Six-Flavor Divine Cigarette

"Are you all right?! I'll cover your retreat!" Sha Tu shouted at the Special Task Force members.

To be precise, he only cared about one of them.

"What are you doing here? This is Tactical Task Force business. Leave immediately. We don't need you interfering!"

What was this? He came to help and got scolded instead?

From the voice, she seemed like a young woman. Could she be Sha Tu's daughter?

Sha Tu did not answer. Instead, he made his position clear through action.

His prosthetic legs suddenly unfolded, ripping apart his pants. Blades glinted coldly as he leaped forward and attacked the monster.

Clang!

His leg blades flashed in every direction, cutting through the roots the monster had released in an instant.

But the monster was not so easy to deal with. The petals behind the girl spread out like a silk ribbon and swept toward Sha Tu.

Sha Tu hurriedly dodged, swinging both legs in a wide sweep. His blades struck the floral ribbon with precision.

Yet the ribbon was extraordinarily tough. The blades only left deep marks and could not cut through it. With a sudden recoil, Sha Tu was instead thrown into danger.

"I've got it!"

At the critical moment, Ying Xiaoxiao arrived. The electric spear in her hand stabbed forward viciously, the lightning at its tip more powerful than any cannon or blade, piercing straight through the petal.

But that single strike enraged the monster. The room began shaking even more violently as countless massive roots surged up from the ground.

Only then did Xu Jiang finally get a clear look at what it was.

She looked like a girl of seventeen or eighteen, with pale skin, long black hair, and a white patient's gown. Her eyes were tightly shut, as though she were asleep, allowing the flower on her back to control her.

The enormous Corpse Companion Flower grew from the girl's back. Its petals opened and closed, crimson red speckled with gold. It was beautiful, but vicious.

Ferocious vines extended from its edges. Ying Xiaoxiao tried to attack, but endless floral ribbons sealed off her path, preventing her from breaking through the defenses for the moment.

As for the others, merely dealing with the vines was already difficult enough.

Attacks came from every direction. Xu Jiang and the others stood back-to-back, their guns firing nonstop, but the results were minimal.

Plant-type monsters took limited damage from Silver Bullets. The revolver and Explosive Shots worked better, but there were simply too many of them.

Every time they broke one, another grew out. They were so densely packed that they seemed endless.

"This won't work! It absorbs death energy from corpses and regenerates endlessly. We can't beat it. Take the item and leave!" This time, the female team leader did not speak harshly to him.

She tossed the briefcase to Sha Tu, hoping he would take the vital documents and escape.

But Sha Tu did not care at all. He caught the briefcase, did not even glance at it, and tossed it straight into a corner.

He replied coldly, "I'm your father. I came to save you. What use do I have for that thing?"

Elegant as ever. Uncle Sha had charged into a monster's nest to save his daughter. He really was handsome.

Of course, they still had to find a way out of this crisis. Xu Jiang had already begun considering a strategy.

The room was large, but it had been sealed and controlled by the monster's roots. Dense masses of roots writhed constantly, splitting the battlefield into two sections.

Ying Xiaoxiao fought the floral ribbons while Xu Jiang and the others stood back-to-back, defending against the roots. If this stalemate continued, they would be the first to collapse from exhaustion.

They had to provide Ying Xiaoxiao with fire support!

Having made up his mind, Xu Jiang suddenly stopped firing and ran a few steps forward.

"What are you doing?!" One of the Special Task Force members noticed and tried to stop Xu Jiang. For a gunner to face the roots alone was no different from courting death.

But Sha Tu understood immediately. He endured a strike from the vines and rushed to Xu Jiang's side to support him.

His leg blades kicked repeatedly, severing more than half the roots and leaving only one for Xu Jiang.

Xu Jiang did not hesitate either. He calmly watched the vine lash toward him, then slammed it with the Desert Eagle in his right hand.

Block

Skill check successful.

At the same instant, Xu Jiang activated Shadowstep and pulled away. His body skimmed along the floor in a Sliding Tackle, finding a gap amid the overlapping vines.

Revenge Counter

Bang!

A revolver bullet shot out, carrying guaranteed accuracy and triple damage as it streaked forward.

