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nLong Yuehong didn’t say anything else and went to the cathedral’s public bathroom with Shang Jianyao.

nAs Shang Jianyao wanted to do a number 2 in the process, Long Yuehong didn’t want to wait in the bathroom. Therefore, he came to the door, took in the cold wind that wafted over from the other side of the corridor, and looked at the plants outside the window.

nThe night was so quiet.

nAs he scanned the area, he suddenly saw a window slowly open. A figure quietly flipped into the corridor from the outside.

nLong Yuehong’s heart tightened as he drew his Ice Moss pistol.

nWith the help of the cold and bright moonlight, he quickly saw the intruder’s appearance.

nThe intruder was only 1.6 meters tall. His blond hair clung limply over his head, and his green eyes were bright and spirited. He was a boy of about 15 to 16 years of age.

nViel… Long Yuehong recognized the hide-and-seek champion.

nViel looked at Long Yuehong at almost the same time and smiled innocently. “Do you outsiders have the custom of sleeping outside a bathroom?”

nLong Yuehong always had a good temper. He ignored the mockery in the other party’s words and simply explained, “I’m waiting for someone.”

n“The fellow in the monkey mask?” Viel walked toward the public bathroom.

n“Yes.” Long Yuehong nodded frankly.

nViel looked at him for a few seconds before suddenly smiling. “Do you hate that fellow? He’s harsh with his words and tall.”

nLong Yuehong didn’t expect the other party to ask so directly. He stammered, “H-he’s actually a nice guy. He doesn’t mean it. Sometimes, he deliberately mocks you to agitate you and give you the motivation to improve. Sometimes, he’s just pointing out your flaws and giving you suggestions that he finds very good. This is all for your own good.”

nAs Long Yuehong spoke, he gradually became eloquent. “He never really discriminates against anyone. He even believes that Subhumans can be befriended.”

nViel frowned. “Don’t you have a temper?”

nLong Yuehong thought for a moment before saying, “This depends on the situation. I can’t be angry about everything. I’m trying my best to change. If I don’t like certain methods, I’ll just say it.”

nHe paused and laughed self-deprecatingly. “I’ve always been mediocre. I’m only 1.75 meters tall after g… Uh… I’m considered average among the males in the race. I’m not smart enough, and my grades are only average. In the past, I always had a slight inferiority complex. I felt that I had nothing comparable to the people around me. Even luck didn’t stand on my side, and I was often secretly sad and angry. But now, I’ve learned one thing. First, I have to compare myself with myself. As long as I’m stronger than myself from yesterday, it’s worth being happy and proud.”

nLong Yuehong still didn’t know the Redstone townsfolk’s attitude toward genetic enhancement, so he rationally hid the corresponding content.

nViel listened quietly and fell silent for a moment. “You’re really a disgustingly good person.”

nWith that said, he took a few steps to the side and used the window frame to crawl into the ventilation duct.

n“Aren’t you sleeping?” Long Yuehong was a little curious.

nViel stuck his head out of the ventilation duct and smiled. “This world is very dangerous; there are many people who will harm you. I can’t let others know where I rest.”

nWithout waiting for Long Yuehong’s response, he rubbed his blond hair and bragged, “The ventilation duct system is another world. When you use it to crawl to different places and see the situation in different rooms, you will discover many interesting things. This is something you usually don’t see…”

nAs Viel spoke, he frowned and made a face behind Long Yuehong. He then crawled back into the ventilation duct and quickly left the area.

nLong Yuehong snapped to his senses and turned around. He realized that Shang Jianyao—who was wearing a monkey mask—had come out at some point in time and was standing at the public bathroom’s entrance.

n“I thought for a moment. Didn’t he just describe a peeping tom?” Shang Jianyao seriously evaluated the words Viel said before leaving.

nLong Yuehong was stunned. “When did you come out?”

nShang Jianyao didn’t answer and sincerely suggested, “You can eat more every meal.”

n“Why?” Long Yuehong asked in confusion.

nShang Jianyao explained, “This way, you can get heavier and stronger than yesterday every day.”

n…How much did this fellow hear? The corners of Long Yuehong’s mouth twitched, and he was speechless.

nAt this moment, Shang Jianyao rubbed his stomach. “I wasn’t done with my dump just now. I’ll continue.”

nLong Yuehong was first stunned and amused before he understood what was going on. He sensed that someone had flipped into the cathedral from the outside, so he quickly ended and came out to meet me to fight alongside me?

nLong Yuehong immediately felt the warmth from the word ‘companion.’

nAfter they were done at the bathroom, the two of them returned to the room where the Old Task Force was.

nThey took turns guarding during the night and sleeping.

n…

nIn the southeast area of the city ruin, on the top of a tall building near the edge.

nThis place had electric lines and had been maintained. It had lights and an elevator. It was one of the watchtowers that Han Wanghuo had meticulously built after becoming sheriff.

nScheler was of the Red River heritage. His hair was golden brown and shaved very short. He was young, only in his twenties. However, he had experienced many battles and wasn’t a fledgling that had never seen the world.

