LWGP - Chapter 73
Chapter 73: Shootout!
Wang Jiu tilted her head, and a blade stabbed past her.
She looked and saw twenty-some people in a frenzied slaughter, so chaotic she couldn't even tell who had thrown the blade.
Two or three groups of people were in a chaotic brawl, a messy scene of flying flesh and blood. Wang Jiu had just dodged a splatter of blood and was about to retreat when someone howled, "That person just came out of the dungeon!!"
The slaughter immediately froze. Everyone stared at her intently.
Suddenly, the person closest to Wang Jiu abruptly swung a blade at her, trying to take advantage with a surprise attack.
Wang Jiu, who just five seconds before exiting the dungeon had secretly resolved to make a quiet fortune by keeping a low profile, hiding, and grinding safely, didn't even think before swinging her blade back in a counterattack, slicing him in two at the waist.
The group that had been fighting was instantly frightened, knowing this woman was no pushover. But among the crowd were a few people—from the first wave of Pan Zhen's group, the ten people she had killed and sent back. They had been rushing towards Huize Mountain but ran into another small team.
Eh, there were several times more people in the mountains than before, all heading for the dungeon. As luck would have it, it was Lin Fengmian's group.
If it had been anyone else, they might have been able to team up for the greater good to clear the dungeon, but there was no possibility of reconciliation between them.
Lin Fengmian's group couldn't possibly trust them and were also afraid the other party would call for reinforcements, making all their work for nothing.
With irreconcilable conflicts, a fight was inevitable.
And as they fought, as luck would have it again, another team was nearby. Hearing the commotion, they came over quickly and spotted the vortex at a glance, which delighted them.
No one wanted to let the others enter, and they couldn't reach an agreement, so… a three-way brawl!
Originally, Lin Fengmian had the upper hand. With a longsword in one hand and a shield in the other, he was the strongest among them. He fought steadily, tanking most of the damage, and was able to hold a corner with his brothers, gradually moving towards the tree hollow vortex.
But then the variable of Wang Jiu appeared. They naturally remembered this "miss," and now, seeing the ruthlessness of her one-slash kill, Lin Fengmian knew she was far more formidable than they had imagined. He was just about to tell the others to hold back.
But as soon as the few from Pan Zhen's group saw Wang Jiu, their hatred flared up. Fearing she would strike first and wipe them out, their shenanigans began.
"It's her! This woman killed a lot of our people earlier to seize this dungeon!"
"She's ruthless! Everyone, be careful!"
"Look at her Red Name! She must have killed a lot of people!"
"If you kill a Red Name, they drop almost all their equipment, and you won't get a Red Name yourself!"
The few of them put on quite a performance, instantly agitating the sensitive nerves of the crowd, who were new to this world.
Scientific research shows that a person's intelligence when alone is far higher than when in a crowd, but their courage in a crowd is also far greater than the former—especially if there's an incentive of profit.
So, the group swarmed towards Wang Jiu, as if they were fighting a boss.
But there were also some cautious ones who cherished their lives.
For example, Lin Fengmian. He immediately retreated with a few of his brothers. Just as they pulled back, they saw Wang Jiu, her expression unchanging and without a word, cut down seven or eight people in the blink of an eye with swift slashes of her blade.
The others scattered like birds and beasts. But Wang Jiu was never one to be bullied for free. At this stage, not actively killing people was her form of self-cultivation. Did they really expect her not to retaliate after they attacked her?
Without another word, Wang Jiu's Tang knife sliced vertically and horizontally as she plunged into the crowd. Except for those who hadn't attacked, her blade showed no mercy to anyone who had.
She didn't say a single extra word.
The people scattered, fleeing outwards in a swarm?
No problem. Wang Jiu sheathed her blade. Before the crowd could even catch their breath, they saw her take out a bow and arrow.
The ranged slaughter had begun.
Swish, swish, swish. Arrows from a single person flew in a nearly continuous stream.
