Chapter 50: Florida Woman Guns Down Four Locals During Coup D'etat Riot to Protect Husband’s Convenience Store; Husband Denies Involvement, Claims He Was Busy Digging for Oil

"ARGH!!"

A Lamia warrior behind Mei screamed after a loud bang, squirming on the ground and clutching her belly. Mei turned around and checked her subordinate.

Upon seeing a hole in her armor, Mei reported to Zhu Xin Ci, "It's the same weapon the humans on the walls used."

"How annoying," Zhu Xin Ci looked up, frustrated by the unknown barrier and the sneaky firearm. Hating being on the defense, she asked Mei, "What methods have you used on this barrier so far?"

"A weapon smack, a javelin throw, and rock throwing. Every time we attacked, the barrier retaliated and killed our warriors. One of us tried to bypass it but was fried to a crisp. The corpse is still over there."

Mei pointed at a Lamia corpse near the entrance, cooked by an unknown force after she had managed to get closer to the door.

"What about magic?" Zhu Xin Ci wondered if they could crack the barrier from above.

"Same result. Our shamans were the first to hit this place. They all died."

Zhu Xin Ci's expression darkened. She turned and gave the building a meaningful look.

*BANG*

Another gunshot rang out, and a Lamia behind Mei took a hit, screaming in pain and pressing on her chest as blue blood gushed from her wound.

Deeming the sniper on the rooftop a threat, Zhu Xin Ci made a quick decision. She grabbed the two hostages and bit them, injecting poison into their bloodstream. Then, she pushed them toward the barrier and ordered, "Walk! Get to that thing!"

The hostages, intimidated by the glaring Lamias, hesitated but then walked toward Felix's house. They entered the barrier without being struck by lightning.

Zhu Xin Ci smirked and ordered everyone, "Tell everybody to keep their distance from this place. Focus on gathering seedbed slaves. Once we're done here, we'll report back to Mother and wait for her orders."

Mei and the surrounding Lamias retreated warily, glancing at the rooftop. Zhu Xin Ci also looked up, glaring at Jane. Although she couldn't see her face clearly, Zhu Xin Ci remembered the gunpowder scent.

"I want to see if you can take on my mother. Just you wait!"

*BANG*

A bullet came directly for Zhu Xin Ci's forehead.

*PA*

Like clapping a mosquito, Zhu Xin Ci caught the bullet in her hands. When she opened her palms, a flattened piece of lead lay there, glued to her hand. White smoke rose from it as the hot metal burned her skin. Peeling the bullet from her palm, Zhu Xin Ci scoffed and threw the flattened piece of metal away.

.

.

Rooftop

Watching the Lamia troops slither away, Jane lowered her rifle, letting out a sigh of relief. The golem next to her nodded in satisfaction.

"Is it over?" Jane couldn't believe the monsters had retreated so easily.

The golem puffed his chest and curled his arm, "CEMENT, STRONK!"

"Yes, yes, indeed. You're very strong, stupid golem." Jane giggled and shifted her attention back to the front street. Although the enemies were gone, she didn't let her guard down.

Valley, who had been cowering behind Jane, asked, "J-Jane, are they gone?"

"Yes, for now."

"W-What about the hostages?"

"…I don't know."

"Are they dead?!"

"…I don't know." Jane shrugged, not really caring.

Valley sniffed, feeling bad for the hostages. She lamented, "I wish I could have saved them. I wish I were stronger! Poor child and that mother."

"…"

At first, Jane didn't think much of Valley's naive comments and complaints. But upon hearing the last sentence, Jane had a question in her mind. She couldn't even see through the distorted barrier to identify the enemies. How could Valley see the hostage silhouettes and know they were a child and a mother?

Realizing this, Jane turned and gave Valley a meaningful look, "My lady, there's something I always wanted to ask you."

"Y-Yes?"

"What do you see beyond the barrier?" Jane pointed at the distorted silhouette of retreating Lamias.

Valley peeked out and followed Jane's finger. She blinked twice and answered, "I see half-woman, half-snake monsters."

"…Huh? Lamias?" Jane frowned. Then, she pointed at the blurry house on the opposite side of the street, "What about there?"

"A burning house… and two dead bodies." Valley was about to cry harder.

"Two dead bodies?!" Jane cocked her head in confusion, trying to see the house properly. However, aside from the blurry, distorted house warped by the barrier, she couldn't see a person or an object.

This made Jane curious if Valley had an innate talent in eyesight or had inherited Roland's appraisal abilities. She smiled at the young lady.

