Chapter 63: Suppression
Sweat dripped down Su Xiao’s cheeks as he sat cross-legged on a metal pillar, his arm holding the blade aching and swollen. The fact proved that the price of 300,000 Paradise Coins per hour at the Land of All Beings·Third Layer was well worth it. He had already developed the Shadow Flash to about 80%, not far from perfecting this technique.
Once the Shadow Flash was perfected, its execution method would change considerably, becoming the strongest move in Su Xiao’s blade arts—there was no doubt about that. Even at only 30% development, the Shadow Flash had nearly sliced Aokiji in one strike.
[Tip: The Hunter’s stay time has reached its limit. You will soon return to the Real World.]
Su Xiao glanced at his remaining Paradise Coins. He had enough to replenish recovery potions. He was now significantly stronger than when he was in the One Piece world, which made him look forward to the upcoming new world.
……
Real World, Accessory Shop.
As soon as Su Xiao lifted the rolling shutter door, a small card fluttered to the ground. He looked down.
‘Beautiful women for in-home service, call…’
Su Xiao picked up the small card and tossed it precisely into a trash can dozens of meters away.
The street was still desolate. On this block, the most common establishments were boxing gyms, funeral supplies, antique shops, and the like. Only one breakfast shop was barely hanging on. Judging by the “Store for Sale” sign on its door, it probably wouldn’t last much longer.
That breakfast shop was nothing special, but the other stores were different. Next door was the Feng Shui Master·Fat Ma, who knew a little about everything except Feng Shui. This guy probably had too many lovers, as he’d recently started adding goji berries to his thermos.
As for the boxing gym about 400 meters diagonally across the street, that was even more interesting. The owner was a First Rank Contractor.
The owner had once been cocky, but after the Scavengers came to “collect the electricity bill,” he vanished without a trace.
“Such a peaceful life.”
Su Xiao looked up at the sky. It was cloudless, perfect for an open-air barbecue in the backyard.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Behind the counter of the accessory shop, Su Xiao fiddled with a gun part. The fact proved that being proficient in using firearms was very different from manufacturing them.
Just as Su Xiao was about to check what was wrong with the sniper rifle he’d assembled himself, a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[Tip: Due to a riot in a low-level derivative world, the Hunter must go to suppress it and ensure this world does not enter a collapse phase.]
[You have accepted a Special Mission: Suppress the Riot.]
[Special Mission: Suppress the Riot.]
Difficulty Level: Lv.19
Mission Brief: Enter the First Rank derivative world, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress.
Mission Info: Eliminate the foreign creature within the First Rank derivative world, ensuring this world does not enter a collapse phase. This creature was summoned/fused by a Contractor (this Contractor is already dead; their class traits, combined with multiple coincidences, led to this outcome).
Tip: This foreign creature has grown too powerful for plot characters and First Rank Contractors to oppose at all.
Tip: The comprehensive combat power comparison between this foreign creature and the Hunter is 12 to 17,543 (foreign creature is 12, Hunter is 17,543).
Mission Duration: 30 minutes.
Mission Reward: Authority Level +1.
Mission Penalty: Forced Execution.
……
[Tip: World protection mechanism is being generated. To protect the integrity of the First Rank derivative world, the Hunter must avoid battles with too wide a scope of impact. The Hunter’s abilities have severely exceeded the power limit this world can withstand! Do not harm plot characters or First Rank Contractors within this world.]
[Space coordinates stabilizing…]
[Stabilization complete. Estimated teleportation in 3 minutes. Please prepare, Hunter.]
[This is the Hunter’s first riot suppression. Difficulty is extremely low.]
[Warning: Based on the Hunter’s behavior in multiple derivative worlds, the Hunter must not harm plot characters or First Rank Contractors within this world!]
Seeing these notifications, Su Xiao understood what was happening. Reincarnation Paradise was sending him to perform a riot suppression. Since this was his first time undertaking such a mission, it was very simple.
……
Inside the Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress world, time rewound to ten minutes earlier.
Boom, boom, boom…
Explosions roared as a large group of Kabane were blasted in all directions. Kabane were semi-dead creatures that resembled zombies but had far stronger defenses. Their weakness was their heart; if the heart wasn’t destroyed, they wouldn’t stop moving.
A steel train lay tilted on its side beside the railway tracks, black smoke swirling, with large numbers of corpses scattered nearby.
“We can’t escape anymore. Who did this? Who?!”
A Contractor with short white hair and a face covered in blood roared. He stood on the overturned carriage. In the distant wilderness, as far as the eye could see, there were Kabane.
The joy of gaining power had been completely washed away by terror, and fantasies of becoming strong were shattered. The derivative world was brutal.
Near this Contractor were a dozen or so men and women, all First Rank Contractors with average attributes ranging from ten to twenty points. At low ranks, rogue Contractors were most likely to cooperate, which was the prototype of many adventure groups.
