Apocalypse Gachapon Chapter 1842: A smartie called Helsky

Helsky disregarded the judgmental stares of his teammates, who viewed him first as a lunatic and then as a simpleton. He also completely brushed off the woman He’s gaze, which was saturated with suspicion and shock.

There was no avoiding it—he was aware that he appeared insane, but he truly lacked any other options.

Who could possibly understand the misery he felt?

He had just announced that there were twelve Evil Armor Star People. While others might be ignorant, he knew this was a classic elite squad formation: eight dedicated to direct assault, one for tracking, two for scouting, and one for tactical support.

Helsky also understood exactly why they were hunting the Changxu Water Tribe member: by consuming the natural holy sigils found on that race's bodies, the Evil Armor Star People could drastically increase their own power.

Conversely, if the Changxu Water Tribe managed to slay the Evil Armor Star People, they could use the specialized evil armor from specific body parts as a catalyst to refine several heaven-defying drugs.

The two races were predestined mortal enemies.

However, the Changxu Water Tribe lacked combat prowess. Throughout history, they had survived primarily by seeking the protection of more dominant races. Yet, this reliance on others meant their destiny was often grim whenever they encountered those with malicious intent.

The Evil Armor Star People were a different breed entirely. Born warriors, their individual combat strength ranked near the top of the universe's myriad races. Furthermore, they possessed respectable reproductive rates. Consequently, the trajectories of these two rival races had diverged sharply: one had ascended into a dominant power, while the other had withered to the brink of extinction.

Helsky suspected that He had only made it this far because the Changxu Water Tribe had poured everything into her as a "seed" of their race, tasked with the burden of... well, restoration was impossible, but at least ensuring the race didn't vanish entirely.

He didn't genuinely mind assisting such a person, but an entire squad of Evil Armor Star People was a threat far beyond his capacity to handle.

Under different circumstances, he would have simply ordered his team to flee. Had He not followed them, those Evil Armor Star People would have likely ignored his group entirely.

But now? He realized that the woman’s talk about medicine was merely a stalling tactic designed to tether herself to them. Whether the deal involved three bottles or ten, she didn't actually care; her true motive was to use Helsky and his men as sacrificial lambs. She wanted them to fight the Evil Armor Star People to the death so she could slip away during the chaos.

Though Helsky’s instincts were sharp, he only realized he had been played after He made her request. By that point, it was too late—the savage faces of the Evil Armor Star People were already visible where the distant firelight met the shadows.

If they didn't retreat now, would they truly fulfill that wretched woman’s wish and throw their lives away against such formidable foes?

Flight was the only choice.

Yet, this was the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands. The Evil Armor Star People were equally lethal on land and in the water, whereas Helsky’s team would see their combat effectiveness plummet the moment they entered the sea.

They needed to run, but the method of escape was the real problem.

In a sudden flash of inspiration, Helsky had screamed those words earlier.

He sensed that Ye Zhongming had to be nearby. For a man who was already red-named, slaughtering a few more newcomers would carry no moral weight. Furthermore, killing them would provide more points than hunting level nine mutated life forms or parasites. If he were in Ye Zhongming’s shoes, he wouldn't let a small team like this escape either.

Wiping them out meant nearly three hundred points!

Since that monster was likely lurking nearby, Helsky decided he might as well force him out!

Helsky had another motive for this gamble. He had naturally kept a close eye on the powerhouse who had nearly ended his life before. While back at the base, he had personally witnessed Ye Zhongming speaking with this woman. He didn't know the specifics of their conversation, but anyone could guess why Ye Zhongming would spend several minutes talking to her after all the medicine had been purchased.

There was an eighty percent chance he was recruiting her, and a twenty percent chance they were negotiating future medicinal trade.

Regardless of the reason, it proved the woman was valuable to Ye Zhongming.

But would Ye Zhongming actually step in to save her? Helsky wasn't certain. In a life-or-death crisis, things like women and medicine were secondary. He couldn't just keep running blindly.

Helsky led his squad in a sprint for over ten seconds. With the speed of nine-star evolved individuals, they reached the island's edge in no time. Before them stretched the vast, ink-black ocean.

“Brothers, prepare to fight! And you, He, you’d better fight too. If you don't, we’ll either hand you over or kill you ourselves!”

Having barked the command, Helsky spun around and dropped into a combat stance against the approaching Evil Armor Star People.

The others followed suit, albeit reluctantly.

Helsky was incredibly cunning; he always found a path to survival even in the most desperate straits.

For instance, shouting for Ye Zhongming after being tricked by He was a ploy to force an appearance. Similarly, turning to fight now was another move to draw Ye Zhongming into the fray.

Indeed, only by engaging the Evil Armor Star People to the point of desperation would Ye Zhongming be forced to intervene!

Helsky didn't care how many of his men died. As long as he survived, he knew that once Ye Zhongming stepped in, the target would be the Evil Armor Star People threatening He, not his own group. Once the enemies were dealt with... well, he would simply surrender and serve like a slave, begging only for his life.

Every elite evolved individual possessed a defining trait that allowed them to reach the top. Some were fearless, some were ruthless, some were resilient, and some were geniuses...

Helsky was the type of clever man whose ability to calculate situations and analyze odds was etched into his very bones.

He always knew which choice served his own interests best.

Right now, he knew exactly what his sole hope for survival was, and for that hope, he was truly prepared to fight with everything he had.

His hands glowed as he funneled Qi into the earth, while his armor began to emit small, swirling currents of air. As he lunged at the lead Evil Armor Star Person, those currents merged into a massive vortex that surged forward alongside the flash of his blade.

The rest of the group joined the assault. In this predicament, failing to give their all meant certain death, and that included He. To her, this was the best outcome she could have hoped for: instead of fighting twelve enemies alone, it was now nine against twelve.

In the distance, three heads poked out from the beach sand and silt. Even from a short distance, they would have been mistaken for the jagged reefs nearby. It was Ye Zhongming and his two companions.

“The battle has started!” Shi Kangbu said, narrowing his eyes and licking his lips. He had already developed a taste for the hunt; when Helsky’s team lost two members earlier, one had fallen by his hand.

“Ye?”

Jie Kui’s intent was clear: what was the plan?

“Wait.”

Ye Zhongming whispered his reply. Surprisingly, his eyes weren't fixed on He, but were instead locked onto Helsky.

This man was proving to be quite interesting.