Faith Aura: Harbor lofty convictions to help companions within 5 meters resist mental harm.
This talent was simple, yet powerful.
Outside, there were not many situations where this talent could be useful.
But within Void Rifts, it was incredibly powerful.
Void Rifts were terrifying not only because the monsters inside ate people, but also because they contained a form of contamination known as Calamity Infection.
This contamination interfered with the human mind, causing people to gradually lose control of their humanity and eventually become monsters. Faith Aura happened to be an ability that countered Calamity Infection.
Unfortunately, a level-20 mech ultimately had limited potential. It was impossible to roam freely through Void Rifts, but there was one profession that suited it well.
They earned a modest salary and risked their lives entering Void Rifts, searching for possible survivors and guiding them toward an exit. They were known as Guides.
Regrettably, this profession of quiet dedication was ultimately nearing its end.
Fortunately, now that Xu Jiang had inherited this skill, he could roam unimpeded through this Void Rift.
"Qianji, which way do you think we should go?"
Xu Jiang glanced at the gray, murky sky. It was clearly impossible to return the way they had come, and the ruins around them all looked the same.
Qianji replied, "General, I suggest proceeding in the ten o'clock direction."
"Oh? Did you sense some treasure?"
"No, I do not possess the ability to sense treasures. There are no Spirit Seed Fragments in this area either. I merely observed the terrain for a while during the airdrop."
"Fine, we'll go your way. We don't have a destination anyway, so it doesn't matter where we go."
With no risk of infection, Xu Jiang felt much more at ease. If he could not win, he could at least run. Gripping the Desert Eagle, he began searching for an exit in the Void Rift.
In a sense, Void Rifts were equivalent to the Spirit Domain.
Both involved traversing into strange spaces, both made it impossible to tell direction, except the danger level was many times higher.
Purple-black mist constantly rose from the ground. All around were crumbling walls and ruined structures. Judging by the style, this had once been a residential area of single-story homes.
The streets were empty. Not a single monster was in sight.
Still, Xu Jiang did not dare let down his guard. Carefully crossing a row of abandoned cars, he followed Qianji's directions and arrived before a gray-white building.
Though the place had been abandoned and its windows and walls had all collapsed, several large words remained clearly visible on the sign above the gate: Angel Orphanage.
"Wait! Angel Orphanage? That doesn't sound lucky at all!"
"Yes, General. I also find it inauspicious. Based on my assessment, extremely powerful monsters may be residing here."
"...Then why did you bring me here?"
"Obviously, to challenge monsters. No form of training is more effective than pushing oneself to the limit."
What kind of bullshit logic was that? Pushing oneself to the limit might be effective, but it also got people killed faster! Without another word, Xu Jiang turned to leave.
But it seemed he was already too late.
The moment he turned around, Xu Jiang saw an old acquaintance—the seductive middle-aged woman who had signed a billion-dollar contract with Grandpa Lei.
With all four limbs intact, the woman had apparently been lucky. At least she had not been dropped from the sky like Xu Jiang after entering the Void Rift.
Unfortunately, no matter how lucky she was, she was still just an ordinary person.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and her mouth kept twitching as she muttered something incomprehensible. When she saw Xu Jiang, a crazed, chilling smile spread across her face, and she staggered toward him.
"Stop. I'm not interested in you. If you don't stop, I'll shoot!" Xu Jiang immediately raised his pistol and took aim.
He was warning her, but he was also confirming whether she had already been infected by Calamity Infection.
The answer was obvious. Not only did the woman fail to stop, she seemed to have gone mad. Shouting, "I hate it! I hate it!" she limped faster and charged at him.
Xu Jiang had no idea who she hated. Perhaps she hated Grandpa Lei—the man who had not paid her enough. The corrosion of Calamity Infection had infinitely magnified that hatred until it completely spiraled out of control.
Xu Jiang's Faith Aura could only resist it, not cure it.
