Chapter 74 Playing with Guns (Part 1) (Third Update: Congratulations to Baiyin Meng "Fatty" 1/5)
The Martial Academy and the military had already decided to reopen the passage, and had previously asked Cynthia to hold on for three more days.
The actions of the several Great Knight last night were part of the preliminary work to clear out the surrounding area.
In terms of timing, the three-day period is not until tomorrow, but this sudden change has accelerated the deployment of operations on the periphery.
The military personnel who broke out of the encirclement, carrying the latest information from the front, needed to be met.
The burly man now felt that waiting here was putting him at a disadvantage.
However, Instructor Hong felt that going into the mountains wouldn't be very meaningful.
As for Wu Youren's opinion? That was not even within their consideration.
The burly man, still unwilling to give up, sent a few more messages using his wristwatch before looking at the boy.
"When you came out, you remembered the approximate locations of those powerful, Weird Qi, right?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Wu Youren replied seriously, "And as you know, the Weird Qi can move."
Not long after he finished speaking, more than ten figures crept over, some in military uniforms and others in civilian clothes, including five Knight.
This is a rescue team temporarily organized by the military.
The burly man looked at Instructor Hong, "Your men lead the exploration, and the two of us will provide backup?"
Hong Yan was speechless. Among the five new Knight, one of them was an instructor from the Martial Academy.
"So urgent?" She thought for a moment and nodded, then looked at Wu Youren, "You must protect him."
She still didn't ask the boy's opinion; it was only natural for the Martial Academy to order its students around.
In such extraordinary times, the fact that she remembered to remind everyone to "protect" is already considered satisfactory.
Wu Youren had no right to object; it had been made clear to them when he first came to the Martial Academy.
The burly man looked at a Knight in military uniform, "Did you hear that?"
"I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" The uniformed Knight paused only slightly before answering without hesitation.
Next, Wu Youren, protected by two Knight, formed a loose formation and made his way into the mountains.
Instead of taking the main road, they climbed up the mountainside, about a hundred meters away from it.
As soon as they entered the mountain pass, the two Knight Apprentice at the front were taken aback and instinctively stopped in their tracks.
Wu Youren and the others who followed also stopped in their tracks: the mountains were shrouded in thick white fog!
Visibility is terrible, only five or six meters at most!
The previously loose battle formation now subconsciously begins to converge.
It's not unusual for there to be fog in the mountains after the rain, but the rain hasn't completely stopped; it's been coming and going. Why is the fog this thick?
"This doesn't make sense," muttered the Knight to Wu Youren's left. "It feels like Weird Qi is at play."
On the right was Knight in military uniform, who asked in a low voice, "Young friend, which way should we go?"
No one dared disobey the Great Knight's orders, but no one could absolutely trust this young boy.
"Tsk," Wu Youren frowned, pointed in a direction, and made a gesture.
Now that we've entered the mountains, we can no longer speak casually; we can only use hand gestures to point.
People were skeptical of his instructions, but at the moment, they had no other choice.
The direction the boy pointed out was constantly changing, and the journey was fraught with difficulties.
There are suddenly appearing ravines, as well as boulders that are more than ten meters high, and shrubs and bushes are very common.
Normally, this obstacle wouldn't be a problem for Knight Apprentice, let alone Knight.
However, at this moment, everyone must not make a sound, lest they disturb the eerie Weird Qi; they must be fully alert.
After marching for about twenty minutes, the uniformed Knight became a little impatient and asked, "Isn't this a bit too slow?"
He spoke slowly, his voice extremely low.
However, upon hearing this, Wu Youren still gave the other party a cold look, his eyes full of anger.
The Knight on the left quickly made a hand gesture, hoping to ease the tension: There were many enemies around?
Wu Youren stopped, picked up a twig, and wrote on the ground, "There are a lot of Weird Qi!"
He was truly speechless; the Weird Qi surrounding him was even denser than when he had left the mountain.
Although everyone is moving slowly, things are going relatively smoothly. If we start talking all the time, the danger will increase significantly.
