Night of the Apocalypse

Shen Qiu also sprang into action, swiftly sidestepping to grab the submachine gun. He kicked Deer in the abdomen and then slammed the butt of the gun against his forehead, knocking him down decisively.

At that moment, Yun Xiaoxi raised her right hand, and black flames erupted, sweeping across the area.

The black fire spread like a serpent, engulfing the three Gray Scorpion members armed with military daggers.

“Ah~”

The three men were instantly engulfed in flames, letting out agonized cries.

Meanwhile, Ruini retreated behind the iron gate and immediately pulled the iron gate shut, trying to seal off the sewage outlet.

Just as he managed to close the iron gate, Shen Qiu rushed forward.

The two locked eyes through the iron gate, and without hesitation, Ruini attempted to lock it.

“Hey, sorry, too late!”

Shen Qiu reached out and firmly gripped the iron gate.

Ziz~

Lightning flashed!

“Ah~~”

Before Ruini could react, he rolled his eyes, foaming at the mouth, and collapsed to the ground.

Shen Qiu looked at his hands and couldn’t help but marvel inwardly at how useful this ability was.

At that moment, Yun Xiaoxi walked over and said to Shen Qiu dryly, “It’s done.”

Hearing her words, Shen Qiu could clearly sense that she was unhappy, so he awkwardly tried to comfort her. “Don’t take it to heart.”

“I’m not taking it to heart; they’re the ones who are flat-chested. Their whole family is flat-chested,” Yun Xiaoxi muttered under her breath, filled with resentment.

Shen Qiu’s mouth twitched slightly. He hadn’t expected the usually gentle Yun Xiaoxi to become so fierce when her sore spot was touched.

“Yeah, it’s good that they’re dead. You go get our backpacks and weapons back, and I’ll clean up the battlefield.”

“Okay!”

Yun Xiaoxi turned around and left immediately.

Shen Qiu then opened the iron gate and crouched down to check if Ruini was truly dead. To his surprise, he found that Ruini was still alive; his constitution was remarkably strong. Without hesitation, he grabbed Ruini’s head and twisted it, ending him.

After finishing, Shen Qiu began searching Ruini’s body, only to find a military dagger and a handgun.

He checked the magazine of the handgun and discovered it was empty—no bullets left.

He then walked over to Deer’s corpse and, as he got closer, noticed that aside from Deer, the other three were charred beyond recognition.

Shen Qiu raised his foot and stomped hard on Deer’s neck.

Crack!**

Deer was instantly dead, with no chance of survival.

Next, Shen Qiu crouched down to check the weapons. There were two submachine guns in total, but unfortunately, Ruini’s submachine gun was rendered useless.

However, the magazines were still intact, although there weren’t many rounds left.

It seemed that this group was running low on ammunition.

At that moment, Yun Xiaoxi came over with the backpacks and other items. She handed Shen Qiu the backpack and the mechanical blade.
“Here!”

Shen Qiu accepted them and said, “I’ve cleaned up the battlefield. There’s just one submachine gun, one empty handgun, and a few daggers.”

“Okay, you can take the gun.”

“Sure, you grab a kerosene lamp, and we’ll go inside.”

Shen Qiu didn’t waste any time, fastening the mechanical blade to his belt and taking down a kerosene lamp hanging on the wall to hand to Yun Xiaoxi.

The two cautiously made their way inside, but before long, they came across a crossroads. Shen Qiu stopped in surprise; he hadn’t expected a junction here.

It seemed that that guy, Kaon, really wasn’t straightforward and had concealed some information.

Of course, such small tricks wouldn’t stump Shen Qiu. After a brief observation, he said, “Let’s go left; that direction leads toward the church, and there are scattered tracks on the ground.”

“Okay!”

Yun Xiaoxi walked into the right fork holding the kerosene lamp.

This passage was quite deep and sloped downward. Furthermore, no kerosene lamps were hanging on the walls, so it was almost pitch black.

Now they were completely relying on the light from the kerosene lamp Yun Xiaoxi was holding.

The two moved slowly, and at that moment, Yun Xiaoxi suddenly spoke up.

“Shen Qiu.”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“When you tied me up earlier, were you really just acting?”

“Of course.”

“Why do I feel like you were really tying me up? Especially when you were communicating in their language, I felt like you were one of them. The tribal dialect of the Gray Alliance is such a rare language; how do you know it?”

As Yun Xiaoxi said this, her eyes were filled with suspicion.

Shen Qiu scratched his head, hesitated for a moment, and then said with a tone full of emotion, “Well, the reason I know their language is connected to my tragic background. I’ve been an orphan since childhood, with no one to care for or love me. After growing up, I had health problems and couldn’t find a job. To survive, I had to travel the world and participate in various extreme sports, risking my life for money. That’s why I’ve learned a variety of minor languages; how could you doubt me?”

“Ah, how tragic! Don’t be angry; I can actually relate to you.”

Yun Xiaoxi was also shocked and quickly apologized.

“Wait, you’re also an orphan? You also had a tragic childhood?”

Shen Qiu looked at Yun Xiaoxi in disbelief, taking her in from head to toe.

“I’m not an orphan, but I’m more pathetic than you. Ever since I was a child, no matter where I went, I was always followed by more than a dozen people, with no freedom at all. When I wanted to eat something, it was always ‘you can’t eat this, you can’t eat that’; I could only eat designated foods. When I went to amusement parks, I was the only one there, and no one would play with me. It was really miserable. Oh, and every year on my birthday, the gifts I received were always things I didn’t like.”

Yun Xiaoxi kept counting on her fingers, one by one, telling Shen Qiu how miserable her life was.

Shen Qiu’s expression was barely holding up. Is this what she calls miserable?

He thought to himself that this girl might be trying to show off in a subtle way. Based on what she said, her living conditions must have been quite good. What could she possibly not have eaten?

She even managed to take down so many compressed biscuits and enjoyed them so much?

Thinking of this, Shen Qiu had serious doubts; was Yun Xiaoxi deliberately making up stories to provoke him?

Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out.

As they walked, Yun Xiaoxi stepped on something and made a clear noise.

The two of them stopped, and Shen Qiu crouched down while Yun Xiaoxi slowly moved her foot away.

A small section of a white finger bone came into view, with what looked like a metal ring on top of it.

“What is this?”

Yun Xiaoxi asked in a low voice.

“It should be a human finger bone. It’s been a long time; it crumbled at the slightest touch, and there’s also a metal ring on it.”

Shen Qiu picked up the iron ring and brought it closer to the oil lamp for a closer inspection.

This unremarkable ring had a sun pattern shaped like an eye imprinted on the inner surface, which made him feel a bit uneasy.

Aside from that, the ring didn’t seem special, and the material was quite ordinary.

“Is there anything special about it?”

Yun Xiaoxi leaned in, curious to see the ring.

“I can’t tell. However, the pattern on it has a strong ecclesiastical characteristic. It gives me a very uncomfortable feeling, suggesting that this cathedral probably hides quite a few secrets. Also, if I’m not mistaken, this small section of the finger bone was likely thrown out as trash a long time ago,” Shen Qiu said, shaking his head.