Chapter 33: The Same Kind of People
After dozens of pulses were released, they finally stopped. The soldiers within dozens of meters around Su Xiao were all dead, the stench of blood filling the air.
Whoosh~
A palm-sized drone sped past Su Xiao from above. Su Xiao held the Dragon-Slaying Flash and slashed at the air, a pale blue blade aura flying out.
The small drone was fast, but the blade aura was even faster, directly cutting the drone in two. The two severed halves fell, plunging into the dirt.
"Brother, that 'T3K—Big Dragonfly' was quite expensive. A real shame you cut it down with one slash like that. With this kind of neural reflex speed, you've been enhanced at least three times, right?"
A bald, burly man in a black leather jacket walked over. At least a hundred mechanical bees were hovering around him.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Lan Jue. In every sense of the word, we are the same kind of people."
Lan Jue looked at Su Xiao with a smile.
"The same kind of people?"
Su Xiao sensed Lan Jue's aura. Indeed, it was different from any contractor he had ever encountered.
"That's right, the same kind of people. On my side, we're called Purifiers."
Lan Jue paused after saying this, as if waiting for something.
After a moment, Lan Jue tentatively asked, "Did you hear what I just said?"
Su Xiao raised an eyebrow and finally nodded.
"Indeed, talking to the same kind of people is refreshing. No censorship."
The smile on Lan Jue's face grew more pronounced, and he even reached up to rub his bald head. If it weren't for the hundreds of mechanical bees buzzing around him, one might think he was here to befriend Su Xiao.
"Too bad we don't work for the same place. But come to think of it, people like us probably aren't welcome anywhere. Can't form teams with other contractors, can't cooperate with others too many times, and we have to clean up those damn anomalies. Those freaks have all sorts of bizarre abilities. I once ran into a guy who fought using his own internal organs. Disgusting as hell."
Lan Jue rambled on like a chatterbox. However, in the past, he rarely spoke this much to anyone, especially when they were on opposing sides.
Lan Jue was a Purifier of the Apocalypse Paradise, equivalent to a Hunter of the Reincarnation Paradise, responsible for eliminating contractors who violated the rules.
"Fate is like that. You get something, you pay something. It's fair."
Su Xiao didn't make a move immediately. He had never seen a Hunter from his own faction, let alone one from another paradise. Whether there were other Hunters in the Reincarnation Paradise was unknown, but there probably were, just very few in number. One Hunter per derived world was usually enough. The chances of encountering another Hunter within a derived world were slim.
This time, Su Xiao actually encountered a Hunter from the Apocalypse Paradise. He wanted to get some useful information from him.
"Maybe you're right. Fate is like that. Even though being a Purifier isn't a great status, and the danger level is several times, even dozens of times, higher than an ordinary contractor, the speed of getting stronger is faster."
Lan Jue tossed out a mechanical beetle, about the size of a sparrow. A red ray shot from the beetle's eyes.
"Oh? Developing four attributes simultaneously? Quite ambitious."
Needless to say, Lan Jue was probing Su Xiao's information. The Apostle's Eye beside Su Xiao was also probing the other party's situation.
[Comparing both parties' intelligence attributes... Comparison complete. Our intelligence is 0.945 times the enemy's. Obtained 29% of the enemy's data.]
Data as follows:
Name: Lan Jue
Category: Human
Health: 100%
Mana: 1610/1700
Strength: 33
Agility: 72
Endurance: 67
Intelligence: 73
Charm: 10
Detected Skill 1: Mechanical Heart (Active Lv.32), can transform insect-type creatures into mechanical summon creatures.
Lv.10 Additional Ability: Secondary Activation.
Lv.20 Additional Ability: Remote Control of Mechanical Creatures.
Lv.30 Additional Ability: Mechanical Creature Detonation.
Detected Skill 2: Summoning Master (Passive Lv.30), increases summoned creature's Strength, Agility, and Endurance attributes by 20%, summoning speed greatly increased.