His expression was solemn, but others might not take it seriously, because they hadn't encountered any danger along the way.
Until a Knight Apprentice accidentally stepped on the moss and slipped off a rock.
After a few rolls, he disappeared into the white mist.
This man was also a soldier, dressed in military uniform, and he rolled down the slope without uttering a sound.
However, the sound of it rolling down could not be masked by the gentle patter of rain.
Immediately afterwards, everyone felt a faint, chilling aura flowing through them.
The next moment, a muffled groan was heard, followed by a gunshot. "Come on, I'll fight you bastards to the death!"
However, after a few gunshots, another scream rang out, "Ugh, despicable!"
Immediately afterwards, an explosion was heard, less than twenty meters away from everyone!
However, no one stepped in to help. Firstly, it would affect the mission, and secondly, everyone realized that the other party had detonated Weird-Exterminating Grenade.
This thing is much more expensive than Weird-Breaking Projectile, but not much more powerful; it's often used for self-destruction.
At the very least, it can guarantee that the body of a martial artist will not be Weird Transformation after death.
The remaining people secretly became more vigilant: the surroundings were indeed filled with Weird Qi.
Perhaps there are a few individuals who don't fully believe in the boy's abilities, but no one dares to be complacent.
Two or three hundred meters behind the group, the two Great Knight looked at each other in bewilderment: Which direction was it coming from?
The two had much stronger senses than ordinary Knight, but they were still a bit bewildered by such a thick fog.
If they weren't worried about being exposed, they could unleash their senses without restraint, but it's not appropriate now.
The two individuals were not strong enough to eliminate such a massive amount of Weird Qi, and at this moment, neither the timing nor the location was favorable to the human race.
"That little guy, is he not quite up to par?" the burly man whispered in the Instructor Hong's ear.
The smoky voice replied coldly, "You sensed it too, how dense the Weird Qi. If it weren't for that, something bad would have happened already!"
"That means they didn't take my words seriously!" The burly man knew very well what kind of arrogant and fierce soldiers he had under his command.
Given the current circumstances, there's not much he can do. "Hopefully, they'll learn from this experience."
The people ahead were indeed more alert, so they moved even slower!
With just over an hour left before darkness fell and less than two hundred meters traveled as the crow flies, the uniformed Knight was getting anxious.
This time he learned his lesson and remained silent, instead writing on the ground, "How about we choose a place to camp first?"
"Set up camp? You're overthinking it," Wu Youren chuckled, replying in writing, "You guys set up camp, I'm going down the mountain!"
The uniformed Knight wrote again, "No, you can't leave. We're responsible for protecting you!"
"I can go back on my own. Staying here is your own choice, and I'm sorry I can't accompany you!"
The instructor from the Martial Academy, acting on instructions from the Chief Instructor Hong, quietly stepped forward and expressed his willingness to support the students.
He has confirmed that the boy possesses at least some ability to deal with the Weird Race; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to travel safely for so long.
He needs to protect such promising talents.
The uniformed Knight hesitated for a moment, then wrote another line, "I'll return in twenty more minutes."
Wu Youren shook his head, about to write a few more words of refusal, when he suddenly froze, staring in astonishment at the side front.
The others reacted the same way he did, except for two Knight who reacted even faster.
From the depths of the white mist, faint wails could be heard, a typical reaction of the Weird Race when they were slaughtered.
Immediately afterwards, everyone sensed a faint, chilling aura flowing around them.
The next moment, there were more crackling sounds, like Weird-Breaking Projectile or Weird-Exterminating Grenade.
At the same time, faint, persistent wails could be heard.
All eyes turned to the young man from Jin, clearly awaiting his decision.
Among them were five Knight from Liang!
In that instant, no one realized that what everyone was expecting was just the reaction of a mere teenager!
"Hmm—" Wu Youren frowned deeply, "Very strong, extremely strong, you are no match for them."
Because the Weird Qi around them was completely drawn to the commotion, he decided to speak, though his voice remained very soft.
