Lin Qingying Cried
Dust billowed as countless projectiles rained down on the Claw Bug from all directions, further enraging it.
With a frantic hiss, it suddenly turned around, its four powerful hind legs kicking, and the spikes on the sides of its forelimbs opened, lunging at me like a facehugger from Alien.
Good heavens, to catch the thief, you must first catch the king?
I suddenly dodged, enveloping my entire body in the Glory Barrier, and with a burst of strength from both hands, I slammed the Glory Barrier into the abdomen of the Claw Bug!
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar, the Claw Bug's body was rapidly annihilated under the disintegrating force field of the Glory Barrier. In agony, its claws flailing wildly, it actually managed to hug the entire Glory Barrier in an instant, just like a facehugger. One by one, the claws pierced my back with a series of "plop plop plop" sounds, causing continuous damage!
"15882!"
"18674!"
"17741!"
"19003!"
"18821!"
That hurts so much!
"Cover Ding Han!"
At that moment, two figures launched Explosive Charge, piercing through the bodies of the Claw Bug almost simultaneously.
It was Ruolin and Worldly Uncontested.
Luckily, the Worldly Uncontested Explosive Charge briefly stunned the BOSS!
"Oh shit..."
I quickly broke free with my shield and unleashed Overpowering Momentum, unleashing a wave of damage on the Claw Bug while simultaneously restoring my own health!
"Fire! Kill that Claw Bug!"
At this moment, the captain of the Flame Wolf Task Force issued an order.
In an instant, Gatling spewing blue flames began firing volleys at the Claw Bug, while I, holding my Power Shield, retreated slightly and shouted, "Leave the Claw Bug to us players! You guys deal with the other bugs!"
Just kidding, we absolutely cannot let these "NPCs" take on too much damage at this point, otherwise the value of our rewards will probably plummet.
At that moment, the Gun Like a Dragon, striking the Claw Bug's head with a powerful blow, dealing critical damage.
Ruolin, Worldly Uncontested, and Shen Jin also advanced, working together to restrain the Claw Bug and prevent it from running rampant. The other players either provided fire support or bombarded the area with psionic energy.
The Psionic System has truly risen to prominence. When dealing with high-end bosses in this version, their damage output far surpasses that of damage-focused players, completely ignoring armor and dealing incredibly high damage!
The Claw Bug roared, its claws flailing wildly, but when they struck the Glory Barrier, it was only it that was injured.
The Power Shield is fucking awesome!
The battle ended a few minutes later.
Under the relentless bombardment of a group of players, the Claw Bug let out a long hiss and collapsed limply, its body oozing out pools of viscous green fluid. Parasites even wriggled in the fluid, making it look utterly disgusting.
"Done!"
I quickly retracted the Flame of Honor and the Glory Barrier, allowing my Yuan Power to rapidly recover.
To be honest, activating the second-generation Power Sword and Power Shield simultaneously consumes too much energy. Even my SS-rank Essence Furnace with a 99% conversion rate couldn't keep up. Once the sword and shield are activated at the same time, the Essence Points consumed, meaning every bit used when using skills is less.
As expected, the peak combat performance of Power Sword and Power Shield is not sustainable!
"Gun Like a Dragon" ordered the flamethrower players of the Crimson Firmament Alliance to burn the corpse of the Claw Bug to prevent environmental pollution.
I took out the pink treasure chest dropped by the Claw Bug. Without further ado, I opened the chest to treat myself.
The next second, accompanied by a cracking sound, the treasure chest opened, and a bell rang in the air—
[Congratulations! You have successfully opened your [BOSS Ability Crystal] and obtained the item: [Ancient Tree Contract Boots] (Quality: Pink)!]
This time it's a pair of boots.
Opening the storage space, you'll see a pair of bright green boots lying there. The outer layer is made of steel and engraved with patterns of branches and leaves, full of vitality. If you linger for a moment, their attributes will appear.