Lv.10 Additional Ability: Multi-Summon.
Lv.20 Additional Ability: Super Multi-Summon.
Lv.30 Additional Ability: Summoned Creature Fusion Skill.
...
Seeing this data, Su Xiao immediately knew the enemy was formidable. The opponent was developing three attributes simultaneously. Agility and Endurance ensured survivability and some melee capability, while the Intelligence attribute increased the number, strength, and duration of summons.
The opponent's profession was very special. In layman's terms, it was a Mechanical Summoner, capable of transforming all insect-type creatures into summons and calling them during battle. Moreover, the opponent's basic summoning skill was at the Master level. Su Xiao knew all too well how powerful a Master-level basic skill could be.
Come to think of it, the opponent was a Hunter of the Apocalypse Paradise. Given the danger level and growth rate of a Hunter, they couldn't be weak. Weak Hunters would have been eliminated long ago.
Overall, Lan Jue was a ranged summoner with strong survivability. And he was loaded with high-tech items. Excluding the summons, his ranged firepower should be considerable.
Both sides had a general understanding of each other's abilities before the battle began. Su Xiao couldn't probe all of Lan Jue's data, and he didn't know how much the opponent had managed to probe from him.
"Melee, huh? I was wondering. When I saw you earlier, my instincts kept urging me to stay away from you. This ability called Cyan Steel Shadow Energy is so strong it makes people envious. Looks like you got a pretty good profession too."
Lan Jue rolled his shoulders. He didn't bother summoning mechanical creatures; there was no need. Unlike other summoners, he could summon mechanical creatures in an instant.
Su Xiao didn't speak. He was considering how to get close to the opponent. There were too many mechanical bees around the opponent, several hundred of them. If all these mechanical bees exploded simultaneously, the Counter Shield might not be able to withstand it.
If a direct confrontation was impossible, he would have to use strategy. First, he needed to lure the mechanical bees away from the opponent, or directly detonate them.
Just as Su Xiao was considering his battle strategy, Lan Jue spoke.
"If ordinary contractors are geared towards dealing with plot characters or ganging up on elite creatures, then our development direction is person-to-person. In gaming terms, ordinary contractors are PVE, and we are PVP. I'm looking forward to fighting you."
Lan Jue hadn't spoken this much to an enemy in a long time. Usually, when he fought others, he would just release his summons, use them as cover, and then pierce the enemy with his trump card. Meeting a fellow Hunter like Su Xiao today, he couldn't help but talk a bit more.
"Enough chit-chat. I don't know what your situation is, but I've got a mandatory mission. Before this world ends, only one of us can live."
Lan Jue stated his purpose for coming here: to settle things with Su Xiao, life or death.
The Reincarnation Paradise was currently at war with the Apocalypse Paradise. As a Hunter of the Reincarnation Paradise, it was normal for Su Xiao to be targeted by the enemy paradise, especially since he was helping the Reincarnation Paradise clean up those who broke the rules.
On the clamorous battlefield, Su Xiao and Lan Jue stood about twenty meters apart, facing each other. Around them were large numbers of corpses, and further away, soldiers were locked in fierce combat.
"Then... let's begin, enemy of the same kind."
Su Xiao let out a long breath. Lan Jue was strong. The problem was that Su Xiao had just rested briefly and wasn't in top condition. If Su Xiao's full combat power was 10, it was now around 8.
"You're probably not in great shape. Don't call me despicable. I waited two hours for this. It's called strategy."
Lan Jue had spotted Su Xiao's movements early in the war. He hadn't made a move, waiting for Su Xiao to expend his stamina. Earlier, Su Xiao had disappeared for a while. When he reappeared, Lan Jue chose to act, afraid that Su Xiao would hide in the Imperial army and never come out.
The Hunter battle was about to begin. This was a fight between two masters of killing.
PS: (One more chapter coming up)