Empathy

Qin Ran had no idea who had arranged the camp's defenses.

It might have been Saruka, or it might have been someone else.

But whoever it was, they were no mere figurehead. The watchtowers, the machine-gun fire network, and the patrols were proof enough.

Even though the rebel soldiers on guard had been forced to cut back on manpower due to their dwindling numbers,

there were still guards wherever defenses were needed.

Except for the open ground before him.

Qin Ran did not believe that someone who had made the camp's defenses watertight would make a mistake in this one spot.

There was only one explanation: this place was trapped!

And landmines were undoubtedly the best choice.

They could inflict massive casualties while also alerting the soldiers in the camp.

It killed two birds with one stone.

"I hope this works!"

As Qin Ran examined the open ground, that thought crossed his mind.

The next moment, he activated the skill [Tracking].

In an instant, the world in Qin Ran's eyes changed.

White, red, and black intertwined, and then rows upon rows of white footprints appeared before him.

The white footprints were faint, like a layer of ash that could be scattered by the wind at any moment.

Qin Ran knew that was because too much time had passed.

Time was most terrifying because it could quietly turn anything profound into something ordinary, followed by oblivion and disappearance.

Fortunately, Qin Ran had arrived in time.

If a few more days had passed, he probably would not have found anything.

Even more fortunately, Qin Ran followed the remaining footprints and found a safe path.

Moving with extreme care, Qin Ran stepped along those footprints.

By the time he reached the base of the wall, his forehead was covered in sweat.

Walking through a minefield while bearing the fear of an explosion was undoubtedly a trial for Qin Ran's nerves.

Even more draining was the Stamina consumption of [Tracking].

The mere dozen or so meters had reduced Qin Ran's Stamina, which had reached 150 after his Constitution increased, by more than half.

"Active skills really burn through Stamina!"

Glancing at his Stamina value, Qin Ran panted softly.

Once his Stamina had fully recovered, Qin Ran bent his knees and sprang upward. His hands caught the top of the wall, and with a pull of both arms, he hauled himself up.

Qin Ran swiftly and cautiously leaped down from the wall, rolled once, and disappeared back into the shadows.

He completed the whole sequence in one fluid motion.

Other than blending into the shadows at the end, which relied on [Stealth], the rest was accomplished with his enhanced physical abilities.

Though it was only a minor jump from F to F+, Qin Ran knew all too well how great the changes had been.

He had become stronger, faster, and his Stamina had improved noticeably.

If it had been when he first entered the game, Qin Ran could still have performed those movements, but doing them all in one smooth sequence would have been out of the question.

He would have been delighted just to finish them somewhat neatly.

"Just F+... what about higher levels?"

As Qin Ran speculated, a surge of excitement rose in his heart.

As long as he kept going, he would soon be able to raise his attributes to even higher levels.

However, Qin Ran quickly remembered his surroundings and forced himself to calm down.

Only after standing in the shadows until he had completely calmed himself did Qin Ran follow the planned route toward the three-story building that had once been a school building but had now become the camp's offices and warehouse.

The searchlights cast sweeping beams across the playground.

The corners and shadowy areas in particular

received repeated attention.

This kept Qin Ran from advancing quickly.

Every few steps, he had to stop and wait for another opportunity.

At the same time, Qin Ran was once again glad that he had chosen to act while the guard force was weak.

Of the three searchlights that had originally swept the grounds, only two were functioning normally.

Otherwise, he would not have had time to wait for another opening before being spotted by the third searchlight.

And then there were the patrolling rebel soldiers.

Although their numbers had decreased, their effectiveness had not diminished in the slightest.

In Qin Ran's eyes, those patrolling rebel soldiers were the ones he needed to guard against most.

After all, people had not only eyes, but ears and noses as well.

The shadows might conceal his body,

but they could not conceal sound. Thus, Qin Ran made every effort to keep each step light and silent.

Naturally, this made it impossible for him to move quickly.

It took Qin Ran a full ten minutes to get from the wall to the three-story building's entrance, where two rebel soldiers stood guard.

Without alerting the two guards, Qin Ran had already selected his point of entry—

a second-floor window.

He had chosen it not only because it was close to him and lay outside the two rebel soldiers' line of sight, but also because its glass had long since been shattered, allowing him to pass through safely.

Just as nimble as before, Qin Ran pushed off the ground and leaped onto the first-floor windowsill. Then he climbed onto the ledge between the first and second floors and, using both hands and feet, slipped in through the window.

Like the first floor he had passed through, this place was empty as well.

Apart from a blackboard, there was only a messy pile of desks and chairs.

Qin Ran could not determine what had originally happened here, but the dried bloodstains on the floor, visible even without [Tracking], gave him some idea.

