ASER - Chapter 68
Chapter 68: Counter-Kill
At this moment, their Spirit Power was nearly depleted, with no time to recover!
After Song Ling's reminder, A'Diao's brow furrowed instantly.
The others were also alarmed.
Damn it, to be so unlucky as to encounter another team on their first descent into a catacomb?
Would this team choose to avoid them or decide to enter?
If they entered... they would, one hundred percent, kill for plunder.
What should they do?
A'Diao thought: What to do ultimately depended on the opponent's strength.
Song Ling quickly analyzed the sensor data transmitted by No. 7.
"The strongest one should be F-grade."
They very likely couldn't defeat them, especially since the other side had eight people.
However, Song Ling and A'Diao weren't considering whether they would die, but whether to contact their respective Song family guards and Feng Ting's armed forces.
If they later turned off all easily detectable electronic devices, they could engage in guerrilla warfare underground for a period. After all, the fact that this place could accommodate so many lizards indicated that the underground space was vast, and they should be able to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
This was the confidence with which the two dared to face risks, and it was also the main reason Rao Xueya desperately wanted to join this team.
Everyone looked at A'Diao, waiting for her decision.
"Chief, it's this way. The compass has detected a strong scent of blood. A battle definitely occurred here."
A young man with a crew cut held a disc-shaped compass in his hand and verified the direction.
Soon, an eight-person team that appeared ordinary but always exuded a faint scent of blood reached the vicinity of the cave entrance. After careful observation, they confirmed that a fierce battle had indeed erupted here not long ago.
"They went inside."
"Chief, should we go in?"
The scarred man leading them had a stern expression and wasn't overly excited by the discovery. Instead, he activated a detector and scanned the vicinity... there were no surveillance devices, indicating the other party was neither experienced nor cautious, and wouldn't detect them tailing from behind.
"Let's go take a look."
The scarred man led his men over and quickly surveyed the scene. "Not many people, five of them. Their Spirit Power intensity isn't high, maximum killing power probably below F-grade. They likely relied on special drugs to take down so many Petrification Lizards, causing them to kill each other."
Most of the wounds on these lizard corpses were inflicted by their own kind.
"Though inexperienced, they're cunning. But indeed not strong, very likely some high school student team." After giving his assessment, the scarred man raised his hand and gestured for them to enter.
The other seven were immediately overjoyed.
A group of students, yet daring to enter a catacomb at this stage, they must have extraordinary backgrounds. Their wealth would far exceed that of ordinary pioneering teams, making them very much worth killing. And if killed in the catacomb, it would be very difficult for the authorities to investigate, as the traces of demonic spirits would cover up everything.
An excellent opportunity to get rich quick!
Enter!
This ambitious team of bandits immediately entered the cave. Soon, they saw lizard corpses on the ground... but the spirit cores and eyeballs hadn't been dug out.
They had fled in a great hurry.
"Hmm? They noticed. Perhaps they heard us entering. They just left. Chase!"
The scarred man saw how hastily this group fled and knew their foundation wasn't deep; they wouldn't dare confront them head-on. Moreover, they had fought so many lizards consecutively, their Spirit Power consumption was too great, and they couldn't keep up with subsequent output. That's why they were even willing to abandon the spirit cores of Level 2 Petrification Lizards... This was a perfect opportunity for a decisive kill!
"Ignore these spirit cores for now! Activate the electronic signal trackers! Chase!"
The scarred man became even more certain of the prey's weakness and decisively led his men in hot pursuit.
Once they killed them, everything would be theirs.
Their pursuit was swift and fierce. Soon, five red signal dots appeared on the tracker.
They had caught up!
But they weren't moving... Heh, trying to ambush them in return?
Well, well, not so inexperienced after all. The leader was a cunning one, but unfortunately for them, they had run into him.
Today, these plump little rookies would undoubtedly die!
In the catacomb, the scarred man and his group had caught up to the signal points. But he was cunning, guessing that A'Diao and her team intended to counter-ambush them. So, he anticipated her anticipation and chose to counter-encircle them from the other side...
