Disaster Strikes - Chapter 23:

Chapter 23:Hive Organization

Hiding in the bushes of a tropical island is definitely not a pleasant experience. Mosquitoes are everywhere, like relentless demons and in no time these starving ghosts’ bodies are covered in large red welts.

In the disaster world, there is no sign of life, and naturally, there are no mosquito bites.

These starving ghosts have never seen such a scene before. At this moment, they are almost more panicked than when facing the black-robed thugs. Their bodies itch terribly, driving them almost crazy.

The only good news is that dawn is approaching.

“Found it!”

After searching for a long time, Chen Mo finally found a mosquito-repellent plant in this forest.

This is common knowledge for Chen Mo. When he was a child in the countryside, he often used this kind of mosquito-repellent plant. However, later, with the popularity of mosquito repellent lotion and electric mosquito coils, people gradually stopped using this primitive way of repelling mosquitoes.

Chen Mo demonstrated to Ku Wu, Tao Zi, and Han Xue, applying the mosquito-repellent grass juice on his body.

“Does this really work?”

Tao Zi looked skeptical, Han Xue looked disgusted but Ku Wu without a word followed Chen Mo’s example and started applying it on himself.

Just a moment later, Ku Wu exclaimed in surprise, “It seems to really work.”

Upon hearing this, Tao Zi and Han Xue immediately stopped hesitating.

Compared to the strange smell of the mosquito-repellent grass, it was much better than continuing to be bitten by mosquitoes here. So, the two of them also started applying it on themselves, even helping each other apply it to hard to reach places.

“How did you know about this?”

Tao Zi, feeling the effectiveness of the mosquito-repellent grass, asked eagerly.

Han Xue then looked deeply at Chen Mo and explained for him, “Did you learn all this in the library?”

With Han Xue stepping in to explain, Chen Mo naturally wouldn’t offer any unnecessary explanations.

On the other side, the adult starving ghosts, also tormented by mosquitoes, noticed the strange behaviour of Chen Mo’s group. Out of curiosity, Tian Tian approached them. After looking them up and down for a while, she understood why the four of them had applied a colourful substance on their bodies—it was for repelling mosquitoes.

However, she had not paid attention to what plant they were using.

After hesitating for a moment, she glanced at Ku Wu and Chen Mo, then finally approached them voluntarily.

A fragrant breeze wafted by.

Tian Tian was a stunning woman with a devilish figure, and she did not hide her seductive charm. Faced with the hostility from Tao Zi and Han Xue, she chose to ignore it and affectionately placed a hand on Chen Mo’s shoulder.

“Big brother traveller, my body is also itching, it’s so uncomfortable.”

Her voice was sweet and charming. Although Chen Mo was mentally prepared, he still found it hard to resist.

Tao Zi, seeing that Tian Tian was ignoring her hostility and still getting close to Chen Mo, became even more angry and shouted, “You slut, stay away from us!”

Tian Tian, in a provocative manner, continued to maintain an intimate posture with Chen Mo, while she shot a fierce glare at Tao Zi.

“You talk big, be careful I tear your mouth apart.”

Tao Zi was about to retaliate when Chen Mo handed the mosquito-repellent grass to Tian Tian. Taking the grass, Tian Tian immediately showed a pleased expression, disregarding her image, and began applying it on herself.

After all, compared to other starving members, her clothing was more revealing, so she had long been unable to tolerate the mosquito bites.

“Thank you, big brother traveler.”

Tian Tian wanted to kiss Chen Mo but he dodged and Tian Tian seeing this was not angry. She just threw a flirtatious look and left.

After Tian Tian left, Tao Zi asked angrily, “Why did you tell her?”

Ku Wu and Han Xue, standing beside them, also expressed confusion about Chen Mo’s actions.

“I’m really sorry. I don’t have any grudge against them. Although I haven’t interacted much with them in the past few months, we haven’t had any irreconcilable conflicts. So, I see no need to create unnecessary conflicts over such trivial matters. Although I’ve joined your team, I don’t intend to make enemies with them. I just want to safely get through this trial mission.”

Chen Mo clearly expressed his attitude. Just because he had temporarily joined the team of these two abyss starving ghosts, he didn’t want to be dragged into their hatred and cause unnecessary trouble for himself.

Therefore, helping Tian Tian now could be seen as leaving himself a way out.

