An hour later.
After a massive expenditure of bullets, countless Wild Burrow Worms turned into Experience Points. Once the burrow worm area had been cleared, mountains of scrap appeared ahead. From within the scrap heaps came sharp, eerie chewing noises, as if something were gnawing on one's skull.
Before long, monsters appeared in view and their health bars lit up. They were a swarm of insects with golden shells and compound eyes covering their heads.
[Iron Eater Bug] (Elite) Level: 20 Attack: 85-125 Defense: 38 Health: 2000 Skills: [Steel Bite lv4] [Steel Spikes lv4] Details: Iron Eater Bugs are creatures that live in the Green Scrap Yard. They feed on steel and possess an extremely high concentration of iron within their bodies. They can even convert iron into spiked armor, leaving enemies with nowhere to strike.
This was a little tricky!
I frowned. Iron Eater Bugs were far stronger than Wild Burrow Worms. Their attack power reached 125, while my defense power was only 76. Getting hit would definitely hurt. On top of that, their defense power was as high as 38, and after the level 4 Steel Spikes bonus, their actual defense might have exceeded 60. They were seriously troublesome!
No need to say more. I would kill them from range first and give them as little chance to approach as possible!
So I raised my Submachine Gun and sprayed the five Iron Eater Bugs charging toward me, retreating as I fired. Damage numbers rose everywhere. Their defense truly was high; the bullets had their damage reduced by nearly 30 percent. But there was no helping it. In this situation, I could only trade ammunition reserves for a huge amount of Experience Points!
"Screech~~~"
After three Iron Eater Bugs were shot dead, the remaining two had already closed in, opening their scissor-like jaws as they lunged to tear me apart.
"Whoosh!"
I abruptly turned and used Step Slash to open a five-yard gap. Then I spun back around and continued firing. Bullets thudded into their wounds, spraying green fluid everywhere. It was incredibly satisfying to watch.
"Click..."
When the fourth Iron Eater Bug fell, the magazine had run dry as well.
Without a second thought, I switched my main weapon to my blade and flashed past the fifth Iron Eater Bug. Explosive Charge instantly crushed across its body. This charge covered only six yards, but after stunning it, I turned and unleashed a smooth combo of basic attack + Dragon Blade + basic attack + Ground Spike Slash, killing it outright!
"Screech..."
The Iron Eater Bug twitched its body before finally dying unwillingly. Several Iron Eater Bugs turned into rich streams of Experience Points and flew into my body, giving me a faint sense of satisfaction.
I frowned. The Iron Eater Bugs gave generous Experience Points, but the expenditure was simply too great. Once this instance was over, I would probably have another headache over replenishing my ammunition.
Whatever. I would finish it first!
Perhaps this instance would drop some useful equipment that could help cover my living expenses.
There was no such thing as "instance-drop binding" in Star Abyss. Even items produced inside instances could be freely traded. That was quite convenient. So whenever an Instance Crystal appeared, the best option was to clear it immediately. Not only could I maintain my level advantage, but I might even make a fortune from the drops.
Thus, I searched between heaps of scrap for Iron Eater Bugs, not sparing a single one and turning all of them into Experience Points. I kept at it until around four in the afternoon.
By then, my ammunition reserves had been severely depleted. The Roarer's bullets were nearly exhausted.
I had underestimated the consumption inside the instance. I had thought the remaining 1,800-plus bullets would be enough, but I had not expected it to be so dangerous. Fortunately, the Iron Eater Bugs had all been killed by now. There were no more monsters in the entire instance, only scrap mountains standing silently and waiting for the true owner of the instance to make an appearance.
"You damned bastard, you destroyed our home!"
A shrill voice came from above. Then, a massive object descended from the sky. It was actually a war vehicle blazing with crimson light!
This was the "Rumble Bang Bang Bang" rocket car mentioned in the instance description!
Inside the rocket car sat a short man with a ferocious face, steering the vehicle straight toward me.
In that fleeting instant, I caught his attributes!
[Goblin Scavenger] (Green BOSS) Level: 20 Attack: 60-85 Defense: 5 Health: 1500 Skills: [Rage lv4] [Revenge lv4] [Rocket Car Mastery lv6] Details: The Goblin Scavenger is the owner of this Green Scrap Yard. He has collected a massive amount of materials and somehow built a rocket car capable of going "Rumble Bang Bang Bang." Do not underestimate him. He may be extremely weak, but the rocket car he commands is anything but weak!
"Damn..."
Looking at his attributes, I was speechless. Even if he was only a Green BOSS, he was still level 20. Yet his stats were absurdly weak, barely any better than those of a normal level 20 monster!
It could be said that without this rocket car, the Goblin Scavenger would not last even one exchange against me!
"Brat, die!"
The massive rocket car charged straight at me. A launcher on its roof suddenly opened, and a missile trailing thick smoke shot out, streaking directly toward me!
Oh, for fuck's sake...
I groaned inwardly. What kind of game was this? He might be weak, but he could handcraft missiles. Was this something a human was supposed to deal with!?
