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墨書 Inktalez
The three of them were unclear about the current situation, feeling as if time had slowed down. At that moment, three heads regrew, and immediately, whether it was the Sniper Rifle, the Rifle, or the revolver, the three heads exploded in unison. The lifeless bodies trembled slightly before collapsing to the ground.
At this point, everyone seemed to awaken from a dream. They looked up to see that the snake-like predator had become completely still. Freyr knew well that this type of snake had a terrifying growth rate; if one head was cut off, two would grow back, and it wouldn’t die unless all three heads were killed. This was akin to striking at the snake's vital point, which was no easy feat. It was fair to classify this creature as Undead level, but it was clear that this snake was merely an entry-level Undead difficulty.
Clearly, there were more dangerous predators lurking nearby, but their current coordination and strength could only allow them to avoid confrontation. In fact, the snake was completely dead now; it was truly dead. They took a moment to harvest it, removing the poisonous sacs and cutting the flesh into chunks with sharp stones for protein supplementation.
Although the meat looked somewhat gruesome, with bright red capillaries visible, the more vibrant the flesh, the more nutritious it was. Once consumed, it felt as if a refreshing stream flowed through their bodies. The aching muscles regained vitality. Others ate as if they were consuming a rich delicacy; women wore expressions of embarrassment on their faces, yet they understood that without eating, they wouldn’t survive in the desert. They were resigned to their fate as they consumed the snake meat.
“Hey!”
Someone in the group quickly sensed the benefits of the meat. Those women who had needed assistance to walk began to feel strength returning to them. A surge of energy spread throughout their bodies, healing sore muscles and enhancing their muscle elasticity—resulting in increased strength and speed.
“This is quite a tonic!”
Everyone wore similar expressions of astonishment as one person excitedly exclaimed. Freyr recognized that their curiosity stemmed from the convenience this meat provided.
This mirrored his own expression when he first tasted meat. He stepped forward to prevent them from lingering any longer; no one knew how many types of predators might be hidden in the sand. The previous creature’s size was clearly normal; there were also giant pythons in the desert—kings among snakes. Upon sensing the demise of their kindred spirit, they would naturally return to the scene of death. If they lingered here too long, they would become prey for those larger snakes.
Thus, they couldn’t stay much longer. Before leaving, Freyr poured a jug of water onto the ground to mask their scent as they moved on. However, he wasn’t sure if this would be effective or not; after all, snakes had keen senses of smell. With their stamina restored, they quickened their pace because no one wanted to remain in a dangerous area for too long—their weapons wouldn’t last forever and would eventually run out.
Following the map, they chose paths that circumvented predator territories, taking longer routes. Initially, there might not have been much complaint about this detour, but over time fatigue became evident again. Human stamina isn’t an endless cycle; everyone needed breaks to regain some energy before continuing onward. This way, fatigue would reach critical levels even faster.
This time there would be no predators appearing; such luck was unlikely again. Most predator meat was inedible; only a few types offered significant nutritional benefits while most were tough like leather or rubber and difficult to consume. Making leather from them would be more effective—it would reduce friction and could insulate against temperature changes during combat while also alleviating weight issues. The problem was that water had already been significantly depleted from the start.
From their conservative estimates of distance traveled so far, they had covered over ten kilometers already. The surroundings remained a sea of yellow sand with only occasional glimpses of lush greenery peeking through—at least they were spared from visual pollution now.
“Water! Does anyone have water? Can I borrow some?”
The woman's thoughts were interrupted as she licked her lips, reaching out to tug at the corner of the man's shirt beside her. He looked worn and weary, gazing at her with a dazed expression while keeping his distance. After all, water was more important to him; the plan couldn't be changed. Given everyone's exhaustion, even finding another cactus for hydration wouldn't solve the problem of thirst.
"Let's go. I don't have much water left either. I can't help you; you can ask someone else."
In moments like this, when faced with death, unexpected things often happen. The woman noticed that everyone remained unmoved, unable to even shed tears now. Her fists clenched tightly, making a creaking sound as she buried her head in resentment and took two steps forward.
"Why won't you lend me water? I need to drink!"
With a dark expression, the woman suddenly lifted her head and lunged at the man in front of her. A surge of strength emerged from nowhere; despite his best efforts, he couldn't push her away. The woman bit down hard on his arm.