"What if I join you?" A figure flashed by, and it turned out to be the burly man who had arrived.
He still carried a heavy machine gun and two large packs on his back, yet he still possessed such agility; truly worthy of being called Great Knight.
Wu Youren simply shrugged, "You can sense it yourself, don't joke about someone as insignificant as me!"
"I didn't release any particularly strong senses," the burly man said seriously.
Although he was Great Knight, as a soldier, he was never lacking in caution on the battlefield.
He stated bluntly, "You decide."
"Then at the very least, we need to be quick in and quick out," Wu Youren said cautiously. "I don't think it's likely we'll have to pay a price."
"We need to save them," a husky voice came, unhurried. "They should be Ability User, or... an apprentice?"
Ability User Apprentice are only certified after awakening, and their combat power is comparable to that of Knight. True Ability User are even more precious than Great Knight. "That kind of noise?" The burly man raised his eyebrows, then raised his hand and removed the heavy machine gun and package from his body.
" Hong Yan, you must help me."
"You take the lead in the attack, I'll fight from the sidelines," Instructor Hong finally appeared, but his movements were unpredictable and elusive.
"No problem," the burly man grinned, and the next moment, a wave of energy was released.
This is the Great Knight unleashing his full power of perception; the fluctuations also carry an oppressive effect.
"Die!" He drew his greatsword, which resembled a horse-slaying saber, and vanished into the white mist in a flash.
All that was left was one sentence. "That trainee, you're the one operating the heavy machine gun!"
"Huh?" Wu Youren was taken aback upon hearing this. These firearms are being upgraded and iterated a bit too quickly.
"What are you looking at? Follow me!" The familiar husky voice rang out again, and then the Instructor Hong, who had been appearing and disappearing, vanished completely.
"Damn, finally we can have a fight!" To Wu Youren's right, Knight in military uniform drew his long sword and charged out as well.
(Third update, congratulations to my friend "Decadent Dragon" Silver Cutie 1/5)
Chapter 75 Playing with Guns (Part 2) (Fourth update: Congratulations to Baiyin Meng "Fatty" 2/5)
After being in the mountains for so long, we've only managed to walk a few hundred meters. Anyone with a temper would be furious by now.
However, the Knight on the left didn't charge out. Instead, he looked at Wu Youren and said, "I'll protect you. Can you handle a heavy machine gun?"
The young man from Jin shook his head blankly, "I've never had any contact with him."
The next moment, the Knight of the Red Pine arrived at his side. "I'll protect you too. Heavy machine guns are easy to learn."
As he spoke, he tore open the package, revealing rows of bullets, each about the thickness of an index finger.
The key point is that most of them have white bullets with fine patterns on them, indicating they are large Weird-Breaking Projectile.
In addition, there were some green warheads, which were tracer rounds, and a very few red signal flares!
Not a single conventional bullet was used.
The instructor was organizing the bullets, while the Knight on the left skillfully set up the heavy machine gun, adjusting it while quickly explaining the situation.
The explanation is secondary; once everything is set up, just pull the trigger.
But Wu Youren was a little confused. "Me, aim and pull the trigger?"
"Of course it has to be you," the instructor answered without hesitation. "You know where the Weird Race is, so you won't hit anyone."
Only he could aim at the thick white fog, so everyone could feel safe.
This is why the strong man made this arrangement – even if Knight is hit by such a large Weird-Breaking Projectile, he will either die or be maimed.
Therefore, aiming and pulling the trigger must be entrusted to the right person!
The problem is—I'm not the right person for you! Wu Youren was speechless.
In a daze, he seemed to see a huge wave of experience points smiling down at him—Boss, come on, have some fun!
"Fine, "Wu Youren twitched the corner of his mouth, forcing himself to find a reason. "In the conflict between humans and demons, of course I'll side with the humans!"
But he still felt a lingering resentment: losing to the Weird Race might not mean the fall of the Great Jin, but losing to the Great Liang might mean the extinction of the nation and its people.
Heretics are more hateful than pagans; everyone knows that!