[Ancient Tree Contract Boots] (Quality: Pink)
Rank: Fifth Tier
Defense: 780
Strength: +60
Agility: +58
Physical strength: +55
Blessing: Damage Reduction +3%
Specialty: Attack damage +13%
Blessing: Wind Walk, movement speed +100%
Blessing: Mighty Strength - II, increases attack power by 600 points.
Blessing: Resilience, increases own health by 7500 points.
Burst Skill: [Ancient Tree Contract], unleashes the power of the Ancient Tree Contract with Yuan Power, increasing the user's movement speed by 80% and restoring 4% of their health per second for 15 seconds. Consumes 50 Essence Points, with a 120-second cooldown.
Biography: A pair of combat boots forged from the essence of a tree spirit elder, said to be a masterpiece created when the human fleet destroyed the ancient planet of Mu. Although these boots are filled with slaughter and evil, they are also extremely effective.
Strength required: 1000
Required Agility: 600
"Wow, that's impressive..."
Looking at the attributes of the Ancient Tree Contract Boots, I couldn't help but smile. The attributes were quite good, with three major affixes: Damage Reduction, damage increase, and immense strength. Although the Damage Reduction and damage increase values were not full, there was no need to pursue them to be full.
After all, while other players are still pursuing cyan and orange equipment, it would seem too greedy to demand that Pink Equipment have the highest stats at this point.
In addition, these boots have a pretty good Burst Skill, Ancient Tree Contract, which not only increases movement speed but also restores health every second. It's a great item and very useful when escaping or chasing!
No doubt about it, equip it!
With a "snap," another piece of Pink Equipment was added to his body, giving him a great sense of accomplishment!
At this point, the full set of equipment Damage Reduction by 23% and increases damage by 123%, both of which are quite impressive.
With 23% Damage Reduction and over 7200 armor, I have the ability to take down a general amidst a sea of enemies, while the 123% damage increase means that whether it's melee or ranged gun attacks, the damage will be maximized.
At this stage, there are probably very few players who can even see my back in terms of output.
Hey! Don't be arrogant, humility makes one progress!
However, the Dragon Slayer Boots were now obsolete, but I really couldn't bear to throw them away. The Chasing Clouds and Pursuing Lightning Burst Skill was extremely useful, not only increasing damage by 20% but also increasing movement speed by 60%, making it suitable for any class.
Forget it, let's give it to Fatty. He's a Firepower Specialist; once he activates Chasing Clouds and Pursuing Lightning, he can unleash a barrage of fire while holding the Gatling, which is especially useful when moving and firing.
"Fatty."
I simply tossed him the Dragon Slayer Boots.
"Holy crap, this is good stuff..."
The fat man grinned and tossed me a bundle of money; judging by the weight, it should be 300,000 Star Coins.
What are you doing?
I looked at the money in my hand. "You never paid me for the equipment you used to take. You've changed."
"Damn it, what's with all the changes? I'm still me, a unique spark."
The fat man explained, "Before, I was a noob and didn't have the skills, so I could only get your discarded equipment for free. Now that I'm capable, I can earn money myself. You giving me equipment for free shows you're a true brother. If I could still take your equipment without feeling guilty, then I wouldn't deserve to be your brother."
"Holy crap, when did you become so enlightened? Give me back that shameless fat guy!"
"Hahaha, you bastard!!"
Beside her, Ruolin chuckled, a slight smile playing on her lips.
The battle near the Abyss continued, with bullets trailing dense, indistinct streaks of light.
Even by 2 a. m., they still hadn't managed to breach the insect abyss; there were just too many insects!
"Ding Han!"
In the distance, the captain of the Flame Wolf Task Force, propelled by his jump pack, landed in front of us. He was a middle-aged man with a simple appearance. He said, "There are just too many insects spawning from the tentacles of the Great Devourer. We can't kill them all. We've mobilized over 100,000 troops to invade the entire Insect Abyss, but we still can't break through. The bombing is about to begin. We must retreat immediately and reach an area three kilometers away from the Insect Abyss within half an hour!"