In an instant, I locked onto an open patch of ground to my right and unleashed Explosive Charge at maximum range without hesitation!
"Bang!"
Three Essence Points within me burned violently, turning into a terrifying force that shoved my body forward. I instantly shifted forty yards away!
At the same time, my Left Hand raised the Orchid Shield before me!
The next second, the missile exploded where I had just been standing, and the terrifying shockwave swept through the surroundings!
"23!"
"31!"
"26!"
"29!"
Even behind the shield, the intense shockwave continued to drain my health!
"Brat, you can't escape!"
Inside the rocket car, the Goblin Scavenger roared with a savage expression, "You dared invade my territory and killed so many of my Iron Eater Bugs and burrow worms! I'll grind your bones to dust, boil you into soup, and swallow you in one gulp!"
As he spoke, things on both sides of the rocket car spiraled open. After a brief transformation, they became something I recognized.
They were two weapons similar to 1130 close-in weapon systems...
Fuck you!
"Bang bang bang~~~"
His weapons opened fire. Massive bullets ripped through the air, and after striking the Orchid Shield, my health bar began dropping rapidly!
"233!"
"252!"
"199!"
"227!"
The firepower was dense. In almost an instant, my health bar fell to around 50 percent!
What I had to do was avoid letting it fall below 30 percent. Once it reached 30 percent, injuries would be triggered. Player injuries were no joke. Either one went to the hospital and spent money on treatment, or one recuperated for several months. That was a cost no ordinary player could bear.
"Click!"
I canceled the shield's defensive stance. The instant the Orchid Shield vanished, I used Step Slash toward the left front, then rolled close to the ground, trying to escape his firing angle.
"You think you can escape, you bastard!"
The Goblin Scavenger operated the rocket car and actually stopped firing. He quickly drove around, intending to launch another attack from the side.
At that moment, an instance prompt appeared before one's eyes.
[Although the "Rumble Bang Bang Bang" rocket car is powerful, it has weaknesses!] [There is some flammable and explosive scrap within the scrapyard. You can detonate this scrap to inflict fatal damage on the rocket car!]
When I turned around, the scrap mountains were still there, but some of them bore red arrow markers. Beneath the markers was even a tiny label reading "Explosive." If I had not seen the instance prompt, I really would not have noticed this detail!
The next moment, I raised my gun and ran, sprinting with all my strength!
"You little bastard, you have nowhere to run! Do you think you can leave here alive?"
Inside the rocket car, the Goblin Scavenger said madly, "I'll boil you into a pot of delicious meat soup! First I'll eat your intestines, then I'll eat your brains!"
He sure knew how to eat. He even knew to start with the tasty parts.
I sprinted with all my strength. After circling several scrap mountains, I quickly switched my main weapon to the Wind Whisperer and aimed at a scrap mountain ahead with a flashing arrow. Just then, the rocket car rumbled over, only a step away from the explosive scrap mountain.
Now!
I quickly chambered a round and fired!
"Bang!"
With a crisp crack, the bullet flew out with a tongue of flame and sank directly into a crimson piece of scrap within the mountain!
The next moment, cracks continuously spread across the crimson scrap before it erupted in a violent explosion!
"Boom boom boom~~~"
In the terrifying blast wave, the rocket car was thrown into several consecutive flips.
Only then did I finally see clearly that this BOSS had two health bars. The rocket car had the outer health bar, while the Goblin Scavenger had the inner one. After the scrap mountain's explosion, less than half of the rocket car's health remained!
"Damn it, I'll make you pay!"
With a fierce expression, the Goblin Scavenger drove the half-health rocket car toward me!
I did not move so much as a toe. I simply aimed at the next explosive scrap mountain. Although it was not that far from me either, if I blocked the shockwave with the Orchid Shield, my health bar should still be able to endure it!
"Bang!"
The second gunshot rang out, and the second scrap mountain quickly became an exploding sea of fire!
"Clang~~ Clang~~~"
Amid the deafening noise, the rocket car's health bar vanished as it was blown apart into fragments.
I held my shield before me and endured the shockwaves without pause, my health bar dropping rapidly!
That was close. It finally stopped at 33 percent health. With any more damage, I would probably have been injured during this instance run. Even so, the loss of so much health sent waves of pain through my body.
"Bastard!"
The Goblin Scavenger stumbled out of the rocket car, carrying a rifle with fury written all over his face.
Without any hesitation, I charged out in an instant!
Explosive Charge!
"Bang!"
A wisp of essence storm exploded, instantly ramming the Goblin Scavenger and stunning him in place. Then came a smooth combo of basic attack + Dragon Blade + basic attack + Ground Spike Slash. When the Goblin Scavenger's health was nearly depleted, I swept my sword horizontally and chopped off his ugly head in one blow!
Blood splattered everywhere, turning into a bloody rain. So satisfying!
Some readers said they could not understand, so here is an explanation: this book is split fifty-fifty between stat-based leveling and daily life. The relationship between Star Abyss and reality is that of parallel worlds.