Deep within the dense fog, an abnormally dangerous and mysterious aura was also silently descending upon the casino.
"They're here!"
Liào Fán immediately sensed the powerful aura, his heart giving a jolt. He abruptly shifted his gaze towards the casino lobby.
In his sight, the dense white fog still enshrouded everything, obstructing everyone's view. The cold mist grew thicker, with visibility less than ten meters. Even with Liào Fán's keen eyesight, he couldn't discern the situation at the lobby entrance. But he knew that the Dwarf Demon Leader he had been desperately waiting for had already entered the casino lobby. If they could just hold on a little longer, that fellow would surely be exposed to his sight.
Similarly, others had also noticed the peculiar change in atmosphere. They nervously grabbed their weapons, looking at the Dwarf Demons continuously converging on the stairwell. They were so scared they kept swallowing.
"Damn it, there are so many rooms on the first and second floors, with many survivors inside. Why are these monsters so interested in us on the third floor?"
"That's obviously because the resistance on the third floor has been the fiercest, and many Dwarf Demons have died here."
Liào Fán smiled. Dwarf Demons were communal, cruel, and vindictive creatures. Initially, their purpose for entering the casino was just to hunt for food. But as the battle continued, quite a few Dwarf Demons had died on the third floor. This was not a small blow to the Dwarf Demon community. How could these cruel, vengeful, and unforgiving creatures give up on eradicating the third floor?
"No way, even monsters have such strong team awareness?"
Hearing Liào Fán's explanation, Zhèng Tāo was stunned. But before he could voice all his questions, Liào Fán interrupted him sternly, "Now is not the time to discuss this. Hurry up and prepare, the real battle is here!"
Roar!
As soon as he finished speaking, a deep, muffled roar erupted from the first floor of the casino. Following that, the Dwarf Demons crowded outside the stairs seemed to be urged by some horn, becoming agitated and letting out "squeaking" roars as if they had been injected with adrenaline.
The next second, the Dwarf Demons launched a group charge. This charge was far more massive than before. Looking around, almost all the Dwarf Demons had focused their targets on the third floor. At least thirty Dwarf Demons jointly launched an attack, completely blocking the entire stairwell! What's more, even the walls and pillars were crawling with Dwarf Demons.
These enraged Dwarf Demons were no longer content with just foraging. They attacked collectively, determined to kill all the resistors. The resistance on the third floor was undoubtedly the fiercest, naturally becoming their primary target.
"Here they come, kill them!"
With no other option, the desperate people could only brace themselves and let out roars. Although everyone was petrified by the monsters' momentum, driven by a strong desire for survival, they had to pick up their weapons and face the stairwell again.
The fierce decisive battle finally began. People guarded the stairs and corridors, facing the large number of monsters attacking them. They had no choice but to fight, even some of the surviving women had to muster their courage and rush forward to help the men defend the breach.
This battle was bound to be more brutal than before. Fortunately, most of the people who had persisted until now had gained the courage to resist. Among them, many with excellent potential had already been subtly transformed by Origin Energy, though they were not yet aware of it.
Liào Fán focused his gaze on Sūn Biāo. This burly fellow should be the most talented person in the entire casino. After the recent battle, he seemed to have unconsciously awakened his evolution, not only gaining explosive power beyond ordinary people but also astonishing speed. He fought two Dwarf Demons alone and seemed to be handling it with ease.
Next was a tall, thin fellow. He looked refined and wore glasses, but his attack speed and reaction time to the monsters were exceptionally outstanding.
Besides them, there was a woman who had been scratched by a monster and almost died. Although her face and neck were covered in scratches, making her look terrifying, she managed to overcome her fear, picked up a metal pipe, and charged forward with the other men. This showed her talent was not weak either.
"It seems the situation is not as bad as I thought. These people who persisted to the end have all, more or less, benefited from Origin Energy. As long as they can hold on a little longer, I believe the scales will tip in favor of humanity."
Liào Fán was satisfied. He looked around at the people fighting for their lives, and a smile finally appeared on his face. Correspondingly, the monsters downstairs attacked more frequently and fiercely.