As the scarred man's eight members surrounded the five, the scarred man launched the first attack. Control-type Spirit Power surged, a serpentine stream of fire condensed and formed, curving as it flew around the corner of the catacomb passage, rushing directly towards one of the signal point locations.
Boom!
The firelight exploded; upon contact with a human body, it could immediately incinerate and severely injure.
But there were no screams.
Instead, one of the red signal dots extinguished.
Could it be... it had only hit an electronic device.
Not good, there was something wrong with these five signals!
The scarred man was startled and immediately reacted, "Reverse!"
This was team combat terminology. He was indicating a misjudgment, that the signals ahead were decoys, ordering everyone to immediately withdraw and regroup. The others heard, but their reaction was a step too slow.
Two seconds earlier.
In a dark corner on the other side, three meters away from them, someone uttered softly, "Activate."
Shu, a faint light subtly emerged at her fingertips.
A fleeting glimmer of starlight pierced the shadows, faintly illuminating A'Diao's face as she stood coldly against the wall.
The middle and index fingers of her right hand were held straight together, while the ring and little fingers were bent downwards. This was a typical Daoist hand gesture for initiating a technique. As the gesture formed, the Spirit Power within her body flowed through the meridians of both hands and directly into the five talismans held between the fingertips of her left hand.
Swish, swish, swish, the five talismans simultaneously ignited. Then, as her fingers loosened... the white smoke from the burning transformed into illusory light talisman shadows that shot out rapidly. The speed was too great; in the blink of an eye, they silently struck five people, including the scarred man.
Adhering and branding!
A'Diao had already flashed out from the darkness. With a snap of her fingers, she commanded, "Immobilize!"
Buzz... The five were instantly bound by the Spirit Power activated by the talismans.
The scarred man's pupils trembled as he met the figure rushing towards him in the dim light. Buzz... Spirit Power circulated, frantically trying to dispel the effect of the immobilization talisman on his body.
It was weakening...
But as he focused most of his Spirit Power on the location of the immobilization talisman, A'Diao had already seized the opportunity and made eye contact.
The scarred man, after all, was battle-hardened. When he noticed something amiss with his eyes, he knew what the problem was and hurriedly redirected Spirit Power to his eyes.
His entire body's F2-grade Spirit Power surged forth, all of it applied to two locations.
This was a huge drain, instantly emptying more than half of his Spirit Power reserves. But there was no choice; this was to save his life!
But... he didn't experience the expected eye-gaze "silk-pulling"; instead, A'Diao flung her hand.
With her "Little Fist" power amplified, the longsword was instantly thrown, spinning through the air.
Whirr... The sword light struck.
In the instant it was about to slit his throat.
Buzz! The effect of the immobilization talisman unexpectedly vanished.
The scarred man's gaze was fierce. His left hand conjured a fire technique, while his right hand drew a formidable blade.
Clang! The formidable blade struck the slender sword. The slender sword was sent flying by the blow and, with a swish, embedded itself in the wall.
And the fire technique boomed towards A'Diao's head.
A'Diao ducked to evade, then rushed forward in a thrust. With a flick of her left hand, which had been concealed behind her... Swish! Another immobilization talisman suddenly flew out.
Immobilize!
???!!!
She could activate another talisman so quickly?
This must be a genius-level student from Jinling Academy.
The scarred man had a realization amidst his terror, and was immobilized in that moment of understanding. But in the instant he was immobilized, he opened his mouth and spat out a ball of fire. This mouthful of fire was his life-saving trump card.
It was like how every cultivator had a unique skill—instantly activated at the brink of death, designed to take your life when you least expected it!
However... A'Diao didn't get close.
From two meters away, she flung out the short blade from her waist.
It traveled almost parallel to that mouthful of fire... one coming, one going.
Swish! It pierced the scarred man's chest, while A'Diao nimbly dodged the mouthful of fire.
Her mental fortitude was strong, and her conscious reactions even stronger. One had to know, the crisis of being surrounded and ambushed by two toads was far more dangerous than this mouthful of fire. Moreover, the 50 points from the Clearance Points Tower and the 20 points for Spirit Power cultivation had all been spent by her in the gravity room and the consciousness reaction chamber.