"Too terrifying!"
"Brother, let's go!"
"No, stay put for now."
Lin Fengmian saw that she wasn't attacking them. Either she was saving them for last, or she had no intention of harming them and was only targeting those who had attacked her first.
Fleeing rashly might trigger her to attack, like aggroing a boss, which would be disastrous. They had managed to escape from Pan Zhen's thirty men, but this woman's Agility was terrifying. They would be caught in moments. Moreover, she had a ranged attack; running would be suicide.
They could only risk waiting, showing their compliance to her.
The others had always listened to Lin Fengmian, so they could only endure their fear and wait.
Suddenly, they heard voices coming from a path in the distant woods, seeming both far and near.
"Brother, this is it. The dungeon is just ahead. Whether that woman is still here or not, at least we can clear a simple dungeon."
"Miss Qiao, we really have you to thank for this dungeon."
"Yeah, Miss Qiao, you're really amazing."
"Later, we might even need your help to kill that woman."
"How could we possibly need Miss Qiao to act? Your brother and the rest of us are enough. But what's that woman's name?"
"What's that sound up ahead! It sounds like a fight!"
This nine-person team was divided into two types. Half were too proud to flatter the "goddess" and had no interest in avenging He Ming, as they were elites who had joined later and lacked that sentiment. The other half were the initial members He Ruguang had gathered himself. Eager for talent, they hoped to win over the powerful goddess, were very ambitious, and were keen on teaming up to kill the woman He Ming had mentioned to get her equipment drops.
But this commotion ahead sounded like a slaughterhouse.
He Ming, He Ruguang, and the others were extremely sharp. Fearing the dungeon would be snatched away, they rushed into the woods.
Wang Shu and Qiao Xuejing followed behind at an unhurried pace. Through a gap in the trees, they happened to see a blood-soaked woman on a tall tree in a clearing twenty-some meters away, constantly leaping between treetops, aiming, and firing, on a killing spree.
The stench of blood was so thick. Her face was covered in blood, and she moved so fast he couldn't get a clear look at her. Wang Shu glanced over, astonished. "What a female rakshasa. She's too fierce."
Dao Dao the sow: "So fierce. A real Demon King."
Wang Shu: "Miss Qiao, they've all gone to kill that Red Name for her equipment drops. Aren't you going?"
Qiao Xuejing looked at him. "Do you want me to go?"
Wang Shu stroked his triple chin, affecting a mature tone. "If you can beat her, then sure. If she dies, she'll definitely drop a lot of stuff."
Qiao Xuejing wasn't in a hurry to go out. She seemed to be assessing the other party's strength and said casually, "Aren't you afraid she might not be a bad person?"
She actually didn't judge the woman to be a bad person just because she was covered in blood and on a killing spree.
Wang Shu shook his head, feigning profoundness. "My Master once said that in this world, the strong are never divided into good or bad, but the dead don't need to be divided either."
In the context of a survival apocalypse, everyone needs to make judgments and pay the price.
He was willing to follow Wang Jiu because she was strong enough and determined enough—she wouldn't let miscellaneous external factors change her path and pace of becoming stronger; she would only grow stronger and stronger.
You only need to dig up someone's entire family history when you're looking for a partner. You don't need too many details when you're latching onto a powerful person.
This was the experience he had gained from getting by all these years.
At this moment, Wang Shu appeared very thoughtful and cultivated, but Qiao Xuejing's expression was a bit subtle. She gave him a smiling glance before turning to look ahead.
By then, He Ming, He Ruguang, and the others had already entered the killing field. Their speed was considerable, and they had charged in quickly. Lin Fengmian's group had heard what they said earlier, let alone Wang Jiu. Wang Jiu glanced over.
But her gaze first jumped to someone in the woods, whose chubby flesh was visible despite being obscured by leaves, and a certain pig wearing a small pink vest... then it quickly shifted to He Ming and his group.
