Chapter 35: Son of the Blood God

From the golf club to the Phoenix Hotel, a straight-line distance of four kilometers, the eight-member squad took three hours to traverse. This was the limit of their speed; after all, burdened with heavy equipment and navigating forested terrain, they could not go much faster even if they tried.

Human strength has its limits, and at this moment, Chen Jian began to understand why the Blood-Born utilized mutations to continuously enhance their physical constitution. Unfortunately, such mutations were tied to the genetic process; even if he wished to embrace evolution, that opportunity was gone.

—Bah, what evolution! Mechanical ascension is the ultimate path!

Chen Jian spotted the high-rise building in the distance and confirmed it was their target. After a brief reconnaissance of the surrounding environment, he signaled He Shuo and Lei Jie to deploy their drones for aerial surveillance.

As the imagery streamed to his smart eyepiece, the team members lurking in the brush saw clear signs of artificial structures atop the hotel roof. These were not relics from before the Cataclysm, but crude, makeshift constructions bearing the distinct mark of the Blood Skulls. Severed limbs were used as decorations on the hastily built shacks; skulls were painted in blood on the walls, and a headless, long-decayed corpse hung from a steel frame, its putrid flesh pecked away until it was little more than tatters.

"This building has been occupied by the Blood Skulls," Chen Jian whispered. "We need to reach the roof to establish an observation post. Drones lead the way; we search and advance up the stairwell. Pay attention: do not look back, and do not engage in blind fire. Once we reach the top floor, we will clear it level by level on the way back down."

"Understood!" the other three team members replied immediately. Xu Lie asked, "What about us?"

"You watch our rear and ensure it remains secure."

Xu Lie frowned. "We should be in the lead. We have the advantage in close quarters against the Blood Skulls' terror-demons, and our reaction speed is faster—"

"But you cannot guarantee that you won't miss one," Chen Jian interrupted. "If even one slips through, the squad’s offensive rhythm will be broken. If we get bogged down in the stairwell and cannot continue to advance, we are dead."

"That is all. He Shuo, lower the drone altitude and enter through the main door!"

"Understood!"

At the command, the four members of the squad moved instantly. The Blood-Born followed closely behind, passing through the gates and into the hotel. The light dimmed immediately. Chen Jian lowered his thermal fusion night-vision goggles, gave a simple hand signal, and, guided by the drone already inside, rapidly pushed up the side stairwell.

The four-man squad split into two fire teams, each hugging opposite sides of the stairs with a two-meter interval, their muzzles covering every corner. If any enemy attacked from above, they would instantly be exposed to the muzzles of four automatic weapons and shredded in an instant.

Footsteps transitioned from chaotic to rhythmic. Upon reaching the third floor, Chen Jian lowered his voice.

"Xu Lie, watch the fire door leading to the interior. If anything comes out of there, take it down immediately!"

"…Understood."

Without realizing it, Xu Lie had adapted to the communication style of Chen Jian’s squad. This clinical, battlefield interaction made him realize something for the first time: a truly coordinated squad trains so extensively that even every sentence spoken is the result of long-term drilling. In comparison, the coordination his own four-man team prided itself on seemed like a joke.

They continued upward; the stairwell remained quiet. It wasn't until they reached the fifth floor that the drone’s warning echoed in Chen Jian’s headset.

"Humanoid heat source detected! Humanoid heat source detected!"

"Prepare for contact!"

Chen Jian issued the order. Almost immediately, two terror-demons lunged from the corner, pouncing toward Chen Jian, who was in the lead. Perhaps within the few dozen milliseconds that far exceeded normal human reaction time, Xu Lie had already turned toward the incoming attack, drawn his pistol, and subconsciously aimed at the enemy.

However, before he could make his next move, the guns of Chen Jian and Shen Yue had already fired.

"Bang! Bang-bang!"

"Bang! Bang-bang!"

The two three-round bursts merged, the six shots sounding like only three. Xu Lie was stunned. He suddenly realized his suggestion before entering the building had been ridiculous. Reaction speed? What reaction speed? Did these God-Chosen—these specters—need to compete with terror-demons in reaction speed? They had already established an absolute information advantage; it wasn't a matter of them shooting to kill the demons, but rather the demons blindly throwing themselves onto their bullets.

Two corpses slumped to the ground, twitching. Chen Jian ordered again, "Blood-Born, finish them!"

"Understood!" Xu Lie replied quickly, using his sharp short sword to sever the terror-demons' heads.

Meanwhile, the noise from above the stairwell began to grow. The shrieks of terror-demons, chaotic footsteps, the heavy thud of objects falling—these sounds echoed in the narrow passage, and even Xu Lie could not help but feel a sliver of fear.

Yes, he was never afraid to fight giant monsters. But in this environment, human instincts, formed from the moment of birth, were difficult to overcome. What if they were trapped? What if they couldn't get out? If he died here, at the hands of these demons... wouldn't that be the ultimate joke? He couldn't help but widen his eyes, scanning the corners that the God-Chosen had already searched, terrified that a hidden monster might spring out.

If he felt this way, the other Blood-Born, who lacked thermal vision, were even more tense. Every muscle was coiled, and adrenaline flooded their systems. The sound of their frantic heartbeats could almost be heard by the others. Xu Lie looked up, mouth dry, just in time to see the moment Chen Jian’s squad opened fire.

"Bang-bang-bang—"

Gunfire was continuous, muzzle flashes flickering incessantly. But unlike the "suppressive" spray-and-pray fire he had seen before, every time they fired, a terror-demon rushing from above was felled. They utilized the terrain and their information advantage to the limit; the stairwell corners became natural fortifications. In just over ten seconds, more than a dozen terror-demon warriors were downed. They were still writhing and struggling, but the God-Chosen had nimbly stepped over them, rifles leveled, continuing their advance.

From the movements of the God-Chosen, Xu Lie sensed an unprecedented, pure, and ultimate efficiency. The efficiency of slaughter. The sensation even made him feel a bit sick. Looking at the corpses on the ground, a terrifying thought crossed his mind: To the God-Chosen, does life actually hold any meaning? Even if the terror-demons were monsters, such cold-blooded slaughter was excessive. It was as if they weren't killing; they were simply... counting.

Xu Lie took a deep breath. This time, the God-Chosen did not issue an order to "finish them." Instead, after successfully reaching the next floor, Chen Jian uttered only a few words.

"Watch for grenades!"

A DSY151 thermobaric grenade was tossed downward, landing in the corner of the stairwell, right among the pile of fallen terror-demons.

"Boom!"

A massive explosion roared, accompanied by a violent pressure differential. Xu Lie looked back in shock, but the corpses of the terror-demons were already gone.

…

Five minutes later, the squad reached the roof. After killing the last terror-demon warrior, Chen Jian finally swapped to his third magazine. The ammunition consumption was far lower than expected, which satisfied him greatly. He looked at Xu Lie, standing to the side, and said, "From here on, you clear the area."

Xu Lie nodded mechanically. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke:

"God-Chosen... do you know? At least when it comes to the act of killing... you are more like the Sons of the Blood God than the Blood Skulls are."