Whoosh, whoosh~~
With two soft sounds, Zhang Ruolin, Ling Baiwei, and I teleported into the Morning Glow Plains map.
Turning around, I saw that the Teleportation Array in Morning Glow Plains was hidden beneath a massive banyan tree. At this moment, quite a few players had gathered beneath it. Nearly everyone had revealed their health bars, with levels and IDs swaying above their heads.
A burly man with a gleaming green Sniper Rifle slung across his back strode straight over. His eyes swept over Zhang Ruolin and Ling Baiwei before he smiled. "You guys want to team up? I already have two people here. With the three of you, that makes a perfect five-person party. More people means safer."
Zhang Ruolin frowned, apparently deeply disgusted by his gaze.
Ling Baiwei merely smiled calmly. "No, the three of us are here to level up, and we also have a mission to complete together. It wouldn't be suitable to form a party. Sorry..."
"I see. What a shame..."
The burly man nodded and said nothing more.
But as we headed north and left the teleportation point, several people by the roadside watched us like tigers eyeing prey. One of them even placed his hand on the pistol at his waist.
On wilderness maps, players could freely PK. The dangers here truly could not compare to those within the city.
My expression remained calm as I held the Roarer in my arms, sweeping my gaze across the crowd one by one while revealing my health bar as well.
In an instant, their expressions became much friendlier. Someone even nodded and greeted me. "So it's Shadow Chaser, the great player from the rankings... I've heard so much about you!"
I merely smiled and nodded in response without stopping, leading the two female players out of everyone's sight.
After passing through a stretch of woodland, we officially entered the Morning Glow Plains map.
"That man earlier probably wasn't a good guy."
Zhang Ruolin frowned. "The way he looked at me... it was especially disgusting. He definitely wasn't a decent person."
"Mm."
I nodded. "Star Abyss was originally a world where the strong preyed on the weak. Some players truly treated this world as a game. After getting a taste of PKing, killing people, and looting their drops, naturally they no longer wanted to work hard killing monsters. That was only to be expected."
Ling Baiwei pressed her red lips together. "If we make plans like this again, we need to be much more thorough. Luckily Ding Han is with us this time. His level is high enough to keep people in line. Otherwise, we might have run into trouble."
Zhang Ruolin nodded deeply in agreement.
"Who goes there? Stop!"
As we passed through a patch of bushes, a group of people suddenly rushed out from ahead. They seemed to be NPCs.
Each of them had green health bars and names above their heads. One man had a thick beard and held an Explosive Gun in his arms. Wearing crude Power Armor, he approached step by step amid mechanical whirring.
"I am He Xiangyang of the Crimson Dragon Country Border Defense Legion. Who are you people, daring to enter the wilderness?"
"We're from Creek City."
I stood in front of the two female players and spoke in a low voice. "We bear no hostility toward the Crimson Dragon Country. We came out this time to hunt the mutated beasts in the wilderness and gather some materials to sell for money."
"People from Creek City..."
He Xiangyang raised a hand. "They're friendlies. Lower your weapons!"
He let out a sigh of relief, his gaze softening. The soldiers surrounding us also relaxed in unison. Their situation was not good; many of them had already been injured.
The words lv20 floated above He Xiangyang's head, yet his health bar was less than half full. There were signs of a bullet wound on his leg that had been bandaged after being pierced through.
Furthermore, he wore Generation 1 Power Armor, also known as first-generation Power Armor. This type of Power Armor was crudely made and used a cheap, practical, basic power system. The armor did not even cover the entire body. Put simply, it was a collection of exoskeletal power equipment covering the legs, torso, and arms. It could assist the user in long-distance running, lifting heavy objects, and wielding certain heavy weapons, but in terms of defense power, it was basically zero.
During Star Abyss's closed beta, there had been a widely circulated saying: "Generation 1 Power Armor—even dogs wouldn't wear it."
"These people really have that kind of vibe..."
In the Team Channel, Zhang Ruolin said, "Do you think they'll give us a mission?"
"That really is possible..."
Xiao Bai seemed somewhat excited and gave me an encouraging look.
So I stepped forward. "Officer He, it looks like all of you are injured. What happened? Were you attacked by mutated beasts?"
"Not mutated beasts. Aberrants."
He Xiangyang's expression turned solemn. "Two days ago, a group of Lickers and Devourers attacked our camp. We lost several brothers, and those damned beasts stole a great deal of supplies. We've been troubled by this matter."
"If that's the case..."
I spoke in a low voice. "Perhaps the three of us can help."
"Oh?"
He Xiangyang's eyes lit up. In a tone that sounded exactly like an npc issuing a mission, he said, "Young people, if you truly can help, that would be wonderful. Please, you must help us Reclaim Supplies. Otherwise, our camp will fall into enormous trouble!"
Before he could finish speaking, a ding-dong ringtone sounded beside the ears of all three of us!
[Please note, your party has accepted the side mission Reclaim Supplies (B-rank)! Mission objective: Kill 200 Lickers and 200 Devourers respectively, and reclaim the lost supplies for He Xiangyang's border defense squad. Mission rewards: Large amounts of Experience Points, Crimson Dragon Country faction reputation, and a certain chance of receiving additional rewards!]
