The Heretical Husband Is Too Good at Acting! - Chapter 14

The onslaught of monsters continued wave after wave, as if they would never stop.

Compared to the ease and composure on this side, the situation across the way looked incredibly difficult. Some couldn’t help but speculate that perhaps because the Lord was trying to protect so many people alone, he lacked the strength to do it all, finding himself stretched thin and unable to prevent people from falling into peril. But it was different on the girl’s side; they had three guardians of extraordinary strength.

If they could just get behind those guardians…

Presumably, many people were thinking the same thing.

During an interval after defeating a wave of monsters, someone finally couldn’t resist leaving their original position and quietly slipped behind Chen Mo and his companions. At first, it was only one or two people, but later, seeing that the Lord’s expression was poor yet he didn’t speak to stop them, more people grew bold and ran behind Chen Mo’s group.

Chen Mo and the others were somewhat surprised by the situation, but they did not stop them either. In particular, Zhang Tao and Shen Junyao’s original mission was to come in and rescue those who were trapped.

Although Yan Heng said nothing, his lover—a young man with a murderous gaze—suddenly lashed out with his leg, kicking someone who was trying to flee to the other side directly into the hands of a pouncing monster. The person was instantly torn to shreds by the swarming creatures.

“Qu Wenhao, what are you doing?”

The trapped survivors who witnessed this were stunned and couldn’t help but shout out in questioning; some also looked toward Yan Heng.

Yan Heng merely snorted coldly and did not speak. His expression made it clear he supported Qu Wenhao’s actions. A chill ran through the hearts of the crowd as they finally remembered exactly what kind of man Yan Heng truly was. In fact, they should have seen it long ago from the way he treated dissenters.

Sure enough, a second later, Qu Wenhao spoke up: “What do you think the Lord’s side is? A place where you can stay or leave as you please?”

Ever since Qu Wenhao started following Yan Heng, he had quickly risen to favor by knowing how to anticipate his master’s whims. He glanced at Yan Heng, and judging from the other’s expression that his approach was correct, he announced to everyone with even more arrogance: “Those who stay tonight will continue to receive the Lord’s protection. As for those seeking other options, the base won’t force you to stay. Please leave once dawn breaks!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the people who had fled to the other side began to panic. After all, Chen Mo and the others were newcomers; if the Lord did not welcome them, they would have to leave. They had experienced what it was like outside the base—even if food and water weren’t an issue, the environment changed at any moment, and there was simply no place where they could find long-term shelter.

Consequently, some people changed their minds again and wanted to run back. However, those trying to return were not welcomed.

Just then, another wave of monsters attacked. Yan Heng still did not take action, and even Qu Wenhao stopped interfering. The isolated, hesitating survivors encountered the monsters head-on and quickly lost their lives, leaving streaks of crimson blood across the scene.

Chen Mo witnessed two people die before his eyes in succession in such a brutal manner; his heart found it difficult to bear. He exchanged a few quiet words with the two captains and then spoke to the remaining people behind them: “Don’t act impulsively anymore. When dawn breaks, we will try to negotiate with Lord Yan to see if we can set aside past grievances and let you stay. If that’s not possible, then you should come with us. We are looking for a way out, and if all goes well, we hope to lead everyone away from this place.”

Upon hearing this, many people showed expressions of temporary relief, but some people’s expressions became subtle.

“The strength of you three is very great. The God will notice you; the God will recognize you and permit you to settle here and lead everyone in building the base. That way, we won’t have to pin our hopes on a nonexistent exit; everyone can just find a different place to survive!” A middle-aged man suddenly spoke up loudly.

“The God’s permission?” Chen Mo exchanged a look with the two captains. Leaving the incoming monsters to them, he struck up a conversation with the middle-aged man: “What do you mean by that?”

The middle-aged man was named Chen Zhiyuan. Seeing Chen Mo’s attentive listening, he felt a bit more at ease. “You should be able to see that Yan Heng’s abilities are beyond those of ordinary people; he is an Esper. The God grants preferential treatment to such Espers. The Lord of the base I was at before was also an Esper, and he mentioned to us that he was permitted by the God of the Inner World to build a base. Unfortunately, something happened later and that Lord went missing; he never returned after going out once, and soon after, that base was overrun by monsters, and the people inside scattered and fled…”

Chen Mo was curious and asked, “Did your former Lord ever say how he communicated with the God of the Inner World and gained recognition?”

Chen Zhiyuan actually knew. “A Messenger will come; you won’t have to wait long. As long as you demonstrate enough strength, a Messenger of God will soon come knocking—perhaps as early as tomorrow!”

As Chen Zhiyuan spoke, his tone became excited. His originally dejected eyes turned very bright. He stared urgently at Chen Mo and pleaded, “If you build a new base, can you take my daughter away from here?”

Chen Mo: “Your daughter?”

Chen Zhiyuan turned toward Yan Heng’s direction, stared for a while, and pointed to one of the young men and women behind him: “That girl in the yellow dress is my daughter. It was my birthday that day, and she said she wanted to celebrate outside. It was my fault; I insisted on cooking at home and went out with her to buy groceries. Who knew… I know she’s unwilling to be with Yan Heng, it’s just for my sake that she has to…”

As Chen Zhiyuan spoke, he couldn’t help but cry. A man in his forties or fifties should be in his prime, yet a trace of the weariness found in the elderly appeared on his face.