"Gulp~"
Her throat moved rhythmically, and a look of sheer delight crossed her face. At that moment, the man's scream pierced the air as he raised his gun and swung it towards the woman. Just then, the gun fired unexpectedly. Blood gushed from her mouth as she realized she had met her end; a bullet had created a hole in her skull, exiting swiftly from the back of her head.
"Where did that gunshot come from?"
Upon hearing the shot, everyone should have intervened when they heard the argument escalating. But where were they? Intervening? Please! Who would take the time to stop someone who had lost control? Unless they too lost control, there was no way to balance out that person. But it was only when the gunshot rang out that they jolted awake—something terrible had happened.
Freyr was already fast; he rushed over first—not to help the man with bite marks on his arm but to check on the woman lying on the ground. There were no signs of life—no heartbeat or pulse. Her head had been blown apart by a bullet, her pupils dilated, and she hadn't even struggled. A mysterious smile appeared at the corners of her mouth as blood slowly trickled out.
"This witch... she bit my artery and is drinking my blood. I didn't want to kill her; I didn't want to face a military tribunal either. I was dragged into this military service for no reason at all. Those people deceived me with sweet words and sent me to this godforsaken desert without caring about my life or death. Am I not allowed to die? After all, I have nothing left."
Everyone's heads buzzed as they heard a man nearby scream in despair. At the same time, he pressed the gun against his chin, his gaze becoming vacant. However, this action was abruptly interrupted by a hand that grabbed his arm and pushed it away forcefully. A fist struck him hard in the nose and eyes—anywhere that radiated pain—bringing him back to reality.
Froth held onto the man's arm while Duan Shuai stepped forward and punched him again before grabbing his head and staring into his desperate eyes. "What good is dying? You are innocent; we can testify for you!"
The more the people around him spoke kind words, the more it ignited his desperation. He pounded his chest and shouted, "What can you do to testify? Look, it was my gun that killed her! Just let me die."
Freyr, however, impatiently grabbed the handle of his revolver. He charged directly in front of the man and slapped him across the face, saying, "Die, die, die! All you know is death. Fine, then go die! I promise I will watch you die with a smile. No one wants a useless waste dragging behind them. Your loud voice will only attract more predators, you fool."
The man staggered back and spat out a mouthful of blood. Upon closer inspection, it was evident that one of his teeth was missing from the bloodstains. Everyone froze for a moment until Duan Shuai spoke up, "Alright, alright, we're all teammates here. It's normal for him to be in this state. You've done enough; it's not time to die yet. As long as we can get out of here, we'll help clarify that your actions were in self-defense."
Duan Shuai paused for a moment, glancing at the body lying in the blood-soaked ground before continuing, "Bury her body; just cover it with sand. We have no other options and can't carry a bleeding corpse with us. The smell of blood will attract more enemies. This place can at least buy us some time. You should bandage your arm after this too."
Freyr stood on the sand dune, letting the wind blow against him as he held the compass to check the direction. His face was surprisingly calm, showing no concern for the opinions of the group behind him. His hearing was also exceptionally sharp; he could hear them discussing him and referring to him as the Cold Noodle Reaper—a title usually reserved for special individuals that had now been crowned upon him.
But this did not affect his judgment. After a few seconds, he slowly took a deep breath and said, "Are we done? Our journey is still long, but we've only covered half of it. The situation earlier was too sudden; everyone needs to calm down a bit. If we don't have enough water, let's all contribute what we have to help each other out. Don't waste urine either; although it's not very sanitary, desperate times call for desperate measures. You understand what I mean?"
"Urine too?"
The only girl left in the group remained relatively composed despite her red eyes; she had reacted most strongly during the earlier incident. Jennily trembled slightly all over when she heard about urine and glanced at the other boys nearby. If sharing a water bottle was already pushing it to the ultimate limit, sharing something as disgusting as urine was definitely crossing a line no one wanted to cross.
"Oh? Don't misunderstand; urine is for your own use. I'm not asking you to share it together. If you don't mind each other, you can try it out. Saving clean water is necessary; this is just an unavoidable measure given how exhausting the remaining journey will be. Those who aren't injured should take care of those who are while everyone else keeps their spirits up and remains vigilant."
As Freyr spoke these words, he turned away with a carefree demeanor once again. The group behind him appeared somewhat indifferent but nodded at each other; aside from smiling to boost morale, what else could they do at this moment?
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