"You're gifted, my lady."

"…Me?" Valley bitterly laughed.

As the two celebrated their little victory, the child and the pregnant woman knocked on the door, begging for help.

"Anybody in there?! Please let us in!!"

"!!!"

Valley instantly heard them. Surprised that they were still alive, she dashed down the stairs to the first floor, "They're alive, Jane!"

"…"

Jane followed Valley without thinking much. Meanwhile, the golem charged forward, overtaking her and chasing after Valley.

Arriving at the first floor, the young lady unlocked the door. The golem, who had been following Valley, dashed toward her and pulled her away from the entrance. seaʀᴄh thё Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"ROTTEN!" the golem roared, "Rotten Semen!"

Jane arrived a second later. Her survival instinct kicked in as she witnessed everything. She raised her rifle and aimed at the door.

The pregnant woman pushed the door open and rushed inside, smiling widely and raising her voice.

"What took you so long?!"

After yelling, the woman scratched her neck where Zhu Xin Ci had bitten her. Her blood vessels slowly turned blue, and foam formed at the corners of her mouth. The boy followed her in, covering his bitten neck with his hands to stop the bleeding. He pleaded with Valley and Jane, "Help!"

Valley struggled against the golem, yelling, "Let me go! We need to tend to their wounds!"

The golem ignored her request and hurled the teenager at Jane, expecting her to catch the troublemaker. Instead, Jane sidestepped, dodging Valley, and aimed at the two newcomers.

"Get out, or I'll kill you," Jane coldly warned the uninvited guests.

Valley, in pain from her fall, got up, surprised by Jane and the golem's hostile stance against the helpless survivors. "Jane, why?!" Valley protested, holding Jane's arm.

Still glaring at the boy and the pregnant woman, Jane explained Lamia's special abilities. "Do you know how they multiply?"

"What do you mean? Hey, stop that! Don't shoot them!"

Annoyed, Jane elbowed Valley's chest, knocking her down. She carefully aimed at the pregnant woman and elaborated, "Any woman bitten by a Lamia will either mutate into one of them or turn into a monster."

As soon as Jane finished her sentence, the bitten woman screeched. Her nails grew longer, and one of her legs fell off.

Before the woman could finish the Lamia transformation, Jane pulled the trigger.

*BANG*

The bullet penetrated the woman's forehead, dropping her instantly. Meanwhile, the boy started squirming. Red blood gushed from his pants, and a piece of human flesh slipped out.

Jane and the golem turned to the boy, who was rapidly transforming. Jane clicked her tongue and continued, "For men, there are three outcomes: they transform into a woman and mutate into a Lamia; they die from the poison; or…"

The boy's flesh and muscles bloated, his head sinking into his growing body.

*BANG*

Before the boy could complete his transformation, Jane shot him in the forehead, destroying his brain. He stopped moving and collapsed on the floor.

"Well, as you can see, they can mutate into an abomination. Nobody bitten by a Lamia has survived and returned as a human!"

Valley, shedding tears from her chest pain and the day's tragedy, stared at the mutated victims' corpses. Jane noticed Valley's expression, shook her head, and sighed deeply. If Valley had never helped Jane in the past, she would have left the emotional noble lady to her fate.

Consoling her former master, Jane knelt and hugged Valley, "Everything will be fine. Nobody can harm you as long as I'm here. For now, forget everything today. Let's go back to your room upstairs."

Carrying the lady, Jane proceeded upstairs, leaving the corpses for the golem to handle.

The golem silently threw the dead bodies outside, closed the door, and locked it. He pushed a cabinet against the door, blocking the entrance. After finishing, the golem stood guard, protecting the house from outside monsters and the unstable humans inside.

"…Semen," the golem complained.

.

.

Meanwhile, Felix patrolled around the constructing oil derrick.

"ACHOO!!"

Sticky mucus shot from Felix's nostrils, dangling over his mouth. He pinched them and flicked the wet boogers away, then patted his butt to clean his fingers.

"ACHOO!!"

Again, Felix sneezed, this time producing a mini fireball. After snorting, he wiped his nose with his sleeve and complained, "Am I allergic to something? I normally don't sneeze, even in winter. What the hell?"

Eins, in the floating system portrait, flicked her tongue, grinning. Jessica glanced at the little hydra hatchling and sighed as if she knew the cause.

<One bite is enough, okay, little one?> Jessica warned Eins.

Eins tilted her cobra head, not understanding.

<…He's lucky he has poison immunity from his bloodline. Oh, well. Lucky him.>