Pujiang River, on the other side of Mingsha Island.
Dang, Dang, Dang—!
A dull and heavy sound of bells penetrated the lifeless gray rain curtain and came from the direction of the church behind the rows of abandoned factories in the south. It sounded like a death knell.
"What bad luck."
Elenda from the Jaeger organization dragged her injured right leg and limped with the support of the woman in the pink peacock feather mask as she sat at the door of the warehouse of an abandoned factory.
The woman crouched on the ground, methodically found the gauze in the medical kit, and bandaged the wound on his leg. A bright red color soon seeped out from the inside of the gauze.
It's not without reason that Ellenda complains about bad luck.
In the morning, after being attacked by pirates, a group of people encountered a large-scale wave of terrifying monsters. In a hurry, they packed up their supplies and headed east along the dry and decaying river. They did not make any stops on the way, but unexpectedly they encountered an oncoming wave.
coming attack.
In the direction of the downstream estuary where they were going, there were actually a large number of strange demons swarming in groups.
Although they didn't know if they were in the same group as the strange demons following them, they were immediately trapped in a pincer attack and could only temporarily stay in place in this abandoned factory.
Allenda was injured at that time. Her knee was hit by a strange demon's wind ability, and a shocking amount of blood spurted out on the spot.
In fact, if Higashinohara hadn't rushed ahead of everyone and struck in time as fast as lightning, half of Allenda's right leg might have been cut off by the terrifying wind blade at this moment, which also made many people feel worried.
I can't help but feel scared for a while.
Although they are all absolute ability users above the seventh level, non-physical ability users are not indestructible. What's more, the abilities of these strange demons are so weird and cunning, completely beyond the understanding of human abilities for more than a thousand years.
Knowledge makes it hard to guard against.
At this time, everyone began to rejoice in Kimura Hakutaku's decision to let them evacuate to avoid the battle. Otherwise, if they really had to confront that kind of ghost, they would probably have to shed their skin even if they didn't die.
In contrast, what really shocked everyone in the hunting team was the man wearing the white-faced fanged Yaksha mask, who seemed to have some "sworn hatred" with those strange monsters.
Although he did not disobey Team Leader Kimura's order to retreat, once a strange demon caught up with him and the two sides fought hand-to-hand, that man's figure would always be active on the front line of the team. He was simply the "invincible king of the team".
This guy.
What grudges do you have with those strange demons?
Just as Gentleman Allenda was thinking about this with a strange expression, the ear-mounted communicator hanging by her ear made another rapid sound. The person speaking inside was the hunter from the hunter team responsible for investigating the surrounding situation.
"Team Leader Kimura, there are also a large number of strange demons on the east side of the factory."
"North side! There are also strange demons surrounding the river on the north side."
Hearing these two consecutive reports, everyone's hearts suddenly jumped up!
They were chased from the west by countless densely packed alien demon armies, and now they were suddenly attacked on three sides. The situation seemed a little bad.
However, there is a saying that misfortune never comes alone.
Just when everyone was on tenterhooks, the voice they least wanted to hear came from the voice in their ears.
In the direction of the church on the south side of the abandoned factory complex, which is the direction from which the bells just sounded, someone actually spotted the figures of the strange demons surrounding them on a large scale.
East, west, north, south, front, back, left and right.
They were surrounded.
At this moment,
Many people felt a sense of astonishment in their hearts.
This scene is very familiar to them, perhaps to them and even to the ancestors of the entire human race.
When ancient humans hunted and killed their prey, they took advantage of the panic in the prey's hearts to force them step by step into the encirclement that had been set up long ago.
But there are those zombie-like monsters outside.
Is this scene silently proving that the ghosts in this hell world might once have been humans? Or is it mocking them as they flee in panic and become prey?
Hearing the voice in the communication voice, Higashinohara's expression also changed subtly.
He walked outside and looked to the east. From their distance, he could still see the Pearl Tower, which was like a steel giant thrust diagonally into the thick black clouds.
He had just fought against these strange demons, and he clearly knew that most of this terrifying group of strange demons were second-level green excellent strange demons.
And based on his experience from two visits to this world, although strange demons like this are much stronger than the first-level "unconscious" gray ordinary strange demons,
But to be honest, it is quite limited.
The degree of self-awareness they retain is not enough to drive their current strategy.
