Chapter 253: Change of Ownership
Li Ruikang, upon seeing this scene, was suddenly energized and immediately marshaled all his strength to shout at the top of his lungs, "Reinforcements from the Tree Domain have arrived! Hold the line, kill those monsters!"
The shout broke his voice, but it carried across the entire defense line, jolting everyone to their senses. Gazing at the enormous dragon-shaped Angel Envoy emerging from the mist, their spirits were shaken, as if beholding a hero.
The Blood River surged onto the streets, sweeping away a vast number of creatures.
If it were merely the impact of the water, it wouldn't be that significant, but the Blood-Erosion Alligator Dragon had another skill, Waterflow Control.
The Blood River was not merely churning; amidst its thunderous waves, there were shapes of blood like fierce beasts, slaughtering the creatures, and in a short time, the number of creatures killed by the Blood River numbered in the thousands, without exaggeration.
Following the path of the Blood River, the pitch-black Evil Crocodiles Legion mercilessly plunged into the crowd of creatures, coldly slaughtering them and tearing their bodies apart.
In just one encounter, already one or two thousand creatures had perished at the hands of the Blood-Erosion Alligator Dragon.
The Southern City Guards were exhilarated, trembling all over as though in fervor. The creatures that had nearly trapped them to death, numbering a hundred thousand, were now being continuously slaughtered like chickens and dogs.
"Kill!"
Their excitement soared as they focused all their energy into knocking down the creatures that had climbed up to the edge of the barricade, and the next moment, at the edge of the mist, they witnessed an even more astonishing scene.
The Scorpion Spider Demon, clad in Black Armor and striding forward with a bulky frame reminiscent of a Demon God, was seen with his arms transmuted into metal blades, swinging them left and right, cleaving any creature that drew near.
So he stepped out of the mist, brandishing the blade in one hand and dragging chains with the other, clanking loudly.
All followed the chain to its end, their bodies jolting with shock, because at the end of the chains were actually seven Third Order Monsters.
With both Third Order Apostles, Su Han, fully entering the battlefield, the tide had instantly turned.
The Southern City Guards had gone mad with excitement because the reinforcements were so strong, unmatched in their might.
Though there were only one man and two Apostles, they were overpowering tens of thousands of creatures, preventing them from turning the tables.
The battlefield was continuously divided, with the Blood-Erosion Alligator Dragon acting like a meat grinder, endlessly devouring life.
The more creatures that died, the more blood accumulated, and the surging Blood River resembled a giant serpent overturning in the streets.
Su Han had intended to take control. The vines of the Nine-Snake Mother Tree stretched towards this side, bursting from the ground, seizing advantageous positions on the battlefield, and solidifying the divided situation.
Duan Jie and Zhao Yaqian also joined the fight, manipulating their Apostles to kill creatures while also using their abilities to the fullest to clear the surrounding creatures.
For a full hour, the Blood-Erosion Alligator Dragon's Blood River and the Evil Crocodiles Legion continuously slaughtered, while the Scorpion Spider Demon, the metal manipulator, controlled hundreds of metal spears to rain down like a storm.
Fifty or sixty thousand creatures were slaughtered on the battlefield by them, and the remaining creatures had already lost their organization. With the terrifying presence of the Scorpion Spider Demon and the Blood-Erosion Alligator Dragon, they scattered and fled, gradually leaving the outskirts of the Southern City's camp.
As the last creature was pierced by a metal spear from the Scorpion Spider Demon, everyone was nearly exhausted.
"We've survived!"
Cheers erupted atop the barricades, accompanied by cries. Many of the Southern City Guards had already resigned themselves to dying before Su Han's appearance.
But now, they had all survived.
To be alive, in the end of times, that was the greatest reward.
The Blood-Erosion Alligator Dragon approached the base of the wall, its towering body even higher than the wall, allowing Su Han and the beleaguered Li Ruikang atop the wall to face each other.
Li Ruikang and his two companions were now covered in bloodstains, their combat suits still dripping with blood. Sweat mixed with the monsters' blood, emitting an indescribable stench.
But none of this was a problem. Li Ruikang didn't care about that. He looked at Su Han and revealed a relieved smile, "Lord Su Han, thank you for saving these twenty thousand survivors."
"Yaqian sent the message in time. I just happened to be dealing with the dimensional fissure in the east of the city, so I got here quickly."
Su Han didn't avoid the matter of their communication. Since the trade was proposed, regardless of who brought it up, the transaction would always have to take place, even if Li Ruikang was not aware of it.
However, looking at Li Ruikang's expression, it seemed there wasn't much to it, as if the matter wasn't that complicated.
"Yaqian's judgment was more decisive than mine this time"
Li Ruikang was frank, looking at Su Han, he said with some relief, "And your strength is even stronger than I imagined, able to protect much more. It seems I'll have to playout a 'deserter' once."
He said with self-deprecation, then added, "Please, first come into the city and rest for a while, allow us to deal with the aftermath of the battlefield and tidy things up a bit."
"Okay,"
Su Han nodded, and Li Ruikang said to Zhao Yaqian, "You take Lord Su Han to rest first, and we'll be right there afterwards."
Su Han got down from the Blood Erosion Alligator Dragon and followed Zhao Yaqian into the South City camp.
The Scorpion Spider Demon and the Blood Erosion Alligator Dragon were not called back; instead, they were left in the open space of the camp, guarding the Third Order Monsters.
This was Su Han's first visit to the South City camp; Duan Jie was driving, Zhao Yaqian sat at the wheel, and he took the seat in the back.
The car wasn't going fast, and looking out the window, one could see that everyone in the camp was busy.
Rescuing the wounded, clearing the monster corpses, recovering crossbow arrows, collecting useful monster materials... After a battle crucial for the very survival of the entire camp, everyone was too pressed for time to rest, needing to clear the battlefield as soon as possible and get ready for whatever came next.
All along the way to the Southern Prosperous Chemical Plant, the industrial park's original greenery had been replaced with crops, with some areas having Lamp Tree Crystals arranged, while others were directly planted with Lamp Trees.
Similar to the practices of the Tree Domain Camp, everyone in the South City camp would input energy into the Lamp Trees to accelerate their growth.
Su Han could distinctly see Lamp Trees that were already about a meter tall standing in the midst of the fields.
There wasn't much conversation in the car; Zhao Yaqian occasionally introduced some basic situations of the camp to Su Han, mainly focusing on the recovery situation of manufacturing, which was one of the foundations of the South City camp.
They reached the office building of the Prosperous Chemical Factory, Duan Jie got out of the car and opened the door for Su Han.
"Our conference room is on the second floor."
The two led Su Han to the second floor, taking seats on the inner row in the conference room. Not long after the tea was served, Li Ruikang and his two companions hurried into the conference room.
The "quick cleanup" they mentioned was indeed too simplistic; they had only changed out of the bloody combat suits and wiped off the blood on their faces before rushing over.
Although not as bedraggled as before, they weren't much better off.
Li Ruikang didn't sit in the central main seat but sat facing Su Han, with his back to the door.
"We have 121 dead, 232 seriously injured, and hundreds more with minor injuries. had your rescue not been timely, that number would have been several times higher. I truly am very grateful."
Li Ruikang once again expressed his heartfelt thanks to Su Han and then, with a solemn face, said, "Yaqian told us about the trade with the Tree Domain. In fact, before this battle started, we were already planning to relocate civilians via the subway and request the Tree Domain to accept them. Now that we have a deal, it makes it all the more legitimate.
Experience more on empire
Lord Su Han, I earnestly request on behalf of an incompetent former South City administrative officer that you accept the population, resources, and strength of the South City camp and then take back South City."