Bang! Bang!
Just as Qin Ran flung out the bulletproof vest, the Deceiver fired.
Even with his vision obstructed and unable to see Qin Ran clearly,
even though his firing stance was awkward as he dodged the incoming bulletproof vest,
the bodily instincts forged through countless training sessions still allowed the Deceiver to hit Qin Ran—both bullets pierced through Qin Ran's legs without missing once.
However, having injected the [Painkiller], Qin Ran felt no pain at all. He rolled out of cover as though he had not been shot.
"You gave up a perfect opportunity!"
The Deceiver watched Qin Ran rapidly widen the distance between them, his legs seemingly unharmed. The killing intent in his heart burned even fiercer—he naturally knew exactly why Qin Ran could move like that!
[Painkiller]!
The [Painkiller] he had given Qin Ran himself!
Qin Ran had used his own item to scheme against him, and that made the Deceiver feel humiliated!
The intense humiliation made the Deceiver want nothing more than to shoot Qin Ran dead immediately!
But he remembered his mission.
So, after only a second, the Deceiver made up his mind!
He would teach Qin Ran a proper lesson.
Not only would he make Qin Ran understand a captive's rights, but he would also make him understand a captive's obligations.
He was an expert at torture.
He had at least a hundred methods of torture in his mind!
Just as the Deceiver was about to pick a few as Qin Ran's appetizer, he suddenly saw a smile on Qin Ran's face that should not have been there.
Instinctively, the Deceiver sensed something was wrong.
Lowering his head, he saw a grenade.
The Deceiver instinctively tried to Dodge.
But... it was already too late!
Boom!
The explosive flames of the [-Ⅱ] grenade completely engulfed the Deceiver.
Even Qin Ran in the distance was caught up in some of it.
Fortunately, it was only the blast wave kicked up by the flames, not the lethal shrapnel.
But the Deceiver was not so fortunate!
Completely engulfed by the explosion of the [-Ⅱ] grenade, he was reduced to a mangled mess, far more miserable than the rebel captain whom he had previously ambushed.
[Shooting: The opponent caused you 20 HP damage...] [Shooting: The opponent caused you 20 HP damage...] [You have entered Moderate Wound Status...] [Your legs have entered a crippled state...] [Painkiller grants immunity to wound status and crippled status for three minutes...] [Explosion: Caused the opponent 150 HP damage. The opponent has died...]
Looking at the combat log, Qin Ran first felt fortunate over the excellent effects of the [Painkiller]. Without it, even if his plan had succeeded, it would not have gone so smoothly.
At the very least, he would have been caught in the explosion of the [-Ⅱ] grenade.
If his luck had been any worse, with only 40 HP left, it might have been GAME OVER.
"Luckily!"
Qin Ran silently rejoiced again, then his attention was drawn to the following combat message.
"150 HP?!"
Qin Ran stared at the Deceiver's HP in surprise.
From the gun-wielding thugs he had encountered at the start to the rebel soldiers earlier, including himself, everyone had had 100 HP. There had never been an exception.
Yet now, a Deceiver with 150 HP had appeared.
"Was it because of exceptional Constitution? Or an elite template?"
Qin Ran guessed.
But before he could continue thinking, the messages that appeared afterward caught his attention.
[You have killed an enemy possessing Gunpowder Weapons (Light Firearms) (Beginner)-level proficiency...] [Skill Gunpowder Weapons (Light Firearms) (Basic → Beginner)] [Name: Gunpowder Weapons (Light Firearms) (Beginner)] [Related Attributes: Strength, Constitution, Perception] [Skill Type: Attack] [Effect: You know how to use pistols, rifles, smoothbore guns, assault rifles, submachine guns, and sniper rifles. Damage increased by 20%.] [Consumption: Stamina] [Learning Requirement: Strength F, Constitution F, Perception F+] [Remark: You can use Light Firearms as well as a seasoned soldier!] ... [Gunpowder Weapons (Light Firearms) skill increased. Related attributes increased...] [Strength F → F+] [Constitution F → F+] [Perception has reached the current level-up limit for this type of skill and cannot be increased!]
A clear warm current began flowing through Qin Ran's entire body, while even more knowledge about firearms appeared in his mind. Accompanied by that warmth, he mastered it at an even faster rate.
When the warm current faded, Qin Ran could clearly feel that he had become stronger and more powerful.
More importantly, his HP had changed.
60!
His HP had risen from the original 40 to 60. Clearly, that increase had come from his increased Constitution.
"An increase of one Constitution level adds 20 HP?"