The mission was secured, and it was a B-rank side mission!
"Young people."
He Xiangyang looked deeply worried. "Those aberrants are extremely dangerous. You must be careful. Even if you cannot complete the mission, that's fine. You must come back alive!"
"Don't worry."
I nodded, then set off with Zhang Ruolin and Xiao Bai.
On the large map, the area ahead was blood-red and marked as the "Mission Execution Area." At the same time, it was an exceptionally dangerous region.
"We've seen Lickers before, but not Devourers."
I frowned. "But we have to be careful. Based on the closed beta settings, aberrants didn't have ordinary monsters. They started at elite rank. First-tier aberrants like Lickers and Devourers might only be elites, but anything above them would be BOSS-level. We have to be extra cautious."
"Mm."
Xiao Bai nodded. "Ding Han, your level is the highest and you have the most experience. You should be the party leader and command the two of us."
As she spoke, she transferred party leadership to me.
"Fine."
I turned back and looked at them. "Since you really want me to command you, then listen to me later. If I tell you to go west, don't go east. This isn't a joke. In a place like this, one mistake can cost you your life. Last time, we lost Chief Helmsman Chen. This time, we absolutely cannot lose anyone else!"
"Don't worry."
Zhang Ruolin said, "Xiao Bai and I are completely at your command. We'll give you all the emotional support you need."
A black line formed across my forehead. "Let's go."
The three of us followed the edge of the bushes forward. We had not gone far when I stopped and said in the Team Channel, "Stop! Something's moving!"
As I spoke, I tilted my head and listened to the sounds drifting in the breeze.
Sure enough, a burst of hurried footsteps approached. They did not sound human. They sounded more like some kind of beast.
"Over there!"
I suddenly spun around and Pointed Towards the downwind side with my gun.
The surrounding bushes were dense. It was impossible for the other side to see or hear us from far away, leaving only one possibility: they had caught the scent of the three of us from downwind!
Sure enough, trees and brush shattered apart, and three lv20 elite Lickers burst from the bushes in an instant, opening their bloody maws!
"Move!"
Without another word, I raised my gun and unleashed a barrage of rapid fire.
Ling Baiwei lowered her body slightly and used her Submachine Gun to frantically suppress the second Licker, while Zhang Ruolin surged forward. She used a steel shield to brace the third Licker beneath its jaw while firing her Submachine Gun one-handed directly into its chin!
"Roar~~~"
The Lickers seemed incapable of feeling pain. Ignoring their injuries, they charged madly!
I twisted sharply, using Step Slash to shift sideways and create an angle. In an instant, the three Lickers lined up in a single row.
Now!
Explosive Charge!
"Bang!"
Origin energy within my body burned and erupted wildly. My body became an afterimage, instantly piercing through all three Lickers. As three damage numbers burst forth, all three Lickers were stunned in place!
"426!"
"444!"
"453!"
The instant the damage numbers rose into the air, I switched my main-hand weapon to Vanguard Bee Sting and immediately unleashed a combo of basic attack + Dragon Blade + basic attack on the Licker Zhang Ruolin had pinned down. The entire sequence flowed like water!
"302!"
"664!"
"299!"
In an instant, the Licker Ruolin had been dealing with collapsed limply, its health bar completely emptied!
"What the hell, what kind of damage is that?"
Zhang Ruolin held her Submachine Gun, dumbfounded.
"Don't get distracted. Kill the monsters!"
"Mm!"
I raised my sword and charged at the second Licker. This time, I only used a three-hit combo of basic attack + Ground Spike Slash + basic attack. The movements were just as smooth, fluid to the extreme!
Thus, the second Licker's health bar was instantly emptied. A level 20 elite monster only had 2,500 health in total. It simply could not withstand melee damage of that intensity.
The next moment, Zhang Ruolin and Ling Baiwei fired at the third Licker together. To conserve ammunition, I directly closed in with Step Slash before cutting it down with three consecutive sword strikes!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~~
The three Lickers fell to the ground. Each one condensed into three streaks of white experience light that flew toward the three of us.
No matter how you looked at it, killing monsters with melee attacks really was satisfying.
After all, melee weapon damage was boosted by one's own attributes. With my Strength stat being so absurdly high, the damage I dealt was naturally immense. It was unlike firearms, where the weapon's firepower was the sole basis for final damage.
Looking at the three Licker corpses on the ground, Zhang Ruolin and Xiao Bai both fell silent.
"Ding Han, you've really shocked us too much..."
Zhang Ruolin said, "What have you been doing lately? You somehow gathered such a complete skill set. Explosive Charge and Dragon Blade would be one thing, but how do you even have such a rare skill as Ground Spike Slash?"
"Just good luck."
I smiled faintly. "During this time, I solo-cleared two dungeons and completed quite a few daily missions. With a bit of luck on top of that, I gathered a fairly complete set of skills."
"No wonder..."
Xiao Bai nodded in understanding.
"Something else is coming!"
I listened closely, then suddenly turned and Pointed Towards another direction with my gun. "This time, it's from the east!"
Before you continue