Those bloodstains must have been incredibly thick at first.

Otherwise, they would not have covered such a large area.

And that meant it definitely was not one person's blood!

It had taken the blood of dozens of people to create it!

"Damn rebels!"

Anger surfaced in Qin Ran's eyes.

War could make someone die like a dog.

Qin Ran would not deny those words.

But neither would he deny the anger he felt at that moment.

Looking at the desks and chairs, only two-thirds the size of normal ones, Qin Ran could not imagine how a group of innocent children must have looked when facing rebel soldiers as savage as wolves and tigers: helpless and terrified.

It was as if he could hear the gunfire that had once echoed through this place.

It was as if he could see those young lives fading away before his eyes.

Those children, like him, had held so many hopes and dreams for life.

But unlike him, they had not even had the chance to realize those dreams or touch the most beautiful things in life before they were torn to pieces.

Not even the slightest opportunity had been left to them.

That feeling...

made Qin Ran's chest feel tight.

It made it hard for him to breathe.

It made Qin Ran feel a rage he had not experienced in a long time.

Once a normally calm person truly became angry, it was not so easy for that anger to subside.

Qin Ran wanted to do something to vent it, to calm it.

And conveniently enough, it seemed that he really could do something!

Having been forced to make a living at a young age, Qin Ran could not believe in simple kindness and mercy.

But neither would he become evil or cruel.

Because he had once been helped.

That gave him a bottom line he insisted on keeping.

So, within his abilities, he was willing to help an innocent person.

Only... within his abilities!

After looking once more at the black, dried bloodstains, Qin Ran turned and left the classroom. He went out through the open door and quickly identified his destination.

A place guarded by a rebel soldier was simply too easy to identify.

After all, aside from the two guards at the entrance, Qin Ran had seen only this one rebel soldier in the entire building.

What he was guarding was naturally of utmost importance!

Drawing his dagger, Qin Ran quietly approached him.

The corridor was somewhat narrow, and only one dim little light illuminated the entire floor.

But that did not affect Qin Ran in the slightest.

On the contrary, [Stealth] + [Cold Weapons (Dagger)] made him feel right at home in such an environment.

Like a hunting cheetah, Qin Ran pounced on the rebel guard. Before the man could react, Qin Ran's powerful hand covered his mouth, and with a slash of his dagger, he cut the man's throat.

[Thrust: Vital attack, deals 100 Life damage to the opponent (50 Cold Weapons (Dagger) (Basic) X2). Opponent dead...]

After confirming the man's death, Qin Ran glanced at the locked door and immediately searched the body.

The next second, Qin Ran found what he needed.

He tore a ring of keys from the man's belt.

[Name: Warehouse Key]

[Type: Key]

[Quality: Common]

[Attributes: None]

[Special Effects: None]

[Can be taken out of this dungeon: No]

[Remarks: If you know how to pick locks, you do not need it at all!]

Click!

The large padlock opened directly as the key turned.

Qin Ran pushed open the door, and crates immediately came into view one after another.

Unable to wait any longer, Qin Ran walked up to one crate, smashed off its lock with his dagger, and flipped open the lid.

By the faint light spilling in from the corridor, Qin Ran saw what was inside.

A rocket launcher!

[Name: Panzerfaust-II]

[Type: Rocket Launcher]

[Quality: Brand-New]

[Attack Power: Powerful]

[Ammo Capacity: 1 round]

[Attributes: None]

[Special Effects: None]

[Requirements: Firearms. Heavy Weapons (Basic)]

[Can be taken out of this dungeon: Yes]

[Remarks: Different effects such as explosions and armor-piercing can be triggered depending on the rocket used, provided that you can obtain such rockets.]

As soon as he raised a hand and touched it, the item's information appeared before Qin Ran.

Unfortunately, Qin Ran did not possess the skill [Firearms. Heavy Weapons (Basic)].

Although he could still use the powerful weapon before him, he would not be able to handle it as freely as a light firearm.

After lingering on it for another moment, Qin Ran turned, smashed open another lock, and opened the next crate.

[Name: H-20]

[Type: Firearm]

[Quality: Brand-New]

[Attack Power: Fairly Strong]

[Magazine Capacity: 100 rounds]

[Attributes: None]

[Special Effects: None]

[Requirements: Firearms. Light Weapons (Basic)]

[Can be taken out of this dungeon: Yes]

[Remarks: To use it, you will need a large amount of 5.56mm ammunition.]

Qin Ran's eyes lit up. This was a weapon he could use with complete ease,

but that did not make Qin Ran stop smashing locks and opening crates.

This was not enough!

He needed more!