Leaving Maple Leaf Town,
Tang Yu still felt a lingering fear.
Fortunately, the Demonized Beast didn't show much interest in them, mere Ordinary People, and the three safely left Maple Leaf Town from the other side without incident.
"The off-road vehicle was left in Maple Leaf Town..."
Driving it was, after all, too noisy and the vehicle too cumbersome. To escape, they had to abandon it, and had it not been for everything they brought being stored in the Space Backpack, it would have been a severe loss.
Even so, Tang Yu felt a bit guilty, as if he had let down Wang Tai's spirit in heaven.
Without the off-road vehicle for shelter and after killing quite a few Demonized Beasts blocking the way, Tang Yu and his companions gradually became travel-worn, looking no different from a typical battle team venturing outside.
Suddenly, Tang Yu frowned, the sporadic cries for help coming from a distance.
Someone was calling for help?
Ahead, through the abandoned vehicles on the street, they could see a young woman running while shouting, chased closely by a thin, lanky man enraged.
The young woman struggled to run and stumbled to the ground, her hair scattered.
The gaunt man behind her was getting closer, the situation looking perilous.
The woman looked pitiable; in such a situation, anyone with even a hint of compassion, particularly males, would find it hard to resist helping.
Tang Yu glanced over, then stopped in his tracks...
The three of them just stood to the side of the street, like indifferent onlookers.
the woman's long hair fell around her, her expression one of desperation.
Why weren't they coming over?
Why didn't they take the bait?!
She kept shouting, but the three people in the distance remained unmoved.
This was a trap, a ploy to lure in survivors.
The members of the gang were lying in ambush around them.
The young woman had also been captured by the gang and was made to satisfy their desires nightly. She had given up hope, but a few days ago, the gang planned to set a trap here and needed an actor, so she volunteered.
She was promised that if she could lure a sufficient number of survivors into the trap, she wouldn't have to suffer daily at the hands of those strong men. Moreover, any girls they captured could be under her management.
The young woman was tempted. She had a vague understanding that this gang had powerful backers, and that offering up girls of beauty could earn rewards.
She had set her sights on the three people not far from her, one of whom was a delicate-looking girl.
If only she could get them hooked...
The young woman continued her act, and although the gaunt man behind her slowed down, he had caught up and struck her with a slap.
It was a genuine slap, causing the young woman to cry out in pain.
Her cries became more and more convincing.
To act to such an extent showed real dedication.
Tang Yu's gaze swept past the buildings on both sides of the street, knowing there was an ambush; he wasn't stupid, so why would he go there?
Inside a building, two people leaned against a window. From this angle, they could clearly see every move on the street below and yet remain difficult to be spotted.
"Why haven't they taken the bait yet? We haven't made a single deal in two days. At this rate, we'll be left out in the cold!"
One of the men, with red-dyed hair, a smart guy, crushed his cigarette butt on the table and watched the ash rise, suddenly feeling a pang of regret.
His companion was a bald big man who was obviously much more composed than the smart guy. "Don't be anxious, after all, it's a team that can survive in the wilderness; they're bound to be somewhat cautious. Let the performance group put in more effort."
An ordinary man was punching and kicking, cursing angrily.
A young woman was performing a crying scene while pleading for help with the three people in the distance.
Seconds were swift in passing.
This bit of time didn't amount to much, but under these circumstances, it seemed rather peculiar.
The bald man started to frown, "Could those three be the ruthlessly selfish type of survivors?"
"That shouldn't be the case," the smart guy muttered, "Those three look quite young, probably naive students. Even in the apocalypse, a change of heart shouldn't happen so quickly. As long as they haven't been betrayed or set up before, such people tend to show compassion easily."
Not everyone is hard-hearted in this apocalypse.
Indeed, the apocalypse is harsh, and when survivors encounter each other in the wild, they are often wary.
But humanity's conscience isn't so easily eroded in a short time. Most people wouldn't risk their lives to save someone, but many are willing to lend a hand when it's easy.
The scenario they had set up featured a pursuer who was just a weak man; whether or not he was an Awakener, three against one seemed no challenge, unless...
The smart guy showed a look of annoyance, "We must have been spotted, just not sure where we slipped up."
Their trap had ambushers in the shops on both sides, gunmen in vantage points along the street. Even a capable Awakener would struggle to escape their encirclement.
"Let's take the initiative. Those three don't look strong; we can't miss this opportunity. But if they split and run, it will be tough to chase them. So, instruct the men to prioritize capturing the woman. As for the two men, kill if possible and no big deal if they escape."
The bald man made up his mind, his expression ferocious, "If they sense something amiss and flee immediately, it would be hard for us to pursue, but since they're still lingering and watching from a distance, then..."
Suddenly, the bald man and the smart guy leapt down from the second floor. Shadows of several people wielding knives emerged from the shops along the street, all running towards them with grim laughter.
Their group of more than a dozen had three Awakeners and firearms. This was the bald man's confidence.
Such force was enough to crush an ordinary combat squad in a direct confrontation, let alone...
The bald man sneered inwardly. As they closed the distance, he sensed that only the girl among the three was an Awakener, and a weak one at that.
With such power, daring to wait for them to approach was either folly or fearlessness.
Better still, the girl was an Awakener.
He smirked, certain of victory, "Everybody—"
Before he could finish his command, a sharp cry came from the sky.
The bald man couldn't help but look up, only to see a black monster bird, already looming above them. The creature had a humanoid torso, a sharp beak-like mouth, and a pair of wide, black wings spread behind it, as if covering half the sky.
It was a terrifyingly powerful Demonized Beast!
The bald man realized this the moment he spotted it.
Fear coursed through him, and no longer caring about the prey close at hand, he thought to turn and flee, but the monster bird, having detected the clustered human presence, dived down!