Chapter 108: Fragrant

Chen Ling scanned his surroundings, avoided the streets Xi Renjie had already cleared, and headed straight for the most chaotic direction.

So far, Frost Street and Cold Snow Street had been completely cleared by Chen Ling. Before leaving, Chen Ling also told the residents to lock their doors and windows, not to make a sound no matter what happened, and not to open the doors casually. After all, according to the killing logic of those disasters, this was the safest way.

At this point, Chen Ling’s deterrent power came into play. Not a single person on the two streets dared to question his orders; they all nodded like chickens pecking at rice, then locked themselves in their homes.

Chen Ling even felt that even if a major earthquake came and collapsed the houses, not one of these people would run outside.

Along the way, batches of panicked residents would run wildly through the streets without a target. If he encountered anyone controlled by a shadow, Chen Ling would kill them on the spot. If they weren't controlled, Chen Ling would stuff them into unmanned houses and tell them not to run around.

Chen Ling walked through street after street, the ground covered in broken corpses. The further he went toward the edge, the more corpses there were. Most had had their doors forcibly broken open and been killed, or had been slaughtered in one go by disasters hiding in the shadows while a group of them were fleeing together.

Compared to these streets, the losses on Frost Street could be considered a "no-damage" clear.

"Hoo..."

In the ruined street, Chen Ling pulled his dagger from the body of a broiler and let out a long breath.

More than two hours had passed since the disaster invasion began. Chen Ling didn't remember how many broilers he had killed. His hand holding the knife was a bit weak, several magazines for his handgun were empty, and even the stabs he had given himself earlier had almost healed.

Even with [Blood Garment], he couldn't quite handle such intense combat. A deep sense of fatigue washed over him.

Just as Chen Ling was numbly walking toward the next street with his knife, his nose twitched, and he suddenly stopped.

"So fragrant..." Chen Ling muttered to himself.

A long-lost luster appeared in his dull eyes. He turned his head to scan the surroundings, found the direction the alluring fragrance was coming from, and walked toward it subconsciously.

In this neighborhood filled with the smell of blood, this fragrance was like a campfire in a world of extreme cold—so conspicuous, warm, and making one want to approach it subconsciously... Chen Ling quickened his pace, walked through half a street, and finally stopped in front of a broken house.

This was a brewery. The door had been smashed, and the entrance was filled with blood and severed limbs. A raging fire was burning from the depths of the house, as if it had ignited something.

Chen Ling frowned. He gripped his dagger tightly and walked inside.

The shop was in complete disarray. The sturdy shopkeeper was holding a black rod, the tip of which was burning with flames. He was shouting and screaming while smashing it frantically at a broiler pinned down by wall debris.

With the pounding of the fire-stick, half of the broiler’s body was set ablaze, and the rich fragrance came from its body.

"Die! Die! Die!!"

"Damn it! I’m not that easy to mess with!"

"You want to eat me?! I’ll scald your mouth for you!"

The shopkeeper picked up a jar of wine, took a huge gulp, and sprayed it onto the tip of the black rod. The burning flame suddenly expanded several times, and with a roar of courage, he shoved it into the broiler’s mouth!

Swallowing the fire, the broiler’s body struggled violently. A sharp screech echoed through the shop, making the shopkeeper’s eardrums ache.

Boom—!!

In extreme pain, the broiler broke free from the wall pinning it down. Its half-burning body stumbled, knocking over a large pile of furniture, and rushed toward the shopkeeper at high speed!

The shopkeeper hadn't expected the thing to still be able to move, and his face changed drastically. He wanted to pull out the burning stick, but he had no chance. His body was hit as if by a scorching train, slamming heavily against the wall behind him.

Just then, a black figure whistled and rushed in front of him!

A heavy whip-kick landed on the underside of the heavy broiler, sending it flying. The shopkeeper felt a gust of wind brush his face, and the centipede was kicked into the corner.

Enduring the sharp pain in his chest, he looked up. A young man in a black trench coat was standing there calmly, looking at the burning shadow centipede, lost in thought.

Chen Ling glanced at him. "Can you still move?"

"...I, I think so."

"Go find a place to hide."

After saying this, Chen Ling stopped looking at him and walked straight toward the meat chicken.

In the corner of the room, the meat chicken, now mostly charred black, was writhing frantically, stripped of its original ferocity and eeriness. Chen Ling casually pulled the stick from its mouth, and the meat chicken’s painful screeching rang out once more.

Chen Ling stared straight at it, motionless as a statue.

The shopkeeper, annoyed by the centipede's noise, instinctively covered his ears. Just as he was about to say something, he saw the figure in the black trench coat and his Adam's apple bobbed...

"You..."

"Don't you think it smells delicious?" Chen Ling suddenly spoke.

The shopkeeper froze.

He stared blankly at the writhing, charred centipede. Perhaps due to the scorching flames, the air was filled with the acrid, pungent smell of burning plastic.

"What did you say?" He thought he had misheard.

"Nothing."

Chen Ling waved his hand. "You should go."

"Don't you need my help? Although I'm not an Enforcer, I'm actually quite good at fighting." The shopkeeper finally voiced his inner thoughts.

He was indeed capable and sharp-witted; becoming an Enforcer had been his dream in his youth... Unfortunately, his family's wealth wasn't enough to support him in becoming one. And this Enforcer before him might be his only shortcut.

Chen Ling had no time to talk to him now and spoke again in a low voice: "Go."

Seeing Chen Ling's cold attitude, a flash of disappointment crossed the shopkeeper's eyes. He lowered his head and finally walked out of the shop.

Once Chen Ling was the only one left in the room, he finally let out a sigh of relief. He looked at the fragrant roasted chicken before him and couldn't help but swallow his saliva again.

When he was further away, Chen Ling hadn't felt much, but standing right in front of this fire-roasted meat chicken, his physiological reactions were becoming uncontrollable... The aroma of wine and chicken meat blended perfectly under the roasting flames, emitting a charming, intoxicating scent—sweet yet not cloying, very much like the Huadiao chicken he used to eat often.

Chen Ling was already exhausted and famished; the moment he smelled the wine-roasted chicken, his mouth began to water uncontrollably.

His reason told him this was a Calamity and he absolutely shouldn't eat it—who knew what was inside its body? Bacteria? Parasites? Or something else? But even so, he couldn't stop himself from taking a step, slowly approaching the roasted chicken...