However, after much deliberation, he finally decided: as long as there is space to sweep away the Weird Race, he should try his best not to harm the humans.
After all, this large-sized Weird-Breaking Projectile wouldn't cause much damage to the Great Knight.
If he really fires indiscriminately, and those two survive, then he'll be in a difficult position to explain himself.
Even if it's just for your own peaceful survival, it's best not to harbor any evil thoughts.
These plans, though seemingly lengthy, were actually decided in a single thought. Then he nodded, "I'm ready."
"Be careful, try not to get into a prolonged fight!" the Knight on the left shouted, drawing a long sword and assuming a defensive stance.
Red Pine's instructors acted as ammunition handlers, saying, "Don't be too reluctant, the military has the money!"
"We still need to use them sparingly," the left Knight protested. "Ammunition is no problem; the Liangyuan Chamber of Commerce can cover it."
"But you have to consider, how long might this battle last?"
"I understand," Wu Youren nodded with a smile, "We'll definitely use it sparingly."
As they spoke, shouts of battle and the wails of the Weird Race rose from not far away.
But it was all blurry and not very clear, even though the distance wasn't actually that far.
Wu Youren adjusted the angle and fired a three-round burst—hmm, not controlled well, it's a four-round burst now.
The effect of the large-sized Weird-Breaking Projectile was exceptionally powerful; the sky filled with red light, directly tearing through the thick white fog.
Four bullets pierced four large, transparent holes, instantly increasing visibility to hundreds of meters.
It's difficult to go any further, because there's still a light drizzle, and the sky is starting to darken.
The next moment, two figures flashed through the large hole, their faces obscured, but both were dressed in military uniforms.
"Well done!" One of them gave a thumbs-up at the large hole, clearly having noticed the change.
"Holy crap!" Red Pine's instructor exclaimed in astonishment, "So even his voice can be heard?"
Previously, people suspected that the white fog was of dubious origin, possibly due to the influence of Weird Qi on the environment.
Once the Weird Domain is formed, it's like a maze for martial artists; their eyesight, hearing, perception, and combat ability all decline.
People had been wondering before: if the white fog was obscuring everything, why couldn't they see anything, and why couldn't they even hear any sounds?
They heard faint sounds, but they weren't sure what was happening.
Now it's confirmed; it's genuinely affected, and things have become somewhat Weird Domain.
The impact wasn't significant; there were more than just a few people with the Weird-Repelling Block, and none of them explicitly issued warnings.
However, this is the most terrifying aspect, as it subtly influences your perception, even through changes in the broader environment.
The next moment, the sounds of fighting and roars came from the other side, extremely intense.
However, at the same time, the large hole created by the bullet began to slowly shrink—clearly, this is the environment's self-repair mechanism.
"Damn it!" came the roar of the burly Great Knight, "Are they really running this place like Weird Domain?"
"Good shot, kid! Keep it up!"
"Screw you, run!" Wu Youren grabbed the crane gun and sped away.
The praise from the other side was genuine, but as an experience point harvester, he knew all too well what it meant to attract hatred!
His reaction was truly timely; the next moment, several eerie, slightly dark Weird Qi swept over with incredible speed.
That chilling feeling can be weak in some cases, but very strong in others, and it feels difficult to resist.
The two Knight guarding him reacted quickly, following him to the next scene, thus escaping unscathed.
This was truly a calamity, even though the two Knight were quite powerful.
The difficulty in dealing with the Weird Race lies not only in their powerful and unpredictable attacks, but also in their intangible and pervasive influence!
If given a choice, no martial artist would want to engage in a prolonged battle with the Weird Race.
The reason why people often choose close combat is simply because it's more efficient at killing monsters!
High efficiency equals high risk, that's true.
After Wu Youren changed positions, he fired three shots in quick succession, followed by a four-shot burst and then another three-shot burst.
After finishing firing, he picked up the heavy machine gun and moved to another position—it felt a bit like a purely firearms battle?
"He's truly a promising military talent," the Knight on the left couldn't help but exclaim, "His fighting style—impressive!"
