Abyss Summoner-Chapter 221 - 216: Picking Up a Bargain

Chen Feng continued to wander aimlessly in the city.

After the live sacrifice, his expression had grown significantly more somber than before. If possible, he really wanted to return to Order now; that was his main battlefield, whereas Bridge East was far too dangerous. The various forces tangled together, and one misstep could drag him into a quagmire.

But Chen Feng knew well the task of common defense.

You can dodge for a while, but not forever.

Even if he returned to Order now and wouldn't be bothered by so many trivial matters, once the insect tide arrived, Order couldn't stand by idly.

Devils.

Chen Feng strolled down the street.

Please always remember to face these lawful creatures directly!

Every High-tier Demon is an exceptional schemer; compared to Demons with their crude death suppression tactics, Devils excel in using certain means to lure humans into darkness, making them their followers.

Followers of Devils are die-hard loyalists.

Perhaps it has something to do with their cruel doctrines; once they adopt Devils as their faith, even a child can become ruthless and vicious, with conscience and compassion completely stripped away.

The largest group in the Nine Circles of Hell consists of various Devils: Tyrant Demon, Fear Demon, Desire Demon, Bone Demon, Chilu Demon, Hama Demon, Deep Prison Refining Demon, and countless other Devils in the hierarchy.

Besides Devils, creatures like Hellcats, Hellhounds, Imps, Chain Demons, Nightmares, and even Evil Beast Ghosts consider the Nine Circles of Hell their home.

The true nemesis of Demons is Devils. The former relies on astonishing numbers, while the latter relies on formidable quality. After a battle, the death ratio between Demons and Devils can reach as high as 6:1.

This means if a Devil gathers a force of ten thousand, the Demons would need to rally about sixty thousand to match.

The chaotic nature of Demons affects the outcome of battles.

Often, even before a battle begins, gathered Demons start fighting amongst themselves.

When the battle starts, the chaos reaches its peak; by the end, the Demons killed by their comrades even exceed those slaughtered by Devils.

Chen Feng must face the Devils head-on. If possible, he'd try to unearth this mastermind, as the live sacrifices were causing panic and leading to the widespread havoc of the insect tide.

If the live sacrifices could be stopped, survivors would have more time to resist the insect tide.

However, Devils come and go without a trace, and finding them requires some time for tracking and planning.

"I'm begging you, save my sister. She's only thirteen, she can't just die like this!"

"Please help me. If you save my sister, I'll repay your great kindness like a beast of burden."

A shrill voice came from ahead, interrupting Chen Feng's thoughts.

Clinic.

This was a clinic set up in the New City of Bridge East, unlike ordinary hospitals—it housed awakened professionals.

In the highly populated New City of Bridge East, the base of those awakening to become professionals is far larger than in Order. Within the clinic were five healers who routinely treated the injuries of warriors and professionals.

At this moment, a frail figure knelt before the clinic, appearing to be around twenty years old. Her body was emaciated, eyes sunken, clearly malnourished. Her clothing was strange, worn on the front, leaving the back entirely exposed.

It's not that the girl was lacking in propriety; her back had been severely injured at some point, with wounds already festering and blood occasionally flowing out. Wearing clothes would have caused them to stick, tearing open the wounds when removed, hence her peculiar attire.

Behind her lay a little girl who seemed to be afflicted by a strange disease. Her legs were stuck together, unable to separate, and covered in a rash. From her body emanated an unbearably foul odor.

The little girl lay weakly on the ground, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling slightly, looking as if she was on the brink of death.

The two looked nothing like a pair of sisters, more like messengers returning from Hell. No! They seemed as if cursed, each ravaged by illness, reduced to a most pitiful state.

At this moment, no one dared to approach them, instead standing more than three meters away, as if afraid of contracting something.

"Those two are truly pitiful, so young, yet stricken with such a strange disease."

"I live next door to them. Originally, they were two pretty girls, hardworking and sensible, but suddenly, they've become like this."

