Unsuccessful Debut (Thanks to Alliance Leader Wu Jiang Xiao Shu Chong!)

After entering the bug nest, everything before our eyes brightened, and a minimap appeared in the upper-right corner of the Combat Form interface.

Chen Jinnan studied the minimap carefully and said, "This bug nest branch is the narrow-path type, which is perfect for a five-man team like ours to clear through."

As he spoke, he turned to look at me. "Ding Han, do you have a blue Wind Whisperer Sniper Rifle?"

"I do."

A flash of light appeared in my hands, and I raised the Wind Whisperer with both hands.

"Not bad. Is your Basic Shooting at level 5 yet?"

Chen Jinnan said, "I heard that once Basic Shooting exceeds level 5, using a Sniper Rifle to hit targets within three hundred meters is practically foolproof."

"It is."

I did not reveal that my Basic Shooting had already reached level 10. There was no need to show off something like that and make everyone feel bad.

"Good."

Chen Jinnan pointed at a protruding stone pillar not far away and said, "See that rock? It's the high ground inside the bug nest. Go up there and find a firing position. Support us with long-range sniping later. Sniper Rifle rounds deal high damage, so you'll still get plenty of Experience Points."

"Alright!"

"Axe, Xiao Bai."

Chen Jinnan continued giving orders. "You two take the left side. Ruolin and I will take the right. When the bug swarm charges over, cover each other in turns so everyone has a chance to reload. If it really comes down to it, Ruolin can switch to a shield and hold them off for a few seconds. Ding Han, aim carefully. Don't accidentally hit us."

"Don't worry, I won't."

I said no more. Slung the Sniper Rifle over my back, I quickly climbed the jagged, damp rock face to the high ground. Ahead, fifty meters away, were clusters of emerald-green flowers.

Of course, they were not flower buds, but Nest Bug embryos. Once players approached, those Nest Bugs would immediately "break out of their cocoons" and launch savage attacks!

"Skreee~~~"

As everyone drew close, the spore sacs of the Nest Bug embryos began to writhe rapidly. Then, with a series of popping sounds, streams of slime splattered out as washbasin-sized bugs charged forth!

"Level 15, normal monsters. Open fire!"

At Chen Jinnan's One Command, muzzle flashes erupted below.

I lay prone atop the high-ground rock, my rifle already braced. I aimed directly at the Nest Bugs below, and amid thunderous bang bang bang sounds, shot after shot struck the swarm without missing. Damage numbers rose one after another.

"442!"

"433!"

"415!"

"447!"

The blue Sniper Rifle truly dealt tremendous damage. These level 15 Nest Bugs only had around 900 health in total, so each shot nearly took off half a health bar. It was incredibly satisfying.

"Damn..."

While firing controlled bursts with his Submachine Gun, Axe frowned and said, "Ding Han's firepower is way too fierce. One shot of his is almost as strong as a whole magazine from a Submachine Gun. That's ridiculous!"

"Hehe..."

Ruolin smiled. "Could the man I picked possibly be bad?"

Xiao Bai smiled as well, then suddenly stopped firing. Deep-blue psionic energy surged within his eyes, and a silent wave of force abruptly burst toward the front. One Nest Bug instantly lost over 200 health, and its movement speed became extremely slow.

Mind Blast, one of the Psionicist's basic skills!

I did not think much about it. I simply kept firing shot after shot, harvesting the Nest Bugs' Experience Points with great satisfaction.

In the settings of Star Abyss, the more damage one dealt during a party battle, the more Experience Points one received. The system followed the principle of more work, more reward, completely eliminating freeloading.

Even the rules for taking down BOSSes were similar. After a BOSS was killed, every player who participated in the raid received a BOSS Ability Crystal chest, but the rewards each person obtained upon opening it were entirely different. The greater one's contribution, the higher the chance of receiving valuable treasures!

After emptying all four of the Wind Whisperer's spare magazines in succession, I leaped down from the rock, switched to the Roarer, and continued dealing damage. Everyone worked together fairly well, leaving the bugs no opportunity at all.

Before long, all the Nest Bugs within several dozen meters had been cleared out.

Suddenly, a Ding Dong sound rang beside my ear.

[You performed exceptionally in battle and triggered the Clear Bug Nest quest (C-rank)! Quest Details: Clear all bugs in this bug nest and ensure your own survival. Quest Reward: Massive Experience Points, Dragon Blade (B-rank Skill Tome)!]

A quest!

Overjoyed, I said, "I triggered a C-rank Clear Bug Nest quest. Did any of you get it?"

"No."

Chen Jinnan shook his head. "No way... Why didn't we get it?"

"Maybe it's luck."

Ruolin smiled and said in her broadcast-quality voice, "Fate always favors fools when they least expect it."

I was a little speechless. Her mature woman's voice really was rather captivating.

"Congratulations!"

Xiao Bai flashed me a smile.

I nodded without saying much. We stayed where we were and refilled every magazine before setting off again, pushing deeper into the nest.

Everything went smoothly.

In just one hour, after gaining a massive amount of Experience Points, I successfully reached Level 11. After refining all that experience, the Essence Furnace also rose to Level 7, once again adding quite a few attributes.

At this point, my Overall Combat Level had risen to 205!

If Creek City's regional rankings were based on Combat Power, I would most likely make the top three.