Perhaps the woman was innocent, but since she had become a monster, he could not be blamed for being ruthless. He wanted to live well too.
His heart hardened, and he pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang!
One shot struck her thigh, and the other hit her left chest. The Explosive Shots detonated, sending flesh and blood flying everywhere in a gruesome spray.
Yet even so, the mutated woman did not fall.
Several tumors suddenly burst from the remaining half of her body. Massive black tentacles replaced her limbs and continued writhing, while only the scrap of human skin on her face proved she had once been human.
She still wasn't dead?
Xu Jiang's pupils constricted as a sense of foreboding rose within him.
He had always been extremely confident in his Explosive Shots. They could even pierce the defenses of terrifying giant beasts, so how could they fail to kill a humanoid monster?
Yet the monster before him was still tenaciously alive even after its heart had exploded. It would not be easy to end this quickly.
What was worse, the gunshots had also awakened the monsters inside Angel Orphanage.
The gates slowly opened, and five even larger, vicious monsters appeared behind him.
Damn it! He was being attacked from both sides. He had to run immediately.
Just as Xu Jiang searched for a way out, a deep warning came from beside him.
"These monsters will only die if you blow up their heads."
Looking up, Xu Jiang saw a rugged figure leap down from the abandoned two-story building beside him.
Thud!
His feet struck the ground with a heavy crash, smashing cracks into the already loose concrete pavement.
He was heavily muscled and dressed in a gray hemp robe. He looked tall and imposing, and he carried an iron pillar taller than a person in one hand.
"I'll hold back the monsters. You just shoot from behind. The Lost Minds' weakness is their heads!"
A warrior at the front and a gunman in the back—it was indeed a very reasonable formation.
But he did not seem to be a shield-type professional. Dressed like that, was he a Paladin?
The kind of healer who stood in the back, restored people's injuries, and dispelled negative conditions?
"Are you sure you'll be okay up front?" Xu Jiang asked worriedly.
The burly man did not answer. Instead, he knelt on one knee before the two-meter-tall iron pillar, pressed his forehead to the patterns carved into it, and muttered under his breath.
Was he... praying?
Was something wrong with this guy? Even a Paladin could not start praying in the middle of a fight! He—
Bang!
A charging monster was sent flying with a single swing.
There were none of the psychic abilities a Paladin should have possessed. Instead, he gripped the two-meter-long, half-meter-wide iron pillar and swung it around, sending every monster flying.
As he swung, he roared toward the sky, "Let me use this sacred totem to send every last one of you to the afterlife!"
A physical Paladin smashed wildly with his club. Anyone hit had their head burst open. His method of delivering salvation was truly direct.
As for Xu Jiang, it seemed he did not even need to shoot. A few minor monsters were not even enough to fill this man's teeth.
After finishing the battle, the burly man wiped the blood from his face, revealed a satisfied smile, and walked over to greet him.
"Hello, I'm Lan Tie. Did you accidentally fall in here?" The burly man stood a head taller than Xu Jiang and looked incredibly formidable, but his temperament was very gentle.
Xu Jiang sighed helplessly and replied, "Yeah. I'm Xu Jiang. I just came out for a stroll and somehow ran into something this unlucky."
The appearance of a black hole was completely unpredictable. This was truly a disaster falling from the sky; anyone who encountered it would consider themselves unlucky.
But as soon as Xu Jiang finished speaking, Old Tie shook his head and offered a rather peculiar opinion.
"This doesn't count as bad luck. Void Rifts are very hard to encounter. I got lucky this time—I happened to be nearby and managed to jump in before the Public Security Bureau sealed it off."
"What! You jumped in yourself?" Xu Jiang was stunned. Was this guy mentally ill?
Old Tie nodded and answered as though it were only natural, "Of course. I came to find something in the Void Rift that can make me stronger and stronger."
"What are you looking for?"
"Death."
Xu Jiang: ???
Before you continue