For Spiritual Energy resources, she had the "toilet" to replenish them, but her combat abilities had to keep pace.
Thus, the battle unfolded as it did... The immobilization talisman's effect wore off, and the scarred man's corpse fell.
From Zhang Ze +6666!
She had single-handedly taken down a seasoned F2 Spirit Power level bandit.
But the effect of the immobilization talismans on the other four also wore off—after a total of three seconds. Their Spirit Power wasn't as strong as that of the scarred man, Zhang Ze, so they couldn't break free and were thus immobilized for a full three seconds. Originally, they would have died, but A'Diao chose to focus her attack on the scarred man.
Now that they were free, they immediately surrounded and attacked A'Diao.
But this time, A'Diao turned her head, her pupils glinting mysteriously.
Why hadn't she chosen to use her "silk-pulling" ability on the scarred man? Because his level was higher, the effect would have been minimal, and he might have dodged it. So A'Diao had used the threat of it as a feint. But against the others... "silk-pulling" was effective.
But ensnaring one was enough.
Adhesive threads shot out from the eyes of the foremost person. The threads, like spider silk, hooked backwards under A'Diao's mental control, instantly entangling the bodies of two others as well. Finally, the ends of the adhesive threads stuck to the wall.
They were controlled.
Of course, her mental power also plummeted by more than twenty thousand.
But...
As A'Diao approached, with a series of swishes, she successively pulled out the slender sword and the short blade that were embedded in the wall.
From Cheng Guang +2332!
From Zhao Tuo +2222!
From...
The resentment of the slain became her best sustenance.
After Song Ling and the other three dispatched the remaining three bandits with utmost speed, they had no time to process the shock of their first kills. They immediately turned back around the corner to support A'Diao—according to the original plan, A'Diao had said she would hold off five people alone, and they were to support her after they finished off their three.
Could she really do it?
At the time, the four had been very worried. But before forming the team, A'Diao had insisted on absolute obedience to her orders, so the four hadn't questioned her. Now, looking...
In this straight passage, the last person had just fallen. A'Diao was drenched in blood, her breathing heavy and ragged.
The exertion had been too great.
Thump. As she slumped to the ground, Song Ling and the other three approached.
No one was in an optimistic state now; their Spirit Power was almost completely depleted, not a drop remaining.
After all, even with A'Diao's G7 total Spirit Power capacity, she couldn't withstand such frequent, intense battles, and this was even with her having prepared talismans in advance.
"F2-grade?" As Song Ling examined the scarred man's corpse, his Spirit Power aura was still present. After a blood test with her device, she confirmed his cultivation level.
Therefore, she was even more astounded by A'Diao's combat prowess and faintly sensed that her progress far exceeded the talent and aptitude that had been officially measured.
Could the C-category growth rating of 60 be inaccurate?
Although Song Ling was puzzled, when she looked back at A'Diao, she didn't say much, nor did she offer verbal praise; that wasn't her nature.
But the mental power feedback was very direct.
From Song Ling +7999!
From Tian Zhongxiang +4666!
From...
The four of them instantly replenished twenty thousand of her mental power. In total, A'Diao's mental power returned to 110,000.
Very good. Spirit Power recovery was too slow, but mental power could still be "farmed" from teammates and enemies.
The "toilet" was simply a game-breaking bug!
I love you!
"This is too hard. Once Spirit Power is depleted, it's doomsday for a 'Forbidden Master'. Big Kong wasn't wrong; physical strength and combat techniques are the truly permanent trump cards. In the future, no matter how strong our Spirit Power cultivation becomes, these aspects cannot be neglected."
Rao Xueya couldn't help but remark as they were sorting through the loot from the corpses.
Song Ling, who still managed to appear elegant while looting, said, "Actually, Spirit Power recovery potions are already available on the market, but they're very expensive and not practical for our current earnings. They're generally bought for life-saving emergencies."
Tian Zhongxiang curiously asked the price.
"One bottle costs 3 million star coins."
"..."