That afternoon, firepower blazed throughout the nest as the five-member Heaven and Earth Society squad fought the Nest Bugs in a chaotic battle.

"Ding!"

A WeChat message had actually come from Lu Xiaobei: "Ding Han, where are you... The city inspectors caught me... Come bail me out..."

She even sent a pitiful emoji afterward.

I nearly laughed out loud.

But there was no way I could go back to Creek City to bail her out now. I couldn't even afford to get distracted.

So I stuffed my phone into my pocket, switched it to silent, and ignored her. I would just pretend I had found somewhere outside to sleep and explain it afterward. This boss was understanding enough; surely she could appreciate the exhaustion of a night-shift worker.

Time passed bit by bit.

At around three in the afternoon, I had used up nearly all of my thousand 9mm Submachine Gun rounds, but I still had plenty of large-caliber bullets for the Wind Whisperer.

"There's only a little left."

Chen Jinnan pointed ahead and said, "Brothers and sisters, the end of the nest is right ahead. Give it one last push and we can clear this whole map. Let's keep it up."

"I don't have many bullets left. I'm practically out of ammo," Ruolin said.

"I've still got some."

Axe pulled out a box of bullets and grinned. "Two hundred rounds. No need to thank me—just buy me a meal afterward. How about it?"

"There won't be any meal."

Ruolin accepted the bullets and said, "But I'll definitely return them in full."

"Damn..."

Axe looked aggrieved. "Is it really that hard to have a meal with me? Am I really that ugly?"

He looked toward Xiao Bai.

Ling Baiwei frowned. "Don't look at me. You are kind of ugly..."

Chen Jinnan burst into raucous laughter.

"Chief Helmsman Chen."

I spoke up. "I've also run out of Submachine Gun ammo, but I still have sniper rounds for the Wind Whisperer. I'll pick them off from range from here on and won't join the close combat. Is that okay?"

"Of course. It's all the same."

Chen Jinnan smiled. "Ding Han, although you only joined the squad today, everyone has seen your performance along the way. You've done very well. Develop yourself properly, and you'll definitely become an expert in the future."

"Have you considered joining our Heaven and Earth Society? I could make you Hall Master of the Green Wood Hall someday."

The corner of my mouth twitched. "Forget it. I'm not considering joining any organization for now, but you can call me whenever you're leveling up."

"Fair enough. Going the solo-player route isn't bad either. We in the Heaven and Earth Society won't force you."

With that, Chen Jinnan led the others to clear the final area of the nest, while I found a high point and headshot the half-health Nest Bugs from dozens of meters away, one shot at a time.

About five minutes later, only the last ten-meter area of the entire nest remained.

"The last Nest Bug."

Chen Jinnan carried his gun over.

Something's wrong...

I stared at the last small patch inside the nest and noticed that one embryonic spore was jade green, like a huge piece of emerald jade. It looked different from the other Nest Bugs, and strangely familiar.

This seemed to be...

Suddenly, my heart clenched hard, and I hurriedly shouted, "Chief Helmsman Chen, watch out! That's not a first-tier Nest Bug—it's a second-tier Explosive Bug..."

"What?!"

Chen Jinnan was shocked, but it was already too late.

A Level 25 elite Explosive Bug had hidden among the swarm and charged rapidly at Chen Jinnan.

"Everyone fall back!"

I shouted, but it was too late.

Bang~~~

That Explosive Bug rammed through the firepower of Zhang Ruolin, Xiao Bai, and Axe and slammed into Chen Jinnan. A tremendous explosion followed as the Explosive Bug instantly burst into a pool of gore. At the same time, Chen Jinnan's body melted away, turning directly into a puddle of bloody water!

"Crash~~"

In the air, the outline of a Dimensional Storage Space flickered. Then all of Chen Jinnan's belongings burst out, scattering guns, ammunition, and miscellaneous items across the ground.

"Fuck..."

Axe was stunned, his face drained of color.

"Don't just stand there!"

I Headshot the Nest Bugs one by one and shouted, "Kill all the Nest Bugs first, hurry!"

Only then did Xiao Bai and Ruolin snap back to their senses. They fired as they retreated, and in the blink of an eye, they had killed every last bug in the nest.

[Congratulations, you have completed the Clear Bug Nest (C-rank) mission. Reward obtained: Experience Points +60,000. Additional reward obtained: Dragon Blade (B-rank Skill Tome)!]

I had enough Experience Points to reach level 12, and I had also obtained Dragon Blade, a universal skill for sword-type superweapons.

By all rights, I should have been happy, but Chen Jinnan's death had dulled it all.

"Rustle..."

I walked over with Wind Whisperer in hand, stopping beside the three of them as I looked at the pool of blood Chen Jinnan had become.

"Tell me, what exactly happens when someone dies in this world? Could it be that they return to the real world after they die?" Xiao Bai asked.

"Maybe..."

Ruolin said, "If dying really means we can go back, then I want to die right now. But what I'm most afraid of is dying here and dying in the real world too. Then there'd truly be nothing left."

"So..."

Axe said, "The boss is really dead?"

"Mm."

I nodded without saying much.

Everyone fell silent, their hearts shrouded in an inescapable gloom.

"Then..."

Axe looked at the things scattered across the ground. "The stuff the boss dropped..."