Chapter 29: You're Surrounded, Drop Your Weapons and Surrender Immediately!

Feeling the chill coming from behind, Leng Bingyue, who had already grown quite a bit, felt her body stiffen instantaneously. The threat of death made her mind seem to lose the ability to think, instinctively wanting to turn around, but she could only barely see the blade stabbing straight at her. There was no time to use the weapons or skills in her hands.

Just as she thought she was going to die in the wilderness and started to mentally rewind her life, an unexpected figure suddenly blocked her path.

"Bang!"

Without giving her a chance to think, she was sent flying away with a massive force. However, the anticipated impact and pain didn't come; instead, she felt herself suddenly being caught by a pair of powerful arms around her waist.

As the world spun around her and came to a stop, she looked up to see Zheng Mu's face covered in cold sweat.

At that moment, he kept murmuring to himself, "Damn, do level 30+ characters really need to ambush us newbies?!"

Where Leng Bingyue had been standing, a figure in black appeared. The person looked puzzled at the dagger in their hand, then furrowed their brow as they stared at Zheng Mu.

"Is it a skill? You can actually block my backstab?"

This person was the president of the Black Wind Guild, Xiao Gu. Facing Zheng Mu's question, Xiao Gu showed no shame and calmly raised his weapon again.

"I'm a B-rank profession, Shadow Assassin. Do you expect me not to use ambush tactics and just fight you head-on?"

With that, he vanished from sight once more. Zheng Mu's eyes flashed coldly.

Shadow Assassins were known for their ability to hide and move stealthily in the darkness. However, Xiao Gu was destined to have bad luck today.

[Nanomagnetic Field Scan] had reached level 3 now, with a one-minute cooldown and a 30-second duration. The opponent's every move was actually in Zheng Mu's sight, with no possibility of hiding.

In the next moment, Zheng Mu abruptly raised the muzzle of his gun.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Flashes of fire erupted from the gun's barrel one after another. In an empty area, a few bursts of gunfire accompanied by the sound of metal clashing revealed the astonished Xiao Gu, who had just vanished from sight and was about to attack Cai Shengkun.

"Can you see me? Do Engineers have such a skill?"

Cai Shengkun, seeing Xiao Gu suddenly appear not far from him, broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't hesitate to join Zheng Mu.

"Be careful, these guys are not like the zombies, they're not easy to deal with."

Emerging from Zheng Mu's embrace, her face pale but tinged with a clear blush, Leng Bingyue's gaze lingered on the gun in Zheng Mu's hand. She suppressed the turbulent emotions in her heart and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"Damn it! You Black Wind Guild actually dare to kill us in the wilderness, Yun City won't let you off!"

Cai Shengkun roared angrily. However, this only elicited undisguised mockery from the surrounding Black Wind Guild members.

"Hahaha, it seems like Zhang Chenglong was right, you really are a stupid rich kid. You said it yourself, this is the wilderness."

"Who do you think would come to this Zombie Town in the middle of the night, other than you unlucky souls?"

Hearing this, Cai Shengkun's face turned red, and he gripped his rifle tightly.

He felt increasingly lost as the enemy closed in, surrounding them completely.

The young man who had stepped out earlier, upon seeing Leng Bingyue being shielded by Zheng Mu, couldn't help but reveal a greedy look in his eyes.

"Heh, truly worthy of being the school beauty. Be careful when you take her down, we can still have some fun while she's warm..."

At this, Leng Bingyue's pretty face turned pale, disbelief washing over her at the depths of their depravity. She had just left school a few days ago, and now she could feel the profound fear gripping her heart. The knife in her hand trembled noticeably.

A cold glint flashed in Zheng Mu's eyes. Unbeknownst to these people, the hidden T-800 and Lickers had silently surrounded the area, taking positions on the decaying eaves under the dark clouds, in the shadows of the narrow alleys, and among the silent bushes.

Cold mechanical beings had meticulously deployed themselves, their weapons aimed directly at the heads of those present.

Zheng Mu looked at Xiao Gu, who stood on the periphery.

"Do you not need a reason to kill us? Just because we refused to join you?"

Xiao Gu sneered.

"Kid, there's no need to stall for time. Don't hope for anyone to save you now. Our Black Wind Guild has always acted like this, taking advantage of any opportunity, isn't that right?"

"Who told you to be so bold and unlucky? Daring to show up here today."

At this point, Zheng Mu had no interest in continuing the conversation.

"Well, if that's the reason you want to kill us, I can only say that the reason you die here today will be truly absurd."

Without waiting for anyone to react to his words, Zheng Mu pushed Leng Bingyue and Cai Shengkun to the ground without hesitation.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Intense bursts of gunfire pierced through the members of the Black Wind Guild.

Chang Chenglong, who had been standing on the outer edge of the circle, watching Zheng Mu and his companions with a malicious grin, suddenly felt an explosion behind him.

A massive force propelled him forward, and while he was still in mid-air, the sound of shattering accompanied his face being covered in a mess of red and white.

"Ah!"

"What is that?!"

"Get the healer! Quick! Ah!"

The scene was bloody and chaotic. Zheng Mu pressed the two firmly against the ground as sharp whistling noises filled the air above them.

Likewise, the Black Wind Guild members were caught completely off guard and were shot down.

Fragile classes like healers and mages were taken out instantly.

In the blink of an eye, the dozen-plus members of the Black Wind Guild were reduced to just two or three individuals, struggling to hold on due to their tank class's high defense and their own skills.

Seeing this scene, Xiao Gu glared at Zheng Mu, who had gotten up from the ground, with fury in his eyes.

"You sneaky bastard!"

Chapter 30: Releasing the Tiger Back to the Mountain?