Rao Xueya, thinking more practically, said, "If it can save your life, then it's worth it, right? At least you and A'Diao should be able to afford it. It just depends on how much it restores."
Song Ling replied, "It can probably fully restore Spirit Power for levels up to G7. To restore more, or for higher grades, those are different types and come at different prices."
Expensive, far too expensive. They were just rookies; were their lives worth that much?
Probably only Song Ling and Yuan Shu could afford such an expense. Even A'Diao was reluctant to spend that kind of money, despite currently having a balance of fifteen million in her account.
She had her mental power for replenishment and could keep going, so she was unwilling to be so extravagant.
She intended to use this money to purchase the next batch of formula ingredients, but oh, how she also wanted to buy a flight device and other equipment! Song Ling's air of affluence made her incredibly envious.
It was so difficult! It was all Chen Ran's fault, that "rich dog" was too poor, preventing her from extorting money from him.
In the hospital, the esteemed "parental official" of Lingcheng, Lord Cishi Chen Ran, maintained a frail posture before the doctor. The doctor, long since bribed, silently recorded some fabricated symptoms in the medical file and then respectfully departed.
As soon as the doctor and nurse left, Chen Ran's weak expression vanished without a trace. He contacted his confidant, who reported that they couldn't track the Third Miss's location.
"That wretched girl..." Chen Ran gritted his teeth. He was annoyed that she hadn't discussed anything with him, yet he had to admit her methods were shrewd. Daring to sever all contact meant the Cui Clan currently couldn't find her either.
Considering her value, Chen Ran reminded his guards to continue their search and remain on standby.
He absolutely couldn't let her actually die.
"She's only been in school for a few days and already dares to enter a catacomb? Isn't that courting death?"
He had four children, which wasn't a small number, but compared to the numerous offspring of other officials, whether he liked her or not, having such a highly talented daughter who could both fight and endure was ultimately a significant asset.
Moreover, he also had an even more outstanding eldest son from his principal wife. Other officials now looked at him with eyes practically dripping with envy.
Since they were envious now, he had to ensure they remained envious.
While Chen Ran was calculating gains and losses and instructing his guards, Chen Xun, who had already arrived in Kyoto, had just emerged from a tedious laboratory. After finishing the call, his expression was composed. He greeted his colleagues and returned to his high-end and spacious single dormitory.
He didn't even change out of his lab coat before turning on his equipment and resuming his work.
His biological father was both poor and useless. An eldest brother is like a father.
He had to rush to meet his deadlines.
Collecting the spoils was done fairly quickly, but as Rao Xueya and the others drank water and rested, they stared at the loot, silent for a good while.
One pouch, three Spiritual Vessels—the pouch and two of the Spiritual Vessels were taken from the scarred man—not to mention other modern, usable equipment.
Their estimated value exceeded seven or eight million.
Though not as high-end as Song Ling's gear, it was far more impressive than that of an ordinary pioneering team. No wonder they had been able to find this catacomb so quickly and even hunt them down.
This group certainly didn't seem like an ordinary pioneering team; they were well-trained, their methods seasoned and ruthless.
But the best items were mostly on the scarred man. There was a reason he was so strong; naturally, he could also afford better equipment.
They couldn't access money from bank cards, as they lacked the necessary technology. In reality, looting spoils wasn't like a game PK where items conveniently dropped. However, the scarred man's pouch was bulging. When they opened it, it was full of spirit cores.
Everyone's breathing grew heavy.
Three hundred of them, including five Level 2 spirit cores.
Compared to this, the assorted demonic spirit organs found on the others seemed worthless.
The group exchanged glances.
A'Diao suddenly recalled what Feng Ting had mentioned. Reacting the quickest, her expression shifted slightly, and she immediately said, "Damn it! This group specializes in ambushing pioneering teams! They're bandits, usually backed by an organization! We can't afford to provoke them! Song Ling, quickly take your flight device, go out, and give their signal devices to No. 7. Have it toss them into the river to be washed away. Otherwise, if their organization can't contact them, they'll quickly pinpoint this location. We need to create a false trail!"
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