The ones fighting the tentacle monster aren't necessarily magical girls; they could also be eleven burly men.
Bai Mu, who only practiced chopping wood, never imagined she'd be chopping this thing.
The pitch-black, gritty tentacles weren't greasy or sticky at all. Under the halo-like glow of her helmet, Bai Mu could easily splatter ink all over the tentacles with a single swing of her axe.
This thing's fighting power shouldn't be low, but against brave, strong adults wielding weapons, the tentacle monster was no match.
"Be careful, those tentacles are very resilient; even if they're broken off, they'll still bite,"
Matt, who was charging at the front, warned the others.
Hearing this, the strong gambler immediately used his spear to knock away a tentacle at his feet. The thing's surface also concealed mouthparts, making him tremble with fear; he had almost stepped on it just now.
He asked, somewhat exasperated, "How many monsters are there?!"
"We have enough men," Matt, leading the charge, replied without turning his head, cleaving the tentacle monster's body in two with a single blow, ignoring the spray of black ink that didn't even need censoring.
"Don't attack the tentacles, find their torsos, one hit will take them down!" Matt warned the others.
"Why didn't you say this before we came?" someone complained, having just killed a tentacle monster. They were short of money, but they didn't want to fight these monsters unprepared.
There were people in the group who knew, but they obviously didn't risk offending Matt by telling others.
"Money isn't so easy to earn," Matt smiled grimly after killing a tentacle monster. "Either kill these monsters, take the money and leave, or choose to continue, or run away like a coward!"
"Damn it!" The dissatisfied burly man swung his axe, cutting off the approaching tentacles. These tentacles weren't fast, and with their numbers, the nearby tentacles were quickly wiped out.
Matt glanced at the results and nodded. "Not bad. Let's rest for a bit and continue."
Matt was pleased that none of the people who came to clean the sewers had run away. After all, fewer people would reduce efficiency and affect the overall progress—all things related to money.
"Actually, these tentacle monsters are pretty much like wild dogs. With so many of us, we don't need to be afraid."
"Getting bitten means paying for treatment, right?" The strong gambler started calculating. The tentacles were incredibly resilient, but once severed, they were like snake heads, only harming the parts that touched them.
"Hmph, these monsters are so slow. How could we get hurt if we weren't careful? Cleaning this section of the sewer isn't difficult." Matt stood up. "Prepare to clean the next section. Trust me, once you get used to this kind of work, you'll love it!"
"Because of the money?" Bai Mu used his axe to poke at the tentacles on the ground, even piling other tentacles together, watching them bite each other.
Matt nodded. "Isn't the pay good enough? This job doesn't discriminate; as long as you're strong and brave, you're good."
Bai Mu hooked his axe into a nearby crevice, and a bone fell out.
Matt's expression remained unchanged. "It came from somewhere else. This is the sewer; you can find anything here."
He glanced at his rough watch. "Don't waste time. We need to clear this area within six hours, or it'll be a real problem tonight!"
The sewers weren't just infested with tentacle monsters; there were also many somewhat ferocious small animals, like southern rats and large, winged, flying cockroaches.
The small animals that could survive in the tentacle-filled sewers had all undergone rounds of survival of the fittest.
The only person in the group with a gun fought with a machete, and after entering the sewers, he became unusually quiet.
"Disgusting." The burly gambler looked at the slime on his feet with disgust. He glanced at Bai Mu's shoes: "You should have bet with me. Nobody wants your shoes now."
"I can get new shoes soon." Bai Mu swung his axe. The axe was awkward at first, but after chopping down those tentacle monsters and giant rats, it became easier.
The creatures in the sewers weren't very strong. Even if they weren't agile, they'd only get a few injuries at most.
Matt hadn't even prepared any protective gear when he brought his men, either to save money or because it wasn't necessary.
Just like he said, as long as the team cooperated and didn't make any mistakes, injuries weren't easy. Matt had handpicked everyone here; if they weren't suitable, he wouldn't have taken them in the first place.
"Captain Matt, how much is left to clear?"
"After clearing this section, there are three more. We'll rest for half an hour." Matt looked around at the small monster corpses and found a relatively clean spot to sit down.
The abnormal things in this world are mostly caused by supernatural dreams. Some people use the knowledge gained from these dreams for forbidden research, causing animals to mutate. Others mutate because they are corrupted by these dreams.
The sewers are a great place to dispose of waste; a lot of research waste is dumped into them, and animals that come into contact with it will die or mutate.