Then Chen Mo added, “Thinking about it now, isn’t your conflict all because of Du Qingqing? Afterwards, what did you gain from her? Did you become friends with her? Or did Du Qingqing thank you for it, or change her fate because of it?”

Chen Mo’s words made the three of them pause, frowning in thought.

Then Chen Mo continued, “You haven’t changed anything, just satisfied yourselves. I know this may sound cold, but this is the reality of the disaster world.”

Even Chen Mo had never thought that he as an outsider would one day educate others in the disaster world about what the disaster world was really like. It was somewhat absurd.

A moment later, the four adult starving ghosts had also finished applying the mosquito-repellent grass juice.

Lu Ye actually looked happy, seeming to really like this colorful decoration. She gradually forgot about the sadness of Fei Xiaojiang’s death. This was the fate of the disaster survivors. Fei Xiaojiang was not the first companion to die during her growth. In her early years, she had witnessed a childhood playmate being abandoned by their mother and dying in the wilderness.

After applying the mosquito-repellent grass juice, Gao Shu looked towards Chen Mo’s group. When he saw that Chen Mo was also paying attention to them, he nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Then Tian Tian, in a gesture of goodwill, went to Lei Wu and informed him of the secret of the mosquito-repellent grass.

Lei Wu had naturally seen everyone applying the mosquito-repellent grass juice, but he was very repulsed by it. It seemed that this method would tarnish his elegance and cleanliness. Therefore, after glancing at the enthusiastic Tian Tian, he refused on the spot, leaving Tian Tian disappointed once again.

At this moment, the group had been trekking through this dense forest for over an hour, but on this bushy island, they had probably only advanced less than two kilometers.

From the terrain, this should be a volcanic island with a high mid area and low surroundings.

From the occasional scratches on the bark of the giant trees, it seemed that there were still some large wild beasts surviving on the island, most likely species transported from outside, seemingly being raised by someone for hunting or research purposes.

For Chen Mo and the others, this was definitely not a good thing.

“Almost there.”

Gao Shu waved his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

Even he felt tired from hiking here.

After this period of hiking, everyone’s energy and blood values had also recovered slightly. Lu Yi, panting, threw the black-robed thug captive to the ground.

He grinned ferociously, “Here, even if you scream your lungs out, no one will hear you. Cooperate with us, and you’ll suffer less.”

Lu Yi had tortured this guy a lot along the way, and he had become much more obedient.

When Lu Yi slowly removed the cloth blocking the black-robed thug’s mouth, this guy indeed became obedient, no longer shouting or struggling. From his character, he was completely different from the black-robed thug Chen Mo had killed before. At this moment, he even showed some cowardice and wanting to please attitude.

Gao Shu said coldly, “What is your mission? Why did you attack us as soon as you saw us?”

“Can I live if I tell the truth?”

“Speak!”

The black-robed thug hurriedly said, “It’s because last night, Dr. White ordered us urgently to pursue and kill the invaders at all costs and retrieve the superhumans and martial artists taken away by them. During the pursuit, the captain accidentally found traces of blood, speculating that it was from an injured superhuman who had escaped. He led us to the beach and found you.”

It goes without saying that the injured superhuman was Jack, the one who issued the task.

“What do you mean by superhumans and martial artists?”

It was Chen Mo who suddenly interrupted and asked.

Gao Shu, about to angrily rebuke the interruption, remembered the mosquito-repellent grass information Chen Mo had provided earlier and didn’t say much.

“Both are terms for superhumans. The difference is that the Eastern Continent countries prefer to call them martial artists, while the Western Continent countries prefer to call them superhumans. The methods of enhancing superhumans on the two continents are also somewhat different. They often have conflicts and don’t get along with each other. However, last night, those martial artists and superhumans unexpectedly teamed up and broke into the laboratory. I’m not too sure about the specific details.”

After finished speaking, the black-robed thug looked around, seemingly seeking a way to stay alive.

Chen Mo pondered for a moment. “So, besides superhumans, there are also martial artists responsible for investigating this island?”

The black-robed thug looked at the others with a look of grievance.

His expression undoubtedly conveyed a sense of complaint, aren’t you guys martial artists?

“Who is Dr. White? What organization do you belong to?” Tian Tian asked this time.

