035 The Mission Behind the Plague Rat
[Using heavy weapon to attack and hit the target, Heavy Weapon Mastery experience +18, Brute Force Physique (unlocked) unlock progress 14%.] (accumulated)
[Current Heavy Weapon Mastery experience 95/100...]
[Attack hits the target, inflicting 8 points of critical damage!]
"RUA!"
Kuang Xin stood with his axe, unwavering like a War God.
"Quick, finish it off; the wolf in the pit has jumped out."
"Oh oh~"
When the depth of the trap caused the wolves to despair, the group intelligence of the beasts made those who felt more severely injured willingly act as stepping-stones.
The beasts returning for revenge were even more brutal, but what met them were three dark gun muzzles.
Setting aside the damage, the kinetic impact of the bullets also served as a form of control.
21 wolves! All annihilated.
Seven each, divided fairly.
[You have completely killed the target, earning 20 points of combat experience.] x7
[Sub-quest — Drive Out Wolf Pack, completed!]
[Quest Reward: 100 points of Universal Experience, Exquisite Brass Bullets (Pistol Ammo) *10, issued.]
The rewards were credited directly, bringing smiles all around.
Dai Lian took a deep breath in relief as he looked at the bullets lying quietly in the system's task reward backpack.
This quest was good, the rewards generous, and there was no need to go to an NPC to submit it—an effort well spent.
"Eh? What are you doing?"
Kuang Xin hummed a tune while brandishing a small knife, merrily replying as he cut, "Dissecting…"
Dai Lian's eyes lit up, "You took on another task?"
"Just the previous one that required chunks of meat, just conveniently completed it…"
"Does it have to be chunks of meat?"
"What else then?"
"Looks laborious... Have you tried just turning the prey over to the NPC?"
Kuang Xin was stunned, "Can you do that?"
Then he waved his bloody hand, "Whatever… Yanzi, turn away, don't look."
"It's fine, I'll help you."
Gong Yan rolled up her sleeves, ready to join the fray.
"Do you know how?"
Pushing a stray lock of hair from her brow, Gong Yan smiled softly, "I don't, but I can learn... is it like this?"
The bright and blood-splattered smile on the girl's face made Kuang Xin's heart skip a beat, but then he composed himself and passed on his dissection expertise.
"Start at the neck, slice it open with one cut!"
"Oh okay~"
[You are attempting to perform a dissection, dissecting in progress…]
Dai Lian waited patiently for a while, only to find that the two of them had been busy for ages and yet had not completed dissecting even one.
At this rate, when would they finish dissecting?
Moreover, the air seemed to carry a hint of romance, with the pale pink mist of blood almost resembling the light of flirtation.
"I say if it's no good, just drop it, directly handing over the game to the NPC is probably also feasible. This wastes too much time, we still have to go chop trees."
Kuang Xin, holding the knife, looked up blankly at Dai Lian, "But dissecting also gives experience…"
"…"
That made sense.
This cursed hoarding instinct!
Whether it's useful or not, if it's a resource, hoard it.
"And that's why I hate playing with ordinary players…"
Dai Lian sighed inwardly and felt no strength to argue.
He could only pick up Kuang Xin's axe and walked to the side to find a slightly slimmer large tree to vent his frustration.
[Using heavy weapon to attack and hit the target, Heavy Weapon Mastery experience +1.]
[Current Heavy Weapon Mastery experience 1/100, at 100 points you can master "Level 1 Heavy Weapon Specialization".]
"Eh?"
Another swing with the axe!
+1
Another swing with the axe!
+1
Another swing with the axe…
Damn it, why can't I stop?
What's so alluring about this chopping of trees?
Why is my mind now fixated only on perfecting the angle of the axe, if this goes on, won't I get sucked into Kuang Xin's network?
I can't just fall into decadence like this!
One more axe chop!
+1
One more axe chop…
[Your ability has been honed through a long time of woodcutting, physical strength +0.1.]
[The axe has been overused, the handle connection is damaged, durability -1. Current durability is 0, "Firewood Chopping Axe" can no longer be used.]
Dai Lian's eyebrows twitched.
"..."
Clutching the robust staff in his hand and looking at the dog-bitten appearance of the break, Dai Lian stiffly turned his head, only to find Kuang Xin and Gong Yan still peeling the skin and deboning like a couple of idiots, letting out a sigh of relief.
Carefully placing the staff on the ground, he strained like an old ox to pull the axe blade out of the trunk.
Laid it on the ground, arranging it together.
Everything seemed like the original shape…
"Cough~"
With his hands behind his back, Dai Lian coughed lightly and approached the blood-stained duo, "Aren't you guys done yet? Need a hand?"
Gong Yan looked up, her delicate face lifted like a housewife busy with chicken and duck, smiling gently at him, "It's okay, you rest. You also got tired just now."
A breeze blew by, scattering the girl's hair and stirring the lonely heartbeat.
It also dispersed the pink mist of blood…
And toppled the teetering tree…
"Creeeak~bang!"
"What the fuck!"
The trio belatedly turned towards where the tree was falling, only then did they see a black and grey figure clumsily leaping out from the swaying underbrush.
"..."
"???"
Eight eyes met…
The newcomer smiled awkwardly, "What a coincidence, Yanzi…"
Dai Lian narrowed his eyes and directly drew his gun, "Stop right there, don't move, who are you?"
The person raised his hands, showing no intent to resist, just shamelessly smiling, "A friend… Yanzi's friend."
"Your friend?"
A trace of helplessness crossed Gong Yan's face, "Mmh…"
Then she turned to the newcomer, "Weren't you messing around in the city? What are you doing here?"
"Investigating a case, just happened to be chasing it here…"
"A case?"
"An old rat case, have you seen some crazy-acting rats?"
Gong Yan glanced at Kuang Xin, who nodded and took up the conversation, "The Plague Rats? Seen them, what about it?"
"Exactly! The Plague Rats!"
The newcomer's face lit up with joy, "The big shots in the city don't want to delve into the burrows, and they need lots of samples for research, so they gave me a chance. The reward is hefty, and if successful, I might even get a residence permit for the Inner City…"
Inner City?
Residence permit?
Kuang Xin muttered quietly before he realized the game actually had its rich world lore.
"So what? How did you end up here?"
The newcomer scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "I followed those rats all the way through the sewers, and just came out of a deserted sewage outlet not far from here. Then I heard the noise over here and came to have a look…"
As he spoke, he glanced at the ground. The wolf carcasses everywhere gave off a strong scent of blood and the allure of flesh.
The attraction to those plague rats was unimaginable.
Maybe I could use this to fish for them?
"Um… do you guys still want these corpses?"
"What're you planning to do with them?"
"I need to capture samples, but it's really hard to find the traces of those rats actively. I'm thinking of trying to use these bodies to lure the plague rats out…"
Dai Lian's ears twitched, catching some out-of-place sounds.
"Rustle rustle rustle rustle…"
The frenzied crimson was striking even in the daylight, scattered all around.
"Perhaps, they've already been lured over…"
The newly met stranger quickly joined forces.
"Rodent Master, it's your time to shine."
"Rodent Master?"
The person plunged through the thorns, leaving only a distant figure to the trio.
"The wind's tightening! Bugger off!"
"Fuck!"