Chapter 39: 39: The Ecology of Monsters
Before the monsters could break free from their cocoons, the two of them, along with two Angel Envoys, attacked and wiped out all the monsters in the warehouse within ten minutes.
Not until they started cleaning up did they realize that there were two Spider Monsters that hadn't completed their metamorphosis, and there were twenty egg-like flesh lumps.
If all of them had completed the metamorphosis, it would have been a terrifying force.
During the cleanup, Su Han and his group finally discovered where all the supermarket staff had gone. More than a dozen supermarket employees and security guards were piled up in the corner.
Most of their flesh had been hollowed out, stacking up like small hills, with the bones showing clear signs of gnawing—they had become food for the Spider Monsters.
Seeing this pile of skeletons, Su Han suddenly recalled the bodies they found when cleaning the seventh building, particularly on the twentieth floor.
'If the Spider Monsters hadn't been killed in time, would the entire seventh building also be overrun with these Tentacle-mouthed Spiders?'
He felt a chill down his spine; the first Spider Monster certainly didn't originate this way, it must have been a human who mutated. But how much time had passed since then?
Already, they seem to have instinctively begun breeding in a perverted, thoroughly unscientific manner—the implications of such an evolution were horrifying.
He realized a problem: these monsters were not merely mutating, they were gradually forming their own ecosystem, then thriving on this land.
"Su Han, I found the generator here, and there are three hundred liters of gasoline,"
Zhu Xiong found the generator in a corner of the warehouse, covered in red flesh and dripping with sticky mucus, emitting a foul smell.
Disgusted, Zhu Xiong scraped off some of the mucus using a cardboard box, then checked the generator.
"Can it still be used?"
Su Han approached, and Zhu Xiong knocked on the casing, saying, "No problem, it's just dirty. It'll be fine after a cleanup."
This thing had cost about ten to twenty thousand originally; the quality was still passable.
"I'll have the Four-armed Corpse carry it. You take the gasoline, and the corpses of the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders. I'll have Old Gan come over later to move them; they're useful to me."
Zhu Xiong was no longer surprised that Su Han needed these monster corpses, saying, "Alright, I'll come over with him later. We can load up that box truck."
The Four-armed Corpse approached the generator, which took the shape of a rectangular box, about one meter in length and one meter in both width and height, weighing around four to five hundred kilograms—not exactly a small unit.
Following his advancement, Zhu Xiong should be able to handle it, but it was inconvenient for him to move around. However, for the Four-armed Corpse, this was a piece of cake.
It hoisted the generator onto its shoulder and strode out.
Zhu Xiong and Su Han followed closely, each carrying a barrel of gasoline, making their way to the box truck outside.
"Old Gan, take some people with me to move some things."
Zhu Xiong called Gan Xinglei to help move the items. He hesitated, saying, "But who will watch over here?"
Su Han had previously assigned him to stay here to assist with moving items, but if he left now, there would be no one else here.
"I'll watch here, just go with Old Zhu."
The flatbed truck had already been loaded half full, with a large amount of canned food, dried provisions, water, and other resources inside. The trunks of several private cars were also half full, and it wouldn't take long to finish loading them.
"Alright, I will go right away."
Gan Xinglei took people to handle the Tentacle-mouthed Spiders' corpses, while the people from the fourth building had almost finished loading their vehicles. Zhang Da approached and said, "Brother, should we wait for you guys and go back together?"
Zhang Da was eager to join forces, as Su Han's formidable strength impressed him. With Su Han's help, their chances of survival in this post-apocalyptic world would be greater.
"The noise from more than ten cars is too much; it's likely to attract even more monsters."
As they spoke, low growls echoed from the mist. During their loading process, creatures like the Rot Skin Rats and other monstrous rats had launched several attacks, all of which were successfully repelled by the group without any casualties.
However, a stationary vehicle and a moving one create entirely different sounds.
Zhang Da's expression shifted slightly as he understood this principle. He said, "Then, then brother, we'll go first. We'll get in touch once we get back to the complex. Looking for supplies isn't a long-term plan. I'm planning to go check out the police station in a couple of days, which should be much safer. You should think about it, brother."
The police station?
Zhang Da's thought process was clear—if ordinary people could have a certain proportion of survivors, then a place like the police station would indeed be much safer since they are armed.
But Su Han wouldn't go there.
To him, the safety of a police station was a shackle. Until he became stronger, he did not plan to expose his abilities under these powers, regardless of their nature, good or bad.
"I have another destination."
Zhang Da looked surprised. He wanted to persuade further, but Su Han wasn't taking the bait, and from the car behind, his companions were calling him.
"Old Zhang, hurry up, there are more monsters coming."
Out of the fog, stirred up by the sound of the car engine, three more Four-armed Corpses scrambled over, hands and feet pounding the ground.
Zhang Da's expression changed slightly. His Angel Envoy leaped to action, its gaping maw snapping at the neck of one of the monster corpses. Su Han's Four-armed Corpse moved as well, confronting the two monster corpses before seizing them and twisting their necks with a powerful grasp.
With another sudden monster attack, Zhang Da knew they couldn't linger any longer. The noise was too great—Su Han would definitely be alright, but they were not so sure.
"Thanks, brother, but it looks like we have to leave now."
Zhang Da's caravan vanished slowly into the fog, and the low growling of the mist grew distant as their noise drew some of the monsters away.
Half an hour later, after Su Han and the Four-armed Corpse had killed four or five more corpses, they finally had the truck mostly loaded.
"That's enough, time to go back. The monsters are coming more frequently."
Su Han called Gan Xinglei and the others to stop. Compared to when they had first arrived, monsters were approaching more often, and continuing to transfer supplies could attract something unexpected.
Gan Xinglei and his group were taken aback but quickly entered the supermarket to call everyone out.
"Everyone, get on the truck in your original places. First-level Intermediate Angel Envoys do not board, stay on guard at the sides. Old Zhu and I will lead the way, Captain Cheng and Old Guo will drive the truck and cover the rear, Meiyu's Rot Skin Rat will be on alert."
"Received."
Following Su Han's arrangement, once everyone was aboard, all the vehicle lights were turned on, and they started heading back under the lead of the box truck.
Because they were now traveling by truck, the noise was evidently louder, but unlike the cautious approach earlier, the truck's tonnage was evident, and it was also loaded with a lot of stuff.
Ordinary corpses simply couldn't stop this 'Road Bully,' and Zhu Xiong floored the accelerator, crushing them and rolling the bodies under the truck.
Even if they didn't die immediately, the Angel Envoys on either side of the truck would immediately move in to finish them off. The return trip was much faster than the trip out.
They drove straight to the base of building seven, and after everyone got off, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Cheng Zhenyong was getting ready to call people to unload the supplies when Su Han suddenly said, "Let's leave our share on the truck; there's no need to unload it."
Everyone was startled. Cheng Zhenyong's face shifted subtly, then he said to Zhang Fu and the others, "Do as Su Han said. You guys start unloading."
"Everybody be careful when unloading. You can ask your family members to help. Those with Angel Envoy corpses can use them. We'll distribute based on today's contributions..."
Zhang Fu began organizing everyone to divide the supplies. Although he didn't say it outright, the share for Su Han and his three companions was definitely the largest because it was Su Han who had defeated the Spider Monster and the truck was theirs as well.
So Zhang Fu first organized the distribution of supplies from the other five vehicles before dealing with their truck, which only needed a slight reallocation of some items.
Meanwhile, Cheng Zhenyong found Su Han, looked around to make sure no one was within earshot, and asked in a low voice, "Su Han, are you planning to move out?"