"Just as I guessed, skills and attributes are inseparable!"
"However, was this skill upgrade a 'benefit' of the Beginner Instance, or was it the normal leveling rule?"
Qin Ran's brow furrowed slightly.
He leaned toward the former.
Because if it were the latter, it would be far too easy—even if actually accomplishing it was difficult, just as it had been when he faced the Deceiver.
In terms of strength and experience, he had been completely Crushingly outmatched.
If he had not been lucky, and if the other party had not wanted something from him, Qin Ran knew exactly what would have happened to him.
But calling it "too easy" would not be wrong either!
After all, players were the most creative and adventure-loving group of people.
Was the Deceiver strong?
The answer was: very strong!
If Qin Ran wanted to confront him head-on, his chances of winning were practically negligible!
But if Qin Ran had enough time, he had no fewer than three ways to trick the other man to death!
Although it would cost a great deal, Qin Ran did not care if it meant upgrading his skills and increasing his attributes.
Therefore, Qin Ran believed that players like him would not care either.
Under such circumstances, the method of killing someone whose skill was one level higher in order to upgrade one's own skill only made sense as a Beginner Instance "feature."
Otherwise, the game's designers would be far too incompetent.
However, that did not mean Qin Ran had no opportunities!
Earlier, when facing the captured gun-wielding thug, his attempt at becoming stronger quickly had failed, but Qin Ran had not given up.
And now, he had seen hope again.
"Kill someone with a skill one level higher?"
Qin Ran muttered softly, then suddenly clenched his fist.
He had a new idea!
Of course, not now!
Right now, the most important thing was to recover as quickly as possible.
Although his [Gunpowder Weapons (Light Firearms)] skill had increased by one level, and both his Strength and Constitution had increased by one level, that did not change the fact that his HP remained below average.
Once the [Painkiller]'s effect disappeared, he would inevitably be in an extremely difficult situation.
Therefore, before the [Painkiller]'s effect wore off, he had to raise his HP to an acceptable level.
Before that, however, Qin Ran walked over to the Deceiver's corpse and carefully searched it.
Although the corpse before him had already been blasted into a bloody mess, that did not mean there would be no gains.
In fact, when Qin Ran turned the corpse over, he had already found something—
A palm-sized book that emitted a faint purple glow.
"A skill book?!"
Qin Ran blurted out instinctively.
Clearly, some game mechanics still existed in this 100% realistic game.
Qin Ran grabbed the purple-glowing skill book.
[Skill Book discovered: Tracking!] [Would you like to learn it?]
"Learn it!"
Without hesitation, Qin Ran made the affirmative choice.
[Skill learned: Tracking] [Name: Tracking (Basic)] [Related Attribute: Perception] [Skill Type: Support] [Effect: You can observe traces to track the target you wish to track!] [Consumption: Stamina] [Learning Requirement: Perception F+] [Remark: Your nose is no match for a hound's!]
In an instant, another wave of knowledge entered his mind, accompanied by bodily coordination.
When it was over, Qin Ran's eyes widened. At that moment, the world looked different to him, and things he had previously overlooked instantly became clear.
Footprints and tracks appeared white.
Blood became vivid crimson.
The traces of the explosion became a deep black.
When Qin Ran blinked, everything returned to normal. When he focused again, the scene before his eyes changed once more.
"An active skill?"
That was Qin Ran's assessment.
However, the faint stabbing pain appearing in his body told him that the [Painkiller]'s effects were about to wear off.
Qin Ran immediately took the Deceiver's leather bag and rushed toward the place where he had hidden the canned food.
Aside from the unexpected skill book, the Deceiver's corpse yielded nothing else.
What Qin Ran regretted most was that, after inspection, the special "sniper rifle" had been completely destroyed in the grenade explosion.
That left Qin Ran feeling disheartened.
It was not that Qin Ran had not wanted to preserve that special "sniper rifle," but under those circumstances, he had barely been able to protect himself.
But then, Qin Ran thought of the rebel soldier sniper he had killed earlier.
That man had possessed a true sniper rifle!
Thinking of that, Qin Ran finally relaxed.
After his [Gunpowder Weapons (Light Firearms)] skill had leveled up, his need for a sniper rifle had become even more urgent.
Because Qin Ran knew very well that against the numerous rebel soldiers, a sniper rifle was safer and more effective than any other firearm!
Moreover, his slightly altered plan required a good sniper rifle even more!
"General Janning?"
Qin Ran murmured softly.
Clearly, he was a BOSS more capable of raising the completion rating than that major.
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