This shot was the limit of what Xu Jiang could achieve. With its tricky angle and the rapid automatic counterattack, no matter how formidable the vines were, they could not possibly block it.

Unfortunately, the calculation had been perfect, but reality was cruel.

Xu Jiang was only a novice below level 10. No matter how clever he was, the gap in strength was still far too great when facing such a terrifying monster.

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

Her eyes held no visible pupils, only an expanse of crimson. A bloody gleam flashed between her brows as a powerful barrier unfolded, vast psychic power wrapping around the bullet.

No matter how the bullet spun, it stopped just a hair's breadth away.

"You've got to be kidding. It still can't pierce through?!" Xu Jiang said helplessly.

The revolver had greater armor-piercing power and explosive force than the Desert Eagle. If even a surprise Revenge Counter could be casually stopped by the monster, then he truly had no options left.

What was even more despairing was that the bullet seemed to have threatened the monster's life, causing an even stronger power to erupt.

The enormous petals suddenly bloomed, beautiful as a flowing galaxy. Countless tiny silver lights drifted through the room.

But everyone knew that this beauty was a death warrant. Even Ying Xiaoxiao at the front was forced to withdraw her attack and land beside them, scanning the area for a route to break out.

"Careful, that's the monster's corpse poison. It—" Sha Tu had not finished his warning when everyone suddenly felt dizzy and faint.

They had not touched the silver light or inhaled any poison gas, yet they had undeniably been poisoned. Even Xu Jiang, clad in his mech armor, was not spared.

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

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

What was a domain? Xu Jiang did not know, but it was obvious that no matter how tightly they covered themselves, they would still be poisoned to death.

Left with no choice, Xu Jiang began searching for every possible solution.

Sparkles! Can your abilities resist this domain?

"Nope. It's poison, so I can't deal with it."

What about grenades? Can your First Aid or Chain Explosion stop it?

"Sorry, General, I can't deal with it either. How about you ask Guanyin? If she takes action and blows it up, we win."

"Ah! Why did you have to mention me? This little woman is so scared. Please, General, don't send me to the battlefield."

This damned fisherman would not show up until there were no fish to catch.

Xu Jiang turned to look at Ying Xiaoxiao. She was already lightly clutching her head. The poison was affecting her as well. If this continued, they would all be buried here.

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

"General, you are dizzy, seeing stars, and weak in the limbs right now, correct? Would you like to try my new cigarette?"

You developed a new cigarette? Does it detoxify?

"Not exactly, but it is very suitable for your symptoms, General. It should work."

Xu Jiang was overjoyed. Without another word, he pulled out a cigarette, put it between his lips, and began smoking.

The Special Task Force members, already limp on the ground, weakly glanced at Xu Jiang. Was this his last cigarette before death?

If they could, they wanted one too. It seemed they would be buried in battle here tonight.

But they had given up. Xu Jiang had not. After taking three deep drags, he tossed away the cigarette butt and muttered, "I'm counting on you. Don't let me down!"

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

There were no earth-shaking visual effects, but the instant the halo swept over them, their minds cleared. Their dizziness vanished, and a fierce heat ignited in their lower abdomens.

It was as if their dantians had erupted. An inexhaustible force burst forth, demanding to be unleashed.

Excellent, Little Cigarette! You did great! What kind of cigarette was that? Its effect was incredible! Has the poison been cleared?

"No, General. The poison has not been removed. Its effects have merely been reduced to a minimum." Qianji reminded him, then added approvingly, "Little Cigarette did well this time. It seems your herbal studies have finally paid off."

"Of course!" the cigarette case said proudly. "This is an advanced formula I painstakingly researched. I call it the Six-Flavor Divine Cigarette!"

Six-Flavor Divine Cigarette? That sounds incredibly powerful!

"That's right. I used a potent combination of prepared rehmannia, wine-processed cornus, moutan bark, Chinese yam, poria, and alisma. It specializes in kidney yin deficiency, dizziness, tinnitus, weak lower back and knees, night sweats, and nocturnal emissions. A little dizziness and weakness are nothing."

Xu Jiang: ...

The effects of your Six-Flavor Divine Cigarette... he seemed to have heard a friend mention them before?