“It must be that bitch. I told you to kill her earlier. We were in the protagonist team, and she was always jealous of that.”
On the overturned train, a mature lady with glasses spoke. The white-haired Contractor suppressed his anger. Clearly, he had special thoughts about this mature lady, especially given her outfit and voluptuous figure. In a brutal derivative world, nothing relieved stress better than a good romp.
“We’re dead for sure. How about… one last fling?”
The white-haired Contractor laughed, a chilling laugh.
“Get lost.”
The mature lady’s answer was simple and crude. She gripped a black gem in her hand, the core item of her combat style.
“Then… I’ll cover you. You retreat first.”
The white-haired Contractor’s smile grew more terrifying. In this environment, his mind was starting to fray.
“You…”
The mature lady didn’t know how to respond. She had always felt this white-haired man was selfish and arrogant.
“If I use those three, it should work.”
The white-haired Contractor tilted his chin toward three main plot characters: the protagonist, Ikoma; the secondary protagonist, Mumei (female); and the very lame villain, Biba Amatori.
“Using them won’t be hard. A protagonist who’s like an idiot, a girl who doesn’t understand anything and is full of inner conflict, and that last one—I never thought there could be such a lame villain.”
The white-haired Contractor looked at the mature lady with a questioning gaze.
“Are you… sure?”
The mature lady was still hesitant. After all, she was only First Rank.
“Absolutely sure.”
The white-haired Contractor placed his hand on the mature lady’s shoulder. But was he really willing to sacrifice himself for others?
“There are more behind!”
A roar broke their respective plans. They heard hurried footsteps. Countless Kabane climbed onto the steel train from the other side of the tracks.
“What the…”
Just as the white-haired Contractor was about to leap back, a sharp pain shot through his leg. It was a Kabane with only its upper half remaining.
“You’re finished.”
The mature lady quickly ran toward the group of plot characters, where it was safer.
The white-haired Contractor stood frozen. The piercing pain in his leg was no longer important—he had been infected. Even Contractors couldn’t fully resist the virus inside the Kabane.
A large group of Kabane surged forward. By the time the white-haired Contractor tried to escape, it was too late.
“Ah!!”
Biting sounds and screams rang out. But strangely, the noise abruptly stopped. A pitch-black claw thrust out from the pile of Kabane.
“Bagua Asa Ku (Finally escaped).”
A hoarse voice came, followed by even more terrifying chewing sounds from within the pile of Kabane.
Ten minutes later.
Drip, drip, drip…
Blood dripped from a black claw. This was a pitch-black humanoid monster, about three meters tall. Its entire body seemed covered in countless black insects, writhing in a sticky, slimy way, yet full of power.
“This, world’s, language, is, strange, but, the flesh, is tender enough.”
The monster covered in black insects grinned. With this environment, it could even break its limits and grow. As for the information constantly appearing in its mind about a terrifying existence it couldn’t oppose, it happened to be just outside the range of rule execution. That meant it, Sammer Fimo, was free. No more daily labor, no more eating only sour, stinking black mud.
Beside the train lay the mangled remains of Kabane. A dozen or so plot characters were pressed against the train, their eyes full of terror. Not far from them was a monster even more terrifying than the Kabane. In its eyes, the Kabane were just food.
“This world, actually has, different gendered creatures? Worth trying. You can become containers for my eggs.”
The black insect monster shoved its claw into its mouth and pulled out an egg covered in slime. Inside the brownish-yellow egg, something seemed to squirm.
“If it works, this world will be my territory.”
The black insect monster could barely contain its excitement. In the remote regions of the Void, it was a slave at others’ mercy. But in this world, it had become the strongest.
Crack!
Like a thunderclap, a blood-red spatial rift appeared. Centered on a blood-red crack point, a large area of space shattered like broken glass. This was Reincarnation Paradise forcibly breaking the world’s seal.
[Announcement: The foreign creature in this world is about to be purged.]
[Announcement: First Rank Contractors in this world are prohibited from interacting with the purging personnel. This behavior will lead to great risk.]
[Announcement: Fifth Rank purging personnel are about to enter this world!]
[Warning: The purging personnel are extremely dangerous. Their comprehensive combat power has formed a crushing advantage over this world. Do not attempt to contact them!]
[Warning: To ensure this world does not enter a collapse phase, this area is about to be sealed.]
[Warning: The world rank seal is temporarily lifted. The maximum combat power within this world is raised to Fifth Rank!]
A series of announcements and warnings left the First Rank Contractors stunned. A bloody aura began to spread, making their bodies tremble uncontrollably.
The mature lady leaning against the steel train went weak in the knees and fell to the ground, not caring about the stones cutting her stockings. From Reincarnation Paradise’s warnings, she learned that an even more terrifying entity was coming—a Fifth Rank purging personnel!
“I want to go home.”
The mature lady whispered, her voice choked with sobs.