Chapter 250: The End of Master Zoo.

Hunter dropped the trembling cannibal onto his knees, grabbed him by his shirt, and pointed a sharp finger right at his nose. "You. Where did you come from? Speak, or I throw you right back into that party behind me."

The cannibal’s lips trembled. He opened his mouth, then shut it, trying to act tough. "I_ I won’t tell you anything, you bastard."

Hunter didn’t even argue. He simply let go of the man’s shirt and stepped back, making a theatrical gesture toward the bloodthirsty mob. "Suit yourself. Hey, folks! Missed one over here!"

The cannibal turned pale as paper. Watching a sharp stone split his buddy’s skull open five feet away broke his mind completely. He shuddered violently, tears and snot leaking down his face as he grabbed Hunter’s boots.

"The mines! The ghost mines!" the cannibal shrieked, his voice cracking completely. "We came from the abandoned Ghost Mines in the Northern Ridge! That’s where the main camp is! That’s where the boss is! Please don’t let them kill me!"

Hunter stared down at him for a quiet second, his face completely emotionless. "The Ghost Mines. Got it. Thanks for the directions. I hate leaving dirty work unfinished."

Without a single second of warning, a brilliant silver flash sliced through the air. Hunter’s blade swept across the man’s neck with terrifying speed and precision. The cannibal’s eyes went wide, his hands flew up to his throat, and he collapsed silently onto the dirt, motionless.

Hunter flicked the thin line of blood off his blade, slid it back into its sheath, and shook his head softly. "Unarmed or not, a wild dog is still a wild dog, and a leopard never changes it’s spots."

Meanwhile, Master Zoo was screaming at his crying wife, telling her to pack a few things that they would need. They were leaving Twigs Blue Crossing today. Even though their family was one of the pioneers of the town, they could not stay anymore. The town’s people would not let them!

Many people were now blaming them for everything that had happened. The residents were especially furious that, as the town leader, Zoo had decided to offer the young soul maidens to the cannibals.

"Ungrateful pieces of trash!" Master Zoo cursed, his face turning red. "If it was not for my wisdom, half of those fools would have become cannibal food by now! They should be bowing to me, not throwing stones at my door!"

Gwenevia sniveled loudly, blowing her nose into a cotton handkerchief. She wiped her tears and cried out her dead son’s name. "My Cain! My poor baby!"

She glared at her husband with red, swollen eyes. "This is all your fault, Zoo! You should have protected him better! Now our only son is dead, and you are rushing around like a frightened rat!"

"Shut your mouth!" Master Zoo barked, pointing a shaking finger at her. "Keep crying and I will leave you behind! I can still run faster without your extra luggage!"

He grumbled and walked over to the wooden window, peeking through a tiny crack. He looked left, then right. He saw no one out there_ just the quiet green trees rustling in the wind. He took a deep breath, thinking they were finally safe. "Good. The stupid morons are still dealing with the chaos. We won’t get a better chance to run to Hollomgad."

He unbolted the door and pulled it open_ only to freeze dead in his tracks. Lucian was standing right on the doorstep like a silent ghost. In his hands was a hunting bow, an arrow already pulled back halfway, aimed straight at Zoo’s nose.

"Lu... Lucian!" Master Zoo stammered, his knees shaking so hard he almost dropped his coat. "Listen to me, young man. You do not have to do this! Look, we are leaving the town forever. You can just turn a blind eye and let us go, right? It’s a win-win!"

Lucian scoffed, his face cold as winter ice. "Leave?" He pulled the bowstring a little tighter. "No, Master Zoo. You two are not leaving. You are staying right here. And just in case those filthy cannibals come next time, you and your precious wife will be our next offering to them."

Master Zoo tossed the small suitcase onto the floor. Gwenevia let out a high-pitched scream and took three big steps backward, hiding behind a wooden table.

"Lucian, you crazy brat!" Zoo yelled, his voice cracking. "What could I have done differently, huh?! All I ever did was try to protect this town!"

Lucian sneered, his eyes filled with contempt. "What could you have done? Exactly what I have been telling your useless face for three years; fight the cannibals off!"

Master Zoo actually laughed, though it sounded like a dying crow. "Fight them?! Ha! We tried! Do you think those monsters eat turnips? They use some kind of dark energy! Their beasts are not to be messed with!"

Suddenly, Gwenevia’s eyes went wild. While the two men were shouting, she reached into her sleeve, pulled out a small gun, and aimed it right at Lucian’s chest. "Die, you bastard!"

Lucian didn’t even blink. Before she could pull the trigger, he pulled the bowstring and released the arrow. ℴℴ𝘮

The arrow landed right in Gwenevia’s stomach. She gasped, dropped the gun, and stumbled back. The arrow didn’t go all the way through, but the force made her fall hard onto her backside. "Zoo..." she moaned, rolling on the floor.

"Gwenevia!" Master Zoo roared in pure rage.

Seeing his wife down, Zoo lost his mind. He screamed like a crazed boar and charged straight at Lucian, throwing a heavy, uncoordinated punch at his face. "I will kill you!"

"Foolish idiot," Lucian muttered. He didn’t even use a high-level martial art. He simply stepped to the side, grabbed Zoo’s shirt collar, and shoved the small leader with all his strength.

Master Zoo went flying backward through the air. He crashed headfirst into a heavy burlap sack resting in the corner. It was full of hard energy stones_ the high-grade stones they were planning to use to buy a nice life in another town.

Master Zoo’s head hit the hard stones with a loud crack. The sharp corner of one stabbed into his neck like a blade.

"Ouch! my spirit stones_" Zoo moaned softly. Blood was spurting out of his neck faster than he could stop it. Soon, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, his legs twitched twice, and he went completely still, killed by his own stolen fortune.

Silence filled the messy room.

Lucian lowered his bow and looked down at the dead leader and his groaning wife. He spat on the wooden floor and shook his head.

"Tsk!" Lucian muttered softly. "You deserve a much worse fate than this."