Chapter 89: After Dark, People Die Outside the Village

“Kill a core member of the Us Gang, ranked thirty-first on the Red Wanted List, and complete the hidden quest.”

“Congratulations, you have earned the trust of the villagers of Belo Village. Group friendliness has increased by 2 points.”

“Please find Robbie, the village chief of Belo Village, and obtain Napules’s legacy quest.”

To her surprise, a group-wide friendliness bonus had been triggered. Radiance spread everywhere, and the resurrected girls were overjoyed. During these days they had completed no fewer than ten quests, yet had only gained a meager three points of friendliness. That alone showed how rarely such a bonus could be triggered.

“Napules? Who’s that?” Rose asked, frowning.

The girls fell silent at once and lowered their heads in thought. He must be a very powerful man.

Xiaoqian Wang smiled. “He’s probably the one the Us Gang is after. They came with such heavy firepower, so Napules must be no easy opponent. Come on, let’s go take a look.”

“Okay.”

The girls followed close behind.

More than eighty old men and women were huddled together, still not recovered from the shock. Only when the Thorn Rose women’s squad came over did they burst into tears, trembling with grief and gratitude.

An old man with a white beard and a coarse cloth robe came forward and seized Xiaoqian Wang’s hand tightly. He was so excited, and his grip was so strong, that it hurt her a little, making her grimace.

Only then did the old man give an embarrassed laugh.

“Outsiders, hello. I am Robbie, the village chief. On behalf of all the villagers, I offer you our heartfelt thanks.”

“Village Chief Robbie, no need to thank us. We are soldiers. Eradicating the Us Gang is our duty.”

“What? The Us Gang?” Village Chief Robbie cried out, instantly drawing the villagers’ attention.

The old people crowded around at once, talking over one another, as though they had forgotten their pain from moments before.

“Damn it, it was the Us Gang after all. Those infamous bastards.”

“We’re finished. It’s the Us Gang. You killed so many of them; they’ll never let this go. Belo Village is about to suffer a bloodbath.”

“The prophecy of Napules is about to come true.”

A prophecy?

The girls of the Thorn Rose squad caught the deeper meaning at once and exchanged glances. Xiaoqian Wang decided to probe by indirection.

“Village Chief Robbie, there’s nothing to be afraid of. With us here, the Us Gang won’t lay a finger on you.”

“Really?” Robbie, who had been sighing in dismay, suddenly lifted his head, his expression uncertain.

“Really. I swear in the name of the Black Tiger Legion.” Xiaoqian Wang’s tone was firm as she held up three fingers.

Behind her, the eight girls also raised their guns one after another, showing their resolve.

Only then did the villagers of Belo Village finally breathe again, tears giving way to smiles.

“Good, good! With the Black Tiger Legion protecting us, I’ll make sure the Us Gang comes to no good end!” Robbie’s spirit rose all at once.

“Outsiders, would you be willing to accept Napules’s trial quest?”

“Village Chief? This...” Xiaoqian Wang hesitated for a long moment.

The tactic of seeming reluctant before yielding was, as expected, effective.

Robbie was highly agitated, afraid they might refuse.

“Girls, Napules was an extremely powerful adventurer. If you can obtain his power, wiping out the Us Gang will be no more difficult than raising a hand. Such a great opportunity—why are you still hesitating?”

“If it’s such a good thing, why don’t you complete the trial yourselves and gain that power for yourselves?” Xiaoqian Wang countered.

“Uh...” Robbie froze. So did the villagers behind him, their gazes turning evasive.

The girls of the Thorn Rose squad exchanged glances, all sensing something fishy.

“Village Chief, what exactly is the prophecy Grandma Salisha spoke of?” Xiaoqian Wang pressed on.

The villagers’ expressions grew even uglier.

“Village Chief, if you won’t tell us, then we can’t be at ease. If there isn’t enough trust between us, then how can we speak of protecting and supporting one another? In that case, we might as well not take Napules’s trial quest.”

“Still, rest assured—we will remain here until the Us Gang is utterly destroyed.”

Xiaoqian Wang spoke with passion and resolve. Having said that, she turned and led the girls toward the village outskirts.

Rose and the others stuck out their tongues. Xiaoqian really did deserve to be the first female company commander; she truly had some skill. Following her, they would surely blaze a trail of starlit glory.

Just as they were about to cross the ruins and leave the village, the eighty-odd elderly men and women of Belo Village began whispering anxiously among themselves. Soon, Robbie nodded, as though he had made up his mind.

“Wait!” Robbie shouted, throwing both arms wide.

But Xiaoqian Wang and the others pretended not to hear him and began setting up camp.

The villagers grew anxious and kept urging Robbie on. Robbie jogged around to the far side of the ruins and called out, “Brave girls, come back!”

Xiaoqian Wang turned and smiled sweetly. “Village Chief Robbie, don’t worry. We’ll protect you.”

“No, no, no, that’s not what I mean...” Robbie grew even more anxious, but still did not dare step across the ruins by even half a pace.

Something was wrong.

Xiaoqian Wang quickly exchanged a few words with her team and then smiled. “Village Chief Robbie, if there’s anything, just say it quickly. We still have to put up our tents, and it’ll be dark soon.”

“Come back! Hurry back! Once it’s dark, people outside will die!”

Old Robbie suddenly cried out, then realized he had misspoken. He immediately covered his mouth, shaking his head frantically.

Dozens of meters behind him, the more than eighty old men and women changed color at once, as though they had seen a ghost.

Once it was dark, people outside would die.

The nine girls of Thorn Rose stared in blank shock, a chill rising in their hearts, icy to the marrow, their teeth chattering.

“Quick, pack up! Back to the village!” Xiaoqian Wang suddenly realized something and shouted as she pulled out a flashbang and threw it.

The sky had grown dark, and the forest was sinking deeper into gloom.

The flashbang burst into blinding brilliance, tearing through the dim canopy of heaven. In those fleeting five seconds, the girls forgot everything else and ran for their lives toward the back of the ruins.

Crack!

A sharp, ringing metallic break echoed out. A boundless chill filled the girls, and they only clenched their teeth and sprinted even faster back toward the village.

The villagers had already gathered around. Reaching out with both hands, they seized the moment before the light vanished and forcibly dragged the girls back.

The dazzling light ended in an instant, and darkness came surging back.

Xiaoqian Wang and the others clutched their pounding chests and turned back in curiosity. At once, they stood rooted to the spot, as though petrified.

Just five meters to the left of where they had been setting up their tents, the weapons seized from the Us Gang were piled high. But now, the most powerful among them—the mortars—were nowhere to be seen.

“Xia... Xiaoqian, what happened...” Ruyue asked in terror.

Clack.

Xiaoqian Wang pulled out a flashlight and shone it down. A large patch of light reflected off the ground. On closer inspection, it was actually a scattering of iron fragments, and beside them lay the base of a mortar tube.

Could it be that the mortars had been eaten by that unknown creature?