Chapter 311 - 284: All or Nothing
The torrential rain continued.
Fishmen emerged from the sea, one after another.
Under the cover of the heavy rain, the Fishmen crawled ashore in succession.
They followed behind.
Then, at Qin Ziwu’s command, the group of Fishmen split into two parties and positioned themselves on either side of Hongding Mansion.
Perhaps they weren’t well-adapted to the environment on land. Even with the downpour all around, the Fishmen stopped and began to dig holes in the ground incessantly.
They dug one small pit after another.
Rainwater collected, forming mud pits. They then plopped down, settled into the pits, and closed their eyes in contentment.
’Their discipline is lacking.’ Qin Ziwu silently observed the Fishmen’s behavior. ’But they’re quite strong.’
Meanwhile, as the storm raged on, the atmosphere inside Hongding Mansion grew increasingly oppressive.
Icy rain, driven by the cold wind, poured into the building.
Some rooms had been smashed to bits and were uninhabitable, even when patched up with newspaper and wooden planks. Many residents had to move their furniture and squeeze in with others in adjacent rooms.
In such a tense atmosphere, even the smallest incident could light the fuse on a powder keg.
The higher-ups in Blood Words still had food reserves.
For the regular members, however, food was growing scarce. Some had already run out completely, forcing them to resort to any means necessary to find more.
No one was willing to sell food. Inside the mansion, prices skyrocketed.
Prices were threatening to reach the brutal levels of the food shortages they’d experienced on the first map.
This dredged up bad memories for many.
Mutual suspicion, wariness, and even long-simmering hatreds all boiled over.
"This can’t go on! Do you want another ’dark age’ to break out in this building?" Mei Yuqing stood up. As a prime beneficiary of the mansion’s internal rules, she was one of the last people who wanted to see that system collapse.
"I think Sister Mei is right," Li Zecheng agreed.
The other floor lords nodded in agreement.
"A direct assault? You’ve all seen their weapons with your own eyes. If our people downstairs charge out, their morale will shatter after we lose twenty or thirty percent of them. It’ll be very hard for us to win if we try to force it."
Li Zecheng said, "A head-on fight might be hard, but this storm is our chance! If we keep waiting, what are you waiting for? For the people downstairs to go mad with hunger and tear us to shreds?"
"The storm is heavy, but they’ll definitely be prepared," said the third-floor lord. "My people have spotted them making frequent movements in the area. There might be an ambush waiting outside."
"In a downpour this heavy? You think they’re made of iron? How could there be an ambush? At most, they’ll have a few people monitoring us in shifts."
The second-floor lord sounded regretful. "The enemy took advantage of the last rain to clear away all the bodies downstairs. Otherwise, things wouldn’t be this difficult."
Li Zecheng said, "When they head out, make it clear to them: if a teammate falls, they must be brought back. We’re all one family here. How can we just leave our comrades’ bodies to rot in the wild?"
"He’s right. We can’t leave our comrades to rot in the wild."
"They’re our own people."
And so, with a few words back and forth, the group decided the fate of the two thousand people below.
Their eyes flickered with a tacit, unspoken understanding.
’If they walk into an ambush, it’s only the lower ranks who will die. We won’t be out there. It would actually relieve some of the internal pressure.’
’And if they manage to score a major victory, it would be a huge boost to our prestige and restore some morale, which would also relieve the internal pressure.’
𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
’But if we don’t send them out, that powder keg stays right here in the building with us.’
’And we’re the ones who’ll be threatened.’
It wasn’t hard to weigh the options.
"However, for this operation, I think we need a strong-willed expert to lead them," Li Zecheng said suddenly. "And it must be someone with a solid reputation within Blood Words."
The moment he spoke, several other floor lords immediately voiced their support.
Mei Yuqing’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly. She shot Li Zecheng a warning look. ’This wasn’t part of our initial discussion.’
Li Zecheng didn’t even glance at Mei Yuqing. "The people downstairs aren’t idiots. If they think we’re just sending them to die, they’ll raise hell. That’s why we need a well-respected and powerful expert to lead the way. Only then will they trust that this is real."
"I think Su Xiao would be the most suitable."
"I agree."
Mei Yuqing instantly understood. ’They’re trying to get Su Xiao away from me.’
"No," Mei Yuqing immediately vetoed.
But she was met with the cold, mocking, and meaningful gazes of the other floor lords.
Mei Yuqing said without a moment’s hesitation, "Then the operation is canceled."
"Sister Mei, you have to think about the big picture! Out of the thousands of people in Blood Words, who doesn’t know Su Xiao is the best fighter? If he goes, the men downstairs will absolutely believe this mission is for real."
Su Xiao placed a hand on Mei Yuqing’s shoulder, stopping her from saying more. He looked around the room and said in a clear voice, "I’ll go. But besides me, each of you will send your floor’s best fighter to join me. We’ll form a spearhead unit."
With that, he pulled a short blade from his belt, gave it a flourish, and slammed it onto the table.
THUD!
The blade sank three inches into the wood.
"Who agrees, and who objects?"
After the others had left, Mei Yuqing remained seated.
Su Xiao said, "This is our last chance. Food is already scarce and morale is low. Every day we wait, our odds of winning shrink. We have to use this storm to go all in."
...
At the rear of Hongding Mansion, under the cover of the downpour.
Ropes were dropped, and one by one, figures rappelled down from the second floor.
The sky was dark, the rain relentless.
Visibility was less than thirty meters.
Once outside the mansion, they looked back to see only the vague, towering silhouette of the building.
The curtain of rain obscured their view.
"The Urban Village is on the other side. We’ll circle around and launch a surprise attack from the flank."
Su Xiao turned back. "Win this, and you’ll have everything! From now on in Blood Words, you won’t just become senior members—you’ll have women, food, everything you want!"
"Understood, Brother Xiao."
"They’ll be ready for a frontal assault. We’ll circle around from the rear. This time, I’ll take the lead. You all charge with me!"
"Yes, sir." "Right." "We’re with you, Brother Xiao."
The group’s morale recovered slightly.
Su Xiao’s expression remained neutral. He knew that if he and the best fighters from each floor weren’t leading the charge, morale would be even lower.
Su Xiao led the team, circling around toward the mountain at the rear.
After covering some distance, he heard a noise up ahead. He stopped instinctively and gave a hand signal.
Faintly, from within the curtain of rain ahead, he heard what sounded like an animal’s cry... "Awooo... awooo..."
’An animal?’
Su Xiao frowned. His eyes narrowed as he drew his twin blades. Hunched over, he advanced slowly through the rain.
Just as he crested a reverse slope, the sound from ahead stopped dead.
A dangerous presence permeated the air.
SPLASH—
A muddy, water-filled pit directly ahead of him began to churn violently.
Muddy water sloshed aside as a huge, bloated silhouette slowly rose from the bottom of the pit.
A tall, corpulent Muddy Race Fishman slowly stood up from within.
Sheets of mud sloughed off its body, the rain washing its glistening, blue-black skin clean.
It rose higher and higher, its shadow falling like a curtain to swallow Su Xiao whole.
...
...