bookrandom Chapter 126 The Poison Swamp Overseer and the Next Stop
Chapter 126 The Poison Swamp Overseer and the Next Stop
"Take all those hanging 'cured meats' down!" Jiang Ming pointed overhead. "Quickly! Pile them up by the door to make cover! Also, drag that pig's carcass to a corner, so it's not blocking the way!"
"Huh? Get them down?" Xiao Zhang was dumbfounded. "Brother Jiang, didn't you just say you'd kill them to level up?"
"No time to pry now! That's strategic material!" Jiang Ming slapped his helmet. "Hurry up! We only have one minute left to stop!"
Although the special operations team members didn't understand why, in this world overrun by monsters, listening to the strong was always the right thing to do.
The seven people immediately split up; some climbed up to cut the rope, while others caught it below.
boom! boom! boom!
One by one, the ogres and lizardmen, frozen solid, slammed to the ground like blocks of ice.
Jiang Ming wasn't idle either; he walked over to the elf girl's cage.
The girl was huddled in a corner, trembling, her eyes filled with terror as she looked at the group of "bandits."
"Shut up if you want to live." Jiang Ming took out a roll of tape from his backpack—he had scavenged it from the school supermarket before—torn off a strip and sealed her mouth, then lifted her out like a chick with one hand and casually tossed her to Chen Qi.
"Keep an eye on her, she's top-notch. If the negotiations fall apart later, we can use her as a human shield."
The elf girl's eyes widened, and she cried out, clearly shocked by Jiang Ming's shamelessness.
"Once the car stops and the door opens, don't fire, no matter what comes in." Jiang Ming walked behind the makeshift shelter made of frozen monsters, planted the Thunder Prison Horse-Slaying Sword in the ground, and held two [High-Efficiency Acid Thunder] that he had synthesized earlier in his hand.
"Wait for my signal. When I say fire, then fire all your bullets!"
creak-
Just then, the train jolted violently and came to a complete stop.
A strange gurgling sound came from outside the huge circular gate, like someone walking in the mud, or like some kind of reptile flicking its tongue.
Immediately afterwards, a heavy knocking sounded on the door.
Boom!Boom!Boom!
"Open the door! Inspect the goods!"
A sound like two rusty iron pieces rubbing together came from outside the door.
Jiang Mingchong and Chen Qi made a hand gesture, signaling everyone to lie down.
He took a deep breath, adjusted his expression, and even wiped the blood off the pig-headed chef's face.
He walked to the gate, grasped the red wheel, and spun it hard.
Since we can't avoid it, let's give these buyers a big surprise.
……
As the circular gate slowly slid open to both sides, a yellowish-green toxic fog instantly rushed in.
Even while wearing gas masks, Chen Qi and the others could still feel a slight stinging sensation on their exposed skin.
Three tall figures were faintly visible in the mist.
Those were three upright-walking lizardmen.
They are nearly 2.5 meters tall, covered in dark green scales, and have a thick tail trailing behind them.
The one at the front was clearly the leader, wearing a simple leather armor, carrying a spiked club, and wearing a necklace made of skulls around his neck.
【Poison Swamp Overseer - Nak (Lv.16)】
[Race: Venomous Lizardman]
[Characteristics: Venomous spray, armored scales, ruthless.]
"Why is it so slow?"
The lizardman overseer named Nak impatiently waved his hand to disperse the fog in front of him, and his yellowish-brown vertical pupils swept around the carriage.
It was stunned when it was scanned.
The "goods" that should have been neatly hung on the ceiling are now all gone.
Instead, there was a mass grave piled up with the corpses of various monsters.
The pig-headed cook in charge of escorting the goods was lying sprawled in the corner, half his head gone, completely dead.
"What's going on?" The two lizardman henchmen behind Nak were also stunned, and instinctively raised their spears.
"Where's the goods? How did that fat pig die?" Nak roared, slamming his spiked club heavily onto the ground, sending sparks flying.
"The goods are here, boss."
A lazy voice came from behind the pile of corpses.
Jiang Ming slowly stood up, still holding the elf girl who was tied up and had tape over her mouth.
He stood with one foot on the frozen head of an ogre, looking down at the three lizardmen.
"Who are you?" Nak stared warily at the unfamiliar human. "Where's the train conductor?"
"The train conductor went to buy a ticket. As for that idiot..." Jiang Ming pointed to the corpse in the corner, "He tried to embezzle public funds, so I disciplined him. Now, I'm in charge of this carriage."
