Six-Flavor Divine Cigarette

"Are you alright?! I'll cover you while you get out of here," Sha Tu shouted to a few members of the special operations team.

To be precise, he was only concerned about the safety of one of them.

"What are you doing here? This is official business for the Tactical Special Operations Team. Leave immediately, you don't need to interfere!"

What's going on? I came to help and got yelled at?

Judging by the voice, it sounds like a young woman? Could it be Sha Tu's daughter?

Sha Tu didn't reply, but instead showed his stance through action.

His prosthetic legs deployed forcefully, tearing through his pants, and blades flashed with a cold glint. With a leap, he attacked the monster.

Clang!

His legwork was fluid, blades flying in a precise arc, and he severed the monster's roots in a single strike.

However, the monster wasn't that easy to deal with. The petals behind the girl unfurled like silk ribbons, coiling towards Sha Tu.

Sha Tu dodged quickly, sweeping his legs horizontally, his blades accurately slicing the flower silk.

But the flower silk was incredibly tough. The blades only left deep marks but couldn't cut through it. With a recoil, Sha Tu found himself in danger.

"I'll do it!"

At the critical moment, Ying Xiaoxiao arrived. The electric gun in her hand thrust forward ferociously. The lightning power at the tip of the gun was more potent than any cannon or blade, piercing the petals instantly.

But this single action enraged the monster. The room began to tremble more violently, and countless giant roots surged from the ground.

It was only then that Xu Jiang truly got a clear look at the opponent.

She appeared to be a girl of about seventeen or eighteen, with pale skin, long black hair, wearing a white patient's robe. Her eyes were closed, as if she were asleep, completely controlled by the flower on her back.

A massive Corpse Companion Flower grew on the girl's back. Its petals opened and closed, a beautiful yet sinister hue of crimson with flecks of gold.

From its extremities extended numerous grotesque vines. Ying Xiaoxiao tried to attack, but was blocked by an endless expanse of flower silk, unable to break through the defenses for the moment.

As for the others, they were already struggling to fend off the vines.

Attacking from all directions, Xu Jiang and the others backed-to-back, their bullets flying non-stop, but the effect was minimal.

As a plant-based monster, the damage dealt by Silver Bullets was limited. The revolver and Explosive Shot were decent, but there were simply too many of them.

Cut off one, and another grew, a dense, seemingly endless proliferation.

"This won't do! It absorbs the death energy from corpses to regenerate infinitely. We can't win. You take the item and leave!" This time, the leading woman didn't speak harshly.

She threw the briefcase to Sha Tu, hoping he would take the crucial data and escape.

But Sha Tu didn't care at all. He caught the briefcase, glanced at it without a second thought, and tossed it into a corner.

He replied indifferently, "I'm your father. I'm here to save you. What use do I have for that!"

Elegance, always present. Charging into a monster's lair to save his daughter, Uncle Sha was indeed very cool.

Of course, the crisis still needed to be resolved, and Xu Jiang was already thinking of a countermeasure.

The room was large, but it was sealed and controlled by the monster's roots. The dense roots writhed continuously, dividing the battlefield into two sections.

Ying Xiaoxiao battled the flower silk, while Xu Jiang and the others defended against the roots back-to-back. If this stalemate continued, they would be the first to collapse from exhaustion.

He had to provide fire support for Ying Xiaoxiao!

Xu Jiang made up his mind. The barrage of bullets from his gun suddenly stopped, and he took a few steps forward.

"What are you doing!" a special operations team member noticed and tried to stop Xu Jiang. As a Gunner, facing the roots alone was tantamount to suicide.

But Sha Tu understood his intention. He endured an attack from a vine and rushed to Xu Jiang's side to reinforce him.

He unleashed a series of kicks with his leg blades, severing most of the roots and leaving only one for Xu Jiang.

Xu Jiang didn't hesitate. He calmly watched the vine attack, and the Desert Eagle in his right hand slammed forward fiercely.

[Block]

Skill check successful. At the same moment, Xu Jiang suddenly activated [Shadowstep] to create distance. His body slid low across the floor, finding a gap between the continuous vines.

[Revenge Counter]

Bang!

The revolver's bullet flew out, carrying with it the properties of "hit-to-kill" and triple damage, speeding towards its target.

This shot was the limit of what Xu Jiang could do. With a tricky angle and rapid counterattack with auto-aim, no matter how powerful the vines were, they wouldn't be able to defend against this shot.

Unfortunately, his plan was good, but reality was cruel.

