This assassin is upright

Chapter 472 Obtained the power of the Crimson Mist!
So one night, the tree quietly stretched out its roots at the edge of the forest, and on the roots grew a red fruit.

It was a sweet trap. The beasts that swallowed this fruit would gain special abilities and become more powerful, but each time they used their abilities, a portion of their life would be drained, and they would eventually become its puppets.

This process is very discreet, and the animals that swallow the fruit cannot detect it.

And so, it succeeded.

An ordinary little bird swallowed the tempting-looking fruit and became the first prey in its trap.

Once you have one, you'll naturally have a second and a third.

Using its root system that extends throughout the forest, this tree can disguise itself as a shrub or something similar, delivering its fruit to every corner of the forest.

As the number of puppets increased, it also grew bolder, and the red fruits that originally only grew in the outer areas gradually began to appear in deeper areas.

At the same time, with its power gradually increasing, it also began to modify and package the red fruit, giving it an aroma that could drive beasts mad.

Under this fragrance, beasts will fight each other for the fruit, and only the strongest beast in the vicinity is qualified to become its puppet.

As for the other losers, they will become corpses and eventually become its nourishment.

As time went by, the tree puppet, under its deliberate control, grew stronger and stronger.

Ultimately, a war broke out in the heart of the forest.

One side of the war is the king of the beasts living here.

On the other side are its countless puppets.

In the end, it won the battle.

Those defeated beast kings became its nourishment and new puppets.

They roam the core and sub-core areas, becoming its eyes.

It finally felt safe, believing that nothing in the world could threaten its safety anymore.

until…

A man who could wield fire entered the forest.

That was its innate fear, the fear of all trees.

A voice echoed in its heart.

Get rid of him!
We must get rid of him!
...

Yu Zhun slowly opened his eyes; the burning sensation all over his body had subsided.

He clenched his fist, and at this moment, an astonishing power was surging within his body.

"Still a little short of fifth rank."

He murmured to himself, "I can sense that breaking through to the fifth rank is not an easy thing; it requires some opportunity."

There is a reason why there are so few fifth-order beings in this world.

However, in addition to the improvement in physical fitness, Yu Zhun also made other improvements.

"What I sensed in that daze just now was probably the memory of that tree." Yu Zhun slowly opened his palm, and tendrils quietly emerged from his palm.

That tree has many abilities, but ultimately, its most powerful ability is its ability to take root in its surroundings and absorb everything.

Although Yu Zhun is not a tree, after absorbing the other party's ability, he also gained similar power, and was able to briefly extend his roots to absorb external energy.

besides…

Yu Zhun clenched his fist again, and a blood-red mist instantly surrounded him, causing his power, which was already close to the fifth level, to rise rapidly, briefly breaking through to a new level.

"This is the complete power of the red mist without any side effects. With it, I was able to temporarily break through to the fifth rank. It's a small trump card."

After experiencing his newfound power, Yu Zhun turned his head to look in a certain direction.

That's the location of District 37.

"It's time to go back."

"Otherwise, the captain and the others will be getting impatient."
-
"thump--"

With a dull thud, a emaciated figure was thrown onto the ground of a large hall like a rag doll.

"Uh…"

The figure let out a muffled groan, twitched unconsciously a few times, and then slowly raised its head to look towards the head of the main hall.

If Yu Zhun were here, he would instantly recognize that the man who looked so miserable was none other than Black Hawk. However, compared to before, Black Hawk had undergone a huge change. His body had become emaciated, and his once robust physique now showed his ribs protruding.

In those sunken eye sockets, the pupils of both eyes were unfocused and no longer reacted to light or darkness. Those eagle eyes that the black eagle was so proud of had been destroyed.

"Still won't you talk?" Fred, who was at the head of the table, walked step by step to Black Hawk, looking down at the vulnerable Black Hawk with indifference in his eyes.

Where did your last companion go?

"The captain is asking you a question!"

The team member who brought him up shouted angrily and kicked Black Hawk, making him groan and roll around on the spot, looking even more disheveled and miserable.

That wasn't enough. Seeing that Black Hawk still didn't say anything, the team member became furious and went up to him, punching and kicking him repeatedly.