"Clear!"
I glanced at Gun Like a Dragon: "Alliance Leader Long, lead the brothers to retreat, a massive bombing is coming!"
"Understood, retreat!"
With Gun Like a Dragon, he led his men in a retreat while firing as they went.
In an instant, players near the Insect Abyss retreated. Within the star map, countless players shouted for a retreat to avoid being left behind and ultimately dying in their own bombardment.
The moment we moved away from the insect abyss, the insects stopped chasing us.
Half an hour later, they arrived at a point four kilometers outside the Insect Abyss.
The desert night was still filled with sandstorms. As everyone looked up at the dark night sky, they discovered huge figures appearing in the air.
That seemed to transcend the description of a heavy bomber; it was more like a starship in our understanding, bursting forth with blue light as the colossal vessel soared through the air, dropping a massive number of heavy guided bombs.
Dozens of such starships passed by in the blink of an eye, and immediately, a series of loud explosions echoed through the Star Abyss, with flames shooting into the sky!
The earth shook violently. Although we were four kilometers away, it felt as if we had experienced an earthquake. The continuous bombardment seemed to be tearing the planet apart.
Soon after, the air was filled with the acrid smell of insects being bombed; it was extremely unpleasant and did not smell like the roasted cicada nymphs I had imagined.
The bombing raids lasted for a full four hours.
As dawn broke, the acrid smell in the air grew even stronger, and in the distance, the enormous tentacle that had risen from the abyss into the sky was now charred black and had been blown off in the middle, with ashes constantly being blown away by the wind.
Just then, a bell rang in my ears--
[Mission changed: Please enter the Insect Abyss as soon as possible, kill all the Star Nest Queen, and eliminate the massive number of Lord Bug left behind by them!]
"The mission objective has changed!"
"Everyone stop resting, let's move out! We need to enter the Insect Abyss!" said the Gun Like a Dragon.
So, the group dusted themselves off, quickly got up, and followed the Gun Like a Dragon advanced towards the Insect Abyss.
Not far away, the Flame Wolf Task Force also set off with us. Several Generation 3 Armor warriors even activated their jump packs and walked in front, each jump covering a distance of hundreds of meters, much faster than the players' two legs.
Soon after, they arrived at the Insect Abyss.
It was early morning, the sandstorm had stopped, and the view was incredibly wide. Looking into the distance, the huge insect abyss had a radius of at least ten kilometers. At this time, the area around the huge insect abyss was densely packed with players, and the army set up machines, lowering cables from the ground.
"That's enough."
The Flame Wolf Task Force members gave us an OK sign, and then several Generation 3 Armor warriors jumped in first.
"Let's go, be careful."
Holding the Power Sword in one hand and the sling in the other, I slid down with a "whoosh," and an even stronger, acrid smell filled my nostrils.
Inside the Insect Abyss, everything was so shocking. Countless insects were burned and curled up together, just like deep-fried eels. The rock walls were covered with countless insect eggs, all of which had been roasted and exploded.
"Damn it..."
Seeing this scene, Huo Bingzhi Ri couldn't help but lose his composure.
Shortly after, everyone landed.
The terrain deep within the Abyss is quite complex, with a central pillar reaching into the sky and the surrounding area collapsing, somewhat resembling the Giant Rock Abyss in Liyue from the game Genshin Impact.
"Boss, look over there."
Telling a Story pointed to the Great Devourer tentacle in the middle and said, "There are so many Lord Bug on it..."
"Depend on..."
I felt a chill run down my spine. The tentacles themselves were enormous, yet they were surrounded by the embryos of the Lord Bug. These embryos had probably been protected by the tentacles and had actually survived the massive bombing.
"Flamethrower!"
"Go! Go and wipe out all these Lord Bug!" said the Gun Like a Dragon.
"Boss."
Xu Tian frowned, his eyes filled with seriousness, and pointed to the enormous tentacle in front of him, saying, "Are you sure this tentacle is really dead? If it's not dead, then we're essentially talking directly to the Zerg Emperor!"
