Chapter Thirty: Massacre

Li Xueshu noticed Lin Lei's gaze and turned her head, locking eyes with him. Because they were so close, Lin Lei could clearly see her lips move, forming the silent words: "Want to learn?"

Lin Lei rolled his eyes, offering no response. This was simply a matter of differing gifts; he, with his "Physical Enhancement" ability, had no use for such skills! He turned his attention away, gazing toward the space ahead, but faintly heard the low, mournful sound of crying...

The tunnel not far ahead had reached its end.

Lin Lei could see, in the darkness, a dense mass of shadowy figures and the occasional pair of blood-red eyes.

The ghoul nest was right before them!

He took a deep breath and signaled the others behind him to prepare for action.

"Move!"

A flush of rare color appeared on Qiao’er’s face, but she immediately hurled the grenades and flashbangs she had prepared into the open cavity.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The explosions came in rapid succession, echoing deafeningly in the vast, shadowy underground chamber.

At the same time, bursts of flame erupted among the ghouls, mingling with chaotic cries and wails as the explosions continued.

"Charge!" Chen Ning shouted, holding his flamethrower at the ready.

The fire sprayed forth, illuminating the darkness of the cave.

Qiao’er followed close behind, both hands gripping her rifle. The staccato bursts rang out, and the ghouls fell like wheat beneath the scythe.

Some of the ghouls tried to resist; a few managed to break through the hail of gunfire and reach the group, only to be finished off by Lin Lei.

Those lucky enough not to be killed immediately scattered, howling and shrieking as they fled toward the exits around the chamber.

From the moment the grenades exploded to the four of them sweeping into the ghoul nest—until every ghoul within was either dead or fleeing—less than twenty seconds had passed. Not a single ghoul remained standing!

Seventy percent of them had died at Chen Ning and Qiao’er’s hands.

Back when Lin Lei used Molotov cocktails and fought for his life, he hadn’t managed to kill nearly as many ghouls in a night as the group did in this single round of firepower.

“No wonder Li Xueshu said there’s no need to send investigators against ghouls…” he muttered, eyeing the now-silent Chen Ning and Qiao’er, giving them a thumbs up.

Even possessing the strength of five ghouls and having awakened his first source power, if he faced such a terrifying barrage, he would not have survived!

His body was naturally far stronger than an ordinary person; most couldn’t harm him with cold weapons. But he was still far from being able to ignore the might of such firearms.

In truth, if he had enough time, he could have killed this many ghouls on his own—but it would have taken slow attrition, never so swiftly.

Lin Lei looked over the scattered corpses.

"Now that the ghoul nest is cleared, gather up the bodies and burn them for disposal..."

Chen Ning and the others didn’t immediately start gathering the remains. Instead, they fired extra shots into the corpses to ensure nothing survived, then piled the ghouls together.

Lin Lei took out his lighter.

Blue flames flickered suddenly to life...

The "Nether Fire" was only a catalyst; the real fuel lay in the source energy within the bodies of the ghouls.

The fire spread quickly, though it remained small and gave off no heat.

Lin Lei stared at the blue flames, swallowed, and produced the source energy radar, waving his hand.

"Sorry to trouble everyone a bit more—spread out and hunt down the ghouls that escaped!"

The nest had originally contained about a hundred and eighty ghouls. Most were killed in the initial burst, but a few managed to flee.

With the source energy radar in his hand, Lin Lei could roughly track the direction in which the ghouls had escaped.

The subway tunnel was a sealed system, with only their entry door and the previous tunnel connecting to the sewer.

Their heavy firepower forced the ghouls to flee in the opposite direction, toward the other tunnels connected to the nest—three main routes.

"Xueshu, your strength is greater than mine. Take care of the ghouls fleeing into the first tunnel. I’ll handle the second. Chen Ning and Qiao’er, please cover the last one!"

"Whether or not we finish off the remaining ghouls, let’s regroup here in twenty minutes!"

Everyone nodded.

Lin Lei, holding the radar, strode straight into the second tunnel.

With so many eyes watching, he dared not consume even a single ghoul, so it was best to act alone.

Fortunately, he was the leader of this mission, and Li Xueshu trusted his abilities, so she said nothing.

With the radar, he soon confirmed which tunnel to pursue; at least ten ghouls had fled that way, most clustered together, with only a couple isolated.

He licked his lips, but did not rush to hunt them down. He advanced three or four hundred meters, then stopped.

After waiting a minute or two, he quietly doubled back in the darkness, returning to the ghoul nest.

At this moment, the place was deserted, save for the still-burning blue flames.

The pile of ghoul corpses had melted into a half-liquid, half-solid paste, barely recognizable as bodies anymore.

Lin Lei wasted no time, immediately activating "Gluttony" and swallowing the mass of remains in one go.

His gluttony energy surged rapidly.

He gained the energy equivalent of nearly sixty ghouls.

"There were at least eighty or ninety ghouls dead here, and few were juveniles. Yet I only gained sixty units—probably because the 'Nether Fire' burned away much of the gluttony energy…"

He sighed at the loss, though his spirits remained high.

He’d increased his gluttony energy with little risk—a tremendous boon.

His gluttony energy had now reached nearly one hundred fifty units.

After his "secret feast," Lin Lei dared not linger and hurried toward his designated tunnel.

With the radar, he quickly located the first wave of fleeing ghouls—seven in total.

He dispatched six with knife in hand, saving one to test his firearm.

He took aim at its head and fired.

Bang!

A burst of blood bloomed as the ghoul’s head exploded.

"Against these first-tier ghouls, using source-energy bullets is a waste; ordinary rounds suffice…"

Lin Lei unceremoniously devoured the ghoul and the bullet together.

With the special lighter, he could claim every ghoul was burned, as Li Xueshu had said—the Nether Fire left no trace.

He continued down the tunnel.

This passage was a sealed straightaway with no branches. With the radar, Lin Lei soon caught up to the remaining ghouls and dispatched them all.

He didn’t forget to take photos, either.

Despite doubling back earlier, he returned to the nest on time when twenty minutes had passed.

Li Xueshu had not yet arrived, but Chen Ning and Qiao’er were already back.

The two were examining the spot where the corpses had burned.

Lin Lei’s heart stirred, and he walked over.