Fred didn't react at all as his subordinates abused Black Hawk right in front of him. Instead, he stood with his hands behind his back, watching with great interest.

When his subordinate stopped what he was doing and brought Black Hawk, who had a bruised and swollen face and several obvious fractures, closer, Fred slowly spoke.

"Tell me, and you'll have mutated beast meat to eat tonight."

Mutant beast meat!

Upon hearing this word, Black Hawk's previously unfocused eyes seemed to light up again.

He is too hungry.

This hunger doesn't originate from the stomach, but from every cell in the body.

As a third-tier evolved being, he possesses powerful self-healing abilities, allowing him to quickly recover from both broken bones and superficial injuries.

However, such self-healing ability requires a lot of energy.

The moment he was captured by the Dark Dragon team, he and the rest of the Black Hawk team were subjected to a series of brutal beatings in order to deplete their energy.

He was now on the verge of death; if it weren't for the small amount of food the Nether Dragon Team provided each day to keep him alive, he would have died long ago.

The high energy content of mutated beast meat allowed his body to recover quickly, and the almost instinctive craving made Black Hawk open his mouth.

“He…” Black Hawk’s voice was hoarse, like a gust of wind sweeping across a parched desert.

A hint of anticipation flashed in Fred's eyes, and he leaned a little closer.

"died."

Upon hearing Black Hawk utter two flippant words, Fred paused, then a flicker of anger, no longer calm, appeared in his eyes.

"Take him away and give him a good welcome."

Even after Black Hawk was dragged away from the hall, the gloom on Fred's face did not dissipate; instead, it intensified.

"My lord." A stunningly beautiful woman who had been standing beside Fred without uttering a single word stepped forward and took his arm.

"calm down."

"They're just a few peasants, not worth making a fuss about."

“You don’t understand,” Fred said in a deep voice. “The things in the Roland mine ruins are very likely related to the cataclysm.”

"Although I don't know how that thing got there, it's extremely important. If I could get my hands on it..."

A greedy glint flashed in Fred's eyes. "The fifth rank will no longer be a problem for me, and even the legendary sixth rank is not impossible." "That important?" The beautiful woman looked surprised. "But you didn't seem to care much about the Roland mining ruins before."

“That was for show,” Fred shook his head. “The timing wasn’t right before. If we showed too much importance, the other six might…”

Fred changed the subject, "You know my abilities."

"I can see the future to a certain extent, although most of the future is very vague. But this ability still allows me to avoid danger and rise from humble beginnings, from an ordinary member of the excavation team to where I am today."

“A long time ago, I vaguely saw that a catastrophe would befall me, but at the time it was very blurry and I had no idea where it came from.”

At this point, Fred paused, "Now I'm just one step away from the fifth rank, and I can see it much more clearly now."

"It was a catastrophe that loomed like a dark cloud, and I had almost no chance of survival. And this catastrophe is already very close to me."

"What...what catastrophe?" The stunning woman asked with a worried expression.

“I don’t know,” Fred shook his head, then changed the subject, “but I know where it came from.”

As he spoke, Fred slowly turned his head and looked across the hall at the lush forest beyond District 37.

The stunning woman suddenly understood something, "The catastrophe, from Area 62?"

“Yes.” Fred nodded slightly. “Sector 62 is the kingdom of beasts. Our District 37 has some cooperation with them, so we have lived in peace for many years.”

“But those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts.”

"Perhaps they are plotting something against District 37."

"I sent people there to investigate some time ago."

"But... none of the groups of people sent out have returned."

“At this critical juncture, Higgins’ team showed up.” Fred clenched his fist slightly. “Perhaps this is fate saving me from certain death.”

"The appearance of Higgins' team means that something hidden within the ruins of the Roland mines will see the light of day again, and if I obtain that thing..."

"With the breakthrough to the fifth rank, I will naturally be able to survive the catastrophe!"

"I see!" The stunning woman exclaimed with a look of sudden realization.

She finally understood why Fred, who had never cared much about anything in the past, had made such an unusual fuss this time.

"Go." Fred looked at one of his subordinates waiting below the hall. "Bring me Wolf Fang from Black Hawk Squad."

"I refuse to believe that we can't get them to talk by asking them one by one!"
-
"team leader!"