He said this without batting an eye, his arrogance making you think he was a relative of the train conductor.
Nak's vertical pupils narrowed to slits, clearly indicating he wasn't so easily fooled.
Its nose twitched twice as it smelled the scent of a living human in the air.
"Human? You're a stowaway!" Nak suddenly realized, his mouth splitting into a grin that revealed sharp teeth covered in sticky mucus. "How dare you kill and rob on the Pioneer! Hand over the elf, and I might let you die a quick death!"
"Want it?" Jiang Ming pushed the elf girl forward, startling her so much that she shook her head frantically, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Pay up." Jiang Ming rubbed his fingers together. "Since it's a transaction, we have to follow the rules. Cash on delivery. This elf girl is top-notch; how much are you willing to offer?"
Nak was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting this human to still dare to talk business when he was about to die.
It sneered, "Money? Chop you up and feed you to the swamp crocodiles, that's money!"
"Do it! Kill him! Take the elf!"
At Nak's command, two lizardman henchmen behind him immediately roared and charged forward.
They were incredibly fast, kicking up a gust of bloody wind as they slashed at the metal floor, their spears aimed straight for Jiang Ming's chest.
"Sigh, these days, there are too few people who do business with integrity."
Jiang Ming sighed and casually tossed the elf girl behind him, where she landed right in the pile of corpses.
"beat!"
The moment the word left his mouth, Jiang Ming had already released the two [High-Efficiency Acid Thunder] from his hand.
At the same time, seven special operations team members hiding behind the pile of corpses pulled the triggers simultaneously.
Da da da da!
The deafening bursts of gunfire echoed through the enclosed train carriage.
Although ordinary bullets have difficulty penetrating the lizardmen's scales, the concentrated fire at such close range still caused the two charging lizardmen to have their flesh splattered and their movements to falter.
At that very moment, two acid mines exploded beneath their feet.
boom!boom!
The green, highly acidic liquid erupted like a fountain, instantly covering the lower bodies of the two lizardmen.
"hiss--!!!"
A heart-wrenching scream rang out.
The lizardmen's prized scales were like paper in the face of strong acid, instantly corroding with a sizzling sound, revealing the red and white flesh beneath.
"If you don't want to pay, then leave your life behind!"
Jiang Ming sprang up like a black lightning bolt, leaping directly off the pile of corpses.
In mid-air, the [Thunder Prison - Horse-Slaying Sword] was unsheathed.
A streak of purple lightning drew a blinding arc in the dimly lit carriage.
The two lizardmen were writhing on the ground in pain and had no time to react.
puff!
A huge lizard head shot into the sky.
Jiang Ming landed and, using the momentum, executed a spinning slash, the sword's edge carrying the force of thunder, cleaving another lizardman in two at the waist.
Sold out instantly!
This is the effect of attribute suppression combined with overwhelming equipment.
Nak, standing at the door, was completely dumbfounded.
It never expected that its two Lv.14 subordinates would be killed in a single encounter.
"Who...who exactly are you?!" Nak's hand, gripping the spiked club, trembled slightly.
"I am your stack."
Jiang Ming gave it no chance to breathe. He pushed off with his foot, creating a deep dent in the metal floor, and charged towards Nak like a cannonball.
Nak is, after all, a level 16 mini-boss, so his reaction time is not slow.
It opened its mouth wide, and a jet of dark green venom shot straight at Jiang Ming's face.
"Watch out!" Chen Qi shouted from behind.
Jiang Ming neither dodged nor evaded; with a flick of his left hand, the [Ghost Face Round Shield] appeared out of thin air.
Zizizi!
The venom sprayed onto the shield, producing puffs of white smoke, but it did not harm Jiang Ming in the slightest.
The next second, the two collided.
clang!!!
The spiked club and the horse-slaying sword collided fiercely, exploding into a dazzling burst of sparks.
Nak felt an overwhelming force surge through him, his hand instantly split open, and his entire arm went numb.
"How is this possible... How can a human have such great power?!" It stared wide-eyed in horror.
Jiang Ming's strength attribute has now exceeded 30 points, and with the added boost from [Gravity Spell], he wouldn't be afraid to go head-to-head with a Lv.20 pig-headed chef, let alone this Lv.16 lizardman.
"Because I'm awesome!"
Jiang Ming grinned maliciously, and with a swift movement of his sword, he pressed down on the spiked club.
