Chapter 112
[Undercover Hint 2: Find your comrade; death of your comrade will result in punishment]
The game had trapped her, leaving the girl gritting her teeth in frustration.
'Besides the Judge, Undercover must be the hardest, right? I only have one instance of experience, how come my luck is so bad?'
Self-pity was useless. The three ran to another alley, and the girl pointed ahead.
"Go to that room."
"But what if there are people inside?" Rick asked, knowing that not all the townspeople who had come after them were there.
"Knock him out, now you have to hide." The girl stared intently at the other person, ready to abandon the idiot even at the cost of punishment if she heard him utter a single word of "no."
Rick hesitated for a second, but his upbringing ultimately overwhelmed his survival instincts.
"Good!"
The three rushed into the house and found an elderly couple and their grandson inside. When they met face to face, before the other side could even scream, the three pounced on them.
Those who stayed at home didn't seem to be enhanced by the game and were not much different from ordinary people. Even Pinto and Rick, who received the initial game rewards, dealt with it in no time.
Rick knocked the old woman over with the butt of his gun, turned around, and saw that he had taken out a spray-like device. He sprayed it at the little boy, who immediately fainted.
His tone was cold, but he wasn't a bad person.
As a policeman, he didn't believe what others said. At least judging from his actions, he wasn't a cold-hearted person. When he turned his head again, his brows furrowed.
"You killed him?"
Pinto held the fire axe he had picked up from the tutorial. The red axe head pierced the old man's skull, and the spurting blood stained the carpet red.
"I... I... he... he was about to shout." The young man plopped down on the ground, somewhat at a loss.
The mangled corpse, the helpless teammates— Rick glanced back and forth, then closed his eyes in pain.
He couldn't blame anyone; he was just doing his best to survive.
"Let's pack up. It's almost sunset. We need to stay hidden here, as long as we can."
"Okay, okay, I'll get ready right away." Pinto knew he had upset his older brother, so he quickly went to the bathroom to get a bucket to clean up.
Just then, the motorcycle girl who had gone upstairs to check returned. She had deliberately avoided them to prevent any awkwardness between them.
"I've checked upstairs, no one's there."
"Thanks, I'd completely forgotten about that." Rick plopped down on the sofa, realizing how unprofessional he'd been, and then stole a glance at the girl who had been staring intently at the bathroom.
"Don't worry, Pinto and I have a life-or-death bond. I would have died long ago in that abandoned school without him."
"Haven't you heard that times change?" The girl glanced at him sideways, her expression unfriendly even through her helmet.
Those words are so sharp; you must usually be someone who's high and mighty.
The officer was somewhat embarrassed, and not wanting to influence others' judgment—this was his Pinto's business, and had nothing to do with the girl—so he chuckled awkwardly and changed the subject:
"Miss Moon Bow, your experience must be quite limited, perhaps only one instance?"
"Why? And where did you learn about the concept of 'qualifications'?"
"Just guessing. I'm a detective, the best, youngest, and most promising detective in France. How could I possibly hide something like this from you..." Rick started to boast, then his smile froze, and his voice grew softer and softer.
The other person's gaze gradually turned cold, unlike the enthusiasm of a France girl; his sunny and handsome image was of no use whatsoever.
"Okay, I think you're different from other veteran players. How should I put it? You can recognize the problems, but you can't bring yourself to fix them. In our terms, we call it having a conscience that hasn't been completely eradicated. You can be reformed."
The girl was slightly taken aback and looked at the man with a scrutinizing gaze. This man was very clever and not as simple as she had imagined. However, he talked too much and didn't know how to read people's expressions.
Oh, I'm wearing a helmet, so he can't see me.
The girl's mood improved slightly, and she continued in a cold voice, "Guess all you want, I won't answer."
"Okay, I think you've never been betrayed before, otherwise you wouldn't be so gentle with Pinto. And are you annoyed by my talkativeness?"
"That's right."
"Sorry, but talking helps me calm down and forget all that shit. At least you're reliable," Rick said, unconcerned about the other person's opinion.
"I was tortured terribly this time. I could easily become a psychopath if I'm not careful. Have you ever experienced anything like this before?"
It was unprecedented, but it was also quite torturous.
The girl's lips moved, and she couldn't help but reply, "My last dungeon was called 'Panning for Gold in Filth,' which was, in a sense, also a kind of torture."
Beneath the motorcycle helmet, her pupils began to lose focus, a hundred times more terrifying than this small town to someone as pampered as herself.
Pfft.
"Why are you laughing?"
I didn't laugh.
"I've heard you."
"Miss, I'm a police officer, professionally trained, and I don't smile easily." Rick's serious expression, coupled with his light blue police uniform, gave him a certain credibility.
The girl gripped her longbow tightly, wanting to shoot this bastard in the head, but she had to admit that his cheerful and sunny personality was infectious, at least calming her pounding heart.
It's very rare, and unfortunately it can only appear on newcomers who haven't been beaten up yet.
The lesson of exploiting everyone and squeezing every last drop of value is quite useful in the Reincarnation Game, and it has almost become Truth. With her clever mind, she clearly understands that betrayal in the game is as easy as eating and drinking.
Are there really veteran players who help others like he did?
The girl didn't know, nor did she have time to ask, because her heart, which had just calmed down, began to pound violently with the sound of knocking.
Bang bang.
The door was knocked on, causing Rick to sit up straight on the sofa and Pinto, who was holding a mop and preparing to clean up the crime scene, to freeze in place.
Bang bang bang!
The knocking grew louder, rattling the door. The three men tensed up, preparing to hide, only to be met with the living room that resembled a murder scene.
Moon Bow hurried to the window, pulled the curtains open slightly, and peeked out. Seeing three figures standing at the door, his expression immediately turned serious.