Xu Jiang was just a novice below level 10. No matter how clever his strategies were, the gap in strength against a terrifying monster was still too vast.

Just as the bullet was about to hit the girl, her eyes opened.

Her eyeballs were not visible; her opened eyes were entirely blood-red. A flash of blood streaked across her brow, and a powerful barrier unfolded. Boundless psychic power enveloped the bullet.

No matter how the bullet spun, it stopped at the last possible moment.

"No way, it couldn't even break through this!" Xu Jiang was somewhat exasperated.

The armor penetration and burst damage of the revolver were stronger than the Desert Eagle. If even the surprise attack of [Revenge Counter] could be so casually intercepted by the monster, then he truly had no other options.

And what was even more despairing was that this bullet seemed to threaten the monster's life, and an even stronger power erupted.

The huge petals suddenly bloomed, beautiful as if a river of stars was flowing, and countless tiny silver lights scattered in the room.

But everyone knew in their hearts that this beauty was equivalent to a death sentence. Even Ying Xiaoxiao, who was in front, was forced to withdraw her attack, landing beside everyone and looking around, preparing to find a good spot to break through and retreat.

"Be careful, this is the monster's corpse poison, it..." Sha Tu's warning didn't finish before everyone suddenly felt dizzy.

They hadn't touched the silver light, nor inhaled any poisonous gas, but everyone had undoubtedly been poisoned. Even Xu Jiang, who was wearing a mecha, was not spared.

'Qianji! What's going on? Why are we poisoned!'

"General, it's a domain. The monster's strength is extraordinary."

What is a domain? Xu Jiang didn't know, but it was clear that no matter how tightly he was encased, he would still be poisoned to death.

Having no other choice, Xu Jiang began to look for any available solutions.

'Sparkles! Can your skills resist this domain?'

"No, General. This is poison, and I can't deal with it."

'What about the grenade? Can your First Aid or Chain Explosion block it?'

"I'm sorry, General, I can't handle it. Why don't you find Guanyin? If she takes action and blows the opponent up, we'll win."

"Ah! Why mention me? This humble girl is so scared, please, General, don't make me go to the battlefield."

This damned fishing enthusiast only shows up when the air force is absent.

He turned to look at Ying Xiaoxiao. She was also covering her head slightly, indicating that the poison was affecting her too. If this continued, they would all be buried here.

At this critical moment, the cigarette case, which Xu Jiang had been ignoring, suddenly spoke.

"General, you are currently dizzy and weak in your limbs, right? Would you like to try my new cigarette?"

'You've developed a new cigarette? Does it have an antidote effect?'

"Not exactly, but it's very suitable for your symptoms, General. You should be able to use it."

Xu Jiang was overjoyed and, without a second thought, took out a cigarette and lit it.

The special forces, who had already collapsed on the ground, cast a weak glance at Xu Jiang. Was this the last cigarette before death?

If they could, they would also like a cigarette. It seemed they were going to die here tonight.

But they gave up. Xu Jiang did not. After taking three deep puffs, Xu Jiang flicked the cigarette butt away and muttered, "I'm counting on you, give me some power!"

The cigarette did not disappoint him. The moment the cigarette butt hit the ground, a miracle occurred. A brown halo suddenly spread out, washing over everyone.

There were no earth-shattering visual effects, but as the halo swept over them, their minds instantly cleared, the dizziness disappeared, and a fierce burning sensation ignited in their lower abdomen.

It was as if their dantian had exploded, and an inexhaustible supply of strength began to surge, wanting to be released.

'That's great, Little Smoke, you did a beautiful job! What kind of cigarette is this? The effect is so good! Has the poison been cleared?'

"No, General, the poison has not been cleared, only its influence has been reduced to the minimum," Qianji reminded him, while also expressing admiration. "Little Smoke did a good job this time. It seems your herbalism has finally borne fruit."

"Of course!" the cigarette case said proudly. "This is my painstakingly researched advanced formula. I've named it the Six-Flavor Divine Cigarette!"

'Six-Flavor Divine Cigarette? The name sounds so powerful!'

"That's right. I used a powerful combination of Shu Di Huang, Jiu Yu Rou, Mu Dan Pi, Shan Yao, Fu Ling, and Ze Xie, specifically for kidney yin deficiency, dizziness, tinnitus, sore waist and knees, and night sweats and seminal emission. Minor dizziness and weakness are nothing to mention."

Xu Jiang: ...

I think I've heard a friend mention the effects of your Six-Flavor Divine Cigarette before?