Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

Chapter 575: Chapter 141 ”Demon Fiend Attack”_1

In the bustling marketplace, the clamor of bargaining buyers and shouting sellers mingled, overwhelming the senses of most.

Of course, the human brain is structured to filter desired information from a cacophony of noises. This ability was especially pronounced in high-level professionists.

Take Arthur, for example.

At this moment, Arthur was munching on a street snack, his gaze fixed on Qin Shiyuan’s graceful back, all while contemplating their candlelit dinner for the evening.

He juggled these three tasks effortlessly, his alertness undiminished.

Safety was paramount. No one understood the perils of this world better than Arthur; even Yanjing offered no absolute sanctuary.

”Boss, can you give me a discount on this...”

Ahead, Qin Shiyuan was haggling with a stall owner. Arthur smiled faintly, having witnessed this scene countless times already today.

After being cooped up in the Eternal Sky City for so long, suddenly encountering a scene so similar to the pre-apocalyptic world made Qin Shiyuan genuinely excited and thrilled.

But this was a good thing.

Qin Shiyuan was unusually cheerful today. In fact, it might have been the first time Arthur had seen her in such high spirits since they first met.

This is worth it... Arthur thought.

A moment later, a faint scraping sound came from beneath his feet, so quiet it was almost imperceptible.

The sound was so faint it was barely discernible.

Although Arthur was Sequence Number 15, he wasn’t a professionist with inherently strong perception. He possessed Five Senses Distribution as a sensory tool, but without actively using it, Arthur was no different from a typical Peak Level 5 professionist.

Arthur strained his ears again, trying to pinpoint the sound from below. But now, it was gone. He even began to wonder if he had imagined it.

”Down there,” Arthur said, pointing. ”Is there space below us?”

The soldier he addressed looked momentarily surprised, then nodded. ”That’s the Yanjing Assembly Site’s sewer system.”

”So, are there any creatures down there?”

”There should be. Rats and the like. Although most of these small creatures were cleared out when the Yanjing Assembly Site’s sewer system was renovated, some must have slipped through the net. As you know, pests like rats and cockroaches are very difficult to completely eradicate.”

Hearing this, Arthur said no more. He took two steps forward, positioning himself closely behind Qin Shiyuan. This was a potential threat; who knew what terrifying creatures might mutate in the sewers? It wasn’t entirely out of the question for even divine beasts to emerge from rats and cockroaches!

Qin Shiyuan, having overheard their conversation, turned and asked skeptically, ”What’s the matter?”

Arthur slowly shook his head.

”Nothing—”

BOOM!

BOOM!

Arthur’s words were interrupted by two violent explosions!

「...」

”Let’s start.”

Shadow’s extremely low voice came through the communicator.

Hearing this, the black-robed man sneered faintly.

Though displeased with Shadow’s attitude, an order was an order, especially one from Lin Haifeng himself.

Lin Haifeng’s methods... and that little thing in my head... Thinking of these, the black-robed man shivered violently.

A powerful yet subtle Spiritual Fluctuation rippled out, connecting with his countless ”treasures” in the sewer.

A moment later, the black-robed man slowly raised his head, his crimson eyes glinting coldly in the dim sewer.

”Get moving, my treasures... Kill every living creature up there!!!”

As the black-robed man’s voice faded, the entire sewer system below suddenly erupted into chaos!

「...」

BOOM!

BOOM!

Two successive explosions boomed nearby. Arthur didn’t immediately look; instead, he swiftly pulled Qin Shiyuan to his side. Only after ensuring she was protected did he turn to assess the surroundings.

Looking up, he saw two large iron discs—manhole covers from the nearby sewers—rocketing skyward like missiles, spinning as they flew into the distance.

The sudden explosions threw the entire market into disarray. Anyone who had survived this long knew a crucial rule: when faced with the unknown, distance equaled safety. That was the surest way to stay alive.

So, chaos erupted instantly!

The smarter ones immediately fled towards less crowded streets.

The slightly less astute ducked into nearby shops—a flawed strategy. Considering the current average power level of professionists, supposed reinforced concrete offered no more protection than paper. Hiding in a room might, at best, briefly obstruct a creature’s line of sight.

Worse still, some exploited the chaos to loot goods from the stalls.

None of this chaos, nor the desperate actions of the crowd, distracted Arthur. As the strongest professionist among the dozen or so people in his immediate vicinity, he instinctively took charge.

”Women, behind me! Soldiers, clear a path at the rear! Let’s get out of here, quickly!”

His order was instantly and strictly followed by the dozen or so people around him.

Their formation shifted rapidly within seconds. Then, keeping a wary eye on the sewer entrances, Arthur began to lead a retreat.

However, time had run out...

「...」

THUD.

CLANG.

BOOM!

A cacophony of sounds began to erupt along the entire street... Each was the sound of another manhole cover blasting open.

The sheer number and rapid succession of these sounds made Arthur’s scalp prickle. This wasn’t a few small animals like rats or cockroaches; this was an organized, premeditated attack!

As for the attackers...

When an Ancient Demon, its body covered in scales, its four arms flailing wildly, crawled out of a distant sewer opening, Arthur instantly grasped the situation.

A Demon Fiend attack... Had these Demon Fiends tunneled into the Yanjing Assembly Site? Or had some unknown skill or item allowed them to infiltrate? Or, worse still, was this the work of some conspirators or power-hungry individuals...? None of that mattered now.

What mattered was that as the first Level 5 Ancient Demon emerged, countless other Demon Fiends began to pour out from nearly every sewer entrance in the market.

The overwhelming number of creatures and the cacophony they produced jolted Arthur to full alertness.

”They were prepared! Quick, charge! Get out of here!!!”

So many Demon Fiends lurking underground, yet I only heard faint noises. Without some ability to mask their presence, I wouldn’t believe it myself. This means it’s a well-prepared and long-planned attack—or rather, a suicide attack!

With that thought, Arthur instantly equipped his Soul-Armored. A massive Sword Light erupted from his giant sword, cleaving the nearest Level 4 Demon Fiend in half!