"..."
After a moment's thought, Gun Like a Dragon said, "We are humans, and our stance is destined to be enemies of the Zerg, so we have nothing to worry about. What difference would it make if we directly confronted the Great Devourer?"
Not far away, Qianli Qingqiu nodded in agreement. "As expected of the leader of the only battle alliance in Huaining City My Critical Hits Hurt Alliance,' your vision is indeed different!"
For a moment, all the players from Huaining City were somewhat embarrassed.
"Let's go! Let's finish this quickly!"
I raised my Explosive Gun: "Let's charge in and wipe out the Lord Bug!"
"Clear!"
Immediately, a group of people arrived beneath the giant tentacle. Those with flamethrowers used them, while those without aimed and fired their guns.
I used the Explosive Gun for precise shooting; three bullets fired in quick succession were enough to blast an embryo of a Lord Bug. The large-caliber bullets were powerful, and they blew it up instantly, killing it beyond any hope of survival!
In the blink of an eye, the entire tentacle seemed to burst into flames, and countless Lord Bug embryos sizzled and screamed, helplessly facing the player's slaughter.
But in a sudden instant, his body sank, and an irresistible Mental Power descended from the sky. Instantly, the surrounding scenery and people disappeared, replaced by a sea of blood.
A sharp, intense pain shot through my brain; my eyes seemed to be bleeding, and my vision blurred.
"Forehead..."
I clutched my head in pain.
But when I opened my eyes, amidst the blood-red scene, I saw a sight that defied description: a gigantic worm. I couldn't make out its entirety, but I could feel its overwhelming aura.
Its face, with thousands upon thousands of dark eyes opening at once, almost shattered my heart!
The next moment, he suddenly broke free from the Mental Control.
I felt completely drained and collapsed heavily to the ground, a sharp, unbearable pain shooting through my head.
So, what we just saw was the Great Devourer, known as the Zerg Emperor?
Turning around, I realized that I wasn't the only one attacked by this Mental Power; everyone had suffered a mental attack!
"Boss..."
Beside her, Kou Mei knelt on the ground, her face contorted in pain.
Fey Courtier, clutching Submachine Gun, his face deathly pale, said, "That is..."
The two of them had the highest Mental Power in the team, so their situation was the best.
Ruolin, Gushi, Aji, and Bingzi were still lying on the ground, their faces ashen, not yet awakened from their unconsciousness.
Cai Cai and Fatty, whose Mental Power was the lowest, were foaming at the mouth and convulsing.
"Wake up, everyone!"
I slapped Cai Cai and Fatty once each, to prevent them from biting their tongues and committing suicide.
"Holy crap..."
When the two woke up, they looked shaken.
Ruolin, Gu Shi, and the others also woke up, their faces pale, and they didn't even dare to mention the scenes they had just seen in the mental world.
"So..."
I looked at everyone and asked, "Did you all see the Great Devourer?"
"Shh, boss..."
Fey Courtier said, "Don't say that name, he'll hear it..."
"Depend on..."
I was astonished; I hadn't expected the Great Devourer to be so tyrannical!
"CTMD..."
In the distance, Xu Tian, who usually cultivated a refined and elegant persona, uncharacteristically uttered a complete curse, saying, "So, is this a warning to us not to be his enemy?"
That's roughly the idea.
Gun Like a Dragon's face turned deathly pale. "His true body is in the Earth's core near the star's core. For a group mental attack launched from such a distance to be so terrifying, I even feel that if he wanted to kill us, he could concentrate his Mental Power and kill any one of us without any problem."
"No, it won't."
Xu Tian's eyes were glazed over as he muttered, "He sees us all as ants, as mere prey. How could he possibly concentrate his forces to kill just one of us?"
It seems that the Mental Power Storm from the Great Devourer has shattered Xu Tian's confidence as a top-tier Psionicist.
"Continue!"