After shifting positions several times, the white fog had been riddled with holes.
But at the same time, Weird Qi was surging in from all sides—no one likes to fail!
The burly man wielded a horse-slaying saber, slashing wildly, and vaguely locked onto an unusually powerful and Weird Qi.
The Instructor Hong's figure appeared and disappeared intermittently, befitting an assassin.
Every now and then, she would fire a shot from her hand cannon, not only targeting the powerful Weird Race, but also attacking Knight- level Weird Race.
It's fair to say that every shot was a one-shot kill.
However, among the dozen or so figures, there was one person who also deserved attention: a thin man with a gloomy expression.
Among adults in Liang, it's rare to see someone who is too thin; even if they aren't fat, they must at least be quite robust.
This is due to environmental factors. Liang is a cold and harsh land, and people with slightly thinner builds find it difficult to withstand the frequent extreme weather.
But this person is really thin, 180cm tall and weighing 108kg, the kind of person who could be blown over by a gust of wind.
What's even more surprising is that he was wearing a military uniform and was being protected by three or four people.
He rarely makes a move, but when he does, it's a series of small fireballs.
Although Wu Youren was frequently changing positions to fire, he quickly noticed this person.
This was the first time he had ever witnessed a legendary Ability User.
The fireball unleashed by this character was quite powerful, its ability to obliterate Weird Qi slightly surpassing that of the Knight's attack.
However, compared to the destructive power of the Great Knight, the difference is quite obvious.
Instructor Hong's judgment was correct; he was just a Ability User Apprentice.
However, even an apprentice is equivalent to Knight, and the Ability User system is far rarer than that of a martial artist.
At the same time, Wu Youren's shooting caused great damage to the Weird Qi, which also attracted the attack of the Weird Race.
Two Knight stood guard beside him, doing their utmost to fend off attacks from all directions.
In this situation, Wu Youren was still able to move around flexibly and was not greatly affected, which is quite remarkable.
The main advantage was that he could spot the weak points in the surrounding Weird Qi while firing, and move around with his machine gun in a way that allowed him to find openings.
The two Knight responsible for protection not only had to resist the Weird Qi, but also had to keep up with his movements, making their actions somewhat passive.
However, neither of them complained. In fact, Wu Youren's move had greatly surprised them.
The boy could sense the strength of the Weird Qi; they had already discovered this earlier.
However, his ability to seize opportunities and shift positions is exceptional; even disregarding his decisiveness, his agility alone makes him one in a hundred among Knight Apprentice.
As for why he wasn't harmed by the Weird Qi during the transfer, the two could only conclude that the Weird-Repelling Block on his body was quite strong.
However, all the three of them could do was effectively support the main battlefield.
If all the Weird Qi were directed at the three of them, all they could do was run for their lives, and their fate would likely be grim.
Fortunately, that side was the main battlefield in this fight, attracting a lot of aggro.
Putting aside the actions of the two Great Knight, just consider their rescue team—they were fleeing all the way out; how much hatred must they have attracted?
Moreover, the Ability User Apprentice's attack was also quite lethal to the Weird Race.
The powerful Weird Race was cleaved open again and again, only to close up again, as the chilling black mist gradually thinned out.
Finally, it was cut in two once again, and a high-pitched and mournful wail rang out, clearly indicating that it had been seriously injured this time.
The figure of Instructor Hong suddenly appeared, arriving at the half-shadowed area, and unleashed three consecutive slashes, each faster than the last.
After the three strikes, another almost wailing wail followed, and half of the shadowy figure vanished into thin air.
If nothing unexpected happens, this has cut off more than half of the opponent's strength, which can be considered a severe blow.
However, the other half of the shadow also quickly disappeared in the next moment.
It is certain that it chose to actively flee, hiding within a large amount of Weird Qi.
It is extremely difficult to completely kill a Weird Race of the Great Knight level.
(First four chapters, 12,000 words. Requesting first subscriptions and guaranteed monthly votes for August. More tonight.)