They seemed to realize that as time went on, these Blue Star humans were not truly terrified, but instead resisted more fiercely, posing an increasingly obvious threat to their entire community. The monsters became frenzied, determined to finish the battle quickly to leave enough time to enjoy their meal. Unfortunately, the people on the third floor were no longer as weak. Under everyone's desperate resistance, the battle became increasingly deadlocked. Just as the fight reached its climax, an angry, muffled roar suddenly came from downstairs, startling everyone into stillness.
Immediately after, a large number of Dwarf Demons abandoned their charge and began to retreat downstairs. The people didn't understand what was happening and exchanged bewildered glances. Liào Fán, standing behind the crowd, thought of something, his expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Quick, abandon the stairwell, retreat quickly!"
WAP.
Chapter 35: The Target Appears
Just as the battle was at its most intense and deadlocked, a roar from downstairs suddenly caused the monsters frantically attacking the people to stop their assault and retreat down the stairs.
Everyone was surprised, not understanding why these ferocious and bloodthirsty monsters would suddenly abandon such a great offensive opportunity. Only Liào Fán instantly realized the danger. He kicked away a Dwarf Demon corpse in front of him and yelled at the stunned crowd, "Get out of there quickly!"
However, the warning came a moment too late. With a 'swoosh,' flames erupted again. A ball of crimson fire suddenly rose from the lower floors of the casino, forming a huge ball of flame that shot directly towards the stairwell on the third floor, where the crowd was densest.
The soaring flame became swift and ferocious. The elongated fire tongue formed a pillar of light in the air. Unobstructed and with nothing to block it, it heavily struck the area below the crowd. Liào Fán only had time to let out a roar before he eagerly rushed forward, pressing Zhèng Tāo from behind. They rolled on the ground together, tumbling towards the corner of the corridor.
The scorching flames flew along the stairs, instantly falling into the depths of the crowd, and then exploded with a 'boom.' The immense wind, mixed with raging flames, formed a mushroom cloud radiating high temperatures. The impact wind instantly tore apart the entire stairwell, and the flames spread rapidly, igniting the slow-reacting crowd. In an instant, the rumbling sound of the fire explosion, mixed with the screams of over a dozen people, filled the casino once again.
"Ah... What's happening, what is this?"
"That explosion is back, run, run fast!"
Flames engulfed everything, but when Liào Fán raised his head again, he saw that the few people who had been resisting most fiercely and fighting the best were completely covered by the flames. The scorching heat ignited their clothes. The high temperature raged, directly burning those people's bodies to charcoal, even evaporating the moisture within them. Then, they were engulfed by the shockwave from the explosion, their bodies shattering into pieces.
Many people nearby were also affected by the flame explosion. Some had their legs severed, some had their faces and heads blown off, and many others were directly roasted by the high temperature, turning black and falling to the ground with desperate wails.
The dead were fortunate, as death brought an end to their suffering. However, those who survived the high temperature with severe burns struggled the most, their screams almost tearing through the heavens. Many people even had their internal organs cooked by the heat, yet they couldn't die and rolled on the ground in agonizing pain. The sight was so horrific that Liào Fán's eyes twitched.
"What... what was that explosion just now?"
Fortunately, thanks to Liào Fán's protection, Zhèng Tāo was pushed out of the blast zone in time and was unharmed. After the explosion stopped, he numbly raised his head, looking at the burning wooden stairs and the black, charred corpses scattered on the ground, his mouth trembling, his voice quivering.
"The Dwarf Demon Leader's Flame Ray. That guy has indeed come in person!"
Liào Fán pursed his lips, gazing at the dense fog below the stairwell, a sharp glint in his eyes. Although everything was obscured by the fog, he could rely on a warrior's keen senses to lock onto what was below and pinpoint the location of the fireball explosion. He then curved his lips slightly, revealing a cruel sneer. "I've been waiting for you!"
