birth is hard to overcome.

What if we get blocked? What if we cannot escape?

If we die here, at the claws of those horrors… that would be a bitter joke.

He could not help but widen his eyes, continually scanning the corners already swept clean by the god‑chosen ahead, dreading that a hidden monster might burst forth.

He himself was tense enough; the other Holy Blooded, lacking low‑light vision, were wound to the breaking point.

Every muscle was coiled tight, adrenaline surging through their veins.

The violent pounding of his heartbeat was almost audible to others; Xu Lie looked up, his mouth dry, just in time to see the moment Chen Jian's squad opened fire.

Bang bang bang—

Gunfire rang out incessantly, muzzle flashes flickering without pause.

But unlike the suppressive sweeps he had witnessed before, each of their shots felled a demon lunging down from above.

They exploited the terrain and intelligence to the fullest; the stairwell's turn became a natural cover, and within a few short seconds more than a dozen demon warriors lay fallen there.

They still twisted and struggled, yet the Chosen Ones had already nimbly stepped over them, guns raised, pressing forward.

From the movements of the Chosen Ones, Xu Lie sensed an unprecedented, pure efficiency taken to its extreme.

The efficiency of killing.

That feeling even made him feel a little nauseous.

Staring at the demon corpses on the ground, a horrifying thought entered Xu Lie's mind.

For the Chosen Ones, does life even hold any meaning?

Even if the demons were monsters, such slaughter seemed excessively cold.

It was as if they weren't killing at all, merely counting.

Xu Lie drew a deep breath; this time, the Chosen Ones issued no further 'finish him' order.

All that happened was that, after successfully reaching the floor above, Chen Jian spat out a few short words.

Watch out for grenades!

Immediately, a DSY151-type thermobaric grenade was dropped from above, landing in the stairwell's turn, amidst the pile of already felled demons.

Boom!

The tremendous blast, accompanied by a fierce pressure differential, roared past; Xu Lie stared back in disbelief, but the demon corpses were already gone.

Five minutes later, the squad reached the rooftop.

After dispatching the last demon warrior, Chen Jian finally swapped in his third magazine.

Ammunition consumption was far below expectations, which pleased him greatly.

He turned to Xu Lie, who stood to the side, and said:

"From now on, it's up to you to clear the area."

Xu Lie nodded mechanically, remained silent for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke:

"Chosen Ones."

"You know, at least when it comes to killing,"

"you resemble the sons of the blood god more than those blood skulls."

(End of chapter)