So that means that Higashinohara and the others are in a tight siege this time, and there must be a strange demon like Ling Wei or even far beyond Ling Wei's level behind them to coordinate the overall situation.
Just as Higashinohara was deep in thought, he suddenly heard movement in his ears.
Turning her head, she found a familiar sea-blue peacock feather mask. Theresa stood quietly next to Higashinohara, looking sideways in a certain direction.
Higashinohara followed her gaze and looked at the injured Elenda and the woman wearing a pink peacock feather mask clinging to him.
Compared to Teresa, that woman spoke very little. Higashinohara didn't hear a word from her from yesterday to now.
At this moment, he noticed Teresa's gaze. Although he couldn't see the expression under her mask, Higashinohara couldn't help but sigh in his heart. The relationship between these three people was really a bit confusing.
However, Teresa quickly looked back and regained the calmness of the female Sea King. She walked up to Higashinohara with a smile and said, "Shiroyasha-kun, the situation is a bit bad this time. What should we do next?"
Higashinohara didn't expect Teresa to ask him this question. He pondered for a few seconds, shrugged and said, "Sorry, you have to ask Team Leader Kimura about this. After all, Team Leader Kimura arranged this evacuation."
After hearing Higashinohara's words, Teresa couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
Of course she knew that the person she should ask now was Kimura Hakutaku, but Higashinohara's performance along the way was really too brave.
Since she was a teenage girl, Theresa has known how to use her advantages as a woman to inspire men's protective desire. This is her way of survival.
Not to mention that today, in this dangerous and lost world, which is full of all kinds of strange and strange things, there is a man beside him who is completely powerful, calm and terrifying.
Teresa subconsciously wanted to move forward and hug her thigh, but the other party remained unmoved.
Just when she felt a little bitter in her heart, a familiar and unhurried voice came from the ear-mounted communicator in everyone's ears again. Unsurprisingly, it came from Kimura Hakutaku.
"Please everyone gather at the factory warehouse in one minute. I have something to announce."
Hearing the voice coming from the voice, everyone couldn't help but feel a little calmer, and the people who stayed outside began to gather in the direction of the warehouse of the abandoned factory.
Higashinohara glanced at the distance where the outer factory was. With the blessing of the Nine Eyes and Six Paths. First glance, he had excellent eyesight and saw the rustling shadows in the shadows of the distant buildings from a distance.
If nothing else, those guys will arrive here soon.
At this time, why don’t you continue to run away and choose to have a meeting?
He frowned slightly, but turned around and walked towards the warehouse.
In the factory warehouse, people scattered around gathered one after another, but Hakutaku Kimura was nowhere to be seen.
After everyone had almost arrived, Hakutaku Kimura, wearing a navy blue windbreaker, walked slowly, accompanied by Ichiro Yoshizu, the deputy captain of the Jaeger team.
Yoshizu Ichiro, who was following behind, was holding a black password box in his hand and looked slightly excited.
When everyone around them saw the appearance of the real master, their worries about being surrounded by strange demons gradually calmed down.
After all, in their perception, the gentle-smiling Team Leader Kimura in front of them can be said to be the man who knows the world best among them.
But then, Hakutaku Kimura took the black password box from Ichiro Yoshizu behind him and placed it flat on his arm, and slowly opened it with his other hand in front of everyone.
In an instant, everyone's attention was attracted.
Inside the black lockbox are not the banknotes that make people's hearts beat, but the neatly arranged green apples arranged vertically and horizontally, which are countless times more exciting than the banknotes.
Each of these green apples is about the size of a girl's fist, with a smooth and green appearance. However, in this lifeless world, they are full of a vibrant atmosphere, as if they were just picked from the tree, and they attract everyone at once.
people's attention.
Kimura Hakutaku coughed dryly, cleared his throat, and revealed a familiar gentle smile under the half-long bangs on his forehead.
"Everyone has performed very well these two days. Your daily reward has been deposited into your private account at Citibank on time. You don't have to worry about this. But next, I think it's time for me to fulfill my promise.
"
Kimura Hakutaku paused and continued, "I wonder if any of you here have heard of the 'Ability Fruit'."
"Oh right."
Kimura Hakutaku shook his head, smiled and continued, "Whether you have heard it or not, it doesn't matter, because what is placed in front of everyone now is not the fruit of ability."