I picked up the Explosive Gun: "Shoot down all the Lord Bug! Don't leave any seeds for the Insect swarm in the heart of the Crimson Dragon Country! The Great Devourer only warned us with its Mental Power and didn't kill us directly because it couldn't. Our opponent will never show us any mercy. Don't take any chances. Let's do what we have to do!"
"Holy crap, Ding Han was absolutely right..."
The Worldly Uncontested said, "Damn it, why doesn't the Great Devourer just wipe us out? It's probably busy Star Eater core and can't spare any attention for us. Since that's the case, there's no need to take any chances. Let's just fight! Never pin our hopes on the enemy's mercy. Just do it!"
"That's right, just do it!"
Yaoyao Is Here agreed.
"Let's do it, keep going!"
With a single command, the Gun Like a Dragon, and everyone continued their work with great enthusiasm!
Soon after, military helicopters appeared in the sky, and large-caliber flamethrowers began to wreak havoc, burning and exploding the Lord Bug around the giant tentacles.
This process lasted until 2 p. m.
"Drop!"
A message came from Su Wei: "Ding Han, our detectors have located the coordinates of the Six Paths Star Nest Queen. One of them is relatively close to the players in Huaining City, so we'll entrust it to you. The coordinates are *****..."
"OK, leave it to us!"
I immediately turned around and shared the coordinates with Gun Like a Dragon.
"Set off!"
At the command, everyone quickly headed towards the Star Nest Queen.
After advancing dozens of meters deeper into the underground rock strata, sure enough, a giant Star Nest Queen was found nestled within the rock layer. Her bloated body almost covered most of the rock layer, and at this moment, her body was constantly writhing, each writhing producing a large number of Lord Bug embryos.
In addition, there was a group of hunched-over scorpion-insects, which were acting as porters, carrying a bunch of Lord Bug embryos outwards, intending to attach the Lord Bug to the giant tentacles of the Great Devourer.
As for the purpose of this action... is it to accelerate ripening?
We don't know for sure, but one thing is certain: whatever the enemy does, we should stop them and prevent them from accomplishing their goals. That's the right thing to do.
"Molotov Cocktail, charge!"
The best way to deal with the Star Nest Queen is to keep the Molotov Cocktail burning, because the Star Nest Queen.
After a large number of Molotov Cocktail were thrown out with a "whoosh," the rock strata burst into flames.
"Sizzle~~~"
The Star Nest Queen, in pain, twisted its bloated body and began launching Mental Power attacks on the surrounding players, with waves of damage rising up in rapid succession.
"Retreat when your health drops below 50%; the boss's area-of-effect mental attack is quite powerful."
The leaders of the major guilds gave skillful command.
I had no intention of retreating, so I swung my Power Sword and kept cutting the Star Nest Queen's body. Unfortunately, even with the Fire of the Star Nest Queen, the blade was too short. It was more like I was cutting her hemorrhoids than cutting her body.
However, to ensure the treasure chest is valuable, I have no choice but to keep attacking. After all, my attack power is what it is, and if I want to, I can account for at least 20% of the total damage output.
After about ten minutes, the Star Nest Queen's long health bar finally ran out. With a soft "plop," her body began to convulse and white fluid began to ooze out.
I turned and left, activating the Stardust Wall to avoid being sprayed with filth.
Just as everyone was retreating, a brand new pink treasure chest appeared in their hands, which they immediately opened.
[Congratulations! You have successfully opened your [BOSS Ability Crystal] and obtained the item: [Star Nest Queen's Greaves] (Quality: Pink)!]
Pink knee pads, awesome!
I rubbed my eyes. If I remember correctly, the helmet I'm currently hiding is called the Star Nest Queen's Helm. The name prefix is the same, and both are Pink Equipment. Could it be a set?!
He hurriedly opened the storage space to check its attributes!
[Star Nest Queen's Greaves] (Quality: Pink)
Rank: Fifth Tier
Defense: 785
Strength: +60
Spirit: +59
Agility: +56
Blessing: Damage Reduction +4%
Specialty: Attack damage +10%
Blessing: Mighty Strength - II, increases attack power by 600 points.
