NOVEL WEB CHAPTER 149
In the heart of the night, the peaceful slumber of the Nanxiang Gathering Place was shattered. The shrill clang of alarm bells resonated through the darkness, jolting Lu Ming from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes, disoriented, and moved to the window.
Above, silhouetted against the moonless sky, hovered a legion of winged birdmen – the Black Feather Tribe. Accompanying them were the familiar figures of Maggie and Anderson, their faces grim and resigned.
Lu Ming's brow furrowed with unease. He quickly dressed and made his way outside. The Black Feather Tribe, led by Amang, had yet to initiate their attack. They hovered menacingly above, their eyes scanning the settlement below with predatory interest.
"Over a hundred thousand," Amang noted, a glint in his eye. This population far surpassed that of the New York gathering place.
"One hundred thousand Tribulation Transcenders," Apulan chimed in with a chilling smile. "We should be able to extract a considerable amount of Blood Essence."
"Not quite that much," Arnold interjected. "I heard from the Great Elder that the quantity of Blood Essence depends on both the number and strength of the Tribulation Transcenders. But we should still be able to get a few dozen."
"A few dozen Blood Essences," Amang mused, "that means a few dozen chances to ascend to the Heavenly Realm. If even one of us succeeds..." His voice trailed off, the unspoken implications hanging heavy in the air.
The other fallen angels grinned, their minds filled with visions of glory and power.
Suddenly, a voice cut through their reverie, shattering the illusion of invincibility.
"Lolita!" Maggie's cry pierced the night, her gaze fixed on a small figure standing in front of an empty building.
The Black Feather Tribe followed her gaze, their eyes falling upon a young girl, no older than ten, clutching the hand of a woman. Lolita, rubbing her eyes sleepily, seemed to have just been awakened by the commotion.
Despite the distance, a primal connection sparked within Lolita. She recognized her mother, her small arms waving frantically. "Mommy! Mommy!"
Tears welled up in Maggie's eyes as she turned to Amang, her voice thick with emotion. "Sir, that's my daughter. In return for my cooperation, I ask that you..."
She had only one request: to protect her child.
Amang's lips curled into a sinister smile. "Very well," he agreed.
The fallen angel who had been restraining Maggie reached out and caressed her cheek, a gesture that sent a shiver down her spine.
With a sickening crack, Maggie's head twisted a full 180 degrees. She was dead.
Anderson, frozen in horror, watched as Maggie's lifeless body slumped to the ground. The sight sent a cold shiver down his spine. He opened his mouth to speak, his eyes darting between Maggie's corpse and the Black Feather tribesman hovering above him.
A chilling sensation crawled up his neck. Maggie was dead... and he would be next.
"Sir! Wait, sir!" he cried out to Amang, desperate for a chance at survival. "We had an agreement! I'll tell you the location of the Nanxiang people, and you'll protect us!"
Amang simply smiled and raised a hand, halting his subordinates' advance. "Let me teach you a simple truth," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "The weak have no right to negotiate with the strong. This is the law of the Black Mist Zone, and it's the first lesson I impart upon you, new generation Tribulation Transcenders."
As Amang spoke, Arnold produced a transparent crystal. He held it above Maggie's corpse, and a wisp of red mist emerged, flowing into the crystal and staining it crimson.
Maggie's body was then callously discarded, plummeting towards the Nanxiang Gathering Place with a sickening thud.
The impact of Maggie's lifeless body hitting the ground reverberated through the Nanxiang Gathering Place. The sounds of alarm and Lolita's anguished cries mingled with the general chaos.
Arnold, however, remained unfazed. He focused solely on the crystal, studying the crimson hue that had infused it. "About 0.1% charged," he noted.
"So, a thousand Level 6 Mortal Realm Tribulation Transcenders are needed to collect a single unit of Blood Essence," Amang surmised. "I propose we eliminate the strong and those without potential, while nurturing those with promise. It's like breeding livestock."
Apulan nodded in agreement, while Amang turned his attention to Anderson, a sinister smile playing on his lips.
"The second lesson is that you, Tribulation Transcenders, are of great value," he began. "You're like walking elixirs, but unfortunately, you lack the power to protect yourselves."
"Combined with the first lesson," he continued, "do you now understand your predicament?"
Amang's words were a thinly veiled threat. He would protect the Tribulation Transcenders, but only as one would protect valuable livestock. The weak had no say in the matter; their fate rested solely in the hands of the strong.
As Amang spoke, Arnold carefully examined the crystal containing Maggie's extracted essence. It was a chilling reminder of the fallen angels' callous disregard for human life.
Anderson gaped, his mind struggling to process the scene unfolding before him. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came.
Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted in his neck, and his head lolled to the side. He had chosen suicide over the inevitable fate that awaited him.
Arnold repeated the extraction process, callously tossing Anderson's corpse to the ground below. "The journey back is too long," he remarked. "We can't bring too many people. Trash like you should become Blood Essence and make room for those with more value."
The brutality of the Black Feather Tribe was on full display for all of Nanxiang to see. The bodies of Maggie and Anderson, plummeting from the sky, sent shockwaves of terror and outrage through the community.
But the chaos was short-lived. Huo Sheng, Bai Tianyu, and Lu Ming emerged from the crowd, their eyes fixed on the fallen angels hovering above.
Lu Ming, his gaze locked on Maggie's lifeless form, spoke with a frown. "Is that Lolita's mother?"
"It seems so," Huo Sheng confirmed.
Lolita, overcome with grief, had fainted and been carried inside by Wei Lan. Lu Ming had grown fond of the young girl over the past few days, and the sight of her mother's murder right before her eyes filled him with a cold fury.
The child's heart had been irrevocably shattered.
The trauma inflicted on Lolita was immeasurable. Witnessing her mother's brutal murder would leave an indelible scar on the young girl's soul.
Lu Ming's gaze hardened as he looked up at the smirking Black Feather Tribesmen. He instinctively labeled them as enemies, but he knew that a hasty confrontation could have dire consequences.
They were all new to this world, and Lu Ming felt no particular attachment to Maggie or Anderson. Besides, they were the ones who had inadvertently led these birdmen to the gathering place. The extent of the enemy's strength remained unknown.
Diplomacy, Lu Ming reasoned, should always be the first course of action. Huo Sheng shared this sentiment, but he possessed additional knowledge that made him wary. Anderson, a Level 7 Awakened, had been effortlessly dispatched. This painted a grim picture of the Black Feather Tribe's power.
Huo Sheng's mind raced as he contemplated their options. Negotiation seemed prudent, but the callous disregard the birdmen had shown for human life made a peaceful resolution seem unlikely.
With a heavy heart, Huo Sheng addressed the looming figures above. "Everyone..."