The bow turned, and an arrow shot through the air with ferocious speed, its fletching trembling slightly. He Ming could only watch as it filled his entire field of vision—the kind of déjà vu a person has right before they die.
A terrifying arrow.
It was aimed at his eyeball.
He Ming was almost unable to dodge, but He Ruguang beside him snorted coldly, raised his hand, and split the arrow with his blade.
Hmm.
Stamina unknown, but a character with Strength and Agility over 50. The other few were mostly around 30 and 40.
Over 50, and not just barely. His Strength and Agility attributes were probably not much different from her own; at most, his Stamina was a bit lower.
Wang Jiu had probed and gotten her result. Seeing that more than half of the people who had attacked her were dead—all of them small fry—and they hadn't dropped anything good, she had only picked up a few pieces of bronze equipment along the way.
As expected, the items dropped by experts were better.
She sighed inwardly, then decisively aimed her arrows at He Ming and his group.
"She's a ranged attacker!"
Whizz, whizz, whizz. Arrows shot over frantically.
Some of the fleeing people in the surroundings took the opportunity to breathe a sigh of relief and hid in the woods. But they didn't want to leave, wanting to see if this group of experts with their elite aura could take down this Demon King.
"Dodge!" He Ming and the others were naturally not useless. Even He Ming, who had lost levels and good equipment, had replenished his attributes and even improved slightly after being sponsored by his brother and gaining benefits from a dungeon. The others were basically stronger than him. The four of them expertly dodged. Only He Ruguang remained motionless, merely tilting his head to let an arrow fly past his hair. Then, he flipped his hand to sheathe his blade, and with another flip, a bronze longbow appeared in his hand.
He drew the bow, nocked an arrow, and shot upwards!
Whoa, this guy is an archer too!
Many people were astonished. He was indeed an expert.
Lin Fengmian couldn't help but look at Wang Jiu in the tree. Could she dodge it?
She didn't dodge. Neither her head nor her body moved. Instead, the arrow she fired... its arrowhead cut through the air, following a perfectly straight line towards the incoming arrow.
In an instant, Clang!!
The arrowhead of one arrow couldn't withstand the force of the other and snapped cleanly from the shaft.
As expected, his Stamina is slightly inferior, and his explosive power is less than mine.
But the onlookers found it terrifying! A shootout along the opponent's arrow path? What kind of high Agility and archery skill did that require?!
He Ruguang frowned slightly—this woman's Agility might be a tiny bit higher than his, and she definitely had Weapon Mastery!
But his second arrow was already on its way.
The whizzing was the sound of arrows cutting through the air, and the clanging was the sound of them colliding and breaking. Almost every time, it was He Ruguang's arrow that snapped first.
The difference in skill seemed obvious. It was as if she was deliberately taunting and completely suppressing him.
But He Ruguang was steady and didn't get angry. Instead, he calmly fired arrow after arrow.
Nine out of ten onlookers marveled at the strength of the two and their elite archery skills, but Lin Fengmian didn't think so. He felt something was strange.
He noticed He Ming and the others sneaking into the woods, seemingly to encircle and kill her from both sides. But with her high Agility, she would surely sense them and counterattack once they got close and made a move. However... she was currently pinned down by He Ruguang's shots. If she reacted to He Ming's group, she would definitely be hit by He Ruguang's arrow.
By insisting on suppressing He Ruguang, she had actually fallen into his attack rhythm and was now shackled!
No wonder this He Ruguang wasn't flustered at all, despite being at a slight disadvantage.
Just as Lin Fengmian made this judgment, he suddenly felt something wasn't quite right again.
At this time, Wang Shu, who knew his strength was insufficient and was hiding in the woods to watch the show, suddenly saw the woman in the tree firing her bow.
Speaking of which, this woman was covered in blood, and her hair was soaking wet, but that blood-stained shirt looked a bit familiar…
And that killing vibe… was even more fucking familiar.
