Time-limited mission
A cold, metallic storm swept through, and the priest, the weakest in strength and mobility, didn't even have time to scream before following in the footsteps of the dwarven shieldbearer.
The holy light shield he hastily erected flickered a few times like a candle in the wind before being extinguished along with his fragile life.
The necromancer, acting as the archer on the Bone Model, didn't stop, turning his gun towards the troll shaman. The shaman, however, was seen planting a totem pole wrapped in feathers and animal bones into the ground with a strange, rhythmic gait!
A murky yellow light shone from the top of the totem, forming a distorted force field. The machine gun bullets that were whistling towards them seemed to hit an invisible, slippery barrier, their trajectories becoming erratic, grazing the shaman's body and scattering in all directions.
"Greater Ranged Deflection Totem?" The necromancer quickly recognized it as the opponent's defensive tactic.
He snorted coldly, and the gun barrel immediately began to sway slightly from side to side, unleashing a fan-shaped barrage. Even though most of the bullets were deflected by the totem force field, many still slammed into the shaman's gaunt body.
The shaman's paint rippled like water in strange waves. The bullets struck her skin, making dull "thud" sounds before shattering and deforming, leaving only some bruises.
"Wow! This team is really interesting!" Rupert, watching the match, couldn't help but exclaim. "That shaman woman is even more resilient than that dwarf in the tin can!"
The combination of totems and paint effects made this somewhat gaunt troll surprisingly more defensively capable than the dwarven shieldbearer.
Appearances can be deceiving!
Fortunately, the quadruple anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on this Bone Model anti-aircraft structure was designed for coverage. The necromancer pushed the rate-of-fire lever to its limit, and the gunfire suddenly intensified, with the rate of fire jumping to 2,000 rounds per minute!
The muzzle flashes were continuous, and the dense torrent of bullets, with almost no gaps between them, resembled red-hot steel cones piercing towards the target.
"Plenty of food, I'll see how long you can last!" The archer's voice was smug.
The sudden increase in the barrage of bullets indeed pierced through the shaman's elusive defenses. The oil paint on the troll's body extinguished, and its emaciated form was torn apart like rags!
However, this rapid-fire burst also emptied the last of the four 150-round ammunition belts mounted on the Bone Model.
The crisp gunshots ceased abruptly, and the battlefield was once again dominated by the torrential rain. Cold raindrops pounded densely on the scorching gun barrels, and large plumes of hissing white mist rose from the dark red metal surface.
The gunner, controlling his undead minions, slammed four empty, smoking ammunition boxes off the machine gun and tossed them to the ground. He then grabbed a spare ammunition box and reattached it to the machine gun.
Each 14.5mm bullet weighs over 200 grams. With 150 bullets and the ammunition belt, the total weight of a single ammunition box reaches 4,000 kilograms. It is stuck on the base and makes a heavy impact sound.
The necromancer himself wasn't idle either. He cast wind and water spells to accelerate the cooling of the scorching gun barrel.
****
When the relentless barrage of fire subsided, the people who had been silent in the ravaged jungle suddenly became restless!
One side naturally gave chase, while the surviving bounty hunters had long since lost any hope of winning. They leaped out from behind the trees and plunged into the depths of the rainforest, desperate to escape this hellish landscape.
"Don't skimp on the methods!" the druid roared, his arms suddenly spreading wide to the sides.
In an instant, the trees within a radius of dozens of meters seemed to be twisted by an invisible giant hand, and countless dark green poisonous vines covered with barbs, like enraged giant pythons, lashed out and twisted wildly, forming a deadly thorny barrier that swept towards the pursuers.
He then seized the opportunity to slip away.
Jielusi's eyes instantly turned dark, her staff glowed brightly, and she transformed into a shadow as she crashed into the wildly dancing wall of vines!
Wherever the tip of the staff touched, a corrosive light swept across, causing the poisonous vines to wither and crumble. As Jielusi broke through the barrier, Ruixiuli leaped, and Gossamer Wings of Darkness suddenly unfolded behind her, rushing forward as well.