As Black Hawk was thrown back into the cell where the Black Hawk team members were held like a rag doll, the other members, who were in equally miserable condition, struggled to their feet and tried to support Black Hawk.

"I'm… fine."

Black Hawk shook his head, gritted his teeth, raised his hand and waved it slightly, signaling the others not to move, "Save your energy."

"Given our current situation, any action would be a luxury."

As soon as he finished speaking, the cell fell silent.

"Those bastards might as well have just killed me," the rat muttered through gritted teeth, "to avoid suffering like this now."

"It's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death." Wolf Fang leaned against a wall that was deliberately made to be uneven, making it extremely uncomfortable to lean against. However, after these few days, he had gradually gotten used to it.

"You're not at a loss, are you?" the rat said quietly. "You were already skin and bones, and now you're so thin you can't even tell anything."

"Still have the energy to bicker? Looks like you can hold out for a while longer." Wolf Fang crossed his arms and slowly closed his eyes. "Get some sleep, and don't make a sound."

"...This isn't funny." The mouse forced a smile, then looked in Black Hawk's direction. "Boss, do we even have a chance of getting out of here alive?"

"That kid Yu Zhun, could he really have died in the lava?"

Black Hawk remained silent.

However, the rat's incessant chatter did not end: "If he's still alive, then that kid is truly heartless."

“We’ve all been locked up, and now the whole of District 37 probably knows about it, but he still hasn’t come to rescue us.”

“Yu Zhun can’t save us.” Iron Tower, who had remained silent until now, couldn’t help but say, “His arrival will only add one more person to the group.”

“That won’t happen.” Wolf Fang, who was planning to take a nap, couldn’t help but chime in, “If he gets captured, we’ll be doomed.”

"Dead people don't take up cells; it's a waste."

The reason they were still alive was because Fred needed to know Yu Zhun's whereabouts, and even more so, what Yu Zhun was looking for.

Although they didn't know why Fred was so enthusiastic about that thing, the Black Hawk team members weren't stupid.

Their only value right now is Yu Zhun.

Once Yu Zhun is also captured, they will be of no use.

In District 37, there is only one outcome for those who have no value.

dead.

"Hey..." The mouse suddenly shuddered, "Don't talk nonsense, you rascal, don't talk about dying or anything like that."

"Do you want Yu Zhun to come and save us?" Black Hawk suddenly asked.

So the mouse fell silent.

After a moment, he spoke slowly, "Of course... I don't want that."

Everyone fell silent, with only faint breathing echoing in the air.

"Clang-crack-"

The silence was broken by the sound of an alloy door being kicked open roughly.

A figure strode into the cell, looked around, and quickly locked onto Wolf Fang, who was sleeping against the wall. A ferocious smile appeared on his lips.

"She's sleeping quite soundly..."

He suddenly grabbed Wolf Fang's head and slammed it against the uneven wall, rubbing it hard. "Is it comfortable to sleep against the wall?"

"Ugh… Ugh!"

Wolf Fang let out a muffled scream as the remaining flesh on his face was scraped off, revealing stark white bone on his cheeks, making him look utterly terrifying.

"Stop!" Black Hawk roared with all his might, struggling to stand up with a limp, and was about to rush towards the perpetrator.

"Ha, what a piece of trash."

The perpetrator kicked Black Hawk away, but his movements stopped. He grabbed Wolf Fang and slapped his cheek where the bone was exposed. The intense pain caused Wolf Fang to convulse uncontrollably.

"The captain wants to see you. Come with me."

After saying that, he dragged Wolf Fang out of the cell.

As the cell door closed again, Iron Tower let out a heavy breathing sound, slammed his fist on the ground, and his eyes turned bloodshot.

Situations like Wolf Fang's have occurred many times in the past, but he still cannot tolerate them at all.

"It's all my fault..."

Iron Tower's voice trembled with a sob, "If it weren't for me, none of us would have been targeted by the Dark Dragon Team, and things wouldn't be like this now..."

"Iron Tower, stop talking," Black Hawk said softly.

“Here, crying is a luxury.”

"Moreover, we are teammates who entrust our lives to each other."

No one will blame you.

(End of this chapter)