Playing dirty?

A malicious sneer filled Zheng Mu's eyes.

What's wrong with playing dirty?

Looking at the corpses on the ground, Zheng Mu felt no fear or guilt. Instead, he raised his dual guns without hesitation.

Bullets flew out of the gun barrels, one after another.

With the enhancement of the [Nano-Magnetic Field Scan] skill, even Xiao Gu, a B-class, Lv39 Shadow Assassin, would be no match for him today.

Under the continuous barrage of firepower, and with Zheng Mu's cunning tactics, Xiao Gu was forced out of his stealth every time he tried to enter.

The encirclement grew smaller and smaller, and the few remaining henchmen who could still hold on were taken down by the explosions of electric stun grenades.

A Licker that pounced on them was decapitated with a single swipe.

Having roamed the underworld for so many years, Xiao Gu finally felt intense fear.

"Zheng Mu! I admit defeat. Let's all back off. You go your way, and I'll go mine. Let's pretend this never happened!"

At these words, Zheng Mu scoffed dismissively.

With the [Battle Analysis Lv3] skill, his bullets were able to accurately hit the trajectory of the enemy's next move.

Even now, this guy still had the nerve to be stubborn.

"President Xiao, you've been in the underworld for so many years, and you've done so many dirty deeds. Now that you're at the end of your rope, why do you still act so foolishly?"

"Do you think you can escape?"

Suddenly, Xiao Gu, who was completely suppressed behind a wall of debris, turned pale.

No matter how hard he tried to break free or what assassin skills he employed, he was always forced back by these bizarre adversaries.

Neither the paralyzing stun grenades nor the one-shot, one-kill shotgun blasts were things he could withstand.

Didn't he see the Lv35 Rockshield Warrior in his team get taken down in mere seconds?

Suddenly, Xiao Gu gritted his teeth, realizing that if he didn't find a way out today, he might not make it out alive.

"Zheng Mu! I admit defeat. I have a treasure map that leads to a hidden secret realm. If you let me go today, the treasure is yours!"

Zheng Mu furrowed his brows.

A treasure map to a hidden secret realm?

"Heh, President Xiao, do you think I'm a fool? You came to the Corpse Town late at night, trying to get lucky and find the secret realm that appeared a few days ago, right?"

"If you really had a treasure map, would you still be wasting your time here?!"

As he spoke, Xiao Gu felt the encirclement around him tightening.

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead, and he didn't dare waste any more time.

"I'm telling the truth! The secret realm has a level cap of 30, and I was planning on selling it to a big shot! If you don't believe me, stop attacking, and I'll walk out and show you the map myself!"

"My storage bag is bound to me. If I die, you won't get anything!"

After Zheng Mu fell silent for a while, the gunfire finally stopped.

With a pale face, Xiao Gu cautiously emerged from behind the wall, his hands raised in surrender.

He finally got a clear look at what was surrounding him: five identical, tough-looking soldiers and three quadrupedal metallic beasts.

Recalling Zheng Mu's profession, Xiao Gu's face turned even paler.

Why had he dared to directly confront Zheng Mu's group?

Because he was confident in his own strength and the advantage he had on his side, which left him unable to see any chance of victory for Zheng Mu and his friends. It was as simple as crushing an ant, and he hadn't given it much thought.

However...

"I never would have imagined, Zheng, that you could create such outstanding mechanical constructs. If word of this gets out, the rumors of the Mechanic class being mediocre will surely crumble within a few years."

Unfortunately, Zheng Mu had no interest in entertaining this small talk. He waved the muzzle of his gun at him, and the man hurriedly produced a scroll.

Zheng Mu gave Leng Bingyue a knowing glance, and she immediately cast a detection spell.

"He's not lying. It really is a map of a hidden realm."

Hearing this, the once gloomy-faced man forced a sycophantic smile.

"Zheng, look, my Black Wind Guild is finished. Show mercy, let me go, and I swear I'll never appear before you again."

Zheng Mu pondered for a moment, then finally gestured with his hand.

The next moment, the circle that had surrounded the man opened up, leaving a gap behind him.

"Poker, are you really going to let this guy go? We almost died because of him!"

Cai Shengkun anxiously tried to persuade him, but Zheng Mu waved him off.

To the man, Zheng Mu said indifferently, "Leave the item, and you may go. I promise these mechanical constructs won't attack you."

Hearing this, the man cautiously set down the item and slowly stepped back with his hands up, his gaze wary as if afraid Zheng Mu would go back on his word.

However, Zheng Mu never moved, even as Cai Shengkun and Leng Bingyue anxiously urged him to finish the job.

Finally feeling safe, the man exhaled in relief. His eyes darkened as they locked onto Zheng Mu.

"Zheng Mu, I, Xiao Gu, will remember what happened today. You..."

"You're planning to take revenge on me, huh?" Zheng Mu raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Gu suddenly burst into mocking laughter, his voice filled with rage.

"Ha, revenge? You destroyed my life's work. Did you really think I'd just let it go? Zheng Mu, you've managed to elevate the Mechanic class, which was considered mediocre, to such heights. You're quite the character. But still..."

"You're just a naive child!"

At these words, Cai Shengkun, standing beside Zheng Mu, grew so agitated that he stomped his foot.

He was about to say something when his eyes widened in disbelief at something behind Xiao Gu.

The sound of metal echoed from behind Xiao Gu as he turned to see what had once been an unremarkable truck transforming into a seven or eight-meter-tall mechanical giant.

Gulping nervously, Xiao Gu turned back to see Zheng Mu's taunting smile.

He tried to say something, but a giant metal hand had already grabbed him.

"Ahhh!" (To be continued)