Chen Mo followed the direction of his finger and saw the appearance of the girl in the yellow dress. She was around twenty years old and indeed a beautiful girl, but her expression was cold and world-weary. This wasn’t surprising; at her age in the outside world, she should have been in university with a bright future ahead of her. Yet, because of an ordinary grocery trip, she had blundered into this inexplicable place and ended up as the lover of a middle-aged man. Putting oneself in her shoes, it was truly hard to accept.

“Alright, we will all go out together,” Chen Mo promised him.

Right at that moment, Chen Mo felt an unusual aura. Turning around, the sight before him made him startle slightly.

“New monsters are coming!” “What are these things? I’ve never seen them before!” Someone couldn’t help but scream: “It’s the ‘Supervisors’!” “There are actually five of them! Aren’t ‘Supervisors’ supposed to act alone?”

Not everyone in the base had seen a “Supervisor,” because many who had seen them were dead. The voice of the person speaking was filled with despair, and they didn’t even have the heart to explain to the other companions who didn’t know the danger of these monsters.

If the blue-clothed faceless monsters—the “Employees”—were entities they could fight against by banding together, facing a “Supervisor” was almost like waiting for death. Those who had stayed in other bases before had witnessed with their own eyes how these monsters known as “Supervisors” could massacre a base, even easily devouring leaders with supernatural powers.

After the “Employees” on the perimeter were quickly dealt with, Zhang Tao and Shen Junyao came to Chen Mo’s side. The three of them stood side by side, their expressions grave.

In front of them stood five of what the crowd called “Supervisors”—identical to the split-mouthed monster Chen Mo had killed at the children’s playground. Pale skin, disproportionate limbs and torsos, a massive mouth that divided the entire face in two, forest-white sharp teeth, and pitch-black pointed nails…

An unusual sense of pressure permeated the air. Even the attacks from the other blue-clothed faceless monsters paused. Everyone held their breath and watched; no one noticed that Yan Heng’s eyes brightened slightly after these high-level monsters appeared, his gaze carrying a hint of cold laughter.

The target of these split-mouthed monsters was very clear: Chen Mo and his group. Their movements were as swift as the wind as they lunged at the three of them with startling speed.

“Be on your guard,” Shen Junyao warned. He glanced at Chen Mo, who was protected behind them, and the latter nodded.

Chen Mo knew the danger of these things. He had put in a great deal of effort to deal with just one back then; facing five at once certainly brought some pressure. Fortunately, this time he had two companions who seemed very reliable.

As they spoke, the five monsters were already upon them. Shen Junyao was the first to meet them, the fruit knife in his hand moving like lightning as it slashed toward the throat of one monster. The monster reacted quickly, raising its arm to block, but the blade still sliced open its skin, and blood gushed out. However, the monster did not fall because of this; instead, it roared and swung a fist in retaliation. The wind from the punch was fierce, creating a dull thud as it struck the ground.

Zhang Tao and Chen Mo also joined the fight, the three of them coordinating perfectly. The mop handle in Zhang Tao’s hand flew through the air as he nimbly moved between the monsters, specifically attacking their joints with extreme precision every time he struck. Chen Mo had discarded his baseball bat and was using the dagger Shen Junyao had given him earlier. Relying on his excellent reaction speed, he constantly dodged the monsters’ attacks and aimed specifically for their vital points with sharp, swift movements.

However, these monsters were far more difficult to deal with than the one Chen Mo had killed outside. It was as if they held a home-field advantage; whenever the group thought they had successfully knocked one down, the monsters would always stubbornly stand back up and launch another frenzied attack.

Shen Junyao slashed a monster’s shoulder. After briefly losing its combat capability, the wound healed miraculously, and it staggered back into the fray. Zhang Tao delivered a horizontal strike that knocked a monster’s head askew, the force of the impact making his arm go numb, yet after a brief pause, the monster returned to its peak state as if unaffected and lunged toward Chen Mo.

“Something’s not right; these guys are way harder to deal with than that split-mouthed monster!” Chen Mo cursed under his breath, sweat beaded on his forehead.

As the minutes ticked by, the three fought with increasing ferocity, but their physical strength was gradually being depleted. By the time they finally managed to completely crush the five split-mouthed monsters, it was nine o’clock in the morning.

The lights overhead flickered on, and the darkness receded. The last monster crashed down with a dull wail, and the surroundings finally fell silent.

The three men were panting heavily, standing amidst the corpses of the five monsters, their bodies covered in blood. Unlike the blue-clothed faceless monsters, these split-mouthed creatures seemed more like biological organisms—they felt pain and bled when injured. But their recovery power was astonishing, as if some invisible force were driving them from behind, giving them endless support and making them fearless of death. It wasn’t until dawn, when that support was forced to a halt, that they were finally defeated.

“I suspect that if it weren’t for the sunrise, they would have kept getting back up to fight,” Chen Mo panted, voicing his theory.

Zhang Tao thoroughly agreed. “What on earth are these things?”

Shen Junyao corrected him, “The question should be: what exactly is behind them?”

All three were exhausted, immersed in their own deductions, and failed to notice that the night-long battle had left the watching survivors completely spellbound.

A flash of complex emotion crossed Yan Heng’s eyes. His expression shifted unpredictably, suggesting he had undergone a very complicated psychological transition, before he finally walked over slowly.

He pulled a hypocritical smile and clapped his hands in praise: “The three of you truly have remarkable skills!”