Mutation is one thing, but some mutated animals retain their reproductive ability, making the sewers like a breeding ground for venomous creatures.
You can still see normal rats on the ground, but don't expect to find any normal rats in the sewers. Sewer rats don't consider ground rats as relatives.
Matt walked up to Bai Mu and said, "You're pretty good. Want to work with me later?"
"I'm looking for something else. I'll come to you when I need money later." Bai Mu shook his head. He didn't really like this kind of sewer cleaning job, mainly because he didn't like the work environment.
"Then you won't get the full payment." Matt shook his head and didn't bring it up again. Sewer cleaning was an unpopular job, but someone had to do it. If you did it well, you could earn much more than those sitting in offices.
He didn't need any more people, after all, there were many people in Rota City who were short of money, and even more who needed quick cash!
Matt took out some compressed food: "Give it to the others to replenish their energy. We'll be busy later."
"I feel like throwing up…" The strong gambler struggled to stuff the compressed food into his mouth. All around him were the corpses of those sewer monsters, and the environment made eating feel like vomiting.
Seeing Bai Mu eating so calmly, the strong gambler's eyes twitched slightly, and he silently moved away from the guy.
Half an hour later, the team set off again. This time, no one thought about quitting. They had already come this far; quitting would be a waste of time. "We have to get the money, no matter what."
After clearing two more sections of the sewer, Bai Mu sensed something strange about the environment—an indescribable hazy feeling.
"Captain Matt, could there be other monsters here?" Bai Mu stopped and asked Matt, who was walking at the front.
"Yes, but those monsters won't appear here. The area we're clearing is relatively safe. What did you find?" Matt cautiously observed his surroundings.
The sewers of Rota City were spacious, and even relatively safe areas still harbored hidden dangers.
However, he had led his men to clear this section of the sewer many times before, and unless they encountered some unruly bastards, few people died. This was also related to his own caution.
Bai Mu shook his head: "I don't know."
"Could there be some treasure?" The burly gambler's eyes lit up.
"How could there be treasure... What is it?" Matt adjusted his helmet. He didn't know what kind of energy it used; the light it emitted wasn't dazzling but lasted a long time, unlike anything that could be made in this era.
Through the light emitted by the helmet, Matt could clearly see a corpse not far away.
"How can it be so intact?" Matt muttered. He'd seen plenty of corpses in the sewers, but never one so complete.
Realizing something, Matt's expression shifted between fear and anticipation. Finally, he made his decision: "Do you want to make a fortune?"
"That corpse is valuable?" White Curtain, who knew little about this world and always kept quiet, asked.
The light emanating from their helmets was enough to make Matt's expression clear, revealing a rich, fan-shaped pattern.
"It's not the corpse that's valuable, I suspect that corpse…"
"It's a Dream." The gunman, who had remained silent since entering the sewers, spoke up. Matt's expression
showed as if he hadn't expected it: "You really are looking for these things."
The gunman nodded: "There was a Dream going out of control on Ster Street not long ago."
"So you suspect there are more here?"
"I'm just trying my luck."
The others looked at the gunman with increased wariness. They hated such cryptic remarks, but they knew a little about Dreams.
They were like sunken treasures at sea; everyone had heard of them, but they were rare and hard to come by. Few people would think of searching for and salvaging sunken ships.
"..." Bai Mu, completely clueless, felt like a husky among wolves. Everyone else seemed to know everything, while he, clueless, had somehow ended up in the middle.
"Whether it's a different dream or not, we can't take this corpse out. So what's your decision?"
"Of course I don't want to miss this opportunity!" The burly gambler gritted his teeth and immediately stepped forward. He was short of money, but he knew very well that giving up now might not be a matter of money.
"What about the others?"
Someone wanted to quit, but seeing Matt and the gunman's cold eyes, they quickly changed their tune: "No problem."
They were just a temporary team; when it came to significant interests, it was either all for one, or all for the rest.
On the bright side, while a different dream could go out of control, this thing was, literally, a 'sunken treasure'.
So many people couldn't beat them. Bai Mu tightened his grip on his axe and impatiently asked Matt, "So what should we do? Go up and loot the corpse?"
Matt gave Bai Mu a slightly strange look. Why was this guy more anxious than him?
"No need. If it's a strange dream, we just need to stay near the corpse for a while. If not, we'll still get a reward for taking the corpse out. You stay close to me."
Bai Mu noticed the anomaly first; keeping an eye on him wouldn't hurt.
(End of Chapter)