NOVPUB
Chapter 125: Chapter 125 Dead End
The narrow stairway was both dark and cramped; Wei Jie and Tian Xinyue silently continued upward, while Han Jiaojiao, followed by Wang Mengyi, slowly ascended the stairs in retreat.
Groans from the lower part of the stairwell rose and fell intermittently; the Alien Species seemed bewildered by the building, circling each floor in search of Han Jiaojiao and the others.
Although the sense of smell of the Alien Species was keen, it could only guide them in a general direction, and by this time their wounds had gradually stopped bleeding, while the scent of lime and cement inside the building was evidently stronger.
Unable to find their prey, the Alien Species grew frustrated; their speed increased as they swept through one floor after another, getting progressively closer to Han Jiaojiao and the others.
The sound was almost within reach. Finally, Tian Xinyue couldn’t help but stop. She stretched out her finger and gestured a "4" to Han Jiaojiao.
Four of them had come...
Han Jiaojiao raised her dagger as a signal, and upon seeing it, everyone else gripped their knives tightly.
A massive dark shadow appeared at the stairwell below!
—Its limbs sprawled on the stairs, clumsily climbing upward but suddenly accelerating upon seeing Han Jiaojiao and her group! Its hind legs forcefully pushed off, and its entire massive body leapt high up towards the rear of the team—directly at Han Jiaojiao!
"Run!" Han Jiaojiao dodged to the side while shouting in a low voice!
The corridor was too narrow; if they crowded together, they wouldn’t be able to make much movement. Nobody dared to linger and they immediately ran upward!
An Alien Species lunged at them; the one below hurriedly followed, climbing upward. The narrow stairway restricted their speed. Two of them squeezed into the stairwell, blocking the others from coming up, unintentionally giving Han Jiaojiao and the rest an opportunity to exploit.
As Han Jiaojiao ran upward, she kept an eye on the Alien Species behind her, feeling only the enormous dark shadow leap over her head again. Han Jiaojiao ducked and shouted, "Wang Mengyi!"
Wang Mengyi dashed forward the moment the leading Alien Species fell, climbing quickly onto its back and decisively stabbing it in a vital spot. The other Alien Species from below suddenly surged violently! A gaping maw approached in an instant!
Han Jiaojiao jumped straight down from the stairs, fiercely kicking downward!
The approaching Alien Species lost its balance and fell backward with a thud! Two more Alien Species were rapidly climbing up from below!
Han Jiaojiao dared not linger in battle; what she needed was to buy Wang Mengyi just a second or two more!
Wang Mengyi also saw the fallen Alien Species trying to turn and rise. He activated his Ability to teleport there and raised his knife to stab, but as he did, another Alien Species grabbed his right leg!
He was thrown directly onto the concrete wall! Landing heavily on the stairs! Blood from the scratch on his leg gushed out like a fountain!
Han Jiaojiao heard shouts from above and the click of gun safeties being released.
—No, they couldn’t shoot now! There were still many Alien Species nearby! They couldn’t attract more Alien Species!
Han Jiaojiao gritted her teeth, got up, and rushed toward the two Alien Species next to Wang Mengyi!
She tried to activate her Ability but found it exceedingly difficult to extract moisture through the skin, flesh, and bones of the Alien Species. A Mutant Rat only needed three to five seconds, but an Alien Species almost needed thirty seconds. Would an Alien Species stand still and wait for her for thirty seconds?! Impossible!
They almost instantly turned their heads, glaring menacingly at Han Jiaojiao, uttering threatening growls. They seemed unsure whether the pain in their bodies was caused by this human before them?!
At this moment, Wei Jie and Tian Xinyue also ran down from upstairs, one helping Han Jiaojiao fight the Alien Species, the other trying to pull Wang Mengyi up.
Facing the suddenly increased prey, the Alien Species grew even more excited.
Whether it was because they saw their two companions dead or that the three prey in front of them were so defensively tense, the two Alien Species did not pounce immediately but instead vigilantly watched them.
The standoff lasted only three or five seconds, but to Han Jiaojiao, it felt as if several minutes had passed. Sweat continuously streamed down.
The alien species kept making a grinding noise in its throat, similar to gritting teeth. Han Jiaojiao was secretly terrified and wondered if the alien wanted to summon its companions—she knew there were other aliens in the building!
Since her Ability didn’t work through the membrane, she decided to make an opening!
Han Jiaojiao dashed forward in a few quick steps and thrust her Dagger!
The alien was too tall, so Han Jiaojiao focused her attack on its knee. Even the knee was hard to penetrate because the alien’s membrane was tough. Han Jiaojiao didn’t expect to pierce through it at once but hoped a shallow cut would allow her Ability to work!
Facing the offer of fresh flesh, the alien opened its huge, frothy mouth with sharp, slime-coated teeth nearing Han Jiaojiao’s face, narrowly missing biting her head off! In an instant, Han Jiaojiao dodged to the side and slid under the alien to its back. She then stabbed the Dagger into the back of its knee!
—The alien shrieked in pain and immediately fell to one knee!
Apart from the back of its head, these kneepits were its most vulnerable parts—an area called the popliteal fossa. If completely severed, the alien wouldn’t even be able to crawl!
Han Jiaojiao stood up and was about to climb on it when another alien attempted to pounce. Wei Jie and Tian Xinyue collaborated to block it, Han Jiaojiao didn’t dare waste time and hurriedly aimed to stab the back of the head of the alien below her. Just when she was about to strike, the alien, supported by the cement wall, stood on one leg. Han Jiaojiao fell to the ground! The alien behind her opened its mouth to bite her!
"Jiaojiao!" Tian Xinyue panicked, pulling out her gun!
Han Jiaojiao couldn’t stop her; Tian Xinyue had already pulled the trigger.
"Bang, bang!—"
Dark-green fluid mixed with red and white brains splattered! The two aliens were shot in the head at close range, splashing the cement wall with greenish-black slime!
The gunfire stirred the aliens downstairs, and they began to move in response.
Han Jiaojiao urgently shouted, "Wei Jie! Carry Wang Mengyi and run!"
Having said that, she reached down to grab Wang Mengyi on the ground.
Wang Mengyi’s leg was severely injured, flesh turned inside out, exposing white bones, but they simply had no time to bandage him and could only forcefully drag him up!
From downstairs, a dense clattering of terrifying footsteps came, seemingly like many giant cockroaches scrambling up the stairs!
They couldn’t afford to look back, only sprinting with all their might up the stairs!
Blood from Wang Mengyi drew a grotesque, twisted line on the cement floor. As he lay on Wei Jie’s back, he attempted to speak several times, stopping himself upon seeing that no one intended to leave him behind; his eyes reddened with emotion.
Unsure how many floors they climbed, the aliens soon caught up with them.
Since they had already lured them all up, there was no need to hold back on shooting. Han Jiaojiao and Tian Xinyue covered the rear with gunfire, while Wei Jie continued to run up carrying Wang Mengyi. n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
Fortunately, Wang Mengyi was slim; otherwise, they might have really been forced to abandon him.
With the support of bullets, the aliens were immediately pushed back to a corner one floor down. This gunfire from a distance was far better than the previous close combat using a dagger.
Fighting while retreating, they reached the top floor unknowingly. The building was still unfinished, and the top floor was not only unsealed but also littered with sand and mud. Wei Jie, carrying Wang Mengyi, plunged into the heavy rain, the cold rain awakening him, and he suddenly stopped—
"...there’s no way out!"
