Under the night sky, people from over a dozen gangs were fleeing. Because they had initially encircled the area in a fan shape, almost everyone was now running in the same direction.
Boss Dao's Gang ran too. Positioned on the outermost fringe, their entire group ended up running at the very front, suffering no casualties for the time being.
"Actually, they could fight," He Tangtang muttered unhappily several times as he ran along in the dark.
He had paused just now, standing on a rock, raising his blade to call for everyone to form a battle array... but people simply sprinted past him without looking back.
In truth, they could have fought. Back beneath Xilang Peak, two non-elite Azure squads had teamed up and battled a blue-sheened Great Spike to the death. Here, there were over a dozen top-tier gangs, and among their leaders, some were said to be well on their way to the top tier.
They were all fierce fighters to begin with. With three blue-sheened ones, they could definitely take them on.
As long as they dared to make a stand, Han Qingyu and Wu Xu would step in to help.
Mentally, Han Qingyu held no subjective bias toward this city or its inhabitants... neither liking nor loathing them, nor passing any moral judgment.
He had shown no mercy to the people of Pure Purgatory or Snow Lotus he had encountered in the past, but in his two-plus months here, apart from that initial assassin who had ambushed Plague Chicken, he had not dealt a lethal blow to anyone.
Take the Three-Band Alliance from before, or the people trailing behind him right now: they certainly could not be defined as good people, yet neither could they simply be branded as evil.
Strictly speaking, they were merely a pack of "animals" using every means at their disposal to survive and grow stronger within the unique ecosystem of this city.
Han Qingyu's own situation was that of a beast struggling amidst exile and flight. They all were.
*Will they fight back...? They ought to fight back!* Running habitually at the rear of the group, Han Qingyu thought to himself, even feeling a faint glimmer of anticipation.
Yet they didn't.
Everyone was fleeing for their lives. Even the big bosses of the gangs showed no greater resilience than parrying a strike or two from the blue-sheened Great Spikes on behalf of their core teammates before dragging their people along to keep running.
"P-pleeze Boss Dah-o, menifest!"
"Preez... Bahss Dow... mah-nee-fess!"
"..."
In the dark, the foreigners' mangled pronunciations were enough to draw a laugh, yet nobody could laugh. Many of those cries were cut short halfway through.
It was a one-sided massacre.
The blue-sheened ones were extremely fast, whereas ninety percent of the people here couldn't even outrun a black-armored Great Spike. Right now, they were merely trying their best to outrun everyone else.
Yet running was difficult. The sand beneath their feet was too soft and loose. For people of the source energy world, this was far more terrifying and speed-limiting than having giant boulders blocking the way ahead.
"What's going on up ahead?" At the rear of the team, Han Qingyu suddenly looked up, puzzled.
Ahead lay a canyon-like landform, though quite broad, bordered by bare hillsides that weren't particularly tall. The fleeing crowd was heading in that direction, which made sense... but figures actually stood along the ridges on both sides.
From the first few or dozen Han Qingyu spotted to the final tally, there were easily one or two hundred people perched above.
They stood up there, watching.
As the fleeing crowd entered the valley... the blue-sheened Great Spikes pursued.
Laughter and applause drifted down from the ridges on either side.
Then, they began to sing. It was a simple tune, sung in neat unison, drifting across the night air.
"What the hell are they singing?!" He Tangtang demanded, growing furious as he listened.
Someone beside him explained that they were singing:
"On a day when the hunter is hunted,
I stand on the mountaintop, feeling the wind blow...
I picked up the hunter's blade, ah!
And found the hunter's wallet too!
So much.
So much.
Why did it happen so?
Because the hunters are all dead, hahaha."
Liu Lang told He Tangtang that the people above belonged to several major regional factions. They were gathered there to celebrate "Harvest Day."
Such special days occurred several times a year. Whenever wild drop hunting bands happened across two or three blue-sheened Great Spikes and ended up fleeing and getting slaughtered like this, those factions would come out to celebrate the "festival."
They would watch from above until the very end before organizing to strike and kill the blue-sheened Great Spikes, then carry off the spoils alongside the "relics" strewn all along the path.
They called this "Harvest Day," treating everything gathered this way as taxes paid by the wild hunting bands.
"Fuck!" He Tangtang couldn't help cursing at the explanation, feeling intensely stifled.
Yet beside him, Liu Lang, Filio, and the bosses of each gang were all running with heads down, seemingly long accustomed to it.
The singing along the ridge continued... Old Hugh ran, glancing around as he sprinted, looking for his squad members... Some of them would never return.
"Actually, we could lead the Great Spikes over there. I mean, if we charge at them, the blue-sheened ones will charge at them too."
Old Hugh was caught off guard when he heard these words. He had never heard such a suggestion before... Turning his head, he saw a young man with a scar on his face running beside him. The young man had spoken.
"Are you looking to die?!" Old Hugh snapped. If the kid weren't Huaxian as well, he wouldn't have spared him a glance.
"Will there be retaliation?" the young man asked.
"No shit," Old Hugh replied impatiently, continuing to sprint.
"Then why don't we turn around and try cutting them down together?" the young man suggested.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Old Hugh felt both exasperated and helpless. "We go fight while the rest run away—what are we, idiots?!"
"But if we win, wouldn't we have a shot at forming an alliance? Then we'd have our own fixed territory, and no one would have to suffer such indignity anymore."
"Holy fuck, you say win? Win my ass! With that brain of yours, you... shut up and get lost." Old Hugh had no patience to explain.
In reality, never mind the low odds of pulling it off; even if an alliance could truly be formed, wouldn't it still be seeking death?
The City of Iniquity's spheres of influence had long since been carved up. The rise of any new power meant snatching a slice of the pie from the established players, inevitably facing ruthless eradication right from the start... They wouldn't stand a chance.
"Hey, stop following me!" At that thought, Old Hugh barked in exasperation, "If you're so capable, tell Dao Dali to come out and manifest right now, step up to carry the banner and forge an alliance..."
"Would you join if he did?" the young man asked.
"I—" Because the young man asked with such earnestness, Old Hugh hesitated... *Could an alliance really be forged? Like hell I'd believe it.* He said, "Let him manifest first and show me! Don't just bully us—he hides the moment he sees a blue-sheened one! If he's got the guts, go take on those major factions like you said..."
"Boss Dao has manifested!"
"Thank the heavens! He really manifested!"
A sudden roar of cheers erupted.
Old Hugh fell silent, startled, and turned his head.
Even Han Qingyu turned his head in confusion at first—he was right here, and so was Wu Xu.
Yet before their eyes, behind the frantic crowd, the two blue-sheened Great Spikes that had been in relentless pursuit genuinely veered off course.
In their daze and relief, the desperately fleeing crowd slowed down and looked back...
On the hill under the night sky, a shuttle-shaped craft was "flying" up toward the ridge—straight toward those people atop the ridge.
Two—no, three! Even the blue-sheened Great Spike that had originally stayed behind to guard the craft was here!
Together with the shuttle-shaped craft, the three blue-sheened Great Spikes smashed violently into the crowd on the ridge.
Sounds of slaughter and agonized screams erupted along the crest.
"Boss Hugh, look... He manifested," Han Qingyu said calmly, suppressing a wry laugh.
Yet Old Hugh showed none of the excitement or relief Han Qingyu had expected.
"It's over," he muttered, staring blankly at the ridge.
Chapter 460