Immediately afterwards, he released his shield with his left hand and punched Nak in the abdomen.
boom!
The punch landed squarely, almost making Nak's stomach acid churn out, and his body curled up like a shrimp.
"goodbye."
Jiang Ming flicked his wrist, and the Zhanma sword swung upwards in the same direction.
puff!
The sword pierced through Nak's chin and went straight to the top of his head.
Nak's body convulsed violently twice, and his yellowish-brown eyes quickly lost their luster, sinking down like a puddle of mud.
[Defeat the Lv.16 Poison Swamp Overseer to gain 800 experience points.]
[Items obtained: Swamp Poison Sac (Green), Abyss Soul Coins x50, Damaged Shipping Bill.]
The battle ended too quickly; from the moment the shots were fired to the end, it took less than ten seconds in total.
Chen Qi's mouth was wide open, big enough to fit an egg.
He knew Jiang Mingqiang, but he never imagined he could be this strong.
This is a monster from another world! How come it's like cutting vegetables in his hands?
Jiang Ming shook the blood off his sword and bent down to pick up a money bag that Nak had dropped.
Upon opening it, one finds dozens of coins emitting a faint blue glow.
"This is Soul Coin?" Jiang Ming picked up a coin and felt the faint soul energy contained within it. "It seems this is the real hard currency."
At that moment, the train's announcement came on again:
【ding dong——】
[This stop is now complete; the doors will be closing soon.]
Next stop: The Wasteland of Burial Grounds.
Rumbling--
The gate began to close slowly.
Jiang Ming glanced back at the thick poisonous fog outside the door, without the slightest hesitation.
This is a poisonous swamp; going down there would be certain death. Staying in the vehicle is dangerous, but at least there's room to maneuver.
"Get up, all of you. Stop playing dead." Jiang Ming kicked the lizardman corpse on the ground. "Strip these three of their clothes clean and throw them out. Don't leave them in the carriage to rot."
The special operations team members then seemed to snap out of their daze and excitedly ran over to touch the body.
Following a big shot like this might make your heart race, but the spoils are really tempting!
Jiang Ming walked up to Chen Qi and reached out to tear off the tape from the elf girl's mouth.
"Cough cough cough..." The elf girl coughed violently, her silver eyes fixed on Jiang Ming, her expression extremely complicated.
There was fear, anger, and a hint of... bewilderment.
"Don't look at me like that." Jiang Ming looked down at her, shaking the bag of soul coins in his hand.
"Those three ugly bastards came to buy you. Logically, you should be in their pot or bed right now."
The elf girl bit her lip and didn't say anything.
"I intercepted their goods and killed their people." Jiang Ming pointed to himself, "So from now on, you are no longer cargo of the Abyss Caravan."
He paused, then revealed a smile that sent chills down the elf girl's spine.
"You are my private property. Do you understand?"
Ellie's eyes widened, her once aloof and proud gaze now filled with disbelief.
"Private...private property?"
As a high-ranking ranger in Silvermoon Forest, even in her current state of decline, her inherent pride prevented her from accepting this title.
"You... shameless!" She held it in for a long time before finally squeezing out these words through gritted teeth. Although she spoke in Common as if she had a hot eggplant in her mouth, the anger she conveyed was quite effective.
Jiang Ming ignored her protests, stuffed the bag of soul coins in his hand into his pocket, and then squatted down to search the headless lizardman corpse—that is, the overseer named Nak.
I attacked too fast just now and didn't have time to loot the bag properly.
"Found it."
Jiang Ming pulled a black metal remote control from the leather pouch at Nak's waist. It had several complex rune buttons and a dark red crystal embedded in the center.
Upon seeing this, Ellie's face turned deathly pale, and she instinctively shrank back. The metal collar around her neck seemed to sense the presence of the remote control and became slightly hot.
"The one that controls this thing?" Jiang Ming shook the remote control in his hand, looking at her with a half-smile.
Ellie bit her lip, turned her head away, and remained silent.
"Looks like it." Jiang Ming didn't expect her to answer. He tapped the remote control with his finger. "Captain Chen, tie her up tightly with a rope and throw her in a corner. Don't let her run around, and don't let her die."
Chen Qi was taken aback: "Mr. Jiang, isn't she a victim? And an elf at that..."
In his simple values, after a hero saves a damsel in distress, the plot should go that the beauty either repays him with her body or provides important information. How come when it comes to Jiang Ming, the plot suddenly turns into kidnapping and extortion?
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