Chapter 69: The Killing Squad
With over a dozen healing and support-type contractors killed or wounded in a short period, Xi took notice. She dispatched Liuli, but even Liuli couldn’t immediately locate the culprit.
Behind the lines of the Apocalypse Paradise camp, Su Xiao slit the throat of a support-type contractor. As he did, he faintly sensed someone approaching.
“Finally found you, this despicable assassin.”
Liuli stared at the corpse with its throat cut not far away, grinding her teeth in hatred. Beside her were three others: a male earth-type contractor, a female perception-type contractor, and a burly man wielding a massive hammer. This man stood at least three meters tall, giving off a heavy, lumbering impression. Despite his bulk, his strength attribute was undoubtedly formidable—likely a single-attribute build with Strength reaching 80 points.
Reaching 80 points in a single attribute wasn’t too difficult, and this hammer-wielding giant was a prime example.
Liuli hadn’t come alone. In most cases, she stayed near her sister or operated as part of a team.
Liuli’s squad consisted of five members. Liuli herself was a control + melee + ranged hybrid. The male earth-type contractor leaned toward protection. The perception-type contractor was responsible for locating enemies and, during battle, linking the other four’s minds to enhance their coordination.
As for the giant wielding a hammer as thick as a water vat, he had only one task: after Liuli immobilized the enemy, he would strike. His skills were all attack-boosted, geared toward one-shot kills.
Far off from the four-person squad was another teammate—a sniper who harbored feelings for Liuli. He provided fire support from a distance at all times.
Control + Support + Perception + Main Attacker + Long-Range Sniper. The purpose of this squad composition was obvious: not for dealing with powerful plot characters, but for taking down strong enemy contractors. Hence, the team had no slow-moving tank; instead, they used an earth-type contractor as a substitute, capable of both defense and decent control plus attack power.
The squad’s core was Liuli. Her strong control ability—which Su Xiao had experienced once—could force enemies into illusions, causing them to misperceive their surroundings.
‘Southeast, 26 meters, behind the stone pillar.’
The female perception-type contractor transmitted this information to Liuli and the others.
“OK, let’s hit him with a shot first, force him out.”
Liuli spoke through the mental link. She was the squad’s commander—not due to status, but because she had the leisure to direct during battle and possessed command talent.
“Mm.”
The male sniper in the distance replied through the mental link. This link was the female perception-type contractor’s ability; within it, the five could communicate telepathically, preventing strategy leaks.
Swoosh~
A bullet flew in.
Stone chips flew. A nearby semi-weathered stone pillar was snapped in half, its upper section crashing to the ground and shattering into white chunks. The pillar was as fragile as tofu.
A faint blue light flickered, and an energy shield wall appeared behind the pillar. A man in a black trench coat stood behind it.
“Unexpected. Running into an ‘old acquaintance’ like this.”
Su Xiao looked at Liuli not far away. For some reason, a children’s song suddenly came to mind. Though he didn’t know its name, he’d been subjected to that damn song for hours—and the singer was tone-deaf, the pitch fluctuating wildly.
“Retreat!”
Liuli instinctively wanted to flee. She might have developed “Su Xiao phobia.” Her two previous encounters were etched in her memory: once nearly killed, once used.
“Liuli, calm down.”
The earth-type contractor spoke. He was a steady, middle-aged man.
“Dealing with powerful lone contractors like this is exactly what we’re good at, isn’t it?”
Hearing his words, Liuli steadied herself.
“The enemy is strong. When I say strong, I mean freakishly strong. So we only have one chance.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
Calming down, Liuli scanned her surroundings and quickly devised a strategy against Su Xiao.
“Plan C.”
As Liuli spoke, Su Xiao suddenly vanished from his spot.
“Here he comes!”
Boom!
An earthen wall formed near Liuli and her four companions. Liuli and the perception-type contractor stepped back, as did the hammer-wielding giant. Despite his broad shoulders and thick waist, his defense was poor—all his abilities were focused on offense.
Clang.
A blade flashed, and the earthen wall was shattered. This gave Liuli’s four teammates a direct understanding of Su Xiao’s attack power. If he got close, someone would die. Once casualties occurred and the formation broke, a team wipe wouldn’t be far off.
“Dreamweaver: Illusory Realm.”
Liuli used the same ability that had misled Su Xiao’s perception before.
The scene before Su Xiao shifted. Liuli vanished, and so did her teammates. This wasn’t his first experience with this. He immediately activated his Counter Shield, which formed a sphere around him for protection.
Perception, sight, hearing, smell—all were misled. Only the sense of touch in his hands remained.
Crack, crack, crack…
A layer of granite crept up Su Xiao’s calves, firmly anchoring him to the ground. Whether this was real or an illusion, he couldn’t tell.
Su Xiao gripped the Dragon-Slaying Flash in his hand, while the Realm Severing Thread on his left hand lay scattered on the ground nearby, waiting for an enemy to approach.
But under the influence of “Dreamweaver: Illusory Realm,” even if an enemy drew near, he wouldn’t be able to detect them.
“Still 230 meters away… soon…”
Su Xiao murmured something unintelligible.
With a crack, blood burst from his left shoulder. A bullet ignored the Counter Shield and pierced his body. Judging by the force, it was likely a sniper round. This could be an illusion, or it could be real.
In reality, Su Xiao stood frozen in place. Over a dozen meters away, Liuli clasped her hands together, fully focused on maintaining the illusion. The earth-type contractor created high-strength granite, encasing Su Xiao’s Counter Shield and fixing it to the ground, thereby restricting his movement and making it easier for her teammates to land hits.
The female perception-type contractor pressed her fingers to the ground, doing her utmost to block surrounding perception. The male sniper in the distance kept firing, but each bullet was deflected by the Counter Shield.
“What kind of ability is this? It’s already blocked seventeen bullets. This won’t work. Liuli, how much longer can you keep him confused?”
The earth-type contractor spoke as he conjured a four-meter-tall rock golem, which began pounding the Counter Shield with heavy blows.
“At most three minutes. After two minutes, the Illusory Realm will start becoming unstable.”
Liuli pondered for a moment, then looked at the hammer-wielding giant.
“Dawn, you go. Try to smash that energy shell of his in one hit.”
“Mm.”
Dawn nodded, gripped the giant hammer he’d been carrying on his shoulder with both hands, and charged toward Su Xiao—though his speed was somewhat pitiful.
Despite his slow pace, Dawn’s attack power was undeniably jaw-dropping. He reached Su Xiao, raised the long-handled hammer high, and brought it down with all his might.
Thud!
The hammer slammed into the Counter Shield. A shockwave spread, shaking the ground within a dozen meters. The granite encasing the shield shattered from the violent impact.
With a crack, fine fissures appeared on the Counter Shield’s surface. Blood trickled from the corner of Su Xiao’s mouth; he was injured by the backlash.
After the strike, Dawn staggered back a few steps and plopped to the ground with a thud. The giant hammer clanged as it fell, leaving a shallow crater in the earth.
PS: (Two more chapters coming soon)