nAt this moment, he carried an automatic rifle and night-vision binoculars. He observed the fields and distant hills—which had long been abandoned—beyond the city.

nAlthough Redstone Collection was only on the edge of the lake to the west and was the easiest for the merfolk to attack, Han Wanghuo didn’t ignore the other areas.

nNorth of the Vigilance Church was another line of defense against the mountain monsters in the mountain range. On the other edges of the city ruin was a watchtower used to prevent any accidents.

nThe Lake of Wrath was very large. With the merfolk’s characteristics, they could easily reach the shore from elsewhere and circle around to attack.

nAs he observed, Scheler turned his head to look at his two companions not far away.

nThey were all members of the town guard. One was an Ashlander named Tan Tianen, and the other was a mixed-blood named Gaudi. At this moment, they were guarding different directions with night-vision binoculars.

nThis was a deliberate arrangement by Sheriff Han Wanghuo. He averaged the assignment of the Ashlanders, Red River people, and mixed-race members to each team. First, he hoped that they could form friendships and develop trust in each other while fighting against foreign enemies together. Second, he wanted them to supervise each other and prevent any party from taking the opportunity to do something nasty.

nWith a high nose, deep eyes, black hair, and brown eyes, Gaudi smiled and started the conversation when he saw Scheler looking at him. “The Ruin Hunters I previously led into town are pretty good at causing trouble. They seem to have figured out what happened to Helvig’s firearms robbery.”

nGaudi spoke in the Red River language.

nScheler frowned and said, “That’s only Baz’s accusation.”

nHarbinger Song He didn’t forbid the cathedral guards from spreading Baz’s accusation, and the town guards were organized together not to hide. Therefore, many of them heard the truth about the firearms robbery in the evening.

nTan Tianen—who was silently listening to their conversation—looked into the distance and interrupted, “Don’t you know what kind of people Helvig and Anhebus are?”

nHe deliberately spoke in Ashlandic, not caring if Scheler understood him.

nThe mixed-blood Gaudi sighed and was momentarily at a loss for words.

nAt this moment, Scheler’s voice suddenly became loud. “Something’s wrong!”

nGaudi and Tan Tianen forgot the conversation. They held their night-vision binoculars and looked at the area under Scheler’s surveillance.

nAt the intersection of hills and farmland, a group of people appeared from the darkness under the dim moonlight and approached the city district.

nSome of them were in cars, some were pushing carts, and some were walking. There seemed to be a lot of them.

nThe moonlight brightened a little as Scheler saw the exact situation.

nSome of these humanoid creatures were covered in grayish-black scales, and their eyes protruded severely. They were like fish that had grown legs and had come ashore. Some had blue skin and were wrapped in animal skin.

nThey carried submachine guns, assault rifles, and other weapons. Some carried cannons, scaffolds, ammunition, and other things. Some pushed artillery, and some sat in armored vehicles like a group of ghosts in the deep night.

nMerfolk and mountain monsters!

n“Inform Captain Han!” Gaudi blurted out when he saw this scene.

nScheler and Tan Tianen remained silent and didn’t answer him.

nThey were the only team in this area. Once an alarm was sounded, the enemy would immediately lock onto their location.

nAfter a few seconds, Scheler and Tan Tianen replied at the same time. “Alright!”

nAfter they exchanged looks, they watched Gaudi take out the military alarm that had been indented from United Industries.

n“Woo!”

n“Woo!”

n“Woo!”

nA sharp, ear-piercing sound echoed from the top of the building and spread in all directions.

nThe merfolk and mountain monsters—who were lurking in the darkness—stopped and looked over.

nThey quickly assigned a group of people to push the artillery forward or set up light mortars.

nAfter setting off the alarm, Gaudi, Scheler, and Tan Tianen began to evacuate the rooftop.

nBoom! Boom!

nThe artillery spewed out crimson light.

n…

nWith the alarm’s sharp blaring, the three sleeping Old Task Force members instantly woke up.

nBai Chen—who was on night duty—calmly said, “It’s coming from the southeast. It should be an enemy attack.”

n“The merfolk and mountain monsters have attacked?” Jiang Baimian thoughtfully straightened her clothes.

nIn such an environment, they slept in uniform.

nBai Chen didn’t dare give an affirmative answer. “It should be. They chose to bypass the defense line.”

n“Team Leader, what should we do? Should we stay in the cathedral or return to the hotel camp?” Although this was Long Yuehong’s first time experiencing a large-scale battle, he was forged in the crucible of war during the chaos in Weed City.

nBefore Jiang Baimian could answer, Shang Jianyao suggested solemnly, “Didn’t we say that we are ‘selling’ half of the firearms and the accumulated supplies to the town guards? Now’s the time.”

nHuh? Long Yuehong was a little surprised.

nJiang Baimian then looked at Shang Jianyao and stared at him for more than ten seconds.

nIn the silence, Jiang Baimian retracted her gaze and smiled. “Since we’ve talked about it, let’s do it. Ask Harbinger Song first and figure out where to find Han Wanghuo and the town guards.”

nJust as she said that, continuous salvo sounded from the same direction.

nBoom! Boom!

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