Chapter 87: End of the Competition, The Tally

Chapter 87: Chapter 87: End of the Competition, The Tally

THUMP!

A dull, sickening CRUNCH!

Under the terrifying enhancement of[Monster Power], Henry Jennings’s head exploded like a watermelon struck by a sledgehammer! Red and white matter splattered everywhere. The headless body swayed for a moment before collapsing limply to the ground.

The suffocating sensation of oxygen being drawn away vanished instantly, and everyone could breathe freely again.

In a flash, two of the four core members of Harvey Fletcher’s team were dead!

The remaining two, Tom Parker and Wendy Lewis, were scared out of their wits. Their will to fight completely shattered, they turned to flee.

But how could Seraphina Sullivan, Dustin Sullivan, and Lily Underwood—who had just broken free from the [Emotion Control] and was filled with rage—possibly let them escape?

The hunt had only just begun.

The prey had now become the Hunters.

Lily Underwood’s blazing fury and the frustration from being ambushed had finally found an outlet.

With a low shout, she charged at the fleeing Tom Parker, her[Strong Arm]Talent activating in an instant!

The muscles in her right arm suddenly bulged, straining the fabric of her sleeve, as a visible ripple of Energy coiled around her wrist.

She didn’t even use a weapon, simply throwing a direct punch!

POW!

The fist landed squarely in the middle of Tom Parker’s back!

Tom Parker only managed to let out half a scream before a terrifying Power surged through his body. It felt as if his heart had been shattered in an instant!

He spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of internal organs, then collapsed to the ground. After a few twitches, he went still.

The number on Lily Underwood’s wrist counter ticked up, adding Tom Parker’s slaughter count to her total.

She shook her wrist and snorted, as if she’d just done something trivial.

Meanwhile, Dustin Sullivan was just as merciless.

Facing Wendy Lewis, who was trying to block him with a frenzied growth of hair while crying and begging for mercy, his eyes were ice-cold as he swung his longsword, which once again moved as if it were alive!

This time, the sword didn’t shoot forward. Instead, it became soft and flexible in mid-flight, transforming into a glittering silver metal whip. With a sharp whoosh that tore through the air, it lashed precisely at Wendy Lewis!

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Wendy Lewis’s incredibly tough hair, which was attempting to entangle and Bind him, was utterly useless against the strange sword that could be both rigid and flexible. As if meeting its nemesis, the strands were easily sliced and severed, fluttering to the ground.

Despair filled Wendy Lewis’s eyes as her final defense was completely shattered.

A flash of silver light.

The pleas for mercy stopped abruptly.

The number on Dustin Sullivan’s wrist also quietly increased.

Watching from the side, Ash was dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

He knew Sullivan and the others were strong, but he never imagined they were *this* strong. They had dispatched four terrifying enemies with such clean efficiency!

’This is... This is an absolute slaughter!’

However, the moment the fight ended, Sean Chandler, who had remained on high alert, felt his ears twitch again.

His keen hearing picked up the sound of chaotic footsteps and low roars approaching quickly from a distance.

He immediately gave a grim warning, "We need to get out of here, now! That gunshot must have attracted attention. It could be other temp workers, or... it could be the ’things’ from the Pasture have been drawn here!"

Hearing this, everyone’s expression tightened.

After such a vicious fight, getting bogged down in another brawl was the last thing they needed.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Seraphina Sullivan quickly holstered her pistol, Dustin Sullivan recalled his longsword, and Lily Underwood suppressed the thrill of her revenge.

They didn’t even have time to clean up the scene. They immediately headed in the opposite direction of the sounds, using the cover of night to make a swift retreat and disappear into the depths of the forest.

Less than a minute after they left, several massive figures were the first to appear on the blood-soaked battlefield.

It was the Hogman Supervisors and the Chicken-headed Supervisors!

They had clearly been drawn by the abrupt gunshot as well.

They surveyed the four horrifically mangled human corpses on the ground, their expressions turning to confusion and vigilance, especially upon seeing the perfect gunshot wound in the center of Harvey Fletcher’s forehead.

One of the Hogman Supervisors, who seemed to be the leader, knelt down. Its thick fingers touched the bullet hole in Harvey Fletcher’s forehead. It sniffed the faint smell of gunpowder still lingering in the air and said to its companion in a booming, muffled voice:

"A firearm? A human weapon? How did this get here? Could there be members of the outside world’s resistance mixed in with the temp workers?"

Another Chicken-headed Supervisor flapped its wings nervously and shrieked, "We must report this to the higher-ups immediately! Something isn’t right!"

...

For the next three days, Seraphina Sullivan’s group continued to traverse the vast and dangerous Slaughter Pasture, efficiently hunting all sorts of mutated creatures while remaining vigilant against attacks from any direction.

During this time, they also encountered several Player squads from the "Chicken Slaughterhouse" and engaged in a few brief skirmishes.

But perhaps the complete annihilation of Harvey Fletcher’s team served as a deterrent.

Or maybe it was because everyone wanted to conserve their strength for the final moments, so these battles were never large-scale.

The two sides would clash briefly, and upon realizing their opponent was formidable, they would quickly disengage, never letting the fights escalate into a battle to the death.

Finally, on the morning of the third day, the deep, immense tolling of a bell suddenly rang out over the entire Pasture, echoing into every corner.

Immediately after, Wessuri’s cold voice broadcast across the entire area via some kind of amplification system:

"The competition is over! All surviving temp workers, bring your counter wristwatches and gather at the Pasture entrance immediately! Anyone who fails to arrive on time will be considered to have forfeited, and you will bear the consequences!"

Her voice carried an unquestionable command.

Seraphina Sullivan, Dustin Sullivan, Lily Underwood, Sean Chandler, and Ash, who had been sticking close to them, all exchanged glances, seeing a mix of solemnity and anticipation in each other’s eyes.

"Let’s go. It’s time to see the results," Dustin Sullivan said.

Wasting no more time, the group moved quickly toward the Pasture’s entrance.

Everyone understood: the moment that would decide their fate was at hand.

When they arrived at the entrance, quite a few people had already gathered.

Compared to when they entered, the number of people from both slaughterhouses had been drastically reduced. Many were injured, their eyes filled with exhaustion, fear, and a hint of relief at having survived.

At a rough glance, it did seem that the "Chicken Slaughterhouse" had more survivors than the "Pork Slaughterhouse."

On the high platform, Wessuri and Leon Gilmore were still standing there.

Leon Gilmore saw the disparity in numbers below and a smug smile immediately appeared on her face. Her voice was coquettish yet grating:

"Ooh~ It looks like victory belongs to our lovely Chicken Slaughterhouse again~ Wessuri, your people don’t seem to be doing so well."

Wessuri’s expression was terrifyingly dark. She snorted. "Hmph. More people doesn’t mean a higher slaughter count. It’s not over ’til it’s over."

Leon Gilmore covered her mouth and giggled. "Hehehe... Then let’s wait and see~"

Soon, Hogman and Chicken-headed Supervisors came down to collect the counters from all the temp workers’ wrists and began to tally the results.

Lily Underwood nervously leaned close to Seraphina Sullivan’s ear and whispered, "Hey, do you think we can win? What happens if we lose?"