Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
Chen Mo's eyes were deep and dark as he watched Liao Ruyu's retreating figure, his thoughts inscrutable.
Who would have thought, she was one of his kind...
This novel is available on "pawread dot com".
In the past two days, the warmth Liao Ruyu had shown made it hard to imagine she could do such things.
Now, it was as if she had torn off her mask.
Chen Mo murmured to himself.
"It seems, this mask would fit you even better..."
***
Liao Ruyu walked past the members of the Ancient Martial Alliance.
Her ruthless actions had left the group stunned, like petrified chickens.
"Brother Long..."
"What's the deal with their squad?"
"They killed their own people?"
Li Long felt a chill throughout his body.
More than the shock of the squad members, he was terrified by the ruthless methods of Chen Mo and Liao Ruyu.
Their decisive, unhesitating betrayal of their comrades deeply imprinted on Li Long's heart.
He swore he would never forget this scene for as long as he lived.
In this apocalyptic world, it was Chen Mo and Liao Ruyu who taught him the most important lesson!
If they survived, they would surely rise to prominence, becoming influential figures in this apocalyptic world!
"Brother Long, that guy is now all alone."
"Should we...?" one of them asked, itching for action.
"Forget it... That guy is ruthless, even Brother Long is no match for him."
The scene of Chen Mo mercilessly killing his teammate had frightened many of them.
They were left with a psychological shadow.
Li Long's heart was pounding.
Clutching a bag of Crystal Cores, he bravely stepped forward and said.
"Bro... Brother..."
"Still trading?"
A third-tier Crystal Core, along with the nearly fourth-tier Crystal Core from the strange crocodile and several second-tier Crystal Cores.
Plus five peach fruits.
The gains from this journey were substantial.
Enough to break through his two Abilities.
Chen Mo nodded slightly and took out one of the peach fruits.
He said indifferently.
"Inside, you'll find the tree species you want."
Chen Mo nonchalantly tossed the peach fruit over.
"Thud..." it rolled on the ground.
Li Long was stunned, not expecting the other party to throw the tree species over without any precautions.
Such recklessness was also a confidence in his own strength.
This guy...
He was not afraid of Li Long's group at all!
With so many Abilities users on his side, and his teammates either dead or gone, what trump card did he have?
Li Long stared intently at Chen Mo across from him, filled with wariness.
After a long contemplation, he eventually tossed the bag of Crystal Cores over.
"Catch!"
He didn't dare to gamble!
Li Long quickly picked up the peach fruit from the ground, his face lighting up with joy.
At last, the mission was complete!
After returning, he would definitely investigate who this person really was!
"Brother, thank you!"
"Rest assured, the Ancient Martial Alliance has its principles. Whatever happened here today will not be leaked!"
This seed was incredibly important to the Ancient Martial Alliance!
After obtaining the tree species, Li Long had no intention of lingering.
He looked back at the members of the Ancient Martial Alliance and commanded.
"Let's go, back to Libin City!"
***
Li Long and his group left the area.
On the road, one of the Ancient Martial Alliance members spoke up.
"I didn't realize it before, but who is that guy?"
"Libin City isn't far from North China. With such strong Abilities, how could there be no news about him?"
"Who knows..."
"Yuan Yu, why do you always look so stern? Show some reaction, weren't you shocked just now?"
"I've come to understand that in this apocalyptic world, you can't trust anyone. You never know when you'll get stabbed in the back..." someone said somberly.
The group fell silent.
Clearly, the incident had cast a shadow over their minds.
On the way there, everyone was excited, almost as if they were on a trip.
But on the way back, they all started to keep their distance.
There was no helping it; the impact of that scene was too profound.
And what was more unexpected was that the niece of the Long Gang Group's CEO was also so ruthless!
Seeing this, Li Long cursed.
"What the hell are you all staying so far away for?"
"People of the Ancient Martial Alliance would never betray their own!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the wound on his back split open a bit more.
Li Long's face changed, and he clenched his teeth in pain, sweating profusely.
"Damn... That guy's knife is really vicious..."
"If it hit me, I'd probably be dead!"
"Do you want me to cauterize it again?" Yuan Yu asked.
Even after witnessing that scene, she remained calm and unflappable.
"No!" Li Long's face turned pale.
***
Meanwhile.
Chen Mo secured the bag of Crystal Cores.
After checking.
Indeed, as Li Long said, there was a third-tier Crystal Core!
Chen Mo's eyes lit up, and he immediately summoned the Poverty-stricken using his Heavenly power.
"ROAR—"
The Poverty-stricken growled, and together with Chen Mo, they approached the carcass of the strange crocodile.
The strange crocodile had been torn in half by the Indulgent-God.
One half was almost too gruesome to look at, reduced to a pulp...
Chen Mo's eyes sparkled, and he gripped the Ghost Knife.
He began to slice off the crocodile's skin from the remaining half of its body.
The crocodile's near fourth-tier strength meant its defenses were terrifying; even intense gunfire could hardly harm it.
Whether heresy or divine, every part of their bodies was valuable.
In this apocalyptic world, there was an Abilities called the Forgemaster.
They could forge extraordinary weapons from materials like the teeth of this strange crocodile!
The Ghost Knife was one such weapon.
The valuable parts of a heresy's body were worth a fortune, whether for exchanging for Crystal Cores or for forging.
Unfortunately, the crocodile's size was not small, and neither Chen Mo nor the Poverty-stricken could carry away its teeth.
Chen Mo muttered to himself.
"It seems, if I encounter the mysterious merchant next time."
"I should trade for something that can store items..."
The mysterious merchant had many items that could contain other items.
Storage bags, Eyes of the Bright Bird, space rings, and so on...
After rolling up and securing the crocodile skin, which could become a decent protective soft armor with some simple processing, Chen Mo felt no regret.
He had already obtained many things that could enhance his strength on this trip.
"Poverty-stricken, the carcass and Crystal Core of that strange crocodile are yours."
"Break through to the third tier before we leave this time."
The Poverty-stricken's large pupils gleamed with joy.
It affectionately nuzzled Chen Mo, then leaped to the side of the strange crocodile and began to devour it voraciously.
A faint purple glow emerged on its body.
And Chen Mo, he took out another peach fruit.