“We belong to the Hive Organization, but we’re just peripheral members, doing tasks for money. The Hive Organization is a non-profit organization that claims to resist the oppression of various countries’ powers and the invasion of evil dark forces. Dr. White is a valuable researcher of the Hive Organization. He was promoted to T2 level by the Hive Organization six months ago and is the proposer of the Artificial Human Project. Through this project, the Hive Organization can produce humanoid war machines with superhuman abilities based on superhumans and martial artists.”

Truly deserving of the Succubus talent.

After only exchanging a few words with the black-robed thug, Tian Tian completely relaxed him. He looked at Tian Tian with a lecherous expression, answering her questions willingly.

“So, Dr. White is the top leader on this island?” Tian Tian’s smile became sweeter when she saw that the black-robed thug had taken the bait.

“It can be said so, but there is also a T3-level Terror Doctor on the island. He has his own independent laboratory and authority, and because of some previous conflicts, he has been at odds with Dr. White, often opposing his management. It is said that the Terror Doctor has developed many biochemical beasts, which are also very dangerous.”

Everyone was amazed. There were indeed many secrets on this island.

The black-robed thug added, “Furthermore, the organization seems to have preemptively detected the superhuman groups from the Ancient Xuan Kingdom and the Western Federation, who are planning to establish an international joint investigation group to investigate the recent disappearances of superhumans and martial artists. This would be detrimental to the organization. So, a few days ago, two leaders were sent to protect Dr. White’s safety. And during last night’s battle, the super modified warrior known as One-Eyed Dragon was severely injured while protecting the doctor.”

When the One-Eyed Dragon was mentioned, the black-robed thug actually showed a fearful expression, indicating his strength.

“How many peripheral members like you are in your laboratory?” This was unexpectedly asked by Lei Wu.

“I don’t know. I don’t have the authority to investigate, but there should be at least dozens,” the thug replied.

Lei Wu looked slightly surprised but also somewhat pleased. It was unclear what he was paying attention to.

“What about the martial artists and superhumans who escaped?” Lei Wu asked again.

The black-robed thug shook his head. “The situation was chaotic at the time, with alarms blaring everywhere in the base. Those martial artists and superhumans were very powerful, and I don’t know the specific situation. But I heard that four of them escaped after the failed invasion, some say five. The others who were captured by the base were secretly executed because they were afraid of causing internal unrest again.”

After getting the information he wanted, Lei Wu smirked and stopped asking questions.

Next, everyone asked the black-robed thug questions about their interests, which gave them some insight into the situation on the island, preventing them from wandering around like headless flies.

After everyone got the information they wanted and no one asked any more questions for a long time, seemingly pondering the plan for this mission, the black-robed thug tentatively asked, “I’ve said everything I know, can you let me go…”

With a swift motion, Gao Shu cleanly killed the black-robed thug with his sword.

“I have an idea, what do you all think?” Gao Shu said calmly after sheathing his sword.

Under everyone’s gaze, he slowly continued, “You all heard what the black-robed thug said. Without a doubt, this island is their home ground. The investigators’ infiltration plan failed, and our task is to investigate the mystery behind the disappearance of martial artists on this island.”

Pausing for a moment, Gao Shu looked around at everyone and said, “So, I suggest that we assist in capturing the fleeing investigators and join forces with the more powerful Hive Organization to obtain task information and complete this trial task more safely and smoothly. What do you think?”

Just as everyone began to realize the soundness of the proposal, there was a cold laugh from Lei Wu nearby.

“Are you scared?” Lei Wu still wore that look of arrogance, mocking, “Is it because that fatty died that you’re no longer willing to take risks, so you plan to use this safe and secure method to get through this task?”

“Hmph!” Gao Shu retorted, unwilling to show weakness. “I’m also thinking about everyone’s safety.”

He didn’t admit that he had become timid and lost his confidence and that Fenxiao Jiang’s death had caused this change, losing his spirit for adventurous combat.

Lei Wu continued to taunt, “Anyway, I won’t choose to complete the task in this way. There are only a few investigators on the run on the island, and the Hive Organization has the advantage of being at home. We won’t gain much by joining them. On the other hand, if we join the investigators and go againt the Hive organization is so powerful, we should be able to get a lot of rewards. Just now, you heard how many of these black-robed thugs there are.”

He looked at Ku Wu, Tao Zi, Chen Mo, and Han Xue.

“Or perhaps you want to go back and continue to rely on eating free survival meals every day, selling your bodies to survive?”

Lei Wu’s words made Chen Mo and the others’ faces turn grim.

(End of chapter 23)