Chapter 8: After the Turn
At the spawn point plaza, Molei and Yueshitu sat by the Life Spring. Neither acted rashly, all because of a plan they had cooked up.
"Are all these void races this bold? Exploring the unknown without preparing beforehand?"
Yueshitu complained. Contractors like her were rare, after all, she had always played it safe. Every time she entered a world, she followed three steps: lie low → develop → harvest.
"It's understandable, really. Their combat ability and experience are strong enough, but they've never explored worlds before. They're not contractors after all."
Molei glanced at the only exit from the spawn plaza. The other seven had already left, leaving only her and Yueshitu.
Molei and Yueshitu exchanged a knowing smile. After taking a few deep breaths in and out, they gripped the edge of the pool with both hands, plunged their heads into the Life Spring, and started drinking~
As for why they waited until everyone else had left: 1. It was their original idea, and 2. As girls, if they guzzled down in public like that, their embarrassment would be off the charts.
Gulp, gulp~
After chugging for a short while, Molei and Yueshitu both raised their heads, burping almost simultaneously. Then, both received a notification.
[Notification: Because you have consumed a large amount of Life Spring water, for the next 10 minutes, your health will recover 5 points per second (300 points per minute).]
Molei's smile suddenly turned a bit goofy. She said to Yueshitu, "It worked."
"Molei, you're so clever."
"Hahahaha~ burp~"
After letting out a water burp, Molei started taking deep breaths again. She planned to drink more Life Spring water to extend the recovery state to half an hour, just in case of accidents.
A while later, Molei and Yueshitu left the spawn plaza.
In the vast ruins of the front area of the slaughterhouse, the view was filled with broken walls and collapsed structures. Some old machinery was half-buried in the ground, covered in rusty red stains.
Arcane Eternal Star's Yinqi·Soyerg and the female spellcaster·Luo Xi walked among the broken walls. The surrounding view was not open.
"Luo Xi, where do you think the five lock plates will be located? And the rules of this game are confusing."
Yinqi·Soyerg spoke slowly. He was actually quite troubled by this aloof young lady beside him. He was worried she would be as arrogant and dismissive as the rumors said.
"Rules complicated? This is a survival hunt mode. The rules aren't complicated at all. There are five lock plates in total. After calibrating four lock plates, the door to the outside will open. The difficulty lies in whether the Life Hunter can disrupt a lock plate once it's calibrated. If he can, this game is very difficult. If he can't, then just be careful of the Life Hunter. He's stronger than you think."
The female spellcaster·Luo Xi's description left Yinqi·Soyerg dumbfounded.
"Luo Xi, are you very familiar with this?"
Yinqi·Soyerg's impression of Luo Xi changed a bit. Rumors couldn't be trusted.
"When you encounter the Life Hunter, as long as you have a chance to escape his line of sight, immediately lie down on the ground. When the game started just now, we all became survivors, so we were granted the ability to 'play dead.' As long as you're not in the Life Hunter's line of sight, after lying down and playing dead, you'll enter a high-judgment stealth state. I don't quite understand some of the Void Tree's prompt terms, but in short, act according to the situation."
As Luo Xi spoke, she passed the corner ahead. Then, she saw a figure. The person wore a black coat with red undertones, a creepy dark white mask, and carried a sharp axe in hand. The handle of this axe looked like a slightly curved spine, with bloodstains still visible on it.
Luo Xi looked directly into Su Xiao's eyes. In an instant, she shuddered. It wasn't fear; it was a physiological instinct.
Luo Xi suspected that the one before her was the Life Hunter.
"Luo Xi, I'll cover you..."
"Run! Don't cover me!"
Luo Xi turned and fled, even pulling Yinqi·Soyerg along. Yinqi·Soyerg hadn't adapted to the survival game yet. Fighting and risking his life were fine, but his adaptability to the unknown was weaker than Luo Xi's.
Bang!
The hunting axe came down, embedding itself diagonally into the wall. A piece of skull with scalp flew up.
Yinqi·Soyerg's mind buzzed. He pressed one hand to the ground, but nothing happened.
The axe blade cut through the air, producing a metallic clang.
Puchi!
Yinqi·Soyerg's entire right arm was severed. To be fair, this spellcaster wasn't weak. Judging by his evasive movements, he was most likely a melee-type spellcaster.