On the elven mage's side, he threw several alchemy bottles at the necromancer.
The necromancers reacted quickly, releasing water arrows and negative energy arrows to intercept them, but they were all neutralized by the protective spells attached to the bottle.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bottle shattered on the ground, releasing a thick, pungent, dark green acidic mist that spread like a living thing, forcing the necromancers to retreat.
But Jielusi's figure had already approached from the other side. With a clenched fist in her left hand, a black chain that imprisoned souls shot out and bound the elven mage.
"Darkness Imprisonment!"
At the same time, Ruixiuli charged straight at the female warrior on the other side! He wielded bone blades in both hands, tearing through the air as he brought them down!
The female warrior let out a fierce shout, crossing her twin swords into a cross shape, forcefully blocking the powerful blow! Bone and iron clashed, sparks flew everywhere!
Just as the two were locked in combat, Ruixiuli flicked his wrist, and a foot-long, ghostly White Bone split off from the bone blade! He grabbed the spike with his left hand, and without turning his head, swung it behind him at an incredible angle!
Clang!
With a crisp snap, the dagger that had emerged from the shadows was once again firmly parried!
"Besides stabbing people in the back, can't you come up with anything new?" Ruixiuli said sarcastically.
"If you're so capable, why don't you try a different blocking stance?" the halfling thief sneered.
The sound of something cutting through the air came from above, where the acid mist was thick! Several dark objects pierced through the mist and flew towards them.
But this time it wasn't arrows, but reinforcements from allies. The necromancers hurled freshly created corpses from the battlefield at us!
Ruixiuli sneered, using the momentum to leap into the air, his left hand outstretched, fingers spread wide, as if grasping at the flying pieces of corpse in mid-air!
"Frenzied Bone Shattering Strike!"
The female warrior and the halfling thief, realizing the power of Ruixiuli, changed their expressions drastically and dodged to the side without hesitation!
However, the anticipated corpse explosion did not occur; the Curse Blade's target was not them at all!
Ruixiuli feinted with a shot, then nimbly leaped into the air, his figure shooting like an arrow towards the fleeing druid! A cruel smile curved his scarred face in the cold rain.
Startled by the ominous wind behind him, Kailesi suddenly turned around, crossed his arms, and brazenly met Ruixiuli's full-force attack with his thorn-covered gauntlets!
Boom!
The mud and water exploded beneath Kailesi' feet, sending him slid back seven or eight steps before he could barely regain his balance. At the same time, the pieces of corpses enveloped in shadow energy roared down around him, scattering blood, flesh, and shattered entrails everywhere!
Ruixiuli landed on the spot, clasped his hands together, and the split bone blades reassembled. Dark, almost tangible Magic Power, like burning black flames, covered the entire sword! He took a step forward, the blade tearing through the rain, and slashed with all his might at the druid who was still unsteady on his feet!
Kailesi' pupils contracted sharply; it was too late to dodge. The corpses scattered around him exploded violently at the same time, and countless blood-stained, sharp bone fragments, like a swarm of enraged bees, transformed into a deathly rain that covered the entire battlefield, raining down upon him!
"Roar--!" Kailesi roared in despair, wildly waving his arms and urging the vines and roots to instantly condense into a giant shield of thorns in front of him!
Click!
The wooden shield held for only a moment before shattering! Ruixiuli's bone blade, following the rain of broken bones, pierced the druid's chest without any resistance!
Ruixiuli glanced down at his side, where three deep wounds were oozing warm liquid—a souvenir left by the blade on his gauntlets during the druid's dying counterattack.
But this is the last time.
The druid collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide with resentment as he stared intently at Ruixiuli. A few gasps escaped his throat before he finally lost all life.
"You are indeed very strong." Ruixiuli's voice was icy as he stomped heavily on Kailesi' neck. "Unfortunately, you chose the wrong opponent."
He slammed his leg down, and the sound of his throat bones cracking rang out, completely extinguishing any possibility of the druid rising from the dead.