Liào Fán stood up again and handed the Folding Crossbow to the petrified Zhèng Tāo, speaking rapidly, "The resistance on the third floor was too fierce. Even if the Dwarf Demons attacked en masse, they might not have been able to break through this defense line smoothly. This is not what the monsters wanted to see, so their leader took action personally. Using that terrifying Flame Ray, he almost dealt with half of the resistors. Now the defense line has completely collapsed. The subsequent battle will be even more brutal; you'll have to rely on yourselves."
"Then... what about you?"
Zhèng Tāo foolishly took the Folding Crossbow, cast a fearful glance at the stairwell destroyed by the explosion, and then asked blankly.
"Me? Of course, I'm going to meet the guy downstairs myself!"
Looking at the disadvantaged situation, Liào Fán's eyes were filled with a cold, wicked smile. His objective had been fully achieved by this point in the battle, and now it was truly his time to perform.
Roar...
The conversation between the two didn't last long because, after the explosion, more terrifying howls soon came from downstairs. That terrifying, muffled roar sounded the final charge. The Dwarf Demons that had retreated once again attacked. Looking at the stairwell shattered by the fireball and the black, charred corpses of humans lying on the ground in gruesome states, the Dwarf Demons let out savage roars.
Their leader had personally appeared and dealt with a large number of targets for them. Now, the Dwarf Demons held an absolute advantage and no longer needed to hold back.
The successive roars of the monsters made the surviving people tremble. Sūn Biāo painfully crawled out from a pile of rubble, looked at his subordinates who had been resisting monsters with him moments ago but were now turned into charcoal, and became utterly desperate. "It's over, we're finished..."
"It's not over yet. As long as there's one person left, as long as there's one breath left, we will resist to the end!"
However, from beneath the ruins of the explosion, another voice sounded. Sūn Biāo numbly looked up and saw a guy whose arm had been severed in the explosion, yet he had re-gripped his weapon and stood up fiercely.
Soon, Zhèng Tāo and a few other survivors who had luckily avoided the explosion also grabbed their weapons and ran back to the edge of the corridor, forming a wall with the remaining dozen or so people, holding their ground on the monsters' path.
After such a prolonged battle, besides despair, many people had also been spurred into a desperate resolve after experiencing the brutal massacre. As Liào Fán had said, there were nearly three hundred people in the casino. Even if only one-tenth of them could awaken the courage to fight monsters, it would be a considerable force. The last dozen or so survivors, even though most were injured, with chaotic breathing and rapid respiration, at the final moment of their lives, overcame their fear and displayed the courage expected of resistors. They used the charred corpses of their fallen comrades as a wall of flesh and blood, preparing to fight the monsters to the bitter end.
These tenacious individuals with the courage to resist were the true strongmen of the apocalypse. Once they successfully passed this trial, they would undoubtedly forge their own path of strength in the apocalypse.
"Kill them, let's fight the monsters to the death!"
"Revenge, we want to avenge the dead."
The monsters downstairs roared, and the resistors upstairs roared back. Humans and monsters formed their respective formations, engaging in the final battle!
WAP.
Chapter 36: Battle (Part 1)
The slaughter was undoubtedly brutal. On the human side, after successive blows, most survivors had died, leaving fewer than twenty people. They still formed a small circle, fiercely resisting the monsters' encirclement. Every moment was an extremely difficult struggle.
But those who survived to the end were often the most resilient and talented. They feared no death. Even though they were all injured, they gritted their teeth and persevered, blocking the monsters' final onslaught.
Zhèng Tāo's potential was also fully unleashed. He held the Folding Crossbow, tucking the remaining arrows into his belt buckle, frantically pulling the trigger and shooting at the surging monster horde. As the creator of the Folding Crossbow, Zhèng Tāo naturally knew how to use it, and these arrows had undergone special modifications, further increasing their lethality. Whether in Liào Fán's or Zhèng Tāo's hands, they could unleash their full effect.
