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Ben led Leo to the western district.
The two didn't attempt to use the chimes again to attract monsters. They both knew it would likely be ineffective. The monsters in this area had a certain level of intelligence and had been frightened by previous killings, so the chances of them falling for it again were slim.
Soon, Ben chose a large house as a temporary resting place. The reason for picking this place was that it had a garden. Although the flowers and plants had withered long ago, leaving a barren landscape, some of the garden's furnishings, like artificial mountains and pavilions, still remained. Under the bright moonlight, the scene looked quite nice. Most importantly, the houses surrounding this mansion were all low-rise residential buildings. Many had collapsed due to neglect over the years, making it difficult to hide.
Leo immediately understood Ben's reasoning.
"Ben, did you choose this place to wait for them to come to us?"
Ben smiled and said, "After we left that mansion, they'll definitely check the situation. Seeing how many monsters we've killed and the task progress we've accumulated, do you think they can resist the temptation?"
"So, no matter where we are, as long as they're driven by greed, they'll come looking for us. Since a fight is inevitable, I need to pick a location that gives us an advantage."
Leo fell silent, realizing Ben was absolutely right.
"Of course, it would be even better if they didn't come and trouble us," Leo muttered.
Ben's prediction was accurate. Not long after they left, someone couldn't resist and headed to the mansion to investigate.
The first team to arrive was Robert's group. As they walked into the northern courtyard and saw the scene inside, which resembled a hellish battlefield, they were immediately stunned.
"Holy crap! How many monsters did they kill?"
"This is unbelievable."
"Damn it! I need to know how they did this!"
Except for Captain Robert, the other three exclaimed in disbelief. The black guy, who was the most animated, kept making strange noises.
After investigating the area, they were misled by the scene Ben had set up and came to what they thought was the correct conclusion.
"I think I found the answer!" A young white man pointed to the entrance of the martial arts field and analyzed seriously, "This strange building has very sturdy walls. They must have been hiding inside, using the terrain to kill so many monsters!"
"Guys, look here. These monsters have burn marks on their bodies. It must have been Leo's doing."
The black guy and another overweight white man nodded in agreement.
Only Captain Robert remained silent. He seemed to be a man of few words.
"Looking at the corpses, they've killed at least a thousand monsters," the black guy exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. "If we can take them out and seize their task progress, even if it's only half, it'll be a great harvest!"
"Maybe even let us get a task evaluation above S-level!!"
An S-level rating was impressive, but if they could go beyond that to SS-level, or even the coveted SSS-perfect level, the reward would be extraordinary.
The young white man and the fat white guy grew excited at the prospect, but even Captain Robert seemed intrigued.
However, Captain Robert was the most cautious of them all. "That woman can kill so many monsters, which means her strength is more powerful than we thought. We'll need help to take her down."
"I have a different opinion," the young white man said. "Precisely because they've killed so many monsters, they must be exhausted. They might be at their weakest right now."
Robert's face turned cold as he replied bluntly, "Idiot! Open your eyes and look. There are thousands of monster corpses here. Do you really think they could kill this many in such a short time without a way to replenish their strength?"
This reasoning made sense. All of them were rookies, and they knew that even killing thousands of pigs would deplete a person's energy. There were indeed extraordinary items that could help superhumans quickly restore their strength.
Thus, Captain Robert guessed that Leo must have similar replenishment tools that helped them achieve this feat.
The young white man felt embarrassed and didn't dare argue. Part of him knew Robert was right, and the other part was a bit afraid of his captain.
To break the awkward silence, the black guy pointed outside and said, "There are many newcomers gathering now. We could promise them some benefits and get them to help us kill Leo!"
This suggestion seemed safe, but Captain Robert wasn't convinced. He had an uneasy feeling that Leo was more dangerous than they realized. "That's our last option," he said.
The three teammates were taken aback.
The black guy quickly asked, "Robert, what do we do now?"
"Go hunt monsters first!" Robert said firmly. "If we kill enough, we'll drop the plan to hunt Leo."
"Why?" the black guy asked, puzzled. "Hunting monsters is no less risky than going after that woman."
Robert answered calmly, "Because my gut tells me Leo is even more dangerous than we think."
Time slipped away unnoticed. Eight hours had passed quickly, and only one hour remained until the mission ended.
Inside the mansion in the western district, Ben looked around but still didn't spot any figures. His expression was puzzled.
Seeing this, Leo smiled slightly. "They might not come."
If possible, Leo didn't want those people to show up and die, as it would mean Ben and Leo's hands would be stained with blood.
Ben shook his head with a smile. "You underestimate people's greed."
"We can't make any conclusions until the very last moment," he said confidently.
Leo thought for a while and added, "Although you disguised the scene earlier, there are still many places that could raise suspicions. Maybe they're just scared."
Ben smiled. "Greed makes people jump to conclusions. And... don't forget, the moon in the sky has been affecting us."
He paused, then continued, "Even if they see the doubts, they might still risk it for the sake of the task evaluation."
"I still believe that unless they've killed enough monsters themselves, they'll definitely come after us!"
At that very moment, in a residential house just a few hundred meters away from the mansion, dozens of superhumans had gathered.
Their target? Ben and Leo.
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