Blessing: Resilience, increases own health by 7500 points.
Biography: The Star Nest Queen's Greaves, crafted using alien technology, are extremely sturdy.
Strength required: 1000
Required Agility: 500
The stats are average, but it's better than the previous Frost Flame Greaves because it has an additional damage-increasing attribute!
Although the damage increase cap for Pink Equipment is 17%, and the damage increase for these knee pads is only 10%, it's actually enough. Having this stat is already quite lucky; there's no need to be too greedy!
Of course, a 10% damage increase is quite a distance from the maximum of 17%...
No problem, just wait for the golden leg guards!
Without further ado, equip it immediately, and a bell rang in my ears--
[Congratulations! You have triggered the 2-piece set bonus of the Star Nest Queen set: Hidden Armor +10%!]
As expected, set bonuses exist in the equipment of <Star Abyss>, but they are not marked on the equipment and the bonuses are hidden.
My armor has now reached 7600+, which means this two-piece set can provide a hidden armor boost of 760+, bringing my overall armor to 8400+, which is absolutely terrifying!
Moreover, according to this setting, if I can kill more Star Nest Queen, I have a chance to collect a six-piece set, and the bonus of the six-piece set will be quite terrifying!
Unfortunately, I can't wait to get a full set of Pink Equipment. As the game progresses, by the time I collect a full set of pink gear, it will be around the time the gold- Cataclysm Tier BOSS appears, and then there will be new goals to pursue!
To put it simply, equipment below S10 is just transitional. If you want to complete a set, you'll have to wait for higher-tier equipment after S10, as those are the ones that have lasting value.
Around four o'clock in the evening.
All the Star Nest Queen have been eliminated, and all signs of life in the entire Insect Abyss have been completely wiped out, except for the giant tentacle in the middle, of course.
The tentacles were still dripping with sticky, dark red blood, as if they were injured but had not lost their vitality.
"Brothers, retreat!"
At this moment, the voice of player "Three Cups to the Great Way" came from within the star map. I remember this person. He is the number one Firepower Specialist in the National Server. He is extremely strong and is almost a level stronger than Cai Cai!
He continued, "The orders from above are for everyone to evacuate to a point one kilometer away from the Insect Abyss. Be quick, the next phase of the operation is about to begin!"
"Walk!"
With a command from Gun Like a Dragon, he led the group back to the ground via the cable.
After that, they moved away from the insect abyss.
Around 5 o'clock, dozens of heavy helicopters arrived over the Insect Abyss and then sprayed "pesticides" downwards.
Suddenly, the giant tentacles that had been motionless began to spasm slightly, and the indestructible outer layer of skin rapidly melted and bled, as if it were some kind of disease.
In the blink of an eye, the giant tentacles that stood as tall as mountains began to rot and crumble piece by piece!
What is that?
The Chaos Demon King gazed into the distance. "What kind of divine potion could destroy the tentacles of the Great Devourer?"
"Some kind of chemical agent, does anyone know?"
Xu Tian smiled faintly, "The higher-ups of the Crimson Dragon Country must have a more thorough understanding of the Great Devourer than we do. There are countless people in the world who are smarter than us, so the Crimson Dragon Country's think tank should not be underestimated."
"Why didn't they produce these potions sooner?" the Chaos Demon King asked earnestly.
"Perhaps it's the shell of a giant tentacle, free from the effects of the potion. You can use your imagination to come up with that explanation; there's no need to ask."
Just then, a bell rang in my ears. Finally, Mission Bug Abyss No. 01 was completed.
[Congratulations! You have completed the Main Quest "Attack, Bug Abyss No. 01 in the Chagan Desert!" (SS-rank)! Rewards: Character Experience +44 million, Charm Value +2. Due to your outstanding performance in this quest, you ranked 1st on the Points and received an additional reward: "Shockwave" (S-rank Skill Tome)!]
Skill books have been released!
