The entire relic was experiencing battles everywhere.
Some were organizations encountering each other, conflicts arising, and eventually leading to clashes.
There were also crises originating from within the relic itself.
Various locations were more or less experiencing some small-scale skirmishes!
...
In the forest.
Several mercenaries from the Tamu Mercenary Group, along with two beautiful girls, were making their way through the forest with difficulty.
The difficulty stemmed from having encountered beast attacks several times in the forest!
Just then, a python as thick as a water bucket attacked them. Several mercenaries had to exert almost all their strength to kill this colossal snake.
"Damn it, what kind of hellish place is this? What kind of creatures are appearing here?"
The mercenaries sat down, panting heavily. Almost everyone was injured, and two teammates had even lost their lives in previous beast attacks.
This damned place was driving these so-called elites to the brink of collapse.
Even in war zones, facing endless artillery fire and bullets, they had never felt the fear of facing unknown creatures as intensely as here.
"Are we going back to primitive society? Otherwise, where would such a giant python come from?"
"Who knows what this place is? Also, this place is so dangerous, and we're still carrying two burdens. Before we even get out of the forest, all of us might perish!"
"I think these two women are just dead weight, why don't we..."
A few mercenaries whispered among themselves, then glanced towards the two girls resting dozens of meters away. Their throats bobbed, and they revealed knowing smiles.
On the other side, the two girls were sitting on the ground, resting.
Shangguan Yanran looked around vigilantly, saying worriedly, "Bao'er, this forest is so dangerous. Aren't you scared?"
"Of course, I'm scared. But if the sky falls, those big傻大个 will hold it up, so don't worry!"
Beside her, Yao Bao'er was munching on sunflower seeds and searching her backpack for snacks. Unfortunately, she had eaten all her snacks.
She listlessly cracked the last sunflower seed in her hand, smacked her lips, and felt a bit unhappy. Those big傻大个 were too poor, only bringing such a small amount of snacks when going out, not enough to eat at all!
Seeing her indifferent attitude, as if she didn't care about anything other than snacks, Shangguan Yanran found it both funny and exasperating.
She suddenly remembered something and looked at the other girl curiously, "Bao'er, I heard people outside call you 'Ten Thousand Slayer'. What's that about?"
"I don't know either. I'm clearly just a weak woman with no strength to even tie up a chicken."
Shangguan Yanran was a bit confused, but she could tell that the other girl, like her, was a weak woman. So why would those people from the Dragon Group say that?
It was truly strange!
Yao Bao'er was rummaging through other combat backpacks again, checking if she had missed any snacks.
However, to her regret, after turning the mercenaries' backpacks inside out, she found no other edible snacks besides those hard compressed biscuits.
"Yanran, do you have any snacks in your bag?" Yao Bao'er turned her gaze to Shangguan Yanran.
But at this moment.
The mercenaries from a distance walked over, their combat knives still stained with the python's blood. Their intimidating aura made Shangguan Yanran tremble with fear and involuntarily inch backward.
Especially as they approached with evil smiles, Shangguan Yanran hurriedly and vigilantly asked, "What do you want?"
"What do we want?"
The mercenaries exchanged glances and smiled. One of them even stuck his blood-stained combat knife into the ground, threatening, "Carrying you two burdens is tiring for us, and more dangerous. So, in return for protecting you for so long, you two should accompany us for some fun!"
"No, don't!"
Shangguan Yanran's face changed, instantly turning pale, and she quickly recoiled.
"You little bitch! If it weren't for us, you'd have been eaten by beasts long ago. And you're unwilling to have some fun with us?"
"Why bother talking so much with them? Let's be direct. Either play with us and satisfy us masters, and we'll ensure you leave the relic safely; or die. We won't carry two burdens while traveling!"
The mercenaries cajoled and threatened, causing Shangguan Yanran to tremble uncontrollably.
She had long guessed what fate awaited her after being captured by these mercenaries, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
"I'd rather die than agree to you!" Shangguan Yanran said through gritted teeth.
The mercenaries frowned, but then sneered, "That's not up to you!"
They were preparing to use force!
Shangguan Yanran felt despair. She placed her right hand into her backpack, where a dagger was kept. Shangguan Yun had given it to her before they left, so she would have some means of self-preservation.
Now, knowing she was powerless to resist these villains, she could only choose to end herself before being defiled.
She would rather die than endure their insults and survive.
As the mercenaries gradually approached, their faces displaying lecherous gazes as they surveyed her, Shangguan Yanran had already found the dagger in her backpack and was about to commit suicide.
However, at that moment, Yao Bao'er spoke up.
"Hey, don't you smell a fragrance?"
"Fragrance? What fragrance?"
The mercenaries paused, sniffed carefully, and indeed, there seemed to be a fragrance, but they paid it no mind.
Yao Bao'er put on a harmless expression and asked again, "Then... do you feel a bit weak all over?"
The mercenaries immediately frowned. Their bodies did seem to be starting to feel a sense of weakness, and this feeling was becoming more pronounced.
Following that, one of them suddenly slumped to the ground.
"What's happening?" one of them shouted, then his legs went weak, and he subsequently fell to the ground.
"There's, there's poison..."
Within a few breaths, all the mercenaries had collapsed to the ground. Besides feeling weak all over and unable to muster any strength, they were even starting to experience shortness of breath.
Only then did they realize that there seemed to be poisonous gas in the air.
Yao Bao'er then stood up, pouted, and put her hands on her hips, saying, "I knew you guys had ill intentions. Daring to mess with me? You're tired of living!"
"You, you are... Ten Thousand Slayer!" Suddenly, one mercenary thought of something and a look of fear appeared on his face.
He had clearly recalled the Death Mercenary Squad, Ten Thousand Slayer.
The mercenaries' eyes widened as if they had discovered something terrifying. As their breathing became more rapid, they were instantly choked red in the face, and their eyeballs began to bulge.
Finally, after struggling a few times, they lay completely still, unmoving.
Shangguan Yanran had never expected such an outcome. These ferocious mercenaries had just died? She released the dagger from her backpack, her palms now covered in sweat.
She stood up, looking at the dead mercenaries, and said tremblingly, "They're dead?"
Yao Bao'er also frowned, saying strangely, "I just released something in the air that makes people feel weak. This shouldn't happen. Oh well, I seem to have mixed up the medicine again by accident."
"..."
Shangguan Yanran didn't know what to say, but the death of these mercenaries meant they were spared humiliation. It was fine for these beasts to die.
But soon, she sniffed and detected a faint fragrance, after which she began to feel weak.
She had a bad premonition and looked towards Yao Bao'er.
"I'm feeling a bit weak. Is it the same as their situation?"