Having said this, his eyes swept across the slightly suffocating crowd below, and a smile slowly appeared on his face, "Its real name is. 'Angel Fruit'."
Hearing the words "angel fruit", the originally noisy abandoned factory warehouse suddenly became quiet!
All the fears and anxieties in everyone's hearts were completely washed away by the crisp green apples in front of them, leaving only various "angel fruits" that are valuable and unmarketable in the black market.
All kinds of news and rumors came from hearsay.
The people who entered the hunter team this time are all seven-star hunters. At their star level, they can almost make enough money.
Therefore, although the "daily salary" offered by Kimura Hakutaku is attractive, it is not enough to make them risk their lives for it.
What really attracts everyone is naturally the "extra reward" mentioned by Hakutaku Kimura.
A person with dual talents
Among all living beings in this world, awakening talent is a gift from God.
But no one will be satisfied with this gift. Who here is not eager to be favored by the goddess of luck again?
Oh. It seems that some people don’t really care about this.
But no matter what, these coveted "angel fruits" are right in front of you.
At this moment, whether it was Ellenda who was limping due to injury or Teresa who had just walked around Higashinohara, the focus of everyone in the warehouse was focused on one place.
A gentle smile appeared on Kimura Hakutaku's lips, and he said to everyone: "It seems that I don't need to say more. Everyone knows the meaning behind these 'angel fruits'. The biggest feature of these fruits is that they don't need to be like before."
You are also risking your life by 'making a deal with the devil'. After eating it, you need to go through a short adaptation period before you can gain a brand-new ability without any harm. And these extra surprises I have prepared for you this time, their grades.
All of them are third-level blue fruits.”
Hearing this, everyone in the warehouse breathed rapidly again.
The blue fruit represents blue high-risk abilities.
Everyone in the hunting team present was born differently and had different starting points. Even though they are all seventh-level absolute ability users now, the low-level talents they once awakened have limited their future growth on the seventh-level path - this is very important.
It has been the prison and nightmare of countless seventh-level absolute ability users for hundreds of years.
But now, they have a chance to choose again.
Kimura Hakutaku didn't mean to whet people's appetite. He quickly asked Yoshizu Ichiro, the leader of the hunting team, to distribute these fruits to everyone in the warehouse.
These fruits are evenly distributed in the black code. They are green, smooth, round and attractive. There is no mark on each one, and Yoshizu Ichiro distributes them immediately.
This also means that everyone's ability to get the fruit in their hands may also be completely random.
This kind of unknown and uncertainty suddenly made everyone feel anxious and worried about gains and losses.
Higashinohara stood at the back of the crowd. After all the seven people in front of him had finished, Yoshizu Ichiro walked up to Higashinohara, who was wearing a white-faced fang yaksha mask, and handed over the last "green apple" left in the alley.
Gave it to him.
Ichiro Yoshizu, who also belongs to the [Dawn Scarlet] Hunter organization, has been paying attention to this newly-promoted Seven-Star Hunter for a long time.
But he looked up at the mask with white fangs on Higashinohara's face. When he handed the last "green apple" to Higashinohara, he suddenly said softly, "This is a special gift prepared by Team Leader Kimura for you."
.”
Special gift?
Higashinohara took the green apple. The moment his hand touched the apple, his entire attention was attracted by the subtle and smooth touch, and a voice full of temptation emerged in his mind for no reason.
"Eat it!"
"Eat it!"
"Eat it!"
"."
Sensing Higashinohara's absence, Yoshizu Ichiro didn't pay too much attention.
In fact, when every esper including him comes into contact with such a precious and rare "angel fruit", there will be one or another voice in the mind.
Yoshizu Ichiro feels that this should belong to a subconscious resonance of the soul, just like human beings' natural desire to become strong and strong.
In front of the crowd in the warehouse, Hakutaku Kimura, who was standing there calmly, also noticed Higashinohara's absence, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
At this time, he glanced at the city-like scene of dark clouds under the black sky outside the factory, and seemed to see something further away.
After a moment, he withdrew his gaze, chuckled, and woke up the distracted hunters who were holding fruits in their hands and said,
"Do you want to hunt us? But we are not prey, so now, please eat the 'Angel Fruit'."