On the other side, with the help of the necromancer behind her, Jielusi finally slew the elven mage with her staff. But she herself was not doing well either; a thin layer of ice exuding a chilling aura covered her, making her shiver uncontrollably. Her pink hair, soaked by the cold rain, clung miserably to her pale cheeks.
Panting, she smashed the elven mage's head, then raised her face, slightly bluish from the cold, just in time to meet the gaze of Ruixiuli.
The two looked at each other's disheveled appearance and smiled brightly.
****
The rustling sound of grass and trees grew louder as the necromancer teammates pushed aside the damp branches and leaves to catch up. Heavier footsteps followed closely behind as the Bone Model anti-aircraft structure rolled over broken branches and leaves to get closer, and Rupert stood on it as well.
But the halfling thief, the dual-wielding female warrior, and the mysterious archer had already taken advantage of the chaos to disappear deeper into the jungle.
"Should we give chase?" a necromancer asked, wiping the rain from his face.
Ruixiuli surveyed his surroundings. The torrential rain had transformed the entire jungle into a dark labyrinth, stretching endlessly into the unknown distance.
"Don't pursue." He shook his head decisively. Both he and Jielusi were injured and in poor condition. It would be too risky to venture into this battlefield, which the enemy was more adept at.
"This team is top-tier even among mercenaries." Jielusi's voice trembled slightly, still carrying a lingering chill. "The three who escaped are also quite troublesome."
"It's incredibly strong!" Rupert couldn't help but exclaim.
He led his men along the trail of the "Unexpected Treasure," tracking it up level by level, dismantling the goblin's intelligence outposts. Then, they extracted intelligence from a prisoner: tonight, a team of bounty hunters, hired at great expense, would arrive by sea and infiltrate Dragon Valley to carry out an assassination mission.
The situation was urgent, so he contacted Ruixiuli and Jielusi for help, and even brought in a Bone Model air defense system, which had received excellent "response" from customers.
Even with these preparations, the enemy's strength far exceeded expectations, and they almost couldn't hold out.
"These petty mercenaries are masters at hiding in the jungle," Rupert said, looking at Jielusi's pale lips. "Let's go back to the cabin, dry our wet clothes, and warm ourselves up."
Everyone agreed.
"What should we do with the three who escaped?" a necromancer asked.
"Of course, we'll send those lazy dragons on the errand," Rupert grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth. "They can fly, and they're not afraid of the rain, so why not use them!"
He took out his communicator and quickly sent a message.
The group collected their spoils along the way—weapons, armor fragments, and miscellaneous magical items—before returning to the small cabin.
As he passed the druid's corpse, Ruixiuli bent down and ripped off the badge covered in strange patterns from his chest.
"Brother Ruixiuli," Rupert glanced at the bleeding wound on his side, his gaze settling on his bone blade, "Your weapon isn't very sharp."
He watched the battle from the rear and saw it clearly. Although Ruixiuli's killing moves were powerful, his bone blade seemed somewhat inadequate when it came to regular offense and defense.
"My combat techniques require the use of bone to be effective," Ruixiuli explained, stroking the cold blade. "However, bone, no matter how refined or tempered, has its limits. How can it compare to metals and alchemical materials?"
Rupert stroked his stubble, his eyes lighting up. "Doesn't Lord Bay Owl have even better bones?"
Ruixiuli was horrified, his eyes widening. "You want me to go find her and get the bones from her skeletal dragon body?!" He pointed at Rupert. "If you want me dead, just say so!"
"No, no, no!" Rupert quickly waved his hands, "I meant her two skeleton servants! Remember the acid bath leak at the chemical plant? All the other undead servants were corroded and started smoking as soon as they went in, but that black skeleton went straight in and plugged the crack! The strength of that material, tsk tsk----"
"Shh!" A necromancer nearby hurriedly lowered his voice, "Mr. Rupert, this can't be spread around! If Chairman Su finds out, the guys in the chemical engineering team will be in for a beating again!"
Hearing this, Jielusi, who was standing to the side, smiled slightly. She rubbed her hand bones a little, but said nothing.
