Chapter 1167
The Evil Demon in the Smoke!
"What on earth is going on?!"
Naoko Akagi's voice came through the gas mask, trembling slightly and completely bewildered. She stared at the billowing smoke and the exploded heads on the ground, her mind blank. She couldn't keep up with Cui Ming's pace at all, and even her breathing became rapid.
"Wait, what about the others? There are other researchers in the institute, what about them?" In her panic, Naoko Akagi suddenly remembered something and asked hurriedly, her voice full of worry.
“I’ve already found a reason to send them out, and those who didn’t…” Cui Ming’s voice remained calm, carrying an undeniable chill. Before he finished speaking, he suddenly reached out, pulled Akagi Naoko close behind him, and quickly pulled out a bomb pistol with his other hand. He then pulled the trigger without hesitation towards the smoke-filled side.
bump!
The gunshots were particularly piercing in the smoke. Accompanied by a dull thud, a figure dressed in a black combat uniform and wearing a gas mask fell straight down. His head was blown open by a gunshot, and blood and brain matter mixed with shards of stone flew everywhere, staining the ground red. The stench of blood instantly filled the smoke, mingling with the pungent smell of the smoke, making people want to vomit.
"Don't shout, or you'll give yourself away." Cui Ming lowered his head and calmly reminded Akagi Naoko behind him. The warmth emanating from his palm was steady and powerful, without the slightest wavering.
"Ugh!" Just as Akagi Naoko was about to cry out, she heard Cui Ming's reminder and immediately covered her mouth tightly, obediently keeping her mouth shut. Her body trembled slightly—not because she was afraid, but because she was being protected by Cui Ming behind her. Feeling his calm aura and firm movements, a strong sense of security welled up in her heart. Even though there were bloody corpses in front of her, she was not so afraid anymore.
"They've arrived so quickly," Cui Ming said, tilting his head slightly and looking through the lenses of his gas mask into the depths of the smoke. There was no surprise in his tone, as if he had expected the enemy to arrive so quickly.
Naoko Akagi peeked out from behind Choi Myung, her gaze falling on the corpse on the ground. She asked in a muffled voice, "Whose men are these? Why did they break in?"
"The appearance of the monster has made some people restless, it's that simple." Cui Ming's tone was concise, without any further explanation. As he spoke, he pulled out a black coat from somewhere behind him, quickly put it on, and then picked up another coat of the same style. He turned around and gently draped it over Akagi Naoko, carefully pulling up the collar to cover the gap at her neck.
Naoko Akagi instinctively pulled her coat tighter, her mind filled with doubt—she had no idea where Cui Ming had gotten those two coats from, since he hadn't had them on him at all. But she couldn't ask any more questions at the moment, as all her attention was focused on the situation at hand.
"Next, it will be a bit bloody." Cui Ming's voice turned cold, devoid of any warmth. He slowly put down his explosive pistol, pulled a sharp shovel from his waist, and took out a spiked mace from his backpack. Holding a weapon in each hand, a bloodthirsty but calm look flashed in his eyes.
Ah~ let these damned country bumpkins know how terrifying trench warfare can be, Cui!
Years of accumulated combat experience have made him the deadliest hunter in the darkness and chaos.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the smoke, the SEELE soldiers realized that their comrades had been killed and that they had been exposed. They immediately reacted, gripping their weapons tightly and beginning to move in an orderly fashion, groping their way forward in the direction from which the gunshots came. Their footsteps were particularly clear in the smoke, yet carried a hint of barely perceptible caution.
But when they passed through the billowing smoke and saw their comrade's gruesome corpse on the ground, head blown apart, all movement froze instantly, and they fell into complete silence. The air seemed to solidify, with only the faint sound of the smoke flowing and their heavy, panicked breathing remaining—they had never imagined that their comrade would die in such a horrific way, without even a chance to resist.
Fear, like vines, instantly gripped the hearts of every SEELE soldier. They gripped their weapons tightly, cautiously looking around. The smoke blurred their vision, making it impossible for them to know where the enemy was hiding. They could only stand still, not daring to breathe.
However, before they could recover from their shock and fear, the terrible hunt had already begun.
Cui Ming was like a demon born from the smoke, his figure nimble and ghostly. Under the cover of the smoke, he moved silently among the soldiers without making a sound. The only sounds were the faint sharp sound of weapons cutting through the air and the soldiers' sudden screams.
His movements were cold and efficient, without a single wasted word. Every strike carried deadly force, precisely reaping a life.
A soldier was scanning the area ahead warily when a sharp, piercing pain suddenly shot through his back. Before he could even turn around, the shovel had already slammed into the back of his neck, the sharp blade instantly piercing his throat. Blood gushed out, staining the smoke in front of him red. The headless corpse fell straight to the ground, too weak to even struggle, and then it was completely lifeless.
Not far away, another soldier noticed something was wrong and was about to pull the trigger to call for help when a dark figure suddenly darted out of the smoke. Cui Ming's spiked club, with immense force, slammed into the soldier's head. With a crisp "crack," the skull was instantly smashed to pieces, brains and blood splattering all over the surrounding walls. The soldier's body slumped to the ground, and the gun slipped from his hand.
Screams rose and fell in the smoke, each one a death of a soldier. Cui Ming moved through the smoke like a harvester, hunting down soldiers one by one without their knowledge—some were impaled in the chest by shovels, some had their limbs broken by spiked clubs, and some had their necks snapped silently. No one could see him clearly, and no one could put up any effective resistance.
Like lambs to the slaughter, they were mercilessly crushed by Cui Ming in the billowing smoke, utterly consumed by fear and despair. Some tried to fire wildly, only to hit empty walls, revealing their positions and facing Cui Ming's fatal blow the next second; others tried to escape, but couldn't find their way, only able to stumble aimlessly through the smoke, ultimately unable to escape their fate of being hunted down.
Cui Ming's figure flickered in the smoke, each move clean and swift, without the slightest hesitation. His eyes were cold and indifferent, as if he were hunting not living people, but a group of insignificant ants.
The spikes on his mace were stained with blood and brains, and the blade of his shovel gleamed with a cold light. He was like the Grim Reaper in the smoke, leaving only death and despair in his wake. He perfectly embodied the terror of the trench warfare guerrillas and made these arrogant SEELE soldiers taste what true fear was.
Naoko Akagi was protected by Choi in a secluded corner. Through the billowing smoke, she could only see blurry black figures falling down, hear shrill screams, and the dull thuds of weapons hitting flesh.
She clutched Cui Ming's clothes tightly, feeling no fear, only overwhelming shock and a sense of security—this man, in the smoke like an all-powerful demon, cold and powerful, had built an unbreakable barrier for her in the most efficient and bloodiest way. (End of Chapter)