Wang Shu suddenly felt something was wrong too. Just as a thought was about to surface, He Ming's group moved. Almost simultaneously, one person from each side leaped onto a tree next to hers to attack Wang Jiu, while another person provided support on the ground below.
They were very experienced. They used to be a team and had cleared four or five dungeons together; their strategy and coordination were very mature.
But just as they leaped out from the bushes and onto the trees…
Wang Jiu, who everyone thought was shackled by He Ruguang's shooting rhythm, suddenly vanished from the tree.
She jumped down. In the instant she jumped, she completed the final step of nocking an arrow.
Fire!
Whizz! The arrow shot straight towards He Ming's eye.
He Ming was in the middle of his upward leap. When he suddenly saw her jump down, his pupils shifted, and he finally saw her face clearly.
Even stained with blood, he should have recognized her.
But after this, he would probably recognize her even if she turned to ash.
Because…
Shlick! An arrow shot straight through his head, ignoring his Stamina defense, a direct one-hit kill!
The weak points of the human body were just that obvious.
Half a second before being killed, He Ming let out a death scream.
"It's you, Wang Jiu!"
Thud! He Ming was killed in mid-air. But He Ruguang, though horrified, restrained himself. Seizing the opportunity, he shot a vicious arrow at Wang Jiu, who was still in the air after jumping down, also aiming for her eye!
An eye for an eye!
The arrow was extremely fast, reaching within inches of Wang Jiu's eye in the blink of an eye.
But in that instant, the falling Wang Jiu glanced sideways. The light in her eyes was like the surface of a moonlit pool, rippling in the wind.
Then, the Tang knife in her hand cut the arrow in two like lightning. As she landed, she stepped on He Ming's corpse and dove forward with her blade raised. Her body exploded forward like an afterimage, and a single slash struck the person who had been lurking with He Ming and providing support from below. This person's attributes were higher than He Ming's; the latter had died because the arrow pierced his eye and went straight through his brain.
But this one was different; it was hard to kill him in one blow.
So Wang Jiu used two.
A high-frequency, rapid double slash. Swish, swish. Two slashes broke through the man's defense.
Thud! This person also fell.
He dropped some items, along with He Ming.
There were quite a few items, and Wang Jiu could tell at a glance they were good: Strengthening Stones, and… a Skill Book?
The Skill Book was dropped by He Ming.
What the hell?
This group had probably just finished a dungeon and rushed over to kill her before they had even fully digested their resources.
But this idiot didn't use the Skill Book? No, it probably overlapped with a skill he already had. He was planning to sell it and buy a different Skill Book he didn't have.
Speaking of which, she also had two Skill Books in her inventory. She didn't know if they overlapped. She had been in too much of a hurry before to check.
She had to learn them later, lest she die and drop them.
Wang Jiu moved to quickly pick up the items, but He Ruguang, enraged, had already shot a swift arrow to stop her from picking up the precious Skill Book.
But Wang Jiu was too fast. She had already picked it up and dodged the arrow.
The two actions were faster than his shot.
"Her Agility is more than 60!" He Ruguang had previously judged her stats based on her performance fighting others and dueling with him. Since his own was 60, he had estimated hers was about the same. But ever since she dropped from the tree, killed his brother in mid-air, and dodged his arrow, it was clear her Agility far exceeded 60.
He could even further deduce that it wasn't him shackling her rhythm with his shots before. It was the other way around. She was pinning him down, luring He Ming and the others closer, because her explosive melee blade attacks were stronger than her arrows. She was confident she could kill two people in a short time with a few slashes.
This woman is very strong!
Of course it exceeded it. When Wang Jiu had roughly assessed He Ruguang's attributes and realized the strength of the people around him was not to be underestimated and they had numbers, she had decisively dumped all 21 attribute points from leveling up and rewards into her 63 Agility. She hadn't even put on the top-tier bronze defensive gear dropped by the Fishman Chieftain, and her Agility had already shot up to 84 points.