Ruixiuli a beat upon hearing this. Zijin's two skeletal servants, Galio and Russell, were the remains of a Dark Saint Rank expert. Whether it was the degree of tempering or the degree of affinity with Dark Magic Power, they were absolutely extraordinary.
It's absolutely the world's top-tier material!
"Isn't it a terrible waste to dismantle two skeletons with ancient soulfire that can move on their own and make them into weapons?" Jielusi frowned slightly and interjected.
But Ruixiuli's eyes suddenly lit up. "No! Quite the opposite!" He slammed his fist into his palm. "I've thought of a way to make the most of everything!"
"Then the remaining problem," Jielusi said, spreading her hands, "Is how to ask Bay Owl for it."
"What could be wrong with that?" Rupert asked, puzzled. "Is the Scholar Bay Owl really that stingy? I've always thought she was quite nice!"
"If it's just about wanting things, she definitely won't mind." Jielusi gently shook her head, but her gaze turned to Ruixiuli. "Do you think she still remembers that limited edition art book you gave Su Ming Su Ming intimate interactions?"
Upon hearing this, Ruixiuli's face immediately fell.
Although Rupert didn't understand the specific details, he did some quick calculations and said, "It's been two months! Bay Owl is so busy with important matters, he should have forgotten about this long ago, right?"
Jielusi simply shook her head slowly, while Ruixiuli's expression grew even more grim, and she finally let out a sigh.
****
Chicken Dinner Internet Cafe.
The sound of the pouring rain was shut out, but inside the cave, chaos reigned. Groups of dragons frantically manipulated their machines from their respective positions. On the projection screen, flashes of swords and magic filled the air, accompanied by deafening sound effects of skill attacks, all mingling with the dragons' cheers!
Suddenly, a notification popped up simultaneously in the corner of all players' screens: "Offline Limited-Time Mission: Mischievous Creatures" has begun!
"Offline quest? What's that?" A Red Dragon, engrossed in a battle, muttered, curiously clicking on the details with its claw.
Urgent Notice:
Three creatures were discovered illegally infiltrating the mangrove forest by the sea. Their codes are: Little Needle Bee, Flying Mantis, and Wood Owl.
They hide in the forest and are destroying the ecological environment!
The Red Dragon scoffed at its massive mouth. The Little Needle Bee were inedible; they would only hinder the speed of its Dragon Claw attacks! Just as it was about to close the annoying pop-up, its gaze was firmly drawn to the row of glittering golden rewards below:
[Pilgrim]:
Arrive at the designated mangrove area and participate in a search operation for 30 minutes to earn this badge. The badge can be redeemed for free internet access at a cafe!
[Trainer]:
Successfully capture any target creature and be awarded the "Trainer | Badge"! Reward: 20 hours of premium gaming time + 5 deluxe drink vouchers!
[Title Glory]:
The first to arrive: Awarded the title of "Fastest Dragon"!
The one with the widest search coverage: crowned "Most Diligent Dragon"!
Those who wish to participate, please go to the front desk to collect your activity equipment (location communication device). Places are limited, first come, first served! "Roar-!" The Red Dragon instantly ripped off the complex sensor devices on its body, pawed at the ground with its four claws, and its massive body burst out with an astonishing speed that was disproportionate to its size, rushing towards the service counter at the entrance of the internet cafe!
However, before he even arrived, a dense, chilling "whoosh-whoosh" sound came from above!
He looked up sharply and saw more than a dozen enormous figures covered in scales flapping their powerful membranous wings, tearing through the rain and transforming into blurry giant shadows that shot toward the distant coastline!
The Red Dragon rushed to the counter, only to see the internet cafe manager bowing deeply apologetically to the other dragons squeezing in behind her. "I'm very sorry, esteemed dragon guests! All the equipment for this 'Troublemaking Creatures' operation has been distributed, and the quota is full! Please look forward to the next exciting event!"
A group of dragons immediately let out mournful cries of despair, beating their chests and stamping their feet.