These townspeople are strange; how could she handle three people all by herself? She turned around and made a gesture.
"Clean it up, let it in, then you can fight it."
How do we fight if we let them in?
The situation was urgent, and there was no time to think about anything else. Rick quickly dragged the body and the unconscious person into the kitchen, Pinto swiftly wiped away the bloodstains with a mop.
Bang!
The door was kicked open, and a square-faced blond man returned home, followed by his wife and friend.
The three of them entered the foyer and looked around with some confusion. As the sun began to set, the light inside the house was quite dim.
"Father? Mother?"
He asked twice, stepped into the living room, and was about to turn on the light when he suddenly stopped.
A strong smell of blood filled the man's nostrils, alerting him. He slowly reached behind him and pulled out a double-barreled shotgun with its handle sawed off.
The worst-case scenario is that once the gunshots are fired, there will be no possibility of a quiet resolution.
Holding a gun in one hand and reaching for the light switch with the other, the living room chandelier suddenly turned on, illuminating the room so brightly that it made him instinctively close his eyes.
Call out.
The arrow had already struck, Piercer his left hand. The hunting rifle fell to the ground, and a girl dressed in black appeared at the corner of the stairs, holding a longbow.
At the same time, two figures darted out from the left and right, pouncing on the other two.
"Take care of them!"
Rick Pinto dared not hold back; one wielded a baton, the other raised a fire axe. But the man and woman, caught off guard, remained calm and retaliated with a reaction speed far exceeding that of ordinary people.
Clang.
The young woman, who was less than 1.6 meters tall, blocked the fire axe with a kitchen knife. The fire axe, which was a full head taller than her, was struck with both hands. The Pinto turned red, and it felt like it had hit a rock.
Rick, who dared not use his gun, was in even greater danger. The enemy raised his hand, gripped the baton, and the high-voltage current only made his body tremble slightly before kicking him away.
What to do???
Although he had expected it, Moon Bow was still terrified at the sight. He quickly drew his bow and shot an arrow at the man who was bending down to pick up the gun, forcing him back. He then swiftly drew a second arrow.
Before she could even choose a target, the young woman wielding the kitchen knife had already kicked Pinto away, leaped several meters, and headed straight for the stairs.
The speed was so fast that she immediately changed direction and entered a state of complete absorption.
Feature activation...
An unknown energy was surging, but a glimpse out of the corner of my eye sent my heart sinking to the bottom.
The townspeople weren't mindless Living Corpse. As the young woman charged, the young man who had kicked Rick away had already run towards the gate. It was obvious he was going out to call for help.
"Stop him!"
Moon Bow roared, but it was too late. His two teammates had just gotten up; how could they possibly teleport to block the door? The young man could rush out of the hut in just a second or two.
Panicked, he lost his aim and the arrow was dodged by the young woman, who, like Leopardess, gripped the kitchen knife and leaped up the stairs, pouncing on him in a few steps.
Oops.
She didn't even have the energy to think about what to do next. The girl leaned back, drew an arrow, and held it in her hand, preparing for close combat. But she couldn't concentrate, her eyes constantly glancing at the doorway.
If the young man rushes out, he will attract more enemies, and they will be entangled with the two men and will have no chance of escaping.
Are we doomed?
She saw the gleaming kitchen knife before her, saw Rick pull out his gun and back towards the kitchen, Pinto, holding an axe in both hands, futilely chased after him toward the door.
The three of them had done their utmost; if death still awaited them—
I don't accept it!
Instead of retreating, the girl advanced, stepping on the stair railing to avoid the kitchen knife, nocking an arrow, her clever mind already devising a complete plan:
Take the blow, shoot the guy at the door with all your might, then break up the group and escape separately. After that, it's all up to luck.
He was far more composed than the average player, but the plan failed before it even began.
Swish--
A blade of light, as bright as the moon, appeared at the doorway, slicing the young man who had just rushed in into two even halves. The light was so dazzling that everyone inside the room instinctively looked up.
In the last rays of the setting sun, the robust young man was split in two like a peanut being shelled; the knife was so fast and sharp that it made one forget that the townspeople could withstand bullets.
Clatter.
A military boot stepped onto the floor splattered with entrails, followed by a gray woolen overcoat, and above that, a long, blood-dripping knife.
A man wearing a gas mask walked in, said nothing, and raised his left hand to grasp the doorknob.
Squeak--
With the sound of hinged pages, the door slowly closed, burying the last rays of sunlight.
Chapter Seven: The Strong Should Be Respected
There was no desperate rescue; everything was planned from the start.
Upon discovering the strange occurrences in the town, Yuki immediately went to find them. He first carefully observed them from a distance using binoculars, then followed them closely, only taking action after confirming that they were not faking it.
Through observation, he determined two things:
First, the townspeople are quite capable in combat, but that's about it; their physical abilities are roughly equivalent to those of a 'Limit human.'
Secondly, the crouching monster did not exhibit tracking ability, nor did it show any command capability for the time being; otherwise, this group would not have been able to escape the encirclement at all.
Third, as long as I don't use Devil's Vision to stare at the other party for an extended period of time, the possessed monster won't be aware of my presence.
With some rough intelligence, he killed a town resident halfway through the journey, deliberately leaving him in the middle of the road to lure the large group of pursuers to the other side of the town.
"Otherwise, did you think only three people came to our door?"
Yuki glanced around the deathly silent room. The policeman, gun in hand, knelt like a statue. The motorcycle girl on the stairs had her bow drawn, but couldn't release the arrow.
The two townspeople were similarly stunned, staring blankly at themselves.
Clatter.
The military boots slammed onto the floor, blood dripping from the tip of the knife. They walked towards the young man wielding the axe, who trembled all over but dared not move a single finger.