My heart leaped with joy, and I hurriedly opened my storage space. Sure enough, a gleaming golden skill book appeared.
[Shockwave] (S-rank Skill Tome): Consumes 5 Essence Points to unleash a Shockwave that deals 500% damage to targets within 40 yards and slows them for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 15 seconds. Required level: 60. Required class: Super Weapon Master.
This is a Tier 6 skill, with AOE damage and a slowing effect, making it quite effective.
In addition to its terrifying 500% damage and only 5 points of Essence Points cost, along with its short 15-second cooldown, this skill will undoubtedly become one of my frequently used skills for monster hunting and PvP in the future.
The price-performance ratio is incredibly high, far exceeding expectations!
No rush, leave it for now, and learn it as soon as you reach level 60 and sixth job advancement!
By this time, I had accumulated quite a bit of experience, so I leveled up to 58 and prepared to go home!
"Drop!"
A message came from Su Wei: "Ding Han, send me your location, and I'll arrange a transport plane to take you back to LN City."
"Um."
I sent a location directly and said, "Su Wei, is this battle over?"
"Yes."
Su Wei sent a voice message, sounding somewhat tired, saying, "This tentacle has now been corroded and diseased by the chemical agent we developed, but this dosage cannot harm the Great Devourer. The hidden danger from the star core has not yet been eliminated, but at least for the time being, this turmoil in the heart of the Crimson Dragon Country has been quelled."
She continued, "We will soon be watering this insect abyss overnight to completely seal it off. We can't say it's 100% solved, but at least we've done our best."
She smiled and said, "Ding Han, Xie Xie you..."
"Actually, I didn't do much this time, I wasn't of much help?"
"You don't need to be so modest. The Flame Wolf Squad already told me that without your intervention, they would have suffered heavy losses. I just didn't expect that those terrifying creatures, the Claw Bug, could actually break through the defenses of the Generation 3 Armor. We ultimately underestimated the strength of the swarm."
"The task is arduous and the road ahead is long, let's take it slow. Right now, all I want to do is go back to Huaining City and get a good night's sleep."
"Yes, me too!"
Half an hour later, three military transport planes landed behind us, and everyone boarded them one after another, returning to Huaining City.
On the way home, I felt much more relaxed.
He took out his phone and sent a message to Lin Qingying: "The crisis in the Chagan Desert has been resolved, and the insect swarm has been eliminated. You can rest assured. I'll be back soon, but I'll probably arrive in Huaining City a little late. I'm covered in the smell of insects, so I need to go home and take a shower first. You eat first."
No, I'll wait for you at home.
"Okay, then wait for me to have dinner together."
And so, at that moment, I felt an overwhelming urge to go home.
An hour later, the helicopter arrived at the LN City Player Black Market. A group of people sneaked into the black market and then teleported back to Huaining City via the Phase Teleportation Array.
I was too tired to ride a motorcycle, so Fatty and I hailed a taxi to go home.
The neighborhood remains peaceful.
The broadcast was announcing that the Crimson Dragon Legion had breached the Chagan Desert Insect Abyss; the official announcement had been made well in advance to reassure the public.
I went upstairs, opened the living room door, and saw Lin Qingying sitting obediently on the sofa waiting for me.
"Ding Han!"
She immediately got up and came over.
"Xiaoying, I'm dirty..."
Before I could finish speaking, she had already thrown herself into my arms.
"It's alright, nothing's wrong..."
I gently stroked the back of her hair, my feelings incredibly complex.
"It does seem to have a very strong smell."
She pulled away from his embrace, covered her nose, and gave him a disgusted smile, "Go take a shower, then we'll go out for dinner."
"Good!"
He rushed into the bathroom, showered, changed into clean clothes, and then went downstairs with Lin Qingying to drive to dinner.
Are you tired?
She asked a question while driving.
"It's alright, I can hold out until I finish eating."
"Good!"
Sure enough, she led me to our favorite date spot, Shudao Mountain Hot Pot Restaurant.