****
The next morning, Su Ming was awakened by the sound of rain outside the window.
After washing up, he went to his office and saw the report submitted by the night shift staff of the Chicken Dinner Internet Cafe on his desk.
"A collective protest by the dragon guests late at night?" Su Ming was baffled. "They strongly demanded that 'emergency offline missions' be normalized and refreshed daily?"
Have the Chicken Dinner Internet Cafe been struggling lately? What's with this "urgent offline mission"?
"Good morning!" Beianqi pushed open the door and walked in, carrying several ingredients in her hand.
"Good morning!" Su Ming replied.
He cut the meat and tubers into bite-sized pieces, drizzled them with a little oil and various seasonings, mixed them well, and then put them into the air fryer.
"The porridge is in the rice cooker, I set it to cook last night." Su Ming said to Beianqi while setting the temperature and time on the air fryer, "See, 180°C, 15 minutes, it'll be ready to eat when it's done."
"It really saves time and effort." Beianqi looked at the convenient technological gadgets in the kitchen with great interest.
Su Ming wiped his hands clean before sitting down at the table and opening Rupert's operation report. The report indicated that their encirclement operation last night had failed to achieve complete success in its initial phase due to underestimating the enemy's strength.
However, the subsequent "offline limited-time mission" launched by the dragons proved effective—the three who had escaped into the depths of the mangrove forest by the sea ultimately could not escape the dragons' enthusiastic carpet search and were all found.
"Very well, you caused this mess," Su Ming sighed.
Rupert is truly brilliant, but the question is, why would he need to resort to such a powerful move with just three mercenaries?
If someone dared to issue a mission to "attack Gray Ridge stronghold," these internet addicts would probably all rush there like fools!
We don't know how many dragons were killed or wounded, but that stronghold is definitely gone!
Su Ming continued reading; the report listed the enemy members who had attacked: Dwarven Shieldbearers, Servant Rogues, Troll Shamans, Elven Elementalists, Human Druid Warriors, Servant Orc Archers—
"The Bounty Hunters this time have a very diverse mix of races and classes," Su Ming remarked.
"The profession of soldiers is inherently a mixed bag, with all sorts of people involved. The higher the level of the team, the more complete the professional combinations." Beianqi brought over a steaming bowl of porridge and placed it on the table.
She glanced at the report. "It seems the goblins have really gone all out this time, hiring some of the most renowned experts in the field."
Su Ming's gaze continued to sweep downwards, his brows furrowing slightly. "A badge with energy fluctuations similar to the 'Dan Du Totem'—it seems the Plundering Clock has also gotten involved."
He sighed helplessly, "I feel like I'm the one being targeted by the offline missions."
"The fact that you attracted such a high-level assassination attempt only proves that you are a huge threat to all your enemies," Beianqi said with a hint of reassurance in her voice. "That's always how reality is. When you're too weak, people ignore you. But when you're too strong, people start resorting to underhanded tactics."
"Therefore, in politics, there is no such thing as fairness and justice in martial arts," Su Ming said helplessly.
Rupert's report was rather brief. The group didn't return until four in the morning and were still resting; Ruixiuli was still injured.
Su Ming put down the report and decided to wait until they woke up to learn more details.
Bite!
A crisp bell rang, signaling the air fryer had finished its work. The timer reset, and the air fryer released an enticing aroma of meat and caramelized bits.
"Lunch is served, then let's get back to work!" Su Ming jumped up from his chair. His schedule was packed today: at noon was the expanded morning meeting of the base management team, and afterwards he had to rush to the Red Ridge Mine to deal with the problems there.
"Keep it up!" Beianqi opened the air fryer, poured the food into a dish, and reminded him, "And don't forget the equipment list I gave you yesterday! The new production line is waiting to be set up!"
Su Ming paused, his hand holding the spoon still. "Is that all once the list is finished?" he asked.
Beianqi didn't answer, but tilted her head and gave him a sweet smile.
Su Ming rubbed his forehead with one hand, "I knew it!"