Not Breathing Air on the Same Level

The problem now was that he knew the "Mountain Monkeys" would attack soon,

but he did not know exactly when.

Some comments said they would come after the sightseeing vehicle rounded seven more bends, others said four, and still others said they had already passed the spot that triggered the "Mountain Monkey" attack.

They had managed to confuse even themselves.

Fair enough. They were only spectators, after all. However dangerous the instance was, it had nothing to do with them.

They only cared about when the monsters attacked because they did not want to miss the exciting parts while going to the bathroom, picking up takeout, or doing other little chores.

In the end, Zuo Cheng'an combined the speed at which the health bars in his vision were approaching with the most popular answer in the comments.

Four more major bends, and the "Mountain Monkeys" would attack!

Zuo Cheng'an had long since removed his night-vision goggles, which could easily fall off. After telling Zheng Ren and Li Yueqiu through private messages to prepare for battle, he was the first to stand. The thermos containing diluted Ketchup was already hanging at his waist.

With everything ready, he braced his left foot against Mo Dou to keep the dog from falling out in the chaos, placed his right foot in a comfortable position, and lowered his center of gravity.

Even with a cloth rope securing him, it was better if the dog did not fall.

Otherwise, dangling in midair, he would be a dog-meat punching bag.

Li Yueqiu and Zheng Ren stood as well, finding comfortable stances and loosening up their muscles and joints.

Watching their movements, Zhang Zhuang wondered to himself whether they also knew information about the instance.

Could they be players from the other two guilds?

Thousand Hunt was unlikely. Its members were all socially anxious lone wolves with extremely high individual combat strength.

These people were neither particularly strong nor socially anxious, so they must be from Dawn Moon.

But... nothing about them seemed particularly outstanding.

Had the Dawn Moon Guild's recruitment standards fallen this low over the years?

Since the Sunny Resort instance had opened, six groups of players had entered.

Three had been from the Dawn Moon Guild, two from the Wavebreaker Guild, and one from the Thousand Hunt Guild.

The people from Thousand Hunt were too introverted. The informants had tried every trick they knew without extracting a single piece of information.

They had made some headway with the Dawn Moon Guild, though. Apparently, someone had not only lasted until the fourth day but successfully brought information back.

That was much more than their Wavebreaker Guild had obtained: only two days' worth of information.

Could these people have a more complete guide than theirs?

Puzzled though he was,

Zhang Zhuang surveyed the scenery around them and knew this was no time to probe their backgrounds.

Judging by the time, the "Mountain Monkeys" should be coming soon.

Mountain Monkeys were one of the hostile creatures in the Sunny Resort instance, with an average stat value of 6.

In a level 2 instance, they counted as ordinary mobs, an appetizer for the instance.

Never mind players on the First Heavenly Ladder-even somewhat stronger players Not Yet on the Ladder could handle them easily.

The trouble lay in the terrain.

They were all aboard a speeding sightseeing vehicle, with a sheer precipice on one side and nowhere near enough room to maneuver.

One careless move could send them falling.

"One, two, three..."

Zuo Cheng'an silently counted the bends they had passed.

He had climbed onto the roof of the sightseeing vehicle well in advance to wait for the first batch of monsters.

He had not forgotten that the first kill in an instance would most likely have a 100% equipment drop rate.

Clearly, he was not the only one who knew this.

When Zuo Cheng'an climbed onto the roof, Zhang Zhuang of the Wavebreaker Guild followed close behind.

Each occupied half the space, and the arrangement looked surprisingly peaceful.

Zuo Cheng'an had already informed Zheng Ren and Li Yueqiu through private messages that monsters would charge out of the bushes overhead to attack at the fourth bend.

He was not worried about them panicking and holding him back.

The sightseeing vehicle ran at full power, swaying toward the fourth bend.

It was a sweeping U-bend that curved into the cliff, more than four hundred meters long.

As the sightseeing vehicle entered the U-bend, Tan Huihui, Yang Ye, and Qian Xiang stood as well.

This was where the advantage of having fewer people on a team became apparent.

On one side were two people and a dog. They might seem to have three members, but they were not even breathing air on the same level, making highly efficient use of the space.

Over on Tan Huihui and Yang Ye's side, by contrast, once all three stood up, they could not even raise their arms without bumping into each other, let alone swing their weapons.

For what had to be the umpteenth time, Yang Ye "accidentally" brushed his elbow across Tan Huihui's chest.

Tan Huihui could take no more. "Do you get a kick out of groping me all the time?! Can't you stay still for a while like Qian Xiang?"

Qian Xiang silently edged toward the front of the vehicle to avoid getting dragged into trouble.

Yang Ye knew he had gone too far. Not wanting trouble, he swallowed and hurriedly apologized before Tan Huihui could explode.

Tan Huihui did not have to worry about lacking an outlet for her anger.

Just then, rustling came from the large patch of bushes overhead.

The "Mountain Monkeys" mentioned in the intelligence had arrived!

Several bangs rang out as heavy objects landed on the sheet-metal roof.

The "Mountain Monkeys," which until now had existed only as a name in the comments, finally revealed their true appearance.

This group seemed to be a vanguard sent to probe their defenses, numbering only seven or eight.

They did look like monkeys, but their necks were almost as long as their bodies, and each had an excessively conspicuous bright red air sac low on its throat.

The air sacs were only the size of quail eggs and mostly hidden by fur, like tumors growing on their skin.

Hmm, this monster design had a distinctly "Nint*ndo" flavor, as if it worried players would not know where the weak point was and had therefore made it especially obvious.

All it lacked was a voice saying, "Hit me here!"

As soon as the Mountain Monkeys landed on the roof, they climbed down along the vehicle's frame without even looking at Zuo Cheng'an and Zhang Zhuang, who were waiting there.

Watching the monsters leave his side one after another, Zhang Zhuang hurriedly took out his item, worried that someone else would snatch the first kill.

The item he used as a weapon was a power strip with a cord attached-an eight-outlet one, at that.

He whipped the two-meter cord through the air with a fierce whistle.

The plug bore three eight-centimeter barbed prongs arranged in a triangle.

There was nothing unusual about players using strange objects as items. As long as they worked well, appearances meant nothing.

Zhang Zhuang picked out a Mountain Monkey and flung the plug, hooking its skin.

The Mountain Monkey struggled in pain and looked about to break free, but blue arcs suddenly sprang from the power strip.

The current traveled along the cord and into the Mountain Monkey through the plug's three barbed prongs, instantly paralyzing its body.

Only then did Zhang Zhuang tug on the cord, preparing to pull it over and finish it off.

How could Zuo Cheng'an simply stand by and watch?

The moment he saw a Mountain Monkey caught, he raised his ruler before Zhang Zhuang could act. He had intended to target the red air sac at its throat, but its neck blocked the shot at that angle, leaving him to slam the ruler into its slender neck instead.

The current released by the power strip did not last long. The blue arcs vanished after only an instant.

Even if a weak current remained, Little Seven's material did not conduct electricity, so there was no need to worry about getting caught in it.

Crack.

With 20+1 points of strength combined with Little Seven's own weight, the Mountain Monkey's fragile neck could not withstand such tremendous force. Its bones shattered instantly.