We ordered a table full of dishes and started a frenzied feast.
The television in front of me was showing footage of the battle in the Bug Abyss No. 01; some parts were pixelated, but the battle was quite brutal.
Originally, the Crimson Dragon Country was unwilling to publicize such matters, but the Star Maple Federation's high-precision satellites were watching from the sky, and their agents and spies might also be mixed in with the combat formation. This kind of thing couldn't be kept secret, so the Crimson Dragon Country simply chose to release these images.
I glanced back at it, then continued eating.
But when I looked up, I saw Lin Qingying looking at me with teary eyes.
"Xiaoying, why are you crying?"
I panicked a little and quickly got up to sit next to her, wiping away her tears.
As the CEO of Yuening, Lin Qingying even suppressed her tears, only looking at me with teary eyes and whispering, "After you went on the mission, I worried about you every single moment. I really didn't want you to go, but... but seeing so many reports, seeing so many people rushing headlong into the insect swarm..."
Her shoulders trembled, and tears streamed down her face. "Yet I feel proud because my boyfriend is one of them. Ding Han, am I a vain and wicked woman?"
"No, of course not."
In my panic, I could only hold her in my arms.
"Oops..."
Just then, the Hot Pot Restaurant owner passed by, glanced at it, and calmly turned and left.
Lin Qingying's face flushed red. She quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe her tears and said, "Okay, I'm fine now. You should eat."
I sat back down in my seat. "You eat too, eat more."
"Um."
After finishing my meal, I went straight to bed.
I slept very soundly, without a single dream; I just slept until eight o'clock the next day.
Lin Qingying had finished washing up and was sitting on the sofa waiting.
So I washed up, accompanied her downstairs for a meal, and then went to work at Feiyang Internet Cafe.
Actually, I still prefer the days when I worked in an internet cafe. It was relaxed and leisurely. As for the days when I was wielding a Power Sword and killing swarms of Zerg, they were exciting and fun, but I really couldn't enjoy those days.
Killing is often accompanied by danger, and if someone is truly addicted to or enjoys that kind of life, then that's a bit abnormal.
I spent the entire morning writing code until I went downstairs for lunch.
"Hangzi!"
I took the braised pork knuckle lunchbox from Zhao Yihang and said with a smile, "Thanks!"
"Don't mention it!"
Zhao Yihang turned to a petite girl who looked like a delicate beauty from a Jiangnan water town and said, "Baby, would you like the pork chop rice or the chicken leg rice? You choose first?"
The girl chose the large pork chop.
'Holy crap?!'
I'm shocked! He's only been gone for two days, how come Zhao Yihang already has a baby?!
"No..."
I asked, "Hangzi, is this beautiful lady?"
"I forgot to introduce it."
Zhao Yihang, holding the girl's hand, said, "Brother, this is Xiao Hui, the internet cafe manager we just recruited. She's my girlfriend now. Xiao Hui, this is my brother, the general manager of Feiyang Chain Internet Cafe in Huaining. You should know him, right?"
Xiao Hui nodded. "Yes, although I haven't been here for many days, I'm sure I've heard of Ding Han."
"Alright, let's eat."
"Okay!"
Zhao Yihang took Xiao Hui to another bar, where they ate intimately, their heads close together, and he would even occasionally make "ah~~~" sounds as he fed her.
That's disgusting!
Chen Xiaoman walked over, holding a lunchbox, and we looked over there together.
"To be honest, young people in love are absolutely disgusting, aren't they?" she said.
"Really."
I nodded. "But what I really can't figure out is, how did Zhao Yihang manage to get Xiao Hui?"
"He put his heart into it."
Chen Xiaoman laughed and said, "I heard that this guy made a forum for Xiao Hui, something like 'Unexpectedly Wise.' This forum was made specifically for Xiao Hui, and he even created a small group and invited a few friends to chat on the forum every day. Sigh, how many girls can resist this kind of offensive?"
I was utterly shocked.
Good lad, he's got some nerve! Even I got used in this!