Coupled with her ranged ability and such high Agility, she wasn't afraid even against people with average attributes over 70. She could engage and disengage at will, which was why she wasn't in a hurry to digest the vast resources she had just obtained from the dungeon.
With her Agility far surpassing her opponent's, Wang Jiu wasn't afraid of He Ruguang. And when she spared a glance and saw the Skill Book was 《Agility Mastery》, she learned it directly.
Agility Mastery (Basic Passive Skill Book)
Attribute: Permanently increases own Agility by 10%.
Only 10%. No wonder other people looked down on these passive masteries. Weapon Mastery was vague and didn't state its actual benefits, while passive masteries only gave a 10% increase. Considering that very few people had average stats over 50 right now, a 10% increase was only a few attribute points, which wasn't favored by players at this stage. Active skills were more effective.
But people like Wang Jiu were an exception—her attributes increased too quickly. She was absolutely confident she could exceed 300 in a few days. Moreover, she valued long-term growth. Her future attack methods would surely be diverse, and attributes were the foundation of everything, the true kingly way!
Most importantly, she knew skills could be upgraded. However, upgrading a skill from level 1 to level 2 required two identical Skill Books, and even more for higher levels. It was a bottomless pit, not the way for a new player to maximize their benefits, so He Ming was not wrong to save it. It just ended up benefiting Wang Jiu.
So she learned it directly.
Instantly, her Agility changed again.
Agility jumped to 92.
As her Agility jumped, Wang Jiu saw He Ruguang retreating while shooting, but he also shouted into the woods, "Brothers, can you help me? Kill her, and I promise all the items she drops will be yours."
Hmm? This He Ruguang was quite a character. Determining that his Agility was far inferior to Wang Jiu's and that he was no match for her, he decisively chose to retreat, but he didn't give up on other possibilities of turning the tables—he knew the real experts were the ones in the woods who hadn't made a move. Among them, Qiao Xuejing was much stronger than him, and two of the other three were not much weaker, all with average attributes close to 50.
If they were willing to act, they could definitely take down this Wang Jiu.
His judgment was precise, he understood trade-offs, and he decisively gave up benefits just to ask for help.
Wang Jiu pondered, glanced towards the woods, but then suddenly frowned. She quietly gripped the Tang knife in her hand and asked the System a question.
On the other side, the others were indeed tempted, but they all subconsciously looked at Qiao Xuejing.
In the previous simple dungeon, this woman and a pig had achieved 40% Participation. Her own attributes were all over an average of 70. She was absolutely formidable. If she was willing to act, it would be a sure thing.
After killing this Wang Jiu, they would go fight the vortex boss.
However, when the crowd looked over, they saw her expression change slightly. She had been observing coldly, but now she suddenly drew a longsword that flowed with a gentle light.
Huh, was she tempted? Just as the crowd was getting restless and eager for a big fight, they saw her shout in a low voice, "Retreat!!"
But she had just spoken.
Swish! In the woods to the south, a terrifying black shadow suddenly flashed out from behind the thick trunk of a palm tree.
As he flashed out, two skills erupted: Charge + Heavy Strike!
And the most terrifying thing was that his Agility attribute had reached 80.
A Charge based on 80 Agility would have an instantaneous speed of no less than 100.
In that instant, the crowd could only see an almost solid black-red gas swirling around him; they couldn't see his appearance at all.
And then… BOOM!!
The large tree, wide enough for a person to wrap their arms around, was split apart by the instantaneous impact.
This tree had been behind Wang Jiu.
Now it was split, cleaved in half.
At least 90 Strength, plus the explosive effect of Heavy Strike… Wang Jiu had no doubt that with her 50 Stamina, she would have been killed in one hit.
Fortunately, she had just detected a faint, strange breathing—from her surroundings. Someone was hidden.
She was on guard.
But she still almost died.
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