Yinqi·Soyerg's robe fluttered as he leaped into the air. His remaining arm pointed forward, aiming at his own right arm flying through the air. The magic patterns and mana energy in his body were indeed gone, but he still had mental strength. Even though his current mental strength wasn't strong, for him, it was enough.
Bang.
Yinqi·Soyerg's right arm exploded mid-air. Blood surged toward him, giving him a boost. It accelerated him and pushed him further away. With Yinqi·Soyerg's combat experience, within a few seconds of encountering the enemy, he judged that facing this foe head-on was suicide.
Using the push from his own flesh and blood, Yinqi·Soyerg widened the distance from Su Xiao by three meters. The moment his foot touched the ground, he saw a sharp axe flying toward him.
Even though Yinqi·Soyerg's moves were flashy, he misjudged one thing: the survival game wasn't played like this. When encountering the Life Hunter, don't try anything fancy. Luo Xi, over twenty meters away, was the textbook example.
If these two had turned and fled immediately during this encounter, whether Su Xiao could catch them was uncertain. There were too many corners nearby. As for smashing through walls, he had tried that earlier, and his shoulder still hurt.
Swish. The hunting axe sliced across Yinqi·Soyerg's neck. His vision spun, eventually leveling with the ground. A few seconds later, darkness engulfed his sight.
After Su Xiao cleaved Yinqi·Soyerg with one axe stroke, he grabbed the opponent's head with one hand and assumed a throwing posture. With a faint whoosh, a head flew toward Luo Xi, hitting her back. It made her let out an "Mm~" sound as she stumbled.
Walls lined both sides. Su Xiao pursued along the flat stone path. The wind whistled past his ears. After a few steps, he found that the distance between him and the female spellcaster had shortened, but catching up wouldn't be easy.
Seeing this, Su Xiao threw the hunting axe in his hand. The axe spun through the air. Luo Xi let out another "Mm~" because the end of the axe handle struck her back. She had thought she was done for, but after taking the hit, several of her bones were broken.
Su Xiao wasn't a Battle Axe Grandmaster. Using this weapon required some adaptation.
Luo Xi ran past the corner ahead, and Su Xiao followed closely. He bent down to pick up the hunting axe from the ground. As he passed the corner, he began to slow down. His long coat was filled with chains. If he didn't slow down and turned too sharply, he might crash into the wall.
Su Xiao passed the corner. The scene before him made him pause for a moment. The female Law Destroyer·Luo Xi had disappeared, and the Feather Tribe scumbag·Tian Yu was standing at the opposite corner. Ahead, there were paths to the left and right.
The reason the female Law Destroyer·Luo Xi had disappeared was that she was holding her breath and lying by the wall. This was the survivor's unique ability. After lying still in place, she could enter a high-level stealth state. But if she got caught, the consequences were obvious.
Tian Yu stood still, but his expression looked like he had just eaten two pounds of crap.
Su Xiao stepped forward. When meeting a survivor for the first time, he wouldn't chase directly. That would make them turn and run. Walking slowly gave them a certain chance of hesitation.
Seeing Su Xiao step forward, Tian Yu's cheek twitched. He said:
"Bro, big bro, dear bro, listen to me!"
Tian Yu slowly backed away, then turned and fled. Just as he was about to pass the next corner, Bubu Wang was already lying in ambush there, waiting for the right moment, coiled and ready to strike.
Bang!
The hunting axe embedded itself in the wall beside Tian Yu. A few strands of his hair drifted down. This made Tian Yu's expression turn serious, and he ran even faster.
Just as Tian Yu adjusted his body and was about to rush past the corner ahead, a dog leg stretched out, tripping him.
"Wooow~"
Bubu Wang yelped in pain. Compared to him, Tian Yu's situation was worse. He had just rushed past the corner when he was tripped. With his current physical condition and his adaptation to this nightmare body, he was stumbling forward, looking like he might faceplant.
Beyond the corner, there were only low walls and rock piles. There was no terrain to widen the distance from Su Xiao. Instead, Su Xiao would gradually catch up and then cleave him with an axe.
Bang~
Tian Yu fell onto the stone path. Suppressing the pain, he rolled over while taking off his coat. The good news was that he had escaped Su Xiao's line of sight and could "play dead" to enter the stealth state.
Tian Yu rolled to the wall, leaning against it as he lay on his back. He stretched out his legs, arched his back, lay flat, and casually covered his head with his coat. The reason for doing this was that it made for a more peaceful death.