As for the others, they did not possess such powerful weapons. They had to rely on metal clubs, chair legs, and even their fists and teeth to fight. Everyone had gone mad. Their eyes were red, and stimulated by despair and the pressure of life and death, they had awakened the most ferocious aspect of the human genome, transforming into beasts fighting desperately. Even though the Dwarf Demons on the opposite side were also ferocious like beasts, they found themselves struggling against the tenacious counterattack of the last dozen or so people.
While the third floor was in a fierce battle at its most brutal stage, what was Liào Fán doing? He completely ignored the fighting crowd and, at the fastest speed, reached the edge of the destroyed stairwell. Facing the surging monsters, he didn't even look at them. He coldly drew his dagger and launched a counter-charge. The silver blade transformed into a cunning viper, weaving through the monster horde. His body almost fused with the dagger, completely disregarding the monsters' fangs and claws. Single-handedly, he carved out a bloody path. Ordinary Dwarf Demons were no match for Liào Fán in this state. In just a few seconds, he reached the lower floor. He heavily pushed off the wall with his toes, his body like a leopard's, and with a swift pounce, he leaped over the heads of most Dwarf Demons, landing directly in the first-floor lobby.
The ordinary Dwarf Demons did not surround him further. After all, Liào Fán's combat prowess was evident, not only shocking Sūn Biāo and others of his own kind but also instilling fear in these notoriously ferocious monsters. Thus, Liào Fán easily leaped to the first floor. The moment his body hit the ground, he immediately rolled sideways, absorbing the inertia of his dive. Then, he braced himself on all fours, like a hungry wolf ready to pounce, and raised his sharp gaze.
As the distance closed, the Dwarf Demon Leader, which had been hidden in the dense fog and had not appeared until now, finally fell into Liào Fán's sight. This was a disgusting monster nearly as tall as a normal human, with an enormous head and three eyes. The Dwarf Demon Leader looked much like its brethren, the only difference being its more robust physique and its more flattened and protruding, ferocious head. Furthermore, on the forehead of this monster, nearly as tall as a normal human but incredibly ugly, was a third crimson eye, cold like a snake's pupil, cunning like a jackal's.
As the leader, this creature was not only intelligent but also very cautious about its own life. Despite possessing combat power far exceeding that of its subordinates, the Dwarf Demon Leader did not participate in most foraging expeditions with its clan. Instead, it always hid behind its group, issuing commands to direct the battle. However, once it encountered a particularly tricky target, it would appear and use its long-range Flame Ray to create advantages for its clan, thereby achieving the goal of quickly breaking through enemy defenses.
In the previous battle, Liào Fán had not participated, merely offering support and guiding others in resisting the monsters, all with the aim of luring out this "big guy." Now, the plan had been achieved. Relying on the desperate resistance of the survivors on the third floor, the Dwarf Demon legion had suffered unprecedented resistance, with heavy casualties. And the Dwarf Demon Leader, accustomed to hiding behind the troops, could no longer stand idly by and had personally appeared. This was the result Liào Fán had truly desired. Liào Fán's moment of the hunt had finally arrived. He lowered his body into a crouch, all his muscles tensed to the extreme, his eyes shooting out dagger-like glints, staring intently at his opponent. At the same time, the Dwarf Demon Leader noticed the rapidly approaching figure. Its third eye glared furiously, erupting with a roar like a lion or tiger.
Neither party moved rashly. Instead, they engaged in a beast-like confrontation. But soon, the Dwarf Demon Leader let out a roar first, stamping its ankle firmly on the ground. Its body charged forward like an advancing tank, hurtling towards Liào Fán. This creature was two sizes larger than its kin, possessing not only solid muscles but also several times the strength. Especially its forelimbs, with claws like iron spikes, were terrifyingly sharp. The Dwarf Demon Leader charged rapidly, its claws scratching the hard floor, leaving five hideous tracks and even sparks. Liào Fán also let out a fierce roar, his legs powerfully pushing off the ground. As the floor beneath him cracked, his body lunged forward. Without any evasion, without any fancy moves, Liào Fán swung his dagger, which collided heavily with the Dwarf Demon Leader's claws. Clang!