"What happened? They must've eaten something strange! Recently, someone accidentally ate poisonous mushrooms and reportedly scratched off their own skin before dying!"

"Ah, in these times, I say they'd be better off dead, relieving them of such suffering..."

The people around murmured, faces occasionally showing sympathy and sighs, but none stepped forward to help. Not that they didn't want to, but they didn't dare to.

In an apocalypse, things are nothing like peacetime. When you're ill, you can't just get a medical appointment and drip treatment. This is the end times, and medicine is a rarity. Most often, only city warriors have access to them.

In places like the clinic, the services are restricted to researchers and professionals who contribute to Bridge East.

As for ordinary people, they don't even have the right to step inside.

In the face of such a situation, even Feng Zhiyong is powerless. It's not that he's cruel and heartless, but the current environment is just like this...

Hospital medicines have already been discontinued, and trying to restore production requires a period of research and preparation. Moreover, there are only five healers in the entire east of the bridge. But how many survivors are there? Once a precedent is set, it would be a disaster for medical workers.

Although it is somewhat cruel, the lives of professionals are indeed more valuable than those of ordinary people. Therefore, the existence of these medical resources is to serve the upper echelons, and like these two ordinary patients in front of them, they simply aren't qualified to enjoy them.

The door of the medical clinic remains shut tight, like a chasm, cutting off the two's path to survival.

The surrounding crowd slowly disperses as well. Everyone is surviving with difficulty and has much work to do rather than watch a spectacle.

Perhaps due to concerns about city appearance, patrollers drive the two to the corner of the wall, and not far away, a few middle-aged men pushing flat carts sit nearby, seemingly chatting but always glancing over at the two.

Corpse Carrier.

This is a profession unique to the apocalypse. They do some cleaning work, once discovering bodies by the side of the road, they'll put them on the carts, take them away, and cremate them.

These people are like vultures, patiently waiting for the two sisters to breathe their last. The reason for doing so is to prevent the outbreak of a plague, without any excess sympathy. They see people die from accidents every day.

At this time, the two sisters are like abandoned stray dogs, driven into the corner of the wall.

It had rained a few days ago.

Around the corner is a muddy road. One step and mud splashes, and occasionally someone would dump garbage or feces there, so the area is always filled with a stench.

"Sister… I don't want to live anymore…"

"Qiqi, do you know what you're saying? You're only fourteen…"

"But it's too painful, sister… my body hurts, my stomach is so hungry… we can't hold on, sister…"

"Qiqi…"

The girl's body shudders, using all her strength to hold her sister.

A drop of tear falls.

The girl holds the other's weak body as tears the size of beans silently fall, the other's body is very cold.

The sister lies weakly on the ground.

Appearing somewhat in pain.

Since the apocalypse came, they've always lived together. Despite her young age, the sister is very sensible, even splitting a found pancake in two to bring back to share.

They lean on each other.

But illness tortures them both. In fact, they haven't had a proper rest in a week. They originally thought they only needed to endure, but their condition keeps worsening.

The arm is ulcerating.

The sister's legs have completely fused together.

They're tired and hungry.

Perhaps death… really is the only relief.

When mom was still around, she would often say that as long as you're alive, hope will come. But all I can see is darkness and despair. Hope? Does it really exist?

Eyelids are too heavy.

In the cold and hunger, the girl has exhausted all her strength; her consciousness slowly fades.

And just as she's about to fall into a coma, she faintly hears a slight footstep slowly approaching.

"Thud… thud…"

It's the sound of shoes pressing on the soil.

With the last of her strength, the girl opens the corner of her eye, only to see a backlit figure appear before her, like a deity, stepping in sunlight, so dazzling.

"Hope… Mr. Hope?"

This is the girl's last conscious thought before she falls into a coma, completely losing any sense of thought.

"Bleeding spine… tightly fused legs… The east of the bridge really is a blessed land; just the first day, I've stumbled upon such a big opportunity…" Chen Feng stared at the two girls, his tone low and powerful.